Chapter 67: The beginning of the end

Everything happened so fast.

Pain filled screams rang in his ears, they came from around every corner, echoed between the new glass buildings surrounding the plaza, he couldn't see, there was too much noise and smoke…

"Hikari!" He yelled into the metal covering his mouth. "Uraraka-san? Shouto-kun!"

Nothing. Slowly but surely panic dreaded to take over.

"Anyone?!"

His palms were sweaty. The metal suitcase almost slipped out of Izuku's grip, but he quickly regained his posture and helped load the rest of the luggage into the bus. Aizawa-sensei had already begun explaining the usual rules of conduct when he joined his friends.

He hadn't gotten much rest. He wondered if he would have gotten even a single minute of sleep if it wasn't for his friends encouraging words last evening, or the arms tightly wrapped around him after he woke from another nightmare.

They were going back to Onderon. This was real. He was going to - probably, most likely, maybe, eventually - meet his father again. A shiver ran down his spine.

Aizawa-sensei's voice rang over the chaotic assembly, telling them to board the damn bus already. Quickly shaking the gloomy thoughts from his head, he joined the queue forming in front of his teacher.

.

An eerie fog hung over the fields they passed. Izuku spent most of the ride dozing off.

Despite all efforts, he couldn't shake the queasy feeling as they crossed the borders, but it wasn't as bad as he expected. The city… It looked different. He still recognized some of the buildings and streets, not too many since he had only seen it in one piece for one and a half days, but he could tell much had been renewed or rebuilt. They were stuck in traffic for a bit, and he managed to get caught in an awkward staring contest with a kid who was waiting in front of a crosswalk. The kid wasn't the only one staring. U.A. just had to write their school's name in large letters across the whole side of the bus. Of course all the civilians wanted to take a look at the infamous first year heroic students from the sports festival last year.

Everything seemed so ordinary. Trivial, even. No destroyed buildings, no villains, just adults stressing to work, students on their way to school, a few heroes patrolling the streets. It seemed peaceful.

He couldn't let his father destroy it all a second time.

The forty-one hero course students and four of their teachers arrived at the Agency of Owlowl, a beloved local hero, who provided them with a meeting room and lockers to change into their costumes. The briefing was short and to the point, they only had to attend the speech and stay at the central plaza to be seen by the public. Izuku dreaded having to interact with civilians, it felt like he had more experience engaging villains than reporters or fans. He couldn't decide whether that was a bad or a good thing.

The upgraded suit he got the day before felt comfortable. Although, feeling the breeze against his bare forearms was something he still needed to get used to. The black fabric reaching from his elbows up to the collar was sturdy yet stretchy, he assessed as he rolled his shoulders. The rest of the top and bottom were the same as before, so was his mask. Izuku slipped his new gloves on, the wristband was just long enough to cover and protect the watch Hikari had given him two weeks ago. He prayed he wouldn't accidentally break it, should it come to a fight.

Izuku shook his head once again. There isn't going to be a fight, he tried to convince himself, as he rearranged the bag and clothes he had carelessly thrown into the small locker in his jittery state.

"Midoriya, are you coming?"

Izuku's shoulders twitched. He put on his best fake smile and turned to Iida, "I'll be right behind you."

He was met with a blank stare, one that lasted far too long for his liking. And yet his friend didn't push, simply returned the same emotionless smile, and raised his hand.

"Of course." Iida turned and quickly caught up with Uraraka and Asui. Both girls sent him a concerned glance but moved on with their class president. As soon as their chatter faded, Izuku's shoulders slumped. With a sigh, he closed his locker and his eyes, before letting his front fall against the door. How was he supposed to uphold his cheery facade when he saw Dragon and his men lurking behind every corner, peeking from every shadow, waiting in the corners of his eyes?

A metallic clank rattled his skull. Izuku pushed himself up. He had made sure everyone was gone, no one was supposed to be here-

Oh. He let go of another deep sigh.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Hikari apologized, leaning against the metal cabinet next to his. There was warmth in her eyes, but her expression remained serious. "How are you holding up?"

Yeah, how was he holding up? Not too good, to be honest. None of the smiles he sent his friends today had reached his eyes, and they all noticed it. He was terrible at pretending. Even All Might and Aizawa-sensei had come by the dorm yesterday after school, to not so subtly 'check whether their students were ready for the event'. Their eyes had been on him for most of the time.

"Your costume looks good. You look badass." The girl chuckled and let her fingers wander over his left glove. The palm was still green, but the back of his hand was black like his sleeves. The previously blue markings had been exchanged with gold lines, further limiting his colour scheme to green, black and red, with a few metallic gold highlights. He had been worried about the whole thing looking too dark, but he couldn't complain, he had left the support department free roam knowing his fashion sense wasn't the greatest.

Though he did like that the gold lines on his gloves resembled the ones on his girlfriend's suit. It had to be a lucky accident, unless Hatsume somehow already knew about them before their own class did, which was ridiculous.

