Summary: Izuku, Tsuyu, and Ochaco have a difficult meeting with the Ryukyu agency as everything they've learned about the League is revealed. Izuku has to face some tough questions and even tougher realities about Toga and his relationship with her.

He decides to meet with her, hoping to put an end to this once and for all.

OP: "Truth Doesn't Make a Noise" by the White Stripes

Tsuyu, January 14, 11:53am

Magne

Twice

Vampire Slayer & Shifter

Himiko Toga - Quirk

Himiko Toga - Motivations

Appendix A: Timeline

Appendix B: Image references

Tsuyu didn't even flip past the first page - the tab labels on the inside cover were enough to leave her overwhelmed. A whole binder on the League?

Her eyes slowly lifted up to Izuku. They - Izuku, Ochaco, and herself - had pulled the waiting chairs outside Ryukyu's office into a semi-circle after he'd arrived, and he'd been sitting with an anxious face this entire time.

She asked, "You managed to get all of this out of Toga?"

He shrugged. "Yes and no? I couldn't confirm everything, but everything I put in there is more likely than not . . . I think."

Ochaco was doing her best to read sideways, scanning up and down the first page repeatedly. She said, "Wow . . . I couldn't get anything about the League out of her. What did you do?"

He shrugged again. "I didn't really ask her anything about the League - she'd just mention stuff in passing, and I tried to keep track of it. And some of the other stuff is based on research I did online, so it's not like it's all coming from her."

Eager to see the 'big picture,' Tsuyu flipped to Appendix A and began reviewing the timeline. It was more cluttered than she expected, with pages from newspapers and online articles arranged chronologically, starting about three years ago. Only one article acknowledged Toga at all, pertaining to the attack of a middle-school-aged boy; he didn't die, and his parents didn't press charges, but other students had little doubt that she'd done it. The bulk of the timeline detailed the murders of a home-invading serial killer known as 'Vampire Slayer,' as well as those of an assassin known only as 'Shifter.' There was little public evidence about either, but the crimes themselves were covered in more detail further into the careers of each, as their actions became more well-known and sensationalized.

It wasn't immediately clear if Toga really was these two other criminals mentioned, but enough fit that she could understand why he'd be suspicious. A shapeshifting assassin who takes the appearance of their victims, and a home invader who drained their victims of blood. Toga had to have gotten her start somewhere, hadn't she?

That's an obvious question to ask.

. . . but I didn't think to ask it.

Tsuyu didn't look up from the binder this time - there was too much information that needed to be scrutinized, and she wanted to be ready for this meeting.

"If you're right that Toga is Shifter, then she's even more dangerous than we realized. I don't watch the news much, but even I'd heard of them - they were big for a while for killing an off-duty Top 100 hero when Stain was getting started."

"I had my suspicions after I saw her with the Shie Hassaikai," Izuku said, "but there was so much going on I didn't follow up on it then. And then, once I knew how her quirk worked, I remembered Vampire Slayer. Their MO became more specific over time, and then they just vanished. People thought they might have gotten arrested for something else, but, given the timing-"

"-you think Vampire Slayer and Shifter are the same person."

"Yeah."

As she looked through some of the latest articles, she pondered: I've been looking at this situation all wrong. I thought he was being reckless this whole time because Toga was a young girl, but he knew what he was getting into better than anyone. And if he's right about this - if he's right about half of it, even - then this binder is a treasure trove.

Tsuyu had come to respect Izuku for all sorts of reasons, but especially his resolve. Over time, that view of him dominated the way she thought of him, and she had forgotten one very basic thing about him.

He's very clever.

. . . Toga being a girl doesn't change that.

Ochaco and Izuku jumped a little as the door to Ryukyu's office opened.

"We're ready for you," Nejire said, bright and professional.

Tsuyu returned the binder as they all stood, and Izuku became fixated somewhere around his hands, the binder, or the floor. Ochaco tapped his shoulder to get his attention, then held up a fist and nodded.

"Be strong!"

