EMBERS

CHAPTER #5:

THE WOLF BITES

Fire Force, My Hero Academia and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice belong to their respective authors, creators and publishers.

-Conflagration Zone-

*WHAM!*

*CRACK!*

"Graaaaaah!"

A Villain howled in pain as his left kneecap was completely busted. Courtesy of a kick from Tamaki.

The ravenette, after her impromptu meeting with the group of Villains in the zone she was warped into, began her onslaught. One by one, the criminals were taken out swiftly and easily, culling their numbers until only a dozen of them remained.

Of course, after seeing what the girl was capable of, they began exercising more caution instead of blindily rushing towards her and their doom.

Which most likely consisted of receiving permanent brain damage via a devastating kick...

As for Tamaki?

Her face was steeled into the determined and unbreakable expression she always had when sparring or training. Her bright, golden eyes darted back and forth to the remaining thugs. Luckily, these goons weren't that much of a threat, just as Izuku had imagined.

"..."

Thinking of her best friend, Tamaki mind began to wander. She couldn't help but worry about him and her classmates. If the other Villains they encountered were just like the one she was facing, then they would have no problem dealing with them. She knew her fellow students were capable enough to fight them off, even those who didn't have any combat-oriented Quirks.

But still...

"At least Bakugou must be having a blast right now..."

{Was that supposed to be a pun...?}

"Quiet you, focus on the fighting."

{You're such a slave driver, girl...}

Nekomata huffed, before sensing an approaching enemy behind them. Tamaki side-stepped to avoid a slash from a knife-wielding Villain. The latter, however, quickly turned around and charged once again, this time holding the weapon with both hands.

Tamaki did the same.

Sprinting towards her opponent-

*SLAM!*

-she slammed her tails onto the ground, propelling herself upwards, jumping high into the air-

*fwhip*

-then she made a shearing movement with her legs, moving one in front of the other-

"Windmill!"

*WHAM!*

-and finally performed a devastating kick.

"Argh!"

The Villain was sent flying away with tremendous force, skidding for a good few meters onto the ground before coming to a stop by smashing against some debris.

The other Villains were once again flabbergasted by what they saw, and Tamaki capitalized on it, approaching another one to take him out.

Unfortunately...

*ruuumble*

"...!"

Tamaki stopped in her tracks as a weird, albeit familiar feeling crossed her body.

The same thing happened to the Villains around her, their bodies shivering for but a moment at the mysterious sensation they just felt.

The ravenette widened her eyes, swiftly turning her head towards the direction of the Central Plaza.

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"Katō-chan...?"

Meanwhile

-Ruins Zone-

"Just fuck off and die!"

*KA-BOOOM!*

Katsuki screamed while blasting away another Villain. Behind him, Eijiro was busy pummeling another one into the ground with his hardened fists.

"Bakubro, we can't waste time here! We have to go back to the entrance and find the others!"

"Easier said than-"

*BOOOM!*

"-fuckin' done! These assholes keep coming at us like shitty cockroaches!"

"Then we'll just have to make a run for it!"

"Fuck no!"

Katsuki yelled while turning to face his classmate, only to see a rock-like fist coming towards him-

*KA-POW!*

-and hit the Villain standing just behind Katsuki.

"*phew* That was a close one!"

"Ngh! I totally saw it coming, I didn't need your help!"

Taking a moment to catch their breath, Katsuki and Eijiro looked around them, looking for enemies still standing.

"I think that was the last one... for now."

Katsuki huffed before stomping away from the scene, trying to find the exit.

"Whoa, Bakubro, where are you going?"

Katsuki's right eye twitched.

"Would you stop calling me that?!"

He snapped.

"I'm getting the hell outta here. I still have a score to settle with that fog fucker!"

"Hey, wait for m-"

*ruuumble*

"...!?"

"...!"

Eijiro stumbled and ended on all fours onto the ground, while Katsuki shuddered ever so slightly at the strange feeling that descended upon the two.

He reflexively raised his hand to touch his left shoulder.

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"That damn nerd...!"

He broke out of his reverie and sprinted towards the exit, with a frantic Eijiro behind him.

Meanwhile

-Central Plaza-

{OOOOOOOOOWOOOOOO!}

Katō's howl roared throughout the whole plaza.

The Villains that joined the fray just a moment ago, backed away in fear. Chills ran down their spines as the wolf glared at them while growling menacingly.

Izuku, with his red glowering eyes and the emeral flames licking along his arms and Kusabimaru, was being equally intimidating.

Shigaraki snarled.

"What the hell are you waiting for?! Hurry up and kill that brat, along with his damn mutt!"

That was enough to spur the Villains into action. They all rushed at the two in front of them.

Katō turned his head towards Izuku, as if he were waiting for his master's orders. The greenette, without ever taking his eyes off the group of approaching Villains, spoke.

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"You can bite, but no chewing. Don't kill anyone aside from the big guy with his brain exposed, got it?"

{Wooof!}

Izuku smirked.

"'atta boy."

One of the Villains finally reached Izuku, and charged at him with a clawed hand.

"..."

All Izuku had to do-

*schik!*

"Gah!"

-was to slightly lunge forward with his blade, piercing through the Villain's wrist. Then-

*snikt!*

*slice!*

-he twisted the blade, before violently yanking it out to the side.

"AAARGH!"

The Villain screamed in agony as he felt his wrist being sliced open. Blood gushing out from the wound. Izuku reached out his arm, grabbing him right there. After that-

*fwooosh!*

-he generated a burst of emeral flames, searing the wound shut.

The white hot pain was enough to cause the Villain to pass out. Izuku, still holding him by the wrist, effortlessy raised him above his head-

*WHAM!*

-and slammed him against another Villain who was trying to take him by surprise while he was dealing with the first.

"You fucking brat!"

Another one rushed to the boy, but-

{Ggroow!}

*thud!*

Katō lunged at the Villain, knocking her to the ground with the wolf on top. Soon after, he bit her arm violently, making her scream in pain while she tried in vain to get him off of her.

Izuku turned to the remaining Villains. He charged Ember in his left hand, and with frightening speed-

*fwhip*

-he appeared in front of one of them. With a well-aimed palm strike, he hit him right in the middle of the chest-

"Ooof!"

-and then released a wave of flames. The force of the explosion was enough to send him flying, while the light generated briefly blinded the others.

Katō wasted no time and joined his master as he attacked the still dazed Villain, tearing into their numbers.

Meanwhile, Kurogiri and Shigaraki were watching the scene unfold with varying degrees of worry on their faces.

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The latter in particular, was focused on the emerald fire swirling around the Hero wannabe. Now that he'd backed off and really took a look at it, that Quirk and swordmanship seemed an awful lot like another one he'd heard about before…

"Augh!"

The cry of the last Villain left standing snapped Shigaraki out of his thoughts.

Indeed, Izuku and his wolven companion were standing amidst the group of downed Villains. Some of them were knocked out cold, while others were writhing in pain after they were cut or bit by one of the two, holding their still bleeding wounds.

Izuku raised Kusabimaru in front of him, holding it in a horizontal position.

Then, with a sudden jerk of his hand-

*splat!*

-he lowered the blade, causing the blood on it to spatter out on the ground.

Turning his gaze towards Nomu once again, his eyes widened slightly when he noticed the arm that he sliced off earlier still present on the hulking beast's body.

"Regeneration, huh..."

Shigaraki grinned smugly behind the hand covering his face.

"That's right. Nomu was made for a single purpouse, and that is to kill All Might!"

He spread his arms wide.

"Not only does he have massive strength that can rival All Might's, but he can also regenerate! And on top of that, he can absorb the shock of any attack he receive!"

He raised his hands mockingly.

"So no matter how much you damage him, he'll recover from it no matter what!"

He kept on ranting.

"So do your worst, Hero! But know that your little fire won't even scratch my Nomu!"

Izuku remained impassive, lowering his katana as he observed the three Villains in front of him.

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"I see."

*FWOOOSH!*

Emerald fire danced around him, before being sucked into his body.

"...*aaanf*..."

He inhaled deeply-

"...*huuufff*..."

-then exhaled a wave of steam.

Kurogiri and Shigaraki watched the boy carefully, unsure of what his next move will be.

Izuku raised his katana once more, but instead of adopting the Te Ura Gasumi No Kamae, he positioned himself into a Katagake no Kurai stance.

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"Katō, get ready..."

The wolf growled, then lowered his body onto the ground, gathering strength on his paws.

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"... we're going in for the kill."

*CRASH!*

Out of nowhere, Katō dashed forward at breaknecking speed, upturning several pieces of the ground he was standing on moments ago in the process.

Nomu, as well as the other two Villains, couldn't react in time. The wolf ended up right in front of the former, but when the beast tried to strike him with a punch-

*fwhip!*

-Katō swiftly avoided it, and climbed onto Nomu's attacking arm, reaching onto his back.

