All was not good in the woods. The longer Izuku ran, the more evident it became that they were in trouble. In the distance Izuku saw smoke rising above the trees with the faint sounds of battle. Kota was squirming slightly in Izuku's arms, but Izuku didn't dare pause to readjust, or move the boy to his back.
He ran faster than he ever had before, grateful for all of the times he'd pushed himself beyond his limits. A part of his mind was telling him that his efforts were going to be futile without a quirk, and that part of his mind sounded suspiciously like All Might. But the weight of Kota in his arms was grounding, giving him both the motivation to go on and validation of his efforts.
It wasn't't long before Izuku spotted a figure in the distance, a mercifully, beautifully familiar figure. Impossibly, Izuku's feet sped up. "Mr. Aizawa! You're okay!"
"Midoriya? What happened, are you hurt?" the teacher demanded.
"I'm fine, the villain Muscular is somewhere out there, though. I had some pepper spray, so we got away in one piece. Now if you'll take Kota, I'll-"
"Hold up, Midoriya, you're not going anywhere. You're my responsibility, and I'm ordering you into the house to tend to any injuries."
"Technically I'm here under the authority of the legal police station, and as a trainee and a field medic I can act as I see fit. Legally you can't stop me, and I also can't be accused of vigilantism. I hate to pull that card, but I promise I'll do my best to stay safe," Izuku said, turning away.
"Wait," Aizawa said, looking like he already regretted his next words. "I clearly can't stop you, so give Mandalay a message from me. Tell her to tell the students I authorize them to fight, otherwise they might not make it out alive. I'll deal with the repercussions."
"Are you sure?" Izuku asked, gently setting Kota next to the man.
"As much as I hate it, yes, I'm sure. Be safe, Midoriya."
Izuku saluted the teacher before jogging towards where he thought Mandalay was likely to be. Luckily earlier in the day Kota had shown him the path that the test of courage was supposed to take. With a vague idea of where he would find people, Izuku stood a better chance at actually being useful.
He came to find himself in a clearing filled with the sounds of fighting. No one had noticed him, so he took a moment to observe. He immediately recognized Magne, a notorious villain that had managed to elude Detective Tsukauchi for some months now, along with roughly half of Japan's police force. Tiger was busy with Magne while Mandalay was holding her own against a reptilian villain with the most absurd sword he had ever seen. However, Izuku was most concerned by Pixie Bob, who lay unconscious in a pool of her own blood.
She didn't look good at all. Almost against his will, Izuku found his feet moving towards the fallen hero as quietly as possible. He was cursing himself for not bringing his medical pack with him, and his movements were heavy with the knowledge that literally every important adult figure in his life would want him away from this entire situation.
If he got another sword to the thigh Tsukauchi would never let it go. He would be forced to live in a protective bubble.
He had just gotten to Pixie Bob's side to assess her wounds when he was thrown wildly off balance, lurching towards Magne.
"Oh look, a little mouse has found its way here. I don't recognize this one, though, you weren't' on the list. I guess that makes it okay to crush it."
Izuku did his best to shield his head from the incoming impact with the giant magnet, but in a flash of green, the reptilian villain stepped in, hefting his conglomeration of blades so it was drawn tot he magnet instead of Izuku.
Magne had no choice but to throw himself away from the magnet and the blades as some of them broke free. His hold on Izuku promptly vanished, and Magne was dumbfounded by the intervention.
"What gives, Spinner? You could have really hurt me!"
"I'm sorry Big Sis Mag, but you almost made a huge mistake. This is Midoriya Izuku, the child who was acknowledged both by Stain and Shigaraki. I can't let you harm someone that Stain has declared a true hero. We should change our focus to capturing this boy."
Izuku felt his blood freeze in his veins as Magne surveyed him. "This is that kid? He's scrawnier than I expected. But what's he doing here?"
His hand inched towards his fanny pack, but there was no need. Magne and Spinner had both discarded their weapons, and the brief distraction had been plenty of time for Tiger and Mandalay to descend in a flurry of violence.
In the meantime, Izuku rushed to Pixie Bob. He did the best he could to stabilize her, primarily using his shirt as bandages. As he worked, he called, "I have a message from Eraserhead. Tell the students from Class A and Class B that they have his permission to fight."
"Are you sure that's what he said? That's pretty drastic," Mandalay asked, worried.
"It's what he told me to tell you. By the way, Kota is safe with him," Izuku said as he finished, picking himself up to charge down the path before they could stop him.
He ignored the calls of the pussycats behind him. With a shaking hand, he retrieved his cell phone. The dial tone sounded harsh and too loud in his ear.
"Musutafu Police Station, this is Officer Saito speaking."
Izuku bit back a strangled laugh. Of course Saito was there when the world was falling apart. "Hey, it's Izuku."
"Little Midoriya? How are you? Why are you calling so late? You sound out of breath, are-"
"I don't have much time," Izuku interrupted. "Villains just infiltrated the camp I'm staying at and I don't know what's going to happen. Trace the location of my phone and send all the reinforcements you can."
"Do you have any heroes you want there?" Saito asked tersely.
