If the street lights would stop flickering so much, Izuku would be a lot more comfortable. The sky was a looming fishbowl, with indigo and blue paint blocking out but a few icy white stars, and a thin, fingernail-trimming moon. It had been almost an hour since he stepped back from the ledge fourteen floors up, and the air had become so cold one might think it was February, not late April.

Izuku did not like the cold. It was uncomfortable, and even his winter uniform did little to keep it at bay. Even if he added a scarf and gloves, it could only help so much. Not to mention, they would be far too hot during the day. So, in the end, he would just wear his winter uniform, bring an umbrella just to be safe, and then suffer through anything he wasn't prepared for.

Izuku did not like the dark. He wasn't being childish, or a coward, but it was impossible to tell what was lurking in the shadows, villain or otherwise. His encounter with the slime villain the other day did little to comfort him. So he steered clear of any dark alleys or shady streets, taking the longer, but better lit, way home.

Izuku did not like… Well, he couldn't say that. He watched the blond girl from the corner of his eye, a mouse watching a cat prowl. He couldn't claim to not like company. He just wasn't used to it, or at least, wasn't used to company that liked him. Kacchan was his friend, but he wasn't going to pretend that the kid was always nice to be around. And while many of his other classmates weren't as… explosive… towards him, they made it clear they didn't enjoy being around him. So, whenever Izuku was with others, the best he could hope for was to fade into the background, and not say anything stupid in front of them.

So, Toga was an enigma. He chewed on his lip, and clutched his bag closer to his chest as she passed behind him, disappearing from his line of sight. His heart rate hadn't slowed in the slightest since she'd shown up on the rooftop, not on the walk to the station, not on the train, and not on the little, almost-well-lit side street that he was trudging down to his apartment. He was nervous, and there were a few reasons that weren't too hard to explain.

Ok, ok, take a moment. Clear your head. First on the list, he was not used to being around girls. This was an obvious one. He was just being honest. He had never really had a lot of friends in general, let alone friends who were girls, and girlfriends were out of the question. She came back into his line of sight, and he let go of a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Maybe he should dismiss this reason, though. He knew he got nervous around girls, but this… was a different type of nervous. And it was obvious that she was a different type of girl. So maybe his normal "nervous around girls" thing didn't really apply here.

Uh, second. Reason number two. Her entire aura. Just, everything about it. If she were a hero, her style would already be distinct enough. She could practically start a fashion trend if she got enough media coverage. She could possibly get a sponsorship deal if… Wait, wait, she's not a hero. But, either way, he felt like he was dealing with someone from an entirely different world. A coyote dealing with a circling vulture, perhaps. It could mean a meal, or it could mean he's the next to die.

But perhaps most unnerving was the way she moved. He furrowed his eyebrows, and scowled, his legs operating on muscle memory alone. She wasn't walking with him; she was dancing around him, watching him as though to memorize every possible angle of his scrawny frame. She balanced and spun on her heels, almost looking childish with her giddy smile, hands held behind her as she circled him. She was a ball of energy, a cluster of hot movement in the cold, still night. It made Izuku's skin crawl. Perhaps the oddest part was how smoothly she shifted her weight, how comfortably. As though this was completely normal. Was this normal behaviour for her? He hadn't seen her interact with other people before, so he couldn't know, but it had to make some people uncomfortable. It most certainly unnerved him, at least. How casual she was about it made it seem like an ingrained habit, and how easily she flowed almost confirmed it wasn't a conscious action. May it have to do with her quirk? She mentioned having one earlier, though it had no usage for being a hero. Perhaps it had to do with her memory of how other people look or act? That could be countless things, though-

His thoughts were cut off by a bubbly giggle, and his eyes snapped towards Toga. Her toxic yellow eyes lingered on him, amused, and Izuku shivered from something other than the cold.

"Uh, W-" His voice sputtered, his scowl easily revealing his confusion. "What is it?"

Toga smiled, and turned on her heel, breaking her cyclical motions to walk in front of him. "Did you know that you mutter under your breath?"

"I mutter under my-?" And then the realization hit him. All of the blood drained from his face, and Toga's grin only got wider. "What did you hear?"

"A lot!"

Was it possible for all of a person's blood to travel to their face at once? Izuku was certain the answer was yes. "But, uh, well, I, um… S-sorry."

Toga laughed again, a stilted but lively little sound, and Izuku swallowed what he could of his embarrassment. It was like trying to drink the Pacific Ocean dry.