{Grrrrrr!}

Biting hard onto the Villain's purplish skin, Katō began violently tearing into his flesh.

Nomu stretched his arms behind him to try to get rid of the wolf that was mauling him alive, but in vain. Katō had positioned himself to make it difficult, if not impossible, to catch him due to Nomu's imposing and muscular physique.

However, true to Shigaraki's words, the flesh that was being ripped apart by Katō's gnaws began healing on its own.

"Ha! I already told you! There's nothing that mutt can do that Nomu can't recover from!"

Shigaraki screeched. Izuku remained motionless, not taking his eyes off Nomu even for a moment.

"..."

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*chomp!*

With one last, powerful bite, Katō latched onto Nomu's back neck.

{Grrr!}

Izuku nodded.

He tightened the grip on Kusabimaru.

His eyes flashed brighter for but a moment.

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"Ignite."

And then-

*KA-BOOOOOOM!*

-Nomu's was engulfed by an massive blast as Katō exploded into an emerald inferno.

The shock wave was strong enough to knock Shigaraki to the ground and momentarily disperse Kurogiri's foggy body.

"Are you unharmed, Shigaraki?!"

"W-What the hell was that?!"

Shigaraki shouted. The smoke that originated from the explosion was obscuring much of their surroundings, effectively making it impossible to ascertain the Nomu's condition.

Kurogiri began swirling around them, generating an air current strong enough to disperse the smoke.

When the view was clear, however...

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"Wha-!"

"...!"

The two Villains were met with the sight of Nomu. He was crouched on all four, the force of the explosion having pushed him onto the ground.

A black, scorching wound that almost seemed to be a gaping hole was on his back. Bits of flesh and bone were protruting from it, with the beast's deformed spine on clear sight for everyone to see.

Nomu himself was twitching as he tried to get up on his feet, but with such an injury it didn't seem to be physically possible for him.

Shigaraki was having none of it.

"Get up, you useless freak! Focus on the healing!"

At his master's command, Nomu forced his regeneration to the maximum, and soon enough the wound on his back began closing up, albeit slowly.

Rage now visible in his red eyes, Shigaraki looked around him frantically, trying to spot the one responsible for damaging his trump card against All Might so severely.

He finally found him, and to add onto his growing fury, Izuku was still in the same position as before. Coldly glaring at Nomu.

Before the young Villain could rail once again, the greenette red eyes moved to Shigaraki himself. For a moment, they seemed to glance behind him.

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"Behind you."

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"Huh...?"

Shigaraki muttered, not fully registering was he just heard. When he did, the snarl that followed almost made the hand on his face fall off.

"YOU SERIOUSLY THINK A DIRT CHEAP TRICK LIKE THAT WILL WO-"

*WHAM!*

The Villain's yelling was cut short when a knee striked him on the side of his face, hitting him right onto his right temple, sending him tumbling onto the ground.

"Well, would you look at that... it did work."

A pissed off Tamaki said while rolling the leg she just used to kick her target.

"Shigaraki!"

Kurogiri called out for his leader in panic and began swirling to get to him, but-

*booom!*

"DIEEE!"

-was stopped by a furious cry and a sudden explosion. The Villain barely evaded the surprise attack and leapt away, leaving a snarling Katsuki in place. Eijiro was right behind him, most of his body already hardened and ready to fight.

"Finally got you, you foggy piece of shit!"

Katsuki grinned, letting explosions pop off in his palms.

"You're dead, you heard me! DEAD! I'll blow you up into tiny bits for chucking me into a pile of concrete!"

"Not very heroic, but yes, I share his sentiment."

Eijiro followed up, raising his arms up. Kurogiri narrowed his eyes at them.

"Tch... damn brats...! You already dealt with our underlings, I see..."

"Oh, they're not the only ones!"

The group attention was grabbed by a new voice. Making their way from the Landslide Zone, Denki, along with Kyoka and Momo approached them.

"*kero* What she said."

From the Flood Zone, Tsuyu emerged. Drenched in water from head to toe, she carried a still shaking Minoru with her, with Shoto standing beside the two.

The newly assembled group of aspiring Heroes stared down at Kurogiri and Shigaraki, who by now had recovered from Tamaki's knee strike and stood up, albeit on shaky legs.

"You've lost, buddy. We already took out the one blocking our communications. U.A knows we're in trouble."

Kyoka glared, and Momo followed up.

"Moreover, one of ours managed to escape from the main entrance. As we speak, he's on his way to the school to call for reinforcements."

Shigaraki bristled in annoyance.

"You let one escape, Kurogiri..."

His hands twitched.

"Be thankful you're our only way out, or you'd be nothing but dust right now...!"

He spat, before narrowing his eyes at the teens in front of him.

"They took out our men so easily... well, no big loss... they were cannon fodder, after all..."

He sighed.

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Then, however, he perked up.

An action that gave all the wrong kind of vibes to Izuku and the others.

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"Kurogiri, bring in the other one."

"...?!"

Izuku's eyes widened. Kurogiri twisted to look at his leader.

"But, Sensei said tha-"

"I know very damn well what he said."

The Villain growled.

"'For emergencies only'. Well, I don't know about you, but this looks like one to me! The brats are mostly unscathed, their comms are back, U.A. is on its way and All Might is nowhere to be seen!"

Shigaraki throwed his arms up in the air, exasperated.

"At the very least, I'd like to leave a few dead students for them to see once they arrive here. So do your damn job, and bring me the other Nomu!"

Kurogiri eyed Shigaraki for a moment, before opening up another portal.

"Give me a moment... he's quite distant from Sensei's hideout..."

Fully realizing what was happening, panic soon arose within the U.A. students.

"Katō."

Izuku called, and soon after some flames sprouted from his body and moved to his side. They sputtered for a couple of seconds, before forming into the body of the white wolf.

{Wooof!}

Katō barked, before noticing the new arrivals on the scene. He immediately lowered himself into his threatening stance and began growling. Izuku used his right hand to gently stroke his back.

"Easy there, boy. They're friendlies. You must not harm them, got it?"

The wolf relaxed, now standing tall.

"Tamaki is with them, too. See?"

Izuku nudged his head towards his best friend, with Katō following his master's gaze.

{...!}

Once he noticed her, his eyes sparkled, and he tried to make his way towards her-

"Not so fast."

-but Izuku firmly grabbed him by his scruff.

"Duty first, pleasure later. You'll get your belly rubs once we're done with these assholes."

{Aaauuu...}

Katō whined, but ultimately listened to Izuku's words. Tamaki watched the scene unfold with a smile on her face.

"Why can't you be as obedient as Katō-chan..."

{How dare you compare me to that mongrel?!}

Just then, the second Nomu emerged from Kurogiri's portal.

Aesthetically, he was almost identical to the first, except that his brain was much larger. Large enough to completely cover the top of his head. He didn't even have any visible eyes and he lacked the beak thingy his companion had. He was wearing long tattered jeans with plates on his shins.

"Guys."

Izuku called his classmates to attention, who only now noticed Katō's presence.

"Is... is that a wolf...!?"

"Is it yours, Midoriya-san?"

"Why is it on fire...?!"

"Guys."

Izuku called once again, this time more firmly. Their focus now on the greenette, they recoiled once thei saw his burning red eyes staring right at them.

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"Leave."

He spoke. The others jumped a bit at his tone.

Momo spoke up.

"W-What do you mean?"

"I said leave. Every one of you, except for Tamaki."

The flames on his body began flaring up.

"Regroup with the others at the top of the stairs. Do not come down here for absolutely no reason. Not until we're done dealing with them. Take Aizawa-sensei with you."

He pointed at the still unconscious man laying on the ground. The dome of fire covering him long gone.

"Listen to him guys."

Tamaki said, before shrugging off her jacket.

*fwooosh!*

Her tails and ears began flaring up just like Izuku's flames.

Eijiro was having none of it.

"What are you even saying?! There's no way we'll leave you alone with those things. We'll stay here and fight together!"

"Don't tell me what to do, you shitty nerd! Ain't no fucking way I'm fleeing from a fight!"

Katsuki voiced his opinion. The othere remained silent, but they were sharing the same sentiment.

"You're strong, man, but you can't win with just the two of you!"

Denki eventually gave his own two cents.

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"Oh, it's not just us."

Izuku smiled.

Out of nowhere, the greenette's flames exploded overhead, generating a whirlwind of fire.

{Ooowooo!}

Katō howled, then dissolved into a stream of fire, joining the firestorm above Izuku's head.

The boy tightened his Katagake no Kurai stance. Veins bulged on his arms and legs as he readied himself for combat. Tamaki did the same, with Nekomata fully unleashed. She took a Dwi Kubi Seogi stance.

Izuku spoke.

"If you want to stay, go ahead. Be careful, however... I cannot garantee..."

The light of the flames dimmed...

"... that you won't get burned."

... Izuku breathed deeply...

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"Kagutsuchi's Legion."

... after which they exploded in a green flash.

