Chapter 21

Todoroki wasn't a naturally suspicious person, he often took things too literally and faced unexpected consequences and experiences due to it, but it never led him down a path that made him particularly distrust others more than anyone else.

Having said that, there was something about Bakugou that made him on edge. Some level of a lack of trust he held for the other boy. Bakugou was clearly hiding something, he snuck around and clearly only put any faith in himself. Todoroki did find that understandable as he did the same thing, only trusting himself and putting his faith in the ice on his left side… But he knew that being a hero meant working with others as well. It was ironic to say such things after he had professed his entire life story to him, but it was because of that and because they were so similar that Todoroki doubted him and the possible motivations he might carry. And with the potential of him joining the Hero Course, he needed to make his mind up with how he felt about him.

Easier said than done, listening in on that conversation had made his mind even more fuddled with new information that he had to sort through. As such, he decided to ask someone for their insight and not just any person, the only person he knew well enough to ask.

Momo Yaoyorozu.

Yaoyorozu was an empathetic individual who was very oriented to see the bigger picture, unlike Todoroki. And they had both gotten into the class through recommendation rather than simply by merit (Todoroki would stand by this even if there was a test between recommended students), and as such they understood each other to a certain level.

Todoroki figured lunchtime would be his best bet to ask her about the person who had been gnawing away at his mind for a day now.

He found her swiftly after class had ended and their belongings had been stowed away.

"Yaoyorozu." He addressed her formally, "I have something I wish to discuss with you."

"Certainly, Todoroki!" She smiled cordially, "You can just call me Yaomomo."

He nodded, making sure to remember that for the next time they would be interacting. He led her aside to a somewhat secluded place for them to talk. Along the way they got various odd stares and looks, but that was to be expected. The sight of them both cordially walking together was most likely unusual, but he didn't know why that would be the case.

"What did you need to discuss?"

"Bakugou."

"Bakugou Katsuki?" Yaoyorozu seemed confused, her brows furrowing somewhat.

"Yes." Todoroki nodded confidently. There was a lot to discuss about the mysterious boy.

"Okay… What about him?" She did not seem to understand the tension and suspicion that floated around Bakugou like a curse. Maybe it had been a mistake to reach out to her, but it was too late to back out now so Todoroki continued. In the worst case maybe he could play it off as a joke.

"I find him very strange" He remarked, "Suspicious, if you will."

"Hmmm" Yaoyorozu put her hand on her chin, as if thinking, "I can see your point."

"Go on." So she did have some experience with him where he had appeared to be more than someone would assume. It was not a mistake to confide in her after all.

"I saw something peculiar occur on the roof the other day and since then have been watching Bakugou and trying to figure him out." She professed in a hushed tone. Did she not want to offend anyone? He was the only one here, so there was no need for her to be silent.

But he would admit, her observation was something he had not known about and now his curiosity was peaked.

"What was the peculiarity?"

"I feel guilty about this, however I was on the roof and heard a commotion occuring. I wanted to see if I could be of any assistance and I found Bakugou. He had been screaming like a madman, talking about his quirk, being a monster, and arguing with himself." Yaoyorozu shook her head, Todoroki didn't know if it was in disbelief or disappointment,"I still don't know what happened but I've been trying to find it out. Something about him seems off, I wonder who he thought he was talking to."

Todoroki raised his eyebrows ever so slightly.

That was new.

Talking to someone? That meant there would be more than one person under his suspicion.

"Did you see anyone there?"

"No." Yaoyorozu took her hands and crossed her fingers together, "I did see Shiozaki from 1-B come onto the roof, but by then Bakugou had finished his… Episode."

Todoroki understood the implication that she was unsure what exactly had occurred to Bakugou or what made him act in such a way. If Yaoyorozu couldn't identify it at the time, there was no way he could now… Unless Shiozaki somehow knew something neither of them did. They had never spoken though and Todorki doubted it would be a good idea to ask her.

There was no doubt about it, Bakugou was definitely hiding something he didn't want others to know and the second that a Hero Student had crossed paths with him, he immediately stopped talking about monsters and quirks. Assuming Shiozaki didn't know anything. From the USJ incident, he had been ranting about the uselessness of heroes and how the teachers had made a drastic mistake. And while Todoroki couldn't argue with that, he felt as though puzzle pieces were finally being fit together.

"He was behind the infiltration of U.A." Todoroki surmised, looking at Yaoyorozu with a steely and confident gaze. It all made perfect sense, his disdain for heroes, talking to seemingly no one, and having an issue with society and his quirk.

There could be no other explanation.

If he was going to become a Hero Student he would have even more channels of information he could steal and even more ways to profit or cause havoc with such information. It could cause disaster if it was true.

"That's preposterous, it doesn't make any sense." Yaoyorozu shut it down immediately, disbelieving his hypothesis.

"Think about it." He urged, "We don't have enough evidence to turn him in, but it's certainly suspicious. We need to keep an eye out."

Yaoyorozu seemed to think about it for a second. Either he didn't believe him, didn't want to believe him, or wasn't sure how to process all of this information and the idea that there was a traitor within U.A and that traitor was Bakugou Katsuki.

"It's hard to imagine someone would do that, much less Bakugou, he is harsh but doesn't seem the type." Her frown deepened ever so slightly, "I'll be careful, but I don't agree with what you're saying. He isn't a villain."

"Maybe not yet." Todoroki blinked. It seemed logical, the steps he was making from what he had heard of, they just further cemented his fears and suspicions.

For a traitor he seemed almost too obvious though, was that supposed to throw them off or was simply an oversight?

He didn't know the answer to that question, nor the answer to most of the questions which had been newly posed by Yaoyozoru's insight, but Todoroki was determined to hopefully figure it out.

No, he needed to figure it out for the sake of his class and the entire school.

Katsuki Bakugou had a secret and Todoroki was hell bent on deciphering whatever it could be, he promised himself he wasn't going to be backing down.

The reasons behind Deku's antsiness were finally going to be unraveled and revealed to Katsuki. He wouldn't say he was excited but he had been waiting for it for a long time.

Although it was safe to say, Deku did not seem ready whatsoever.

"So… Uh… Yeah, the thing I had to tell you was that uh, well I should start with the good news, right?" He stammered through all of it, clearly anxious, "Wait no… uh I don't think I was going to tell you that now but maybe I will… Or the bad news, uh, I don't know-"

There was quite a lot to unpack there but Katsuki didn't want to scare him off by questioning him on what the fuck he meant when he said he hadn't planned on telling him something yet, so instead he just got control of the situation back into Deku's hands.

"Deku." His voice sounded pretty level, he was proud of himself, "What did you want to tell me specifically?"

Deku's eyes snapped up at him and he began to look all around, anywhere except for directly at him.

"Well, I-" He wrinkled his nose before taking a deep breath in, waiting for a few seconds, and breathing out, "Alright, okay. I'll start with this."

Katsuki nodded his head, keeping his focus on Deku so he knew that he was listening to what he had to say and taking him seriously.

"You know Nozomi, right?" Deku asked, to see Katsuki slowly nodding in response, unsure what she had to do with any of this, "I went to drop her off at her house and uh make sure she was safe." Deku's hero streak never ended, whether he could interact with the world freely or not, he was forever a hero at heart.

"I didn't expect much from it… But wait, you can't see her right?" Deku suddenly derailed himself, asking Katsuki.

"Yeah, I can't." he confirmed, confused about what the purpose of him doing so was. He thought the other boy was already aware that for some reason he wasn't able to see Nozomi. Although to be fair, that could put into question a lot of the efficacy for what Deku was about to say, but Katsuki kept his mouth shut and waited to see what he would be professing.

"I forgot to tell her that people can't see her, so when we walked into the house-" Katsuki could already see where this was going, had it really been bothering the nerd so much that her parents couldn't see her for whatever reasons he could see Deku? He didn't think it would break his heart so much that it would be affecting him to the point that he didn't share it with Katsuki until now, "But I didn't need to."

Wait what?

"They reached out for a hug right as she did, they ran to each other." Deku shook his head faintly, almost in disbelief even though he had been the one to witness what had happened.

Katsuki couldn't understand exactly what he meant. Ideas began to float around inside his head but he wanted Deku to say it, he needed Deku to be frank about the truth.

"It was as if they saw each other."

There it was. There were the words that were destined to send Katsuki's reality crashing down… Because how could that be possible?

"What?" It came out much smaller than he intended, his voice sounding like a whisper of its usual self.

"It's not only us," Deku confirmed, "They saw her but they couldn't see me."

That answered Katsuki's next question.

So they couldn't see Deku but they could see Nozomi. That brought up the question of how the system worked, how can some ghost-like people be seen but not others? It couldn't be through genetics, that wouldn't make any sense, so what was it?

Katsuki thought his brain might implode from the new information given to him, it was all so unbelievable. This entire time… They hadn't been alone.

"So, what-what-" Katsuki didn't even know where to start and he didn't know the extent of Deku's knowledge either so his questions probably couldn't even be answered. He settled for the most pressing one, "What does that mean for that weird ass possession shit?"

Deku sucked his teeth, expecting the question. "I didn't ask them anything, I figured they'd want to enjoy time with each other."

What a dumbass, there went the only way they could figure out this information and see if what they were dealing with was truly crazy or not. There didn't seem to be a genetic pattern, but if there was it still wouldn't account for him and Deku's relationship and Nozomi being adopted, from what he heard Deku mention offhand in his mumblings once. He considered Deku to be like his brother though, so did it have to do with non-genetic, found family bonds? (He doubted whatever quirk or powerful being was behind this cared much about adoption papers, but he couldn't discount the idea either) That was more explainable but even then the depth of the bonds could still be questioned so the pattern wasn't concrete.

Not to mention, the most important factor was their status. Deku had said Nozomi was dead, right? But he wasn't, so there was a lack of relation between the situations the two of them had encountered. Or was Nozomi not dead… Did almost-death trigger it?

Katsuki could've stood there all day and attempted to theorize what was happening but he would never be able to find the answer if he did that.

"How?" He settled for that simple response, overwhelmed by all that he had now learned about.

"That's what I've been thinking," Deku smiled sheepishly and shifted his weight from one foot to the other, "I don't know, Nozomi's moms probably don't care enough to learn, they're just happy to have their daughter back."

