Chapter Nine

Ingenium


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Night fell across the city of Musutafu like a plague. The last light of the sun flickered out, drowning the city in darkness. Far above, the night sky seemed odd and unfamiliar. The moon should have been visible, waxing, bathing the city in soft silver light. But it was absent. For those paying attention, the stars just did not seem right. It would be many hours before the true horror and implication of this alien vista above them was revealed to the general public. Calibration had come.

And with Calibration, things were able to enter the world that should never be spoken of.

All of this escaped All Might's notice.

"HQ, this is All Might. Enemy leader neutralized. Ingenium is down. I repeat: Enemy leader neutralized. Ingenium is down. We request immediate medical evacuation." He ignored his own pain, the jagged edges of shrapnel that even now dug threateningly in his skin.

Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Endeavor place fingers on Ingenium's neck, checking for vitals. "All Might!" Endeavor had never once in their years-long relationship called to him with such urgency. Their rivalry forgotten; All Might rushed to the side of the other hero. Others rushed to their side at well.

Ingenium was dying. He had no heartbeat and had stopped breathing. Blood oozed from his wounds slowly, seeping out through his armor. Sondok's sword remained deeply lodged through his torso. If they did not act quickly, the Turbo Hero would be gone forever.

No one present had a medical Quirk.

"Help me." All Might urged, as he used his only hand to work on removing Ingenium's armor. It would be tricky, as moving the sword could exacerbate his bleeding and cause further injuries. The risk of doing nothing through was significantly greater.

Soon his efforts were joined by the others and their unique Quirks. Cementoss locked the sword into place, securing it on both the handle and the tip with concrete locks. Endeavor heated the joints on Ingenium's armor so that it would bend away more easily, and then superheated the armor where it had been penetrated so that the scrap could be pulled away from the wound. All Might burned his own hand to help Endeavor shape the metal away from Ingenium's body and did it without flinching.

His armor and helmet removed, Ingenium was revealed to the world. The face and body of Iida Tensei appeared both strong and powerful but were pocked with shrapnel wounds and burns in seemingly random patterns. The worst wound, of course, was the sword that clearly had penetrated through the left side of his chest. All Might and the others feared that it had cleaved straight through his heart or aorta, and it most certainly had pierced his left lung.

In their moment of hesitation, All Might and Endeavor were approached by Edgeshot. The man was littered with shrapnel wounds and burns of his own. His right eye was missing. He clearly had removed it himself after it had been compromised. It was his personal reward for their earlier charge against Sondok. The Ninja Hero's costume was burned in many places and shredded in others. His clothes were caked in his own blood, yet he stood on his own two feet.

"Get him on his back. Carefully." The ninja spoke. His words were strained and painful.

Cementoss, the least injured among them, took to the task wordlessly. He devoted full concentration to his artistry, moving the concrete around Ingenium rather than moving Ingenium directly. A concrete bench formed under the Turbo Hero, and a long covering arm extended above him, holding Sondok's sword in place. The arm blocked access to Ingenium from one side, but it secured the blade so that as Cementoss rotated Ingenium's body, the sword safely rotated its position in relation to him. It was the most delicate procedure he had ever performed with his Quirk, and it clearly took a toll on him to work with such precision. The results however were nothing short of miraculous.

Edgeshot then set straight to his own work. With his body-folding quirk, he flattened his own hands into thin blades. He cut deep into Tensei's sword wound, opening it even wider than before. In no time at all Endeavor and All Might understood Edgeshot's purpose. They all needed to see how extensive the damage was. This wasn't the effort to save the life of Iida Tensei, the Turbo Hero. This was still just triage. It was a grim thought.

"Endeavor." Edgeshot spoke over his shoulder. "Hurry." Edgeshot needed him at the operating table.

This was still an operating table. That meant that there was still a small chance.

Rushing to Edgeshot's side, Endeavor provided much needed illumination. The sword had indeed damaged an artery and Ingenium's heart. The damage seemed superficial, but even the slightest scratch would render the heart hazardously inert. Ingenium could potentially still survive if they could get his breathing and heart started again quickly.

