I Will Never Be Your Hero

by Hok14

Most times when we act with the best of intentions we are still prone to making things worst. For Haru it meant everything that those he cared for were to be better off with everything he's done for them. After all is said and done can he justify everything that had come to pass?

1. Prelude - Izuku and Katsuki

Guild Master here.

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This is a prelude story. This does have important backstory, but can be revisited later.

This chapter is about 172,859 words and was my first real attempt at writing.

The actual main narrative starts at Chapter 8.

Winter was hitting its apex inside the city of Musutafu, and everyone was doing what they could to keep the biting cold off of them. The sun was only hinted at with just enough light coming over the horizon to turn the black of night into a slightly lighter blue from the deep ebony it was. A scarf could serve to help for maybe the first five minutes you leave the conditioned temperature of your home; but after those minutes run dry the heat would be sucked clean out, leaving the cold bitch that was mother nature to sink her teeth into your neck. The morning dew was thick during this time of the year and the cold snap froze the dense moisture and made a lot of the streets and sidewalks slightly slick.

A truck that had turned up before the sunrise was opened and pouring thick steam from the pots and pans simmering and grilling american style stew topped with grilled seafood. It was rather sizable and resembled a small bus than the van it physically resembled. A charming and friendly looking black Volkswagen van exterior with white accenting the upper half of the frame. The prep work required some time for everything to meld and reach tenderness ideal for the creole dishes Haru was fancying to serve the public today. A nice amount of grain to thicken and meld the saltiness and other flavors in the stew. Light fish proteins; delicate and fatty with a crisp exterior. Beans and broth to add some slow release sugars for the day's energy. Finally, a medley of herbs and veggies so tender that it was almost unnoticeable when you found one dissolving on your tongue.

He had been ready to serve thirty minutes before his first customer and from there his food truck almost was a road hazard if he was any slower than what he was working at. The smell was tantalizing for the casual passerby and even those who were rushing for their commute took a risk to wait for an opportunity to be served the decadent foreign stew. There was quite the turnover the single truck worker had to process and with little difficulty and mess on his part he managed it like he was a team of ten veterans without skipping a beat. The morning was well underway and at the end of the rush the majority of people passing by on the street were mostly school children and the odd office worker straggling to get to their destination.

Haru, a man with hair platinum white all around his head and brows to match. He was groomed well enough and was sporting a beard and upper lip hair that was shaped and held quite a bit of masculine charm for the small business owner. He wasn't dressed in any real spectacular way and considered a clean appearance much more attractive than any sort of excessive color scheme or daring combination of flamboyant wear. Slim jeans and a green crew cut long sleeve shirt with a silver watch and brown leather shoes. For warmth he had a deep blue scarf looped into itself on his neck and a hiking jacket with a blue and black color scheme sown and dyed into its many patterns. He was tall and lean and with how he was built he took pride in how he looked. He had handsome features and was always able to provide a polite smile in conversation. He was built and the lines between the sections of muscle were visible most times from outside of his shirts. His state of dress would often cause him to fade into the background in comparison to some rather colorful heroes who would pass by occasionally. The only notable feature he possessed when he allowed it was his white hair. Even his eyes were just a single shade of boring dark brown.

The morning had died down a bit and having turned the sign over to 'closed' to inform the passing patron he took a small break and lit a cigarette for himself. He was a bit of a smoker and had no intentions of quitting. He took the first drag and plucked the cancer stick in between the index and middle of his right hand to let loose a large cloud of steam and smoke. The buzz was warm and welcome and with that he leaned on the handrail of the bridge over the waterway it hung over. His food truck was just around the bend from the overhanging structure and below the concrete and streets there was a strip of grass at the bottom of the cement inclines leading down to the riverbanks on both sides. Haru just looked at the long stretch of running water and kept smoking in peace.

Inside the river below Haru could just make out a few fish swimming against the current and smiled at the last few bits of aquatic life lingering behind until the winter really set in for the country of Japan. A small reminder that it was still the last moments of fall and of the day's ahead. Another few pulls from his smoke and to his right he heard the sounds of what could be best described as cadence for the adolescent. Coming his way he could see a group of what he could guess were first year primary school students marching in a line on their way to class. Ahead of the group of four he saw a bundled up boy with a fuzzy ball on his winter hat lead with a stick as a baton. Behind him the next two were one larger boy that was noticeably large despite his thick coat and legwear and after him a skinnier one wrapped up to the point only his hair was sprouting off to the side from the space between the hats and scarf. Commanding the rear was a smaller boy with green wavy hair and although without a hat had a scarf tucked around his neck with his winter ensemble. They were all walking a bit too close to the edge at the top of the slope leading down and with roads still being a bit frosty he tried to warn them.

"Hey boys! You might wanna be careful there!"

Over to the boy's Bakugou was leading the squad of his merry men to school as he usually liked to do and the others behind him fell into pace just like usual. Izuku was still in the back and singing his praises as their fearless leader, stroking his ego as he usually did.

"Ka-chan, you're a great marcher!"

He could feel his chest puff up at the praise as he kept up their mission to get to school under his leadership. He kept up their pace as he did until he heard someone yell to them from across the river. He stopped the group to identify who it was that yelled in their direction. They all came to a halt; all except Izuku who saw Haru yell to them to be careful about being so close to a potential falling hazard that he was distracted and bumped into the tall and skinny one in their group and lost his balance. He tried to catch the other boy's sleeve but was too late as he went down backwards. His gut dropped and since he didn't wear a head his head was bound to feel all the force of his head colliding with the concrete floor as he tumbled head over heel backwards down to the riverbank. The other boys could only watch in fear as they saw their friend fall back towards the incline down.

Izuku did indeed feel himself fall and tumble, but it wasn't painful or as scary as he thought it would have been. He came to a halt, letting his eyes open and see that he was in someone's arms as they shielded him from the potentially dangerous fall. The person let the boy go out of their grasp and looking up he saw a man looking down at the boy in his arms with a look of concern and smelling of tobacco on his visible breath.

"Are you okay? Jesus, I told you boys to be careful! The roads are still slick and being that close to the incline is dangerous!"

He turned to all the kids and they all looked down and apologized sincerely. Haru helped Izuku back up the slope with little difficulty and warned the group to be careful where they walked in the future lest they hurt themselves just like Izuku almost managed to do that day. They all said their goodbyes to the kind man and with that Haru decided that was enough for one break and got back to his van. Later on when the boy's thought back to that event they noticed that the man who saved Izuku was rather far away to have been able to get to the falling child in such a short time. Later on they would be told otherwise but they chalked it up to some sort of speed quirk. For Haru, that couldn't have been farther from the truth.

A Few Days Later

Haru was near a park he was trying out for business. There was a neighborhood nearby with its main exit being next to the park and a fair amount of commuters on foot that passed by. It was getting colder with the day's getting shorter and for such an occasion he was serving coffee and hot chocolates for the many patrons discovering his truck. It was a holiday for schools and workplaces alike and so the park was busier than usual with families and friends enjoying the outdoor air. Haru had an overhang that had built-in heating elements so there were some who were seated at his serving bar while others had to make do with portable heaters he had set up nearby or the piping hot beverages they were nursing in their hands.

It was roughly past noon and with maybe two or three families nearby as his sole customers for now he was reunited with some rather familiar faces from a few days ago coming into the playground and messing around the equipment playing pretend and defeating a make believe evildoer with the leader of their entourage being the main protagonist of the game. It was another hour and a half before they succumbed to the weather and began to try and rub the cold out of their appendages. The blonde spitfire took note of Haru's stall and his many heating lamps and led the group by the nose to the fine establishment that was Haru's food truck.

"Hello Mister! Do you have hot chocolate?"

The boys were all looking at him expectantly and with hope in all their eyes at Bakugou's question. He took note that the blonde boy was a rather straightforward child and despite being a bit rude he acquiesced to answer the child. He could guess these boys had some pocket change on them but despite his relatively low pricing he could wager that it still wouldn't be enough to pay for four separate cups of coco; let alone one cup to share amongst each other. So he took the cautious approach and finessed the actual price of his goods out of the question.

"Depends. How much do you guys have?"

The boys went silent for a bit as they pooled all of their meager allowances together into Bakugou's mit's. Haru exited his van from the back and knelt down in front of the boy's who were huddled together under the overhead heater. Bakugou gathered all of their funds and presented it proudly to the kneeling man they thought was Santa's younger brother. Haru was right; the money they had still wasn't enough for even a single mug of unflavored hot coco.

"... Look's good. Let me get you boys your orders."

They all whooped for joy at the prospect of hot chocolate in this nippy weather and Haru took the meager change and put the coins away in the proper slots in his money drawer. He got to work tempering and brewing the four sizable cardboard mugs of cocoa and with practiced ease he had all four cups poured and ready for the children. The final touches for each was a small amount of honey, milk foam, and sea salt and with that he carried the mugs back out to the children seated next to a heater near a tree planter.

"Thank you!"

"Thanks mister!"

Various words of gratuity were thrown to Haru as they all took their first sips of the dessert drink. They couldn't believe hot chocolate could be so decadent and be lacking sprinkles and marshmallows. They were all silent for a bit as they just kept sipping at their mugs and after they finished they were all too tired to continue their outdoor adventures and voted to go to one of their houses to hang out. They all waved to the food truck owner and said their goodbyes, unbeknownst to them they enjoyed a hot beverage on Haru's tab. He didn't mind, though; there were worse things out there than to give a couple neighborhood kids a discount on four cups of premium hot chocolate.

A Year and Some Months Later

Haru had been a familiar face in this part of the city since his little run-in with the young group of boys and had familiarized himself with the locals. His food was described as random but delicious by many of the residents and was a popular spot for those looking to try something new. His presence was one where people would find themselves gathered at certain hours of the day, but at less sociable times he would be found lounging around without a care in the world. At first many had inferred that he was a middle aged man who was in relatively good shape, but he was quick to correct them as his hair color and thick beard made it5 seem like he was in his late sixties rather than his mid thirties. Out of good humor he just told them he had a simple vitamin B-12 deficiency and that the white pigment was a result of that. His thick facial hair was groomed and trimmed down but still thick enough to hide his chin. He presented himself as witty and quick on his feet for his customers and their entertainment but was keen on keeping an open ear for those who wanted to let out some steam and needed an open ear to do just that.

Spring melted away the lingering cold and Haru was parked away under some trees near the park. Cold wind and warm sun beamed down between the dancing leaves and jostled the cherry blossoms, the buds still too young for a proper bloom. The van had been open for a bit but was caught during a dead period so Haru had taken the liberty to just take a few minutes and sweep up the street around his truck. The day was still early and Haru was zipped up in a jacket with an almost vinyl-like texture and hood, with some words going down the sides of his sleeves and the clothing company's logo embellished on his back and left breast. Simple jean joggers and skate shoes completed the ensemble with a black crew cut shirt under the jacket. Minding the loose debris on the ground he could hear some very small footsteps pitter patter over towards him from up the hill the park was situated below. Glancing over he caught the sight of a young Bakugou and Midoriya in their school uniforms racing one another towards him at full speed down the hill. They weren't slowing one bit and even used the speed they picked up to charge straight into his legs, thankfully he caught their heads from banging into his legs.

"Oy, slow your horses there; you could trip and hurt yourselves guys."

"Morning, Haru-san! We're going to school, where are you going?"

"I'm workin today. I'll be here after school so be sure that you come straight home after, ok?"

"Okay! Wait up, Ka-chan!"

The little tuft of blonde hair was already running past Haru as Izuku realized he was trailing behind on their way to school. Haru just let out a sigh and shook his head while continuing his busywork. It has been quite some time since his introduction to the young Bakugou and Midoriya; since then the kids were always excited to spot him whenever he was in the neighborhood. Most of their excitement stemmed from the fact that an adult was willing to play pretend with them, but another significant part of it was because he made fantastic lunches and was adult supervision when their parents weren't around for the times they wanted to stay out later than was acceptable if they were by themselves.

There was an expectation on Haru's part that the parent's would have approached him with suspicion and reproach for engaging with their children; rather it was comically the opposite that happened when their parents met with him. Bakugou's parents had both thanked him for tolerating their overly energetic son and had requested that he report to them whenever he wasn't being respectful to his elder. Mostly reassuring it was no problem to Bakugou's mother he caught them in small talk and eased the atmosphere with good humor and relaxed conversation. Eventually in the same conversation as their introduction he exchanged contact information and made dinner plans for them to stop by his van later that day.

Izuku's mother was another conversation he hadn't expected to be as easygoing as it was. She had caught him while taking her son to the park and had ordered lunch for her and Izuku. She was thankful for Haru being watchful of her son and wanted to speak to him in person regarding the matter. He put her at ease and caught her up in conversation over cooking and home life. The day left an even more positive impression on her as he had effortlessly kept engaged with the conversation while watching Izuku and had even called out to him on several occasions to keep him from wandering off too far. The same invitation to dinner was extended to her and her son at his expense at his van, needless to say it was a pleasant evening full of levity and pleasant conversation.

The parent's had insisted that he was at no obligation to watch their children in their absence, but it wasn't any issue in his insistence and would have left a bad taste in his mouth if anything were to have happened to the kids. It wasn't a daily occurrence he would be in the area, but if he could help it there was an effort to be present at least three days out of the week. So far he had learned that even by the standard of children these kids were off the wall with how rambunctious they were. There were more than a few cases of him having to go into the neighboring woods and drag the children back from their cossacks to get them fed for their lunches. Their parent's insisted that they pay in advance for their kids to at least get a meal at their request in case they get peckish, so to compromise he offered them a massive discount since he insisted that he really wasn't hurting for the money.

Another little issue reared itself as Haru continued to watch over the children, more so for Bakugou than any of the other children. Since Bakugou had been anointed as the leader of their little merry band and was constantly reaffirmed by his peers and adults alike about how amazing his quirk was this often led to him taking on more than what should be asked of a boy his age. More than once Haru had to step in between Bakugou and some rowdy boys in the neighborhood. More than half of the time it wasn't exactly a faultless occurrence where the young Bakugou was the one at the receiving end of bullying.

Bakugou was a rather proud boy who was pampered by those around him. He was reaffirmed that with his natural born abilities he was to lead a life that would bring him fame and glory. Haru was one of the few who had tried to keep an even tone with Bakugou and was often evasive with being overly complimentative of him. He saw a more destructive tendency first hand with him often defending those who were targeted by others seeking conflict with him. Other times he would antagonize those who would be seemingly more intimidating than him to find proof that he was as capable as those around him said he was. It was a delicate issue for Haru and he could often figure out if it was the fault of one side or the other as to apply the right kind of corrective measure. The lectures and talks given would be numerous and often there would be some pushback from the blonde spitfire, but still he would hold firm and make it clear as somebody who cared that this kind of behavior would lead to selfish and destructive tendencies down the line for both himself and to those around him. Bakugou was by no means cruel or mean spirited since it was more of a defensive measure he took when these fights took place. The repetitive nature however was something that Haru was quick to address and was sure to prevent by making sure that the same incident would not occur more than twice with the same children. Bakugou's parents were very quick to assume that Haru was the one keeping their child relatively safe since after their introduction their son came home with less bruises or cuts the days he was nearby.

Izuku Midoriya was in most comparisons the polar opposite to Bakugou Katsuki. The child was timid and spoke only when spoken to most times, and even then it would be in a hushed tone with only honorifics. His self esteem wasn't so shallow that he couldn't interact with his classmates and was still vocal and excitable when it came to topics that interested him. Being more of an observer than a parental figure Haru was often conflicted in being more guiding in helping Midoriya garner his own personality and confidence, but ultimately saw no issue in letting the child go about his way. The young boy was especially susceptible to idolizing those around him who displayed heroic or grandiose personalities or actions. It was unfortunate but when enquiring about his father to his mother she divulged that the father had long passed and that Izuku never knew him since his birth. He didn't pry any further beyond the short explanation he was given and let the children be since it wasn't his place to take matters into his own hands. Since he kept a casual observation over the boys he would often see Izuku project himself onto Katsuki and was quick to praise him for any little thing. The fighting was a concern for a time since Haru saw what kind of admiration Izuku had; the matter was of little importance since Midoriya himself seemed to be rather lacking when it came to fights and was often standing far away from any physical altercations that occurred. The child was more than comfortable with Haru since their first meeting and would often get caught up with spouting about how great some of his favorite heroes would be. The one hero that happened to frequent more than others in his spiels would be the american hero All Might.

A topic that both the young Izuku and Katsuki would both be swept up by in most conversations was often the blonde dynamic statue of pure muscle and charisma All Might. More than once Haru entertained the boy's conversations from the end of their school day all the way to the afternoon when their parent's came looking for them. The interest that All Might instigated within the public was nothing new to him as the topic of most conversation was around his impact on criminals and heroes alike. Young children idolized him, while women and men alike adored and revered him with high praise. Haru knew that in a day and age of costumed heroes and villains symbolism and the public response they achieved was everything. Quite a few times he saw the stoic man take on fights and enemies that were both easy and challenging in numerous quantities. The use of media and footage over the internet shared within the public glorified his many victories and by no means was it an exaggeration of the events that took place, however Haru could always figure the devil in the details and what he saw most times he kept to himself. The constant battles and feats of strength were impressive and many saw the confident smile that pushed through them all; however Haru could see the wear and tear that wasn't immediately obvious. To take on so much and to also keep the public happy was nothing short of painful and even if it wasn't soon Haru knew that at the rate All Might was going something was going to push him far beyond his limits and break him beyond repair.

Again, it wasn't his place to spread public discourse over his suspected state of health so he just kept his business around his van. The day went on and with school out the children made their way to Haru right as he had business coming in from parents and other students alike. They jumped up the steps into his van and threw their bags into the van haphazardly, which Haru quickly reprimanded them for despite the line of customers outside. They were again outside with their other school friends and running around playing pretend as they usually were. Once the line was handled and he was able to clean the space up a bit he put Izuku, Bakugou, and the other kids up on the stools and fed them lunch and helped them with their homework until the sun began to sit low. Around five-thirty he sent them home and wrapped up business in that area, now off to the urban market areas for the night.

Some Months Later

The tight streets made the van look much larger than it was in actuality. Hugging corners and pulling up tight to the side of the street the brakes squeaked to a stop and the parking brake clicked up, locking the vehicle into place. Haru hopped down from the driver's side seat and clicked his fob to lock the food truck. Circling around he stuck to the sidewalk and turned the corner towards one home in particular. Being a kind of pseudo-babysitter for a few of their children Haru had exchanged contact info with some of the parents of the children that frequent his business. On this particular evening rather abruptly he had received a phone call as he was wrapping up his truck for the night. The emotionally distressed Inko was choking back tears rather feebly as she asked for Haru to come over in a borderline desperate voice. It took a bit to slow her down but he managed to get confirmation that it wasn't anything like an emergency.

The streets were quiet, so quiet that even the chirping of crickets were barely audible from where Haru was standing. Hands in his jacket pocket he turned into a gate and clicked it open with practiced ease. Wide strides with his leather boots clicking the concrete he buzzed the door and turned heel to face the camera. It was barely half a minute before the door unlocked and an Inko with puffy eyes ushered him in. Nothing was said between them as Haru shucked off his boots and was silently guided into the living room. Haru was the first to break the silence as he reached for Inko and stopped her from entering the kitchen.

"Inko-san, what's going on? Did something happen?"

It was a pregnant pause before she just began to shudder and choke back her tears. Being the more emotionally stable one Haru simply guided the weeping mother into his chest and let her soak his shirt in her tears and snot. Not wanting her to scratch herself or catch her hair in his zipper he shucked his jacket and tossed the article of clothing onto the couch, now cradling her in his arms and rocking her gently with his chin tucked onto her head. It was a little while before Inko collected herself and wiped her eyes and nose with her wrists. Most of the lights in the house were left off but there was enough light for Haru to make out that the poor distressed single mother had let her make-up run. His handkerchief was out and was offered to her, where she gratefully took it and wiped away a majority of the ruined make-up.

"It's okay, just take it slow and tell me what you can."

"Haru-san… I-I don't know what to do. My dear little Izuku doesn't deserve any of this, and I feel like it's… That it's…"

"Hey, hey, hey; I want you to just take a deep breath right now, ok? Just take a breath and explain what happened first."

Inko inhaled deep and broke down the events that led up to her calling Haru out to her home so late in the evening. Since Izuku was to enter primary school sometime next year they went to the doctor to find what kind of quirk Izuku could be possessing that had yet to reveal itself. Rather than finding some kind of solace that the little boy was just a late bloomer it was revealed that Izuku may never find a gift of his own. It was rare to find anybody born in the past few decades that didn't have a quirk of some kind, much less somebody as young as a preschooler. The boy idolized heroes and was beyond starstruck with the idea of being a hero that could follow in their footsteps. Of all people for this to happen; Izuku was not just on the short end of the stick, but was completely shaken and scraped off. Inko wasn't destined to be a hero of her own making since her quirk itself was so mild in nature, but being a parent gave her a sense of accountability for her son. Something so far out of her control and still she felt wholly responsible for filling her son with hope and dreams of becoming a hero.

The conversation eventually led Inko and Haru onto the dining room table where Haru made tea for the both of them while keeping an ear open for her. Sipping their now warm tea they both sat in silence after Inko finished her long winded explanation. Haru was the first to break the silence with a question.

"Where is Izuku? Has he said anything since?"

The mother simply shook her head and turned her gaze towards the door that led into the study. Haru didn't say anything more as he got up towards the door. Inko was apprehensive and cradled herself, simultaneously scared to face her son and ashamed for not trying to at least comfort her little boy.

Knocking on the door Haru put his ear close up to the door and announced himself.

"Kiddo, it's me. I'm gonna come inside, okay?"

No response.

Taking that as his que he entered gingerly and saw that besides the computer screen illuminating the room it was pitch dark.

"Izuku? You there, buddy?"

The chair opposite of the door turned slowly showing a small and frail looking boy, his face frozen in a smile that was closer to shell shock than an actual positive emotion. His eyes were glossy and shaky as he pointed to the video of All Might without breaking sight with Haru.

"Do you think I can become a hero, like that?"

Behind him Haru could hear the boy's mother break into tears once more. Being an outsider in the issue, Haru simply gave Izuku a somber smile and made his way to the side of the child. He knelt down to meet Izuku's line of sight. He put one hand onto the boy's shoulder and just looked at the boy for a moment before speaking again.

"... You know what we could use? Some fresh air. I know this amazingly good spot for ice-cream."

With that he scooped up the still silent boy by the armpits and cradled him against his shoulder like he was his own. Haru took the boy out of the room and gave Inko a look of assurance that he would take care of things for now. Picking up his jacket he quickly put both his boots and Izuku's shoes on before heading out to get both of them some sweet confectioneries.

Twenty Minutes Later

Izuku and Haru were at a nearby river and sitting on a park bench with a cup of ice cream from a nearby place that served real soft serve and was open at that hour. Haru was taking bites out of his cup while Izuku was still mortified and frozen with that same smile he had from earlier stuck on his face. Haru would peek over to the boy once every few minutes or so and still there was no major reaction from the child. He wanted Izuku to adjust to his presence and let the child know he was alone with Haru so that he could feel safe enough to talk about his feelings over everything. It was slow and at this rate Haru needed to say something to get the boy's attention. This would take all night if he didn't at this rate.

Haru put the cup he was half done with down on the part of the bench to his right. He leaned forward and lit another cigarette and made sure he was downwind from Izuku to keep his smoking away from the boy. As much as it was to keep Izuku from breathing in his second hand smoking it served to get him into the child's peripheral vision. Even if Izuku wasn't looking right at Haru, it was just something to remind Izuku he was here to speak to the child.

"I heard what happened. It must be a lot to take in… Unfair even."

Still Izuku was stuck in his own little world. Everything Haru said just went one ear and out the other. Clearly this wasn't working and any words of sympathy or condolence offered just came off as disingenuous or lacking in understanding. This kid just wanted to be a hero that everyone could look up to and be a symbol for those like how his own here inspired him. It could have been anybody else and instead of some other kid who wanted to be a normal guy who owned a mechanics shop or some other mundane thing it just had to be this poor kid. It wasn't enough his dad wasn't in the picture and his mom struggled by herself to make ends meet, but now he was incapable of making the first step towards his goals. Haru had to step it up to get through to Izuku.

"You wanna know something? This sucks, it sucks and more than anything it's not fair. In fact it sucks so much it makes me want to do this…"

Haru took one last drag and tossed the butt into the nearby receptacle. He pushed off his knees with his hands and dramatically took several steps forward and stretched both fists into the sky.

"AAAAAAAAAAA! THIIIIIIS SUUUUUUCKS! I HAAATE THIIIIS!"

This scared Izuku out of his catatonic state and made him lock eyes with Haru's back at what he just did. That did the trick in getting the boy to react to him; now Haru had to keep it going.

"IZUKU DESERVES BETTER! HE WANTS TO BE A HERO! HE DESERVES A CHANCE AT LEAST!"

Izuku could only stare in bewilderment at this fully grown man screaming like a lunatic into the night sky; probably loud enough to wake the neighborhood while he was at it. All of this also served to wake up something in his heart. Something telling him that this wasn't how it was supposed to be. That he didn't have to accept it if he didn't want to.

The man's arms came back down and with a pose like All Might with his hands to his waste. Haru took a deep satisfied sigh and looked back at Izuku over his left shoulder and smiled.

"Y'know what? That felt really good! You should try it; just say what you want and say it how you want to…"

A hand stretched out to the left and with it an invitation to just shout his feelings to the night sky. Izuku could feel that part of him was still growing and filling him up like warm water flowing through cold pipes. His heart was thumping and it was waking him up like Saturday morning cartoons. There was some hesitation at first. Izuku felt unsure and was hesitating letting such raw emotions out. Haru just wanted him to be honest at the very least. Honest with more than just himself; but honest enough to even tell others so that Izuku wouldn't try and second guess what was in his own heart.

Izuku slid off the bench and dropped the ice cream that was melting onto the concrete below. It splattered partially onto his shoe as he paid no mind to the mess and slowly approached Haru's open hand with his own reaching out to the open palm. The hand he held was so much bigger than the young Midoriya's. He could feel the strength holding the child up and the calluses underneath each and every finger. Izuku never held another man's hand since his father was never there from the start; but if he could imagine that if he ever held hands with him it would feel something like this. Izuku stood there bashfully for a moment before working up the courage to try and muster up a yell.

"... I… I, uh-! I-I fe-..."

It was difficult for a normally so reserved and gentle soul like Izuku to be so outwardly vocal in public. There was nobody around to listen and still the child wanted to just speak his mind and release his pent up feelings.

"You got it, just go! Do it!"

It was all the encouragement Izuku needed to begin releasing all of it. All of this unfair treatment and frustration. He was upset and he needed to say it.

"... I.. I-I'm… I'M ANGRY! I HATE THIS! I WANNA BE A HERO AND NOW I CAN'T! I WANNA BE LIKE ALL MIGHT AND NOW I'M NOBODY! I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT! I HAAAAATE THIIIIIS! IT'S NOT FAIIIIIR! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Before the boy could collapse onto his knees Haru picked up the kid and cradled him against his front and let the boy cry into his shoulder. All of it came pouring out like a fountain and it was just as hard to stop as it was to start. Haru picked up the two neglected cups near the park bench and tossed them into the trash. He walked alongside the river with the boy in his arms still crying and soaking his right shoulder. Eventually Izuku slowed down and was just hiccuping and sniffling with his face tucked into Haru's nape.

"You wanna know something weird, kiddo? You and I ain't so different. I'm not gifted like most people are either…"

Izuku felt something he never felt before when he heard Haru share such an intimate secret with the young child. It was hard to explain and couldn't be described with just a single word. The best way to put it was that he didn't feel as lonely as he thought he was.

"That's right. I got a bend in the pinkie too. I can't fly, I can't jump and kick like a giant grasshopper, I'm not even double jointed…"

The poor attempt at humor was met with silence. Haru just muscled on without even acknowledging it.

"So take it from someone who can understand how it feels to be different from everybody around them. People are going to make it hard to feel like you can achieve your goals; but not as hard as you're going to make it for yourself if you let go. Granted I didn't try to become the number one hero like you. It's not gonna be easy for you, at all. I'm not gonna give you false hope and just say you can do it if you work hard enough. Everybody else has something that makes your dreams more achievable for them than it will be for you."

This was something that did not help the child's confidence at all; Haru needed Izuku to know this for his message to get across though.

"If this was like a race to the top and everyone has a set distance before they can reach that goal; you're way farther back than pretty much everybody else. It's hard enough for them as it is, and your path is so much farther than theirs."

Izuku didn't want to listen anymore. He would much rather cry than have the truth so harshly shoved into his face right now.

"But the path is there for you… You are farther away from your dreams than what most people are to theirs; but the path is there for you, kiddo. Running or dodging faster than anybody else may not even be enough for you, and I want to tell you it is. You will have to train harder, run faster, jump higher, and be far more agile than everybody else by tenfold. You might even have to work hundreds of times harder to reach your dreams compared to what other people will have to do in their life's journey to achieve their goals… And I don't doubt for a second that you can do it."

Everybody so far has done nothing but look at Izuku with pity and treated him as such for the whole time he was left with the knowledge he was quirkless. He felt trapped by the helplessness and guilt of being genetically quirkless and all everyone could do was just treat him like he was a lost cause. Haru didn't. He treated Izuku like another person and even honestly believed that it might be possible. There wasn't even a gentle delivery of how he should believe in himself to achieve his goals. Haru said what he meant and for what it was it felt freeing to be treated with honesty. It hurt to know he was so far away from his dreams right now and that other people wouldn't understand his difficulties he was born with; but it felt good to just be treated with respect.

"And don't think that you're alone in this, okay? I'm here, your mom's here, even Bakugou and the others should feel the same as us. Just trust us to be there for you if you ever need someone to talk to…"

Izuku felt better and now with the drowsiness following his emotional outburst setting in from earlier Izuku was soon asleep and out like a light in Haru's arms. He carried the child home and tucked in the boy with some help from Inko. She wanted to say and do more as thanks for Haru's actions but he politely turned her down and told her to get some rest. He left the Midoriya household to let them recover and rest after a day of struggling to deal with the news that the boy was further away from his dreams than anyone had any right being. Haru knew better and saw there was more to it, but only time will be the one to allow the future to unfold.

Some Weeks Later

It was a stressful few weeks as Izuku was still struggling with how people were reacting to his unique condition. Inko was doing all she could with Haru's support and keep her child from lingering on how he was under equipped for life ahead of him. There wasn't much reason to hold out on the secret he shared with Izuku from the single mother and so with that bit of private information and a little context shared with what that would mean for a child like Izuku she relied on Haru to watch over her son when she couldn't. It was bad enough she felt as vulnerable as she did with being so busy keeping a roof over her and her only son that it was so much to bear as it was. Haru could see the wear and tear on the young mother and it was the least he could do to offer his support for her. Underneath the selfless efforts to keep up appearances; Haru could also recognize the ugly guilt that she felt responsible for her son's condition due to her being equipped with a quirk so mild. She felt the genetics she lent to Izuku was a factor in him being quirkless and by no means was that something Haru was going to let fly right by him.

He made the mother swear that she would under no circumstance apologize or express this was in any part her fault. Inko wanted to tell her son but Haru told her how much it would put on her son if she told him how much of his disadvantage was lent to her being who she was as his mother. She was a bit frantic and argued against hiding something she considered truth from her son. It wasn't a matter of argument for Haru as he held her in his arms and just waited for her to just break down and let herself cry as he made sure she was okay enough to realize how much of a rash decision it was to say something so incriminating of her existence to her own child. He made sure Izuku wasn't in the home when they had the discussion and when she fell asleep he tucked her in and let her recover from her fatigue.

Now as Haru was at the same spot he frequented for the group of friends that frequented when they went home from school on a weekend he was rather concerned since there was no good reason to not see any of the boys wandering around for weeks on end. These boys were inseparable at one point and all of a sudden no one was even seen with one another shortly after Izuku was told he was lacking what most others were expected to have? He couldn't justify such cold treatment of a group of friends that were adolescent children separating over one of their own being discriminated against for a genetic condition. It was well into the daytime and Haru was concerned with the fifth week that none of the children showed up to play at their usual spot. There was no concern for a week or two when nobody showed up since the boys were known to wander into god knows what kind of random spot of wilderness or nature they found; but since Haru made an effort to be more present for Izuku's sake the absence was over double the usual time he would have spotted the group by now.

With a huff and quite a bit of angst visible Haru shut down his van and locked down his van before venturing off to find the children in the area around the neighborhood. The shutters were down and the doors locked for the van and with everything secure he was off looking for the boys. His search was not a very long but with his knowledge of where they would be and a steady pace of speed walking it still took Haru of over forty minutes to spot the group in his vigilant search. He was calling for all of them since if he could find one of the group if it wasn't Izuku he would still be able to find some insider information as to the possible location of the others. Haru was already aware of them not being around their own homes since their parents still contacted him over their children locations on the weekend where they would usually run into the food truck owner at the neighborhood park.

Haru was passing a river and calling out for Izuku when in the distance he spotted what could have been some of the group bunched up near the river bank below. There was one more than what was the usual four but he could see that there were those down below that had the features of green hair, blonde hair, skinny and fat for each different child that made it easy for him to spot them from a distance. He felt relief at the moment he spotted them all; that relief became a sinking sensation immediately as he could see that Izuku was rather defensive of the random fifth child with his arms spread out like he was shielding them from the other three. Especially since Bakugou was creating sparks and smoke from where he was standing and it was likely he wasn't just doing it to show off to the young Midoriya.

"Stop it, Ka-chan! You're going too far!"

The young Katsuki was irritated by the defiant behavior that Izuku kept displaying after the others would do nothing but follow his orders without question. In his eyes the act of defiance to his authority was nothing short of betrayal. The boy he was rather intent on maiming was the one to mouth off to the younger group about how much of a bully he had become over the other children of the area. Bakugou indeed was usually the one to settle matters when challenges of his unique gift came forth and were swiftly ended by his own hands. Older kids had caught wind of his reputation of being a contender in a straight up fight and with every challenge he sent them all running. He fought hard and long for his reputation and when someone came to mock that reputation like the others Izuku was the one to stand against him. A quirkless kid who looked down on him was telling him what he can and can't do too? In his eyes; Izuku was just like the rest of them. This was worthy of action in the blonde's eyes.

"You wanna do this, Deku? If you do this now, I ain't holding back…"

Izuku was terrified enough as it was. He knew how powerless he was against Bakugou and even more aware of his group leader's abilities to repel far more intimidating opponents that dwarfed the young Izuku by a factor of at least twenty. He still stood between the group of victorious boys and the beaten child that was only a year older than them. Smoke and sparks popped and crackled in Katsuki's fingers and with that the other two behind him activated their own quirks for a single strike against the green haired child. Izuku stood his ground and even when Bakugou sneered and the others followed his lead he never left the ground he stood upon. All three children swept in and were halfway to beating the young Midoriya when they all were snatched up by the back of their shirts and hefted up far above the ground. They reoriented themselves but caught up to the cold anger that was pricking up the small hairs on their necks behind them.

Haru was just able to pick up the boy's and stop them from assaulting Izuku in his valiant stand against the excessive abuse Bakugou was about to instigate and that the others were all too willing to commit alongside him. He snatched them up by the back of their collars and was very much unhappy that such deplorable behavior came from children he had expected better from. Katsuki was in his right hand and the other two in his left. They tried to turn to him but he would much rather they didn't with the expression of displeasure he had because of their actions. He dropped them then and there and they all fell to the turf with painful impacts to their bottoms. The adult in the situation wasted no time to address the weaker group about to be attacked.

"Are you okay, Izuku? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Izuku was still tense and with all of the adrenaline shooting through his body in that instant he fell to his knees into the soft soil under the grass and could only nod in response to Haru.

"Thank goodness. Are you okay to walk? Can you stand?"

Katsuki managed to stand back up and glare daggers at Haru. Izuku was nothing special and he was the one to be punished? In his eyes it was even more unfair than it was since Izuku kept putting him down without any sort of awareness of his strength. A weaker person like Izuku didn't deserve this favoritism!

"Bakugou… I will speak with you shortly. In the meantime…"

Izuku was in front of Haru so he could see the expression that marred Haru's usually jovial and jolly face. He didn't even think he was capable of being angry with how much he smiled around the boys.

"... Sit down and shut your mouth. You've done enough."

Bakugou and the other two were static and unmoving with the rather upset Haru speaking to them. Bakugou was usually the one to face Haru's ire and was often lectured about being the bigger person in a fight and to walk away when he could. This was different. In the past it was disappointment or some other kind of disapproval that affected Haru when he would confront the child. This wasn't like any of those times; for all of them, they actually became scared of Haru.

Haru was quick to calm his nerves and take matters here one step at a time. First, he needed to dismiss those who were the victims of the situation so that he could talk to the perpetrators alone. At first glance one would assume matters were much worse than they really were. The boy behind Izuku was a bit rough but it seemed he fell down the grass slope and was just a bit startled over being actually hurt. Izuku wasn't hurt at all and he seemed to have cut off the group before the first punch could be thrown.

"Izuku, I want you and that boy over there to go home right now; I need to speak to Katsuki and the others alone. Can you do that for me?"

Izuku was conflicted in leaving behind the others to Haru's disciplinary reaction to what was transpiring here before he stopped the miscreants from hurting the young Midoriya. His protests were cut off with a raised hand by the adult and with a stern expression Izuku could pick up that matters here were not up for negotiation. The boy helped the other one behind him up and they went their separate ways. This felt like a small betrayal from Izuku and Haru for painting him in a negative light after it was that other kid who threw shade at Bakugou. Forgotten tempers returned as Bakugou shot back up to his feet and began his familiar temperamental shoutings.

"What the heck?! That kid wanted to fight and all I did was let him have it! Why are you letting them go?!"

"... Bakugou, what is wrong with you?"

Haru got up and looked down at the child with pity in his eyes and his hands in his jacket pockets. It was almost that look Izuku would give Bakugou whenever he would ask Katsuki if he was alright after he fell or would come back with injuries after a tussle with the older neighborhood kids. Difference was that instead of just concern there was a fair amount of disbelief and anger thrown in. Worst of all, the child could see clear as day that Haru pitied the boy's need to lash out violently to solve all his problems. The lack of mature thinking was bad enough; rotten behavior was a different matter for him entirely. The child was already irritated enough for being looked down on by a quirkless kid who used to be his friend.

"... Stop it…"

"I'm sorry?"

"I said, STOP IT! Stop looking down at me! Stupid Deku is already doing it, I don't need you too!"

Haru could read in between the lines well enough that Izuku followed his advice from all those weeks ago and told Katsuki and the others about his unique condition.

"... So that's it. He's someone you call 'useless' now? You think that's the right thing to do? Huh?"

Haru took several steps towards Bakugou and stopped halfway in the middle of where he and the boy stood originally. His expression changed from pity to one of irritation. His brow was folded and the three children were beginning to feel nervous under the unfamiliar stare out of Haru.

"Do you know why he told you all about being quirkless? Did you think he wanted to tell you in the first place? He was so ashamed of himself that he cried for hours; and still he told you. Do you know why?"

It was getting harder for Haru to keep his temper with the naive group of bullies. Still he marched on with his lecture.

"... Because I told him he could trust you. I gave him my word that he was able to trust my word that you all would still be his friends who would still trust and care about him despite not having the same gifts they had…"

Haru tucked his hands into the pockets of his jacket to hide his fists that were clenched shut from his frustration. Being betrayed by having someone else break your promise hurts, no matter the circumstances. Katsuki not only shunned the boy, but tried to hurt Izuku because of his unique condition that excludes him from many of his peers. Perhaps his expectations of Bakugou were wrong.

"Why? Why did you try to break him down? What reason did you think that betraying my trust in you was worth all of this? And if he's useless without a quirk, does that make me just like him in your eyes? Am I worthless, too? Huh?"

Bakugou felt uncomfortable now as Haru was not only getting more frustrated but now was hinting at something that implied something much more serious.

"That's right kiddo, I don't have a quirk to my name either. I let Izuku know then and here I am telling you now. I guess Izuku was respectful enough of me to not tell you, despite how much easier it would have been to use that to get you to stop your rather repulsive acts of bullying."

Now it just felt like Haru was picking on him. Bakugou was frustrated with how short sighted he was, but didn't want to admit it to himself. It wasn't his fault; this was all just unfair and he didn't know what happened! Haru shared no sympathy for the frustrated Bakugou and let out a deep sigh before letting on for his plans for the boys that evening.

"... You all know better. Your parents have taught better. I am damn sure I have taught you all better. You're all coming with me and your parents will know what happened here today."

"... No…"

Out of the three boys looking to the ground; the one closest to Haru was the one to speak up, although softly, against his plan to let their parents decide their punishments.

"I'm sorry? Do you have something to say to me, Bakugou?"

Bakugou was tearing and nervous about talking back against Haru at this point. It was enough that his pride was hurt and that nobody could understand how much abuse he took to make sure that not only his friends were safe from all the bullying he fought against. How much it hurt that it wasn't just Izuku, but now Haru was making him feel ashamed and was now talking down to him just the same. He hated how small he felt.

"I said I don't wanna! I didn't do anything! We didn't do anything! Stupid De-"

Haru gave the young Katsuki a sharp look of warning about the insulting title he gave the young Midoriya.

"... Izuku was being stupid and was acting like I was still weak! I keep protecting him like everyone and he just thinks I'm still weak! It's not fair, and now you're doing the same thing!"

It was so heavy on his heart that the young Bakugou was misreading his friends intentions and thought that Izuku's concern and care for him was nothing but conceit and ignorance. Haru was always careful to treat the young Katsuki with fairness and accountability; he still was unable to let the praises of others in his life pollute his pride. It was still a testament to the young Bakugou's character that instead of becoming demanding or vain, he thought that his potential lent a responsibility to others weaker than them and was always the first to be the one to lend a helping hand to those he was close to. The side effect of thinking that he needed to be treated like he was invincible and anything that was close to resembling care or concern was mockery or an indication of weakness was what Haru wanted to prevent. Clearly he didn't do enough for the boy, and now he had to take measures into his own hands.

"Is that what this is? Am I looking down on you? I just told you something I have told no stranger and now I'M the one who's in the wrong?"

Again, the boy knew better to talk back now since he's talked back more than he ever has to Haru.

"... Fine. You clearly know better, it seems. You've done sooo much already; it doesn't seem fair to you. I just keep making you feel bad about all of this and I must have said too much and now I need to leave things alone."

Haru took a few steps away and the three children were nervous about the sudden heel turn that Haru was selling to the children. He took several steps upriver from the running water and left the jacket he was wearing on the grass in front of him as he came to a stop.

"... But there's just one thing I need to make sure of if I'm to let things go. Bakugou, you fight to protect your friends and for that I can admire what it is you endure to make sure all of them are safe. It does not mean you get to treat them however you want whenever you feel like it. And you two are loyal to Katsuki, that is something I like about you two. What worries me is that you two just don't seem to think for yourselves and do whatever Bakugou does without question. You two aren't friends, your lackeys. You're better than just being brainless and unquestioning to unbecoming behavior."

Haru turned around and looked at the trio still looking up in anticipation of whatever punishment he had planned for them. The sun was amber and sitting lower in the sky, casting light over half of Haru's disappointed and stoic face.

"I won't tell your parents what has happened here today; or what you all know what you've been doing or saying for the past few weeks. On one condition…"

"... It was less than tw-"

"I'm talking, don't interrupt."

The portly one in the back tried to come up with a thin excuse and was immediately shut down.

"Since you think that quirkless people are so weak and below you that someone who was even your friend deserves to be punished for it; why don't we put that to the test?"

Haru spread his arms out and invited bodily harm from the three young children some paces away in front of him.

"Try and hit me; someone who's just as quirkless and by your definition weak and unable as someone you can openly call 'useless'. I've had my fair share of beatings and fights when I was young, so try and do your worst."

An open invitation to come and attack Haru was enough to make the situation dawn on the boy's about how severe it was in Haru's eyes that he caught them bullying Izuku. This was quite an adult thing to be faced with so they tried to talk their way out of it.

"H-haru-san. We, we can't…"

"I… We don't wanna hurt you…"

Only Bakugou was silent while the other two tried to bargain their way out. Haru wasn't having their excuses and pushed harder for them to take action.

"I never said you would be able to do it. Just try to hit or touch me. You scratch me or graze my shirt then all of this is no longer my concern. You fail to do so before I call time; it's not just my problem anymore, it's your parents as well… Last chance."

The kids were left with an ultimatum in their decisions. On one hand they had to try and Hurt Haru. He was nothing but kind and warm with the group from day one and he clearly didn't deserve to be beaten up by the kids. On the other hand; if they're parents found out about their antics with Izuku tonight then it would be the end of them as they knew it. It was certainly a rather one sided argument for the group since the only decision that actually mattered amongst the boy's was Bakugou's decision.

"... Okay."

Bakugou had a look of anger and determination shaping his piercing glare into quite a fearsome display of fighting will. The other two were less resolute in their will to fight the fully grown adult but were willing to follow their leader's example come hell or high water. Right now it looked like both were about to come down on all these kids. For Bakugou it wasn't ideal for his opponent to be Haru; still, if he were to beat Haru then Izuku would know what it was he did wrong to Bakugou. If Haru was beaten and yielded to Bakugou's strength Izuku would have to acknowledge that Katsuki was indeed the strongest and had no need for his friend's pity. No more words were exchanged as the two friends behind Bakugou activated their quirks and silently apologized to Haru for the beating he was in for. Haru could pick up on the intent for a fight and just stood with his hands to his sides. Bakugou was zoned in and ready to strike first with all he had. Haru was just standing there with a look of pity and barely changed brom a natural standing pose. The look Bakugou got was enough to set off the child and just behind him the other two boys sailed in side by side for their support.

Katsuki was close enough to Haru for an explosion to just rattle him a bit and measuring out the explosive power he swung his arm and thrust the open palm towards Haru. At this range Haru was too far away for a physical attack and knowing Haru was quirkless Bakugou took advantage of his potential range over the fully grown man. The boy was sure that this was going to end the fight right then and there with the first strike; in a blink Haru shot forward in a blur and closed the distance between him and the explosive quirk user and in the same forward momentum swung his right leg in an arc that traced a line with his shoe towards Katsuki. Bakugou could feel the force of the shoe flying past his face as the explosion that was about to go off in his hand was snuffed out by the kick Haru threw without touching the boy.

Bakugou was already too committed in his charge to change directions and so had no choice but to slow himself down as he came to a stop to try again. The other two saw the speed Haru demonstrated and hesitated for a moment before trying to tackle and strike at Haru themselves. Haru didn't bother with a counter for the other two as he just weaved and ducked past the other two followers after weaving past Bakugou. The three of them had to take a moment to take in what just happened. All three of them attacked at once and all three of them couldn't even touch a loose piece of fabric passing Haru; worse of all Bakugou's attack was snuffed like a candle sitting on a mantle. They all turned back and Haru was standing back up. At the very least he took his hands out of his pockets. In all honesty he took them out to not hurt their pride more than he planned to do with this 'fight' he initiated.

"Do you know what it means to be weak? Do any of you?"

Haru looked back down on all of them with a look of pride about what he was about to say.

"I do. Day after day I was reminded about my weakness. Except unlike Izuku, I had nobody else that could have helped me. They tried almost everyday to keep pushing me further into my self hatred over how much of a weak thing I was to them."

He dusted away dirt that wasn't there in the first place and stood with his hands on his hips.

"It got so bad I thought they were going to kill me. They just tried to beat me over and over again day after day."

The children again scrambled to their feet and charged in with a battle cry to try and throw off Haru. He again dodged them all. Bakugou was first in but instead of closing the distance Haru took an awkward step back that threw off Bakugou's timing and used a backhand swing to stop the explosion from going off. The other two tried to come in from different directions but tripped over themselves and went tumbling to the grass spread out from one another. The young Katsuki was the only one who didn't fall over himself.

"So I had two choices; get stronger or die. I tried running away. That only worked for a bit until someone faster than me came by. I tried to block their attacks; all that did was make me an easier target."

The trio got back up again and now we're swinging left and right one after another as fast as they could to try and see if something would catch Haru in some sort of blind spot or moment of bad timing on his part. Time kept marching and nothing was even close to looking close enough of a successful strike.

"I tried to fight back, but they would just hit back harder than if I had just taken their beatings. After a while I knew that trying to become stronger wasn't the answer. They would beat and hurt me badly enough to stop me from actually learning or growing from their abuse."

The kids just kept on going and were just throwing themselves at Haru in hopes that something would work. They had quirks and he didn't! Why was it so hard to even touch him? They didn't even care about the challenge presented at the start of all this and even if they could remember that it wasn't the fight they needed to win and not the actual fight they were just as far away from that as they were now. All it was is the minimum of a connected attack or touch for them to beat Haru. Even now they realized that Haru was just as squeaky clean as he was before they started and they were all filthy from falling over and tripping into one another. They were ignorant to the fact that Haru didn't even touch any of them due to the challenge he set for the children.

"So I began to see why I was weak. I ran and day after day I worked on not being weaker than I was before. I ran and dodged desperately away from those bullies and eventually I was coming out less and less hurt from their beatings. I learned to block and use everything around me properly to avoid getting hurt. I opened my eyes and paid attention to everyone and everything around me to find my way to push back and save myself from them all…"

The three boys were at it for a while and with the sun setting they were all covered in scratches, bruises, dirt, and grass stains as they all were huffing and heaving to catch their breaths. Haru was soon just side stepping aside for the boys to just lamely jog at him and fall to their hands and knees behind him. Bakugou was the last one standing and even he was struggling to stay balanced on his trembling legs.

"It was because I was weak I became who I am. I was nothing but weak and that is what made me strong enough to defend myself against those who were strong. The problem for so many people is that being strong takes you farther away from how weak you can be. I was able to work on my weakness and make it so that other peoples weakness was never less than my own. I learned to rise myself from below others by surviving and being less weak than others. You can't even touch me because compared to me, you're far weaker. I may not be able to fly, or change my body, or shoot fire from my hands; but I am NOT weaker than you."

On the grass with the sun sweeping the city in gold and amber light Bakugou was now out of the count and was struggling to catch his breath. He was flat on his back and the other two in his posse were just as exhausted and laying on the grass slope behind Haru. Haru looked at the sunset and the sunset was illuminating his face like a regal gold leafing. His expression was something of melancholy as he finished reciting his story for the boys lying beaten and filthy by their own efforts.

"Just because you're strong doesn't make you any less weak than anybody else in life. You don't know what it's like to be weak. Because of that you're blind to how limited you are. You'll never be heroes if you keep going around thinking you're all that matters. If you don't realize how wrong you are and can be; you're no better off than all those villains running around doing whatever they want."

That was the most hurtful thing that anybody has ever said to all three of them. They were told so differently. Expectations were set high and praises were plentiful from those who saw their potential for heroism. The one opinion from someone they respected and they knew who wouldn't be anything except honest with everyone he cared about; he thought that they were anything but their potential of being capable of being amazing heroes and it hurt they had no one else to blame but themselves. They all tried to fight the urge to bawl their eyes out and the tears stinging their eyes just made it harder to hold it in.

"... Your time is up. We're going home to tell your parents. All of your parents."

The kids knew they were in for it and began to bawl in earnest. Haru helped the children up to their feet and up the steps from the riverbank. They crossed the bridge above and returned to Haru's food truck where he gave them all tissues to wipe their faces and blow their noses. He gave them water to rehydrate and drove them all back to their houses. The first two boys were the two followers of Bakugou and their parents were not only apologetic but furious with their own boy's for them to engage in such reckless bullying. They were quick to blame the young Katsuki for misleading their children and getting them involved but Haru was more than well spoken to stop the parents from being so short sighted and banning them from seeing their friend. There was some back and forth but the parents relented that they would be the ones to be firm but fair in punishing their children without running into any rash conclusions without a fair assessment. The other two were left to be grounded and without electronics for an extended period of time while their list of house duties multiplied while they reflected on their actions.

Bakugou was the last to be dropped off and between the two of them the sound of the radio playing jazz on a low volume was all there was to lift the atmosphere for the child. Katsuki could still sense that Haru was still disappointed in him and his friends. His pride was hurt and now as he went to face the music with his parents he just wanted one thing clarified between him and Haru.

"... Nakamura-san?"

Haru was silent, but didn't stop the boy from speaking his mind.

"... Do… Do you hate me?"

Haru sighed deeply and propped his left elbow on the window sill and let his thumb rub his left brow. He clarified his emotions for the anxious child seeing that there was some clarification in need.

"No. I would never hate you, kiddo… I'm disappointed. More than that, I'm hurt."

In light of the reveal Bakugou looked to the window on his right and glued his eyes to the sunset out of shame of being unable to look at Haru.

"Izuku was hurting that night and I promised him that both me AND you would be there for him no matter what… I trusted you so much that I thought you would help and watch out for Midoriya without me having to say anything… You not only let Izuku down here. You disappointed and hurt me because of what you did. You broke my trust and hurt your best friend. You hurt my friend."

The sound of sniffling and hiccups were so small you would think that a mouse with allergies found its way inside the front seats. On Katsuki's face tears were leaking and snot was dripping with the shame and disappointment in himself over what he let himself do. The boy's pride was being cut down like paper against a gas welder and it hurt just the same.

"You broke my trust and that's something that won't heal just on it's own. So for now Your parents will decide on your punishments and I need time from all this until I'm ready to talk to you again. Just take whatever punishments your parents give you and we'll talk about fixing my trust in you later. Remember, I don't hate you; I'm hurt and I can't trust you like I did right now."

This was worse in Bakugou's eyes. He was given a tissue by Haru to help him clean himself before they reached his parents. The walk back up to the floor his home was on was the longest it had ever felt and knocking on the front door to the faces of his surprised parents was even longer. Mitsuki and Masaru were at first concerned seeing their baby boy eyes red and nose stuffy at first. It was a few minutes of coaxing to the living room and seating the family in the living room with Bakugou next to Haru across the coffee table before he spoke of their child's behavior for the past few weeks and of the bullying he subjected Izuku and some other boys in the neighborhood before that attitude flipped.

The mother was quick to raise her voice and threaten great harm and punishment on her son over hearing such rotten behavior come from one of her own. The father and Haru calmed her down before they had a serious discussion of what was to be done about Bakugou's punishment. A bow of thanks from the parents after Bakugou was sent to his room was given by the Bakugou family and after a few hours of tea and talking to help the parents settle their nerves Haru left.

Haru was smoking in the moonlight while leaning onto his van. This was something he was just disappointed about. It hurt to see something so juvenile over something that deeded delicacy the children lacked to begin with. Another drag and Haru tried to wrestle with the idea about what was to be done to help Izuku's trust in Haru. He drove downtown to a bar owned by a business associate and drank the night away. Unlike children, he was an adult with more mature and less responsible ways of dealing with his guilt.

The Next Evening

Haru was parked up against the road in front of a closed purse shop having just finished his dinner rush. Enjoying the relative peace he was washing his hands and humming when he heard the chair behind him creak with the weight of another customer. Without missing a beat he turned the sink off and grabbed a towel as he spun around to greet another customer.

"Welco- oh, if it isn't Katsuki's father! Please have a seat, I'll get you started right away."

The polite and quiet man just bowed and made himself comfortable at the bar. Placing his bag in front of him and patiently waited for his order to be taken. Haru returned with a beer and cracked it open, catching the cap midair and placing the ice cold drink in front of Bakugou's father.

"Oh, I didn't order this."

"I know, this one's for me. I hate drinking alone."

As if by magic another bottle of the same beer was already in his hand, another crack and catch for his own refreshment. They both cheered before taking that first swig of beer and letting that first wave of warmth hit them.

"Ahhh. Anyway, what do I owe the great pleasure of your presence here today?"

"Aha, don't mind me, I just happened to see your truck on the way home and I thought I should just say hello."

A bit sceptical over his story Haru just drank from his bottle, after which he pulled a pen and paper for the order. A quick order of spring vegetable tempura and wasabi squid skewers and Haru was off.

"You know something? I don't buy it."

"H-huh? What do you mean?"

"You don't just have a beer if you want to swing by. You didn't even refuse out of courtesy for your family at home. You want to talk about something and you saw me. So spit it out, I consider you enough of a friend to keep an open ear."

Bakugou's father wasn't even there for a full minute before Haru saw right through the sheepish man. Relaxing and taking another drink he began to voice his grievances to the still cooking Haru.

"It… It's about yesterday. Again, I wanted to apologize again for that"

All he got in response was Haru's hand waving dismissively behind him. Moving past that he kept on going.

"And, if I can be perfectly honest; I just don't know what to do in this situation. My little boy, who I cared for and raised so carefully; acting like that, just acting out so angrily. I get that he has it from his mother, but I feel helpless right now."

Bakugou's father paused and drank some more. Since he forgot his lunch for the day the alcohol was hitting him like the train he took to get home.

"And, and for god's sake I am his father. I'm supposed to be the one to keep him from straying off the right path. What will he learn from this? Am I just not the right one for this?"

Another sudden crack of a beer broke him out of his oncoming rant. Haru was already deep frying the tempura and was already deep into his second bottle. He put the bottle on the counter behind him and turned to face the deeply troubled father. Hands on the counter and leaning into them.

"It sounds like, to me, that you are an amazing father who fears for their child's wellbeing and future; just like any decent parent worth their weight in salt would."

Standing back up he returned to the fryer and began on the second frying process.

"If you get caught up with the fear of messing up, eventually you start to anticipate failure. What I think shouldn't really matter, but if you just want some words of wisdom; Do what you think is best and roll with it. Anything more and at that point you're either paranoid or overbearing."

The tempura plated and sprinkled with herbs and sauce on the side Haru left it in front of Bakugou's father and took the now empty bottle next to him. Cracking another one open he left the bottle with the deep in thought father and began working on the next order. After another long period of silence between them Haru plated the second dish and gave the father another beer.

"You know, I can't help but think that you would make a better dad for my kid. It just fucking sucks how useless I feel. He respects you. He listens to you better than me. Me? I can't even remember the last time my boy asked me for something."

"Hm."

A dish cloth between Haru's hands, he dried them off and slung the towel over his shoulder. Clearly a typical approach won't help the dad in his turmoil.

"Is it because I'm weak? I know I can be a bit of a pushover but does my son have to think so lowly of me as well?"

Now the waterworks were going and being sloppy drunk tears and snot poured freely from the face of the distraught father. It was enough of a display that a passerby or two reconsidered stopping in at Haru's truck for a post-work refreshment. The loss of potential customers was not a major concern at the moment, since now he was sure that this display of hysterical sobbing was more or less his responsibility. The gears turning in his head he then flipped the sign of his closed and put aside a few pots and pans from their active burners. Out and around Haru hung up his apron and was sitting next to Bakugou's father with another pair of fresh beer bottles poached from the fridge. Sitting shoulder to shoulder Haru popped his own drink open, downing almost half of it before giving the distraught father a pat on his back.

"So what is the ideal father that SHOULD be where you are?"

"Sniff, ugh, huh?"

Sleeve now soaked Katsuki's father did his best to wipe away his dribble and tears and peeked over his shoulder.

"If you could be anyone, with whatever kind of personality; What do you think would be best for Bakugou? Who is THE father for your kid?"

The hamster wheel was turning but the rodent was more or less dead in the corner. The father was so wrapped up with one thing he hadn't considered the other half of the argument. Despite all his hang-ups about his relationship with his son he couldn't imagine a different person raising his son.

"I-I don't… I'm…"

"You don't have to answer. I'm being rhetorical."

Haru drank some more and just stared off to nothing for a few moments. Being somebody who doesn't want to mince his words he was careful with his choice of language.

"You want to know why Bakugou listens to me? Then ask yourself this; how does a stranger seem to command his respect more than his own father?"

The now fully drunk dad was tentative about hearing the supposed answer. If only the mute function could apply to any situation.

"Well I'll tell you… It's because he already learned all that stuff from someone else."

"Who?"

Now looking over his shoulder at the drunk man Haru just gestured his own drink back at the father. It took him a bit but once the words sank in Bakugou's father just looked back in disbelief and denial.

"I'm not the one who taught him everything he knows. All I did was piggyback off of your work."

It was so sincere and direct. There wasn't a hint of exaggeration or pity in Haru's declaration of his parenting.

"Sure he may seem controlling and brash, but he does so for the people around him. He thinks himself responsible for the decisions that others would make. He puts a lot of effort into looking confident so that when people observe him they can feel confident in making similar choices. That they put their trust in the right person."

It never really sank in how observant Haru was with others around him. Then again, he is known for being able to hold conversation with his customers despite his rather intense workload. So maybe given more time Haru would be privy to more in depth observations that even the person in question would realize.

"You're not a bad father, it's just hard to see the good we do for our kids when we're trying so hard not to mess up every little thing we do for them. So if you ever need a second pair of eyes to compare yours with; my chairs are always open and available for you."

Past his college years Bakugou's dad found it difficult to meet new people. Not in an intimate sense, but rather a more indirect and open capacity. Friends were only fewer and fewer as time went along and those he knew fell into their own patterns and professions. Right now however, he was reminded what it was like to make a friend with Haru lending him his ten cents on the matter.

"You spend time with your kid, it's more than what a lot of other parents do and you actually enjoy doing it. So don't undersell yourself, if I could say one thing and one thing only it would be this."

Haru was looking right through his soul. It almost made him blush with how sincere he was being.

"Don't you dare think that spending time with Bakugou is a mistake of any kind. Someone who spends their time trying to make things work with their children is infinitely more deserving than someone who doesn't even bother with the risk of making mistakes. You care so much it hurts, and you don't even realize the good you're doing already. So for now ease up and accept that at the very least you're not a bad dad, ok?"

With that Haru faced towards the counter again and let the comfortable silence settle over them. Bakugou's dad was very inebriated, well into the realms of drunk; but still he felt inclined to ask Haru for one more favor.

"Another thing…"

"Yeah?"

"Doooo you have another one of these? I am fucking loving these!"

Needless to say He gave the man a ride home back to his family. Free of charge, of course.

One Year Later

Spring this year was good to the city of Musutafu. Air cool and fresh, flowers blooming bright and plentifully, and kids running off for their first day back to school; now more mature and off to take on new challenges.

A van parked in a level spot on a slope, opened up revealing a food truck of sorts; already catching the attention of a few of the students who happened to rush out that morning without a proper meal. One after the other kids were in and out quickly, leaving with some sort of breakfast item. Working the stoves and grill in his usual manner, Haru was taking orders and preparing them faster than they were coming in; the rush slowed down with most already at school or being close enough. Another few stragglers later Haru wiped his hands on his apron and set out to clean and prep for the next part of his workday. The final bottle of seasoning tucked away in it's cabinet he was just then called over by a familiar voice.

"Haru-san, Haru-san!"

Peeking back over to the serving area he could just catch the bobbing head of Bakugou jumping and waving frantically.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? It's always a good day to see you two. Although, aren't you supposed to be in school by now?"

"Yeah, but Deku here got up late and we're gonna be late! Can you take us? Pleasepleaseplease?"

During this whole exchange Izuku was doing his best to keep out of sight. It was embarrassing enough that he was late, but now Bakugou was upset and was trying to get him and Izuku in time. With a reluctant sigh Haru tossed his apron on it's hook and began closing up his van.

"Alright, but promise me you BOTH will be on time in the future. Ok?"

A swift salute later Izuku was dragged up to the passenger door and inside; being familiar with the rules of riding, they buckled themselves in. The school itself was not too far from where they were, but it being almost time for roll call at their school he felt it necessary that they get there on time for their first day. Before they knew it they were pulled up across the street from the gate and with a few minutes to spare. Izuku was up and out of his seat and dashing for the gate before Bakugou could even shoulder his backpack. Haru tapped the boy on his shoulder for his attention and began reaching behind the chair for something.

What appeared in his hand was a wrapped up box with a striped ribbon keeping the ensemble of colorful paper together. With wide eyes Bakugou was completely caught off guard by the present.

"Happy birthday kiddo. I know it's early but I'll be gone for a bit so I wanted to give it to you now rather than after. Just open it at home okay?"

Bakugou was ecstatic to say the least and with all of his willpower he resisted ripping into it then and there. With Haru's help the colorfully wrapped box was tucked into Bakugou's backpack safe from any immediate harm. Turning in his seat Bakugou gave his uncle Haru an awkward sitting hug and thanked him profusely.

"All right, all right. Get outta here you, school's about to start."

With that Bakugou was up and out the passenger door. Just as he was about to shut it, Bakugou called back to Haru.

"Haru-san, are you coming to my birthday next week? My dad and I are going to that new store opening!"

Hearing that Haru's eyes twitched by the tiniest of margins. It was barely visible but the feeling he gave off changed just then. Bakugou was almost worried he said something wrong until Haru responded.

"The new shopping center in uptown; that one, right?"

Bakugou just nodded shyly. Picking up that he was making the child uncomfortable he swapped to a smile as if nothing happened.

"I think I might cater there for the grand opening. If we see each other I'll be sure to whip you up something extra special, kiddo."

And with the promise of a possible delectable treat Haru sent the child off to school. He was sure to check the gate was closed before taking off back down the road where he came from. Now alone Haru pulled out his phone and unlocked it. He swiped through his phone until he came across a contact in his list that was just a phone number. He swiped the send call option and put the device up to his ear. It wasn't even two dial tones before he got a response.

"Granite Mobile Internet Services, how can I be of service?"

"Get me Shinji Jige, secured."

"Right away, sir."

The phone was put on hold and after about two minutes before the line reconnected.

"Sir, what an unexpected surprise. How can I be of assistance?"

"The job we have in uptown, taking place next week; who's heading it?"

"Let me see… That would be Daibo's sir."

"Tell him to move the job to a later date."

There was a short pause before the man on the other side replied, albeit a little apprehensively. Clearly the suggestion of moving said job an unwelcome change of plans.

"Um, sir. I do wish to emphasize the amount of time and resources invested into this specific operation, and I wish to go over why such a drastic change would be-"

"-What is this I'm hearing right now?"

The opposite end immediately clammed up. Despite being several miles away, Shinji could practically feel the noose tightening around his neck and lifting him up higher and higher with each passing second.

"Did I just hear you talk back to me just now?"

"...No sir, It will be done."

"...Good. Don't ever do that again. Understood?"

"Yes, sir. Understood"

"Good, get it done."

He hung up, leaving a shaken Shinji to collapse down onto the nearest chair. With that matter done Haru returned to his day as he usually did. Back at the previous location he earlier occupied he set up shop and happily went about his day.

Later That Evening

"Boss!"

Coming down a hallway and bursting through a set of double doors the rather winded man in his chocolate brown suit burst through and startled the clean cut man who had been going over paperwork regarding expense and fiscal growth. Cursing under his breath he irritably addressed the underling that had barged in rather abruptly.

"What? What do you want?"

Catching his breath the underling was quick to dispense the unfortunate news.

"Uh. T-the. He."

"Jesus christ use your fucking words, dammit."

Dry swallowing he paused enough to catch his breath.

"T-there was a call that came in today. They want us to move the center job to another day."

That bit of news got him to snap up from his desk. Both hands on the expensive woodwork his glare of pure disbelief and rage was so intense you could see the veins in his eyes bulge. Not a few moments later the young leader was up and out of his office storming up the stairs closest to his office. He was at the top floor in no time and with a loud SLAM everybody on the floor was snapped out of their individual focus and collectively they automatically began scanning around for the cause of the disturbance. Storming out into the rather lavish office space he passed bewildered eyes of all sorts while making a beeline for the office that sat in the north-eastern corner of the building. Another violent shove of the glass door made it clear to the occupant of the office his pure disdain and anger.

There was no reaction from the older occupant of said office. Still scanning and working with their desktop you would think they were either deaf or unaware of their surroundings altogether. The fuming younger man stood and breathed through his nose with such gust. It was a while before the older man said anything, still working and not looking up from his intensive work.

"Yes, son?"

"Don't 'yes son' me. Who the fuck cancelled my op a week before it was gonna happen?"

A heavy sight through his nose he had been expecting of this encounter. The slightly silvered well dressed man kept away at his office work all the while staying within the conversation.

"If you feel it necessary we can discuss th-"

Two hands slammed into the glass panel that made up the surface of the rather lavish desk. Glaring and lips tight the younger man had little patience regarding the subject of their conversation.

"Don't fuck around. I spent months of MY time and MY money to have this operation. Why, after months of blood, sweat, and tears is my op going into cold storage a week before it's due?"

Another heavy sigh through the nose of the older gentleman. Deciding it best to address the issue personally he tabbed out of his work document and faced his son with hands folded on the desk.

"We got the call earlier today from higher up. Whoever sent the order has their reason since no matter who I ask is willing to elaborate and right now it seems wiser to follow through with the order rather than being conceited."

A vein popped out from the younger man's forehead. His fingers tightened and gripped the flat surface of the rather durable clear material. Just then, a loud snap and crackle permeated the spacious office as the now pristine glass was shattered and cracked. The webbing of destruction leading back to his hands, or rather where his palms rested. The younger of the two had his jaw set so tight the muscles were threatening to snap in half on their own.

"Don't… I didn't sacrifice all this time and money for this. I deserve to know. Who. Sent. The. Order?!"

"ISAMU!"

Immediately the son took a step back and both hands came off the desk. Isamu's father stood up and paced himself right in front of his son. Despite being shorter the son was defensive nonetheless.

"I don't take joy in telling you this news. If I could have my way I would celebrate the success of your hard work alongside you. So when I am the one to tell you that there is no negotiation here, heed my words. I am saying no."

It had been some time since his father had such a look in his eyes. The last time Isamu could remember such a grim moment was when he had been brought inside the Yakuza organization. His father pulled him aside one night and held the same look in his eyes as he did now. The warning he had given him that night still resonated within him. Despite the hard exterior Isamu saw an emotion foreign to the image of his father. Fear. Fear of being unable to control the consequences. Fear of the consequences themselves.

"I will not repeat myself. Do not do this. There will be another time and place for what you have in store. This is not up for discussion."

With that Isamu's father rounded the desk once more and continued about his work like nothing had happened. Isamu was aware of the work that was done within the walls of this building. The dark dealings, questionable actions, and at times sinister tasks that were carried out on a daily business. Isamu was always one to keep up appearances and always practiced what he preached when it came to important matters. So to hear that this was a matter out of his hands it truly agitated something deep within him.

The new bank that was opening within the plaza was a rather genius stroke of luck on his part. The bank was a major entity and for whatever reason one of their branches had decided to settle inside the rather luxurious yet public destination. The bank itself was of no particular interest, but with the manipulation of several accounts and coercing several individuals this particular bank was the opportunity of a lifetime. The dates of several major transfers between different branches were fairly close enough to each other to warrant some attention from some less-that-reputable individuals. Since this information was rather exclusive it was just a matter of personal investment to set in motion the ideal heist that would have profited several times any preceding heist in the country's history. Not only was the opportunity there but the scenario to withdraw such a fat paycheck was just as opportunistic.

Since there was a rather public and extravagant event taking place for the grand opening of the place of business of which the bank occupied there was a rather distracting event that would assist in whatever infiltration that would take place. Worst case scenario the mass panic potential was a boon since there was much more ample opportunity to take what was locked away inside the massive safe. All of these factors lined up perfectly for Isamu and the Daibo group to take advantage and procure the low hanging yet succulent fruit. However such an opportunity was just that, an opportunity.

At no other time will they be able to coerce and bribe their way into another such lucrative opportunity without raising suspicion. By no means was the organization as a whole hurting for the income potential present. Rather the opportunity to make a stake in said organization and prove to the dissenters that his position here was not just a result of nepotism was far too valuable to Isamu. This was HIS. His operation, His opportunity. Too much was going to be given up if he were to just let the matter pass.

"...Okay."

Isamu's father was surprised his rather stubborn son had just agreed to allow the matter to pass. Unusual as it was, he had decided to not look a gifted horse in the mouth since the alternative was far worse than anything he could imagine.

"Okay?"

"...Yeah…"

It was not unnoticed that his son was disheartened by the turn of events, but the alternative was beyond what he could control. With this he visibly relaxed and decided to be a bit more consoling for his son's sake. He closed the distance between him and his only child, putting a firm hand on his left shoulder and speaking earnestly.

"I understand it's not ideal for you, but once thing's settle I am sure that things will work themselves out like you had idealized. Remember, I'm with you, ok?"

The confession was not a new concept since his father had been a rather diligent man in expressing his desire and affections for his son. It bothered Isamu for how little of an impact inside the organization of which he and his father had dedicated themselves, heart and soul. The proceeding choices he made from then and there were not made in light of events, but regardless it was a risk that must have it's consequences acknowledged.

"Okay. This is good! I understand if you feel shorted, but if we work through this together we can make something worthwhile."

And with that he embraced his son and without hesitation Isamu wrapped his arms around his shorter father, reciprocating and letting his father know that he cared.

"We still have quite the way to go. We'll figure something out, so in the meantime we'll talk and work to make things better, ok?"

It was with a heavy heart that Isamu made that promise to his father. With that matter settled he said his farewells and went back to his office on the first floor. Unbeknownst to anybody else A different kind of storm was brewing within the mind of the young Yakuza member.

Inside the hallway leading to his office Isamu freed his phone from his pocket and dialed a number with no contact information. Entering his double doors he began discussing his future plans.

"It's me, I need a favor."

The double doors snapped shut, behind them the beginning of a storm so horrific unknown to the naive young man.

One Week Later

In the early AM Haru was unlatching all of his necessary extensions and tableware for his van. The roundabout that all the food trucks were to occupy was only filled up to a third of its capacity. The sun was barely up and only the hint of a golden glow was visible from over the horizon. It was a rare opportunity to see others from the same industry Haru had prided himself with and with the other trucks preparing for their imminent rush of business he couldn't help himself in his self-indulgent voyeurism. The many different emotions and preparative ceremonies others engaged themselves with was something to behold. It was a boost to morale for Haru to see the others supporting and motivating each other for the day planned ahead.

With that Haru was already ready to start his day well ahead of the predetermined schedule of other food trucks expecting business to start much later. The hours passed and Haru, being a one man operation, was already catering to those looking for a quick, affordable, and gourmet experience. The first wave had appeared much earlier than expected for the other trucks, but with Haru it was nothing but an old hat. Others were scrambling to get their prep work done while Haru was already catering the rather unexpected onslaught. Another half hour passed before the first truck able to serve was able and open. By then Haru had captured the crowd and despite the crowd was able to command enough of the crowd to get them into a line and organized enough without resorting to other extraneous manners. Still being fair to his competition He paced himself and when other newcomers saw his line extend around the roundabout in front of the impressively large building they went ahead and settled for the other available options.

Haru was able to keep his audience and served at a reasonable pace. His meal option being the perfect omelette and biscuit with coffee so pure and rich; bitter was not even a flavor present in any of his servings. Soon the plaza was bustling and his vans being the most popular he made a final call that almost claimed half the plaza attendants in that instant. Much to the changrin of his competitors he served everybody who heeded his final call to breakfast items. With the thirty-two second window he had where there were no customers he swapped to lunch items.

Featuring American burgers with real fatty flavors and grilled ingredients it was a hit in no time. Fries with garlic and rosemary and fried chicken options were quick to grab the attention of the rather impressive crowd. After quite the rush the plaza was bustling and lively with performers and entertainment of all sorts. Music and lively stunts were everywhere when the peak of the event was close at hand. Haru was already ahead of the curve and serving his last few attendees with a pair of truly artery clogging pairs of cheese and meat patties on elegant buttery buns when out of the corner of his ears he caught the faint call of a very familiar voice.

"Haru-saaaan! Over here! Here!"

Peering over he caught the wild and explosive head of blonde hair that was indicative of the young Bakugou. Without missing a beat he waved them over and had them sitting at a table he had reserved for them over near the backside of his van. Away from the hustle and bustle Haru was able to talk and work all the same.

"Good to see you guys! Are you excited for all the attractions and game stores Bakugou?"

"Uh-huh! I can't wait!"

The child was practically bouncing in his stool at the table Haru had set. Haru was quick with the preparation of Bakugou and his father's meal; the two plates of burgers and fries with three sauce options in front of them, fifteen minutes flat. Bakugou was quick to scarf down the mess of beef, bread, and onions while his father and Haru were talking about other adult things while Haru was working.

"LLLLadies and Gentleman!"

The announcement was made by a man in a colorful suit and bowtie. Seeing no microphone in his hand Haru could guess that the man's quirk allowed him to speak to everybody present without straining himself.

"Welcome to the official opening of the Grand Plaza!"

The announcer was quick with his introduction and was quick to introduce the committee who were taking a part of the opening ceremony. With the opening underway Haru served the last person in line and quickly flipped his chalkboard sign to the closed side. Haru pulled another stool up and next to the father and son duo with a beer for himself and Bakugou's father. Another thirty minutes of formalities and a musical performance later the ribbon cutting began. The whole thing cost another five minutes before the doors were officially open and the wave of people christening the virgin building. Haru and Bakugou's father were slow to get in, much to young Bakugou's dismay. The game stores and other toy stores were rather far into the facility so Haru had given them suggestions on how to optimize their time inside the rather lavish shopping center.

"-After that just go wherever you want for lunch, the floor below you is the food court. Although I would suggest the Chinese stall; I personally know the chef there and he will cater you with hand stretched noodles. Just tell them I sent you and you'll be served by the chef himself. He owes me quite a few favors so just enjoy yourselves."

With that Bakugou and his dad were up and ready to go on their merry way. Again Bakugou's father tried to slip a hundred thousand yen bill into Haru's person but with a quick and graceful fit of dexterity the note was back into the man's pocket.

"You owe me nothing. Besides, if I started charging you there would be no end to it. So just take it as good faith and enjoy the time you have with your son."

Despite feeling a bit guilty, Bakugou's father took it in stride and accepted the generosity. Picking up his son and navigating the crowds, Haru could barely make out Bakugou waving back at Haru. With a smile and feeling of accomplishment he waved back. Seeing them enter and inside Haru decided that he deserved a cigarette break. The nicotine was lovely and with that done he was back and ready to meet the demand of the public for his delicious food.

It was another ten or so minutes into the workday before something happened.

"Hello there little missy, How can I be of service?"

A daughter and her mother were at his counter and with his usual charm he took their order. The daughter was the one to give her order and with his unlimited patience he let her speak at her own pace.

"A-and can I get potatoes?"

"Of course! Nothing but the best for the most lovely of princesses!"

The little girl was immediately smitten with such a display of flattery. Haru was quick to charm and easy to speak to.

"And you ma'am?"

Taking the mothers order Haru felt a change. It was soft and subtle, but it made the hairs on the back of his neck prick up. The look in his eyes shifted so quickly it stopped the mother in the middle of her order.

"-Um, are you ok?"

Right then he turned to the plaza entrance.

BOOOOOMMMM!

In a chaotic blast of glass and debris deafened almost everybody outside the building. Glass shards showered the panicking crowd who were sprinting and trampling others to get away from the sudden disaster. The mother and child who were ordering almost disappeared immediately and with that Haru was quickly out of his truck, witnessing the mass panic of people running away from the source of the explosion.

Haru was well aware of what had transpired, but in his rattled mind he was reviewing information in his head that led him to a horrifying conclusion. In his discussion with Bakugou's father, Haru had suggested that he stop by a bank that had opened inside of the building. SInce the bank was a rather large entity Haru recommended it since more than less likely the bank would be able to help him since it would more than less likely be able to help him in his transaction. Short on cash, Bakugou's father took the recommendation into consideration. For the first time in a long time Haru was panicking. Without a second thought Haru weaved through the panicked mob and sprinted straight through the broken glass doors.

It was with every fiber of his being that he hoped he was just tired or delusional when the blast went off. With just his deductive reasoning based on the sound and volume of the blast he already could figure the explosion originated from the bank inside of the plaza. Rushing past panicking shoppers covered in concrete dust and ash he was single minded in reaching the bank. The sheer amount of panic was nauseating for anybody of a lesser constitution, for Haru it was barely registering as he was rushing to the bank.

Once there he saw that he was horribly right. Glass, concrete, and metal littered the ground in varying sizes of debris. Haru quickly scanned the many bodies that littered the front of the bank. The clouds of dust were a terrible hindrance, but with a quick evaluation Bakugou and his father were not found. Now it was the worst case scenario that was possible if they were not found outside the bank. Haru was inside the nearly demolished section of the building when he caught sight of the sheer destruction. Inside there were so many people who were inside that were incapacitated from the blast or worse off than just a concussive blast. Haru was panicking and scanning inside. Each face registering and marked off the list of potential victims that could have been the father and son he had condemned. Through the dust and carnage Haru in his search saw what he had feared from the very beginning of this ordeal.

Laying in front of him, near the teller window; he could make out the clothes that Bakugou's father had worn coming into the building. Worst of all it looked like he was embracing something that looked to be the size of a child. Not wasting a millisecond he was on the bodies and what he saw sent despair plummeting into the pit of his stomach. Lying there was the unconscious body of Bakugou in the arms of his equally unconscious father. Without a second thought Haru went into emergency mode and evaluated their conditions.

Haru was able to deduce that Bakugou was just unconscious due to a concussion, but his father was much worse off. There were signs of shrapnel entering his torso and on top of the life threatening injuries he had stopped breathing. Haru layed Bakugou safely away next to his father and immediately began CPR to get the critical father breathing again. Haru was quick in pulling out his phone and dialing a number, there being no dial tone and a person on the other side immediately.

"119 Emergency-"

"CRITICAL CONDITION FOR TWO, ONE CHILD AND MALE ADULT! MEDIVAC NOW!"

"Yes sir!"

Without skipping a beat Haru began frantically performing CPR on the father. Pumping twenty times and breathing air into his lungs he was desperate to get his heart going again.

"C'mon… C'MON BREATHE!"

Pumping and administering air Haru kept his maddening pace with the futile hope that the man would begin breathing again. Again and again. In the middle of a dozen or so corpses Haru kept trying to get a pulse going for the clinically dead man.

"You have a son, a wife, and I'll be fucking dead before I let you leave that all behind, so BREATHE!"

Over and over his hands compressed, over and over he kept blowing air into his lungs. Another few minutes passed and suddenly a violent cough and wheezing spat out from the near-dead man. Haru was beyond relieved and took it upon himself to make sure that this wasn't just a temporary fluke. Just then a team of medics came up behind him and addressed his emergency first. The team was quick and professional in administering care. The boy and his father were secured and carried out to the helicopter waiting outside for them. With that done Haru now had a new issue to address.

Turning into the bank he stormed into the back and sought out the vault. Inside, his worst fears had been confirmed. A mangled safe door and parts of the building caved in. The origin of the blast was here, and when rounding the jagged metal and rubble inside another mangled gate door and most if not all of the safe boxes unloaded and empty. It was becoming more and more obvious what had happened here, and with every affirmation of the truth Haru was growing in his rage, his need for punishment.

Less than an hour later Haru was at the hospital that Bakugou and his father were administered to. He was quick to confirm that despite appearances, Bakugou had been only concussed during the event and was being monitored for any other health complications. His father was unfortunately not as fortunate. When Haru arrived the man was still in surgery, being worked on by the most competent surgeons available in the country. Despite the pedigree of treatment Haru was anxious and nervous, his hands clasped and heel tapping the linoleum of the medical wing at an obnoxious speed. Shortly after his arrival Bakugou's mother came storming in with a hellish intent to make sure her family was safe. It took quite a bit of elbow grease from the staff and Haru's hand on her shoulder to calm things down.

Haru was grim and solemn in his silence alongside Bakugou's mother. They were both motionless and silent in their desperate patience for their loved ones new's of safety. Time felt inconsequential with every tick and tock that passed. The hospital was an absolute nightmare of multiple patients and medical staff doing what they could to save the critically wounded. The recent incident had left the city in a pure state of chaos, multiple hospitals filled to capacity and even many larger heroes being pulled across the country to assist in the matter. The chaos of it all fell on deaf ears as both Haru and Bakugou's mother were waiting for the new's their loved ones would be safe.

Late into the evening there was finally a break in the maddening silence. A nurse had notified Bakugou's mother about the status of her family and guided her to the doctor who was in charge of her husband's surgery. Haru was apprehensive at best but allowed his eyes to follow her down to the end of the hallway. The doctor was short with his formalities and began disclosing the status of the critically wounded father. It didn't take a genius to know that the wails from the collapsing mother that he was less than fortunate enough to survive the events that led to his critical condition.

Haru couldn't forget the sounds of wailing and sobbing from the grieving mother. He could taste the blood pulsing inside his tongue, the ringing inside his ears so deafening it made him sick. There was not a great amount of memory for him that night, but the few bits and pieces he could recollect he would rather leave behind. Then and there something truly horrifying was set in motion.

Later That Night

The success of the operation was overall seen as a positive by the crew of ambitious mobsters. All of them were celebrating next to the piles of currency resting at their feet. Thousands upon thousands of in sequential bills lay in pallets upon pallets on the floor. The warehouse they were in was bustling with the celebratory woops and catcalls of the many members who had taken part of the heist. Alcohol was served plenty and with a chest full of pride Isamu looked upon his team with genuine happiness. Taking another shot of whiskey Isamu was about to join in on the festivities until he was interrupted by another underling in his command.

