Chapter Twenty-Three:

While fixing himself a sandwich for lunch, Hisashi heard the doorbell ring. He set down his plate and went to open the door.

The woman on the other side had white hair with crimson streaks and glasses. She smiled at him. "Is Mr. Yagi home?"

"We're not interested in buying anything." Hisashi started to close the door.

"Wait! I'm early, but I have an appointment. My name is Fuyumi Todoroki. Mr. Yagi promised to help me with my older brother's legal defense." She held up a thick folder. Her other arm balanced a clear Tupperware with cookies inside.

"Ohhhhh, yeah, Dad told me all about your brother." Hisashi nodded. "I'm sorry he failed to kill your father for you."

"E-excuse me?" All color drained from Fuyumi's face.

Hisashi scowled, angry at himself. He should have known better than to speak his true feelings out loud when they were socially unacceptable. Of course an ordinary person would react like that. But abusive fathers were a berserk button for him. "It was a joke. I'll get Dad." He turned away.

A concerned look on her face, Fuyumi followed him. "Did your father ever hurt you?"

Hisashi whirled around. "Dad would never! I had an awful sperm donor. I just assumed that your older brother was trying to protect you, as I did for my own little brother. No need to look at me like I'm a freak."

"I meant your birth father. And the situation with Touya was…complicated." Fuyumi bit her lip. "I'm not judging you. I never wanted revenge on my father, but all three of my siblings did at various points in time, so I think you're probably more normal than me."

"Why didn't you want revenge?" Hisashi asked. He genuinely wanted to know. It reminded him of how Yoichi had always refused to speak ill of their mother. Hisashi found that intensely frustrating.

"Let's sit down." Fuyumi gestured at the couch. "I'll tell you my reasons if you tell me yours."

Hisashi hesitated. "Don't you have an appointment?"

"Like I said, I'm early. And I think this is more important." A wistful look crossed Fuyumi's face. "I wish I'd had this conversation with Touya long ago. You'd be helping me." She smiled. "I'll even give you a cookie in exchange." She held up the Tupperware.

Helping an adult made Hisashi feel important. "Fine. You go first." He had no intention of being the vulnerable one, even if she did have a nice smile.

Yoichi headed downstairs for a snack. He found his older brother sitting at the kitchen table, eating gingersnaps. "Ooo, can I have some of those?"

"Of course. There's plenty." Hisashi gestured at the Tupperware. "Fuyumi Todoroki made them—have you ever met her? The older sister of Izuku's friend with the versatile ice-fire quirk?"

"Yes, she came by yesterday, too. Dad has been helping her with some legal stuff. She always brings food." Yoichi eagerly grabbed a cookie, knowing that Fuyumi's cooking was not to be missed. "She's nice."

"She's a goddess descended to earth." Hisashi sighed. "She talked to me about what it was like to raise her younger siblings when she was just a child herself, while trying to protect them from abuse. We have so much in common! She's such a strong person. For the very first time, I felt like someone truly understood everything I went through in the past."

Yoichi felt a pang under his chest. He knew that his big brother had grown up too fast in order to protect him. Yoichi wished he could have been the one who Hisashi had opened up to, but Hisashi didn't like to show any weakness to his little brother. His psychiatrist said that their experiences had been different but that didn't make either of their suffering any less valid. Yoichi was glad his brother had found someone with a similar past to talk to.

"Mmm, these gingersnaps are amazing," Yoichi said through a stuffed mouth.

Hisashi beamed. "Fuyumi is amazing. The perfect cook! Experienced with children! And she knows how to use coupons like a money shark!" He blushed. "Truly, the ideal wife."

Yoichi's jaw dropped, dribbling chewed cookie down his chin. That expression on big brother's face…and how he'd rather presumptuously called Ms. Todoroki by her first name…oh, no. It couldn't be. Not another poor, innocent victim. Desperately, he asked, "Weren't you planning your wedding with Ocacho the last time we talked?"