She didn't have to say it for them all to hear it, and the worry on his face softened a little.

The three of them filed into the room in a line, and Nejire followed, closing the door behind them. Ryukyu sat behind her desk at the other edge of the room, smiling that sharp, polite smile.

"Izuku Midoriya - welcome. Everyone, take a seat."

Ochaco took the seat at the edge, making an Ochaco - Izuku - Tsuyu - Nejire line almost wall to wall.

Ryukyu's attention remained only on Izuku.

"Now, Uraraka has informed me you've brought me information regarding the League of Villains, which you acquired yourself as a civilian. In addition, it is information you have not shared with anyone outside of this room. Is that correct?"

He nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"I see," she said, nodding in reply. "Then, if you'll excuse the formality, this is our first time meeting as civilian and Hero. Welcome to the Ryukyu agency, and thank you for coming to me with this information. While I have not had many encounters with the League in the past, I'll do my best to follow-up on all of the information you can provide, or pass along potentially relevant information to my colleagues within other agencies who are in a better position to do so."

"Thank you."

The strain of the situation was visible on Tsuyu's, Izuku's, and Ochaco's faces, but Ryukyu and Nejire's demeanors were unflinchingly polite and professional in front of civilians. It was, perhaps, the skill that Tsuyu was struggling the most to master - to exude the confidence of someone who could handle any situation, no matter how complicated.

Ryukyu folded her hands under her chin, settling into the meeting.

"So, tell me what you've found."

Izuku's hands clenched onto the binder he was holding, still preparing himself to speak. Although Tsuyu was sure she knew most of the details, she had heard almost everything through Ochaco. Knowing how he saw what he'd been doing might show her the missing pieces of context she needed to recognize why Izuku went about things this way.

He took a deep breath and began:

"Earlier this school year, when students of UA were attacked by members of the League of Villains's Vanguard Action Squad, I was attacked by a villain who introduced herself as Himiko Toga."

Everyone here knew the details of that event, more or less - there was a lot of nodding as he continued.

"As I later found out and told the police, her Quirk was - is - Transformation, letting her shapeshift into other people. From that point on, from what I've been able to piece together, she started stalking me - and not only me, but other UA and Shiketsu students - and found opportunities to impersonate us to gather information. About a month ago, though, she got bolder, and entered UA campus disguised as a student-"

Ryukyu raised a finger - just enough to get him to cut off.

"I'm sorry," she interjected, "which student?"

Tsuyu very carefully kept her eyes from drifting and calling attention to Ochaco, but Izuku didn't have the same restraint. From the corner of her eye Tsuyu could see him turn to look at her. When she slowly started raising her hand, Tsuyu gave up on pretending and turned to look.

"Me," Ochaco said.

If Ryukyu felt any surprise at that revelation, she didn't let it show.

"And me too."

Izuku drew the attention back to himself, not letting everyone's eyes linger on Ochaco.

He continued, "As I learned soon afterwards, her quirk requires that she ingest a person's blood to Transform, so she was limited to students she'd fought with before. She took Ochaco's blood with a support item when we first met, and... I'm not sure how, but I think she must have taken my blood during the Provisional License Exams."

There was a brief pause while his words sunk in, and then Ryukyu said, "I see. I had heard a villain infiltrated UA about a month ago, but there weren't a lot of details in the press or shared with hero agencies. That was Himiko Toga, and she did it as you?"

Ochaco nodded.

Izuku continued, "A few days later, Toga confronted me while I was taking the train to UA, and told me how her quirk worked, and she showed me her teeth, which, um, I think is a byproduct mutation."

Ochaco tagged on, "They're very sharp and very long," as an explanation.

Ryukyu only nodded in reply.

"I took a risk at that point and gave her my phone number."

He fidgeted with the binder. "I figured, if she could already find me whenever she wanted to, then having her talk to me directly only gave me information I didn't have."

Ryukyu's began tapping a finger against her still-folded hands - a tic she had when she was frustrated with clients. Still, while everyone but Izuku might have been able to recognize its meaning and felt tense, her expression didn't change.