"Not Endeavor. People who work well in forested areas. Saito, I need to go, just…" Izuku had to force the last words out. "If I don't make it, tell everyone thank you. And tell my mom I love her."
"Little Midoriya, whatever you're thinking about, don't you dare-"
"I'm sorry Saito," he whispered before hanging up.
He found himself running faster if only to blame his watering eyes on the wind whipping his face. Every tree branch that brushed him felt like a grasping hand, every dark silhouette a waiting foe. That was why when he tripped over something, he didn't immediately realize it was a severed arm.
That section of the forest was eerily silent, and Izuku tried his best to tred carefully, making as little sound as possible. He nearly screamed when he saw the looming figure approach him, but he was relieved to see it was merely Shoji, the dupli-arms hero student.
"I saw your arm, are you okay?" Izuku whispered.
"I'm fine, but Dark Shadow is on a rampage," he whispered back.
"Dark Shadow is weak to light, right? Who was in front of you two in the test of courage?"
"Todoroki and Bakugou."
"I was hoping for Aoyama, but those two work too. I know you don't really know me, but will you trust me Shoji?"
Years later, Shoji Mezo would still wonder what made him trust Midoriya Izuku, a boy he hardly knew. It was a plan where death was not merely a possibility, but a probability, a plan that rolled out the welcome mat for the grim reaper.
But Shoji always recalled the feeling that drove him to agreeing, and he knew he would never have chosen had a chance, however brief, to not only save a friend but to bring Tokoyami back to himself. He had that chance because of Midoriya, and he would never give that up.
It worked out more neatly than even Midoriya could have planned, with Dark Shadow easily taking care of the villain Bakugou and Todoroki had been fighting, and then Bakugou was able to keep Dark Shadow in check.
With everything in order, Bakugou rounded on Izuku with anger burning in his eyes. "Do everyone a favor and get out of the way, Deku. I'm not explaining to Auntie that you died because you put your useless, quirkless butt where it didn't belong."
"You're wasting time, Kacchan. I promise if I die Mom won't blame you. We need to fid as many students as possible. If they're seriously injured, I'm currently their best chance at not dying."
Izuku didn't wait for him any longer, forging forward on the path. When he heard a scream he started running, tailed by his entourage of U.A. students. His hand grasped the first thing he touched in the fanny pack as he burst into the clearing.
Asui was pinned to a tree by her hair, and her facial expression put Izuku on high alert. But at the sight of Uraraka pinned under a blonde who had clearly lost touch with reality, his mind went blank and his vision turned red. He rushed forward with a shout of rage, brandishing the knife from his fanny pack.
Toga Himiko took a single look at the boy soaked in (someone else's) blood, brandishing a knife and she was smitten. It wasn't as easy as she expected to avoid the swing of his blade, but interest sparkled in her eyes.
"More friends," she said, delightedly clapping her hands. "But do I look okay? There's a cute boy here."
"We don't have time for this," Izuku said, slightly calmer as he unconsciously moved in front of Uraraka. "I need to make sure none of the students get too hurt."
The maniacal girl's golden eyes fixated on him, her grin impossibly growing. "You're the boy who took down Stain, aren't you Izuku?"
She darted forward, swinging her blade in a wide arc, but Izuku caught it with his own knife, sparks raining down. "Todoroki."
Thankfully the boy intuitively understood Izuku's intentions, freezing the girl in place. "There's no telling how long this will last. I didn't want you to give her hypothermia."
"That just means we can't stay too long," Izuku said. "But first, are you two okay, Uraraka? Asui?"
"It was just a little scratch, ribbit."
"I'm f-fine."
"Good, let's go," Izuku said. Uraraka couldn't help the blush that crawled across her cheeks. She'd seen several sides to Midoriya, but he'd never been so… authoritative before. He just kept getting more impressive.
Ochako shook herself, slapping her cheeks. Now was not the time to get… impressed by Midoriya. They forged on ahead, eyes and ears searching for any signs of other students. These villains were capable, and they clearly had no qualms or orders against harming literal children.
It stood to reason that they had a goal for all of this, likely capturing a specific student. Izuku had suspicions about which student they were here for, and who had sent them. After all, to get into camp undetected they would have had to use a teleportation or warp quirk. Those were rare, especially ones that were powerful enough to allow as many people as their group had.
"Let's split up," Izuku decided after they walked a bit longer. "Go in pairs and search for injured students. I'll go back to camp and wait with my med pack."
"Are you sure Midoriya?" Uraraka asked. "Tsu and I can go with you."
"No, there's a lot of ground to cover. You can be the difference between your classmates living and dying. Round up as many people as possible and take them there."
It would distract them from his actions, yes, but it was a legitimate plan. Emergency responders were bound to arrive at any minute - Saito likely got every ambulance, hero, and police unit within an hour's drive headed their way. Herding the students to a safe place was the best course of action.
"Go, people might be dying out there!" Izuku snapped. He watched the students depart in pairs, but Uraraka lingered just a few moments longer than the others, her brown eyes resting on his face.
"Be careful Midoriya. I… You still owe me a smoothie."
