A/N: Sorry for the very long hiatus from this story. I've had a lot going on, but I'm finally back to posting. We're really close to the meat of this story, and I can't wait to share it with you all. Things are gonna start getting INTENSE. I'll try not to make you wait so long for the next one.

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

CHAPTER FOUR: CAN YOU HELP HIM, MR. DEKU?

Two weeks had passed since the UA lockdown was implemented. Lectures for classes started being held within the UA dorms, and restricted training took place in areas that were deemed safe enough on campus. There was still no word from the police, regarding their investigation into the Paradox Council.

The silence was unnerving. Everyone could feel this strange sense of unease that had spread throughout the school. The students were still kept in the dark about what was really going on, except for Midoriya who had a clearer picture of the circumstances after his conversation with Aizawa.

Ever since that talk, the two of them never really shared more than awkward glances with each other. Even still, with all the new information Midoriya had, he still worried for his teacher. He could see there was something deeper that Aizawa was struggling with, and he didn't know what to do to help him.

As Aizawa ended the day's lesson, Midoriya couldn't help but look on and wonder why none of the other students could see that something was wrong. If they did have concerns, certainly no one was showing it. Everyone just seemed to carry on as usual. Everyone except Todoroki, who could see there was something bothering his friend.

"Something on your mind, Midoriya?" Todoroki inquires.

"Huh? Uh-What?" Midoriya responds, caught by surprise.

"You've been acting kinda strange these last few weeks. There something you want to talk about?"

"Oh well, uh…" Midoriya stammers. "Actually… You see, I have this friend and, well, he's going through a tough time and…" He sees the look on Todoroki's face and frowns. "Sorry. It's kinda hard to explain without all the details and I can't really talk about it. It's just… sometimes it's hard to think about being a hero and helping people when there isn't some big villain to face."

"Isn't that part of being a hero, though?"

"Huh?"

"Aren't we taught that saving people isn't just about protecting them when they're in danger? Sometimes, it's about helping them emotionally too. That's something I learned from you, after all."

"It's yours! Your Quirk, not his!"

"Whatever it is this friend of yours is going through, I'm sure he'll be okay so long as you show you're there for him."

"I guess so." Midoriya says, reluctantly. "Thanks Todoroki".

"Yeah, sure." Todoroki looks to his right and sees All Might peeking his head around the corner. "I think All Might's looking for you".

"Hmm? Why do you say tha-?" Midoriya looks to All Might and sees the stern look on his face. All Might beckons his successor with a finger that says 'you're in big trouble, mister'. Midoriya is frozen in fear.

"I'll let you deal with… whatever that is," Todoroki says as he quietly walks away.

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"Didn't I tell you not to say anything, Young Midoriya?"

"I know. And I'm sorry All Might... it's just…" Midoriya makes a fist and holds it up, confidently. "I can't just do nothing when I know someone is in trouble. I wanted to help him. I needed to."

"There are rules to being a hero, you know," All Might says, crossing his arms. "And if Aizawa's right about one thing, it's that you don't stop to consider all the possibilities when you jump in to help someone".

"He was really upset, huh?" Midoriya asks, his head lowered in shame.

"We got lucky this time. He didn't give me nearly as much grief as I expected him to. In truth, I think I told you about the information I had because I wanted to help him just as much as you did. I guess I half expected you to jump on instinct, just as I would do".

"So… you're not mad at me?"

"Don't get the wrong idea, kid. We still have a long way to go to tame your reckless behavior. Even if it is with the best intentions, your willingness to jump into dangerous situations has caused you a lot of trouble in the past. I've been guilty of that myself, but my job is to train you to not make the same mistakes I did. To become an even greater hero than I ever was". All Might sees the ashamed look on Midoriya's face. "But I understand your frustration."

A PHONE CALL IS HERE! A PHONE CALL IS HERE! A PHONE CALL IS HERE!

"Is that Detective Tsukauchi?" Midoriya asks.

"Yeah, I'm hoping he has more information for me off the books".

"I should get going then, huh?" Midoriya asks, feeling a little uneasy about being given confidential information now.

"That might be best. At least to keep us both out of trouble for now. We'll finish this conversation later."

"Yeah, okay, sure. I'll see you later then." Midoriya says, getting up from his seat and heading to the door. All Might waits just an extra few seconds so that Midoriya is out of earshot before answering his phone.

"Thanks for keeping me in the loop, Tsukauchi."

"Of course. I do have to report all of this officially, but I figured I'd touch base with you first."

"I appreciate it. What do you have?"