Izuku finally pulled the binder up so it was visible over the desk.

"This binder is a summary of my findings and theories, based on things Toga has told me or revealed on accident, regarding herself or the League. Here."

He offered it across the desk, and Ryukyu took it without hesitation.

As she opened it, she said, "In the future, if you have a document you'd like to discuss in a meeting, take care to send it ahead of time as a PDF."

"Oh, right!" He replied, his voice shooting up an octave from embarrassment.

Ryukyu glanced over the index during a short pause.

Then, "I just thought . . . maybe . . . that wasn't safe?"

She didn't look up as she started to speak, she only turned the first page. "No one's computer security is perfect, but there are secure e-mail accounts listed on agency websites. I'm not scolding you; I'm reminding you for the future."

She expects him to do this again in the future?

. . . then again, don't I?

They lapsed back into silence as Ryukyu started to read. She took no more than a few seconds on each page, but from the way her mouth pinched and her brow furrowed the longer she read, Tsuyu could tell she was taking what she read seriously.

Nejire leaned over so she could look at Izuku more clearly and said, "I don't think we've ever had someone have a binder's worth of information before! You must have really gotten her talking."

Tsuyu, placing a finger on her chin in thought, said, "We've all spoken with Toga before, willingly or otherwise. Izuku had just done a better job of understanding her."

Wide-eyed and a little red, Izuku shook his head. "No, no! Um, I just did what I could - or, I mean, what anyone would do, and-"

"Modesty is good for a hero," Ryukyu interjected, glancing up from the binder. It was more than enough to get him to stop talking.

She continued, "But don't skew things to avoid taking credit. This," she pointed at the binder, "is impressive. Inadvisable and dangerous, certainly, but not what anyone would - or could - do."

She returned her attention to the binder and continued reading.

Now much more embarrassed, Izuku turned his attention to Tsuyu and bowed his head as far as he reasonably could in the small space between them.

"I'm sorry, Tsuyu. Thank you."

After a bit of a pause while he kept his head down, Tsuyu let her finger drop from her chin. Then, she nodded slowly.

We all have our own strengths, Izuku.

. . . don't forget about your own.

After a much lengthier pause, Ryukyu looked up from the binder, wordlessly drawing everyone's attention before speaking.

"In brief, you've identified the quirk of one key member of the League of Villains, uncovered the death of a second key member, and both located and identified a third key member? And, if your theories are supported, potentially linked upwards of 20 unsolved murders to a single person?"

Izuku nodded. Then, "I didn't know how to write it, exactly, but I found out some more. Did you see the maps with the pictures I took?"

"Mhm."

"Well, I put two tracking devices on Toga -"

Ochaco and Nejire's expressions were overwritten with shock, and Ochaco interjected, "What?!", but he simply continued his explanation.

"- one that I knew she'd keep on her person at all times, and one she'd probably leave at her living space. Because of that, I think I've located the current base of operations for the League of Villains. And I think they've started a large operation using the Vanguard Action Squad, but I don't know what it is."

The brief quiet that followed was punctured by Ochaco's, "Holy shit, Deku."

She winced. "Sorry, um, heck , Deku?"

". . . no, that's fine, I think that's a 'holy shit' sort of statement," Ryukyu offered.

Her gaze turned steely as it returned to Izuku. "I assume you understand how easily a plan like that could have backfired, right?"

He nodded.

"And do you understand that I can't condone civilians - especially aspiring heroes - tracking and provoking villains as you have?"

Though a good measure of fear and unease was written all over his face, he replied, "Yes."

Ryukyu's expression finally softened somewhat. "Well then. As long as you understand that, I think I can put this information to good use. We'll need to keep it quiet for now, of course, but if I can verify this information, you may have brought me the opportunity of ending the League of Villains. Or, at least, arresting enough of its key figures to spell its demise. Thank you, Midoriya."

Everyone in the room relaxed - with the exception of Izuku. He kept staring down at his knees, gripping his pants anxiously. Even though her words effectively constituted the reward for all of his hard work, he clearly had something more to say.