Despite himself, Izuku felt a smile spread across his face. "I've kept you waiting long enough that I probably owe you lunch too."
And then the students were gone, and Izuku turned, setting his course away from the camp, likely where the villains were meeting up. He didn't have to walk long before he heard voices filtering through the trees.
"Where's Muscular?"
"Probably still crashing through the trees. He got bested by a brat with pepper spray."
"And Moonfish? Mustard?"
"Who cares? Let's just leave them."
"But we don't have that Bakugou kid! We can't go back to Shigaraki empty-handed."
So I was right on both accounts.
"Never fear," came a voice from the trees. "I just found him and the ice user wandering around. It's time to bring this act to a close."
It was a man in a top hat and a trench coat brandishing a pair of marbles, presumably containing Kacchan and Todoroki. He wished he had time for a last phone call, but this was why he had left messages with Saito.
Neither his legs nor his voice shook as he strolled into the clearing. "I have a proposal for you all instead."
"And what's a small fry like you doing here?" A man in a black and white suit demanded - Twice. In a deeper voice he declared, "You had best walk away."
A dark-haired man with patchwork scars observed Izuku. "I recognize you. You're the quirkless brat that took down Stain. Don't tell me you're trying to protect these so-called heroes."
"And you're trying to what? Abduct some of these students?" Izuku said, some feral beast arising from the depths of his soul.
"Can we bring him too?" Toga asked, arriving in her still frosty clothes. "He's just my type."
"You want Ka- Bakugou because Shigaraki commanded it, right? Well he didn't know I would be here, and I'm a much more valuable captive," Izuku said.
"What's to stop us from just taking you?" the dark-haired one asked.
"I took down Stain and Muscular," Izuku said with false bravado. "There's no way that's a fluke. I might not be able to take all of you down, but I would be able to reduce your numbers. Severely."
"So what are you suggesting?"
"Let them go, and I'll go with you without a fight. If I struggle at all, you can kill me. If you don't set Bakugou and Todoroki free, though, I will fight until I can't fight anymore, and I get the impression that Shigaraki wouldn't be pleased."
The man's bright eyes were unreadable as he stared Izuku down. It felt like centuries as the two kept tense eye-contact, never blinking.
Then he shrugged. "Fine. We're spending too much time here. Compress, let those two go."
Sighing, Mr. Compress threw the two marbles some distance away, and then Bakugou and Todoroki were back, looking highly disoriented. Todoroki came to a little faster, eyes focusing on Izuku. "Midoriya, what are you doing? You're supposed to be back at the camp!"
Tears stung the back of Izuku's throat. "Tell Mr. Aizawa I'm sorry. He shouldn't blame himself."
"Mido-"
"DEKUUU! WHAT THE HE-"
Bakugou was cut off when he had to leap back from a burst of flame that put Endeavor to shame. There was more to Dabi than it initially seemed, Izuku realized.
"He traded himself for you, brat. It was a waste in my opinion, but the deal is made," Dabi said. "This is goodbye."
A scarred hand wrapped around Izuku's throat and he was guided through the warp gate, getting a last glimpse of Todoroki and Kacchan rushing the group. He shook his head as he sank into the warp gate.
"Stay back. Protect yourselves."
And then the world was dark.
Excerpts from Izuku's Analysis
Name: Nakamura Kuranosuke
Age: 42
Height:173 cm (5'8")
Occupation: Police Officer; Official Saito Tamer (A.K.A. her partner)
Physical Description: Nakamura looks fairly average in most aspects - average height, average facial features, average in everything except his hair; Nakamura refuses to cut his hair, instead wearing it like the samurai of old. He insists it's a matter of pride, but it's really because his wife bet that he would never let it grow longer than chin-length.
Personality: Nakamura is a serious police officer, fully conscious of the gravity of his job. He takes pride in what he does and attempts to keep the other police officers in line. He is the only person other than Detective Tsukauchi that can halfway talk Saito out of bad ideas. Outwardly he disapproves of her antics, but I suspect he actually enjoys them.
Quirk: Precision - He can hit anything within a reasonable distance with absurd accuracy with any manner of projectile. This quirk doesn't supercede his physical abilities, i.e. he can't hit something out of throwing distance.
Notes: While Nakamura appears to be the perfect candidate to teach me to shoot a gun, he is actually a terrible teacher. His intuitive ability means that aiming comes to him just as easily as breathing. Apparently he was the one to initially train Saito to use a gun, and she was only allowed to use a taser for months afterwards, for the safety of herself and others.
A/N: I wanted to get the next chapter out today because it was Izuku's birthday. As you can see, I gave him a kidnapping.
In all seriousness though, I had initially planned to skim over this story arc. Poor Izuku was going to have nothing to do with all of this. I didn't have the same amount of time to plan this chapter as I have had in the past, but I don't think it's going to get much better than this without a lot of reworking that I don't know if I have in me. I hope you enjoy it anyway!
Edit: I forgot to say, I've been resisting the urge to write a Universe swap for this story. I really want to write what would happen if Canon Izuku and Detective Midoriya somehow swapped places. Thoughts?