Then Endeavor saw the damage beyond the circulation system, and his hopes sank into despair. Ingenium had bled a great deal into his own body cavity, yet Sondok's sword was still clearly visible all the way through as it seemed to capture the firelight and let off its own garish green illumination in response. Endeavor saw that the blade clearly had cut into Ingenium's spine. It likely happened when Sondok cast him aside. Ingenium had made significant use of his legs and his Quirk to fight against her strength earlier, actions he could not have taken with a spinal injury. He doubted that Ingenium would ever walk again.

If he lived. But he wouldn't. With this much damage to his heart, lungs, and spine, there was nothing they could do. Even if they sealed the wounds on his heart, even if they removed the blade, and performed resuscitation on him, the amount of time required would render Ingenium a vegetable at best. His brain would starve for oxygen during the entire process.

The best that they could do was to honor the fallen.

"All Might," Endeavor despaired as he spoke. "Please call the time."

For once, All Might did not speak at all when prompted. He did not move. The weight of his own despair was too great.

Cementoss stood forward. "Ingenium, the Turbo Hero. Time of death: Seven forty-two in the evening."

His words rang hollow across the comms. All chatter from elsewhere, from heroes and support crews in the field to other emergency personnel, everyone observed a shocked silence.

While waiting for their extraction, the heroes on hand chose to honor Ingenium's body.

Slowly, agonizingly slow, Edgeshot and Cementoss removed Sondok's sword from Ingenium's chest, careful not to cause additional damage. They could have chosen speed and practicality, but these men chose to honor their fellow hero with precision and care in his treatment. This was not just a corpse. This was Ingenium, the man that had saved all their lives. Endeavor cauterized the exit wound near Ingenium's spine, but now the worst was to come. They were aghast at the volume of blood that had rushed from Ingenium's heart into his body cavity, still warm with life. At least now the bleeding from within would slow down, providing some semblance of peacefulness to his remains.

Testing, Edgeshot dulled the sharpness of his knife-hand and gently turned Ingenium's heart, Allowing Endeavor to cauterize the heart and aorta... preserving the organs and their integrity. Knowing the type of man Ingenium was, they would be donated before the day was over. Satisfied, he removed his hand, allowing Endeavor to cauterize the entrance wound in Ingenium's chest. The work was unsanitary and rushed, but it was the best they could do.

All Might could see Endeavor's unease. "He spoke to you before... before he passed." The unspoken question hung in the air.

Endeavor was briefly alarmed at the suddenness of the topic, still caught in the moment, still focusing on the body in front of him. The moment passed. Adrenaline was replaced by exhaustion. "He asked me to speak to his brother. He wanted him to inherit the title of Ingenium."

All Might nodded as he inhaled deeply, and took his communicator out of his ear, setting it down next to Ingenium. He wanted to focus on this conversation now that the crisis was becoming manageable. Once they finished up here, they'd still need to rescue Young Midoriya from being pursued, but at least it would be a mop up mission compared to the fight with Sondok. Exhaling, he turned to place his remaining hand on his old rival's shoulder. "He knew what he was doing when he charged at her, Endeavor. He calculated the risk to his own life and the risk to yours… he chose to sacrifice himself for you. It was his choice. Not yours."

Endeavor shuddered with hidden emotions, thoughts and feelings he refused to bring to the surface. He had tried to make his peace with his son and daughter only to live with this new guilt. It was heavy enough to crush him into a fine paste. "He was so young." Was all he said.

Cementoss spoke up. "His brother is an applicant for U.A. University. He's a hero course applicant." The statement was obvious on the surface, but the implications were layered. Endeavor winced at the knowledge that the man's brother was that much younger. He expected a man perhaps in his mid-twenties, but a late teen? This was just too much.

Edgeshot glance from the body over to All Might. "We'll need to give our condolences to his wife and daughter, as well."

Endeavor felt his heart get caught in a vice. A wife. A daughter. Of course. Glancing over at the man on his cement table, Endeavor had to ask. "You had a wife and daughter, but you saved me… why? Why me? Why would you choose me instead of them?"

There was no response. Ingenium was silent and static.

Again, All Might inhaled deeply. He paid no mind to Edgeshot, who suddenly seemed distracted by some communication on his earpiece. "He didn't choose you." He shifted as though to address Ingenium. "Ingenium saw that your fire was doing more harm to Sondok than any other attack in our arsenal. She clearly saw that too, which was why she focused on killing you. He didn't choose you by yourself, Endeavor. His sacrifice wasn't for you alone. It was for all of us."