Hisashi flipped his hand. "Of course not. She likes Izuku."

Yoichi paled. "Uhhhh…you knew about that?"

Hisashi sniffed. "Obviously, I noticed ages ago."

Yoichi swallowed the last of his cookie in one huge gulp and wiped his chin. "Big brother, I'm sorry your first crush didn't work out, and I'm here for you. Specifically, I'm here to talk you down from doing anything drastic."

Hisashi rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. Clearly I can't arrange for an accident to befall my own son, so I graciously stepped aside. Ochaco has serious competition—from what I can tell, most of Izuku's friends have crushes on him. But she's still my favorite. She's currently the only one who has my approval to marry into the family. The others will have to pass some tests. Todoroki's my second favorite because I respect his commitment to killing Bakugo, if not his success rate."

In his relief, Yoichi restrained himself from pointing out that he doubted anyone was asking Hisashi's permission. He wasn't even convinced all of these crushes existed. Big brother was the type to assume everyone must be chasing after his son. "You're taking this so well. I'm impressed." His big brother translator suggested that Hisashi's ego had only allowed him to acknowledge Ochaco's crush after he'd moved on. In that fashion, disaster had been averted.

"In retrospect, Ochaco and Izuku are more at the same stage of maturity. She was too young for me."

"You mean too old."

"I'm obviously far more mature than my age." Hisashi stuck his nose up in the air. "Only Fuyumi can keep up with my superior intelligence during conversation."

Yoichi's eye twitched. "You've got to be kidding me. If Ochaco was too old for you, then Ms. Todoroki is way too old for you."

Hisashi sighed dreamily. "She and Dad agreed that she would come by to talk to me again next weekend, so I think she likes me too."

Yoichi stared at his poor, deluded brother. "No, she doesn't. It would be super-creepy if she liked you like that. I'd bet my entire hero merchandise collection that Dad wants her to help you out as your unofficial therapist since you don't listen to the official ones." He examined in his brother's lovesick expression. "You're not listening to me, are you?" He slammed his hand on the table to snap big brother out of his daze. "Don't you dare make Ms. Todoroki uncomfortable next time she visits!"

Hisashi scowled. "I'm not stupid. I'd need to wait at least ten years to be socially acceptable. Right now, I'm merely laying the groundwork by demonstrating my wit and intellect to her."

Yoichi breathed a sigh of relief. In ten years, Hisashi would have moved on to his next victim. Fuyumi was a sweet lady who could be trusted to handle his brother's silly little crush gently. In the meantime, Yoichi could enjoy these cookies.

Hisashi used to consider sleep a waste of time that he could be spending making money. He'd longed to find a quirk that would allow him to do away with it entirely. But ever since he'd started regularly meeting with First and Yoichi in the Void, he looked forward to bedtime. First was an amazing listener. He found every last detail about Hisashi's day to be fascinating. He gave Hisashi great hope that someday Yoichi would become a better conversationalist. (Why, earlier that very day, present Yoichi had the colossal nerve to roll his eyes while Hisashi had been describing his very important future wedding plans.)

Before Hisashi could crawl into bed, Toshinori called from the hallway, "Would you like me to read you a bedtime story?"

Of course Hisashi did. Toshinori had been so lately busy, this would be the first story in three days. Not that he would admit to desiring anything so plebian and childish when his little brother could be counted on to admit it first.

"Story! Story!" Yoichi ran from his room into Hisashi's and sat down on the bed. "I want a story!"

Toshinori smiled. "I have a special surprise for you two. I had to scrounge the internet and win an online auction to purchase this." He removed his hand from behind his back. "Ta-da!" He held out the final volume of The Hero and the Demon King.

Yoichi gasped. "You found it! Thank you, Dad!" He leapt up and flung his arms around Toshinori.

Naturally, Hisashi would express his gratitude in a more mature fashion, perhaps by purchasing some positive media attention for his guardian—oh, Toshinori was beckoning him to join the hug. Very well, he could give a hug, too.

