Hey guys, sorry not to provide a full chapter as of yet, but want you guys to at least see that I am still, indeed, working on it and am trying. I've had a few things going on that have put a big delay on this story as well as others. I hope that, this tithes you over until I can update the entire chapter. I may do another preview but we'll go with this for now. Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 40

Izuku didn't want to admit that the two days spent recovering for their return to the Palace had mounted his anxiety. He paid a visit to Takemi and did his best with the funds he had left. She showed concern again, Izuku failing to hide his agitation. But the best he could do is dismiss it, appreciative but focused on his primary objective. And after a late night text from Bakugou and Makoto, confirming both were ready, Izuku went to bed restless.

One last push. One last push to find the treasure on the final floor. He parroted, trying to steady his mind and get rid of his restlessness. He tried not to look in a rush down the stairs, not wanting to draw Sojiro's-

"Get out. I'm not serving you."

Izuku raised his head in alarm, trotting down the steps quickly when he heard the disdain of his guardian's voice. He slowed to a stop when he saw who he was addressing.

"That's a rather rude welcome. We're here as customers." It was Sae who answered Sojiro's bitter response, but she wasn't the source of his ire. Standing just a short ways away from her, Izuku's chest tightening up, was the young hero they had met some time ago.

Lemillion. The young Hero in Training who let Eri go.

Izuku briefly met his eyes, the older teen looking at him ruefully. He quickly looked away in shame, his head hanging low. Izuku didn't feel it was unjust for him to feel so, the things he heard and saw in the Palace made his stance on the matter firm.

"I-It's alright Sae-san. I think it's better if I leave…" Lemillion told her, backing away toward the door. Sae furrowed her brow, watching Lemillion slowly turn around and make his exit.

"... Izu. Might I have a moment?" Sae asked, her eyes trailing to Izuku. The green haired teen felt like he was suddenly on the spot, but was unable to reject his once older sister figure.

"Sure…"

Sae stepped outside, Izuku trailing behind her tentatively. He looked around for the young hero, but he seemed to make himself scarce. "Mind telling me what's going on?"

"I… It's complicated…" Izuku mumbled, not sure where to start and how much to divulge. "How do you know him, Sae-oneesan?"

"He's an… associate from work. I've worked with him on several cases. He's surprisingly capable for someone as upbeat as he is. Though he clearly hasn't been that way as of late. And apparently it has something to do with you and your guardian." Sae crossed her arms over her chest, Izuku feeling her eyes drilling into him. "I won't pry, but I thought I'd see if you want to tell me about it."

Izuku wrung his hands, unsure what exactly to say, and thought it was best to remain silent and shake his head. "No, Sae-oneesan. We're okay…"

Sae remained silent, Izuku having trouble meeting her eyes still. He was afraid she might see through him much like she did during his childhood when he, Makoto and Bakugou would get up to some mischief together. He was always the target of her glare because he was the worst at hiding the truth.

But thankfully, she relented, a sigh escaping her lips. "If you say so… I can't say I'll always be able to lend a voice to talk to you. I'm quite busy, and barely have time as it is." Sae's words were as honest as they were a bit harsh. But the small shift in her tone was evident. "But if I can lend an ear, just know I'm willing to listen. Don't be afraid to ask."

Izuku was surprised by her words, but also delighted. It felt like the Sae of old who would both scold but also take care of their troublesome trio was standing in front of him, and not the stern and cold lawyer that Makoto had described her to have become.

"I… I appreciate that, Sae-oneesan."

"Of course. Now, I should take my leave. I was only stopping in for lunch with Togata, but clearly that went a little off the intended plan." Sae pulled her sleeve down to check the time on her watch. "Are you off to see Makoto?"

"Y-Yes, we were planning to study together with friends." Izuku quickly excused, remembering what the younger Nijima had told him before about her excuses to Sae.

"I see. It's good to know you're remaining diligent with her. She did always enjoy you pushing her." Sae smiled, hand resting on her purse strap. "Then I'll get out of your hair. I hope to see you around, Izu."

"You as well, Sae-oneesan. And please feel free to come back!" Izuku bowed out of habit, like he was making an apology.

"I plan to, but hopefully with a bit better reception to my company." She smirked before turning around. Izuku watched her leave, feeling the small tension in his shoulders lift. Morgana popped out of his bag, the cat looking a little concerned.

"Hey… I hope you're okay after seeing that guy again. We need you focused on the mission as our leader, after all." Morgana said, his voice more gentle than usual.

"Don't worry, Morgana-san. I am," he answered, looking back at the cat with his brow furrowed. "In fact, I'm just more motivated."