Ingenium did not respond to All Might's conjecture. He was no longer there, no longer in that body. He was gone.

They waited in silence for long unendurable minutes, refusing to leave Ingenium's body unattended. At last, they heard the approach of a medical extraction helicopter. The irony was bitter in all Might's mouth. If things had gone just a bit differently, they'd be taking an injured hero to the hospital. As things stood, instead they would be taking him for organ retrieval and funeral preparations.

This wasn't how things were supposed to turn out.

Edgeshot and Endeavor glanced at each other, a nervousness passing between them that All Might did not have time to comprehend. Whatever it was could wait.

Sparing a glance up to Edgeshot and Endeavor, All Might saw that they were both on edge, anxious. Reaching for his earpiece, All Might wondered what terrible news he had missed… and how much longer he could hold onto his large musclebound form. He was already well past his established limit and feared what else he may be needed for when his body gave out.

"No…" He uttered, hearing the communications from someone in the Support Corps. He cast his eyes back to the building across the street. Across to where Midoriya Inko and the rest of the communications team were trapped with another monster like Sondok.

Another one. When one had been enough to handle a team of eight top heroes.

Gritting his teeth, he steeled himself for the possibility that he would reach his own limit during combat. He would have to make these last moments count.

"Ingenium. You were best of us today." He rested his hand on the shoulder of the younger hero one last time.

"You saved my life, kid." Endeavor added in. The man seemed almost tearful.

"But now you need to get out of here… while we handle the rest." All Might patted the man on the shoulder as he lay on the concrete bench, speaking to him as though he were still here, as though he would ever respond again.

Lying in wait for his extraction, Ingenium remained as All Might, Endeavor, Cementoss, and Edgeshot moved towards the other heroes on the far edge of the roof. Warm with residual traces of life, he was still gone. He could offer no words to encourage or comfort them for what they were about to face. He couldn't tell them that he knew what they were up against. Instead they were left wondering how many of them would join him shortly as heroes remembered for their sacrifice. They each vowed in their own way to not let Ingenium's sacrifice be in vain, to help provide meaning for the world's loss.

Ingenium may be gone, and may have lost his life, but it was the world that truly seemed to have lost. The world seemed less bright, less hopeful, now that a hero as great as this one was snuffed out. The tragedy struck home to each of them as they turned away, as the youngest among them lay unendingly still.

Endeavor turned back, as though he were going to say something to Ingenium. Whatever it was Endeavor had to say, he bit the words back and turned again towards the danger that loomed across the street. Perhaps the older hero was going to say something witty, a final farewell on a positive note to Iida Tensei. Perhaps he wanted to apologize for Tensei's ending, feeling a sense of responsibility.

Tensei however did not need any witty remarks or any remorse. He had saved the life of Endeavor and likely everyone there on the rooftop with him. It was true that if he hadn't acted as he did, then their only effective weapon against Sondok would have been killed. If any of the others were in his position, they each hoped they'd have the strength to make the same choice that he did.

As he struggled to set his feelings aside and focus on the mission ahead, Endeavor swore to find a way to repay the Turbo Hero. Iida Tensei was gone. But Ingenium would live on, and Endeavor would repay his life debt one way or another.


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Bullshit. As far as Bakugou Katsuki was concerned, this entire day had been filled with nothing but bullshit. Everything seemed like it would end ok when they got the text from Inko, the one that said that Deku was still alive. But everything since then? Even more bullshit.

Events unfolded rapidly around them as he and his mom waited impatiently and helplessly. His personal hero All Might had never lost a battle in his entire tenure as the top hero of Japan. Now he was missing his right hand. And it got chopped off by a walking Hot Topic bitch, the same one that fucking stabbed Ingenium in the chest… That was all before Endeavor blew her head off in a microwave sized firestorm… yeah, that was cool, Katsuki mused.

Unfortunately, things don't look like they're over, he thought to himself. Aunt Inko is being held hostage by some empty masked fucker named Megadeath or some other bullshit he couldn't pronounce. Meanwhile Deku is stuck doing an American-style football impression where he's the ball. Katsuki wondered if the nerd would even appreciate that he was being held up against what was possibly the world's largest pair of tits.