You've already gone above and beyond.

. . . Is that why you think you have to go further?

Ochaco noticed the same thing Tsuyu did, and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Deku?"

He glanced up, worry all over his face, and said, "I don't think Toga should go to prison."

Before he even had the chance to start, Tsuyu felt like she knew where this was going.

No, Izuku.

"What?" Nejire asked, as if she'd misheard (as if there were any chance any of them had misheard).

Ryukyu was very stiff, her face and body betraying nothing. "Can you . . . elaborate on that?"

Izuku started talking very fast: "I've met Toga several times over the past year, and spoken with her a lot. And I don't think she wants to be a villain. I don't think she likes hurting people."

Tsuyu's hands clenched in her lap, but no one appeared to notice.

You're the only one who has met her who could possibly come to that conclusion.

. . . which is probably how he's convinced himself.

Being clever doesn't always lead you to the right answer, Izuku.

He continued, "When she disguised herself as Camie, she asked me if I would save 'anyone.' She kept pressing the point, asking 'Where's the line?' And since then, she's kept asking me who I think deserves to be saved . . . and a few days ago, she asked me if I thought she was worth saving. The more I think about it, the more it seems like she's asking to be saved."

Tsuyu lost track of how everyone else in the room was responding. The more Izuku talked, the more she felt like the walls of the room were closing in around her and her mind, until all she could notice was how Izuku looked right past her even as she was staring holes in him. She respected him. She respected what he had to say, and how hard he was looking for a solution to a problem that was only the natural consequence of his (and Toga's) actions.

But it didn't take long before she had to say something.

"Saved from what?"

Ryukyu's gaze bounced over to Tsuyu for just a moment, then back to Izuku.

Whether he felt the animosity in her words or not, he did not hesitate long to respond: "I don't know. Herself? From being a villain? From hurting people?"

Tsuyu folded her hands together, suppressing any sign of what she felt. She didn't need anger to make him understand. He was confused. She wasn't. Talking people out of destructive lines of thinking was part of a hero's job, after all.

"Those are all things she chose to do. The only one who could have saved her from that is herself."

Whatever energy he had seemed to leave Izuku over the course of a few seconds, like a needle had poked a hole in him and all he could do was deflate.

Eyes once again downcast, he said, "I . . . I know that. But I know if she goes to prison, if she's just . . . 'left outside' of society like that . . . she'll never get better. And that feels wrong."

When people go too far, they give up their chance of getting better. I've always known that.

. . . haven't you?

Ryukyu re-centered the conversation between her and Izuku.

"You understand, of course, that neither heroes nor the criminal justice system will ignore her - even less so if she really is responsible for so many killings. So I have to assume you're asking me if there is a way for her to receive immunity."

He nodded, then said, "I guess so. I don't know too much about the legal side of things, but-"

"I'd like to tell you to give up on that."

He fell quiet.

Once it was clear he wasn't going to respond, Ryukyu said, "I understand your feelings. Villains, at the end of the day, are people. Many of them are people who desperately need help, and few will receive it in prison. It's good that you recognize this now, before becoming a pro hero."

"But Himiko Toga is not just a villain," she said. An icy feeling settled over the room, though Tsuyu could hear how Ryukyu forced her tone to remain polite. "Her absence would not only stop her crimes, but potentially those of an entire organization seeking to destabilize and destroy our very society."

The look that dawned over him was familiar - searching for a solution amid dwindling options. It was the look she'd only seen on his face fighting Todoroki and taking English midterms.

"What if she gave it up?"

What's that supposed to mean?

Tsuyu saw the same thought reflected in everyone's face, minus Ryukyu.

Ryukyu only quirked an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Now lacking the binder to hold on to, he just clutched his pants legs.

"The League. If she cooperated with heroes and the police to end the League of Villains as cleanly as possible, wouldn't that be better just than waiting for the League to collapse without her and Twice?"

