Iida was slowly coming to hate hospitals. Every time he visited one, or was a patient himself, it never led to anything happy. Tensei lost his legs, Izuku was shaken to the core by his disastrous final exam...

...and he was in here as well, after realizing he couldn't take revenge on his brother's attacker.

And it was here that he found himself again, lying on a bed with an oxygen mask over his face. His lungs ached, his legs felt fiery in between the moments someone gave him painkillers to numb him. He vaguely remembered why he was here, thoughts of running through cyan flames over and over again, his body begging him to stop as he recovered those students too unfortunate to help themselves.

Slowly, the fog lifted from his memories, revealing those events in more detail. He took Izuku' s angry advice, focusing all of his efforts on rescuing the unconscious and beaten. The lodge wasn't safe, but the forest had provided ample spots to hide out. He did his best to avoid the fighting, diving through and over some of the roaring fires to bring them to safety. By the time he had finished his job, he had significant burns all over his legs, and as the nurse had informed him, there had been some damage to his lungs as well. But his actions led to the safe recovery of ten other students, all without having to engage with the enemy.

Iida wasn't sure when he was moved out of intensive care, whether it was mere hours or entire days. He had hoped that the moment he was transferred, he would be able to see the others, but that wasn't the case. He laid in his bed, staring outside the window for an unknown amount of time that stretched on for what felt like an eternity. His ears perked as he heard the sound of his door sliding open, his neck snapping around so quickly that he nearly hurt himself.

However, his happy surprise turned to worried confusion as he saw who his visitors were. Aizawa's head peeked out from his capture scarf, bloodshot eyes staring down at his student. Next to him stood a familiar face, Naomasa Tsukauchi, giving a friendly smile and a warm nod to the hospitalized teen.

"Hello, Iida." He began, hands clasped together. "It's good to see you're recovering well."

The student stared back, mouth hanging slightly open. "I... yeah. How is everyone?"

"I'll give you the details later." Aizawa responded, scratching the back of his neck. "For now, just answer the detective's questions."

"No need to be so blunt, it sounds too ominous." Tsukauchi shook his head, sighing. "Don't worry, Iida, you're not in any trouble. I just need to confirm some things with you, now that you're out of the ICU."

The kid nodded, clenching the blankets slightly in his grasp. "I understand, I'll do my best to help."

"Good." The detective pulled out a small notepad, using a pencil to scratch down notes. "I know this might be unexpected, but I have a few questions regarding your field training week. Can you please walk me through the events that happened during your fight with Stain?"

"Wha-" Iida was taken by surprise, jolting slightly at the mention of that night. "Why are you asking about that?!"

"I know it's not expected, but we need to discuss these things." Tsukauchi reaffirmed, doing his best to sound empathetic. "What happened during that fight?"

"I lost." He stated bluntly. "It took no time for him to knock me down. He was on top of me, and then... it was like he threw his knife into the air, talking to someone I couldn't see. I don't remember what they said... not that I could hear what the other person was saying. Stain mentioned something about the League, and a mountain of bodies. Then they started fighting."

"And what happened next?"

"I don't know. He... the other guy knocked me out." He pulled his arms into his lap, gritting his teeth. "When I finally woke up, Stain was out cold. There was a knife next to me, and the guy... he wanted me to kill Stain. I- I couldn't... I just..."

"It's okay." The detective calmly interjected, reaching out and squeezing the boy's shoulder reassuringly. "You made the right decision. Now... what exactly did he say to you?"

"He... told me... that it was the only time I could avenge my brother."

Aizawa's eyes narrowed at the statement. Iida continued.

"He told me how to do it, like he was... trying to make it easier for me. I can't describe it." He breathed in deeply, although shakily. "Then when I didn't..."

"What did he say? Was he angry?"

"No... It was more like he was disappointed. He told me that I had to be the one to do it... like he had worked hard on something and I had ruined it. But he just accepted it. I don't know how else to describe it."

"I see. Now... are you able to describe his appearance?"

"Not really." He closed his eyes, doing his best to dig these memories back up. "I saw a glimpse of his shoes, they were just... regular running shoes. But I can't tell you much more. It was like there was a sheet of frosted glass over his body, it hid everything."

"And what about his voice?"

"Not any better. It was like... like I was just being fed the words into my brain, without any voice. Like a dream. Why... why are you asking me this? Who is he?"

Tsukauchi sighed, taking a step back. He finished his notes, placing the pad back into his pocket. "We don't know if they're actually a 'he' or not. Word on the street is that they're called 'Rogue.' All we really know is that they work for the League and they have a quirk that allows them to go unnoticed."

"Were they at the camp?"

Aizawa stepped forward, placing himself between the bedridden student and the detective. "To put it simply, yes. Someone saw a hooded figure at the camp."

"But why am I being asked about this now? Everything I've said were things I said when you first asked me?"

The teacher sighed. "I was hoping that the students would be the ones to tell you, but it looks like it can't be helped. Kouta was the one who witnessed Rogue at the lodge."

Iida's eyes widened, his mind slowly working out the implications. "Is Izuku-"

"No. He's not." Aizawa replied immediately. "He was knocked out and taken by the League. We're doing everything we can to get him back."

"No, you can't..." He looked down, pulling on the thin blanket tightly as he clenched his fists. His blood ran through his veins like icy water. He resisted the urge to vomit as he felt his eyes burn. "He's really... I'm so stupid!"

"Iida, you can't blame yourself-" Tsukauchi began, only to be cut off.

"I should have gone with him!" He choked out between clenched teeth. "I knew something was wrong... I shouldn't have listened to him! He's gone because of me!"

Aizawa kneeled down, grabbing him by the shoulders. He lightly tugged, angling the boy so he had to face him. "Listen to me, Iida. You faced a tough decision, and given the situation I probably would have done the same. You didn't fail anything, you saved ten people out there."

"And I lost one!"

"No, you didn't." Aizawa reaffirmed. "We haven't lost him yet. We're going to get him back. Do you understand? We haven't lost anything."

Iida paused, eyes closed and lips pulled back as he slowly nodded. "Yes... I understand. I'm... sorry."

"Okay." The teacher sighed in relief, standing back up. "It's late, so I'll let the students know you're able to see them in the morning. They've missed you."

He nodded again, not saying anything.

"Iida, would you like us to stay with you tonight?"

He shook his head.

"Okay." Tsukauchi stepped back, opening the door. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me or Aizawa. We'll get right to work on finding and rescuing Izuku."

The adults filed out of the room, Aizawa flipping off the light as he left. Iida stared down at his fists, watching has the tears eventually stopped dripping from his face. The blanket was quick to wick the moisture away, and before he knew it, that icy void that threatened to tear him apart was slowly being filled by something else.

It was as if a flame was building within him, consuming tinder, growing larger, blooming into a bonfire of righteous fury in his chest. He gripped the blanket tighter than ever, his shallow breaths increasing rapidly as he felt rage wash over his body like boiling water. He narrowed his eyes, clenching his teeth so hard he felt as if they might break from the pressure.

"I'll find you." He whispered to himself. "I promise... I won't hesitate like last time. I'll find you."

Aizawa really wished there was a window inside Nedzu's office. Preferably one he could dive out of, but even if it was just to stare at the outside, it would have sufficed.

Then again, he probably would have just seen the horde of protesters lined outside of the school's barrier. Perhaps it was best he couldn't see anything at all.

He could feel his palms twitch every so often, as he resisted the urge to ball his fists. Both he and Blood King were there, waiting for their superior to arrive. Aizawa refused to sit down, alternating which corner he sulked in every few minutes. The other adult planted himself firmly in one of the plush chairs, bent forward, the back of his heel jittering up and down as he rested his clasped hands over his knees. Neither spoke to another.

A few more agonizing moments of silence passed until, thankfully, the door creaked open, with the rat-principal and All Might in tow. The third pro-hero quickly took a seat in the chair opposite of Vlad.

"Have the two of you prepared for the press conference?" Nedzu began, walking over to his tea counter.

"As much as you can for these things." Aizawa muttered, exhausted. He pointed at All Might. "What's he doing here?"

The hero in question raised one hand slightly in a non-confrontational stance. "I'm not joining the conference, if that's what you're thinking. I was just asked to come along since Nedzu and I had some things to discuss later."

The principal came back, tea set in tow. "We'll worry about that later. We've only got a few more minutes before we're thrown to the wolves."

Vlad looked up, hands tightening. "Is... Is it really that bad?"

"This is the first time in decades that a student was abducted by villains." Aizawa pulled at the edge of his dress shirt collar. It made him itch all over. "By the most prestigious school in all of Japan, no less. Of course it's that bad."

Everyone fell silent, letting the emptiness of the situation settle in. Of course there was still a good chance of getting him back, but that didn't do much to get over the bitterness and emotional strain everyone had gone through.

"...I should have been there." All Might muttered, looking down at the floor.

"All Might..." Nedzu trailed off. "We all agreed on the plan of action beforehand. There's no way we could have predicted this."

"And look at what good it did!" He clenched his fists. "I should have been there, I just wish I could have done something-"

"Don't you dare." Aizawa cut him off, leaning back into the wall. "Stop being self-righteous for once. You're in the public spotlight too much, it would have just made us easier to find."

"Right, because you did a great job back there-" He bit back, seeing the rage-filled glare the teacher sent back to him. His eyes widened, realizing what just came out of his mouth. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"Right." He muttered, sauntering over to the door as he slicked his hair back more. "I'm going to the press room. I'll meet the two of you there."

The door softly shut, leaving a tense thickness to the air.

"I'll go check up on him." Vlad half-heartedly offered, getting up. Nedzu nodded as the second pro-hero left.

The door shut a second time, leaving the principal and his newest teacher alone in the room. They stared at each other in silence, both knowing what should be said but hesitating to move forward.

"...I'm letting my anger get the best of me." All Might admitted, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I think everyone here is on edge." Nedzu replied, placing a cup of tea in front of him. "I'm sure the two of you will work it out before long."

"I know... I just got so angry about that." He vented, staring at the wisps of steam that rose from the brim of the cup. "I wasn't able to do anything when it all went down... and he calls me self-righteous for wanting to help?"

"It was uncalled for, perhaps." The principal replied, hopping up into the seat opposite of the hero. "But if I were to be frank with you, I don't think what you said was any better."

All Might looked up, a look of genuine confusion on his face.

"There's no doubt in my mind that Aizawa put everything he had into making sure those kids were safe. He spent months setting everything up, poring over everything, from the staff on hand to the location of the new training camp." He paused, taking a deep breath. "I understand you feel that, had you been in the picture... then things would have gone better. But you came across as saying that the only thing that would have really mattered was your presence. Even if you didn't mean to, he took it as you saying that nothing he could have done would have mattered."

All Might slightly recoiled, pulling the cup of tea closer to his chest. "I... I see."

"You're quick to throw yourself into trouble to help others." Nedzu consoled. "It's an admirable trait for any hero, it's the reason you're known as the Symbol of Peace. But... we both know that isn't going to stay for long. Have you found a new candidate for a successor?"

He shook his head. "I haven't. Nighteye refuses to look for one... though I can't blame him. I try to avoid the topic for now."

"I see." Nedzu took a sip. "I'll do some of the heavy lifting, then. Once we get Midoriya back, and things begin to stabilize, I'll start scouting myself."

The pro hero's jaw dropped at the offer. "Are... are you sure that's a good idea? I'm grateful, but... that's a lot to ask for, especially with how much you have on your plate right now."

"I think it'll be fine." Nedzu hopped off the chair, walking over to put a reassuring hand on the larger man's knee. "I wouldn't offer if I didn't have the ability to. The Symbol of Peace has to live on."

"I... Thanks." His grip on his tea cup tightened.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a press conference to attend." Nedzu walked towards the door, stopping just before he opened it. "Actually, before I go... I know this isn't quite comforting to hear, but... We haven't received any threats or ransom demands from the League. We both know that if All for One were to have done anything to the boy..."