"You don't need to apologize." Toga's blush seemed to glow under the harsh glare of the electric streetlights. "It's cute! Like hearing a kitty mew!"

If his embarrassment had been the Pacific Ocean before, global warming had just started, and sea level were rising. Oh god, heart, please slow down. Please. He couldn't take anymore stress after today, he had barely recovered from earlier on the train.

"Oh, by the way!" Toga seemed to close the gap between them in the brief moment that Izuku was doing damage control in his head. "Do you have a phone?"

"Huh? Yeah, I have one."

"Great! Want to share numbers?"

Izuku just stared at her for a moment, mildly bewildered. He hadn't exchanged contact info on his phone in so long, he wasn't even sure he remembered how. Actually he only had two contacts on his phone, his mom's, and Mrs. Bakugo's in case of an emergency. Kacchan hadn't wanted to, and no one else in his class was really friends with him, so…

Wait, exchanging contact info was something you did with friends, right? And since Toga was the one asking…

Izuku felt a wide, if reluctant, smile spread across his face. "S-so… You wanna be friends?"

Toga watched the smile spread across his face, and hers did as well, in a warm, yet cat-like manner. "I asked you earlier, didn't I?"

Izuku felt like jumping for joy. Well, not really jumping. He didn't feel like jumping for anything after tonight. But his enthusiasm was radiating from him like rays of golden, hope-filled sunlight. "Of course we can exchange!"

Toga threw her hands up and let out an excited, girly cheer. She quickly reached into her pocket, and pulled out a smartphone in a bright pink case, covered in metallic silver sparkles.

Izuku nervously reached into his breast pocket, his hands shaking. He'd never had a friend's number before! How were you supposed to talk with friends? He'd imagine you were supposed to text them regularly, but how much was too much? And how much was too little? He didn't want to come off as creepy. He finally had a friend other than Kacchan, after all! He pulled his own phone out, protected by a bulky black case that could be described as little more than bland and utilitarian. Ok, and now open contacts-

A folded up piece of paper slipped out of his pocket, and gracelessly dropped to the ground, like a torn feather.

"Ah, no!" He desperately snatched at the sheet, but it effortlessly slipped through his fingers. It never reached the ground.

With inhuman speed, the feline girl in front of him swiped it out of the air, as though catching some particularly valuable prey.

"Ooh, ooh, what's this?" Toga eagerly tore the note open, almost salivating at the secrets it might hold. Oh, no no no, please no!

"T-Toga, please give it back!" Izuku reached a hand out to grab the looseleaf, but stopped just short of actually snagging it. "Please don't read it!"

Toga giggled, and easily jumped clear of the green-haired boy. "Why? What's so special about it?" She grinned wolfishly, her eyes quickly traversing the page.

A page marred by red ink. A page filled to the brim with messy, uncontrolled words, written by a sloppy hand and a heartbroken soul.

Toga's smile drooped, before disappearing entirely, as though it had been traced in the sand, and the beach had just been assaulted by a cold and icy tsunami. He saw her lynx eyes go wide, and then watched the light in them die a little. A flurry of emotions passed through her face, far too quickly for Izuku to process. What was that pained expression? Was that a sad smile? Mere frames in a movie passing at double speed.

The silence was deafening. A train could be heard in the distance, traveling alone through the crisp night. Traffic could be heard, close enough to be recognizable, but too far away to be distinct. The street was empty, other than the two teens and the street signs that chose to watch. The world was unsettlingly still as Toga peaked over the note, and peered into Izuku's soul. She was blushing.

"Can-" Izuku's voice caught in his throat, afraid to disrupt the silence, despite the urging of the boy. "Can I have it back? I… I want to…"

What would he do with it? He didn't really know. He had practically forgotten about it. Simply throwing it in a garbage bin would seem… unceremonious? He wasn't sure if that was the right word, but it fit the best. But then, would he keep it? That thought on it's own made his stomach tighten and flip. Really, he just… didn't want anyone to see it. Not that he could prevent that now.

She frowned, in a soft, quiet way. Everything about her was always so loud. Her voice, her arm movements, even her smiles and silent stares were always shouting as loud as they could. But this frown wasn't. And neither was the way she averted her eyes. It seemed wrong. He hadn't even known her for half a day, but it felt wrong seeing this sort of… unuttered vulnerability. He chewed the inside of his cheek. Focus on breathing. Don't look her in the eye. Just breath.