"Be ready for anything."Izuku warned his team, hands tentatively gripping his bo staff. The seven rode the elevator down, heading to the final floor that had yet to be explored.

"Try not to lose your head, nerd." Bakugou's gruff warning drew Izuku's attention, the explosive teen watching him from the side. "If you're gonna lead, we don't need you riled up."

Izuku's lips thinned into a line, looking around at his team. The others remained silent, their expressions conveying their own concern for his state.

"Right… sorry. I'll be more collected from here." Izuku sighed before looking back at Bakugou and smiling. "Thank you, Kacc-Nitro!'

"Whatever." Bakugou looked away.

*DING*

The Thieves quickly shifted their focus forward, hands on their weapons as they waited for the doors to slide open. They were met with a long white hallway, much like the cleanrooms that belonged to Chisaki before. They slowly walked out, their guard still up despite the lack of Shadows compared to the last floor. The doors mirrored the layout, only made obvious by the outlines of the frame and the plaques plated next to them.

"What was this floor labeled as again?" Ann asked, rubbing her arm as she trailed next to Ryuji and Yusuke.

"There wasn't a map of this floor that I saw. I don't know how big it is either…" Morgana mumbled, looking around the halls tentatively. "But I can sense the treasure nearby."

"Do you know which direction?" Makoto asked.

"Straight ahead. But judging from what I can see at the end of the hall, I doubt it'll be that simple…" Morgana pointed with his paw, and the other Thieves quickly understood. They jogged over to the end of the hall to more closely inspect the door blocking their way. It was large and made of steel, most likely, meant to keep out prying eyes.

"It's not a surprise that the Treasure is protected this heavily. But look, another console." Izuku pointed out. "We'll probably have to find the Officers on this floor."

"We've already taken out 7 of those assholes, so there should only be one left from the Bullets." Bakugou pointed out, eyes narrowed.

"One huh? Piece of cake. Maybe we'll run into that asshole ruler while we're at it and kick his ass too." Ryuji grinned in anticipation.

"I wouldn't treat that idea too lightly. We are all aware of just how dangerous the Palace owner's true world abilities are. I do not wish to imagine what his Shadow is capable of as well." Yusuke pointed out, grimacing at the prospect.

"Huh? The hell does that mean?" Bakugou cocked a brow, looking at Fox.

"Like you saw with the cognitions, the abilities of those from the real world gets exaggerated. Unfortunately this seems to mean the same goes doubly for the Ruler, as well as give them abilities they aren't capable of in real life either." Makoto explained.

"She's right. Not to mention this is the first Palace Ruler that's a dangerous criminal with a more than lethal Quirk. We have to avoid them at all costs." Izuku frowned, hiding his frustration. Part of him wanted to personally bring Chisaki down, to make him pay for what pain Eri is clearly going through. But not at the possible cost of his team's safety.

He'll get his justice soon enough.

"Tch, what a waste. We should be burying him ourselves." For once, part of Izuku agreed with Bakugou's violent tendency, though of course not to the same severity.

"Let's check each of these offices. Hopefully one will have the keycard or the officer." Izuku suggested, checking the plaque on the next door closest to them. "'Eri's Play Room'?"

"So, that scumbag at least gave her somethin' to enjoy?" Ryuji scoffed, hands tucked in his pockets.

"Well he is her father, so giving her some good things isn't out of the question." Makoto shrugged.

"I'm going in." Izuku announced, slowly placing his hand on the doorknob. He expected it to be locked but was thankful it clicked open. He opened the door and walked inside, greeted by a colorful room full of toys and stuffed animals.

It was a shockingly large room, comparable to that of Madarame's gallery with the transparent paintings they could pass through. Platforms stuck out from the wall above with slides flowing down from one to the next. A ladder connected them on each level as well, designed like monkey bars for play. On the outside this seemed like something a child might enjoy at least to the eye.

But the toys were… off. Like they lacked any sort of care. The stuffed bears and dolls were faceless. Lifeless toys that could bring no joy.

"A pitiful attempt to win the trust of the child in his care." Yusuke's voice dripped with disdain as he made his thoughts known. His words hit home, the team wordlessly agreeing on the sentiment as they continued further in. They climbed the monkey bar-like ladders between levels to go higher up. While the activities seemed to expand, they never felt genuine. A small, empty slide with only two schutes. A swing set for one on the next. All depressing to look at for the Thieves.

"Hey, it didn't occur to me until now, but… why would he have this room here?" Ann asked, the others looking at her in question. "I mean… this part of the lab, even with a playroom, is just… way too creepy for a kid."

"That is a good point… one might think he was trying to keep her from the outside world in the first place." Yusuke stroked the tip of his chin. "But for what reason?"