The Villains and the students covered their eyes from the blinding light. Above Izuku there was now a large fireball, from which small streams protruded. They stretched out to touch the ground and once there, the sphere began to dissipate into smaller shapes.

Just like with Katō, each of these small fires began to transform into a canine form, eventually taking on the appearance of a wolf. The only difference was that they lacked the green markings on their body, as well as the metal disc that Katō had on his back.

Now, a pack of about thirty wolves stood behind Izuku, and they were all growling menacingly at their enemies. Everyone, sans Tamaki, stared in disbelief at what just happened.

Izuku glared at the two Nomu, as well as Shigaraki and Kurogiri. He smirked at the two.

"So much for having the advantage of numbers, huh?"

He mocked, and he saw the hand-covered Villains shake with barely contained rage. Izuku followed up.

"You saw what just one wolf did to your precious anti-All Might weapon. Granted, his 'siblings' don't pack the same punch as Katō does, but it's still enough to incinerate both of your pets into nothingness. As well as you two."

He warned.

"So, Villain-san, what it's gonna be?"

He provoked. Tamaki rolled her eyes.

"Don't even try to reason with them, Izu. I did the same thing with their minions, and two seconds later I ended up caving their skulls in, so..."

She scoffed.

"I'll handle Mr. Handy Man over there and his talking cloud. You deal with the Big Brain brothers."

"Be careful. Anything touched by all five of his fingers ends up in dust."

"Duly noted. And you'd better be careful too, or else you'll taste another one of my kicks."

Izuku chuckled.

"Yes, ma'am."

The two best friends exchanged a last smile and got ready to battle...

"NOMUS! KILL THOSE DAMN BRATS ONCE AND FOR ALL!"

... but Shigaraki, who had just exploded in anger, decided to act first.

In the blink of an eye, both Nomus moved frighteningly fast. The beaked one went for Izuku, while the other headed straight for Tamaki. The latter however, avoided the large hand that was about to grab by crouching down at the very last moment.

Then she shot upwards, and-

*thud!*

-after slapping the Nomu's exposed brain with her tails, she propelled herself forward, ending up right in front of Shigaraki and Kurogiri.

"Damn, that thing was fast... I hope Izu will be alright against the two of them..."

{We both know he fought against much worse, girl.}

"No kidding. Uncle Jin is no pushover when-"

{I was not referring to him...}

"..."

Tamaki's pupils narrowed, and she clenched her jaw. Hard.

*grrrrrr*

A feeble growl made its way out of her teeth.

"You did that on purpose, haven't you...?"

She hissed in her head.

{I need you angry for what's to come. You'll scold me later.}

"..."

Focusing her newfound surge of fury, Tamaki glared at the two in front of her.

Sensing the impending danger, Kurogiri began swirling once more, this time around Shigaraki. Soon enough, the Villains warped away, but Tamaki knew better.

*fwosh*

And true enough, she felt the slightest shift into the air just behind her, and reacted accordingly.

*swhish*

Turning around, Tamaki twisted her body. She moved the rear foot at the front and swung it from the side to the head level-

*wham!*

"Guh!"

-performing a well-executed Yophollyo-chagi, and kicking away the pale and rough hand that was about to touch her.

She wasn't done, however.

Taking advantage of her attacker's brief moment of confusion, Tamaki wrapped one of her tails around Shigaraki's wrist.

Then pulled.

"Hyah!"

To add even more leverage, she grabbed the same tail at its base and twisted her body-

"Wha-!"

"HYAAAH!"

-until she managed to yank the Villain from the warp gate he was in hurl him away from its grasp.

"Shigaraki!"

Kurogiri exclaimed in panic, but-

"DIEEE!"

-a wild Katsuki appears!

Kurogiri managed to barely avoid an explosion from the sand-blond teen. Eijiro was not far behind and he also launched his attack.

"Damn you...!"

The Warp Gate user was now trying his best to either dodge or divert his assailants' attacks. Meanwhile, Tamaki was having a glaring contest with Shigaraki.

*scratch!* *scratch!* *scratch!* *scratch!*

The latter, in the throes of what appeared to be a nervous tick, began to ferociously scratch his neck. The incessant scraping escalated until blood was drawn from the reddish and irritated skin.

Tamaki raised an eyebrow.

"You should stop that while you still can. If you keep going at it, it's gonna sting like hell tomorrow..."

*scratch!* *scratch!* *scratch!* *scratch!*

Shigaraki seethed, showing no sign of stopping.

*KA-BOOOM!*

A sudden explosion cut through the air. Tamaki didn't have to turn to realize that it was one of Izuku's wolves detonating. The Villain in front of her, however, began moving his gaze from the ravenette to the green-haired teen busy dealing with his prized Nomus.

"..."

His scratching stopped.

"Y'know..."

He spoke, catching Tamaki's attention.

"Sensei once told me a story..."

He began talking, and walked sideways. Tamaki did the same, but on the opposite direction, and the two were now circling one another.

"'Sensei'? So you're not the main ringleader of this circus of clowns? Can't say I'm surprised..."

Tamaki provoked, trying to rile him up further. Shigaraki ignored her jab and kept going.

"He is strong, my Sensei. Stronger than anyone else. Even All Might couldn't stop him. Well, not permanently, that is..."

Shigaraki cackled.

"He was truly invincible. His power alone could make even the strongest, craziest and most deranged Villain bend the knee to his magnificence and power."

He stopped walking. He looked at Izuku.

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"Except for one."

Tamaki stopped too. Her eyes narrowed.

"He never told me exactly what happened, but his encounter with a certain man was the very first time that Sensei ever felt fear when facing a foe."

He glanced at Tamaki.

"The first time he felt powerless."

His hands twitched.

"The first time he was certain that he was going to die."

Now he fully turned to her.

"But most shockingly..."

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"... the first time he begged for his life."

A wicked grin split Shigaraki's face.

"Tell me, Hero..."

He drawled.

"... does U.A. know that the son of the monster who wiped out an entire city and its inhabitants from the face of the planet is among their students...?"

*CRASH!*

Shigaraki jumped back. Just in time to avoid the tail that was about to smash him. Tamaki retracted said body part, and sent a glare allong with a hiss towards the Villain.

"You Villains have to seriously stop it with the trope of always talking in the middle of a fight."

She crouched on all four, then sprinted forward to engange her enemy.

*KA-BOOOM!*

"Tch... missed..."

Izuku muttered in annoyance-

*CRASH!*

-while dodging yet another punch from the beaked Nomu.

"Huh, they're not as dumb as their leader make them out to be, after all..."

He had to give credit when was due. After Katō blew up the first Nomu's back, the latter began to fight more safely. He made sure to never grab or let the other wolves grab or bite onto him so as not to fall victim to one of their explosions.

There have been several close calls, but not enough to cause serious damage to neither of the two.

"In that case..."

Having remained idle for long enough, Izuku moved, approaching the second Nomu.

He grabbed Kusabimaru with his right hand, using a reverse grip. He raised it up, close to his face, while extending the left arm forward.

As if he was taking aim.

"Boys, leave the beaked one alone for now. Focus on his buddy, and target his limbs."

A collective "wooof!" came from the pack, then they all charged against their new target. The latter was easily and quickly overwhelmed as the wolves chomped on his back knees, forcing him to the ground. Soon after, his arms were blocked by the others.

Now was his chance.

Izuku inhaled deeply, arching his back slightly and pulling back the arm that was holding Kusabimaru.

His red eyes narrowed slightly, then shot open.

*SWISH!*

With inhuman speed and strenght, Izuku launched his katana. The throw was powerful enough to generate a small gust of air, as the blade pierced through the air-

*splat!*

-and finally impaling itself onto the Nomu's exposed large brain.

The first Nomu moved to intercept Izuku before he could follow up on his offense, but-

*WOOOOOOSH!*

-a huge wave of ice cut his way. The Villain didn't have time to turn to the new attacker-

*BOOOM!*

-because what appeared to be a cannon ball striked him right in the chest, pushing him back for a few good meters.

"Yaoyorozu, I told you to aim for the head."

Shoto said matter-of-factly, but Momo huffed in annoyance.

"Do you have any idea how difficult it is to aim with a cannon? Or would you rather it ends up hitting Midoriya or the others?"

"..."

Izuku eyed his two classmates, also noting the absence of Denki, Kyoka, Minoru and Tsuyu. However, in the distance their figures could be seen climbing the steps leading to the exit. Aizawa was with them, luckily.

Izuku smiled.

"Thanks for the assist guys."

His eyes glowed briefly, and his wolves dissolved and returned to their master's body. Izuku broke into a sprint.

"Katō!"

Once again, his white wolven companion materialized beside Izuku, sprinting alongside him. Nomu, for his part, was twitching and moving erratically due to the katana stuck in his brain. He was trying to reach for it with his hands to remove it, but in vain.

*tap!*

Izuku jumped.