"Well, your judgment was on the mark. As it turns out, Aizawa and Adachi have known each other for quite some time. Apparently, they grew up together in an orphanage in Ueno district. They both applied to UA at the same time and passed the written exam with scores that were well above average. When it came to the practical exam, however, Aizawa scored at the bottom of his class, while Adachi was ranked on par with those who were let in based on recommendations. Given Aizawa's skillset and the difference in performance between the two of them, it's safe to say this Adachi guy has an immensely powerful Quirk."

"Yeah, that's definitely not good," All Might muses to himself.

"Adachi spent only a few months at UA before he was expelled, but there's nothing on the record as to what exactly happened. We don't know if it just wasn't reported, or maybe the records were destroyed at some point. Since his expulsion, there'd been no trace of the guy until The Paradox Council got on our radar. Fifteen years this guy essentially didn't exist. But there's no doubt in my mind that Aizawa remembers this guy, even after all these years. There must be some reason he lied to us when he said he didn't know him".

"Aizawa isn't involved in any of this. That, I'm sure of".

"I wasn't suggesting that. Aizawa's done great work as a hero and as a teacher at UA and given the fact that they haven't had contact in years, we can assume he isn't in alignment with The Paradox Council. But there must be something he knows that we don't. We're trying to find out more about Adachi's past, but we only have what's officially on record. It would really help to hear Aizawa's side of things. And with the current situation, the sooner the better".

"Err, I'm not sure how likely it would be that he'd open up about all that. Aizawa's a pretty private guy".

"That's where you come in. The two of you are colleagues, after all. If he'd open up to anyone, I'd hope it would be you. There's civilian life at stake here. Whatever the circumstances between the two of them, I'm sure he'd do the right thing in the end".

"I'll see what I can do." All Might sighs, before hanging up the phone.

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As Midoriya walks down the hall back to his room, he passes by the teacher's lounge, where he sees Eri laying on the ground, drawing. "Hey there, Eri!" Midoriya walks up to the young girl and sits cross-legged on the ground next to her.

"Hi Mr. Deku!" She responds, looking up only briefly from her drawing.

"That looks like fun. What are you drawing?"

"Your friends!" Eri smiles, kicking her legs up in the air as she continues to draw.

"Wow, that looks really good. You've even got Kaminari down to a T." Midoriya grins as he points out Kaminari's signature 'whey' face.

"Oh!" Eri yelps as she springs up from the ground. She shuffles over to the table where other drawings lay. She grabs the stack of papers and scurries back over to Midoriya. "Here! I drew this for you".

"For me?" Midoriya takes the papers Eri hands him and looks at the drawing on the top.

"It's you and me and Mr. Lemillion at the festival". She says as she goes back to her current drawing of class A. Midoriya examines every detail of the drawing. Even if it is just a scribbled kid's drawing, they all look so happy, which, in turn, makes Midoriya happy. This day was the first time she had smiled, so it's a really precious gesture to him.

"This means a lot Eri. Thank you. I'll find a place to hang this up in my room."

"Are they going to let you all out soon?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah," Midoriya assures her. "I'm sure they'll be letting us leave as soon as they can". Midoriya looks back down at the stack of papers to take a look at the other drawings. There's a drawing of Eri eating apples with Tokoyami and an ambiguous drawing of Mineta being scolded by the 1A girls. At the bottom of the stack is a drawing of Aizawa frowning. Midoriya knows this isn't Eri's normal perception of Aizawa. After all, even Bakugo is smiling in one of these drawings. Midoriya frowns too at the sight of this.

"Aizawa-Sensei seems sad." Eri tells him. Midoriya's stomach drops. His teacher could be a lot of things, but sad usually wasn't a way to describe him.

"Are you worried about him, Eri?"

Eri nods quietly. "Is Aizawa-Sensei in trouble?"

"Honestly?" Midoriya says, lowering his head. "I'm not sure."

"Can you help him, Mr. Deku?" Eri asks, finally pulling her attention from her drawing.

"Huh?"

"You all helped me before when I needed it. You saved me. If Aizawa-Sensei is in trouble, you can help him too, right?"

What can he say to this bright-eyed girl? He knows he isn't really in a position to help, so what can he say to her to not disappoint her? After a moment, the answer is clear to him. Midoriya puts on an honest and confident smile and looks to Eri.

"Aizawa-Sensei will be okay. He's a great hero who always does the most logical thing. If he's in trouble, he has what it takes to get through it. You don't need to worry about him. I promise."

"Yeah, okay!" Eri responds confidently. She really trusts Midoriya, so she believes what he says is the truth.

What neither of them sees is that Aizawa was just outside the doorway, listening in on the conversation. A bittersweet feeling, hearing the two of them talk. He didn't really feel like the hero Midoriya made him out to be. At least, not now.

"You mind if I color with you?" Midoriya asks, picking out his own sheet of paper.

"Okay!"

"Hey, where's the green?"

"I used a whole crayon on your hair…"