"I-Isamu-san"

"What is it? What's wrong?"

The henchman only handed over a cell phone to him. Putting the receiver up to his ear he caught the disdainful voice of his father.

"Isamu… What did you do?"

The fear in his father's voice was new to him. With a newfound sense of confidence he answered his terrified father.

"It was done, father. Even with the operation almost blown with everything going up in smoke preemptively, The payload was still there for us and nobody saw anyth-"

"YOU DUMB SON OF A BITCH! I TOLD YOU NO AND NOW I HAVE TO FIX THE ABSOLUTE SHITSTORM YOU BIRTHED!"

Isamu had to pull the phone away from his ear, lest he go deaf from his dad's outburst. The line was silent for some time as all that could be heard was the huffing and cursing of his father, distant from the receiver and pacing his office. Isamu's father was finally calm enough to sit back down, now instructing his son over the apparently grave situation.

"Listen here, son. More than half the country wants your head on a spear after what happened today. The police are the least of your worries right now... Here's what you're going to do-."

Isamu was attentive and hanging off of his fathers every word. Almost immediately he blanched out of confusion to the instructions his father was giving him. Coming from his father, one of the most controlling and intelligent individuals he knew, giving him terrible advice that even he knew was beyond stupid.

"Waitwaitwait. What do you want me to do? Are you serious?"

"Right now we have larger concerns than the police being a little suspicious of you. Now, if you would just let me finish-"

"Suspicious? I do that and I might as well email them 'I did it' and send them pictures of the money along with the address!"

"Listen!"

Again giving each other a moment to breathe, Isamu's father continued.

"We can deal with the police. We can handle government investigations. THEY are not the ones I'm concerned about."

Now his dad had his full attention. What on earth would send his father, an executive in their organization and seasoned criminal, into such a panic as this?

"Right now, you need to disappear for a while. Until I contact you again, you must cut yourself off to anything and everything that could indicate you're still alive. If possible, dig a hole five miles deep and don't even make a sound down there. THAT is how hidden you are going to be."

That was enough for the ignorant Isamu. It was starting to scare him on what it was that was coming after him with such vengeance.

"Dad, what is going on? Tell me, what is it that-"

"Do you know WHO it was that gave the order to put your whole bank job on hiatus? If it was me you would have had your way and rolled away with every scrap of expensive shit in that vault… The order was a 'request' from… Someone farther up. In fact it was a personal request from him. Word has caught on and now it's only a matter of time until he finds you…"

"D-dad. I'm… I'm sor-"

"Save it! We'll discuss this matter at a later time."

With that Isamu's father hung up and poured himself another glass of twenty-year old whiskey. Up to the lip of the glass he downed the whole thing in one go. Unknown to his son, his hands were trembling and his head was spinning so fast it would have taken off into orbit if it wasn't attached by the neck. The infiltration attempt was all over the news in no time at all. A secretary barged into his office during a business call; him having half the mind to send her to Thailand as a service girl for her lack of decorum. When the news was given he immediately hung up on the call and turned on the news on his wall mounted television. Wanting more information regarding the damages he made several calls to several of his associates. With their resources he managed to glean some information, information that began his ordeal of stress and anxiety .

Apparently there was some rather upsetting news that the one who had given out the order to delay the heist had been at the grand opening. Not only that, but it seemed there was an accident at the event that had included two people; people that seemed to be close to the mysterious figure, a man and his son. He learned that both of them were involved in the bombing and that the mystery man personally called for help for these two. Helicopters and several reputable doctors were aiding them in record time. Even Isamu's father, a man worth his weight in gold and sitting at the high table in this criminal enterprise, couldn't command that level of response from the japanese government. Even if the very building he was in charge of were to collapse and trap everybody inside the debris, he would still be at the mercy of whatever aid was deemed necessary for the incident. Not five minutes after the initial explosion, it was like half the country was dropping dead; the amount of response from multiple hospitals both inside and outside the city. Millions, if not billions, of yen's worth of medical aid was sent to aid the victims of the incident. One call, and half the country immediately came to his request.

When he had contacted his informants after a few hours regarding the status of the father and son, his soul had dropped to the pit of his stomach when he heard that the father had passed on. The family of two was so important to him that when the medical team arrived he was performing CPR and trying to stabilize him by the time the attendants arrived. It didn't take a data analyst to see that eventually he was going to realize that rather than honoring the request he had made some time ago; someone thought it necessary to go over his head and impromptu a heist anyways. The breadcrumb trail would eventually lead that man to his only son, and if that were to happen not even god could stop the horrific things that this man would inflict on his flesh and blood.

He could only wait. Sending an apology now would just let that man know his son was responsible for everything. He would have to wait. Tempers were high and until he eventually walked through his doors and met him; he would have to find a way to appease him. No matter the cost.

Two Weeks Later

Nightlife in the shadier districts of Musutafu was something reserved for those looking to truly expand their horizons and truly feel what it meant to be alive. Of course such places that caught the attention of those who would seek such a thing would be seen as lesser or belligerent. However in one part of Musutafu's northern red light districts such conventions were nowhere to be seen.

Elegantly constructed architecture and clean streets, you would have been forgiven into thinking that this was just another high end shopping district. Another look and you would see the signs advertising brothels and nightclubs of various shapes and sizes. Despite the lavish atmosphere, there was one building that still stood out from the others.

At the end of the street a standalone building with extravagant works of glass and metal shaped into modern art plastered all around the building. Out front the neon tubes twisted and curved into the location's name; The Inner Mask. A nightclub that even those of higher social standing fight tooth and nail to get into. The true black label, a true and pure experience of what any nightclub worth a king's ransom should offer. Inside the currently closed doors staff and others were preparing the club for another fully-packed night of patrons.

On the upper floors of the club, where more professional matters were settled, was designed and constructed like the space below. Sleek walls and flooring with lighting that only enhanced the obsidian surfaces of different depths of ebony.

Inside a conference room, a massive equally impressive ebony table and chairs adorning the sides of it, business of a more legal nature than was usually conducted was being held. A single man with silvered hair peeking out the sides of his well groomed hair and an italian suit, dark ruby red and made of silk, Was sat at the far end of the table. The monitor was broadcasting a live feed to his business partners in shanghai; both parties discussing the final stages of a new branch being constructed there.

"Now, if there were no other questions I believe this concludes our meeting gentleman."

The few live feeds went offline one after another, till there was just a black screen with the 'no connection' indicator in the smack center of it. Sighing a breath of relief he picked up his tablet and tapped the table in several spots. A menu of options popped up and with a flick and tap, he shut off the giant monitor and was already on his way back to his office. Halfway there he could make out the clicking of heels approaching him from the opposite end of the hall. Rounding the corner a woman in high stilettos and a pencil skirt paired with a blouse that accentuated her rounded breasts caught sight of him and approached with haste. A polite smile on his face, he addressed the rather distraught assistant.

"What's the matter? You look like you've been strinting to find me."

"Mr. Akihiko, somebody is inside your office right now! He has no appointment and I'm not sure what you want me to do."

Now understanding of her panicked appearance he wanted to get more information regarding this unknown intruder.

"Did he do or say anything for you? Are you ok, at least?"

"Thank you sir, but no. I was just at my desk when a disheveled man walked in and went right to your office. I thought he was homeless, so I tried security, but before I could page he said something to me."

Brows furrowed he implored her to continue.

"And then?"

"Uh, yes! He said 'tell Sato that Nakamura is here to see him', and without thinking I just came straight here."

A look of surprise followed up shortly with a good natured smile Sato went and put his hand on the nervous secretary.

"Did he have white hair?"

"Ummm, yes. He did."

A hand on the young woman's shoulder helped put her at ease that the matter was not as much of an emergency as she had first assumed.

"Thank you, Hina. It's just an old friend coming to see me. I think I'm going to take some time out for him, so why don't you head home for the evening?"

"B-but sir-"

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble. Just take a break and go home, I'll see you tomorrow."

With just a moment of hesitation she bowed and was on her way home. Once alone Sato allowed himself to untense and it showed on his face; he was nervous, almost scared. He knew who it was that was brave enough to walk right into his office uninvited, to demand his presence without a single complaint coming from Sato himself. The only person to exist he would bow to as he would to a superior.

Sato also knew why Haru was there. He had heard from his associates about what had happened a while back. He knew he was going to have to face Haru eventually, but it was a matter of when that he was unable to guess. Every second he delayed standing there would only make matters worse if he kept Haru waiting longer than he wanted to. Sato took a deep breath and steeled himself for battle. Although in this instance it was less of a battle and more of an execution. His execution.

Like clockwork, Sato was at his office in no time at all. Through the glass that made up the front of his office he spotted Haru sitting in a chair he pulled from his waiting area. He looked awful; hair unkempt, slouching in his seat, clothes looking roughed up in a bar room brawl. His stride shortened ever so slightly, slowing down his pace to delay the inevitable encounter. Brushing off dust that wasn't there he flattened his tie and cleared his throat. The door was heavier than usual entering his office.

His office was pristine and designed much like the rest of the club's decorum; Sato was somebody who prided himself with his aesthetic tastes. Rounding the corner of his desk and taking a seat he could make out the stench of body odor and alcohol now seeping off the miserable looking Haru. He placed the tablet neatly off to the right and sat upon the chair already pulled back for him. He was nervous of Haru, so much so that he neglected to even pull himself into his desk, wanting to maintain the most distance from Haru without offending him. Straight through his torso he was straight as an arrow. He gave the man in front of him his undivided attention. Haru had yet to address Sato's presence. His eyes were glazed over and staring past Sato and at his large aquarium behind him. The entire back wall was occupied by all sorts of exotic fishes and rock formations pulled straight from the Indian ocean. This silence went on for quite some time, yet Sato never wavered in showing Haru his undivided attention. Sato was able to take a closer look at Haru, and without even trying he could tell Haru had neglected to change out of his clothes and drank for days on end. Unable to sleep either as there were bags under his eyes. Twenty minutes they sat in this cold silence. Feeling the need to address Haru's sudden visit, Sato was the first to cut the tension.

"Nakamura-san, I cannot begin to tell you the scale of failure I have allowed-"

"Don't speak to me like that…"

Sato felt the ice he was on begin to crack. Quick to correct himself he cleared the knot in his throat and continued.

"S-sir, I-I-I understand that the past few weeks have been difficult for you. The entire organization wishes to express our accountability in any way we can. Whatever it is, no matter th-"

"How's your son, Sato?"

All of a sudden his stomach caught the weight of a cannonball falling from earth's atmosphere. Thin ice was no longer a proper term to describe his situation; now he was straight up walking on water and staying dry above the ankles.

"H-h-he's… Uhmm… The boy is… well… good…"

Haru turned his eyes to Sato for the first time since the start of his visit. He was visibly sweating and was struggling to breathe. Sato couldn't move, not that he even wanted to. Anything could set off Haru and he was in no rush to find out what that trigger was.

"He's twenty-seven now, right? What is he doing now? I heard he was a business owner."

"Uh… Yes. He manages a restaurant. It's-"

"I wonder if Tatsu and his business are doing well. Running a chinese restaurant in this economic climate must have it's own challenges…"

Sato was now unable to look up at Haru. He was drenching his undershirt with his sweat. By no means was it for the sake of small talk his son and the restaurant his son owned came up unprompted by Haru. Haru was now up and out of his chair and was standing opposite of Sato at his desk. Haru leaned on one hand and tapped at the sleek black surface of the desk, the built in tablet function coming to life for him. Past the security login and into Sato's personal family cloud storage he pulled up several photos of his son and wife, swiping the image files over to Sato's side of the desk. Tears were welling up as he recalled the memories all the photos were attached to. So badly he just wanted to beg; to offer his flesh, bones, or soul, just to keep his family out of Haru's bloodthirsty aim. Doing just that would just make things worse for Sato and anybody he was personally attached to. Tears spotting the expensive silk Sato could do nothing but listen and wait till he was allowed to speak.

"Such a diligent and hardworking child. You really did get lucky pulling that one huh? Yeah, kids are truly something else."

Once the last image was set on Sato's side of the desk it was a crescent shape that opened up where he sat. Haru leaned in and put his weight onto the desk. This was torture. Every second he took off this abuse he could only fight the urge to vomit his lunch, which was now halfway up his chest.

"They are worth so much to us. All we can do as parents is to do what's best for them. I truly admire your parenting, Sato. You never took the shortcuts most parents took and your son is a better person for it. Most other parents would try and help their children prosper by providing opportunities they themselves have made accessible. Most would call that being a parent, I call it a double edged sword. Passing on and reluctance to teach a child independence can often be confused for one another at times; but at the end of the day, it is their choice to do with what is theirs."

Haru's head was now hanging and his shoulders loose, letting his head and hair hang low.

"But what I fail to understand is when something isn't theirs and they still take the opportunity to coddle their child, who do you think truly suffers?"

The room was equipped with an advanced temperature regulation system. Always keeping the room at a neutral temperature evenly throughout the space at the touch of a button or use of voice command. Sato was colder than he ever was in the past, more than his trip to the mountains or being out with minimal protection against weather that could flash freeze liquids as they were poured out. The once teeming tank of fish was now visibly vacant. All the fish and crustaceans felt it necessary to hide from this new unknown predator that appeared out of nowhere. All of which was caused by this one man who was struggling and somewhat failing to hide his anger.

"Who was it that deemed it acceptable…"

The obsidian desk suddenly popped and cracked, sending out webs of cracks throughout the entirety of sato's desk. Haru's Hands were tensed up and fingers squeezing down with enough force to damage the durable material underneath it. The screen was quickly turning black, the pixels all burning out from the fresh cracks made by Haru. The terrible image of his family's faces being soaked up by an inky black blob strangely metaphorical of the consequences should he fail to resolve the problem at hand.

"-for that parasitic, little shit Daibo to circumvent my simple standards and allow his waste of barnyard animal cum-stain of a son into my place of business?"

Haru was now visibly becoming angry and Sato was losing his mental foothold. Sato knew Haru despised nepotism and over the years Sato and many others within the circles of leadership took less and less notice of reinforcing this practice. Under no circumstance was a lower level member allowed to bring in somebody new with whom they had close relations with, but others who were higher up on the ladder rungs began to 'lower' certain expectations and newer members seemingly came into being with little or no notice from anyone. It was something that Sato was just recently notified of and with the intent to review the information he was not ignorant to the problem at hand.

So when Sato turned on the news and saw the remains of a public bombing had taken place exactly at the same time an operation that Haru had personally requested be delayed, he could already feel the cold embrace of death begin to wrap itself then and there around him. Only Sato was aware of what the situation could possibly entail since not only was there somebody who disobeyed a direct order, but innocent people were dragged in and the whole disaster brought unwanted attention to the possible existence of the organization's existence. Breaking two unnegotiable tenants of their order was more than a criminal offence in the eyes of the upper management, but there was more than likely a personal reason as to why Haru asked for a delay in such a lucrative operation that took a large amount of time and money to orchestrate. This was only confirmed by Sato since he was practically the only other human on earth who knew the reasons why Haru left.

In the news feed He caught a van that was parked behind the reporter that matched Haru's food truck. Sato wanted confirmation that his worst fears were not to pass and made a few calls to his executives. Them catching wind of the incident they shared all the information they could gather. There was paperwork for the catering that had Haru's van registered as one of the food stalls. It only got worse as Haru had also made a personal call to get medical evac as well as highly trained doctors for just two people. Their descriptions matched the description of people he had remembered Haru was closely associated with. The nail in the coffin was the news that after hours of surgery and confirmation from multiple sources that Haru was still in the hospital was the death of the child's father. Now it was a matter of whether or not Haru would just charge those directly involved responsible, or if he thought Sato was just as liable for the terrible cost he had to pay that day.

Sato had never felt as unsure of the future as he did now.

Sato gulped at the knot in his throat. It didn't go away.

"A-ah… I-I know that in part the negligence of me and my fellow board members have cost you greatly. I… I… I just…need more time… plea-"

.By no means was Sato a slouch when it came to a fight. He had spent years of his younger days going in and out of many skirmishes and drawn out fights that have honed his senses. He was a leader in his own rights then, so it was mostly him leading fights that he and his men were charged with. With constant fights and life threatening situations being such a common occurrence he had the choice to either adapt or die. Years of narrow misses, getting beaten, dealing out beatings of his own; Sato had a keen eye, and despite reaching his golden years and having a body go stiff and spending more time fighting chronic pain he was still as sharp as ever. Nothing ever got by him if he could help it.

So by no stretch of the imagination when he suddenly saw his desk violently split in half in front of him with a thunderous BANG and Haru with his hand recoiled above his shoulder, Sato was reminded about how fucked he was. It didn't even register when Haru hammered on the desk with nothing but a closed hand. No twitch, no sense of hostility, no change in his breath that could have prepared him for the sudden destruction of his ludicrously expensive desk. Like film edited by frame every single frame from him leaning on the table to smashing it to bits were just removed. Nothing registered, not even for Sato.

Bits of glass and metal were still showering down from the ceiling. The blow was so instant and powerful Sato could have sworn the building shook for a split second.

"Why are you begging for your life right now? Did I ask what you wanted?"

This prideful and elegant man, seated upon the throne of the single entity that controlled all of Japan, was truly terrified. He had unconsciously rolled his chair back against the aquarium wall and was cornered against the display of lavish living. Haru then took one step after another towards the hyperventilating man. Right in between the two halves of the desk he just destroyed.

"You want to know what's so funny about this? Despite your fuck up, I'm still rational enough to be fair in this situation."

He was right in front of Sato. His hair gel melted with the sweat and was now hanging pitifully off to the side, tears barely contained his lips were pulled tight with his teeth clattering from his fear. Haru spoke softly, bending down and getting right up in Sato's personal space.

"You fuck this up, you and your family will replace his. Do you understand?"

Haru yanked a piece of paper ripped from a cheap hotel notepad that was folded up and pressed flat. Sticking the slip of paper into Sato's jacket pocket. With that he got up and took one last look at the cowering figure of a man. Haru turned back around towards the exit and right as he was within arms reach of the door it suddenly shattered and showered the floor with hundreds of tiny glass shards. Haru kept on through as if the door was never there in the first place.

Now able to move again Sato took in deep breaths of refreshing air and slumped forward in his chair. Knees and elbows meeting he wiped the sweat and hair from his face and decided it best to collect himself and reset his physical appearance so as not to alert anyone else in the building of the ordeal he had to undergo.

One Hour Later

Sato's head of security was a rather tall and wide shouldered man who went by the name of Honda. A diligent man who was responsible for many of the club's affairs regarding possible threats to both the staff and security. In a much more discretionary role He was the head of Akihara Sato's personal security team; literally the only man Sato can trust in any capacity.

Honda was a man who never overstepped his boundaries and always had a mind for respect and discipline. So regarding an SMS message from his employers mobile was rather vexing, since when they were in the offices Sato would usually just page for Honda through his secretary. Rounding the corner He immediately saw the glass door practically disintegrated and sprinkled all across the floor. Immediately his training kicked in and with his fist clenched and knuckles opened up for the projectiles he scanned the office for any potential threats as well as his employer. Oddly enough He saw his boss with a personal vanity coming out of one of the walls. Honda was still uncertain of the situation so gingerly stepping through the broken glass he approached his employer.

"Akihara-sama, is everything alright?"

Sato turned to greet the rather cagey security guard. He was still setting his tie into the perfect shape for his now deep blue ensemble of clothes.

"Ah, Honda-kun! Please, have a seat. I'll be with you shortly."

Honda put away his quirk seeing no immediate threats and his employer seemingly fine and well. He gingerly sat at the leather sofa that was sinfully supple and comforting to sit on. Honda was rarely inside Sato's office, only with sensitive material regarding his 'other' tasks was he here for any extended period of time. Looking around he took in the symmetrical box that was Sato's office. Immediately obvious was the now destroyed dest that once was the singular most interesting object in this office. Studying and trying to decipher what could have led to that sort of needless destruction he heard his employer pour out what sounded like whiskey into glasses. A cork squeak and two ice drops later Sato came over with two glasses of bourbon on the rocks with ice balls pure as a catholic nun. The personal vanity then began closing by itself as Sato approached his security guard.

"Come Honda, have a drink with me."

"Uh, sir, if I may? I don't think it's appropriate for me to drink while on duty, so-"

The glass was pushed into the hand of the hesitant Honda with little resistance. Sato sat himself in the armchair to Honda's right and took a sip of what was likely a very expensive liquor.

"Ahhh, well I'm certainly not drinking alone. Either drink or go home, your choice."

With less reluctance Honda took a whiff of the liquor before taking a sip, letting the warm amber of the scotch sink into his bloodstream.

"Delicious, isn't it? That is twenty year old scotch you have right there.I had won five bottles from an auction in America. I believe it was called Tennessee, if I remember correctly. Only twelve bottles exist in the world, so enjoy it while it lasts."

Another sip from Sato as the security guard was even more perplexed over the lavish treatment along with the complete obliviousness that his employer's office was smashed to bits. Deciding to get a straight answer Honda gingerly placed his glass onto a coaster provided in front of the glass table in front of them.

"Sir, as much as I appreciate the kind offer, I must ask about the reason I was called here. Did something happen? Are you alright sir?"

Solemnly Sato just looked off into the distance for a minute and took another sip of his glass.

"If you promise that the whiskey I just poured will be gone before you leave, then certainly."

Again the glass was off the table and back into Honda's hand. With a sigh and another sip Sato went on speaking.

"Honda, do you know the history of our organization? How we came to be and the yakuza continue to operate when we are the ones who are the leaders of this country?"

Pausing for a moment Honda took a sip and answered the best of his abilities.

"You were a yakuza leader at the time. You had worked in secret from the main branches and grew our organization underneath the very foundations of this nation. Through ten years of leadership you created the foundation we sit on today, and twenty years after that we still stand strong because of you."

Sato couldn't help but chuckle at that old story that gets thrown around the younger members of their criminal enterprise.

"Ah, yes. The infamous fable of how I became the invisible ruler that owns japan much like how one owns a lump of modeling clay. I never liked how quickly that story cycled around. I'm not one for inflating his own ego; I find that behavior detestable."

Another sip and Sato was silent once more. Honda was politely sipping through his drink while pondering something that Sato had said just now that couldn't escape him.

"Sir, don't you mean 'account'? I mean, a fable is something like a fairy tale or folklore. Something that doesn't exist, you know?"

Sato couldn't help but be impressed by the observational skill that Honda possessed.

"Quite right. Although to be fair, fables are usually grounded in some form of reality since they were mostly made to help explain the mysteries behind certain events at the time. Nonetheless, by my definition; yes, it is a fable."

Right now Honda couldn't tell if it was the scotch reacting poorly in his stomach or if he was hearing things, but right now something that probably shouldn't be known by anybody else was being shared over drinks during the work day.

"Wait… Uhhh… Sir… I can't help but…"

"You didn't hear me wrong, Honda."

Sato sat straight up and looked Honda in the eyes. It was imperative to Sato that Honda understood what he had just shared, was indeed the truth.

"I am the leader of the organization that exists today, but I am not it's founder."

You could see the single gear turning inside Honda's head as the words in his head began to crawl their way inside his brain. The drink was almost empty, but now it sat in his hand forgotten. Knowing this reaction was possible, Sato kept elaborating on the true story.

"Back when I was the leader of a failing family branch of the Yakuza; my family name was barely worth the paper it was printed on. Year after year I kept trying to pull in revenue for my family, but I always would come up short every time. I even resorted to selling large chunks of land my family had owned since the end of the Meiji period. Even when I gave up my dignity it wasn't enough."

There was a bitterness in his voice as he recalled the treatment he received from the neighboring territories.

"I knew the other families were trying to suck me dry for everything, but at the time I had no other choice. I had good people under my leadership, and failing them when they trusted my decisions was worse than just cutting my losses and disappearing. I don't remember details but one day when the club was smaller and I was at a point where I couldn't even keep that, a man showed up at the door."

Honda was hooked on every word that came from Sato's lips. The last time he was so intently listening was when his mother read him storybooks from the library down the street from where they lived.

"I was hiring new staff at the time and was ready to step down and pray to god that my people would at least be allowed to earn their keep rather than just being tossed out to the streets. All of a sudden I hear that an armed man holding my right hand man at the time hostage and had a gun to his head I saw fit to blow his head off right then and there."

Like recalling a forgotten name or place his eyes drifted to his hand, a glowing yellow hummingbird perching in his palm and just hopping around and curiously looking around. He stroked the top of it's head and was gently affectionate with the newly birthed creature.

"You would've done the same, wouldn't you? Honda?"

Honda heard the high pitched call of a small bird right next to his ear. He was careful in turning his head but out of the corner of his eye he saw that an identical hummingbird was perched on his left shoulder; innocently enough just looking around. Here he was reminded about how little of his own quirk mattered in his job but the actual procedures and security protocols were what landed him the job of protecting someone who was seen as the most powerful man known to Japan. Was being a key term here.

Sato's quirk, Singing Sun, allowed him to spawn and command a swarm of hummingbirds that glowed bright yellow. One would think such a quirk would be annoying at best, but useless in a fight. The caveat that each individual hummingbird could combust with the force of a mortar shell was what set these birds apart from being just a novelty.

More than the fact that his employer was now threatening him to agree with his opinion lest he disagree with him, he could tell that something had happened here that left Sato in a state of quiet but intense anger. Knowing that the blasts only affect the people or things that Sato wanted blown up he knew with a quirk like that how could somebody as powerful and versatile as Akihara Sato submit to anybody he didn't deem fit to be in his presence. The office was damaged by what looked to be direct blows from some kind of blunt instrument. How does someone who seems to just have some kind of physical quirk affect a long range user like Sato?

"Of course sir, nothing would change my stance that you are of the highest priority at any given time."

Coming from anybody else Sato would have called bullshit, but with Honda he knew the boy had too much self respect to kiss ass to anyone, especially his.

"Thank you, Honda. Regardless, my second-in-command was in danger from a gunshot wound to the head and in my hesitation this man began to speak to me. In fact he not only just spoke, but began negotiating with me! All sorts of impossible things he would promise if he was given control of all of my resources and that I would be the one to claim all of the credit for myself. To make things even more appealing he dumped fifty million yen onto the table right then and there.

He said that it was mine regardless if I were to accept his offer or not. There was one obvious issue that would have come with just taking the money and not his help. The money would have been gone within a few months, and with it an opportunity to fix things. On instinct I accepted the offer and with how far I was in the hole I saw no reason to at least humor him."

The glass was now empty with the shrunken orb of ice at the bottom of Sato's glass. Honda downed the last of his whiskey and did just the same.

"From that day forward it was like I held hellfire and laid waste to all that opposed me. Money and business began to flow in like water; people whom I thought were far above my station were paying tribute like I was their boss."

The fun and sheer relief from those days were clearly some of the best that he had experienced. A mischievous glint in his eye and a Cheshire smile was all Honda needed to tell it was quite the time to be him during that time. But then his face lost that spark of life and looked as old as he was. As all good things come to an end, the horrors that he had discovered was what made him who he was today.

"It was all just a lie. A lie I was allowed to believe and reap the benefits from, but a dream nonetheless. When I had come down from my high of being once again successful and getting all my desires met… The things I saw…"

His hand was over his eyes and rubbing at his temples. It offered little relief so instead of stopping he continued.

"All the things that came to me had their costs. I barely peek into what this man was doing to make things so easy… I should have never gone farther than that."

A genuine look of tiredness and age was plastered across Sato's face. Sheer horror not only experienced but lived with for years festered inside his head. Honda was still listening intently with the nature of this mysterious entity coming to light for the first time.

"Not only was he far more competent a business man that me, but the mental fortitude to reach as deep as he did…"

Again Sato was silent for a while. Handa was patient and was just staring intently at the lounging figure of Sato, while in reality despite his relaxed appearance he was sick to his stomach remembering things better forgotten. Sato was thinking of the right words for Honda regarding the horror that was this mystery benefactor. An idea finally came to him.

"You are aware of the many titles that are associated with who I am. The Invisible King, The Imaginary Monarch, and others similar to that, correct?"

Prompted for an answer Honda could only dumbly nod his head.

"There is one nickname that never made itself known. A nickname that was true to him and him alone."

Sato looked Honda dead in the eyes with the weight of the earth sinking into his shoulder. The recollection of such a thing exhausts him.

"Chimamire."

It was barely a name. Something so generic yet telling of something horrific sent a hollow sensation through Honda.

"The oceans of human remains he pulled was more than I could have anticipated. By no means were we foreign to death or what it meant to inflict upon our enemies… But what he did…"

His head was on his hands as he folded them together with his knees to the elbows. It was something that was beyond him. Upon learning the truth, Sato was able to understand the weight of his role and what it meant to be the face of this monstrous entity. The reality that there was no such thing as free for something too good to be true.

"In three years, he delivered on the promise of securing our inevitable takeover."

Another deep pause. Sato was mulling over something in his head and it showed. All of a sudden he stood back up and picked his glass off the table and silently asked if Honda would like a refill on his drink. He declined politely.

Now that Sato was topped off with a fresh drink and was seated once more he took one good shot of the drink and set it back half empty. What Honda heard next would never leave Honda.

"By the time we realized that things were going suspiciously well, I sent a team to track and find out what he was doing."

Leaning back and staring at the ceiling, Sato was pained at the memory.

"He had killed and swept under the rug over five-thousand human bodies. And not all of them were Yakuza or criminals of any sort."

Honda was still processing what had been said. For a moment there was the empty blissful moment before the truth sank in and horrified Honda. Hearing the sheer volume of death that this man was personally responsible for was bad enough. Hearing that out of those thousands of people that innocent people were a part of that number was too much, even for a hardened member of this organization.

How many were innocent? How did they die? How many were just women and children. Honda was twisting and turning at the possible answers for his questions. Questions best left alone.

"Wh-what… Who…"

"Do you really wish to know? Only a few members from back then know about the things that man had done for this organization. You can walk right out of this office and return to your duties. None the wiser of the truth and blissfully ignorant of our past."

The offer was too tempting. However it wasn't his curiosity that got the better of him. Nor was it the need to judge whether or not he should leave this work behind him; that right was long gone and past. Who were those people? Are they just a statistic for a few older hardened criminals to remember, reminding them of the cost of being who they were? Leaving those people as a memory to be forgotten was the thing weighing him down upon that lavish leather couch cushion. Honda just sat there looking at his boss, a grim look of determination in his eyes. Sato just chuckled at the determined man and continued.

"One of the largest issues we were dealing with while I was a clan leader was the disregard and lack of domestic product that was born from foreign competition. Often freighters holding contraband and numerous types of goods were coming and going from our ports. Being who we were, we saw to capitalize on this. Not a single ship from any other group at the time was willing to give into our demands for a 'docking surcharge'. We couldn't do anything and they knew this. Being a shadow of our former selves we could only yank on our chain and bark as loud as we wanted to.

Over time the ships coming in began to take note of a potential market in Japan. They began doing business with them, and leadership was short sighted enough to allow them into our borders. The distribution was ours and for some time it was a resurgence of money we needed then. In fact it was more than enough and we kept business flowing for foreign groups to keep sending us their goods. A few years later we saw that there was no demand for our goods.

There was already a plentiful surplus of prostitutes, drugs, and other goods that we couldn't push our product. The product we had to sell was purchased goods, and now with the product that we had to sell and the inability to be self-sufficient we were at their mercy. Many of our operations were abandoned or sold off to lesser criminals. Our only source of major income was now at the hands of our competitors."

The glass now empty and ice ball clinking around the glass, Sato paused. Honda was just as respectfully silent for Sato to continue his retelling of events. Suddenly without warning Sato shot up out of his chair and threw his empty glass at the glass walls in front of him. The window panes were strong enough to withstand the projectile, sending glass shards flying in random directions. Honda was surprised to say the least and recoiled at the sudden outburst. Sato collected himself and straightened his appearance despite it being just as immaculate as before.

"Sorry about that. Those are some rather… Bitter memories I had to recollect. Now then."

Back in his chair he continued on with his tale.

"Where was I? Ah, the trading of other groups. As I said before; at this time we were dependent on foreign money and were forced to do what they wanted if we didn't want to collapse under our own weight. So like dogs we kept our noses down and followed orders as instructed. We were powerless and empty, ghosts with no free will. That is, until he showed up."

Honda felt his collar tighten and a sweat started to go on his brow. The truth of who they were was finally here.

"Even inside the yakuza, as neutered it was, I was in debt and the other clans were only making it worse. All I had left was the small club I owned and barely enough to keep that afloat. Another month and I would have slit myself open, letting those parasites take and defile what little I had. Out of nowhere this man came in with a backpack filled with fifty million yen and a deal for me and my group alone.

Whether or not we accepted his offer, the money he gave us was ours, he said. All he asked for was for us to do what he said and not to question his judgement. I wouldn't have to step down as the Akihara's leader, saying that he 'needed a face to borrow'. Whatever that meant. At first I thought he must have been a member of another family with more disposable income, sent here to give me another reason to be indebted without my knowledge and watch me squirm for just a bit longer. I knew that money wasn't going to last us a month or two, but even if it was a trick or sick demented way the other families found to watch me suffer for longer; I had no choice but to accept this stranger's money. I still had mouths to feed, and I wasn't about to let my people go hungry for my pride."

Honda felt rather assured of Sato and his leader, hearing that bit of his past. Even to this day he seeks to keep everything a float and has always done what was right by his people. The amount of money their entity could have earned had they been compromising would have left them back at square one with their pockets lined with more money they could actually spend. From the beginning he sought the right connections and business to become stronger than their enemies.

"From there it was a storm unleashed in the Japanese underground world. Many members of other families began to go missing for a time and it sent the clans into a frenzy to find the culprit responsible. Meanwhile via his instructions I followed financial advice from him and like magic the money grew before my very eyes. The families were so worried for their own safety that I was able to move money around without any worry of others finding my new capital. Eventually he had slowed his pursuits, but by then we were financially secure and we moved on to our next steps.

He told me to sell all I had left. After all that I couldn't help but argue against it. He didn't budge, even after I had tried to fight him. He was something… Otherworldly. Like a spirit stuck between our world and some kind of pantheon meant for higher beings. I never questioned his judgement on these matters after that. I stepped down and left the Yakuza. The other families were so dismissive of my presence they assumed I had already left and didn't ask for a finger in return. Powerless enough to be forgotten, I will never forget how that felt...

Anyways, from there we were ghosts. One building was all we were allowed to purchase despite having enough money for eight times that amount. We kept making money via his directions and he was off god knows where sowing the fields for our eventual return to glory. The Yakuza were helpless to find who it was that was tearing them apart from not only the outside, but from within as well. He was knowledgeable enough to focus on a few clans at a time and let them fall apart from infighting and suspicion. Other means such as forgery, theft, and murder was enough to bleed the Yakuza dry. Nobody could trust anybody else and money was coming up short to maintain what was left of their own operations. With not only the majority of major powers left to manage things in the Yakuza, it was just a matter of sweeping up the leftover remains and adding to our coffers.

I thought that was it, we would be the ones to be the sole heir to this now unclaimed land and take their place. But for some reason he wanted the few Yakuza clans to lick their wounds and let them grow once more. At the time I couldn't understand his reason for anything he told us to do. We had grown significantly and created structure and numbers which could have started to reclaim all that potential wealth and resources. Again we were in hiding only able to collect bits and pieces when instructed to do so. After weeks of scavenging the next part of his plan came into play.

With their side project now all used up and useless the other foreign groups were again set on claiming what they thought was theirs. There was a change in the winds. They sent their feelers out to see what was available for them to suck dry. More and more products were being moved between national groups and at that pace all we had worked towards would have been out of reach forever… Looking back that probably would have been best."

Sato got up and grabbed another two glasses with an ice ball in each low-ball; in the opposite hand the bottle of whiskey. Setting all that down he poured two glasses and passed one to Honda. His first glass still sat there collecting condensation and melted ice water. Knowing better he moved the old glass to another coaster and the new drink took its place. The atmosphere around Sato wasn't one of anger or regret. What Honda felt sitting next to him was despair. Pure despair from knowledge he wished he never had, knowing what he knew.

"Shipment sizes increased to the point where cargo ships were the only financially viable option. Billions if not trillions worth in drugs, weapons, and human cargo were to be moved and soon the ships that were to incubate their new occupation in Japan were sent on their way to their promised land."

Downing the whole glass and pouring another Sato was now tipsy and yet was just as clear and well-spoken like he wasn't.

"Before those ships could make their way to Japan, an accident had occurred. It is to this day nobody could confirm the exact cause of this but a malfunction with some of the ships had caused them to collide with one another or sink on their own. All of the cargo on those ships were sent to the bottom of the ocean."

Honda was dangerously close to uncovering what this horrid secret was regarding the unknown benefactor that built and led them from the very beginning. All he needed was confirmation whether or not it was true. This loathsome, vile truth.

"Sir, if I remember correctly, you said they were moving everything they would need to operate freely in Japan. You can't tell me that-"

"Out of the dozens and dozens of shipments coming in, the majority of the human cargo on those ships consisted mostly of women and children… Over two thousand in fact…"

There it was. The truth of this nameless organization that he once considered something honorable and honest enough to human nature. Their foundation was built on the bones of innocent families. Children who didn't know where they were. Women knowing these moments were the only ones they had before becoming prostitutes and sex slaves. Even the men who had lost everything they loved. Sinking and drowning all those people painfully and slowly. Honda was now aware of why Sato kept insisting he have a drink.

Feeling the numbness of everything he thought that was grey and honorable turned in on itself. The glass was in his hand and emptied in one fluid movement. Holding his glass over to the right with just his arm was beyond rude by his standards. No decorum, just the need to be as numb as possible; as soon as possible. Sato poured another for Honda and for a while they both sat in silence. Sato felt somewhat guilty for sharing something so dark to someone like Honda. Honda valued this job and the organization above himself. He was a good man, understanding there are things even good men are capable of. For the rug to be yanked out from under him was unfair. Sato was in need of company to talk about this dark cloud hanging over him for the past thirty or so years. With recent events keeping the truth about this organization seems like something he's obligated to do.

Another few glasses and Honda had cleared more than half of what was left in the bottle of very rare and expensive whiskey. His face in his hands he just wanted this spinning in his head to stop. He wiped his face and scratched at the back of his head while looking down.

"... What then?"

Sato wasn't surprised that Honda wanted to know more about the truth; In fact, he even knew what was going through Honda's head. I'm this far in, why stop now? With a heavy sigh and topping his glass Sato kept on going with his account of the past.

"All hell broke loose between these groups. Triads, Mafia, the Russians; this incident was unprecedented for anybody and everybody involved with those shipments. They couldn't even salvage one container of the hundreds that went down; Not that it would have mattered. Storage containers aren't exactly known for being waterproof."

For both of them it was hard not to imagine all those poor women and children trying to claw their way out of a steel box slowly flooding with water.

"When we found out what had happened it took all of my strength to not go out and hunt down this monster I had let lead me around like a dog on a leash. The few who were in on the plan were ready to follow me to the ends of the earth to find him. Even when he came to see us in person he managed to convince us that this was something that even we were willing to do. If at the end of the day sending those ships down to the bottom of the sea was what it took to reach their goals nine times out of ten we would take that deal. No matter how much we wanted to believe otherwise."

"Would you? Truthfully…"

Sato glanced over and, catching his stare, maintained eye contact with Honda. Another pregnant pause between the two of them.

"...Would it make you feel better if you knew?"

Honda knew it was a trick question. After the fact it was easy to justify the inhumane nature of it all, but before then they were all at the end of their ropes. Sure, some could stomach failure for the sake of innocent people; but this wasn't something that was universally agreed upon. Often it's subjective, the price of sacrificing something, and the question was pointless after the fact. It happened, people died so that the organization could become what it was today. Asking for an opinion just seems too superficial to bother asking for anyways.

"...No. No, not really."

Sato took a deep breath and sighed, picking up from where he left off.

"For the time we let the matter go and watched as every criminal entity began to point fingers and find a scapegoat for the whole situation. The yakuza was far too underfunded and broken up after the infighting, so they were tossed aside from the get go. Tensions kept rising and while the hounds of war were snapping teeth and snarling at each other we began moving in and acquiring assets necessary for our continued growth.

Every day that passed more and more became ours. Not just territory and money; powerful people soon began rolling into our pockets. There wasn't enough growth for us to say we were gaining momentum. Slowly and steadily we were growing. Breaking off a few branches and letting them become their own entities was even necessary since it was quickly becoming clear that rather than using our old structures and ranking he was moving us to a business model of managing ourselves.

More and more we gained more of everything, and from the outside in all it was at the time was businesses taking advantage and buying up on an opportune market. Less and less we received instructions and with what had happened we preferred it that way. After another few years we had grown to be a foundation to begin our complete integration of this country. There was a thought, however, that kept bothering me at the time. What was being done to bring us this grand fortune? Knowing what he was capable of, I wanted a peek into this mysterious vehicle taking us to all sorts of heights. I looked and looked for something that would let me see what it was he was doing to make us grow like we were. Eventually I caught wind of a small arms deal unapproved by us and realized these types of events required much less interference than was expected at times.

That man had a habit of disappearing constantly and at first we paid no mind. We could guess more than less likely it would have been better to leave things as they were and remain blissfully ignorant…"

Another sip and a sigh. Sato paused again, remembering events better left forgotten. Honda was growing in curiosity for this benefactor. What was it that made him like this? Did he have some kind of quirk that made life too easy and if so was this his form of entertainment? If that was the case what was that quirk? The more he wanted to know the more confusing this man was to him.

"I looked for an opportunity to look into his type of work. Most requests when he works are mostly just me or someone with proper authority making sure the area was as vacant of our employees as humanly possible. Over time a few of our employees had a curiosity whenever the area was cleared for no good reason. Some caught wind of these unique requests over the years and when they caught wind of a request they would sneak off in some vain attempt to figure out why such an odd order would be from somebody so high up the ladder. Without fail, every single one of them would mysteriously disappear without a trace and was never heard from again."

Honda was having a harder and harder time trying to wrap his head around the whole thing. Helping them and killing off members of the group he was trying to incubate into this superpower of the nation.

"Years into our operations I fell for that very temptation. Catching wind and issuing the usual order myself I went and began investigating for myself where he was and what he was doing. By instinct I started looking for answers at a docking warehouse. What I found inside…"

Another sip and pause to collect his thoughts.

"I was immediately reminded of what my goals for this organization were, remembering that there was no such thing as something that was too good to be true. Everything has a cost. For me? The cost for power and to satisfy all my other desires, no matter how big or small, was saying yes to that devil and letting him do as he wished.

Inside that warehouse, was the devil's playground. In every twisted and evil way possible."

Sato could only shudder at the memory. He could still recall the stench of shit, piss, and blood thick and acrid enough for him to taste it on his tongue. Moonlight illuminated a complete mess of human remains which covered every inch of the warehouse interior. There were body parts of different sizes and portions littering the floor and shelves. Some pieces looked gored and mangled from the owner while others were cut clean off. An ocean of blood still fresh on the floor the massive puddles were several yards wide with more still pouring from the fresh bodies. Other disgusting details of a hellish massacre littered the walls and ceiling. With the blood still wet on the ceiling it came dripping down once in a while; like the last few raindrops after a heavy rainstorm.

Sato had killed, even enjoying the rush of macabre adrenaline that came with taking another human life at rare moments. This… This was something else entirely. No human was capable of this. What had happened here that warranted an aftermath such as this?

Covering his airways with his handkerchief he did what he could to circle the larger pools of human blood while trying to find something that could tell him what this was all about. He was closer to the door that led to the next storage warehouse attached to the back and heard what sounded like begging. Careful to not make a sound Sato gently swung the door further back and in the middle of the warehouse he could spot a man in black standing over a short, portly man who was on his knees and begging with tears and snot rolling down his face.

"Pl-pleaseee! I-you don't have to kill me! I-I can pay you! What do you want? Money? I can give you all the money I have! I-I can disappear! Nobody has to know! I'll never come back! But please spare meee!"

The figure had his back to Sato, who was careful to keep his shoes from making a sound on the hard concrete. Now a bit closer he saw that blood was splattered and soaked almost every inch of his body. The room was a significant improvement from the previous one, but still evidence of a killing was there. Two or three bodies worth of severed limbs and torsos littered the floors. He found his murderer, but now was the issue of how to approach the situation. He seemed distracted enough for Sato to get close enough, so with a slow and silent approach he tried to get a better view.

The mystery killer shifted the shotgun in his grip so that he was holding it by the end of the barrel. Winding up he hoisted the piece of hollow steel over his head and with one last look of fear on the short man's face the stock of the gun was brought down with so much force it buried itself down to his teeth. Bits of bone and brain matter sprayed everywhere. The body spasmed and twitched for a few seconds as it now began to defecate itself. When the body went limp the killer placed the bottom of his shoe and yanked out the butt of the gun from the now split skull. With a crack and suction noise the gun came free and the body gushed blood all over the concrete. The figure just stood there for a moment before reaching for his hood.

"I was wondering when you would show. I was about to give up and leave when you showed up."

Turning and facing Sato was Haru, His white beard and locks of hair soaked through with blood. All his clothing was blacked out and was hiding the blood soaked through them rather well. The smell and remaining wet-spots glistening were all that gave it away. Sato knew Haru was at least involved with the dozen or more dead men in the previous warehouse. It was just hard to put two and two together that a human being was capable of such a thing.

Haru certainly wasn't acting like he had done anything significant up till then. In fact he had his gun leaned up on a lower shelf right next to him and lit a cigarette, taking in the first drag and savoring the taste. His gloves were beginning to soak the filter so off went the gloves, and under them hands just as equally bloodied. Back to his smoking he then turned to Sato, who had his guard up and was ready to defend himself.

"So now you know what it is I do on these little 'quests' of mine. I thought it was about time I dropped the charade with you and came clean."

"Come clean? COME CLEAN!? You fucking monster! What kind of sick human being does this!? That wasn't a job, that was killing for the sake of it! Why the fuck should I deal with something like you?!"

Haru wasn't reacting in any way that would register a drastic mood change. Most that Sato got was an annoyed sigh with smoke coming out of Haru's nose.

"I do things as I've always done them. You and your people never knew about any of this because I didn't let you. Had you known that this is what it would take to get what you want, you would have been dead by your own hands if I hadn't helped you."

Sato couldn't believe what he was hearing. The nerve this murderer had to talk back to him!

"And also, do you have any idea why I chose to work with you in the first place? Cause out of all those so-called 'hardened criminals' that had the resources I needed, you qualified because I saw in you the one thing that mattered."

He took another drag while Sato was now trying to understand what it was that brought what he thought was a psychopath to his doorstep.

"You were the only one out of all those fucking degenerates who would take my deal despite all that happened!"

It was enough to send the hairs on the back of his neck standing straight up. Eyes wide and teeth gritting he tried to defend himself.

"Are you saying we're alike?! No, FUCK YOU! I'm NOTH-"

"Don't raise your voice at me, child."

Every nerve in his body went cold. A deep, primal instinct screamed at him to do only one thing. Run. Run and get as far away from THAT as quickly as you can. At the range they were at, Sato knew he had the advantage. His quirk could level both the warehouse they were in and blow Haru to nothing but a stain in the concrete. So why was he unable to move? Haru was cold. His stare wasn't even predatory or even smug. If Sato could describe it, it was like he was already dead in his gaze. Haru took one final drag and flicked the butt away as he took one step after another, leaving his gun where it was.

"You probably don't even realize what you're capable of, but I can promise you this; I'm fucking good at reading people. Enough to see that what I did was nothing compared to how much more you would give to stay on the path I've set you on."

More and more the distance was closing between him and Haru. Haru stood to Sato's right, leaning into his ear and revealing more about their relationship.

"You're not a bad guy, Sato. In fact I would say you're better than most. But when push comes to shove, nothing is off the table for you. Anybody else would have quit or killed themselves after all this time, but no. You kept at it, and you even went as far as trying to find me in my element."

Haru took a few steps back and went to collect his weapon. Shotgun in hand he was already halfway out the door before throwing in one last piece of dialogue.

"Don't worry yourself, you and I are nothing alike. You would never do the things I did to get what you want. But I won't have you spitting your hypocritical bullshit at me just so you can feel like you belong to the rest of those bottomfeeders. If you ever talk back to me like that ever again, I'll use you to paint the room."

With that the door slammed shut behind him. Sato was alone and was able to move again, only able to collapse to his knees. Too much was going through him to process. Would he keep going knowing how things are going to be? Can he justify the means? Does he need to? His head spinning he heard his phone buzz and with that he was able to distract himself from his reverie to check his phone to see what it was. A text message from an unknown number.

"Also clean that shit up if you don't want to end up a murder suspect."

Looking back as an older man he was able to at least look inside and see what Haru was talking about. For every single horrible and terrible event that would make even his own skin crawl, he never lost his ability to work and complete tasks after all of it. Even now he was as sharp as he was when he was half his age. It would be a while before he could fully accept the truth as his own, but for now it was something.

"-What I found inside could never be done justice with words alone. I hope you can understand that at least."

Honda was exhausted by it all. Hearing such a sordid past and realizing that what he thought was a noble-enough pursuit was wrought with death. He wished that he could do something for the man he respected the most, but felt that it was not his place to do so, seeing as he couldn't understand him enough to say anything.

"... Well, it seems that the day has already passed us by. I wish to thank you for the time you have given me out of your busy work day for a few drinks, but for now I must say good night."

With that Sato retrieved his leather work bag from his personal locker, the wall sliding out and there being his personal belongings. Since his personal tech and files were all destroyed from earlier all he had to do was make his way back downstairs to his personal limo.

Honda was left to his devices alone in his employer's office. Knowing he had to finish a few things up before going home his head kept returning to just one thing.

The idea that one day, even this organization for all its power and wealth, will just be more kindling upon the pyre that worshiped this mysterious benefactor.

As Sato's chauffeur drove his employer back Sato himself retrieved the note given to him by Haru. Only two things were written as tasks for him to complete. At the top was the instruction to find Daibo Isamu and bring him to the location written below with an address right under it. The second line was something he knew would take time, but with enough time and Honda's notoriety it was only a matter of time till it was completed.

"I won't let these insects continue to crawl all over me. Tell them who I am, and make it known that anything less than complete obedience…"

The instruction was left hanging. For being as intelligent as he was, it didn't take a genius to guess that whatever Sato would say wouldn't do any justice for what Haru had in store for them.

Five Days Later

Daido hadn't been able to sleep properly since the bank heist incident. For the first three days he had made phone calls to anybody and everybody who had some kind of significant debt or duty owed to him. Pressing down and trying his usual methods of coercion and bribery all he offered was nothing but squawking noises to everybody he spoke to. Rumors spread quickly throughout the organization a manhunt for his son had been authorized for the disobedience of the order from 'him'. For two weeks nothing happened. Daido kept his son under wraps and kept silent about where he was. Any attempt or question from another associate of his was met with dismissal or indifference. Any attempt he would make to move his son to a safer location right now would be caught before he could even make it to the front door of the building. No doubt there would be no doubt that once they take a closer look and see that some of the results and assessments for his son to not only just join the organization, but put into a position of leadership? Anything less than an execution was off the table.

He kept tabs on the issue. Only able to glance over once in a while for any warning signs, he was hoping the issue would be resolved behind closed doors and his son would face repercussions that didn't kill or maim him anymore than necessary. An associate of his branch was the one who told him the hunt for his son had begun in full scale. He cancelled all of his professional obligations and tore open a planner filled to the brim with names and numbers of people he could use to save his son. There was no point of discretion at this point, it was do or die for him and his son. At first he started with the most loyal and powerful people on the list. One after another he went down by order of most likely to help as well as influential enough to provide some sort of help for him and his son. Dozens of phone numbers crossed off the list and the farther he went the shorter the rope became. Over forty eight hours of dialing and back and forth with the phone, he had inevitably blacked out from the stress and lack of sleep at his desk.

Daibo awoke the next day on the floor with the sight of his phone dangling from it's cord off the desk. The vision of his son hanging by his neck overlapped for a second. He was up and back to contacting more people in an instant. Now the stops have all been pulled and with his newfound resolution he unlocked his lower drawer and pulled out a baggie of cocaine. Back and forth from talking on the phone to hitting a line of cocaine; he was at it without taking a break for over thirty six hours.

On the fifth day, sun setting and sun bathing the empty office in amber he could do nothing else but stand like an invalid at his desk. There was nobody else. Some had given him the runaround and promised some sort of amnesty or support of some kind, which was always followed up by a follow up call saying it was either not possible after all or that the attempt was halted in its tracks. Sweat and oily skin with disheveled workwear Daido was at the bottom of the deepest pit in his life. He was going to meet repercussions for not only failing to stop the heist, but shining a light it would be discovered that his son was brought in under false pretenses of his assessments being inflated. His head felt so light he wasn't sure if this was a waking nightmare or him just accepting his fate.

Managing to sit back down, Daido reached in the bottom drawer once more and began pouring himself a drink. Liquid amber to cool his nerves, this was all he had left. The first glass was done in one shot, the second just as quickly. He slowed down at the third and kept his thoughts on only one thing. The last thing that was of any importance at this point. His precious fuck-up of a son.

Maybe he could bribe the right people in getting his boy out of the country. With the right people and a little discretion he could perhaps smuggle him out on a charter plane where Isamu could start over. Plastic surgery was common these days, and his son knew two other languages. For a moment he had hope. By the thinnest of margins he could see a light from above him. The phone paged him and knocked him out of his reverie. Hesitant and nervous, he hit the page button and swallowed the nonexistent saliva on his dry tongue.

"What is it?"

"Mr. Daido, a Mr. Nakamura is here to see you."

The devil himself wouldn't come for his soul at this point in time; Haru Nakamura was the one who wanted it, and not even he could stop the man now on his way to the top floor.

"Send him up"

"Right away."

In some way he felt so much better now that all that some uncertainty had left him. Waiting and holding his breath was the worst of it. Bracing and tensing for a blow that wasn't coming anytime soon would leave anybody strained if done long enough, and right now Daido was at his limit. Quick to wipe his face and reset his clothing to the best of his ability he wanted to have some dignity about him if this was it. He still looked worse for wear, but at least it wasn't a complete mess. Once more he sat in his desk chair and waited. He waited with hands folded and eyes on the elevator light. One after another the lights went up: first floor, second floor, third, and so on. On the last number the elevator paused and slid open. The occupant was out and making his way over.

Over the Cubicles he could see the face that had haunted him. Now well groomed and in a suit he almost floated on the carpet with how graceful he was striding. Haru didn't even look at the office he was heading to. Almost like he was familiar with the layout it was as if he was the CEO instead of Daido. Even after entering and sitting down, it wasn't until he was seated and comfortable that he looked at Daido.

"Good evening Daido. You seem to look worse than ever, it seems."

His tongue was almost ripped off the roof of his mouth, so little saliva was available and it made it almost impossible to speak.

"Ah. G-g-good evening… Sir."

Croaking was what could describe Daido's voice. Head down and unable to show any of his usual confidence he was burned to a husk with all that happened. One knee over the other Haru leaned back with arms on the chair.

"I think you know what comes next…"

"... Yes…"

Haru tensed his jaw and bit back the pure vitriol he had reserved for Daido.

"... Why was he there?"

Daido was picking the dirt under his fingers as he was at the point of no return. Not that there was one to begin with.

"He… Uh, he… H-he was rather obsessive regarding this operation. It took almost a year of work and millions of yen to just get a moment of luck to work. Surely you-"

He was interrupted when several pieces of his desk that Isamu shattered before went up into the ceiling and crashed with a deafening smash. From under the desk near Haru's side the end of his dress shoes were poking out of a freshly made hole. Glass rained down between them, but more than that Daido was distracted with another fact that had barely been noticeable for most. His shoe didn't punch through the glass and make a hole that fit its shape, but rather the pre existing cracks that Isamu made from earlier had a section of glass that went in between his hands. Haru not only kicked out the glass with immense force, but managed to only knock out a square section of glass from the cracks already formed there. This wasn't some angry beast coming to sink his teeth into him; he was a thinking and calculated man of extreme power, who came to do what he wished to Daibo and his son.

"If you say the word 'understand', I'll make you eat all the broken pieces of your desk off the floor."

Sweat was pouring off the shriveling man. Daido was careful to be empathetic at first and see if he could get this man to see his son as a human being who made a terrible mistake. This was a rude wake-up call, reminding him that Haru barely saw anybody that worked for him as an insect. He never cared about anyone here in the first place, why should he start now?

"O-o-o-oh, My apologies… But… If there was anything I could do to help resolve this… I will surrender myself to whatever you want of me…"

As expected by Haru, this was all that was left of Daibo. A blubbering mess and one who was a slave to his emotions. The regret he had was not being here to stop this fly from germinating and spreading his incompetence like a disease. For trusting the people he left all this to only for them to still take from him all he had. For being just like them, letting this happen and perhaps being the reason why the people he cared about were now suffering because he was in their lives. Breathing out his nose he scanned the ceiling like there was something there of interest that was moving around.

"There's only one thing I want from you, Daido. Something I need, in fact."

A sliver of hope in his time of need. He collapsed backwards and was on his hands and knees, head on the carpet.

"YES! Whatever you want! Anything! Just say and I will do it!"

Haru just kept letting his eyes wander around and with hands in his pockets he had his back to Daido.

"I'll be taking you son, then."

Daido went blank for a second while his brain caught up to the conversation. The tone in Haru's voice was like asking for a ride to work or a stick of gum. Somewhere inside him he felt something bubbling up. A sensation familiar, but not of this intensity. He turned his head up and looked at Haru, who was now looking down on the wide-eyed man through the shattered glass of his desk.

"... What?"

"You heard me. Tell me where he is, or else both of you die. Slowly…"

His eyes slowly went red with disgust. Daido had given this man every bit of his loyalty for too many years. For over twenty years, all the humanity and time sacrificed to this man's empire and this is what he gets.

"I'll even reconsider your death. Might have to start over and work from the bottom, though. I can't just let you off with a warning, after all…"

His son was not 'just a warning'. No sincerity or remorse was present. Now with his own flesh and blood on the line, this son of a bitch had the audacity to treat them like old furniture. The line holding him steady snapped, and with it anything else that kept him sane. Without a second thought Daido leapt up to his feet, eyes emitting glowing hot white light and at his chest a circle that was hot and just as bright as his eyes. All he had was a second to blow this arrogant shit into ash, and a second was all he needed. The attack was hot enough to crack the glass around them, with Haru still blankly stared at him without having even moved.

"DIIIIIEEEEEEEE!"

Everything Daido had was going into this attack. He would struggle for a while starting from now but now nothing will stop him from saving his child. With all of his soul on the line he reached for the last hope for his son to just survive away from this monster. The emotion high made it hard to discern at first, but an intense pain from his stomach made him take a pause. Looking down at his chest he saw something stick out from his ribcage; or rather, something grabbing onto it. Suddenly the world began to flip while feeling his ribs being ripped out starting from the lowest one.

In less time it could register he was thrown through all the office dividers and caved in the hard plaster of the wall next to the elevator. He bounced off the wall and kept tumbling, until another set of dividers stopped him. Coming down from his head injury the blinding white faded while the ringing kept going for some time. Trying to stand his rib bones all screamed in protest. Inspecting his chest he saw what looked to be four small bruises that were quickly turning purple and green. Scanning again he could spot Haru out and about coming right at him. There was barely any time to think, so on instinct Daido flipped himself over painfully and began to crawl. Haru was upon him before he was even able to shuffle himself off the divider he landed on.

Hoisted by the neck by the taller of the two his feet dangled pitifully. There was barely any pressure on his neck, just enough to lift him off the ground. Daido may not have been choking, but hanging by a neck still hurts like all hell. He did his best to grasp and pull up on Haru's arm to help his breathing. Right at the edge of his vision he saw a tattered right sleeve. Black and seared he felt the arm he was grasping and couldn't feel a blister or burn wound anywhere. It dawned on him that not only did he get thrown like a ragdoll through the office, but that Haru had gone straight through the attack itself to grab him by the ribs.

"Finally, you snap. I was just sitting there thinking you were slow or some shit."

"Gh-g… F...Ffffuck… youu."

The sadistic glint in his eyes disappeared. Dropping the charade he just went into Daido. Again, the world spins for Daido with a sudden stop with the floor. Hand on neck the pain this time around was less disorienting and more intense. Now looking at Haru he lost the small flame of resistance that went out like a candle in a rainstorm. No joy, no enjoyment, not even uncontrollable anger and rage. He was going into hell and Haru was going to inflict pain on a surgical level. Haru flattened his hand and lined up the tip of his middle finger in between the lowest and second lowest rib. Slowly he pushed, making sure to not go too deep. Just enough to rip at the soft tissue between the ribs. Daibo screamed bloody murder and was flailing just for an opportunity to stop. Kicking and clawing did nothing for him, and Haru was just as unmoving as if he was holding down a sack of flour.

"Fuck me?... FUCK ME?!"

The bruise was already dark and ugly when Haru took his hand out. This time the hand went straight in the next space over. Screaming and tearing at Haru's clothes was all he could do. His buttons and right sleeve were ripped off with Daido's desperate attempts for some kind of weapon to free himself with.

"You come into MY home… Eat off of MY table… And now that you stole from me, you have the audacity to tell ME to fuck off?!"

Again his hand took the next space over and with another sickening ripping and tearing noise, Daido was squawking and foaming at the mouth. Haru was drawing blood now since he was going deeper than intended. Haru was far from done, even now Haru kept away from inflicting a mortal or critical wound.

"I GAVE you all what you wanted! I let you have it ALL! I even led you all by hand every GODDAMN step of the way! And still you FUCKING FAIL ME! WHY do I have to pay the price?! Why did HE have to DIE!? YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH I LOST BECAUSE OF YOU?! I TOOK AWAY HIS FATHER, AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Daido had passed out some time ago and most of his words fell on deaf ears. By this point the words that Haru was screaming weren't directed at him anymore. Cutting himself short he held his next blow overhead and let his racing heart come down from it's mad sprint. He let go of the neck and lumbered to the side of the office with the sun setting low. Like a trance he could feel the sun slowly crawling away on his chest, like he was sinking into quicksand and the sun was the open air. The sun at eye level he retrieved his phone and unlocked it. He punched in a phone number by memory and within two seconds there was a response.

"Sanju Cleaning Service, how may I direct your call?"

"Send them up. I want someone… 'creative', for him."

"Yes sir, at once."

The sun bled away from him, now standing in the cold shade the building next over provided. The elevator came to life and was down and up with the cleaners. Four large, sturdy men were out and about taking debris and clearing out anything damaged during the scuffle. Right behind them two more average sized men came in with a stretcher and a shoulder bag of other necessary items. They began their work restabilizing the bruised and broken Daido. During everybody's work the elevator had gone down and had picked up more people from the lobby. Arriving at the top a team of two women and a man dressed elegantly yet simple. The man had a luggage case and the two women each had two suitcases.

They approached and set their cases down to bow with their heads down at Haru.

"Sire, a request that you were to be in need of a new wardrobe was sent. Are we to assume we can proceed? With your permission, of course."

Haru just hummed a little 'yes' and straight away all of the attendants began to unpack and select from their rather luxurious inventory of suits and accessories. The gentleman pulled out a rack of sorts, unfolding it revealed a portable changing shade for Haru. They were quick and efficient in removing all of the ruined shirts and wrinkled pants. In no time with a final sweepinging with a fine haired brush the foldable cover was put away, revealing Haru dressed in a grey suit. Much of the debris was cleared and soon the new supply of glass, carpet, dividers, furniture, etc. were piling in. The sun now low and over the horizon Haru turned back and was headed to the elevator. All the men working on their part of the office immediately ceased all work and bowed to Haru. Not a single person rose their head until the ding that the elevator passed the floor below went off.

All of them got up and took a sigh of relief. Back to work one stocky man in jeans and a zipper hoodie tapped the shoulder of his co-worker, who was busy disassembling the damaged dividers.

"They weren't kidding, huh? Seriously, who was that guy? Felt like I was in front of royalty or somethin'. Whoever he is I ain't fuckin with him."

"Shut the fuck up, man. Get back to work."

Giving him the finger the mouthy construction worker went back to his tasks. Downstairs, a new set of workers were pouring in with tools and all sorts of other materials. Haru exited and was heading out the lobby. Immediately all of them stood back and bowed their heads, despite the weight of some of the equipment they were carrying was heavy and uncomfortable on their backs and shoulders. Out of the building he didn't even acknowledge anyone from the reception to the construction or that they immediately dropped everything to show him respect. An attendant then opened the door for a limo waiting for him.

Inside he was just as stoic for the car ride as he was in the office. The phone in his jacket pocket buzzed with a call. From an executive of the organization he unlocked his phone and was delivered the news he had been waiting for.

"We have located him sir. We are apprehending him as we speak."

"Prep him, and if anybody I want there is missing I'll handle the issue myself. Understood?"

"Yes sir. We shall be there."

With that he hung up. It was almost done. This was it. His mistakes, his cleanup.

At That Time

Isamu was self contained inside his safehouse and for the past three weeks was going insane with the boredom of nothing to do. In the first week he read two books cover to cover and got bored of that. The week after that porn. That got old fast, so one after another web browsing, exercise, and finally just eating. He had given up on dressing properly after the second week and was lounging in sportswear watching a movie on the big screen. A clean white tee and black soccer sweats was all he could muster for the day. The time spent here was miserable and above all else, boring. The money he stole was still in cold storage in an abandoned part of the city and every bit of it was stuffed into several vans. All of it could have been a gift of amnesty to help in convincing everybody else reconsider their position in his sentencing. At least that's what he could make of the situation.

He offered the idea of using the money as a tribute to the higher ups to his father with little success. His father's words being that it wasn't about the money anymore. Why, though? Almost a year's worth of work and just when things are ready, a single no and all of a sudden what would have been something of an endless bounty becomes a tenth of what it could have been. Who has that authority? To have thousands of powerful people, all who were the most powerful of their kind, to unanimously agree to a bad decision on a simple whim? Thinking was all he had time for these days. Without anything else to go off of he was going in circles inside his own head.

Despite all of this nonsense and insanity keeping him locked up inside his penthouse he was confident that eventually that some kind of justice will be found. It was by his gifted sight and intellect he spotted the anomaly that was the bank heist in the first place. By his work ethic, they organized a heist that was no less than a ninety percent success rate. His resourcefulness he had backup plans that the backup plan was such a success and that the whole ordeal still got them the money in the end. In the end he knew that he would be recognized. That he was somebody who was meant for more than just their designated role in life's game.

Near the end of the third week he was still in a bit of a slump. The only real contact with the outside world was with his dad. At times Isamu would try to contact his father and be left with a voicemail repeatedly; often it would be days before he could respond to his son. His dad was the last bit of hope he had for returning to the land of the living. Now wasn't a time for doubt. After all, the only thing he needed to do for now was sit and wait. The work his dad was putting in was worth more than just a fanciful retirement in his eyes. Isamu would make sure that his dad was taken care of; it was the least he could do for him now

Contemplating getting another snack he was off to the kitchen. Passing the main hallway he felt a breeze coming in from down the hall. One step backwards and to his left he saw light bleed in from the edges of the front door. Such an innocent thing that meant anything and everything to Isamu. A singular penthouse in the uptown part of the city, all of the paperwork was inconspicuous and hidden in the most decadent part of the city. Everything stopped for Isamu, now more concerned with the closest exit. A window, a door, even a thin wall; just a way of some kind to get out of this hunting ground. There was no message or notification that told him somebody was going to come and pick him up from this gilded prison cell. Nobody knew of the hiding spot besides himself, not even his father, who told him to lock himself inside this very unit. He was so careful and calculating with the process of purchasing the condo that he wouldn't be able to find this overpriced bungalow without considerable resources at his disposal.

How many people were looking for him? How much time and money was wasted to locate him? What would drive somebody to spend so much time and money to find a single individual such as himself? The situation was dawning on the naive criminal far too late. With nothing to contrast his situation against he thought that the gift of billions was enough of a buffer to gain enough favor with the higher ups to warrant a mild punishment; best case scenario a promotion and commendation in the branch he was working for.

The two seconds it took to realize somebody was here to collect and without his consent were the longest two seconds he had ever experienced. All possible exits for him were much farther than the front door he was looking at. He was able to destabilize whatever he touched with his quirk 'Fading Light' he knew that it wasn't a contest of what was in front of him, but if he was able to break his fall from several stories up. Whatever he touched broke down to the consistency he wanted; turning concrete and steel into chunks or fine powder, or an entire human body into bits and pieces. The only stipend of this quirk is that the affected pieces of material would become volatile depending on the size and density of the pieces.

Making sand of anything as soft as wood would have created an explosion that was capable of clearing a city block. He was unable to make anything smaller than a river stone that could fit in the palm of the average adult man; even then each piece would equal a grenade. The safe he had punched through was some of the densest matter he had to work with. Isamu was short on time and options, and without proper resources to bypass the potential obstacles he had no choice but to blow through the thick steel door. His hands were glowing gold by the palms as he was armed and ready to do whatever it took to escape his possible abduction.

He needed to touch whatever he needed to affect. Only with his palms and even then he had to set off the item knowing he touched it. Right now the closest exit was the entry point for whoever made their way into his penthouse. The windows all led to a fall that would lead to a lethal drop despite his enhanced physical stature. The only viable option was to punch through the floor and drop down to a floor where he was able to slip out of. The resulting blast would take the floors above the penthouse he was in, but for what it was survival was key. Besides, those floors were mostly vacant for most of the year. Besides staff and whoever else was in those units couldn't have been more than twenty people at worst. He was certain the most volatile option of falling into the lower unit and making a break for it before the floor blows was the best option right now.

His hands were thrusted at the ground to punch a hole in the floor to escape through. His hands were yanked in opposite directions; a thin dark purple tentacle snapping around each wrist and yanking his arms so hard Isamu could have sworn his joints came loose. In that same instance his head was wrapped in a bubble of what felt like water. He made the mistake of letting air out and cut down the time it took to render him unconscious. The sensation of drowning was not a response somebody could render to their command. His lungs were filled with water and in less than three minutes of struggling he was out cold on the hardwood floor.

From the shadows the two operatives restraining his hands closed in and locked Isamu's arms behind him with a brace that kept him from touching anything with his palms. A third operative dropped down from the ceiling from right above Isamu and cancelled the water bubble that encased the target's head. The extra water in the lungs was also cleared to prevent any complications. Fully locked inside the specially made harness another person came in from the already unlocked and open front door and inspected the unconscious body. A phone out unlocked and up to their ear they made the confirmation to their superiors.

"Confirmed acquisition, awaiting transport... Understood."

Just as quickly the phone was back in their pocket. He turned and left without another word, the other operatives picking up the target and carrying him out the front door.

Unknown Amount of Time Later

Isamu could feel the light hitting his eyes through his eyelids. His eyes fluttered and with a few moments to collect himself he realized he was bound and gagged with a mouthpiece keeping him from speaking. Every bit of his movement was sealed, save for his hands. A restraint keeping his hands from touching anything was all the freedom he was afforded. His eyes went back and forth to scan the room for anything which would give him context to his abduction. Isamu was then aware he was able to turn his neck to see more of the room. To his horror he saw that all members of his team were all strapped down and mute like he was. Most of them were already conscious and were all futility yanking and screaming against their restraints.

Isamu kept scanning desperately for something to help him and his men escape. Yanking and pulling at these restraints just told him that he was unable to get enough purchase to loosen his arms enough to use his quirk. Again looking around for something he noticed something in his peripheral vision.

On the opposite side of the room there was another figure sat in a chair like the rest of the other prisoners. Isamu focused his eyes and saw that unlike them, he was unrestrained and hunched forward with elbows on his knees. The figure was dressed in black. Everything except the shirt under the jacket was black; the shirt being plain white. Hood over its head it was just staring at what was in its hands. What looked like a handgun of sorts was passed from one hand to the other.

From one hand to the other the mysterious figure just kept toying with the item without even looking up at the unwilling participants to this bizarre turn of events. Isamu's eyes wandered up and realized that the space they were all inside was nothing more than a giant concrete box. It was like an indoor football field with how large it was. Lights high above and illuminating the space like it was the sun if the sun was colder and lacking the same warm colors. The best way to describe this place was sanitary.

One by one his men came to, all struggling to move or speak through their bindings. All of them were in different types of clothing; at different points of time they were taken while wearing civilian clothes, their suits, or sleepwear. It was some time before it looked like all the kidnapped members of Isamu's crew had come to. Once everyone was fully conscious and aware the mystery man stood up and revealed his face; or rather what he was wearing over it. A respirator of sorts, two filters and a face shield with two large eyeports cut into the hardened material. Tinted black, there was no telling where his eyes were looking. He took several steps from his chair and stood silent once more.

"...Next."

From the opposite side of the rows of captured men Isamu could hear three beep noises go off, followed by sounds of unlatching binds and some of his men cursing and moving around. At the opposite side the first three that were unbound were Isamu's collection and infiltration team. Out and about these three were out on the front lines of the city's harsh and seedy streets. They were the ones to put themselves in harm's way to be the first response for any sort of unsanctioned business or fight that took place in their areas of jurisdiction. They moved as a team and with years of experience they were now the first and last response for most issues they were tasked to resolve. Things like being outnumbered or ambushed had no real impact on their results. They delivered and rarely gave less than excellent results.

"Boss? Where is he?"

The youngest member of the three was panicking and scanning around for Isamu. From where he stood he was just out of eyeshot of his charge. Dressed in sweatpants and white tee with no shoes he was clearly snatched from his home. The other two members were one bulky and well built man who was wearing a compression shirt with basketball shorts and shoes; the other wearing expensive and trendy street wear. The underdressed man took two only steps towards the other members still bound and gagged before the well dressed man caught sight of something.

"Watch out!"

The older member snatched his team member back and just barely avoided the bullet whizzing past the panicked members head. The bullet buried itself in the concrete wall and cracked the cement with an impressive amount of force. They could guess that whatever the masked lunatic was packing it wasn't your average gun store stock items. It had been years since the national ban and control of weapons like firearms, explosives, and other chemical agents. Almost nowhere could you find a decent firearm that wasn't made obsolete with the use of a quirk that could do just as much if not more damage than what bullets could do. If they were here with somebody using a gun then they must have sent in someone who was in need of one. Then why didn't he just shoot them when they were locked up in their chairs? Surely someone who was weak enough that they needed to use a weapon couldn't handle a team of experienced and combat-worn criminals with their own powerful quirks.

"Your business is with me…"

Now all eyes were on this crazed gunman. The three who were released first were not by any means dull or thick by any stretch of the imagination. Adaptation and judgement were the key traits they exercised and valued above all others when it came to keeping themselves and each other alive. He wanted their attention? He got it in spades. They locked eyes with the masked assailant and stepped forth to respond to his challenge. The youngest member of the team took to the right and towards the center of the room, keeping distance and only staying no less than three meters from the other captured members of his group. The larger man went straight forward and circled the left side of the room. Finally the trendy one was just standing there keeping his eyes on the man and just stood there. Between all three of them they were looking for the right moment to move in. Masked man there didn't even turn his head for the other member who had circled out of his peripheral vision. For the whole time this standoff was going they all realized that their captor had no intentions to make the first move.

The tension was pulled taut and thin. There was the pregnant heaviness before a fight to the death. Adrenaline spiking, heart rate racing up, the increased sensitivity to all of the sensations in the body; all three of them harnessed these reactions and kept waiting for their opportune moment to strike. It didn't help that they knew nothing about this masked man or what he was capable of doing, despite the display of weakness with using a firearm and nothing indicating he had some kind of quirk. Hesitance was a risk here for the three of them. No room for error and all of it on the line; they had to commit to their first strike and end things then and there.

An odd but familiar sense of synchronicity befell them and they knew their time to attack was seconds away. Their ability to keep time left them with the adrenaline making one second feel like fifteen. Each one of their hearts were off from each other by half of a beat. The rhythms came together bit by bit, and with a single synchronized heartbeat they lept into their assault.

The first to get their attack off was the member now face to face with the masked man. He squared up both arms with the back of his hands facing his opponent. Out of both forearms bladed projectiled needles flew out with such velocity they sang through the air towards their target. The second fastest was the one who hadn't moved from his spot. His hair went up in a blaze and was sprinting towards his target. His speed left a trail of flames in the air as he curved to the blind spot on the masked man's left. His hands burst into flames and once close enough he dove right at the masked assailant. Like a flaming arrow he was just a blur closing the distance. And for the last member who was closing in from the start leapt up into the air and tucked into a ball. He tore up the concrete with every roll in this position and collected enough to transform into a boulder the size of a small car. It instantly picked up speed after collecting enough stone and was rushing in right at the same target the others were aiming for. They were all coming in from different angles and closing each other's windows to prevent their target from countering any of their attacks or escaping without running into one of them. The projectiles were so close to their destination and yet the mysterious man hadn't even made an effort to move. This was it. All they had to do was follow through and this sack of shit would be nothing but sausage meat in less than a second.

The thin blades made contact with their target, but none of them met their destination as intended. The man's left arm was moving in front of him in a flurry, blocking all the projectiles with just his left hand. All of the blades scattered and clattered in a random mess all around him. The barrage of blades didn't last long since his other team members would be hit if he didn't give them their room. The last thin piece of steel safely disposed of there was the matter of his second threat. The second member was off the ground already and was flying towards the masked man. At the speed he was going and his angle of approach his target would have to turn and identify where he was coming from, and by then it would be too late. Just a single touch of his quirk and whatever he touched would be set ablaze in a matter of seconds. Nothing could put it out unless he desired it. He thought to himself that despite all of this they took care of their supposed executioner rather quickly.

So close to his target he was certain that he was already too late to stop his approach. In that single instant everything froze as he couldn't even react to the sight of his hands being crushed inside the gloved hand of the masked assailant. His brain couldn't keep up with anything that was happening. Why are my hands broken and smashed in his hands? When did he turn around? He caught me with his left hand, shouldn't it be his right? Did he already know where I was this whole time? None of the questions he would have been asking himself at that moment showed up before he was sent swinging by his broken hands. A cascade of ripped muscle, tendons, and joints could be felt but no pain registered. His hands were close to ripping off the wrist joints as he swung around like a towel around the masked man counter clockwise. Most people who have had near death experiences have discussed witnessing their lives playing back key memories for their entire lives up to the point of the experience. His own body didn't even realize he was dying before he was whipped around and smashed against the giant boulder meant for the masked man. Between how fast the boulder was spinning, how fast it was going, and how hard he was thrown against it his body was turned into a massive blood stain with small pieces of gore littering the entire floor.

The boulder came loose and inside the large suit caught his landing and skidded to a stop. It took a moment to realize for both of the remaining members that this masked killer had used one of their own to murder their fellow member. A horrified expression at what he had just done the suited mad cried out in despair for his comrade.

"ASAHIIIII!"

He whipped back around to the true murderer and felt a massive wave of bloodlust and wrath cloud his vision crimson red. The masked killer was already standing up and just stared for a moment before turning his attention back to the other equally horrified member of his team. The killer stopped paying attention to him, like he was done wasting his time with him. His brain felt inflamed and pulsing as he went straight over the edge.

"FUCKERRRR!"

A running start and leap into the air he was back inside the rolling mass of concrete and spinning almost twice as fast as last time. Less than half the distance was covered by the boulder's impressive speed between him and the masked man before the boulder suddenly blew up and out the boulder the mangled corpse of the one inside went flying across the room. The corpse splattered and tumbled down to the floor. Blood trailed down the wall in a grotesque trail left behind by the ragged body. The last standing member of the trio was now left to fend for himself.

He felt cornered like an ant up against a wall with a sadistic kid looming over him. He didn't understand what had just happened. Is this some kind of quirk this murderer hid up till now? If so, how would that explain his speed? Is there something else he's hiding? The last question in his head was what made him fully afraid for his life. What will he do to me?

The killer didn't walk very far, stopping himself right in the middle of discarded steel blades that littered the ground from the first attack he parried. He just stood waiting in silence once more. The last surviving member of this failed attempt of an attack was right back to where he started, but now he was minus the support of his other two members. He was shaken, but not broken. He scanned around to assess where he could move for a better position. The killer flicked something at the feet of the remaining team member. It bounced and clinked like a set of rings and when taking a closer look he saw what he knew to be a grenade pin.

What had happened just a few moments earlier was when the body of his first kill was blown to smithereens he pulled a grenade and tossed it in the path in front of his other team member. Not only knowing that he would attempt another attack before the grenade went off, but knowing the exact spot where the grenade would be sucked up with the other debris and land it closer to its intended victim. By no means was a grenade invisible or small enough to hide amongst the rubble that was left behind the first time around. The explosive should have been easily noticed and avoided. The first kill was the provocation that kept the second victim doing what we wanted him to do. Too enraged to notice his surroundings he sucked up the grenade and painted the opposite side of the room with his corpse. Since the very beginning, he had them all in the palm of his hand.

The last one needed to get space and distance to think of a different strategy. Either way if he fought or gave up, he at least could have a chance fighting back. He broke off to the right in an immediate sprint and dashed for the opposite blind spot on the left of the masked murderer. He came to a stop and was aimed right at the center mass of his target. He needed to gauge the reactions and abilities of this terrifying opponent, poking and prodding for more information. Both arms went off again and just like before more thin steel blades flew out at blinding speeds. Just like before, the murderer stopped all the projectiles with the same blinding speed from before. He wasn't even looking this time around and still remained unscathed. Although unlike from before none of the projectiles fell to the floor. Turning back at the young man the masked man made another display of skill and strength by showing what was in his left hand. He displayed the bundle of thin steel blades wrapped in his gloved fingers. With just one hand he had not only caught but snatched all of the blades out of the air all while not dropping the ones that were already in his hand. He was already more than desperate for some kind of solution to surviving this waking nightmare, and everything he could do to defend or attack was just pissing into the wind. He wanted to live. He was scared and wanted to live.

The gun in the right hand of the killer was holstered for the first time during this whole ordeal. He squared his shoulders to the desperate survivor and stared him down properly.

"My turn."

In a panic both arms came up to stop whatever attack this monster had reserved for him. Before he could even get off another shot a blade that the killer had caught earlier went through his arm and stuck out both sides of his forearm. He howled in pain and went down onto his knees with the piece of metal lodged between the bones in his forearm. Labored breathing and crying out in pain his desperate mind overrode his senses and launched him into a panicked final attempt at survival. He shot up and screamed his last battlecry as more and more blades were sent flying from his arms.

The killer slipped and dodged the random blades and skewers all the while returning his own version of the same attack. Another piece of steel went into the same arm and forced the wounded man to pause for a second. Too high on adrenaline he kept on with the futile attack on the superior killer. More and more this one sided back and forth kept on going. Almost like a dance the masked killer just kept avoiding attacks while hitting his opponent repeatedly. The first few blades found themselves in the arms of the panicked victim. Then he moved down to his legs, migrating back up to his torso. Last available target was the head.

With enough force and accuracy he barely kept his attacks from killing the poor man. During this whole exchange the tortured man was losing sensation in most of his body as he was desperately stumbling to keep himself upright and fighting. Eventually he lost enough blood that he collapsed onto one knee and was completely out of steam. Tilting his head up it took him a second to realize he lost his depth perception. A projectile was buried into his left eye socket and he hadn't even known about it until just now. His body was finally able to realize how damaged it was and began going into shock. He went down on both knees and also noticed how sticky and wet he felt. All of the pieces of edged steel buried into his body were weeping blood, soaking him from the neck down in his own bodily fluids.

He was pale and fading quickly. So weak he took one last look at the man who did this to him. No visible reaction and unable to tell what he was thinking with the face covered he died kneeling and looking like a grotesque pin cushion. Before the light faded the murderer dropped the remaining blades and turned back to place himself back to his original spot at the start. He was denied his dignity as he died. He couldn't even be bothered to honor his opponents final moments and just treated him like a checkmark on a list of tasks. Just another nameless face to add to the long list of others.

All the while this was happening the other captured members of Isamu were laid witness to the same display of gruesome punishment inflicted on their fellow comrades. Years of blood, sweat, and tears torn apart and stepped on by a single person. Some of them felt despair at the prospect of having to go through the same as the first three. Others began shedding tears for friends passing and met with terrible deaths because of this masked freak. Despite everything there was one emotion that was universal amongst them all. One thing they felt watching people who they considered a second family being butchered and toyed with in their final moments. The pure and raw hatred for this one man was overwhelming. Not a single person trapped in that massive room wanted this man to leave this room in one piece.

"Next."

This time around five of them were released. There was no confusion or hesitance with the next five prisoners. They knew what this all was all about and were in no rush to be anywhere else before they killed this murderer that had taken some of their own and being dismissive of them. The next five were not a team of sorts, but worked together on assignments that required legwork. The lack of experience fighting together was not a major issue most times, but now with what they witnessed they were all in their own headspace knowing that they had to go all out at the very start with everything they had to have a chance against this inhuman thing.