And where did all that leave Katsuki and his mom, he asked himself? Yeah: in the fucking park, waiting around like extras. The tall blonde stood and stretched, bitterness rising in his throat as he contemplated how helpless he felt. But at least he wasn't a coward. Already he saw a fair number of people file out of the park, many to taxis or support buses. Apparently, the entire district was under a voluntary evacuation.

He couldn't really blame them all for being afraid. Megadeath apparently was threatening to kill everyone in the whole city. The whole fucking city. The thought pissed him off.

He caught movement from the corner of his eye. Focusing, he didn't see anything. Maybe it was dust on the wind… Dust! His eyes forced wide open with dreadful realization. "Mom… run, go start the car!" He shouted back over his shoulder as he ran toward the danger, unthinking of his own safety.

Silver sand coalesced in multiple locations throughout the park. Roaring to life as they walked on their fists into material existence, the ugly ape-bastards began their assault. They were huge, each likely weighing a metric ton. But worse than their ugly faces, Katsuki was caught in a terrible carrion-odor that emanated from their blood red skin. He released a powerful explosion, igniting the air in a brilliant display. He then changed his mind: Getting a better look, Katsuki decided that no matter how bad they smelled, they were even uglier to look at. The one whose face he lit up was blinded by the explosions, giving the explosive teen the chance to knock it further off balance with twin blasts to both of the creature's flanks.

Another roared at him before charging, trampling at least two people in its path of fury. Katsuki stood his ground before unleashing hell onto the thing's face. He could not let these things past him. Somewhere behind his back, his mother was rushing to their car. He couldn't let these things get to her. Her Quirk wasn't strong enough to let her fight these things. He might let his mother smack him from time to time, and he might even shout threats back to her, but he shuddered with pure anger at the thought of any of these ugly fuckers getting their filthy paws anywhere near her.

Several heroes were fighting nearby. Katsuki saw one that was able to multiply himself, another that could grow trees rapidly, and several others much farther off. Closer though than all the others was a guy Katsuki dubbed Whaleface… no wait, that was Gang Orca now that he thought about it. The man was fighting, but he was clearly injured. He was bleeding from multiple shrapnel wounds. Katsuki remembered seeing him arrive and get laid out for medical treatment by Jet Boost Guy… Ingenium!

Just as he wondered what the injured whale of a man could do, Katsuki saw the man grab onto one of the ape-shit-for-brains and somehow squeezed the thing's head so hard that it liquified the ape's brain. Grey matter oozed out of the creature's ears before it fell over, where it promptly dissipated into sand. Ok, that was kind of badass, the teen mused.

"That's some Quirk you've got, kid. What's your name?" Whaleface… or, Gang Orca asked.

"Bakugou Katsuki. I thought you were laying out on a cot over by those vans, getting ready to ship off to the hospital." He replied. He wasn't trying to be an ass, but he wasn't trying not to be either.

"Hospital's full, Bakugou. All three of them. What's worse is there's still work to do here. I don't have time to just lay down and bleed." Gang Orca surveyed the ongoing battle and made a quick decision. "You plan on applying to any hero courses, son?"

Bakugou's smiled an eager, hungry grin. "Absolutely. Already applied to U.A."

Gang Orca nodded. "Consider yourself deputized under me. Follow my orders to the letter and do not stray from my sight, and I'll write a letter to add to your application. Deal?" He extended a large bruised up hand for Bakugou to shake.

Katsuki didn't even pause long enough to blink. "Deal. But we see my mom off in her car first." He fist-bumped the older hero instead of shaking his hand.

Gang Orca took the reply in stride. "Is that her?"

Katsuki looked back over to her and saw her four-door charging straight toward them. His mother hit the brakes hard, skidding to a stop. "You and your new friend getting in?"

He shook his head, planning on telling his mother that there had been a change of plans, when the older hero interrupted. "I just received word in my comms that Mount Lady is calling for backup."