Gesturing at the binder in front of her, he continued, "However much information I managed to collect, she must have more."

Ryukyu was unconvinced. "Even proposing that to her seems complicated, and it seems more likely to show our hand than anything. Perhaps when she has been captured, she might be offered a deal for parole, but-"

"What if I could convince her?"

You cannot be serious.

Ryukyu's eyes narrowed as she started tapping her finger again.

"That would put you in a very dangerous position, and not one I can advise putting you in, young hero or not. What makes you think you could?"

"I think . . . well, I know . . ." he started scratching the side of his head.

". . . Himiko Toga is in love with me. I've gotten all this information just because she wants to talk to me. I know it sounds stupid, but I think there's a chance that if it were me asking her to switch sides . . . she might do it."

Ryukyu looked less than surprised at this revelation.

She said, "A killer in love can be more volatile and dangerous than I think you know. But I won't deny that that gives us leverage. That said, I have a question for you, and I want you to answer me honestly."

He just blinked.

"Are you in love with Himiko Toga?"

Silence followed the question. Once again, the question felt like it had always been there, and yet Tsuyu had never thought to ask it. If Izuku's feelings went beyond compassion, beyond (possibly) attraction, then the fallout of this situation would be many times greater than she predicted. Ochaco's jealousy. His resentment. How would she even begin to deal with those things?

Before her fears could go deeper, Izuku mercifully shook his head.

"No. I really don't want her to suffer any more than she already has, but I don't feel anything . . . like that."

Beat.

"I could say that I am though, to convince her. I could lie."

Ochaco looked sick, while Tsuyu cringed. Izuku couldn't lie, and it didn't suit him to try. She could recognize that he was willing to try anything, but it honestly made her feel worse in this situation.

. . . Ochaco . . .

At the very least, she believed him when he said he didn't love Toga. That would make the events to come much less painful.

Ryuku's finger tapping stopped. She must have been satisfied with that answer.

"I'll have to think about all of this," she said, suddenly matter-of-fact. "In the meantime, I'll contact other agencies and work on following up on the information you provided, as promised."

She leaned forward a little, over her hands. "Until you hear back from me, I must ask that you do not under any circumstances meet with Toga, and avoid any other form of contact to the degree possible. I understand stalkers can be very creative in this regard, but I will ask that you do not respond to whatever she may attempt."

She continued, "Just keep yourself safe. This is not your time to be a hero - merely an informant. Do you understand?"

After a brief pause, he nodded.

Ryukyu's polite smile returned. "Good. If there is nothing else you wish to say, you may go."

He nodded again, stood, and bowed his head. Tsuyu and Ochaco followed suit.

"Thank you for taking the time to meet with me," he said. Gesturing across the table, he added, "Please keep the binder - I have all of the information backed up on flash drives and my computer. I'll send you digital copies as soon as I get home."

Ryukyu's eyes darted to Tsuyu.

"Not you, Asui. I'd like to speak with you, if you have a moment."

Tsuyu glanced over to Ochaco, who still looked rather pale and confused. Izuku didn't look much better, either.

"You two go on ahead," she said, awkwardly returning to her seat.

They and Nejire complied, but before Izuku made it last out the door, Ryukyu called after him.

"Oh, and Midoriya?"

He stopped and turned without saying anything.

"Sir Nighteye taught you well. I'm sure he would be proud of what you've accomplished."

His eyes widened, but if he was happy to hear it, Tsuyu couldn't tell.

"Thank you."

He closed the door as he left, leaving Tsuyu and Ryukyu alone.

With Izuku's information and Ryukyu's cooperation, the terror of the League of Villains might finally be coming to an end. Even if it put Izuku's and Ochaco's - and quite frankly her own - hearts in a blender to resolve things this way, this was for the best. Hopefully talking with Ryukyu made everyone realize that.

Despite that . . . Tsuyu didn't know how to feel.

"That boy will make an interesting hero one day." Ryukyu's words pulled her from her thoughts.

Interesting?

. . . I guess that's one way of putting it.