He seemed wistful when saying that and Katsuki felt a twinge of shame. He couldn't say he particularly cared about the other family so it didn't matter much when he realized he was only thinking about himself, but he was being too selfish. Deku was empathetic, especially about these kinds of things, but he wasn't.

He often lacked a real personal connection with other people, an ability to make them feel comfortable and open up so that he could really look in depth to what makes them tick, so to speak.

He had a lot he could learn from Deku. Katsuki found that he always did, throughout his life Deku was always following him physically to different destinations but Katsuki was really the one following Deku mentally. He was watching his actions, his thoughts, his ideas, and trying to become better himself.

Well, at least more so now.

Katsuki smiled at the memories, "Good to get that off your chest at least, c'mon let's go inside."

He turned his back on the other boy, taking a step forward.

"Wait!" Desperately Deku called back to him, he seemed to become nervous once more.
"Yeah?" Katsuki rescinded his step and faced Deku again. Wasn't their conversation over? Was there something he had missed or an expectation he hadn't fulfilled whatsoever? If so, it must've gone completely over his head.

Seconds later he learned that his ideas were completely off. He didn't do something wrong to garner this stop, Deku just had more that needed to be said.

"That hasn't really been occupying my mind the most though. I wanted to tell you what was," Deku began, surprising Katsuki. He would've thought the situation with Nozomi would be completely consuming, but there was more? Katsuki wondered how long he had been holding all of it inside himself, "Well… You know how I said not to ask where I got the information about the USJ attack?"

Katsuki narrowed his eyes, not liking where this was going already. He had always remained suspicious of how Deku got his hands on information like that, had it put him into some kind of trouble?

He nodded, urging Deku to go on with what he was saying.

"Same thing applies." He said it while looking down in a small voice. Was he afraid Katsuki wasn't going to agree to the terms again?

"Sure, fine." Katsuki waved his hand, both physically and mentally dismissing the idea, "What is it?"

"This is going to be really hard to say..." Deku trailed off, playing with his fingernails and scratching at them as a way to fidget and avoid direct contact or conversation.

Katsuki didn't care if Deku was going to say the entire universe would be getting destroyed in three days, he just needed him to tell him the information at hand so that they could move on with their lives and plan around it. "Well… I-I uh, you see there may be a potential for a…"

Katsuki couldn't catch the last part of what Deku had said, he had mumbled it to avoid bringing it into light.

"Repeat that." Katsuki commanded, "Come on Deku, we don't have all fucking day. We'll work through whatever shitty issue pops up."

"There's gonna be a villain attack." Again, Katsuki couldn't hear what he had said, still murmuring away solely to himself.

"Louder!"

"THERE'S GOING TO BE A COORDINATED VILLAIN ATTACK AND I'M SCARED YOU'RE THE TARGET!"

Katsuki froze, stunned.

He did not expect those words to come tumbling out of Deku's mouth, much less in that specific order. Did he say another villain attack? With him as the target for whatever was in the makings?

"THE FUCK?" Katsuki responded in kind, not understanding how their conversation had turned from Nozomi's incredible experience finding her parents and furthering the knowledge about whatever she was tp now likening it to a villain attack, the later news, which caught him just as off guard as the first.

He was mostly concerned about him being the target for whatever elaborate plan Deku had heard was in the makings from villains. Were they the same ones who attacked the USJ? He hadn't specifically made that clear either, but Katsuki assumed they had to be. That was the only villain group he knew that was bold enough to attack the Hero Course directly.

"Why me?" He asked the question that had been on his mind from when Deku first opened his mouth. He was no one special, just another General Studies student who made it to the top. It had been done before, so why him? It didn't make sense for Deku to be in a panic over him , who's to say he even was the target in the first place?

It was alright for him to be concerned in general, but the purpose of sharing information was to address the unknown and make it known. Even just looking at Deku's obvious shifting and fidgeting, he could tell that he didn't have information detailing that far ahead. That was probably why he didn't tell Katsuki immediately, he wanted to verify his sources and all that bullshit. Which would make enough sense for Katsuki to believe, but then why go and tell him now? It was possible that along the way, Deku discovered that the information would never be available and now was as good a time as any.

Of course this was all pure speculation from Katsuki and he wouldn't truly know until minutes later when he began to ask his questions instead of thinking about them.

"I don't know…" Deku tried to act unknowing, but he was clearly hiding something from Katsuki. It was the tone he had used which led him to believe that, one that he had been familiar with in the past. Deku may not have thought so but he was a bad liar.

"The truth." Katsuki growled out, impatient with the shield of lies and mistruths Deku was trying to spread. There was no reason to tell the partial truth here, especially when he was going to make it so obvious that he wasn't being honest.

"I-I" Deku looked vastly uncomfortable, not realizing Katsuki was able to call him out so easily about the truth of his words. "I shouldn't tell you, it doesn't matter."

Shouldn't tell him? What the fuck? Shouldn't tell him why he might be a villain target? Of anything, Katsuki needed to know that the most.

"Deku." Katsuki warned icily, he wasn't going to take this from Deku, he needed to know with absoluteness. "Tell me."

Deku looked up at Katsuki, staring into his eyes and searching for something. Katsuki didn't know what it was or why Deku felt the need to hide such a thing from him.

He wasn't that weak that he couldn't take a few words of the truth. Especially when they coincide with something that is life or death. He prepared himself for the worst. Although, when the words finally slipped out of Deku's mouth only moments later, Katsuki couldn't say he had truly prepared himself quite enough.

"I'm only guessing, I wasn't told, but I'm guessing it's because of your attitude. Not to say you are a villain, not at all, but you do dislike the hero community. And villains might see that as a way to turn you to a villain… I don't think it'll work. I don't see a reason they'd kidnap you otherwise, you don't have anything of use to them dead." He said it all in a hushed tone as though he was ashamed for all of the assumptions he had made. That was especially true now that they were being spoken out loud to Katsuki, the one affected by them the most.

Katsuki himself didn't know what to say.

Thoughts flashed across his mind, all speaking on different aspects and possibilities. Some had been saying that Deku knew he was a villain and would officially turn into one if he were to get kidnapped, others about how his newly found disdain for the current heroes would lead to his own downfall as a hero, and finally there was a battle in his mind over whether Deku wanted him gone or not.

Whether he wanted him dead or alive, a hero or villain, kidnapped or safe.

Arguably, that was the most important battle to him. Deku's opinions mattered to him more than anyone else could even hope to. That made things both inexplicably easy and dangerous.

Katsuki had hammered it into his brain that Deku could do no wrong, Deku was never the bad guy, it had always been him all along. Because of that, he was hesitant to think any way that would challenge those ideals, he didn't think Deku was a bad person, but he had doubts about himself.

If Deku did betray him it would be deserved, wouldn't it?

That one singular thought always surfaced whenever Katsuki would be put in danger or Deku had said something which could put him in danger. And at that very moment, it was stronger than ever. Deku didn't speak with any kind of hate and his words were not unkind, but something about the way he phrased it made Katsuki feel insecure.

That couldn't be true at all. Deku was in no way going to be going against him, he refused to believe those surfacing thoughts and shoved them deep down into his mind. Deku said he wasn't a villain and he doubted that he could become one anytime soon, that had to be good enough for him. Katsuki was taking what he said out of context anyway, what Deku thought about him wasn't the issue at hand. It was what the villains might have seen when trying to get him to join. And as much as Katsuki would like to know the answer to such a question, to confirm or deny Deku's suspicions, he already had a feeling on what the answers would be.

Regardless, they weren't there to discuss whether Katsuki was a villain or not even in the eyes of villains themselves, although that could potentially be important information, they were there to talk about a villain attack that might occur and put lives in danger. He had to focus his attention on what was clearly important.

"Whatever." Katsuki grumbled, he'd have time to feel sorry for himself later, "Now do you have any actual useful information about how they're going to attack, the specific time, bullshit like that?"

Deku looked shocked for a moment at the lack of anger he received after what he had just said. Was he really so cruel that at the simple act of passing on an insult the other boy thought he was going to go into a frenzy and get mad? Katsuki felt his stomach sink ever so slightly.

However, Deku seemed to recover relatively fast and put on his thinking face.

"Let's see…" Katsuki thought he heard the other boy whisper to himself, before having a revelation, "Oh!"

Katsuki cocked his head curiously, this would be information that he could actually use to prevent harm from occurring.

"So, I'm not sure about the plan exactly but I remember the quirks involved." Deku seemed proud of himself, Katsuki only sighed endearingly. Of course the nerd would only remember quirks but information was information, it was better than nothing at all.

"What are they?" He prompted Deku.

"One can produce blue flames at will. Another can create a copy of anything through touch. Hmmm... Oh right! There's one villain that has the same abilities as a gecko. And then there's a villain who can shrink anything down inside a marble. One of the quirks is kind of cool, it deals with magnetics and magnetizing people." Deku sounded way too exciting listing off the quirks, from his impeccable memory reserved only for them, than he should have, "Right and then there's amplifying and manipulating muscle mass, being able to generate poisonous gas, reshaping teeth into sharp blades, and transform into anyone so long as the villain ingests their blood."

Katsuki nodded, "I need to write that shit down."

Deku chuckled lightly, he was slightly out of breath and if Katsuki hadn't stopped him, would be able to rant on and on about how each of them might be used.

But now Katsuki had a better sense of what he would be going up against, something that would prove to be invaluable.

Of course standing outside of his house wasn't the best place to divulge important information that would serve him very soon into the future, but Katsuki couldn't say he had expected this information when Deku first started to act weird. He knew it would be big or bothersome but not this big and that bothersome.

Stupid fucking villains think they can manipulate him, huh? Well they had it coming for them, after all they had lost both their element of surprise and anonymity which would fuel their success. That presumes the staff of U.A would believe him again and be prepared for an attack once he told them of course...And he got the feeling he wasn't very popular among them.

Katsuki's mind was now racing with all that needed to be done, "Let me go inside and tell me all the details." He voiced it, Deku nodding solemnly in return at his request.

The two hurried inside and didn't bother with anything school related, they were on a mission now. The rest of the afternoon was spent in silent thinking or the occasional sharing of details from the plan that was then written out on a piece of paper by Katsuki. It was messy and unorganized but Katsuki had started to see ways they could create openings to separate the students. But they had hit a huge wall in their ideas… They had no idea what the actual training ground looked like or what the training consisted of. Even after a few basic searches Katsuki couldn't find it because it had never been publicized, which he supposed was a good thing for him in the long term.

