A/N: Chapter two, baby, here we are! I'm so glad to have this story moving along. It's gonna start getting real interesting soon.

(This chapter contains spoilers up to chapter 184 in the manga)

CHAPTER TWO: THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY TEACHER

That night, while he has them all gathered together in the common area of the dorm, Aizawa decides to break the news of the lockdown to the students.

"Wait, what?"

"Lockdown?"

"Are you serious?"

"What does that mean?"

"Quiet down," Aizawa commands to get control of the students. "I assure you, this lockdown to the dorms is only temporary," he asserts, motioning for them to settle down. "It's merely a security measure to ensure the safety of you students. I'm not at liberty to discuss the details, but I'm sure you all have a lot of questions, so I'm going to address them to the best of my ability".

The students begin clamoring over each other yet again, asking things like 'does this mean classes will be canceled' and 'will we still be able to contact our parents', among other things.

"One at a time," Aizawa commands.

Tsu raises her hand to speak first. "Ribbit, this doesn't have something to do with the League of Villains, does it?" She asks, with worry in her voice.

"Thankfully, no. And from what I understand, it doesn't appear that any one of you in particular is a target. Administration simply wants you all to lay low and remain under supervision for the time being".

Yaoyorozu raises a hand in the air. "But Sensei, if there's a chance we're being targeted, is it wise for all of us to remain in the same place?"

"That's a fair point. However, with so many students, it would be difficult to keep all of you accounted for. This way, if the villains do plan to attack, UA will be under protection and prepared to handle such an attack. But, as it stands right now, there's nothing definitive that proves any of you are in danger."

"Then what the hell are we hiding for?!" Bakugo barks.

"These villains are extremely dangerous, and the school isn't willing to risk of any of you encountering them. Like I said, this is for your own safety."

Todoroki half-raises his hand in the air. "What exactly are the pros doing about all of this?"

"For now, we're entrusting this matter to the police. When it comes down to it, they'll be requesting the assistance of the pros to aid them in apprehending these villains. But until then, this is purely under their jurisdiction."

"Grrr, dammit!" Kirishima shouts. "So, we're supposed to just sit on our hands and wait?!"

"It's frustrating, I know. But it is what it is." Aizawa sees the anxious looks on his students' faces, but there's nothing more he can say to put them at ease. "Truthfully, I wish I could tell you more. That's all."

With that, Aizawa turns and leaves the students in the common area to process everything. While some of the students decide to carry on with other things, others begin talking amongst themselves about the situation.

"Is that really it?" Midoriya mutters to himself.

"Deku? What's up?" Uraraka asks.

"Did Aizawa-Sensei seem strange to you just now?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"It's clear that there's something going on that he's not telling us about. But I don't think it's because he couldn't tell us more. I think he didn't want to," Midoriya ponders.

"Well, there's no way to know for sure," Iida tells them. "All we can do is trust in Aizawa-Sensei and the other teachers to keep us safe. I'm sure they have the situation under control."

"Yeah, sure. But it's unusual for them to keep information like this from us, don't you think?" Midoriya presses.

"Mm-hmm," Uraraka nods. "Plus, we've had run-ins with villains before and they've never had to put us on lockdown like this. It kinda makes me nervous."

Iida puts one hand on Midoriya's shoulder, the other on Uraraka's. "We need to trust in the pros," he advises, with a smile. "If we can't put faith in others, what good are we as future heroes?"

"Yeah…" Midoriya agrees reluctantly. "You're right, Iida. Sorry. Guess I let my worry get the best of me."

"That's all right. Now, it's late. Why don't we get started on dinner? We're having beef stew tonight!"

"I wanna chop the carrots!" Uraraka cheers, excitedly.

As the students all continue on with their evening, Midoriya can't help but feel a pit in his stomach over the whole situation.

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Aizawa makes his way into the empty room in the teacher's lounge, now occupied by a young Eri. The lights are off in the room, and Eri is sleeping soundly in bed. Aizawa sits at the computer desk and sighs. He looks over at Eri and watches her sleeping peacefully. This feeling is familiar to him; an old memory comes to mind:

As his mother lies in bed for the night, a young Aizawa, probably four or five, sits against the wall with his knees to his chest, watching her. His eyes continually droop as he struggles to stay awake.

"Shouta… You need sleep," his mother murmurs softly.

"No," Shouta whispers, shaking his head. "I can't".

"But you haven't slept in days. What if you rested just for a little bit?"

"I can't. I don't want him to hurt you anymore".

"Shouta…"

"I need to protect you," he protests; his own form of anger developing within him. "If I don't, then who will?"

Aizawa's face falls, thinking about the past. "Some things never change, huh?" He whispers to himself. He sits in the chair, watching Eri sleep; his eyes continually droop as he struggles to awake.

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The next morning, Midoriya makes his way into the teacher's lounge, where he finds All Might sitting alone, waiting for him.

"Hey, young Midoriya. I got your text. How's the lockdown been treating you?" All Might laughs.

"Oh, it's fine. Doesn't really feel any different yet. Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something".