"He wouldn't have been able to resist the urge to gloat about it." All Might concluded. "He likes to be subtle, but he would have left us something."

"That's right." The principal reaffirmed. "So for now, it's safe to assume nothing serious has been done to Midoriya yet."

Toshinori sighed, not quite feeling fully relieved. Still, it helped. "Then we don't have time to waste. Don't let the journalists get the best of you."

Nedzu nodded, cracking a small smile as he left. The hero looked down at his tea cup, still warm in his hands.

"I won't let them hurt you." He whispered to himself. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Izuku honestly had trouble remembering the early days of his time with the League. Much of it was just him hanging out with Shigaraki, the two spending strange times together in their hollowed out cove of a dusty, abandoned bar. Yet, he still remembers the feelings he had during those first few days. He enjoyed the time he spent there, but the watchful eyes of Kurogiri... and someone else he hadn't met quite yet... made the hairs on the back of his neck stand to attention. The piercing gazes, watching the two of them as they interacted with one another.

It was only now, with his identity revealed to the rest of the core League members that these sentiments returned. He was almost too afraid to be in the same vicinity as them, the lack of a veil over his face making him feel more vulnerable than ever. Where he once was hardly more than a set piece in the bar, usually ignored, he had become the focus of everyone's attention.

Izuku really wished he hadn't made that decision to walk down the staircase and face the other villains. It was just a handful of the vanguard squad; Kurogiri and Shigaraki were absent. He made a beeline for one of the barstools, clutching a glass of lukewarm milk tightly as he tried to avoid the gazes that bored into the back of his skull.

Dabi, however, was not one to be ignored. He stood up, slinking over to the bar and leaning his elbow on the countertop.

"So, the mysterious Rogue has finally been unmasked." He smiled wide. "You know, of all people the hand man could have made his underling, I wasn't expecting it to be someone I saw before."

Izuku didn't answer, he just stared forward in a bid to escape the man's attention.

The older villain just chuckled, leaning into the teen's ear. It took everything in his power not to recoil from the absolutely rancid stench coming from the other villain's skin, crudely stretched and hastily stapled onto his exposed muscles.

"A lot of people here don't know you're the armored kid in Stain's arrest video." He whispered, scorching breath almost burning Izuku's ear. "I'm sure a lot of questions are gonna get asked if that kind of word leaks out, and they'll definitely start wondering why he went berserk when he saw you. I suggest you start talking to me before that happens."

"What do you want?" Izuku spun around, glaring at the other villain.

"To learn more about you, obviously." He gave the boy some space, rubbing the back of his neck. "So tell me, what's being the right hand man like?"

He sighed, turning again to face the back of the bar again. "About the same as you, I guess. Get missions and do them."

"So what's hand man like, then?"

The green haired kid froze up at the question. It was as if the gears in his brain all ground to a halt.

What was working with Shigaraki like? Why did that question feel so nebulous to answer?

He looked down at the lacquered surface of the bar top, furrowing his brow. He remembered the training, the gruff encouragement he used to be given when he was younger... but he also knew the despondence and mottled frustration of his recent interactions with the leader of the League. He resisted the urge to feel his neck, small knots forming where he remembered Shigaraki had grabbed him, threatening to turn his neck to dust like he had so many others.

"I don't know." He sighed. "I don't."

"Huh." Dabi sneered. "I thought you would have known the guy you've been running with for so long."

"What are you getting at?"

"Just food for thought. Why do you even bother with him?" He shrugged, looking down at the former student in front of him.

"Why do I-" He stammered, glaring at the other villain. "Because he's my brother-"

Dabi chuckled, glancing back at the group of villains who had been silently observing the whole time. "I told you, he's softened up."

Magne cracked a smile, lacing her fingers together. "Not really surprising. All that time being coddled at Yuuei must have really dulled him out."

"He spent too much time with those fucking heroes." Spinner chimed in, thumbing the pommel of his blade. "The same people we're supposed to be fighting against."

"What..." Izuku gripped the edge of the counter, knuckles turning white. "What are you...?"

Dabi turned to face him again. His condescending grin was gone, replaced with a much more serious look. "If I said that to you a year ago, you would have come at me with a knife. As you are now... if I found you on the streets looking for us, I would have turned you to ash the moment I saw you."

Toga's wide yellow eyes bored into Izuku as she sighed. It was very obvious she was enjoying watching him struggle to handle the confrontation unfolding in front of him.

The deformed and scabby villain leaned in, smiling wide as his acidic words washed over the teen's face. "All you've managed to do since 'infiltrating' that pathetic excuse for a school was murder a kid who thought you were trying to kill yourself."

Magne chimed in again. "Of course the brat's a kid killer, it's about the only thing we've seen he's good at."

Izuku reared back in bewilderment, panicked and confused at their insults. They're no better- they were just about to do the same at the camp!

...Right?

Mind being eaten alive by doubt, he abruptly pushed back from the bar, the stool clattering to the ground as he landed on his feet. He quickly activated obfuscate, practically stomping his way to the back room, their raucous laughter bouncing around his skull. He guessed they would think that he went back upstairs, and short of going outside this was the best thing he could do.

The storage area was still as cluttered and dusty as ever, housing plenty of small spaces he could squirrel away in, curl up and just forget about the world outside this small space.

He paused next to a painfully familiar area of the room. On the concrete floor was a splotch of ground that was much brighter than the areas around it, as a result of the vigorous cleaning it took to rid the floor of the blood stains of Knuckleduster. There had been an effort to redesign the layout of the room, to cover up the site, but after being covered by wooden pallets and stacks of boxes, the painfully bright floor remained visible.

He paused for a moment, before shaking his head and stepping around the clean area on the ground. He found a relatively high stack of boxes, sturdy looking enough. He climbed to the top, laying down so he could minimize how visible he was from the ground. He curled up into a ball, tucking his knees in tightly as he closed his eyes and wished he never had to open them up again.

However, than wish was not to be, and his moments of silence were interrupted by the sound of coarse static playing over a nearby speaker.

"It appears that the other members of the League trust you even less than they did before." Sensei noted, stating it as if he was just observing an obvious fact. "But that's not surprising. You've never proven yourself to them, and you're the second in command of the leader who can't really control them. It's only natural that they would give you even less leeway."

Izuku curled up tighter, trying to avoid the voice of his mentor.

"Come now, Izuku." He said, the barest hint of sympathy in his voice. "You know that I'm only looking out for your own wellbeing. The Vanguard Action Squad simply haven't seen your true potential yet. Of course, that's only if you even intend to make use of them."

"They're not my team to use" He muttered. "It's Shigaraki's."

"And you're his direct subordinate, by definition you have the right to do with them as you see fit."

The teen shifted his body, moving into a cross legged position on the stack of boxes. "You want me to use them? What for?"

"Well... They are right that you've changed." The older man admitted through the speakers. "But I know that your ideals have remained the same. Of all the things I have taught you, I seem to have neglected something crucial from our lessons, though I believe this is a conversation better suited for an in person discussion."

"Kurogiri isn't here..." Izuku shuddered. "A-and I'm sure I'm not supposed to be out in public right now... how am I supposed to get to you?"

"I have my ways, Midoriya. Just... don't hold your breath."

Iida continuously refreshed his news feed, the glare of the screen reflecting harshly off his glasses, while he vainly searched for a news article that could give him an update on Izuku's whereabouts. It had become almost a ritual, with him curled up over himself, keeping his phone right up to his face.

A knock on his door echoed throughout the clean and barren room, but it wasn't until the third knock that he actually tore his attention away from his useless habits.

"Come-" He weakly began, before clearing his throat and projecting a much stronger voice. "Come in, please!"

The door slid open, revealing significantly more people than he expected. Fourteen people quickly filed into the room, all members of Class 1-A. Iida saw that most of them carried a soft smile on their faces, as if trying to comfort him. He did his best to put on a smile of his own. The corners of his mouth twitched and trembled, though he remained resolute and refused to drop the expression.

"You're all here?" He asked, scanning the room for anyone who wasn't there.

"Well, all of us who could come here." Uraraka nodded, a small grimace on her face. "Jirou and Hagakure are still out cold from the gas they inhaled. The doctors said they're slowly coming out of it. Momo actually just woke up last night, but she's not in any state to be moving quite yet. Bakugou... no one's seen him. I don't think he's ready to face us yet."

"...And Izuku isn't here either." Todoroki bluntly finished. "For obvious reasons."

A few of his classmates shot him a mild glare, but he paid it no mind.

Iida bunched bits of his blanket into his balled fists. "Yes, for obvious reasons."

"What about you?" Tsuyu quickly changed the subject. "How come you're not discharged yet?"

The boy shrugged. "I was told the burns were recovering nicely, and there wouldn't need to be a skin graft. Recovery Girl should be by with the final treatment later in a few hours."

Mina sighed in relief. "That's great to hear! Hopefully you'll be out of here by tonight, then!"

"Yeah..." Iida trailed off, looking back down at his bed. He let go of his death grip on his blanket, opening his palms slightly as he turned them to face him. He watched as his fingers twitched, palms shaking as he felt the pit in his stomach grow wider.

"I'm sorry." He shook his head, closing his eyes. "I can't act like things are okay. I just... I was so close! He was right there in front of me, and I let him go."

Everyone watched as he gritted his teeth, tears welling at the corners of his eyes. "I let him go. I could have stopped him before it even began, and I let him walk right into that trap. I... I failed."

Kirishima stepped forward, mouth pulled back into a sympathetic grimace. After only a moment's hesitation, he reached his hand out and simply stated:

"Then let's go save him."

Iida's head snapped to attention, eyes widening as he felt a righteous fury slowly pour into his stomach. "Are you crazy-?!"

"I was actually going to visit you last night, and I met Todoroki here as well. We both had the same thoughts. We couldn't just... I can't sit by and do nothing! Not after that night- I lost too much! You have to feel the same, don't you?"

The class president's eyes darted over to Todoroki, who also stepped to the forefront. "I have to admit, with all the times I've been with him... he's made me realize who I want to be, and why I'm still here as a hero. And up until now... I've never been able to thank him for that. I can't watch from a distance... not when there's someone who really needs our help."

Iida's shock only grew as he saw the red and white haired student bow to him. "I beg you, please help us."

"You don't even know where he is, let alone how you'll rescue him!" He yelled, wincing as his throat ached from disuse. "There's nothing you can do!"

"That's not true." Todoroki calmly stated. "While I was here last night, I overheard Momo talk to the police. She created a tracker and planted on one of the villains during their fight. We can ask her to make another transceiver. It'll lead us straight to them."

Kirishima stepped forward, thumping his chest with his fist. "I can't stand by and do nothing! If I can't save him... Forget about being a hero- I wouldn't even be able to call myself a man!"

"That's called being an idiot!" Iida viciously yelled back, his budding anger overflowing and surprising everyone in the room. "If you go... you'll be even less of a man. If you end up causing trouble for the heroes, you'll have done nothing but make everything worse! Did you even think what would happen if you intervened and got- and g-got Midoriya killed?!"

The red haired student stopped to a standstill. He felt mouth involuntarily snap shut, eyes widening as he processed what he was just told. He clenched his fists, gritting his teeth as he looked aside himself. "But I can't... I can't just let him-"

"If you go..." Tsuyu began, her voice blunt and strong as she called from the back of the room. "If you go, you'll be breaking the law. Don't you care that doing this makes you no better than the villains?"

"I don't... I just..." Kirishima trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"The people rescuing Izuku have been doing this longer than we've been alive." She pressed forward, moving through the crowd to place herself between Iida and Kirishima. "They're experts at this, we need to put our trust in them. If we can't do that... how can people put their trust in us when we become heroes ourselves?"

He closed his eyes, head hanging in shame. "Okay... Fine, I get it. I guess... a real man wouldn't do something that could put more people in harm's way, huh?"

"Yeah." Karminari put his hand on Kirishima's shoulder, slightly nudging him back from the hospital bed. "Hey, let's go find Bakugou. I'm sure he's off skulking somewhere."