Right now it only frustrated him.

They'd have to improvise, wouldn't they? They'd easily figure out a plan after seeing the training grounds… Or at least Katsuki could figure out a reckless plan and listen to Deku complain about how dangerous it was, it was all the usual tactics they used except for this time it was actually serious. Lives were at stake, at least potentially.

But even with that considered Katsuki couldn't say he fully felt the pressure of it all. To him, this was another problem to figure out, another equation that he needed to solve for. None of it had any impact on him physically yet so he felt almost as if he was working on this behind a screen, he was disconnected from the issue completely.

That was despite the fact he might indeed be one of the prime victims in whatever attack was going to be planned.

Katsuki rubbed at his eyes, he didn't know if he could fix that part of himself. It disgusted him that he couldn't fully realize what might happen to him or his classmates and emotional give a fuck about it. That in and of itself was sadly completely unavoidable for now.

Instead, he just had to throw himself into figuring out a solution to the possible problem, maybe that way he'd be able to save everyone and avoid the feelings he tried so hard not to let leak through his expansive walls.

As such, he put his head down and kept at it. If Deku had noticed anything off about him, he didn't comment on it, and continued to support Katsuki in his endeavors to just feel something gratifying and heroic.

Though, it was pretty tiring, even for Deku who could usually talk his head off for hours. But despite that weariness felt by both of them, after the long day Katsuki found himself almost chuckling at everything Deku had spilled. As always, he had given him plenty to think and continuously worry about in regards to what would happen to him and the other heroes-to-be. Katsuki's brain wouldn't be able to rest, lazily going in tired circles but not shutting off out of necessity.

There seemed to be some kind of cycle there but Katsuki didn't bother pinpointing exactly what it was. This was simply what he got when dealing with Deku's heroic needs and he wouldn't exchange it for the world.

But he would exchange it for the chance to see Deku deal with it on his own and not need Katsuki. Still, it was nice to be needed every so often.

To be needed and to be cared about.

Yeah, it was worth the struggle.

He professed those words to himself with the full belief that when the villain situation was to occur he would swiftly take them back, forever haunted. That didn't change the simplicity of his feelings at the moment though, because for now it was nice to think he was a regular human and not as flawed and selfish as he truly was at heart.

Inko was very tired.

She had been tirelessly working for Izuku day in and day out to provide for their small family. She even sacrificed time she would spend with him just so that they could have food on the table for the upcoming weeks.

Oh how she regretted that now. It haunted her every moment. And while she had accepted that Izuku was gone forever but she hadn't gotten over it, far from it. Most nights she laid awake wondering what she could've done to prevent it, what could've been if her bright boy was slumbering away happily in his bed like he used to be. Most days she spent idling around the house, forgetting that she was still alone (there had been more than one instance of her making food for two).

She had decided to request use of all of her vacation time and hadn't stepped foot back into work for weeks. She didn't see the point in working without Izuku to support, without Izuku;s smiling face to come home to, or without Izuku's endless chatter about his dreams of heroics and other career paths once he decided that wasn't possible.

It was agonizing to realize everything she had cherished had dived down along with Izuku.

She still had yet to send a letter to Hisashi notifying him of what happened, wanting him to hear it from her before anyone else, but not having the heart to brave actually putting it down on writing and admitting that her son, the boy she had given birth to and raised for years, was now gone and could never come back.

Oh not again, tears started to roll down her cheeks until she was full on crying. The more she cried the more she thought about how Izuku used to cry with her, being too empathetic for his own good, this thought made her cry harder.

She still couldn't understand why it had happened.

She had nearly all of the facts, the when, the where, the how, and the who. But she still didn't know the why. Izuku had killed himself and yet Inko couldn't comprehend it, forever losing the ability to ask him that final question, the question that could tell her everything.

It was her burden to question why Izuku had done that for the rest of her life, she supposed, the only right punishment for not being able to step in and recognize something had been going on with her son.

That's what she had occupied herself with the past few weeks at least, her thoughts were a never ending cycle. She wasn't sure how long it had been since she went to the grocery store, only making katsudon everyday. It wasn't healthy in the slightest but it was Izuku's favorite meal and gave her truly fond memories she wanted to cling to as long as she could.

It was laughable, she had always limited the times when he could eat katsudon as it was an extremely filling dish that was also quite fattening. Izuku would be so disappointed if he saw her now, swallowing it down without a care in the world and not looking after herself after eating so much of it. Though, her self image was the least of her worries, or else she wouldn't have been able to honor Izuku through such food consumption, she couldn't help but feel guilty about it.

Trying to find a different way to still have something that would respect his memory, she had decided to visited his room that day and place a bouquet of flowers on the bed, sobbing right in front of all the All Might figures staring back at her as she professed all of her dreams that she no longer had the energy for along with all of her worries about how she was going to live on. She always struggled trying to be open about her own issues that she faced but it felt safe to mention them because it made her feel as though nothing had changed. She would come home from work, he from school, and they would talk about their days and what had happened in them. Inko now knew that Izuku wasn't always entirely honest with his recounting, not that it mattered anymore, after all, she too had downplayed any potential anxieties ruling her mind. What was in the past was in the past, the onlt think different was that now Inko felt privy to share everything, not just the watered down version.

Despite the new conditions, she got no response but felt even the smallest bit more connected to Izuku. It was somewhat comforting, as though he was there with her still, waiting for her to be happy before he could truly move on. Maybe watching that same All Might video at his desk that he had been obsessed with or slumbering happily in his bed as he awaited for her. Inko clung to that thought as she had come back to the empty house in the later afternoon. She had exhausted herself from bawling to her son and now all she wanted to do was rest, keeping her mind focused on Izuku and her being reunited one day.

She didn't sleep particularly well, and she had no dreams, but it was better than she had slept in a long while, after all that also meant there were no nightmares.

When she woke up it was dark outside. She did not quite realize she had been sleeping through the day, but found she didn't mind it all that much. Groggily, Inko pulled herself out of bed and before she could do anything else, her phone rang loudly.

"Hm…" She let out a small noise, the call was unexpected and she wondered who would bother to call her at this hour. Yawning, she accepted the call.

"Hello?" She asked out, not noticing the Caller ID when she picked up the phone.

A familiar voice spoke out, "Hey Inko, it's me. Sorry to call so late."

She hadn't been expecting Masaru to call her, especially not at this time. She could only guess it had to be something of importance. "No worries, I was already up." She tried to sound cheery but even she could tell that she only ended up sounding remorseful.

"I'm glad I didn't wake you." Inko could hear his soft smile through the phone, wearily she smiled to herself. It was somewhat reassuring to hear someone be so calm and collected.

"What did you call about?" She knew he had a reason that compelled him to call at such an odd time. She heard breath being released from the other end of the phone before Masaru quietly spoke, "It's about Katsuki."

That made sense, she hadn't seen the Sports Festival as it was too painful to watch it without Izuku there to fawn over all the quirks and special moves used, so she might have missed something that happened.

Masaru continued, "He's actually been offered a place in the Hero Course and accepted it."

Oh. Oh wow. That was quite a huge achievement! She knew he had been in General Studies, so to get a transfer was almost unheard of. Inko smiled, she was proud that he had made it, but a part of her heart ached for Izuku. Wasn't it supposed to be him instead of Katsuki? Not that she solely blamed Katsuki for her son's death, she knew it went further than one person's influence. And she did want to see him become a great hero, but what about Izuku? Better yet, instead of picking between them, weren't they supposed to be together as they made it all the way to U.A, at the very least she had wished on not only one of them making it.

It placed a sour twinge on Katsuki's success.

"I'm really happy for him." Inko settled, probably not sounding as genuinely happy as she felt, but she couldn't help the way she compared him to Izuku.

"Thank you, that means a lot." Masaru seemed to understand her confliction, at least he didn't comment on it at all, moving onto the next thing he wanted to mention, "But you know how Mistuki is."

Inko nodded, she knew where this was headed. She could only guess how Mitsuki reacted after the news had been broken to her, that her son was going to become a hero against her deepest wishes. Unlike Inko who had been against heroics for Izuku because he would get himself hurt, Mitsuki weighed it purely on her subjective moral system. That's how she lived her life, as Inko had soon realized and been told of after becoming her friend.

"She won't allow it and isn't keen on changing her mind." Masaru finished and as expected, Inko wasn't too surprised. She could only wonder why Masaru was coming to her about it, usually the two of them were experts in communicating with each other and figuring out these problems.

She voiced her question out loud, "Then what can I do?"

She heard Masaru sighing on the other end of the phone, "I'm really sorry to have to ask this of you…"

"Hm?" Inko edged him on, wanting him to tell her what exactly he meant by that.

"I should've given you this context first, but I didn't want to stir the pot" Masaru sounded remorseful, deciding that his earlier explanation was too lackluster for the actual situation, "Mitsuki won't allow Katsuki to the program because she blames him for what happened. You know this, but furthermore she won't even give him a chance… I just thought maybe you'd see how the Hero Course could help change him and you would convince her more than I could."

So that was it. It made a certain amount of sense why he would be so hesitant to ask her for that specific favor, dredging up happy memories that had soured like milk. But Inko's mind wasn't stuck on that as much as it was stuck on Masaru and Mitsuki's separate attitudes towards Katsuki and Izuku's relationship.

Hasn't Katsuki already changed?

Inko didn't want to speak as though she had authority within their family, not at all, but she firmly believed that the Katsuki they knew was already drastically different from the Katsuki which they now lived with. He had always been respectful of her when visiting with Izuku, although it seemed to be more out of obligation than anything else. However, after Izuku's... passing and at his most recent visit, Inko could just tell he was a different person. He was more open, remorseful over what happened, and empathetic towards Inko. She helped him remember Izuku and know how much the boy had loved him (she also made a mental note to check up on him and ask how his memory journal was doing), and even when he didn't ask for forgiveness, she gave it to him because she wholly believed he was now a better person

Inko knew that he would treat everyone differently than she was treated, that was because they shared the same trauma and found the same comfort within each other's company. Even with all of that in mind, she knew he didn't act the exact same as before… He, obvious to her or not obvious to them, had changed.

However, she didn't want to overstep her boundaries as a friend to the family. She wasn't Katsuki's parents and for all she knows maybe Mitsuki was right, he wouldn't be able to change anymore because everything he could've changed into has already occurred. And maybe Masaru was right, while he had changed there was still a lot of growth for him as a person.