"No." She stated simply. Her voice was low, but it wasn't nervous. Not bashful, nor unsure, nor aggressive. It carried no unspoken threat. It was a simple statement of fact, as she refolded the sheet and tucked it into her cardigan with the care of a family treasure.

"B-but, uh, I-"

"No."

"Ah… O-ok."

The two walked in silence down the poorly lit street, Izuku plodding away in front, and Toga tiptoeing behind him. She didn't dance around him. He couldn't feel her playful, if disconcerting smile. The air was heavy and oppressive, an invisible giant leering down on them. And Izuku couldn't think of anything other than how awful it felt.

Think of something. Anything. How do you start a conversation? You have to talk about something you have in common. Right. What do they have in common?

Izuku ran around his mind, haphazardly rifling through all of the information he had gathered. Glance at one idea, just to toss it aside in search of another. What did she like talking about? He had to know something!

Anything..?

… Nothing. He honestly knew nothing about her. It shouldn't of been surprising, he hadn't even known her for a day. But, crushed by the overbearing silence, seared by the way her eyes were burning into him, he felt useless. He scrunched his mouth into a remorseful frown, and cast his eyes down. What was he supposed to say?

They continued to walk in silence, down the same, poorly lit street.

"Izuku!" His head shot up, and only then did Izuku realize they two of them had almost reached his apartment building; the gate to the community was only a few paces away.

And, in front of the gate, there was a round little puffball of a woman, or rather, a ball of nervous energy. She was scuttling towards him as fast as she could in her little high heels, her eyes wide with worry and brimming with unshed tears.

"Oh, Izuku, thank god!" As soon as she reached him, she embraced him, delivering a bruising bear hug with her deceptively puggy arms. "I was so worried! When it started getting dark, and you never showed up for dinner, I was afraid you might of been hurt! I thought you might've been attacked by a villain, this town has gotten more dangerous in these past few years, and you know what happened to your friend Katsuki yester-"

"I, uh, I'm ok, Mom! Calm down!" He returned the hug, wanting to calm her down before the metaphorical glass cracked and she started crying in the street. She was so quick to cry, but he couldn't really blame her for it. After all, he was too, as much as he might want to deny it. He smiled weakly, and struggled out of her lung-crushing hug. "I didn't run into any villains, so don't worry."

"What were doing out so late, Izuku? It's not like you…" She wiped the tears from her eyes, the salty water sinking into her peachy pink polyester sweater. "It's almost nine…"

"I was just…" He paused, unsure of what to say. Clasping her shoulder, and looking into her dark evergreen eyes, could he tell her the truth? His gut twisted, already knowing exactly how she would react. But… could he really lie? His stomach tightened, and his mouth tasted of sick bile, as though to punish him for such a terrible idea. She was his mother! He bit his tongue, and forced a smiling mask onto his face.

"I was just studying with my friend!" That was an awful lie. Stupid, stupid, stupid! He couldn't lie at all. He was way too enthusiastic, and he knew he blushed bright pink whenever he lied. He could already feel his face heating up, as though it alone had just been dunked into a hot spring.

His mom crinkled her thin eyebrows in concern and confusion. Izuku could tell that she was trying to figure out why he was lying to her. Neither of them could hide what they were thinking at all.

"What… What friend were you studying with?"

Panic mode, full throttle! He didn't know what to say! He hadn't thought this far ahead! No no no no no!

"Me!" Izuku felt a set of lithe hands grab his shoulders, and Toga's face seemed to miraculously appear beside his. Oh, heart, please for the love of all things heroic slow down! He was tempting cardiac arrest now! "Are you Izu-kun's mom?"

Mom seemed just as surprised as Izuku, if not more so, her eyes going as wide as saucers at the sudden arrival of the blushing blond. "Uh, yes, I am. And you are?"

Toga smiled back, her canines glaring in the yellow light, and casually fell backwards off the teenage boy. "I'm Toga Himiko, but you can call me Toga-chan!"

Izuku watched in nail-biting terror as the two looked each other over. He could practically tell what his mom was thinking as her eyes wandered over the girl's petite frame. Her soft scowl and slightly furrowed eyebrows screamed of harsh judgement, particularly when her gaze fell upon the disheveled school uniform and thick layers of messy makeup.

But Toga, on the other hand… She looked scary, but in a different way. She looked the same physically, but something felt different. No, everything felt different. What changed about her tone..?