He landed right on top of Nomu, and firmly grabbed Kusabimaru's handle with both hands-

*SCRUNCH!*

-only to violently twist the blade, massacring Nomu's brain even further. After that, he pulled out the katana and sheathed it.

"Now!"

At the boy's command, Katō leapt towards him, dissolving into flames-

*aaaaaahnnnfff!*

-but instead of returning within Izuku's body, they were sucked into his mouth. Then he shoved his hands into Nomu's mouth, and forcefully spread it open.

The boy looked down at the Villain with puffed out cheeks. The scene would have been somewhat comical, had it not been for the ferocious glare in his red eyes.

*gulp*

Suddenly, Izuku swallowed, his cheeks returning to normal. His glare was still present, however. His hold onto Nomu's tightened.

"... *aaanf* ..."

He inhaled again.

.

.

.

.

.

"Kagutsuchi's Breath."

*WHAAAAAAM!*

And just like that, a torrent of flames shot out from Izuku's mouth, straight into Nomu's. The latter could do nothing but remain helpless while the flames incinerated his insides into nothingness, while he twitched even more due to the sheer agony it was going through.

Eventually, the Villain's body went limp and fell on all four, and Izuku jumped down while drawing Kusabimaru. Not losing any momentum, he spinned and raised the blade above his head with both hands and-

*SLICE!*

-finally brought it down onto Nomu's neck, beheading him.

*thud*

The now severed head fell to the ground with a loud thump and rolled for a couple of meters before stopping.

.

.

.

.

.

{OOOWOOO!}

Katō, who was now standing beside his master, howled. The sound cutting through the silence as everyone stared in silence at the gruesome spectacle. Izuku glanced at Nomu's headless body, who lied lifelessly on the ground as blood began pooling out from the neck.

He closed his eyes and dipped his head.

"Forgive me."

He raised his head, and looked around. Once he spotted Tamaki looking at him, he opened his mouth to speak-

"...!"

-but something behind her caught his attention.

In the blink of an eye, and with such force that ground he was standing on slightly cracked, Izuku dashed madly towards his best friend with a raised arm.

"Iz-"

Tamaki could not finish what she was about to say, as Izuku vigorously pushed her aside, far away from whatever danger she did not notice.

*thud!*

"Ngh!"

Which was none other than Shigaraki's hand.

.

.

.

.

.

The hand that was now tightly gripping Izuku's left wrist.

Indeed, despite the defeat of one of his Nomu did nothing but magnify his anger, Shigaraki seized the moment of distraction of the would-be Heroes for a sneak attack against Tamaki.

But in the end, he ended up unleashing his Quirk onto the one responsible for decapitating his prized weapon.

Izuku managed to wrench himself off from the Villain's grasp, but it was too late, as the decaying began enveloping his wrist, hand and was slowly expanding towards the rest of his arm and possibly his entire body.

Realization, mixed with horror, struck Tamaki, as well as the others.

"IZUKU!"

She cried frantically, but the greenette was having a much calmer reaction. Searing pain aside while his limb was crumbling into dust, all he did was stare at his arm.

Shigaraki wasted no time, and began sneering and gloating at the sight.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! You really are the best! Not only you managed to kill one of my Nomu, you even sacrificed your own arm to save the little kitten! HOW HEROIC!"

He ranted. At the same time, Kurogiri managed to escape the endless assault from both Katsuki and Eijiro.

"Shigaraki, we-"

"We need to leave, yes. Hmph..."

Shigaraki huffed in annoyance.

"Well, at least I had the satisfaction of maiming one of the brats. We did lose a Nomu, tough... Oh well..."

He looked at the beaked beast, that was now fully encased in ice, and thus unable to move. However, Momo and Shoto, who looked haggard from the incessant fighting against him, were ready to attack in case he broke free.

"Let's retrieve the other one. He is still the best chance we got at killing All Mi-"

*SLICE!*

"-ght and... huh?"

A wet squelch and loud gasps reached Shigaraki's ears, and he turned around, fed-up.

"What is it now?!"

Angere was quickly replaced by bewilderment as he took in the sight in front of him.

.

.

.

.

.

*gshht*

In particular, Izuku with a profusely bleeding stump.

.

.

.

.

.

And a severed, crumbling arm at his feet.

Several emotion crossed the U.A. students that witnessed what happened.

Tamaki remained motionless, staring at Izuku with widened and trembling eyes.

Eijiro was doing the same, but his fists were shaking slightly.

Katsuki was trembling in pure rage and frustration at what was happening.

Momo covered her mouth with both hands and turned her head away, unable to look.

Shoto narrowed his eyes, and got ready to fight once more.

.

.

.

.

.

*BOOOOOOM!*

"...?!"

"...!"

"...?"

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.

.

.

.

Suddenly, the two giant doors that gave access to the U.S.J. swung open violently, as if something had hit them with the force of a battering ram.

Amidst the dust that arose, a silhouette could be seen.

He started walking towards the top of the staircase.

"Who was it that attacked the kids?"

The deep voice sent shivers down the spines of everyone there, but the students felt a sense of elation run through them at the same time. Heavy footsteps purposefully stomped the ground, sending tremors out.

"Who was it that hurt my students?"

A shock of blonde hair made itself visible as the dust began to settle. Shigaraki's eyes widened in glee.

"It's fine now. Why...?"

The scowl on his face was a far cry from his usual wide grin, but the Symbol of Peace looked far more terrifying for it as he glared through blue glowing eyes at Shigaraki and Kurogiri.

"Because I am here!"

Kurogiri's eyes narrowed cautiously.

"So he came, after all."

Shigaraki grinned almost crazily.

"He really did! This works out perfectly! You won't be getting out of this alive, Symbol of Peace! Nomu's been specially designed to take you on at your best! I'd like to see you try to overcome Super Regeneration and Shock Absorption at the same time!"

All Might took stock of his surroundings, but stopped dead upon seeing the scene in front of him.

Specifically, the beheaded corpse of one of the two huge and monstrous beings and one of his students with a severed arm.

If glares could pierce, now the remaining Villains would be colanders.

"You'll pay for this!"

All Might jumped towards them, ready to help his students and save the day.

"NOMU!"

Shigaraki ordered, and that was enough for the Nomu to break free of his icy prison and move to intercept the incoming Symbol of Peace. The two clashed in mid air and ended up tussling to the ground, trying to overpower one another.

The shockwaves generated by the blows of the two giants were strong enough to raise a gust of wind.

"..."

Izuku was still looking at his bleeding wound.

"Ah, ironic. Isn't it, warrior?"

*snikt*

A wet, almost fleshy sound was heard even among the commotion that All Might and Nomu were generating while fighting.

Attention was upon Izuku once again, as he raised his stump. The latter began to throb, and something that appeared to be smoke or very thick vapor began to pour out from the open flesh.

Izuku closed his eyes and inhaled.

.

.

.

.

.

Then he exhaled, opening them.

They had returned to their original green color.

He looked at Shigaraki, who was eyeing him suspiciously.

"Tell me, Shigaraki... do you know how regenerative healing factors, more commonly known as regeneration, work?"

The Villain was about to retort, but was cut off when a bone suddenly shot out of the stump.

"First, the bones. Their structure is not that intricate, so it's fairly easy to generate new ones."

The bone continued to grow and divide until it recreated what was in effect a human arm.

"The nervous system takes the longest to regenerate because it's the most complex."

Filaments began to wrap around the skeletal arm.

"The circulatory system starts up soon after that."

The nerves were now complete.

"But once that is finished, the regular stuff that grows back in a regular person, like skin and hair, comes back fast."

True enough, flesh, cartilage and blood began enveloping the limb. In the end, the only thing missing was the skin, and when that too was done, Izuku found himself with a brand new arm.

The boy flexed the fingers on it a couple of times and rotated the wrist, then the elbow, to test the new limb.

To say that everyone else was at a loss of words, would have been a euphemism of gargantuan proportions.

*urgh*

Eijiro covered his mouth while holding his stomach.

"That was manly as hell, but... I t-think I'm gonna be sick."

The next to voice his surprise of him was-

"WHAT IN THE EVERLOVING FUCK WAS THAT?!"

-you get it.

Before anyone else could comment-

"ALL MIGHT!"

-Izuku roared, catching the Symbol of Peace's attention, who was still trying to overpower Nomu.

"GET BACK, NOW!"

The man was slightly startled by the scream and did what Izuku asked on reflex, jumping back. Nomu was about to move, not willing to give his opponent room to breath, but-

{Grrrrrr...!}

-he failed to notice the white wolf growling behind him.

Nomu looked at him for a couple of seconds, then moved to attack, but it was too late, as Katō jumped right at him-

*crunch!*

-and bit him, sinking his fangs onto the Nomu's brain.

Time seemed to stop, while Katō's body began to glow. The emerald flames on his back roared wildly as the temperature soared and formed a core of white-hot energy where the metal disc was located.

.