Inko sighed, she rather liked the latter option more than the former.

She realized the other end of the phone had gone silent, awaiting her answer, "Katsuki is an amazing boy." She settled on speaking her truth, "I don't mind helping him out, I'll talk to Mitsuki… Maybe after work?"

A sigh of relief echoed from the other end of the phone, "I can't thank you enough, Inko. I love Mitsuki with all my heart but I think she forgets Katsuki is firstly our son."

Inko stayed quiet, revelling in the new words Masaru had shared. She also loved Mitsuki, she had always been there for Inko as an amazing friend, but she found herself frozen after internalizing her opinions and actions towards Katsuki. If Masaru thought she acted like he wasn't her son… Then did that really mean-

Inko shuddered, silently tears started to well in her eyes. She tried to hold them in, but she should've known better, it would never work, the silently flowed from her eyes in streams and Inko's body shook.

Were they both going to lose their sons?

Inko's through death and Mitsuki's through a lack of love, a lack of being treated like family.

She didn't know what to say, so many words seeking more information, confusion over what he meant, and protest refusing that be the truth, sat on her tongue.

She couldn't stay silent, forcing words out that would instead serve as a warning.

"Ma-Masaru." She hiccuped, trying to wipe the tears from her cheeks using the back of her unoccupied hand, "I don't want both of us to lose our children."

She hears a sharp draw of breath from the other end of the phone, she desperately hoped Masaru was able to come to the same conclusion she had and would desperately fight for Katsuki and not against him.

Moments later, her response came, "I won't let that happen." His voice was steeled and full of resolve, it put her at ease. Katsuki would be in good hands with his father and in a few hours she would ensure the same of his mother as well.

"Thank you, I'm glad Katsuki has you." Inko commented brightly because she was and that was all there was to it.

She could almost feel the grin Masaru had on his face from across the phone, but instead she heard it with his next words, "If you feel comfortable enough to, make sure to stop by. I'm sure Katsuki would love to see you and talk all about how U.A has been for him."

Inko could almost picture Izuku and Katsuki talking jovially together about their teachers, classes, and classmates both good and bad. It was comforting until Inko realized it would never be possible ever again, but maybe she could still be there for the other boy in her son's stead.

"I'd love to." She says it with full sincerity, coming from her heart.

Her house is lonely and desolate, Izuku's room dusty and dirty because she dares not change a single thing about it in fear that Izuku would really feel gone. At the same time, she efars the outside world, the one who had taken her son away from her and given her absolutely nothing in return.

But maybe, just maybe, she'd be able to find a way to live with it… Find a way to live with other people to count on. It was all hypothetical and Inko was not ready to hope again, her promises put on standby until that day.

It would be fine. It was okay to be lost and hopeless.

Or was it really?

She pondered that as the other end of the phone lay quiet, Masaru most likely doing the same type of thinking. Neither of them had ever been good at ending calls, hence the both awkward and comforting silence they sat on.

Eventually though, Inko realized what time it was and she decided not to keep Masaru held up any longer, "I'll talk to you again soon, have a good night." She motioned to press the red hang up button until she heard a voice speak out on the other end.

"And Inko?" Masaru asked, sounding much lighter than he had at the beginning of their call, maybe it had been Inko's warning or her reassurance but whatever she had said, she was simply glad to help. Ever since taking a break from her job, she hadn't been able to help a life so she took comfort when she did, "Take care of yourself."

Inko smiled, it was nice to know someone cared.

"You too."

The call ended with a beep. Inko made a mental note to visit or call Mitsuki in the few hours she would return from work. A visit might be better for the both of them, it sounded like she too had been struggling with what had happened and where her son played a part, but Inko wasn't yet ready for it. One day, she could, but that day wouldn't be today or tomorrow. Right now she was exhausted, even having just woken up from a grief induced slumber and decided to go back to sleep, a better option than idly stumbling through the house.

But, before any of that, she had something important to do.

Groggily making her way to the kitchen, Inko yawned. She opened the refrigerator and took out a few ingredients, popping them into the freezer for the far future.

During the phone conversation she decided she wanted to do something, which was more along the lines of protecting a memory from being tainted by her need to feel connected with her son.

As such, she wouldn't be having katsudon for a long time.

It was a promise to herself and a commitment to her son.

It was his special food and she wasn't going to indulge herself so readily.

Satisfied with her work, she knew she would have to find other food for her to eat that would be healthy and different each day but it was no use worrying about such a thing with her tired brain. For now, she crawled back into her bed and promptly fell into another dreamless sleep.

It seemed like mere moments later she awoke in a panic. Although, she honestly didn't know why she had, it wasn't as if she had a dream that could cause her such a crude awakening and after jumping up to check the time she found she still had about an hour before Mitsuki would be getting off from work.

Inko's breathing levelled out by then, still feeling a slight tinge of panic, but it had mostly subsided. The anxiousness of calling Mitsuki had subconsciously clawed away at her brain that woke her too soon out of fear.

Walking aimlessly into the other room, Inko turned the lights on, she just needed to relax for right now and then call Mitsuki. Of course she ended up doing something the opposite of relaxing, but it was something Izuku would do all the time and thus comforted Inko greatly. She grabbed a few blankets and huddled in front of the television, watching the news almost in a trance. It was much odder without Izuku here to comment on each of the heroes and analyze their fighting styles then offer improvements. Everything seemed to pass by like a blur as Inko watched the same old news come and go. A crime happened, the crime was stopped, heroes praised, a fire occured, numerous injuries, fire was put out, heroes praised.

The heroes would always save everyone, huh?

If only.

She didn't know how much time passed as she curled up on her couch and disconnected from the world completely. It was kind of nice to be able to forget all her worries and all of her pain to just feel blank.

But she couldn't live like that, it was a temporary release, but Inko was still determined to fulfill all the wishes of her and from her.

Eventually she turned the television off and quickly looked at what time it was.

She still had plenty of time to let Mitsuki settle before calling her up, disturbing her was the very last thing she wanted to do.

She used the time to get rid of her nerves instead. Closing her eyes as she breathed in and out and repeated her promise to Masaru in her head along with affirmations to keep her from freaking out.

It would all be fine, all she had to do was to talk to Mitsuki about Katsuki and show her how she saw him, saw the potential and healing he was going through and could continue going through.

Once calmed down enough, she breathed deeply one last time and searched for her phone. It didn't take long for her to find it and before she knew it, she was dialing a familiar number.

Each ring was agonizing for her but she held strong, focused on her one mission.

Mitsuki picked it up on the third ring.

"Hello?" Inko could clearly hear Mitsuki's tired voice answer from the other end of the phone.

"Hey Mitsuki" Inko replied cordially, "How've you been?"

"Inko!" She immediately brightened up, happily accepting that her friend had called her, "I'm alright, had some ups and downs, how's it been for you?" She said it with a twinge of sadness.

How was Inko? She didn't really know how to answer that question, she had always just been down and desolate, but she was sure if she said that it would draw away from why she called… And it wasn't a very good mood setter regardless. So, after a pause, she settled on saying, "I've been getting better, but it still isn't the same."

"Mh." Mitsuki said, Inko could tell she was nodding, "Hang in there, you're fucking strong but no one can tackle shit on their own."

Inko nearly forgot how graphic Mitsuki could be, it was refreshing.

"Thanks," she smiled a little bit, "Oh, but I wanted to talk to you about something."

Inko couldn't get sidetracked and start talking all about herself, or let Mitsuki inquire about how she was doing, eating, and taking care of herself. That would be a never ending call.
"Oh? What is it?" Inko heard from the other end of the phone sounding intrigued.

She breathed deeply before bringing it up, nervous about what the other woman was going to say, "It's about Katsuki and his admission into the Hero Course at U.A."

"Who the fuck told you?" Mitsuki snapped immediately and Inko let out a small "Ah!" noise in surprise. This was going just about as well as she had expected, which was to say, not very well at all.

However, after her yelp of surprise, she heard a pause on the phone, and then Mitsuki spoke again, "I'm sorry, Inko, didn't mean to say that. I don't want to worry you about it because it's none of your business to get involved in. I'm sure you have better things to do." She said it regretfully. And as much as Iko understood her words, she also greatly disagreed with them, she didn't have better things to do than make sure Katsuki would get access to a life Izuku would've wanted him to have.

"I appreciate the concern, Mitsuki. And I do apologize for stepping out of line by asking such a question, but I do know Izuku cared about Katsuki greatly." Inko said it slowly, evaluating her words as she spoke them, "And he would've wanted to see him succeed, so I was merely curious about him."

On the other end of the phone, she heard Mitsuki sigh deeply, "Look Inko, you see the best in people, but that's not always the reality of who they are."

"And Mitsuki, you always see the worst in people." Inko countered, there was no way either of them could come out on top so long as they kept up this same rhetoric. The optimistic and the pessimist had no hope in changing each other's minds.

However instead of escalating it Mitsuki took it in stride, "HAHAHA," she chortled. They had been friends long enough to know that this is how it usually went, they would counter each other's opinions but it usually worked out in the end through lighthearted humor.

"You got me there, Inko." The laughing had quieted down, Inko chuckling in response to her words.

Comfortable, they stood in silence (or maybe sat, Inko was unaware of what position Mitsuki was currently in) but it wasn't a bother at all. It was nice just to hear another person's breathing on the other end of the phone… She was too used to only being able to hear a noise that came from her or her own presence. Just being on the phone with her longtime friend, someone who had also witnessed Izuku grow up, was enough for her. She knew she had a job to do, one she promised Masaru and Katsuki of, but it could wait for her to burn the feeling of comfort into her mind.

"You know what?" Inko winced at the sound that came from the phone as she had not expected it to come so soon, she had wished the silence could've expanded for longer but she also knew Mitsuki was horrible with silence. "You need to get out, let me take you somewhere."

"Mitsuki, no." Inko vehemently refused, "That's not necessary, you know I-"

"Come on!"

"I don't know if I'm ready to…" Inko sadly trailed off. She didn't want to be trapped at home forever, eventually she would go outside and enjoy the sun, the rain, the feel of the air swirling around her. However she couldn't do it now. Not when the first thing on her mind would be how Izuku would miss all of those things.