Kirishima nodded, looking back at Iida. "I'm sorry I tried to rope you into that... you're right."

Iida sighed. "It's fine, just... don't do something like that again."

"I think we should probably give Iida some breathing space." Tsuyu commented, the rest of the room's occupants uncomfortably agreeing. "It's been a tense day. Iida, I hope we see you out and about tomorrow."

The bespectacled student nodded, watching as everyone began to shuffle out of the room. It wasn't long before it was just Iida and Todoroki left, both of whom had not moved from their spots.

"I'm surprised, Iida." The scarred kid stated. His determined expression had not changed in the slightest since his arrival. "Out of everyone, I would have thought you would have been the most willing to go."

The statement felt like a blow to Iida's stomach, guilt ripping up his insides like a hot knife. Despite that, he steeled himself, remaining resolute. "I made that mistake before, I won't repeat it again."

"Then I guess it'll be just me, then."

"Momo won't agree to this, you know that."

"We'll see." Todoroki turned around, walking out the door. "If you change your mind... tonight is the latest that we can do it. We'll talk later."

Izuku was taken aback by how quickly we was whisked away by Sensei's quirk. One second, things were normal, the next... a well of pitch black liquid built up inside of him, gushing out of his mouth, seeping through every pore of his body. It overtook him, forcing him to float in a nebulous, dark void, unable to move or feel anything. His vision grew dim, the liquid in his lungs suffocating him as his mind raced, screaming at him to escape-

The green haired teenager fell to his knees as he was roughly ejected back into Sensei's own hideout. He clutched his shoulders, leaning over as he drank in deep gulps air. Once he began to calm down, he managed to become aware of his surroundings. He was once again in that pitch black room, the only source of light being the monitors on the other end of the room that casted everything in a sickly green, dim glow. As usual, Sensei was there, his hands neatly folded in his lap as he received yet another IV drip.

"I trust your trip was safe?" He cracked a small smile, gesturing to a cushioned chair across from him as Izuku slowly got to his feet. "Please, take a seat."

The boy nodded, slowly shuffling across the room to plant himself in the chair. "Are... are Kurogiri or Shigaraki going to be here? Doctor Tsubasa is gone, too..."

"No, today it is just the two of us." Sensei leaned slightly forward, looking down at the child in front of him. "Come to think of it, this is the first time in years that you weren't chaperoned by another villain... strange, isn't it?"

Izuku clenched his fists in his lap, sitting up as straight as possible. All for One grinned, wiping his chin with his thumb.

"I think that this will be a good opportunity for us to have a conversation without their prying ears. Be truthful with me, Midoriya... what do you think about me?"

Izuku's mouth hung open, at first unsure of what to say. He did have some ideas, but... then again, he knew the deformed villain could just peer into his mind. Maybe... he just wanted him to say it for himself.

"You're... you're scary, Sensei." He admitted, looking down at his lap. "I don't know what you do, or... what you're thinking. The moment I get an idea of what you want, it changes."

"I appreciate your honesty, Izuku." Sensei clapped, the scarred wrinkles on his face curving upwards. "Now, I guess I should tell you why I've called you here. Our own Mr. Sako revealed a very interesting piece of information while I was listening in on a conversation of his. What was the boy's name... Kouta Izumi? I was aware that he witnessed you, but for you to reveal your identity and still win him over-"

"I didn't think it was that important!" Izuku blurted out, eyes widened in fear. "He didn't reveal me to the police, so we don't need to-"

Sensei held his hand up, and almost instinctively Izuku's nervous explanations ceased.

"There's no need to be so defensive!" He half-joked, a chuckle hoarsely crawling from his throat. "I am not angry, if anything the exact opposite. Tell me, Midoriya, I have seen you forge allies before... do you know what makes him so different?"

Izuku paused, his relief that Kouta wasn't in trouble overtaken by confusion. "I... I don't know."

"Well, let's take a look at your other allies, then." Sensei leaned back, shifting around slightly to settle into his wheelchair once more. "You've gained a lot of fervor from your good friend, Iida Tenya. Do you consider him an ally of yours?"

"...No."

"After all you've done for each other?" Sensei questioned further, bringing his arm up to rest the side of his face on his knuckles. "I'm sure he'd do anything for you."

"He wouldn't... I don't think he would." Izuku's gaze shifted from his lap to the dark floor beneath him. He felt heavy, like the chair would break under him and the ground would swallow him up. "He doesn't know who I am... He would never... He likes a fake version of me."

"Is it really that fake?"

The boy's head snapped up. "W-what do you mean?"

"I admit you had trouble putting on your mask when you became a Yuuei student. But it's obvious that at some point you started becoming that mask." Sensei's free hand drummed with precise rhythm on the arm rest. "Did you ever wonder why you've become so unsure of yourself? Why you feel so guilty? You don't call Shigaraki 'Brother' anymore, why is that?"

"He... we've grown apart." Izuku sighed. "While I was at the mall... he... it was like he was considering killing me. Did I... do something wrong?"

"I think that's a different issue." All for One replied in a conciliatory tone. "But we'll return to that topic later. Why do you think you changed?"

"It's... I don't know." He replied, closing his eyes as he rubbed them. "I can't think of a reason. But... you're right. Things aren't the same."

"Well, we don't have to come up with a reason now. You're aware of it, that's what really matters. Then, if we do not have any true allies within the world of heroes, what about in villainy?" He stared down at Izuku, tilting his head. "I recall you had built an amicable relationship with the child who called himself Mustard."

Izuku nodded, feeling more comfortable talking about the other teen. "He had been burned before... we both knew what that was like. We never got to speak much, but... I know we liked each other."

Sensei nodded, letting the boy continue.

"I-is there any way... he was arrested during the raid in the forest- I want to rescue-"

Sensei held his hand up again, cutting the boy off. "You wouldn't want that."

"W-what are you talking about?! Of course I want that!"

Sensei sighed, moving back to his computer. With a few clicks of a mouse, a camera feed popped up on the monitor. Izuku got up, walking over to see what was on it.

It was a police interrogation room, empty except for Mustard, who was sitting behind a table.

"This was captured earlier today, just a few hours ago. Notice anything odd about the room?" The older villain informed him.

The boy stared at the screen, trying his best to find any discrepancy. His eyes shifted to the captured villain's wrists. "He's not... wearing handcuffs?"

"Correct." He confirmed.

Mustard appeared nervous, but unable to hide a smile from his face. Eventually, the door opened, revealing an adult couple. The boy scrambled from his chair, rushing towards them as they greeted him with open arms. They all embraced, grasping each other and cheering.

All for One paused the feed, turning back to face Izuku. "It appears he didn't tell you why he hated heroes so much. Were you aware that he was separated from his parents at birth?"

Izuku stepped back, wordlessly shaking his head.

"Our dear member had grown up, thinking he was abandoned by his parents. He was raised in a rather abusive foster home until he ran away, around the age of fourteen. The caretaker neglected to report him missing, since it would have meant a cut to her payout. He turned his hatred to heroes, who he blamed for not saving him from his terrible home."

"...Are those...?"

"His birth parents, yes. As it turns out, they were accidentally given the wrong baby at the hospital, one that was supposed to be given up for adoption. It was a few years before they found out, and by that time there wasn't a reliable way to track their son down. It was only when he was captured and they took his DNA that he was revealed to be the missing child."

"I don't get it, why are they letting him meet his parents?"

"Really, now? I would have thought that you would have understood, now that you won Kouta over." He paused, seeing if Izuku's confused expression would change. When it didn't, he continued. "You never actually won Mustard over, because you never understood his pain. You just gave him a place to vent. The police managed to find that missing piece to his heart. You know what he did once they revealed this information to him?"

Izuku's eyes widened in shock. "No... He didn't-"

"He did. Without any hesitation, nonetheless." All for One chuckled, smiling as the distraught boy. "He betrayed you, and everyone else in the league. He revealed where the hideout is, gave descriptions of everyone he ever met, even you. It's lucky that he never saw your face."

The green haired teen stumbled back, collapsing into the chair like a puppet without strings. "I... I didn't even know."

"Not everyone is an open book." Sensei intoned, turning off the monitor. "Sometimes, it takes a little coaxing to figure out why someone is the way they are. If you cannot do that, you will never win over their heart. And that's why I'm really pleased about what you did with Kouta."

Izuku paused, eyes slowly rising to meet the hollow folds of skin where the older villain's should have been. "...What?"

"Without me even having to teach you, you turned your sympathy into empathy." The deformed villain proudly stated. "You didn't just recognize he was in pain, you found out why and you filled that void for him. It took a few tries, but without you even realizing it, you made an ally who is wholeheartedly devoted to you and what you stand for."

Despite the praise, it made the boy feel more like someone had reached into his chest and grabbed his heart, threatening to rip it out. He resisted the urge to shiver as he felt his mouth open and close, words failing him.

"Midoriya..." Sensei trailed off. He grabbed the arm rests of his wheelchair, pushing himself slowly out of the seat he had confined himself to. He held his arms out, palms facing upwards he smiled wide. A chilling peal of laughter rang through the room, echoing off the barren walls. "You've done something I have never been able to teach someone before. And now that I know you carry this gift within you... it can be replicated, utilized... you have become so much more than what you used to be... someone who is worthy of becoming my successor!"

Izuku's breathing stopped. His eyes widened, mouth hung open as he failed to process what his teacher had just told him. He felt himself sink backwards into the chair, instinctively retracting from the man who quite literally loomed over him. "What- no, you... But- Shigaraki-"

"Your brother was my previous candidate, but you have succeeded him in almost every way. I have decided to give you this opportunity in his stead."

"What... What d-did he say ab- about it?"

"What he thinks is absolutely irrelevant now, Midoriya. This is your decision."

The teen clenched his fists, grimacing as his question was deflected. "I won't t-take something m-m-meant for him."

"You misunderstand me. This is not a choice between you or him having it." Sensei shook his head, smiling even wider. "I refuse to give my throne to those who aren't the absolute best. Either you take my power, or I will destroy it before anyone else can get their hands on it. Think of your ideals, Midoriya. What is the future you yearn for? I am offering you the means to do so."

Izuku remained frozen, desperately begging for his seat to swallow him whole and take him away from this room, away from this madman. Through the haze of his overloaded mind, he could just barely make out the figure standing over him, expectant grin being etched into the folds of his mind. He couldn't... his brain was too fried for him to make a decision. It felt like no matter what he could choose, it would betray everyone. He gulped thickly, mouth trembling as he wallowed in his own guilt-ridden inhibition.

All for One's arms dropped to his side, his smile shrinking, but not quite disappearing. "I see. This is quite a bit to consider, isn't it? I suspected this might happen."

The villain sighed, calmly stepping back and placing himself back in his seat. "For now, I shall send you back to the bar. I want you to think about what you want from this world. I expect you to have made a decision by the time you return."

Without warning, he felt something rapidly rise up his throat. He quickly covered his mouth, to no avail. He watched as the black ichor of Sensei's quirk gushed through his fingers, bursting forth like an unrelenting torrent. Within seconds, he was coated in it, floating in nothingness for a few moments, before being unceremoniously dumped back into the back room of the bar.

Hey laid on the floor for a while, staring at that same bright spot he tried to avoid for so often. He didn't bother to get up, he just laid there and soaked the details of the room in as he tried to process the offer he was just given. He brought his hands up to his face, staring at the veins that crawled up and down his palms. Izuku clenched his fists, furrowing his brow and grunting angrily. He quickly pulled himself back up, before spinning around and kicking a box behind him with all his might, watching as it slid off its pile, the fragile contents inside breaking and shattering into thousands of pieces.

It wasn't long before he stomped back out into the main area, thrusting the door open so hard that it spun and slammed against the wall. The four other occupants of the room snapped their heads to the source of the intrusion.

Dabi was the first to pipe up. "Well, well! Didn't expect the brat to be back so soon."

