As the procession comes to a close, the mass gathering proceeds to go their separate ways. Behind them, the collection of incense before Katsuki's grave sparks and sizzles under the drizzle of the rain, the smoke split and divided by individual drops. Their final flickers put out before they can properly burn.

Lost potential.

The time for mourning had ended. For the gathering, it's time for life to carry on.

Lost within the crowd of funeral goers, Izuku and his mother attempt to find a way out from this labyrinth. Navigating the narrow passageways between people, the mother and son duo stumble and stutter as formal coats, black dresses, and blazers bump into them. Ahead of them, the pale stranger that had caught Izuku's attention.

Individual raindrops break Izuku's gaze, his face scrunching up and flinching.

I... I have to know who he is.

Izuku's gaze, despite the unceasing onslaught of rain, remains focused on the strangers lithe figure. Compared to most visitors, his lean build and tall stature paired with his now-signature drenched ponytail helps him stand out from a crowd.

As the Stranger slithers his way through the gaps in the crowd, Izuku tightens his grip on his mother's hand. Attempting to part the Red Sea of people, Izuku tries to blend force with politeness, using repeated statements of "Excuse Me", "Pardon Us", and "Sorry About That" in order to excuse his pushes.

"Izuku, what's the rush? Your grip is rather tight..." Inko protests as she's dragged along by her son.

Refusing to let the Stranger escape from his grasp, Izuku proceeds forward, the rain practically steaming against Izuku's face. His determination is palpable.

The Stranger takes a step to his left, behind a large gathering of people, briefly escaping from Izuku's gaze.

Reaching a fork in the crowd, Izuku turns his head in desperation.

Surely he couldn't have left?

He's a pro, has to be! But who? Edgeshot? No... His hair isn't black like that. Kesagiriman?

The Stranger's familiarity refuses to escape Midoriya's mind.

Izuku makes an executive decision for the duo and takes the path to the left.

As the walls of people begin to close in on the mother-son duo, Izuku continues to drag Inko through the sea of black suits.

A few more steps and they'll be free of the choking grasp of mourning.

Just like Indiana Jones! We can make it, we're almost there...

A few more steps...

Sliding through the gaps with a grimace, Izuku and his mother step out from the crushing grips of suits and ties. Emerging into a deeper section of the cemetery than before, Inko stops for a breather.

"Oh... Izuku... I appreciate the determination but... my body isn't as spry as yours... I think we took the wrong turn to get out anyways," Inko gasps out, hand on her chest.

Izuku inspects the area and finds that they've walked in a circle, having pushed their way back into the center of the funeral.

In front of Izuku, Kacchan's family and friends are all gathered, discussing memories, future plans, and where they'll go now.

A distance away, Izuku also notes the bobbing, black ponytail obscured behind a smaller gathering of people.

There you are.

Leaning forward, Izuku attempts to confirm his belief and identify the Stranger. Just a bit more forward... A little bit more...

Just a teensy bit...

"Oh, hello. Did you know Katsuki?" A soft voice chimes in.

Turning to address the voice, Izuku cocks his head and finds... Uravity!

Standing before him, purse over her shoulder, in a black overcoat, she inspects Izuku, searching for possible connections. Her eyes are soft and puffy, cheeks red. She's clearly been crying.

Making eye contact, Izuku blushes, both out of bashfulness and embarrassment for being found while snooping around a man he's never met. At Kacchan's funeral nonetheless.

Attempting to downplay his own embarrassment, Izuku looks away briefly, unable to match her gaze.

Inko, noticing the two teenagers interacting, steps forward.

Placing a hand on her sons back, she plants herself next to him.

"Oh yes, we're good friends with the family. My little Izuku and Katsuki were good friends back during their primary school days. Practically inseparable, the two of them," Inko confidently replies for her hapless son. Izuku's freckles flush red; matched with his green hair, he looks more like a strawberry than a teenager.

Uravity, producing a faint smile, similarly turns her head, but instead to inspect Katsuki's dug grave.

She softly chuckles to herself, eyes locked on the headstone.