"Trust me." Mitsuki said it confidently, "I know where to go." Inko wanted to trust her, but they both thought differently. What if the place Mitsuki brought her to was one that brought back painful memories? Or what if it was one that didn't cause any emotion to build up inside of Inko? She had been feeling too empty these days to do something mundane and boring.

"I can hear you overthinking," Mitsuki interrupted her thoughts, knowing exactly what was running through her thoughts. "Come on, you'll appreciate it."

Inko took into account the careful wording of what she had said. Appreciate it, huh? So maybe that meant it would be something that would help her out in the end, something therapeutic or calming? Inko got the sense it wouldn't be that clear cut and would most likely result in them having a bad time… Possibly even revive her bad memories of Izuku.

She worried for these reasons, "I'm sorry Mitsuki, but really-"

She heard a sigh from the other end of the phone before getting interrupted, "Look, recovery from this shit takes time and small steps, I get that. But I do think this will help and when have I ever let you down?" She said it almost cockily as though she eternally knew better than Inko.

Naturally, she simply brushed that off. Mitsuki hadn't let her down before, that was true. Whenever she had been struggling, the other woman had always been there for her, whether it meant emotional support or pushing her to do things to benefit her, as she was doing now. Even just her thinking about Inko was quite comforting in and of itself.

Inko didn't fully think about it or realize the consequences of such a thing but she swiftly responded, "Alright, just let me know when." She needed to repay Mitsuki's kindness in some way, even if this is what it would take.

However as soon as the words had been said, she knew it wasn't going to end particularly well. Saying something is one thing, but doing that is completely different. All the implications of her agreement began to weigh on her, with her having to repay Mitsuki for all she has done.

The result of it was her spacing out for the rest of their call, almost in a daze.

She didn't think anything particularly important had been said after that anyway, Mitsuki was just babbling on about the same old day and the same old routine.

Something Inko never thought she would ever be missing.

It was crazy how one thing could change so much in an instant.

And it was crazy how fast conversations progressed when you ran out of things to say to the other person. Inko was a witness to that, in what seemed like moments later to her, when Mitsuki finally decided she no longer wanted to hold Inko up as if she had something important she should be doing other than speaking with her

It was sad that she really didn't have anything of the sort… This was her rare dose of interaction with another human being.

Mitsuki said her goodbyes before Inko and the two of them parted amicably across their phones. Just as soon as it had started, it was over and Inko's remaining nerves quickly ceased as their conversation dissipated.

It wasn't even minutes later when she remembered the promise she had made and new nerves came back in full force, giving her only seconds to breathe the unstressed air.

Why had she agreed to go outside again?

Inko only shook her head, trying to keep herself busy in preparation for when they would be going out… Only to realize she didn't actually know when they would be going out or where she should meet Mitsuki.

If only she had never agreed then maybe she wouldn't be all wrapped up in planning and disregarding herself over her felt obligations to other people.

There was plenty of time to back down now and yet for some reason Inko found herself hesitating to simply say no. She didn't want to let Mitsuki down, so instead of what she wanted to say, Inko texted her to ask her for the details of their small trip.

She sent it before she had the consciousness to be regretful or overthink it, if she did she knew she would never fully be able to choose which option would be considered the better one.

It was later in the afternoon of the next day that she had her plans with Mitsuki, almost a full 48 hours since Inko had collapsed on her bed after visiting Izuku's room with flowers she had found in a vase, (of which were most likely given to her by a family member or friend) which only served to indicate her total lack of awareness about time. And on top of that all she was finally leaving the house.

Or at least said she would be leaving the house.

She still didn't know why she agreed to leave the house and she wasn't even sure if the Inko from two days ago would've even agreed to it. But something urged her to go, as though if she didn't go now she would be stuck as a hermit for the rest of her life and would owe Mitsuki a lot.

It didn't sound too bad personally, but it's not what Izuku would've wanted and it's not what Mistuki wanted. She had to put her trust in the people who loved and cared for her, even if every bone in her body protested it, even if she knew she would rather shrivel up inside her home. Because if going outside with Mitsuki would help her and Katsuki's future in some way, she had to do it. She simply had to make sure that while she was alive she could do everything in her power for the people she loved. She wouldn't be able to take another chance being lost like her son's chance had been.

That's at least what she kept telling herself again and again to serve as both a reason and a motivator. That was why she both had to and was compelled to leave her house behind. Although, she had to believe that she would be back soon enough that the flowers in Izuku's room would have yte to be dead or wilted.

It was melancholy, Izuku would say, as he was proud of his newest vocabulary words. Starting from a very young age, reading and writing became a new fascination for the smart boy.

She slowly changed her clothes with a bad taste present in her mouth, it had been too long since she had dressed for anything and she would be lying if she said it wasn't nice to pretend that Izuku was getting dressed in his room too. And that the two of them would be making a trip together to have fun for a rare night that Inko had saved enough for, she would always smile and laugh as Izuku would have the most fun. Each of those nights, they discovered a place completely new and happily revelled in the fact that they would never be able to replicate the feeling of being there for the first time.

When awareness drifted back into her, her smile faded. Sadly, she has caught herself doing that more and more lately. She lived in the past more than she lived in the present, no matter how much she wanted to tell herself the past was the past, it seemed the past had an iron grip on her. She was fading into the shadows more than the light, but maybe a peek into what the light looks like could slowly draw her out.

A poetic way to say there would be a chance for her to forgive and build a life anew where she would no longer be so stuck in the memories of old and let herself be taken into making new ones. It was hope and a redeeming of sorts.

Yeah, no, she didn't buy it at all.

Not without Izuku there with her.

She wanted to desperately believe that's what would be happening and she would face some kind of redemption, but deep down she knew that would be utterly impossible. It shouldn't matter anyway, they were going to take a short walk, no secret revelations to be had on something like that. Not to mention that since Mitsuki said they would be walking it had to mean they were already somewhat close. She just had to do it for Mitsuki and then she could come home and her fears of navigating the outside world without her son at her side could be reassured and she'd never go out again.

It would just be a normal walk, it had to be.

But Inko knew it wasn't going to be. As much as she tried to tell herself how simple it would be she knew it would be much too difficult for her. She hadn't been ready when Mitsuki had sprung this on her, not at all, and she had already tried leaving the house of her own volition without any success. She needed to go on her own grounds, not to be forcing herself to please her friend. It was because she knew this she was completely torn.

How could something so simple be so complicated?

Even if it wasn't what she wanted for the long term, but right now it was what she needed.

She had finished dressing when she came to the conclusion that she didn't have to do this at all. She could easily ring up Mitsuki and tell her she started to feel sick or realized she had some work to do at home, she could maybe even tell her the truth that she wasn't ready for this to happen. She might be letting Mitsuki down but it was better that she inform her of the change now than much later.

Of course the moment Inko had made up her mind and moved to get her phone which was resting by the door, she heard a knocking descend upon it.

Timing impeccable as always, Inko cautiously walked to the door and peeked through the peephole, only to see Mitsuki standing there, already vastly impatient. Mitsduki hated waiting and if Inko kept her standing outside any longer she was afraid Mitsuki would do something drastic.

"INKO!" Mitsuki banged on the door one more time, "YA READY?"

Inko was most certainly not ready.

And unfortunately since Inko refused to venture outside, Mitsuki would already know that she was inside of her house. She was essentially trapped, although she shouldn't consider herself the bunny and Mitsuki the wolf, they were friends!

But friends didn't erase the panic that had shot into Inko as she frantically rushed through the house in a panic, not responding to Mitsuki's words.

She didn't know if she was looking for something to use as an excuse or if she was just trying to get away from what her brain processed as an inevitable doom that awaited her. She desperately wanted to be able to fling the door open with gusto and say "Yes! I'm ready, let's go," but she simply couldn't do it.

There was just so much going on in her head and she didn't think she could leave the house even if she really wished to because of the cage she had placed herself in.

What if she lost in the streets and started to bawl? What if she lost her way and couldn't come home again...What if something happened to the house and all the memories she cherished were gone?

Such irrational fears but they began to build up the more she worried about what could happen.

No, she could do this. She was determined to make good on her promise to Masaru and further, Mitsuki. She just had to think, think what could solve all her worries… A housesitter?

No, she didn't like that idea. Reinforced locks? No, she didn't have time.

It wasn't like there was anything of that much value within the house anyway so it would seem a bit pointless, unless you counted Izuku's collection of… Wait… There was something.

Suddenly, her mind reached a point of clarity. She knew exactly what she had been searching for, it should've been obvious to her. Inko raced to her room and started opening up random drawers on her bedside table, her dresser, and storage, not remembering where exactly she had put it.

Until… She opened one of her dresser drawers. Neatly on top, a small worn figurine of Silver Age (she believed anyway, Izuku would've sped off into a mini-rant if he could see her now) All Might stared back innocently. It had been Izuku's good luck charm, something he had always held onto when he needed it. And now it would serve as Inko's good luck token.

She held it delicately in her hands, breathing in and out deeply as she focused her mind. Mitsuki always took her outside her comfort zone but she never did it to the point where Inko was too far away from it.

And she knew that she had to work towards it too, she couldn't expect change to occur and for her to heal if she refused to ever leave the house. However, in the case of an emergency she needed to bring a piece of Izuku along with her. She would daresay one of the most important pieces of Izuku that he had long cherished.

With it, she still wouldn't be out of the woods, but it might help her on the path to leaving them. Even as she withdrew from her room and adorned herself with a light coat, she found that her hands were shaking when she tried to put it on.

She wasn't prepared for this. She had known it was going to happen and yet she hadn't fully realized what that would mean, who could've expected she would be attached to staying put in her house?

Getting her jacket on, Inko shook her head. It would be fine. All she had to do was open the door and tell Mitsuki she couldn't go on a walk. Maybe she could even invite her in so her being here wasn't such a waste of time.

Inko breathed deeply before nodding to herself. She couldn't be derailed from her plans, it would keep both of them safe and stress free.

Inko opened her mouth to speak as she opened the door for her friend, about to ward her off to entering. But Inko had made a bad mistake. She had forgotten to account for the fact that she was dealing with Mitsuki…. And Mitsuki was stubborn.

"I've been waiting out here for ages!" Mitsuki droned on, shaking her head and waving as she waited for Inko to come out of the house. With no other option in sight and a mouth that wouldn't spout out the words she wanted, Inko shut the door behind her.