Almost immediately, the bar stool next to the older villain exploded, a shockwave rocking the room as the bits of wood and leather debris shot across the room. Everyone quickly reacted, defending themselves from the blow; Magne and Spinner used their weapons to shield themselves from the pieces of shrapnel that were shot at them. The rest of the villains only had minor scrapes along their arms.

"Get. Out." Izuku commanded, pointing at the door.

Dabi smirked, lowering his arms. "Or what, you'll-"

The teen didn't give him an opportunity to finish. He quickly activated Obfuscate, disappearing from everyone's view for just a split second. When he revealed himself again, it was when he was in the middle of a dropkick, his feet mere centimeters away from the burned villain's face as he drove forward with a staggering amount of force. He felt the man's body practically bend backwards from the impact. He followed up with a stomp to the chest, giving him the leverage to jump back and land on his feet. Before Dabi could even follow up, another air mine exploded in front of him, sending him flying back towards the entrance of the bar. His head collided with the wooden paneling with a sickening crack.

"I said GET OUT!" Izuku screamed, voice cracking. He pointed back at Dabi. "And take him with you!"

"Jeez," Magne sighed, getting up from her seat. "He acts a lot like the boss man sometimes. Let's bounce."

Spinner nodded, walking towards the door. He pulled Dabi up by the forearm, the barely conscious villain leaning heavily on him.

"Damn... Kid's still got those fangs on him, huh." He weakly muttered, before looking back at the enraged young boy. "We'll be back, Rogue. You're not getting rid of us that easily."

Toga was the last to leave, skipping to the door. She paused for a moment, holding it slightly open as she turned around to put a finger to her lips and giggle.

"You're pretty cute when you throw a temper tantrum like that, Izukkun!"

Her flirtations were met with a scream and another chair thrown at her. Her giggles turned to laughs as she slipped through the exit, the object launched at her colliding with the door and clattering uselessly towards the ground.

Izuku stood there, hunched over, breathing heavily. He tried to move forward, only to falter as he clutched the edge of the bar for support. He followed the counter's edge, stumbling around to the back area where Kurogiri would have been. His legs gave out, causing him to collapse, sprawling to the floor. He pulled himself forward, back to where the corner of the wooden fixture and the wall met. The teen wedged himself under the counter, his back pressed into that tiny enclosure. He brought his knees up to his head, hugging them close to his body, as his heavy breathing slowly turned into sniffles and shaky sobs.

Almost immediately after the news had broken about Inko's son, she was granted a paid leave of absence from her clinic. They told her to take as much time as she needed, and do whatever she felt she needed to do in the meantime.

The very next day, she had travelled to Hosu city, large messenger bag full of fliers in hand. She travelled from intersection to intersection, handing out pictures of her son and helplessly begging passersby to call the police if they see anyone who even remotely resembles him.

Her stack of three hundred papers dwindled slowly down over the course of the day, as the news was still readily fresh in everyone's mind, and no one could really say no to a woman who had just lost her son.

It was just on the cusp of the afternoon, the sun halfway between its high point and the horizon, and her supply of fliers was reduced down to just a handful. She had already planned on printing more at an office supply store when she got home. Even so, what few she had left were being taken by all those who spared her a glance when they walked by.

All of the constant walking, bowing and asking people to look for her son- it left her drained. She had already begun the day too distraught to cry further over the loss of her child. It may not be much, but she felt it was the best thing she could have done at the moment.

With only one more photo in her hands, she held the paper out flat, bowing deeply to the next person who walked across from her.

"Please... help me find my son!"

The pedestrian froze, looking down at the page. He gently pulled it out of her hands, staring down at it as he grimaced at the brightly shining boy plastered on the bottom half of the flier. He looked back to the woman, who remained in an uncomfortably deep bow.

He paused, mouth slightly open as he looked for something to say. "Ma'am... are you feeling okay?"

She stood back up, the display of concern taking her back a little. "I- er- I'm fine."

"You're, ah... very red." He pointed out, her exhaustion clearly evident on her features. She was breathing heavily, slightly trembling even as she stood in place. "You look dehydrated. When was the last time you stopped to drink?"

"...I didn't." She sheepishly admitted. "I appreciate the concern, but I need to get back to handing these out-"

She stopped herself as she opened her bag again, the vacant interior staring back at the both of them.

"It looks like you've just finished that, Ma'am. Please, let me get you something to drink, I'll pay." He calmly pushed further. "There's a small convenience store right across the street, they've got an outside patio that you can sit down at, too."

She opened her mouth as if to rebut with something, but she was too tired to make an argument out of it. "Well, alright. Just a water for me."

The man nodded, leading her across the street to the shop he mentioned. She sat down at one of the tables right outside the entrance, and within the minute he had returned with two bottles of water.

She quietly thanked him, before opening it and taking a sip. It was then that she realized just how parched she actually was; she almost immediately brought the bottle back up to her mouth, taking much larger gulp.

"I heard that Yuuei is working with the police to get him back." The stranger offered, pushing his unopened water bottle towards her. "They said they've got some of the top heroes in the country on the job."

She stopped drinking, pausing for a moment. She looked aside herself, staring at the ground while she cradled her arms together. "They told me that, too."

"You don't seem... very convinced. Is something wrong?"

"I do appreciate your concern, but... I don't think it's very appropriate for me to be venting to a complete stranger." She sighed, shaking her head. "Though... I guess I can say that they have a track record of making mistakes... and not following up on their promises to be better."

The man put his hands in his lap, grabbing the legs of his cargo pants and bunching the fabric up. "I... I see. Is it all the villain attacks?"

"Among... among other things, yes." She grimaced, her grip on her bottle tightening. "It's too much for me. I think... I think I'm going to pull him out of Yuuei once he gets rescued. It's just... it's not a safe place for a child! What else am I supposed to do, wait for the next time that he'll get attacked?!"

He almost recoiled from her outburst, though he couldn't blame her for being so angry. He clasped his hands, doing his best to keep his voice as calm as possible. "So, he won't become a hero then?"

"I- I don't know. Once he got his quirk... he was so excited. He wanted to badly to become a hero, and when he finally got the chance to, it came as a miracle to the both of us." She put the bottle down on the table. "I'm sure there are much safer hero schools, but... when I think about that, I wonder if it'll just delay the danger he's in already. I just... I can't imagine how terrifying it would be to see him fight villains day in and day out."

"Maybe..." The man trailed off, leaning a little forward as he thought about his words carefully. "Maybe he doesn't have to be that kind of hero, then. His quirk is Implosion, right? Your boy's powers... he could actually be more suited for things like disaster response and rescues. A lot of people who can do controlled blasts, they usually specialize in earthquake responses or fighting aftermaths. That way... he can still help others without having to fight."

She paused for a moment, looking down as she considered what he said. "I remember seeing a few heroes like that... who was that one with the snake hair?"

"Uwabami." He answered, brushing two tufts of hair away from his eyes. "That's similar to what she does. She rarely fights at all, but because she can tell where someone is just by hearing them, she's been able to lead others to people trapped under rubble."

"Yeah... it's still dangerous, but nowhere near as bad as diving headfirst into villain fights." She huffed, her eyes narrowing. "I don't know, maybe he'll be happy there. But I won't allow him to stay at Yuuei. Even with All Might there himself, they haven't kept him safe."

The man sat silently for a moment, rubbing the tips of his fingers with his thumbs. "If you could... you know, say anything to All Might right now, what would it be?"

She shook her head, closing her eyes. Her hand came up to her chest, clenching her shirt in a balled fist. "I... I don't know. I don't want an apology, or a promise... I just want my son back. That's what I'd tell him. He's great at rescuing people in need... I'm sure he'll do it."

They sat there in dreadful silence, the noises of the city barely registering in either of their ears.

"I'm sure... I'm sure he'll do everything in his power to rescue your son, Mrs. Midoriya." He stood up, pushing his chair back into its place. "I apologize for leaving so soon, but I have an appointment I need to get to. I hope you reunite with your son soon."

"Wait!" She called out as he walked away. He stopped, turning around to face her once more. "Thank you. It's been a very long time since I was able to openly talk about these kinds of things. What's your name?"

He paused, his fists clenched so tightly that his boney knuckles shone white underneath the thin skin.

"...I'm Toshinori Yagi." He answered. "I hope we meet again on better terms."

The sun had set only minutes ago, the last bits of orange light reflecting off the horizon, before the sky was engulfed in darkness.

Iida had only casted a momentary glance at the breathtaking view, his attention more focused on the closed door to his room. They had just given him a final dose of healing, courtesy of Recovery Girl, and he was awaiting the final results of his examination. If all went well, he could expect to be discharged once the doctor arrived, and he was more than happy to get out as quickly as he could. He had grown painfully familiar with the nose-burning, chemical smell of the facility; he promised himself that he would do everything in his power to prevent himself from coming here in the near future.

He rubbed at a sore spot on his forearm, a small red bruise where an IV needle was inserted and removed so many times over. It had been bound with cotton gauze and an adhesive wrap, but it still throbbed painfully.

The moment he heard the door slide open, his head snapped to attention. It was a familiar man, tall, dark haired and dressed just as any other doctor would, with brightly colored formal wear with a white blazer. He pulled a chair out from under the nearby desk, placing it next to the bed as he took the seat.

"How are we feeling today?" He cheerfully greeted "I know you just finished your final healing dose, are you feeling a bit woozy?"

Iida slightly nodded. "Just a little, but I'm feeling well. I've been through worse."

"Considering the state you came here in, I can imagine." He commented, thumbing through the report. "Let's see what we have here... Alright, aside from a little bit of dry skin, it looks like you're back to full health. I know you're up and raring to go, so I won't take long here. Sign these papers, please?"

The doctor handed him his discharge statement. The bespectacled student wasted no time writing his name on it.

"Excellent!" The doctor nodded, taking the sheets back. "Other than that, I recommend putting some moisturizer on your legs to accelerate the final stage of the healing process. Also... I suggested to your teachers that you should put some training into making sharper turns and quick evasions. As heroic as leaping through flames is, if we can mitigate how long it takes for you to get around hazards like fires, you can reduce how much damage you take without considerably slowing you down. So think about ways you can exercise to help with that, okay?"

"Alright, I will." Iida nodded, a little surprised at the suggestion. "You told my teachers?"

The doctor nodded. "I specialize in healing heroes, and what I've seen that helps keep heroes out of the hospital is to prevent the reasons for them coming in the first place. I don't want to see you here again for a while, you hear me?"

Iida cracked a small smile, nodding. "Yes, Sir."

The doctor laughed, patting him on the shoulder as he stood back up. "Alright, then. You can leave whenever you're ready. Your parents dropped off a change of clothes earlier today when they visited. Have a good rest of your night!"

The student's smile dropped as soon the doctor left, and he wasted no time getting his bearings and changing out of the hospital gown and into his casual clothes. Once he finished making his bed, he stepped out, wanting nothing more than to get out of this stupid hospital. He smiled and nodded to the nurses who he came across, taking the elevator and jamming his thumb into the ground floor button. The moment the doors reopened, he half-ran to the lobby, the exit right in sight-

He stopped when he recognized two adults he had met many times before. Both were in pristine dress clothes, as they sat upright in chairs next to each other.

It was Momo's parents.

A brief flash of panic raced across his mind, but he quickly calmed himself down to assess the situation. He unclenched his fists, walking over to the couple and politely bowing.

"Mr. and Mrs. Yaoyorozu." He announced his presence. "It is good to see you again. I take it Momo is doing alright?"

They both nodded, looking fairly relaxed. The mother spoke up, nodding to him and smiling. "It is good to see you too, Tenya. I'm sure she's doing fine, we're just here to thank the doctor for taking such wonderful care of her."

Iida's eyes widened, as he struggled to maintain his composure. He shoved his hands into his pockets, trying desperately to hide the fact that they had begun to tremble. "She's not... with you?"