"Why do you say so?"

Ryukyu still hadn't let her hands down, hadn't pulled her chair back to relax; even if she sounded like she was making small talk, this was still a business meeting for her.

"Ochaco told me how close he is with All Might, and from what I'd seen of him, I thought the two of them were more alike. But his approach is more like a detective's. Or a villain's."

Her tone turned rueful. "I wouldn't have expected subterfuge from All Might's protege, but I guess that makes him 2 for 2."

Tsuyu wasn't sure how to respond, so she didn't.

Izuku's always been obsessed with emulating All Might.

. . . but that's never really been his strength.

The fake small talk made her uncomfortable, so Tsuyu just asked, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Ryukyu didn't miss a beat, either.

"I wanted to ask you about your friends."

Tsuyu just blinked in reply.

"From the conversation we just had," Ryukyu gestured towards the door, "as well as Ochaco's behavior over the past month, I'm led to believe there is something more going on than what I've just been told. You looked frustrated when they were explaining things to me. I took that to mean that you knew what was being left unsaid."

"Do you know what I'm talking about?" Ryukyu asked

That they hid Toga's equal obsession with Ochaco? That she tricked them into going on dates? That she was listening in on Ochaco's conversations? That Ochaco thought she'd fallen for her, until she realized what sort of person she was really dealing with? That Izuku wasn't the only one who intentionally made contact with Toga, or who encountered her outside of school? That, however clever he thought he was, Izuku wrapped Ochaco so tightly up in this situation that it's been tearing her up for weeks, and it will only get worse as long as Izuku continues to try and 'save' Toga? That maybe, just maybe, I'm afraid of him doing something stupid, because his bleeding heart hides the blatant truth about Toga?

. . . is that what you're talking about?

". . . I believe so."

"Would you tell me what it is?"

Can I tell her any of that? Would it even matter if I did? Whether she knows it or not, Ryukyu will do everything in her power to bring the League down. Toga's obsession, Ochaco's crush, Izuku's delusion - these things are all immaterial. Toga will go away. Ochaco will get over it. Izuku will see the truth. Telling her won't make things better for anyone.

. . . but still, I . . .

"Yes."

Izuku, January 29, 7:06pm

Toga was six minutes late to their meet-up, and Midoriya was starting to get a little worried. Even though she texted him back, any number of things could have prevented her from making it to the specific fast food place he'd suggested. He wanted to text her and make totally sure that she was coming, but he doubted insisting would make her any more likely to arrive - probably the opposite. He'd just have to wait, and to hope.

Luckily, just as he started to give up hope of seeing her, someone wearing an oversized grey hoodie and a sports hat slipped into his booth as if they belonged there. They kept their head low enough that he couldn't really see their face, but when they dropped their double order of chicken nuggets and french fries on the table, he felt relieved.

"Fancy meeting you here."

Toga finally looked up and flashed him a self-satisfied smile. Even knowing to expect her, even when she was wearing glaringly obvious 'inconspicuous' clothing, she could still sneak up on him.

He smiled in return. "You made it! I thought you might not come."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Nah, I just had some stuff to take care of, but I found a way to make time for you~," she said, a little sing-song-y at the end.

She pouted. "Besides, it's been forever."

"Yeah, I guess we were running into each other a lot for a little while," he said with a nervous chuckle. "How've you been?"

"Oh, you know. Villainous. Bored. Mostly bored, I guess."

She ate her first no-condiment chicken nugget with a nom , and he did his best not to be distracted either by how unappetizing or how cute that was. He didn't say anything either, hoping to give her a moment to eat and relax.

She didn't let the silence last.

"What'd you want to talk to me about, hm? Do you need my help learning to please a girl? I accept."

He expected that sort of comment by now, even if they were embarrassing every time. He rolled his eyes, shook his head, and said, "No, it's nothing like that."

When he didn't quickly follow that comment up, she let the teasing fade away and ate a handful of fries. As much as it might be smart to joke around with her before talking about what was on his mind, he just didn't feel like he could do it.