Less than a minute up and about one of the released prisoners spewed a massive cloud of smoke to cover their approach. He didn't react to the initial action and just let the cloud envelope him and a wide area surrounding him. Thick enough to block most things at a two meter distance it would help them approach without being seen. The other four were in position for the impromptu ambush with two on the left and right. One was a beatman with tiger-like features who was without a shirt and revealing his black stripe tattoos. On the same side as the tiger man, the second one had hands that were freezing themselves into ice. He opened his hands to reveal them completely blue and a layer of frost on them. On the opposite side one who could control a person's weight by touch and another who had electric currents jumping out and through his clenched teeth.

"NOW!"

They all leapt into the dense cloud at once. With their numbers and the smokescreen to cover their attack, even if he were to try and make a break for it there were at least two people to catch him slipping. Their strategy was ideal and with enough luck they should end this with their four pronged attack. A massive bang and instantly the cover they were using was blown away with a massive pressure wave. The man had his arms stretch out in front of him and his palms pressed to each other. Not one person in that room could believe that this one person could have cleared that smokescreen with just a single clap, not without it being a quirk of his. Now realizing his fellow compatriots were without their cover the one spewing smoke took another deep breath and prepped another thick clout. Before he could, a loud shot went off and suddenly he fell backwards with a hole going straight from the front end all the way to the back end. The smoke pitifully petered out of the dead man's open jaw and simply vanished altogether.

The gun was out of it's holster once more and aimed where the smoke user was standing. All four of the attackers couldn't waste any of their focus and had no choice but to go on with the charge. With enhanced stamina the first to arrive was the tiger man. The sharpened claws in his right hand were up and primed to rip into its victims flesh, but when he swiped at him there was no satisfying resistance of flesh and bones running through his fingers. This murdering psychopath had parried the blow with the back of his gun-wielding hand and simply skimmed the blow over him as he was now face to face with the tiger's exposed right side. Winding up his left hook the masked man launched a blow square in the liver of the beast man. The blow itself was hard enough for everybody to hear and the pain was so intense he forgot where he was for a brief second. He was sent flying off to the side, but the masked killer had other plans. He caught the limp body by the wrist and yanked him back over to him for a second blow to the head. In that half second the gun was holstered and with a right hook through the ear the body of the tiger man slammed down onto the concrete, hard enough to crack the cement underneath. The other three were still closing in and with another taken care of he waited for the others to reach him.

The one with the frozen hands swung wide to try and catch something he could use to pull his opponent in closer and wrap his hands around something important. Unfortunately for him he swung too wide and with a quick counter he was stumbling off to the side with stars going around his head. The next one to go after him was the one with the electrically charged set of dentures. The skinny man in his shorts and t-shirt latched both his hands on either arm and sank his wider than average jaw tightly onto the left shoulder from behind. A massive charge went straight through the masked man and into the concrete below. Lighting up like a christmas tree the current that flows through his body left it steaming hot and the man still latched on satisfied he was more than certain something that intense would have stopped his heart for certain. What had proved him wrong was a hand that grabbed the man by the back of the head and shoved his head further into his shoulder. Teeth were ripped from their sockets and blood was pouring by the cupfuls from his gums. He screamed and wailed on the still very much alive masked man. Again he tried to run another current but too many teeth had been disconnected from him, he had nothing against this monster.

The toothless man was yanked and tossed to the floor where he writhed in pain and spat the teeth he didn't already swallow back out. Leaving him to his suffering the last one standing stood back and was very much hesitant to approach. The masked man again stood there watching him through those tinted lenses. His other members were not all dead, but seeing what had happened to the last one made him reconsider his method of attack. His stance was that of a grappler and for his quirk to work he needed to get skin on skin contact with his intended target. Even a light brush at the most minimal of skin on skin would give him control of his opponents gravity. Nothing has worked so far and with just one idea he went for broke. He stood up straight and raised both his hands up.

"I surrender."

The other captives were baffled by the cowardice of his actions. Instead of facing his death with dignity he opted to just give up for the simple premise he would be killed painlessly.

"I get it, we can't win. I'll just let you shoot me in the head or break my neck, cause this is all too much for me."

He began approaching slowly while keeping his hands where they were. Although many of his comrades were cursing him out in silence, a few others began to notice that he may be playing towards a different goal.

"So just, make it quick. I'm done fighting. I just want it to be painless, that's all."

They were both face to face and with the height difference the one surrendering had to tilt his head up to speak to him. The shorter of the two only came up to the chin of the masked man. So with his right hand he reached over and gripped the soon to be executed former member by the collar of his shirt. It was everything the last able person of this mostly beaten group needed and planned for. He yanked the sleeve back of the masked killer's jacket and wrapped his fingers around the exposed forearm.

"You motherfucker! I got you right where I want you! Now let's see how you like dealing with fifty times the earth's gravity!"

Almost immediately the ground underneath their feet cracked with the amount of weight that suddenly came out of nowhere. What was concerning for the gravity user was the fact he was still trapped in the masked man's grip. Not only trapped, but the arm was still extended up and grabbing him by the shirt. A fifth of this amount of G force would be lethal; why and how is this thing able to act like nothing is happening?

The amount of force he was putting on this person's body was enough to yank his very flesh from the bone. The maximum amount of force he could exert on the human body was fifty g's. He was on max power and still he was unable to faze this freak of nature. He was then lifted up by his shirt and left to hand by his shirt for a moment.

"Let me go! You fucking freak of nature, get me down!"

Poor choice of words. Not only did he let the man down from his dangling predicament, but with enough force to whip his legs forward and make his back the first thing to hit the floor, the killer slammed his victim into the concrete. Unable to maintain his focus now the gravity was returned to normal for the killer. Blood was now seeping from an impact wound out of the back of the victim's head. Lifting him back up to his hip he again drove the body in his hand straight back down. This was repeated several more times to the absolute horror of the remaining prisoners. After the twentieth or so slam he let the body go and what was once a person was a soft sack of broken bones and bruised flesh. The back of his head was reduced to mincemeat and the rib cage was shattered into pieces. Blood began to seep out the eyes, nose, and mouth of the beaten dead body. Rather unceremoniously he then pulled out the gun in his holster once again and shot the remaining members who were still alive.

The one with broken teeth was still writhing in pain while trying to stop the nonstop bleeding from his emptied sockets. A bullet to the back of the head was all it took to stop his incessant whining. Off to the side the knocked out ice user was shaking his head free of the spinning sensation he still had. He managed to get on his hands and knees but was still shaken by the blow to his head. It took a moment but he was finally free from his vertigo. He knew he was out for far too long and was worried that his other members were at least alive. A chill ran down his spine. Just in the nick of time he launched himself at whoever was standing over him with both hands reaching out to grab them. His hands were intercepted by the masked man and with their hands interlocked he was now able to launch his counterattack.

His hands chilled and covered both of their hands in a fresh layer of frost. Making sure to freeze his hands into solid ice he pushed his quirk to the limit and the frost climbed up all the way to their elbows. All that was left for him to do was to snap the killer's hands off by the wrists and help the others out of their restraints. He pushed against his opponent's hands but there was no give, in fact there didn't even seem to be a reaction from the masked man. He kept applying more and more force in vain as not it felt like the fingers wrapped around his own seemed as if they had gotten tighter. Now at a stalemate of sorts the last living member couldn't do anything but stand there. The second he dropped his ability he was unsure if the masked killer would still be able to use his hands enough to kill him.

The masked man was more or less just studying the other man's reactions. He waited until he tired out before launching a counter. The wrists of the masked man began bending forward, much to the shock of the ice user. In fact he was realizing his hands were now stuck in the murderers now and was unable to wrench them free. Down to his knees he tried to keep his hands from bending too far back. The crack of his joints coming loose and the screams of anguish were all telling of his failure. Rather than stopping just there the hands that were now sitting on dislocated joints kept bending back and with them skin began ripping and blood poured from the open wounds. With one final tug both of his victims hands came loose and all that was left were two stumps with the joints exposed. The handless man didn't even get a chance to scream before he was decked in the face so hard that his nose disappeared into his face and the back of his head cracked open as he went right into the concrete behind him.

This was beyond torture for Isamu. To watch as the men he cared for and led through countless fights for their survival were being tortured and killed. Bound and gagged all of them could only watch as the row of prisoners became shorter and shorter all the while watching it all unfold and waiting for their turn on the chopping block. Everything that kept him bound not only prevented him from just blowing it apart, but kept from killing himself. He was unable to bite his tongue, strangle or suffocate himself, or even try and break his own neck. He was trapped and whoever put them here wanted them all to watch and feel the people they cared for be butchered.

"Next."

Again and again many tried and failed to get a leg up in their fight against this one person. Numbers didn't matter, strategy would often be turned against them, and the nail in the coffin was at times he didn't even dodge certain attacks and continue on as if nothing happened. The stench of human waste and blood was thick in the air. The entire room was covered top to bottom with blood, gore, and corpses. Nobody was spared. All he could do was suffer the indignity of it all and just wait for his opportunity to pay back this psychopath for all the death he inflicted. Eventually all that was left were just fifteen of them, then twelve, ten, three, and at the end Isamu all by his lonesome.

The final kill was that of his right hand man. The other prisoner was killed almost instantly, but the masked killer took his time with the other. Isamu's right hand man was rather unique in his quirk. A short haired man who kept his appearances professional as well as at home he was a man of sharpness and tidiness. He aimed for the best version of himself and practiced what he preached every waking moment of his life. His quirk was a reflection of this accuracy and cleanliness. With the ability to teleport one would think that in of itself was already powerful enough as it was, but for this man he had some kind of past relation with the gods themselves for what he was capable of past this singular ability. Wherever he could teleport everything between him and where he teleported was disintegrated. Not smashed, crushed, or destroyed; any kind of evidence that whatever he went through just disappeared.

The skill demonstrated by this single maniac was warranted every bit of caution from the remaining survivors. The lack of any sort of wear and tear on his stamina or physical body was nonexistent. This masked serial killer was just as fast and strong as he was at the beginning of this gruesome ordeal. The fights broke down the ones that had yet had their chance at the crucible stained with the blood of their allies. Every group, despite a few of them having a significant increase of numbers, were performing with less efficiency with every passing round. It was down to three of them. What could three of them do that over fifty of their own couldn't do?

The raw power out of the gate was immense for the second in command of Isamu's renegade crew. There was a blinding circlet of light that tugged and manipulated the thick pools of his former underlings blood. A ring of light stirred the blood that was pooled all over the massive underground space. The massive ring of light swirling around the masked man was all but a ploy to disorient and throw off the masked man. The consistency was almost a solid ring of light with some flickers here and there, showing the imperfect but beyond impressive effort of the second in command of the Daibo's son's personally selected team of criminals. In one moment where it all ended The single moment that the teleporter used to strike was rendered to another execution for him to use to paint his canvas of torment.

The angle to strike was straight in from the front. The time it took for him to teleport was the time it took for a single flash of a camera to go off. A flash and he was where he wanted to be instead of wherever he previously stood. Most fights involving him were brought up toward an unacceptable level of violence. In some cases of physical confrontations the need to show the opponent that there was a measure that would mean an unacceptable loss, Isamu's number two was the one to answer the call.

The same moment that Isamu's number two went in for his attack; the masked man was just as ready and in an impossible feat of speed caught the teleporter by the neck. Isamu was just as incapable to save his most trusted friend as he was incapable to save anybody else he was charged with. The one snatched out of his assasination attempt was lowered to his knees and forced to look up at his executioner. Without warning the masked man burrowed his right thumb into his skull and twisted his hand back and forth to guarantee the last death of Isamu's confidants .

Nothing was logical in the mind of Isamu. The hatred and rage was blinding him like the sun. He was frothing and gnashing at his muffle with wild abandon. He tugged and yanked on his binding so much that the skin was bright red and chaffing from being rubbed raw with all of his twisting and turning. Tears and snot poured underneath the cover binding his mouth shut. The murderer dropped the dead body and took his time to approach the enraged and thrashing Isamu. The blood splashed with every step he took, his soles slightly sticky; they made small ripping noises as they peeled off the ground. Little by little he got closer and closer, right up till he was ten meters in front of his last intended victim. Up close Isamu could make out the less visible details of the masked man. The black hid the blood fairly well when he was farther away; looking closer he saw that from the seam of his hood to the tip of his boots he was soaked in still wet blood. The blood of his men, who were slaughtered and tortured in front of him. Somehow even with the excessive amounts of blood the stench was even stronger with the killer standing so close. In any other context it would bring him to vomit, but the stinging in his eyes and nausea was ignored for the sheer bloodlust that kept his piercing glare on his target. A moment of silence before the storm hit, they only waited for the moment when the tension would snap and the fight for their own lives would conclude this hellish torment.

"... Next."

The straps and belts all popped open and instantly Isamy ripped out the empty chair from the ground and lobbed the heavy piece of steel at the masked man. The chair began to glow and crumble apart into smaller pieces as it left Isamu's hand. The pieces scattered and within getting close to half a meter away from his opponent Isamu set off his quirk and all the pieces detonated into a pillar of fire and concrete.

"DIIIIIEEEEEEE!"

The blast would have permanently deafened an average person had they also been trapped inside the same concrete box. On the other side of the blast the masked man was able to evade backwards and skidded to a stop. He was ready for the next attack as through the smoldering crater Isamu came flying out of the thick plume of black smoke. Demented couldn't come close to how wild and insane Isamu looked as he swung and clawed at his men's killer with blinding speed and narrow accuracy. His eyes were bugging outwards and red with the blood surging through his veins. The blood that blanketed the floor splashed and stained Isamu's clothes and exposed body parts. The masked killer was bobbing and weaving out of the way of Isamu's hands that were glowing bright yellow. They both traveled down the extent of the room with Isamu chasing down his prey and the other backpedaling with just as much speed while dodging all of Isamu's attacks. This one sided exchange went from one side of the room to the other. Over the dead bodies and other sorts of remains they both kept their footing without slipping once. Even barefooted Isamu demonstrated tremendous skill in his strikes and overall balance.

The masked man eventually ran out of room to backpedal in and with one thrust Isamu saw his opponent hit the wall and went for the kill with a single open hand strike. The attack went right through the wall and the masked man already off to the right with a quick roll off the wall. The wall cracked and gave out behind Isamu's palm, followed up with another explosion that created another plume of smoke. The masked murderer waited in anticipation while remaining on guard. The crumbling from the newly punched hole in the concrete wall only served to enhance the lack of any other sound. Out the smoke and screaming bloody murder Isamu popped back out the smoke and lunged for another killing blow. Rather than voting for another bout of dodging all the way back to the other side of the room the masked man took a boxing stance and readied himself for the counter.

He slipped under the straight from Isamu and now inside his right side a quick right hook sank into the belly of Isamu. The strength of the blow that hit him just now was enough to send him flying as it was. The masked man had different plans for Isamu, following his right hook with a left hook that sank right through his back and into Isamu's right kidney. He still wasn't done with his prey, and reaching up he looped his head to the left and under Isamu's right arm clasped his hand on his head. With considerable but non-lethal force the maked man flipped him backwards and slammed the back of his head into the floor. The spots in his eyes paired with the nonstop high pitched ringing was all he could see or hear as the sensation of blood soaking the back of his shirt greeted him as he recovered from that drop.

Isamu clenched his teeth and rolled back up to his feet. Again he put up his hands and they lit up with the same golden light as before. He charged at the masked killer but rather than being passive and just dodging the masked man decided to lay into the crazed Isamu with some moves of his own. Isamu's fists were something to consider for the masked man. He had to parry further down the arm closer to the elbow, but letting some blows glide by harmlessly and picking his windows he peppered him with the occasional punch and hook. A right cross hit with a left counter to the head. Wild haymakers with body shots. The impressive speed of his blows and ability to recover quickly enough was lacking still in his fight against his opponent.

A tooth or two flew out of Isamu's mouth in between groups of blows to his face. His left eye took a nasty punch that was starting to swell as more time passed. Ribs were cracked, then those cracks turned into full on breaks. Still Isamu kept on swinging and striking with all of his might. A few times during his fight he attempted to dip down and grab some of the concrete under him and use the chunks as a way he could create space and gain an advantage. Every single attempt was countered or caught by his opponent. When he bent forward with his hand out the wrist was caught by a kick and his hand was smacked away from the concrete. Reaching behind him he was grabbed and dragged up and away from the floor. Side to side wasn't any better as he was hit with an uppercut, golf-swing kick, or some other type of disorienting blow to prevent him gaining his advantage. Even when Isamu went for the walls the fight was always taking place with his back facing toward the center of the room. He was stuck and forced to take the beating that was rendering him into nothing more than a punching bag of flesh, blood, and bones.

In another attempt to go for broke for some kind of an opportunity to turn the fight, Isamu clenched his jaw and with only one opportunity to do what he was planning he doubled down and rode the wave of adrenaline to find his window. It came when the masked man swung just a little too wide for his right hook; with all he could he matched the blow with his own right hook and aimed to meet the blow in the middle with his own. His opponent was aware of the counter and pulled the punch in favor of a jab. Isamu used the momentum to twist and twist himself over to face the ground. The masked man saw through Isamu's plan and used his already ready jab to try and grab for him. With all of this happening Isamu was tucking his knees into his already abused and broken chest. In the last critical frame of time he managed to extend both legs with a single powerful drop kick to create distance between the two of them.

Now he had some room and all he needed was a single second of physical contact with the floor to blow both him and this murderer to send them both into oblivion. He pushed his quirk to the max and with that his hands burst with a blinding amount of gold light. Just a single moment and it would be all over. Isamu's body could usually brush off a minor explosion at a close distance without a problem, the level of force he could create here would most definitely bury the two of them in several tons of rubble regardless of the room's integrity. It was barely anything and still he let the wave of sudden peace wash over him. He failed to save his men, but with this their killer would be sent to the afterlife where judgement would deliver his much deserved punishment for all eternity. For him, it was finally all over.

His hands were still out in front of him when he realized he was taking too long to hit the floor. His eyes opened and for a moment he needed a moment to realize he was hanging in the air right above the floor and out of reach of the ground. He tilted his head forward and to his absolute despair he saw both his ankles in the hands of the very man he was trying to take with him into hell. Even without visible expressions or eyes to read he could tell that the face behind the mask was enjoying his suffering. Behind that mask, was the face of a man enjoying all the pain Isamu was drowning in. The world suddenly began to flip and blur with all the blood in his head pushing and flooding his face. The world went dark at the moment he collided with the floor on his back. The masked man had caught Isamu by the ankles from the drop kick he attempted and with one final swing slammed the young man into the floor. With that the fight was decisively over.

Some Time Later

Dull and sharp aches and pain washed over his body like he was suddenly dropped into a sea of pure agony. Isamu grasped at the very edge of consciousness and awoke in a chair without any sort of binding to keep him there. If he wasn't in such excruciating pain the bindings that were absent probably would have been there. Fractures in multiple places on all of his limbs, bruises both internal and external permeating every square inch of his body; a torso with shattered ribs and internal bleeding that would have killed if the one who inflicted them wasn't so focused on making sure that Isamu would still be alive after his royal beating. He opened his eyes and for a moment let them adjust to the light. Isamu didn't even need to scan around because right in front of him sat a man with white hair on his head and face and passing what looked like a handgun back and forth between his hands. It wasn't long before Isamu could put together that the one who had been killing his men and torturing him was the very individual who sat unmasked in front of him.

"... Y-... Y-you…"

The man looked up and right at the beaten and broken former elite of Japan's most powerful entity. The clothes he wore were matted with dried blood alongside his pants and shoes.

"You're awake. Even when all you needed to do was wake up you took too long and still you continue to piss me off."

This was beyond confusing for Isamu. His rattled brain couldn't process who this man was or what he was talking about.

"I… I… What is… Who…"

"Shut the fuck up, you little shit."

It was silent again with that single command. More and more Isamu was piecing together the little information he could remember before he was knocked out. His men dying, the kidnapping that brought him here, the fight that left him in his current physical state. Now he was all caught up, and with his recaptured information he could only look up in horror at the white haired man who was now sitting in front of him.

"When you sat at that fancy little desk that daddy bought you for your first day at work, did you think for one second that you probably shouldn't have been there in the first place?"

The question made Isamu recall his first day in the company building and the desk that sat in his current office. From Isamu's perspective he felt that he had not quite measured up to the results necessary that landed him the position he was in from the very start. It was his father who had given the opportunity to work in the very organization that he represented. By no means was Isamu incompetent at the time and with confidence he had undergone all the tests that were given to him. It was a challenge that he completed with the presumption that he would have passed with nothing short of exceptional results. In both the practical and assessment part of the test his results were lacking as he found out at a later time. Thinking that was the end of the matter his father went ahead and used his influence to inflate the recorded results to favor his son's entrance into his current position of authority. Isamu knew that this particular line of work was one that was less than reputable with the public, but despite the many red flags that had come up that accepting his fathers use of authority to keep a door of opportunity that should have never been opened in the first place he accepted and rationalized that the practice of nepotism was commonplace no matter where you went for any kind of work. For the few years he worked he had worked to become somebody who was worthy of the position, but the time spent to become someone skillful enough to manage the position his confidence grew disproportionately to that level of skill.

"What possessed you to come into my organization with the assumption you were above the law and rule I had laid upon the very foundation of this organization?"

The man's tone was harsher as he got up out of his chair and approached the immobilized Isamu.

"The nerve you had to just come into MY house and do whatever you wanted because daddy was the big shot he was. Who are you to come into my home and destroy everything I held dear when you never were supposed to be there in the first place?"

Nothing was as unnerving for Isamu as he began to put the pieces together. Information began to connect and now the only possible conclusion on who this man was or what he was talking about cleared the air in relation to what this all was about.

"Everything I created turned against me because of you. I paid the price for your little shitfest of an operation that day. I suffered at the hands of something that was created because of me, all because you didn't give a shit when you pulled your little stunt."

So this was who it was. The puppeteer of their massive operation. The god to whom this religion prayed to. The one who created from nothing this entity that ruled a nation and controlled it all.

"So tell me. Who the fuck are you to take from me; you ignorant, useless waste of life."

"Th-... The… The money-"

The palm of the boss whipped across the face of Isamu's already bruised and abused face. His body was unable to block out the pain that was added to his already overflowing volume of physical torture.

"That money was worth dogshit to me! I could have done the same thing that took you almost a year in three hours, you ignorant shit!"

All this was a waste of time. It was clear that all that Isamu did was all just a waste of time in the eyes of the organization's creator. The ambition he thought was the thing that made him strong in this organization was the very thing that condemned him to this hell he was trapped inside of.

"All this shit was avoidable if you had just followed my rules! All YOU did was prove that you were the very thing I had fought against from the very beginning!"

Pain and despair was all Isamu could feel. It was too much for him. He was going insane with the emotions and pain that was even now drowning him in an ocean of insanity. Isamu tilted his head and with his only available eye he took a good look at his supposed leader.

"F… Fu-"

There wasn't even a blur with how fast he moved. More of Isamu's remaining teeth were broken off and shoved down his throat as the enraged embodiment of suffering that had tormented him shoved his hand into his mouth and clamped down on his lower jaw with a death grip.

"Say 'fuck you'. I dare you to say 'fuck you' right fucking now. You do that and all of this will look like a fucking vacation in comparison to what I'll do to you next. So please, if you have anything to say; do it. Say it."

Isamu was certain that he was past the point of insanity and was going to accept whatever would have come next after his final attempt at rebelling. The fear that sank into his bruised stomach shut him up and kept any and all attempts to show resistance at bay. The grip on Isamu's lower jaw was released and the leader of the organization took a few steps back.

"... Now, all you have are the choices I'll give you. So choose."

He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. A hidden door on the left side of where Isamu sat slid open, right where the center of the room lined up. From the opening two men wheeling out someone on a wheelchair came in and brought the invalid on the wheelchair towards them. The closer they came, the more Isamu realized who they were bringing. The person on the wheelchair was missing their arms and legs past their elbows and knees. The stubby end of their limbs were wrapped in medical gauze and their torso was draped in a hospital gown. These men didn't have to finish their journey over for Isamu to realize it was his father, now missing his arms and legs and catatonic from whatever torture he had to endure.

All of this was so much worse than what he could have imagined. The sight of his father as a torture victim and missing his arms and legs drove Isamu into a freefall with no end in sight. The suited men parked the wheelchair front and center of Isamu. The leader of his former organization unholstered the gun at his hip and chambered the empty barrel with a round. Upon closer inspection the gun would have been classified as a glock with a tan custom lower receiver had Isamu cared about the extinct concept of firearms at any capacity. The white haired man flipped the gun in his hand and presented the gun with the handle facing Isamu.

"Kill him."

Isamu went white and his eyes froze wide open in pure shock.

"Kill him or I kill both of you."

He bent down slightly closer with the gun still extended out for Isamu to take.

"You think your father wants you to waste your useless life because you couldn't do it? Kill him and you walk, you don't and I bury both of you in separate graves."

If he could, Isamu was sure that right now he would be vomiting violently on all fours. His rational and emotional responses were at odds with one another and it left him more burnt out than that one time he was up for days handling a botched negotiation for a shipment of fifty slaves from the Philippines that had gone completely awry. All he had to do was take the gun and aim. Five pounds of pressure later he would be able to live past tonight. It was clear cut and a deal that was more obvious than not. Plus, his father was basically a vegetable at this point. It would be more of a mercy to end his suffering than to leave him to his torment for the rest of his life. All points of logic ended up at the same conclusion. Isamu took the gun from him and took aim at his catatonic father. It was a mercy at this point. It was an act of mercy. So even as he was trying to yank back on the trigger the damn thing wasn't moving.

It wasn't the pain or the broken bones that kept him from firing the gun. He wasn't able to pull the trigger. Even with all his faculties and a healthy physique it would end with the same outcome as right now.

"I-I-I…. I can't… I jus… I can't. I can't, I can't do it…"

He was a miserable mess of tears as he just kept saying the same thing over and over again. In a gesture that would have been perceived as kind and warm without context he gently took the gun from Isamu and patted his shoulder.

"I know. I just wanted to make sure."

And with that he aimed at the amputee that was Isamu's father and fired a bullet into his head. Isamu was unable to comprehend what had just happened. He saw his fathers dead mutilated body and still his mind was blank and jumbled. The ringing in his ears was all he could hear. The taste of blood in his mouth like raw copper dust burning into his taste buds. He had broken and was left empty by his pain. His father may not have been perfect or even ethical, but he was not deserving of being made a braindead husk that was shot dead by this monster. If he had been the one to pull the trigger would that have been better? What would have been more humane? It was all too much. Isamu just wanted it all to end. The son was another husk left broken; his revenge was complete and finished.

"So useless…"

And with that he put a bullet into Isamu's head. At the height of his despair and pain he was spat on and killed. All this pain and torment could have gone on for far longer than what was exercised; it was by the decision of the torturer himself he let matters end where they were.

Haru was beyond tired after all of this. It wasn't that the murder of dozens of rogue members of the organization was by any means a challenge of any merit to him, now all he had left was the relief he fixed what little he could have at this moment. The death of Bakugou's father was still his burden. The anguish that now someone he cared deeply for would grow up without a father who would love and guide them through their hardships. Even if he kept torturing and killing it wouldn't bring back the lives lost because of a stupid mistake he let happen. But this was the first step in making sure the same stupid mistake he had allowed would not be repeated ever again.

With a snap of his fingers another suited man brought in a large bottle of expensive sake from the same exit that the now dead Daibo was wheeled through. He bowed and presented the bottle of liquor to Haru after removing the cork. One of the men standing off to the side of Daibo's dead body approached and presented a knife from out of the inner breast pocket of his jacket. Haru took the knife and the bottle by its neck. He circled around the slouched-over corpse of Isamu and slit the side of its neck. There was still enough blood pressure in the severed vein for a steady stream of still-warm blood to leak out of. He dipped the lip of the bottle under this stream for just a brief second. He lifted the bottle to his right side and the bottle was taken back by the one who had brought it to Haru. He gave back the knife he borrowed and it was wiped clean by it's owner before returning it to its rightful was done with his business and went straight for the exit.

"Clean this shit up."

Calloused and short, the order Haru barked out was followed by a team of about fifteen men dressed in full hazmat gear armed with heavy duty equipment to remove all human remains and later to repair the damages to the room. The three men who were still next to the two corpses of the Daibo family exited shortly after. The cleaning crew were starting on their tasks by first opening multiple sealed compartments around the room. From the walls attachments for electrical equipment and water outlets; from the floor drainage pipes and waste shoots. With preparations set they began sweeping and shoveling the dead bodies into the receptacle outlets. Body parts and other physical bits of viscera and gore shoveled and carted to the disposal chutes and dropped down to the disposal facility far below. After about half an hour of sweeping out human remains one of the less seasoned members of this team came across something interesting. Opening discussion to his senior member he raised his wrist to his face shield and used the built in walkie.

"Hey, Hamamura-san… Hamamura-san?"

"... What is it?"

"Isn't this President Daibo? I mean, I'm not seeing things, am I?"

The middle aged cleaner came up from behind the younger employee and peeked over his shoulder.

"Huh, it is. Well ain't that something? Been a while since I saw someone like that down here… And right over there is his son. Damn bastard must have fucked him off real bad for something like this, I mean look at the two of them; it's like Satan chewed them up and spat them back out."

The older man just shrugged it off and went back to work while the novice of the group couldn't believe his senior's attitude towards the whole ordeal. Looking back and wanting to know more he chased down the apathetic man for more information.

"Wait, what? That's it? Something like this happens and you don't care? And what do you mean 'It's been a while'? When has this happened before? Who could have done something like… Like this!?"

He gestured to the massive room they were charged with cleaning. Looking around once more at the massive amounts of blood blanketing the floors and walls, there was a significant amount of flesh, bones, and organs littering and stuck to every surface imaginable. Even the ceiling had its fair share of vandalism in human remains. The older cleaner did take note but was less impressed about the matter than his younger compatriot.

"... Son, how long have you been here? In this department?"

"Huh? Uhhh… Three years this month. Why?"

"Ahhh, so this is your first time seeing his work."

"I'm sorry, 'him'? Who is 'him'?"

The older of the two resumed his duties and shortly after was joined by the curious junior.

"I've been in this business for twenty five years, kid. Came off a different branch before landing myself here. I thought at the time that since I've seen and done my fair share of this kinda thing for a while I should settle in somethin that would pay just as much without having to worry about keeping my neck intact."

Dragging mangled corpses onto a wheeled bin and dumping them down the chute the two of them kept clearing the room for the next part of the wash.

"Five years into my half-retirement here, word goes around that some money had gone missing and that some middle management suit had bolted out the door with it. Not gonna lie it didn't sound that big of a deal. Money can go anywhere in this business and if you can't deal with that then you shouldn't be in business in the first place."

The bodies had thinned out considerably and now with wide brooms they swept and shoved the leftover bits and pieces down the same chute.

"Turns out that the rumor that it was money was a hoax to get the higher-ups to drop their guard and let the guy in charge of the whole thing make off with some operation information to our supply routes with Malaysia. The whole thing was a shit show and a lot of us were certain that we were gonna get hit by the government and that this would be the beginning to the end of us."

Now with all the excess swept and moved away the cleaning team began hooking up high pressure hoses into the walls and sweeping one side of the room to the other with high pressure jet streams of water. A few of the cleaners had the ability to traverse up the walls or fly upwards to the ceiling and clear the hard to reach spaces with little difficulty. The chutes were shut and the drains sucking away the excess liquid waste.

"But before it got out of hand there was a phone call made to someone outside the company. Top man made the call and before he could even hang up those who were connected to the leak were strung up and put into cold storage."

Now all of the room was cleaned and rinsed. To address the damage to the room itself several bags of concrete and other necessary tools were hauled in. The damaged areas were cut down and refilled with the raw material. It took some time but it was beginning to all come to and what was once a hellish visage became just another empty concrete room.

"I don't know the specifics of the happenings or how it all was handled, but when I was starting here I will never forget the fresh hell that cleanup was."

Laying in more and more wet cement the younger cleaner was only able to just stare at his senior through the visor and swallow the knot that was forming in his throat.

"I didn't even know what some of the parts I had shoveled that day were. It wasn't the total nightmare you saw today, kid; but still, what would possess him to do something so horrific?"

The senior fell silent and continued to shape and mold the material laid into the damaged areas with his junior providing the wet cement.

"...You keep saying 'him'... Who is this guy? Why is he the one that does all this?"

He froze and turned to look the curious young man in the eyes.

"You know the rumors going around that there's someone else at the top of the food chain? Well, turns out not only is he in charge, but is rather the 'hands on' type of manager. Word is that he's done hiding since that Daido guy bit it and now anyone who goes over upper management deals with him. Trust me kid, whichever way you cut it that Daido guy has unleashed some fucking dark shit for the rest of us."

They were silent once more for a bit, but again the younger of the two had to break the silence once more.

"So who is he? Some kinda godly quirk user? Like, what does he do to be what he is?"

His senior kept at his work for a bit while ignoring the probing stare of the other. He finally relented in what little he knew of the matter.

"Look, I don't know everything alright? Word is that this guy doesn't need a quirk, he came in and just steamrolled the competition outta the water and claimed Japan as his own. And you didn't hear this from me. But the times this place gets a bit 'colorful' it's because the big boss man himself deals with the bigger problems by dragging them in here and leaving them for us to scrape off the walls."

What? How could someone quirkless do so much damage to a room filled with killers who were strong enough on their own, let alone as a group?

"Now shut up and fucking help me wrap this up already. I wanna have a beer and happy hour is in an hour, so let's go!"

Even knowing this information it just left him more confused than before. Who was able to take a country in a decade and rule it without being known for years? If he was this strong and without some kind of quirk or power to help him how was he able to rip all these men into pieces by himself every time? Nothing made sense for him and right now he was rather looking forward to following his older coworkers advice. A drink was something that sounded amazing right around now.

Later that Evening

There were subtle whispers and words being exchanged under guarded lips. The room was dark and lit only by the overhanging lights lining the center of the room. A table made of some kind of black mineral stretched down the length of the room and was the only thing properly illuminated. The faces of the people seated were shrouded in the pitch black of the room and their personal staff standing guard behind them. Their various suits and dresses were enough to give away that the most powerful people in this hidden organization were all here to be addressed by their leader. They were sitting there for a bit waiting to be addressed when Sato came in through the double doors at the end of the room and stood at the head of the table. Both hands down and face illuminated, Sato began his address to the expecting table of executives.

"... Some of you here have been with us long before the start of this organization, while others have come into your positions of responsibility some time after our conception. All of you are aware of recent events that have come to attention that have put some… Strain… On the anonymity of your existence. Many of you have been aware of the risks this may pose, while others have simply gone about their business feeling rather unaffected by these events… And only some of us here are aware of the true nature of these events…"

A few members at the table couldn't be seen very well, but they were sweating under their collars and struggling to remain composed and resist the urge to flee the country in an attempt to avoid the repercussions of their mistake. The others, unaware of the true nature of this meeting could only speculate and await an explanation as to what the next steps they would take to resolve matters.

"... I… I have served as the esteemed founder of this entity we have nurtured and grown to this date. I was recently asked to complete certain tasks that quite a few of you are only aware have occurred and are unable to find more information as to why events have been rather under wraps until now. I'm sorry to say that the passing of the Executive Daido has come to light…"

The murmurs were exchanged between the members who were still unclear as to why and how he died. The few who knew enough could only try and contain their ever building fear and anxiety.

"... There is something that must be addressed for us to continue on with tonight's business. I must disclose the truth and purpose of the organization we serve here. We control this nation from the darkness and it is not out of some sort of self guided interest for anybody here to make money or control. This organization was the result of one man's generosity and desire for the services we can provide to him in his personal goals."

The room grew restless as the ones who were unaware of their actual place in this organization were now given this harsh truth that this entity of control and power was not a means to their ends, but to someone else's. Questions were flooding out under the guise of whispers and murmurs in between those who were not aware of what was to come.

"What was made aware by his understanding is that… Is that we have not only failed in maintaining the status quo set forth by this very individual; we have failed to control and manage our operations, and so we are going into a new stage of management under his guidance and control. By his judgement we are incapable of keeping the standards needed to keep this organization… His organization… In its current capabilities…"

Only those who were privy to the knowledge as to whom Sato was referring to held no second thoughts to this proclamation. Now for the others in the room this was a very different and rather abrupt case of being flipped onto one's head. Many of the younger executives that sat in their chairs were close to voicing their discontent, but one man closer to Sato on the table and to his left beat everyone to the punch.

"So what you're saying this supposed 'benefator' of sorts is calling us incompetent because of the heist incident? Are we to think that something as mild as a public bombing is something we cannot tame with the power we hold over every government department, media, medical care, all these things?"

He stood straight up and kept voicing his disdain on the matter.

"We are the ones who have kept this house of cards up and we are the ones who have kept the cards from toppling over! Does one incident justify this so-called 'esteemed leader' to take us so lightly? These things happen and we are ready for matters to be handled discreetly! So who does this man think he is, to-"

"Who am I to what?"

He was cut off from launching into a rant by a voice from the shadows behind Sato. Sato's hand clenched into fists on the table and the look of fear in his face was visible enough for the other executive positions to realize that the very man who was the one with enough authority to call this meeting was in the room with them as they spoke. One footstep after another this mystery man revealed himself from the dark corner he was occupying and stood right next to Sato at the head of the table. His torso was still half shrouded in darkness and what little was revealed it was a black shirt with grey pants. Almost too inconspicuous and casual for such a gathering of elites.

"What on earth could be going through those thick layers of skin and skull and make you think these bizarre things you're saying?"

It was unsettling that their leader was being so submissive to this stranger who had taken a spot at the head of the table. Some were picking up on the signals, others still were in contempt of how they were being addressed and being told they were being supervised by someone who thinks less of them. The most vocal of them all was all but ready to launch into a rant and share his frustrations; what stopped him was the sudden deafening sound of rocks and stone being crushed and smashed on the opposite end of the room. He felt a massive rush of wind and dust venting through the room, and when turning to the source of the noise he saw the entire granite meeting table that ran through the middle of the room smashed and folded up on the opposite end of the room. The wall behind it was in no better shape and was sporting a massive hole that was housing the half of the table that buried itself into the wall.

"Who are you to sing your own praises when I am the one to suffer at the hands of your incompetence…"

There was no one in the room who wasn't either shocked or scared, or a mixture of the two at the sudden destruction of their meeting room table. Many had looked back from the destroyed wall and pulverized stone and saw that it was indeed this newly acquainted leader of theirs that sent the table into the opposite wall; their evidence his right shoe still had bits of crushed gravel sprinkling to the floor off the heel of the shoe still raised up. He placed it back on the floor and traversed under the lights that still hung above the now vacant space. His face was finally visible for all to see and nobody would dare to forget such distinct features from then on. White hair and a beard of the same ivory white, the look aged him quite a bit if he had just shaved it off. Without the facial hair many assumed he would be no older than thirty than the forty or so odd looking man he was. Haru was in front of the member of his high table that was still on his feet from his ranting, the silence a contrast from his earlier passionate speech.

"You are here because I have reached the end of my patience with everything you so self-proclaimed 'house managers' have done. Everything I have tolerated so far was nothing more than an act of kindness on my part. The sheer audacity that so many of you have taken matters into your own hands and still believe that you are deserving of more because of your positions."

The executives that all sat in that room were there because they by their own rights possessed qualities that made them competent leaders. One of these qualities was to be perceptive enough to read people and act accordingly so that they can direct the situations they oversought towards the resolution they thought best. Everyone had this basic understanding of reading human behavior.

It was clear that Haru wasn't someone who was delusional in believing in his authority in this situation. There was often a push and pull when two people came face to face with one another. Even the most confident people had some kind of give in their personality, and the most submissive of those still had some presence when speaking or being spoken to. Haru had no such give as he was beating down the man with his stare. Nowhere in his demeanor was there second guessing or hesitation he would do anything less than what he wanted to. In fact if he were to gut this man's guts open and force feed him his entrails, nobody in this room could stop him.

"What this is, it is not a house of cards like you deluded yourself into thinking it is. It was a fortress of stone and steel that I had built and graciously donated to the likes of you. And what do you do? You treat it like it's your own personal gold mine and tear it apart from the foundations up because you thought there was gold buried in the floorboards."

There was barely an inch between Haru's face and the face of the outspoken executive. Never had this man felt so small in front of another human being in his life. His blood went cold and the sweat began collecting and pouring into his silk collar. To feel fear on such a primal level was unfamiliar and immensely unwelcome. There was no logical reason he should have been so passive, and even if this man was the one at the very tip of this empire he had pride and wasn't one to take kindly to intimidation of any sorts. His mouth was too dry and his throat too tight to form coherent speech; involuntary tremors of shivering left him feeling heavier than the concrete that made up every floor, wall, and ceiling that this facility was made of. He should be going off on this man who was never there to take any of the work he had committed himself to for years, yet now he had to fight the urge to even drop down to the floor hands and knees and beg for his life.

"I let you all do what you wanted to do because there was room for error. All of your side dealings and deals from under the table were of no concern to me because everything was functional and none of your shit touched me. The only thing I cared about was that you do what I asked, when I asked; and that you kept matters under wraps away from me."

Haru was calm in his demeanor for the majority of the time so far. But enough was enough of the polite approach with his executive management; he was beyond any sort of remorse for all of them and they were at obligation to know where they stood with him.

"I can understand the disbelief of my presence. I'm more than patient enough for all of the mistakes and lack of competence that take place on an almost daily occurrence. The thing that really is unnerving me more than I should be is the sheer ignorance that you all seem to be complacent in…"

The room wasn't big enough for many of the attendants of the meeting. The space was tight and the oxygen was thinner than it was before the table renovated the back of the room. Atmosphere was even heavier for those who were right next to Haru; and when he began pacing up and down the space where the now destroyed piece of overly expensive furnishing was, all of their eyes were glued to the floor.

"Tell me, when was all of this going to be addressed between the lot of you? Tomorrow? The day after that? Next week? Or even sometime within the year? More and more I struggle with the idea that I should just leave things as they are."

His voice was even and calm, but for anybody this high up the food chain it was nothing but a veil for something much worse than if he was just storming around and screaming to the high heavens.

"Oh! Don't think I'm only holding those who were directly involved with what happened responsible. I am more than aware all of you saw the writing on the wall a loooong time ago. Did you think it just wasn't your problem? Were you too busy with your schedules, your lives; that it didn't warrant your attention? Or better yet…"

Haru stopped pacing and stared at the destroyed wall with an expression for those who could see that broadcast his lack of desire to look at anybody out of disgust or disappointment; perhaps even a combination of the two.

"Did the idea of seeing your peers fail bring excitement or joy to your miserable little selves? At the cost of letting failure and loss happen, did you want to gain from the loss of those around you? Is everything here so expendable that you couldn't give a shit what happens around you? Are you more important than what this organization is?"

Haru turned to a frightened woman sitting to his right. Under his stare she felt like she was drowning so far beneath the surface that there was little to no light visible from the surface.

"You know the values of many of our assets and other expenses. Tell me, do you think that I matter less than anybody here? To you?"

She indeed was the head of assets development within the organization. She was mature but developed with her elegant beauty and calm demeanor. Little to nothing could change her outer shell of peace and serenity as she was more than competent in both preventing and eliminating problems that concerned missing or incorrect information or assets. She demonstrated loyalty and commitment to the role she had to this entity on an almost daily occurrence; even with her pedigree of service and flawless record Haru was able to see right through and see her for what she really was.

"... I… I-I-I didn't, I mean… I couldn't- I wouldn't be-"

"Stop with the stammering. It's enough I have to deal with you feigning ignorance; your inability to cope with judgement is just as infuriating."

Tears were bleeding out from the corner of her eyes as Haru cut her down to size. He knew she had eyes looking into almost every moving part of his organization. He knew that she was more than capable of seeing the tell-tale signs that her other fellow executives and other higher ranking employees were either falsifying results or stealing from the company for their own self interest. Most cases she would crack down when an employee below her rank had acted out in self interest and signs of theft or forgery were apparent. In rare instances of her fellow executives acting out in such a matter she would sometimes let the matter pass and keep a record of the matter for a later time. All one should do is approach the individual with the information gathered and correct the matter at best. For her she let them continue on their path of self destruction and allowed them to continue their greedy practices so that when she could present them at a later date there would be enough for her to even extort and blackmail her way up in the organization. She assumed that feigning ignorance would have been enough to keep her head out of hot water when push came to shove. She assumed wrong.

"I'm- I'm so sorry! If I could be given just one-"

"Shut the fuck up, you dumb bitch."

She had never been so panicked and scared for her life up till this point. She had always known she was smart enough to find a solution to almost any problem, and with more troublesome obstacles she was always confident that sometime now or later she would find the authority to eventually force the issue into submission. The look in Haru's eyes made her sink away from this belief. There was no dealing or speaking to appeal to Haru's better nature. She was on a small wooden boat in the middle of an endless ocean; below the surface she could just make out something that stretched farther and wider than what she could see into the horizon. A leviathan so large and unknowingly powerful right underneath her weak little dingy, and it had it's eye right on her.

"If there's one thing I hate more than lying, it's begging. I find that kind of insufferable behavior unbearable; so if you are as smart as I would guess you should be, you shouldn't ask me to spare your life like some kind of mangy animal in heat begging for a random fucking."

She snapped her head back down and cowered in the fine leather upholstery of her chair. Haru stopped peeking out of the corner of his eye at the cowering woman and kept on with his speech.

"The point is, all of you sitting here today have failed me. The only one with their ass not on a chair, who has disappointed me more than all of you combined; is Akihara."

Nobody could say anything against such spiteful and cruel things against their immediate superior. Sato himself had his eyes cast down in shame just like the rest of them, if he was silent and accepting of such harsh criticisms then what good would their defense of him do?

"To be honest I wish I was capable of ranting and screaming myself until I run myself hoarse. It's taking me every bit of restraint I have from gutting everybody here with my bare hands. Lending myself that much freedom to express my disgust and disappointment towards you useless fucks wouldn't do me any good, I'm afraid."

He could do it. That single line of thought resonated with everybody Haru was aiming his message at. This sensation of fear was so much worse than what any individual person there had experienced in their lives. They all had something that made them stand above their peers. Something that lent them strength or abilities to face problems others would find unapproachable. Many of them even were born with unique quirks that gave them an edge against all their hardships. They controlled this country and it wasn't because they were put there by someones 'recommendation' or birthright, they were there because they could do it.

There was no such confidence within that room. Not even an ounce of false hope that even if they were all able to commit all they had into fighting, running, or a combination of the two at least one of them could survive. Nobody and no combination of people here could kill him and nobody here would be able to escape him. They could all be spread across the world inside of their own bunkers with a private army at their beck and call; the hardest thing about killing all of them for Haru would be the time management part of it. He decided if they got to live or not, and all they were allowed to do was sit there in silence and accept whatever he chose to do to them.

"In the end I decided that it would be best for me to just hold those directly involved with this royal fuck up that you all had allowed for."

Haru raised his right hand next to him and snapped his fingers. Following the loud crack the doors behind Haru opened again and in came a line of female attendants dressed in refined black funeral kimonos with a small tray for each of them and a single sake cup sitting neatly on each tray. They divided and each servant aligned themselves to the right hand side of each seated executive. In synchronized fashion they all knelt and presented the cups to all of the executive members present. Everybody withheld their judgement of such a ceremony when this entire affair had been nothing but pure agony for those involved. Another attendant followed in and in her arms a large bottle of rather expensive looking sake that had something running down the sides of the neck. Few of the people this ceremony was for could tell what it was that was on the bottle itself. Those who could tell were either close enough or were gifted with enough of a sense of smell to tell that it was blood that stained the glassware. Even fewer were able to pick up that the blood wasn't old or completely dried; whatever, or whoever, provided the blood in the first place was recently drained of it and it was a direct donation as well.

Haru clasped his right hand around the neck of the bottle and uncorked the massive thing. He walked past all of the cups presented and haphazardly poured the liquor into the cups. Most of the contents spilled into the cups, but all the trays were spilt on with a good amount of wasted alcohol. One after another the cups were filled and a few of the executives were able to breathe some sigh of relief as when they saw what stained the bottle as Haru passed they were in a slight panic over if they were going to have to drink blood as part of some kind of twisted ritual. The liquor still had a slight sunset copper tinge to it as it sat there pooled in each cup. The liquid was clear enough for it to be sake, it smelled like sake, so many assumed it was an additive of sorts that was unique to the specific bottle.

Haru rounded back around and kept the bottle when he turned back to the room and addressed everybody once more.

"Tonight I had quite the deliberation to make by my lonesome. There was still the matter to deal with the ones who were the ones that had disobeyed me tonight. The ones that took matters into their own hands and thought that I wasn't worthy of consideration in the grand scheme of things. So for your sake I took personal liberty in what was to be done. For your sake over forty five men have been tortured and killed to spare you from my ire. As of now there is a vacancy in the seat of leadership that Daido had left behind in his retirement."

The silence was deafening. Nobody was even breathing too heavily for fear of grabbing any unwanted attention. They knew that Daido had been the one on the business end of matters regarding the repercussions of his son; somebody of his position and liberties should have had some leeway in severity of punishment, in their opinions. Hearing that he died suffering like his son and all of the men that served his son was just more kindling on the pyre that was their fear of this monster.

"I'll let you all sort matters on what should be done with the remaining assets and tasks left in his wake. However, now that I'm here to keep you spoiled little shits in line; if I hear that somebody has a problem, or that somebody even complained to anybody about arrangements made? I will pour each and all of your blood in different bottles and drink you down… I'll leave it to you as to what might happen just before I do just that. Now, drink to their sacrifice."

Haru tipped the bottle up and chugged the remaining sake like he was emptying the thing down the sink. Everybody else didn't hesitate to take their own shots in one swift motion. The taste was by no means offensive or off putting as many had thought. Other than a slightly more acidic taste and a slight metallic burning sensation after it was just refined sake with some blood diluted in it. Haru finished the bottle off and smashed the bottle on the floor. Nobody was hurt, but it did startle some people. The back of his hand wiped his lips clean and with that taken care of he finished the meeting off with one last bit of advice.

"Do know I'm here because of you. I was more than generous the first time around, but this time around I'm going to have to be the one to remind you all why you are here in the first place. This is all I'm giving you. There will be no next time for anybody. Never again. Is that understood?"

The silence was telling enough that they knew where they were in relation to who and what they were to Haru and the organization they served. Haru took the silence as a yes and went for the exit behind him. As one last reminder to his underlings Haru displayed one last demonstration to what they were all dealing with as he reached the door. He braced both hands against the thick steel doors and pushed. The doors ripped from the steel hinges they sat on and pierced the reinforced concrete wall opposite to them in the hallway. This was enough to actually scare a few people behind him into jumping out of their seats. Once the debris and dust cleared the air the sight of two sheets of solid steel buried and twisted into concrete and rebar was all that was left. Haru was gone and with his presence gone; the absence of fear and respect that had once petered out and was but a faint memory. Once again the fear and respect these lesser people realized was once again the driving force that made every individual who controlled this country fear and respect him once again.

Even after all was said and done, it was nothing but a massive waste in his eyes still. His kingdom for just one opportunity to save the life of one man. He still held himself accountable for the death of Bakugou's father, and no matter who else he killed or tortured nothing would bring back an innocent boy's father from the death that he was held responsible for.

The Next Day

The Hospital was in a better state with less panic and stress flooding the many identical corridors and hallways. There were still far too many serious cases that still were admitted in the hospital and staff were around the clock three weeks later still moving paperwork and checking up on patients frequently. It was a contained form of chaos that hospitals were more than accustomed to and for many they were still on the path to recovery as long as things went as smoothly as they were right now.

On a hallway bench Haru sat outside the room where Bakugou was admitted and had his chin resting on his folded hands. His knees were slightly spread and propping his elbows, on his face he had a grim look of worry and concern since his arrival to the boy's room. Bakugou was receiving the best care in the country and the doctors working on his charts were primarily focused on his condition. Bakugou was still comatose and by the time Haru had returned to the hospital there were enough improvements to his condition that they diagnosed that the child should be awake sooner than later. They were well aware that this case was important for their benefactor and based on clues and information gathered they could guess Haru was that very man. They swore Bakugou's safety under their watch and eased the concerned man into letting time deal with the remaining part of recovery.

Haru was here for the past four hours and was unable to even muster the desire to grab something to eat or drink from the nearby cafeteria for himself. The clock was barely audible with other noises around to drown out the wall mounted time teller; for Haru it was like somebody was taking a hammer and chisel to his eardrums. He didn't even count the seconds ticking by and still the silence between each second stretched out farther and farther away from each other the more he heard those fucking gears grinding into position. Time was all he had and it was maddening how little he could do to help the child he was fretting over inside the room just behind him.

It was another hour and a half of waiting in his seat before something finally broke him out of his trance of pure misery. To be more specific it was less of a something and more of a someone. Even more so; less of a someone and more plural in terms of amount.

"Haru-san!"

Haru was brought out of his stupor and was jumped on by a small boy with a wild head of wavy hair that ticked the back of his neck when they leapt off the bench he was sitting on and used it to hug Haru's back. It wasn't worth noting as a threat since he could recognize the voice when his attention finally caught on. Shortly behind a mother concerned about her child's sudden departure from her side was there in no time at all.

"Izuku! Didn't I tell you not to run off like-... Oh, Nakamura-san! I-I wasn't… Expecting you here…"

It was true that he had pretty much dropped off the face of the earth for about a month since getting Bakugou and his… Getting the injured Katsuki to the hospital from the day of the incident at the shopping center. Inko was blushing a little since she felt like she was rather underprepared for a surprise encounter with Haru. She wasn't wearing much makeup and her outfit felt unflattering for her figure. By Haru's measurements she still looked fair enough even when she wasn't trying for a look to impress. She was still in good shape for a mother and she was cute for a woman who was a single mother. The times they would be left to talk or spend time on their own without Izuku she was always fretting the impression she left on him like it was the first time they had met over coffee all over again. Her desire to look good wasn't glossed over for him and he could recognize that Inko was still someone who wanted to impress and was still capable of doing so. The surprise encounter did little if anything to diminish the fact that after some time by his lonesome he was happy that he was able to see her again shortly after finishing his personal business.

"Hello again, Inko. It's been some time, hasn't it?"

Izuku's mother was blushing with such a familiar use of her first name. Once in a while her name would roll off Haru's tongue without the formality of titles and every time she would try to disguise her shyness and slight happiness of the assumed slip of the tongue by Haru. She turned from the still seated Haru and used the back of her hand to cover the lower half of her face to disguise her rosy cheeks. It felt so immature for her to blush like a middle schooler over her crush looking in her direction when she was already a mother and Haru was a fully grown man. A man who was cut enough for his clothes to barely disguise the fact. His height was also something that was above average. Complexion was also good since taking a closer look and finding that without the beard he would probably be younger looking than her. Also-

Inko had to cut her train of thought off from there and turn back around or she would have come off as rude otherwise. A cough or two did the trick and she was able to keep a straight enough face to face the man still waiting for her response.

"Um, yes. Yes it has… I hope you've been well since then… I know you did what you could, but still you did more than what most would have done given your situation. I hope you realize that at the very least."

It wasn't as simple for Haru as it seemed for the single mother. All that he knew and what had been happening from behind the scenes led all the way back to him and his actions being the reason many of the events were as destructive and horrible as they were. Why and how were things nobody could help him cope with. He lost a friend who mattered to him, and giving a reason for everyone else to take off voluntarily will only send him back to the madness that had sent him on this whole mad scramble in the first place. Again he had to lie. The semantics of omission or directly doing so were lost to him, it was lying to him however you cut it.

"Inko… I don't know what to do. I keep thinking of things to say and all of it sounds like a kind of white noise in the background. Bakugou doesn't have his dad anymore. I failed to keep him here. Everything keeps replaying in my head and I'm unable to make sense of anything."

His volume was low so as to not drag Izuku into the depressing subject of Haru's inability of making any progress with his grief and the interactions he had with the events that left him in his current state. Being a single mother made things difficult to adapt to since her husband and father of her child had left so much for her to manage by her lonesome. It took a bit of effort and even more time to find her rhythm and adapt to being a caretaker for her son and remain afloat her own stresses to do so. The more she listened to Haru the more she found herself back when she felt stuck by herself with a child in her arms that only she could help. The next best thing to lashing out was to place blame, and often the blame was quick to land itself onto her. On the day she was left with the news that her son was quirkless she was cornered and alone in a prison of her own making. She wanted to cry and beg whatever higher made it so that a son as bright and kind as hers was left with a mother as lacking and useless as her. It was all too much by herself, but Haru was quick to help her in whatever way he could for her. Her phone call to him was made out of desperation, but still he came as soon as he could to ease her overwhelming anxiety.

Haru was quick to comfort her and deflect all of the guilt she had intended to carry by herself. There was no reason to carry such a thing that wasn't a burden that should have been there in the first place. He quickly connected with her son and made it clear that a child who wanted to be something great wasn't incapable of doing so, but by no means was the journey going to be just as easy or close to being so for the young Midoriya. Her son was able to come back from that deep loneliness she herself was almost victim to and felt forever indebted to the man who was so patient and wise in helping her through her troubles. So hearing Haru being so low and close to the edge of his own bottomless pit was enough to put a stop to this self isolation by whatever means. She put her left hand on his right thigh and turned his head with the right one. She forced eye contact and spoke her own version of the words he had used to help her so long ago.

"Haru, look at me. Right now."

He was already looking at her from the first touch, but the sudden use of force to make him pay attention to her was a little surprising.

"You did everything you could then. If you keep thinking about 'what if' and 'if I' then what? You are someone who wants the best for these children and more times than I care to remember you have followed through to be a positive influence for these boys. They look up to you because you earned their admiration and respect. You are NOT responsible for what you fought to prevent. If you cannot forgive yourself… Then, I will."

It felt so foreign to feel something like this for such a long time. It was countless years since he felt connected and close to something so warm and comforting. For a moment he forgot everything, and sank into this feeling of being just a bit more whole and complete than the hollow and empty chasm he was falling into.

"I'll forgive you. You do too much for others for me to leave you to fend for yourself. I won't leave you here to waste away by yourself. You deserve better… You deserve…"

She trailed off and realized she was so caught up in her efforts to help Haru in his emotional duress that she failed to restrain herself and was now cradling his face in her hand and gripping his right thigh in the other. Inko wanted nothing more than to apologize for her brash actions and hope for things not to be too awkward between her and Haru.

"Um, I-I mean- I mean, If you are just… If you want-I could just-you know-"

She let her right hand droop down off Haru's beard, but her hand was clasped quickly by his own much larger right one and her heart leapt like she was in high school again. Heart beating and pumping blood to her face she was barely able to get the handwritten note she made for a crush she had from her first year at the school she attended. It turned out the boy she liked was nice enough to discreetly let her know he had a girlfriend and saved her quite a bit of embarrassment. As a woman well past her adolescence she felt ridiculous for feeling so much of that young hope for love and connection she could only fantasize as a young teen.

"You're too good for me, Inko. I don't know how I could ever thank you for such kindness."

He could only see Inko and her kindness that kept him from falling further than he was for the moment. It felt temporary, but it was so much more than what was a dead drop from orbit from a moment ago. On the other hand Inko was out of practice in terms of interacting with the fairer sex since her husband and nothing ever since. SHe only did what she felt was right and now she was at a loss over what to say next.

"... Mom?"

Izuku was tugging at his mom's left sleeve and pulled her from the rather intimate situation she was in with Haru in the middle of a public hospital. Her hands were back and out of their intimate spots on Haru's person. She brushed her hair and cleared her throat before speaking to her son.

"Ahem. Ye-yes Izuku? Is there something you need?"

"I wanna see Ka-chan. Can we go inside?"

Nothing was more endearing than seeing a boy being concerned with his friend more than anything else. She wanted to make good on their visit and helped her son down from his spot on Haru's back. Both were back to their original purpose of visiting the young Bakugou in no time at all. Izuku bid a quick goodbye and Inko lingered halfway through the door to say one last thing to Haru.

"Haru-san, Be good to yourself. We all care about you and the least you can do for all of us is take care of yourself. I wouldn't know what to do if something were to happen to you."

They shared a kind smile between each other before Inko was in the room to watch over her hyperactive son who was already bouncing around and asking questions about all sorts of things. Haru was left alone once more in the hallway to his own devices for some time before something else caught his attention.

Some time later after the Midoriya family made their arrival Katsuki came in dressed in her office wear still and was rather surprised to see Haru sitting outside out of nowhere.

"Nakamura-san? Oh my… Um, I'm sorry, I didn;t expect to see you again today. But, for whatever reason you came, I'm glad you did."

Bakugou's mother was always far too kind to Haru for the temper she held for other people she interacted with in her life. She would constantly praise his patience in his interactions with her son and the amount of pressure it took off of her and her… Ah. Again Haru was grimly reminded of the situation that reality had decided to take form of in this life and was again sobered of the now single mothers situation.

"Yeah, I was, uh… I was caught up in something personal. I… I wanted to be here sooner, but-"

Mitsuki raised her hand to stop him and continued his sentiment for him.

"But, nothing. You did more than others and I am more than aware that if it wasn't for you, my boy would probably be much worse off if it wasn't for you."

Hatred and disdain was preferable over all of this forgiveness he felt undeserving of. It hurt that the truth was just the opposite of what everyone's perception of what seemed to be a noble act of heroism was nothing more than an accident born from negligence and mismanagement on his part. It took so much out of him to stomach his disgust of living in this idealized version of everyone's perception of events passed.

Non only were the people who were responsible for the public display of terrorism held accountable and punished; the one who was the most responsible for the event was being held in the highest regard and paraded as a hero to the people he hurt the most.

"I won't allow you to take on what was never yours to begin with. My son is alive because of you and my husband would have said the same. Be proud of your actions, Nakamura-san… Anyways, I best say my greetings. Do come in whenever you feel like it, you're always welcome to say hi."

"... Would you like something from the cafeteria? I'm feeling peckish."

She raised an eyebrow at the sudden request but seeing it as an improvement from his sulking from before she chalked it up as some kind of progress for what it was.

"I would love some coffee if they had some. Black with cream and sugar on the side if you could."

He nodded and went about his way towards the cafeteria. It was too much to be so close to the Katsuki family and yet he was far too reluctant to leave just yet. A compromise was made and he decided on a quick breather and getting the exhausted mother some caffeine felt like the least he could do. Mitsuki was a strong woman and many saw her marriage to her husband as some kind of stroke of luck for the man for landing a bombshell of a fierce woman like Mitsuki in his lifetime. Truth was often funnier than reality and Haru knew that in fact it was the opposite for the two. Masaru and his future wife worked inside of the same company when it was her who was smitten with him. She fought for his attention and soon after charmed him with her desire to be together to sire a son between the two of them. Haru was perceptive to pick up on certain signals to see that Mitsuki was often the one to start things between the couple and Masaru was the one to even things out before they got out of hand. They balanced each other out and they matched well with their personalities to see a successful marriage through to the end. A marriage that Haru ended preemptively through his ignorance and negligence. Still he was incapable of escaping his guilt despite Inko's intimate request that he didn't do so.

"I'll be right back."

With that he left the warped cushion he had sat on for hours on end in favor of refreshments from a cafeteria that was far too low in quality in comparison to what he would provide for his own clientele for almost half the price. The little bit of scrutiny left him to consider if it was something to be fixed or just a mild inconvenience as he weaved through the busy hallways between him and the hospital's craft services.

Mitsuki slid the door in and what she was met with was her long time friend Inko looking shocked at the medical equipment that monitored her son's condition. It was the incessant beeping and alerts of the equipment that indicated a change in her child's condition that clued her in on the look that Inko was giving the equipment. Usually equipment given to other usual patients wouldn't be so sensitive in alreting such a subtle change in patient conditions. Haru was not one to spare expenses when it mattered and not only got top medical staff for Bakugou but the top of the line equipment to pick up even the most sensitive of beta waves in the brain to indicate changes in patient coma statuses. Right now the equipment was setting off and the alert that indicated a comatose state to consciousness was going off on the monitors. Bakugou's eyes were fluttering under his eyes and Mitsuki was barely able to comprehend what was happening before medical staff came charging into the room; one of which was the neurologists flown in from a different part of Japan altogether to work on Bakugou.

All the monitors and sensors were linked to key staff who were prioritized to remain within less than five seconds of response time from the very room that Bakugou was in. A few were incredulous and couldn't understand why a single patient took priority over the many others they could have been attending in the meantime. The only thing that kept complaints from escalating was the amount of additional aid flown in from other cities to assist the efforts to combat the sudden influx of injured patients from the local bombing. Support was instant and so much work was streamlined to make the process as painless as possible. It was like every grievance they had about any small complaint or niggle about the workplace evaporated or disappeared altogether in a split second.

Medical staff were in the room and working to check all vitals to make sure nothing that would have indicated otherwise was less than good news. Izuku was thankfully contained by his mother and Mitzuki was micromanaged by a nurse who was keeping her far away enough to let the doctors to work. She was still fighting to see what was happening but there was little in the way of panic and in no time at all the monitors were deactivated and the head practitioner was monitoring the boy as Bakugou slowly began returning to the world of the living. The room was maintained by the extra staff and Bakugou was awoken not to the chaotic back and forth of less technically trained nurses rushing to his aid; but the voice of the neuro-specialist available for him walking the boy through regaining consciousness. Slowly but surely Bakugou was able to open his eyes and with a moment to collect himself he was back to being fully awake.

"-kugou? Bakugou? Can you hear me?"

Past the initial moment of waking up the young Katsuki had little to no problem actually returning to the land of the living. He used his conscious strength to resurface and with enough push he surfaced back from the darkness he was floating in for days on end. His eyes strained to focus on what was in the room and blindingly bright blurry spots and blobs clouded his vision. Bakugou pushed through the aches and pains and soon was able to make out the room he was in.

"Uhhh, wha? Where? Who-whoo's there?"

It was a moment of relief for everyone in the room to see the blonde boy up and about again after weeks of uncertainty. Mitsuki was tearing at the sound of her boy awake and conscious and all the medical staff were able to move to the next stages of recovery for the adolescent.

"Good morning, Bakugou. My name is Dr. Karagi. I'm a doctor working with the hospital you're in right now. It's been some time since you were first admitted here. I want you to take it slow and don't rush yourself in any way, ok? Can you do that for me?"

It was still difficult for Bakugou to make sense of his surroundings since he was rather weak and delirious from being on IV fluids for weeks on end and having been awake for about a minute or so from his lead physician was professional and gentle with the child as he went through the process of double checking Bakugou's vitals and condition. A few questions here and there to see if there was any sort of obvious side effect and the vital readings on the monitors were recorded for reference. As more time passed Mitsuki was finally able to approach her son after the medical staff determined he was stable enough to see her. She was tearful and joyful in embracing her son after so much time of seeing him hooked up to all of these machines and oblivious to the world around him. The time spent next to his bed and hoping for some kind of miracle for Bakugou to return to her finally felt like it paid off.

Their reunion was not interrupted by the doctor leading the care for Mitsuki's son but he was in need of more information and kept working alongside the heartfelt moment with efficiency and professionalism. Meanwhile in the background Inko and her son were seated in the waiting chairs under the windows. Both were able to maintain their respectable distances and allow the professionals to work on making sure Bakugou was making progress in his recovery. Izuku had to be stopped by his mother once or twice from running up to his friend in sheer excitement, nonetheless the Midoriya family were content with just watching things play out as they did. All of this was going rather smoothly, until a question everybody was avoiding was asked by Bakugou.

"... Where's dad? Is he ok? I dunno what happened."

Even the doctor froze at the inquiry Bakugou threw to the adults in the recovery ward he was in. Mitsuki was unable to make eye contact altogether as the Doctor gently touched Bakugou's left shoulder and prepared for the worst.

"Bakugou, do you remember what had happened before you went to sleep? I want you to walk through it slowly, ok? Can you do that for me?"

Bakugou was left to recollect events as they played out in his head and with some difficulty things began to fall into place.

"Me and my dad went to the bank. When me and my dad went inside it was really long and we had to wait for our turn with the bank lady… Um, and… and when we were almost there somebody was yelling inside and my dad hugged me when people started running… And then…"

The doctor was fully aware that what had happened led to the tragic fate that Bakugou's father had met. For him it was critical that things that could stress the boy's psyche be handled inside the hospital and within acceptable conditions for him to prevent a relapse of any sort. He kept probing the child for more information.

"And then? What happened after that, Bakugou?"

Bakugou was silent for a bit. His mind was recalling events and by no stretch of the imagination was it having an easy time of things. A headache was coming on and still his brain kept feeding in information bit by bit for the young Katsuki. Logic was placed alongside his recollection and realization soon brought a sense of panic and uncertainty for the recovering coma patient.

"... Dad… Where's my dad? He grabbed me and I don't know what happened! Is he okay? Where's dad?"

The situation was escalating with Bakugou recollecting the events of the explosion that had sent him into a coma in the first place. HIs father had snatched up the boy when a panic broke out from the inside of the bank. A scuffle broke out and soon sounds of violence and screaming sent the people inside the bank into a panic for the exit. Masaru was doing all he could to get him and his son out of the bank as well but the crowd that choked up the exit of the bank made it almost impossible. All the effort to escape by the crowd was for nothing since the blast that wiped out a majority of the people inside went off and since Bakugou was wrapped in his fathers arms with the man's back towards the blast he was able to survive. It came back to the child and he was able to remember being held by his father before the violent explosion sent him into utter darkness.

"...Bakugou. I need you to stay with me and listen carefully to what I have to say. You have to be calm when you hear what I have to say to you ok?"

Mitsuki was looking away from her son and was already fighting to contain her reactions. Bakugou couldn't make sense why everyone was acting so weird around him. Why was everyone so serious? What happened when he was sleeping?

"Your dad… Your dad didn't survive the explosion. He protected you from the worst of the blast and passed away shortly after. I'm so sorry, but your dad isn't with us anymore."

Kids were rather sensitive to certain things as they began to learn how the world functioned and performed. Some of the more difficult information for them to process is the concept of death. The idea that mortality would lead to something that meant nothing else afterwards is an idea difficult enough of a concept alone for adults to cope with. Doctors were sanitary and clinical when they approached discussion about difficult topics with their patients so as to control certain reactions from previously established information. Neutral, positive, extreme; all reactions had their place in human psychology and now it was his job to gauge and temper this young boy's reaction to his father's death.

"... What?"

As expected there was no immediate reaction from the child as expected by the doctor. Bakugou couldn't digest the new's quickly enough for any sort of timely reaction on his part. His mother was trying to contain her reactions but had to lean onto Inko to keep herself from breaking down completely in front of young Bakugou. This silence went on long enough for the physician to intervene and try to elicit a reaction from the catatonic child.

"Bakugou? Can you hear me? Do you know where you are still?"

The first physical reaction that broke Bakugou out of his stupor was an eye twitch that migrated to more of his face and revealed his expression of disbelief.

"Wh… What? No, my dad was right here. I know him, he's… He's my dad! He won't be… I mean… I… I-I… I wanna see him! Right now!"

He struggled to move and without any second thought he tried to crawl up and out of the bed while yanking on the tubes and sensors hooked up to his arms and chest. The doctor tried to ease the weakened child back into bed and contain a potential manic episode.

"Bakugou I need you to listen to me, okay? You were in an accident and your dad-"

"Don't say that, you old hack! Dad! Where are you!? DAD!"

Bakugou was putting up an impressive amount of resistance and in fear of hurting the child the doctor called the extra staff in the room to help restrain the boy before he hurt himself. The staff were quick to help the physician press the boy back down into the bed and keep his thrashing to a minimum. His calls for his father went from shouted demands to screams of desperation with panic and sheer confusion sending him into a tailspin.

"DAAAAAD! WHERE IS HE!? I WANT MY DADDY! I WANNA SEE HIM!"

"Nurse! Midazolam! 4 Milligrams! Stat!"

The thrashing was strong enough to give the three fully grown adults a run for their money. More than the actual strength he was displaying they were doing their best as to not hurt him with too much pressure or force. The nurse in the back had already retrieved a clean needle and was in the process of measuring out the sedative from the glass vial. Clearing the air in the needle she leapt to the IV and administered the drug into the injection port.

"GIMME MY DAD BACK! I WANT MY DAD! DAAAAAD!"

It would take some time for the sedation to kick in, so for now all the staff inside the room could only restrain Bakugou until he went under. His mother was crying into Inko and Inko was shielding her long time friend the best she could in her arms. Izuku was huddled and clutching his mother from behind. He could see his friend was hurt and wanted to do something, but all of this was too much for the young midoriya to make sense of right this second. It scared him how scary his friend looked as the nurses and doctor tried to keep Bakugou down and his feral rage made him look like a rabid dog yanking on the chain. Nobody there could contain their grief for the innocent child screaming and begging for a father that would never show himself ever again.

Just outside the room Haru was almost back with his and Mitsuki's coffees when the screaming stopped him dead in his tracks. His first time hearing Bakugou's voice again after weeks of worry and angst was filled with the shrill screams of begging and anger. The pit in his stomach swallowed him up and inside the void he was falling into he could barely register staff going past him to assist the situation with Bakugou. The room went silent and what replaced the noise was the high pitched ringing that was painfully deafening for Haru. He could taste the acid in his saliva and the coppery taste of blood as his nerves were so sensitive that his own flesh was like pennies against his taste buds. His skin was so sensitive the small hairs that rubbed up against his clothing felt like pins and needles while the air chilled the exposed skin on his arms. His body was desperately trying to protect Haru from a threat that it had no power in actually doing anything against.

Haru's fingers were shaking and struggling to maintain enough pressure on the paper cups. The hot beverages slipped out and went all over the floor as well as his shoes. In a state of delusion brought on by his guilt he tilted his head down towards his hands and saw them stained in blood. Blood wasn't anything that he was unaccustomed to and in a different context would have warranted nothing from him as far as he was concerned. The blood that was visible to him was the same blood that was on his hands after he tried to resuscitate Masaru after the explosion that had taken his life later that very day. The palms were stained on the edges and the skin was smeared with dried blood in the wrinkles of his skin from pushing against a bloodied shirt while performing cpr. Haru could still smell the destroyed concrete and burning plaster as he relived the wasted attempt to save Bakugou's father. Every detail of that day was etched into him like a branding and now even the smell of the blood that stained his hands was making him sick now. Every streak and smear of blood was just as visible to him now as it was during his panicked effort to save Masaru.

Everybody passing Haru in the hallway ignored him for the most part and unknowingly left him to suffer in his own freefall of guilt and shame. The screaming was still being contained and more it reminded him of one harsh fact of this lifetime that he would never escape in his lifetime. He killed Bakugou's father, and now the boy will suffer the consequences of his actions for the rest of his long life. If he hadn't said anything, or better yet convince the father and son to go somewhere else for the boy's birthday instead… Even so, what good is fantasizing for something that was impossible now?

Haru was drowning. He was drowning and unable to breach the surface for any kind of relief from this fucked up nightmare. By the time Bakugou was placed under control and staff were able to stabilize his condition Haru was gone. All that was left behind of his presence was the cushion of the cheap seating he had warped out of shape waiting for Bakugou to recover. The second was the puddle of coffee where he began his binge of self torment and guilt in an effort to drown out all of the voices.

Two Months Later

His eyes felt glued shut by the lashes as he painfully returned to the land of the living. Waking from his inebriated slumber, Haru was woken by the sounds of rustling clothes and cursing from the escort he had hired the night before. What she was up to was easy enough to guess and sure enough when his eyes scanned the cheap motel room he had crashed at last night he found the prostitute going through his clothes in search of something. She was sifting through the pockets in his pants with little success in finding what she was searching for. Haru groaned as he sat up in the bed and as soon as he did he felt the aches and pains of the week long benders he had subjected himself to coarse their way through every square centimeter of his body. The bedside table still had some tin foil with heroine and a needle resting on top of it.

There were spots and pieces of memory from the past few days that weren't completely fried and destroyed from his excessive use of drugs, alcohol, and sex that could help him figure out where this cheap motel was located. Guessing by the track marks he was sporting and the accent of the hooker digging through his belongings; who was more than less likely looking for his wallet, he guessed that he was in Fukuoka. The sex worker wasn't making much of an effort in being stealthy and with Haru's hangover he was getting rather impatient with how long it was taking for her in finding what she wanted.

"It's in the jacket…"

She was startled by his voice and snapped around to see Haru sitting up on the edge of the bed he slept on the night before. It wasn't the first time she had done this and out of the rare occasions she was caught with her hands in her clients pockets it was often a matter of how fast of a break she could make out the hotel room door before she either escaped or was dragged back into said room until her pimp found her and beat the client attempting some kind of horrific retribution for her act of theft. She was getting pretty good at it these days and even when she was sure the client was out cold with what looked to be enough hard drugs and alcohol to kill a whale she still was careful to remain cautious in pilfering his belongings.

"Um, what?"

Haru was not in the mood to repeat himself, and so he made sure to let the hooker know how fucked off he was that morning.

"I said it's in the fucking jacket, you stupid bitch! Just take the fucking thing if you want; I don't give a shit if you did, but for fucks sake shut the fuck up you brainless waste of a cunt!"

Even on her best day she wouldn't stomach something so rotten and scathing from some cock she took the night before. Good cock, but cock nonetheless. In a fit of blind rage she picked up what was nearest and solid enough of a projectile for her to use against the prick that was sorry enough to insult her, despite the hypocrisy of her stealing from him as he laid there unable to stop her. A brown glass bottle that was full the night before of cheap wine flew across the room and exploded against the back of Haru's head. The strength of the throw showered the floor and bed with hundreds of miniscule shards of broken glass. The prostitute wasted no time in snatching up his jacket off the floor and storming out in her state of indecent dress. All that was able to cover her important bits was a set of purple lingerie.

"Fuck you, asshole! Do us all a favor and kill yourself, prick!"

The door slammed behind her and the whole room shook with the force of her single swing of the door. Again the room was silent with the sounds of traffic outside the window to keep the broken man company. His hands in his lap were more interesting than anything else in the room, especially when he saw spots of red dripping from out of nowhere onto them. Hands went to the sides of his head and he saw that the bottle his escort threw at his head had lacerated his scalp and was pouring blood from out the back and out the front in every direction. Haru let the blood drip down his hair and catch onto his palms and lap. In fact, the blood he caught in his right hand was rather interesting as he rubbed the warm red liquid running freely down the back of his head in between his fingers.

"... H-heh… Ha… Heh, It's… It's still red…"

The hand now covered in his own blood was all Haru could focus on as he sat alone on the cheap bedding. He could only laugh at the sheer disbelief that the color of his blood was still that of a mammal.

"It… It's still red… Why?... Why is it still red?"

His bleeding was slowing at this point. His arms were slathered in red from the head wound, the sheets were no better and were in fact worse off with a massive red and orange spot radiating from where he sat.

"... Fuck… Just… Just fuck me."

After sitting in his blood for a while more he was in the hotel shower and rinsing the crusty dried blood from his white locks. The boiling hot water made short work of the remaining mess left by his wound and left his head clean as it was before his scalp busted open from the inexpensive glassware from before. He stood under the jet of hot steaming water for some time before he began talking to himself.

"... What am I doing? What would you do here?"

Haru's head dipped lower and allowed the stream of hot water to hit the back of his neck instead.

"I'm not you. I can't do what you did so easily. He was your son, not mine…"

The hand braced against the wall clenched against the wall as Haru kept venting to nobody his feelings of inadequacy.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I let this happen. I don't want this to be all there is. If I could, it would have been me that day."

Cheap tiles creaked under his fingertips. There was nobody listening to his lonely begging, but still Haru kept on going.

"I would give up anything and everything to fix what I fucked up. Anything. But now, even that isn't possible… Just tell me what to do and it'll happen."

The digits digging into the ceramic cracked the surface and buried themselves slightly into the wall with the force behind them.

"... I'm… I'm so sorry. I can't think of anything else besides that. I killed you, and I'm sorry."

It was harder to stand in the shower with all the angst and guilt overwhelming Haru. The drugs ran their course and the sex left him empty. Drinking was blissful for a while and now it was just per the course of trying to fall asleep. All of the gut wrenching emotions were finally unavoidable and placed at his feet for him to confront. Overdosing or getting killed in a bar fight was easier than dealing in this shitshow of a guilty conscience, none of which was possible for Haru.

"It's your kid. I can't do what you did so effortlessly. He needs you. Not me…"

Like a prayer out of desperation Haru finally collapsed to his knees. He would be dead before praying to the god of this world, so the next best thing of talking to Masaru past the veil was what he was committed to.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Just, please. What am I supposed to do now? I can't speak to him now that this is all because of me. I pushed him into this hell and you're gone because of me. I-I can't. What am I gonna do when I can't do anything? I'm… I'm useless… So fucking useless."

Haru let his head touch the ceramic tiling on the wall and let his weight sink into the contact. Despite all his hangups with begging and how deplorable of a thing he felt it was he kept begging to the empty hotel bathroom he was trying to cleanse himself in. He was trapped in between the guilt of the father's death and his desire to do anything and everything for the son the innocent father had left behind in his passing. A man who wanted to cry and vomit alone in a hotel shower after being robbed by the hooker he hired the night before. Nobody would have guessed the nation of Japan was all under his thumb as he shriveled up under the showerhead.

The insanity of it all was overwhelming and still he wanted answers. He needed something to do besides drowning in copious amounts of heroin, meth, alcohol, and pussy. Anything was better than this. Images of Bakugou and what he was dealing with alone kept flashing through his head and kept him dangling from the pit he was hanging over. A pit he just surfaced from and was close to dropping back into for god knows how long.

Don't you dare think that spending time with Bakugou is a mistake of any kind. Someone who spends their time trying to make things work with their children is infinitely more deserving than someone who doesn't even bother with the risk of making mistakes.

The words came to Haru so clearly it was scary how much it woke him from his water logged stupor. The words Haru had spoken to Masaru when he came by his stall that night some time after Bakugou's tirade. Words to settle the dad's unease over if he was doing enough for his troubled son.

You care so much it hurts, and you don't even realize the good you're doing already. So for now ease up and accept that at the very least you're not a bad dad, ok?

Such sincere words were only meant for the drunk father weeping his woes away on Haru's barstools. In no way was Haru vain enough to think that what he said to his friend was reflective of his own situation, but…

Haru looked up into the showerhead spray and felt a connection of some kind, like somebody was trying to remind him of something. Something important. Something even he knew but couldn't recognize in his deep pit of grief and self pity. By no means was Haru thick in picking up a hint; so it only took time for an answer to reach Haru in his hollow loneliness. It wasn't about what he thought was right for both him and Bakugou anymore. His right to feel retribution or justification was no longer something he had a right to. Right now a boy was lonelier than he had ever been in his life and was probably suffering by himself with a mother who was struggling in her own rights over the death of her husband.

It was almost religious how much of his resolve poured back into his weakened body with this new realization. Here he was letting a family that needed every bit of help it could take alone to their grief and indulging his senses to escape something he caused. It wasn't about himself. It was never about him from the very beginning. So why was he here wasting time?

Haru's eyes cleared themselves of the fog they were blinded by and with a single push up he was back on his feet, purified of his doubt and knowing of the things he needed to do. He shut off the shower and exited the tub. He stood in the nude in front of the vanity and wiped away the fog that hid his reflection in the glass. What looked back was the reflection of the man who was ready to take things seriously and commit to what he needed to do rather than what he wanted to do. Still, he was tired and there was guilt weighing him down. Whether or not he could resolve his own issues was irrelevant and believing that was enough to keep him going.

Haru practiced smiling a few times until he felt it was convincing enough to keep others unaware of what he truly felt behind the mask. The basics of the preparation necessary to return to his life were made and with that he dried himself off and got dressed. His phone was thankfully on the bedside table and not inside the jacket the prostitute took with her earlier. He made a quick call and arranged the costs of his rooms to be covered before he left. After that was settled he took a deep breath and steeled himself to return to the living, to those who needed him now more than ever. He was halfway out the door before he paused and turned to look back at the littered hotel room. If Masaru was alive now to look at his dear friend making an effort to help his family he would have looked proud that Haru found the answer for himself, but incredibly sad that he would never know that he didn't blame haru for what happened and that he left behind so many people to deal with the loss of his presence in their life.

"I'm off, buddy. Thanks again. I'll make things right; no matter what."

With that he closed the door and left the room in darkness. All of this was his fault. Now he had to make it his obligation to make things better. Even if it cost him every ounce of flesh and blood he could pour out from now till the end.

Two Days Later

The weather was overcast and news reports suggested that the amount of rain to come for the city was severe enough to warrant an alert about minor flooding. Citizens were advised to avoid driving and that underground forms of public transportation may have to accommodate for possible disruptions in light of the weather. Haru was pulled up and parked nearby the apartment unit the Katsukis lived in. He was caught by light spitting but was still dry when he arrived at the entrance of the building. Apprehension was barely an issue in many of the less sanctioned parts of his life, but standing in the elevator up to the correct floor he was nervous to face the family after so long. He forced one foot after the other without breaking the cadence of his footsteps and in no time at all he was in front of the residence of the Katsuki family.