Gang Orca turned towards Kamui Woods, who apparently was being followed by several teens helping him out as well. One of them had the shittiest red-dyed hair Katsuki had ever seen, visible even in this moonless darkness. "Woods! You and the others have the situation here under control?!" Orca yelled to his fellow professional.

Kamui yelled back affirmatively, before he and the deputized teens rushed off to fight another of the hulking ape-monsters. Shitty Hair and the other extras went off with him, defending the less capable civilians as the park was systematically evacuated. Katsuki didn't want to consider how bad things had to be for him to see multiple heroes use their deputizing rights.

"Madam, Gang Orca at your service and protection." Whaleface addressed Katsuki's mom through her car window. "Unless you have any particular objection, I've taken your son under my wing as a deputy during this emergency."

She didn't look impressed. Katsuki just prayed she'd shut up and not say something stupid or embarrassing. "I sense that's not all you want to say to me." Was all she said.

Gang Orca looked around before practically kneeling to put himself at her level. "I'm going to level with you. Things are bad. There're attacks like this popping up in multiple sites across the city. The heroes are getting stretched thin everywhere and the military is being called in. I'm injured and deputized your son because I can use all the help I can get ahold of, and every professional in sight is already busy. Following so far?" It was clear he asked her not out of concern for her intelligence but just to see if she understood how bad things were and how much he couldn't say about it.

Once she nodded somberly, he continued. "And so, I'm going to ask for your help as well."


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"Please," he sobbed, begging "I don't want to die! Not like this! It's too much… please!"

Izuku's heart broke for the last copy remaining. Raising his hands apologetically in a pacifying gesture, palms open, he tried to reason with the only doppelganger left. "The circle is rapidly getting smaller. I don't want you to go like… like the first one did. Bleeding, screaming… if I could rescue you I would! But I can't! I'm sorry.

Were the copies struck with the memories of each other's deaths the way Izuku was? Did they feel the same pain, the perspective of the one that perished? They certainly didn't share his unique burden of assisting the suicides of each of the others… Izuku did not want to call it killing, but he knew that was the truest term for it. Worse, he felt like an accomplice to murder, going along with Adorjan's nightmarish trap; allowing her to force his hand, to kill the others just to save them from her.

"Kill." She intoned, as though they needed the reminder that she was ever present, a looming and pervasive threat to their lives.

Izuku did not know that he was crying until he felt his copy wipe a tear from his face. One tear. That seemed all the moisture Izuku could muster for seven graves worth of death. He'd like to blame it on the wind whipping past them, to pretend that the prior tears had been taken away on the air. That would be a lie, though. Instead, the two embraced.

"I'm sorry, Izuku." He said to his copy.

His copy embraced him tightly, and unexpectedly kissed his cheek. There was no awkwardness between them. Their state of undress was forgotten with the dire threat of bleeding silent death. "Promise me…" the copy whispered, yet it felt loud enough against that silent backdrop that he might as well have screamed the words into Izuku's ears. "Don't let her… don't let Adorjan turn you into just a killer. Don't let Cecelyne make you into a tyrant… be a hero. And the others… don't let them change who you are, Izuku! Take their powers, Izuku… but be a hero. Promise me!"

And so Izuku made a vow to himself, for himself, looking himself in the eye as he spoke. "I promise, I'll take these powers and I'll be the best hero our world has ever seen or will ever see again! I'll protect everyone!"

His copy smiled, a grim determined expression. Then he nodded.

It was time.

Kissing his copy, his little brother, on the forehead, Izuku shifted their embrace. Soon the weaker version of Izuku passed out, unable to breathe… and just as quickly, neck broken, he was dead.

Once more Izuku was afflicted with the memory, the suffocation, and the last thoughts of his dying brother. The weight and meaning of his own promise multiplied a thousand-fold. The last words extolling that promise became the weight of the world itself. He could not let himself down; he could not let his brothers, his copies, down.

The winds rushed into the circle, tightening a noose of death around him. Instinctively, Izuku ran, though there was no direction left to run. Uselessly he moved in a tight circle, a cyclone of frenetic movement caught in a greater gale of death.