.

.

.

.

"Ignite."

And so...

*KA-BOOOOOOM!*

... for the second time, a colossal explosion shook the U.S.J. .

Smoke, with some debris, was raised and covered the whole area.

In the midst of all this, Shigaraki could no longer contain himself and he too, exploded.

"GRAAAAAARGH!"

His bellow of anger was accompanied by the now unmistakable sound of furious scratching.

"Why, why, why, WHY?! It had to be simple, damn it! All we had to do was come here and kill All Might! We had the perfect tool to do it too!"

He ranted.

"But of course some damn U.A. brats had to ruin everything!"

The layer of smoke and dust began to settle, little by little. The sight of Nomu, or what was left of him anyway, did nothing to improve Shigaraki's mood.

Nomu, meanwhile, was trying to do anything beside the ceaseless twitching that was shaking his body. Nothing strange, since Katō's detonation had completely obliterated the upper part of his skull along with most of his back.

"SMAAASH!"

To top it off, All Might decided end it with his legendary Detroit Smash once and for all, completely wiping out what was left of Nomu's head and launching his body off into the distance.

Running out of energy to stay angry, Shigaraki slumped, letting out an extremely frustrated growl.

"That damn samurai wannabe...!"

*scratch!* *scratch!* *scratch!* *scratch!*

"He ruined everything... he and his damn mutt...!"

*scratch!* *scratch!* *scratch!* *scratch!*

"A real menace, that one..."

The scratching stopped.

"Then, again..."

A wicked grin, followed by a mirthless chuckle, formed on the Villain's face.

"Whatever could I expect from the son of Mansla-"

*blink*

*SWISH!*

A glint in the smoke caught Shigaraki's attention, and when he sensed the slightest movement of air, he saw danger.

He reflexively raised his hand to intercept the attack-

*SLICE!*

-but he was too late.

.

.

.

.

.

"This is for Aizawa-sensei, asshole."

Izuku spat, and swiped the blood of Kusabimaru, and just as his blade was sheathed-

*splurt!*

"AAAAAAAAARGH! YOOOUUU...!"

-the severed left hand of Shigaraki fell to the ground, blood now splurting out of his wrist.

"Shigaraki!"

Kurogiri yelled in panic, and warped close to him. Utilizing the limited visibility, the two managed to walk through the newly created portal. Shigaraki glared at Izuku and All Might before leaving.

.

.

.

.

.

"This isn't over, Heroes. Enjoy your win while you still can, because I'll kill you both someday!"

Izuku glared back, his eyes flashing red for a second.

"I'll be waiting."

And then they were gone.

Later

Outside of the U.S.J. , dozens of police cars and transporters were parked, along with a few ambulances where the captured Villains were in the midst of being medicated and then taken away.

A bustle of cops, nurses, paramedics and Heroes (mostly from the U.A. faculty) were on the scene, trying to help and speed things up where possible. In the midst of this chaotic scenario, the students of class 1-A were all clustered together. Fortunately, apart from a few scratches, no one had been seriously injured.

Well, if you don't take into account a certain green-haired swordsman who had amputated his own arm before regrowing it anew...

Speaking of him, Izuku was in the middle of doing some maintenance on Kusabimaru while sitting cross-legged, a bit distant from the others and all of that din. He was just done oiling the blade with a fabric cloth, and after finishing, carefully placed it back in his sheath.

*siiigh*

Sighing heavily, he let his gaze fall downwards, before raising his left arm.

"..."

He stared at it for several seconds, maybe even minutes, he couldn't tell.

*rustle*

Izuku snapped out of his thoughts when he felt something nuzzle his side. To his right, he noticed Katō poking at him with his snout.

Izuku smiled, before patting the wolf's head affectionately.

"It's okay, boy. Don't worry about it."

{Ooouuu...}

"You were really good today. We couldn't have done it without you, you know?"

{Wooof!}

Katō jumped on the spot, excitement visible in his eyes. Izuku laughed.

"Okay, that's enough. You can return now. Enjoy your well-deserved rest, boy."

With a last "wooof", Katō vanished into Izuku's body, who then stood up and picked up Kusabimaru. He joined his classmated who were speaking with Naomasa, who arrived on the scene along the police.

"-eighteen, nineteen and twenty... Beside Erasher Head, everyone was pretty much unharmed."

The detective announced, earning a sigh of relief from the class. He cleared his throat, then addressed the teens with a smile.

"You all behaved in an exemplary manner today. I can't imagine how scary it was for some kids to deal with real Villains so early in their Hero careers."

He continued.

"Right now, however, you have to go back to school. We'll handle the rest alongside your teachers."

Tsuyu raised a hand, catching his attention.

"Kero, detective? How's Aizawa-sensei's condition?"

She asked worriedly, mirroring her classmates' concerns. Naomasa nodded, humming.

"Well... he's in critical condition. He was moved to a hospital in order to stabilize him."

He admitted.

"Both of his arms were broken, and his face suffered several fractures. The gravest one was around the orbital floor. It might adversely affected his eyesight, but thankfully, there was no brain damage."

"And Thirteen?"

Followed Mina.

"Her back and upper arms sustained severe lacerations, but her vitals are stable and it's expected that she'll make a full recovery."

"Thank god..."

Everyone let out a tense breath. Then they began moving towards the bus, ready to be taken back to school and then head straight home after the eventful day.

Tamaki approached Izuku.

"Hey."

He looked at her. She removed one of her gloves, and tenderly cupped his cheek.

"You okay?"

Izuku placed his hand atop hers, and leaned into her touch.

"I..."

He looked down, hesitating. Tamaki frowned worriedly.

"Izu...?"

He sighed, his hold on her hand tightening slightly.

"I don't know..."

Gazing into her golden eyes, he spoke.

"Would you mind letting Eri spending the night with you? I have to speak to uncle and... I need some time alone."

Tamaki wanted to protest. Leaving Izuku alone was the last of her intentions right now, especially after what had happened. However, she also knew that it would do no good to press upon the issue.

She relented, and nodded. Izuku smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, Tamaki. I mean it. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Hmph, you better!"

She huffed cutely, earning a chuckle from Izuku.

Finally, the battle of the U.S.J. came to an end.

Late Evening

-Midoriya Abode-

After returning home, and being smothered by Yuriko and the other servants once they learned from the news what happened, Izuku indulged himself in a hearthy dinner with Jinemon. The elder Midoriya, as soon as he heard what happened to the U.A. students, ditched work and rushed back home with the same speed of a cyclone.

When he saw his nephew with a somber look on his face, he immediately feared the worst. However Izuku reassured him, telling him in detail what had happened. After the table was cleared, the two were now enjoying a moment of peace and quiet while drinking tea.

"It's been a while since you let Katō out. How's he doing?"

Izuku sipped from his bowl.

"More than fine. He's a bit rusty, but his help has been of paramount importance in the fight."

"Mhm, glad to hear. We'll have to intensify the training if we want him to return to his previous power level."

The boy raised an eyebrow at him.

"Weren't you the one who didn't me to summon him as punishment for accidentally breaking one of your favorite bowls...?"

"Hey, that was an antique!"

"Whatever..."

He rolled his eyes, smiling. They finished drinking their tea, placing the bowls on the table. Izuku sighed, then addressed Jinemon.

"There's more..."

The man removed his shades, and put them next to the bowl. With a nod, he invited the boy to continue.

Breathing deeply, he looked into Jinemon's light blue eyes.

.

.

.

.

.

"I spoke to him."

Jinemon stiffened.

"You mean..."

Izuku nodded, albeit jerkily.

"The other me, yes..."

The elder Midoriya lowered his gaze contemplatively.

"..."

"And not only that. I can hear his voice sometimes. Even today, just before I regenerate my arm... and even before, during the entrance exam, when I saw Uraraka-san in danger..."

"How long has this been going on?"

"..."

"Izuku."

Jinemon urged him.

"The same night I accepted All Might's offer."

"..."

Jinemon growled, and rubbed his eyes. Then he looked up, livid.

"God damn it, Izuku...!"

"Uncle, it's n-"

"Don't you dare say to my face that it's not important. I'll be the one to decide that."

Izuku jumped slightly at the stern tone, looking down in shame. Jinemon was not done however.

"We're going to train, first thing tomorrow. Fire only. And if you happen to have another one of those 'episodes', you'll tell me ASAP, got it?"

"Have I no say in the matter?"

Izuku argued back, beginning to feel irritated as well.

Jinemon huffed.

"Do you really want to have this conversation?"

The latter narrowed his eyes, annoyance written clearly all over his face.

"You went through all of this yourself! You're over-"

"It's precisely because I've been through it too that I'm being so hard on you. You have a damn ticking bomb inside of you and you don't even realize it."

"I'd be more than happy to let said bomb explode instead of turning into a monster."

Izuku spat, and that was enough to shut the man up. However, a scowl, coupled with a glare, were telling that he was far from pleased. The boy, realizing he might have went too far, opened his mouth to apologize-

"Really, Izuku?"