Finally they reached the top level and, to Izuku's chagrin, he still saw no sign of Eri's cognition. It shouldn't have mattered. It wasn't her true self or even her Shadow. But he wanted to know how Chisaki viewed the young girl. Whether their suspicions of him ultimately not caring for her were founded. And how much, if true, horror Eri had been through.

But even though Eri was absent, the Thieves were given more obvious hints on the final level.

"What the hell..?" Ryuji voiced everyone's immediate reaction first. This floor seemed to be the most empty. A couple toys here and there, with a single large table bolted to the ground at the center of the room. Crayons and papers were scattered across the table top as well as the floor itself.

What caused their dread was what was written on the papers. On the table. On the floor. Everywhere.

IT HURTS

HELP

IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS

I WANT IT TO STOP

I'M SCARED

I'M SCARED

I'M SCARED

Izuku stepped forward, hand trembling at his side as he knelt down, his eyes scanning across the papers and floor. It was all the same, crayon staining the ground with the same pleas and cries. All in the shaky, messy handwriting of a child.

"This poor child…" Yusuke mumbled, his left eye closing as he frowned.

"What… What exactly is he doing to her..?" Ann raised a hand over her mouth as she trembled.

"That piece of trash…" Makoto clenched her jaw, hands tightening as frustration bubbled within.

"Hm? This feeling…" Morgana sniffed the air before his eyes lit up. "Everyone, get ready! There's a-"

A black sludge pile erupted from the ground at the center of the room, a Shadow taking shape in the form of a gray-skinned and armless oni, whire robes draped over its body under a rope that wrapped around its chest. "What are intruders doing all the way down here?! Chisaki-sama will kill me if he finds out-"

"California SMASH!"

Before the Shadow could assault them, Carter erupted from a torrent of blue flames. It unleashed a rush of punches that rippled across the Shadow's body, each punch crunching its bones upon impact. The oni couldn't speak or cast a spell, abruptly and quickly be completely overwhelmed.

And as the Thieves watched in minor awe, they soon saw the raw emotion behind the attack. Izuku's teeth ground together as furious tears trailed down his cheeks, his frustration and pain spilling forth and unleashed upon the Shadow. Carter's attack soon came to a stop, the Shadow finally allowed to fall to the ground but no longer capable of fighting.

"Wh-What the hell… was that..?" The Shadow coughed as its body fell apart, the pieces turning into black sludge and sinking into the ground.

Izuku let out haggard breaths, his arms trembling with a soreness from the exertion of his Persona. He shook them out briefly, trying to ignore the pain and walk to his team. "Let's go. It doesn't look like he was the officer we needed."

"Hero…" He heard Makoto mumble in concern.

"Don't waste all your energy, moron." Izuku stopped when it was Bakugou who spoke, his voice a low growl but carrying no intensity. "We've still got plenty to look through. We don't need you dragging us down."

"Nitro!"

"No, he's right." Izuku stopped Ann as she protested, turning back to the others and nodding. "Sorry everyone. I'll try to keep my head on straight."

"Hey, don't sweat it! It's not like this ain't fuelin' the rest of us either!" Ryuji slapped his shoulder, a frown spreading across his lips. "This guy pisses me off as much as Kamoshida. He's gonna get his."

"Right." Izuku felt his partner's sincerity, as well as the others' own. He turned back to hall door, leading them on. "Let's see what else is here."

"I'm still a little surprised that Shadows aren't roaming this hall. It is the most important part of the Palace, after all." Yusuke spoke his mind, his eyes drifting across the white walls of the floor.

"Not to mention it's so small compared to the others. I wonder if it reflects their base in the real world more than the other floors?" Makoto wondered aloud, eyes narrowing thoughtfully behind her mask.

"It probably has to do with the distrust he's shown toward the other Shadows as well as his underlings in the real world. Even the Shadow we encountered was more concerned with Chisaki punishing him as opposed to us," said Morgana.

"Stop flappin' your gums! We've still got a couple rooms to check." Bakugou dismissed their theories, walking over to the door across from the playroom. The others silently followed, Ryuji checking the nameplate.

"'Documentation room'. Think we'll learn somethin' here?" Ryuji asked, looking at the others.

"Only one way to find out. Any intel we can get is good intel." Morgana said, the group trickling inside. Another spick and span room with white walls, lined with file cabinets and a desk pressed against the wall to their left. At the far end of the room were several couches with a projector sitting on top of a small stand, a screen lining the wall opposite of it.

"Looks like we'll have to pour through some of the cabinets. Considering the projector though, I wonder…" Makoto walked over to the cabinets, drawing them out. "That's what I thought. Looks like DVD's. Apparently he's documented some stuff in video formas well."