Bright blinding light moved as wind around him first, and to his horror and disgust the corpses of his fallen brothers were no more. They simply vanished, evaporated into nothingness. He felt the wind pull on his arms as though grappling with him, but Izuku pressed on. If this was how he would die, failing some test for these damned Primordials, then he would die resisting till the last moment. Suddenly his arms felt heavier, but he did not waste time looking down to see what injury or malediction afflicted him. If he lost even a fraction of his speed he would die instantly.

Adorjan was going to kill him anyway, but he would forestall that death until the last possible moment. And just as thousands of knife-sharp arrowheads moved to impale him, to eviscerate his flesh, he dodged. Using all of his speed, and more than he knew he possessed, he broke the laws of physics and moved to skip the space between where he was and where he needed to be, allowing his power to carry him beyond what his own mind comprehended.

And then everything went dark.

Izuku feared that he was dead, but then wondered if the dead even feel fear. He felt constricted, heavy… and cold. His eyes were irritated… His ears sensed nothing, telling him Adorjan was still close by. Only then did he understand that he had somehow dodged down into the sands of Cecelyne, burying himself far below the surface. He had no idea just how far he had dug down, but for now he was out of Adorjan's reach.

His wrists felt hot and constrained. He wondered if he was bleeding. But more than anything he felt tired. Deep in his soul, unheard by anyone, he swore one last promise to himself before falling into a deep slumber.

He would find a way, someday, somehow, to get revenge for his brothers. Their lives were too cruel and too short, and he would not see their suffering left meaningless and forgotten on the sands… someday, he would inflict pain on Adorjan… someday Izuku would strike the wind, and make her scream out loud, louder than her fucking whisper.

Burning deep in his soul, he swore to himself. Izuku would have his revenge.


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The entire city, glued to their televisions, their computer screens, and their phones, felt a deep and unsettling fear stirring inside them. This fear spread outward to surrounding communities like ink spilling across a page. If it was only heroes falling to the hands of villains, perhaps the effect on society would not be so complete, so abhorrent, or so primal. Witnessing the brutality of that battle and then hearing the words of an inhuman monster caused a dread unlike anything they had ever known. This was not a villain that they could reason with. This was something alien, other, and strange. The thing demanded no ransom, nor did it have some political or philosophical manifesto behind its genocidal threats, but merely dismissed human life as an inconvenience.

Despite warnings from the government to do the contrary, entreating them to stay in their homes, a panicked and disorderly evacuation began. Many citizens living near the battle took it upon themselves to grab up as much or as little as they felt they could part with before fleeing. Some to their cars, others to train and bus stations. Most had no end destination in mind, but many booked reservations at various hotels outside of town or called to stay friends or family. Some went as far to book airline tickets and leave the country, flooding the local airport beyond capacity.

As with all such evacuations, the road leading toward danger is always empty, and the road leading away is always a nightmare of traffic. It was on one such empty road that Bakugou Mitsuki was driving. Her son was in the front passenger seat, meanwhile Gang Orca took up the entire back seat of the vehicle while sitting in as cramped a position as she could imagine. It was insane. They were driving toward the danger that everyone else was in a hurry to get away from. Or more accurately, she was driving herself and her temperamentally unstable son toward that danger.

And why were they doing this?

Because somewhere up ahead, Mount Lady was fighting a swarm of these nasty bastards. She was doing it alone, and she had called repeatedly for help. She by herself was the last line of defense between these motherfuckers and Inko's only son, who was still trapped in that disgusting looking shell. And with both Inko and Izuku in danger, Mitsuki knew exactly which one of the two Inko would ask her to help. So, when Gang Orca's request lined up exactly with Mitsuki's conscience, she once again found herself driving as if possessed by a demon… a demon that was late to return his rental car to the deepest pits of hell.

She wasn't going to tell Inko that she had refused, that she had run. She was going to tell her friend that she and her crazy kid broke every speed limit and caution sign and went on a mission to get Izuku back, to get Inko's boy back. And then, once he was home and safe, she was going to make her son grovel and apologize to him and his mother together. That's how this was going to turn out, invaders from some other world be damned.

Gang Orca seemed hesitant in the back seat, like he wanted to say something from his huddled position. He glanced at the speedometer multiple times. They were moving at least thirty kilometers per hour faster than the posted speed limit, and while there were no other cars on the road that still seemed reckless for a civilian driver.