Her tone was much more subdued when she asked, "So, what is it?"

There was nothing else on his mind. He was just going to have to do it.

He steeled himself.

"I want to ask you to stop being a villain. To stop killing and terrorizing people."

"Ah. I thought it might be something like that."

Her immediate response surprised him. "You - you did?"

The smile that graced her face was gentle and toothless. She said, "I think you're very clever hon, but I'm clever too."

Her smile, at least, he took as a good sign. If she already guessed he was going to ask her something like that, and came anyway, wasn't that a good sign?

"You're a hero. I never expected anything less from you."

"Oh?"

He was a little taken aback by that, but when she offered her hand (the one not covered in fast food debris) across the table, he took it.

Is she really willing to do it, just like that?

"That's why I've come with a counter-offer."

He blinked a few times while she ate another chicken nugget with a nom.

"A what?"

"A counter offer," she replied, smirking. "I want you to switch sides. Help us - help me - make a society where everyone can belong; where heroes don't stand glorified on the backs of every so-called villain they've beaten and jailed; where we make our own peace for our own sakes."

His mind was reeling. "But you . . . aren't you sick of it? Hurting people?"

He leaned forward, still not letting go of her hand. "We could make a better world without doing that, where we wouldn't have to-"

Her look turned sharp, and she cut him off:

"I've already told you, Izuku. The world may be changing, but it's slow, slow, slow . And even when that better world is here, do you think I'll have it in me to stop? And, if - somehow if - I can change, and people can look at my face without that creeping feeling on their neck, do you think they'll forgive me?"

He couldn't think of anything to say at that moment. And when he couldn't, she kept going.

"No. There is only one way out of this for me, and it's through."

Her tone softened, her thumb caressing the inside of his palm. It felt horrible, feeling her gentleness even as she insisted on violence.

She said, "I know you're a good person, Izuku, I really do. Your heart aches when you see people suffering, but you understand there's going to be a lot of pain between here and a better world. It matters a lot to me that there are people like that. People who don't flinch away from that tension. People like you, and me, and the League."

She squeezed his hand, and looking him straight in the eye, said, "We could do it. I know we could."

He came here expecting a rejection. He knew, despite his hopes, that asking her to leave the League probably wasn't going to work. But this ? This he never expected. In what world would he turn his back on everything he believed in just like that? In what world would he ever be a villain?

He pulled his hand away from hers, letting it sit balled up in his lap.

"I won't hurt people like that," he said. "Not now. Not ever."

"How do you not get it yet?" She snapped, gentleness gone in a flash. "You are hurting people, Izuku. You and every other hero - you're just hurting the people you think deserve to be hurt."

He knew that wasn't true, and it certainly wasn't fair, but he ignored it. He couldn't fight on her terms.

He said, "You still have a chance here, you know. If you work with me, and the Heroes, no one else has to get hurt. You - you could even maybe get immunity if - if you testified against them."

His voice sounded as pained as her face looked. It was clear they both could see the track his conversation was on, and neither of them wanted to reach its conclusion.

"If we ended this, then you and I, we could . . ."

He trailed off, unsure how he could possibly explain. Frustration boiled inside him. How could he say the right thing, knowing the difference between getting this right or wrong was literally life or death? Or, at least, liberty and imprisonment? At once, he knew the immense importance of doing the right thing, and yet he had no idea how to say the words.

The pain and anger slowly drained from her face.

"We could . . . what?"

What? What future was there to hope for with someone like Himiko Toga? When he peered into the 'good ending' he was begging for, what did he see there? Who is Toga in that world, and who is he?

But, really, it wasn't the hope of a good future pushing him along. It was the dread of a bad one.

Low and quiet, he said, "If things keep going the way they're going, we're going to fight, and we're going to get hurt. I don't want anyone to hurt you anymore. We could just be done with this. We could be . . . together."

She didn't say anything in the moment that followed. She just looked thoughtful. For once, despite him saying something potentially romantic, she wasn't blushing or even looking at him. If anything, she looked pale. Anxious, or maybe afraid.