-but his uncle, once again, interrupted him.

"This, again?"

Anger was quickly replaced by what seemed to be disappointment.

"Uncle, I... I-I..."

The words he wanted to say died in his mouth.

.

.

.

.

.

"Am I a monster, Izuku?"

Jinemon asked, and his nephew was this close from jumping on his feet.

"Of course not!"

He forcefully denied. Jinemon took his shades and put them over his eyes.

"What about Dogen? Was he a monster, too?"

Izuku was floored.

"And Tamaki? Is she a monster? Or, considering her circumstances, would it be more accurate to call her a half monster?"

He gritted his teeth, looking down. A storm of emotions raging within him. Jinemon took his cup and stood up, ready to leave.

.

.

.

.

.

"Was Inko a monster, Izuku?"

"NO!"

This time, Izuku did jump on his feet, a distraught look on his face. His clenched fists shaking with upset.

"Don't you dare bring mom into this!"

The teen's eyes flashed red, but all Jinemon did was shake his head.

"You're here, because of her. You're alive, because of her."

He turned and walked towards the kitchen, and began washing his cup.

"The very least you could do right now for your mother, for my sister, is to take care of yourself."

Once he was done, he moved to walk out of the room, and retreat for the night. With an almost silent "thud", the sliding door was shut, leaving Izuku alone.

"..."

.

.

.

.

.

After a few more seconds of idleness, Izuku stormed out. After fetching Kusabimaru, he made his way to the inner garden.

Shedding the upper part of his jinbei, Izuku unsheated his blade with a little too much force, and roughly tossed the scabbard aside.

Inhaling and exhaling several times, he took his stance, this time a Suigetsu no Kurai posture.

.

.

.

.

.

"There are various techniques..."

He said in his mind.

His hands clenched Kusabimaru's handle.

His stance tightened.

.

.

.

.

.

"... but one style."

*swish!*

So, the green-haired swordsman began his nightly training.

Slashes, lunges, parries, blocks, twirls and pirouettes... his body flowed elegantly, so finely tuned that he could stop his attack at a moment's notice, and subsequently execute another.

Izuku kept on his relentless training well into the dark night, unaware of the changing hue of his eyes.

.

.

.

.

.

And well-aware of the searing hot rage burning within him.

Meanwhile

-Kotatsu House-

"... aaand done!"

Tamaki exclaimed cheerfully, while finishing doing Eri's hair.

The two were in the former's room, resting on the bed. Clad in their pajamas, the horned little girl was sitting between Tamaki's legs, who had just tied her white locks into twintails, similarly to her own.

The teen handed her smartphone with the front camera turned on, using it as a makeshift mirror. Eri gingerly took the device in her dainty hands and looked at the results.

Her eyes sparkled as she glanced at Tamaki with a beaming smile.

"Now I'm like you, Maki!"

She said excitedly, quickly turning around and hugging Tamaki, who could only grin at the cute display of affection.

{It should be a crime to be this adorable!}

Nekomata squealed. Tamaki giggled and ran her fingers through Eri's hair, while undoing the twintails so she could sleep comfortably. The child was thoroughly enjoying the feeling of the older girl's hands, and happily rested within the safety of her arms.

Once she was done, Tamaki freed her own hair, letting a cascade of black locks fall behind her shoulders. She turned off the lamp on the nightstand next to her bed and laid down while still holding Eri, getting under the cover.

"Nekomata."

{Gotcha.}

The floating cat appeared and moved onto the windowsill, resting there. The glow of her fiery body bright enough to soothe Eri's fear of the dark. The three occupants of the room said goodnight to each other, and relaxed, ready for a night of deep rest.

.

.

.

.

.

"Maki?"

Alas, Eri broke the silence a few minutes later.

"What is it? Is everything ok?"

Tamaki asked, and made some space between them so she could look at her properly. Gold met red as they stared into each other's eyes.

"Mhm... It's just..."

"Yes?"

Eri were averted her gaze.

"Is Izu gonna be okay?"

.

.

.

.

.

"Oh..."

Tamaki thought, smiling. She moved her hand from under her pillow and began petting the little girl.

"Of course, sweetie. Izu just needed to speak to uncle Jin about some stuff. We're going to visit them tomorrow, so you don't have to worry, okay?"

Eri were nodded, scooting closer to Tamaki.

"He looked so sad earlier..."

The ravenette knew what she was talking about. When they went to Izuku's house so they could inform everyone of what had transpired at the U.S.J. , Izuku has been downtrodden through the whole thing. Even when Eri begged him to come and spend the night with her and Tamaki at the latter's house, he had rejected while smiling ruefully. He did promise to spend some time with her the day after, so she wasn't too upset about it.

"He was, yes."

Tamaki sighed. Eri frowned.

"I don't want Izu to be sad..."

A giggle was heard.

"Me neither, sweetie. So let's do our best tomorrow to cheer him up, yeah?"

"Mhm."

Snuggling into the teen's bosom, Eri relaxed, letting sleep take hold of her. Tamaki followed soon after.

Meanwhile

-Bakugou House-

Changing homes now, we're inside the room of a perpetually angry sandy blonde teen, where the boy in question was laying on the bed in his own room. His hands were behind his head, propping it up while looking at the ceiling, lost in thoughts.

In particular, to the events of the day.

When he got off the train and left the station near his house, to no one's surprise, Katsuki was in a bad mood. Despite suffering minor, almost insignificant injuries during the whole "U.S.J. Incident" as the press began calling it, he was at least somewhat glad that everyone got back safe.

Almost everyone.

"Tch..."

Katsuki clicked his tongue in annoyance, which bring us to the the main reason he was mad. During that whole mess that was the U.S.J., the green-haired swordsman managed to do more than him.

"Whatever the nerd did to go up against those two brainy fuckers definitely wasn't a regular Quirk..."

He mentally hissed. He was still in denial of Izuku having a Quirk, and a ridiculously powerful one at that, but after what happened that day at Aldera and the Sludge Villain and then on Aizawa's Quirk Apprehension Test... well...

Katsuki honestly didn't know what to think anymore ...

In just a few short weeks his entire world view had been turned upside down, starting from when he found out he scored third in the entrance exam. And it was all somehow connected to Izuku.

"Damn it... damn it all!"

He screeched, kicking a stray pebble in the process, as he arrived home. He was about to open the door but paused. Odds are the old hag and old man were waiting inside for him. Sighing in contempt at the earful he'll likely get once he went inside, he decided to get it over with.

"I'm back!"

He announced, dropping his bag and kicking off his shoes.

"Look, hag, I know what you're gonna say. So let-"

Mitsuki then did something that Katsuki never would've saw coming, adding to the growing list of surprises of the day.

Instead of whacking him on the head, yelling at him for being weak or something along those line, the Bakugou matriarch pulled him close and hugged him tightly, as if just loosening a bit would result in him disappearing.

"You're okay..."

She sobbed, her voice quiet, tears of joy running down her face.

"Thank god, you're okay..."

Katsuki honestly had no idea how to respond to this. He could only stand there dumbfounded as the old man also hugged him. Eventually, he returned his parents' hug.

Not in the mood for dinner, Katsuki showered and went to his room to rest, which brings us to now.

*knock* *knock*

A gentle knocking on the door caught his attention.

"What?"

Making his way into his son's room, Masaru approached him, carrying a wrapped plate of curry in his hands.

"Hey, Katsuki."

He called out.

"You haven't eaten anything since you got back, so your mother left you some dinner aside. You up for it or...?"

Katsuki was about to retort, but then realized that yes, he was famished. He nodded towards the desktop, and the man understood what he meant, placing the dish right there. Catching on the teen's mood, he shot him a smile and went for the door.

"Pops."

But Katsuki stopped him.

"Yes?"

The boy sat up, cross-legged, and looked at his father. For once, his scowl was swapped for a more neutral expression.

.

.

.

.

.

"Are you and the old hag hiding something from me?"

Masaru widened his eyes slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"It's about Deku."

"..."

Masaru held his son's gaze for a few seconds, then spoke.

"Is there a particular reason why you are asking...?"

"One of the Villains hit him with his Quirk."

Katsuki began.

"In order to save himself, the nerd amputated his own fuckin' arm. Only to regenerate a new one seconds later."

Masaru visibly flinched. Then he sighed.

"I see..."

Katsuki bristled.

"'I see'?! Is that all you've gotta say?! For how long have you known that Deku got that kinda power?!"

"I've always known, Katsuki. As well as your mother and Hana."

He said. Lifting his glasses to tiredly rub his eyes.

"And before you ask, no, it's not a Quirk. But you already figured that out, haven't you?"

He turned around to walk out of the room.

"This is all you'll get from me. I'm sorry, son. You'll have to ask Izuku if you want to know more. If he wants you to know more."

He was closing the door.