Momo's dad shook his head. "We'd been notified that she had been discharged, but by the time we got here, she'd already left. She must have gone to visit some friends of hers... I'm sure she misses them dearly."

"Absolutely." His wife continued, laughing happily. "She was very lonely as a kid, it's nice to see her make friends. She even invited some of them over to study for the midterms before! I hope they do that again sometime."

"I see." Iida responded, doing his best to smile back at them. "Well, I should probably head back to see my own parents. I hope you both have a good night!"

They all waved goodbye to each other before Iida spun around and headed out the building. As soon as he was out of their view, he gritted his teeth, grinding them together so hard that it felt as if he was going to wear them down to the gums. He shoved his hand into his pocket again, shakily pulling out his cell phone and punching in a number from his emergency contacts list.

He placed it up to his ear, his heart starting and stopping along with the ringing tone emanating from the tinny speaker. It didn't take long for someone to pick up.

"Todoroki household! This is Fuyumi." A woman answered cheerily.

"Fuyumi!" He yelled back, before momentarily covering his mouth. He continued with a slightly softer tone. "I'm sorry, is Shouto there?"

"Nope, he left about a half hour ago, he said he had something to do. You have his cell number, right? Is there a message I need to leave for him?"

"N-no." He answered, clutching at his chest. "No, that won't be necessary. Thank you."

"Alright, have a nice night then!"

"Y-you too." He grunted out, immediately hanging up the phone. He resisted the urge to throw it across the street.

"Those idiots!" He shouted, shaking as he stomped down the sidewalk. There had to be something he could do, someone he could reach out to-

He froze in place, eyes widening. There was someone he could call, but... he could very well be betraying his classmates.

He shook his head. No, if he had to betray his friends in order to keep them out of harm's way, then so be it. He looked through his contacts list, finding the right person and dialing. Knowing them, they'd be up right about now.

"Aizawa speaking. Make it quick."

"Todoroki and Yaoyorozu are going to try to rescue Midoriya!" Iida yelled, going straight to the point.

"WHAT?!" The teacher's voice was momentarily garbled, as if the phone had been fumbled with. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Iida confirmed. "Todoroki mentioned getting Yaoyorozu to make a second tracker. I didn't think she was going to do it."

"Damn it. Thanks for letting me know, I'll notify the heroes on site that there's another problem they'll have to deal with. I'm on my way there."

"Aizawa-sensei..."

"What?"

He gulped, clutching the phone so tightly that he wondered if the glass was going to start cracking. "They didn't leave that long ago. I'm the closest one to them right now, but I don't know where they're going... I can stop them before they arrive."

There was a painfully long pause on the other end of the line, until eventually the teacher sighed. "...Alright, then. They're headed towards the Kamino ward in Yokohama. If they're going by train then you might only be one or two trains behind them. I'll notify the authorities there that there may be one or two students trying to sneak in. Do not go into the evacuation zone, you hear me? If they cross that threshold, it'll be the heroes' job to get them to safety. If you come across a hero, tell them who to look for... and if you see any villains, run. Don't engage them." Iida sighed in relief. "Yes, Sir. I'll do my best."

"Good. I'll call you once I arrive."

The moment he heard the dial tone on the other end of the line, Iida practically took off for the train station. He resisted the urge to use his quirk, not wanting to get stopped by a cop and wasting more time.

"I'll find you." He thought to himself, the singular thought consuming his mind. "No matter what it takes, I'll find you!"

It wasn't long after Izuku's meltdown that Kurogiri and Shigaraki returned, finding him curled up in that tiny crawl space among the rubble he left behind. Neither of the adult villains asked any questions; Kurogiri simply began the slow process of cleaning everything up and replacing the damaged furniture, while the younger villain just dragged a new chair over to the TV monitor and booted up a new game.

It was probably about another hour until the former student finally emerged from under the counter, doing his best to avoid looking at either of them.

"I'm sorry... about breaking stuff." He quietly muttered to no one in particular.

"Ah, that was you, Midoriya?" The bartender mindlessly asked, wiping down a few of his drinking glasses. "I thought that might have been the case. No matter, it's not the first time I've had to replace things here and there."

Izuku was initially put off by the rather nonchalant response he got from the bartender, but... when he looked up, he realized the older villain refused to look back at him.

"I got an earful from some of the other team members." Shigaraki blankly noted, not taking his eyes off the SHMUP he was playing. "It's been a while since they've been kicked out. Makes it easier to play, at least."

The teen froze in place, unsure of how he was supposed to respond. This was the first time Shigaraki spoke to him since the mall incident, and he was... almost the exact opposite of how he acted then. It reminded Izuku of how they spoke when they were younger. It felt familiar, yet nothing like he had experienced before.

"I..." He trailed off, words hanging in his throat. Maybe... maybe he could start to rebuild his relationship with his brother again. "Can I... play a round with you?"

"I don't play with people who don't actually try." He bluntly replied. "You'd make it boring."

Izuku felt the brutal rejection hit him like a punch to the teeth. He should have expected as much, he had been giving up and letting the other villain win.

"I know... and I'm sorry." He nodded, covering his mouth. "But... I don't want to do that anymore. It wasn't fair to either of us. Please, just... let me prove it to you."

Shigaraki sighed, turning off the console and popping the disk out of the reader. He looked down the stack of games piled next to the machine, before pulling one out and turning the game system back on.

"Fine. We're playing Mortal Kombat 2. If I catch you holding back, I'll tear your face off."

Izuku shook his head, reaffirming his intentions to the other villain. "I won't."

It didn't take long for them to set up a new game- they both knew this version like the back of their hand. Shigaraki chose Scorpion just as quickly as Izuku selected Mileena. Within seconds, they were on the playing field, facing each other in a fight to the death. They rapidly traded blows with one another, blocking almost every attack in their path. Izuku crouched down, as if to go into a roll, but instead faked out and teleported through the ground, appearing at the top of the screen to kick Shigaraki's fighter square in the face. The next round, the older villain won by throwing a chained blade at his opponent, sinking it squarely into her chest as he shouted his signature line.

They remained like that for hours, each taking turns winning and losing. Before they knew it, both of them were staring intently at the screen, focused solely on the game playing out before them. They didn't notice the stream of other villains slowly pour back into the bar, watching them from the other end of the room as they carried out their digital competition. Eventually, both of them grew satisfied with the competition, wordlessly agreeing to end it, with Shigaraki claiming the final victory as Scorpion used his blade to slice Mileena in half, her torso being thrown carelessly over his back and splattering onto the ground with a wet thud.

The winner placed his controller down onto the counter, folding his arms across his chest. "...And another Fatality. What's the score on that?"

Izuku shrugged. "I wasn't counting."

The other villain clicked his tongue. "Figures. Whatever, I won the last round, that's what counts."

"I guess so, Brother." The teen laughed, putting his own controller back. He looked over to the clock that hung on the wall.

It was half past ten, night had already come upon them.

Izuku looked back to Kurogiri and Shigaraki expectantly. "They'll be here soon. What's the plan?"

The older villains looked at him confusedly.

"Plan, Midoriya? What are you talking about?"

A look of horror dawned on his face. "Wait, you didn't- Did... did Sensei not tell you?"

Shigaraki looked at him weirdly, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You talked to Sensei without us?"

"Never mind that! Hold on..." He quickly activated Obfuscate, disappearing from everyone's view. His eyes widened, shaking as he felt his how many people's minds he wormed into.

He couldn't tell the exact number, but there were far more people outside than there should have been. He quickly dispelled his quirk.

"Kurogiri, open a portal now-"

A knock on the door grabbed everyone's attention. "Hello, this is Kamino Pizza Delivery?"

Izuku immediately jumped onto the counter, grabbing Shigaraki by the collar and hauling the flustered villain over the other side. Just as the wall behind him exploded, he dove forward, tackling the misty villain head on as the three of them stumbled to the ground. The teen braced himself to hit the floor, only to watch as the wooden surface was replaced with a black void. He felt the cold chill of the warp gate rush by him, as he and the other two villains were ejected into an alley some blocks away. He stumbled forward, falling over and sliding a few feet across the ground. He rolled around to see his older counterparts in a similar state, with bits of debris flying through the open portal on the brick wall next to him.

He sighed in relief, only to reel back as he saw a number of tree branches shoot their way out of the warp gate, zooming forward and latching onto his ankle.

"Kurogiri!" He cried out. "Close it off!"

The bartender quickly complied, shutting the gate and severing the wooden limb from its source. Izuku tried in vain to wrench it off, but it was much too thick and too strong to just be removed.

Shigaraki pushed himself to his feet, taking off his glove and grasping the branch with all five fingers. It quickly turned to dust, freeing Izuku from his confines.

"Must have been Kamino Woods." The teen muttered, scrambling back to his feet. "That stupid move he shouts out all the time- Lacquered Chains Prison?"

"Who cares about the name of the move?!" Shigaraki growled, staring down his partner. "We just got our hub room attacked! How did you know about that?!"

"I... Sensei told me." He replied, shaking his head. "He told me that Mustard sold us out, I thought he would have told you-"

"WELL HE DIDN'T!" The young adult roared back, scratching his neck with increased fervor, scraping the skin away at a rapid pace. "You idiot! Why didn't you tell us sooner? You just got everyone captured!"

Kurogiri quickly stepped between the two of them, grabbing the older villain's wrist and carefully pulling it away from his head. "Please, cease this bickering. Shigaraki, you've already broke the skin, we can't afford for you to injure yourself at this point. And besides, forethought or not... We were just spared from that attack because of Midoriya's quick reaction."

"Tch. Whatever. Let's just figure out how to save the others."

Izuku spoke up again. "I think... I think Sensei can take care of that."

They both stopped to stare incredulously at the kid.

"What are you talking about, Midoriya?"

"Well... he teleported me to him, can't he do that for the others?" The two adults looked at each other, both of them narrowing their eyes as they wordlessly communicated. Izuku continued, growing even more unsure of himself. "Is... is something wrong?"

"Something's very wrong." Shigaraki snapped back, rapidly clenching and unclenching his fists. "Sensei's quirk only works across short distances. He would have to be close by- Are you sure you were taken to his hideout?"

"I-it looked the same." He tried his best to answer. "I mean... you know how dark he keeps it. Even if it was different, I'm not sure I could even tell."

Kurogiri sighed, opening a small portal and reaching into it. He produced a veiled hood, two sheathed hunting knives and a police baton. "It's not the first time he's done something like this. Here."

Izuku grabbed the items, hastily throwing the hood over himself. "What do we do now, then?"

"If Sensei is here..." Kurogiri paused, looking around. "Then he's likely planning something. It probably isn't a good idea to leave the range of his teleportation quirk, especially since I don't know exactly where he is hiding out right now. However, we should expect the heroes to expand the evacuation zone the longer they look for us."

Shigaraki clicked his tongue in annoyance. "If we stick in one place, they might as well be spawn camping us. We need to keep moving."

They all looked up as they saw a helicopter soar overhead, a searchlight pointed in the direction of the bar.

"Looks like rooftops aren't a good idea."

Izuku pulled the veil over his face, shielding himself from view. "I'll... I'll scout ahead, since they won't be able to see me. I'll make sure that I'm unobfuscated for you two, just follow me."

The other two villains nodded. Shigaraki, tilted his head to the side, cracking his neck and stretching his arms out.

"It's been a while since I've done any stealth games. You better not mess this up, Izuku."

Running through the crowded streets proved to be fruitless. There was no sign of Todoroki or Yaoyorozu anywhere nearby.

Iida was beginning to grow panicked at the thought of missing his opportunity to save his friends. They wouldn't have just rushed in- they were smarter than that. But he got onto the train ten minutes behind them and had yet to make up that lost ground. After searching back and forth across the busy walkways, he eventually turned his attention to the many side alleys that surrounded the evacuation zone; maybe they would try to sneak in that way? There couldn't be enough heroes to cover all that ground.

His lungs ached for him to stop, but he refused to give up. He jumped over dividers, skidded around piles of garbage, hoping in vain to find his wayward classmates.