Behind her.

She was outside now.

Damn it, she hadn't been paying attention to her positioning and she was outside now. She had left the house. Everything had gone to shit so suddenly she didn't know how to react.

"Sorry," Inko said, back turned towards the other woman so that she wouldn't see her guilty face, "I was in the bathroom." She covered for herself by locking the door, not willing to show her humiliation and regret. As she slipped the keys into her purse and turned back around, she soon realized she had once again messed up… Now the door was locked and it looked like she was ready to go, but she wasn't. Offering Mitsuki an apologetic smile, she shifted her feet awkwardly in place, hand still touching the door.

She wasn't yet ready. Everything had gone the opposite of how she wanted it, so now because of her hesitance she would be forced to tell Mitsuki she didn't want to go outside. Rather inconvenient especially after locking the door, but they hadn't quite left yet.

And maybe it wasn't too late to invite her inside either.

Inko opened her mouth but then swiftly closed it.

Well, she was already outside, she had crossed one barrier and she did plan on getting outside soon anyway. This could be her chance to try.

Her mind was completely torn.

One step.

She just had to take one step.

But what if that managed to seal her fate... There was still so much to be done with Katsuki, Masaru, Mitsuki, Izuku, and even herself. She wanted to fulfill a few more things before anything bad would befall on her.

Where did she get the idea of bad things happening in the first place? Inko really didn't know and she didn't seek to know.

Her mind had become foggy with perspiration and thought. That was until Mitsuki opened her mouth again and startled Inko back to reality.

"Yeah, yeah," Mitsuki sighed, "It's fine, you're here now."

That was it, wasn't it?

She was here for Mitsuki, late or early to wherever they were going and with a debt of gratitude to repay the woman for her endless care. She had even told Mitsuki that she trusted her enough to agree to doing such a thing in the first place.

She had no other option than to follow through… At least that's what she managed to convince herself of even if it was only for a brief period.

Inko nodded in response to Mitsuki's words and she hesitantly took a few steps away from the door, arm still outstretched to reach it. Mitsuki didn't seem to notice her aversion to leaving and was powering on ahead. Although it only took her a few seconds before she realized Inko was far behind her instead of next to her.

"Inko, come on." Her brow was furrowed with worry

"I'm really sorry Mitsuki, I don't think I can go past this." Inko hung her head. Her feet wouldn't move, they were completely stuck in place.

Mitsuki sighed, "Inko, look. If you won't do this now, you're never going to get out of the house. Isn't family defined by those you're with, not places or objects?" She started to walk back, hands outreached, "Fuck, I wanted to keep this as a surprise but we're going to visit Izuku today. He's what matters, not some rackety wood slapped together with glue and nails." She shook her head.

Inko paused for a moment.

Visit Izuku?

What did she mean by visiting Izuku?

"Mitsuki…" Her voice was small with confusion and disbelief, "What do you mean?"

Mitsuki looked at her, every bit as confused as she was. "Uh... I mean that your home isn't with belongings but the meaning behind them. Fuck, how do I say thing? Basically, you're more important than his entire fucking room because he loved you more."

Inko's eyes widened. She was blunt about it, not cutting corners or trying to make it sound superficial. Inko needed someone to act blunt and tell her how it was, maybe that was Mitsuki's influence on her but it didn't matter much in the end. All that mattered was that Mitsuki was right.

The way Mitsuki had put it was as though Inko had been Izuku's entire world, and while she doubted that she was the sun to his Earth, she knew he had loved her. More than the wooden planks they lived under and more than the television set that they had used to watch heroes on (maybe not more than the heroes themselves though).

Why was she so attached to an empty house in the first place? Katsudon warmed her heart because it was Izuku's favorite. She was afraid of stepping outside because she would be reminded of Izuku but inside she would only be reminded even more of him. He had been gone long enough that his presence had faded from the peeling walls and she was all alone.

It was time she visited him outside, wasn't it?

Tears slowly began to well in her eyes. The thoughtfulness of Mitsuki's words and the realizations it spawned had really touched her and even just the idea that all the objects she gave worth to didn't mean as much as the bond she held was nice to hear from someone not inside of her brain.

Inko's question about where they were going had yet to be answered but she was desperate to go there. Desperate to move her feet and walk towards Mitsuki as they chatted with each other. Still, her feet would not move. She couldn't get over the absolute dread that had her so connected to the house and the belongings within it.

Inko repeated Mitsuki's words back to herself about how Izuku didn't love their house, he loved her, but that didn't change a single thing. The ground was wet cement and she was slowly sinking.

She didn't even know why though. Why couldn't she let go and wander outside on a walk? What about it was so hard that she couldn't get over it?

Damn it, her tears of joy quickly became tears of frustration. She didn't know why she struggled so much. Maybe it was because while she might've known that items didn't matter and only the feelings within them and the people who felt them did but a recent understanding wouldn't be able to change the conditioning she had subconsciously set into herself.

She fought it back though, her legs wobbling with the pressure she exerted onto them in the hopes that they would decide to start moving for her. Would it be so bad for one thing to go the way that she wanted it to?

"Come on, Inko." Mitsuki sighed and made Inko hate that she had been burdening the other woman so much, "You're already out here and not even touching the house, you can see there's nothing to be afraid of."

Inko knew it wasn't as simple as Mitsuki had professed it to be but she certainly made it seem as such. If only it wasn't something so deeply rooted into Inko's mind that her conscious brain had no control over.

However unknowingly, Mitsuki had lit up a battle inside of her. It was either she bothered and worried Mitsuki terribly or she left her son behind and all that his material soul was. She knew Mitsuki would claim she wasn't a bother and that her son was represented by her memories of him not of the items he cherished but Inko couldn't help but see it that way.

It was almost as if two ideals were being challenged. Either respecting the living's time or the dead's memory. Of course leaving her house and going on a walk with Mitsuki couldn't compare to such great honors of time and memory but Inko had no other way to explain why her feet wouldn't move a single inch and why the fit in her stomach grew the more she drifted away from the house.

"I don't know why-" Inko sniffled slightly, feeling remorse for the current position she was in.

"Inko, let me be clear." Mitsuki addressed her, "Do you want to go?"

Inko paused, thinking carefully about her stance.

Did she really want to leave? All this time she'd been thinking that she couldn't and wouldn't be able to but did she want to?

Inko shut her eyes tight, only faced with darkness. It didn't take much thought for her to decide what she really wanted to do, it was what she had agreed to after all.

Nodding, Inko kept her eyes closed,"I do."

She didn't dare to open her eyes, afraid of what she might see that would serve to scare her into being convinced she simply wouldn't leave at all. Although she did worry that she wasn't able to see anything as seconds had passed and Mitsuki had yet to utter another word.

That was until she felt sturdy hands grasp her shoulders and begin to steer her away from the house. Inko scrunched her eyebrows down and her cheeks up in surprise at the touch that she hadn't noticed approaching her.

It would be okay, she knew it was only Mitsuki trying to guide her so that she wouldn't feel as though she was leaving something behind. And on that off chance that it wasn't Mitsuki, Inko knew that Mitsuki would gladly fight whoever dared to lay their hands on her without receiving permission.

Had she been in any other position she might've laughed at the image in her head of Mitsuki beating someone up for her. Of course she wouldn't wish it on anyone, but she felt warmed to have someone like Mitsuki by her side.

Inko suddenly felt a feeling of dread come upon her. She knew she was getting further and further away from the house, it began to constrict her breathing and her thinking… It was going to consume her if she wasn't careful. But instead of giving in, she breathed deeply. She couldn't let Mitsuki down after all of her work in getting her to this point so she began to focus on how amazing Mitsuki had been with her. She was a great friend, especially one that was willing to deal with her despite all the mental blocks and challenges that came after Izuku.

It was maybe a minute later when she felt the hands on her shoulder lift up and a familiar voice remark, "Should be past it, let's go."

Inko slowly cracked her eyes open and blinding light began to flood in.

Her senses were all indeed at once, but she found she didn't really mind it. Not as long as she was able to stand in the cool breeze going by and see all the trees lining the streets. It was different when she saw it from photos or from the streets, being here in person was euphoric for Inko. It almost made her forget all of her troubles.

Almost.

If she had been any younger, she might've spun around and giggled, but she decided to spare herself the embarrassment of it now and only softly smiled at the nature around her. And the lack of her house in sight, that was what had been best. If she couldn't see it right there haunting her, there was no reason for her to be so afraid, and so she pushed on and began to walk down the street on her own.

Out of sight, out of mind, as the saying went.

"You back Inko?" Mitsuki referred to her state of minutes past where she had been very emotional but now seemed to be perfectly fine.

"Somewhat." She teased back, drawing a feral grin from Mitsuki's face and a harsh slap to the back. It was so easy for her to forget the struggles she had staying at home and just walk on forward but a part of her still remained hesitant.

Was this really okay?

Was joining around happily while herson was buried underneath the ground a moral action?

She didn't know if she wanted the answers to these questions but they floated around enough to still make her doubt herself and as the silence between the two of them grew, so did her absolute yearning to shut off the thoughts in her mind.

Luckily for Inko, she wasn't alone and had someone else break their seemingly comfortable but actually painful silence.

"Does Hisashi know?" Mitsuki ended up breaking the silence in the worst way, tone soft. Inko almost felt remorseful that she had put faith into Mitsuki's ability of making her feel better. Eventually she'd get it right but currently she was stirring the pot.

Inko frowned, unsure of where this line of conversation had emerged from "No, I-I just... I can't."

Mitsuki's expression soured, brow furrowing, "Want me to... You know?"

Inko shuffled along, face downcast. It would be easier for Mitsuki to break the news to him, but she had to do it herself. "No, I'll do it." Inko looked up at her, "Get closure maybe." Even the thought that she had to do such a thing was heartbreaking.

No father, involved with their child's life or not, wanted to hear how he had died. But no mother wanted to be the one who was suffering through it all alone, even though that was how it ended up.

Part of her didn't want to tell him because she didn't think he deserved to know. Izuku barely knew his father and she didn't know if he could even be considered as a father in the first place because of it. Inko sighed, that was just her being petty.

Mitsuki nodded at her response, the two of them falling into a brief silence.

"Going back to that shitty job soon?"

"It's not bad." Inko shook her head, "It was just too much… I'm thinking about returning though. There I can help people."