Haru swallowed some saliva to unstick his throat from itself and rang the bell. It was a minute or so before the voice of Mitsuki cut across the intercom. She still sounded intense but her usual sharpness was softer than what it was before.

"Who is it?"

Haru turned to the camera and offered an apologetic smile for his unannounced visit.

"Nakamura-san? H-hold on for just a moment!"

The mic clicked off and for a few short moments Haru waited patiently and stood at the door for Nakugou's mother to open. Again for a minute or so nothing; the door swung open and with a look of mild surprise Mitsuki opened the door and saw Haru in person after weeks of radio silence. She had a soft gray tee and a flowing periwinkle skirt that came past her knees, Contrasting Haru's brown dress shoes, jeans, black tee and army green bomber jacket. Two very opposite looks for the reunited friends.

"Hello again, Katsuki-san. I hope I'm not intruding with my visit."

"No! Not at all, just let me get the door for you real quick."

The house was not as well lit as it usually was whenever Haru had visited them in the past. Parts of the hallway were still doused in shadows and some of the living room was shaded in dim gray rather than warm yellow. Haru took his jacket off and laid it next to him on the couch as he sat on the still immaculate couch. Mitsuki had left for the kitchen and was soon back with a tray with tea and snacks. She set the refreshments down and poured herself and Haru some tea which he took graciously after thanking her for her hospitality. They both exchanged pleasantries for a bit before the hanging question as to why Haru was here suddenly was approached.

"You know, Mitsuki-san; I mainly came to check up how things were. For you and… For you and Bakugou. I know these past few months must have been difficult adjusting."

Her hand returned the cup to her lap and somberly she addressed Haru's concerns for her and her son.

"We're being amicable with each other and at times we barely talk at all. I wasn't exactly known for being the good guy between me and… me and Masaru. He was always the one to bridge the gap between me and Bakugou when things escalated or if there were too many fights going on between us. No matter how much we screamed and ranted at each other, sometimes for days on end, my husband would let us have our spats and wait till we ran out of steam. Once me and Bakugou refused to back down over his bedtime and Masaru was just sitting in the living room, sipping tea and reading the paper until we tired each other out and talked to both of us after we were done.

God, I was so angry with my little brat that day. Such an attitude from a kid of four and unable to accept a bedtime from his mother…"

She was reminded of a bittersweet memory of better times and Haru let her have her moment of remembering a fond memory of her beloved. She looked off into the distance and let all the precious moments return after ignoring the precious moments for months on end.

"He spoke to us both and after he was done, you know what he made us do? He made us talk to each other. Honestly I thought he was insane and at the time I was sure the little shit was gonna just fly off the handlebars like he did before… But no. Bakugou apologized. We spoke and negotiated without yelling or getting upset. Everytime he stood between me and our son he would always find the right words to bridge the gap, no matter how bad it got…"

Mitsuki couldn't hold back the waterworks anymore and was struggling to hide her sobs behind an elegant hand. This wasn't surprising to Haru since he knew how much the late Masaru Katsuki meant to her. He was one of the few that was confided by both the husband and wife that it was Mitsuki who approached and courted Masaru in the workplace rather than the husband chasing the wife and wearing her down to marriage like what most assumed at first glance. To see her defenseless and lost was just the icing on the cake of utter bullshit this whole situation was making itself out to be.

"I… I can't remember a time when he wasn't there to… When he wasn't there to fix this family and make things like they were. He made things better, and I-I… I can't do this without…"

She was struggling to hold in her grief in front of Haru. He could read in between the lines and with a short trip to her side of the coffee table he sat beside him and wrapped an arm over her shoulders. She let the embrace keep her steady as she let her tears and sorrow show after weeks on end trying to keep up appearances and being stoic in front of her friends and family. She missed her husband every time she was reminded of his absence. When she awoke and the spot next to her was cold and empty. When she set the table and realized she set out his spot at the table without realizing and had to clear the extra tableware. When she looked at her son and saw Masaru in Bakugou's features. She held it all in and hardened as a result of her emotional neglect.

This visit by Haru was a surprise that wasn't by any means unwelcome since Haru was just as much of a friend to her as he was to Masaharu. He was easy to talk to and was always to ease out subjects of conversation from her without prying or forcing her to share something she was reserved about. Even with private information and more intimate secrets Haru never took anything she said as odd or far detached from his ability to understand. So much was shared and at times between her and her husband he would act as a therapist of sorts to help them communicate their differences when they were going through their own rough patches. His presence went from a stranger her son had pestered unwarranted to a welcome presence in their home at any given time of day.

People who were close to the family couldn't understand her grief and burdens that were left in her husband's passing. She had her own grief to deal with and still had to care for a son that was in need of her guidance and attention. All the words of sympathy and shared condolences did nothing but remind her how alone she felt in her world. Mitsuki didn't have those expectations with Haru and even knew he would say something or keep silent if she needed one or the other. She wanted to feel listened to and for weeks she fought to keep her composure around everybody she knew. Inko was the closest to understanding her pain, but there was little in the ways Inko could do to help her in her already busy life of caring for her own son Izuku.

There was quite the absence that Haru took since the passing of Masaru and despite trying to reach the enigmatic food truck owner he was silent for most of the time. She knew that Haru was the one that tried to save her husband and for the most part felt indebted to his efforts to save him. When she wanted to speak and nothing responded she also could guess that Haru felt guilty for failing to resuscitate the man despite not having a hand in the actual incident leading to his death. She didn't begrudge Haru, but still she really could have used an open ear for all the shit she was holding in. It mattered little now as she was just relieved she finally was able to talk to someone who knew what this whole situation was doing to her.

"Y'know, Masaru did something that is similar to what you're doing now. Just like then I'll tell you what I said to him during those conversations; you aren't a bad parent just because you feel like you're not doing enough. You're dealing with grief and your son's need matches your own. You are not less of a priority nor is he. You both need each other and thinking that you need to support him while you ignore yourself isn't fair to him or yourself. You're not invincible, Mitsuki. Don't do yourself in by doing things that would break someone who isn't exactly that."

She began crying in earnest. Weeks of leaving pain to fester into sheer agony left her exhausted and fragile. She sobbed and weeped for the loss of her dearly departed and for once let herself feel as weak as this whole situation left her. In a small display of consideration Haru pulled out his dark blue silk handkerchief and loaned it to Mitsuki for her to collect her tears and mucus. She held the square of fine fabric up against her face and just kept on with crying her heart out. Meanwhile Haru could only offer some solace to her grief and hold in the guilt that was still festering in his stomach. A friend was missing her husband that he took from her and he had to pretend to be someone who was helping her through her troubles rather than the one who started this nightmare she was living in. Hatred of his hypocrisy was another byproduct of this deceit. Hatred that is to be ignored and even something to push him to help this family through the grief he was responsible for causing.

Mitsuki spent another twenty or so odd minutes crying and releasing all of her pent up grief before she was able to slow herself to just sniffling and hiccups. Haru rubbed her back and asked if she was done crying. A nod was all she could manage through her stuffy nose and swollen eyelids. Haru retrieved his arm and just sat next to Mitsuki as she used the handkerchief to finish wiping her face of her ruined makeup. Finally she made herself presentable and pocketed the handkerchief for her to wash and return later. Haru knew this and let matters be as they were.

"U-um, th-thank you Haru. I'm sorry for that. You're a good friend and my husband was better for it."

He could only nod in thanks at the compliment. She was still very much deep in her grief and had some difficult years ahead of her with being a single mother and dealing with her own emotional baggage; but at least she wasn't bottling things up and making things harder for herself. It was his personal agenda to make sure she would be able to handle this problem without anything weighing her down further than she already was. With that addressed he asked the next important question on his mind since he first came here.

"So, where's Bakugou? I didn't see his shoes out front and it looks like it's starting to come down out there. Does he have an umbrella or a jacket?"

Mitsuki could only look down in shame and shake her head no. Her hands were fiddling with one another as she went on to explain her son's absence.

"I haven't spoken properly to Bakugou for a few weeks now; not since he came back home from the hospital. I didn't want to break out into another petty fight with him with… With everything happening. He tends to run off during the day and comes home whenever he wants to. When he's here he just locks himself away or just ignores me. I wanted to yell and tell him to stop with this act of defiance; but I couldn't trust myself enough to stay in line long enough to say anything. I've been ignoring him and leaving him all alone to his pain. God, I'm horrible."

"Hey, look at me. Right now."

Mitsuki turned to Haru who was still next to her on the couch. He had a look of disapproval etched into his brow at her act of self deprecation.

"You were scared for your son. From the things you would say or do if you acted out in front of him. That's normal for somebody dealing with all of this. So stop that, it's not doing anybody any good if you just keep beating yourself up."

A sincere smile told Haru enough about how Mitsuki felt thankful for the feedback on her attitude of how she felt about letting Bakugou be on his own for all this time; how irresponsible she felt when she was incapable of being responsible enough over her actions while bereaved over the loss of her child's father. Still, the heartwarming moment had to be cut short by the reality of another concern of Haru's.

"Anyways, I should go and try to find the kiddo while it's still early. I don't want him getting sick or lost in this weather."

Haru got up and grabbed his jacket while the mother checked the window and indeed saw that the rain had picked up in intensity and was coming down with a fair amount of volume. She collected the now lukewarm tea and cleared the table as Haru was putting his jacket back on and slipping his heels into the shoes he came in with. The toes were tapped in and with that Haru opened the front door to start his search for the wayward son.

"Nakamura-san…"

He looked over his shoulder and saw the mother was bowing to him from the entryway.

"Thank you. For everything."

Haru gave her a look of empathy and made his way back outside towards his van. Inside the driver's seat Haru started up the engine and began his search around the neighborhood for the evasive Bakugou. The rain was now thick and pelting down on his roof and windshield and reduced the visibility he was working with from inside the van. To anybody else this would add quite a bit of frustration; for Haru it made no difference if there was rain or sunshine, finding Bakugou was just a matter of time for the platinum white haired man.

An Hour Later

There was no improvement in the density of the rain and now the gutters running alongside the sidewalks were filled to capacity and were just under their limits. Massive amounts of rainwater threatened to spill over to the footpaths and any sort of drainage running through the neighborhoods were torrential rivers that were flooded and running at speeds unprecedented in a valiant effort to keep the excess water from flooding the urban environments themselves.

Haru was rounding another corner and checking a deserted street with a waterway next to the road that was so filled and surging with water that anybody caught in that current was guaranteed to find themselves in the next town over before they would be able to pull themselves free. He was weaving through less populated streets and checking spots nearby that would have people populating them and be places Bakugou would frequent if he was by his lonesome and trying to kill time with nothing better to do. Shopping districts and local street corners held better chances of finding the boy than parks and footpaths in this downpour. He was near a neighborhood with lower income housing so the houses became cramped apartments and local businesses were migrated into claustrophobic rental spaces on the side of the road. The road was still wide and the space wasn't as cramped up as the buildings on either side. The runoff he was following on his left was just as intense and filled up as it was further behind him.

His eyes kept scanning and with more room to work with he was able to scan a wider area for the missing child. After a few minutes of carefully driving down the empty road and looking with intense focus he saw some men gathered off to the side of the road where the river sat opposite. With his sharp eyes he could tell by the way the men were dressed they looked like some sort of street gang that were gathered under one of the awnings of the business storefronts littering the roadside. There was the possibility that these random ruffians could have seen something, so throwing caution into the wind he approached them for some questions of his own.

They were some distance away so the closer he got he saw more and more what these men were doing in the middle of this downpour. First, he saw that they weren't just standing around on their street corner of choice; but were in fact engaged with some kind of racket with a man barely visible from Haru's angle kneeling in the rain in front of this group. Secondly there was someone else who looked to be engaged with the group. One of the larger ones with gray skin and a fin protruding from his back was holding down someone and beating them with his fist. Asking these men was more than likely going to be a waste of time in Haru's opinion. Gangs that start from the streets were beneath him and for what it was worth the police on payroll were going to have to be reevaluated in allowing this kind of garbage to manifest underneath their very noses. However what made him stop wasn't the act of extortion or the violence being exercised on the poor second person, but when the gray skinned brute lifted what he thought was another bystander was in fact just a small boy. A boy with a head of wild blonde hair, his face bruised and beaten with his limbs revealing swelling and bruising that looked to be broken bones at the more swollen parts. To his horror the boy he was hefting up was in fact Bakugou.

The next moment happened far too quickly for Haru's liking. He had stopped the engine and pulled the van halfway off the sidewalk and was about to leap out before he saw the same towering man carry the injured boy over across the street towards the open runoff that was carrying tons of water away from the city streets. Haru didn't have any time to think and as soon as the belt came loose and the door swung open he made a mad sprint for a section of the overflowing runoff just downstream where the now obvious half shark man was about to toss the unconscious boy into. A massive shit-eating grin cut across his jagged teeth as he tossed the injured Bakugou into the rushing water and in his worst fears realized Haru saw Bakugou hit the water and instantly disappear underneath the surface. He tore across the wet asphalt and screamed for the boy as he dove into the same violent inky black water that swallowed the young Katsuki.

"BAKUGOU!"

For Bakugou the past few weeks were the worst moments of his own as well as anybody else's life he could think to compare it to. His birthday had started as a wonderful morning of celebration and festivities as he and his dad were going to a new indoor mall that was also an amusement park and had all sorts of cool stores and attractions to go see. It was all so exciting and new with a whole day of festivities planned for the two of them. Just the guys out doing guy things. All of the celebration at the opening just made him feel that much more special as when he entered this place that seemed to have everything he could have imagined it having was so much larger and grand than he could have imagined from the start. The high ceilings and rides that snaked through the interior was so grandiose and the endless number of stores lining the floors was like the end all be all of anything fun or cool in his naive young eyes. He yanked on his dad's arm like a goblin with treasure fever inside a king's gold vault. His dad was patient with his son's excitement and let the boy have his excitement.

A few minutes in, Masaru had to slow down his son and get him to follow him to the bank inside the interior plaza for some much needed pocket money for many of their planned activities. Bakugou wanted to protest but when it was revealed to the eager child that he didn't have enough cash for them to do all of their planned festivities the child begrudgingly accepted and let his father carry him to the bank that wasn't too far ahead from where they were. Haru's directions were more than enough for the father to make sense of and soon the father and son duo were inside the massive installation. Inside, the look of the bank was so grand and impressive even Bakugou was impressed by the architecture. The whole space was large and the floors inside were visible from the ground level. In the center of the massive space a statue of the world atlas on the shoulders of the titan was shining bright and gold on top of a podium in the middle of the luxury carpet. The vintage feel of the interior was like it was a bank straight out of New York City. Bakugou was too busy admiring the interior decoration for him to notice the lines beginning to stretch out from the teller windows.

The father of the distracted young Katsuki spawn was able to squeeze past the other people in the bank and managed to snag a spot there that felt reasonable enough for their needs. For a while he carried his son in his arms and rested against the handrails that guided the teller lines into their designated areas. His son was still looking around and pointing out all the unique architecture he was curious about. He answered his son the best he could while waiting and soon enough they made it to the window.

"Good morning, sir. Welcome to the First Charter Bank, how can I be of service?"

"Yes, thank you so much. Um, I need to make a cash withdrawal and I was wondering if you worked with my credit union?"

She was quick to ask for his specific financial institution and once she got the name she confirmed that it was indeed supported by the bank. So with his card and information given to her she worked to withdraw money out of his checking account. Masaru felt impressed by the level and speed of service of the institution and felt that he should make more of an effort to get his banking done at this specific one more often. This was the last thought that crossed his head as screams and sounds of panic were heard from further inside of the bank all of a sudden.

The sounds of yelling and struggling drew the attention of many of the patrons of the bank's opening and soon sounds of violence broke out from inside.

"RUN! RUN AWAY!"

An employee who looked to have just escaped a hostage situation sent the filled to capacity building into mass panic as now people began pushing and shoving their way towards the exit. Some trampling had occurred for some of the less fortunate caught in the stampede. Masaru and Bakugou were at a window so they avoided the rush of people racing for the exit, but now the problem was they were almost at the opposite side of the front entrance. If there was an alternate exit Masaru was struggling to find it for him and his son. He shielded Bakugou in his arms and looked for an emergency exit with no avail. He migrated through the mob of terrified bystanders and saw an emergency exit light leading up a set of stairs. Nobody was racing for the doorway so he took the chance to get him and his son to safety. Unfortunate for him the instant he took a step towards the exit a bomb that was meant to open the primary safe inside the bank went off and swallowed up everybody inside and in front of the bank in a maelstrom of broken glass, metal, and concrete that claimed the lives of many who were still trapped inside the bank. The only reason Bakugou survived the blast was because of his fathers body shielding the worst of the shrapnel and initial blast.

The darkness the child was in didn't feel like the weeks that the adults who had watched over him had told him it was as he was in his coma. At most it felt like he had just closed his eyes for a few moments; and when he opened them again he felt like a mummy who was lying in bed for a million years. It took him a while to shake his grogginess and answer the doctor's endless questions about really obvious information. He had his faculties mostly back and remembering what had happened right before he blacked out he asked for his father who had been with him right before he went under.

The looks and reactions he got from the adults felt alien and strange as the doctor began to talk strangely to him. Turns out that his father was no longer alive and had died weeks before he had resurfaced from his coma. He couldn't understand the information and in a moment of shock Bakugou went berserk and tried to escape his hospital bed until he was sedated enough to lay back down and remain calm enough for the medical staff to make sure he was not going to try and blow up a wall to escape the hospital. His mom was around a lot and talked to the boy while he just laid there in silence, mostly unresponsive to her or anything else for that matter. After another week or so of tests and hospital food he was allowed to be checked out from his stay and return home.

Home for Bakugou felt so foreign and unwelcome compared to before. He couldn't get comfortable when he slept and being there just made him feel sick to his stomach. His own mother began acting like a complete stranger and was barely interacting with him unless it was mealtime or when they rarely spoke as they crossed paths inside the house. His adolescent way of thinking made it hard to realize that this place that was once a home to him only held memories of his dad that constantly reminded him of his absence. That his mother was caught up in her own grief and that even looking at him reminded her of a husband who would never come back to them.

School was no different with all of the kids unable to process that certain situations required a delicate approach. The first day back resulted in a fight that sent Bakugou home and unable to return until he got help for his personal issues. Suspension still didn't elicit enough of a response from his mom who would have torn into him for getting into a fight that got him suspended from school; still she acted like nothing had happened and let the matter go like it was nothing worth noting. So much had happened and he was struggling to make sense of it all. He was ignoring the empty feeling in his chest and barely talking about his feelings of loneliness. His mom was mostly ignoring him and acting like he didn't exist most of the time. Worst of all, his dad was gone and he would never see him again. He can no longer have his dad come in and check for monsters in his closet or under the bed. He won't see him at breakfast before school reading his newspaper and saying good morning to him like he usually does. The person who patted his head when he brought home an A and told him he was proud of them was gone. His dad was the only person who could talk to him and get him to understand when he was wrong about being angry with his mom. All of that was over.

Bakugou began running off during the day and only came home when he felt the need to sleep. He stopped acknowledging his mom and ignored her presence when she happened to be there. It was existence and it was far better than having to deal with the emptiness he felt when tried to be at home. Nobody could see him there, so feeling like he was invisible outside where everyone was a stranger was the next best thing for him. The experience of just walking around was mind numbing and day after day he was able to ignore everything around him. It was when he ran into familiar faces who had a bone to pick was when things took a turn for the worst for the boy.

At first the neighborhood boys who had lost to him in the past saw he was alone for most of the time he was out and about. They saw this as their opportunity to get payback while lacking the understanding he was going through his own set of issues. First few fights were just a childish scuffle here and there, but then they began to pick up in frequency and this frustrated Bakugou out of his fucking mind. He began hitting back harder and harder against the neighborhood kids and soon their older siblings got involved. These devolved into some sort of injury ending the fight and with the amount of catharsis Bakugou was getting out of these types of encounters he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time from winning against bigger and bigger fish in his pond. He felt in control and it was a breath of fresh air that he felt like he needed for the longest time.

Winning these fights eventually led to the kids who were after him in the first place into leaving him alone altogether. Bakugou was winning less with the lack of opponents and soon it led to a drought that lasted for days on end. There was an emotional release he needed in winning against bigger opponents and soon it grew from a small itch into a full blown withdrawal. So leading up to the day the city was blanketed in a downpour Bakugou was slowly becoming more open to the possibility he may have to challenge some really dangerous looking people in order to scratch his itch. He scanned the neighborhood for a potential opponent and soon he found something that he felt warranted his attention.

A group of over ten older men dressed in all sorts of thuggish looking streetwear were gathered in front of a man who looked like a business owner. The business owner looked to be roughed up a little and was kneeling on the wet sidewalk and forced to comply with the group of demanding ruffians. They were all laughing and making jokes at the middle aged man at his expense.

"Please, I can't afford another ten percent! I'm starving as it is! The money I'm making now is barely keeping the lights on and if I don't pay that then I can't do business!"

A member of this gang was up front and was dressed in expensive threads consisting of a floral button up short sleeve and navy slacks paired with leather dress shoes spoke with authority over the group.

"Listen, me and my men are self starters in these troubled times. We offer our services to the public and that public should recognize that services are to be rendered in profit. So if you'd just get things straight and understand some things here are worth the losses then maybe you'd understand that we just don't give a fuck."

"Yeah, you tell em boss!"

"Fucking retard doesn't even know, ha!"

His men's jeering only served to harden Bakugou's resolve to teach this lot a lesson in humility. He was soaked from head to toe and chilled to the bone, but this was the first fight in over a week he's had and he wasn't about to let this opportunity slip away.

"Hey, jackass!"

It took a moment for the group to hear the child but one shoulder tap led to another and soon the group had turned around to face the young child standing in wet clothes and with a look in his eyes asking for a fight from the strongest of all of them.

"Why don't you pick on someone who can fight back, huh!?"

None of the group could even muster a laugh at the ridiculous situation as they began to murmur to each other trying to make sense of who this kid was trying to pick a fight with them. The second in command felt irritated enough that their squeeze on the business owner was yielding little profit and now he needed something to hit to relieve the stress.

"Hey kid, you sure you wanna do this?"

The gray skinned hulk of a human being stepped forward to Bakugou's challenge and cracked his thick knuckles in response. The slick skin, the fin protruding against the fabric of the soaking wet basketball jersey he wore, the sharp teeth in his grin told Bakugou that this guy was half shark and was eager to respond to the challenge he threw to the whole of the gang there. He felt a little out of his depth and even if he won against this guy he wasn't sure if the rest of them would make a break for it if this guy lost. He was not backing off from this. His strength needed to be proved and this was just the opportunity to do so. If he won or lost he needed to win no matter what.

His back leg squared up and Bakugou was bent down low for his first strike against the monolith of a man taking on his request for a fight. The shark man was happy to see such fiery energy in his next victim, and to see that light go out because of him was so much more exciting. He took one step after another as he approached the boy and towered over his crouched form. He plucked his hands into his loose fitting jean pockets and looked at the boy as if to say he was waiting for the kid to make the first move. Bakugou felt the blood pushing up against his temple and to let the guy walk right up to him with no fear in his eyes was enough to tick off the boy enough to make sure his first strike would be nothing short of a massive blast that would wipe the smug grin off the half fish.

"Take this!"

With all of his might Bakugou thrust out his hands and willed a massive explosion to erupt from his hands. To his worst fears all that came from his palms was a pitiful sputter of smoke and flames no bigger than some cheap fireworks. The weather was something he forgot to take into account as he now could feel his hands were numb from the cold and the constant rain washed the little sweat he produced from his hands away. It was too late for him to take back what has already been said as the challenger was grinning at the idea of doing whatever sick violent fantasy he had reserved for this little brat was now gonna go much easier than he would have thought. By the front of his shirt Bakugou was lifted up to the thug's eye level.

"Sorry, but what was it you said? Someone who could fight back? Are you someone who could even manage that?"

He carried the child and brought him in front of the middle aged man who was still on his knees.

"Hey, old man! Guess what? This little shit thinks he's all hot and wants to be the one save ya! Ain't that some shit, huh?"

All of the others started laughing at the expense of both Bakugou and the business owner. More than being scared or humiliated Bakugou wanted to rip off the shark's teeth out of his mouth for laughing at both him and this innocent man's pain. Why were people happy when others suffered? Was what he felt just a joke? Did they do things like this because they wanted more people to suffer like he was?

"So I'm gonna do you a solid for today, ok? All the shit me and the others here were gonna do to ya? Yea, we're just not gonna do that for now. Instead, I'm gonna beat the shit outta this kid and you'll have to watch as he takes it for your incompetence! Hope you take a good look old man, cause this ain't somethin you see every day!"

The business owner was by no means a man of selfish intentions. He took no joy in seeing the abuse of an innocent child who wanted to save him being subject to punishment that was his to begin with. He was going to try and bargain for the child's wellbeing when all of a sudden the shark man cocked his right fist back and decked the child across his face. The blow was so violent the boy's head snapped like a whip from the force of the blow. It didn't stop there as the same fist from earlier soared in from behind and sank itself into the kid's stomach. Vomit came pouring out and stained the shark man's wrist before being washed away. He sneered at the sudden bout of illness from the child and dropped the limp body of the boy onto the concrete below. Bakugou curled up and tried to clutch his tummy out of sheer agony from the blow he took just now.

"You little shit, where the fuck do you get off being so disrespectful of your elders?"

With that he knelt down and grasped the youngster by the shirt once more and laid into his frail body with one punch after another. The blows that landed were not calculated and in fact landed randomly all across Bakugou's body. One after another the hits broke bones, bruised, and cut the boy with every strike. Enough was enough in the older man's eves and with one last burst of willpower he tried to at least spare the boy from this hell.

"Stop! I get it, I'll pay! So please, d-"

He was cut off from even begging for someone else's life with a kick to his head from the heel of the leader's shoe. The eye close to the blow began to see white spots and the skin over his right eye began to bleed and blind the eye underneath it.

"Shut the fuck up. We're being nice here, so take it like a man and watch; you useless piece of shit."

He got back up on his knees with his hand over the kicked part of his head. He managed to recover enough to witness more of the beating the child had to endure because of him. Nothing could justify such cruelty from such rotten people. Sadism of this level deserved divine retribution and punishment that wasn't coming soon enough for these fucking rotten degenerates. More and more they were witnessing this boy being beaten senseless like it was a peepshow and more the primal rage building inside of the business owner wanted their blood to spill all over this very sidewalk. Sometimes the world felt like it was actively trying to break the spirit of those who were unfortunate enough to be born on this god forsaken chunk of rock.

The beatings eventually stopped and all there was left was a bruised and broken child who could barely cough from the pain in his chest. The business owner was so ashamed to let this boy be abused as he was. The beating should have been his, and the child should have been spared from his misfortunes. Things didn't end there as the shark man's gaze fell on the runway for the city's rainwater had been running at capacity from the pelting rainfall that was still just as heavy as it was from the start. Dread clasped the heart of the business owner as the shark man lifted the abused body of the now unconscious boy up above once more.

"Hey boss, it feels kinda wrong to leave the kid lying around here without any adult supervision. So why don't we make sure he at least can get some sort of help before he chokes on his own blood?"

His boss followed his underlings gaze and caught on to the insinuation he was making. He just turned forward and closed his eyes as he chuckled and shook his head.

"You know what? I trust your judgement and think that you might have a point there. DO what's best for the kid."

The half shark chuckled and made his way to the flooded storm runoff and took a moment to admire his handiwork before tossing the body of the beaten and bruised child into the rushing water below. Unbeknownst to the group witnessing the act of murder and body disposal with glee the horrified older man could have sworn he saw someone running across the street with an impressive sprint speed and yell as he dove into the same water the child was thrown into. He couldn't make out what he said over the sound of the rain but it was clear he went after the boy who was tossed into the river of rainwater created from the immense rainfall.

Bakugou was floating from consciousness into darkness after initially blacking out from the painful beating he took from the sharkman he challenged from earlier. His brain was well aware that the next few moments could possibly be the last ones that Bakugou would ever have in the short amount of time he was alive. Every cherished memory that he had flooded his mind and with every one that flashed across his mind he felt that something was missing from it all. The memory of his last birthday where he and his parents were celebrating his birthday in their home and it was just them. The time his father read him a bedtime story and as he nodded off he felt his father kiss him on the head and wish him goodnight and sweet dreams. The memory of sitting at Haru's food truck and asking him for help on his homework while he was cooking Bakugou's lunch for the day. And then that was when it hit the young Katsuki.

He wanted the warmth of sitting at that food truck and eating something Haru made for Bakugou and his friends as they were coming home from school. The chat's they would have as Bakugou would keep asking Haru questions about all sorts of things and Haru would respond to the inquisitive child no matter how busy business got. The taste of the exquisite dishes Haru made for the entourage of youngsters that frequented his truck. More than anything he wanted to be there once more. He wanted to be somewhere it was warm and welcome for him and his friends to unjust talk and be whoever they wanted to be. Bakugou wanted to see and talk to Haru one more time and taste the food he made. Just one more time was all he wanted. Before the cold water sucked him under he could have sworn that he heard Haru screaming his name in the distance before the darkness took him once more. If he ever saw his dad again, he would tell him about all the things he wanted to do if he could have more time to live.

Haru went into the water and immediately began to scan for the unconscious body of the child thrown in. For a few moments the water was so thick with dirt and other pollutants that it made it almost impossible to find anything more than a meter away from his eyes. The water current was carrying him swiftly downstream and decreased the time he had to find the young Bakugou before the child would be beyond saving. He forsook his eyes and decided to feel the water for anything that would tell him where a small body could be. The surrounding water currents began to open up as he let every bit of stimulus enter his senses. Every bit of garbage and debris floating and spiraling uncontrollably in the water lit up on his radar like he was looking at it directly from where he was. The intensity of different flows of water surrounding him was like looking at a 3d model of his surroundings in real time. Adjusting to the temperature finally narrowed down what he was searching for and pinned down the unconscious body of the drowning Bakugou in relation to where he was.

Near the bottom of the rushing water Haru found Bakugou tumbling around further upstream from where he was. No swimmer in their own right would be able to claim they could navigate such a chaotic situation by their lonesome and make it out of there without risking major injury. Haru had no such hangups and kicked against the stubborn water currents through the polluted water directly at the rescue target he designated. In no time at all Haru broke the surface of the intense flow of water and dragged both he and the unconscious bakugou off to the side and dragged the both of them out of the river's hellish suction.

Both of them were now a bit down the ways from where Bakugou was first thrown in but finding shelter from the rain under an overpass next to the raging rapids Haru was able to catch a moment to see if Bakugou was ok. He layed Bakugou down so that the boy's feet were facing the torrential runoff that was just a bit away from them. Haru put his ear up to the unconscious boy's chest and heard nothing but a quickly fading heartbeat. There was no time to waste; Haru began chest compressions and breathing air into the child's lungs. Over and over Haru kept pushing air into Bakugou's unmoving lungs and pressing now on the boy's still fragile ribcage.

"Cmon, breathe!... I know you're still in there so just breathe!..."

The chest compressions and air going into the boy's lungs were maintained and still there wasn't a reaction. It was an act of desperation for the boy to live and still nothing was happening.

"...I'm not losing you… I lost your dad, I'm not losing you… Fucking c'mon… don't, c'mon… Don't you fucking dare… C'mon… Cmon, just BREATHE!"

This was more than desperation at this point for Haru. This loss was more than what he could bear at this point. He refused to let another life end that was the result of neglect on his part. He had every intention to be there for Bakugou and guide him with every bit of wisdom he held in his consciousness; if he failed to save Bakugou now then even Haru wouldn't know what would happen after that. More and more he frantically kept performing CPR as his window kept shrinking. He had an attempt or two left at best before this became an attempt at reviving a corpse from the dead.

"... FUCKING BREATHE!"

With one last breath pushed into the boy's lungs a bout of coughing and spitting of water from Bakugou's lungs revived the breath into the broken and bruised body of the young Katsuki. Haru let the unconscious body of Bakugou gather air before he cradled the unconscious boy in his arms in sheer relief.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god… Oh god, you fucking piece of divine shit. You fuck, you fucking piece of shit…"

He cursed the heavens above as he held the unconscious Bakugou. He was tortured beyond his limits and now he was just so relieved that this child was spared from the patterns of death he was sure he failed to protect Bakugou from. He felt the relief and relished in it before the next set of emotions set for Haru washed over him. His eyes peeked up from the embrace he had Bakugou in and his eyes looked back to where Bakugou was first thrown into the manmade river by the sick fuck who thought this act of child murder was entertaining to begin with. The water that soaked him through and through began to steam with the body heat generated from his inability to relax any part of his body responding to the bloodthirst he felt for those responsible. He peeled off his jacket and wrapped up the unconscious boy in the now warm waterlogged bomber jacket. A quick tug out of his jeans and the mobile phone was yanked free from the wet jean pockets. He unlocked the mobile device and dialed a number out of memory before holding the phone against his ear and waiting for a response which came in after the second dial tone.

"Saito Cleaning Services, how can we be of service?"

"I need a pickup; small package, delicate."

"Of course, sir. Are you in need of anything else?"

A cold look in his eyes was enough of a tell as to what else he wanted from the phone call.

"I need a street pickup as well. It's large, so send a crew if you can…"

"Yes sir, right away."

Haru left the phone on the unconscious Bakugou before standing back up.

"...I'm so sorry, kiddo. I gotta leave you alone for just a little longer. I promise I'll be right back for you, ok?"

His fists were clenched shut as he went back out into the rain that had somehow become heavier than it was before. There was blood to be spilled and there was nothing stopping Haru from getting what he wanted.

"So now that we got that out the way, what now?"

For the business owner his life was now inconsequential in his eyes. How could he justify wanting to live when even a child paid too heavy a cost for his inadequacy? No matter what was to happen from here on out he was uncaring for the consequences.

"To be fair I gotta say I've been more than generous with what's been going on today. So now I think it's only fair if I ask for some generosity back."

The boss lit a cigarette he pulled from his pocket and lit the stick before taking a peaceful drag and exhaling with a satisfied breath. He smoked at his leisure for about before speaking again.

"So fifteen percent for the next payment; otherwise I might have to get a bit more serious befor-"

And without warning a sense of dread washed over every single person standing in that tiny street corner. The rain could have felt like Niagra Falls and felt less intense than the drowning sensation that every person there experienced. Like they were teleported so far below the surface of the ocean that when they looked up towards the surface the light of day was barely visible.

Most of the men there turned to the source of the feeling and in the distance they could just make out the figure of a single man approaching them from down the road. There was even more rainfall than before so it took a bit of effort for those who could see him to actually make it out in the dense rainfall. The same sharkman from earlier could tell before anyone else that it was just one person and took it upon himself to approach the new challenger. The rain made him confident and even helped him a bit by stimulating and pushing his body to perform better than if it had been sunny weather. His energy and adrenaline was at an all time high and he was excited to exercise the strength coursing through him. In no time he was confronting Haru in the downpour and was mouthing off as one would have expected from someone as temperamental as sharkman was displaying he was.

"Listen, I gotta say we've got a lot of fucking visitors thinking they can just walk right up to us and shitting on out business. So for now I kinda got a 'zero tolerance' thing going, so unfortunately for you old man I gotta fuck you up real good. Try not to shit yourself, otherwise-"

The half shark had his finger jabbing Haru in his chest as he spoke. He kept poking and antagonizing Haru and in the end it cost him even more than what he could have imagined right then. In a blink of an eye Haru had the threatening half hybrid's forearm in his left hand and began forcing the taller man down onto his knees with pure force.

"What th- ow, OW! What the f- let- let go you- AAAHHHHHH!"

The grip strength squeezing on his massive forearm was causing the bones under the thick layers of muscle and skin to creak and bend under the bruising amount of pressure. Despite being caught off guard the shark hybrid was quick enough on his feet to try and counter the sudden assault. He pushed up into the stranger's grip to try and lift him from the ground and try to slam him to the hard street pavement. When the weather was humid he had strength that rivaled a tow truck; in a downpour he was strong enough to hold two semi's driving in opposite directions with just his grip strength alone. He couldn't move this guy from where he stood no matter how much strength he tried to pour into lifting him. Not that it made much of a difference when he was forced onto his knees and the parts that were grabbed by this random stranger were beginning to turn purple under the amount of force his flesh was being subjected to.

"What the fuck!? Who the fuck- just, fucking LET GO!"

He was unable to escape and while on his knees he was only able to beg for his arm back. Little did he know this act of desperation only made things worse for him. The hybrid was sure his arm was going to come off if he wasn't free from the grasp of this psychopath anytime soon. It was more of a truth than he realized as Haru gripped the shark man's wrist with the other hand and in a single pulling motion ripped the hand off the arm he had trapped in his grip. A single spurt of blood washed away in the rain was all he saw before he registered the pain of his hand being forcefully ripped from the rest of his arm. The ragged bits of flesh and exposed joints sticking out of the wound felt like nothing else he could describe. Like taking a cheese grater to the stump and sawing the culinary instrument back and forth across the open wound.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

He could only scream in pure agony as he felt his nerves catch on fire from the sudden absence of his hand. The blood loss was minimal and bits of exposed flesh were still gelatinous from being freshly torn open. All that was keeping the half shark hybrid from bleeding out was the bruising grip that was trapping the offended arm in it's digits. Despite his struggling and agonizing screaming there was no give in getting his arm free.

"You beat and drown children and think yourselves deserving in claiming ownership of this city? You're bottomfeeders, sucking the shit of lesser species off the floor and calling it an act of charity that others should kiss your ass for."

There was little going through the mind of the half shark hybrid as he was desperate in ending the unspeakable pain that racked his body and kept him from thinking coherently. It was making him desperate for relief; relief that was becoming less obtainable being trapped as he was right now.

"I can't help but feel such disgust for you little things. Like a cockroach scuttling in the corner or flies buzzing around a pile of shit. The only downside to squashing pests as repulsive as you..."

A set of razor sharp teeth trying to bite off Haru's dick was all the response he got. The primal instinct for survival snapped and all logical parts of the shark man's mental faculties crumbled into soft ash. His body demanded to be freed from it's pain and anguish through whatever means necessary and it was through waiting for a response from the conscious engine piloting the higher functions of the daily operations. Even this act of desperate survival was met with more torment as all of a sudden his head whipped to his right and most of his teeth showered the street with bits of ripped flesh and copious amounts of fresh blood.

Haru's right fist had struck the mouth of the human hybrid so quickly and with such extreme force that all the teeth that were caught in front of the fist's path were now sitting on the floor outside of his mouth over to the left of the man who took them out in a single stroke of his arm. Even the physical form was shocked at what had happened as the shark man was only able to look at the teeth ripped from his maw and back at Haru dumbly at what had happened. He couldn't even register that his arm was already free and bleeding profusely all over the road as he could only watch as Haru's right hand made contact with his head and forced his body to bend backwards with such brutality that every vertebrae in his spinal column ripped out of its respective joint to accommodate the new position he was forced to take. The back of his head made contact with his lower back and the last thing he could see before fading into eternal darkness was the silhouette of his other gang members upside down.

Those very gang members only could look on in terror as they watched their second in command get his hand ripped off and bent back like a cheap lawn flamingo. There was a very good reason the half shark was second in command in their crew; that reason being nobody could challenge him in a straight fight and hope to survive afterwards. Near the beginning of their inception as a gang there were two who thought that the second in command position was theirs and challenged the large fish hybrid to a fight that should have been to their advantage with numbers alone. Even two against one they were dead in fifteen minutes from the first bell. One had his neck twisted like a piece of steel cable and the other was hanging from his neck in the teeth of what was the second in command. All the damage those two managed was a scar running over his lips. He was caught on the mouth by the second one as he went for the kill and sank his teeth into their throat. Since then nobody else bothered to challenge his position in the crew.

Like liquid filled chewy snacks many of the shark man's organs had popped inside his torso with the amount of pressure they received as the torso collapsed into itself. Blood was pouring from the open mouth and began flowing down and painted the whites of the rolled over eyes. The rain kept carrying the blood away and into the drains. Haru took his hand off the piece of human origami and looked on to the other remaining members.

"... Is having to touch you as I squeeze the life out of your frail little bodies."

The head of the group couldn't believe that his right hand man was bent like gummy rope and defanged with a single punch. He saw that man bite his way through a car door and nothing happened to those razor sharp pearly whites. There was no contest of physical ability between the two and without a doubt he would lose against the human hybrid in a demonstration of strength. What kept him in his seat of leadership was partially due to his business smarts and leadership experience; the primary reason was his telekinesis that was strong enough to crush a small truck. He wasn't dexterous enough to manipulate anything freely or juggle objects in the air, but rather the areas he used his telekinesis on were subject to force that would send whatever was affected in the direction of his choosing. At most he could push the area as wide as a small neighborhood playground, but doing so significantly reduces the power. The greatest amount of force he ever produced crushed an industrial gas canister as tall as he was like a soda can. He could only do so by narrowing his quirk down to the size of a circle less than a meter in diameter. He could push harder and wider if he wanted to, but that had left him with some rather nasty bleeds from his nose and in his eye.

He could kill or maim anybody in the group with little to no effort and everybody didn't need to challenge for his authority to be recognized. The now dead shark hybrid was the only one to survive his psychic attack when his boss had to restrain him from killing a fellow gang member. So seeing the body that could withstand forces capable of crushing steel fold and break so easily at the hands of this new challenger he felt something was off immediately. That feeling from earlier was definitely just him standing too long in the cold, someone this bloodthirsty has his intimidation factor and seemingly rightfully so. This was dangerous for everyone here and they needed to fight for not only their reputation but their survival.

"... What the fuck are you all standing around for? Get going! I want this fucks head NOW!"

"Uh, yes sir!"

"OK!"

"Yes boss!"

About eight or so men took up the call to arms and began their charge against the advancing Haru. They figured if they all charged in full force they would push their advantage enough to catch a window where they would start their merciless beatings. Haru was just leisurely walking in comparison and didn't even bring up his hands in a stance of any sort. The men were all going in at once and for the most part they were clustered and only a second behind the one ahead of them. All of them were screaming and shouting as they closed the distance with their quirks active and ready for combat.

The first to strike spearheaded the attack with his hand vibrating at super speed. It wasn't particularly powerful but hitting someone or touching them with the superspeed vibrations would be enough to tear into the skin and possibly cut through the softer tissue of the body. Even if he couldn't do anything the next set of attacks were right behind him. Another fleeting hope as his hand was caught in Haru's grip and trusted so hard that his entire arm was dislocated in every major joint and bent unnaturally at the elbow. Pain wasn't even registered before Haru grabbed the man's windpipe and ripped out the tube of cartilage that made up his airway. He went down and from the gaping hole where his throat used to be blood gushed out in spurts that matched his heartbeat.

Before the first dead man could touch the ground the next two were there and winding up for a two pronged attack. Haru was being efficient in killing and didn't want to linger on each one of wannabe gang members. For these two he took the leg behind him and swung at the next two coming in for an attack. His leg caught both of them, but the kick hit with so much force that rather than breaking bones or bruising organs it instead disemboweled the two of them and sent them tumbling over to the sides. All of this was happening as the group of gang members were charging still. There was no time for recourse and even less for them to realize three of them were either dead or dying painfully.

The next one up came in low and could see a window of opportunity as the kick from just now left Haru's left side wide open. He went for the right leg instead and tried to catch Haru while he was only balanced on one leg. In an instant he leapt towards his target and was sure he had the limb in his hands before he grabbed the empty space it was just occupying and everything going tilted as the shoe that was used to kick the previous two had chambered itself for a straight kick that split the man's skull wide open through the orbital bone. The other leg was pulled up as well and with the other leg safe the eyeballs of the crushed head Haru had kicked flew out in different directions. He kept his weight forward as the kick sank in deeper and eventually he felt the resistance of the ground through the corpse. Next one swung high with a haymaker, so he extended the other leg and slipped under the high blow and caught the attacker with his own punch to the belly button.

He tore the intestines in front of his fist and without wasting his momentum he launched the individual into two others behind the violently-made airborne gang member. The fight didn't last long at all and ended long before anyone would have guessed it would take to fight off eight of their crew and survive. This wasn't considering if they would be alive or not after the fight. Not only was Haru unscathed, but all of the men who went in after him were all dead and lying on the street with their blood being washed down the storm drain. Haru didn't play around with those he killed here and at most used one or two things per opponent to end the fight. Broken necks, disemboweled stomachs, necks ripped open, crushed organs, all of the bodies were broken or mangled horribly by Haru's bare hands.

There were three other members besides the boss who stood back and watched as the gang that was already over ten strong was reduced to just the four of them in less than a minute. The business owner who was still on his hands and knees forgot about his own injury as he looked on in pure awe at seeing the display of speed and strength that took down and killed nine men of this violent street gang. These so-called 'hardened criminals' were like toddlers going up against a pro MMA fighter with all the good they could do for themselves in their one sided fights. Now that the man was closer the business owner could see that he had white hair and beard to match. In the back of his mind he couldn't help but wonder if this was some sort of divine intervention from one of God's angels sent to kill the sinners here today. Thankfully for his sake he didn't say any of this out loud and avoided Haru's anger.

Haru was still closing the distance slowly between him and the remaining survivors. The three underlings took up defensive positions and squared up to defend their boss. Haru didn't change speeds or stop his advance and when he got to around ten meters or so; the center one of the trio plummeted to the wet concrete with both hands out. The one to his right whipped off his shades and out of his pure white eyes a white mist was creeping out the corners of his eyes. At the same time they launched their coordinated ranged assault and hit him with their quirks.

From the ground a live current traveled across the wet cement and caught Haru in a massive amount of electricity. As if that wasn't enough the beams of white that shot out of the other user's eyes began freezing the water that was soaking Haru through and through. He was being enveloped in a thin frozen shell starting from the neck; in no time at all the frozen shell almost encased his entire upper body and was heading for his knees. The electrical current was still active and was causing the ice and rest of Haru to steam with the amount of heat the electricity was producing. Their dual attack was far more effective in this weather and since the electricity user could only directly conduct with things to increase his range; the range they utilized just now was a gift from chance.

They were both feeling pretty victorious over their combined attack and they even let out a nervous sigh and cracked a small grin each that it looked to be over for now. Creaking and cracking from the statue that was Haru cut this small celebration short as double checking their handiwork informed them that their effort to stop their opponent was barely doing anything. Haru had started walking again and the parts that were encased in the frozen shell broke off the exterior ice and kept on moving like nothing was there to start with. The electrical current was making it so hot that Haru kept emitting steam from everywhere. His flesh should have turned into roast beef that was overcooked for how long and powerful of a current he was running to Haru. They both doubled their efforts but nothing was even slowing down this terrifying beast. They felt sick to their stomach with how much energy this was taking, but none of that was of consequence anymore when Haru finally stood in front of the duo.

They couldn't stop now. Anything less than this was just asking for death and they were not surrendering to their fates. It didn't matter much as Haru grabbed the ice beam user by the jaw and shoved his head down onto the electricity user's head. The neck of the ice user snapped as Haru brought it down on the other gang member; not that it was of any major consequence since it was instant death for both of them with their heads smashed against the solid floor. Their heads became squashed hamburger meat with jellied brain matter and white bone mashed together in the combined mess. The last underling saw the horror of it all happening in real time and decided it best to try and make off with his life at least while the going was still good. He turned and ran for the hills, but Haru was well aware of possible runners and was here to kill everybody. The runner got as far as twenty meters down the street before something shot through the air and buried itself into the back of his head. He ragdolled to the floor and blood pooled out of the broken nose that was the result of falling so carelessly.

The leader was by himself now. The past two years of work gone in a few short minutes; all done in by this one psychotic murderer who had come out of nowhere. All of his ambitions were sent back to square one and now it seems he has more important emergencies to attend to. He turned back to Haru after witnessing his last man go down from some kind of bullet burying itself into the back of his head. Haru had his hand closed around something in his palm and blood was oozing out from between his fingers. He unfurled his digits and from his hand out fell what looked to be human teeth. The leader was quick on his feet in most situations; it was easy enough to guess that after he smashed the heads of his last few underlings against one another on the ground he fished out the teeth and used one of them as a means to prevent the runner from escaping. While correct, more specifically Haru used a molar to stop the escapee from getting away by burying the enamel into the bottom of his skull and making sure it was a killing shot. The rest of the teeth weren't necessary to make the shot, it was just to show the last one standing how he killed his last man.

When he started this gang he was well aware that this sort of fast and loose lifestyle would probably be the end of him sooner rather than later. He accepted the risks and if he was to meet his end he would do so without regrets. To die like this was another matter altogether. There would be nothing after he dies. His life's work to claim his stake in this city and command his own territory was snuffed out right in front of him. The gang he cultivated and led was dead and nobody would remember him for being the founding leader of this gang. All his sweat, blood, and tears were rinsed away and nothing remained; like the rain washing the blood of his men away right this second. As much as he was scared, he was pissed that everything he is and was didn't even slow down this agent of destruction that attacked him out of nowhere.

Haru felt that this had gone on for long enough and was done with all of this. He took a step towards the last remaining gang member and immediately he was hit with the quirk the last survivor had yet to reveal until now. The ground gave away a bit and cracked under the pressure coming down on his whole body. The leader had his hands up and a look of pure wrath in his eyes as his nose popped a vessel and now was trailing blood on his upper lip from his left nostril. His eyes were bugging out and his face was crimson as he put all he could into crushing this sadistic fuck. He never pushed himself as much as he did now and it felt like his head was going to pop and explode any second. The concrete was snapping like styrofoam and even the water inside the affected area sank into the pores of the concrete. The weight inside was over several tons and he was certain that despite everything nothing could survive this kind of weight on their entire body. Initially he felt vengeful and bloodthirsty, but as the seconds passed and the longer he stared at Haru, the more that initial burst of wrath began transforming into a weight of equal size inside his chest.

Haru was still standing after being exposed to the massive burst of psychic power. In fact the only thing that was giving under the weight of the area affected by the quirk was Haru's shirt. Some of the material around his shoulders began to produce holes and tears; other than the aesthetic inconvenience for Haru he was rather calm. The leader was feeling like death as it was but with another burst of extra weight he was now pouring blood out his nose and even his eyes were spotted redd in the whites and crying blood. Enough was enough for Haru and he took three steps out of the affected ring and was no longer under the influence of the quirk. The leader usually was able to move the affected areas around freely, but focusing so much on the output made that impossible. He released the quirk and tried to catch his breath as his head was sporting a migraine unlike any he's had before. It was such a fall from grace for the gang leader to be on his hands and knees being as helpless as he was. So much of his stamina and physical health was risked for that one attack and he was suffering for it.

The pain made him cough blood and gag with how much his lungs burned with every breath he took. Trying to regain some composure, the sight of Haru's shoes made him turn his eyes up at Haru as he stood towering above. Haru grasped the worn down man by the shoulders and stood him back up. It was like he weighed nothing with how easily he was manhandled. Haru let the defeated former leader regain his balance before continuing.

"You think because you had some charm and some like minded peons hanging onto your every word you owned a couple of backstreets in the sticks? Don't kid yourself. You're nothing but a mistake. Something that slipped through the cracks that never should have been in the first place."

Who the fuck was this man to tell him something so degrading? What right did he have to say he was nothing but a mistake? He knew he was meant for more. Even now he knew his destiny was meant for greatness. Haru clearly wasn't having it as the spark of resistance only sparked a bit in the beaten leader's eyes before he decided to just kill him. His right hand lightly hovered over the man's left shoulder like he was gesturing to something behind the former leader.

"Don't worry. You don't have anything else you need to worry about anymore."

In one single swing that also carved up the concrete sidewalk Haru swung his hand that was hovering over the other man's shoulder and cut straight down from the collar bone to the opposite hip bone. Blood sprayed and rained down onto Haru which the rain just as quickly rinsed away. Organs spilt out and splat in a steaming pile at the feet of the bifurcated gang leader. His eyes glazed and just like the others he fell backwards as another corpse that was littering the roads and sidewalks. Haru could only look down at disgust that such a thing as this was allowed to roam around the streets of one of his cities. He would have a talk with the proper authorities in charge to prevent such a thing in the future.

All of this murder and death was witnessed by the business owner who was pretty much forgotten about at this point. This man had not only killed with speed and skill, but was able to shrug off multiple attacks like they weren't even there. He realized that his recent financial problems were now quite literally dead, but another concern was at the forefront of his mind. What will this man do to him now that everyone else was taken care of? Would he spare him? Would he extort him for money just like those before? Worst yet, would he kill him like he did with the others to cover his tracks? Haru's eyes fell on the poor bystander and scared the older looking gentleman at eye contact.

There was no time to contemplate things to say to help himself out of the situation before a line of semi trucks came down the street and parked alongside the sidewalk behind where he was now flat on his ass. Three trucks with trailers were lined up front to back of each other and all of a sudden out the back of the trucks and out the sides of them dozens of men and women dressed in hazmat suits and other uniforms poured out from the trailers of all three trucks and began yelling and organizing themselves as they went straight for the dead bodies lying on the streets. All of them were working quickly and efficiently as they not only picked up but bagged the corpses and extracted personal information of the deceased. A full blown cleaning operation was unfolding in front of his eyes and it all seemed to be for the man who had killed them in the first place. One of the operatives dressed in coveralls and a hardhat carrying a tablet approached the white haired man in what looked to be subservience.

"Nakamura-san, we came as fast as we could. We apologize for any delays and as the lead I will accept full responsibility for any repercussions!"

"That's not necessary. Just get it done as best as you can and make sure nothing is left behind, understood?"

"Yes! Immediately!"

The cleaner noticed the older gentleman who was still soaked to the bone in the rainfall and was sitting on the wet sidewalk. Haru followed his stare and looked down once more at the shocked old man.

"What shall we do about him?"

Haru approached the frightened man and knelt down while still on the balls of his feet. It felt rather intimate when Haru looked into the eyes of the bystander of this whole violent affair. He wanted to confirm something before making his next decision.

"You."

"Uh, wh-what? Me?"

Haru continued on and ignored his question.

"The boy that was here earlier. What happened to him when he showed himself?"

The guilt was back and the more he recalled the events leading to the boy's immense and excessive beating. He recounted to Haru with the best effort he could muster.

"He. Uh. He came and tried to pick a fight with the big one over there."

He pointed to the first death that sat further up the road.

"He tried to save me. I thought they were gonna kill him and when he tried to fight back, nothing happened. Then they told me he was going to give the boy my beating… Oh my god, oh my god."

The owner was clutching his head at the image of the beaten and broken child. It wasn't right that a child was dragged into such adult matters.

"I tried to stop it, but they just went ahead and… Wh-who does that? Who laughs as they beat a child they barely know!? Oh god, I should have been the one…"

Tears were falling and the business owner allowed the guilt to move him to tears. He couldn't justify events as they happened and still felt responsible for the poor child's fate. He saw the boy go into the river and right then he saw what he thought was somebody diving into the water after the boy. He hoped he wasn't just seeing things. He prayed that the boy was alive and spared from these horrible people and their attempts to end his young life. Haru got all the information he needed and stood back up and spoke to the cleaner lead once more."

" I think he's had enough for one lifetime. Get him sorted out and see to it that he's compensated for his troubles. These dead fucks…"

Haru jabbed his left thumb over his shoulder to the dead bodies that were being disposed of.

"-Were here doing whatever the hell they wanted for quite some time and I need to speak to the Commissioner about why this was allowed to happen."

In his many years of living in japan he never thought that he would see someone kill over a dozen people in the open and immediately after mention calling a commissioner of the Japanese police and reprimanding them right after. This day was shaping to be rather batshit backwards and he couldn't find the words to how he was feeling. Again it took a moment but he noticed that Haru was looking back to him and addressing him.

"Hey, old man."

"Uh, ye-yes?"

"You didn't see anything here today. Anybody asks, you were at work and doing whatever it is you do by yourself. You do that, and all of this disappears."

That was it? He was assuming he was going into a bodybag same as the other dead bodies. This was an easy choice, hands down. Things were quickly made clear as Haru followed up with another stipend.

"If anybody learns what happened here and it's because of you?..."

It was a reminder for the older man that this was someone who killed all of these men with his bare hands in a fit of rage and had his own personal clean up crew pick up after him. The look in Haru's eye was colder than the freezing temperature rendering his body numb. He would slit his own throat before dealing with this man's displeasure. So to appease Haru and keep his neck intact he just nodded yes. Haru felt satisfied with the response and left matters as they were.

"Oh, and just to let you know; the kid is fine. He should be in the right hands by now. Right?"

Haru threw the question to the cleaner lead without even looking in their direction. He snapped to attention and gave an answer immediately.

"Yes sir, he should already be at the hospital by now with a full team of professionals tending to his care!"

So much of the weight on his heart was lifted after hearing the good news. For both Haru and the business owner. The owner let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in and felt such relief that the child will live to see another day. The rain had eased a little but was still coming down quite a bit. Everything here no longer needed his attention and so Haru decided to let matters be handled by those in the organization he was now more directly involved in since recent events had come to pass. With that he went back to his truck and got ready to see someone in the hospital that demanded his full attention.

Two Days Later

The morning dawn hit Haru on the back of his head and woke him up from a less than comfortable sleep in the cheap waiting chairs of Bakugou's hospital room. Haru yawned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he straightened out in his seat. Two days since Bakugou was admitted to this hospital and for most of the time he was asleep. Mitsuki was in a panic as she was rather abrasive with the hospital staff about her boy's condition; Haru managed to talk her down and ease her as the medical staff had notified them that Bakugou wasn't in a coma like before but was sedated until they felt it was appropriate to take him off of it for his body to heal uninterrupted and keep him from dealing with the agony of a broken body.

Unbeknownst to Mitsuki Haru pulled some strings and managed to get a treatment for the boy to help mend much of the damage from his encounter with the gang of wannabe gangsters. Al lot of the bones had mended and most of the serious internal damage was already healed significantly. Bakugou was removed from the sedation the night before and now it was just a matter of waiting for the boy to wake up naturally. Haru didn't want to risk anything while Bakugou recovered so with his influence he stayed in the child's room and just kept waiting for the moment the boy would wake up.

It was still only less than a week ago when Haru came off of his drug and alcohol binge and while on said binge he had rarely slept if at all. He wasn't in need of sleep mostly, but still being in this room and not having to deal with other surprises his body just gave up and he would find himself falling asleep in the same chair for random amounts of time. There was a good chance Bakugou was due to wake up any moment so Haru steeled himself and awoke for that moment. Haru stood up and stretched out the kinks and tight spots that were starting to gather in his joints and muscles. Light snaps and pops relieved the tension and now up and aware he took the chair back over to Bakugou's bedside and went through his email's on his phone.

In no way was Haru going to allow the neglect he demonstrated from before to harm those he intended to protect from the very beginning. The discussion with the head of police for the prefecture that the gang he had murdered in began with flimsy guarantees his requests were not being ignored. From there her responses let him deduct that certain activities that were reported from her officers began taking lower priority over more publicly arousing operations like drug busts and major human trafficking rings being stopped. Haru was swift in letting her know that it wasn't because of her detectives or the officers of her departments, but the connection she had in his organization that she had the resources necessary to create these grand displays of criminal prosecution. There was little resistance from the commissioner as he told her off and made it a guarantee that if she didn't begin working on the control of unwanted rogue activities in her cities then he would personally replace her and handle her 'retirement' all by himself. Her most recent response simply confirmed she would address the issues and concerns Haru had addressed to her with nothing less than her full and undivided attention.

More and more Haru realized anything less than direct supervision over this temperamental animal was just asking for trouble. He never should have had the expectation that those working for him were capable of managing themselves in any meaningful way. He could only dread the next few weeks as he was sure that more sections of the Japanese government were surely falling apart at the seams since his absence from being a more direct form of leadership. His hand covered his face as he began to rub his eyes out of frustration from the mess he had to clean up. It wasn't about having to do the work; it was the fact that what he left behind he thought it was clear cut. What the leadership needed to uphold and all those below them were responsible for were basic and easy to maintain. Of course one excuse led to another and it led to everything being where it was now as well as to the direct defiance of an order he had issued to the organization. No more was there room for mistakes and anything less than absolute loyalty was unwelcome and deserved the highest form of punishment.

His inbox was filled with reports at his request and what he found just sickened him further. So many of the supposed 'reports' that came to him were falsified and from those he received them from he put in a personal inquiry for a personal discussion. Quite a few responded with defenses to numbers or excuses that the representation of their operations were still optimal enough and close to the numbers given. No one was given any quarter and he made a final call for the actual operation statistics and all the personal data of all staff in their workforce. Again they all responded with disbelief that Haru would sort through hundreds of thousands of data folders they EACH had, but he made it clear he wasn't repeating himself. Most of them had responded immediately and none of them took more than half an hour to send him his files. The millions he had now in his personal inbox would take some time; but he needed to make assessments and diagnose how deep the damage was from his years of neglect.

He was skimming the spread sheets checking for more possible evidence of embezzlement when he heard a small groan and shifting of bedsheets that caught the full of his attention. Bakugou was grunting as he began to move the sore muscles in his arms and legs. The pillow crinkled and slowly Bakugou's lids crept open and took in the sight of the hospital room that looked similar to the one before. He turned to Haru who was the only other person there and couldn't help the small amount of joy in seeing his bearded face again after so long. Haru had his phone away already and stood to get closer and check Bakugou for himself.

"Kiddo. Kiddo, it's me. It's Nakamura. You remember me, right? How are you feeling? Is there anything that still hurts too much? Do you want something to drink or eat?"

Haru was almost overwhelming in his barrage of questions in assessing Bakugou and if there was anything he could do for the child. Bakugou still was happy in his small reunion, but now was getting a small headache from trying to think of answers for the rather incessant Q and A.

"Nakamuraaa, I'm tired… I'm okay. I just wanna sleep."

Being the adult in the situation, Haru caught himself and leaned back into his chair. He could see that Bakugou had just wanted space and was just turning his head away from the man and laid there in silence. There were still a few cuts and bruises that were under bandaging and wraps peppering the boy's arms and face as well as his neck. Anywhere really that was exposed there was some kind of medical care done that was still visible. It was thanks to the treatment he had flown in and paid for that kept the boy from having to wait another month or two in traction while healing naturally. He really didn't want Bakugou lying in another hospital bed longer than was necessary. All that remained was some deeper bruises and aches left over from his bones being mended as quickly as they were stitched back together in less than a day. The silence between was far from uncomfortable and they felt alright just being in the same room, but there was a question still hanging in the air.

"... Bakugou?"

Bakugou didn't move and kept acting like he didn't hear.

"Bakugou, please look this way."

Haru leaned forward with elbows to his knees and locked his hands together in front of him. His eyes were still looking at the child as he was gently trying to pry a response from Bakugou. Bakugou didn't turn to him directly or look at Haru. Bakugou just stared straight ahead at the wall as he reluctantly gave some of his attention to Haru. He really was tired and answering the next question felt like such a chore to the boy.

"... Bakugou, why were you trying to fight that street gang? Those people could have killed you then and there; the only reason you're probably alive right now is because they tossed you into the runoff and I was there to pull you out. Did you think that you could have won that fight even IF you couldn't pull out an explosion?"

Bakugou's hands gripped the sheets and still his face was emotionless as ever.

"What were you thinking? So what if you won? You think people like that forgive and forget after losing? IF they had lost, and this is a big IF mind you. IF they had lost that day; they would have hunted you down and searched hell and high water for you. What if they found out where you lived? What if they found out who Izuku or the others were? What about your mom? These people don't send in letters of complaint when something like that happens. They hunt. They hunt and hunt until they feel they think they've killed enough to satisfy their revenge. I… I-I just…"

Feeling defeated by it all, Haru just let out a sigh and let his head hang. It frustrated Bakugou to do nothing but listen to Haru lecturing him for almost getting himself killed. He knew he was in the wrong and that this was something he was aware could have killed him. Everything stopped making sense a long time ago and even now all he could feel was empty and missing something important deep inside of him. He just couldn't pinpoint what.

"... This isn't just about you kiddo. I understand you feel frustrated. I don't know exactly what it is you're going through, but even I think that this is too much. Do you think your mom wants to wake up one day and hear her only son, the last of her family, got himself killed? I mean she lost your father, this doesn-"

"...Shut up…"

Haru stopped midway and letting things sink in realized he may have finally touched the button that he was trying to ease into later in the conversation. Still, he had to address this and so after collecting himself he asked Bakugou once more.

"... I'm sorry?"

The young Katsuki's hand squoze the sheets so tightly he could feel the malleable joints in his hand creak and strain under the pressure he was using to grip with. He dipped his chin and hid his eyes from Haru.

"... I said. Shut. Up. Everyone is acting weird and I can't take it anymore. Everyday I just want things to go back to normal and all of these people keep acting all weird. I hate it! It's scary and weird! Even mom is acting weird and I don't know what to do!"

He was picking up volume the more he poured his frustrations out. Haru kept looking on in silence and the cracks over Bakugou's protective exterior were revealing something that needed to be let out quite some time ago.

"I don't know what to do and everyone just keeps reminding me about what happened! They won't shut up and just act normal! It sucks and I hate it!"

Now he was yelling and trying to fight back the tears that were already leaking out of his eyes.

"Nobody gets it and all I can do is just keep fighting! I can win and feel normal after I fight! If I win I prove how weak they are and that I'm stronger! I fight and I'm stronger than them! If I'm strong then!... Then…"

Haru had stood and stood right at the edge of the bed as the child kept ranting and releasing all of his emotions. Bakugou hadn't noticed until he turned to the adult after ranting about this supposed strength he needed to prove to the world. While still confused as to why Haru was now standing over him with this somber look in his face his head was suddenly pulled into Haru's chest as Haru brought the hurt child into a hug and cradled the boy with his chin on top of Bakugou's head. His beard was a bit of a cushion for the soft skull and made the affair less uncomfortable then if he hadn't had the beard.

"... It must have hurt, huh? Being alone is painful and scary and nobody was able to see how lonely you felt. Your mom couldn't understand and you felt abandoned. She loved your dad too and if she was leaving you alone then who else could you talk to about this? You were hurting yourself getting into fights, but it hurt less than having to deal with the loneliness you could temporarily ignore after winning."

All that Haru was saying was hauntingly accurate. There were times that Bakugou was running in circles in his own head and here Haru was for the first time in months and he was already more aware of things than even himself. The child wrapped in Haru's arm couldn't even move as he was too shocked at Haru's insight.

"It felt good to win, but with winning you thought of something. It scared you even more and you went for stronger and harder fights to block it out. You being stronger has nothing to do with what happened to your dad. You are not responsible for anything, and you did not let him die because you were too weak to protect him. He protected you because you were his son and he loved you. In no way is that something to be ashamed about. Your father was brave and noble in saving you."

It was eating him alive for weeks whenever his mind strayed to events leading up to the explosion that killed Masaru. He wanted to know if his father was gone because of what happened being as they were, or if he could have somehow had saved his dad if he just did something rather than just being carried around by him. He kept thinking about this no matter how much he tried not to. It was torture either way he cut it, if he was too weak his dad died because he was there because of Bakugou, and if he was strong enough to somehow shield his father then it was his failure to do anything that led to his dad dying too. Coming from Haru it felt odd coming from someone he trusted saying that the guilt he was trying to carry by himself was never supposed to be there in the first place. The boy's tears began pouring and soaking Haru's shirt as he kept silent listening to Haru.

"Your mom was lonely because she wanted to be strong for you. She felt as if all of this was going to break her because it felt so heavy trying to keep herself from breaking down in front of you and thinking about what she could do for you. You two need to help each other through this. Just as much as you need her, she needs you."

Haru let Bakugou out of the embrace and knelt down while keeping his left hand on the boy's right shoulder. He looked deep into Bakugou's own two eyes and with a sad smile with eyes wet but not producing tears.

"Your dad loved you so much, and do you know why I know that? Your dad would stop by my truck and have something there while coming home from work. All he would talk about was how you were doing, how worried he was about you, and all sorts of other things about you. He cared about you every day and all he could worry about was if he was doing enough or if he was doing something wrong. And every time I would say the same thing to him every time he asked me if I thought he was doing something wrong. Do you know what I would say back to him every time?"

His hand lifted from the boy's shoulder to the side of Bakugou's head he brushed the hair back in vain as the hair just went back to the same position as before.

"I told him he was a father who wasn't just a father. He was kind, patient, understanding, and was doing a phenomenal job raising a boy who was brave, honorable, and strong. Just like his old man. So please don't forget about your dad, Bakugou. If it hurts then scream, kick, cry out your heart as much as you want. When you're done, you'll see that just burying the memories won't make it better. I can't tell you how to do everything, but I'll be here to help you through it in any way I can... Your dad at least deserves to be remembered for who he was at least, right?"

It was like everything that was holding him down in the dark waters of his misery snapped loose and he just broke through the surface. That tightness in his chest that felt like drowning lifted and for the first time in a while he felt alive. The pain of loss and the grief sent a rush of blood to his head and he began to cry. Haru simply got back up and held bakugou against his chest and let the boy weep and sob into his already tear-stained shirt. The crying was heavy and part way through Bakugou was wheezing with how much his crying was exhausting him.

"I-I-I-I-I WANT MY DAAAAAAAADD! AAAAAAAAHHHHHAHHHHHH! DH-DH-DADDYYYYYYY!"

Bakugou just kept at it while Haru patiently hugged and comforted the boy. Despite the invitation Haru gave Bakugou to release his pain, he couldn't do the same for himself. His tears leaked and his nose stuffed; the lower lip was even quivering slightly. He had to hold in the guilt for being the one who had gotten this boy's father killed in the first place. He had no one to talk to for the grief he felt for not just the passing of Masaru, but the pain he was responsible for in this family. He had to hide it all under a mask of strength that was barely able to hide something within that was so much worse than it actually appeared. He accepted that this is fair for someone who didn't deserve anything better. He would work to help rebuild the people he had sent tumbling to the ground and lie for god knows how long to make things better. He accepted his pain and hid it well for those who needed him now more than ever.

They were both like this for a while before Bakugou had passed out and fell back asleep. Haru tucked the child back in to make sure he was comfortable. He notified a nurse that Bakugou had awoken and soon a doctor checked the sleeping child's data on the monitors while letting him sleep per Haru's request. He confirmed that Bakugou should be due for checkout in the next day or two and asked Haru what the next steps should be. He agreed with the short stay and told them to notify friends and family and allow them to see the boy later that day. With a boy from the staff they did exactly just that.

Mitsuki was the first to arrive not fifteen minutes after getting the call her son was up and conscious. By the time she arrived Bakugou was up and the first thing that came from the relieved mother weren't words of any kind, but a smack across the top of the boy's unsuspecting head. She flew into a tirade about being stupid and getting into fight that couldve gotten him killed. She slowed and stopped her yelling after ten minutes of fiery lecturing. She couldn't contain herself anymore and wept as she embraced and told Bakugou how sorry and how much she loved him. Bakugou cried and hugged his mother with just as much passion.

Later after Mitsuki went home to grab some things for her son's eventual departure from the hospital Inko and Izuku showed up with the other two from their usual crew for a visit after school. Inko shared a greeting and asked if he was okay. Haru confirmed bakugou was making a swift recovery, but she was quick to correct herself and say she was asking about Haru. The past two months he suddenly disappeared and asked if there was anything she could do to help him. He thanked her for her concern and let her know he was getting better but was still concerned for the Katsuki's wellbeing and their struggles ahead without Masaru. Nonetheless she gave him a hug which he returned and attended to her son who was mostly being ignored by Bakugou in favor of the other two. In Haru's eyes he was concerned for what that sort of behavior out of Bakugou would lead to in the future. There was no forcing him into talking with a friend seemingly turned acquaintance but he would do his best to influence Bakugou into being more open with others. For now it was just good to see a light at the end of this terrible storm.

A Week Later

It was a crisp morning as Haru opened his truck and extended the overhang sitting over his bar area. Settling for serving eggs three ways for his breakfast menu he was just glad that he was back and out doing what he loved doing; just serving good food to the public. He had finished chalking his rather intricate menu with pictures and all outside and began his prep work for the busy day ahead. His menu advertised eggs benedict on brioche, scrambled on toast, and eggwhite omelettes with cheese and a sauce made from the yolk. The sounds of steel cookware being used rang out from the van and was shortly followed up with a warmth that smelled of breakfast wafted out the parked vehicle. He was next to a park that tended to get a fair amount of foot traffic from many of the residents heading to work or school kids getting to classes. Soon there were customers lining up, funny enough the first person to walk by immediately cued up and requested scrambled on toast.

By far his most popular option for many of the customers was that they were under the impression for the price and speed to prepare; they could just manage enough time to be able to get that item ordered fast enough for them to still catch the bus. Impressively unknown to those who left quickly with breakfast Haru completed the more complicated and decadent eggs benedict and egg whites omelette in almost just as little time as the scramble on toast. The line disappeared just as quickly as it was growing and everyone was not only happy with the wait time but the taste of the eggs prepared by Haru didn't feel justified for the price they paid. There were quite a few who ordered again after realizing the time they had was more than expected and some even tried ordering for those they worked for. Those behind these larger bulk orders dreaded their own cook times but like it wasn't even a concern Haru got the larger orders done without missing a beat and everyone was still happily fed while still beating the clock.

A lot of the customers were return customers who were all asking where he had been for the past three months. He deflected their inquiries over his absence with a shift in topics or humor and they all bought into his avoidance of the real reasons he was absent from catering the public. A few newcomers were curious and were immediately starstruck with the food and service. Most asked if this was his usual but others as well as him corrected their expectations and told them it was based on what he could get or how he felt that determined his menu. With nothing but praises from the others they were excited to return to his food stall and asked for his business card or social media. Again they were told he doesn't have either and that he shows up wherever he wanted to and didn't feel it necessary to have an account for his van. Clearly he didn't need it for good business but it was a source of frustration who wanted a more consistent way for them to have regular access to his cooking. He laughed it off and said that patience for the unexpected can be rather rewarding in itself. Some more well off people even tried to purchase his services for work related reasons or personal events, but all were turned down. There were even those who would have gone above and beyond for his services and still he told them that this was the only way they could get his food.

The day eased up and less people started to make their way through the area. Haru was wiping down his work area and putting away cleaned utensils and cookware when he finally had room to breathe and no one was lining up for an order. He could hear the only people passing by were kids and parents heading for daycare or primary school. It was nice to just be out again and see the small good things that made this all so much nicer. He finally finished cleaning and turned the sign closed that was hanging over the side of his bar. He took an opportunity to light a cigarette and scroll through his mobile for the emails he got in the morning. Several had lists in regards to activities and operations that the organization branches were scheduled for and others were in reference to financial transactions and purchases for investments. He started to respond and change some of the activities and transactions and made the necessary adjustments for the managers to make. He was still getting a little push back here and there in forms of repeating himself or additional questions from the higher ups; he never hesitated to put them in their places and for what it was worth he got results better than what was previously projected for their original decisions. He was being recognized once more for who he was in this world and people were falling in line even quicker than that.

"Nakamura-san!"

He locked the phone and turned to the child who had called out to him. The skinnier of the duo who followed Bakugou called out and next to him were Bakugou and the heaviest of the group.

"Morning y'all! Off to school?"

Haru snuffed the cigarette and flicked it into his kitchen trash can without even looking. This was something the kids had seen plenty of times before so they were rather used to the impressive display of accuracy by Haru. The two on either side of Bakugou were chipper as usual, but Bakugou himself was sporting a familiar scowl and looking at the floor ahead of him. Haru noticed and said his greetings.

"It's always good to see you, gentleman!"

Haru knelt down and looked at Bakugou who was rosy cheeked from the attention he was getting.

"Bakugou. Good morning."

Bakugou was a little shy but averting his eyes slightly he returned the greeting.

"G-Good morning, Nakamura-san…"

Haru felt satisfied with that and just smiled brightly at the boy before getting back up and dusting his lap off.

"Anyways, did you boy's eat? Want something quick or are you alright?"

"Ooo, can I get jam toast?"

"I just want some juice."

The other two made their demands for snacks on top of their breakfasts and Bakugou was just a hair slower in reacting.

"... Jam toast."

Haru acquiesced and popped two pieces of milk bread he made and pulled out a paper cup and poured some orange juice for the other one. The toast popped out and with a speed that was still impressive he snatched the toast out of the air and spread strawberry jam on the two pieces for the two boys and pulled out two small water bottles for the two of them.

"Aw, I wanted juice!"

"Drink water, it's better for you."

He gave them their snacks and they all partook happily right then and there. Off to the left Haru and the boys could just make out the call of a familiar voice further down the sidewalk.

"Ka-chan! Everyone!"

Haru saw Izuku run right for the group some distance away still and Bakugou just turned and the other two followed suit. Haru saw the cold distance still very much there in Bakugou and it still worried him like the first time he caught it a week before.

"Bakugou…"

Bakugou paused for just a moment, but didn't turn as he kept walking with the other two in tow and with enough distance between Izuku and the rest the young Midoriya stopped by Haru's van and leaded up against it for support as he struggled to catch his breath. Haru came up and knelt down to check Izuku's condition.

"You alright kiddo? You sure tried to catch up to the others just now, didn't you? Are they ignoring or doing anything to you?"

Izuku was able to stop wheezing eventually and just shook his head in response to Haru's last question. Haru was worried that this could turn into something difficult for Izuku if this strange change of behavior wasn't taken care of soon.

"No, it's not like that. It's just… It's just that they, I guess they stopped talking to me. Ka-chan got angry at me and still doesn't wanna talk after… I tried saying sorry, but he still won't talk to me…"

Bakugou was always plentiful when it came to the amount of pride he had. He was quick to temper and slow to recognize a different opinion than his own. Especially if it was combative of his own perspective. Haru drew the discussion away from the tension between Izuku and Bakugou and offered the green mop haired boy breakfast at his expense. The boy wanted scramble on toast and quickly enough he got his breakfast and was on his way to school in no time at all. Now there was something else that needed his attention and concern for these two becoming at odds with one another was in need of attention.

First thing was first, He had to check up on something that was in regards to the now single mother Mitsuki. Ther spoke and she mentioned that she was going to go for a position higher than her previous position in the company that she worked for. Being now single she needed to pull extra weight and this was something she hoped would help with matters. Her fears were clear to Haru in regards to if she would even get the promotion. The promotion would not only give her the higher pay to ease their financial burdens, but give her more time at home to raise Katsuki on her own. The design company she was going back to today was owned by a corporation that worked under an umbrella his organization owned. With some phone calls and a few emails she was set up for success regardless even if she were to skip her interview today. He wanted to confirm everything was prepared and so he pulled up a number and waited for someone to pick up. Not even the first tone and he was connected.

"Yatsura Help Center, how may I direct your call?"

"Get me in contact with him."

"Right away, sir."

He heard the dial tone switch over to a new line and just like before a single dial tone and he was connected.

"Nakamura-san! Such a pleasure as always! I assume that this is in regards to Mrs. Bakugou? Well, I can personally guarantee-"

"She's due to be there around noon and I want NOTHING to go wrong. Get me the live feed like I requested and be sure to notify me when she arrives. If the interviewer even LOOKS at her funny, it's your neck on the block. Understood?"

A heavy gulp and a moment to catch himself tripping over his own words he nervously stuttered as he responded.

"Ah-a-a-a-a-of course sir. It… It wasn't our intention to make you feel- I mean, we will honor your request to the letter. If you feel it-"

"Just do as I say and we won't have any issues, understand? My eyes are everywhere and constant, so if she even feels uncomfortable while she's in your care…"

"Y-yes, certainly! We won't let you down sir!"

With that Haru hung up and hoped for the best. Mitsuki's journey in trying for this promotion was monitored and cared for by Haru every step of the way. After their talk over her promotion and Haru convincing her to go for it the request she sent in to head offices was preceded with a personal phone call from him to the CEO who owned the legal entity that owned the company she worked at. The person on the other line granted his request before he could finish speaking and the CEO of Mitsuki's company was put in contact with him. The discussion was mostly just Haru making sure that Mitsuki would get exactly what she wanted and finding who would be interacting with her during and after the interview.

The next day after Haru visited the company and the CEO was there walking him through the floors and different departments that were there. He only cared about Mitsuki's department and asked for a tour there. He was brought to the floor she would be heading and with everyone working that day he scanned the multiple work spaces and employees there. The droning wasn't worth his time as he was focused on getting the information he wanted out of everyone there. Haru cut off the CEO while he was talking about the amount of work recognized in the industry by the very same department and requested an interview with all the employees. The CEO was obviously confused and was slightly hesitant at first since there was an important contract that would make or break a huge amount of profit for the company being worked on by this very department and every hour they had available was precious in working towards that success.

Haru simply pulled out his own phone and with short and choppy demands he hung up and told the CEO that it was taken care of. Again the CEO was not sure what had happened but just then he got a call on his work cell from the CEO of the company that was purchasing the contract the department in question was working on. The other CEO sent his personal congratulations on the success of the contract being theirs and his anticipation for a long and prosperous relationship.

This scared the poor CEO more than anything since that work had a deadline of another month and the amount of problems they were running into were making things bleak in terms of actually earning their business. A single phone call and suddenly one of the greatest challenges in this company's history goes up in a wisp of smoke? A man of this much power was not just dangerous; he was god, and anything less than pure obedience meant all of their ends.

Needless to say he got his interviews and one after another he kept conversation short and friendly as he assessed every employee there. By the time Haru was done with the entire department it was past noon and people were already buzzing about how it was that their project was cancelled since they already had the contract that this work was meant for out of nowhere. Haru dragged the CEO back to his office and gave his assessment of who he wanted to stay and go. He gave out names and all of them were seemingly random in performance and positions.

The CEO was curious to know Haru's reasoning for his decision. Haru just let the man know his list of requirements and disqualifiers. He eliminated people who would create problems in the company either through their incompetency or gossip with others in the department or company. Then he considered who was here because of merit or manipulation of the system or of others. After them he checked off people who were rather confrontational with authority despite their competency or qualifications. There was a good chunk of the department on the list Haru made and the CEO wasn't sure how the department would even function after such a mass exodus. Haru told him there would be a list on his desk by tonight with people Haru felt were competent enough to replace those moved out.

The question of those to be moved out came up and Haru told the CEO that he didn't care for them being out or moved elsewhere so he left the solution to those moved out to the CEO. Thinking ahead Haru even disclosed that if anyone wants to be elsewhere for employment to just call the CEO of whatever company and tell them that for this one time to just accommodate without question. Haru clarified that this wasn't a repeatable favor and said if he heard his name being thrown around like a free meal ticket he would be handling the situation personally. Something so obvious coming from Haru was recognized as law and with that Haru left and worked to fill the empty spots with those he deemed more suitable. That night the list came in and those people were in the next day for their first day at the department.

The ones moved out were not happy at first, but the noise settled quickly enough after being promised to be moved elsewhere and just like that the ideal working environment for Mitsuki was done. Haru later gave the CEO a list of employees he wanted to interview Mitsuki and got exactly that. So now all that was left was for Mitsuki to do her part and make appearances for the interview.

Haru kept working at his truck and had a small amount of customers for the hours he stayed there until around twelve fifty he got a notification in his inbox that Mitsuki had arrived with a link to the live footage of her interview. He closed the truck and lit a cigarette as he sat at the bottom step at the back of his truck while keeping an eye on things. Mitsuki entered and approached the front desk about her interview for one and she was seated in the lounge. It was less than five minutes before she was called by one of the interviewers and brought up to a private conference room. From the lobby to the actual interview Haru kept vigilant of any kind of inappropriate behavior from the interviewers or duress on Mitsuki's part. She was confident dressed in a gray pencil skirt and white button up with her resume and references tucked away under her left arm. No problems so far and even during the interview she displayed skill and competence becoming of a person as confident as her.

Her interviewers reviewed all of her information and right then and there they asked when she could start and with barely contained relief she shook all of their hands saying she could start ASAP. They gave her a few day's to do as she wished to prepare for her new position and bid her farewell and congratulations for her success. Haru closed the feed and breathed a sigh of relief for everything being as seamless as they were. He got up and got back to his truck with a lighter heart knowing that a friend of his wouldn't be weighed down with unnecessary stress.

For months after that day things became normal in a sense. Haru tried and couldn't quite create enough of a buffer between Izuku and Katsuki for them to return to the friendship they once held as younger boys. He saw the empathy Izuku held for the young Bakugou and Bakugou saw it as pity from the young Midoriya. Something that cemented his feelings of alienation from Izuku was how Izuku was so close to understanding his feelings but had no idea how painful it was to actually lose a dad that was there for him. This pain of loss separated the two boys and kept one from ever reconnecting to the other like they once were. Nobody wanted Izuku to be dragged to Katsuki's level, but still the chasm between them stood and wasn't something that could heal with will power alone. Only time and patience would be the factors in how things will play out in the future.

And so Haru was the hand to guide, and never did he waver or sway in his efforts to correct the future. This was all he had and nothing was going to stop him making things better than what they were before. No matter what.