"W-Wait a sec, look how many cabinets there are! We're not gonna watch all of it are we?!" Ryuji blanched.

"We might be able to figure out more about the Quirk Erasing Bullets. We won't watch everything, but let's see if we can find something relevant to that and what Eri-chan has to do with it." Izuku encouraged, walking past the others to inspect the desk. "Mona, can you be lookout? You'll be able to sense any Shadows coming."

"Roger. Try to be quick though, this isn't a safe room no matter how empty." Morgana suggested before skipping over to the office door.

As the others searched through the cabinets, Izuku took to searching the desk, hoping to find another tape recording that might continue from the one they last listened to.

"Hey." Izuku drew his gaze back to see Bakugou holding a disk case. "This has that kid's name on it."

"Give it here!" Izuku was met with Bakugou chucking it a little too hard at him, thankfully catching it before it could hit his face. He brushed it off, walking over to the projector and inserting the disc. He swallowed a lump in his throat as the rest of the Thieves surrounded him to watch.

"Our experimentation is proving successful."

Izuku's lips thinned into a line as Chisaki appeared on screen. He wore the same beaked mask as in the real world, but instead dawned a lab coat and rubber gloves, similar to some sci-fi mad scientist. The camera showed him in what looked like a laboratory, his upper half taking up most of the shot as his yellow Shadow eyes shined.

"Eri's Quirk is proving to be more potent than we could have imagined. With just a bit of blood, we've been able to harness the power of her Quirk into the bullets."

"Her blood?!" Anns' voice rose an octave, sweat beginning to perspirate on the skin of each of the Thieves.

"W-What the hell? He's-"

"Shut up and listen!" Bakugou barked in frustration, eyes focused on the screen. He wasn't being vocal about it, but the burning anger in his eyes were clear as he stared up at Chisaki's face.

"Still, the effects aren't permanent. The first bullets I've constructed only erase the quirk for up to ten seconds. I'll be extracting more of her body material this time. Hopefully, with more concentrated blood, we'll be able to continue to extend the amount of time that the Quirk is taken away. Let's begin."

Chisaki turned, walking away from the camera. And the sight the Thieves saw haunted their very souls.

Eri came into focus She wore a hospital gown that went down to her knees. She was silently crying, tears streaming down her face. Her bandaged arms were strapped down, the young girl bound to an operation chair while laid out flat. As Chisaki approached, the young girl flinched away in fear, body shaking like a leaf as she whimpered.

"P-Please, stop it… It hurts…"

"Come now, Eri. Relax. You know it hurts worse when you fight it."

"I don't wanna do this. It hurts. Please, please stop…"

Izuku's stomach tightened, his eyes wide and pleading, begging for something in Chisaki to heed the child's words. Anything decent in him.

But Izuku quickly realized there was no such thing within Chisaki. His gaze remained cold. Detached. Unfeeling. Nothing Eri said was having any sort of effect on him. All he did was sigh as he slowly drew his right hand rubber glove away.

"The sooner you get used to these operations, Eri, the sooner they end. Now let's begin."

Chisaki's hand extended and touched Eri's arm. And without a single breath, that arm exploded in a wet pop of blood.

"AGGGGGHHHH~!"

"NO!" The collective voices of the Thieves cried out in horror. Ann gripped onto Ryuji, the punk in so much shock that he clung to her without a thought. Makoto sank to her knees, shaken, her hands over her mouth as she tried and failed to keep her composure. Bakugou, who was not so easy to horrify, found his breath hitched and his throat dry as sweat poured down his face. Yusuke was in a similar state, hands twitching as his mouth was agape.

But Izuku… Izuku thought his heart had stopped. His chest felt like it would cave in. His head began to spin, falling to his knees and gripping his stomach. He thought he would throw up as tears now poured down from his eyes, unable to stop from sobbing uncontrollably.

"Today the entire arm was used for the sake of forming these bullets." Chisaki's voice echoed around them his voice completely void of remorse or any emotion. "Further tests will be run to find out the exact potency of the bullets formed by this amount of her body used. Hopefully it gives us the desired effect. Otherwise we'll have to move onto both of her arms."

Chisaki's voice remains unmoved. All the while Eri's sobbing echoed behind him. Izuku slowly raised his head despite his better judgment. If there was any sort of good to take from this, it was that her arm had been reformed. But her cries made it clear that the pain remained.

The video came to an end, and silence ruled over them.

"Chisaki…" Izuku growled low, his hands balling into fists as he pounded into the floor. "You piece of shit! We'll make you PAY!" He repeated this several times as his hands ached inside his red gloves.

To be continued in the full chapter