Toshinori settled down on the bed with both brothers pressed close on either side so they could see the pictures. He immediately launched into his deep-voiced demon king impression, making Yoichi giggle.

Hisashi's whole body relaxed. Even though he'd lost interest in this particular manga long before Yoichi, he had to admit a bedtime story felt nice. His worthless biological father had only ever surprised him at the end of the day with a pop quiz. That man would have considered reading him stories to be too unproductive. For a long time, Hisashi had convinced himself he didn't need parents because adults were all too awful. But now that he'd been rewarded with a rare good one in exchange for his virtuous behavior, he deserved to enjoy it.

By the time Toshinori had finished, Yoichi leaned against his chest with his eyes half-closed. Still, the boy managed to mutter, "The hero is the strongest!"

"Uh-uh." Toshinori kissed the top of Hisashi's forehead. "Good night." He picked up Yoichi to carry him over to his bedroom.

Once alone, Hisashi tossed and turned. This was especially annoying because he wanted to hurry up and see First so he could tell his other brother all about his future sister-in-law, Fuyumi Todoroki. But sleep refused to come.

It was going to be another bad night, then.

Motion flashed across the corner of Hisashi's eye. He leapt up and ran to the window. Nothing was outside. Wiping his sweaty hand off on his pajamas, he went back to bed and put his pillow over his head. It had been a bird. Logic told him so, especially when this had happened several nights in a row. But when Hisashi had a bad night, every single shadow in his room came alive. Every creak or gust of wind became an intruder. The darkness and silence made his thoughts overactive. What if All for One had snuck into the tower and kidnapped Yoichi?

He'd had that same nagging fear every single night since his little brother's safe return. He knew it was irrational. But he couldn't resist sneaking over to his brother's bedroom and peering in.

Yoichi lay inside, sound asleep and snoring lightly. Just like every other time. Hisashi exhaled.

Hisashi wanted to crawl into bed with his little brother. But he'd already done that several times, accidentally waking up Yoichi in the process. Although Yoichi hadn't complained, Hisashi could tell his little brother was indulging him. That was all wrong—Hisashi was the older brother and Yoichi was the one who'd been kidnapped, so the protection ought to be the other way around.

As they'd planned, Yoichi was probably talking to First right now. That meant if Yoichi was woken up, then First would be worried. The vestige might think something bad had happened to Yoichi. Hisashi winced to imagine having to tell First later that he'd woken Yoichi up because he was scared of a bird. It was bad enough for Yoichi to know about his insomnia. He didn't want First to find out about the nightmares. First was still his younger brother. Hisashi had his dignity. As the older brother, Hisashi couldn't possibly let First become worried or upset by waking Yoichi up.

But Hisashi wouldn't be able to fall asleep alone. He hesitated in the hallway before remembering he had another option.

Hisashi padded downstairs and opened Toshinori's door.

Toshinori immediately sat up. Another light sleeper, unfortunately. He rubbed his eyes. "Hisashi? Is something wrong?"

Regretting this already, Hisashi clutched the bottom of his pajama shirt. "I made a wrong turn going to the bathroom." That had not been one of his better lies. The tips of his ears reddened.

Toshinori asked, "Would you like to sleep with me?"

How kind of him to offer so Hisashi didn't have to ask! "That could be a fun change of pace. Your bed looks very comfy," Hisashi said, striving to keep his tone casual.

Toshinori chuckled and moved over.

The bed was giant with a box spring and a thick blue comforter. "It's so soft. You clearly have the best bed in the house." Hisashi shifted to get comfortable. "I might have to come here more often."

"You're welcome any time." Toshinori pulled the covers over him and put an arm around him. Despite his boniness, he had very warm hands.

This felt just as comforting as sleeping with Yoichi. In fact, Hisashi liked the sensation of being protected instead of always being the protector. It was very different. He could get used to—

Before he could finish his thought, Hisashi fell asleep.

Yoichi marched across the Void space and immediately bowed his head at Second. "I'm very sorry for kicking you."