"Goodnight. Make sure to eat something before going to bed."

With a quiet "click" Masaru left an even more annoyed Katsuki alone. He stood up from the bed and grabbed the plate of curry from the desk before angrily digging into it.

"Those lying assholes..."

That night, Katsuki vowed to himself that he'll get at the bottom of it all.

The Following Morning

-Midoriya Abode-

Yuriko, as per usual, was in the middle of cooking. Slicing and dicing some vegetables for the lunch that she'll serve later, the elderly woman was humming an upbeat tune while doing her work.

She had been worried sick when she heard of the attack against U.A. the day prior. Luckily, all of the kids managed to came out of it safely. That did not stop her from smothering both Izuku and Tamaki with one of her "grandma hugs", as Jinemon liked to call them when teasing her.

However, despite none of the students being seriously injured, Yuriko immediately realized that something was wrong with Izuku. And how could it be otherwise? She basically raised the boy alongside Inko and Jinemon, so she was able to pick up the signals when she saw them. Indeed, the gloomy aura around him once he returned home, as well as his request of being left alone for the evening to talk about some private matters with his uncle, were telling enough.

With a sigh, the woman added the vegetables into a pot and began stirring them in the boiling water.

When she arrived with the other girls to do their chores early in the morning, they felt the tense atmosphere within the halls of the house. Her suspicions were proven right when she found Izuku training like a madman in the inner garden. Her grandmotherly instincts kicked him and rushed towards him to make sure he was alright, both physically and mentally.

She was not ready, however, for the rage-filled red glare that hit her. She could swear she almost felt her weary heart stop for but a moment, but her frightened reaction was enough to snap Izuku out of his battle-induced frenzy. He dropped Kusabimaru to the ground, before tumbling down himself, likely due to exhaustion. Yuriko, with the aid of the other servants, brought their young master inside in order to make sure he was alright. After closer inspection, his body had no visible injuries, aside from older and faded scars.

So here she was, hoping that the boy that was her grandchild in all but blood would be okay after a hearty meal and the company of his best friend and their little unicorn.

Speaking of which...

*ding* *dong*

"Ah, speak of the devil..."

Yuriko smiled, then quickly washed her hands and wiped them with her apron. Walking to the door, she found Tamaki at the entrance, helping Eri take off her boots before entering the house. The ravenette noticed the elderly woman, and beamed.

"Morning, Yuri-chan!"

Yuriko returned her smile.

"And to you too, Tamaki-chan, Eri-chan."

The little girl smiled shyly, having become accustomed to the presence of the caretaker.

"Are you here to see the young master, yes? He is-oh?"

Yuriko blinked as she noticed a group of teenagers behind Tamaki.

"Oh my, I didn't know you were bringing friends over, Tamaki-chan."

The ravenette chuckled sheepishly while standing up and taking Eri in her arms. She gestured to the others to come in, and they did.

Denki, Eijiro, Mina, Momo, Ochaco, Kyoka, Tenya and Tsuyu walked in, some looking more bashful than others.

Eijiro stepped in, grinning in embarassment.

"Sorry ma'am, but everyone was so worried about Midoriya that they wanted to see him. Kotatsu said she was gonna visit and I kind of got ahead of myself, asking if everyone else wanted to come by, so..."

Yuriko giggled, waving her hand dismissively.

"My, no need to be so tense, young man. It's heartwarming to see that young master has so many people caring for him."

Smiling, she knelt to the ground and performed a flawless saikeirei bow.

"My name is Yuriko Hirata. I'm Izuku Midoriya's caretaker, as well as the housekeeper of this estate. Please come in and make yourself at home. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me or any of the other servants."

Izuku's classmates were floored by the mannerism of the woman. The wholesomeness and homey aura that was radiating from her was enough to make their knees weak.

"The young master is currently meditating in the inner garden with his uncle, Jinemon. Should I inform them of your arrival?"

At Yuriko's question, Tamaki shook her head.

"It's fine, Yuri-chan. I'll lead the way, so you can resume your work."

"Very well. Lunch will be ready in a few hours. Are your friends joining too?"

The group of teens looked at each other. Denki spoke up.

"Er... I mean, we'd love to, but we really shouldn't intrude on-"

"Oh, nonsense, dearie! Young master's friend are always welcome in the confines of this home. We would love to have you all over!"

*squeeeze!*

They all clutched their hearts, as if something had just pierced them.

"H-How can someone be this precious?!"

"T-Too wholesome!"

"M-Must... resist..."

"Kuuuh...! I wanna hug her so bad, right now!"

"I'd let her squeeze my cheeks everyday, kero."

After excusing themselves from the kind caretaker, the group moved within the halls of the Midoriya Abode, chatting among themselves.

"Wow, I knew that Midobro was from a super famous family like Yaoyorozu's, but seeing it from up close is a whole other matter!"

Eijiro whistled. Ochako chipped in.

"Yeah! They're always so humble, kind and down to earth, you'd never think they come from rich families!"

Momo nodded, smiling.

"Why, thank you, you two."

"I'm feeling kinda out of place here, tough... Yo, Tamaki, are Greenie's parents in? Shouldn't we go meet them?"

Tamaki stopped at Kyoka's question. They arrived to the sliding doors that gave access to the garden. She hissed almost silently.

"Yeah, about that..."

Turning to the her friends, she made sure no one else was listening.

"Look guys, I should've mentioned it sooner... my fault for not thinking about it earlier..."

Now all of the attention was upon her.

"Please, just please, don't mention anything about Izu's parents in front of him or his uncle. It's a sensitive matter, for all of us."

Worried glances were exchanged, and Denki couldn't help but ask.

"Uh... are they, like... gone, or-"

*jab!*

"Ow!"

He yelped in pain as one of Kyoka's jacks harshly poked his side. She hissed at him.

"Idiot! She just said it's sensitive stuff! Have some tact, would you?"

Tamaki sighed.

"Look, it's... complicated, okay? I can't tell you much, I'm sorry."

*chop!* *chop!* *chop!* *chop!*

"That's perfectly understandable, Kotatsu-san! We will not meddle into Midoriya-kun's personal issues!"

The robotic class president said, and the others all voiced their agreement. After that, they made their way outside, and walked into the garden.

Taking in the beautiful scenery, the group arrived near the cherry tree that overlooked the garden. At the foot of the plant, in the shade, Jinemon was standing next to a seated Izuku. The man was clad in a white kimono decorated with a wave motif, the large sleeves allowed some of the skin on his muscular forearms to be seen, inked with what appeared to be a dragon tattoo.

Not too far from them, Katō was resting quietly.

In the middle of zazen, Izuku and Jinemon were peacefully closed off from the outside world. Their breathing were even and perfectly synchronized. The soothing rustle of cherry leaves along with the faint hiss of the wind were the only sounds perceived while the uncle and his nephew were meditating.

.

.

.

.

.

That was, until one of Katō's ears twitched at the arrival of Tamaki and her entourage. True enough, as soon as the wolf's bright green eyes landed on said girl, they sparkled like a child's inside a candy store.

{Wooof!}

The wolf barked, and immediately jumped on all fours to quickly approach the ravenette, who barely had time to put Eri down before being tackled to the ground.

"Wha-! Katō-chan!"

{Wooof! Wooof!}

Delighted to see Tamaki after so long, Katō began licking and nuzzle her face with his snout affectionately, eliciting giggles from her.

"Hahaha! S-Stop it, Katō-chan! It t-tickles!"

Getting off from her, the wolf jumped on the spot while wagging his tail, excited.

"Enough, boy. Let her breathe."

Said Izuku, chuckling. While Katō was busy with Tamaki, he got up from his position and approached the group, clad in a grey jinbei. It was then that the wolf finally noticed the other teens, who were looking at the scene unfolding with varying degrees of surprise. Katō stared curiously at them-

*sniff* *sniff*

-then he began sniffing the air. After a moment of picking up their scent, he officially recognized some of them from the momentary contact that thry had at the U.S.J. . He slightly waddled over and sat down on the ground while looking up at them, wagging his tail and with his tongue out.

{Wooof!}

Eri, startled, moved behind Tamaki and clutched her skirt tightly. She carefully eyed Katō, who tilted his head at the little girl.

"It's okay, Eri. Don't be scared."

Izuku crouched down, reassuring her.

"This is Katō, he's my friend. He's also part of my Quirk, just like Nekomata is with Tamaki's."

Gently taking the frightened girl's small hand, he moved it towards Katō's head. Eri, still scared, closed her eyes in fear and anticipation.

*rustle*

Suddenly, she felt something warm and fluffy making contact, and fearfully opened her eyes. Katō was nuzzling his head against the palm of Eri's hand.

"W-Whoa..."

Surprised at the sight, as well as the strangely pleasant feeling, Eri began petting the wolf, much to the latter's delight.

The reaction of Izuku's and Tamaki's classmates could be summed up in one sentence:

.

.

.

.

.

"I'm die, thank you forever."