"And see them die." Mitsuki tacked on, clearly worried about Inko's mental state after all that had happened.

"..." Inko looked down at her feet as they walked, silently thinking, "I'll just be able to understand it better then." She whispered it quietly, uncaring if Mitsuki heard her or not. It was something she had to say for herself.

"Whatever you say," Mitsuki sighed and looked up at the sky, "You do deserve a fucking chance if anything."

Inko gave her a small smile. A chance would be nice. The second Mitsuki had said that, her mind was immediately drawn to Masaru's words of Mitsuki not giving her son a chance. She didn't deserve one, she was old and her son was her world, but Katsuki was young and had yet to discover his.

Because of that, Inko couldn't help but murmur, "So does Katsuki."

"HUH?" Mitsuki asked loudly, "What'd you say?"

She had an opportunity to pull out from what she was saying, a chance to let her and Masaru handle it. If she said anything there would be no going back, she would be stuck defending Katsuki.

And she didn't mind that one bit, charging forward.

"Katsuki deserves a chance too." Inko restated more confidently.

"Inko…" Mitsuki trailed off, exasperated. "We're not here to talk about Katsuki, he'll be fine."

Inko frowned heavily at those words, would he really be fine? Fine was a sad word hiding behind a facade of self sufficiency. She wouldn't let Mitsuki brush her son away that easily.

"Let him be more than fine." She stood her ground, "Let him be happy."

"Why?" Mitsuki snapped, clearly annoyed that he was still being mentioned, "There is no fucking reason why he should be allowed to. I didn't expect so many people to be on his side, least of all you."

"Mitsuki, no ones taking sides here." Inko shook her head vehemently, "And my son already lost his life, I don't want yours to."

That made Mitsuki pause. They continued to walk together in silence, but Inko could tell she was getting agitated, whether it was because she saw Inko's logic and refused to believe it or just couldn't see past her own ideals.

"An eye for an eye." Bitterly Mitsuki stated, looking away from Inko as she finally said what she intended to.

"But we have one person with no eyes and one with two perfectly working ones. Would you take away his for the sake of the other?" Inko began to ramble on, going along with the analogy Mitsuki had mentioned.

"If the one with both eyes was the one to pluck out the others, then the only fucking answer is clear." Mitsuki shook her head, explaining her point.

"No eyes were taken." Inko shook her head, "Threats were made and yet nothing ever happened. Instead, he took his own eyes."

Inko could see Mitsuki scowl, their story sounding all too familiar to the one that they had been living in for the past endless months.

"And yet the shitty eyes guy was clearly the one who pressured him," Mitsuki remarked, "Problem solved."

Inko frowned, "What if you're wrong?"

"Huh?" Mitsuki's eyes snapped towards hers, "About what?"

"About one person pressuring him." Inko looked at her, their eyes connecting.

Mitsuki only scoffed in reply, "Fine. One person who had a high influence." She corrected herself.

"Mitsuki, I don't want to keep going in circles with you." Inko sighed with her eyes downcast, she realized had been sighing a lot throughout his conversation. She knew Mitsuki was stubborn but somehow she didn't fully comprehend how far it would have gone.

"Then let's just fucking drop it." Mitsui grumbled unhappily.

But Inko couldn't do that. She had promised Masaru that she would make Mitsuki agree for Katsuki to have a chance and she fully believed he deserved that chance.

"No." Inko stood firm, planting her feet in place so that Mitsuki would be forced to listen to her words.

"Inko, let's just move on." Mitsuki crossed her arms disapprovingly as she too stopped in her tracks and faced Inko.

"Ust listen to what I have to say." Inko breathed in and out deeply before aligning her gaze to Mitsuki's, "I know my son. I knew that when he came home everyday and talked about what Kacchan did, he was excited, maybe a little sad at times but he was never depressed. He didn't mention any other friends by name but he acted differently whenever they would come up. Katsuki was raised with Izuku and they were friends for years, whatever happened Izuku would know not to take to heart. Katsuki isn't a bad person, he was just misguided. Part of it was his fault and he's still trying to atone for that. But a lot of it was the words of the boys who didn't grow up with Izuku, who he didn't trust." She said it quickly, wanting to get it all out before Mitsuki could offer anything against it.

She looked at Inko critically, letting what was spoken sink in fully. Inko was proud that she had managed to get all of the words out and that it was somewhat understandable, she knew nothing could break the stubbornness of the woman in front of her but she hoped to at least create a crack.

"Even…" Mitsuki began, drawing Inko away from her determined thoughts, "Even then he had a part to play and that behavior cannot be rewarded."

Inko immediately knew what to say, "If there is one person who has already suffered an equal amount as I have, it would be Katsuki. Let's not add on to it."

Mitsuki uncrossed her arms, screaming as she began waving them wildly around to try to emphasize her point, "HE'S JUST- HE'S A MONSTER, DON'T YOU GET IT? There isn't any hope, that's all bullshit. It's just bullshit."

Inko took a step back in shock from the explosion of rage that had come cascading down. It sounded as though she was trying to convince herself that ostracizing Katsuki was okay because of all that he had done. Rationalizing her actions would not change anything, instead further throwing her into a pit where she'd blame anyone she set her sights on. And when she ran out of people or pushed them away, only then she would begin to blame herself.

Inko steeled herself, walking forward and putting her hand on the other woman's shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. She couldn't let something like that happen, "Trust me. We have to trust each other, alright? I might have forgiven him but that doesn't mean you have to. Just give him the chance to change first, it's teaching not rewarding."

Even if she believed he had already changed she had to omit some of her personal beliefs in order to get Mitsuki back onto Masaru's side. And that would include pretending as though Katsuki was still the same boy he had been months ago.

"I don't know Inko," Mitsuki lowered her arms and spoke in a quiet and emotional tone, "I just-"

Inko understood. Mitsuki didn't want to be wrong, she didn't want to be afraid that she was making the wrong choice so instead of making the right one she chose whatever she could best rationalize.

"Trust me, Mitsuki." Inko urged, "You can always pull him out if you see things getting worse, but I know they won't."

Mitsuki opened her mouth to say something, most likely to refute whatever Inko had said, but then she closed her mouth at a loss for words. They had to trust each other and there was no reason not to trust Inko about her own son.

Opening her mouth once more, Mitsuki let out a sigh, coming to the same conclusion that Inko did, "Fine. I'll try, okay? But no promises Katsuki won't fuck it up."

Inko choosedly ignored the little slight and beamed at the other woman. Turning back on the path they had been headed down, she picked up her feet and began walking with her. Now that the atmosphere was cheerier, Inko was happy. She had been able to convince Mitsuki of even just trying to be open to Katsuki's dreams and goals. In return, Mitsuki had convinced her to get outside of the house and finally go somewhere worth visiting.

The rest of their trip went smoothly after that. Well, as smooth as you could expect from the two of them. Inko still froze up randomly when remembering Izuku at certain times and Mistuki seemed to be more reclusive throughout the rest of their small trip but it ended up being quite sweet.

When Mitsuki had said visiting Izuku, she meant it quite literally.

Inko should've known better to assume that she meant anything that wasn't literal but they found themselves in front of the gravesite he had been buried in.

Immediately upon sight, Inko had burst into tears and sobbed into Mitsuki's arm as she patted her on the back comfortingly. Mitsuki had been so thoughtful, recognizing her fear and how terrified she was of both moving on and being stuck in the past, she had decided to bring Inko here. A place where one couldn't move on and couldn't be stuck in the past.

The dead were the dead after all.

But Inko would be lying if she didn't say that somewhere, along the beaten dirt path which transitioned into stone that they walked to find Izuku, she hoped that his name wouldn't be among the countless others, now faceless and without a story. He was merely a rock with an inscription on it now and in years to come as the inscription faded, he would just be a rock.

But it was no use thinking like that. Here was where the lasting lifeforce of her son resided, the last place he would ever visit. It was a sad thought and Inko was scared that the second she would see his tombstone she would lose it, the reality of her world sinking its claws deeper into her.

That petrified her and before she knew it, a tear had slipped down her cheek. Inko hadn't realized that she was no longer moving forward, her muscles refusing to cooperate and take her to her only son's grave.

Could she be ready to do this?

More tears joined the first one as they cascaded down her face messily but still she couldn't move. She was so close to him, so close to being faced with the truth of where her snow would forever lie and yet she couldn't move at all.

But, she didn't need to.

Involuntarily she found herself slowly being shepherded forward towards the direction she assumed the grave to be. Her feet dragged slightly against the rough ground but she didn't even notice it, eyes widened in shock as she turned her face to see Mitsuki.

"Inko, over here." Mitsuki was gently guiding her by the shoulders with soft and understanding eyes.

Inko simply couldn't think or process the words that had just been recited to her. Her brain was in full on panic mode, much like when she tried to leave the house but not as severe. It wasn't rational in any way but it's simply how she responded, simply the only thing she could think about doing as she was forced to process such horrible events taking place.

All she could do now was blankly follow the path that Mistuki had been guiding her to go. SHe just had to put one foot in front of the other. Or in her case specifically, shuffling one foot in front of the other as she regained the will to move her legs.

Idling would do nothing to help her, she just had to keep moving. It was because she knew Mitsuki would drag her if she needed to so that she couldn't stop moving, even if her mind was just a mush of thoughts and filled with the fluff of pain.

It would be over soon, she'd be able to see him soon.

She didn't know how much longer they walked for or how Mitsuki knew the way to her son's grave so well (she'd have to ask about it later) but eventually, they stopped walking.

"Here, Inko." She heard a gruff voice murmur and suddenly her mind had frozen over with clarity again.

Mitsuki had done her duty and guided her over to the grave, Inko feeling frozen the entire way. This was it. This would be the moment Inko would see her baby boy once more and in the worst way a parent could even see their child.

She faced the stone, hand going to cover up her trembling mouth, finally she saw the inscription.

Here lies

MIDORIYA IZUKU

Beloved son and friend

He reached for the sun but settled in the stars.

Inko couldn't take it anymore.

Fresh tears spilled from her eyes and sobs wracked her frame. This was all her son had been reduced to, a stone brick that would be forgotten. He tears carved out waterfalls in her cheeks as she fell to her knees, Mitsuki too late to steady her.

Everything that Inko had kept closely guarded came flowing out of her tears.