XX Years Later

Winter was hitting it's apex inside the city of Musutafu, and everyone was doing what they could to keep the biting cold off of them. The sun was only hinted at with just enough light coming over the horizon to turn the black of night into a slightly lighter blue from the deep ebony it was. A scarf could serve to help for maybe the first five minutes you leave the conditioned temperature of your home; but after those minutes run dry the heat would be sucked clean out, leaving the cold bitch that was mother nature to sink her teeth into your neck. The morning dew was thick during this time of the year and the cold snap froze the dense moisture and made a lot of the streets and sidewalks slightly slick.

A truck that had turned up before the sunrise was opened and pouring thick steam from the pots and pans simmering and grilling american style stew topped with grilled seafood. It was rather sizable and resembled a small bus than the van it physically resembled. A charming and friendly looking black Volkswagen van exterior with white accenting the upper half of the frame. The prep work required some time for everything to meld and reach tenderness ideal for the creole dishes Haru was fancying to serve the public today. A nice amount of grain to thicken and meld the saltiness and other flavors in the stew. Light fish proteins; delicate and fatty with a crisp exterior. Beans and broth to add some slow release sugars for the day's energy. Finally, a medley of herbs and veggies so tender that it was almost unnoticeable when you found one dissolving on your tongue.

He had been ready to serve thirty minutes before his first customer and from there his food truck almost was a road hazard if he was any slower than what he was working at. The smell was tantalizing for the casual passerby and even those who were rushing for their commute took a risk to wait for an opportunity to be served the decadent foreign stew. There was quite the turnover the single truck worker had to process and with little difficulty and mess on his part he managed it like he was a team of ten veterans without skipping a beat. The morning was well underway and at the end of the rush the majority of people passing by on the street were mostly school children and the odd office worker straggling to get to their destination.

Haru, a man with hair platinum white all around his head and brows to match. He was groomed well enough and was sporting a beard and upper lip hair that was shaped and held quite a bit of masculine charm for the small business owner. He wasn't dressed in any real spectacular way and considered a clean appearance much more attractive than any sort of excessive color scheme or daring combination of flamboyant wear. Slim jeans and a green crew cut long sleeve shirt with a silver watch and brown leather shoes. For warmth he had a deep blue scarf looped into itself on his neck and a hiking jacket with a blue and black color scheme sown and dyed into its many patterns. He was tall and lean and with how he was built he took pride in how he looked. He had handsome features and was always able to provide a polite smile in conversation. He was built and the lines between the sections of muscle were visible most times from outside of his shirts. His state of dress would often cause him to fade into the background in comparison to some rather colorful heroes who would pass by occasionally. The only notable feature he possessed when he allowed it was his white hair. Even his eyes were just a single shade of boring dark brown.

The morning had died down a bit and having turned the sign over to 'closed' to inform the passing patron he took a small break and lit a cigarette for himself. He was a bit of a smoker and had no intentions of quitting. He took the first drag and plucked the cancer stick in between the index and middle of his right hand to let loose a large cloud of steam and smoke. The buzz was warm and welcome and with that he leaned on the handrail of the bridge over the waterway it hung over. His food truck was just around the bend from the overhanging structure and below the concrete and streets there was a strip of grass at the bottom of the cement inclines leading down to the riverbanks on both sides. Haru just looked at the long stretch of running water and kept smoking in peace.

Inside the river below Haru could just make out a few fish swimming against the current and smiled at the last few bits of aquatic life lingering behind until the winter really set in for the country of Japan. A small reminder that it was still the last moments of fall and of the day's ahead. Another few pulls from his smoke and to his right he heard the sounds of what could be best described as cadence for the adolescent. Coming his way he could see a group of what he could guess were first year primary school students marching in a line on their way to class. Ahead of the group of four he saw a bundled up boy with a fuzzy ball on his winter hat lead with a stick as a baton. Behind him the next two were one larger boy that was noticeably large despite his thick coat and legwear and after him a skinnier one wrapped up to the point only his hair was sprouting off to the side from the space between the hats and scarf. Commanding the rear was a smaller boy with green wavy hair and although without a hat had a scarf tucked around his neck with his winter ensemble. They were all walking a bit too close to the edge at the top of the slope leading down and with roads still being a bit frosty he tried to warn them.

"Hey boys! You might wanna be careful there!"

Over to the boy's Bakugou was leading the squad of his merry men to school as he usually liked to do and the others behind him fell into pace just like usual. Izuku was still in the back and singing his praises as their fearless leader, stroking his ego as he usually did.

"Ka-chan, you're a great marcher!"

He could feel his chest puff up at the praise as he kept up their mission to get to school under his leadership. He kept up their pace as he did until he heard someone yell to them from across the river. He stopped the group to identify who it was that yelled in their direction. They all came to a halt; all except Izuku who saw Haru yell to them to be careful about being so close to a potential falling hazard that he was distracted and bumped into the tall and skinny one in their group and lost his balance. He tried to catch the other boy's sleeve but was too late as he went down backwards. His gut dropped and since he didn't wear a head his head was bound to feel all the force of his head colliding with the concrete floor as he tumbled head over heel backwards down to the riverbank. The other boys could only watch in fear as they saw their friend fall back towards the incline down.

Izuku did indeed feel himself fall and tumble, but it wasn't painful or as scary as he thought it would have been. He came to a halt, letting his eyes open and see that he was in someone's arms as they shielded him from the potentially dangerous fall. The person let the boy go out of their grasp and looking up he saw a man looking down at the boy in his arms with a look of concern and smelling of tobacco on his visible breath.

"Are you okay? Jesus, I told you boys to be careful! The roads are still slick and being that close to the incline is dangerous!"

He turned to all the kids and they all looked down and apologized sincerely. Haru helped Izuku back up the slope with little difficulty and warned the group to be careful where they walked in the future lest they hurt themselves just like Izuku almost managed to do that day. They all said their goodbyes to the kind man and with that Haru decided that was enough for one break and got back to his van. Later on when the boy's thought back to that event they noticed that the man who saved Izuku was rather far away to have been able to get to the falling child in such a short time. Later on they would be told otherwise but they chalked it up to some sort of speed quirk. For Haru, that couldn't have been farther from the truth.

A Few Days Later

Haru was near a park he was trying out for business. There was a neighborhood nearby with its main exit being next to the park and a fair amount of commuters on foot that passed by. It was getting colder with the day's getting shorter and for such an occasion he was serving coffee and hot chocolates for the many patrons discovering his truck. It was a holiday for schools and workplaces alike and so the park was busier than usual with families and friends enjoying the outdoor air. Haru had an overhang that had built-in heating elements so there were some who were seated at his serving bar while others had to make do with portable heaters he had set up nearby or the piping hot beverages they were nursing in their hands.

It was roughly past noon and with maybe two or three families nearby as his sole customers for now he was reunited with some rather familiar faces from a few days ago coming into the playground and messing around the equipment playing pretend and defeating a make believe evildoer with the leader of their entourage being the main protagonist of the game. It was another hour and a half before they succumbed to the weather and began to try and rub the cold out of their appendages. The blonde spitfire took note of Haru's stall and his many heating lamps and led the group by the nose to the fine establishment that was Haru's food truck.

"Hello Mister! Do you have hot chocolate?"

The boys were all looking at him expectantly and with hope in all their eyes at Bakugou's question. He took note that the blonde boy was a rather straightforward child and despite being a bit rude he acquiesced to answer the child. He could guess these boys had some pocket change on them but despite his relatively low pricing he could wager that it still wouldn't be enough to pay for four separate cups of coco; let alone one cup to share amongst each other. So he took the cautious approach and finessed the actual price of his goods out of the question.

"Depends. How much do you guys have?"

The boys went silent for a bit as they pooled all of their meager allowances together into Bakugou's mit's. Haru exited his van from the back and knelt down in front of the boy's who were huddled together under the overhead heater. Bakugou gathered all of their funds and presented it proudly to the kneeling man they thought was Santa's younger brother. Haru was right; the money they had still wasn't enough for even a single mug of unflavored hot coco.

"... Look's good. Let me get you boys your orders."

They all whooped for joy at the prospect of hot chocolate in this nippy weather and Haru took the meager change and put the coins away in the proper slots in his money drawer. He got to work tempering and brewing the four sizable cardboard mugs of cocoa and with practiced ease he had all four cups poured and ready for the children. The final touches for each was a small amount of honey, milk foam, and sea salt and with that he carried the mugs back out to the children seated next to a heater near a tree planter.

"Thank you!"

"Thanks mister!"

Various words of gratuity were thrown to Haru as they all took their first sips of the dessert drink. They couldn't believe hot chocolate could be so decadent and be lacking sprinkles and marshmallows. They were all silent for a bit as they just kept sipping at their mugs and after they finished they were all too tired to continue their outdoor adventures and voted to go to one of their houses to hang out. They all waved to the food truck owner and said their goodbyes, unbeknownst to them they enjoyed a hot beverage on Haru's tab. He didn't mind, though; there were worse things out there than to give a couple neighborhood kids a discount on four cups of premium hot chocolate.

A Year and Some Months Later

Haru had been a familiar face in this part of the city since his little run-in with the young group of boys and had familiarized himself with the locals. His food was described as random but delicious by many of the residents and was a popular spot for those looking to try something new. His presence was one where people would find themselves gathered at certain hours of the day, but at less sociable times he would be found lounging around without a care in the world. At first many had inferred that he was a middle aged man who was in relatively good shape, but he was quick to correct them as his hair color and thick beard made it5 seem like he was in his late sixties rather than his mid thirties. Out of good humor he just told them he had a simple vitamin B-12 deficiency and that the white pigment was a result of that. His thick facial hair was groomed and trimmed down but still thick enough to hide his chin. He presented himself as witty and quick on his feet for his customers and their entertainment but was keen on keeping an open ear for those who wanted to let out some steam and needed an open ear to do just that.

Spring melted away the lingering cold and Haru was parked away under some trees near the park. Cold wind and warm sun beamed down between the dancing leaves and jostled the cherry blossoms, the buds still too young for a proper bloom. The van had been open for a bit but was caught during a dead period so Haru had taken the liberty to just take a few minutes and sweep up the street around his truck. The day was still early and Haru was zipped up in a jacket with an almost vinyl-like texture and hood, with some words going down the sides of his sleeves and the clothing company's logo embellished on his back and left breast. Simple jean joggers and skate shoes completed the ensemble with a black crew cut shirt under the jacket. Minding the loose debris on the ground he could hear some very small footsteps pitter patter over towards him from up the hill the park was situated below. Glancing over he caught the sight of a young Bakugou and Midoriya in their school uniforms racing one another towards him at full speed down the hill. They weren't slowing one bit and even used the speed they picked up to charge straight into his legs, thankfully he caught their heads from banging into his legs.

"Oy, slow your horses there; you could trip and hurt yourselves guys."

"Morning, Haru-san! We're going to school, where are you going?"

"I'm workin today. I'll be here after school so be sure that you come straight home after, ok?"

"Okay! Wait up, Ka-chan!"

The little tuft of blonde hair was already running past Haru as Izuku realized he was trailing behind on their way to school. Haru just let out a sigh and shook his head while continuing his busywork. It has been quite some time since his introduction to the young Bakugou and Midoriya; since then the kids were always excited to spot him whenever he was in the neighborhood. Most of their excitement stemmed from the fact that an adult was willing to play pretend with them, but another significant part of it was because he made fantastic lunches and was adult supervision when their parents weren't around for the times they wanted to stay out later than was acceptable if they were by themselves.

There was an expectation on Haru's part that the parent's would have approached him with suspicion and reproach for engaging with their children; rather it was comically the opposite that happened when their parents met with him. Bakugou's parents had both thanked him for tolerating their overly energetic son and had requested that he report to them whenever he wasn't being respectful to his elder. Mostly reassuring it was no problem to Bakugou's mother he caught them in small talk and eased the atmosphere with good humor and relaxed conversation. Eventually in the same conversation as their introduction he exchanged contact information and made dinner plans for them to stop by his van later that day.

Izuku's mother was another conversation he hadn't expected to be as easygoing as it was. She had caught him while taking her son to the park and had ordered lunch for her and Izuku. She was thankful for Haru being watchful of her son and wanted to speak to him in person regarding the matter. He put her at ease and caught her up in conversation over cooking and home life. The day left an even more positive impression on her as he had effortlessly kept engaged with the conversation while watching Izuku and had even called out to him on several occasions to keep him from wandering off too far. The same invitation to dinner was extended to her and her son at his expense at his van, needless to say it was a pleasant evening full of levity and pleasant conversation.

The parent's had insisted that he was at no obligation to watch their children in their absence, but it wasn't any issue in his insistence and would have left a bad taste in his mouth if anything were to have happened to the kids. It wasn't a daily occurrence he would be in the area, but if he could help it there was an effort to be present at least three days out of the week. So far he had learned that even by the standard of children these kids were off the wall with how rambunctious they were. There were more than a few cases of him having to go into the neighboring woods and drag the children back from their cossacks to get them fed for their lunches. Their parent's insisted that they pay in advance for their kids to at least get a meal at their request in case they get peckish, so to compromise he offered them a massive discount since he insisted that he really wasn't hurting for the money.

Another little issue reared itself as Haru continued to watch over the children, more so for Bakugou than any of the other children. Since Bakugou had been anointed as the leader of their little merry band and was constantly reaffirmed by his peers and adults alike about how amazing his quirk was this often led to him taking on more than what should be asked of a boy his age. More than once Haru had to step in between Bakugou and some rowdy boys in the neighborhood. More than half of the time it wasn't exactly a faultless occurrence where the young Bakugou was the one at the receiving end of bullying.

Bakugou was a rather proud boy who was pampered by those around him. He was reaffirmed that with his natural born abilities he was to lead a life that would bring him fame and glory. Haru was one of the few who had tried to keep an even tone with Bakugou and was often evasive with being overly complimentative of him. He saw a more destructive tendency first hand with him often defending those who were targeted by others seeking conflict with him. Other times he would antagonize those who would be seemingly more intimidating than him to find proof that he was as capable as those around him said he was. It was a delicate issue for Haru and he could often figure out if it was the fault of one side or the other as to apply the right kind of corrective measure. The lectures and talks given would be numerous and often there would be some pushback from the blonde spitfire, but still he would hold firm and make it clear as somebody who cared that this kind of behavior would lead to selfish and destructive tendencies down the line for both himself and to those around him. Bakugou was by no means cruel or mean spirited since it was more of a defensive measure he took when these fights took place. The repetitive nature however was something that Haru was quick to address and was sure to prevent by making sure that the same incident would not occur more than twice with the same children. Bakugou's parents were very quick to assume that Haru was the one keeping their child relatively safe since after their introduction their son came home with less bruises or cuts the days he was nearby.

Izuku Midoriya was in most comparisons the polar opposite to Bakugou Katsuki. The child was timid and spoke only when spoken to most times, and even then it would be in a hushed tone with only honorifics. His self esteem wasn't so shallow that he couldn't interact with his classmates and was still vocal and excitable when it came to topics that interested him. Being more of an observer than a parental figure Haru was often conflicted in being more guiding in helping Midoriya garner his own personality and confidence, but ultimately saw no issue in letting the child go about his way. The young boy was especially susceptible to idolizing those around him who displayed heroic or grandiose personalities or actions. It was unfortunate but when enquiring about his father to his mother she divulged that the father had long passed and that Izuku never knew him since his birth. He didn't pry any further beyond the short explanation he was given and let the children be since it wasn't his place to take matters into his own hands. Since he kept a casual observation over the boys he would often see Izuku project himself onto Katsuki and was quick to praise him for any little thing. The fighting was a concern for a time since Haru saw what kind of admiration Izuku had; the matter was of little importance since Midoriya himself seemed to be rather lacking when it came to fights and was often standing far away from any physical altercations that occurred. The child was more than comfortable with Haru since their first meeting and would often get caught up with spouting about how great some of his favorite heroes would be. The one hero that happened to frequent more than others in his spiels would be the american hero All Might.

A topic that both the young Izuku and Katsuki would both be swept up by in most conversations was often the blonde dynamic statue of pure muscle and charisma All Might. More than once Haru entertained the boy's conversations from the end of their school day all the way to the afternoon when their parent's came looking for them. The interest that All Might instigated within the public was nothing new to him as the topic of most conversation was around his impact on criminals and heroes alike. Young children idolized him, while women and men alike adored and revered him with high praise. Haru knew that in a day and age of costumed heroes and villains symbolism and the public response they achieved was everything. Quite a few times he saw the stoic man take on fights and enemies that were both easy and challenging in numerous quantities. The use of media and footage over the internet shared within the public glorified his many victories and by no means was it an exaggeration of the events that took place, however Haru could always figure the devil in the details and what he saw most times he kept to himself. The constant battles and feats of strength were impressive and many saw the confident smile that pushed through them all; however Haru could see the wear and tear that wasn't immediately obvious. To take on so much and to also keep the public happy was nothing short of painful and even if it wasn't soon Haru knew that at the rate All Might was going something was going to push him far beyond his limits and break him beyond repair.

Again, it wasn't his place to spread public discourse over his suspected state of health so he just kept his business around his van. The day went on and with school out the children made their way to Haru right as he had business coming in from parents and other students alike. They jumped up the steps into his van and threw their bags into the van haphazardly, which Haru quickly reprimanded them for despite the line of customers outside. They were again outside with their other school friends and running around playing pretend as they usually were. Once the line was handled and he was able to clean the space up a bit he put Izuku, Bakugou, and the other kids up on the stools and fed them lunch and helped them with their homework until the sun began to sit low. Around five-thirty he sent them home and wrapped up business in that area, now off to the urban market areas for the night.

Some Months Later

The tight streets made the van look much larger than it was in actuality. Hugging corners and pulling up tight to the side of the street the brakes squeaked to a stop and the parking brake clicked up, locking the vehicle into place. Haru hopped down from the driver's side seat and clicked his fob to lock the food truck. Circling around he stuck to the sidewalk and turned the corner towards one home in particular. Being a kind of pseudo-babysitter for a few of their children Haru had exchanged contact info with some of the parents of the children that frequent his business. On this particular evening rather abruptly he had received a phone call as he was wrapping up his truck for the night. The emotionally distressed Inko was choking back tears rather feebly as she asked for Haru to come over in a borderline desperate voice. It took a bit to slow her down but he managed to get confirmation that it wasn't anything like an emergency.

The streets were quiet, so quiet that even the chirping of crickets were barely audible from where Haru was standing. Hands in his jacket pocket he turned into a gate and clicked it open with practiced ease. Wide strides with his leather boots clicking the concrete he buzzed the door and turned heel to face the camera. It was barely half a minute before the door unlocked and an Inko with puffy eyes ushered him in. Nothing was said between them as Haru shucked off his boots and was silently guided into the living room. Haru was the first to break the silence as he reached for Inko and stopped her from entering the kitchen.

"Inko-san, what's going on? Did something happen?"

It was a pregnant pause before she just began to shudder and choke back her tears. Being the more emotionally stable one Haru simply guided the weeping mother into his chest and let her soak his shirt in her tears and snot. Not wanting her to scratch herself or catch her hair in his zipper he shucked his jacket and tossed the article of clothing onto the couch, now cradling her in his arms and rocking her gently with his chin tucked onto her head. It was a little while before Inko collected herself and wiped her eyes and nose with her wrists. Most of the lights in the house were left off but there was enough light for Haru to make out that the poor distressed single mother had let her make-up run. His handkerchief was out and was offered to her, where she gratefully took it and wiped away a majority of the ruined make-up.

"It's okay, just take it slow and tell me what you can."

"Haru-san… I-I don't know what to do. My dear little Izuku doesn't deserve any of this, and I feel like it's… That it's…"

"Hey, hey, hey; I want you to just take a deep breath right now, ok? Just take a breath and explain what happened first."

Inko inhaled deep and broke down the events that led up to her calling Haru out to her home so late in the evening. Since Izuku was to enter primary school sometime next year they went to the doctor to find what kind of quirk Izuku could be possessing that had yet to reveal itself. Rather than finding some kind of solace that the little boy was just a late bloomer it was revealed that Izuku may never find a gift of his own. It was rare to find anybody born in the past few decades that didn't have a quirk of some kind, much less somebody as young as a preschooler. The boy idolized heroes and was beyond starstruck with the idea of being a hero that could follow in their footsteps. Of all people for this to happen; Izuku was not just on the short end of the stick, but was completely shaken and scraped off. Inko wasn't destined to be a hero of her own making since her quirk itself was so mild in nature, but being a parent gave her a sense of accountability for her son. Something so far out of her control and still she felt wholly responsible for filling her son with hope and dreams of becoming a hero.

The conversation eventually led Inko and Haru onto the dining room table where Haru made tea for the both of them while keeping an ear open for her. Sipping their now warm tea they both sat in silence after Inko finished her long winded explanation. Haru was the first to break the silence with a question.

"Where is Izuku? Has he said anything since?"

The mother simply shook her head and turned her gaze towards the door that led into the study. Haru didn't say anything more as he got up towards the door. Inko was apprehensive and cradled herself, simultaneously scared to face her son and ashamed for not trying to at least comfort her little boy.

Knocking on the door Haru put his ear close up to the door and announced himself.

"Kiddo, it's me. I'm gonna come inside, okay?"

No response.

Taking that as his que he entered gingerly and saw that besides the computer screen illuminating the room it was pitch dark.

"Izuku? You there, buddy?"

The chair opposite of the door turned slowly showing a small and frail looking boy, his face frozen in a smile that was closer to shell shock than an actual positive emotion. His eyes were glossy and shaky as he pointed to the video of All Might without breaking sight with Haru.

"Do you think I can become a hero, like that?"

Behind him Haru could hear the boy's mother break into tears once more. Being an outsider in the issue, Haru simply gave Izuku a somber smile and made his way to the side of the child. He knelt down to meet Izuku's line of sight. He put one hand onto the boy's shoulder and just looked at the boy for a moment before speaking again.

"... You know what we could use? Some fresh air. I know this amazingly good spot for ice-cream."

With that he scooped up the still silent boy by the armpits and cradled him against his shoulder like he was his own. Haru took the boy out of the room and gave Inko a look of assurance that he would take care of things for now. Picking up his jacket he quickly put both his boots and Izuku's shoes on before heading out to get both of them some sweet confectioneries.

Twenty Minutes Later

Izuku and Haru were at a nearby river and sitting on a park bench with a cup of ice cream from a nearby place that served real soft serve and was open at that hour. Haru was taking bites out of his cup while Izuku was still mortified and frozen with that same smile he had from earlier stuck on his face. Haru would peek over to the boy once every few minutes or so and still there was no major reaction from the child. He wanted Izuku to adjust to his presence and let the child know he was alone with Haru so that he could feel safe enough to talk about his feelings over everything. It was slow and at this rate Haru needed to say something to get the boy's attention. This would take all night if he didn't at this rate.

Haru put the cup he was half done with down on the part of the bench to his right. He leaned forward and lit another cigarette and made sure he was downwind from Izuku to keep his smoking away from the boy. As much as it was to keep Izuku from breathing in his second hand smoking it served to get him into the child's peripheral vision. Even if Izuku wasn't looking right at Haru, it was just something to remind Izuku he was here to speak to the child.

"I heard what happened. It must be a lot to take in… Unfair even."

Still Izuku was stuck in his own little world. Everything Haru said just went one ear and out the other. Clearly this wasn't working and any words of sympathy or condolence offered just came off as disingenuous or lacking in understanding. This kid just wanted to be a hero that everyone could look up to and be a symbol for those like how his own here inspired him. It could have been anybody else and instead of some other kid who wanted to be a normal guy who owned a mechanics shop or some other mundane thing it just had to be this poor kid. It wasn't enough his dad wasn't in the picture and his mom struggled by herself to make ends meet, but now he was incapable of making the first step towards his goals. Haru had to step it up to get through to Izuku.

"You wanna know something? This sucks, it sucks and more than anything it's not fair. In fact it sucks so much it makes me want to do this…"

Haru took one last drag and tossed the butt into the nearby receptacle. He pushed off his knees with his hands and dramatically took several steps forward and stretched both fists into the sky.

"AAAAAAAAAAA! THIIIIIIS SUUUUUUCKS! I HAAATE THIIIIS!"

This scared Izuku out of his catatonic state and made him lock eyes with Haru's back at what he just did. That did the trick in getting the boy to react to him; now Haru had to keep it going.

"IZUKU DESERVES BETTER! HE WANTS TO BE A HERO! HE DESERVES A CHANCE AT LEAST!"

Izuku could only stare in bewilderment at this fully grown man screaming like a lunatic into the night sky; probably loud enough to wake the neighborhood while he was at it. All of this also served to wake up something in his heart. Something telling him that this wasn't how it was supposed to be. That he didn't have to accept it if he didn't want to.

The man's arms came back down and with a pose like All Might with his hands to his waste. Haru took a deep satisfied sigh and looked back at Izuku over his left shoulder and smiled.

"Y'know what? That felt really good! You should try it; just say what you want and say it how you want to…"

A hand stretched out to the left and with it an invitation to just shout his feelings to the night sky. Izuku could feel that part of him was still growing and filling him up like warm water flowing through cold pipes. His heart was thumping and it was waking him up like Saturday morning cartoons. There was some hesitation at first. Izuku felt unsure and was hesitating letting such raw emotions out. Haru just wanted him to be honest at the very least. Honest with more than just himself; but honest enough to even tell others so that Izuku wouldn't try and second guess what was in his own heart.

Izuku slid off the bench and dropped the ice cream that was melting onto the concrete below. It splattered partially onto his shoe as he paid no mind to the mess and slowly approached Haru's open hand with his own reaching out to the open palm. The hand he held was so much bigger than the young Midoriya's. He could feel the strength holding the child up and the calluses underneath each and every finger. Izuku never held another man's hand since his father was never there from the start; but if he could imagine that if he ever held hands with him it would feel something like this. Izuku stood there bashfully for a moment before working up the courage to try and muster up a yell.

"... I… I, uh-! I-I fe-..."

It was difficult for a normally so reserved and gentle soul like Izuku to be so outwardly vocal in public. There was nobody around to listen and still the child wanted to just speak his mind and release his pent up feelings.

"You got it, just go! Do it!"

It was all the encouragement Izuku needed to begin releasing all of it. All of this unfair treatment and frustration. He was upset and he needed to say it.

"... I.. I-I'm… I'M ANGRY! I HATE THIS! I WANNA BE A HERO AND NOW I CAN'T! I WANNA BE LIKE ALL MIGHT AND NOW I'M NOBODY! I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT! I HAAAAATE THIIIIIS! IT'S NOT FAIIIIIR! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Before the boy could collapse onto his knees Haru picked up the kid and cradled him against his front and let the boy cry into his shoulder. All of it came pouring out like a fountain and it was just as hard to stop as it was to start. Haru picked up the two neglected cups near the park bench and tossed them into the trash. He walked alongside the river with the boy in his arms still crying and soaking his right shoulder. Eventually Izuku slowed down and was just hiccuping and sniffling with his face tucked into Haru's nape.

"You wanna know something weird, kiddo? You and I ain't so different. I'm not gifted like most people are either…"

Izuku felt something he never felt before when he heard Haru share such an intimate secret with the young child. It was hard to explain and couldn't be described with just a single word. The best way to put it was that he didn't feel as lonely as he thought he was.

"That's right. I got a bend in the pinkie too. I can't fly, I can't jump and kick like a giant grasshopper, I'm not even double jointed…"

The poor attempt at humor was met with silence. Haru just muscled on without even acknowledging it.

"So take it from someone who can understand how it feels to be different from everybody around them. People are going to make it hard to feel like you can achieve your goals; but not as hard as you're going to make it for yourself if you let go. Granted I didn't try to become the number one hero like you. It's not gonna be easy for you, at all. I'm not gonna give you false hope and just say you can do it if you work hard enough. Everybody else has something that makes your dreams more achievable for them than it will be for you."

This was something that did not help the child's confidence at all; Haru needed Izuku to know this for his message to get across though.

"If this was like a race to the top and everyone has a set distance before they can reach that goal; you're way farther back than pretty much everybody else. It's hard enough for them as it is, and your path is so much farther than theirs."

Izuku didn't want to listen anymore. He would much rather cry than have the truth so harshly shoved into his face right now.

"But the path is there for you… You are farther away from your dreams than what most people are to theirs; but the path is there for you, kiddo. Running or dodging faster than anybody else may not even be enough for you, and I want to tell you it is. You will have to train harder, run faster, jump higher, and be far more agile than everybody else by tenfold. You might even have to work hundreds of times harder to reach your dreams compared to what other people will have to do in their life's journey to achieve their goals… And I don't doubt for a second that you can do it."

Everybody so far has done nothing but look at Izuku with pity and treated him as such for the whole time he was left with the knowledge he was quirkless. He felt trapped by the helplessness and guilt of being genetically quirkless and all everyone could do was just treat him like he was a lost cause. Haru didn't. He treated Izuku like another person and even honestly believed that it might be possible. There wasn't even a gentle delivery of how he should believe in himself to achieve his goals. Haru said what he meant and for what it was it felt freeing to be treated with honesty. It hurt to know he was so far away from his dreams right now and that other people wouldn't understand his difficulties he was born with; but it felt good to just be treated with respect.

"And don't think that you're alone in this, okay? I'm here, your mom's here, even Bakugou and the others should feel the same as us. Just trust us to be there for you if you ever need someone to talk to…"

Izuku felt better and now with the drowsiness following his emotional outburst setting in from earlier Izuku was soon asleep and out like a light in Haru's arms. He carried the child home and tucked in the boy with some help from Inko. She wanted to say and do more as thanks for Haru's actions but he politely turned her down and told her to get some rest. He left the Midoriya household to let them recover and rest after a day of struggling to deal with the news that the boy was further away from his dreams than anyone had any right being. Haru knew better and saw there was more to it, but only time will be the one to allow the future to unfold.

Some Weeks Later

It was a stressful few weeks as Izuku was still struggling with how people were reacting to his unique condition. Inko was doing all she could with Haru's support and keep her child from lingering on how he was under equipped for life ahead of him. There wasn't much reason to hold out on the secret he shared with Izuku from the single mother and so with that bit of private information and a little context shared with what that would mean for a child like Izuku she relied on Haru to watch over her son when she couldn't. It was bad enough she felt as vulnerable as she did with being so busy keeping a roof over her and her only son that it was so much to bear as it was. Haru could see the wear and tear on the young mother and it was the least he could do to offer his support for her. Underneath the selfless efforts to keep up appearances; Haru could also recognize the ugly guilt that she felt responsible for her son's condition due to her being equipped with a quirk so mild. She felt the genetics she lent to Izuku was a factor in him being quirkless and by no means was that something Haru was going to let fly right by him.

He made the mother swear that she would under no circumstance apologize or express this was in any part her fault. Inko wanted to tell her son but Haru told her how much it would put on her son if she told him how much of his disadvantage was lent to her being who she was as his mother. She was a bit frantic and argued against hiding something she considered truth from her son. It wasn't a matter of argument for Haru as he held her in his arms and just waited for her to just break down and let herself cry as he made sure she was okay enough to realize how much of a rash decision it was to say something so incriminating of her existence to her own child. He made sure Izuku wasn't in the home when they had the discussion and when she fell asleep he tucked her in and let her recover from her fatigue.

Now as Haru was at the same spot he frequented for the group of friends that frequented when they went home from school on a weekend he was rather concerned since there was no good reason to not see any of the boys wandering around for weeks on end. These boys were inseparable at one point and all of a sudden no one was even seen with one another shortly after Izuku was told he was lacking what most others were expected to have? He couldn't justify such cold treatment of a group of friends that were adolescent children separating over one of their own being discriminated against for a genetic condition. It was well into the daytime and Haru was concerned with the fifth week that none of the children showed up to play at their usual spot. There was no concern for a week or two when nobody showed up since the boys were known to wander into god knows what kind of random spot of wilderness or nature they found; but since Haru made an effort to be more present for Izuku's sake the absence was over double the usual time he would have spotted the group by now.

With a huff and quite a bit of angst visible Haru shut down his van and locked down his van before venturing off to find the children in the area around the neighborhood. The shutters were down and the doors locked for the van and with everything secure he was off looking for the boys. His search was not a very long but with his knowledge of where they would be and a steady pace of speed walking it still took Haru of over forty minutes to spot the group in his vigilant search. He was calling for all of them since if he could find one of the group if it wasn't Izuku he would still be able to find some insider information as to the possible location of the others. Haru was already aware of them not being around their own homes since their parents still contacted him over their children locations on the weekend where they would usually run into the food truck owner at the neighborhood park.

Haru was passing a river and calling out for Izuku when in the distance he spotted what could have been some of the group bunched up near the river bank below. There was one more than what was the usual four but he could see that there were those down below that had the features of green hair, blonde hair, skinny and fat for each different child that made it easy for him to spot them from a distance. He felt relief at the moment he spotted them all; that relief became a sinking sensation immediately as he could see that Izuku was rather defensive of the random fifth child with his arms spread out like he was shielding them from the other three. Especially since Bakugou was creating sparks and smoke from where he was standing and it was likely he wasn't just doing it to show off to the young Midoriya.

"Stop it, Ka-chan! You're going too far!"

The young Katsuki was irritated by the defiant behavior that Izuku kept displaying after the others would do nothing but follow his orders without question. In his eyes the act of defiance to his authority was nothing short of betrayal. The boy he was rather intent on maiming was the one to mouth off to the younger group about how much of a bully he had become over the other children of the area. Bakugou indeed was usually the one to settle matters when challenges of his unique gift came forth and were swiftly ended by his own hands. Older kids had caught wind of his reputation of being a contender in a straight up fight and with every challenge he sent them all running. He fought hard and long for his reputation and when someone came to mock that reputation like the others Izuku was the one to stand against him. A quirkless kid who looked down on him was telling him what he can and can't do too? In his eyes; Izuku was just like the rest of them. This was worthy of action in the blonde's eyes.

"You wanna do this, Deku? If you do this now, I ain't holding back…"

Izuku was terrified enough as it was. He knew how powerless he was against Bakugou and even more aware of his group leader's abilities to repel far more intimidating opponents that dwarfed the young Izuku by a factor of at least twenty. He still stood between the group of victorious boys and the beaten child that was only a year older than them. Smoke and sparks popped and crackled in Katsuki's fingers and with that the other two behind him activated their own quirks for a single strike against the green haired child. Izuku stood his ground and even when Bakugou sneered and the others followed his lead he never left the ground he stood upon. All three children swept in and were halfway to beating the young Midoriya when they all were snatched up by the back of their shirts and hefted up far above the ground. They reoriented themselves but caught up to the cold anger that was pricking up the small hairs on their necks behind them.

Haru was just able to pick up the boy's and stop them from assaulting Izuku in his valiant stand against the excessive abuse Bakugou was about to instigate and that the others were all too willing to commit alongside him. He snatched them up by the back of their collars and was very much unhappy that such deplorable behavior came from children he had expected better from. Katsuki was in his right hand and the other two in his left. They tried to turn to him but he would much rather they didn't with the expression of displeasure he had because of their actions. He dropped them then and there and they all fell to the turf with painful impacts to their bottoms. The adult in the situation wasted no time to address the weaker group about to be attacked.

"Are you okay, Izuku? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Izuku was still tense and with all of the adrenaline shooting through his body in that instant he fell to his knees into the soft soil under the grass and could only nod in response to Haru.

"Thank goodness. Are you okay to walk? Can you stand?"

Katsuki managed to stand back up and glare daggers at Haru. Izuku was nothing special and he was the one to be punished? In his eyes it was even more unfair than it was since Izuku kept putting him down without any sort of awareness of his strength. A weaker person like Izuku didn't deserve this favoritism!

"Bakugou… I will speak with you shortly. In the meantime…"

Izuku was in front of Haru so he could see the expression that marred Haru's usually jovial and jolly face. He didn't even think he was capable of being angry with how much he smiled around the boys.

"... Sit down and shut your mouth. You've done enough."

Bakugou and the other two were static and unmoving with the rather upset Haru speaking to them. Bakugou was usually the one to face Haru's ire and was often lectured about being the bigger person in a fight and to walk away when he could. This was different. In the past it was disappointment or some other kind of disapproval that affected Haru when he would confront the child. This wasn't like any of those times; for all of them, they actually became scared of Haru.

Haru was quick to calm his nerves and take matters here one step at a time. First, he needed to dismiss those who were the victims of the situation so that he could talk to the perpetrators alone. At first glance one would assume matters were much worse than they really were. The boy behind Izuku was a bit rough but it seemed he fell down the grass slope and was just a bit startled over being actually hurt. Izuku wasn't hurt at all and he seemed to have cut off the group before the first punch could be thrown.

"Izuku, I want you and that boy over there to go home right now; I need to speak to Katsuki and the others alone. Can you do that for me?"

Izuku was conflicted in leaving behind the others to Haru's disciplinary reaction to what was transpiring here before he stopped the miscreants from hurting the young Midoriya. His protests were cut off with a raised hand by the adult and with a stern expression Izuku could pick up that matters here were not up for negotiation. The boy helped the other one behind him up and they went their separate ways. This felt like a small betrayal from Izuku and Haru for painting him in a negative light after it was that other kid who threw shade at Bakugou. Forgotten tempers returned as Bakugou shot back up to his feet and began his familiar temperamental shoutings.

"What the heck?! That kid wanted to fight and all I did was let him have it! Why are you letting them go?!"

"... Bakugou, what is wrong with you?"

Haru got up and looked down at the child with pity in his eyes and his hands in his jacket pockets. It was almost that look Izuku would give Bakugou whenever he would ask Katsuki if he was alright after he fell or would come back with injuries after a tussle with the older neighborhood kids. Difference was that instead of just concern there was a fair amount of disbelief and anger thrown in. Worst of all, the child could see clear as day that Haru pitied the boy's need to lash out violently to solve all his problems. The lack of mature thinking was bad enough; rotten behavior was a different matter for him entirely. The child was already irritated enough for being looked down on by a quirkless kid who used to be his friend.

"... Stop it…"

"I'm sorry?"

"I said, STOP IT! Stop looking down at me! Stupid Deku is already doing it, I don't need you too!"

Haru could read in between the lines well enough that Izuku followed his advice from all those weeks ago and told Katsuki and the others about his unique condition.

"... So that's it. He's someone you call 'useless' now? You think that's the right thing to do? Huh?"

Haru took several steps towards Bakugou and stopped halfway in the middle of where he and the boy stood originally. His expression changed from pity to one of irritation. His brow was folded and the three children were beginning to feel nervous under the unfamiliar stare out of Haru.

"Do you know why he told you all about being quirkless? Did you think he wanted to tell you in the first place? He was so ashamed of himself that he cried for hours; and still he told you. Do you know why?"

It was getting harder for Haru to keep his temper with the naive group of bullies. Still he marched on with his lecture.

"... Because I told him he could trust you. I gave him my word that he was able to trust my word that you all would still be his friends who would still trust and care about him despite not having the same gifts they had…"

Haru tucked his hands into the pockets of his jacket to hide his fists that were clenched shut from his frustration. Being betrayed by having someone else break your promise hurts, no matter the circumstances. Katsuki not only shunned the boy, but tried to hurt Izuku because of his unique condition that excludes him from many of his peers. Perhaps his expectations of Bakugou were wrong.

"Why? Why did you try to break him down? What reason did you think that betraying my trust in you was worth all of this? And if he's useless without a quirk, does that make me just like him in your eyes? Am I worthless, too? Huh?"

Bakugou felt uncomfortable now as Haru was not only getting more frustrated but now was hinting at something that implied something much more serious.

"That's right kiddo, I don't have a quirk to my name either. I let Izuku know then and here I am telling you now. I guess Izuku was respectful enough of me to not tell you, despite how much easier it would have been to use that to get you to stop your rather repulsive acts of bullying."

Now it just felt like Haru was picking on him. Bakugou was frustrated with how short sighted he was, but didn't want to admit it to himself. It wasn't his fault; this was all just unfair and he didn't know what happened! Haru shared no sympathy for the frustrated Bakugou and let out a deep sigh before letting on for his plans for the boys that evening.

"... You all know better. Your parents have taught better. I am damn sure I have taught you all better. You're all coming with me and your parents will know what happened here today."

"... No…"

Out of the three boys looking to the ground; the one closest to Haru was the one to speak up, although softly, against his plan to let their parents decide their punishments.

"I'm sorry? Do you have something to say to me, Bakugou?"

Bakugou was tearing and nervous about talking back against Haru at this point. It was enough that his pride was hurt and that nobody could understand how much abuse he took to make sure that not only his friends were safe from all the bullying he fought against. How much it hurt that it wasn't just Izuku, but now Haru was making him feel ashamed and was now talking down to him just the same. He hated how small he felt.

"I said I don't wanna! I didn't do anything! We didn't do anything! Stupid De-"

Haru gave the young Katsuki a sharp look of warning about the insulting title he gave the young Midoriya.

"... Izuku was being stupid and was acting like I was still weak! I keep protecting him like everyone and he just thinks I'm still weak! It's not fair, and now you're doing the same thing!"

It was so heavy on his heart that the young Bakugou was misreading his friends intentions and thought that Izuku's concern and care for him was nothing but conceit and ignorance. Haru was always careful to treat the young Katsuki with fairness and accountability; he still was unable to let the praises of others in his life pollute his pride. It was still a testament to the young Bakugou's character that instead of becoming demanding or vain, he thought that his potential lent a responsibility to others weaker than them and was always the first to be the one to lend a helping hand to those he was close to. The side effect of thinking that he needed to be treated like he was invincible and anything that was close to resembling care or concern was mockery or an indication of weakness was what Haru wanted to prevent. Clearly he didn't do enough for the boy, and now he had to take measures into his own hands.

"Is that what this is? Am I looking down on you? I just told you something I have told no stranger and now I'M the one who's in the wrong?"

Again, the boy knew better to talk back now since he's talked back more than he ever has to Haru.

"... Fine. You clearly know better, it seems. You've done sooo much already; it doesn't seem fair to you. I just keep making you feel bad about all of this and I must have said too much and now I need to leave things alone."

Haru took a few steps away and the three children were nervous about the sudden heel turn that Haru was selling to the children. He took several steps upriver from the running water and left the jacket he was wearing on the grass in front of him as he came to a stop.

"... But there's just one thing I need to make sure of if I'm to let things go. Bakugou, you fight to protect your friends and for that I can admire what it is you endure to make sure all of them are safe. It does not mean you get to treat them however you want whenever you feel like it. And you two are loyal to Katsuki, that is something I like about you two. What worries me is that you two just don't seem to think for yourselves and do whatever Bakugou does without question. You two aren't friends, your lackeys. You're better than just being brainless and unquestioning to unbecoming behavior."

Haru turned around and looked at the trio still looking up in anticipation of whatever punishment he had planned for them. The sun was amber and sitting lower in the sky, casting light over half of Haru's disappointed and stoic face.

"I won't tell your parents what has happened here today; or what you all know what you've been doing or saying for the past few weeks. On one condition…"

"... It was less than tw-"

"I'm talking, don't interrupt."

The portly one in the back tried to come up with a thin excuse and was immediately shut down.

"Since you think that quirkless people are so weak and below you that someone who was even your friend deserves to be punished for it; why don't we put that to the test?"

Haru spread his arms out and invited bodily harm from the three young children some paces away in front of him.

"Try and hit me; someone who's just as quirkless and by your definition weak and unable as someone you can openly call 'useless'. I've had my fair share of beatings and fights when I was young, so try and do your worst."

An open invitation to come and attack Haru was enough to make the situation dawn on the boy's about how severe it was in Haru's eyes that he caught them bullying Izuku. This was quite an adult thing to be faced with so they tried to talk their way out of it.

"H-haru-san. We, we can't…"

"I… We don't wanna hurt you…"

Only Bakugou was silent while the other two tried to bargain their way out. Haru wasn't having their excuses and pushed harder for them to take action.

"I never said you would be able to do it. Just try to hit or touch me. You scratch me or graze my shirt then all of this is no longer my concern. You fail to do so before I call time; it's not just my problem anymore, it's your parents as well… Last chance."

The kids were left with an ultimatum in their decisions. On one hand they had to try and Hurt Haru. He was nothing but kind and warm with the group from day one and he clearly didn't deserve to be beaten up by the kids. On the other hand; if they're parents found out about their antics with Izuku tonight then it would be the end of them as they knew it. It was certainly a rather one sided argument for the group since the only decision that actually mattered amongst the boy's was Bakugou's decision.

"... Okay."

Bakugou had a look of anger and determination shaping his piercing glare into quite a fearsome display of fighting will. The other two were less resolute in their will to fight the fully grown adult but were willing to follow their leader's example come hell or high water. Right now it looked like both were about to come down on all these kids. For Bakugou it wasn't ideal for his opponent to be Haru; still, if he were to beat Haru then Izuku would know what it was he did wrong to Bakugou. If Haru was beaten and yielded to Bakugou's strength Izuku would have to acknowledge that Katsuki was indeed the strongest and had no need for his friend's pity. No more words were exchanged as the two friends behind Bakugou activated their quirks and silently apologized to Haru for the beating he was in for. Haru could pick up on the intent for a fight and just stood with his hands to his sides. Bakugou was zoned in and ready to strike first with all he had. Haru was just standing there with a look of pity and barely changed brom a natural standing pose. The look Bakugou got was enough to set off the child and just behind him the other two boys sailed in side by side for their support.

Katsuki was close enough to Haru for an explosion to just rattle him a bit and measuring out the explosive power he swung his arm and thrust the open palm towards Haru. At this range Haru was too far away for a physical attack and knowing Haru was quirkless Bakugou took advantage of his potential range over the fully grown man. The boy was sure that this was going to end the fight right then and there with the first strike; in a blink Haru shot forward in a blur and closed the distance between him and the explosive quirk user and in the same forward momentum swung his right leg in an arc that traced a line with his shoe towards Katsuki. Bakugou could feel the force of the shoe flying past his face as the explosion that was about to go off in his hand was snuffed out by the kick Haru threw without touching the boy.

Bakugou was already too committed in his charge to change directions and so had no choice but to slow himself down as he came to a stop to try again. The other two saw the speed Haru demonstrated and hesitated for a moment before trying to tackle and strike at Haru themselves. Haru didn't bother with a counter for the other two as he just weaved and ducked past the other two followers after weaving past Bakugou. The three of them had to take a moment to take in what just happened. All three of them attacked at once and all three of them couldn't even touch a loose piece of fabric passing Haru; worse of all Bakugou's attack was snuffed like a candle sitting on a mantle. They all turned back and Haru was standing back up. At the very least he took his hands out of his pockets. In all honesty he took them out to not hurt their pride more than he planned to do with this 'fight' he initiated.

"Do you know what it means to be weak? Do any of you?"

Haru looked back down on all of them with a look of pride about what he was about to say.

"I do. Day after day I was reminded about my weakness. Except unlike Izuku, I had nobody else that could have helped me. They tried almost everyday to keep pushing me further into my self hatred over how much of a weak thing I was to them."

He dusted away dirt that wasn't there in the first place and stood with his hands on his hips.

"It got so bad I thought they were going to kill me. They just tried to beat me over and over again day after day."

The children again scrambled to their feet and charged in with a battle cry to try and throw off Haru. He again dodged them all. Bakugou was first in but instead of closing the distance Haru took an awkward step back that threw off Bakugou's timing and used a backhand swing to stop the explosion from going off. The other two tried to come in from different directions but tripped over themselves and went tumbling to the grass spread out from one another. The young Katsuki was the only one who didn't fall over himself.

"So I had two choices; get stronger or die. I tried running away. That only worked for a bit until someone faster than me came by. I tried to block their attacks; all that did was make me an easier target."

The trio got back up again and now we're swinging left and right one after another as fast as they could to try and see if something would catch Haru in some sort of blind spot or moment of bad timing on his part. Time kept marching and nothing was even close to looking close enough of a successful strike.

"I tried to fight back, but they would just hit back harder than if I had just taken their beatings. After a while I knew that trying to become stronger wasn't the answer. They would beat and hurt me badly enough to stop me from actually learning or growing from their abuse."

The kids just kept on going and were just throwing themselves at Haru in hopes that something would work. They had quirks and he didn't! Why was it so hard to even touch him? They didn't even care about the challenge presented at the start of all this and even if they could remember that it wasn't the fight they needed to win and not the actual fight they were just as far away from that as they were now. All it was is the minimum of a connected attack or touch for them to beat Haru. Even now they realized that Haru was just as squeaky clean as he was before they started and they were all filthy from falling over and tripping into one another. They were ignorant to the fact that Haru didn't even touch any of them due to the challenge he set for the children.

"So I began to see why I was weak. I ran and day after day I worked on not being weaker than I was before. I ran and dodged desperately away from those bullies and eventually I was coming out less and less hurt from their beatings. I learned to block and use everything around me properly to avoid getting hurt. I opened my eyes and paid attention to everyone and everything around me to find my way to push back and save myself from them all…"

The three boys were at it for a while and with the sun setting they were all covered in scratches, bruises, dirt, and grass stains as they all were huffing and heaving to catch their breaths. Haru was soon just side stepping aside for the boys to just lamely jog at him and fall to their hands and knees behind him. Bakugou was the last one standing and even he was struggling to stay balanced on his trembling legs.

"It was because I was weak I became who I am. I was nothing but weak and that is what made me strong enough to defend myself against those who were strong. The problem for so many people is that being strong takes you farther away from how weak you can be. I was able to work on my weakness and make it so that other peoples weakness was never less than my own. I learned to rise myself from below others by surviving and being less weak than others. You can't even touch me because compared to me, you're far weaker. I may not be able to fly, or change my body, or shoot fire from my hands; but I am NOT weaker than you."

On the grass with the sun sweeping the city in gold and amber light Bakugou was now out of the count and was struggling to catch his breath. He was flat on his back and the other two in his posse were just as exhausted and laying on the grass slope behind Haru. Haru looked at the sunset and the sunset was illuminating his face like a regal gold leafing. His expression was something of melancholy as he finished reciting his story for the boys lying beaten and filthy by their own efforts.

"Just because you're strong doesn't make you any less weak than anybody else in life. You don't know what it's like to be weak. Because of that you're blind to how limited you are. You'll never be heroes if you keep going around thinking you're all that matters. If you don't realize how wrong you are and can be; you're no better off than all those villains running around doing whatever they want."

That was the most hurtful thing that anybody has ever said to all three of them. They were told so differently. Expectations were set high and praises were plentiful from those who saw their potential for heroism. The one opinion from someone they respected and they knew who wouldn't be anything except honest with everyone he cared about; he thought that they were anything but their potential of being capable of being amazing heroes and it hurt they had no one else to blame but themselves. They all tried to fight the urge to bawl their eyes out and the tears stinging their eyes just made it harder to hold it in.

"... Your time is up. We're going home to tell your parents. All of your parents."

The kids knew they were in for it and began to bawl in earnest. Haru helped the children up to their feet and up the steps from the riverbank. They crossed the bridge above and returned to Haru's food truck where he gave them all tissues to wipe their faces and blow their noses. He gave them water to rehydrate and drove them all back to their houses. The first two boys were the two followers of Bakugou and their parents were not only apologetic but furious with their own boy's for them to engage in such reckless bullying. They were quick to blame the young Katsuki for misleading their children and getting them involved but Haru was more than well spoken to stop the parents from being so short sighted and banning them from seeing their friend. There was some back and forth but the parents relented that they would be the ones to be firm but fair in punishing their children without running into any rash conclusions without a fair assessment. The other two were left to be grounded and without electronics for an extended period of time while their list of house duties multiplied while they reflected on their actions.

Bakugou was the last to be dropped off and between the two of them the sound of the radio playing jazz on a low volume was all there was to lift the atmosphere for the child. Katsuki could still sense that Haru was still disappointed in him and his friends. His pride was hurt and now as he went to face the music with his parents he just wanted one thing clarified between him and Haru.

"... Nakamura-san?"

Haru was silent, but didn't stop the boy from speaking his mind.

"... Do… Do you hate me?"

Haru sighed deeply and propped his left elbow on the window sill and let his thumb rub his left brow. He clarified his emotions for the anxious child seeing that there was some clarification in need.

"No. I would never hate you, kiddo… I'm disappointed. More than that, I'm hurt."

In light of the reveal Bakugou looked to the window on his right and glued his eyes to the sunset out of shame of being unable to look at Haru.

"Izuku was hurting that night and I promised him that both me AND you would be there for him no matter what… I trusted you so much that I thought you would help and watch out for Midoriya without me having to say anything… You not only let Izuku down here. You disappointed and hurt me because of what you did. You broke my trust and hurt your best friend. You hurt my friend."

The sound of sniffling and hiccups were so small you would think that a mouse with allergies found its way inside the front seats. On Katsuki's face tears were leaking and snot was dripping with the shame and disappointment in himself over what he let himself do. The boy's pride was being cut down like paper against a gas welder and it hurt just the same.

"You broke my trust and that's something that won't heal just on it's own. So for now Your parents will decide on your punishments and I need time from all this until I'm ready to talk to you again. Just take whatever punishments your parents give you and we'll talk about fixing my trust in you later. Remember, I don't hate you; I'm hurt and I can't trust you like I did right now."

This was worse in Bakugou's eyes. He was given a tissue by Haru to help him clean himself before they reached his parents. The walk back up to the floor his home was on was the longest it had ever felt and knocking on the front door to the faces of his surprised parents was even longer. Mitsuki and Masaru were at first concerned seeing their baby boy eyes red and nose stuffy at first. It was a few minutes of coaxing to the living room and seating the family in the living room with Bakugou next to Haru across the coffee table before he spoke of their child's behavior for the past few weeks and of the bullying he subjected Izuku and some other boys in the neighborhood before that attitude flipped.

The mother was quick to raise her voice and threaten great harm and punishment on her son over hearing such rotten behavior come from one of her own. The father and Haru calmed her down before they had a serious discussion of what was to be done about Bakugou's punishment. A bow of thanks from the parents after Bakugou was sent to his room was given by the Bakugou family and after a few hours of tea and talking to help the parents settle their nerves Haru left.

Haru was smoking in the moonlight while leaning onto his van. This was something he was just disappointed about. It hurt to see something so juvenile over something that deeded delicacy the children lacked to begin with. Another drag and Haru tried to wrestle with the idea about what was to be done to help Izuku's trust in Haru. He drove downtown to a bar owned by a business associate and drank the night away. Unlike children, he was an adult with more mature and less responsible ways of dealing with his guilt.

The Next Evening

Haru was parked up against the road in front of a closed purse shop having just finished his dinner rush. Enjoying the relative peace he was washing his hands and humming when he heard the chair behind him creak with the weight of another customer. Without missing a beat he turned the sink off and grabbed a towel as he spun around to greet another customer.

"Welco- oh, if it isn't Katsuki's father! Please have a seat, I'll get you started right away."

The polite and quiet man just bowed and made himself comfortable at the bar. Placing his bag in front of him and patiently waited for his order to be taken. Haru returned with a beer and cracked it open, catching the cap midair and placing the ice cold drink in front of Bakugou's father.

"Oh, I didn't order this."

"I know, this one's for me. I hate drinking alone."

As if by magic another bottle of the same beer was already in his hand, another crack and catch for his own refreshment. They both cheered before taking that first swig of beer and letting that first wave of warmth hit them.

"Ahhh. Anyway, what do I owe the great pleasure of your presence here today?"

"Aha, don't mind me, I just happened to see your truck on the way home and I thought I should just say hello."

A bit sceptical over his story Haru just drank from his bottle, after which he pulled a pen and paper for the order. A quick order of spring vegetable tempura and wasabi squid skewers and Haru was off.

"You know something? I don't buy it."

"H-huh? What do you mean?"

"You don't just have a beer if you want to swing by. You didn't even refuse out of courtesy for your family at home. You want to talk about something and you saw me. So spit it out, I consider you enough of a friend to keep an open ear."

Bakugou's father wasn't even there for a full minute before Haru saw right through the sheepish man. Relaxing and taking another drink he began to voice his grievances to the still cooking Haru.

"It… It's about yesterday. Again, I wanted to apologize again for that"

All he got in response was Haru's hand waving dismissively behind him. Moving past that he kept on going.

"And, if I can be perfectly honest; I just don't know what to do in this situation. My little boy, who I cared for and raised so carefully; acting like that, just acting out so angrily. I get that he has it from his mother, but I feel helpless right now."

Bakugou's father paused and drank some more. Since he forgot his lunch for the day the alcohol was hitting him like the train he took to get home.

"And, and for god's sake I am his father. I'm supposed to be the one to keep him from straying off the right path. What will he learn from this? Am I just not the right one for this?"

Another sudden crack of a beer broke him out of his oncoming rant. Haru was already deep frying the tempura and was already deep into his second bottle. He put the bottle on the counter behind him and turned to face the deeply troubled father. Hands on the counter and leaning into them.

"It sounds like, to me, that you are an amazing father who fears for their child's wellbeing and future; just like any decent parent worth their weight in salt would."

Standing back up he returned to the fryer and began on the second frying process.

"If you get caught up with the fear of messing up, eventually you start to anticipate failure. What I think shouldn't really matter, but if you just want some words of wisdom; Do what you think is best and roll with it. Anything more and at that point you're either paranoid or overbearing."

The tempura plated and sprinkled with herbs and sauce on the side Haru left it in front of Bakugou's father and took the now empty bottle next to him. Cracking another one open he left the bottle with the deep in thought father and began working on the next order. After another long period of silence between them Haru plated the second dish and gave the father another beer.

"You know, I can't help but think that you would make a better dad for my kid. It just fucking sucks how useless I feel. He respects you. He listens to you better than me. Me? I can't even remember the last time my boy asked me for something."

"Hm."

A dish cloth between Haru's hands, he dried them off and slung the towel over his shoulder. Clearly a typical approach won't help the dad in his turmoil.

"Is it because I'm weak? I know I can be a bit of a pushover but does my son have to think so lowly of me as well?"

Now the waterworks were going and being sloppy drunk tears and snot poured freely from the face of the distraught father. It was enough of a display that a passerby or two reconsidered stopping in at Haru's truck for a post-work refreshment. The loss of potential customers was not a major concern at the moment, since now he was sure that this display of hysterical sobbing was more or less his responsibility. The gears turning in his head he then flipped the sign of his closed and put aside a few pots and pans from their active burners. Out and around Haru hung up his apron and was sitting next to Bakugou's father with another pair of fresh beer bottles poached from the fridge. Sitting shoulder to shoulder Haru popped his own drink open, downing almost half of it before giving the distraught father a pat on his back.

"So what is the ideal father that SHOULD be where you are?"

"Sniff, ugh, huh?"

Sleeve now soaked Katsuki's father did his best to wipe away his dribble and tears and peeked over his shoulder.

"If you could be anyone, with whatever kind of personality; What do you think would be best for Bakugou? Who is THE father for your kid?"

The hamster wheel was turning but the rodent was more or less dead in the corner. The father was so wrapped up with one thing he hadn't considered the other half of the argument. Despite all his hang-ups about his relationship with his son he couldn't imagine a different person raising his son.

"I-I don't… I'm…"

"You don't have to answer. I'm being rhetorical."

Haru drank some more and just stared off to nothing for a few moments. Being somebody who doesn't want to mince his words he was careful with his choice of language.

"You want to know why Bakugou listens to me? Then ask yourself this; how does a stranger seem to command his respect more than his own father?"

The now fully drunk dad was tentative about hearing the supposed answer. If only the mute function could apply to any situation.

"Well I'll tell you… It's because he already learned all that stuff from someone else."

"Who?"

Now looking over his shoulder at the drunk man Haru just gestured his own drink back at the father. It took him a bit but once the words sank in Bakugou's father just looked back in disbelief and denial.

"I'm not the one who taught him everything he knows. All I did was piggyback off of your work."

It was so sincere and direct. There wasn't a hint of exaggeration or pity in Haru's declaration of his parenting.

"Sure he may seem controlling and brash, but he does so for the people around him. He thinks himself responsible for the decisions that others would make. He puts a lot of effort into looking confident so that when people observe him they can feel confident in making similar choices. That they put their trust in the right person."

It never really sank in how observant Haru was with others around him. Then again, he is known for being able to hold conversation with his customers despite his rather intense workload. So maybe given more time Haru would be privy to more in depth observations that even the person in question would realize.

"You're not a bad father, it's just hard to see the good we do for our kids when we're trying so hard not to mess up every little thing we do for them. So if you ever need a second pair of eyes to compare yours with; my chairs are always open and available for you."

Past his college years Bakugou's dad found it difficult to meet new people. Not in an intimate sense, but rather a more indirect and open capacity. Friends were only fewer and fewer as time went along and those he knew fell into their own patterns and professions. Right now however, he was reminded what it was like to make a friend with Haru lending him his ten cents on the matter.

"You spend time with your kid, it's more than what a lot of other parents do and you actually enjoy doing it. So don't undersell yourself, if I could say one thing and one thing only it would be this."

Haru was looking right through his soul. It almost made him blush with how sincere he was being.

"Don't you dare think that spending time with Bakugou is a mistake of any kind. Someone who spends their time trying to make things work with their children is infinitely more deserving than someone who doesn't even bother with the risk of making mistakes. You care so much it hurts, and you don't even realize the good you're doing already. So for now ease up and accept that at the very least you're not a bad dad, ok?"

With that Haru faced towards the counter again and let the comfortable silence settle over them. Bakugou's dad was very inebriated, well into the realms of drunk; but still he felt inclined to ask Haru for one more favor.

"Another thing…"

"Yeah?"

"Doooo you have another one of these? I am fucking loving these!"

Needless to say He gave the man a ride home back to his family. Free of charge, of course.

One Year Later

Spring this year was good to the city of Musutafu. Air cool and fresh, flowers blooming bright and plentifully, and kids running off for their first day back to school; now more mature and off to take on new challenges.

A van parked in a level spot on a slope, opened up revealing a food truck of sorts; already catching the attention of a few of the students who happened to rush out that morning without a proper meal. One after the other kids were in and out quickly, leaving with some sort of breakfast item. Working the stoves and grill in his usual manner, Haru was taking orders and preparing them faster than they were coming in; the rush slowed down with most already at school or being close enough. Another few stragglers later Haru wiped his hands on his apron and set out to clean and prep for the next part of his workday. The final bottle of seasoning tucked away in it's cabinet he was just then called over by a familiar voice.

"Haru-san, Haru-san!"

Peeking back over to the serving area he could just catch the bobbing head of Bakugou jumping and waving frantically.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? It's always a good day to see you two. Although, aren't you supposed to be in school by now?"

"Yeah, but Deku here got up late and we're gonna be late! Can you take us? Pleasepleaseplease?"

During this whole exchange Izuku was doing his best to keep out of sight. It was embarrassing enough that he was late, but now Bakugou was upset and was trying to get him and Izuku in time. With a reluctant sigh Haru tossed his apron on it's hook and began closing up his van.

"Alright, but promise me you BOTH will be on time in the future. Ok?"

A swift salute later Izuku was dragged up to the passenger door and inside; being familiar with the rules of riding, they buckled themselves in. The school itself was not too far from where they were, but it being almost time for roll call at their school he felt it necessary that they get there on time for their first day. Before they knew it they were pulled up across the street from the gate and with a few minutes to spare. Izuku was up and out of his seat and dashing for the gate before Bakugou could even shoulder his backpack. Haru tapped the boy on his shoulder for his attention and began reaching behind the chair for something.

What appeared in his hand was a wrapped up box with a striped ribbon keeping the ensemble of colorful paper together. With wide eyes Bakugou was completely caught off guard by the present.

"Happy birthday kiddo. I know it's early but I'll be gone for a bit so I wanted to give it to you now rather than after. Just open it at home okay?"

Bakugou was ecstatic to say the least and with all of his willpower he resisted ripping into it then and there. With Haru's help the colorfully wrapped box was tucked into Bakugou's backpack safe from any immediate harm. Turning in his seat Bakugou gave his uncle Haru an awkward sitting hug and thanked him profusely.

"All right, all right. Get outta here you, school's about to start."

With that Bakugou was up and out the passenger door. Just as he was about to shut it, Bakugou called back to Haru.

"Haru-san, are you coming to my birthday next week? My dad and I are going to that new store opening!"

Hearing that Haru's eyes twitched by the tiniest of margins. It was barely visible but the feeling he gave off changed just then. Bakugou was almost worried he said something wrong until Haru responded.

"The new shopping center in uptown; that one, right?"

Bakugou just nodded shyly. Picking up that he was making the child uncomfortable he swapped to a smile as if nothing happened.

"I think I might cater there for the grand opening. If we see each other I'll be sure to whip you up something extra special, kiddo."

And with the promise of a possible delectable treat Haru sent the child off to school. He was sure to check the gate was closed before taking off back down the road where he came from. Now alone Haru pulled out his phone and unlocked it. He swiped through his phone until he came across a contact in his list that was just a phone number. He swiped the send call option and put the device up to his ear. It wasn't even two dial tones before he got a response.

"Granite Mobile Internet Services, how can I be of service?"

"Get me Shinji Jige, secured."

"Right away, sir."

The phone was put on hold and after about two minutes before the line reconnected.

"Sir, what an unexpected surprise. How can I be of assistance?"

"The job we have in uptown, taking place next week; who's heading it?"

"Let me see… That would be Daibo's sir."

"Tell him to move the job to a later date."

There was a short pause before the man on the other side replied, albeit a little apprehensively. Clearly the suggestion of moving said job an unwelcome change of plans.

"Um, sir. I do wish to emphasize the amount of time and resources invested into this specific operation, and I wish to go over why such a drastic change would be-"

"-What is this I'm hearing right now?"

The opposite end immediately clammed up. Despite being several miles away, Shinji could practically feel the noose tightening around his neck and lifting him up higher and higher with each passing second.

"Did I just hear you talk back to me just now?"

"...No sir, It will be done."

"...Good. Don't ever do that again. Understood?"

"Yes, sir. Understood"

"Good, get it done."

He hung up, leaving a shaken Shinji to collapse down onto the nearest chair. With that matter done Haru returned to his day as he usually did. Back at the previous location he earlier occupied he set up shop and happily went about his day.

Later That Evening

"Boss!"

Coming down a hallway and bursting through a set of double doors the rather winded man in his chocolate brown suit burst through and startled the clean cut man who had been going over paperwork regarding expense and fiscal growth. Cursing under his breath he irritably addressed the underling that had barged in rather abruptly.

"What? What do you want?"

Catching his breath the underling was quick to dispense the unfortunate news.

"Uh. T-the. He."

"Jesus christ use your fucking words, dammit."

Dry swallowing he paused enough to catch his breath.

"T-there was a call that came in today. They want us to move the center job to another day."

That bit of news got him to snap up from his desk. Both hands on the expensive woodwork his glare of pure disbelief and rage was so intense you could see the veins in his eyes bulge. Not a few moments later the young leader was up and out of his office storming up the stairs closest to his office. He was at the top floor in no time and with a loud SLAM everybody on the floor was snapped out of their individual focus and collectively they automatically began scanning around for the cause of the disturbance. Storming out into the rather lavish office space he passed bewildered eyes of all sorts while making a beeline for the office that sat in the north-eastern corner of the building. Another violent shove of the glass door made it clear to the occupant of the office his pure disdain and anger.

There was no reaction from the older occupant of said office. Still scanning and working with their desktop you would think they were either deaf or unaware of their surroundings altogether. The fuming younger man stood and breathed through his nose with such gust. It was a while before the older man said anything, still working and not looking up from his intensive work.

"Yes, son?"

"Don't 'yes son' me. Who the fuck cancelled my op a week before it was gonna happen?"

A heavy sight through his nose he had been expecting of this encounter. The slightly silvered well dressed man kept away at his office work all the while staying within the conversation.

"If you feel it necessary we can discuss th-"

Two hands slammed into the glass panel that made up the surface of the rather lavish desk. Glaring and lips tight the younger man had little patience regarding the subject of their conversation.

"Don't fuck around. I spent months of MY time and MY money to have this operation. Why, after months of blood, sweat, and tears is my op going into cold storage a week before it's due?"

Another heavy sigh through the nose of the older gentleman. Deciding it best to address the issue personally he tabbed out of his work document and faced his son with hands folded on the desk.

"We got the call earlier today from higher up. Whoever sent the order has their reason since no matter who I ask is willing to elaborate and right now it seems wiser to follow through with the order rather than being conceited."

A vein popped out from the younger man's forehead. His fingers tightened and gripped the flat surface of the rather durable clear material. Just then, a loud snap and crackle permeated the spacious office as the now pristine glass was shattered and cracked. The webbing of destruction leading back to his hands, or rather where his palms rested. The younger of the two had his jaw set so tight the muscles were threatening to snap in half on their own.

"Don't… I didn't sacrifice all this time and money for this. I deserve to know. Who. Sent. The. Order?!"

"ISAMU!"

Immediately the son took a step back and both hands came off the desk. Isamu's father stood up and paced himself right in front of his son. Despite being shorter the son was defensive nonetheless.

"I don't take joy in telling you this news. If I could have my way I would celebrate the success of your hard work alongside you. So when I am the one to tell you that there is no negotiation here, heed my words. I am saying no."

It had been some time since his father had such a look in his eyes. The last time Isamu could remember such a grim moment was when he had been brought inside the Yakuza organization. His father pulled him aside one night and held the same look in his eyes as he did now. The warning he had given him that night still resonated within him. Despite the hard exterior Isamu saw an emotion foreign to the image of his father. Fear. Fear of being unable to control the consequences. Fear of the consequences themselves.

"I will not repeat myself. Do not do this. There will be another time and place for what you have in store. This is not up for discussion."

With that Isamu's father rounded the desk once more and continued about his work like nothing had happened. Isamu was aware of the work that was done within the walls of this building. The dark dealings, questionable actions, and at times sinister tasks that were carried out on a daily business. Isamu was always one to keep up appearances and always practiced what he preached when it came to important matters. So to hear that this was a matter out of his hands it truly agitated something deep within him.

The new bank that was opening within the plaza was a rather genius stroke of luck on his part. The bank was a major entity and for whatever reason one of their branches had decided to settle inside the rather luxurious yet public destination. The bank itself was of no particular interest, but with the manipulation of several accounts and coercing several individuals this particular bank was the opportunity of a lifetime. The dates of several major transfers between different branches were fairly close enough to each other to warrant some attention from some less-that-reputable individuals. Since this information was rather exclusive it was just a matter of personal investment to set in motion the ideal heist that would have profited several times any preceding heist in the country's history. Not only was the opportunity there but the scenario to withdraw such a fat paycheck was just as opportunistic.

Since there was a rather public and extravagant event taking place for the grand opening of the place of business of which the bank occupied there was a rather distracting event that would assist in whatever infiltration that would take place. Worst case scenario the mass panic potential was a boon since there was much more ample opportunity to take what was locked away inside the massive safe. All of these factors lined up perfectly for Isamu and the Daibo group to take advantage and procure the low hanging yet succulent fruit. However such an opportunity was just that, an opportunity.

At no other time will they be able to coerce and bribe their way into another such lucrative opportunity without raising suspicion. By no means was the organization as a whole hurting for the income potential present. Rather the opportunity to make a stake in said organization and prove to the dissenters that his position here was not just a result of nepotism was far too valuable to Isamu. This was HIS. His operation, His opportunity. Too much was going to be given up if he were to just let the matter pass.

"...Okay."

Isamu's father was surprised his rather stubborn son had just agreed to allow the matter to pass. Unusual as it was, he had decided to not look a gifted horse in the mouth since the alternative was far worse than anything he could imagine.

"Okay?"

"...Yeah…"

It was not unnoticed that his son was disheartened by the turn of events, but the alternative was beyond what he could control. With this he visibly relaxed and decided to be a bit more consoling for his son's sake. He closed the distance between him and his only child, putting a firm hand on his left shoulder and speaking earnestly.

"I understand it's not ideal for you, but once thing's settle I am sure that things will work themselves out like you had idealized. Remember, I'm with you, ok?"

The confession was not a new concept since his father had been a rather diligent man in expressing his desire and affections for his son. It bothered Isamu for how little of an impact inside the organization of which he and his father had dedicated themselves, heart and soul. The proceeding choices he made from then and there were not made in light of events, but regardless it was a risk that must have it's consequences acknowledged.

"Okay. This is good! I understand if you feel shorted, but if we work through this together we can make something worthwhile."

And with that he embraced his son and without hesitation Isamu wrapped his arms around his shorter father, reciprocating and letting his father know that he cared.

"We still have quite the way to go. We'll figure something out, so in the meantime we'll talk and work to make things better, ok?"

It was with a heavy heart that Isamu made that promise to his father. With that matter settled he said his farewells and went back to his office on the first floor. Unbeknownst to anybody else A different kind of storm was brewing within the mind of the young Yakuza member.

Inside the hallway leading to his office Isamu freed his phone from his pocket and dialed a number with no contact information. Entering his double doors he began discussing his future plans.

"It's me, I need a favor."

The double doors snapped shut, behind them the beginning of a storm so horrific unknown to the naive young man.

One Week Later

In the early AM Haru was unlatching all of his necessary extensions and tableware for his van. The roundabout that all the food trucks were to occupy was only filled up to a third of its capacity. The sun was barely up and only the hint of a golden glow was visible from over the horizon. It was a rare opportunity to see others from the same industry Haru had prided himself with and with the other trucks preparing for their imminent rush of business he couldn't help himself in his self-indulgent voyeurism. The many different emotions and preparative ceremonies others engaged themselves with was something to behold. It was a boost to morale for Haru to see the others supporting and motivating each other for the day planned ahead.

With that Haru was already ready to start his day well ahead of the predetermined schedule of other food trucks expecting business to start much later. The hours passed and Haru, being a one man operation, was already catering to those looking for a quick, affordable, and gourmet experience. The first wave had appeared much earlier than expected for the other trucks, but with Haru it was nothing but an old hat. Others were scrambling to get their prep work done while Haru was already catering the rather unexpected onslaught. Another half hour passed before the first truck able to serve was able and open. By then Haru had captured the crowd and despite the crowd was able to command enough of the crowd to get them into a line and organized enough without resorting to other extraneous manners. Still being fair to his competition He paced himself and when other newcomers saw his line extend around the roundabout in front of the impressively large building they went ahead and settled for the other available options.

Haru was able to keep his audience and served at a reasonable pace. His meal option being the perfect omelette and biscuit with coffee so pure and rich; bitter was not even a flavor present in any of his servings. Soon the plaza was bustling and his vans being the most popular he made a final call that almost claimed half the plaza attendants in that instant. Much to the changrin of his competitors he served everybody who heeded his final call to breakfast items. With the thirty-two second window he had where there were no customers he swapped to lunch items.

Featuring American burgers with real fatty flavors and grilled ingredients it was a hit in no time. Fries with garlic and rosemary and fried chicken options were quick to grab the attention of the rather impressive crowd. After quite the rush the plaza was bustling and lively with performers and entertainment of all sorts. Music and lively stunts were everywhere when the peak of the event was close at hand. Haru was already ahead of the curve and serving his last few attendees with a pair of truly artery clogging pairs of cheese and meat patties on elegant buttery buns when out of the corner of his ears he caught the faint call of a very familiar voice.

"Haru-saaaan! Over here! Here!"

Peering over he caught the wild and explosive head of blonde hair that was indicative of the young Bakugou. Without missing a beat he waved them over and had them sitting at a table he had reserved for them over near the backside of his van. Away from the hustle and bustle Haru was able to talk and work all the same.

"Good to see you guys! Are you excited for all the attractions and game stores Bakugou?"

"Uh-huh! I can't wait!"

The child was practically bouncing in his stool at the table Haru had set. Haru was quick with the preparation of Bakugou and his father's meal; the two plates of burgers and fries with three sauce options in front of them, fifteen minutes flat. Bakugou was quick to scarf down the mess of beef, bread, and onions while his father and Haru were talking about other adult things while Haru was working.

"LLLLadies and Gentleman!"

The announcement was made by a man in a colorful suit and bowtie. Seeing no microphone in his hand Haru could guess that the man's quirk allowed him to speak to everybody present without straining himself.

"Welcome to the official opening of the Grand Plaza!"

The announcer was quick with his introduction and was quick to introduce the committee who were taking a part of the opening ceremony. With the opening underway Haru served the last person in line and quickly flipped his chalkboard sign to the closed side. Haru pulled another stool up and next to the father and son duo with a beer for himself and Bakugou's father. Another thirty minutes of formalities and a musical performance later the ribbon cutting began. The whole thing cost another five minutes before the doors were officially open and the wave of people christening the virgin building. Haru and Bakugou's father were slow to get in, much to young Bakugou's dismay. The game stores and other toy stores were rather far into the facility so Haru had given them suggestions on how to optimize their time inside the rather lavish shopping center.

"-After that just go wherever you want for lunch, the floor below you is the food court. Although I would suggest the Chinese stall; I personally know the chef there and he will cater you with hand stretched noodles. Just tell them I sent you and you'll be served by the chef himself. He owes me quite a few favors so just enjoy yourselves."

With that Bakugou and his dad were up and ready to go on their merry way. Again Bakugou's father tried to slip a hundred thousand yen bill into Haru's person but with a quick and graceful fit of dexterity the note was back into the man's pocket.

"You owe me nothing. Besides, if I started charging you there would be no end to it. So just take it as good faith and enjoy the time you have with your son."

Despite feeling a bit guilty, Bakugou's father took it in stride and accepted the generosity. Picking up his son and navigating the crowds, Haru could barely make out Bakugou waving back at Haru. With a smile and feeling of accomplishment he waved back. Seeing them enter and inside Haru decided that he deserved a cigarette break. The nicotine was lovely and with that done he was back and ready to meet the demand of the public for his delicious food.

It was another ten or so minutes into the workday before something happened.

"Hello there little missy, How can I be of service?"

A daughter and her mother were at his counter and with his usual charm he took their order. The daughter was the one to give her order and with his unlimited patience he let her speak at her own pace.

"A-and can I get potatoes?"

"Of course! Nothing but the best for the most lovely of princesses!"

The little girl was immediately smitten with such a display of flattery. Haru was quick to charm and easy to speak to.

"And you ma'am?"

Taking the mothers order Haru felt a change. It was soft and subtle, but it made the hairs on the back of his neck prick up. The look in his eyes shifted so quickly it stopped the mother in the middle of her order.

"-Um, are you ok?"

Right then he turned to the plaza entrance.

BOOOOOMMMM!

In a chaotic blast of glass and debris deafened almost everybody outside the building. Glass shards showered the panicking crowd who were sprinting and trampling others to get away from the sudden disaster. The mother and child who were ordering almost disappeared immediately and with that Haru was quickly out of his truck, witnessing the mass panic of people running away from the source of the explosion.

Haru was well aware of what had transpired, but in his rattled mind he was reviewing information in his head that led him to a horrifying conclusion. In his discussion with Bakugou's father, Haru had suggested that he stop by a bank that had opened inside of the building. SInce the bank was a rather large entity Haru recommended it since more than less likely the bank would be able to help him since it would more than less likely be able to help him in his transaction. Short on cash, Bakugou's father took the recommendation into consideration. For the first time in a long time Haru was panicking. Without a second thought Haru weaved through the panicked mob and sprinted straight through the broken glass doors.

It was with every fiber of his being that he hoped he was just tired or delusional when the blast went off. With just his deductive reasoning based on the sound and volume of the blast he already could figure the explosion originated from the bank inside of the plaza. Rushing past panicking shoppers covered in concrete dust and ash he was single minded in reaching the bank. The sheer amount of panic was nauseating for anybody of a lesser constitution, for Haru it was barely registering as he was rushing to the bank.

Once there he saw that he was horribly right. Glass, concrete, and metal littered the ground in varying sizes of debris. Haru quickly scanned the many bodies that littered the front of the bank. The clouds of dust were a terrible hindrance, but with a quick evaluation Bakugou and his father were not found. Now it was the worst case scenario that was possible if they were not found outside the bank. Haru was inside the nearly demolished section of the building when he caught sight of the sheer destruction. Inside there were so many people who were inside that were incapacitated from the blast or worse off than just a concussive blast. Haru was panicking and scanning inside. Each face registering and marked off the list of potential victims that could have been the father and son he had condemned. Through the dust and carnage Haru in his search saw what he had feared from the very beginning of this ordeal.

Laying in front of him, near the teller window; he could make out the clothes that Bakugou's father had worn coming into the building. Worst of all it looked like he was embracing something that looked to be the size of a child. Not wasting a millisecond he was on the bodies and what he saw sent despair plummeting into the pit of his stomach. Lying there was the unconscious body of Bakugou in the arms of his equally unconscious father. Without a second thought Haru went into emergency mode and evaluated their conditions.

Haru was able to deduce that Bakugou was just unconscious due to a concussion, but his father was much worse off. There were signs of shrapnel entering his torso and on top of the life threatening injuries he had stopped breathing. Haru layed Bakugou safely away next to his father and immediately began CPR to get the critical father breathing again. Haru was quick in pulling out his phone and dialing a number, there being no dial tone and a person on the other side immediately.

"119 Emergency-"

"CRITICAL CONDITION FOR TWO, ONE CHILD AND MALE ADULT! MEDIVAC NOW!"

"Yes sir!"

Without skipping a beat Haru began frantically performing CPR on the father. Pumping twenty times and breathing air into his lungs he was desperate to get his heart going again.

"C'mon… C'MON BREATHE!"

Pumping and administering air Haru kept his maddening pace with the futile hope that the man would begin breathing again. Again and again. In the middle of a dozen or so corpses Haru kept trying to get a pulse going for the clinically dead man.

"You have a son, a wife, and I'll be fucking dead before I let you leave that all behind, so BREATHE!"

Over and over his hands compressed, over and over he kept blowing air into his lungs. Another few minutes passed and suddenly a violent cough and wheezing spat out from the near-dead man. Haru was beyond relieved and took it upon himself to make sure that this wasn't just a temporary fluke. Just then a team of medics came up behind him and addressed his emergency first. The team was quick and professional in administering care. The boy and his father were secured and carried out to the helicopter waiting outside for them. With that done Haru now had a new issue to address.

Turning into the bank he stormed into the back and sought out the vault. Inside, his worst fears had been confirmed. A mangled safe door and parts of the building caved in. The origin of the blast was here, and when rounding the jagged metal and rubble inside another mangled gate door and most if not all of the safe boxes unloaded and empty. It was becoming more and more obvious what had happened here, and with every affirmation of the truth Haru was growing in his rage, his need for punishment.

Less than an hour later Haru was at the hospital that Bakugou and his father were administered to. He was quick to confirm that despite appearances, Bakugou had been only concussed during the event and was being monitored for any other health complications. His father was unfortunately not as fortunate. When Haru arrived the man was still in surgery, being worked on by the most competent surgeons available in the country. Despite the pedigree of treatment Haru was anxious and nervous, his hands clasped and heel tapping the linoleum of the medical wing at an obnoxious speed. Shortly after his arrival Bakugou's mother came storming in with a hellish intent to make sure her family was safe. It took quite a bit of elbow grease from the staff and Haru's hand on her shoulder to calm things down.

Haru was grim and solemn in his silence alongside Bakugou's mother. They were both motionless and silent in their desperate patience for their loved ones new's of safety. Time felt inconsequential with every tick and tock that passed. The hospital was an absolute nightmare of multiple patients and medical staff doing what they could to save the critically wounded. The recent incident had left the city in a pure state of chaos, multiple hospitals filled to capacity and even many larger heroes being pulled across the country to assist in the matter. The chaos of it all fell on deaf ears as both Haru and Bakugou's mother were waiting for the new's their loved ones would be safe.

Late into the evening there was finally a break in the maddening silence. A nurse had notified Bakugou's mother about the status of her family and guided her to the doctor who was in charge of her husband's surgery. Haru was apprehensive at best but allowed his eyes to follow her down to the end of the hallway. The doctor was short with his formalities and began disclosing the status of the critically wounded father. It didn't take a genius to know that the wails from the collapsing mother that he was less than fortunate enough to survive the events that led to his critical condition.

Haru couldn't forget the sounds of wailing and sobbing from the grieving mother. He could taste the blood pulsing inside his tongue, the ringing inside his ears so deafening it made him sick. There was not a great amount of memory for him that night, but the few bits and pieces he could recollect he would rather leave behind. Then and there something truly horrifying was set in motion.

Later That Night

The success of the operation was overall seen as a positive by the crew of ambitious mobsters. All of them were celebrating next to the piles of currency resting at their feet. Thousands upon thousands of in sequential bills lay in pallets upon pallets on the floor. The warehouse they were in was bustling with the celebratory woops and catcalls of the many members who had taken part of the heist. Alcohol was served plenty and with a chest full of pride Isamu looked upon his team with genuine happiness. Taking another shot of whiskey Isamu was about to join in on the festivities until he was interrupted by another underling in his command.

"I-Isamu-san"

"What is it? What's wrong?"

The henchman only handed over a cell phone to him. Putting the receiver up to his ear he caught the disdainful voice of his father.

"Isamu… What did you do?"

