Authors Note: Shit is gonna get real in the next few chapters. You have been warned. I own nothing.

What's Needed

Keeping Ragdoll alive turned out to be much easier than she'd been expecting. Without the exhaustion and injury from her fight with Stain she was better at controlling her healing quirk so that it didn't always nearly kill her. But she didn't have to use it too much. Ragdoll turned out to be much more resilient than her father had given the woman credit for. Her screams weren't easy to listen to though, they never were. Izumi knew some of the pain the woman was going through. Getting a new quirk from her father was just as painful as him removing one from what she'd found.

But an unforeseen issue arose when the Nomus were checked over by Dr. Tsubasa. He came racing into the room just as All for One finished up with Ragdoll and Izumi took over. She didn't need much healing. Just one small internal bleed. It wasn't much and definitely didn't compare to the nerve damage Mini Ingenium had had.

"Master! We have a problem! One of the Nomu had a tracking device attached to it!" All for One nodded to Izumi and with a flick of her finger the doctor was dangling in the air his neck glowing.

"I am disappointed in you doctor. But I need you alive for now." He nodded again and the doctor crumpled to the floor choking and coughing. Izumi didn't like the doctor much. Her father paused then nodded slightly.

"Leave doctor. We need you out of captivity for now. Someone will contact you when I have need of you again." The doctor scrambled to his feet and ran. All for One tapped his finger on the table that still held the catatonic Ragdoll. "Push, take the hero somewhere she won't be found for a while. I will handle the heroes that will no doubt be headed this way." Izumi waved a hand and Ragdoll began to float along beside her. She left the room without a word, the hero flying along beside her. Once she was out of earshot of her father she let out a low hissing breath between her teeth. This could complicate her plans. But she would make it work. There was no turning back now.

Katsuki Bakugou was angry and confused and nearing panic. He was sitting in a dimly lit bar, trussed and gagged and alone for the moment. They wanted him to turn villain but the only thing he was interested in right now was the man with the scars all over him. He had known her nickname for him. Images of a small girl with bouncy green curls and shining bright green eyes looking at him swum to the surface of his memory.

'Kacchan?'

'Yeah Izu-chan?'

'We're gonna be together forever, right?'

'Of course, you dummy! We've both got kickass quirks so we'll both get into UA no problem. Then we'll be the number one hero team!' The freckles on her face looked like constellations of stars as she grinned wider and giggled.

'Kacchan you're not supposed to curse.' He stuck his tongue out at her and she laughed. He grinned back and nodded.

'And someday I'm gonna marry you!' She went bright red.

'Really?' He nodded and grabbed her hand.

'So I can hold your hand whenever I want! And we will really be together forever!' She grinned and nodded her smile brighter than the sun.

Katsuki frowned under the muzzle. He had never said it out loud, but he still loved her. Even after all this time. He'd been heartbroken when she had left without so much as a word. But now he understood. She hadn't left willingly. He should have known when he found her All Might doll on the ground. Looking at what he knew now he'd bet good money that whoever was behind Shigiraki turned out to be her father. That added a whole new layer of complicated to the situation. The door of the hallway the villains had disappeared down clicked open and the tall black haired man with the burn scars all over him reappeared. He clicked the lock into place then dragged one of the chairs from the few tables in the room under the door handle.

"That'll hold them for a while." He said nodding to himself. Then he turned to Katsuki. He pulled another chair in front of him and sat down facing him, his elbows on his knees. "So we need to talk. But we have to make this quick. I'm sure the heroes are already on their way." He reached forward and unclasped the muzzle. Katsuki grumbled slightly and worked his jaw for a minute.

"How do you know that nickname?" The mans crystal blue eyes smiled more than his actual mouth did.

"She told me about you. When she was little you were all she wanted to talk about. Well after her bastard father beat her for talking about All Might anyway." Katsuki's anger flared. The man nodded clearly having seen the spark of anger in his eyes. "Yeah, I'm glad we agree on that front. You can call me Dabi."

"Where is she?" He had a million questions for this man. But that one was the most important at the moment. Dabi shook his head.

"I don't know exactly where. I know she's with him, and I know she's planning on doing something stupid. Something to try and take him down. And I think she's planning on dying trying if she can't succeed." All the blood drained from Katsuki's face. He didn't want to picture her, bleeding and broken but the image flashed across his mind anyway.

"How do I know this isn't just a trap? How do I know you're not just trying to get me to agree to whatever that dusty bastard wants?" Dabi rolled his eyes.

"Because I don't work for Shigiraki. I'm only here because she asked me to be here. I'm here talking to you because she asked something of me. Do you want to know what that was?" Katsuki kept quiet but Dabi continued. "She told me 'look after Kacchan.' I don't want to see her father kill her but to even have a shot at saving her I need help."

"What do you want me to do?" Dabi leaned forward.

"I want you to give her something worth living for. Do you still care about her?" Katsuki nodded.

"I still love her." Dabi blinked then nodded, the smile reached his whole face this time.

"That's all I need, all she needs. Fight for her where I can't. You need to make the heroes understand that everything she's done was done against her own will, because her father threatened you." Katsuki blinked. There was a noise in the hall and Dabi pressed a finger to his lips. He quickly slipped the muzzle back over his mouth with an apologetic grimace. He stood and quickly moved the chair and unlocked the door before slipping into a stool at the bar. The door opened moments later. Shigiraki looked around suspiciously but Dabi just glared at him.

"Who do I have to kill in this place to get a good drink?"