Second smiled, a soft look on his scarred face. "Don't let it bother you. I've had worse. Do you remember?"

"Honestly, no. First told me what happened."

"Then I'll consider this our first meeting." Second held out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Yoichi shook. "Thank you for keeping me company while I give First and Hisashi a moment alone. I want them to have time to get to know each other better. Besides, big brother is starting to annoy me. All day, he hasn't talked about anything except his stupid crush on Fuyumi Todoroki. I'm going to let my older self put up with that for a while."

Second chuckled. "I got the better brother for company. Of course I don't mind."

"Heh, that's so kind of you to say." Yoichi twirled a lock of his hair. "Can you tell me stories about you and First? Preferrable ones were I look super-cool and heroic. Oh, and I want to know how you got that scar—it looks badass."

"The scar story might be a little old for you. But I have loads of great heroics to tell you about." Second tapped his chin. "Now, what can I tell you that won't make First angry at me?"

Yoichi hopped from foot to foot. "Tell me the good stories! I won't tattle to First, I promise!" He stuck out his lip and widened his eyes.

Second recoiled. "Ah! Not the cuteness attack! That's not playing fair."

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease? Pretty please with sugar on top?"

"Okay, fine." Second yanked down his sleeve and pointed at a jagged white line. "Let me tell you how I got this scar."

It was a sunny day, and a routine hero patrol. Izuku chatted with Mirio as they walked down the street. "Tell me more about your enhanced permeation."

Mirio said, "I've been trying to shift only part of my body. It works maybe half the time."

"Fascinating. Do you think you could take larger objects with you than clothing? Such as weapons? How about another person, would that be too much?"

"Based on my experiments, I can carry up to a baseball bat without a problem. But I can't take another person. I think my limit is the weight of the object, not the size. I was able to transport Sir's cardboard All Might cutout without a scratch on it. A good thing too, because when he saw, he threated dire consequences if the cutout had a single atom out of place."

"Give me a moment to write this down." Izuku reached for his notebook.

A weight crashed into his legs. Izuku looked down to see a little girl with white hair and a horn. She wore a dirty gown with bandages on her arms and legs. Her hair was a greasy rat's nest. Lying on her bottom, she looked up at him with wide, frightened red eyes.

Izuku knelt down, extending his hand. "I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?" Clearly someone else definitely had hurt her. He was already calculating how to win her trust and the route the closest police station.

The girl did not answer. She trembled, her mouth opening but not forming words. She glanced over her shoulder, then ran past him.

Before Izuku could follow her, a man with a fur collar and a toucan-shaped mask loomed out of the alleyway behind them. His gaze fastened on Izuku. His lips peeled back into an expression imitating a smile. "My, I never would have expected Eri's little adventure would lead to such a stroke of luck for me."

The glee behind those words sent a chill down Izuku's spine. Even more so because he recognized that mask from Sir Nighteye's file. The leader of the Shie Hassaikai yakuza group, Overhaul. Staring down at Izuku like a snake at a juicy mouse.

Immediately, Izuku shifted his position to stop Overhaul from following the fleeing girl. He heard her footsteps retreating, but he didn't dare glance in her direction. Overhaul didn't take his eyes off Izuku, either. Izuku had a very bad feeling. "Do you know her? She looked scared of you." Despite his attempt to be diplomatic, a note of challenge leaked into his voice.

Overhaul snorted. "I have a tracker implanted in her. I can catch her anytime. You're a greater priority."

Mirio lunged forward, tossing a hood over Izuku's face. "You forgot your mask—"

"You're too late. I've already seen his face." Overhaul raked Izuku with his eyes. In a mocking tone, he said, "So you're the tiny boy who has All for One's attention."

Mirio said, "I think you might have mistaken our identities. We're mere interns."

Overhaul's eyes narrowed. "I'll give you a choice, young hero. Leave the boy behind, and you can live."

Mirio's smile became harder. "I don't think I understand what you're talking about."