The fear in his father's voice was new to him. With a newfound sense of confidence he answered his terrified father.

"It was done, father. Even with the operation almost blown with everything going up in smoke preemptively, The payload was still there for us and nobody saw anyth-"

"YOU DUMB SON OF A BITCH! I TOLD YOU NO AND NOW I HAVE TO FIX THE ABSOLUTE SHITSTORM YOU BIRTHED!"

Isamu had to pull the phone away from his ear, lest he go deaf from his dad's outburst. The line was silent for some time as all that could be heard was the huffing and cursing of his father, distant from the receiver and pacing his office. Isamu's father was finally calm enough to sit back down, now instructing his son over the apparently grave situation.

"Listen here, son. More than half the country wants your head on a spear after what happened today. The police are the least of your worries right now... Here's what you're going to do-."

Isamu was attentive and hanging off of his fathers every word. Almost immediately he blanched out of confusion to the instructions his father was giving him. Coming from his father, one of the most controlling and intelligent individuals he knew, giving him terrible advice that even he knew was beyond stupid.

"Waitwaitwait. What do you want me to do? Are you serious?"

"Right now we have larger concerns than the police being a little suspicious of you. Now, if you would just let me finish-"

"Suspicious? I do that and I might as well email them 'I did it' and send them pictures of the money along with the address!"

"Listen!"

Again giving each other a moment to breathe, Isamu's father continued.

"We can deal with the police. We can handle government investigations. THEY are not the ones I'm concerned about."

Now his dad had his full attention. What on earth would send his father, an executive in their organization and seasoned criminal, into such a panic as this?

"Right now, you need to disappear for a while. Until I contact you again, you must cut yourself off to anything and everything that could indicate you're still alive. If possible, dig a hole five miles deep and don't even make a sound down there. THAT is how hidden you are going to be."

That was enough for the ignorant Isamu. It was starting to scare him on what it was that was coming after him with such vengeance.

"Dad, what is going on? Tell me, what is it that-"

"Do you know WHO it was that gave the order to put your whole bank job on hiatus? If it was me you would have had your way and rolled away with every scrap of expensive shit in that vault… The order was a 'request' from… Someone farther up. In fact it was a personal request from him. Word has caught on and now it's only a matter of time until he finds you…"

"D-dad. I'm… I'm sor-"

"Save it! We'll discuss this matter at a later time."

With that Isamu's father hung up and poured himself another glass of twenty-year old whiskey. Up to the lip of the glass he downed the whole thing in one go. Unknown to his son, his hands were trembling and his head was spinning so fast it would have taken off into orbit if it wasn't attached by the neck. The infiltration attempt was all over the news in no time at all. A secretary barged into his office during a business call; him having half the mind to send her to Thailand as a service girl for her lack of decorum. When the news was given he immediately hung up on the call and turned on the news on his wall mounted television. Wanting more information regarding the damages he made several calls to several of his associates. With their resources he managed to glean some information, information that began his ordeal of stress and anxiety .

Apparently there was some rather upsetting news that the one who had given out the order to delay the heist had been at the grand opening. Not only that, but it seemed there was an accident at the event that had included two people; people that seemed to be close to the mysterious figure, a man and his son. He learned that both of them were involved in the bombing and that the mystery man personally called for help for these two. Helicopters and several reputable doctors were aiding them in record time. Even Isamu's father, a man worth his weight in gold and sitting at the high table in this criminal enterprise, couldn't command that level of response from the japanese government. Even if the very building he was in charge of were to collapse and trap everybody inside the debris, he would still be at the mercy of whatever aid was deemed necessary for the incident. Not five minutes after the initial explosion, it was like half the country was dropping dead; the amount of response from multiple hospitals both inside and outside the city. Millions, if not billions, of yen's worth of medical aid was sent to aid the victims of the incident. One call, and half the country immediately came to his request.

When he had contacted his informants after a few hours regarding the status of the father and son, his soul had dropped to the pit of his stomach when he heard that the father had passed on. The family of two was so important to him that when the medical team arrived he was performing CPR and trying to stabilize him by the time the attendants arrived. It didn't take a data analyst to see that eventually he was going to realize that rather than honoring the request he had made some time ago; someone thought it necessary to go over his head and impromptu a heist anyways. The breadcrumb trail would eventually lead that man to his only son, and if that were to happen not even god could stop the horrific things that this man would inflict on his flesh and blood.

He could only wait. Sending an apology now would just let that man know his son was responsible for everything. He would have to wait. Tempers were high and until he eventually walked through his doors and met him; he would have to find a way to appease him. No matter the cost.

Two Weeks Later

Nightlife in the shadier districts of Musutafu was something reserved for those looking to truly expand their horizons and truly feel what it meant to be alive. Of course such places that caught the attention of those who would seek such a thing would be seen as lesser or belligerent. However in one part of Musutafu's northern red light districts such conventions were nowhere to be seen.

Elegantly constructed architecture and clean streets, you would have been forgiven into thinking that this was just another high end shopping district. Another look and you would see the signs advertising brothels and nightclubs of various shapes and sizes. Despite the lavish atmosphere, there was one building that still stood out from the others.

At the end of the street a standalone building with extravagant works of glass and metal shaped into modern art plastered all around the building. Out front the neon tubes twisted and curved into the location's name; The Inner Mask. A nightclub that even those of higher social standing fight tooth and nail to get into. The true black label, a true and pure experience of what any nightclub worth a king's ransom should offer. Inside the currently closed doors staff and others were preparing the club for another fully-packed night of patrons.

On the upper floors of the club, where more professional matters were settled, was designed and constructed like the space below. Sleek walls and flooring with lighting that only enhanced the obsidian surfaces of different depths of ebony.

Inside a conference room, a massive equally impressive ebony table and chairs adorning the sides of it, business of a more legal nature than was usually conducted was being held. A single man with silvered hair peeking out the sides of his well groomed hair and an italian suit, dark ruby red and made of silk, Was sat at the far end of the table. The monitor was broadcasting a live feed to his business partners in shanghai; both parties discussing the final stages of a new branch being constructed there.

"Now, if there were no other questions I believe this concludes our meeting gentleman."

The few live feeds went offline one after another, till there was just a black screen with the 'no connection' indicator in the smack center of it. Sighing a breath of relief he picked up his tablet and tapped the table in several spots. A menu of options popped up and with a flick and tap, he shut off the giant monitor and was already on his way back to his office. Halfway there he could make out the clicking of heels approaching him from the opposite end of the hall. Rounding the corner a woman in high stilettos and a pencil skirt paired with a blouse that accentuated her rounded breasts caught sight of him and approached with haste. A polite smile on his face, he addressed the rather distraught assistant.

"What's the matter? You look like you've been strinting to find me."

"Mr. Akihiko, somebody is inside your office right now! He has no appointment and I'm not sure what you want me to do."

Now understanding of her panicked appearance he wanted to get more information regarding this unknown intruder.

"Did he do or say anything for you? Are you ok, at least?"

"Thank you sir, but no. I was just at my desk when a disheveled man walked in and went right to your office. I thought he was homeless, so I tried security, but before I could page he said something to me."

Brows furrowed he implored her to continue.

"And then?"

"Uh, yes! He said 'tell Sato that Nakamura is here to see him', and without thinking I just came straight here."

A look of surprise followed up shortly with a good natured smile Sato went and put his hand on the nervous secretary.

"Did he have white hair?"

"Ummm, yes. He did."

A hand on the young woman's shoulder helped put her at ease that the matter was not as much of an emergency as she had first assumed.

"Thank you, Hina. It's just an old friend coming to see me. I think I'm going to take some time out for him, so why don't you head home for the evening?"

"B-but sir-"

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble. Just take a break and go home, I'll see you tomorrow."

With just a moment of hesitation she bowed and was on her way home. Once alone Sato allowed himself to untense and it showed on his face; he was nervous, almost scared. He knew who it was that was brave enough to walk right into his office uninvited, to demand his presence without a single complaint coming from Sato himself. The only person to exist he would bow to as he would to a superior.

Sato also knew why Haru was there. He had heard from his associates about what had happened a while back. He knew he was going to have to face Haru eventually, but it was a matter of when that he was unable to guess. Every second he delayed standing there would only make matters worse if he kept Haru waiting longer than he wanted to. Sato took a deep breath and steeled himself for battle. Although in this instance it was less of a battle and more of an execution. His execution.

Like clockwork, Sato was at his office in no time at all. Through the glass that made up the front of his office he spotted Haru sitting in a chair he pulled from his waiting area. He looked awful; hair unkempt, slouching in his seat, clothes looking roughed up in a bar room brawl. His stride shortened ever so slightly, slowing down his pace to delay the inevitable encounter. Brushing off dust that wasn't there he flattened his tie and cleared his throat. The door was heavier than usual entering his office.

His office was pristine and designed much like the rest of the club's decorum; Sato was somebody who prided himself with his aesthetic tastes. Rounding the corner of his desk and taking a seat he could make out the stench of body odor and alcohol now seeping off the miserable looking Haru. He placed the tablet neatly off to the right and sat upon the chair already pulled back for him. He was nervous of Haru, so much so that he neglected to even pull himself into his desk, wanting to maintain the most distance from Haru without offending him. Straight through his torso he was straight as an arrow. He gave the man in front of him his undivided attention. Haru had yet to address Sato's presence. His eyes were glazed over and staring past Sato and at his large aquarium behind him. The entire back wall was occupied by all sorts of exotic fishes and rock formations pulled straight from the Indian ocean. This silence went on for quite some time, yet Sato never wavered in showing Haru his undivided attention. Sato was able to take a closer look at Haru, and without even trying he could tell Haru had neglected to change out of his clothes and drank for days on end. Unable to sleep either as there were bags under his eyes. Twenty minutes they sat in this cold silence. Feeling the need to address Haru's sudden visit, Sato was the first to cut the tension.

"Nakamura-san, I cannot begin to tell you the scale of failure I have allowed-"

"Don't speak to me like that…"

Sato felt the ice he was on begin to crack. Quick to correct himself he cleared the knot in his throat and continued.

"S-sir, I-I-I understand that the past few weeks have been difficult for you. The entire organization wishes to express our accountability in any way we can. Whatever it is, no matter th-"

"How's your son, Sato?"

All of a sudden his stomach caught the weight of a cannonball falling from earth's atmosphere. Thin ice was no longer a proper term to describe his situation; now he was straight up walking on water and staying dry above the ankles.

"H-h-he's… Uhmm… The boy is… well… good…"

Haru turned his eyes to Sato for the first time since the start of his visit. He was visibly sweating and was struggling to breathe. Sato couldn't move, not that he even wanted to. Anything could set off Haru and he was in no rush to find out what that trigger was.

"He's twenty-seven now, right? What is he doing now? I heard he was a business owner."

"Uh… Yes. He manages a restaurant. It's-"

"I wonder if Tatsu and his business are doing well. Running a chinese restaurant in this economic climate must have it's own challenges…"

Sato was now unable to look up at Haru. He was drenching his undershirt with his sweat. By no means was it for the sake of small talk his son and the restaurant his son owned came up unprompted by Haru. Haru was now up and out of his chair and was standing opposite of Sato at his desk. Haru leaned on one hand and tapped at the sleek black surface of the desk, the built in tablet function coming to life for him. Past the security login and into Sato's personal family cloud storage he pulled up several photos of his son and wife, swiping the image files over to Sato's side of the desk. Tears were welling up as he recalled the memories all the photos were attached to. So badly he just wanted to beg; to offer his flesh, bones, or soul, just to keep his family out of Haru's bloodthirsty aim. Doing just that would just make things worse for Sato and anybody he was personally attached to. Tears spotting the expensive silk Sato could do nothing but listen and wait till he was allowed to speak.

"Such a diligent and hardworking child. You really did get lucky pulling that one huh? Yeah, kids are truly something else."

Once the last image was set on Sato's side of the desk it was a crescent shape that opened up where he sat. Haru leaned in and put his weight onto the desk. This was torture. Every second he took off this abuse he could only fight the urge to vomit his lunch, which was now halfway up his chest.

"They are worth so much to us. All we can do as parents is to do what's best for them. I truly admire your parenting, Sato. You never took the shortcuts most parents took and your son is a better person for it. Most other parents would try and help their children prosper by providing opportunities they themselves have made accessible. Most would call that being a parent, I call it a double edged sword. Passing on and reluctance to teach a child independence can often be confused for one another at times; but at the end of the day, it is their choice to do with what is theirs."

Haru's head was now hanging and his shoulders loose, letting his head and hair hang low.

"But what I fail to understand is when something isn't theirs and they still take the opportunity to coddle their child, who do you think truly suffers?"

The room was equipped with an advanced temperature regulation system. Always keeping the room at a neutral temperature evenly throughout the space at the touch of a button or use of voice command. Sato was colder than he ever was in the past, more than his trip to the mountains or being out with minimal protection against weather that could flash freeze liquids as they were poured out. The once teeming tank of fish was now visibly vacant. All the fish and crustaceans felt it necessary to hide from this new unknown predator that appeared out of nowhere. All of which was caused by this one man who was struggling and somewhat failing to hide his anger.

"Who was it that deemed it acceptable…"

The obsidian desk suddenly popped and cracked, sending out webs of cracks throughout the entirety of sato's desk. Haru's Hands were tensed up and fingers squeezing down with enough force to damage the durable material underneath it. The screen was quickly turning black, the pixels all burning out from the fresh cracks made by Haru. The terrible image of his family's faces being soaked up by an inky black blob strangely metaphorical of the consequences should he fail to resolve the problem at hand.

"-for that parasitic, little shit Daibo to circumvent my simple standards and allow his waste of barnyard animal cum-stain of a son into my place of business?"

Haru was now visibly becoming angry and Sato was losing his mental foothold. Sato knew Haru despised nepotism and over the years Sato and many others within the circles of leadership took less and less notice of reinforcing this practice. Under no circumstance was a lower level member allowed to bring in somebody new with whom they had close relations with, but others who were higher up on the ladder rungs began to 'lower' certain expectations and newer members seemingly came into being with little or no notice from anyone. It was something that Sato was just recently notified of and with the intent to review the information he was not ignorant to the problem at hand.

So when Sato turned on the news and saw the remains of a public bombing had taken place exactly at the same time an operation that Haru had personally requested be delayed, he could already feel the cold embrace of death begin to wrap itself then and there around him. Only Sato was aware of what the situation could possibly entail since not only was there somebody who disobeyed a direct order, but innocent people were dragged in and the whole disaster brought unwanted attention to the possible existence of the organization's existence. Breaking two unnegotiable tenants of their order was more than a criminal offence in the eyes of the upper management, but there was more than likely a personal reason as to why Haru asked for a delay in such a lucrative operation that took a large amount of time and money to orchestrate. This was only confirmed by Sato since he was practically the only other human on earth who knew the reasons why Haru left.

In the news feed He caught a van that was parked behind the reporter that matched Haru's food truck. Sato wanted confirmation that his worst fears were not to pass and made a few calls to his executives. Them catching wind of the incident they shared all the information they could gather. There was paperwork for the catering that had Haru's van registered as one of the food stalls. It only got worse as Haru had also made a personal call to get medical evac as well as highly trained doctors for just two people. Their descriptions matched the description of people he had remembered Haru was closely associated with. The nail in the coffin was the news that after hours of surgery and confirmation from multiple sources that Haru was still in the hospital was the death of the child's father. Now it was a matter of whether or not Haru would just charge those directly involved responsible, or if he thought Sato was just as liable for the terrible cost he had to pay that day.

Sato had never felt as unsure of the future as he did now.

Sato gulped at the knot in his throat. It didn't go away.

"A-ah… I-I know that in part the negligence of me and my fellow board members have cost you greatly. I… I… I just…need more time… plea-"

.By no means was Sato a slouch when it came to a fight. He had spent years of his younger days going in and out of many skirmishes and drawn out fights that have honed his senses. He was a leader in his own rights then, so it was mostly him leading fights that he and his men were charged with. With constant fights and life threatening situations being such a common occurrence he had the choice to either adapt or die. Years of narrow misses, getting beaten, dealing out beatings of his own; Sato had a keen eye, and despite reaching his golden years and having a body go stiff and spending more time fighting chronic pain he was still as sharp as ever. Nothing ever got by him if he could help it.

So by no stretch of the imagination when he suddenly saw his desk violently split in half in front of him with a thunderous BANG and Haru with his hand recoiled above his shoulder, Sato was reminded about how fucked he was. It didn't even register when Haru hammered on the desk with nothing but a closed hand. No twitch, no sense of hostility, no change in his breath that could have prepared him for the sudden destruction of his ludicrously expensive desk. Like film edited by frame every single frame from him leaning on the table to smashing it to bits were just removed. Nothing registered, not even for Sato.

Bits of glass and metal were still showering down from the ceiling. The blow was so instant and powerful Sato could have sworn the building shook for a split second.

"Why are you begging for your life right now? Did I ask what you wanted?"

This prideful and elegant man, seated upon the throne of the single entity that controlled all of Japan, was truly terrified. He had unconsciously rolled his chair back against the aquarium wall and was cornered against the display of lavish living. Haru then took one step after another towards the hyperventilating man. Right in between the two halves of the desk he just destroyed.

"You want to know what's so funny about this? Despite your fuck up, I'm still rational enough to be fair in this situation."

He was right in front of Sato. His hair gel melted with the sweat and was now hanging pitifully off to the side, tears barely contained his lips were pulled tight with his teeth clattering from his fear. Haru spoke softly, bending down and getting right up in Sato's personal space.

"You fuck this up, you and your family will replace his. Do you understand?"

Haru yanked a piece of paper ripped from a cheap hotel notepad that was folded up and pressed flat. Sticking the slip of paper into Sato's jacket pocket. With that he got up and took one last look at the cowering figure of a man. Haru turned back around towards the exit and right as he was within arms reach of the door it suddenly shattered and showered the floor with hundreds of tiny glass shards. Haru kept on through as if the door was never there in the first place.

Now able to move again Sato took in deep breaths of refreshing air and slumped forward in his chair. Knees and elbows meeting he wiped the sweat and hair from his face and decided it best to collect himself and reset his physical appearance so as not to alert anyone else in the building of the ordeal he had to undergo.

One Hour Later

Sato's head of security was a rather tall and wide shouldered man who went by the name of Honda. A diligent man who was responsible for many of the club's affairs regarding possible threats to both the staff and security. In a much more discretionary role He was the head of Akihara Sato's personal security team; literally the only man Sato can trust in any capacity.

Honda was a man who never overstepped his boundaries and always had a mind for respect and discipline. So regarding an SMS message from his employers mobile was rather vexing, since when they were in the offices Sato would usually just page for Honda through his secretary. Rounding the corner He immediately saw the glass door practically disintegrated and sprinkled all across the floor. Immediately his training kicked in and with his fist clenched and knuckles opened up for the projectiles he scanned the office for any potential threats as well as his employer. Oddly enough He saw his boss with a personal vanity coming out of one of the walls. Honda was still uncertain of the situation so gingerly stepping through the broken glass he approached his employer.

"Akihara-sama, is everything alright?"

Sato turned to greet the rather cagey security guard. He was still setting his tie into the perfect shape for his now deep blue ensemble of clothes.

"Ah, Honda-kun! Please, have a seat. I'll be with you shortly."

Honda put away his quirk seeing no immediate threats and his employer seemingly fine and well. He gingerly sat at the leather sofa that was sinfully supple and comforting to sit on. Honda was rarely inside Sato's office, only with sensitive material regarding his 'other' tasks was he here for any extended period of time. Looking around he took in the symmetrical box that was Sato's office. Immediately obvious was the now destroyed dest that once was the singular most interesting object in this office. Studying and trying to decipher what could have led to that sort of needless destruction he heard his employer pour out what sounded like whiskey into glasses. A cork squeak and two ice drops later Sato came over with two glasses of bourbon on the rocks with ice balls pure as a catholic nun. The personal vanity then began closing by itself as Sato approached his security guard.

"Come Honda, have a drink with me."

"Uh, sir, if I may? I don't think it's appropriate for me to drink while on duty, so-"

The glass was pushed into the hand of the hesitant Honda with little resistance. Sato sat himself in the armchair to Honda's right and took a sip of what was likely a very expensive liquor.

"Ahhh, well I'm certainly not drinking alone. Either drink or go home, your choice."

With less reluctance Honda took a whiff of the liquor before taking a sip, letting the warm amber of the scotch sink into his bloodstream.

"Delicious, isn't it? That is twenty year old scotch you have right there.I had won five bottles from an auction in America. I believe it was called Tennessee, if I remember correctly. Only twelve bottles exist in the world, so enjoy it while it lasts."

Another sip from Sato as the security guard was even more perplexed over the lavish treatment along with the complete obliviousness that his employer's office was smashed to bits. Deciding to get a straight answer Honda gingerly placed his glass onto a coaster provided in front of the glass table in front of them.

"Sir, as much as I appreciate the kind offer, I must ask about the reason I was called here. Did something happen? Are you alright sir?"

Solemnly Sato just looked off into the distance for a minute and took another sip of his glass.

"If you promise that the whiskey I just poured will be gone before you leave, then certainly."

Again the glass was off the table and back into Honda's hand. With a sigh and another sip Sato went on speaking.

"Honda, do you know the history of our organization? How we came to be and the yakuza continue to operate when we are the ones who are the leaders of this country?"

Pausing for a moment Honda took a sip and answered the best of his abilities.

"You were a yakuza leader at the time. You had worked in secret from the main branches and grew our organization underneath the very foundations of this nation. Through ten years of leadership you created the foundation we sit on today, and twenty years after that we still stand strong because of you."

Sato couldn't help but chuckle at that old story that gets thrown around the younger members of their criminal enterprise.

"Ah, yes. The infamous fable of how I became the invisible ruler that owns japan much like how one owns a lump of modeling clay. I never liked how quickly that story cycled around. I'm not one for inflating his own ego; I find that behavior detestable."

Another sip and Sato was silent once more. Honda was politely sipping through his drink while pondering something that Sato had said just now that couldn't escape him.

"Sir, don't you mean 'account'? I mean, a fable is something like a fairy tale or folklore. Something that doesn't exist, you know?"

Sato couldn't help but be impressed by the observational skill that Honda possessed.

"Quite right. Although to be fair, fables are usually grounded in some form of reality since they were mostly made to help explain the mysteries behind certain events at the time. Nonetheless, by my definition; yes, it is a fable."

Right now Honda couldn't tell if it was the scotch reacting poorly in his stomach or if he was hearing things, but right now something that probably shouldn't be known by anybody else was being shared over drinks during the work day.

"Wait… Uhhh… Sir… I can't help but…"

"You didn't hear me wrong, Honda."

Sato sat straight up and looked Honda in the eyes. It was imperative to Sato that Honda understood what he had just shared, was indeed the truth.

"I am the leader of the organization that exists today, but I am not it's founder."

You could see the single gear turning inside Honda's head as the words in his head began to crawl their way inside his brain. The drink was almost empty, but now it sat in his hand forgotten. Knowing this reaction was possible, Sato kept elaborating on the true story.

"Back when I was the leader of a failing family branch of the Yakuza; my family name was barely worth the paper it was printed on. Year after year I kept trying to pull in revenue for my family, but I always would come up short every time. I even resorted to selling large chunks of land my family had owned since the end of the Meiji period. Even when I gave up my dignity it wasn't enough."

There was a bitterness in his voice as he recalled the treatment he received from the neighboring territories.

"I knew the other families were trying to suck me dry for everything, but at the time I had no other choice. I had good people under my leadership, and failing them when they trusted my decisions was worse than just cutting my losses and disappearing. I don't remember details but one day when the club was smaller and I was at a point where I couldn't even keep that, a man showed up at the door."

Honda was hooked on every word that came from Sato's lips. The last time he was so intently listening was when his mother read him storybooks from the library down the street from where they lived.

"I was hiring new staff at the time and was ready to step down and pray to god that my people would at least be allowed to earn their keep rather than just being tossed out to the streets. All of a sudden I hear that an armed man holding my right hand man at the time hostage and had a gun to his head I saw fit to blow his head off right then and there."

Like recalling a forgotten name or place his eyes drifted to his hand, a glowing yellow hummingbird perching in his palm and just hopping around and curiously looking around. He stroked the top of it's head and was gently affectionate with the newly birthed creature.

"You would've done the same, wouldn't you? Honda?"

Honda heard the high pitched call of a small bird right next to his ear. He was careful in turning his head but out of the corner of his eye he saw that an identical hummingbird was perched on his left shoulder; innocently enough just looking around. Here he was reminded about how little of his own quirk mattered in his job but the actual procedures and security protocols were what landed him the job of protecting someone who was seen as the most powerful man known to Japan. Was being a key term here.

Sato's quirk, Singing Sun, allowed him to spawn and command a swarm of hummingbirds that glowed bright yellow. One would think such a quirk would be annoying at best, but useless in a fight. The caveat that each individual hummingbird could combust with the force of a mortar shell was what set these birds apart from being just a novelty.

More than the fact that his employer was now threatening him to agree with his opinion lest he disagree with him, he could tell that something had happened here that left Sato in a state of quiet but intense anger. Knowing that the blasts only affect the people or things that Sato wanted blown up he knew with a quirk like that how could somebody as powerful and versatile as Akihara Sato submit to anybody he didn't deem fit to be in his presence. The office was damaged by what looked to be direct blows from some kind of blunt instrument. How does someone who seems to just have some kind of physical quirk affect a long range user like Sato?

"Of course sir, nothing would change my stance that you are of the highest priority at any given time."

Coming from anybody else Sato would have called bullshit, but with Honda he knew the boy had too much self respect to kiss ass to anyone, especially his.

"Thank you, Honda. Regardless, my second-in-command was in danger from a gunshot wound to the head and in my hesitation this man began to speak to me. In fact he not only just spoke, but began negotiating with me! All sorts of impossible things he would promise if he was given control of all of my resources and that I would be the one to claim all of the credit for myself. To make things even more appealing he dumped fifty million yen onto the table right then and there.

He said that it was mine regardless if I were to accept his offer or not. There was one obvious issue that would have come with just taking the money and not his help. The money would have been gone within a few months, and with it an opportunity to fix things. On instinct I accepted the offer and with how far I was in the hole I saw no reason to at least humor him."

The glass was now empty with the shrunken orb of ice at the bottom of Sato's glass. Honda downed the last of his whiskey and did just the same.

"From that day forward it was like I held hellfire and laid waste to all that opposed me. Money and business began to flow in like water; people whom I thought were far above my station were paying tribute like I was their boss."

The fun and sheer relief from those days were clearly some of the best that he had experienced. A mischievous glint in his eye and a Cheshire smile was all Honda needed to tell it was quite the time to be him during that time. But then his face lost that spark of life and looked as old as he was. As all good things come to an end, the horrors that he had discovered was what made him who he was today.

"It was all just a lie. A lie I was allowed to believe and reap the benefits from, but a dream nonetheless. When I had come down from my high of being once again successful and getting all my desires met… The things I saw…"

His hand was over his eyes and rubbing at his temples. It offered little relief so instead of stopping he continued.

"All the things that came to me had their costs. I barely peek into what this man was doing to make things so easy… I should have never gone farther than that."

A genuine look of tiredness and age was plastered across Sato's face. Sheer horror not only experienced but lived with for years festered inside his head. Honda was still listening intently with the nature of this mysterious entity coming to light for the first time.

"Not only was he far more competent a business man that me, but the mental fortitude to reach as deep as he did…"

Again Sato was silent for a while. Handa was patient and was just staring intently at the lounging figure of Sato, while in reality despite his relaxed appearance he was sick to his stomach remembering things better forgotten. Sato was thinking of the right words for Honda regarding the horror that was this mystery benefactor. An idea finally came to him.

"You are aware of the many titles that are associated with who I am. The Invisible King, The Imaginary Monarch, and others similar to that, correct?"

Prompted for an answer Honda could only dumbly nod his head.

"There is one nickname that never made itself known. A nickname that was true to him and him alone."

Sato looked Honda dead in the eyes with the weight of the earth sinking into his shoulder. The recollection of such a thing exhausts him.

"Chimamire."

It was barely a name. Something so generic yet telling of something horrific sent a hollow sensation through Honda.

"The oceans of human remains he pulled was more than I could have anticipated. By no means were we foreign to death or what it meant to inflict upon our enemies… But what he did…"

His head was on his hands as he folded them together with his knees to the elbows. It was something that was beyond him. Upon learning the truth, Sato was able to understand the weight of his role and what it meant to be the face of this monstrous entity. The reality that there was no such thing as free for something too good to be true.

"In three years, he delivered on the promise of securing our inevitable takeover."

Another deep pause. Sato was mulling over something in his head and it showed. All of a sudden he stood back up and picked his glass off the table and silently asked if Honda would like a refill on his drink. He declined politely.

Now that Sato was topped off with a fresh drink and was seated once more he took one good shot of the drink and set it back half empty. What Honda heard next would never leave Honda.

"By the time we realized that things were going suspiciously well, I sent a team to track and find out what he was doing."

Leaning back and staring at the ceiling, Sato was pained at the memory.

"He had killed and swept under the rug over five-thousand human bodies. And not all of them were Yakuza or criminals of any sort."

Honda was still processing what had been said. For a moment there was the empty blissful moment before the truth sank in and horrified Honda. Hearing the sheer volume of death that this man was personally responsible for was bad enough. Hearing that out of those thousands of people that innocent people were a part of that number was too much, even for a hardened member of this organization.

How many were innocent? How did they die? How many were just women and children. Honda was twisting and turning at the possible answers for his questions. Questions best left alone.

"Wh-what… Who…"

"Do you really wish to know? Only a few members from back then know about the things that man had done for this organization. You can walk right out of this office and return to your duties. None the wiser of the truth and blissfully ignorant of our past."

The offer was too tempting. However it wasn't his curiosity that got the better of him. Nor was it the need to judge whether or not he should leave this work behind him; that right was long gone and past. Who were those people? Are they just a statistic for a few older hardened criminals to remember, reminding them of the cost of being who they were? Leaving those people as a memory to be forgotten was the thing weighing him down upon that lavish leather couch cushion. Honda just sat there looking at his boss, a grim look of determination in his eyes. Sato just chuckled at the determined man and continued.

"One of the largest issues we were dealing with while I was a clan leader was the disregard and lack of domestic product that was born from foreign competition. Often freighters holding contraband and numerous types of goods were coming and going from our ports. Being who we were, we saw to capitalize on this. Not a single ship from any other group at the time was willing to give into our demands for a 'docking surcharge'. We couldn't do anything and they knew this. Being a shadow of our former selves we could only yank on our chain and bark as loud as we wanted to.

Over time the ships coming in began to take note of a potential market in Japan. They began doing business with them, and leadership was short sighted enough to allow them into our borders. The distribution was ours and for some time it was a resurgence of money we needed then. In fact it was more than enough and we kept business flowing for foreign groups to keep sending us their goods. A few years later we saw that there was no demand for our goods.

There was already a plentiful surplus of prostitutes, drugs, and other goods that we couldn't push our product. The product we had to sell was purchased goods, and now with the product that we had to sell and the inability to be self-sufficient we were at their mercy. Many of our operations were abandoned or sold off to lesser criminals. Our only source of major income was now at the hands of our competitors."

The glass now empty and ice ball clinking around the glass, Sato paused. Honda was just as respectfully silent for Sato to continue his retelling of events. Suddenly without warning Sato shot up out of his chair and threw his empty glass at the glass walls in front of him. The window panes were strong enough to withstand the projectile, sending glass shards flying in random directions. Honda was surprised to say the least and recoiled at the sudden outburst. Sato collected himself and straightened his appearance despite it being just as immaculate as before.

"Sorry about that. Those are some rather… Bitter memories I had to recollect. Now then."

Back in his chair he continued on with his tale.

"Where was I? Ah, the trading of other groups. As I said before; at this time we were dependent on foreign money and were forced to do what they wanted if we didn't want to collapse under our own weight. So like dogs we kept our noses down and followed orders as instructed. We were powerless and empty, ghosts with no free will. That is, until he showed up."

Honda felt his collar tighten and a sweat started to go on his brow. The truth of who they were was finally here.

"Even inside the yakuza, as neutered it was, I was in debt and the other clans were only making it worse. All I had left was the small club I owned and barely enough to keep that afloat. Another month and I would have slit myself open, letting those parasites take and defile what little I had. Out of nowhere this man came in with a backpack filled with fifty million yen and a deal for me and my group alone.

Whether or not we accepted his offer, the money he gave us was ours, he said. All he asked for was for us to do what he said and not to question his judgement. I wouldn't have to step down as the Akihara's leader, saying that he 'needed a face to borrow'. Whatever that meant. At first I thought he must have been a member of another family with more disposable income, sent here to give me another reason to be indebted without my knowledge and watch me squirm for just a bit longer. I knew that money wasn't going to last us a month or two, but even if it was a trick or sick demented way the other families found to watch me suffer for longer; I had no choice but to accept this stranger's money. I still had mouths to feed, and I wasn't about to let my people go hungry for my pride."

Honda felt rather assured of Sato and his leader, hearing that bit of his past. Even to this day he seeks to keep everything a float and has always done what was right by his people. The amount of money their entity could have earned had they been compromising would have left them back at square one with their pockets lined with more money they could actually spend. From the beginning he sought the right connections and business to become stronger than their enemies.

"From there it was a storm unleashed in the Japanese underground world. Many members of other families began to go missing for a time and it sent the clans into a frenzy to find the culprit responsible. Meanwhile via his instructions I followed financial advice from him and like magic the money grew before my very eyes. The families were so worried for their own safety that I was able to move money around without any worry of others finding my new capital. Eventually he had slowed his pursuits, but by then we were financially secure and we moved on to our next steps.

He told me to sell all I had left. After all that I couldn't help but argue against it. He didn't budge, even after I had tried to fight him. He was something… Otherworldly. Like a spirit stuck between our world and some kind of pantheon meant for higher beings. I never questioned his judgement on these matters after that. I stepped down and left the Yakuza. The other families were so dismissive of my presence they assumed I had already left and didn't ask for a finger in return. Powerless enough to be forgotten, I will never forget how that felt...

Anyways, from there we were ghosts. One building was all we were allowed to purchase despite having enough money for eight times that amount. We kept making money via his directions and he was off god knows where sowing the fields for our eventual return to glory. The Yakuza were helpless to find who it was that was tearing them apart from not only the outside, but from within as well. He was knowledgeable enough to focus on a few clans at a time and let them fall apart from infighting and suspicion. Other means such as forgery, theft, and murder was enough to bleed the Yakuza dry. Nobody could trust anybody else and money was coming up short to maintain what was left of their own operations. With not only the majority of major powers left to manage things in the Yakuza, it was just a matter of sweeping up the leftover remains and adding to our coffers.

I thought that was it, we would be the ones to be the sole heir to this now unclaimed land and take their place. But for some reason he wanted the few Yakuza clans to lick their wounds and let them grow once more. At the time I couldn't understand his reason for anything he told us to do. We had grown significantly and created structure and numbers which could have started to reclaim all that potential wealth and resources. Again we were in hiding only able to collect bits and pieces when instructed to do so. After weeks of scavenging the next part of his plan came into play.

With their side project now all used up and useless the other foreign groups were again set on claiming what they thought was theirs. There was a change in the winds. They sent their feelers out to see what was available for them to suck dry. More and more products were being moved between national groups and at that pace all we had worked towards would have been out of reach forever… Looking back that probably would have been best."

Sato got up and grabbed another two glasses with an ice ball in each low-ball; in the opposite hand the bottle of whiskey. Setting all that down he poured two glasses and passed one to Honda. His first glass still sat there collecting condensation and melted ice water. Knowing better he moved the old glass to another coaster and the new drink took its place. The atmosphere around Sato wasn't one of anger or regret. What Honda felt sitting next to him was despair. Pure despair from knowledge he wished he never had, knowing what he knew.

"Shipment sizes increased to the point where cargo ships were the only financially viable option. Billions if not trillions worth in drugs, weapons, and human cargo were to be moved and soon the ships that were to incubate their new occupation in Japan were sent on their way to their promised land."

Downing the whole glass and pouring another Sato was now tipsy and yet was just as clear and well-spoken like he wasn't.

"Before those ships could make their way to Japan, an accident had occurred. It is to this day nobody could confirm the exact cause of this but a malfunction with some of the ships had caused them to collide with one another or sink on their own. All of the cargo on those ships were sent to the bottom of the ocean."

Honda was dangerously close to uncovering what this horrid secret was regarding the unknown benefactor that built and led them from the very beginning. All he needed was confirmation whether or not it was true. This loathsome, vile truth.

"Sir, if I remember correctly, you said they were moving everything they would need to operate freely in Japan. You can't tell me that-"

"Out of the dozens and dozens of shipments coming in, the majority of the human cargo on those ships consisted mostly of women and children… Over two thousand in fact…"

There it was. The truth of this nameless organization that he once considered something honorable and honest enough to human nature. Their foundation was built on the bones of innocent families. Children who didn't know where they were. Women knowing these moments were the only ones they had before becoming prostitutes and sex slaves. Even the men who had lost everything they loved. Sinking and drowning all those people painfully and slowly. Honda was now aware of why Sato kept insisting he have a drink.

Feeling the numbness of everything he thought that was grey and honorable turned in on itself. The glass was in his hand and emptied in one fluid movement. Holding his glass over to the right with just his arm was beyond rude by his standards. No decorum, just the need to be as numb as possible; as soon as possible. Sato poured another for Honda and for a while they both sat in silence. Sato felt somewhat guilty for sharing something so dark to someone like Honda. Honda valued this job and the organization above himself. He was a good man, understanding there are things even good men are capable of. For the rug to be yanked out from under him was unfair. Sato was in need of company to talk about this dark cloud hanging over him for the past thirty or so years. With recent events keeping the truth about this organization seems like something he's obligated to do.

Another few glasses and Honda had cleared more than half of what was left in the bottle of very rare and expensive whiskey. His face in his hands he just wanted this spinning in his head to stop. He wiped his face and scratched at the back of his head while looking down.

"... What then?"

Sato wasn't surprised that Honda wanted to know more about the truth; In fact, he even knew what was going through Honda's head. I'm this far in, why stop now? With a heavy sigh and topping his glass Sato kept on going with his account of the past.

"All hell broke loose between these groups. Triads, Mafia, the Russians; this incident was unprecedented for anybody and everybody involved with those shipments. They couldn't even salvage one container of the hundreds that went down; Not that it would have mattered. Storage containers aren't exactly known for being waterproof."

For both of them it was hard not to imagine all those poor women and children trying to claw their way out of a steel box slowly flooding with water.

"When we found out what had happened it took all of my strength to not go out and hunt down this monster I had let lead me around like a dog on a leash. The few who were in on the plan were ready to follow me to the ends of the earth to find him. Even when he came to see us in person he managed to convince us that this was something that even we were willing to do. If at the end of the day sending those ships down to the bottom of the sea was what it took to reach their goals nine times out of ten we would take that deal. No matter how much we wanted to believe otherwise."

"Would you? Truthfully…"

Sato glanced over and, catching his stare, maintained eye contact with Honda. Another pregnant pause between the two of them.

"...Would it make you feel better if you knew?"

Honda knew it was a trick question. After the fact it was easy to justify the inhumane nature of it all, but before then they were all at the end of their ropes. Sure, some could stomach failure for the sake of innocent people; but this wasn't something that was universally agreed upon. Often it's subjective, the price of sacrificing something, and the question was pointless after the fact. It happened, people died so that the organization could become what it was today. Asking for an opinion just seems too superficial to bother asking for anyways.

"...No. No, not really."

Sato took a deep breath and sighed, picking up from where he left off.

"For the time we let the matter go and watched as every criminal entity began to point fingers and find a scapegoat for the whole situation. The yakuza was far too underfunded and broken up after the infighting, so they were tossed aside from the get go. Tensions kept rising and while the hounds of war were snapping teeth and snarling at each other we began moving in and acquiring assets necessary for our continued growth.

Every day that passed more and more became ours. Not just territory and money; powerful people soon began rolling into our pockets. There wasn't enough growth for us to say we were gaining momentum. Slowly and steadily we were growing. Breaking off a few branches and letting them become their own entities was even necessary since it was quickly becoming clear that rather than using our old structures and ranking he was moving us to a business model of managing ourselves.

More and more we gained more of everything, and from the outside in all it was at the time was businesses taking advantage and buying up on an opportune market. Less and less we received instructions and with what had happened we preferred it that way. After another few years we had grown to be a foundation to begin our complete integration of this country. There was a thought, however, that kept bothering me at the time. What was being done to bring us this grand fortune? Knowing what he was capable of, I wanted a peek into this mysterious vehicle taking us to all sorts of heights. I looked and looked for something that would let me see what it was he was doing to make us grow like we were. Eventually I caught wind of a small arms deal unapproved by us and realized these types of events required much less interference than was expected at times.

That man had a habit of disappearing constantly and at first we paid no mind. We could guess more than less likely it would have been better to leave things as they were and remain blissfully ignorant…"

Another sip and a sigh. Sato paused again, remembering events better left forgotten. Honda was growing in curiosity for this benefactor. What was it that made him like this? Did he have some kind of quirk that made life too easy and if so was this his form of entertainment? If that was the case what was that quirk? The more he wanted to know the more confusing this man was to him.

"I looked for an opportunity to look into his type of work. Most requests when he works are mostly just me or someone with proper authority making sure the area was as vacant of our employees as humanly possible. Over time a few of our employees had a curiosity whenever the area was cleared for no good reason. Some caught wind of these unique requests over the years and when they caught wind of a request they would sneak off in some vain attempt to figure out why such an odd order would be from somebody so high up the ladder. Without fail, every single one of them would mysteriously disappear without a trace and was never heard from again."

Honda was having a harder and harder time trying to wrap his head around the whole thing. Helping them and killing off members of the group he was trying to incubate into this superpower of the nation.

"Years into our operations I fell for that very temptation. Catching wind and issuing the usual order myself I went and began investigating for myself where he was and what he was doing. By instinct I started looking for answers at a docking warehouse. What I found inside…"

Another sip and pause to collect his thoughts.

"I was immediately reminded of what my goals for this organization were, remembering that there was no such thing as something that was too good to be true. Everything has a cost. For me? The cost for power and to satisfy all my other desires, no matter how big or small, was saying yes to that devil and letting him do as he wished.

Inside that warehouse, was the devil's playground. In every twisted and evil way possible."

Sato could only shudder at the memory. He could still recall the stench of shit, piss, and blood thick and acrid enough for him to taste it on his tongue. Moonlight illuminated a complete mess of human remains which covered every inch of the warehouse interior. There were body parts of different sizes and portions littering the floor and shelves. Some pieces looked gored and mangled from the owner while others were cut clean off. An ocean of blood still fresh on the floor the massive puddles were several yards wide with more still pouring from the fresh bodies. Other disgusting details of a hellish massacre littered the walls and ceiling. With the blood still wet on the ceiling it came dripping down once in a while; like the last few raindrops after a heavy rainstorm.

Sato had killed, even enjoying the rush of macabre adrenaline that came with taking another human life at rare moments. This… This was something else entirely. No human was capable of this. What had happened here that warranted an aftermath such as this?

Covering his airways with his handkerchief he did what he could to circle the larger pools of human blood while trying to find something that could tell him what this was all about. He was closer to the door that led to the next storage warehouse attached to the back and heard what sounded like begging. Careful to not make a sound Sato gently swung the door further back and in the middle of the warehouse he could spot a man in black standing over a short, portly man who was on his knees and begging with tears and snot rolling down his face.

"Pl-pleaseee! I-you don't have to kill me! I-I can pay you! What do you want? Money? I can give you all the money I have! I-I can disappear! Nobody has to know! I'll never come back! But please spare meee!"

The figure had his back to Sato, who was careful to keep his shoes from making a sound on the hard concrete. Now a bit closer he saw that blood was splattered and soaked almost every inch of his body. The room was a significant improvement from the previous one, but still evidence of a killing was there. Two or three bodies worth of severed limbs and torsos littered the floors. He found his murderer, but now was the issue of how to approach the situation. He seemed distracted enough for Sato to get close enough, so with a slow and silent approach he tried to get a better view.

The mystery killer shifted the shotgun in his grip so that he was holding it by the end of the barrel. Winding up he hoisted the piece of hollow steel over his head and with one last look of fear on the short man's face the stock of the gun was brought down with so much force it buried itself down to his teeth. Bits of bone and brain matter sprayed everywhere. The body spasmed and twitched for a few seconds as it now began to defecate itself. When the body went limp the killer placed the bottom of his shoe and yanked out the butt of the gun from the now split skull. With a crack and suction noise the gun came free and the body gushed blood all over the concrete. The figure just stood there for a moment before reaching for his hood.

"I was wondering when you would show. I was about to give up and leave when you showed up."

Turning and facing Sato was Haru, His white beard and locks of hair soaked through with blood. All his clothing was blacked out and was hiding the blood soaked through them rather well. The smell and remaining wet-spots glistening were all that gave it away. Sato knew Haru was at least involved with the dozen or more dead men in the previous warehouse. It was just hard to put two and two together that a human being was capable of such a thing.

Haru certainly wasn't acting like he had done anything significant up till then. In fact he had his gun leaned up on a lower shelf right next to him and lit a cigarette, taking in the first drag and savoring the taste. His gloves were beginning to soak the filter so off went the gloves, and under them hands just as equally bloodied. Back to his smoking he then turned to Sato, who had his guard up and was ready to defend himself.

"So now you know what it is I do on these little 'quests' of mine. I thought it was about time I dropped the charade with you and came clean."

"Come clean? COME CLEAN!? You fucking monster! What kind of sick human being does this!? That wasn't a job, that was killing for the sake of it! Why the fuck should I deal with something like you?!"

Haru wasn't reacting in any way that would register a drastic mood change. Most that Sato got was an annoyed sigh with smoke coming out of Haru's nose.

"I do things as I've always done them. You and your people never knew about any of this because I didn't let you. Had you known that this is what it would take to get what you want, you would have been dead by your own hands if I hadn't helped you."

Sato couldn't believe what he was hearing. The nerve this murderer had to talk back to him!

"And also, do you have any idea why I chose to work with you in the first place? Cause out of all those so-called 'hardened criminals' that had the resources I needed, you qualified because I saw in you the one thing that mattered."

He took another drag while Sato was now trying to understand what it was that brought what he thought was a psychopath to his doorstep.

"You were the only one out of all those fucking degenerates who would take my deal despite all that happened!"

It was enough to send the hairs on the back of his neck standing straight up. Eyes wide and teeth gritting he tried to defend himself.

"Are you saying we're alike?! No, FUCK YOU! I'm NOTH-"

"Don't raise your voice at me, child."

Every nerve in his body went cold. A deep, primal instinct screamed at him to do only one thing. Run. Run and get as far away from THAT as quickly as you can. At the range they were at, Sato knew he had the advantage. His quirk could level both the warehouse they were in and blow Haru to nothing but a stain in the concrete. So why was he unable to move? Haru was cold. His stare wasn't even predatory or even smug. If Sato could describe it, it was like he was already dead in his gaze. Haru took one final drag and flicked the butt away as he took one step after another, leaving his gun where it was.

"You probably don't even realize what you're capable of, but I can promise you this; I'm fucking good at reading people. Enough to see that what I did was nothing compared to how much more you would give to stay on the path I've set you on."

More and more the distance was closing between him and Haru. Haru stood to Sato's right, leaning into his ear and revealing more about their relationship.

"You're not a bad guy, Sato. In fact I would say you're better than most. But when push comes to shove, nothing is off the table for you. Anybody else would have quit or killed themselves after all this time, but no. You kept at it, and you even went as far as trying to find me in my element."

Haru took a few steps back and went to collect his weapon. Shotgun in hand he was already halfway out the door before throwing in one last piece of dialogue.

"Don't worry yourself, you and I are nothing alike. You would never do the things I did to get what you want. But I won't have you spitting your hypocritical bullshit at me just so you can feel like you belong to the rest of those bottomfeeders. If you ever talk back to me like that ever again, I'll use you to paint the room."

With that the door slammed shut behind him. Sato was alone and was able to move again, only able to collapse to his knees. Too much was going through him to process. Would he keep going knowing how things are going to be? Can he justify the means? Does he need to? His head spinning he heard his phone buzz and with that he was able to distract himself from his reverie to check his phone to see what it was. A text message from an unknown number.

"Also clean that shit up if you don't want to end up a murder suspect."

Looking back as an older man he was able to at least look inside and see what Haru was talking about. For every single horrible and terrible event that would make even his own skin crawl, he never lost his ability to work and complete tasks after all of it. Even now he was as sharp as he was when he was half his age. It would be a while before he could fully accept the truth as his own, but for now it was something.

"-What I found inside could never be done justice with words alone. I hope you can understand that at least."

Honda was exhausted by it all. Hearing such a sordid past and realizing that what he thought was a noble-enough pursuit was wrought with death. He wished that he could do something for the man he respected the most, but felt that it was not his place to do so, seeing as he couldn't understand him enough to say anything.

"... Well, it seems that the day has already passed us by. I wish to thank you for the time you have given me out of your busy work day for a few drinks, but for now I must say good night."

With that Sato retrieved his leather work bag from his personal locker, the wall sliding out and there being his personal belongings. Since his personal tech and files were all destroyed from earlier all he had to do was make his way back downstairs to his personal limo.

Honda was left to his devices alone in his employer's office. Knowing he had to finish a few things up before going home his head kept returning to just one thing.

The idea that one day, even this organization for all its power and wealth, will just be more kindling upon the pyre that worshiped this mysterious benefactor.

As Sato's chauffeur drove his employer back Sato himself retrieved the note given to him by Haru. Only two things were written as tasks for him to complete. At the top was the instruction to find Daibo Isamu and bring him to the location written below with an address right under it. The second line was something he knew would take time, but with enough time and Honda's notoriety it was only a matter of time till it was completed.

"I won't let these insects continue to crawl all over me. Tell them who I am, and make it known that anything less than complete obedience…"

The instruction was left hanging. For being as intelligent as he was, it didn't take a genius to guess that whatever Sato would say wouldn't do any justice for what Haru had in store for them.

Five Days Later

Daido hadn't been able to sleep properly since the bank heist incident. For the first three days he had made phone calls to anybody and everybody who had some kind of significant debt or duty owed to him. Pressing down and trying his usual methods of coercion and bribery all he offered was nothing but squawking noises to everybody he spoke to. Rumors spread quickly throughout the organization a manhunt for his son had been authorized for the disobedience of the order from 'him'. For two weeks nothing happened. Daido kept his son under wraps and kept silent about where he was. Any attempt or question from another associate of his was met with dismissal or indifference. Any attempt he would make to move his son to a safer location right now would be caught before he could even make it to the front door of the building. No doubt there would be no doubt that once they take a closer look and see that some of the results and assessments for his son to not only just join the organization, but put into a position of leadership? Anything less than an execution was off the table.

He kept tabs on the issue. Only able to glance over once in a while for any warning signs, he was hoping the issue would be resolved behind closed doors and his son would face repercussions that didn't kill or maim him anymore than necessary. An associate of his branch was the one who told him the hunt for his son had begun in full scale. He cancelled all of his professional obligations and tore open a planner filled to the brim with names and numbers of people he could use to save his son. There was no point of discretion at this point, it was do or die for him and his son. At first he started with the most loyal and powerful people on the list. One after another he went down by order of most likely to help as well as influential enough to provide some sort of help for him and his son. Dozens of phone numbers crossed off the list and the farther he went the shorter the rope became. Over forty eight hours of dialing and back and forth with the phone, he had inevitably blacked out from the stress and lack of sleep at his desk.

Daibo awoke the next day on the floor with the sight of his phone dangling from it's cord off the desk. The vision of his son hanging by his neck overlapped for a second. He was up and back to contacting more people in an instant. Now the stops have all been pulled and with his newfound resolution he unlocked his lower drawer and pulled out a baggie of cocaine. Back and forth from talking on the phone to hitting a line of cocaine; he was at it without taking a break for over thirty six hours.

On the fifth day, sun setting and sun bathing the empty office in amber he could do nothing else but stand like an invalid at his desk. There was nobody else. Some had given him the runaround and promised some sort of amnesty or support of some kind, which was always followed up by a follow up call saying it was either not possible after all or that the attempt was halted in its tracks. Sweat and oily skin with disheveled workwear Daido was at the bottom of the deepest pit in his life. He was going to meet repercussions for not only failing to stop the heist, but shining a light it would be discovered that his son was brought in under false pretenses of his assessments being inflated. His head felt so light he wasn't sure if this was a waking nightmare or him just accepting his fate.

Managing to sit back down, Daido reached in the bottom drawer once more and began pouring himself a drink. Liquid amber to cool his nerves, this was all he had left. The first glass was done in one shot, the second just as quickly. He slowed down at the third and kept his thoughts on only one thing. The last thing that was of any importance at this point. His precious fuck-up of a son.

Maybe he could bribe the right people in getting his boy out of the country. With the right people and a little discretion he could perhaps smuggle him out on a charter plane where Isamu could start over. Plastic surgery was common these days, and his son knew two other languages. For a moment he had hope. By the thinnest of margins he could see a light from above him. The phone paged him and knocked him out of his reverie. Hesitant and nervous, he hit the page button and swallowed the nonexistent saliva on his dry tongue.

"What is it?"

"Mr. Daido, a Mr. Nakamura is here to see you."

The devil himself wouldn't come for his soul at this point in time; Haru Nakamura was the one who wanted it, and not even he could stop the man now on his way to the top floor.

"Send him up"

"Right away."

In some way he felt so much better now that all that some uncertainty had left him. Waiting and holding his breath was the worst of it. Bracing and tensing for a blow that wasn't coming anytime soon would leave anybody strained if done long enough, and right now Daido was at his limit. Quick to wipe his face and reset his clothing to the best of his ability he wanted to have some dignity about him if this was it. He still looked worse for wear, but at least it wasn't a complete mess. Once more he sat in his desk chair and waited. He waited with hands folded and eyes on the elevator light. One after another the lights went up: first floor, second floor, third, and so on. On the last number the elevator paused and slid open. The occupant was out and making his way over.

Over the Cubicles he could see the face that had haunted him. Now well groomed and in a suit he almost floated on the carpet with how graceful he was striding. Haru didn't even look at the office he was heading to. Almost like he was familiar with the layout it was as if he was the CEO instead of Daido. Even after entering and sitting down, it wasn't until he was seated and comfortable that he looked at Daido.

"Good evening Daido. You seem to look worse than ever, it seems."

His tongue was almost ripped off the roof of his mouth, so little saliva was available and it made it almost impossible to speak.

"Ah. G-g-good evening… Sir."

Croaking was what could describe Daido's voice. Head down and unable to show any of his usual confidence he was burned to a husk with all that happened. One knee over the other Haru leaned back with arms on the chair.

"I think you know what comes next…"

"... Yes…"

Haru tensed his jaw and bit back the pure vitriol he had reserved for Daido.

"... Why was he there?"

Daido was picking the dirt under his fingers as he was at the point of no return. Not that there was one to begin with.

"He… Uh, he… H-he was rather obsessive regarding this operation. It took almost a year of work and millions of yen to just get a moment of luck to work. Surely you-"

He was interrupted when several pieces of his desk that Isamu shattered before went up into the ceiling and crashed with a deafening smash. From under the desk near Haru's side the end of his dress shoes were poking out of a freshly made hole. Glass rained down between them, but more than that Daido was distracted with another fact that had barely been noticeable for most. His shoe didn't punch through the glass and make a hole that fit its shape, but rather the pre existing cracks that Isamu made from earlier had a section of glass that went in between his hands. Haru not only kicked out the glass with immense force, but managed to only knock out a square section of glass from the cracks already formed there. This wasn't some angry beast coming to sink his teeth into him; he was a thinking and calculated man of extreme power, who came to do what he wished to Daibo and his son.

"If you say the word 'understand', I'll make you eat all the broken pieces of your desk off the floor."

Sweat was pouring off the shriveling man. Daido was careful to be empathetic at first and see if he could get this man to see his son as a human being who made a terrible mistake. This was a rude wake-up call, reminding him that Haru barely saw anybody that worked for him as an insect. He never cared about anyone here in the first place, why should he start now?

"O-o-o-oh, My apologies… But… If there was anything I could do to help resolve this… I will surrender myself to whatever you want of me…"

As expected by Haru, this was all that was left of Daibo. A blubbering mess and one who was a slave to his emotions. The regret he had was not being here to stop this fly from germinating and spreading his incompetence like a disease. For trusting the people he left all this to only for them to still take from him all he had. For being just like them, letting this happen and perhaps being the reason why the people he cared about were now suffering because he was in their lives. Breathing out his nose he scanned the ceiling like there was something there of interest that was moving around.

"There's only one thing I want from you, Daido. Something I need, in fact."

A sliver of hope in his time of need. He collapsed backwards and was on his hands and knees, head on the carpet.

"YES! Whatever you want! Anything! Just say and I will do it!"

Haru just kept letting his eyes wander around and with hands in his pockets he had his back to Daido.

"I'll be taking you son, then."

Daido went blank for a second while his brain caught up to the conversation. The tone in Haru's voice was like asking for a ride to work or a stick of gum. Somewhere inside him he felt something bubbling up. A sensation familiar, but not of this intensity. He turned his head up and looked at Haru, who was now looking down on the wide-eyed man through the shattered glass of his desk.

"... What?"

"You heard me. Tell me where he is, or else both of you die. Slowly…"

His eyes slowly went red with disgust. Daido had given this man every bit of his loyalty for too many years. For over twenty years, all the humanity and time sacrificed to this man's empire and this is what he gets.

"I'll even reconsider your death. Might have to start over and work from the bottom, though. I can't just let you off with a warning, after all…"

His son was not 'just a warning'. No sincerity or remorse was present. Now with his own flesh and blood on the line, this son of a bitch had the audacity to treat them like old furniture. The line holding him steady snapped, and with it anything else that kept him sane. Without a second thought Daido leapt up to his feet, eyes emitting glowing hot white light and at his chest a circle that was hot and just as bright as his eyes. All he had was a second to blow this arrogant shit into ash, and a second was all he needed. The attack was hot enough to crack the glass around them, with Haru still blankly stared at him without having even moved.

"DIIIIIEEEEEEEE!"

Everything Daido had was going into this attack. He would struggle for a while starting from now but now nothing will stop him from saving his child. With all of his soul on the line he reached for the last hope for his son to just survive away from this monster. The emotion high made it hard to discern at first, but an intense pain from his stomach made him take a pause. Looking down at his chest he saw something stick out from his ribcage; or rather, something grabbing onto it. Suddenly the world began to flip while feeling his ribs being ripped out starting from the lowest one.

In less time it could register he was thrown through all the office dividers and caved in the hard plaster of the wall next to the elevator. He bounced off the wall and kept tumbling, until another set of dividers stopped him. Coming down from his head injury the blinding white faded while the ringing kept going for some time. Trying to stand his rib bones all screamed in protest. Inspecting his chest he saw what looked to be four small bruises that were quickly turning purple and green. Scanning again he could spot Haru out and about coming right at him. There was barely any time to think, so on instinct Daido flipped himself over painfully and began to crawl. Haru was upon him before he was even able to shuffle himself off the divider he landed on.

Hoisted by the neck by the taller of the two his feet dangled pitifully. There was barely any pressure on his neck, just enough to lift him off the ground. Daido may not have been choking, but hanging by a neck still hurts like all hell. He did his best to grasp and pull up on Haru's arm to help his breathing. Right at the edge of his vision he saw a tattered right sleeve. Black and seared he felt the arm he was grasping and couldn't feel a blister or burn wound anywhere. It dawned on him that not only did he get thrown like a ragdoll through the office, but that Haru had gone straight through the attack itself to grab him by the ribs.

"Finally, you snap. I was just sitting there thinking you were slow or some shit."

"Gh-g… F...Ffffuck… youu."

The sadistic glint in his eyes disappeared. Dropping the charade he just went into Daido. Again, the world spins for Daido with a sudden stop with the floor. Hand on neck the pain this time around was less disorienting and more intense. Now looking at Haru he lost the small flame of resistance that went out like a candle in a rainstorm. No joy, no enjoyment, not even uncontrollable anger and rage. He was going into hell and Haru was going to inflict pain on a surgical level. Haru flattened his hand and lined up the tip of his middle finger in between the lowest and second lowest rib. Slowly he pushed, making sure to not go too deep. Just enough to rip at the soft tissue between the ribs. Daibo screamed bloody murder and was flailing just for an opportunity to stop. Kicking and clawing did nothing for him, and Haru was just as unmoving as if he was holding down a sack of flour.

"Fuck me?... FUCK ME?!"

The bruise was already dark and ugly when Haru took his hand out. This time the hand went straight in the next space over. Screaming and tearing at Haru's clothes was all he could do. His buttons and right sleeve were ripped off with Daido's desperate attempts for some kind of weapon to free himself with.

"You come into MY home… Eat off of MY table… And now that you stole from me, you have the audacity to tell ME to fuck off?!"

Again his hand took the next space over and with another sickening ripping and tearing noise, Daido was squawking and foaming at the mouth. Haru was drawing blood now since he was going deeper than intended. Haru was far from done, even now Haru kept away from inflicting a mortal or critical wound.

"I GAVE you all what you wanted! I let you have it ALL! I even led you all by hand every GODDAMN step of the way! And still you FUCKING FAIL ME! WHY do I have to pay the price?! Why did HE have to DIE!? YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH I LOST BECAUSE OF YOU?! I TOOK AWAY HIS FATHER, AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Daido had passed out some time ago and most of his words fell on deaf ears. By this point the words that Haru was screaming weren't directed at him anymore. Cutting himself short he held his next blow overhead and let his racing heart come down from it's mad sprint. He let go of the neck and lumbered to the side of the office with the sun setting low. Like a trance he could feel the sun slowly crawling away on his chest, like he was sinking into quicksand and the sun was the open air. The sun at eye level he retrieved his phone and unlocked it. He punched in a phone number by memory and within two seconds there was a response.

"Sanju Cleaning Service, how may I direct your call?"

"Send them up. I want someone… 'creative', for him."

"Yes sir, at once."

The sun bled away from him, now standing in the cold shade the building next over provided. The elevator came to life and was down and up with the cleaners. Four large, sturdy men were out and about taking debris and clearing out anything damaged during the scuffle. Right behind them two more average sized men came in with a stretcher and a shoulder bag of other necessary items. They began their work restabilizing the bruised and broken Daido. During everybody's work the elevator had gone down and had picked up more people from the lobby. Arriving at the top a team of two women and a man dressed elegantly yet simple. The man had a luggage case and the two women each had two suitcases.

They approached and set their cases down to bow with their heads down at Haru.

"Sire, a request that you were to be in need of a new wardrobe was sent. Are we to assume we can proceed? With your permission, of course."

Haru just hummed a little 'yes' and straight away all of the attendants began to unpack and select from their rather luxurious inventory of suits and accessories. The gentleman pulled out a rack of sorts, unfolding it revealed a portable changing shade for Haru. They were quick and efficient in removing all of the ruined shirts and wrinkled pants. In no time with a final sweepinging with a fine haired brush the foldable cover was put away, revealing Haru dressed in a grey suit. Much of the debris was cleared and soon the new supply of glass, carpet, dividers, furniture, etc. were piling in. The sun now low and over the horizon Haru turned back and was headed to the elevator. All the men working on their part of the office immediately ceased all work and bowed to Haru. Not a single person rose their head until the ding that the elevator passed the floor below went off.

All of them got up and took a sigh of relief. Back to work one stocky man in jeans and a zipper hoodie tapped the shoulder of his co-worker, who was busy disassembling the damaged dividers.

"They weren't kidding, huh? Seriously, who was that guy? Felt like I was in front of royalty or somethin'. Whoever he is I ain't fuckin with him."

"Shut the fuck up, man. Get back to work."

Giving him the finger the mouthy construction worker went back to his tasks. Downstairs, a new set of workers were pouring in with tools and all sorts of other materials. Haru exited and was heading out the lobby. Immediately all of them stood back and bowed their heads, despite the weight of some of the equipment they were carrying was heavy and uncomfortable on their backs and shoulders. Out of the building he didn't even acknowledge anyone from the reception to the construction or that they immediately dropped everything to show him respect. An attendant then opened the door for a limo waiting for him.

Inside he was just as stoic for the car ride as he was in the office. The phone in his jacket pocket buzzed with a call. From an executive of the organization he unlocked his phone and was delivered the news he had been waiting for.

"We have located him sir. We are apprehending him as we speak."

"Prep him, and if anybody I want there is missing I'll handle the issue myself. Understood?"

"Yes sir. We shall be there."

With that he hung up. It was almost done. This was it. His mistakes, his cleanup.

At That Time

Isamu was self contained inside his safehouse and for the past three weeks was going insane with the boredom of nothing to do. In the first week he read two books cover to cover and got bored of that. The week after that porn. That got old fast, so one after another web browsing, exercise, and finally just eating. He had given up on dressing properly after the second week and was lounging in sportswear watching a movie on the big screen. A clean white tee and black soccer sweats was all he could muster for the day. The time spent here was miserable and above all else, boring. The money he stole was still in cold storage in an abandoned part of the city and every bit of it was stuffed into several vans. All of it could have been a gift of amnesty to help in convincing everybody else reconsider their position in his sentencing. At least that's what he could make of the situation.

He offered the idea of using the money as a tribute to the higher ups to his father with little success. His father's words being that it wasn't about the money anymore. Why, though? Almost a year's worth of work and just when things are ready, a single no and all of a sudden what would have been something of an endless bounty becomes a tenth of what it could have been. Who has that authority? To have thousands of powerful people, all who were the most powerful of their kind, to unanimously agree to a bad decision on a simple whim? Thinking was all he had time for these days. Without anything else to go off of he was going in circles inside his own head.

Despite all of this nonsense and insanity keeping him locked up inside his penthouse he was confident that eventually that some kind of justice will be found. It was by his gifted sight and intellect he spotted the anomaly that was the bank heist in the first place. By his work ethic, they organized a heist that was no less than a ninety percent success rate. His resourcefulness he had backup plans that the backup plan was such a success and that the whole ordeal still got them the money in the end. In the end he knew that he would be recognized. That he was somebody who was meant for more than just their designated role in life's game.

Near the end of the third week he was still in a bit of a slump. The only real contact with the outside world was with his dad. At times Isamu would try to contact his father and be left with a voicemail repeatedly; often it would be days before he could respond to his son. His dad was the last bit of hope he had for returning to the land of the living. Now wasn't a time for doubt. After all, the only thing he needed to do for now was sit and wait. The work his dad was putting in was worth more than just a fanciful retirement in his eyes. Isamu would make sure that his dad was taken care of; it was the least he could do for him now

Contemplating getting another snack he was off to the kitchen. Passing the main hallway he felt a breeze coming in from down the hall. One step backwards and to his left he saw light bleed in from the edges of the front door. Such an innocent thing that meant anything and everything to Isamu. A singular penthouse in the uptown part of the city, all of the paperwork was inconspicuous and hidden in the most decadent part of the city. Everything stopped for Isamu, now more concerned with the closest exit. A window, a door, even a thin wall; just a way of some kind to get out of this hunting ground. There was no message or notification that told him somebody was going to come and pick him up from this gilded prison cell. Nobody knew of the hiding spot besides himself, not even his father, who told him to lock himself inside this very unit. He was so careful and calculating with the process of purchasing the condo that he wouldn't be able to find this overpriced bungalow without considerable resources at his disposal.

How many people were looking for him? How much time and money was wasted to locate him? What would drive somebody to spend so much time and money to find a single individual such as himself? The situation was dawning on the naive criminal far too late. With nothing to contrast his situation against he thought that the gift of billions was enough of a buffer to gain enough favor with the higher ups to warrant a mild punishment; best case scenario a promotion and commendation in the branch he was working for.

The two seconds it took to realize somebody was here to collect and without his consent were the longest two seconds he had ever experienced. All possible exits for him were much farther than the front door he was looking at. He was able to destabilize whatever he touched with his quirk 'Fading Light' he knew that it wasn't a contest of what was in front of him, but if he was able to break his fall from several stories up. Whatever he touched broke down to the consistency he wanted; turning concrete and steel into chunks or fine powder, or an entire human body into bits and pieces. The only stipend of this quirk is that the affected pieces of material would become volatile depending on the size and density of the pieces.

Making sand of anything as soft as wood would have created an explosion that was capable of clearing a city block. He was unable to make anything smaller than a river stone that could fit in the palm of the average adult man; even then each piece would equal a grenade. The safe he had punched through was some of the densest matter he had to work with. Isamu was short on time and options, and without proper resources to bypass the potential obstacles he had no choice but to blow through the thick steel door. His hands were glowing gold by the palms as he was armed and ready to do whatever it took to escape his possible abduction.

He needed to touch whatever he needed to affect. Only with his palms and even then he had to set off the item knowing he touched it. Right now the closest exit was the entry point for whoever made their way into his penthouse. The windows all led to a fall that would lead to a lethal drop despite his enhanced physical stature. The only viable option was to punch through the floor and drop down to a floor where he was able to slip out of. The resulting blast would take the floors above the penthouse he was in, but for what it was survival was key. Besides, those floors were mostly vacant for most of the year. Besides staff and whoever else was in those units couldn't have been more than twenty people at worst. He was certain the most volatile option of falling into the lower unit and making a break for it before the floor blows was the best option right now.

His hands were thrusted at the ground to punch a hole in the floor to escape through. His hands were yanked in opposite directions; a thin dark purple tentacle snapping around each wrist and yanking his arms so hard Isamu could have sworn his joints came loose. In that same instance his head was wrapped in a bubble of what felt like water. He made the mistake of letting air out and cut down the time it took to render him unconscious. The sensation of drowning was not a response somebody could render to their command. His lungs were filled with water and in less than three minutes of struggling he was out cold on the hardwood floor.

From the shadows the two operatives restraining his hands closed in and locked Isamu's arms behind him with a brace that kept him from touching anything with his palms. A third operative dropped down from the ceiling from right above Isamu and cancelled the water bubble that encased the target's head. The extra water in the lungs was also cleared to prevent any complications. Fully locked inside the specially made harness another person came in from the already unlocked and open front door and inspected the unconscious body. A phone out unlocked and up to their ear they made the confirmation to their superiors.

"Confirmed acquisition, awaiting transport... Understood."

Just as quickly the phone was back in their pocket. He turned and left without another word, the other operatives picking up the target and carrying him out the front door.

Unknown Amount of Time Later

Isamu could feel the light hitting his eyes through his eyelids. His eyes fluttered and with a few moments to collect himself he realized he was bound and gagged with a mouthpiece keeping him from speaking. Every bit of his movement was sealed, save for his hands. A restraint keeping his hands from touching anything was all the freedom he was afforded. His eyes went back and forth to scan the room for anything which would give him context to his abduction. Isamu was then aware he was able to turn his neck to see more of the room. To his horror he saw that all members of his team were all strapped down and mute like he was. Most of them were already conscious and were all futility yanking and screaming against their restraints.

Isamu kept scanning desperately for something to help him and his men escape. Yanking and pulling at these restraints just told him that he was unable to get enough purchase to loosen his arms enough to use his quirk. Again looking around for something he noticed something in his peripheral vision.

On the opposite side of the room there was another figure sat in a chair like the rest of the other prisoners. Isamu focused his eyes and saw that unlike them, he was unrestrained and hunched forward with elbows on his knees. The figure was dressed in black. Everything except the shirt under the jacket was black; the shirt being plain white. Hood over its head it was just staring at what was in its hands. What looked like a handgun of sorts was passed from one hand to the other.

From one hand to the other the mysterious figure just kept toying with the item without even looking up at the unwilling participants to this bizarre turn of events. Isamu's eyes wandered up and realized that the space they were all inside was nothing more than a giant concrete box. It was like an indoor football field with how large it was. Lights high above and illuminating the space like it was the sun if the sun was colder and lacking the same warm colors. The best way to describe this place was sanitary.

One by one his men came to, all struggling to move or speak through their bindings. All of them were in different types of clothing; at different points of time they were taken while wearing civilian clothes, their suits, or sleepwear. It was some time before it looked like all the kidnapped members of Isamu's crew had come to. Once everyone was fully conscious and aware the mystery man stood up and revealed his face; or rather what he was wearing over it. A respirator of sorts, two filters and a face shield with two large eyeports cut into the hardened material. Tinted black, there was no telling where his eyes were looking. He took several steps from his chair and stood silent once more.

"...Next."

From the opposite side of the rows of captured men Isamu could hear three beep noises go off, followed by sounds of unlatching binds and some of his men cursing and moving around. At the opposite side the first three that were unbound were Isamu's collection and infiltration team. Out and about these three were out on the front lines of the city's harsh and seedy streets. They were the ones to put themselves in harm's way to be the first response for any sort of unsanctioned business or fight that took place in their areas of jurisdiction. They moved as a team and with years of experience they were now the first and last response for most issues they were tasked to resolve. Things like being outnumbered or ambushed had no real impact on their results. They delivered and rarely gave less than excellent results.

"Boss? Where is he?"

The youngest member of the three was panicking and scanning around for Isamu. From where he stood he was just out of eyeshot of his charge. Dressed in sweatpants and white tee with no shoes he was clearly snatched from his home. The other two members were one bulky and well built man who was wearing a compression shirt with basketball shorts and shoes; the other wearing expensive and trendy street wear. The underdressed man took two only steps towards the other members still bound and gagged before the well dressed man caught sight of something.

"Watch out!"

The older member snatched his team member back and just barely avoided the bullet whizzing past the panicked members head. The bullet buried itself in the concrete wall and cracked the cement with an impressive amount of force. They could guess that whatever the masked lunatic was packing it wasn't your average gun store stock items. It had been years since the national ban and control of weapons like firearms, explosives, and other chemical agents. Almost nowhere could you find a decent firearm that wasn't made obsolete with the use of a quirk that could do just as much if not more damage than what bullets could do. If they were here with somebody using a gun then they must have sent in someone who was in need of one. Then why didn't he just shoot them when they were locked up in their chairs? Surely someone who was weak enough that they needed to use a weapon couldn't handle a team of experienced and combat-worn criminals with their own powerful quirks.

"Your business is with me…"

Now all eyes were on this crazed gunman. The three who were released first were not by any means dull or thick by any stretch of the imagination. Adaptation and judgement were the key traits they exercised and valued above all others when it came to keeping themselves and each other alive. He wanted their attention? He got it in spades. They locked eyes with the masked assailant and stepped forth to respond to his challenge. The youngest member of the team took to the right and towards the center of the room, keeping distance and only staying no less than three meters from the other captured members of his group. The larger man went straight forward and circled the left side of the room. Finally the trendy one was just standing there keeping his eyes on the man and just stood there. Between all three of them they were looking for the right moment to move in. Masked man there didn't even turn his head for the other member who had circled out of his peripheral vision. For the whole time this standoff was going they all realized that their captor had no intentions to make the first move.

The tension was pulled taut and thin. There was the pregnant heaviness before a fight to the death. Adrenaline spiking, heart rate racing up, the increased sensitivity to all of the sensations in the body; all three of them harnessed these reactions and kept waiting for their opportune moment to strike. It didn't help that they knew nothing about this masked man or what he was capable of doing, despite the display of weakness with using a firearm and nothing indicating he had some kind of quirk. Hesitance was a risk here for the three of them. No room for error and all of it on the line; they had to commit to their first strike and end things then and there.

An odd but familiar sense of synchronicity befell them and they knew their time to attack was seconds away. Their ability to keep time left them with the adrenaline making one second feel like fifteen. Each one of their hearts were off from each other by half of a beat. The rhythms came together bit by bit, and with a single synchronized heartbeat they lept into their assault.

The first to get their attack off was the member now face to face with the masked man. He squared up both arms with the back of his hands facing his opponent. Out of both forearms bladed projectiled needles flew out with such velocity they sang through the air towards their target. The second fastest was the one who hadn't moved from his spot. His hair went up in a blaze and was sprinting towards his target. His speed left a trail of flames in the air as he curved to the blind spot on the masked man's left. His hands burst into flames and once close enough he dove right at the masked assailant. Like a flaming arrow he was just a blur closing the distance. And for the last member who was closing in from the start leapt up into the air and tucked into a ball. He tore up the concrete with every roll in this position and collected enough to transform into a boulder the size of a small car. It instantly picked up speed after collecting enough stone and was rushing in right at the same target the others were aiming for. They were all coming in from different angles and closing each other's windows to prevent their target from countering any of their attacks or escaping without running into one of them. The projectiles were so close to their destination and yet the mysterious man hadn't even made an effort to move. This was it. All they had to do was follow through and this sack of shit would be nothing but sausage meat in less than a second.

The thin blades made contact with their target, but none of them met their destination as intended. The man's left arm was moving in front of him in a flurry, blocking all the projectiles with just his left hand. All of the blades scattered and clattered in a random mess all around him. The barrage of blades didn't last long since his other team members would be hit if he didn't give them their room. The last thin piece of steel safely disposed of there was the matter of his second threat. The second member was off the ground already and was flying towards the masked man. At the speed he was going and his angle of approach his target would have to turn and identify where he was coming from, and by then it would be too late. Just a single touch of his quirk and whatever he touched would be set ablaze in a matter of seconds. Nothing could put it out unless he desired it. He thought to himself that despite all of this they took care of their supposed executioner rather quickly.

So close to his target he was certain that he was already too late to stop his approach. In that single instant everything froze as he couldn't even react to the sight of his hands being crushed inside the gloved hand of the masked assailant. His brain couldn't keep up with anything that was happening. Why are my hands broken and smashed in his hands? When did he turn around? He caught me with his left hand, shouldn't it be his right? Did he already know where I was this whole time? None of the questions he would have been asking himself at that moment showed up before he was sent swinging by his broken hands. A cascade of ripped muscle, tendons, and joints could be felt but no pain registered. His hands were close to ripping off the wrist joints as he swung around like a towel around the masked man counter clockwise. Most people who have had near death experiences have discussed witnessing their lives playing back key memories for their entire lives up to the point of the experience. His own body didn't even realize he was dying before he was whipped around and smashed against the giant boulder meant for the masked man. Between how fast the boulder was spinning, how fast it was going, and how hard he was thrown against it his body was turned into a massive blood stain with small pieces of gore littering the entire floor.

The boulder came loose and inside the large suit caught his landing and skidded to a stop. It took a moment to realize for both of the remaining members that this masked killer had used one of their own to murder their fellow member. A horrified expression at what he had just done the suited mad cried out in despair for his comrade.

"ASAHIIIII!"

He whipped back around to the true murderer and felt a massive wave of bloodlust and wrath cloud his vision crimson red. The masked killer was already standing up and just stared for a moment before turning his attention back to the other equally horrified member of his team. The killer stopped paying attention to him, like he was done wasting his time with him. His brain felt inflamed and pulsing as he went straight over the edge.

"FUCKERRRR!"

A running start and leap into the air he was back inside the rolling mass of concrete and spinning almost twice as fast as last time. Less than half the distance was covered by the boulder's impressive speed between him and the masked man before the boulder suddenly blew up and out the boulder the mangled corpse of the one inside went flying across the room. The corpse splattered and tumbled down to the floor. Blood trailed down the wall in a grotesque trail left behind by the ragged body. The last standing member of the trio was now left to fend for himself.

He felt cornered like an ant up against a wall with a sadistic kid looming over him. He didn't understand what had just happened. Is this some kind of quirk this murderer hid up till now? If so, how would that explain his speed? Is there something else he's hiding? The last question in his head was what made him fully afraid for his life. What will he do to me?

The killer didn't walk very far, stopping himself right in the middle of discarded steel blades that littered the ground from the first attack he parried. He just stood waiting in silence once more. The last surviving member of this failed attempt of an attack was right back to where he started, but now he was minus the support of his other two members. He was shaken, but not broken. He scanned around to assess where he could move for a better position. The killer flicked something at the feet of the remaining team member. It bounced and clinked like a set of rings and when taking a closer look he saw what he knew to be a grenade pin.

What had happened just a few moments earlier was when the body of his first kill was blown to smithereens he pulled a grenade and tossed it in the path in front of his other team member. Not only knowing that he would attempt another attack before the grenade went off, but knowing the exact spot where the grenade would be sucked up with the other debris and land it closer to its intended victim. By no means was a grenade invisible or small enough to hide amongst the rubble that was left behind the first time around. The explosive should have been easily noticed and avoided. The first kill was the provocation that kept the second victim doing what we wanted him to do. Too enraged to notice his surroundings he sucked up the grenade and painted the opposite side of the room with his corpse. Since the very beginning, he had them all in the palm of his hand.

The last one needed to get space and distance to think of a different strategy. Either way if he fought or gave up, he at least could have a chance fighting back. He broke off to the right in an immediate sprint and dashed for the opposite blind spot on the left of the masked murderer. He came to a stop and was aimed right at the center mass of his target. He needed to gauge the reactions and abilities of this terrifying opponent, poking and prodding for more information. Both arms went off again and just like before more thin steel blades flew out at blinding speeds. Just like before, the murderer stopped all the projectiles with the same blinding speed from before. He wasn't even looking this time around and still remained unscathed. Although unlike from before none of the projectiles fell to the floor. Turning back at the young man the masked man made another display of skill and strength by showing what was in his left hand. He displayed the bundle of thin steel blades wrapped in his gloved fingers. With just one hand he had not only caught but snatched all of the blades out of the air all while not dropping the ones that were already in his hand. He was already more than desperate for some kind of solution to surviving this waking nightmare, and everything he could do to defend or attack was just pissing into the wind. He wanted to live. He was scared and wanted to live.

The gun in the right hand of the killer was holstered for the first time during this whole ordeal. He squared his shoulders to the desperate survivor and stared him down properly.

"My turn."

In a panic both arms came up to stop whatever attack this monster had reserved for him. Before he could even get off another shot a blade that the killer had caught earlier went through his arm and stuck out both sides of his forearm. He howled in pain and went down onto his knees with the piece of metal lodged between the bones in his forearm. Labored breathing and crying out in pain his desperate mind overrode his senses and launched him into a panicked final attempt at survival. He shot up and screamed his last battlecry as more and more blades were sent flying from his arms.

The killer slipped and dodged the random blades and skewers all the while returning his own version of the same attack. Another piece of steel went into the same arm and forced the wounded man to pause for a second. Too high on adrenaline he kept on with the futile attack on the superior killer. More and more this one sided back and forth kept on going. Almost like a dance the masked killer just kept avoiding attacks while hitting his opponent repeatedly. The first few blades found themselves in the arms of the panicked victim. Then he moved down to his legs, migrating back up to his torso. Last available target was the head.

With enough force and accuracy he barely kept his attacks from killing the poor man. During this whole exchange the tortured man was losing sensation in most of his body as he was desperately stumbling to keep himself upright and fighting. Eventually he lost enough blood that he collapsed onto one knee and was completely out of steam. Tilting his head up it took him a second to realize he lost his depth perception. A projectile was buried into his left eye socket and he hadn't even known about it until just now. His body was finally able to realize how damaged it was and began going into shock. He went down on both knees and also noticed how sticky and wet he felt. All of the pieces of edged steel buried into his body were weeping blood, soaking him from the neck down in his own bodily fluids.

He was pale and fading quickly. So weak he took one last look at the man who did this to him. No visible reaction and unable to tell what he was thinking with the face covered he died kneeling and looking like a grotesque pin cushion. Before the light faded the murderer dropped the remaining blades and turned back to place himself back to his original spot at the start. He was denied his dignity as he died. He couldn't even be bothered to honor his opponents final moments and just treated him like a checkmark on a list of tasks. Just another nameless face to add to the long list of others.

All the while this was happening the other captured members of Isamu were laid witness to the same display of gruesome punishment inflicted on their fellow comrades. Years of blood, sweat, and tears torn apart and stepped on by a single person. Some of them felt despair at the prospect of having to go through the same as the first three. Others began shedding tears for friends passing and met with terrible deaths because of this masked freak. Despite everything there was one emotion that was universal amongst them all. One thing they felt watching people who they considered a second family being butchered and toyed with in their final moments. The pure and raw hatred for this one man was overwhelming. Not a single person trapped in that massive room wanted this man to leave this room in one piece.

"Next."

This time around five of them were released. There was no confusion or hesitance with the next five prisoners. They knew what this all was all about and were in no rush to be anywhere else before they killed this murderer that had taken some of their own and being dismissive of them. The next five were not a team of sorts, but worked together on assignments that required legwork. The lack of experience fighting together was not a major issue most times, but now with what they witnessed they were all in their own headspace knowing that they had to go all out at the very start with everything they had to have a chance against this inhuman thing.

Less than a minute up and about one of the released prisoners spewed a massive cloud of smoke to cover their approach. He didn't react to the initial action and just let the cloud envelope him and a wide area surrounding him. Thick enough to block most things at a two meter distance it would help them approach without being seen. The other four were in position for the impromptu ambush with two on the left and right. One was a beatman with tiger-like features who was without a shirt and revealing his black stripe tattoos. On the same side as the tiger man, the second one had hands that were freezing themselves into ice. He opened his hands to reveal them completely blue and a layer of frost on them. On the opposite side one who could control a person's weight by touch and another who had electric currents jumping out and through his clenched teeth.

