Bakugou grumbled as he followed after Deku. Stupid, useless Deku. Deku who, Bakugou had to grudgingly admit, seemed to know more about their situation than he did. Because that secret that he had been trying to figure out? The mystery behind Deku's sudden change in attitude? The idiot had been training with a pro hero for a month, and while granted, it wasn't a pro Bakugou had heard a lot about before, it still make him furious.

What could someone like Deku, someone who didn't even have a fucking quirk, possibly have done to get personal training from a pro hero who worked at Yuuei? And Deku's ridiculous "I don't owe you an explanation." response. He had gotten kidnapped because of that shit, and Deku didn't think he deserved an explanation? He was going to find out how this had happened when they finally got out, and if Deku wasn't going to be the one to tell him then he would just have to ask the pro himself. They owed him at least that for getting him caught up in some revenge scheme.

And surely, once he met Bakugou, this pro would realize what it would be like to mentor someone who actually had a shot at getting admitted to Yuuei. Deku had always spent his time writing up his notes on quirks and strategy, but that could never make up for not having a quirk no matter how hard he trained. Bakugou was the one with the quirk perfect for being a pro. Whatever potential that hero had seen in Deku, he had to recognize that Bakugou could be so much more.

Until they escaped though, Bakugou would at least listen to what Deku had to say. He knew what the pro might be planning, and Bakugou couldn't ignore information that important even if it had to come from Deku. And just listening to what he had to say didn't mean that he had to do a thing the dumbass said if he didn't think it was the right decision himself. It didn't matter what kind of training Deku had gone through in the last month. The only person Bakugou trusted to get him out of this mess was himself, and that wasn't going to change.

"We should be okay here while we figure out a plan," Deku said, slipping into a narrow space between two stacks of boxes. It had grown dark outside while they were asleep, the shadows enough to keep them hidden long enough to make a decision. "We should still be close enough to hear if anyone comes back for us."

Bakugou stepped in after him, huffing as he sat down, but managed to exercise enough self control not to set off another explosion despite how much he wanted to. The warehouse seemed to trap the heat, and the added stress of being kidnapped didn't help matters. Resisting the urge to wipe his hands off on his pants- the last thing he needed was to accidentally set his clothes on fire the next time he needed to use his quirk- and turned to Deku.

"Eraserhead. You have his number?"

Deku stared at him, his eyes wide. "Oh my god, I'm an idiot."

"No arguments from me," Bakugou said, watching as Deku dug around in his bag again. "Why the fuck do you have metal rods in your bag?"

"Not important right now." Deku answered, not looking at him as he quickly scrolled through his phone and held it to his ear. "Please pick up, Aizawa-sensei."

"The hell it is-" Bakugou started, grinding his teeth.

"Kacchan." Deku said firmly. "I promise I will explain everything when we get out of here. Aizawa-sensei didn't pick up, but if Rave was right he might be here soon. They took me for a reason, and they're bound to notice us missing. We can't just stay here until Aizawa-sensei gets here." Aizawa didn't know that Kacchan had been taken as well, and Izuku had to wonder if Kacchan's mother had noticed he was missing yet. He thought about sending his own mother a text to let her know that he was okay, but decided against it. It would probably worry her more to get one text and then no more.

"You know him, apparently. What's he going to do?" Bakugou knew that people tended to say that he had an anger problem, but he didn't think that they gave him as much credit as he deserved. Considering he felt angry ninety percent of the time, the fact that he didn't act on that anger more than he did should have been acknowledge for the accomplishment that it was. Take now, for instance. If he were to act on his anger then Deku would have gotten an explosion to his face, but because Bakugou had such impressive control over his emotions he settled for growling at him instead.

Deku seemed to realize that Bakugou's patience was running short and spoke quickly. "Aizawa-sensei is definitely not coming here alone."

"And you know that how?"

He shrugged. "He doesn't know who took me, but according to Rave he knows where we're at. If they gave him an address, then he's going to know this whole thing is a trap. Whatever their reason for wanting revenge, they were willing someone who wasn't involved to go through with it. Aizawa-sensei's number one rule is to never go into a situation you aren't prepared for if you can help it. Since he doesn't know what they have planned or even how many people were involved, there's no way he didn't call in backup."

"And his quirk?"