Overhaul spread his arms. "Then I'll spell it out for you. Both the girl and the hero student are coming with me. You must know that you can't defeat me. But if you leave now, then I'll let you keep your life."

The fake smile completely dropped off Mirio's face. He leapt in front of Izuku. "I'll hold him off. Run."

"No, I can't. Not without you." Izuku's head was spinning, but he clearly understood that if Mirio fought Overhaul, then he'd die. Mirio was sacrificing himself so that Izuku could escape. Izuku couldn't allow that. It went against every single part of himself. Even as Izuku thought frantically, he'd already grabbed his phone to text for help. All Might was at the top of his contacts list. Izuku sent his location.

Staring at Izuku, Overhaul spoke in a discordantly casual tone. "If you try to escape, then I'll kill your friend. Make the noble choice, little boy. Be a hero. Come with me. All for One wants you alive. You'll be a most useful bargaining chip."

Sweat dripped down Mirio's forehead. He raised his fists. Without looking away from Overhaul, he said to Izuku, "This is no time to argue. I'm giving you an order. Go after the girl and protect her."

Eri, of course, Izuku had to protect Eri. But she'd already fled out of sight. Mirio was in far greater danger. Izuku had absolutely no doubt that if he left Mirio alone with Overhaul, then the yakuza would carry through with his death threat. The killing energy leaking off Overhaul was unmistakable. But it was nothing compared to All for One's murderous energy at Kamino. Izuku could still stand up. He rose, turning his body slightly as if he planned to flee.

Then Izuku leapt forward and punched at Overhaul's throat.

Izuku had been counting on the element of surprise, because he knew full well that was the only chance two hero students had against the leader of the Eight Precepts of Death. It almost worked. Overhaul barely sidestepped in time. Part of his fur collar ripped away from the air waves coming off Izuku's blow.

The alley wall loomed large. Izuku kicked the wall, bounced off, and landed on his feet. Overhaul pulled off his gloves. Izuku's heart rate accelerated. Every instinct in his body screamed at him not to let the yakuza touch him.

He carefully watched Overhaul's movements. The hands were dangerous, but perhaps Izuku could kick his legs out from under him. Izuku started to lunge.

Then Mirio grabbed the back of his collar and dragged him away, screaming, "Run!"

Izuku wobbled for a moment, then he got his legs under him and tore after Mirio. Overhaul cursed, then chased after them.

As they sprinted, Izuku gasped, "Why didn't we run when I suggested it?"

Mirio cried, "I wanted to hold him off while you escaped. If you won't do that, then our next best option is to run away together. Sir will kill us both if we fight him."

"Wouldn't Overhaul kill us first?"

"Overhaul will kill us, and then Sir will dig up our corpses so he can kill us again!"

"Then we'd better run faster." Izuku focused all his will on moving his legs. At least as long as Overhaul followed them, the girl would be safe. An idea occurred to him. "Mirio, why don't you use permeation to get away, then call for help?"

"Oh, no, you are not tricking me into leaving you." Mirio gritted his teeth and ran even faster.

"Nonsense, I'll be fine—" Izuku's blatant lies were interrupted by a ripping sound. The ground shattered under him, then rose up as spikes. The entire street disintegrated, including two parked cars.

Both Izuku and Mirio went flying. Mirio grabbed Izuku's arm moments before they were ripped apart.

Overhaul stood at the end of the destruction. He gestured, and the ground rose up like a slide, pulling Izuku toward him.

By mutual agreement, Izuku and Mirio grabbed onto the spikes and clung on, resisting the pull. The ground collapsed down, flat again. Their hands were ripped apart as they fell.

The pavement rushed up quickly. A spike rose up from the street, about to impale Mirio. Just in time, Mirio activated his ability, sinking through the spike. He caught Izuku before he hit the ground.

Izuku nearly screamed as another spike went into Mirio's body. But no blood came out. His back blurred as he rolled straight through a series of spikes. He was using permeation on only part of his body at a time, an absolutely fascinating ability that Izuku wished he had time to analyze further.