"NOW!"

They all leapt into the dense cloud at once. With their numbers and the smokescreen to cover their attack, even if he were to try and make a break for it there were at least two people to catch him slipping. Their strategy was ideal and with enough luck they should end this with their four pronged attack. A massive bang and instantly the cover they were using was blown away with a massive pressure wave. The man had his arms stretch out in front of him and his palms pressed to each other. Not one person in that room could believe that this one person could have cleared that smokescreen with just a single clap, not without it being a quirk of his. Now realizing his fellow compatriots were without their cover the one spewing smoke took another deep breath and prepped another thick clout. Before he could, a loud shot went off and suddenly he fell backwards with a hole going straight from the front end all the way to the back end. The smoke pitifully petered out of the dead man's open jaw and simply vanished altogether.

The gun was out of it's holster once more and aimed where the smoke user was standing. All four of the attackers couldn't waste any of their focus and had no choice but to go on with the charge. With enhanced stamina the first to arrive was the tiger man. The sharpened claws in his right hand were up and primed to rip into its victims flesh, but when he swiped at him there was no satisfying resistance of flesh and bones running through his fingers. This murdering psychopath had parried the blow with the back of his gun-wielding hand and simply skimmed the blow over him as he was now face to face with the tiger's exposed right side. Winding up his left hook the masked man launched a blow square in the liver of the beast man. The blow itself was hard enough for everybody to hear and the pain was so intense he forgot where he was for a brief second. He was sent flying off to the side, but the masked killer had other plans. He caught the limp body by the wrist and yanked him back over to him for a second blow to the head. In that half second the gun was holstered and with a right hook through the ear the body of the tiger man slammed down onto the concrete, hard enough to crack the cement underneath. The other three were still closing in and with another taken care of he waited for the others to reach him.

The one with the frozen hands swung wide to try and catch something he could use to pull his opponent in closer and wrap his hands around something important. Unfortunately for him he swung too wide and with a quick counter he was stumbling off to the side with stars going around his head. The next one to go after him was the one with the electrically charged set of dentures. The skinny man in his shorts and t-shirt latched both his hands on either arm and sank his wider than average jaw tightly onto the left shoulder from behind. A massive charge went straight through the masked man and into the concrete below. Lighting up like a christmas tree the current that flows through his body left it steaming hot and the man still latched on satisfied he was more than certain something that intense would have stopped his heart for certain. What had proved him wrong was a hand that grabbed the man by the back of the head and shoved his head further into his shoulder. Teeth were ripped from their sockets and blood was pouring by the cupfuls from his gums. He screamed and wailed on the still very much alive masked man. Again he tried to run another current but too many teeth had been disconnected from him, he had nothing against this monster.

The toothless man was yanked and tossed to the floor where he writhed in pain and spat the teeth he didn't already swallow back out. Leaving him to his suffering the last one standing stood back and was very much hesitant to approach. The masked man again stood there watching him through those tinted lenses. His other members were not all dead, but seeing what had happened to the last one made him reconsider his method of attack. His stance was that of a grappler and for his quirk to work he needed to get skin on skin contact with his intended target. Even a light brush at the most minimal of skin on skin would give him control of his opponents gravity. Nothing has worked so far and with just one idea he went for broke. He stood up straight and raised both his hands up.

"I surrender."

The other captives were baffled by the cowardice of his actions. Instead of facing his death with dignity he opted to just give up for the simple premise he would be killed painlessly.

"I get it, we can't win. I'll just let you shoot me in the head or break my neck, cause this is all too much for me."

He began approaching slowly while keeping his hands where they were. Although many of his comrades were cursing him out in silence, a few others began to notice that he may be playing towards a different goal.

"So just, make it quick. I'm done fighting. I just want it to be painless, that's all."

They were both face to face and with the height difference the one surrendering had to tilt his head up to speak to him. The shorter of the two only came up to the chin of the masked man. So with his right hand he reached over and gripped the soon to be executed former member by the collar of his shirt. It was everything the last able person of this mostly beaten group needed and planned for. He yanked the sleeve back of the masked killer's jacket and wrapped his fingers around the exposed forearm.

"You motherfucker! I got you right where I want you! Now let's see how you like dealing with fifty times the earth's gravity!"

Almost immediately the ground underneath their feet cracked with the amount of weight that suddenly came out of nowhere. What was concerning for the gravity user was the fact he was still trapped in the masked man's grip. Not only trapped, but the arm was still extended up and grabbing him by the shirt. A fifth of this amount of G force would be lethal; why and how is this thing able to act like nothing is happening?

The amount of force he was putting on this person's body was enough to yank his very flesh from the bone. The maximum amount of force he could exert on the human body was fifty g's. He was on max power and still he was unable to faze this freak of nature. He was then lifted up by his shirt and left to hand by his shirt for a moment.

"Let me go! You fucking freak of nature, get me down!"

Poor choice of words. Not only did he let the man down from his dangling predicament, but with enough force to whip his legs forward and make his back the first thing to hit the floor, the killer slammed his victim into the concrete. Unable to maintain his focus now the gravity was returned to normal for the killer. Blood was now seeping from an impact wound out of the back of the victim's head. Lifting him back up to his hip he again drove the body in his hand straight back down. This was repeated several more times to the absolute horror of the remaining prisoners. After the twentieth or so slam he let the body go and what was once a person was a soft sack of broken bones and bruised flesh. The back of his head was reduced to mincemeat and the rib cage was shattered into pieces. Blood began to seep out the eyes, nose, and mouth of the beaten dead body. Rather unceremoniously he then pulled out the gun in his holster once again and shot the remaining members who were still alive.

The one with broken teeth was still writhing in pain while trying to stop the nonstop bleeding from his emptied sockets. A bullet to the back of the head was all it took to stop his incessant whining. Off to the side the knocked out ice user was shaking his head free of the spinning sensation he still had. He managed to get on his hands and knees but was still shaken by the blow to his head. It took a moment but he was finally free from his vertigo. He knew he was out for far too long and was worried that his other members were at least alive. A chill ran down his spine. Just in the nick of time he launched himself at whoever was standing over him with both hands reaching out to grab them. His hands were intercepted by the masked man and with their hands interlocked he was now able to launch his counterattack.

His hands chilled and covered both of their hands in a fresh layer of frost. Making sure to freeze his hands into solid ice he pushed his quirk to the limit and the frost climbed up all the way to their elbows. All that was left for him to do was to snap the killer's hands off by the wrists and help the others out of their restraints. He pushed against his opponent's hands but there was no give, in fact there didn't even seem to be a reaction from the masked man. He kept applying more and more force in vain as not it felt like the fingers wrapped around his own seemed as if they had gotten tighter. Now at a stalemate of sorts the last living member couldn't do anything but stand there. The second he dropped his ability he was unsure if the masked killer would still be able to use his hands enough to kill him.

The masked man was more or less just studying the other man's reactions. He waited until he tired out before launching a counter. The wrists of the masked man began bending forward, much to the shock of the ice user. In fact he was realizing his hands were now stuck in the murderers now and was unable to wrench them free. Down to his knees he tried to keep his hands from bending too far back. The crack of his joints coming loose and the screams of anguish were all telling of his failure. Rather than stopping just there the hands that were now sitting on dislocated joints kept bending back and with them skin began ripping and blood poured from the open wounds. With one final tug both of his victims hands came loose and all that was left were two stumps with the joints exposed. The handless man didn't even get a chance to scream before he was decked in the face so hard that his nose disappeared into his face and the back of his head cracked open as he went right into the concrete behind him.

This was beyond torture for Isamu. To watch as the men he cared for and led through countless fights for their survival were being tortured and killed. Bound and gagged all of them could only watch as the row of prisoners became shorter and shorter all the while watching it all unfold and waiting for their turn on the chopping block. Everything that kept him bound not only prevented him from just blowing it apart, but kept from killing himself. He was unable to bite his tongue, strangle or suffocate himself, or even try and break his own neck. He was trapped and whoever put them here wanted them all to watch and feel the people they cared for be butchered.

"Next."

Again and again many tried and failed to get a leg up in their fight against this one person. Numbers didn't matter, strategy would often be turned against them, and the nail in the coffin was at times he didn't even dodge certain attacks and continue on as if nothing happened. The stench of human waste and blood was thick in the air. The entire room was covered top to bottom with blood, gore, and corpses. Nobody was spared. All he could do was suffer the indignity of it all and just wait for his opportunity to pay back this psychopath for all the death he inflicted. Eventually all that was left were just fifteen of them, then twelve, ten, three, and at the end Isamu all by his lonesome.

The final kill was that of his right hand man. The other prisoner was killed almost instantly, but the masked killer took his time with the other. Isamu's right hand man was rather unique in his quirk. A short haired man who kept his appearances professional as well as at home he was a man of sharpness and tidiness. He aimed for the best version of himself and practiced what he preached every waking moment of his life. His quirk was a reflection of this accuracy and cleanliness. With the ability to teleport one would think that in of itself was already powerful enough as it was, but for this man he had some kind of past relation with the gods themselves for what he was capable of past this singular ability. Wherever he could teleport everything between him and where he teleported was disintegrated. Not smashed, crushed, or destroyed; any kind of evidence that whatever he went through just disappeared.

The skill demonstrated by this single maniac was warranted every bit of caution from the remaining survivors. The lack of any sort of wear and tear on his stamina or physical body was nonexistent. This masked serial killer was just as fast and strong as he was at the beginning of this gruesome ordeal. The fights broke down the ones that had yet had their chance at the crucible stained with the blood of their allies. Every group, despite a few of them having a significant increase of numbers, were performing with less efficiency with every passing round. It was down to three of them. What could three of them do that over fifty of their own couldn't do?

The raw power out of the gate was immense for the second in command of Isamu's renegade crew. There was a blinding circlet of light that tugged and manipulated the thick pools of his former underlings blood. A ring of light stirred the blood that was pooled all over the massive underground space. The massive ring of light swirling around the masked man was all but a ploy to disorient and throw off the masked man. The consistency was almost a solid ring of light with some flickers here and there, showing the imperfect but beyond impressive effort of the second in command of the Daibo's son's personally selected team of criminals. In one moment where it all ended The single moment that the teleporter used to strike was rendered to another execution for him to use to paint his canvas of torment.

The angle to strike was straight in from the front. The time it took for him to teleport was the time it took for a single flash of a camera to go off. A flash and he was where he wanted to be instead of wherever he previously stood. Most fights involving him were brought up toward an unacceptable level of violence. In some cases of physical confrontations the need to show the opponent that there was a measure that would mean an unacceptable loss, Isamu's number two was the one to answer the call.

The same moment that Isamu's number two went in for his attack; the masked man was just as ready and in an impossible feat of speed caught the teleporter by the neck. Isamu was just as incapable to save his most trusted friend as he was incapable to save anybody else he was charged with. The one snatched out of his assasination attempt was lowered to his knees and forced to look up at his executioner. Without warning the masked man burrowed his right thumb into his skull and twisted his hand back and forth to guarantee the last death of Isamu's confidants .

Nothing was logical in the mind of Isamu. The hatred and rage was blinding him like the sun. He was frothing and gnashing at his muffle with wild abandon. He tugged and yanked on his binding so much that the skin was bright red and chaffing from being rubbed raw with all of his twisting and turning. Tears and snot poured underneath the cover binding his mouth shut. The murderer dropped the dead body and took his time to approach the enraged and thrashing Isamu. The blood splashed with every step he took, his soles slightly sticky; they made small ripping noises as they peeled off the ground. Little by little he got closer and closer, right up till he was ten meters in front of his last intended victim. Up close Isamu could make out the less visible details of the masked man. The black hid the blood fairly well when he was farther away; looking closer he saw that from the seam of his hood to the tip of his boots he was soaked in still wet blood. The blood of his men, who were slaughtered and tortured in front of him. Somehow even with the excessive amounts of blood the stench was even stronger with the killer standing so close. In any other context it would bring him to vomit, but the stinging in his eyes and nausea was ignored for the sheer bloodlust that kept his piercing glare on his target. A moment of silence before the storm hit, they only waited for the moment when the tension would snap and the fight for their own lives would conclude this hellish torment.

"... Next."

The straps and belts all popped open and instantly Isamy ripped out the empty chair from the ground and lobbed the heavy piece of steel at the masked man. The chair began to glow and crumble apart into smaller pieces as it left Isamu's hand. The pieces scattered and within getting close to half a meter away from his opponent Isamu set off his quirk and all the pieces detonated into a pillar of fire and concrete.

"DIIIIIEEEEEEE!"

The blast would have permanently deafened an average person had they also been trapped inside the same concrete box. On the other side of the blast the masked man was able to evade backwards and skidded to a stop. He was ready for the next attack as through the smoldering crater Isamu came flying out of the thick plume of black smoke. Demented couldn't come close to how wild and insane Isamu looked as he swung and clawed at his men's killer with blinding speed and narrow accuracy. His eyes were bugging outwards and red with the blood surging through his veins. The blood that blanketed the floor splashed and stained Isamu's clothes and exposed body parts. The masked killer was bobbing and weaving out of the way of Isamu's hands that were glowing bright yellow. They both traveled down the extent of the room with Isamu chasing down his prey and the other backpedaling with just as much speed while dodging all of Isamu's attacks. This one sided exchange went from one side of the room to the other. Over the dead bodies and other sorts of remains they both kept their footing without slipping once. Even barefooted Isamu demonstrated tremendous skill in his strikes and overall balance.

The masked man eventually ran out of room to backpedal in and with one thrust Isamu saw his opponent hit the wall and went for the kill with a single open hand strike. The attack went right through the wall and the masked man already off to the right with a quick roll off the wall. The wall cracked and gave out behind Isamu's palm, followed up with another explosion that created another plume of smoke. The masked murderer waited in anticipation while remaining on guard. The crumbling from the newly punched hole in the concrete wall only served to enhance the lack of any other sound. Out the smoke and screaming bloody murder Isamu popped back out the smoke and lunged for another killing blow. Rather than voting for another bout of dodging all the way back to the other side of the room the masked man took a boxing stance and readied himself for the counter.

He slipped under the straight from Isamu and now inside his right side a quick right hook sank into the belly of Isamu. The strength of the blow that hit him just now was enough to send him flying as it was. The masked man had different plans for Isamu, following his right hook with a left hook that sank right through his back and into Isamu's right kidney. He still wasn't done with his prey, and reaching up he looped his head to the left and under Isamu's right arm clasped his hand on his head. With considerable but non-lethal force the maked man flipped him backwards and slammed the back of his head into the floor. The spots in his eyes paired with the nonstop high pitched ringing was all he could see or hear as the sensation of blood soaking the back of his shirt greeted him as he recovered from that drop.

Isamu clenched his teeth and rolled back up to his feet. Again he put up his hands and they lit up with the same golden light as before. He charged at the masked killer but rather than being passive and just dodging the masked man decided to lay into the crazed Isamu with some moves of his own. Isamu's fists were something to consider for the masked man. He had to parry further down the arm closer to the elbow, but letting some blows glide by harmlessly and picking his windows he peppered him with the occasional punch and hook. A right cross hit with a left counter to the head. Wild haymakers with body shots. The impressive speed of his blows and ability to recover quickly enough was lacking still in his fight against his opponent.

A tooth or two flew out of Isamu's mouth in between groups of blows to his face. His left eye took a nasty punch that was starting to swell as more time passed. Ribs were cracked, then those cracks turned into full on breaks. Still Isamu kept on swinging and striking with all of his might. A few times during his fight he attempted to dip down and grab some of the concrete under him and use the chunks as a way he could create space and gain an advantage. Every single attempt was countered or caught by his opponent. When he bent forward with his hand out the wrist was caught by a kick and his hand was smacked away from the concrete. Reaching behind him he was grabbed and dragged up and away from the floor. Side to side wasn't any better as he was hit with an uppercut, golf-swing kick, or some other type of disorienting blow to prevent him gaining his advantage. Even when Isamu went for the walls the fight was always taking place with his back facing toward the center of the room. He was stuck and forced to take the beating that was rendering him into nothing more than a punching bag of flesh, blood, and bones.

In another attempt to go for broke for some kind of an opportunity to turn the fight, Isamu clenched his jaw and with only one opportunity to do what he was planning he doubled down and rode the wave of adrenaline to find his window. It came when the masked man swung just a little too wide for his right hook; with all he could he matched the blow with his own right hook and aimed to meet the blow in the middle with his own. His opponent was aware of the counter and pulled the punch in favor of a jab. Isamu used the momentum to twist and twist himself over to face the ground. The masked man saw through Isamu's plan and used his already ready jab to try and grab for him. With all of this happening Isamu was tucking his knees into his already abused and broken chest. In the last critical frame of time he managed to extend both legs with a single powerful drop kick to create distance between the two of them.

Now he had some room and all he needed was a single second of physical contact with the floor to blow both him and this murderer to send them both into oblivion. He pushed his quirk to the max and with that his hands burst with a blinding amount of gold light. Just a single moment and it would be all over. Isamu's body could usually brush off a minor explosion at a close distance without a problem, the level of force he could create here would most definitely bury the two of them in several tons of rubble regardless of the room's integrity. It was barely anything and still he let the wave of sudden peace wash over him. He failed to save his men, but with this their killer would be sent to the afterlife where judgement would deliver his much deserved punishment for all eternity. For him, it was finally all over.

His hands were still out in front of him when he realized he was taking too long to hit the floor. His eyes opened and for a moment he needed a moment to realize he was hanging in the air right above the floor and out of reach of the ground. He tilted his head forward and to his absolute despair he saw both his ankles in the hands of the very man he was trying to take with him into hell. Even without visible expressions or eyes to read he could tell that the face behind the mask was enjoying his suffering. Behind that mask, was the face of a man enjoying all the pain Isamu was drowning in. The world suddenly began to flip and blur with all the blood in his head pushing and flooding his face. The world went dark at the moment he collided with the floor on his back. The masked man had caught Isamu by the ankles from the drop kick he attempted and with one final swing slammed the young man into the floor. With that the fight was decisively over.

Some Time Later

Dull and sharp aches and pain washed over his body like he was suddenly dropped into a sea of pure agony. Isamu grasped at the very edge of consciousness and awoke in a chair without any sort of binding to keep him there. If he wasn't in such excruciating pain the bindings that were absent probably would have been there. Fractures in multiple places on all of his limbs, bruises both internal and external permeating every square inch of his body; a torso with shattered ribs and internal bleeding that would have killed if the one who inflicted them wasn't so focused on making sure that Isamu would still be alive after his royal beating. He opened his eyes and for a moment let them adjust to the light. Isamu didn't even need to scan around because right in front of him sat a man with white hair on his head and face and passing what looked like a handgun back and forth between his hands. It wasn't long before Isamu could put together that the one who had been killing his men and torturing him was the very individual who sat unmasked in front of him.

"... Y-... Y-you…"

The man looked up and right at the beaten and broken former elite of Japan's most powerful entity. The clothes he wore were matted with dried blood alongside his pants and shoes.

"You're awake. Even when all you needed to do was wake up you took too long and still you continue to piss me off."

This was beyond confusing for Isamu. His rattled brain couldn't process who this man was or what he was talking about.

"I… I… What is… Who…"

"Shut the fuck up, you little shit."

It was silent again with that single command. More and more Isamu was piecing together the little information he could remember before he was knocked out. His men dying, the kidnapping that brought him here, the fight that left him in his current physical state. Now he was all caught up, and with his recaptured information he could only look up in horror at the white haired man who was now sitting in front of him.

"When you sat at that fancy little desk that daddy bought you for your first day at work, did you think for one second that you probably shouldn't have been there in the first place?"

The question made Isamu recall his first day in the company building and the desk that sat in his current office. From Isamu's perspective he felt that he had not quite measured up to the results necessary that landed him the position he was in from the very start. It was his father who had given the opportunity to work in the very organization that he represented. By no means was Isamu incompetent at the time and with confidence he had undergone all the tests that were given to him. It was a challenge that he completed with the presumption that he would have passed with nothing short of exceptional results. In both the practical and assessment part of the test his results were lacking as he found out at a later time. Thinking that was the end of the matter his father went ahead and used his influence to inflate the recorded results to favor his son's entrance into his current position of authority. Isamu knew that this particular line of work was one that was less than reputable with the public, but despite the many red flags that had come up that accepting his fathers use of authority to keep a door of opportunity that should have never been opened in the first place he accepted and rationalized that the practice of nepotism was commonplace no matter where you went for any kind of work. For the few years he worked he had worked to become somebody who was worthy of the position, but the time spent to become someone skillful enough to manage the position his confidence grew disproportionately to that level of skill.

"What possessed you to come into my organization with the assumption you were above the law and rule I had laid upon the very foundation of this organization?"

The man's tone was harsher as he got up out of his chair and approached the immobilized Isamu.

"The nerve you had to just come into MY house and do whatever you wanted because daddy was the big shot he was. Who are you to come into my home and destroy everything I held dear when you never were supposed to be there in the first place?"

Nothing was as unnerving for Isamu as he began to put the pieces together. Information began to connect and now the only possible conclusion on who this man was or what he was talking about cleared the air in relation to what this all was about.

"Everything I created turned against me because of you. I paid the price for your little shitfest of an operation that day. I suffered at the hands of something that was created because of me, all because you didn't give a shit when you pulled your little stunt."

So this was who it was. The puppeteer of their massive operation. The god to whom this religion prayed to. The one who created from nothing this entity that ruled a nation and controlled it all.

"So tell me. Who the fuck are you to take from me; you ignorant, useless waste of life."

"Th-... The… The money-"

The palm of the boss whipped across the face of Isamu's already bruised and abused face. His body was unable to block out the pain that was added to his already overflowing volume of physical torture.

"That money was worth dogshit to me! I could have done the same thing that took you almost a year in three hours, you ignorant shit!"

All this was a waste of time. It was clear that all that Isamu did was all just a waste of time in the eyes of the organization's creator. The ambition he thought was the thing that made him strong in this organization was the very thing that condemned him to this hell he was trapped inside of.

"All this shit was avoidable if you had just followed my rules! All YOU did was prove that you were the very thing I had fought against from the very beginning!"

Pain and despair was all Isamu could feel. It was too much for him. He was going insane with the emotions and pain that was even now drowning him in an ocean of insanity. Isamu tilted his head and with his only available eye he took a good look at his supposed leader.

"F… Fu-"

There wasn't even a blur with how fast he moved. More of Isamu's remaining teeth were broken off and shoved down his throat as the enraged embodiment of suffering that had tormented him shoved his hand into his mouth and clamped down on his lower jaw with a death grip.

"Say 'fuck you'. I dare you to say 'fuck you' right fucking now. You do that and all of this will look like a fucking vacation in comparison to what I'll do to you next. So please, if you have anything to say; do it. Say it."

Isamu was certain that he was past the point of insanity and was going to accept whatever would have come next after his final attempt at rebelling. The fear that sank into his bruised stomach shut him up and kept any and all attempts to show resistance at bay. The grip on Isamu's lower jaw was released and the leader of the organization took a few steps back.

"... Now, all you have are the choices I'll give you. So choose."

He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. A hidden door on the left side of where Isamu sat slid open, right where the center of the room lined up. From the opening two men wheeling out someone on a wheelchair came in and brought the invalid on the wheelchair towards them. The closer they came, the more Isamu realized who they were bringing. The person on the wheelchair was missing their arms and legs past their elbows and knees. The stubby end of their limbs were wrapped in medical gauze and their torso was draped in a hospital gown. These men didn't have to finish their journey over for Isamu to realize it was his father, now missing his arms and legs and catatonic from whatever torture he had to endure.

All of this was so much worse than what he could have imagined. The sight of his father as a torture victim and missing his arms and legs drove Isamu into a freefall with no end in sight. The suited men parked the wheelchair front and center of Isamu. The leader of his former organization unholstered the gun at his hip and chambered the empty barrel with a round. Upon closer inspection the gun would have been classified as a glock with a tan custom lower receiver had Isamu cared about the extinct concept of firearms at any capacity. The white haired man flipped the gun in his hand and presented the gun with the handle facing Isamu.

"Kill him."

Isamu went white and his eyes froze wide open in pure shock.

"Kill him or I kill both of you."

He bent down slightly closer with the gun still extended out for Isamu to take.

"You think your father wants you to waste your useless life because you couldn't do it? Kill him and you walk, you don't and I bury both of you in separate graves."

If he could, Isamu was sure that right now he would be vomiting violently on all fours. His rational and emotional responses were at odds with one another and it left him more burnt out than that one time he was up for days handling a botched negotiation for a shipment of fifty slaves from the Philippines that had gone completely awry. All he had to do was take the gun and aim. Five pounds of pressure later he would be able to live past tonight. It was clear cut and a deal that was more obvious than not. Plus, his father was basically a vegetable at this point. It would be more of a mercy to end his suffering than to leave him to his torment for the rest of his life. All points of logic ended up at the same conclusion. Isamu took the gun from him and took aim at his catatonic father. It was a mercy at this point. It was an act of mercy. So even as he was trying to yank back on the trigger the damn thing wasn't moving.

It wasn't the pain or the broken bones that kept him from firing the gun. He wasn't able to pull the trigger. Even with all his faculties and a healthy physique it would end with the same outcome as right now.

"I-I-I…. I can't… I jus… I can't. I can't, I can't do it…"

He was a miserable mess of tears as he just kept saying the same thing over and over again. In a gesture that would have been perceived as kind and warm without context he gently took the gun from Isamu and patted his shoulder.

"I know. I just wanted to make sure."

And with that he aimed at the amputee that was Isamu's father and fired a bullet into his head. Isamu was unable to comprehend what had just happened. He saw his fathers dead mutilated body and still his mind was blank and jumbled. The ringing in his ears was all he could hear. The taste of blood in his mouth like raw copper dust burning into his taste buds. He had broken and was left empty by his pain. His father may not have been perfect or even ethical, but he was not deserving of being made a braindead husk that was shot dead by this monster. If he had been the one to pull the trigger would that have been better? What would have been more humane? It was all too much. Isamu just wanted it all to end. The son was another husk left broken; his revenge was complete and finished.

"So useless…"

And with that he put a bullet into Isamu's head. At the height of his despair and pain he was spat on and killed. All this pain and torment could have gone on for far longer than what was exercised; it was by the decision of the torturer himself he let matters end where they were.

Haru was beyond tired after all of this. It wasn't that the murder of dozens of rogue members of the organization was by any means a challenge of any merit to him, now all he had left was the relief he fixed what little he could have at this moment. The death of Bakugou's father was still his burden. The anguish that now someone he cared deeply for would grow up without a father who would love and guide them through their hardships. Even if he kept torturing and killing it wouldn't bring back the lives lost because of a stupid mistake he let happen. But this was the first step in making sure the same stupid mistake he had allowed would not be repeated ever again.

With a snap of his fingers another suited man brought in a large bottle of expensive sake from the same exit that the now dead Daibo was wheeled through. He bowed and presented the bottle of liquor to Haru after removing the cork. One of the men standing off to the side of Daibo's dead body approached and presented a knife from out of the inner breast pocket of his jacket. Haru took the knife and the bottle by its neck. He circled around the slouched-over corpse of Isamu and slit the side of its neck. There was still enough blood pressure in the severed vein for a steady stream of still-warm blood to leak out of. He dipped the lip of the bottle under this stream for just a brief second. He lifted the bottle to his right side and the bottle was taken back by the one who had brought it to Haru. He gave back the knife he borrowed and it was wiped clean by it's owner before returning it to its rightful was done with his business and went straight for the exit.

"Clean this shit up."

Calloused and short, the order Haru barked out was followed by a team of about fifteen men dressed in full hazmat gear armed with heavy duty equipment to remove all human remains and later to repair the damages to the room. The three men who were still next to the two corpses of the Daibo family exited shortly after. The cleaning crew were starting on their tasks by first opening multiple sealed compartments around the room. From the walls attachments for electrical equipment and water outlets; from the floor drainage pipes and waste shoots. With preparations set they began sweeping and shoveling the dead bodies into the receptacle outlets. Body parts and other physical bits of viscera and gore shoveled and carted to the disposal chutes and dropped down to the disposal facility far below. After about half an hour of sweeping out human remains one of the less seasoned members of this team came across something interesting. Opening discussion to his senior member he raised his wrist to his face shield and used the built in walkie.

"Hey, Hamamura-san… Hamamura-san?"

"... What is it?"

"Isn't this President Daibo? I mean, I'm not seeing things, am I?"

The middle aged cleaner came up from behind the younger employee and peeked over his shoulder.

"Huh, it is. Well ain't that something? Been a while since I saw someone like that down here… And right over there is his son. Damn bastard must have fucked him off real bad for something like this, I mean look at the two of them; it's like Satan chewed them up and spat them back out."

The older man just shrugged it off and went back to work while the novice of the group couldn't believe his senior's attitude towards the whole ordeal. Looking back and wanting to know more he chased down the apathetic man for more information.

"Wait, what? That's it? Something like this happens and you don't care? And what do you mean 'It's been a while'? When has this happened before? Who could have done something like… Like this!?"

He gestured to the massive room they were charged with cleaning. Looking around once more at the massive amounts of blood blanketing the floors and walls, there was a significant amount of flesh, bones, and organs littering and stuck to every surface imaginable. Even the ceiling had its fair share of vandalism in human remains. The older cleaner did take note but was less impressed about the matter than his younger compatriot.

"... Son, how long have you been here? In this department?"

"Huh? Uhhh… Three years this month. Why?"

"Ahhh, so this is your first time seeing his work."

"I'm sorry, 'him'? Who is 'him'?"

The older of the two resumed his duties and shortly after was joined by the curious junior.

"I've been in this business for twenty five years, kid. Came off a different branch before landing myself here. I thought at the time that since I've seen and done my fair share of this kinda thing for a while I should settle in somethin that would pay just as much without having to worry about keeping my neck intact."

Dragging mangled corpses onto a wheeled bin and dumping them down the chute the two of them kept clearing the room for the next part of the wash.

"Five years into my half-retirement here, word goes around that some money had gone missing and that some middle management suit had bolted out the door with it. Not gonna lie it didn't sound that big of a deal. Money can go anywhere in this business and if you can't deal with that then you shouldn't be in business in the first place."

The bodies had thinned out considerably and now with wide brooms they swept and shoved the leftover bits and pieces down the same chute.

"Turns out that the rumor that it was money was a hoax to get the higher-ups to drop their guard and let the guy in charge of the whole thing make off with some operation information to our supply routes with Malaysia. The whole thing was a shit show and a lot of us were certain that we were gonna get hit by the government and that this would be the beginning to the end of us."

Now with all the excess swept and moved away the cleaning team began hooking up high pressure hoses into the walls and sweeping one side of the room to the other with high pressure jet streams of water. A few of the cleaners had the ability to traverse up the walls or fly upwards to the ceiling and clear the hard to reach spaces with little difficulty. The chutes were shut and the drains sucking away the excess liquid waste.

"But before it got out of hand there was a phone call made to someone outside the company. Top man made the call and before he could even hang up those who were connected to the leak were strung up and put into cold storage."

Now all of the room was cleaned and rinsed. To address the damage to the room itself several bags of concrete and other necessary tools were hauled in. The damaged areas were cut down and refilled with the raw material. It took some time but it was beginning to all come to and what was once a hellish visage became just another empty concrete room.

"I don't know the specifics of the happenings or how it all was handled, but when I was starting here I will never forget the fresh hell that cleanup was."

Laying in more and more wet cement the younger cleaner was only able to just stare at his senior through the visor and swallow the knot that was forming in his throat.

"I didn't even know what some of the parts I had shoveled that day were. It wasn't the total nightmare you saw today, kid; but still, what would possess him to do something so horrific?"

The senior fell silent and continued to shape and mold the material laid into the damaged areas with his junior providing the wet cement.

"...You keep saying 'him'... Who is this guy? Why is he the one that does all this?"

He froze and turned to look the curious young man in the eyes.

"You know the rumors going around that there's someone else at the top of the food chain? Well, turns out not only is he in charge, but is rather the 'hands on' type of manager. Word is that he's done hiding since that Daido guy bit it and now anyone who goes over upper management deals with him. Trust me kid, whichever way you cut it that Daido guy has unleashed some fucking dark shit for the rest of us."

They were silent once more for a bit, but again the younger of the two had to break the silence once more.

"So who is he? Some kinda godly quirk user? Like, what does he do to be what he is?"

His senior kept at his work for a bit while ignoring the probing stare of the other. He finally relented in what little he knew of the matter.

"Look, I don't know everything alright? Word is that this guy doesn't need a quirk, he came in and just steamrolled the competition outta the water and claimed Japan as his own. And you didn't hear this from me. But the times this place gets a bit 'colorful' it's because the big boss man himself deals with the bigger problems by dragging them in here and leaving them for us to scrape off the walls."

What? How could someone quirkless do so much damage to a room filled with killers who were strong enough on their own, let alone as a group?

"Now shut up and fucking help me wrap this up already. I wanna have a beer and happy hour is in an hour, so let's go!"

Even knowing this information it just left him more confused than before. Who was able to take a country in a decade and rule it without being known for years? If he was this strong and without some kind of quirk or power to help him how was he able to rip all these men into pieces by himself every time? Nothing made sense for him and right now he was rather looking forward to following his older coworkers advice. A drink was something that sounded amazing right around now.

Later that Evening

There were subtle whispers and words being exchanged under guarded lips. The room was dark and lit only by the overhanging lights lining the center of the room. A table made of some kind of black mineral stretched down the length of the room and was the only thing properly illuminated. The faces of the people seated were shrouded in the pitch black of the room and their personal staff standing guard behind them. Their various suits and dresses were enough to give away that the most powerful people in this hidden organization were all here to be addressed by their leader. They were sitting there for a bit waiting to be addressed when Sato came in through the double doors at the end of the room and stood at the head of the table. Both hands down and face illuminated, Sato began his address to the expecting table of executives.

"... Some of you here have been with us long before the start of this organization, while others have come into your positions of responsibility some time after our conception. All of you are aware of recent events that have come to attention that have put some… Strain… On the anonymity of your existence. Many of you have been aware of the risks this may pose, while others have simply gone about their business feeling rather unaffected by these events… And only some of us here are aware of the true nature of these events…"

A few members at the table couldn't be seen very well, but they were sweating under their collars and struggling to remain composed and resist the urge to flee the country in an attempt to avoid the repercussions of their mistake. The others, unaware of the true nature of this meeting could only speculate and await an explanation as to what the next steps they would take to resolve matters.

"... I… I have served as the esteemed founder of this entity we have nurtured and grown to this date. I was recently asked to complete certain tasks that quite a few of you are only aware have occurred and are unable to find more information as to why events have been rather under wraps until now. I'm sorry to say that the passing of the Executive Daido has come to light…"

The murmurs were exchanged between the members who were still unclear as to why and how he died. The few who knew enough could only try and contain their ever building fear and anxiety.

"... There is something that must be addressed for us to continue on with tonight's business. I must disclose the truth and purpose of the organization we serve here. We control this nation from the darkness and it is not out of some sort of self guided interest for anybody here to make money or control. This organization was the result of one man's generosity and desire for the services we can provide to him in his personal goals."

The room grew restless as the ones who were unaware of their actual place in this organization were now given this harsh truth that this entity of control and power was not a means to their ends, but to someone else's. Questions were flooding out under the guise of whispers and murmurs in between those who were not aware of what was to come.

"What was made aware by his understanding is that… Is that we have not only failed in maintaining the status quo set forth by this very individual; we have failed to control and manage our operations, and so we are going into a new stage of management under his guidance and control. By his judgement we are incapable of keeping the standards needed to keep this organization… His organization… In its current capabilities…"

Only those who were privy to the knowledge as to whom Sato was referring to held no second thoughts to this proclamation. Now for the others in the room this was a very different and rather abrupt case of being flipped onto one's head. Many of the younger executives that sat in their chairs were close to voicing their discontent, but one man closer to Sato on the table and to his left beat everyone to the punch.

"So what you're saying this supposed 'benefator' of sorts is calling us incompetent because of the heist incident? Are we to think that something as mild as a public bombing is something we cannot tame with the power we hold over every government department, media, medical care, all these things?"

He stood straight up and kept voicing his disdain on the matter.

"We are the ones who have kept this house of cards up and we are the ones who have kept the cards from toppling over! Does one incident justify this so-called 'esteemed leader' to take us so lightly? These things happen and we are ready for matters to be handled discreetly! So who does this man think he is, to-"

"Who am I to what?"

He was cut off from launching into a rant by a voice from the shadows behind Sato. Sato's hand clenched into fists on the table and the look of fear in his face was visible enough for the other executive positions to realize that the very man who was the one with enough authority to call this meeting was in the room with them as they spoke. One footstep after another this mystery man revealed himself from the dark corner he was occupying and stood right next to Sato at the head of the table. His torso was still half shrouded in darkness and what little was revealed it was a black shirt with grey pants. Almost too inconspicuous and casual for such a gathering of elites.

"What on earth could be going through those thick layers of skin and skull and make you think these bizarre things you're saying?"

It was unsettling that their leader was being so submissive to this stranger who had taken a spot at the head of the table. Some were picking up on the signals, others still were in contempt of how they were being addressed and being told they were being supervised by someone who thinks less of them. The most vocal of them all was all but ready to launch into a rant and share his frustrations; what stopped him was the sudden deafening sound of rocks and stone being crushed and smashed on the opposite end of the room. He felt a massive rush of wind and dust venting through the room, and when turning to the source of the noise he saw the entire granite meeting table that ran through the middle of the room smashed and folded up on the opposite end of the room. The wall behind it was in no better shape and was sporting a massive hole that was housing the half of the table that buried itself into the wall.

"Who are you to sing your own praises when I am the one to suffer at the hands of your incompetence…"

There was no one in the room who wasn't either shocked or scared, or a mixture of the two at the sudden destruction of their meeting room table. Many had looked back from the destroyed wall and pulverized stone and saw that it was indeed this newly acquainted leader of theirs that sent the table into the opposite wall; their evidence his right shoe still had bits of crushed gravel sprinkling to the floor off the heel of the shoe still raised up. He placed it back on the floor and traversed under the lights that still hung above the now vacant space. His face was finally visible for all to see and nobody would dare to forget such distinct features from then on. White hair and a beard of the same ivory white, the look aged him quite a bit if he had just shaved it off. Without the facial hair many assumed he would be no older than thirty than the forty or so odd looking man he was. Haru was in front of the member of his high table that was still on his feet from his ranting, the silence a contrast from his earlier passionate speech.

"You are here because I have reached the end of my patience with everything you so self-proclaimed 'house managers' have done. Everything I have tolerated so far was nothing more than an act of kindness on my part. The sheer audacity that so many of you have taken matters into your own hands and still believe that you are deserving of more because of your positions."

The executives that all sat in that room were there because they by their own rights possessed qualities that made them competent leaders. One of these qualities was to be perceptive enough to read people and act accordingly so that they can direct the situations they oversought towards the resolution they thought best. Everyone had this basic understanding of reading human behavior.

It was clear that Haru wasn't someone who was delusional in believing in his authority in this situation. There was often a push and pull when two people came face to face with one another. Even the most confident people had some kind of give in their personality, and the most submissive of those still had some presence when speaking or being spoken to. Haru had no such give as he was beating down the man with his stare. Nowhere in his demeanor was there second guessing or hesitation he would do anything less than what he wanted to. In fact if he were to gut this man's guts open and force feed him his entrails, nobody in this room could stop him.

"What this is, it is not a house of cards like you deluded yourself into thinking it is. It was a fortress of stone and steel that I had built and graciously donated to the likes of you. And what do you do? You treat it like it's your own personal gold mine and tear it apart from the foundations up because you thought there was gold buried in the floorboards."

There was barely an inch between Haru's face and the face of the outspoken executive. Never had this man felt so small in front of another human being in his life. His blood went cold and the sweat began collecting and pouring into his silk collar. To feel fear on such a primal level was unfamiliar and immensely unwelcome. There was no logical reason he should have been so passive, and even if this man was the one at the very tip of this empire he had pride and wasn't one to take kindly to intimidation of any sorts. His mouth was too dry and his throat too tight to form coherent speech; involuntary tremors of shivering left him feeling heavier than the concrete that made up every floor, wall, and ceiling that this facility was made of. He should be going off on this man who was never there to take any of the work he had committed himself to for years, yet now he had to fight the urge to even drop down to the floor hands and knees and beg for his life.

"I let you all do what you wanted to do because there was room for error. All of your side dealings and deals from under the table were of no concern to me because everything was functional and none of your shit touched me. The only thing I cared about was that you do what I asked, when I asked; and that you kept matters under wraps away from me."

Haru was calm in his demeanor for the majority of the time so far. But enough was enough of the polite approach with his executive management; he was beyond any sort of remorse for all of them and they were at obligation to know where they stood with him.

"I can understand the disbelief of my presence. I'm more than patient enough for all of the mistakes and lack of competence that take place on an almost daily occurrence. The thing that really is unnerving me more than I should be is the sheer ignorance that you all seem to be complacent in…"

The room wasn't big enough for many of the attendants of the meeting. The space was tight and the oxygen was thinner than it was before the table renovated the back of the room. Atmosphere was even heavier for those who were right next to Haru; and when he began pacing up and down the space where the now destroyed piece of overly expensive furnishing was, all of their eyes were glued to the floor.

"Tell me, when was all of this going to be addressed between the lot of you? Tomorrow? The day after that? Next week? Or even sometime within the year? More and more I struggle with the idea that I should just leave things as they are."

His voice was even and calm, but for anybody this high up the food chain it was nothing but a veil for something much worse than if he was just storming around and screaming to the high heavens.

"Oh! Don't think I'm only holding those who were directly involved with what happened responsible. I am more than aware all of you saw the writing on the wall a loooong time ago. Did you think it just wasn't your problem? Were you too busy with your schedules, your lives; that it didn't warrant your attention? Or better yet…"

Haru stopped pacing and stared at the destroyed wall with an expression for those who could see that broadcast his lack of desire to look at anybody out of disgust or disappointment; perhaps even a combination of the two.

"Did the idea of seeing your peers fail bring excitement or joy to your miserable little selves? At the cost of letting failure and loss happen, did you want to gain from the loss of those around you? Is everything here so expendable that you couldn't give a shit what happens around you? Are you more important than what this organization is?"

Haru turned to a frightened woman sitting to his right. Under his stare she felt like she was drowning so far beneath the surface that there was little to no light visible from the surface.

"You know the values of many of our assets and other expenses. Tell me, do you think that I matter less than anybody here? To you?"

She indeed was the head of assets development within the organization. She was mature but developed with her elegant beauty and calm demeanor. Little to nothing could change her outer shell of peace and serenity as she was more than competent in both preventing and eliminating problems that concerned missing or incorrect information or assets. She demonstrated loyalty and commitment to the role she had to this entity on an almost daily occurrence; even with her pedigree of service and flawless record Haru was able to see right through and see her for what she really was.

"... I… I-I-I didn't, I mean… I couldn't- I wouldn't be-"

"Stop with the stammering. It's enough I have to deal with you feigning ignorance; your inability to cope with judgement is just as infuriating."

Tears were bleeding out from the corner of her eyes as Haru cut her down to size. He knew she had eyes looking into almost every moving part of his organization. He knew that she was more than capable of seeing the tell-tale signs that her other fellow executives and other higher ranking employees were either falsifying results or stealing from the company for their own self interest. Most cases she would crack down when an employee below her rank had acted out in self interest and signs of theft or forgery were apparent. In rare instances of her fellow executives acting out in such a matter she would sometimes let the matter pass and keep a record of the matter for a later time. All one should do is approach the individual with the information gathered and correct the matter at best. For her she let them continue on their path of self destruction and allowed them to continue their greedy practices so that when she could present them at a later date there would be enough for her to even extort and blackmail her way up in the organization. She assumed that feigning ignorance would have been enough to keep her head out of hot water when push came to shove. She assumed wrong.

"I'm- I'm so sorry! If I could be given just one-"

"Shut the fuck up, you dumb bitch."

She had never been so panicked and scared for her life up till this point. She had always known she was smart enough to find a solution to almost any problem, and with more troublesome obstacles she was always confident that sometime now or later she would find the authority to eventually force the issue into submission. The look in Haru's eyes made her sink away from this belief. There was no dealing or speaking to appeal to Haru's better nature. She was on a small wooden boat in the middle of an endless ocean; below the surface she could just make out something that stretched farther and wider than what she could see into the horizon. A leviathan so large and unknowingly powerful right underneath her weak little dingy, and it had it's eye right on her.

"If there's one thing I hate more than lying, it's begging. I find that kind of insufferable behavior unbearable; so if you are as smart as I would guess you should be, you shouldn't ask me to spare your life like some kind of mangy animal in heat begging for a random fucking."

She snapped her head back down and cowered in the fine leather upholstery of her chair. Haru stopped peeking out of the corner of his eye at the cowering woman and kept on with his speech.

"The point is, all of you sitting here today have failed me. The only one with their ass not on a chair, who has disappointed me more than all of you combined; is Akihara."

Nobody could say anything against such spiteful and cruel things against their immediate superior. Sato himself had his eyes cast down in shame just like the rest of them, if he was silent and accepting of such harsh criticisms then what good would their defense of him do?

"To be honest I wish I was capable of ranting and screaming myself until I run myself hoarse. It's taking me every bit of restraint I have from gutting everybody here with my bare hands. Lending myself that much freedom to express my disgust and disappointment towards you useless fucks wouldn't do me any good, I'm afraid."

He could do it. That single line of thought resonated with everybody Haru was aiming his message at. This sensation of fear was so much worse than what any individual person there had experienced in their lives. They all had something that made them stand above their peers. Something that lent them strength or abilities to face problems others would find unapproachable. Many of them even were born with unique quirks that gave them an edge against all their hardships. They controlled this country and it wasn't because they were put there by someones 'recommendation' or birthright, they were there because they could do it.

There was no such confidence within that room. Not even an ounce of false hope that even if they were all able to commit all they had into fighting, running, or a combination of the two at least one of them could survive. Nobody and no combination of people here could kill him and nobody here would be able to escape him. They could all be spread across the world inside of their own bunkers with a private army at their beck and call; the hardest thing about killing all of them for Haru would be the time management part of it. He decided if they got to live or not, and all they were allowed to do was sit there in silence and accept whatever he chose to do to them.

"In the end I decided that it would be best for me to just hold those directly involved with this royal fuck up that you all had allowed for."

Haru raised his right hand next to him and snapped his fingers. Following the loud crack the doors behind Haru opened again and in came a line of female attendants dressed in refined black funeral kimonos with a small tray for each of them and a single sake cup sitting neatly on each tray. They divided and each servant aligned themselves to the right hand side of each seated executive. In synchronized fashion they all knelt and presented the cups to all of the executive members present. Everybody withheld their judgement of such a ceremony when this entire affair had been nothing but pure agony for those involved. Another attendant followed in and in her arms a large bottle of rather expensive looking sake that had something running down the sides of the neck. Few of the people this ceremony was for could tell what it was that was on the bottle itself. Those who could tell were either close enough or were gifted with enough of a sense of smell to tell that it was blood that stained the glassware. Even fewer were able to pick up that the blood wasn't old or completely dried; whatever, or whoever, provided the blood in the first place was recently drained of it and it was a direct donation as well.

Haru clasped his right hand around the neck of the bottle and uncorked the massive thing. He walked past all of the cups presented and haphazardly poured the liquor into the cups. Most of the contents spilled into the cups, but all the trays were spilt on with a good amount of wasted alcohol. One after another the cups were filled and a few of the executives were able to breathe some sigh of relief as when they saw what stained the bottle as Haru passed they were in a slight panic over if they were going to have to drink blood as part of some kind of twisted ritual. The liquor still had a slight sunset copper tinge to it as it sat there pooled in each cup. The liquid was clear enough for it to be sake, it smelled like sake, so many assumed it was an additive of sorts that was unique to the specific bottle.

Haru rounded back around and kept the bottle when he turned back to the room and addressed everybody once more.

"Tonight I had quite the deliberation to make by my lonesome. There was still the matter to deal with the ones who were the ones that had disobeyed me tonight. The ones that took matters into their own hands and thought that I wasn't worthy of consideration in the grand scheme of things. So for your sake I took personal liberty in what was to be done. For your sake over forty five men have been tortured and killed to spare you from my ire. As of now there is a vacancy in the seat of leadership that Daido had left behind in his retirement."

The silence was deafening. Nobody was even breathing too heavily for fear of grabbing any unwanted attention. They knew that Daido had been the one on the business end of matters regarding the repercussions of his son; somebody of his position and liberties should have had some leeway in severity of punishment, in their opinions. Hearing that he died suffering like his son and all of the men that served his son was just more kindling on the pyre that was their fear of this monster.

"I'll let you all sort matters on what should be done with the remaining assets and tasks left in his wake. However, now that I'm here to keep you spoiled little shits in line; if I hear that somebody has a problem, or that somebody even complained to anybody about arrangements made? I will pour each and all of your blood in different bottles and drink you down… I'll leave it to you as to what might happen just before I do just that. Now, drink to their sacrifice."

Haru tipped the bottle up and chugged the remaining sake like he was emptying the thing down the sink. Everybody else didn't hesitate to take their own shots in one swift motion. The taste was by no means offensive or off putting as many had thought. Other than a slightly more acidic taste and a slight metallic burning sensation after it was just refined sake with some blood diluted in it. Haru finished the bottle off and smashed the bottle on the floor. Nobody was hurt, but it did startle some people. The back of his hand wiped his lips clean and with that taken care of he finished the meeting off with one last bit of advice.

"Do know I'm here because of you. I was more than generous the first time around, but this time around I'm going to have to be the one to remind you all why you are here in the first place. This is all I'm giving you. There will be no next time for anybody. Never again. Is that understood?"

The silence was telling enough that they knew where they were in relation to who and what they were to Haru and the organization they served. Haru took the silence as a yes and went for the exit behind him. As one last reminder to his underlings Haru displayed one last demonstration to what they were all dealing with as he reached the door. He braced both hands against the thick steel doors and pushed. The doors ripped from the steel hinges they sat on and pierced the reinforced concrete wall opposite to them in the hallway. This was enough to actually scare a few people behind him into jumping out of their seats. Once the debris and dust cleared the air the sight of two sheets of solid steel buried and twisted into concrete and rebar was all that was left. Haru was gone and with his presence gone; the absence of fear and respect that had once petered out and was but a faint memory. Once again the fear and respect these lesser people realized was once again the driving force that made every individual who controlled this country fear and respect him once again.

Even after all was said and done, it was nothing but a massive waste in his eyes still. His kingdom for just one opportunity to save the life of one man. He still held himself accountable for the death of Bakugou's father, and no matter who else he killed or tortured nothing would bring back an innocent boy's father from the death that he was held responsible for.

The Next Day

The Hospital was in a better state with less panic and stress flooding the many identical corridors and hallways. There were still far too many serious cases that still were admitted in the hospital and staff were around the clock three weeks later still moving paperwork and checking up on patients frequently. It was a contained form of chaos that hospitals were more than accustomed to and for many they were still on the path to recovery as long as things went as smoothly as they were right now.

On a hallway bench Haru sat outside the room where Bakugou was admitted and had his chin resting on his folded hands. His knees were slightly spread and propping his elbows, on his face he had a grim look of worry and concern since his arrival to the boy's room. Bakugou was receiving the best care in the country and the doctors working on his charts were primarily focused on his condition. Bakugou was still comatose and by the time Haru had returned to the hospital there were enough improvements to his condition that they diagnosed that the child should be awake sooner than later. They were well aware that this case was important for their benefactor and based on clues and information gathered they could guess Haru was that very man. They swore Bakugou's safety under their watch and eased the concerned man into letting time deal with the remaining part of recovery.

Haru was here for the past four hours and was unable to even muster the desire to grab something to eat or drink from the nearby cafeteria for himself. The clock was barely audible with other noises around to drown out the wall mounted time teller; for Haru it was like somebody was taking a hammer and chisel to his eardrums. He didn't even count the seconds ticking by and still the silence between each second stretched out farther and farther away from each other the more he heard those fucking gears grinding into position. Time was all he had and it was maddening how little he could do to help the child he was fretting over inside the room just behind him.

It was another hour and a half of waiting in his seat before something finally broke him out of his trance of pure misery. To be more specific it was less of a something and more of a someone. Even more so; less of a someone and more plural in terms of amount.

"Haru-san!"

Haru was brought out of his stupor and was jumped on by a small boy with a wild head of wavy hair that ticked the back of his neck when they leapt off the bench he was sitting on and used it to hug Haru's back. It wasn't worth noting as a threat since he could recognize the voice when his attention finally caught on. Shortly behind a mother concerned about her child's sudden departure from her side was there in no time at all.

"Izuku! Didn't I tell you not to run off like-... Oh, Nakamura-san! I-I wasn't… Expecting you here…"

It was true that he had pretty much dropped off the face of the earth for about a month since getting Bakugou and his… Getting the injured Katsuki to the hospital from the day of the incident at the shopping center. Inko was blushing a little since she felt like she was rather underprepared for a surprise encounter with Haru. She wasn't wearing much makeup and her outfit felt unflattering for her figure. By Haru's measurements she still looked fair enough even when she wasn't trying for a look to impress. She was still in good shape for a mother and she was cute for a woman who was a single mother. The times they would be left to talk or spend time on their own without Izuku she was always fretting the impression she left on him like it was the first time they had met over coffee all over again. Her desire to look good wasn't glossed over for him and he could recognize that Inko was still someone who wanted to impress and was still capable of doing so. The surprise encounter did little if anything to diminish the fact that after some time by his lonesome he was happy that he was able to see her again shortly after finishing his personal business.

"Hello again, Inko. It's been some time, hasn't it?"

Izuku's mother was blushing with such a familiar use of her first name. Once in a while her name would roll off Haru's tongue without the formality of titles and every time she would try to disguise her shyness and slight happiness of the assumed slip of the tongue by Haru. She turned from the still seated Haru and used the back of her hand to cover the lower half of her face to disguise her rosy cheeks. It felt so immature for her to blush like a middle schooler over her crush looking in her direction when she was already a mother and Haru was a fully grown man. A man who was cut enough for his clothes to barely disguise the fact. His height was also something that was above average. Complexion was also good since taking a closer look and finding that without the beard he would probably be younger looking than her. Also-

Inko had to cut her train of thought off from there and turn back around or she would have come off as rude otherwise. A cough or two did the trick and she was able to keep a straight enough face to face the man still waiting for her response.

"Um, yes. Yes it has… I hope you've been well since then… I know you did what you could, but still you did more than what most would have done given your situation. I hope you realize that at the very least."

It wasn't as simple for Haru as it seemed for the single mother. All that he knew and what had been happening from behind the scenes led all the way back to him and his actions being the reason many of the events were as destructive and horrible as they were. Why and how were things nobody could help him cope with. He lost a friend who mattered to him, and giving a reason for everyone else to take off voluntarily will only send him back to the madness that had sent him on this whole mad scramble in the first place. Again he had to lie. The semantics of omission or directly doing so were lost to him, it was lying to him however you cut it.

"Inko… I don't know what to do. I keep thinking of things to say and all of it sounds like a kind of white noise in the background. Bakugou doesn't have his dad anymore. I failed to keep him here. Everything keeps replaying in my head and I'm unable to make sense of anything."

His volume was low so as to not drag Izuku into the depressing subject of Haru's inability of making any progress with his grief and the interactions he had with the events that left him in his current state. Being a single mother made things difficult to adapt to since her husband and father of her child had left so much for her to manage by her lonesome. It took a bit of effort and even more time to find her rhythm and adapt to being a caretaker for her son and remain afloat her own stresses to do so. The more she listened to Haru the more she found herself back when she felt stuck by herself with a child in her arms that only she could help. The next best thing to lashing out was to place blame, and often the blame was quick to land itself onto her. On the day she was left with the news that her son was quirkless she was cornered and alone in a prison of her own making. She wanted to cry and beg whatever higher made it so that a son as bright and kind as hers was left with a mother as lacking and useless as her. It was all too much by herself, but Haru was quick to help her in whatever way he could for her. Her phone call to him was made out of desperation, but still he came as soon as he could to ease her overwhelming anxiety.

Haru was quick to comfort her and deflect all of the guilt she had intended to carry by herself. There was no reason to carry such a thing that wasn't a burden that should have been there in the first place. He quickly connected with her son and made it clear that a child who wanted to be something great wasn't incapable of doing so, but by no means was the journey going to be just as easy or close to being so for the young Midoriya. Her son was able to come back from that deep loneliness she herself was almost victim to and felt forever indebted to the man who was so patient and wise in helping her through her troubles. So hearing Haru being so low and close to the edge of his own bottomless pit was enough to put a stop to this self isolation by whatever means. She put her left hand on his right thigh and turned his head with the right one. She forced eye contact and spoke her own version of the words he had used to help her so long ago.

"Haru, look at me. Right now."

He was already looking at her from the first touch, but the sudden use of force to make him pay attention to her was a little surprising.

"You did everything you could then. If you keep thinking about 'what if' and 'if I' then what? You are someone who wants the best for these children and more times than I care to remember you have followed through to be a positive influence for these boys. They look up to you because you earned their admiration and respect. You are NOT responsible for what you fought to prevent. If you cannot forgive yourself… Then, I will."

It felt so foreign to feel something like this for such a long time. It was countless years since he felt connected and close to something so warm and comforting. For a moment he forgot everything, and sank into this feeling of being just a bit more whole and complete than the hollow and empty chasm he was falling into.

"I'll forgive you. You do too much for others for me to leave you to fend for yourself. I won't leave you here to waste away by yourself. You deserve better… You deserve…"

She trailed off and realized she was so caught up in her efforts to help Haru in his emotional duress that she failed to restrain herself and was now cradling his face in her hand and gripping his right thigh in the other. Inko wanted nothing more than to apologize for her brash actions and hope for things not to be too awkward between her and Haru.

"Um, I-I mean- I mean, If you are just… If you want-I could just-you know-"

She let her right hand droop down off Haru's beard, but her hand was clasped quickly by his own much larger right one and her heart leapt like she was in high school again. Heart beating and pumping blood to her face she was barely able to get the handwritten note she made for a crush she had from her first year at the school she attended. It turned out the boy she liked was nice enough to discreetly let her know he had a girlfriend and saved her quite a bit of embarrassment. As a woman well past her adolescence she felt ridiculous for feeling so much of that young hope for love and connection she could only fantasize as a young teen.

"You're too good for me, Inko. I don't know how I could ever thank you for such kindness."

He could only see Inko and her kindness that kept him from falling further than he was for the moment. It felt temporary, but it was so much more than what was a dead drop from orbit from a moment ago. On the other hand Inko was out of practice in terms of interacting with the fairer sex since her husband and nothing ever since. SHe only did what she felt was right and now she was at a loss over what to say next.

"... Mom?"

Izuku was tugging at his mom's left sleeve and pulled her from the rather intimate situation she was in with Haru in the middle of a public hospital. Her hands were back and out of their intimate spots on Haru's person. She brushed her hair and cleared her throat before speaking to her son.

"Ahem. Ye-yes Izuku? Is there something you need?"

"I wanna see Ka-chan. Can we go inside?"

Nothing was more endearing than seeing a boy being concerned with his friend more than anything else. She wanted to make good on their visit and helped her son down from his spot on Haru's back. Both were back to their original purpose of visiting the young Bakugou in no time at all. Izuku bid a quick goodbye and Inko lingered halfway through the door to say one last thing to Haru.

"Haru-san, Be good to yourself. We all care about you and the least you can do for all of us is take care of yourself. I wouldn't know what to do if something were to happen to you."

They shared a kind smile between each other before Inko was in the room to watch over her hyperactive son who was already bouncing around and asking questions about all sorts of things. Haru was left alone once more in the hallway to his own devices for some time before something else caught his attention.

Some time later after the Midoriya family made their arrival Katsuki came in dressed in her office wear still and was rather surprised to see Haru sitting outside out of nowhere.

"Nakamura-san? Oh my… Um, I'm sorry, I didn;t expect to see you again today. But, for whatever reason you came, I'm glad you did."

Bakugou's mother was always far too kind to Haru for the temper she held for other people she interacted with in her life. She would constantly praise his patience in his interactions with her son and the amount of pressure it took off of her and her… Ah. Again Haru was grimly reminded of the situation that reality had decided to take form of in this life and was again sobered of the now single mothers situation.

"Yeah, I was, uh… I was caught up in something personal. I… I wanted to be here sooner, but-"

Mitsuki raised her hand to stop him and continued his sentiment for him.

"But, nothing. You did more than others and I am more than aware that if it wasn't for you, my boy would probably be much worse off if it wasn't for you."

Hatred and disdain was preferable over all of this forgiveness he felt undeserving of. It hurt that the truth was just the opposite of what everyone's perception of what seemed to be a noble act of heroism was nothing more than an accident born from negligence and mismanagement on his part. It took so much out of him to stomach his disgust of living in this idealized version of everyone's perception of events passed.

Non only were the people who were responsible for the public display of terrorism held accountable and punished; the one who was the most responsible for the event was being held in the highest regard and paraded as a hero to the people he hurt the most.

"I won't allow you to take on what was never yours to begin with. My son is alive because of you and my husband would have said the same. Be proud of your actions, Nakamura-san… Anyways, I best say my greetings. Do come in whenever you feel like it, you're always welcome to say hi."

"... Would you like something from the cafeteria? I'm feeling peckish."

She raised an eyebrow at the sudden request but seeing it as an improvement from his sulking from before she chalked it up as some kind of progress for what it was.

"I would love some coffee if they had some. Black with cream and sugar on the side if you could."

He nodded and went about his way towards the cafeteria. It was too much to be so close to the Katsuki family and yet he was far too reluctant to leave just yet. A compromise was made and he decided on a quick breather and getting the exhausted mother some caffeine felt like the least he could do. Mitsuki was a strong woman and many saw her marriage to her husband as some kind of stroke of luck for the man for landing a bombshell of a fierce woman like Mitsuki in his lifetime. Truth was often funnier than reality and Haru knew that in fact it was the opposite for the two. Masaru and his future wife worked inside of the same company when it was her who was smitten with him. She fought for his attention and soon after charmed him with her desire to be together to sire a son between the two of them. Haru was perceptive to pick up on certain signals to see that Mitsuki was often the one to start things between the couple and Masaru was the one to even things out before they got out of hand. They balanced each other out and they matched well with their personalities to see a successful marriage through to the end. A marriage that Haru ended preemptively through his ignorance and negligence. Still he was incapable of escaping his guilt despite Inko's intimate request that he didn't do so.

"I'll be right back."

With that he left the warped cushion he had sat on for hours on end in favor of refreshments from a cafeteria that was far too low in quality in comparison to what he would provide for his own clientele for almost half the price. The little bit of scrutiny left him to consider if it was something to be fixed or just a mild inconvenience as he weaved through the busy hallways between him and the hospital's craft services.

Mitsuki slid the door in and what she was met with was her long time friend Inko looking shocked at the medical equipment that monitored her son's condition. It was the incessant beeping and alerts of the equipment that indicated a change in her child's condition that clued her in on the look that Inko was giving the equipment. Usually equipment given to other usual patients wouldn't be so sensitive in alreting such a subtle change in patient conditions. Haru was not one to spare expenses when it mattered and not only got top medical staff for Bakugou but the top of the line equipment to pick up even the most sensitive of beta waves in the brain to indicate changes in patient coma statuses. Right now the equipment was setting off and the alert that indicated a comatose state to consciousness was going off on the monitors. Bakugou's eyes were fluttering under his eyes and Mitsuki was barely able to comprehend what was happening before medical staff came charging into the room; one of which was the neurologists flown in from a different part of Japan altogether to work on Bakugou.

All the monitors and sensors were linked to key staff who were prioritized to remain within less than five seconds of response time from the very room that Bakugou was in. A few were incredulous and couldn't understand why a single patient took priority over the many others they could have been attending in the meantime. The only thing that kept complaints from escalating was the amount of additional aid flown in from other cities to assist the efforts to combat the sudden influx of injured patients from the local bombing. Support was instant and so much work was streamlined to make the process as painless as possible. It was like every grievance they had about any small complaint or niggle about the workplace evaporated or disappeared altogether in a split second.

Medical staff were in the room and working to check all vitals to make sure nothing that would have indicated otherwise was less than good news. Izuku was thankfully contained by his mother and Mitzuki was micromanaged by a nurse who was keeping her far away enough to let the doctors to work. She was still fighting to see what was happening but there was little in the way of panic and in no time at all the monitors were deactivated and the head practitioner was monitoring the boy as Bakugou slowly began returning to the world of the living. The room was maintained by the extra staff and Bakugou was awoken not to the chaotic back and forth of less technically trained nurses rushing to his aid; but the voice of the neuro-specialist available for him walking the boy through regaining consciousness. Slowly but surely Bakugou was able to open his eyes and with a moment to collect himself he was back to being fully awake.

"-kugou? Bakugou? Can you hear me?"

Past the initial moment of waking up the young Katsuki had little to no problem actually returning to the land of the living. He used his conscious strength to resurface and with enough push he surfaced back from the darkness he was floating in for days on end. His eyes strained to focus on what was in the room and blindingly bright blurry spots and blobs clouded his vision. Bakugou pushed through the aches and pains and soon was able to make out the room he was in.

"Uhhh, wha? Where? Who-whoo's there?"

It was a moment of relief for everyone in the room to see the blonde boy up and about again after weeks of uncertainty. Mitsuki was tearing at the sound of her boy awake and conscious and all the medical staff were able to move to the next stages of recovery for the adolescent.

"Good morning, Bakugou. My name is Dr. Karagi. I'm a doctor working with the hospital you're in right now. It's been some time since you were first admitted here. I want you to take it slow and don't rush yourself in any way, ok? Can you do that for me?"

It was still difficult for Bakugou to make sense of his surroundings since he was rather weak and delirious from being on IV fluids for weeks on end and having been awake for about a minute or so from his lead physician was professional and gentle with the child as he went through the process of double checking Bakugou's vitals and condition. A few questions here and there to see if there was any sort of obvious side effect and the vital readings on the monitors were recorded for reference. As more time passed Mitsuki was finally able to approach her son after the medical staff determined he was stable enough to see her. She was tearful and joyful in embracing her son after so much time of seeing him hooked up to all of these machines and oblivious to the world around him. The time spent next to his bed and hoping for some kind of miracle for Bakugou to return to her finally felt like it paid off.

Their reunion was not interrupted by the doctor leading the care for Mitsuki's son but he was in need of more information and kept working alongside the heartfelt moment with efficiency and professionalism. Meanwhile in the background Inko and her son were seated in the waiting chairs under the windows. Both were able to maintain their respectable distances and allow the professionals to work on making sure Bakugou was making progress in his recovery. Izuku had to be stopped by his mother once or twice from running up to his friend in sheer excitement, nonetheless the Midoriya family were content with just watching things play out as they did. All of this was going rather smoothly, until a question everybody was avoiding was asked by Bakugou.

"... Where's dad? Is he ok? I dunno what happened."

Even the doctor froze at the inquiry Bakugou threw to the adults in the recovery ward he was in. Mitsuki was unable to make eye contact altogether as the Doctor gently touched Bakugou's left shoulder and prepared for the worst.

"Bakugou, do you remember what had happened before you went to sleep? I want you to walk through it slowly, ok? Can you do that for me?"

Bakugou was left to recollect events as they played out in his head and with some difficulty things began to fall into place.

"Me and my dad went to the bank. When me and my dad went inside it was really long and we had to wait for our turn with the bank lady… Um, and… and when we were almost there somebody was yelling inside and my dad hugged me when people started running… And then…"

The doctor was fully aware that what had happened led to the tragic fate that Bakugou's father had met. For him it was critical that things that could stress the boy's psyche be handled inside the hospital and within acceptable conditions for him to prevent a relapse of any sort. He kept probing the child for more information.

"And then? What happened after that, Bakugou?"

Bakugou was silent for a bit. His mind was recalling events and by no stretch of the imagination was it having an easy time of things. A headache was coming on and still his brain kept feeding in information bit by bit for the young Katsuki. Logic was placed alongside his recollection and realization soon brought a sense of panic and uncertainty for the recovering coma patient.

"... Dad… Where's my dad? He grabbed me and I don't know what happened! Is he okay? Where's dad?"

The situation was escalating with Bakugou recollecting the events of the explosion that had sent him into a coma in the first place. HIs father had snatched up the boy when a panic broke out from the inside of the bank. A scuffle broke out and soon sounds of violence and screaming sent the people inside the bank into a panic for the exit. Masaru was doing all he could to get him and his son out of the bank as well but the crowd that choked up the exit of the bank made it almost impossible. All the effort to escape by the crowd was for nothing since the blast that wiped out a majority of the people inside went off and since Bakugou was wrapped in his fathers arms with the man's back towards the blast he was able to survive. It came back to the child and he was able to remember being held by his father before the violent explosion sent him into utter darkness.

"...Bakugou. I need you to stay with me and listen carefully to what I have to say. You have to be calm when you hear what I have to say to you ok?"

Mitsuki was looking away from her son and was already fighting to contain her reactions. Bakugou couldn't make sense why everyone was acting so weird around him. Why was everyone so serious? What happened when he was sleeping?

"Your dad… Your dad didn't survive the explosion. He protected you from the worst of the blast and passed away shortly after. I'm so sorry, but your dad isn't with us anymore."

Kids were rather sensitive to certain things as they began to learn how the world functioned and performed. Some of the more difficult information for them to process is the concept of death. The idea that mortality would lead to something that meant nothing else afterwards is an idea difficult enough of a concept alone for adults to cope with. Doctors were sanitary and clinical when they approached discussion about difficult topics with their patients so as to control certain reactions from previously established information. Neutral, positive, extreme; all reactions had their place in human psychology and now it was his job to gauge and temper this young boy's reaction to his father's death.

"... What?"

As expected there was no immediate reaction from the child as expected by the doctor. Bakugou couldn't digest the new's quickly enough for any sort of timely reaction on his part. His mother was trying to contain her reactions but had to lean onto Inko to keep herself from breaking down completely in front of young Bakugou. This silence went on long enough for the physician to intervene and try to elicit a reaction from the catatonic child.

"Bakugou? Can you hear me? Do you know where you are still?"

The first physical reaction that broke Bakugou out of his stupor was an eye twitch that migrated to more of his face and revealed his expression of disbelief.

"Wh… What? No, my dad was right here. I know him, he's… He's my dad! He won't be… I mean… I… I-I… I wanna see him! Right now!"

He struggled to move and without any second thought he tried to crawl up and out of the bed while yanking on the tubes and sensors hooked up to his arms and chest. The doctor tried to ease the weakened child back into bed and contain a potential manic episode.

"Bakugou I need you to listen to me, okay? You were in an accident and your dad-"

"Don't say that, you old hack! Dad! Where are you!? DAD!"

Bakugou was putting up an impressive amount of resistance and in fear of hurting the child the doctor called the extra staff in the room to help restrain the boy before he hurt himself. The staff were quick to help the physician press the boy back down into the bed and keep his thrashing to a minimum. His calls for his father went from shouted demands to screams of desperation with panic and sheer confusion sending him into a tailspin.

"DAAAAAD! WHERE IS HE!? I WANT MY DADDY! I WANNA SEE HIM!"

"Nurse! Midazolam! 4 Milligrams! Stat!"

The thrashing was strong enough to give the three fully grown adults a run for their money. More than the actual strength he was displaying they were doing their best as to not hurt him with too much pressure or force. The nurse in the back had already retrieved a clean needle and was in the process of measuring out the sedative from the glass vial. Clearing the air in the needle she leapt to the IV and administered the drug into the injection port.

"GIMME MY DAD BACK! I WANT MY DAD! DAAAAAD!"

It would take some time for the sedation to kick in, so for now all the staff inside the room could only restrain Bakugou until he went under. His mother was crying into Inko and Inko was shielding her long time friend the best she could in her arms. Izuku was huddled and clutching his mother from behind. He could see his friend was hurt and wanted to do something, but all of this was too much for the young midoriya to make sense of right this second. It scared him how scary his friend looked as the nurses and doctor tried to keep Bakugou down and his feral rage made him look like a rabid dog yanking on the chain. Nobody there could contain their grief for the innocent child screaming and begging for a father that would never show himself ever again.

Just outside the room Haru was almost back with his and Mitsuki's coffees when the screaming stopped him dead in his tracks. His first time hearing Bakugou's voice again after weeks of worry and angst was filled with the shrill screams of begging and anger. The pit in his stomach swallowed him up and inside the void he was falling into he could barely register staff going past him to assist the situation with Bakugou. The room went silent and what replaced the noise was the high pitched ringing that was painfully deafening for Haru. He could taste the acid in his saliva and the coppery taste of blood as his nerves were so sensitive that his own flesh was like pennies against his taste buds. His skin was so sensitive the small hairs that rubbed up against his clothing felt like pins and needles while the air chilled the exposed skin on his arms. His body was desperately trying to protect Haru from a threat that it had no power in actually doing anything against.

Haru's fingers were shaking and struggling to maintain enough pressure on the paper cups. The hot beverages slipped out and went all over the floor as well as his shoes. In a state of delusion brought on by his guilt he tilted his head down towards his hands and saw them stained in blood. Blood wasn't anything that he was unaccustomed to and in a different context would have warranted nothing from him as far as he was concerned. The blood that was visible to him was the same blood that was on his hands after he tried to resuscitate Masaru after the explosion that had taken his life later that very day. The palms were stained on the edges and the skin was smeared with dried blood in the wrinkles of his skin from pushing against a bloodied shirt while performing cpr. Haru could still smell the destroyed concrete and burning plaster as he relived the wasted attempt to save Bakugou's father. Every detail of that day was etched into him like a branding and now even the smell of the blood that stained his hands was making him sick now. Every streak and smear of blood was just as visible to him now as it was during his panicked effort to save Masaru.

Everybody passing Haru in the hallway ignored him for the most part and unknowingly left him to suffer in his own freefall of guilt and shame. The screaming was still being contained and more it reminded him of one harsh fact of this lifetime that he would never escape in his lifetime. He killed Bakugou's father, and now the boy will suffer the consequences of his actions for the rest of his long life. If he hadn't said anything, or better yet convince the father and son to go somewhere else for the boy's birthday instead… Even so, what good is fantasizing for something that was impossible now?

Haru was drowning. He was drowning and unable to breach the surface for any kind of relief from this fucked up nightmare. By the time Bakugou was placed under control and staff were able to stabilize his condition Haru was gone. All that was left behind of his presence was the cushion of the cheap seating he had warped out of shape waiting for Bakugou to recover. The second was the puddle of coffee where he began his binge of self torment and guilt in an effort to drown out all of the voices.

Two Months Later

His eyes felt glued shut by the lashes as he painfully returned to the land of the living. Waking from his inebriated slumber, Haru was woken by the sounds of rustling clothes and cursing from the escort he had hired the night before. What she was up to was easy enough to guess and sure enough when his eyes scanned the cheap motel room he had crashed at last night he found the prostitute going through his clothes in search of something. She was sifting through the pockets in his pants with little success in finding what she was searching for. Haru groaned as he sat up in the bed and as soon as he did he felt the aches and pains of the week long benders he had subjected himself to coarse their way through every square centimeter of his body. The bedside table still had some tin foil with heroine and a needle resting on top of it.

There were spots and pieces of memory from the past few days that weren't completely fried and destroyed from his excessive use of drugs, alcohol, and sex that could help him figure out where this cheap motel was located. Guessing by the track marks he was sporting and the accent of the hooker digging through his belongings; who was more than less likely looking for his wallet, he guessed that he was in Fukuoka. The sex worker wasn't making much of an effort in being stealthy and with Haru's hangover he was getting rather impatient with how long it was taking for her in finding what she wanted.

"It's in the jacket…"

She was startled by his voice and snapped around to see Haru sitting up on the edge of the bed he slept on the night before. It wasn't the first time she had done this and out of the rare occasions she was caught with her hands in her clients pockets it was often a matter of how fast of a break she could make out the hotel room door before she either escaped or was dragged back into said room until her pimp found her and beat the client attempting some kind of horrific retribution for her act of theft. She was getting pretty good at it these days and even when she was sure the client was out cold with what looked to be enough hard drugs and alcohol to kill a whale she still was careful to remain cautious in pilfering his belongings.

"Um, what?"

Haru was not in the mood to repeat himself, and so he made sure to let the hooker know how fucked off he was that morning.

"I said it's in the fucking jacket, you stupid bitch! Just take the fucking thing if you want; I don't give a shit if you did, but for fucks sake shut the fuck up you brainless waste of a cunt!"

Even on her best day she wouldn't stomach something so rotten and scathing from some cock she took the night before. Good cock, but cock nonetheless. In a fit of blind rage she picked up what was nearest and solid enough of a projectile for her to use against the prick that was sorry enough to insult her, despite the hypocrisy of her stealing from him as he laid there unable to stop her. A brown glass bottle that was full the night before of cheap wine flew across the room and exploded against the back of Haru's head. The strength of the throw showered the floor and bed with hundreds of miniscule shards of broken glass. The prostitute wasted no time in snatching up his jacket off the floor and storming out in her state of indecent dress. All that was able to cover her important bits was a set of purple lingerie.

"Fuck you, asshole! Do us all a favor and kill yourself, prick!"

The door slammed behind her and the whole room shook with the force of her single swing of the door. Again the room was silent with the sounds of traffic outside the window to keep the broken man company. His hands in his lap were more interesting than anything else in the room, especially when he saw spots of red dripping from out of nowhere onto them. Hands went to the sides of his head and he saw that the bottle his escort threw at his head had lacerated his scalp and was pouring blood from out the back and out the front in every direction. Haru let the blood drip down his hair and catch onto his palms and lap. In fact, the blood he caught in his right hand was rather interesting as he rubbed the warm red liquid running freely down the back of his head in between his fingers.

"... H-heh… Ha… Heh, It's… It's still red…"

The hand now covered in his own blood was all Haru could focus on as he sat alone on the cheap bedding. He could only laugh at the sheer disbelief that the color of his blood was still that of a mammal.

"It… It's still red… Why?... Why is it still red?"

His bleeding was slowing at this point. His arms were slathered in red from the head wound, the sheets were no better and were in fact worse off with a massive red and orange spot radiating from where he sat.

"... Fuck… Just… Just fuck me."

After sitting in his blood for a while more he was in the hotel shower and rinsing the crusty dried blood from his white locks. The boiling hot water made short work of the remaining mess left by his wound and left his head clean as it was before his scalp busted open from the inexpensive glassware from before. He stood under the jet of hot steaming water for some time before he began talking to himself.

"... What am I doing? What would you do here?"

Haru's head dipped lower and allowed the stream of hot water to hit the back of his neck instead.

"I'm not you. I can't do what you did so easily. He was your son, not mine…"

The hand braced against the wall clenched against the wall as Haru kept venting to nobody his feelings of inadequacy.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I let this happen. I don't want this to be all there is. If I could, it would have been me that day."

Cheap tiles creaked under his fingertips. There was nobody listening to his lonely begging, but still Haru kept on going.

"I would give up anything and everything to fix what I fucked up. Anything. But now, even that isn't possible… Just tell me what to do and it'll happen."

The digits digging into the ceramic cracked the surface and buried themselves slightly into the wall with the force behind them.

"... I'm… I'm so sorry. I can't think of anything else besides that. I killed you, and I'm sorry."

It was harder to stand in the shower with all the angst and guilt overwhelming Haru. The drugs ran their course and the sex left him empty. Drinking was blissful for a while and now it was just per the course of trying to fall asleep. All of the gut wrenching emotions were finally unavoidable and placed at his feet for him to confront. Overdosing or getting killed in a bar fight was easier than dealing in this shitshow of a guilty conscience, none of which was possible for Haru.

"It's your kid. I can't do what you did so effortlessly. He needs you. Not me…"

Like a prayer out of desperation Haru finally collapsed to his knees. He would be dead before praying to the god of this world, so the next best thing of talking to Masaru past the veil was what he was committed to.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Just, please. What am I supposed to do now? I can't speak to him now that this is all because of me. I pushed him into this hell and you're gone because of me. I-I can't. What am I gonna do when I can't do anything? I'm… I'm useless… So fucking useless."

Haru let his head touch the ceramic tiling on the wall and let his weight sink into the contact. Despite all his hangups with begging and how deplorable of a thing he felt it was he kept begging to the empty hotel bathroom he was trying to cleanse himself in. He was trapped in between the guilt of the father's death and his desire to do anything and everything for the son the innocent father had left behind in his passing. A man who wanted to cry and vomit alone in a hotel shower after being robbed by the hooker he hired the night before. Nobody would have guessed the nation of Japan was all under his thumb as he shriveled up under the showerhead.

The insanity of it all was overwhelming and still he wanted answers. He needed something to do besides drowning in copious amounts of heroin, meth, alcohol, and pussy. Anything was better than this. Images of Bakugou and what he was dealing with alone kept flashing through his head and kept him dangling from the pit he was hanging over. A pit he just surfaced from and was close to dropping back into for god knows how long.

Don't you dare think that spending time with Bakugou is a mistake of any kind. Someone who spends their time trying to make things work with their children is infinitely more deserving than someone who doesn't even bother with the risk of making mistakes.

The words came to Haru so clearly it was scary how much it woke him from his water logged stupor. The words Haru had spoken to Masaru when he came by his stall that night some time after Bakugou's tirade. Words to settle the dad's unease over if he was doing enough for his troubled son.

You care so much it hurts, and you don't even realize the good you're doing already. So for now ease up and accept that at the very least you're not a bad dad, ok?

Such sincere words were only meant for the drunk father weeping his woes away on Haru's barstools. In no way was Haru vain enough to think that what he said to his friend was reflective of his own situation, but…

Haru looked up into the showerhead spray and felt a connection of some kind, like somebody was trying to remind him of something. Something important. Something even he knew but couldn't recognize in his deep pit of grief and self pity. By no means was Haru thick in picking up a hint; so it only took time for an answer to reach Haru in his hollow loneliness. It wasn't about what he thought was right for both him and Bakugou anymore. His right to feel retribution or justification was no longer something he had a right to. Right now a boy was lonelier than he had ever been in his life and was probably suffering by himself with a mother who was struggling in her own rights over the death of her husband.

It was almost religious how much of his resolve poured back into his weakened body with this new realization. Here he was letting a family that needed every bit of help it could take alone to their grief and indulging his senses to escape something he caused. It wasn't about himself. It was never about him from the very beginning. So why was he here wasting time?

Haru's eyes cleared themselves of the fog they were blinded by and with a single push up he was back on his feet, purified of his doubt and knowing of the things he needed to do. He shut off the shower and exited the tub. He stood in the nude in front of the vanity and wiped away the fog that hid his reflection in the glass. What looked back was the reflection of the man who was ready to take things seriously and commit to what he needed to do rather than what he wanted to do. Still, he was tired and there was guilt weighing him down. Whether or not he could resolve his own issues was irrelevant and believing that was enough to keep him going.

Haru practiced smiling a few times until he felt it was convincing enough to keep others unaware of what he truly felt behind the mask. The basics of the preparation necessary to return to his life were made and with that he dried himself off and got dressed. His phone was thankfully on the bedside table and not inside the jacket the prostitute took with her earlier. He made a quick call and arranged the costs of his rooms to be covered before he left. After that was settled he took a deep breath and steeled himself to return to the living, to those who needed him now more than ever. He was halfway out the door before he paused and turned to look back at the littered hotel room. If Masaru was alive now to look at his dear friend making an effort to help his family he would have looked proud that Haru found the answer for himself, but incredibly sad that he would never know that he didn't blame haru for what happened and that he left behind so many people to deal with the loss of his presence in their life.

"I'm off, buddy. Thanks again. I'll make things right; no matter what."

With that he closed the door and left the room in darkness. All of this was his fault. Now he had to make it his obligation to make things better. Even if it cost him every ounce of flesh and blood he could pour out from now till the end.

Two Days Later

The weather was overcast and news reports suggested that the amount of rain to come for the city was severe enough to warrant an alert about minor flooding. Citizens were advised to avoid driving and that underground forms of public transportation may have to accommodate for possible disruptions in light of the weather. Haru was pulled up and parked nearby the apartment unit the Katsukis lived in. He was caught by light spitting but was still dry when he arrived at the entrance of the building. Apprehension was barely an issue in many of the less sanctioned parts of his life, but standing in the elevator up to the correct floor he was nervous to face the family after so long. He forced one foot after the other without breaking the cadence of his footsteps and in no time at all he was in front of the residence of the Katsuki family.

Haru swallowed some saliva to unstick his throat from itself and rang the bell. It was a minute or so before the voice of Mitsuki cut across the intercom. She still sounded intense but her usual sharpness was softer than what it was before.

"Who is it?"

Haru turned to the camera and offered an apologetic smile for his unannounced visit.