Just as he was about to speak up, Katsuki turned to look the man dead in the eye. "Sir… just let my mom drive."

Mitsuki smiled as she pressed harder on the accelerator. Maybe, just maybe, her son was learning from all of this. And as she glanced in the rearview mirror at Gang Orca and then past him to the battle zone that they had left behind, maybe playing taxi for a professional hero was the safest thing she could be doing right now. She'd already called her husband, telling him to stay at his job the next town over. He had protested but eventually accepted her advice. The plan, at least once Izuku was free, was to grab him up into her car and get him and her son somewhere safe.

She just prayed Inko would be safe too. She gripped the steering wheel hard, praying more fervently than she ever had in her entire life.

The car seemed to shift as Gang Orca grew uncomfortably stiff in the backseat. She looked at him in the rearview mirror, wondering if her driving truly could cause him so much anxiety when she saw it. Loss. Deep, unendurable loss. He was listening with rapt attention to his communication system, but he also covered his face with one gigantic hand.

"Is it Ingenium?" She asked.

He didn't answer. It was the only answer she and her son needed to hear.


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Tenya was devastated and wrecked. The news had left him emotionally drained and exhausted. He and his parents were not just glued to their televisions like average civilians. They were privileged to have access to information that many others could only hope for, getting update calls from the support staff at Ingenium's hero agency, Team Idaten. They knew before many others watching the news that Ingenium was dead.

No doubt there would be sharks in the water, scouting away the heroes on his team to other larger agencies. The thought made Tenya's tears feel extra bitter.

"No answer at the hospital…" He overheard his father talking from the kitchen. They knew that Tensei's wife, Naomi, was most likely performing a life-saving surgery at that moment. For all they knew, she was operating on another hero injured that day. Her Quirk, Healing Touch, was extremely powerful, and made her one of the most in-demand surgeons in the nation. She continued to operate under her maiden-name, Kimishima.

Tenya grit his teeth, wondering how they were going to break the news to Alyssa, their adopted daughter. The little girl was just eight years old. She'd only gotten a new dad a year ago, and now… Now he was gone. How was she supposed to face that, to handle that?

And his mother, their mother… Tenya looked over at her, wondering how she held herself together so well. She had just come from upstairs after putting Alyssa to bed. Was she putting up a strong front for her granddaughter? But then, once her foot touched the bottom step she just collapsed. In a heartbeat, before her knees could touch the floor, Tenya and his father each sped to her side, knocking furniture aside. They caught her before she could faint, making her landing as gentle as possible.

A noise from upstairs. Their ruckus had woken Alyssa up. "Go… check on your niece, Tenya. I'll put your mother to bed."

Nodding, Tenya obeyed his father, letting his obligations to the family provide him with steps to follow, roles to fill. As he ascended the stairs, though, he was alone. Up until this moment he had thought about how Tensei's death would affect their parents, or Naomi, or Alyssa. Now, alone on the stairs of his parent's house, he was caught, trapped, by what the loss of his brother was doing to him.

As Tensei's little brother, he had always looked up to his Big Bro as an idol, a figure to aspire to. Tensei was so much older, with such a vast age gap, that their relationship had an almost paternal quality to it, like Tensei was his second father. His parents had never planned on having a second child, in fact they never believed they could have another one so late in life. Tensei however stepped up to help them raise their second son, not caring about the fifteen-year gap in their ages. It was Tensei that taught him to play baseball, to encourage him to join the Highschool track and field team, to take him to hero training camp, and to provide him advice on life, women, and other mysteries in ways his parents never would. Tensei was the one who helped Tenya loosen up over the years despite their strict parents. Tensei was Tenya's best friend, the man he most admired.

Now though his brother needed him. His brother needed Tenya… to comfort his niece and put her to bed. Yes, that's what Tensei would want him to do right now… but he wanted to do so much more.

Tenya wanted blood. He wanted revenge.

Pushing his own selfish thoughts aside, he knocked gently before opening the door, sliding it to one side. He stopped dead in his tracks, pausing before entering. She wasn't just awake; she was crying her eyes out. Tenya picked up his tiny niece and held her close, petting her long brown hair as she stained his shirt with her tears.

"Daddy's not coming home to pick me up, is he?" She asked, breaking his heart in places it wasn't already destroyed.