When she spoke, the words came stumbling, clumsy, awkward.

"I know it's got to sound weird, coming - coming from me. But I don't want anyone to hurt you, either."

She looked back up at him. "I think it's because I . . . I love you."

She said it like it was the first time those words had ever crossed her lips. And he realized maybe, just maybe, he had a chance.

He said, "I want us to be together. I love you."

She sat there staring at him, her expression unreadable. She searched his face, and he tried, with all his might, to look sincere.

A smile crept up on her face. A fang-baring grin.

And then, she giggled. "I thought you didn't have it in you, Deku."

He laughed, relief finally hitting him.

"You mean, to say 'I love you'?"

She shook her head. "No. To set me up."

No more relief. He froze in his seat, blood running cold.

"What?"

She pulled her knife from her hoodie pocket and set it on the table.

She said, "You tracked me, you son of a bitch. You lured me here to separate me from the League, and then you lie to me?"

Despite the change in her tone (and the knife), she hadn't gotten any louder. Turning to look around him, to see if the pro heroes covering him could tell that the conversation had soured, would only give himself and them away. The idle chatter from other (fake) patrons hadn't died away, so at the very least, no one was intervening just yet.

He just needed to talk her out of doing something drastic.

"I'm not lying," he said. "If that's what you think, why did you come here?"

She rose to her feet, her smile turning to a sneer.

"Oh, babe, come on now. We both know this is a honeypot."

He saw violence flash in her eyes a second before she moved-

"Toga, you shouldn't!-"

But she didn't listen. She lunged forward, crouching on the table while drawing a smaller knife from a pouch.

"SHUT UP SHUT UP SH-"

The chatter was already gone, and he could hear the police, the pro heroes, everyone reacting at once to try and protect him. But Toga was so fast - from getting on the table to a knife coming for his eye - that there was no way any of them were going to reach her before she reached him. There was no way for him to escape in time.

With One For All charged as much as he could bear, he slammed his knee upward, tearing the table from the floor and sending it, along with Toga, flying into the ceiling above.

When it fell a second later, and Midoriya was on his feet, he saw what was wrong. Instead of her broken body, the table came down with a smear of dark sludge, rapidly deteriorating into nothing.

The police were quick to grab him, dragging him away from that spot to somewhere safe. That's when it - and her words - clicked.

"That was a Twice clone - and she already knew what we were trying to do."

The police weren't really paying attention to him, but some Pro Heroes turned to look as he was being pulled from the restaurant.

"No. No, the warehouse! It's a trap!"

Tsuyu, January 29, 7:32pm

Finally, the slamming stopped, and a body slumped to the floor. She couldn't see who it was from the floor, but there was a dreadful feeling in her gut. It was the only thing she could feel, really. Even numb, she put one hand in front of the other, crawling towards the door. She wasn't even sure she'd be able to reach the handle and escape, but she had to try, right? At least so the Pro Heroes knew which building they were inside.

Of course, she knew she wasn't fast enough for that to even matter.

"That's some incredible fortitude you've got, Tsu! But it's not like I can just let you crawl away from me, you know?"

There were footsteps right behind her, but she kept crawling.

"Don't . . . call me . . . th-"

A boot dug into her back, ending her escape attempt and her sentence in their tracks.

"Hush now Tsu. Just let me take care of you."

When the boot was removed, Tsuyu tried to run through her options. She couldn't run. She couldn't really fight. Her only hope was to stall, and to hope that the Pro Heroes had managed to handle things after that bomb went off.

We were prepared for things to go south. They'll be looking for us.

. . . am I going to die in this little office?

The lights turned back on. Strong hands grabbed her leg and her arm and rolled her over, facing her up into the blinding light. Had the lights been like that before? Why did it hurt to look at them?

A figure blocked out the most direct light, but it came as no relief. Cast in unsettling shadow against the bright light, Toga's bloody face twisted in a manic grin.

ED: "Copycat" by Billie Eilish