He found himself delving deeper into the urban jungle. He knew he was nearing where the raid would be, but that was only a tangential thought in the back of his mind. He compromised with his quirk usage by only just barely using his powers; he could still gain a considerable speed boost, without making it obvious that he was using his engines.

If he could move fast enough, he just knew he would come across someone, he reasoned with himself. It was just a matter of statistics... the more he ran, the likelier it was that he would come across-

All conscious thought stopped as he turned the corner. Time slowed down to a nauseating crawl as he watched the world grow dim, the only thing in his vision that stood out being the cracked hand that was reaching for his face. His momentum carried him forward, mouth opening to let out a yell as he was unable to stop himself from meeting what he recognized as a quick death. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise, staring blankly at the fingertips that were just mere millimeters from catching him-

And just as he was about to meet his fate, he felt himself get blown back, roughly hitting the ground as he skidded a good few feet away. The pain in his jaw throbbed along with his heartbeat.

It took him a moment to realize what happened. He had been kicked back, presumably by one of the other people standing there. He could just barely discern their forms, the shock and impact from the attacks muddling his senses. Through the painful haze, he did his best to make out what they were saying.

"-do that?! If you kill someone they'll only come after us that much harder!"

"And you think leaving people alive will do anything to reduce the alarm level?"

"No, but unlike a corpse, they'll have to stick with them to make sure they're okay!"

One of the voices sounded so painfully familiar, but he just couldn't put his finger on it... it was like he was trapped in a dream, able to understand what was said but without any defining characteristics...

His eyes widened as he realized who it was. A snarl formed on his face, rage boiling within him, bubbling over and through his limbs, setting his body ablaze with newfound energy. He quickly jumped to his feet, glaring at the trio of villains in front of him. Kurogiri, Shigaraki...

...and Rogue.

Said villain was visibly taken aback as he recognized who the student was.

"Y-you..." He clutched the side of his hood, scrunching it up. "Of all people, it had to be... you?"

Iida knew he should run away. He knew he should find his two partners and drag them back to the train. He should listen to the adults who gave him every key to success.

But in this one moment, seeing those responsible for the loss of his friend...

He faltered.

"Where's Midoriya, Rogue?!" He accused, pointing at him. "What did you do with him?!"

Rogue didn't take his eyes off of the hero in training in front of him.

"Get out of here." He told his cohorts. "He's after me, and we don't have a quick escape. I'll take care of it."

Shigaraki stepped forward, twitching fingers curled inward like claws. "It'll be much simpler if I-"

The obfuscated villain held out his baton, stopping his leader's advance. "Brother... this is my fight. Let me do this... please."

They all stood still for a moment, the leader's red eyes piercing into Iida's own. He grimaced and shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets as he turned around and walked away. "Whatever. We'll circle around later. Make it quick."

Rogue nodded, lowering his baton. It wasn't long before the other two villains turned the corner, leaving the students alone in the alley.

"I don't understand." Iida began, taking off his glasses. He set them atop a nearby dumpster. "You stole from us, put us in danger... The USJ was your doing. You tried to... goad me into murdering Stain... Now you've taken Midoriya away from me- from all his friends! What are you even trying to achieve?!"

"I..." Rogue trailed off, faltering for a moment. "I don't really know."

Iida's mouth hung open, unable to formulate a response at first. "You don't... you don't know? Do you even realize what you've done, how much pain you've caused for me and my friends? You've done nothing but destroy our lives! I can't... I can't ever forgive you for that!"

Rogue froze, Iida's words from the night before ringing in his ears.

"You're a good person, and if you're not, then I forgive whatever you've done."

"Is that so?" Rogue muttered to himself, clenching his baton even harder. "Which one is it, then?"

He didn't wait for a response before he unleashed the full power of Obfuscate over himself, removing his presence entirely from Iida's mind. The student's eyes widened, jumping back to put some distance between him and the cloaked villain. He fired up his leg engines, spinning around and kicking up dust and smoke exhaust. The plumes floated lazily in the air, shielding everything from view. Unfazed by the attempt to cloud his vision, Rogue dove in headfirst, rearing back his baton, ready to strike. He saw the boy's head, swinging down with full force-

His attack was abruptly stopped as his wrist was caught in midair. Iida jerked the villain's arm towards his chest, causing the surprised teen to stumble forward. He followed up with a head-butt, the top of his skull cracking against Rogue's forehead. The villain practically flew back, clutching his head as he struggled to regain his footing.

"How-"

"I'm almost ashamed to admit it- I've spent almost every moment since that night thinking about how I could beat you. I didn't know too much about how your quirk worked, but... I took a page from Midoriya. If I just think of enough ways to fight, one would eventually work out." Iida commented. "You can erase yourself, but not the silhouette you make when you walk through clouds of dust."

Before the villain could fully recover, Iida blasted through the plumes he made, crossing his arms as he drove himself into a head-on collision with the disguised teen, forcing him against the wall. The impact forced all of the air out of Rogue's lungs, his chest deflating like an untied balloon.

"I wondered if you had to concentrate to maintain your quirk, too. I can see you." Iida commented, his rage etched into the lines of his face. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?!"

"I..." The villain wheezed, unable to speak clearly. "Iida... could you... ever... forgive me?"

"What...?" The sincerity of the question genuinely confused him. Rogue took advantage of the distraction, swinging his legs upward, wedging them between his chest and the Yuuei student. Bracing his hands against the wall, he pushed his legs outward with all his might, using the force he built up to shove Iida off and send him stumbling back. The villain didn't stop there; the moment his feet hit the ground, he pulled his leg back, twisting his hips and launching a roundhouse kick that smacked the side of Iida's head with a dull thud. The blue haired teen was sent sprawling to the floor.

"I asked... if you could forgive me for what I've done." The villain asked, regaining his composure enough to mask his voice.

"You... after everything I've been through, you want forgiveness?!" Iida pushed himself back to his feet, spinning around to face his opponent. "Y-you've committed countless crimes, and you expect me to forgive you?!"

The hero in training raced forward in rage, jumping as he extended his leg outward. He engaged his engines, blasting towards the villain, foot aimed straight for his face. At the last second, the obfuscated teen dove to the side, the flames from the exhaust pipes singing the frayed threads of his hoodie.

Rogue quickly rolled to his feet, leaping forward to close the gap between him and Iida. He swung his baton, hitting him square in the jaw. The villain dropped to the ground, spinning and sweeping his legs out, hoping to knock the hero in training back to the ground.

Iida jumped just in the nick of time, following up with a kick square into his attacker's chest. The villain quickly scrambled back, putting some distance between the two of them. The both stared at each other, poised to strike if one decided to rush the other.

"You know... I was watching when you told Izuku that you would forgive him for anything." Rogue muttered, spinning his blunt weapon in his palm. "I wondered, what could you forgive? I don't know if there's... any hope for me."

"What... what are you talking about?" Iida gritted his teeth, brow twitching in anger and incomprehension. "I don't get you at all... you don't get an easy out! Not after everything you've done!"

"...I see."

"Izuku... he accepted my feelings, when no one else did! He made sure I would never be lonely... he was the most forgiving person I knew, and you took him away from me!" He clenched his bruised fists, red knuckles turning white. "You should be asking him to forgive you, not me!"

"He wouldn't forgive me." Rogue immediately countered, voice growing quiet. "I know he wouldn't."

"You don't know him-"

"No, I know it." He insisted. "He... he told me."

"What... what did you do?"

The villain's grip on his baton loosened, almost dangling from his fingers. "Mirio Toogata... I... he's... it's my doing."

"You..." Iida's eyes widened, his anger momentarily overtaken by a chilling haunt that ran down his spine. "You... were the one that killed him?"

Rogue covered the area where his mouth and nose would be. His shoulders lifted, as if a weight was being taken off of him. "It was all me. I was the one who planned it, executed it. It was... It was all me. I'm sorry."

Iida gritted his teeth, his white knuckled fists shaking uncontrollably. "You're... you're sorry? You bastard. You took someone- someone everyone looked up to! All you do is destroy the lives of those you set your sights on... there's no way I could ever forgive you!"

The villain froze in place, then... sighed in relief. A pained laugh slowly poured from his lips. "Yeah... I figured so. I guess, sometimes you just need someone else to say it."

He dropped his baton to the side, whipping his two knives from their sheaths.

He pointed his blades out towards his opponent. His voice was eerily calm and blank, as if he had simply lost his ability to emote. "Okay, Iida. Thank you for telling me the truth. I won't hold back anymore."

"What-" His question was stopped as the villain rushed him, knives pointed straight forward. The student jumped back, creating some distance between him and the now much more aggressive Rogue.

It wasn't long the hero in training felt himself getting backed up into a dead end. Rogue refused to give him space, relentlessly pressing forward as a dancing flurry of blades. The radical change in behavior made Iida feel less confident in his choices as he did his best to avoid being gutted like captured prey. He felt his legs shake as he lost ground to the completely silent villain.

This... this wasn't supposed to be like this, was it? Was... was there something he had missed?

His arms were covered in small slashes and cuts, and a few tears in his clothes showed that it wouldn't be long before the villain wore down his defenses. There had to be an opening-

Iida's mind sped into overdrive as soon as an opportunity presented itself. Rogue had jumped up, both blades pointed downward, their trajectory aimed straight for the crook between his neck and shoulder blades.

The blue haired student crouched down, extending his legs and revving his engines up as quickly as he could. He spun in place, the heat of his overworked legs practically searing his skin as he activated Recipro Boost, his leg crashing at astounding speed into the villain's ribcage. He watched as his opponent's chest literally deformed before his eyes, bending from the impact, until it snapped further inwards with a sickening crack.

Rogue was propelled straight into the wall next to him, sliding down like a puppet with its strings cut. He weakly shifted around, putting his back against the wall. He began to convulse and cough, the sound of something very wet moving up and down his throat. In the dim lighting, the student could just barely make out something dark and very thick dripping from his veil onto his shirt.

Iida backed up, horrified at the result of his last ditch attack. "I... Oh no-"

He went to pull out his phone to call for medical attention, but froze at the sound of something the villain scraping his fingers against the wall as he attempted to climb back to his feet.

Rogue wasn't done. Despite his very clearly life-threatening injury, he refused to stay down.

"You can't-" Iida was at a loss for words, his own shock clouding his mind. "Please, j-just stop, you're not-"

"No." The villain choked out. "I can't... stop... for you... we're enemies... after all."

"Look, I didn't mean-"

"Yes, you did." He pushed himself to his feet, only to keel over into another coughing fit. The villain collapsed back into the wall, revealing that more liquid had splattered onto his chest. "Don't... lie to me."

"...I don't... I'm getting you medical treatment-" Iida moved towards the villain, reaching down to grab him.

Before he could, a portal opened up between the two of them, that same threatening hand of Shigaraki's shooting out and attempting to clutch the student's face. He reeled back, almost tripping and landing on his behind as he put distance between himself and the reinforcements.

"You cheater!" The older villain roared, ready to rush forward.

Despite the burning pain in his legs, he revved his engines up, his frayed mind screaming for him to run as we watched the other two villains materialize in front of him.

"Brother... let him go." Rogue coughed out, weakly sliding his hand towards his leader. "I got what... I needed."

"Iida Tenya, I believe?" Kurogiri calmly noted, looking at the boy. "I'm seriously considering slicing your remains apart with my warp gates and dumping what's left of you into your family's home. I will honor Rogue's wishes, but I suggest you leave before I have a change of heart."

Iida felt his eyes water as he turned tail and ran away. He blasted out of the alley, the guilt and stress punching into his chest like wooden stake. He didn't stop for anything, even through his teary vision, as he stumbled over the detritus and grime of the Kamino ward. He eventually made it back to one of the bustling shopping districts, his breath failing him as he stumbled to a halt. He leaned against a wall and crouched over, clutching onto his knees as he shakily forced air in and out of his lungs.