"Nakamura-san? H-hold on for just a moment!"

The mic clicked off and for a few short moments Haru waited patiently and stood at the door for Nakugou's mother to open. Again for a minute or so nothing; the door swung open and with a look of mild surprise Mitsuki opened the door and saw Haru in person after weeks of radio silence. She had a soft gray tee and a flowing periwinkle skirt that came past her knees, Contrasting Haru's brown dress shoes, jeans, black tee and army green bomber jacket. Two very opposite looks for the reunited friends.

"Hello again, Katsuki-san. I hope I'm not intruding with my visit."

"No! Not at all, just let me get the door for you real quick."

The house was not as well lit as it usually was whenever Haru had visited them in the past. Parts of the hallway were still doused in shadows and some of the living room was shaded in dim gray rather than warm yellow. Haru took his jacket off and laid it next to him on the couch as he sat on the still immaculate couch. Mitsuki had left for the kitchen and was soon back with a tray with tea and snacks. She set the refreshments down and poured herself and Haru some tea which he took graciously after thanking her for her hospitality. They both exchanged pleasantries for a bit before the hanging question as to why Haru was here suddenly was approached.

"You know, Mitsuki-san; I mainly came to check up how things were. For you and… For you and Bakugou. I know these past few months must have been difficult adjusting."

Her hand returned the cup to her lap and somberly she addressed Haru's concerns for her and her son.

"We're being amicable with each other and at times we barely talk at all. I wasn't exactly known for being the good guy between me and… me and Masaru. He was always the one to bridge the gap between me and Bakugou when things escalated or if there were too many fights going on between us. No matter how much we screamed and ranted at each other, sometimes for days on end, my husband would let us have our spats and wait till we ran out of steam. Once me and Bakugou refused to back down over his bedtime and Masaru was just sitting in the living room, sipping tea and reading the paper until we tired each other out and talked to both of us after we were done.

God, I was so angry with my little brat that day. Such an attitude from a kid of four and unable to accept a bedtime from his mother…"

She was reminded of a bittersweet memory of better times and Haru let her have her moment of remembering a fond memory of her beloved. She looked off into the distance and let all the precious moments return after ignoring the precious moments for months on end.

"He spoke to us both and after he was done, you know what he made us do? He made us talk to each other. Honestly I thought he was insane and at the time I was sure the little shit was gonna just fly off the handlebars like he did before… But no. Bakugou apologized. We spoke and negotiated without yelling or getting upset. Everytime he stood between me and our son he would always find the right words to bridge the gap, no matter how bad it got…"

Mitsuki couldn't hold back the waterworks anymore and was struggling to hide her sobs behind an elegant hand. This wasn't surprising to Haru since he knew how much the late Masaru Katsuki meant to her. He was one of the few that was confided by both the husband and wife that it was Mitsuki who approached and courted Masaru in the workplace rather than the husband chasing the wife and wearing her down to marriage like what most assumed at first glance. To see her defenseless and lost was just the icing on the cake of utter bullshit this whole situation was making itself out to be.

"I… I can't remember a time when he wasn't there to… When he wasn't there to fix this family and make things like they were. He made things better, and I-I… I can't do this without…"

She was struggling to hold in her grief in front of Haru. He could read in between the lines and with a short trip to her side of the coffee table he sat beside him and wrapped an arm over her shoulders. She let the embrace keep her steady as she let her tears and sorrow show after weeks on end trying to keep up appearances and being stoic in front of her friends and family. She missed her husband every time she was reminded of his absence. When she awoke and the spot next to her was cold and empty. When she set the table and realized she set out his spot at the table without realizing and had to clear the extra tableware. When she looked at her son and saw Masaru in Bakugou's features. She held it all in and hardened as a result of her emotional neglect.

This visit by Haru was a surprise that wasn't by any means unwelcome since Haru was just as much of a friend to her as he was to Masaharu. He was easy to talk to and was always to ease out subjects of conversation from her without prying or forcing her to share something she was reserved about. Even with private information and more intimate secrets Haru never took anything she said as odd or far detached from his ability to understand. So much was shared and at times between her and her husband he would act as a therapist of sorts to help them communicate their differences when they were going through their own rough patches. His presence went from a stranger her son had pestered unwarranted to a welcome presence in their home at any given time of day.

People who were close to the family couldn't understand her grief and burdens that were left in her husband's passing. She had her own grief to deal with and still had to care for a son that was in need of her guidance and attention. All the words of sympathy and shared condolences did nothing but remind her how alone she felt in her world. Mitsuki didn't have those expectations with Haru and even knew he would say something or keep silent if she needed one or the other. She wanted to feel listened to and for weeks she fought to keep her composure around everybody she knew. Inko was the closest to understanding her pain, but there was little in the ways Inko could do to help her in her already busy life of caring for her own son Izuku.

There was quite the absence that Haru took since the passing of Masaru and despite trying to reach the enigmatic food truck owner he was silent for most of the time. She knew that Haru was the one that tried to save her husband and for the most part felt indebted to his efforts to save him. When she wanted to speak and nothing responded she also could guess that Haru felt guilty for failing to resuscitate the man despite not having a hand in the actual incident leading to his death. She didn't begrudge Haru, but still she really could have used an open ear for all the shit she was holding in. It mattered little now as she was just relieved she finally was able to talk to someone who knew what this whole situation was doing to her.

"Y'know, Masaru did something that is similar to what you're doing now. Just like then I'll tell you what I said to him during those conversations; you aren't a bad parent just because you feel like you're not doing enough. You're dealing with grief and your son's need matches your own. You are not less of a priority nor is he. You both need each other and thinking that you need to support him while you ignore yourself isn't fair to him or yourself. You're not invincible, Mitsuki. Don't do yourself in by doing things that would break someone who isn't exactly that."

She began crying in earnest. Weeks of leaving pain to fester into sheer agony left her exhausted and fragile. She sobbed and weeped for the loss of her dearly departed and for once let herself feel as weak as this whole situation left her. In a small display of consideration Haru pulled out his dark blue silk handkerchief and loaned it to Mitsuki for her to collect her tears and mucus. She held the square of fine fabric up against her face and just kept on with crying her heart out. Meanwhile Haru could only offer some solace to her grief and hold in the guilt that was still festering in his stomach. A friend was missing her husband that he took from her and he had to pretend to be someone who was helping her through her troubles rather than the one who started this nightmare she was living in. Hatred of his hypocrisy was another byproduct of this deceit. Hatred that is to be ignored and even something to push him to help this family through the grief he was responsible for causing.

Mitsuki spent another twenty or so odd minutes crying and releasing all of her pent up grief before she was able to slow herself to just sniffling and hiccups. Haru rubbed her back and asked if she was done crying. A nod was all she could manage through her stuffy nose and swollen eyelids. Haru retrieved his arm and just sat next to Mitsuki as she used the handkerchief to finish wiping her face of her ruined makeup. Finally she made herself presentable and pocketed the handkerchief for her to wash and return later. Haru knew this and let matters be as they were.

"U-um, th-thank you Haru. I'm sorry for that. You're a good friend and my husband was better for it."

He could only nod in thanks at the compliment. She was still very much deep in her grief and had some difficult years ahead of her with being a single mother and dealing with her own emotional baggage; but at least she wasn't bottling things up and making things harder for herself. It was his personal agenda to make sure she would be able to handle this problem without anything weighing her down further than she already was. With that addressed he asked the next important question on his mind since he first came here.

"So, where's Bakugou? I didn't see his shoes out front and it looks like it's starting to come down out there. Does he have an umbrella or a jacket?"

Mitsuki could only look down in shame and shake her head no. Her hands were fiddling with one another as she went on to explain her son's absence.

"I haven't spoken properly to Bakugou for a few weeks now; not since he came back home from the hospital. I didn't want to break out into another petty fight with him with… With everything happening. He tends to run off during the day and comes home whenever he wants to. When he's here he just locks himself away or just ignores me. I wanted to yell and tell him to stop with this act of defiance; but I couldn't trust myself enough to stay in line long enough to say anything. I've been ignoring him and leaving him all alone to his pain. God, I'm horrible."

"Hey, look at me. Right now."

Mitsuki turned to Haru who was still next to her on the couch. He had a look of disapproval etched into his brow at her act of self deprecation.

"You were scared for your son. From the things you would say or do if you acted out in front of him. That's normal for somebody dealing with all of this. So stop that, it's not doing anybody any good if you just keep beating yourself up."

A sincere smile told Haru enough about how Mitsuki felt thankful for the feedback on her attitude of how she felt about letting Bakugou be on his own for all this time; how irresponsible she felt when she was incapable of being responsible enough over her actions while bereaved over the loss of her child's father. Still, the heartwarming moment had to be cut short by the reality of another concern of Haru's.

"Anyways, I should go and try to find the kiddo while it's still early. I don't want him getting sick or lost in this weather."

Haru got up and grabbed his jacket while the mother checked the window and indeed saw that the rain had picked up in intensity and was coming down with a fair amount of volume. She collected the now lukewarm tea and cleared the table as Haru was putting his jacket back on and slipping his heels into the shoes he came in with. The toes were tapped in and with that Haru opened the front door to start his search for the wayward son.

"Nakamura-san…"

He looked over his shoulder and saw the mother was bowing to him from the entryway.

"Thank you. For everything."

Haru gave her a look of empathy and made his way back outside towards his van. Inside the driver's seat Haru started up the engine and began his search around the neighborhood for the evasive Bakugou. The rain was now thick and pelting down on his roof and windshield and reduced the visibility he was working with from inside the van. To anybody else this would add quite a bit of frustration; for Haru it made no difference if there was rain or sunshine, finding Bakugou was just a matter of time for the platinum white haired man.

An Hour Later

There was no improvement in the density of the rain and now the gutters running alongside the sidewalks were filled to capacity and were just under their limits. Massive amounts of rainwater threatened to spill over to the footpaths and any sort of drainage running through the neighborhoods were torrential rivers that were flooded and running at speeds unprecedented in a valiant effort to keep the excess water from flooding the urban environments themselves.

Haru was rounding another corner and checking a deserted street with a waterway next to the road that was so filled and surging with water that anybody caught in that current was guaranteed to find themselves in the next town over before they would be able to pull themselves free. He was weaving through less populated streets and checking spots nearby that would have people populating them and be places Bakugou would frequent if he was by his lonesome and trying to kill time with nothing better to do. Shopping districts and local street corners held better chances of finding the boy than parks and footpaths in this downpour. He was near a neighborhood with lower income housing so the houses became cramped apartments and local businesses were migrated into claustrophobic rental spaces on the side of the road. The road was still wide and the space wasn't as cramped up as the buildings on either side. The runoff he was following on his left was just as intense and filled up as it was further behind him.

His eyes kept scanning and with more room to work with he was able to scan a wider area for the missing child. After a few minutes of carefully driving down the empty road and looking with intense focus he saw some men gathered off to the side of the road where the river sat opposite. With his sharp eyes he could tell by the way the men were dressed they looked like some sort of street gang that were gathered under one of the awnings of the business storefronts littering the roadside. There was the possibility that these random ruffians could have seen something, so throwing caution into the wind he approached them for some questions of his own.

They were some distance away so the closer he got he saw more and more what these men were doing in the middle of this downpour. First, he saw that they weren't just standing around on their street corner of choice; but were in fact engaged with some kind of racket with a man barely visible from Haru's angle kneeling in the rain in front of this group. Secondly there was someone else who looked to be engaged with the group. One of the larger ones with gray skin and a fin protruding from his back was holding down someone and beating them with his fist. Asking these men was more than likely going to be a waste of time in Haru's opinion. Gangs that start from the streets were beneath him and for what it was worth the police on payroll were going to have to be reevaluated in allowing this kind of garbage to manifest underneath their very noses. However what made him stop wasn't the act of extortion or the violence being exercised on the poor second person, but when the gray skinned brute lifted what he thought was another bystander was in fact just a small boy. A boy with a head of wild blonde hair, his face bruised and beaten with his limbs revealing swelling and bruising that looked to be broken bones at the more swollen parts. To his horror the boy he was hefting up was in fact Bakugou.

The next moment happened far too quickly for Haru's liking. He had stopped the engine and pulled the van halfway off the sidewalk and was about to leap out before he saw the same towering man carry the injured boy over across the street towards the open runoff that was carrying tons of water away from the city streets. Haru didn't have any time to think and as soon as the belt came loose and the door swung open he made a mad sprint for a section of the overflowing runoff just downstream where the now obvious half shark man was about to toss the unconscious boy into. A massive shit-eating grin cut across his jagged teeth as he tossed the injured Bakugou into the rushing water and in his worst fears realized Haru saw Bakugou hit the water and instantly disappear underneath the surface. He tore across the wet asphalt and screamed for the boy as he dove into the same violent inky black water that swallowed the young Katsuki.

"BAKUGOU!"

For Bakugou the past few weeks were the worst moments of his own as well as anybody else's life he could think to compare it to. His birthday had started as a wonderful morning of celebration and festivities as he and his dad were going to a new indoor mall that was also an amusement park and had all sorts of cool stores and attractions to go see. It was all so exciting and new with a whole day of festivities planned for the two of them. Just the guys out doing guy things. All of the celebration at the opening just made him feel that much more special as when he entered this place that seemed to have everything he could have imagined it having was so much larger and grand than he could have imagined from the start. The high ceilings and rides that snaked through the interior was so grandiose and the endless number of stores lining the floors was like the end all be all of anything fun or cool in his naive young eyes. He yanked on his dad's arm like a goblin with treasure fever inside a king's gold vault. His dad was patient with his son's excitement and let the boy have his excitement.

A few minutes in, Masaru had to slow down his son and get him to follow him to the bank inside the interior plaza for some much needed pocket money for many of their planned activities. Bakugou wanted to protest but when it was revealed to the eager child that he didn't have enough cash for them to do all of their planned festivities the child begrudgingly accepted and let his father carry him to the bank that wasn't too far ahead from where they were. Haru's directions were more than enough for the father to make sense of and soon the father and son duo were inside the massive installation. Inside, the look of the bank was so grand and impressive even Bakugou was impressed by the architecture. The whole space was large and the floors inside were visible from the ground level. In the center of the massive space a statue of the world atlas on the shoulders of the titan was shining bright and gold on top of a podium in the middle of the luxury carpet. The vintage feel of the interior was like it was a bank straight out of New York City. Bakugou was too busy admiring the interior decoration for him to notice the lines beginning to stretch out from the teller windows.

The father of the distracted young Katsuki spawn was able to squeeze past the other people in the bank and managed to snag a spot there that felt reasonable enough for their needs. For a while he carried his son in his arms and rested against the handrails that guided the teller lines into their designated areas. His son was still looking around and pointing out all the unique architecture he was curious about. He answered his son the best he could while waiting and soon enough they made it to the window.

"Good morning, sir. Welcome to the First Charter Bank, how can I be of service?"

"Yes, thank you so much. Um, I need to make a cash withdrawal and I was wondering if you worked with my credit union?"

She was quick to ask for his specific financial institution and once she got the name she confirmed that it was indeed supported by the bank. So with his card and information given to her she worked to withdraw money out of his checking account. Masaru felt impressed by the level and speed of service of the institution and felt that he should make more of an effort to get his banking done at this specific one more often. This was the last thought that crossed his head as screams and sounds of panic were heard from further inside of the bank all of a sudden.

The sounds of yelling and struggling drew the attention of many of the patrons of the bank's opening and soon sounds of violence broke out from inside.

"RUN! RUN AWAY!"

An employee who looked to have just escaped a hostage situation sent the filled to capacity building into mass panic as now people began pushing and shoving their way towards the exit. Some trampling had occurred for some of the less fortunate caught in the stampede. Masaru and Bakugou were at a window so they avoided the rush of people racing for the exit, but now the problem was they were almost at the opposite side of the front entrance. If there was an alternate exit Masaru was struggling to find it for him and his son. He shielded Bakugou in his arms and looked for an emergency exit with no avail. He migrated through the mob of terrified bystanders and saw an emergency exit light leading up a set of stairs. Nobody was racing for the doorway so he took the chance to get him and his son to safety. Unfortunate for him the instant he took a step towards the exit a bomb that was meant to open the primary safe inside the bank went off and swallowed up everybody inside and in front of the bank in a maelstrom of broken glass, metal, and concrete that claimed the lives of many who were still trapped inside the bank. The only reason Bakugou survived the blast was because of his fathers body shielding the worst of the shrapnel and initial blast.

The darkness the child was in didn't feel like the weeks that the adults who had watched over him had told him it was as he was in his coma. At most it felt like he had just closed his eyes for a few moments; and when he opened them again he felt like a mummy who was lying in bed for a million years. It took him a while to shake his grogginess and answer the doctor's endless questions about really obvious information. He had his faculties mostly back and remembering what had happened right before he blacked out he asked for his father who had been with him right before he went under.

The looks and reactions he got from the adults felt alien and strange as the doctor began to talk strangely to him. Turns out that his father was no longer alive and had died weeks before he had resurfaced from his coma. He couldn't understand the information and in a moment of shock Bakugou went berserk and tried to escape his hospital bed until he was sedated enough to lay back down and remain calm enough for the medical staff to make sure he was not going to try and blow up a wall to escape the hospital. His mom was around a lot and talked to the boy while he just laid there in silence, mostly unresponsive to her or anything else for that matter. After another week or so of tests and hospital food he was allowed to be checked out from his stay and return home.

Home for Bakugou felt so foreign and unwelcome compared to before. He couldn't get comfortable when he slept and being there just made him feel sick to his stomach. His own mother began acting like a complete stranger and was barely interacting with him unless it was mealtime or when they rarely spoke as they crossed paths inside the house. His adolescent way of thinking made it hard to realize that this place that was once a home to him only held memories of his dad that constantly reminded him of his absence. That his mother was caught up in her own grief and that even looking at him reminded her of a husband who would never come back to them.

School was no different with all of the kids unable to process that certain situations required a delicate approach. The first day back resulted in a fight that sent Bakugou home and unable to return until he got help for his personal issues. Suspension still didn't elicit enough of a response from his mom who would have torn into him for getting into a fight that got him suspended from school; still she acted like nothing had happened and let the matter go like it was nothing worth noting. So much had happened and he was struggling to make sense of it all. He was ignoring the empty feeling in his chest and barely talking about his feelings of loneliness. His mom was mostly ignoring him and acting like he didn't exist most of the time. Worst of all, his dad was gone and he would never see him again. He can no longer have his dad come in and check for monsters in his closet or under the bed. He won't see him at breakfast before school reading his newspaper and saying good morning to him like he usually does. The person who patted his head when he brought home an A and told him he was proud of them was gone. His dad was the only person who could talk to him and get him to understand when he was wrong about being angry with his mom. All of that was over.

Bakugou began running off during the day and only came home when he felt the need to sleep. He stopped acknowledging his mom and ignored her presence when she happened to be there. It was existence and it was far better than having to deal with the emptiness he felt when tried to be at home. Nobody could see him there, so feeling like he was invisible outside where everyone was a stranger was the next best thing for him. The experience of just walking around was mind numbing and day after day he was able to ignore everything around him. It was when he ran into familiar faces who had a bone to pick was when things took a turn for the worst for the boy.

At first the neighborhood boys who had lost to him in the past saw he was alone for most of the time he was out and about. They saw this as their opportunity to get payback while lacking the understanding he was going through his own set of issues. First few fights were just a childish scuffle here and there, but then they began to pick up in frequency and this frustrated Bakugou out of his fucking mind. He began hitting back harder and harder against the neighborhood kids and soon their older siblings got involved. These devolved into some sort of injury ending the fight and with the amount of catharsis Bakugou was getting out of these types of encounters he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time from winning against bigger and bigger fish in his pond. He felt in control and it was a breath of fresh air that he felt like he needed for the longest time.

Winning these fights eventually led to the kids who were after him in the first place into leaving him alone altogether. Bakugou was winning less with the lack of opponents and soon it led to a drought that lasted for days on end. There was an emotional release he needed in winning against bigger opponents and soon it grew from a small itch into a full blown withdrawal. So leading up to the day the city was blanketed in a downpour Bakugou was slowly becoming more open to the possibility he may have to challenge some really dangerous looking people in order to scratch his itch. He scanned the neighborhood for a potential opponent and soon he found something that he felt warranted his attention.

A group of over ten older men dressed in all sorts of thuggish looking streetwear were gathered in front of a man who looked like a business owner. The business owner looked to be roughed up a little and was kneeling on the wet sidewalk and forced to comply with the group of demanding ruffians. They were all laughing and making jokes at the middle aged man at his expense.

"Please, I can't afford another ten percent! I'm starving as it is! The money I'm making now is barely keeping the lights on and if I don't pay that then I can't do business!"

A member of this gang was up front and was dressed in expensive threads consisting of a floral button up short sleeve and navy slacks paired with leather dress shoes spoke with authority over the group.

"Listen, me and my men are self starters in these troubled times. We offer our services to the public and that public should recognize that services are to be rendered in profit. So if you'd just get things straight and understand some things here are worth the losses then maybe you'd understand that we just don't give a fuck."

"Yeah, you tell em boss!"

"Fucking retard doesn't even know, ha!"

His men's jeering only served to harden Bakugou's resolve to teach this lot a lesson in humility. He was soaked from head to toe and chilled to the bone, but this was the first fight in over a week he's had and he wasn't about to let this opportunity slip away.

"Hey, jackass!"

It took a moment for the group to hear the child but one shoulder tap led to another and soon the group had turned around to face the young child standing in wet clothes and with a look in his eyes asking for a fight from the strongest of all of them.

"Why don't you pick on someone who can fight back, huh!?"

None of the group could even muster a laugh at the ridiculous situation as they began to murmur to each other trying to make sense of who this kid was trying to pick a fight with them. The second in command felt irritated enough that their squeeze on the business owner was yielding little profit and now he needed something to hit to relieve the stress.

"Hey kid, you sure you wanna do this?"

The gray skinned hulk of a human being stepped forward to Bakugou's challenge and cracked his thick knuckles in response. The slick skin, the fin protruding against the fabric of the soaking wet basketball jersey he wore, the sharp teeth in his grin told Bakugou that this guy was half shark and was eager to respond to the challenge he threw to the whole of the gang there. He felt a little out of his depth and even if he won against this guy he wasn't sure if the rest of them would make a break for it if this guy lost. He was not backing off from this. His strength needed to be proved and this was just the opportunity to do so. If he won or lost he needed to win no matter what.

His back leg squared up and Bakugou was bent down low for his first strike against the monolith of a man taking on his request for a fight. The shark man was happy to see such fiery energy in his next victim, and to see that light go out because of him was so much more exciting. He took one step after another as he approached the boy and towered over his crouched form. He plucked his hands into his loose fitting jean pockets and looked at the boy as if to say he was waiting for the kid to make the first move. Bakugou felt the blood pushing up against his temple and to let the guy walk right up to him with no fear in his eyes was enough to tick off the boy enough to make sure his first strike would be nothing short of a massive blast that would wipe the smug grin off the half fish.

"Take this!"

With all of his might Bakugou thrust out his hands and willed a massive explosion to erupt from his hands. To his worst fears all that came from his palms was a pitiful sputter of smoke and flames no bigger than some cheap fireworks. The weather was something he forgot to take into account as he now could feel his hands were numb from the cold and the constant rain washed the little sweat he produced from his hands away. It was too late for him to take back what has already been said as the challenger was grinning at the idea of doing whatever sick violent fantasy he had reserved for this little brat was now gonna go much easier than he would have thought. By the front of his shirt Bakugou was lifted up to the thug's eye level.

"Sorry, but what was it you said? Someone who could fight back? Are you someone who could even manage that?"

He carried the child and brought him in front of the middle aged man who was still on his knees.

"Hey, old man! Guess what? This little shit thinks he's all hot and wants to be the one save ya! Ain't that some shit, huh?"

All of the others started laughing at the expense of both Bakugou and the business owner. More than being scared or humiliated Bakugou wanted to rip off the shark's teeth out of his mouth for laughing at both him and this innocent man's pain. Why were people happy when others suffered? Was what he felt just a joke? Did they do things like this because they wanted more people to suffer like he was?

"So I'm gonna do you a solid for today, ok? All the shit me and the others here were gonna do to ya? Yea, we're just not gonna do that for now. Instead, I'm gonna beat the shit outta this kid and you'll have to watch as he takes it for your incompetence! Hope you take a good look old man, cause this ain't somethin you see every day!"

The business owner was by no means a man of selfish intentions. He took no joy in seeing the abuse of an innocent child who wanted to save him being subject to punishment that was his to begin with. He was going to try and bargain for the child's wellbeing when all of a sudden the shark man cocked his right fist back and decked the child across his face. The blow was so violent the boy's head snapped like a whip from the force of the blow. It didn't stop there as the same fist from earlier soared in from behind and sank itself into the kid's stomach. Vomit came pouring out and stained the shark man's wrist before being washed away. He sneered at the sudden bout of illness from the child and dropped the limp body of the boy onto the concrete below. Bakugou curled up and tried to clutch his tummy out of sheer agony from the blow he took just now.

"You little shit, where the fuck do you get off being so disrespectful of your elders?"

With that he knelt down and grasped the youngster by the shirt once more and laid into his frail body with one punch after another. The blows that landed were not calculated and in fact landed randomly all across Bakugou's body. One after another the hits broke bones, bruised, and cut the boy with every strike. Enough was enough in the older man's eves and with one last burst of willpower he tried to at least spare the boy from this hell.

"Stop! I get it, I'll pay! So please, d-"

He was cut off from even begging for someone else's life with a kick to his head from the heel of the leader's shoe. The eye close to the blow began to see white spots and the skin over his right eye began to bleed and blind the eye underneath it.

"Shut the fuck up. We're being nice here, so take it like a man and watch; you useless piece of shit."

He got back up on his knees with his hand over the kicked part of his head. He managed to recover enough to witness more of the beating the child had to endure because of him. Nothing could justify such cruelty from such rotten people. Sadism of this level deserved divine retribution and punishment that wasn't coming soon enough for these fucking rotten degenerates. More and more they were witnessing this boy being beaten senseless like it was a peepshow and more the primal rage building inside of the business owner wanted their blood to spill all over this very sidewalk. Sometimes the world felt like it was actively trying to break the spirit of those who were unfortunate enough to be born on this god forsaken chunk of rock.

The beatings eventually stopped and all there was left was a bruised and broken child who could barely cough from the pain in his chest. The business owner was so ashamed to let this boy be abused as he was. The beating should have been his, and the child should have been spared from his misfortunes. Things didn't end there as the shark man's gaze fell on the runway for the city's rainwater had been running at capacity from the pelting rainfall that was still just as heavy as it was from the start. Dread clasped the heart of the business owner as the shark man lifted the abused body of the now unconscious boy up above once more.

"Hey boss, it feels kinda wrong to leave the kid lying around here without any adult supervision. So why don't we make sure he at least can get some sort of help before he chokes on his own blood?"

His boss followed his underlings gaze and caught on to the insinuation he was making. He just turned forward and closed his eyes as he chuckled and shook his head.

"You know what? I trust your judgement and think that you might have a point there. DO what's best for the kid."

The half shark chuckled and made his way to the flooded storm runoff and took a moment to admire his handiwork before tossing the body of the beaten and bruised child into the rushing water below. Unbeknownst to the group witnessing the act of murder and body disposal with glee the horrified older man could have sworn he saw someone running across the street with an impressive sprint speed and yell as he dove into the same water the child was thrown into. He couldn't make out what he said over the sound of the rain but it was clear he went after the boy who was tossed into the river of rainwater created from the immense rainfall.

Bakugou was floating from consciousness into darkness after initially blacking out from the painful beating he took from the sharkman he challenged from earlier. His brain was well aware that the next few moments could possibly be the last ones that Bakugou would ever have in the short amount of time he was alive. Every cherished memory that he had flooded his mind and with every one that flashed across his mind he felt that something was missing from it all. The memory of his last birthday where he and his parents were celebrating his birthday in their home and it was just them. The time his father read him a bedtime story and as he nodded off he felt his father kiss him on the head and wish him goodnight and sweet dreams. The memory of sitting at Haru's food truck and asking him for help on his homework while he was cooking Bakugou's lunch for the day. And then that was when it hit the young Katsuki.

He wanted the warmth of sitting at that food truck and eating something Haru made for Bakugou and his friends as they were coming home from school. The chat's they would have as Bakugou would keep asking Haru questions about all sorts of things and Haru would respond to the inquisitive child no matter how busy business got. The taste of the exquisite dishes Haru made for the entourage of youngsters that frequented his truck. More than anything he wanted to be there once more. He wanted to be somewhere it was warm and welcome for him and his friends to unjust talk and be whoever they wanted to be. Bakugou wanted to see and talk to Haru one more time and taste the food he made. Just one more time was all he wanted. Before the cold water sucked him under he could have sworn that he heard Haru screaming his name in the distance before the darkness took him once more. If he ever saw his dad again, he would tell him about all the things he wanted to do if he could have more time to live.

Haru went into the water and immediately began to scan for the unconscious body of the child thrown in. For a few moments the water was so thick with dirt and other pollutants that it made it almost impossible to find anything more than a meter away from his eyes. The water current was carrying him swiftly downstream and decreased the time he had to find the young Bakugou before the child would be beyond saving. He forsook his eyes and decided to feel the water for anything that would tell him where a small body could be. The surrounding water currents began to open up as he let every bit of stimulus enter his senses. Every bit of garbage and debris floating and spiraling uncontrollably in the water lit up on his radar like he was looking at it directly from where he was. The intensity of different flows of water surrounding him was like looking at a 3d model of his surroundings in real time. Adjusting to the temperature finally narrowed down what he was searching for and pinned down the unconscious body of the drowning Bakugou in relation to where he was.

Near the bottom of the rushing water Haru found Bakugou tumbling around further upstream from where he was. No swimmer in their own right would be able to claim they could navigate such a chaotic situation by their lonesome and make it out of there without risking major injury. Haru had no such hangups and kicked against the stubborn water currents through the polluted water directly at the rescue target he designated. In no time at all Haru broke the surface of the intense flow of water and dragged both he and the unconscious bakugou off to the side and dragged the both of them out of the river's hellish suction.

Both of them were now a bit down the ways from where Bakugou was first thrown in but finding shelter from the rain under an overpass next to the raging rapids Haru was able to catch a moment to see if Bakugou was ok. He layed Bakugou down so that the boy's feet were facing the torrential runoff that was just a bit away from them. Haru put his ear up to the unconscious boy's chest and heard nothing but a quickly fading heartbeat. There was no time to waste; Haru began chest compressions and breathing air into the child's lungs. Over and over Haru kept pushing air into Bakugou's unmoving lungs and pressing now on the boy's still fragile ribcage.

"Cmon, breathe!... I know you're still in there so just breathe!..."

The chest compressions and air going into the boy's lungs were maintained and still there wasn't a reaction. It was an act of desperation for the boy to live and still nothing was happening.

"...I'm not losing you… I lost your dad, I'm not losing you… Fucking c'mon… don't, c'mon… Don't you fucking dare… C'mon… Cmon, just BREATHE!"

This was more than desperation at this point for Haru. This loss was more than what he could bear at this point. He refused to let another life end that was the result of neglect on his part. He had every intention to be there for Bakugou and guide him with every bit of wisdom he held in his consciousness; if he failed to save Bakugou now then even Haru wouldn't know what would happen after that. More and more he frantically kept performing CPR as his window kept shrinking. He had an attempt or two left at best before this became an attempt at reviving a corpse from the dead.

"... FUCKING BREATHE!"

With one last breath pushed into the boy's lungs a bout of coughing and spitting of water from Bakugou's lungs revived the breath into the broken and bruised body of the young Katsuki. Haru let the unconscious body of Bakugou gather air before he cradled the unconscious boy in his arms in sheer relief.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god… Oh god, you fucking piece of divine shit. You fuck, you fucking piece of shit…"

He cursed the heavens above as he held the unconscious Bakugou. He was tortured beyond his limits and now he was just so relieved that this child was spared from the patterns of death he was sure he failed to protect Bakugou from. He felt the relief and relished in it before the next set of emotions set for Haru washed over him. His eyes peeked up from the embrace he had Bakugou in and his eyes looked back to where Bakugou was first thrown into the manmade river by the sick fuck who thought this act of child murder was entertaining to begin with. The water that soaked him through and through began to steam with the body heat generated from his inability to relax any part of his body responding to the bloodthirst he felt for those responsible. He peeled off his jacket and wrapped up the unconscious boy in the now warm waterlogged bomber jacket. A quick tug out of his jeans and the mobile phone was yanked free from the wet jean pockets. He unlocked the mobile device and dialed a number out of memory before holding the phone against his ear and waiting for a response which came in after the second dial tone.

"Saito Cleaning Services, how can we be of service?"

"I need a pickup; small package, delicate."

"Of course, sir. Are you in need of anything else?"

A cold look in his eyes was enough of a tell as to what else he wanted from the phone call.

"I need a street pickup as well. It's large, so send a crew if you can…"

"Yes sir, right away."

Haru left the phone on the unconscious Bakugou before standing back up.

"...I'm so sorry, kiddo. I gotta leave you alone for just a little longer. I promise I'll be right back for you, ok?"

His fists were clenched shut as he went back out into the rain that had somehow become heavier than it was before. There was blood to be spilled and there was nothing stopping Haru from getting what he wanted.

"So now that we got that out the way, what now?"

For the business owner his life was now inconsequential in his eyes. How could he justify wanting to live when even a child paid too heavy a cost for his inadequacy? No matter what was to happen from here on out he was uncaring for the consequences.

"To be fair I gotta say I've been more than generous with what's been going on today. So now I think it's only fair if I ask for some generosity back."

The boss lit a cigarette he pulled from his pocket and lit the stick before taking a peaceful drag and exhaling with a satisfied breath. He smoked at his leisure for about before speaking again.

"So fifteen percent for the next payment; otherwise I might have to get a bit more serious befor-"

And without warning a sense of dread washed over every single person standing in that tiny street corner. The rain could have felt like Niagra Falls and felt less intense than the drowning sensation that every person there experienced. Like they were teleported so far below the surface of the ocean that when they looked up towards the surface the light of day was barely visible.

Most of the men there turned to the source of the feeling and in the distance they could just make out the figure of a single man approaching them from down the road. There was even more rainfall than before so it took a bit of effort for those who could see him to actually make it out in the dense rainfall. The same sharkman from earlier could tell before anyone else that it was just one person and took it upon himself to approach the new challenger. The rain made him confident and even helped him a bit by stimulating and pushing his body to perform better than if it had been sunny weather. His energy and adrenaline was at an all time high and he was excited to exercise the strength coursing through him. In no time he was confronting Haru in the downpour and was mouthing off as one would have expected from someone as temperamental as sharkman was displaying he was.

"Listen, I gotta say we've got a lot of fucking visitors thinking they can just walk right up to us and shitting on out business. So for now I kinda got a 'zero tolerance' thing going, so unfortunately for you old man I gotta fuck you up real good. Try not to shit yourself, otherwise-"

The half shark had his finger jabbing Haru in his chest as he spoke. He kept poking and antagonizing Haru and in the end it cost him even more than what he could have imagined right then. In a blink of an eye Haru had the threatening half hybrid's forearm in his left hand and began forcing the taller man down onto his knees with pure force.

"What th- ow, OW! What the f- let- let go you- AAAHHHHHH!"

The grip strength squeezing on his massive forearm was causing the bones under the thick layers of muscle and skin to creak and bend under the bruising amount of pressure. Despite being caught off guard the shark hybrid was quick enough on his feet to try and counter the sudden assault. He pushed up into the stranger's grip to try and lift him from the ground and try to slam him to the hard street pavement. When the weather was humid he had strength that rivaled a tow truck; in a downpour he was strong enough to hold two semi's driving in opposite directions with just his grip strength alone. He couldn't move this guy from where he stood no matter how much strength he tried to pour into lifting him. Not that it made much of a difference when he was forced onto his knees and the parts that were grabbed by this random stranger were beginning to turn purple under the amount of force his flesh was being subjected to.

"What the fuck!? Who the fuck- just, fucking LET GO!"

He was unable to escape and while on his knees he was only able to beg for his arm back. Little did he know this act of desperation only made things worse for him. The hybrid was sure his arm was going to come off if he wasn't free from the grasp of this psychopath anytime soon. It was more of a truth than he realized as Haru gripped the shark man's wrist with the other hand and in a single pulling motion ripped the hand off the arm he had trapped in his grip. A single spurt of blood washed away in the rain was all he saw before he registered the pain of his hand being forcefully ripped from the rest of his arm. The ragged bits of flesh and exposed joints sticking out of the wound felt like nothing else he could describe. Like taking a cheese grater to the stump and sawing the culinary instrument back and forth across the open wound.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

He could only scream in pure agony as he felt his nerves catch on fire from the sudden absence of his hand. The blood loss was minimal and bits of exposed flesh were still gelatinous from being freshly torn open. All that was keeping the half shark hybrid from bleeding out was the bruising grip that was trapping the offended arm in it's digits. Despite his struggling and agonizing screaming there was no give in getting his arm free.

"You beat and drown children and think yourselves deserving in claiming ownership of this city? You're bottomfeeders, sucking the shit of lesser species off the floor and calling it an act of charity that others should kiss your ass for."

There was little going through the mind of the half shark hybrid as he was desperate in ending the unspeakable pain that racked his body and kept him from thinking coherently. It was making him desperate for relief; relief that was becoming less obtainable being trapped as he was right now.

"I can't help but feel such disgust for you little things. Like a cockroach scuttling in the corner or flies buzzing around a pile of shit. The only downside to squashing pests as repulsive as you..."

A set of razor sharp teeth trying to bite off Haru's dick was all the response he got. The primal instinct for survival snapped and all logical parts of the shark man's mental faculties crumbled into soft ash. His body demanded to be freed from it's pain and anguish through whatever means necessary and it was through waiting for a response from the conscious engine piloting the higher functions of the daily operations. Even this act of desperate survival was met with more torment as all of a sudden his head whipped to his right and most of his teeth showered the street with bits of ripped flesh and copious amounts of fresh blood.

Haru's right fist had struck the mouth of the human hybrid so quickly and with such extreme force that all the teeth that were caught in front of the fist's path were now sitting on the floor outside of his mouth over to the left of the man who took them out in a single stroke of his arm. Even the physical form was shocked at what had happened as the shark man was only able to look at the teeth ripped from his maw and back at Haru dumbly at what had happened. He couldn't even register that his arm was already free and bleeding profusely all over the road as he could only watch as Haru's right hand made contact with his head and forced his body to bend backwards with such brutality that every vertebrae in his spinal column ripped out of its respective joint to accommodate the new position he was forced to take. The back of his head made contact with his lower back and the last thing he could see before fading into eternal darkness was the silhouette of his other gang members upside down.

Those very gang members only could look on in terror as they watched their second in command get his hand ripped off and bent back like a cheap lawn flamingo. There was a very good reason the half shark was second in command in their crew; that reason being nobody could challenge him in a straight fight and hope to survive afterwards. Near the beginning of their inception as a gang there were two who thought that the second in command position was theirs and challenged the large fish hybrid to a fight that should have been to their advantage with numbers alone. Even two against one they were dead in fifteen minutes from the first bell. One had his neck twisted like a piece of steel cable and the other was hanging from his neck in the teeth of what was the second in command. All the damage those two managed was a scar running over his lips. He was caught on the mouth by the second one as he went for the kill and sank his teeth into their throat. Since then nobody else bothered to challenge his position in the crew.

Like liquid filled chewy snacks many of the shark man's organs had popped inside his torso with the amount of pressure they received as the torso collapsed into itself. Blood was pouring from the open mouth and began flowing down and painted the whites of the rolled over eyes. The rain kept carrying the blood away and into the drains. Haru took his hand off the piece of human origami and looked on to the other remaining members.

"... Is having to touch you as I squeeze the life out of your frail little bodies."

The head of the group couldn't believe that his right hand man was bent like gummy rope and defanged with a single punch. He saw that man bite his way through a car door and nothing happened to those razor sharp pearly whites. There was no contest of physical ability between the two and without a doubt he would lose against the human hybrid in a demonstration of strength. What kept him in his seat of leadership was partially due to his business smarts and leadership experience; the primary reason was his telekinesis that was strong enough to crush a small truck. He wasn't dexterous enough to manipulate anything freely or juggle objects in the air, but rather the areas he used his telekinesis on were subject to force that would send whatever was affected in the direction of his choosing. At most he could push the area as wide as a small neighborhood playground, but doing so significantly reduces the power. The greatest amount of force he ever produced crushed an industrial gas canister as tall as he was like a soda can. He could only do so by narrowing his quirk down to the size of a circle less than a meter in diameter. He could push harder and wider if he wanted to, but that had left him with some rather nasty bleeds from his nose and in his eye.

He could kill or maim anybody in the group with little to no effort and everybody didn't need to challenge for his authority to be recognized. The now dead shark hybrid was the only one to survive his psychic attack when his boss had to restrain him from killing a fellow gang member. So seeing the body that could withstand forces capable of crushing steel fold and break so easily at the hands of this new challenger he felt something was off immediately. That feeling from earlier was definitely just him standing too long in the cold, someone this bloodthirsty has his intimidation factor and seemingly rightfully so. This was dangerous for everyone here and they needed to fight for not only their reputation but their survival.

"... What the fuck are you all standing around for? Get going! I want this fucks head NOW!"

"Uh, yes sir!"

"OK!"

"Yes boss!"

About eight or so men took up the call to arms and began their charge against the advancing Haru. They figured if they all charged in full force they would push their advantage enough to catch a window where they would start their merciless beatings. Haru was just leisurely walking in comparison and didn't even bring up his hands in a stance of any sort. The men were all going in at once and for the most part they were clustered and only a second behind the one ahead of them. All of them were screaming and shouting as they closed the distance with their quirks active and ready for combat.

The first to strike spearheaded the attack with his hand vibrating at super speed. It wasn't particularly powerful but hitting someone or touching them with the superspeed vibrations would be enough to tear into the skin and possibly cut through the softer tissue of the body. Even if he couldn't do anything the next set of attacks were right behind him. Another fleeting hope as his hand was caught in Haru's grip and trusted so hard that his entire arm was dislocated in every major joint and bent unnaturally at the elbow. Pain wasn't even registered before Haru grabbed the man's windpipe and ripped out the tube of cartilage that made up his airway. He went down and from the gaping hole where his throat used to be blood gushed out in spurts that matched his heartbeat.

Before the first dead man could touch the ground the next two were there and winding up for a two pronged attack. Haru was being efficient in killing and didn't want to linger on each one of wannabe gang members. For these two he took the leg behind him and swung at the next two coming in for an attack. His leg caught both of them, but the kick hit with so much force that rather than breaking bones or bruising organs it instead disemboweled the two of them and sent them tumbling over to the sides. All of this was happening as the group of gang members were charging still. There was no time for recourse and even less for them to realize three of them were either dead or dying painfully.

The next one up came in low and could see a window of opportunity as the kick from just now left Haru's left side wide open. He went for the right leg instead and tried to catch Haru while he was only balanced on one leg. In an instant he leapt towards his target and was sure he had the limb in his hands before he grabbed the empty space it was just occupying and everything going tilted as the shoe that was used to kick the previous two had chambered itself for a straight kick that split the man's skull wide open through the orbital bone. The other leg was pulled up as well and with the other leg safe the eyeballs of the crushed head Haru had kicked flew out in different directions. He kept his weight forward as the kick sank in deeper and eventually he felt the resistance of the ground through the corpse. Next one swung high with a haymaker, so he extended the other leg and slipped under the high blow and caught the attacker with his own punch to the belly button.

He tore the intestines in front of his fist and without wasting his momentum he launched the individual into two others behind the violently-made airborne gang member. The fight didn't last long at all and ended long before anyone would have guessed it would take to fight off eight of their crew and survive. This wasn't considering if they would be alive or not after the fight. Not only was Haru unscathed, but all of the men who went in after him were all dead and lying on the street with their blood being washed down the storm drain. Haru didn't play around with those he killed here and at most used one or two things per opponent to end the fight. Broken necks, disemboweled stomachs, necks ripped open, crushed organs, all of the bodies were broken or mangled horribly by Haru's bare hands.

There were three other members besides the boss who stood back and watched as the gang that was already over ten strong was reduced to just the four of them in less than a minute. The business owner who was still on his hands and knees forgot about his own injury as he looked on in pure awe at seeing the display of speed and strength that took down and killed nine men of this violent street gang. These so-called 'hardened criminals' were like toddlers going up against a pro MMA fighter with all the good they could do for themselves in their one sided fights. Now that the man was closer the business owner could see that he had white hair and beard to match. In the back of his mind he couldn't help but wonder if this was some sort of divine intervention from one of God's angels sent to kill the sinners here today. Thankfully for his sake he didn't say any of this out loud and avoided Haru's anger.

Haru was still closing the distance slowly between him and the remaining survivors. The three underlings took up defensive positions and squared up to defend their boss. Haru didn't change speeds or stop his advance and when he got to around ten meters or so; the center one of the trio plummeted to the wet concrete with both hands out. The one to his right whipped off his shades and out of his pure white eyes a white mist was creeping out the corners of his eyes. At the same time they launched their coordinated ranged assault and hit him with their quirks.

From the ground a live current traveled across the wet cement and caught Haru in a massive amount of electricity. As if that wasn't enough the beams of white that shot out of the other user's eyes began freezing the water that was soaking Haru through and through. He was being enveloped in a thin frozen shell starting from the neck; in no time at all the frozen shell almost encased his entire upper body and was heading for his knees. The electrical current was still active and was causing the ice and rest of Haru to steam with the amount of heat the electricity was producing. Their dual attack was far more effective in this weather and since the electricity user could only directly conduct with things to increase his range; the range they utilized just now was a gift from chance.

They were both feeling pretty victorious over their combined attack and they even let out a nervous sigh and cracked a small grin each that it looked to be over for now. Creaking and cracking from the statue that was Haru cut this small celebration short as double checking their handiwork informed them that their effort to stop their opponent was barely doing anything. Haru had started walking again and the parts that were encased in the frozen shell broke off the exterior ice and kept on moving like nothing was there to start with. The electrical current was making it so hot that Haru kept emitting steam from everywhere. His flesh should have turned into roast beef that was overcooked for how long and powerful of a current he was running to Haru. They both doubled their efforts but nothing was even slowing down this terrifying beast. They felt sick to their stomach with how much energy this was taking, but none of that was of consequence anymore when Haru finally stood in front of the duo.

They couldn't stop now. Anything less than this was just asking for death and they were not surrendering to their fates. It didn't matter much as Haru grabbed the ice beam user by the jaw and shoved his head down onto the electricity user's head. The neck of the ice user snapped as Haru brought it down on the other gang member; not that it was of any major consequence since it was instant death for both of them with their heads smashed against the solid floor. Their heads became squashed hamburger meat with jellied brain matter and white bone mashed together in the combined mess. The last underling saw the horror of it all happening in real time and decided it best to try and make off with his life at least while the going was still good. He turned and ran for the hills, but Haru was well aware of possible runners and was here to kill everybody. The runner got as far as twenty meters down the street before something shot through the air and buried itself into the back of his head. He ragdolled to the floor and blood pooled out of the broken nose that was the result of falling so carelessly.

The leader was by himself now. The past two years of work gone in a few short minutes; all done in by this one psychotic murderer who had come out of nowhere. All of his ambitions were sent back to square one and now it seems he has more important emergencies to attend to. He turned back to Haru after witnessing his last man go down from some kind of bullet burying itself into the back of his head. Haru had his hand closed around something in his palm and blood was oozing out from between his fingers. He unfurled his digits and from his hand out fell what looked to be human teeth. The leader was quick on his feet in most situations; it was easy enough to guess that after he smashed the heads of his last few underlings against one another on the ground he fished out the teeth and used one of them as a means to prevent the runner from escaping. While correct, more specifically Haru used a molar to stop the escapee from getting away by burying the enamel into the bottom of his skull and making sure it was a killing shot. The rest of the teeth weren't necessary to make the shot, it was just to show the last one standing how he killed his last man.

When he started this gang he was well aware that this sort of fast and loose lifestyle would probably be the end of him sooner rather than later. He accepted the risks and if he was to meet his end he would do so without regrets. To die like this was another matter altogether. There would be nothing after he dies. His life's work to claim his stake in this city and command his own territory was snuffed out right in front of him. The gang he cultivated and led was dead and nobody would remember him for being the founding leader of this gang. All his sweat, blood, and tears were rinsed away and nothing remained; like the rain washing the blood of his men away right this second. As much as he was scared, he was pissed that everything he is and was didn't even slow down this agent of destruction that attacked him out of nowhere.

Haru felt that this had gone on for long enough and was done with all of this. He took a step towards the last remaining gang member and immediately he was hit with the quirk the last survivor had yet to reveal until now. The ground gave away a bit and cracked under the pressure coming down on his whole body. The leader had his hands up and a look of pure wrath in his eyes as his nose popped a vessel and now was trailing blood on his upper lip from his left nostril. His eyes were bugging out and his face was crimson as he put all he could into crushing this sadistic fuck. He never pushed himself as much as he did now and it felt like his head was going to pop and explode any second. The concrete was snapping like styrofoam and even the water inside the affected area sank into the pores of the concrete. The weight inside was over several tons and he was certain that despite everything nothing could survive this kind of weight on their entire body. Initially he felt vengeful and bloodthirsty, but as the seconds passed and the longer he stared at Haru, the more that initial burst of wrath began transforming into a weight of equal size inside his chest.

Haru was still standing after being exposed to the massive burst of psychic power. In fact the only thing that was giving under the weight of the area affected by the quirk was Haru's shirt. Some of the material around his shoulders began to produce holes and tears; other than the aesthetic inconvenience for Haru he was rather calm. The leader was feeling like death as it was but with another burst of extra weight he was now pouring blood out his nose and even his eyes were spotted redd in the whites and crying blood. Enough was enough for Haru and he took three steps out of the affected ring and was no longer under the influence of the quirk. The leader usually was able to move the affected areas around freely, but focusing so much on the output made that impossible. He released the quirk and tried to catch his breath as his head was sporting a migraine unlike any he's had before. It was such a fall from grace for the gang leader to be on his hands and knees being as helpless as he was. So much of his stamina and physical health was risked for that one attack and he was suffering for it.

The pain made him cough blood and gag with how much his lungs burned with every breath he took. Trying to regain some composure, the sight of Haru's shoes made him turn his eyes up at Haru as he stood towering above. Haru grasped the worn down man by the shoulders and stood him back up. It was like he weighed nothing with how easily he was manhandled. Haru let the defeated former leader regain his balance before continuing.

"You think because you had some charm and some like minded peons hanging onto your every word you owned a couple of backstreets in the sticks? Don't kid yourself. You're nothing but a mistake. Something that slipped through the cracks that never should have been in the first place."

Who the fuck was this man to tell him something so degrading? What right did he have to say he was nothing but a mistake? He knew he was meant for more. Even now he knew his destiny was meant for greatness. Haru clearly wasn't having it as the spark of resistance only sparked a bit in the beaten leader's eyes before he decided to just kill him. His right hand lightly hovered over the man's left shoulder like he was gesturing to something behind the former leader.

"Don't worry. You don't have anything else you need to worry about anymore."

In one single swing that also carved up the concrete sidewalk Haru swung his hand that was hovering over the other man's shoulder and cut straight down from the collar bone to the opposite hip bone. Blood sprayed and rained down onto Haru which the rain just as quickly rinsed away. Organs spilt out and splat in a steaming pile at the feet of the bifurcated gang leader. His eyes glazed and just like the others he fell backwards as another corpse that was littering the roads and sidewalks. Haru could only look down at disgust that such a thing as this was allowed to roam around the streets of one of his cities. He would have a talk with the proper authorities in charge to prevent such a thing in the future.

All of this murder and death was witnessed by the business owner who was pretty much forgotten about at this point. This man had not only killed with speed and skill, but was able to shrug off multiple attacks like they weren't even there. He realized that his recent financial problems were now quite literally dead, but another concern was at the forefront of his mind. What will this man do to him now that everyone else was taken care of? Would he spare him? Would he extort him for money just like those before? Worst yet, would he kill him like he did with the others to cover his tracks? Haru's eyes fell on the poor bystander and scared the older looking gentleman at eye contact.

There was no time to contemplate things to say to help himself out of the situation before a line of semi trucks came down the street and parked alongside the sidewalk behind where he was now flat on his ass. Three trucks with trailers were lined up front to back of each other and all of a sudden out the back of the trucks and out the sides of them dozens of men and women dressed in hazmat suits and other uniforms poured out from the trailers of all three trucks and began yelling and organizing themselves as they went straight for the dead bodies lying on the streets. All of them were working quickly and efficiently as they not only picked up but bagged the corpses and extracted personal information of the deceased. A full blown cleaning operation was unfolding in front of his eyes and it all seemed to be for the man who had killed them in the first place. One of the operatives dressed in coveralls and a hardhat carrying a tablet approached the white haired man in what looked to be subservience.

"Nakamura-san, we came as fast as we could. We apologize for any delays and as the lead I will accept full responsibility for any repercussions!"

"That's not necessary. Just get it done as best as you can and make sure nothing is left behind, understood?"

"Yes! Immediately!"

The cleaner noticed the older gentleman who was still soaked to the bone in the rainfall and was sitting on the wet sidewalk. Haru followed his stare and looked down once more at the shocked old man.

"What shall we do about him?"

Haru approached the frightened man and knelt down while still on the balls of his feet. It felt rather intimate when Haru looked into the eyes of the bystander of this whole violent affair. He wanted to confirm something before making his next decision.

"You."

"Uh, wh-what? Me?"

Haru continued on and ignored his question.

"The boy that was here earlier. What happened to him when he showed himself?"

The guilt was back and the more he recalled the events leading to the boy's immense and excessive beating. He recounted to Haru with the best effort he could muster.

"He. Uh. He came and tried to pick a fight with the big one over there."

He pointed to the first death that sat further up the road.

"He tried to save me. I thought they were gonna kill him and when he tried to fight back, nothing happened. Then they told me he was going to give the boy my beating… Oh my god, oh my god."

The owner was clutching his head at the image of the beaten and broken child. It wasn't right that a child was dragged into such adult matters.

"I tried to stop it, but they just went ahead and… Wh-who does that? Who laughs as they beat a child they barely know!? Oh god, I should have been the one…"

Tears were falling and the business owner allowed the guilt to move him to tears. He couldn't justify events as they happened and still felt responsible for the poor child's fate. He saw the boy go into the river and right then he saw what he thought was somebody diving into the water after the boy. He hoped he wasn't just seeing things. He prayed that the boy was alive and spared from these horrible people and their attempts to end his young life. Haru got all the information he needed and stood back up and spoke to the cleaner lead once more."

" I think he's had enough for one lifetime. Get him sorted out and see to it that he's compensated for his troubles. These dead fucks…"

Haru jabbed his left thumb over his shoulder to the dead bodies that were being disposed of.

"-Were here doing whatever the hell they wanted for quite some time and I need to speak to the Commissioner about why this was allowed to happen."

In his many years of living in japan he never thought that he would see someone kill over a dozen people in the open and immediately after mention calling a commissioner of the Japanese police and reprimanding them right after. This day was shaping to be rather batshit backwards and he couldn't find the words to how he was feeling. Again it took a moment but he noticed that Haru was looking back to him and addressing him.

"Hey, old man."

"Uh, ye-yes?"

"You didn't see anything here today. Anybody asks, you were at work and doing whatever it is you do by yourself. You do that, and all of this disappears."

That was it? He was assuming he was going into a bodybag same as the other dead bodies. This was an easy choice, hands down. Things were quickly made clear as Haru followed up with another stipend.

"If anybody learns what happened here and it's because of you?..."

It was a reminder for the older man that this was someone who killed all of these men with his bare hands in a fit of rage and had his own personal clean up crew pick up after him. The look in Haru's eye was colder than the freezing temperature rendering his body numb. He would slit his own throat before dealing with this man's displeasure. So to appease Haru and keep his neck intact he just nodded yes. Haru felt satisfied with the response and left matters as they were.

"Oh, and just to let you know; the kid is fine. He should be in the right hands by now. Right?"

Haru threw the question to the cleaner lead without even looking in their direction. He snapped to attention and gave an answer immediately.

"Yes sir, he should already be at the hospital by now with a full team of professionals tending to his care!"

So much of the weight on his heart was lifted after hearing the good news. For both Haru and the business owner. The owner let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in and felt such relief that the child will live to see another day. The rain had eased a little but was still coming down quite a bit. Everything here no longer needed his attention and so Haru decided to let matters be handled by those in the organization he was now more directly involved in since recent events had come to pass. With that he went back to his truck and got ready to see someone in the hospital that demanded his full attention.

Two Days Later

The morning dawn hit Haru on the back of his head and woke him up from a less than comfortable sleep in the cheap waiting chairs of Bakugou's hospital room. Haru yawned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he straightened out in his seat. Two days since Bakugou was admitted to this hospital and for most of the time he was asleep. Mitsuki was in a panic as she was rather abrasive with the hospital staff about her boy's condition; Haru managed to talk her down and ease her as the medical staff had notified them that Bakugou wasn't in a coma like before but was sedated until they felt it was appropriate to take him off of it for his body to heal uninterrupted and keep him from dealing with the agony of a broken body.

Unbeknownst to Mitsuki Haru pulled some strings and managed to get a treatment for the boy to help mend much of the damage from his encounter with the gang of wannabe gangsters. Al lot of the bones had mended and most of the serious internal damage was already healed significantly. Bakugou was removed from the sedation the night before and now it was just a matter of waiting for the boy to wake up naturally. Haru didn't want to risk anything while Bakugou recovered so with his influence he stayed in the child's room and just kept waiting for the moment the boy would wake up.

It was still only less than a week ago when Haru came off of his drug and alcohol binge and while on said binge he had rarely slept if at all. He wasn't in need of sleep mostly, but still being in this room and not having to deal with other surprises his body just gave up and he would find himself falling asleep in the same chair for random amounts of time. There was a good chance Bakugou was due to wake up any moment so Haru steeled himself and awoke for that moment. Haru stood up and stretched out the kinks and tight spots that were starting to gather in his joints and muscles. Light snaps and pops relieved the tension and now up and aware he took the chair back over to Bakugou's bedside and went through his email's on his phone.

In no way was Haru going to allow the neglect he demonstrated from before to harm those he intended to protect from the very beginning. The discussion with the head of police for the prefecture that the gang he had murdered in began with flimsy guarantees his requests were not being ignored. From there her responses let him deduct that certain activities that were reported from her officers began taking lower priority over more publicly arousing operations like drug busts and major human trafficking rings being stopped. Haru was swift in letting her know that it wasn't because of her detectives or the officers of her departments, but the connection she had in his organization that she had the resources necessary to create these grand displays of criminal prosecution. There was little resistance from the commissioner as he told her off and made it a guarantee that if she didn't begin working on the control of unwanted rogue activities in her cities then he would personally replace her and handle her 'retirement' all by himself. Her most recent response simply confirmed she would address the issues and concerns Haru had addressed to her with nothing less than her full and undivided attention.

More and more Haru realized anything less than direct supervision over this temperamental animal was just asking for trouble. He never should have had the expectation that those working for him were capable of managing themselves in any meaningful way. He could only dread the next few weeks as he was sure that more sections of the Japanese government were surely falling apart at the seams since his absence from being a more direct form of leadership. His hand covered his face as he began to rub his eyes out of frustration from the mess he had to clean up. It wasn't about having to do the work; it was the fact that what he left behind he thought it was clear cut. What the leadership needed to uphold and all those below them were responsible for were basic and easy to maintain. Of course one excuse led to another and it led to everything being where it was now as well as to the direct defiance of an order he had issued to the organization. No more was there room for mistakes and anything less than absolute loyalty was unwelcome and deserved the highest form of punishment.

His inbox was filled with reports at his request and what he found just sickened him further. So many of the supposed 'reports' that came to him were falsified and from those he received them from he put in a personal inquiry for a personal discussion. Quite a few responded with defenses to numbers or excuses that the representation of their operations were still optimal enough and close to the numbers given. No one was given any quarter and he made a final call for the actual operation statistics and all the personal data of all staff in their workforce. Again they all responded with disbelief that Haru would sort through hundreds of thousands of data folders they EACH had, but he made it clear he wasn't repeating himself. Most of them had responded immediately and none of them took more than half an hour to send him his files. The millions he had now in his personal inbox would take some time; but he needed to make assessments and diagnose how deep the damage was from his years of neglect.

He was skimming the spread sheets checking for more possible evidence of embezzlement when he heard a small groan and shifting of bedsheets that caught the full of his attention. Bakugou was grunting as he began to move the sore muscles in his arms and legs. The pillow crinkled and slowly Bakugou's lids crept open and took in the sight of the hospital room that looked similar to the one before. He turned to Haru who was the only other person there and couldn't help the small amount of joy in seeing his bearded face again after so long. Haru had his phone away already and stood to get closer and check Bakugou for himself.

"Kiddo. Kiddo, it's me. It's Nakamura. You remember me, right? How are you feeling? Is there anything that still hurts too much? Do you want something to drink or eat?"

Haru was almost overwhelming in his barrage of questions in assessing Bakugou and if there was anything he could do for the child. Bakugou still was happy in his small reunion, but now was getting a small headache from trying to think of answers for the rather incessant Q and A.

"Nakamuraaa, I'm tired… I'm okay. I just wanna sleep."

Being the adult in the situation, Haru caught himself and leaned back into his chair. He could see that Bakugou had just wanted space and was just turning his head away from the man and laid there in silence. There were still a few cuts and bruises that were under bandaging and wraps peppering the boy's arms and face as well as his neck. Anywhere really that was exposed there was some kind of medical care done that was still visible. It was thanks to the treatment he had flown in and paid for that kept the boy from having to wait another month or two in traction while healing naturally. He really didn't want Bakugou lying in another hospital bed longer than was necessary. All that remained was some deeper bruises and aches left over from his bones being mended as quickly as they were stitched back together in less than a day. The silence between was far from uncomfortable and they felt alright just being in the same room, but there was a question still hanging in the air.

"... Bakugou?"

Bakugou didn't move and kept acting like he didn't hear.

"Bakugou, please look this way."

Haru leaned forward with elbows to his knees and locked his hands together in front of him. His eyes were still looking at the child as he was gently trying to pry a response from Bakugou. Bakugou didn't turn to him directly or look at Haru. Bakugou just stared straight ahead at the wall as he reluctantly gave some of his attention to Haru. He really was tired and answering the next question felt like such a chore to the boy.

"... Bakugou, why were you trying to fight that street gang? Those people could have killed you then and there; the only reason you're probably alive right now is because they tossed you into the runoff and I was there to pull you out. Did you think that you could have won that fight even IF you couldn't pull out an explosion?"

Bakugou's hands gripped the sheets and still his face was emotionless as ever.

"What were you thinking? So what if you won? You think people like that forgive and forget after losing? IF they had lost, and this is a big IF mind you. IF they had lost that day; they would have hunted you down and searched hell and high water for you. What if they found out where you lived? What if they found out who Izuku or the others were? What about your mom? These people don't send in letters of complaint when something like that happens. They hunt. They hunt and hunt until they feel they think they've killed enough to satisfy their revenge. I… I-I just…"

Feeling defeated by it all, Haru just let out a sigh and let his head hang. It frustrated Bakugou to do nothing but listen to Haru lecturing him for almost getting himself killed. He knew he was in the wrong and that this was something he was aware could have killed him. Everything stopped making sense a long time ago and even now all he could feel was empty and missing something important deep inside of him. He just couldn't pinpoint what.

"... This isn't just about you kiddo. I understand you feel frustrated. I don't know exactly what it is you're going through, but even I think that this is too much. Do you think your mom wants to wake up one day and hear her only son, the last of her family, got himself killed? I mean she lost your father, this doesn-"

"...Shut up…"

Haru stopped midway and letting things sink in realized he may have finally touched the button that he was trying to ease into later in the conversation. Still, he had to address this and so after collecting himself he asked Bakugou once more.

"... I'm sorry?"

The young Katsuki's hand squoze the sheets so tightly he could feel the malleable joints in his hand creak and strain under the pressure he was using to grip with. He dipped his chin and hid his eyes from Haru.

"... I said. Shut. Up. Everyone is acting weird and I can't take it anymore. Everyday I just want things to go back to normal and all of these people keep acting all weird. I hate it! It's scary and weird! Even mom is acting weird and I don't know what to do!"

He was picking up volume the more he poured his frustrations out. Haru kept looking on in silence and the cracks over Bakugou's protective exterior were revealing something that needed to be let out quite some time ago.

"I don't know what to do and everyone just keeps reminding me about what happened! They won't shut up and just act normal! It sucks and I hate it!"

Now he was yelling and trying to fight back the tears that were already leaking out of his eyes.

"Nobody gets it and all I can do is just keep fighting! I can win and feel normal after I fight! If I win I prove how weak they are and that I'm stronger! I fight and I'm stronger than them! If I'm strong then!... Then…"

Haru had stood and stood right at the edge of the bed as the child kept ranting and releasing all of his emotions. Bakugou hadn't noticed until he turned to the adult after ranting about this supposed strength he needed to prove to the world. While still confused as to why Haru was now standing over him with this somber look in his face his head was suddenly pulled into Haru's chest as Haru brought the hurt child into a hug and cradled the boy with his chin on top of Bakugou's head. His beard was a bit of a cushion for the soft skull and made the affair less uncomfortable then if he hadn't had the beard.

"... It must have hurt, huh? Being alone is painful and scary and nobody was able to see how lonely you felt. Your mom couldn't understand and you felt abandoned. She loved your dad too and if she was leaving you alone then who else could you talk to about this? You were hurting yourself getting into fights, but it hurt less than having to deal with the loneliness you could temporarily ignore after winning."

All that Haru was saying was hauntingly accurate. There were times that Bakugou was running in circles in his own head and here Haru was for the first time in months and he was already more aware of things than even himself. The child wrapped in Haru's arm couldn't even move as he was too shocked at Haru's insight.

"It felt good to win, but with winning you thought of something. It scared you even more and you went for stronger and harder fights to block it out. You being stronger has nothing to do with what happened to your dad. You are not responsible for anything, and you did not let him die because you were too weak to protect him. He protected you because you were his son and he loved you. In no way is that something to be ashamed about. Your father was brave and noble in saving you."

It was eating him alive for weeks whenever his mind strayed to events leading up to the explosion that killed Masaru. He wanted to know if his father was gone because of what happened being as they were, or if he could have somehow had saved his dad if he just did something rather than just being carried around by him. He kept thinking about this no matter how much he tried not to. It was torture either way he cut it, if he was too weak his dad died because he was there because of Bakugou, and if he was strong enough to somehow shield his father then it was his failure to do anything that led to his dad dying too. Coming from Haru it felt odd coming from someone he trusted saying that the guilt he was trying to carry by himself was never supposed to be there in the first place. The boy's tears began pouring and soaking Haru's shirt as he kept silent listening to Haru.

"Your mom was lonely because she wanted to be strong for you. She felt as if all of this was going to break her because it felt so heavy trying to keep herself from breaking down in front of you and thinking about what she could do for you. You two need to help each other through this. Just as much as you need her, she needs you."

Haru let Bakugou out of the embrace and knelt down while keeping his left hand on the boy's right shoulder. He looked deep into Bakugou's own two eyes and with a sad smile with eyes wet but not producing tears.

"Your dad loved you so much, and do you know why I know that? Your dad would stop by my truck and have something there while coming home from work. All he would talk about was how you were doing, how worried he was about you, and all sorts of other things about you. He cared about you every day and all he could worry about was if he was doing enough or if he was doing something wrong. And every time I would say the same thing to him every time he asked me if I thought he was doing something wrong. Do you know what I would say back to him every time?"

His hand lifted from the boy's shoulder to the side of Bakugou's head he brushed the hair back in vain as the hair just went back to the same position as before.

"I told him he was a father who wasn't just a father. He was kind, patient, understanding, and was doing a phenomenal job raising a boy who was brave, honorable, and strong. Just like his old man. So please don't forget about your dad, Bakugou. If it hurts then scream, kick, cry out your heart as much as you want. When you're done, you'll see that just burying the memories won't make it better. I can't tell you how to do everything, but I'll be here to help you through it in any way I can... Your dad at least deserves to be remembered for who he was at least, right?"

It was like everything that was holding him down in the dark waters of his misery snapped loose and he just broke through the surface. That tightness in his chest that felt like drowning lifted and for the first time in a while he felt alive. The pain of loss and the grief sent a rush of blood to his head and he began to cry. Haru simply got back up and held bakugou against his chest and let the boy weep and sob into his already tear-stained shirt. The crying was heavy and part way through Bakugou was wheezing with how much his crying was exhausting him.

"I-I-I-I-I WANT MY DAAAAAAAADD! AAAAAAAAHHHHHAHHHHHH! DH-DH-DADDYYYYYYY!"

Bakugou just kept at it while Haru patiently hugged and comforted the boy. Despite the invitation Haru gave Bakugou to release his pain, he couldn't do the same for himself. His tears leaked and his nose stuffed; the lower lip was even quivering slightly. He had to hold in the guilt for being the one who had gotten this boy's father killed in the first place. He had no one to talk to for the grief he felt for not just the passing of Masaru, but the pain he was responsible for in this family. He had to hide it all under a mask of strength that was barely able to hide something within that was so much worse than it actually appeared. He accepted that this is fair for someone who didn't deserve anything better. He would work to help rebuild the people he had sent tumbling to the ground and lie for god knows how long to make things better. He accepted his pain and hid it well for those who needed him now more than ever.

They were both like this for a while before Bakugou had passed out and fell back asleep. Haru tucked the child back in to make sure he was comfortable. He notified a nurse that Bakugou had awoken and soon a doctor checked the sleeping child's data on the monitors while letting him sleep per Haru's request. He confirmed that Bakugou should be due for checkout in the next day or two and asked Haru what the next steps should be. He agreed with the short stay and told them to notify friends and family and allow them to see the boy later that day. With a boy from the staff they did exactly just that.

Mitsuki was the first to arrive not fifteen minutes after getting the call her son was up and conscious. By the time she arrived Bakugou was up and the first thing that came from the relieved mother weren't words of any kind, but a smack across the top of the boy's unsuspecting head. She flew into a tirade about being stupid and getting into fight that couldve gotten him killed. She slowed and stopped her yelling after ten minutes of fiery lecturing. She couldn't contain herself anymore and wept as she embraced and told Bakugou how sorry and how much she loved him. Bakugou cried and hugged his mother with just as much passion.

Later after Mitsuki went home to grab some things for her son's eventual departure from the hospital Inko and Izuku showed up with the other two from their usual crew for a visit after school. Inko shared a greeting and asked if he was okay. Haru confirmed bakugou was making a swift recovery, but she was quick to correct herself and say she was asking about Haru. The past two months he suddenly disappeared and asked if there was anything she could do to help him. He thanked her for her concern and let her know he was getting better but was still concerned for the Katsuki's wellbeing and their struggles ahead without Masaru. Nonetheless she gave him a hug which he returned and attended to her son who was mostly being ignored by Bakugou in favor of the other two. In Haru's eyes he was concerned for what that sort of behavior out of Bakugou would lead to in the future. There was no forcing him into talking with a friend seemingly turned acquaintance but he would do his best to influence Bakugou into being more open with others. For now it was just good to see a light at the end of this terrible storm.

A Week Later

It was a crisp morning as Haru opened his truck and extended the overhang sitting over his bar area. Settling for serving eggs three ways for his breakfast menu he was just glad that he was back and out doing what he loved doing; just serving good food to the public. He had finished chalking his rather intricate menu with pictures and all outside and began his prep work for the busy day ahead. His menu advertised eggs benedict on brioche, scrambled on toast, and eggwhite omelettes with cheese and a sauce made from the yolk. The sounds of steel cookware being used rang out from the van and was shortly followed up with a warmth that smelled of breakfast wafted out the parked vehicle. He was next to a park that tended to get a fair amount of foot traffic from many of the residents heading to work or school kids getting to classes. Soon there were customers lining up, funny enough the first person to walk by immediately cued up and requested scrambled on toast.

By far his most popular option for many of the customers was that they were under the impression for the price and speed to prepare; they could just manage enough time to be able to get that item ordered fast enough for them to still catch the bus. Impressively unknown to those who left quickly with breakfast Haru completed the more complicated and decadent eggs benedict and egg whites omelette in almost just as little time as the scramble on toast. The line disappeared just as quickly as it was growing and everyone was not only happy with the wait time but the taste of the eggs prepared by Haru didn't feel justified for the price they paid. There were quite a few who ordered again after realizing the time they had was more than expected and some even tried ordering for those they worked for. Those behind these larger bulk orders dreaded their own cook times but like it wasn't even a concern Haru got the larger orders done without missing a beat and everyone was still happily fed while still beating the clock.

A lot of the customers were return customers who were all asking where he had been for the past three months. He deflected their inquiries over his absence with a shift in topics or humor and they all bought into his avoidance of the real reasons he was absent from catering the public. A few newcomers were curious and were immediately starstruck with the food and service. Most asked if this was his usual but others as well as him corrected their expectations and told them it was based on what he could get or how he felt that determined his menu. With nothing but praises from the others they were excited to return to his food stall and asked for his business card or social media. Again they were told he doesn't have either and that he shows up wherever he wanted to and didn't feel it necessary to have an account for his van. Clearly he didn't need it for good business but it was a source of frustration who wanted a more consistent way for them to have regular access to his cooking. He laughed it off and said that patience for the unexpected can be rather rewarding in itself. Some more well off people even tried to purchase his services for work related reasons or personal events, but all were turned down. There were even those who would have gone above and beyond for his services and still he told them that this was the only way they could get his food.

The day eased up and less people started to make their way through the area. Haru was wiping down his work area and putting away cleaned utensils and cookware when he finally had room to breathe and no one was lining up for an order. He could hear the only people passing by were kids and parents heading for daycare or primary school. It was nice to just be out again and see the small good things that made this all so much nicer. He finally finished cleaning and turned the sign closed that was hanging over the side of his bar. He took an opportunity to light a cigarette and scroll through his mobile for the emails he got in the morning. Several had lists in regards to activities and operations that the organization branches were scheduled for and others were in reference to financial transactions and purchases for investments. He started to respond and change some of the activities and transactions and made the necessary adjustments for the managers to make. He was still getting a little push back here and there in forms of repeating himself or additional questions from the higher ups; he never hesitated to put them in their places and for what it was worth he got results better than what was previously projected for their original decisions. He was being recognized once more for who he was in this world and people were falling in line even quicker than that.

"Nakamura-san!"

He locked the phone and turned to the child who had called out to him. The skinnier of the duo who followed Bakugou called out and next to him were Bakugou and the heaviest of the group.

"Morning y'all! Off to school?"

Haru snuffed the cigarette and flicked it into his kitchen trash can without even looking. This was something the kids had seen plenty of times before so they were rather used to the impressive display of accuracy by Haru. The two on either side of Bakugou were chipper as usual, but Bakugou himself was sporting a familiar scowl and looking at the floor ahead of him. Haru noticed and said his greetings.

"It's always good to see you, gentleman!"

Haru knelt down and looked at Bakugou who was rosy cheeked from the attention he was getting.

"Bakugou. Good morning."

Bakugou was a little shy but averting his eyes slightly he returned the greeting.

"G-Good morning, Nakamura-san…"

Haru felt satisfied with that and just smiled brightly at the boy before getting back up and dusting his lap off.

"Anyways, did you boy's eat? Want something quick or are you alright?"

"Ooo, can I get jam toast?"

"I just want some juice."

The other two made their demands for snacks on top of their breakfasts and Bakugou was just a hair slower in reacting.

"... Jam toast."

Haru acquiesced and popped two pieces of milk bread he made and pulled out a paper cup and poured some orange juice for the other one. The toast popped out and with a speed that was still impressive he snatched the toast out of the air and spread strawberry jam on the two pieces for the two boys and pulled out two small water bottles for the two of them.

"Aw, I wanted juice!"

"Drink water, it's better for you."

He gave them their snacks and they all partook happily right then and there. Off to the left Haru and the boys could just make out the call of a familiar voice further down the sidewalk.

"Ka-chan! Everyone!"

Haru saw Izuku run right for the group some distance away still and Bakugou just turned and the other two followed suit. Haru saw the cold distance still very much there in Bakugou and it still worried him like the first time he caught it a week before.

"Bakugou…"

Bakugou paused for just a moment, but didn't turn as he kept walking with the other two in tow and with enough distance between Izuku and the rest the young Midoriya stopped by Haru's van and leaded up against it for support as he struggled to catch his breath. Haru came up and knelt down to check Izuku's condition.

"You alright kiddo? You sure tried to catch up to the others just now, didn't you? Are they ignoring or doing anything to you?"

Izuku was able to stop wheezing eventually and just shook his head in response to Haru's last question. Haru was worried that this could turn into something difficult for Izuku if this strange change of behavior wasn't taken care of soon.

"No, it's not like that. It's just… It's just that they, I guess they stopped talking to me. Ka-chan got angry at me and still doesn't wanna talk after… I tried saying sorry, but he still won't talk to me…"

Bakugou was always plentiful when it came to the amount of pride he had. He was quick to temper and slow to recognize a different opinion than his own. Especially if it was combative of his own perspective. Haru drew the discussion away from the tension between Izuku and Bakugou and offered the green mop haired boy breakfast at his expense. The boy wanted scramble on toast and quickly enough he got his breakfast and was on his way to school in no time at all. Now there was something else that needed his attention and concern for these two becoming at odds with one another was in need of attention.

First thing was first, He had to check up on something that was in regards to the now single mother Mitsuki. Ther spoke and she mentioned that she was going to go for a position higher than her previous position in the company that she worked for. Being now single she needed to pull extra weight and this was something she hoped would help with matters. Her fears were clear to Haru in regards to if she would even get the promotion. The promotion would not only give her the higher pay to ease their financial burdens, but give her more time at home to raise Katsuki on her own. The design company she was going back to today was owned by a corporation that worked under an umbrella his organization owned. With some phone calls and a few emails she was set up for success regardless even if she were to skip her interview today. He wanted to confirm everything was prepared and so he pulled up a number and waited for someone to pick up. Not even the first tone and he was connected.

"Yatsura Help Center, how may I direct your call?"

"Get me in contact with him."

"Right away, sir."

He heard the dial tone switch over to a new line and just like before a single dial tone and he was connected.

"Nakamura-san! Such a pleasure as always! I assume that this is in regards to Mrs. Bakugou? Well, I can personally guarantee-"

"She's due to be there around noon and I want NOTHING to go wrong. Get me the live feed like I requested and be sure to notify me when she arrives. If the interviewer even LOOKS at her funny, it's your neck on the block. Understood?"

A heavy gulp and a moment to catch himself tripping over his own words he nervously stuttered as he responded.

"Ah-a-a-a-a-of course sir. It… It wasn't our intention to make you feel- I mean, we will honor your request to the letter. If you feel it-"

"Just do as I say and we won't have any issues, understand? My eyes are everywhere and constant, so if she even feels uncomfortable while she's in your care…"

"Y-yes, certainly! We won't let you down sir!"

With that Haru hung up and hoped for the best. Mitsuki's journey in trying for this promotion was monitored and cared for by Haru every step of the way. After their talk over her promotion and Haru convincing her to go for it the request she sent in to head offices was preceded with a personal phone call from him to the CEO who owned the legal entity that owned the company she worked at. The person on the other line granted his request before he could finish speaking and the CEO of Mitsuki's company was put in contact with him. The discussion was mostly just Haru making sure that Mitsuki would get exactly what she wanted and finding who would be interacting with her during and after the interview.

The next day after Haru visited the company and the CEO was there walking him through the floors and different departments that were there. He only cared about Mitsuki's department and asked for a tour there. He was brought to the floor she would be heading and with everyone working that day he scanned the multiple work spaces and employees there. The droning wasn't worth his time as he was focused on getting the information he wanted out of everyone there. Haru cut off the CEO while he was talking about the amount of work recognized in the industry by the very same department and requested an interview with all the employees. The CEO was obviously confused and was slightly hesitant at first since there was an important contract that would make or break a huge amount of profit for the company being worked on by this very department and every hour they had available was precious in working towards that success.

Haru simply pulled out his own phone and with short and choppy demands he hung up and told the CEO that it was taken care of. Again the CEO was not sure what had happened but just then he got a call on his work cell from the CEO of the company that was purchasing the contract the department in question was working on. The other CEO sent his personal congratulations on the success of the contract being theirs and his anticipation for a long and prosperous relationship.

This scared the poor CEO more than anything since that work had a deadline of another month and the amount of problems they were running into were making things bleak in terms of actually earning their business. A single phone call and suddenly one of the greatest challenges in this company's history goes up in a wisp of smoke? A man of this much power was not just dangerous; he was god, and anything less than pure obedience meant all of their ends.

Needless to say he got his interviews and one after another he kept conversation short and friendly as he assessed every employee there. By the time Haru was done with the entire department it was past noon and people were already buzzing about how it was that their project was cancelled since they already had the contract that this work was meant for out of nowhere. Haru dragged the CEO back to his office and gave his assessment of who he wanted to stay and go. He gave out names and all of them were seemingly random in performance and positions.

The CEO was curious to know Haru's reasoning for his decision. Haru just let the man know his list of requirements and disqualifiers. He eliminated people who would create problems in the company either through their incompetency or gossip with others in the department or company. Then he considered who was here because of merit or manipulation of the system or of others. After them he checked off people who were rather confrontational with authority despite their competency or qualifications. There was a good chunk of the department on the list Haru made and the CEO wasn't sure how the department would even function after such a mass exodus. Haru told him there would be a list on his desk by tonight with people Haru felt were competent enough to replace those moved out.

The question of those to be moved out came up and Haru told the CEO that he didn't care for them being out or moved elsewhere so he left the solution to those moved out to the CEO. Thinking ahead Haru even disclosed that if anyone wants to be elsewhere for employment to just call the CEO of whatever company and tell them that for this one time to just accommodate without question. Haru clarified that this wasn't a repeatable favor and said if he heard his name being thrown around like a free meal ticket he would be handling the situation personally. Something so obvious coming from Haru was recognized as law and with that Haru left and worked to fill the empty spots with those he deemed more suitable. That night the list came in and those people were in the next day for their first day at the department.

The ones moved out were not happy at first, but the noise settled quickly enough after being promised to be moved elsewhere and just like that the ideal working environment for Mitsuki was done. Haru later gave the CEO a list of employees he wanted to interview Mitsuki and got exactly that. So now all that was left was for Mitsuki to do her part and make appearances for the interview.

Haru kept working at his truck and had a small amount of customers for the hours he stayed there until around twelve fifty he got a notification in his inbox that Mitsuki had arrived with a link to the live footage of her interview. He closed the truck and lit a cigarette as he sat at the bottom step at the back of his truck while keeping an eye on things. Mitsuki entered and approached the front desk about her interview for one and she was seated in the lounge. It was less than five minutes before she was called by one of the interviewers and brought up to a private conference room. From the lobby to the actual interview Haru kept vigilant of any kind of inappropriate behavior from the interviewers or duress on Mitsuki's part. She was confident dressed in a gray pencil skirt and white button up with her resume and references tucked away under her left arm. No problems so far and even during the interview she displayed skill and competence becoming of a person as confident as her.

Her interviewers reviewed all of her information and right then and there they asked when she could start and with barely contained relief she shook all of their hands saying she could start ASAP. They gave her a few day's to do as she wished to prepare for her new position and bid her farewell and congratulations for her success. Haru closed the feed and breathed a sigh of relief for everything being as seamless as they were. He got up and got back to his truck with a lighter heart knowing that a friend of his wouldn't be weighed down with unnecessary stress.

For months after that day things became normal in a sense. Haru tried and couldn't quite create enough of a buffer between Izuku and Katsuki for them to return to the friendship they once held as younger boys. He saw the empathy Izuku held for the young Bakugou and Bakugou saw it as pity from the young Midoriya. Something that cemented his feelings of alienation from Izuku was how Izuku was so close to understanding his feelings but had no idea how painful it was to actually lose a dad that was there for him. This pain of loss separated the two boys and kept one from ever reconnecting to the other like they once were. Nobody wanted Izuku to be dragged to Katsuki's level, but still the chasm between them stood and wasn't something that could heal with will power alone. Only time and patience would be the factors in how things will play out in the future.

And so Haru was the hand to guide, and never did he waver or sway in his efforts to correct the future. This was all he had and nothing was going to stop him making things better than what they were before. No matter what.

XX Years Later

The alarm on the phone awoke Haru early in the morning. He came to and dismissed the alarm as he was fully awake at this point in time. The room was sparsely furnished but was inlaid with some impressively decorative pieces of furniture. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all plain concrete slabs and things like the rug and bed were warmer in color scheme and used wood in their construction. He didn't waste any time in getting up and taking a shower as so to get to the first things he needed to do for that very important morning.