"Are you making fun of me?" Izuku found his voice. Badass wasn't something he would call himself. Awkward would be more fitting.

"I wouldn't dare. It does look good, Deku. Very professional." She was trying to make him flustered, he realized. It wasn't quite enough but it managed to draw a small smile out of him, genuine this time. Izuku angled his wrist so he could grab her hand, but before he could counter, a head appeared behind the last locker.

"Yo, Midoriya! Everyone's waiting!"

Izuku bit his lip. He dared to squeeze his girlfriend's hand before letting go and turned to Kirishima, "We're coming!"

.

Uraraka jumped, gushing about how big and sci-fi the huge screen on the skyscraper across the plaza was. A temporary tribune had been built underneath, with a lectern and all. Stern looking people in fancy suits were already up, some workers seemed to be checking the technological stuff.

The place in front was flooded with people. The mild temperatures and bright sunlight had drawn out even more spectators than expected. Between all the wild heads and bodies, it was almost impossible to make out the dozens if not hundreds of heroes in between. They were signing autographs, taking selfies, offering kind words and advice all while keeping an eye out for any abnormalities. Even the U.A. students had been told to report if they saw something suspicious.

Melting Point crossed the plaza a bit ahead. The hero either didn't see them, didn't have the time, or thought they weren't worth his attention. Noticing a few new details on the pro's suit Izuku pulled out his notebook. The smell of fresh paper hit him. The cover was clean, a pure white, only disrupted by the few characters he had written on top.

Quirk Analysis #14

He had decided to change the name from 'hero' to 'quirk', since he had been writing about villains and noted general thoughts about quirks too for the past month, and the old name didn't feel fitting anymore.

Izuku opened the cover. The sight of the photograph held in place with a paperclip brought a blush to his cheeks and he quickly flipped one more page. It was the picture he had asked for a few weeks ago. Hikari told him to take it off once she handed him the notebook, but he didn't want to. This new notebook… It was a promise.

It had been a gift from his girlfriend and his mother, only given to him last night, since Hikari had noticed his old one was so overfilled that even some extra pages had been taped to the back. It was a promise that no matter what happened today, they would return back home, so he could fill the rest of the blank pages.

Cheers went through the rows. Izuku felt Shouto slightly tense at his side and lifted his gaze to find Endeavour stepping onto the podium. The number one hero stood in the back, arms folded in front of his chest, his intimidating aura filling the air around him. No one paid attention to the city official talking in front. The man thanked the audience for coming here, congratulated them for working so hard to rebuild the city…

Izuku couldn't suppress the yawn he tried to hide behind the raised notebook.

It was fine. Nothing unusual. It meant nothing that she had seen Sougan, one of her old classmates from Seishin, in the crowd. He lived in Onderon after all, and maybe he didn't hate heroes as much as he had pretended to, maybe it had been peer pressure.

The two twin heads were another story, though. Hikari didn't know them in person, but Neko had ranted about them often enough. As far as she knew, the two plain looking girls were on top of the anti-quirk-club they had secretly formed within the safe walls of Seishin. Neko had made sure their actions never went overboard, but who knows what it might have evolved into if Hikari's best friend didn't keep them in check.

It was probably nothing.

.

Ten minutes of awfully boring speaks later, her feet carried her over to her teacher.

"Aizawa-sensei," she began, not really knowing where to start.

"Shikogane?" He narrowed his eyes. Hikari clenched her fist. Maybe she was overreacting. But if she wasn't…

"Can I… Can I talk to you for a second? I-in private?" It had to sound weird. But she didn't want to cause panic, she didn't want to throw accusations around. Her teacher's eyes narrowed further.

"Mic, Midnight, Vlad, watch the students. I'll be right back."

He didn't lead her far. Just a bit further away from the crowd, close to a hero guarding the entrance of a store, but out of earshot.

"What is it?" The pro urged. At least he made her feel taken seriously. Hikari went over what she was going to say, choosing her words carefully, "I'm… I'm not sure. It might be nothing, but…"

"But?"

"I've… I've seen some Seishin students. Previous Seishin students. Eight of them, to be exact. I know it might mean nothing, but it just struck me as odd, because they don't like heroes, they don't live anywhere close, I don't see why they would be here… And during the meeting they said D- you know who was, well, recruiting quirkless people…"

She felt bad for even considering it. Maybe the Seishin students had had a change of heart after the school closed down. Maybe their parents had moved here. There were endless reasons that could have forced them to attend.

"Shikogane." Aizawa placed a hand on her shoulder, soothing her distress. "Thank you for telling me. You're right, it might mean nothing, but I would rather look into this."

She could only nod. It wasn't that Hikari disliked her old classmates, she was fairly neutral since she had never interacted much with them, but she still felt like she was betraying them.

If there was something to betray.

When they joined the class again, worried glances were thrown her way. While Aizawa-sensei went to exchange a few quiet words with the other teachers before he disappeared, Momo and Kyouka came for her.