It suddenly clicked, and he gasped slightly at the realization, before clamping his mouth shut. Toga's gaze flicked towards him, but only for a brief instant, before returning to his mom.

Her body language. The way she held herself, her expressions, they were all different. Slightly, but enough that it threw him off. Her back was straight as a board, and her hands were held in front of her waist in a polite, but not quite formal, way. Her smile was energetic, but like a peppy high school girl instead of a hungry lynx.

Her entire atmosphere had changed on the drop of a pen.

"Mrs. Midoriya, it's great to meet you!" Toga gave a wide smile, but kept her mouth firmly shut. Is she hiding her teeth? That would make sense, considering how Izuku himself reacted when he saw them. He felt his skin crawl at how naturally she changed personas. "I'm super sorry he got home so late! He was helping me with something I didn't really understand, but he's really good at explaining!"

His mom seemed completely taken aback by Toga's friendly tone, but she smiled weakly. "Ah, well, I'm glad he was helpful. When he knows about something, he really knows about it, and will be more than willing to talk your ear off."

Toga giggled, and Izuku turned as red as a salmon egg, and about as coherent as one.

"Ah, mom, please-"

"Don't worry, I find his tangents cute!" Toga balanced on one leg, and then the other, as though playing a game with herself. She spun towards Izuku, and smiled at him in her more usual, cat-like way, leaning in. "It was great to see you today, Izu-kun. I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. Of course!" He sputtered to respond, hypnotized by those toxic eyes. They locked stares for a moment, Toga's grin growing wider, and Izuku's fidgets growing more noticeable, until the boy broke the silent exchange and snapped his head towards the direction of the metro station.

"Well, y-you best be going! It's getting late!" He sounded like a viola string tightened far too much, and then strummed with razor wire.

Toga held her hands behind her back, and leaned away. "Ah, yeah, it is! Nighty, Izu-kun!" She gave a quick wave, and broke into a jog, turning a corner and melting into the shadows.

"... Izuku…" The green haired teen heard his mother's low voice, and his heart turned to stone. He had no doubt that she didn't like Toga. It was obvious. But she was his friend! Ok, ok, reasons. What are good excuses for her style of dress and behaviour? Come on, think!

He felt himself turning towards his mother, far too fast for him to think everything through. Answers, answers, answers, now! Use that brain of yours, Izuk-

His swirling thoughts ground to a jarring halt the moment the saw his mom's teary-eyed face. She burst into tears, fat drops streaming down her round face.

"Mom, are you okay?!"

"I'm just so happy! You've met such a nice girl!"

"W-what? Calm down!"

"I never expected you to be with a girl like her, I'll be honest, but-" She sniffled, trying to regain control of her emotions. "But if she makes you happy, then that's enough! I'll support you as much as I can!"

"N-no! That's not what our relationship is at all!"

"You don't have to pretend, Izuku! I support the two of you completely!"

Dinner was a very awkward affair that night.

)ooOoo(

The Augur groaned, and pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing in circular motions that, if he were lucky, may relieve his stress.

Not that it had ever worked before. Very few things could do that, and of those, only three were reasonable methods. Sadly, one method caused alcohol induced liver damage, another was technically illegal, and the third was out of the question, because he had already used all of his vacation days for the year.

He groaned in weary acceptance, and reached for his coffee. Just got back in town, hoping for an easy case after that mess with the drug smuggling ring, but no. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised. If it were an easy case, his team wouldn't be needed.

"Ok, ok," He spread the documents out across his hardwood desk, and glared murderously at the stark white papers. "Let's see what we got here."

The paperwork was a fucking mess. The case had been covered by fourteen different cities' police departments, plus three separate prefecture-wide investigative bureaus. All of them formated their paperwork differently. None of it was organized. Hell, some of it had been so poorly handled by the investigators on the ground it was either useless in a court of law, or just outright useless and devoid of meaningful information. And when the prefecture departments came together and compiled it, they didn't even organize it; they just stapled their three reports together, and mailed it to him. None of them had the resources to organize a nation-wide investigation, so they just passed it up the line, until it got to the national agency.

And so here he was, looking at one of the messiest, emptiest reports he had ever seen. There was practically no info, no suspects, and no leads whatsoever. The only reason they even thought it might be the same killer was because the circumstance of murder was almost always the same.