Ochaco and Mina, in particular, had to restrain themselves from rushing towards Eri and Katō and cuddling them to death.

"Careful, kids. You'll end up giving this old man diabetes if you don't tone down the cute and mushy stuff."

A deep voice laughed, and Jinemon finally joined the group. Realizing who the man was, the kids tensed up like rim rods.

"Ah, good morning, Midoriya-san. It's a real pleasure to see you again."

Momo kindly and politely greeted him, bowing. Jinemon smiled.

"Likewise, Momo-kun. You've only gotten prettier since the last time we saw each other."

He teased, earning a flustered giggle from her.

"Send my best regards to your parents. If luck wills it, we'll see each other soon enough."

"Of course."

Jinemon turned to the others, who still felt a little intimidated by the presence of the Jinemon Midoriya.

"Uncle, could you drop your 'corporate boss aura' for a little bit? You're scaring the life outta my friends there."

With a huff, Jinemon took off his shades. He bowed.

"My name is Jinemon Midoriya. I bid you welcome to our house, but I'm sure Yuriko already did that with the whole 'loving grandma' vibe."

He chuckled, easying the tension.

"Anyhow, I'm glad to know my nephew has so many people who care about him. Please keep looking after him. Gods know he needs it with all the troubles he keeps getting into."

"I second that."

Tamaki chipped in, smirking smugly at Izuku who rolled his eyes in response.

*chop!* *chop!* *chop!* *chop!*

"Of course, Midoriya-san! Your nephew is always taking care of us, so we'll gladly do the same for him!"

"Yeah! Without Deku, thing yesterday would've ended badly!"

Ochaco exclaimed, shivering a little at the thought.

"'Deku', huh? It's been a long time since I've heard tha-Oh right, Katsuki."

Jinemon thought, then smiled at the teens.

"Is that so? Happy to hear that some of my teachings actually stuck with him, rather than disappearing into the yawning abyss between his ears..."

"Yeah, I'm still here, thank you very much."

Izuku deadpanned, earning laughs and smiles from his friends. Jinemon shrugged, and put his glasses back on.

"Well, Izuku, I'll leave you to your friends. I have several calls to make for all the missed work of yesterday."

The man said, but his words fell on deaf ears, since Izuku was swarmed by his classmates. They were bombarding him with questions about what happened the day of the attack, to Katō's appearance and in general to his well-being.

"..."

Silently, Jinemon walked away, leaving the garden.

.

.

.

.

.

"Looks like your boy has made some very good friends, little sister..."

He thought, smiling.

A Few Days Later

-Kamino, Yokohama-

In the city ward of Kamino, the night was passing peacefully. Businessmen, trainees, workers and college students were either returning home or relaxing in pubs and restaurants, enjoying a more than deserved break. Heroes and their sidekicks were patrolling the area meticulously, stopping only to catch the occasional thief or petty criminal.

In the midst of all this, inside a dilapidated building disguised as a bar, another group of people were busy occupying their time.

Dressed in a barkeeper suit, Kurogiri had just tossed away a bundle of bloody bandages in a bucket. Grabbing it with his foggy hands, he walked out of the room where Shigaraki was resting. The young Villain was in a Quirk-induced coma to let his body and mind recover after the fiasco and the wound he suffered at the U.S.J. .

Walking behind the counter of the bar, Kurogiri tossed the filthy pieces of cloth inside a plastic bag, then sealed it tightly. At that precise moment, an old TV powered up, turning on by itself. On the screen, obscured by white noise, a distorted voice spoke.

[Well? Are you finally going to tell us what happened?]

An old and annoyed voice grumbled.

"All Might wasn't there with the rest of the students when we invaded the place."

Kurogiri muttered.

"He showed up at the end, so we didn't get to kill him. The U.A. students, tough... we underestimated them..."

[And what of all of the people we hired?]

Another voice, deep and authoritarian, spoke. Kurogiri shook his head.

"Utterly useless. You were right all along, Sensei, they only served as cannon fodder."

[And Nomu? You also summoned a second one directly from my lab, and yet with all of that power on your side you couldn't even-!]

[Settle down, doctor.]

The first voice, now irate, was silenced by the other.

Kurogiri's gaseous body sagged.

"My apologies, but… both of them were soundly defeated."

A grumble was heard from the TV.

[How? We went through so much effort just to make one Nomu capable of going toe-to-toe against All Might and yet he managed to-]

"It wasn't All Might who defeated them."

[Oh...?]

Kurogiri sighed.

"Well, he did finish off the second Nomu, but he was greatly weakened by the same U.A. student who killed the first one."

Placing the plastic bag under the counter, Kurogiri grabbed one of the several glasses in the sink and began the process of cleaning it with a rug.

"And it's the same boy who cut off Tomura Shigaraki's hand."

[Tsk... my Nomus bested by a kid...!]

[Mhm...]

The foggy barkeeper stopped his motion.

"Sensei..."

He addressed the second voice.

[Yes, Kurogiri?]

.

.

.

.

.

"Shigaraki and I have reason to believe this boy is Manslayer's son."

[...]

.

.

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.

Silence.

It went on for several moments. Then seconds. Then minutes.

"Sensei?"

Kurogiri, now fully turned to the screen, asked worriedly. After what seemed like an eternity, Sensei replied.

[Take care of Tomura, make sure he recovers. Despite what happened, you've done well. You've learned something valuable.]

"Thank you."

[For now, let's take a moment to rearrange and swell our ranks. There's no need to rush, the best plans take time and patience.]

With that, the TV turned off, leaving Kurogiri alone in the bar.

In a dark, poorly lit and secluded room, two people were conversing. One of them was a fairly old man of a portly and short stature. He was completely bald and had a very large and bushy mustache. Sporting a buttoned-up lab coat and a peculiar set of goggles that were shaped somewhat like gears, he seemed to be a doctor intent on medicating the second figure.

The latter was a tall, stout man, reclining in a chair. Dressed in an all-black suit, save for the white shirt underneath. All around him, a paraphernalia of medical and life-supporting devices, with several IV tubes attached to his arms and neck. Without a doubt, the most distinguishing feature of this mysterious man was the scar tissue that completely engulfed his face. Extending from above his upper lip and covering his entire head and the back of his neck, he had no visible nose, ears, hair or eyes, though the outlines of the eye sockets were barely visible with the poor lighting of the room.

"Things got unexpectedly complicated..."

"You don't say? Losing all of our men plus two Nomus and discovering that the son of the most dangerous and ruthless monster on this planet is an aspiring Hero? Which means he might very well be nearly as powerful as his father and a perennial thorn in our side?"

"On the bright side, this will all help to nurture Tomura into a capable leader. He has to, if he wants to stand against All Might and that fiend."

"*sigh* Call me an idiot, but I still fail to see why you put so much faith in that kid. He's nothing more than a deranged brat..."

"You want me back on the field and at the head of the League? Then you need to heal my body already."

"It's not that simple, and you know it. We're decades off from achieving that."

"Then you better believe me when I say that we need Tomura. He'll make a fine successor."

"Yes, sir..."

"As I said earlier, we don't need to rush. When the time is right, we will deal with both All Might and him."

The scarred man unbuttoned his jacket and shirt, exposing the skin on his chest. Right where his sternum was, a large and disfiguring burnt scar was located. Ever so gently, he traced the outline of the wound with his fingers, flinching a little when he felt the flesh sting a bit from the contact.

He chuckled.

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.

.

.

"Things got interesting, indeed..."

Next Chapter:

Catalyst

MARTIAL ARTS TERMINOLOGY

Te Ura Gasumi no Kamae:

A katana stance where the sword is held over one's left shoulder with the blade curving downward. Primarily used in Ninjitsu and Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū.

Katageke no Kurai:

A katana stance where the sword is held over the (generally right side) shoulder.

With this stance, the strikes are quicker and more deceptive but have somewhat less range and strength.

Dwi Kubi Seogi:

Also known as "Back Stance" or "L Stance", is one of the most common forms in taekwondo. To perform it, the body faces to the side, with the front foot facing forward and the front leg bent. The back leg is bent slightly and the foot is turned outwards perpendicular to the front foot making the letter "L" for this stance.

Yophollyo-chagi:

The equivalent of the roundhouse kick in taekwondo.

Suigetsu no Kurai:

A katana stance where the sword is held behind the user's body, exposing only the sword's pommel to the opponent. Mainly used to lure an opponent into striking distance. Furthermore, it allows the user to make surprise attacks by concealing the movement of their sword.

EMBERS WORLD COMPENDIUM

KATŌ:

A fire elemental that has origins in Shinto folklore.

Legend has it that a she-wolf hit by a shooting star in the first month of her pregnancy will give birth to a Katō.

These fire-eating hounds are said to cause the forest fires sparked by lightning strikes.

Harbingers of house-fires and other misfortunes, Katō are venerated as servants of the God of Fire, Kagutsuchi.