But Mirio wasn't used to this new power. His face had turned pale with the strain.

The pavement rippled and rose up, throwing them both into the air. As they fell, Mirio started to fade again. Then a flying rock struck him in the temple, breaking his concentration.

With both his arms around Izuku, Mirio twisted so that his body hit the pavement first. He landed hard, with a crack that Izuku recognized from bitter, painful familiarity.

Mirio's arm hung bent and broken. Izuku scrambled off the older boy. Blood dripped down Mirio's forehead, too. His eyes flickered in and out of focus, unseeing.

The slow, steady sound of Overhaul's boots approached. Izuku calculated: grab Mirio and run or stand and fight? Both options looked poor, but running would be futile if Overhaul destroyed the ground again. He leapt to his feet and stood in front of Mirio.

Overhaul said, "If I didn't know better, I'd think All for One wanted the other boy. That looks like a quirk he'd want to steal. But I have no intention of letting him have the chance. Since you foolishly chose to defy me, I'll kill—"

A villainous monologue, the perfect moment to strike. Izuku kicked Overhaul in the shins.

With an undignified squawk, the villain grabbed for Izuku.

If that power touched him, it would be all over. Izuku dodged sideways.

Overhaul ripped out a telephone pole, sharpened it into a spear, and threw it at Mirio.

Even knowing it was a trap, Izuku had no choice. He punched the telephone pole. As Overhaul reached for him, Izuku used the pole like a vault bar and back-flipped away. Overhaul's fingers whisked past his hair.

Izuku landed in a crouch. If only he could buy a little more time, then…

"I am here!" boomed a familiar voice. Izuku's heart gave a fanboy thrill as All Might dropped down from the sky.

Overhaul took one look at the muscled form of the Number One Hero, then turned and ran.

But he didn't run down the street—no, he ran at the neighboring apartment building. It was more of a slum house, with the cracked paint and the rusted tin roof over the entrance. This was a bad part of town. Everyone had deserted the street at the first sight of Overhaul. But eyes could be seen peering through the boarded-up windows.

Overhaul dismantled the lower wall of the building. With an unholy groan, it started to fall forward.

A black car screeched down the street, driving at least double the speed limit and leaving the scent of burning rubber. It halted just before the destruction of the road. Overhaul leapt into the car, then it turned and tore away.

As Overhaul must have planned, All Might ran toward the falling apartment building. He paused only to order Izuku, "Protect young Togata."

Dirt and bits of roof fell toward them. Izuku grabbed Mirio and dragged him away from the shower of debris. Mirio moaned in pain. Izuku knew he shouldn't be moving someone with a head injury, but he had no choice.

All Might caught the apartment building. He held up the upper stories in place of the wall. The veins in the back of his neck throbbed. Izuku couldn't help a stray thought: Damn, he looks cool. I wonder if someday I'll be able to do that?

Screams came from the people inside. All Might shouted, "There's been a villain attack! I need everyone to evacuate in a calm and orderly fashion. Fear not, for I am here!"

Even as he fanboy-ed, Izuku dropped to his knees to examine Mirio. The older boy thrashed on the ground. Izuku wrapped his hood around the bleeding cut on Mirio's head, then dialed for an ambulance.

A crowd of a dozen people formed at the base of the apartment. Most inhabitants must be at work at this time of day. All Might moved so fast his body was merely a blur, ripping up the already-broken street and using it to form a makeshift wall to support the building. He ushered the residents away from the potential danger zone, using his business cards and promises of compensation. The police arrived and sealed the area off with yellow tape. The sirens of an ambulance approached. Izuku stayed close to Mirio, holding the older boy's head off the ground.

All Might approached him. "I'm going after the yakuza. I can't let them get away with—" His phone buzzed. He glanced down, then paled. "It's Wash."

"What's wrong?" Izuku asked, uncertain why a text from one of the top ten would cause such a panicked look from his mentor.