Victims were always young, the youngest being eighteen and the oldest being twenty five. They usually were men, but four of the nineteen were women. Found in deserted areas of town, usually slum alleyways or industrial districts, they had all bled to death, with all of them having a deep gash through the artery in their neck. Alongside this, all of them show signs of bruising and large amounts of smaller, non-lethal cuts all over their bodies, particularly on their arms and chest. The forensics quality and depth varied between the agencies, but the general consensus was that injuries were dealt by a small, hand-held blade, probably a pocket knife or hunter's knife of some sort.

The Augur snorted, and grimaced. None of this was extremely helpful. How many knives did these people think were in Japan? A dozen? No, there were literally tens of thousands in Osaka alone, where the first murder took place. He sighed, and took a long sip of caffeine, hoping to dispel the bags from under his eyes. Could he really blame them? Ever since heroes entered the investigative scene, forensics departments and investigative agencies all over the country had become chronically underfunded, with all of that money being redirected towards the new kids on the block. Of course, some heroes did a damn good job at it; he'd worked with a few before, and they weren't something to sneeze at. But that didn't change the fact that government investigative agencies were becoming more and more pointless, just a formality to maintain the appearance of public accountability. Just like the police.

The Augur collapsed into his chair, and glanced up at the clock on the wall. 9:37 P.M. God, he hated late nights. But that's what he had signed up for, wasn't it? And compared to the crap heroes went through, basically being on call twenty-four-seven, he supposed he shouldn't complain.

… Heroes, huh? They had changed a lot since he was a kid. In no small part because of Toshinori, he supposed. That guy had been in the hero biz for almost thirty years, and was still running around like a madman, doing what needed to be done. No doubt anyone else would've gone insane by this point. Himself included, considering his dependence on coffee and the occasional round with a punching bag. He chuckled, a weak smile lighting up his dark, weary demeanor.

He wondered how Toshinori was doing. Augur hadn't heard from him in a few weeks, and hadn't seen him in almost three months, after that whole fiasco with the prison breakout attempt in Aomori City. And even then, it had just been a brief stop in a coffee shop. Toshinori was a busy guy, after all. He had mentioned something about transferring over to Musutafu in their last chat, if Augur was correct.

Speaking of Musutafu…

He brushed aside a few of the papers on his desk, dragging the most recent report to the surface. Hashimoto, Rin. Twenty. Son of Ichigo and Chizuko Hashimoto. Murdered a week a ago in southwest Musutafu, reported after not returning home from his college baseball practice. Found in an abandoned warehouse, on the opposite side of town from where he lived.

The Augur groaned, the sound of an old machine in dire need of a good oiling.

It was said that there was no rest for the wicked.

He supposed that also meant there was no rest for those who investigated the wicked, either.

A/N: Good evening, all. This chapter came a lot faster than even I expected, mostly because I had a hell of a cold for the past three days, and wasn't able to leave my apartment. So… I had some free time. But more of this for you guys, I suppose! No major info or updates here, sorry. But I'm super happy at you guys' positive reaction! I'm a novice writer at best, so to see this much positivity and supportive energy in this community restores a tad bit of my faith in humanity. Thank you!

Also, something about the Augur, my little detective buddy: While he is an OC, he is not actually my character. He was created by, and belongs to, menenc2ooo, my wonderful beta! He is actually in the process of writing his own fanfic about the Augur and his life, so when he posts it, I'll make sure to tell you guys.

With only the worst of intentions,

Imp the Nefarious

: Ok, before I say anything else, I love your username. You wouldn't believe how I felt when I got an email saying " has subscribed to your story." It was a trip. Anyway, I'm not sure how its coming across, but my goal it to write less in a way where I'm narrating, and moreso that I'm simply translating their stream of conscious into the written word. It has led to some lines feeling like I'm just Izuku's internal monologue incarnate. Feels weird.

ChildishGuestino: Yeah, man, I get that complaint, I'm workin' on it, okay? Okay. *proceeds to continue angrily type* But, thank you so much! One of the best thing an author can hear is that you enjoyed their writing. And, onto the matter of Toga's impact on Izuku, just remember the story synopsis. Remember the cycle.

Lark: This might be my story, but I feel it's my responsibility as an author to listen to what my readers say. I won't always adopt it, but I'll always listen. So feel free to toss your thoughts my direction! And, on the matter of Toga throwing Izuku off of random buildings, I don't think that would be the most entertaining. She'd almost certainly climax at the sight and feeling, but that would cut this story off a tad bit short, not to mention leave a hell of a stain… *chuckle*