"That's wonderful. Thank you two for coming then. I imagine Katsuki's mother would like to see you two then?" Uravity turns to address Inko.

"Surely! Her and I haven't been able to talk much since we heard the news of what happened... We used to visit each other regularly, especially when the two of them were younger," Inko gladly replies, shining a kind smile before briefly turning her eyes downwards when discussing Katsuki's death.

Leaning forward to catch Izuku's attention, Uravity smiles.

"Thank you for giving Katsuki company when he was younger. I've probably heard all about you and haven't even realized! What's your name if I may ask?" She asks, cheeks as pink as ever.

Izuku, barely pushing through his own bashfulness, practically snaps his neck in order to look at the young hero.

"Izu-Izuku Midoriya. Katsuki...", he stops to consider his next few words. Turning his glance to her soft, red cheeks and warm, auburn eyes, Izuku can see her pain.

I mean, if Kacchan was to ever talk about me... He wouldn't have called me Izuku...

Struggling to maintain eye contact, Izuku stomachs his embarrassment and returns a soft expression. "Odds are, if K-Katsuki referred to me, it would be with my nickname. H-He used to call me D-Deku," he stutters out with a bashful smile.

Hearing this, at first she chuckles, "That's pretty cute! Little Katsuki running around calling you Deku! Kind of a weird nickname, isn't it?" Izuku blushes at the word cute, but the red flushes away at the final comment.

"W-We had a unique relationship, Kacchan and I," Izuku rushes out, clenching his fist as the thoughts pile drive their way into his mind.

Uravity's glance changes from one of friendliness to emotional shock.

"You used to call him Kacchan?" She puts a hand up to her chin.

Wait... Ah crap! I must have slipped!

"Y-y-yeah," Izuku sheepishly admits, his face practically burning.

"That was my-my nickname for him..." Izuku admits, forcing his head downwards, too shy to reveal his face.

Hearing this, small tears begin to bubble from the sides of her eyes.

Izuku looks at her with a expression of concern, "O-Oh no! A-Are you okay? I'm sorry! I must have said some-something brash!"

Wiping away the tears with her wrists, she chuckles to herself.

"It's okay. Just an emotional day," she wipes the final tear away with a curled index finger, "I used to call him that too," she gladly admits. A small smile shines its way through her tears.

Her smile breaks through some of the sadness of the day. A ray of sunshine on a literally cloudy day.

Izuku's expression softens.

"How did you know him?" He asks gently.

She shifts her glance, focusing onto something in the distance.

"I'm his girlfriend," she replies.

"I mean... I was... was his girl-girlfriend," she stumbles out.

Teardrops well on the sides of her eyes.

Inko opens her mouth slightly before resting her hand on the girls shoulder. The tears begin to stream from her face, dropping from her chin.

Izuku is visibly shocked.

Kacchan's girlfriend?

Memories of that day flood into Izuku's mind. The news coverage, the chaos, the fear.

"Terror in Kamino Ward". "Hostage Crisis Gone Wrong". "Dozens Dead".

Inko receiving the call from Katsuki's mother. The tears.

What has she been through?

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry," Inko steps forward, pulling the girl in for a hug. Rubbing her hand up and down the girls back, Uravity softly sobs into Inko's shoulder.

Izuku has no clue what to do.

Stiff as a board, Izuku can barely move a muscle while watching the scene.

"You ever need anything, we can help. Such a sad circumstance to meet you, but we're here for you, don't worry," Inko murmurs into her ear.

Izuku cranes his neck to look away from the scene, desperately trying to avoid tears of his own.

He's not used to so much emotion. He has zero idea how to process it all.

No one does.

As he turns his head however, from the corner of his eye, he spots the Stranger.

Before a crowd of professional heroes, the man trades glances with different heroes. His gaze seems vacant. Empty.

A cigarette sparks in his lip, the Stranger taking occasional breaks from conversation to puff the smoke away from his confidants faces.

Next to him, a blonde man with long, slicked back hair and a pair of aviators. With a hand planted on the Strangers shoulder, aviators seems to be trying to talk some sense into him.