And she wept. She went for her son who has been plaguing her mind with sorrow. She wept for Katsuki who tried his best but could never seem to make the right choices. She wept for Masaru and Mitsuki who had their hands full with pain and unseen struggle. She even wept for all the patients she could've saved had she been able to nurse them to health. She simply wept because this world was unfair and it had only hurt those experiencing it.

Who knew that the path to become a hero was so devoid of being saved yourself?

Inko felt a hand on her back, it was warm and comforting.

Even though she knew it was Mitsuki who was the one attempting to confirm her, she let herself believe that it was instead her son. That Izuku was right there next to her, to support her, to hold her, and to love her with all his heart.

With that thought, she curled in on herself and cried for him.

This was it, she finally realized.

This was it.

And if, a few hours later, a small collectible figurine of All Might was spotted at the foot of a young boy's newly sparkling grave, well, no one would seek to question it.

Katsuki had been excited to be able to participate in a Training Event with the students of the Hero Course. He had mentally pictured it as him being able to hone his abilities, learn hopefully important skills that would serve him well in the future, and completely pummel some weak hero asses into the ground.

However, with the new information Deku had foretold him... He only felt queasy about it now.

There may not have been any proof identifying him as the target but with each upcoming day Deku seemed to be more sure about it. It probably had to do with where he went every night, disappearing out his window to meet up with someone, or something, that still remained elusive.

And was no doubt the informative which Deku had previously spoken about in passing. It made Katsuki curious but he knew he had to respect the other boy's boundaries and reasoning why he couldn't know.

Strangely, it didn't bother him as much as he initially expected it to. The secrecy wasn't obvious and Deku was keeping him in the loop - that's all he could ever have asked for from the other boy.

Not that it particularly mattered much because today would be the dreaded day he attended training and most likely his own doom. Many times Deku tried to talk him out of it and tell him that he should prefer to be safe and miss an opportunity he could always win back than to be dead, but Katsuki wouldn't hear any of it.

This was his chance and one he wouldn't be giving up. If they were going to kidnap him, he wasn't going to die and Deku knew he'd rather die than become a villain himself, already seeing how harmful, to both himself and others, that lifestyle might be.

It had to all turn out fine, that was something he had to ensure to himself and to Deku, because there was no other way things could turn out.

At the point in time he had contemplated all this, it had been the day before he would be leaving in a bus with the rest of the Hero Students where he would be training as hoped and maybe kidnapped as dreaded.

Whatever.

He had things he had to be doing, work to be done, and thoughts to extract from the forefront of his mind.

So he busied himself with planning for the trip, which meant mainly focusing on packing for himself. And for Deku, if he needed anything, because Katsuki knew with a villain attack pending there was no way the nerd wouldn't force Katsuki to let him come along too.

It was almost bothersome how protective, or heroic as he would put it, he felt the need to be. Although Katsuki couldn't say he was surprised by it in the slightest. To him, that was simply who Deku was. A heroic and stupid idiot that he loved to the ends of the Earth because without him, Katsuki didn't know who he would be.

It was sappy thoughts like these that he allowed to linger in his brain for a few minutes before he would begin to feel embarrassed and decide to busy himself to hide from that embarrassment. So, he decided to pack lightly. He didn't really need much to keep him going, just a few sets of clothes to change into in the case of the past set being ruined.

Although, after he was focused and drilled into his task, he did check he had everything he needed about four times out of the fear that he might've forgotten something. It wasn't as though his parents were going to help and Deku was too busy fretting over what might happen to him to oversee what was being packed.

And not to mention that Deku was currently away visiting Nozomi to tell her he would be absent for a while. Why he felt the need to say anything, Katsuki didn't know, but Deku was always noble about taking care of others, even if it would end up making him late, so he supposed that had to be why.

But really all of that just meant that Katsuki was stuck checking his own bags and he took his job very seriously. Katsuki saw forgetting something important as being much worse than being kidnapped by some shitty villains who couldn't even do their job right.

What fucking villains would make it so blatantly obvious what their plans would be?

Not to say Deku wasn't smart, he was rather cunning, but Katsuki thought that villains were supposed to do better. If a boy with highschool education could figure out their plans, then what was the fucking point of them in the first place?

Katsuki snorted, he supposed what they said about villains often being uneducated and desperate was true… And it was more than a little bit pathetic.

He'd probably be able to beat them with his bare hands if the current knowledge he had was anything to go by. And while the rational side of him knew he probably didn't stand a chance with his training having gaps in it and huge vulnerabilities, it's what helped him sleep with one less worry at night. He'd pretend all he wants so long as he got a chance to do some real damage to those sick fucks.

He had a plan brewing after all, one that Deku and him had devised together, and there was no better usage of it then when the villains would attack. It might fail because of the conditions within the camp that they weren't privy to, but they came up with a plan for that too.

There were plans for attacks during the morning and night, mountain or forest, protecting someone or acting alone. Deku had wanted to include that last one even though Katsuki couldn't have bothered with it, regardless if there were people he had to work around or with the goal was to defeat the villain and he'd do that without interference.

However, it wasn't bad having Deku comfortable enough to openly challenge his ideas and propose ones which would better save lives. Naturally Katsuki had to concede to them, being more efficient and valuing more saving. Deku was the brains to his brawn, no matter how much both estimations were off by, and they were working on how to maximize that.

The night before the trip he committed himself to memorizing all of the plans, each detail, and what could possibly go wrong in them that he had to be able to avoid at all costs. He didn't remember drifting off sometime in the late night, but by the time he did, he felt that he knew enough to keep his hand hidden while exposing the villain's hand. And if the situation called for it, he would be fine improvising.

After waking up on the day of the trip, as rested as he could be with everything currently going on inside his mind, he quickly checked he had everything for the fifth time.

One could never be too careful and it didn't take up much of his time either. Afterwards he fulfilled his morning routine of hygiene, and he aimed to head out the door as soon as possible.

And hope that Deku will be able to make it in time. Katsuki understood the need to notify Nozomi else she would be vastly worried about where he was (or wouldn't care, children were odd) but now he was cutting the time a little close.

Worse case scenario, Deku would just have to meet him at U.A or find the bus somehow. Katsuki would say he was worried but he put his faith into Deku that he would be fine.

Dressing himself, he took his luggage down and placed it by the door, skipping his breakfast. He hadn't had much of an appetite lately and while hero training on an empty stomach wasn't the smartest move, neither were stomach aches and throwing up said breakfast.

Katsuki preferred the former.

"HEADING OFF NOW," Katsuki yelled out to the household. He was sure both his parents had something to say to him, but he didn't really have the time to argue. And, he mostly said anything at all so that he could remind Deku to get his ass moving so they could leave, even if he couldn't hear him.

"WAITTTT!" A usually quiet voice shouted out in desperation.

His father came bounding through the house, "Katsuki wait!"

Katsuki paused, letting his father breathe before announcing whatever he needed to say to him before leaving for a few days.

"How are you feeling?" Katsuki's father panted out.

"I'm fine, I'll stay safe." Katsuki nodded at him and he smiled calmly.

Unexpectedly, he opened his arms and crashed them around Katsuki, squeezing him hard. It was nice to be hugged after so long, Katsuki reciprocated it, closing his eyes to burn the feeling of warmth into his memory.

"Do your best." His father murmured, letting go of Katsuki after a few seconds but still keeping him at arm's length. He placed his hands on his shoulders and smiled proudly, Katsuki felt that the moment was getting too sappy for him and he briskly nodded at his father to indicate he understood what he meant.

"Oi, brat." Katsuki's mother came into the room with her arms crossed, "Gonna leave without saying anything?"

He looked away guiltily, that was exactly what his plan was. His mother just shook her head, almost expecting it from him, "You have some time." She remarked before walking forward.

"Better to be early than-"

"Kacchannn!" Deku chided, suddenly coming into the room as well, shocking Katsuki. He had been quicker than he thought he would be, although a part of him wondered how long he had been lurking so that he'd have the perfect entrance. "Spend time with your family, if we leave in a few minutes we'll still be early."

He smiled warmly at Katsuki, who just rolled his eyes.

"Fine."

His mother nodded slightly, eye roaming the room for a few seconds before they caught on his small luggage sitting by the door. "Have everything?"

Katsuki slowly nodded, why was she asking in the first place? He didn't know that she cared about such things which had no impact on her.

"No you don't." She snorted, tossing a small bottle right at Katsuki. What the fuck? Why'd she ask if she knew he didn't have everything, that asshole.

Katsuki turned the bottle over in his hands, exposing it to his eyes, it was sunscreen.

He blew air out of his nose in an almost chuckle before quickly tossing it into his luggage where there was the most room, "Thanks."

The trio stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, his father smiling proudly and his mother no doubt criticizing everything that she could see.

"I'll be off now." Katsuki finally said, not seeing much point in staying otherwise.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Deku shake his head endearingly. He hadn't made good use of the time he had been permitted but he'd be back home soon enough, he knew it, so he didn't see much of a point in being sentimental now.

"Brat." His mother called out to him in a low tone, "Learn some shit, will you?"

Katsuki snorted at her frankness but nodded anyway, he appreciated her support however minute it seemed to be.

His father seemed to echo her thoughts, smiling blindly at her admission of hope towards him and bowing respectfully to his leaving son.

He would be back, though he still liked the familiarity of bowing, and cordially bowed back. He then collected his luggage needed for the trip he would be taking and walked out the door.

Of course, that wasn't before ensuring Deku was following him and hadn't decided to wander off somewhere else before they headed off, he was instead rushing to catch up to Katsuki after not paying attention.

Rolling his eyes at the hurried antics of the other boy, he continued down past his house and didn't bother looking back. His family would be fine and so would he, kidnapped or not, villains or not, he would figure out a way so that everyone could stay safe.

"You wouldn't believe it, Kacchan!" Deku finally began, recounting the adventures he had faced only moments ago, "Nozomi was super excited for me and started talking about all the cool animals she'd learned about that she wanted me to find. And-"

Katsuki scoffed as Deku prattled on about what Nozomi had done when he decided to tell her he would be going away for a few days. Even though he knew he hadn't truly left home, it was like any other time he was going to school, it still felt odd enough that he began to grow unsure about it all.

However, once his ears caught onto Deku's excited rambling, all his fears had somehow dissipated. It wasn't all okay and Katsuki didn't know if it was going to be or not, but he thought that as long as Deku remained himself, there was some hope that it could be.