"Sure, kid. Lay it on me," All Might says, nonchalantly.

"You wouldn't happen to know if something's been bothering Aizawa-Sensei would you?"

All Might's demeanor shifts to a more serious one. "So you noticed it too, huh?"

"Yeah. I don't think anyone else did, but it definitely seemed like something was wrong to me. Do you know what's going on, All Might?"

"I don't really know how much I can tell you," All Might groans, rubbing the back of his head.

"I know, but-!" Midoriya stops himself from getting too worked up. All Might sees the concern in his successor's eyes. All he's ever wanted was to help people; how can he ignore that?

"How much has he told you about what's going on?"

"Not much. He said that we're not being targeted, but that the police are after some dangerous villains and we need to be on lockdown, so we don't run into them".

"Yeah, well, that's pretty much all there is to it".

"But if they aren't targeting us, then what are they after?" All Might frowns a little, hesitant to answer Midoriya's question. "All Might, please".

All Might stands and faces the window. "If I tell you, you have to promise me you won't do anything reckless".

"Yeah, okay".

All Might turns back to Midoriya with a stern look on his face. "I mean it. I know how you can get. This is serious and I don't want you putting yourself in danger, alright?"

"I swear," Midoriya agrees, crossing his heart.

All Might sighs deeply. "They're called the Paradox Council".

"The Paradox Council? I've never heard of them".

"Neither have I, until today. Truth be told, they don't seem all that dangerous to me".

"If they aren't really that dangerous, then why put the school on lockdown?"

"It's not the group as a whole the police are concerned with. It's their leader. A guy by the name of Yukio Adachi. Seems no one knows what his Quirk is or how he uses it, but it's somehow responsible for peoples' Quirks disappearing".

"Woah, you mean like—"

"Yeah". Midoriya doesn't have to finish his thought; they both know what this reminds them of. "All For One. I don't know for sure if he's behind this somehow, but after Kamino, we can't be too careful. And, if I'm being honest, it was my idea to put the school on lockdown. Principal Nezu happened to agree with me".

"That makes sense. But what makes the police think we might be targeted?"

"Apparently, Adachi used to be a student here. Kicked out during his first year, though they can't figure out why. Plus, this is UA we're talking about. If there are villains looking for powerful Quirks to steal, this is the place to find them".

"You think this is all over some old grudge?"

"I don't know what their purpose is. But I do know they've stolen the Quirks of seven people already and there's a chance they could be coming for UA next. If they managed to get ahold of such powerful Quirks like Young Bakugo or Young Todoroki's… or even One For All…"

"We won't let that happen," Midoriya interjects, determined.

"That's right. Because you're going to keep this to yourself and let the pros and the police handle this, understand?" All Might commands, in a very strict tone.

"Yes, sir! Right!" Midoriya shrieks, fearful of All Might's wrath, but then quickly relaxes. "So, wait, what is it that has Aizawa-Sensei so worked up?"

"Wish I knew". All Might shrugs. "Though, if we're speaking candidly, I think he might know the guy who's responsible".

"Woah, wait, really?"

"I don't know for sure. But during the briefing, he seemed surprised to see his picture. They both attended UA the same year, but he said he didn't recognize him. When I asked him about it, he was quick to shut me down. Truthfully, I don't know much else, and I don't think you'll get anything out of Aizawa either".

"You're probably right". Midoriya frowns.

"Listen, I'll talk to Tsukauchi and see if he has any more information. If I happen to find out anything, I'll let you know".

"You'd do that? Thanks," Midoriya says, appreciative that All Might would be willing to stick his neck out for him.

"I'm doing this for me, as much as I'm doing it for you too. I know he's your teacher, but he's also my friend. And I can't stand to see a friend in trouble".

Midoriya nods. "Yeah, you're right".

As he leaves the teacher's lounge, Midoriya walks past Aizawa who, despite his normal personality, seems to be hanging his head lower than usual.

"Oh, hey, Aizawa-Sensei…" Midoriya begins, a little afraid of how his teacher might respond. "Has there been any update on the—?"

"Leave it alone, Midoriya," Aizawa answers bluntly, with his back to Midoriya. "This doesn't concern you".

His harsh tone makes Midoriya all the more suspicious. "Who is Yukio Adachi to you?" He asks, defensively. Aizawa's eyes widen, taken by surprise. Aizawa's silence only confirms Midoriya's suspicions. "Are these villains really after UA? … Or are they after you?" He asks, in a tone he's never used with his teacher before. As Aizawa turns to face him, Midoriya's stoic demeanor quickly fades away.

"Midoriya…" Aizawa begins in a docile tone. "I'm asking you, please, stay out of it".

With that genuine request, Aizawa walks away, leaving Midoriya alone in the hallway. A look of worry appears on his face. "There's no way this is just in my head." Midoriya thinks to himself. "Something's definitely wrong. But what? And how am I supposed to help him in this situation? Isn't there something I can do?"

A/N: Are the villains really after Aizawa? Will Midoriya be able to help his teacher? Keep reading to find out!