"Are you okay?"

"Did something happen?"

Their care brought a smile to her lips. "No, I'm fine, thanks. It might be nothing- There was just something I noticed." No need to spread further unease. Her two friends exchanged a worried glance but decided to leave it at that, for now.

Fingers brushed against the back of her hand, not ready to openly take it, but desperate to let her know he was there for her. Hikari gave them a soft push back.

It was almost time. Yotsune sat in front of one of the many computers, among all the other technically gifted peers, waiting for the sign. Four big screens lined the wall of the office, if it could be called that, broadcasting the event taking place downtown. It was a sunny and warm day, he had heard a few people worry about their agents attracting attention, but so far, no unusual behaviour had been noted among the heroes. Nothing Dragon's spies knew of, at least.

Pretty soon, the bird-brained number two hero would be up. And after him, the one and only number one. No one expected his speech to be long, so as soon as he stepped towards the microphone, Yotsune and his colleagues got ready. Ready to follow Dragon's orders one last time.

He hoped The Void and Eri were prepared.

Endeavour wasn't a man of words, and he was very much aware of that fact. His PR team had tried to help, prepared several speeches for him, but all of them felt bland. Not like something he would say, and half-assing things was the last thing he should do. This event was crucial - they had to show the world that an incident like the 'Tragedy of Onderon' would never be repeated, that the heroes weren't weak, that he, as the number one, was ready to lead and inspire.

Endeavour stepped in front of the microphone. Bright sunlight blinded him, forcing him to narrow his eyes. A cold breeze tugged at the flames dancing around his eyes and the lower part of his face. His fists had been clenched the whole time, so no one would notice his tenseness.

Izuku could feel the nervousness radiating from his girlfriend. He didn't dare to ask. Something was obviously up, but if she didn't say anything to her two closest friends, it had to be something that could potentially cause unease, if not panic. It had to be something big.

The teen listened to Endeavour's speech - the number one only bestowed them with two sentences - and let his eyes wander over the crowd. He saw another famous hero close by, they really weren't holding back this time. A lot of people had raised their phones to record the speech, a boy elongated his neck to watch the scene unfold over the tall man's shoulder who blocked his view.

Nothing out of the ordinary. Until terrified eyes met his.

Izuku blinked. There was a boy around his age, he was vaguely familiar, wrapped in a thick winter coat. Maybe he had trouble regulating his body temperature thanks to his quirk? But that didn't explain the look he gave Izuku. The hero in training shifted slightly, ready to approach the strange teen, but the other disappeared within the crowd before he could.

"Izuku?" Hikari whispered, but he only raised a hand, too focussed on finding the teen again. Where had he seen him before? Something was knocking in the back of his mind, a suspicion, he only needed to dig a little further…

There was a loud venting sound. As if someone was aggressively deflating a balloon or tire. Kaminari cracked a fart joke not too far away. A few people in the crowd coughed. Izuku narrowed his eyes, he felt a tug on his sleeve and found Uraraka looking for his attention, "Deku-kun?"

"EVERYONE, MOVE BACK!"

One yelled command coming from the middle of the crowd, followed by a high-pitched screech was all it took. Izuku barely got to take one last breath before something knocked him over, two pairs of arms locked with his and tried to pull him back to his feet, but a shove came from the right, sending the three of them down. Screams filled the air, his view of the sky was blocked, he reached out but couldn't grasp his friends. Somehow, he managed to get back up, narrowly avoiding being trampled to death only to be shoved around, he heard Present Mic scream over the crowd, telling them to calm down and safely evacuate-

Smoke, or some kind of mist, was blown into his direction. Izuku instinctively pushed his mouth guard up.

"Please calm down!" He yelled into the metal covering his mouth. His muffled voice barely reached his own ears, there was too much noise, glass shattered, something exploded close enough the blast knocked him and whoever was standing nearby off their feet. Izuku pushed himself up, he couldn't see any of his classmates or teachers in the chaos.

"Hikari!" He called out, "Uraraka-san? Shouto-kun!"

Nothing.

"Anyone?"

Not too far away a man squirmed on the ground and Izuku stumbled towards him, ready to help, when he felt a prick on the side of his neck, just below his ear.

The world went dark before he could lift his own arm.

A/N: Ohmygod I'm so sorry for the unexpected hiatus, this chapter is so short and bad but I desperately needed a break. From everything.

(I am totally not thinking about writing a vigilante AU of this fic since chapter 306 happened. I totally don't have an idea for the plot. Totally did not write a prologue and the first chapter instead of working on this story :'D adkaldkf.)

Review time:

*Yamajiji: Thanks for the review! It will be the last dose of fluff for a while...

*Nixxon Mysterio: Thank you so much! Writing teens is hard. Hope this chapter is not too much "in your face" :'D

*Ryu: Thanks for the review!

*Totem-Mimikyu: Thanks a lot! It took a lot of work and dedication, I'm glad you like her!