"Basically, he can nullify other people's quirks. That's why he's called Eraserhead. It doesn't work on quirks that actually change someone's physical appearance though, which is another reason he would have brought someone else with him. Aizawa-sensei usually works by taking out his opponent before they know he's there. That's not really going to work when they know he's coming."

Nullifying quirks. No wonder Bakugou hadn't heard much about him then, especially if he worked the way Deku said. Bakugou's favorite heroes tended to be flashier than that, heroes who had a huge presence and were seen in public a lot. Like All Might. Heroes directly involved in the action. How had Deku become involved with someone like that?

"Any idea who he might bring?"

At that, Deku seemed to hesitate. "I can't be sure about that. I don't know who he's told about our lessons, or who would have been available, but if I had to pick anyone it would probably be Present Mic."

Present Mic, Bakugou had definitely heard of. With a quirk like his, it would have been hard not to. Were they friends or something? He was about to ask when a shadow appeared, blocking out what little light had filtered through the windows.

"Excellent deduction, kid." the man who kidnapped them said, standing at Deku's end of the row. "Kudos on getting free. Rave's not going to be happy about that one."

Aizawa might not have been able to erase Hizashi's quirk, but he still expected their fight to be resolved quickly. The villain might be in control of Hizashi and his quirk, but Hizashi had years of training to maximize his ability that the villain wouldn't be able to replicate. They had trained together enough that it should have been easy for Aizawa to pick apart his weaknesses. And it would have been had Aizawa's head not collided with the wall with a resounding crack.

He had had enough concussions over the years to know what one felt like, the ringing in his ears drowning out anything the villain was still saying. Dazed, Aizawa braced himself against the wall, pushing himself to his feet. The world tilted as his stomach immediately rebelled against that decision, and he cursed as he tried to regain his balance. He would have to see Recovery Girl as soon as he got Midoriya and Hizashi free, but he couldn't afford to worry about that now.

Hizashi took a deep breath, preparing to yell again, and Aizawa just barely managed to trip out of the way of the oncoming blast. Each movement felt like forcing his way through gelatin. He needed to end things and fast, but he could barely keep up with Hizashi as disoriented as he was let alone get the opportunity to use his scarves.

As the ringing in his ears died down Aizawa could hear the villain speaking through the loud system again. "If this is the best that you can do, it's not surprising that people have died on your watch. How did you ever become a pro hero?"

Aizawa would have liked to see the villain try to fight under the same conditions, but he kept his comments to himself. If he could just keep the villain distracted… "Is that what this is about? The reason you took Midoriya? Because I can guarantee I haven't killed anyone."

Hizashi froze in the center of the room, his expression twisted in a frown Aizawa had never seen on his friend's face before. Aizawa staggered towards him again as he tried to stand up straight, a quick flick of his wrist loosening his scarves. Unless the villain had studied the way they looked, they wouldn't notice the subtle difference in the way they laid around his shoulders.

"You may not have done it yourself, but the blood from her death is still on your hands. You were the one called in, and it was your quirk failing that got her killed."

And just like that, Aizawa knew what incident the villain was talking about, and his blood ran cold. This was the lesson he had been trying to get his overconfident students to learn, the thing that made him believe that none of his current first years would ever make it as a pro. They saw the glory and the fame, but couldn't understand that there were actual consequences for their actions. That real lives could be at stake every time they responded to a call, and all it took was a moment for a situation to spiral out of control.

"Ito Atsuko. You're doing this because of Ito Atsuko?" It wasn't uncommon for Aizawa to get called in on hostage situations, his quirk was ideal for resolving things without conflict, but that didn't mean that everything always went as planned.

"Good. You remember her. Does the guilt from knowing you caused her death keep you up at night, Eraserhead? I hope it does. It's the least you deserve for what you did."

Aizawa's grip on his scarves tightened. "What happened that day wasn't anyone's fault except for the villain who killed her. Pro heroes can't control everything that happens. Villains are unpredictable. There was no way for us to know that would happen. I'm sorry about Ito-san's death, but the person responsible for that has already been caught."

"If you had gotten there sooner, that never would have happened." The voice crackled through the speakers. Hizashi swayed where he stood, the movement making Aizawa's already dizzy head spin. He stumbled again, the floor feeling like it was shifting under him, as he inched closer.

"I came as soon as I got the call." Aizawa said, his words forced out between heavy breaths. "I'm sorry about Ito-san's death, but there was nothing we could do. There was no way for us to know his quirk had already compromised the system."

"Not good enough."