It was then that he realized his phone was vibrating, its cheery tune beating to the time of his heart. He realized he couldn't read the screen- he had left his glasses back at the scene of the fight. He quietly answered it, bringing it up to his ear.

"It's about time you answered. Is everything okay? I just arrived at the station."

The familiar, slightly concerned and annoyed voice of Aizawa rang like a set of choir bells in his ears. Iida almost fell over in relief.

"I... I found R-rogue." He stuttered into the microphone. "I g-got away, I'm s-sorry."

"Are you safe?"

Iida sniffed, nodding. It took him a moment to realize his teacher couldn't see him. "I think s-so."

"Where are you at?"

He looked around, trying to find some defining landmark. But his unfamiliarity with the area made him realize just how lost and vulnerable he was.

"I'm sorry, I d-don't know."

There was a sigh on the other end of the line. "Don't move, I'm tracking your location."

It didn't take long for Aizawa to find Iida. He was still on the main street, sitting on the curb and hunched over a storm drain. He clutched his phone in his hands, shaking as he stared down, tears slowly crawling down his face.

His teacher stopped in front of him, crouching down to see him at eye level. "Iida, what happened?"

The teen shook his head, closing his eyes as he felt guilt ripping into him and pulling his insides out.

"I'm sorry, Aizawa. ...I... I-I messed up."

Through the haze of trauma, Izuku could just make out the blurry form of Iida race away. A single corner of his mouth tilted upwards, half smiling at his former friend's escape. His vision was soon overtaken by the black and yellow face of Kurogiri, whose voice had softened since his attacker's exit.

"Mid- Rogue, do you hear me?"

He twitched his head up and down, feeling another spurt of blood dribble from his mouth and onto his hoodie.

"You're seriously wounded. I have been trying to contact Sensei, but he isn't answering his phone."

Shigaraki was pacing back and forth behind the bartender muttering things to himself. He finally spoke up as he kicked a trash can over. "Stupid brat! I should have killed him when I had the chance."

The other villain shook his head. "That doesn't matter anymore. We need to assess the- oh."

"Oh?"

Kurogiri paused, looking away. "His chest... it's caved inward. It's likely..."

"Stop trailing off! What's the problem?!"

The other villain leaned in closer, listening intently at Izuku's breathing. It was incredibly shallow, and each exhalation was accentuated with the sound of bubbling liquids.

"It's a punctured lung. He won't last long in this state."

"Damn it!" Shigaraki kicked the wall, furiously clawing at his neck. "Where the hell is Sensei?!"

"I... think..." Izuku slurred out, head lolling to the side. His muttering was cut off by the bartender putting a finger over his mouth.

"Don't speak... you need to conserve your energy."

"No..." He resisted, weakly and clumsily knocking his elder's hand away. "I think... he's listening. Waiting... for... me."

They both froze, looking at each other. Kurogiri turned back, pulling the wet veil slightly off of the teen's face to give him a bit more breathing room.

"Sensei... I know... now..." He coughed, the sound of something thick and wet bursting up from his throat. "I've made... my... decision."

The last thing he saw before everything went black was the sight of both Kurogiri and Shigaraki being engulfed by that disgusting black ichor. Izuku felt nothing as his vision failed him, and whether that blackness was the quirk or him falling unconscious was something he never found out.

The next thing Izuku knew, he was lying flat on the ground, and his head was much clearer. His eyes snapped open, needing no time to readjust to the barely lit room he was in. He sat up, breathing as deeply as he could as he took in his surroundings. His eyes focused on a set of monitors not far from him, recognizing the sickly green glow they casted on the surrounding areas.

"Well, well, well." A familiar snide voice echoed next to him. "Did you enjoy your beauty sleep?"

The teen groaned, pushing himself off the hard tile floor. As he got to his feet, he rubbed his aching back and joints, before turning to face the man who spoke to him.

"Dabi." He bluntly noted, turning to face the man standing over him. "I see you're looking pretty well, yourself."

"Yeah, that healing quirk your boss has works wonders. You should have introduced us sooner."

"He prefers his privacy." Izuku bluntly retorted. "How long was I out?"

"It's only been a few minutes since you arrived." A much deeper, commanding voice answered the question for him. "You were incapacitated, but it was a rather simple matter to repair your body. I have to say, I'm rather surprised you had failed so miserably."

"Sensei..."

"Do not be disheartened. Failure is but a stepping stone on the path to victory, and you will learn in time. It is good to see you again, Midoriya. As for the others..." He spun around, gesturing to the shadows about the room. Izuku turned around, noting the presence of everyone else who was in the bar. "...many of you have never seen me before, and will never see me again. You may know me by another title I hold... 'All for One.'"

Many of the occupants in the room were practically blown back by the name drop. Even Dabi had to do a double take, his breath stuck in his lungs as he processed the information.

"You're... the-"

"Correct. Unfortunately, we do not have the time to sit around and ask questions, there is work to be done." He pointed at the bartender in the back. "Kurogiri has been given the location to a safe house where you may take shelter until this blows over. If you would kindly take your leave now..."

Almost everyone in the Vanguard Action Squad fell silent, from both the shock and fear of being in the presence of the rumored emperor of the underground. The moment Kurogiri opened the portal, they all quickly and silently exited, not wanting to risk angering the only man more dangerous that All Might. Toga hesitated for only a second, staring and slightly smiling as she took one last look at the villain's disfigured and scarred face.

Once the warp gate closed, all that remained in the room was the four main members of the League's.

"Now." Sensei clapped his hands together. "Let's get down to business. Midoriya, it appears you've finally come to a decision."

Kurogiri looked back and forth between the two of them, his bright yellow eyes narrowing and growing slightly closer to one another. "Decision? ...Sensei, is there something you didn't tell me?"

The older man laughed, waving his hand as if shooing a fly away. "What I said was between myself and Midoriya in confidence. If he didn't tell you, it is because he didn't want to tell you."

The bartender looked back at the teen, who quickly averted his gaze to the ground. Shigaraki said nothing.

"Now, back to the topic at hand, we're short on time." He pushed himself up from his wheelchair, almost effortlessly walking to Izuku. He placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, the weight alone causing his knees to bend slightly, making it look like the teen had shrunk a few inches. "You've made a decision?"

"...I... I know I've been... riding the fence. Everyone could tell." He looked away, hands trembling as he closed his eyes. "But... I can't do that forever, and I don't think I could- should be forgiven for what I've done."

"This was the only path you've ever really had, Midoriya." All for One stated, matter-of-factly. "You realize that now, don't you?"

"I know." Izuku's voice shook, but he remained resolute. "I... I know. I accept. I'll become the next holder of All for One."

"What?!" Kurogiri cried out, his form wavering from the revelation. "You can't be serious- it's beyond reckless! What if it fails-"

"Ah, ah, ah! We won't know until we try!" Sensei laughed, grinning at his subordinate. "I'll more than likely be able to restore him to health if it fails. Besides, it's his decision, not mine."

Shigaraki scratched his neck, staring balefully at the other villains next to him. "I don't want to stick around for this filler quest. It's just a waste of my time."

"Now, now, Tomura." Sensei chided. "This is a defining moment for your brother, it's only polite to celebrate with him. You can leave when we're done. Now..."

The villain mastermind turned his attention back to the child in his grasp, his smile widening into something that could only be described as a vague distortion of pride.

"Let's begin, Midoriya."

Sensei removed his hand from Izuku's shoulder, both of them standing deathly still. The older villain looked down at his right hand, watching as arcs of electricity began to worm their way down his arm, sparking off at his fingertips.

"Ah... so that's what my quirk looks like." He observed, smiling with intense fascination.

Almost immediately afterwards, he thrust his open palm into the boy's face, pushing forward and knocking him off his feet. All for One refused to let go, crouching his knees his knees and leaning forward as he slammed Izuku's head into the ground. He pressed down, watching as the sparks of electricity began to jump from his hand and down into the kid's body.

Almost immediately, the screams began. Izuku flailed about, his wails echoing around the room as his limbs twitched and flopped like a fish out of water. The effects were instantly noticeable. As the boy slammed his fists repeatedly into the ground, small cracks began to show in the tile, widening the longer he was subjected to the power transfer. His hands bled from the repeated impacts, the skin breaking, blood smearing the ground as the involuntary attacks on the ground began producing duller and wetter thuds.

Kurogiri couldn't cover his ears- he had no ears to cover. He watched in horror as his protégé screeched incoherently, his mouth moving but producing no recognizable words. It sounded like someone with the intelligence of an infant, desperately crying and trying to convey their pain, but unable to actually form any rational thought.

Eventually it became too much for him. "Sensei, please! That's enough!"

All for One didn't even look at the panicking villain, his attention solely on the convulsing boy in his grasp. "This wasn't your choice to make, Kurogiri. And besides, if we stop now he'll likely end up brain dead. Have faith in him, he managed to survive having two quirks put in him at once!"

The bartender looked away, unable to keep his gaze on the scene unfolding before him. It went on for what seemed like ages, the screams and wordless begging turning hoarse and as Izuku reverted from flailing to having minor seizures, his muscles involuntarily rippling every few seconds. Eventually, the sparks began to subside, and once everything was said and done, the disfigured villain finally removed his hand.

Izuku's body was literally smoking from the torturous process, his limbs twitching only once in a while. Sensei leaned in close, looking to check for signs of conscious life. The boy's face was contorted into a horrified and pained expression, and just the slightest tilt caused it to limply fall to the side, eyes staring wide open and glazed over. The pained wails had subsided- he was absolutely silent.

Kurogiri rushed over, kneeling next to his prone head. "No... He's..."

"Don't lose hope yet, Kurogiri." The mastermind almost jokingly reprimanded. "This was expected. If he didn't survive the process, well... now we have the world's most valuable Noumu."

Kurogiri snapped back to Sensei's smiling visage, his eyes betraying his genuine hatred for his leader.

"Please, calm down." The disfigured man placed his hand on the bartender's shoulder. "Normally, we'd have to wait to see if the transfer completed or not, but... We don't have the option to wait."

He reached into his suit, revealing a large syringe to his cohort. He kept his eyeless gaze on Kurogiri as he took off the needle cap, grasped it firmly, and jammed it squarely into Izuku's chest. The contents of the syringe immediately drained themselves into Izuku's heart.

Kurogiri watched in horror as the needle remained deeply embedded into his chest cavity. But... it seemed nothing was happening after 30 seconds.

Sensei's smile began to fade, his head slowly turning back to the boy who still laid motionless on the ground.

"Oh, don't tell me-"

Before the villain could even finish his sentence, Izuku's eyes shot wide open as he scrambled to his feet. He gasped for air like he was drowning, grabbing the needle in his chest, ripping it out, and throwing it across the room. He screamed again, but unlike the long wails of earlier, it was more like rabid screeching. He ran about like a wild animal, almost crashing into walls and medical equipment as he mindlessly, recklessly moved about.

Kurogiri watched in silent horror and confusion as the boy finally managed to calm down. His screams stopped, and he began to fan his face, as if he was overheating.

"Wha... what did you...?"

"Adrenaline, Midoriya." Sensei answered for everyone in the room. "I injected you with a large dose of adrenaline to offset the recovery period. It should last about an hour. But regardless... the procedure was a success. You are now the next carrier of All for One."

Izuku froze, staring blankly back at the weakened villain before him. "I... I don't feel different."

"Don't worry, you will. It may just take some time." He looked at his computer monitor, the infrared signals relaying the screen's information to him. "But we are still short on time. Kurogiri, if you could take them to the secondary safe house... I shall meet up with you shortly."

The bartender stood up, nodding. Behind him, a warp gate opened up. Shigaraki clicked his tongue, shaking his head as he exited the room. Izuku stayed in place, opening his mouth to speak, but before he could ask anything, he was shut down by the mastermind.

"I'm sure you have many questions, Midoriya, but I am on a very strict schedule." Sensei sat back down in his wheelchair. "Go spend time with your brother... and think about how your new power will help achieve your goals. The world is now within your grasp."