Crying softly himself, he shook his head sadly. "You get to stay with us tonight. Your mom and dad are both working late. Buy hey! I'll get to take you to school, and when you get out, I'll come pick you up and take you home to them, ok? Maybe they'll even let us play a game or two after we get there." He tried to sound upbeat, to sound happy, for her sake.

He couldn't tell her now. Not like this.

"Daddy's not coming home?" Tenya stiffened as she asked him, his spine rigid and unflexing.

He tried to soften his posture, to be comfortable and doting for her. "No… Daddy got hurt. He has to go to the hospital."

He hated himself. He hated lying to her.

He felt her tiny hand grip hard onto the fabric of his shirt. "Can… can mommy fix him? Like she did me?"

His eyes shot wide at the thought. Alyssa shouldn't be alive today, from what he had heard. Naomi had worked a medical miracle after Alyssa was rescued from a terrible explosion that had killed her entire family. But here she was, whole and healthy. Could Naomi work a miracle again, and save her own husband, Tenya's big brother, from death? He wasn't clear on how her Quirk worked… but maybe, just maybe.

No. It was an irrational thought. Alyssa was alive, however barely, when Naomi operated on her. Tensei was dead on a rooftop far from the hospital. The two situations were completely different from one another.

With a smile on his face he looked little Alyssa in the eye. "He's out rescuing people right now, not with her at the hospital. But… let's find out just what can be done about it. I believe in them… in both of them. You just need to believe in them too, ok?" It wasn't exactly a lie, but he still hated saying it. He hated that he was giving her false hope. He briefly worried that she'd hate him one day for it. But one thing he carefully avoided was letting her believe that Naomi could somehow fix Tensei. That belief could fester into the type of blame no daughter should feel for their mother. He wouldn't allow that and hoped that he had at least avoided that trap for her sake.

She nodded, sniffled, and gave him a smile big enough to take up her whole face. He swore to himself in that moment that he would be the best uncle she could ever ask for, to be for her what Tensei had been for him, that mix of sibling and parent that he had desperately needed. He wasn't sure how he'd help her handle topics like boys and makeup, but he'd do his best for her as she grew older. He had no idea then that helping her was already helping him grow too.

"Now, you're supposed to be in bed. And while you're asleep, I'm going to go check on mommy and daddy for you, ok?" Tenya asked her, and she complied, getting back under the futon.

Just as he scooted toward the door, she asked him. "Uncle Tenya?"

He turned back to her. "Yes?" He had never successfully figured out a nickname for her. In some ways he was still too stiff, too awkward, a facet of himself he continued to work on in his efforts to emulate Tensei.

She smiled adorably. "Can you turn me into a burrito again?"

"Of course, princess." He said. He failed to notice how wide her eyes got when he said that, how happy she was as he tucked the futon around her, making her warm and cozy. He wished her goodnight, and left… while she lay there, happy that he finally called her something adoringly other than just her name… like she was family.

Grim determination filled him. He could do this. He could do this for Tensei, for Alyssa… and for Naomi. He was going to do everything he could to help his brother and his brother's family. He walked with purpose down the stairs and toward the front door.

"Tenya, where are you going?" His father called to him from the living room, watching his son put his running shoes on.

Tenya stood ready by the front door, and for a long time didn't answer his father. But then, he did what he felt was the right thing. "I'm leaving to avenge my brother."

His father stood in abject alarm. "Tenya! Musutafu is a half hour away by car on a good day! The roads are blocked! The city is in the first stage of an evacuation… and there's… monsters! Monsters are literally attacking the city! I already lost one son out there! Don't make it two! Tenya… Tenya!" His father continued to call after him, even running to their front door, as Tenya ignored the man and walked out. As Tenya picked up into a hard run, his father's voice grew more and more distant behind him. He'd never defied the man before, but today he needed to be there… for Tensei.

Tensei once said that he'd run through hell and back for his little brother. Now it was time for Tenya to rise and do the same. "I'm coming Tensei…" He breathed out the words, mostly to himself, as he picked up speed. He ignored the vibrating phone in his pocket, knowing it was his father trying to call. He didn't have time to listen to the man.

Tenya had other things on his mind as he ran towards hell.