The second Hizashi moved, his chest lifting as he prepared to take a breath, Aizawa reacted, his scarves quickly closing the distance between them. The villain, unable to take advantage of Hizashi's usual reaction time, did nothing and in seconds Hizashi was bound, the bands criss crossing over his mouth.

Aizawa almost lost his balance again as he rushed forward to catch Hizashi before he hit the ground. Footsteps echoed on the overhead ramp again, the villain running now that his distraction had been cut short. Hizashi still seemed out of it, but overall he seemed to be unharmed, and Aizawa moved him carefully to the side of the room, leaning him up against the wall. He wasn't sure whether Hizashi would remember anything that happened when he woke, but at least the fact that he was wrapped in Aizawa's scarves would keep him from panicking. No one else could figure them out but him.

With Hizashi secure, Aizawa headed towards the door at the other end of the room. The floor still felt as though it was shifting under his feet, the pain in his head increasing with every second, but he couldn't stop to catch his breath.

Midoriya was waiting for him.

"I'm not going to hurt you," the man said, which Izuku thought was pretty ridiculous of him considering he was the one who had knocked them unconscious and kidnapped them only a few hours earlier. He said as much.

"That's fair, I suppose," he replied. "My name is Asahi, by the way. And like I told you earlier, I didn't want you to be involved. Kids being in dangerous situations is what started this whole mess, and unlike my brother I can see the hypocrisy in what we're doing."

"Do you mean that, or are you just saying that because your quirk won't work as well on us a second time?" Kacchan asked, and Izuku looked at him surprised. He had guessed that that was the case- a quirk like that had to have some kind of limit- but he hadn't expected Kacchan to pick up on it as well. Kacchan saw his surprised reaction, glaring at him as he snapped, "I notice things!"

"I mean it. I never should have told Rave about Aizawa meeting with you. It's not your fault Rave blames your dad for Atsuko's death."

"This again, seriously?" Kacchan said.

"Then why go along with it?" Izuku asked, speaking over him. He didn't drop the stance he had taken at the man's appearance, and he could feel Bakugou standing behind him, still just as tense.

"Because Rave has a reason to be angry, and if I didn't go along with his plan he would have done it anyway. At least this way, I have some way to minimize the damage done to people who aren't involved."

"And Eraserhead?" Kacchan asked. "You have no problem with him trying to kill a fucking pro hero? Are you stupid?"

"Watch your fucking language, kid." Asahi said, pointing at him over Izuku's head. "And didn't I just say that Rave has a reason for being angry? He didn't just up and decide to target Eraserhead one day."

Kacchan gritted his teeth, and Izuku knew he was second away from firing off an explosion at Asahi whether Izuku was in the way or not. "Are you going to tell us what the hell his problem is, or are you going to keep dancing around the subject? Because if not you need to get out of our way."

Asahi sighed. "What do you think I'm doing? Now shut up and listen."

Bakugou and Izuku exchanged a look. Did they want to know why they had been taken? Yes. But in the long run, did it really matter? No. It wouldn't change the fact that they had been kidnapped, and knowing the reason they were trying to kill Aizawa wouldn't stop them.

"We had gone to the mall together," Asahi started, looking away from them as he remembered. "Me, Rave, and our younger sister, Atsuko."

Izuku trusted Aizawa, and nothing Asahi could say would make him change his mind.

"We had just gone to get coffee, catch up-"

Asahi's words were cut off as Izuku darted forward, and in what seemed to Bakugou as one smooth movement his fist collided with the older man's throat as he was knocked off his feet.

Bakugou stared. "What the actual fuck, Deku?" He asked. The hit had come so quickly Bakugou had barely realized what was happening before it was over. Asahi laid on the ground at his feet, his hands at his neck as he coughed, gasping as he tried to breath.

Izuku turned to him then, the fierce expression on his face stopping him in his tracks. "We don't have time for this. We need to find Aizawa-sensei, now."

Bakugou was still looking at him wide-eyed, his mouth hanging open in shock.

"Kacchan!" Izuku said.

A crash, the grinding sound of metal on metal.

"Midoriya!"

Izuku couldn't see him, but he would recognize that voice anywhere.

Aizawa Shouta had arrived.

AN: This arc should be wrapping up next chapter, and I'm excited to get into what I have planned now that Bakugou is finally going to meet Aizawa. Thanks to everyone who commented last week. I can't wait to see what you thought!