The boy grimaced, but nodded anyways. He wasn't sure what he would say... a thanks certainly didn't seem appropriate for this moment. He slumped his shoulders, turning to leave without saying a word.

Soon, all who remained were Kurogiri and Sensei.

"Is something bothering you?" Sensei asked, turning back to face the monitors.

"You've never promised to come see us, we always come to you." He noted, mist covered fists standing idly at his sides. "You'd only say something like that to get them gone. You're not planning on coming back at all, are you?"

Sensei leaned his head to the side, resting his cheek on his knuckles. His mouth curved upward into a bemused smile. "We've known each other long enough, I wondered if you would catch on."

"So you're leaving for good, then?"

The disfigured villain sighed, turning his chair to look back on his old subordinate. "My role in this play has finished. I think a graceful exit suits me, don't you?"

The bartender wordlessly shook his head, turning away from his former leader.

"Kurogiri, be honest with me. Wouldn't you rather I stay with the three of you?"

"No." He closed his eyes, not bothering to look at his mentor. "No, I think your absence would be more like a breath of fresh air to me." With that, the bartender stepped through the gate, closing it behind him as he severed his ties with the former mastermind of the League.

Sensei sat quietly in his chair for a moment, before covering his mouth with his free hand. Peals of twisted laughter began to build in his chest, bubbling out of him as he grinned as wide as a Cheshire cat. The tube in his throat snagged, and almost immediately he was dragged into an intense coughing fit. Once the hacking and choking subsided, he sighed, regaining his composure.

He turned back to his monitors, watching the heroes scour the area near the ruined bar. He knew they would search endlessly to capture someone, unless... he were to give them a bigger prize. He smiled, imagining the final battle he'd have with his old rival. He didn't have to win, just as long as he could just... pull the facade off, show them the real face of who they were worshipping, it would be enough.

He reached under his desk, pulling out a rather dense and heavy metal helmet, meant to sustain his life support functions in battle. He traced his fingers down some of the intricacies of the metalwork, admiring the effort Doctor Tsubasa put in to create such a masterpiece.

His eyes snapped back to the monitor, watching as a familiar face entered the view of one of the surviving cameras in the abandoned bar.

There he was. All Might.

He grinned, disconnecting the tube in his throat, and placing the helmet over his head. The neck guard squeezed shut, locking onto his head as he felt the rush of pure oxygen flow into his lungs. Yes, this would do just perfectly.

With all his preparations complete, he got back to his feet, calmly striding towards a door sequestered by the shadows behind his desk. He turned the handle, revealing a mountain of rubble that used to be his Noumu holding chambers.

"Ah... what a waste." He sighed, lamenting the effort that was now wasted. "Though, it was my fault for letting the others access this facility. No matter, I'm sure the good doctor will continue his research without me."

He continued onward, moving past the piles of rubble and further towards the front of the demolished building. From the shadows, he managed to make out a number of heroes standing in the crater where the Noumu tanks once stood: Gang Orca, Best Jeanist, Mount Lady... even Tiger was there, too. The infrared sensors in the helmet did an absolutely splendid job of making every detail much clearer. He noticed that Tiger had found his missing teammate, Ragdoll, and was carrying her in his arms.

"Ah, I do apologize for her rough treatment." All for One called out, capturing their attention. "Her quirk was invaluable to me, I simply had to have it for myself. I haven't been able to stock up as many as I used to, not after I've been reduced to... this current state. When the opportunity arose, I just couldn't resist."

What the other heroes said back to him was far beyond his concern. They were literally of no consequence to him. There wasn't any point in letting them attempt to attack; he immediately blasted them to oblivion... or rather, they would have been obliterated, had Best Jeanist not have pushed everyone else out of the way. No matter, they were still down for the count. His true opponent wasn't too far behind, either.

It wasn't long before his desires were granted. He could just barely hear the sound of wind whipping around something- moving towards him at great speed. He smiled under his helmet, turning to face the meteoric All Might. The pro hero's arms were reared over his head as he swung down, ready to smash his opponent's skull in.

All for One responded by quite literally catching the blow with his palms, fingers locking around the hero's fists, forcing him to hit the ground. They remained locked in that stalemate, unable to move away from one another. The villain mastermind was silent for a few moments, drinking in the clear details of a very angry Symbol of Peace. He leaned in, calmly and cordially greeting his nemesis.

"Greetings, All Might. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Iida grimaced as he watched the sun rise from his hospital room. He had just promised himself that he would do his best to stay out of this wretched place, only to end right where he started.

"It wasn't even a full day..." He muttered to himself.

He heard the sound of his door sliding open, but he could be bothered to actually see who it was. Not after last night... he could still feel his hands shaking. His mind flashed back to the sight of All Might on the giant screens outside the train station, his emaciated form... was this what he had to look forward to?

"Hey." Aizawa called out, pulling a chair up next to the bed. He sat on it backwards, leaning his elbows and chin across the top rail. "Are the stitches holding up?"

Iida looked down at his forearms, grimacing at the bandages that crawled their way across his skin. "I think so. Why didn't they use Recovery Girl?"

"She said it was too soon since your last dose. They didn't want to stress your body out more than it already was."

"...I see." He lowered his arms, staring down at the foot of the bed. Without his glasses, he couldn't see anything clearly that wasn't three feet in front of him.

"Actually, that reminds me. Your parents asked me to give you these." He produced a small case, which Iida graciously took. He opened it up, revealing a spare pair of glasses. He placed them on his face, brow furrowing as he squinted his eyes. "Something wrong?"

"I don't know." The student replied, moving the glasses up and down his face. He sighed. "They may just not be broken in. It feels a bit tight on my nose, and things don't really... look the same either. It should be the same prescription, though. I'll get used to it."

"As long as you can manage with them." Aizawa shrugged, looking out the window. "Anyway, the main reason I'm here is to inform you of some changes in the school. Basically, we're moving you all into dorms on the campus. Your parents already gave us permission."

Iida knew he should be shocked, or surprised, or maybe even happy, but... he just couldn't bring himself to care. He took his glasses off his face, placing them neatly back in their carrying case. "Understood. I'll begin packing things up once I get discharged."

His teacher stared back at him for a moment, drumming his fingers on the back of the chair. "Look, I get it. This... there's nothing I can say that can erase what's happened over the past few days. But I need you to promise me that you won't let it consume you."

"It... it already did." He admitted, bringing his legs up to his chest. "I could have run away that first time I came across them, but... I let my anger get the better of me. I did... I did something I don't think I can take back."

"...Is this the thing you said you... 'messed up' last night?"

He quietly nodded. "I... are villains bad people?"

Aizawa lowered his head, pulling his capture cloth over his mouth. "That's not an easy answer... sure, there are some that are inherently vile people. Most of them, even. But... there are those who are simply there because they have to be. They could have grown up there, or had no opportunity to make a living... there's a number of reasons."

"Rogue... he asked me if he could be forgiven." Iida rested his forehead on his knees, closing his eyes. "He even... said he killed Mirio... I didn't realize until now, but... he apologized to me for doing it. I don't..."

The older hero stared at him intently, letting the teen pause to finish his thoughts.

"Aizawa... I don't know... how I can forgive someone like that." He paused, shaking his head. "But I can't get it out of my head... that I should have done differently. What would you have done?"

"I don't know, Iida." He answered honestly. "I wasn't there, I can't give you the answers to what the right course of action was, even if there was one."

The blue haired student sighed, sinking further into the bed. "I... I figured that's what you'd say."

"Well, what I can say is that I don't expect you to make the right decisions." Aizawa followed up, placing a hand on Iida's shoulder. "You're still a kid. Fighting villains is more than just beating them up, you have to learn about how to handle yourself and others on the field. If you think you could have saved him... then maybe hope isn't lost."

He raised his head, looking at his teacher. Aizawa's normally cold eyes seemed... softer somehow, more of a councilor than a harsh trainer.

"I... I still have so many unanswered questions about him. I don't understand why he wanted me to... to kill Stain." He took in a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. "I think... if I meet him again, I don't even know if I could even stay calm, but- I'd just... want to figure out why he's like this... and get Midoriya back if I can. Was there...?"

Aizawa shook his head. "No. All they could find was some blood stains in a small room in one of the side facilities. We think he may have... been beaten. But we're confident he's still alive."

The Yuuei student closed his eyes, sliding down into his bed. "That's... it's not the worst case scenario. What about Todoroki and Yaoyorozu?"

"We found them leaving the evacuation zone during the big fight. It's being swept under the rug for now for PR reasons, but... if it were up to me, the only people I wouldn't be expelling would be you, Jirou, Hagakure, and Izuku." His expression didn't change despite Iida's shocked reaction. "You were the only person who knew they were going to leave and tried to stop them. We're lucky they didn't get themselves killed out there."

"I... I see." He sighed, folding his arms across his knees. "I'm sorry, but... can I be alone for a while? I just... I need to think."

His teacher nodded, slowly getting to his feet. "Yeah, I'll be heading off, then. I'll see you tomorrow. Don't make your classmates worry too much, okay?"

"I won't."

Aizawa quietly shuffled to the door, closing it behind him. He walked down the hallway, sighing as he neared the elevator. The door opened just as he arrived... revealing the emaciated form of All Might standing before him.

They both paused momentarily, their encounter clearly being unexpected. The homeroom teacher responded first, striding into the elevator carriage and pressing the 'Close Doors' button before the former Symbol of Peace could leave.

"He said he wanted to be alone. That includes you." He stated, somewhat harshly.

Toshinori looked unfazed by the remark. He leaned forward, pressing the ground floor button. "I was coming to see you, actually."

"Make it quick, then."

"I... I didn't get to properly apologize to you. I should have come to you sooner, but I kept putting it off." The former pro hero bowed, his suit hanging off of him like a drying line. "I'm sorry... about what I said back in Nedzu's room. You did everything you could to protect your students, and looking back... you were right, my presence there would have just endangered them all."

Aizawa sighed, leaning against the wall. "I'm not mad about that, you know. It did piss me off a little when you started blaming yourself, but... look, I get it. This is our job, and I probably would have done the same thing if he were in each other's shoes. I do appreciate the apology, though."

"Yeah... I guess all we can do sometimes is just cut our losses." He sighed. "I... I spoke to Inko yesterday. She didn't recognize me, though... I doubt that'll happen again."

"What did she say?"

"Well... I'm sure if- once we get young Midoriya back, she'll keep him far away from Yuuei."

Both of their gazes dropped to the floor.

"That kid's got a lot of potential." The teacher stated, matter-of-factly. "But we broke too many promises along the way. I'm hoping we might be able to change her mind, but... I can't blame her if she doesn't."

"Yeah..." All Might trailed off. After a small pause, he chuckled. "Well, I bet Shinketsu will eat him right up. Maybe we'll get a friendly rivalry out of it."

Aizawa cracked a small smile, easing the tension in the small compartment considerably. The door opened up, both of them walking out towards the main lobby.

Just as they got to the front door, Toshinori spoke up again. "Hey, Aizawa... would you be free later this afternoon? It's been a while since I've gotten a drink with anyone."

Aizawa jerked to face him, an incredulous look on his face. It took him a moment to actually process what he was just asked. Of all people... the one he couldn't stand the most, asking for a night on the town? Was he crazy?

After a while, the homeroom teacher simply smirked and shrugged.

"I don't think I have anything planned. Did you have a place in mind?"

A/N: Hey how about I just fucking drop a 20k word chapter, because FUCK CONSISTENT WORD COUNTS.

Anyway, like I've said before, I really do appreciate you staying with me to the end of this journey. Ideally (or perhaps not so ideally), the next chapter should be the finale. I can't promise how long it will take me to get everything right, but I hope you've enjoyed everything thus far, and are looking forward to seeing how everything ties together at the conclusion of this winding adventure. As usual, feel free to leave me a comment letting me know what you thought, and please check out my blog and drop me a line!

I hope the rest of your day/night goes well!