The conversation picks up in pace as the Stranger rolls his eyes at the heroes in front of him.

It's devolving into an argument.

As Izuku inspects the Stranger's growing conflict, Uravity remains in the arms of his mother.

Fascinated, Izuku is oblivious to an approaching ambush.

From behind, the blonde teenager with brown streaks in his hair and the teen with sharp, red hair approach Izuku.

"Did you happen to know Katsuki?" the blonde inquires.

Jolting his head to answer the question, Izuku practically jumps out of his outfit in fear.

Woah!

"Sorry for the sudden interruption," the red-head glares at the blonde sternly, "but based off Ochaco's reaction, we imagined you did," he clarifies.

The two teenagers glare at each other playfully before Blondie smirks at Redhead with a raised eyebrow. Redhead punches him in the arm, scoffing.

Izuku's emerald eyes dart between the two, confused at the scene playing out before him.

Wait... Aren't these two student heroes? They were in the crowd.

Why do they want to talk to me?

Turning to Izuku and smirking, Blondie introduces himself with an open hand, "I'm Denki Kaminari and this is Kirishima," gesturing to his shark-toothed friend.

"We're friends of Ochaco and Katsuki's. How'd you know him?" Kirishima elaborates.

Made yourself an interesting group of friends, didn't you Kacchan.

Izuku shakes hands with Denki sheepishly before turning to address Kirishima.

Denki, without breaking eye contact, shakes his now empty hand vigorously in order to rid it of Midoriya's nervous sweat.

"We were... childhood friends. Spent lots of time during Primary School and Junior High together," Izuku explains. Scratching the back of his head, Izuku is a tad overwhelmed.

He's not used to being the source of so much attention.

"Oh cool! We never heard much of his childhood, just about whatever he wanted to gloat about. Would love to hear some stories sometime," Kirishima enthusiastically states.

Kaminari rolls his eyes, "Yeah, talk about gloating! Dude would never shut up about how much better he was than us!" Kirishima turns his glance back to Kaminari, "Dude! Think about where we are next time before speaking, okay?"

Kaminari scoffs.

Memories of Kacchan sparks into Izuku's mind.

His sharp-toothed smile. The burning sting of his quirk against Izuku's arms. Having to defend himself against Kacchan's troupe of bullies.

How despite all of his treatment, it was hard not to respect his drive.

"Yeah. We were great friends," Izuku continues.

Denki turns to Kirishima, "Hear that numbskull? Sounds like you had competition," he says with a smile.

"Sounds like you didn't really get to meet Ochaco, based on her current state..." Kirishima considers, glancing at Uraraka still being clutched in Inko's arms. Slowly being helped up with Inko's hand on her back, she at least seems to be recovering.

"That's Ochaco Uraraka. Katsuki's girlfriend. She'll be fine, trust me, just needs time to grieve," Denki explains, pointing a thumb behind him to Ochaco.

"Tough girl, you'd be surprised. Had her heart ripped out too many times, that's for sure," Denki continues. Kirishima lets out a sigh, knowing the truth of that statement.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Kirishima concludes the discussion of Ochaco's heartache with.

Awkwardly standing between the two student hero's conversation, Izuku turns his head to inspect the Stranger's whereabouts. Noticing the Stranger leaving the crowd, the pale man flicks a spent cigarette from his hands onto the grass. As he steps away from the crowd, Izuku feels something in his gut.

Follow him.

"We were thinking of organizing a get together after this if you'd like to come along. Just a few of us, mostly to relax after a day like this," Denki offers.

Kirishima nods, "Yeah, I'll be there. So will Ochaco," he elaborates.

Watching the Stranger get farther and farther from his line of sight, Izuku grows impatient.

"Y-yeah... yeah that sounds... fun," Izuku says without thinking, "Would you guys mind if I take... a bit of a leave?" He mindlessly asks.

"O-Oh sure, whatever you need!" Kirishima replies.

Before he can finish his statement, Izuku books it out of there.

"Well, he's a weird one," Denki states, hand falling to his side.

Kirishima looks at him and shrugs.