"I took Hisashi and Yoichi to the park. I left them with Wash after I received your text. He—" All color drained from All Might's face as he continued reading. For the very first time, Izuku saw an expression of true fear from the number one hero. And it provoked a similar panic in himself. All Might whispered, "Wash got attacked by two of the Eight Precepts. He lost sight of Hisashi and Yoichi in the chaos. I just received a signal saying that Hisashi pressed his emergency button."

Without another word, All Might vanished so fast he left only a yellow blur behind him. Izuku glanced at Mirio. The older boy sat up, clutched his broken arm, and mouthed, "Go." Then Izuku took off after All Might, who was already a mere spot in the distance.

OMAKE TIME!

Omake: Bedtime Story

Yoichi: The ending to The Hero and the Demon King was wonderful! I feel so satisfied!

First: Wait, Hisashi finally read the ending to that manga?

Yoichi: Only because our dad sat him down and read it out loud to him, but yes.

First: No wonder he turned out good! My plan worked!

Yoichi: Uh, are you telling me that in the past, your grand plan to redeem your older brother was to read a manga to him?

First: I thought it would make him understand that heroes always win in the end.

Yoichi: Meeting myself forced me to realize that I'm dumb.

#

Omake: In Which the Other Vestiges Demand Yoichi Time Too

Second: (Holding up Yoichi) Hey, everyone, I brought back small Yoichi to play with us.

Banjo: Uh, you seem to have something attached to your ankle.

Hisashi: (Biting Second's ankle) Mmph! Mmph! (Translation: Stop trying to kidnap my little brother!)

Second: He's an unwanted freebie. En, you said he was cute, you can have him.

En: You're never going to let me live that down, are you?

Yoichi: Why does everyone want to kidnap me?

Second: Because you're adorable.

Yoichi: Aw, that's so kind of you to say. I suppose I can stay here a bit longer.

First: Flattery is exactly how he got me to come with him the first time, too.

Hisashi: Will you both please stop being so easy to kidnap?

#

Omake: Shouto Visits His Brother in Jail

Shouto: I heard you tried to kill our father. My biggest issue with this is that you failed. I have prepared a ten page critique of your murder plan.

Dabi: I should have killed you after all.

#

Omake: Hisashi's Newest Crack Crush

First: Summon all the vestiges for a meeting! We have a crisis of epic proportions on our hands!

Second: Has little Hisashi started to show worrying villainous tendencies?

First: Worse!

Second: He's actively planning his conquest of Japan?

First: Even worse! He has a crush on an adult woman! He's at a delicate age, and he's very emotionally vulnerable. What if he embarrasses himself? What if she laughs at him? What if she uses him for his ill-gotten money? If she takes advantage of him, then I'll kill her! But if she hurts his feelings, then she's also dead!

#There's no need for First to worry #Fortunately, as a teacher, Fuyumi has ample experience handling students with crushes #She'll politely ignore it #Hisashi is too precocious to get along with girls his own age #Freud would say he's seeking out the maternal love he lacked in early childhood #But he'll develop more age appropriate crushes as he grows up #Readers, let's root for Hisashi to have a successful love someday #Or if you prefer to root for keeping Hisashi out of the gene pool, that's also valid

#

Omake: High Degree of Feralness

Izuku: Overhaul is here! Let's run!

Mirio: You run, I'll hold him off.

Izuku: Oh, we're fighting Overhaul now? Cool, I'm going straight for the jugular.

Mirio: …On second thought, I guess we're running away.

Author's Note: In canon, the title of Yoichi's comic book turned out to be "Captain Hero" not "The Hero and the Demon King." But I'd already established the title in this story, so I'm keeping it. Honestly, Captain Hero strikes me as a dumb name: you might as well call yourself "Hero Hero." No wonder All for One never finished this comic.

This fic is strictly gen, so feel free to mentally add your favorite ship to the contenders for Izuku's affections. If you suggest someone in the reviews then I'll tell you where they rank on Hisashi's list.