Chapter 34: What's Done in The Dark

The sound of a drink pouring filled the nearly empty room while a brown haired man dragged a hand through his hair before stopping the brown liquid at just below the halfway mark of the glass he had the bottle tilted toward. It was a whisky, one that had been imported from Germany and given to the leader of the Yakuza as a gift for his coming of age ceremony for the Shie Hassaikai.

He could still remember the smile on the face of the man who meant the world to him, The one who brought him up from nothing. It was a proud moment for himself as well as the rest of the Yakuza, he's not one who usually indulges in alcohol as a matter of fact if it wasn't for medicinal purposes he usually avoided it completely.

Yet he had his moments, this was one of them. Pieces were slowly moving into place for his plan to change the landscape of the world as anyone had ever known it, he felt almost unnerved by the amount of progress that was made. The man slowly took a sip of the burning liquid, the taste just as horrible as he remembered it but he was able to ignore the taste and focus on the burn.

In front of him were multiple pictures all connected with red string along with maps and even blueprints, the man looked at the wall almost blankly before he took another sip of the drink in his hands. Trigger had been an excellent cover up so far, not to mention a good source of funding for his project he was working on in secret.

The thought of the drug itself disgusted him, that disgust only being overwhelmed by the disgust of the people who came to him to buy it. Civilians, Villains, Heroes, all of them like worms on the ground begging him for power.

Exactly how it should be.

As long as one had power they had the world, it wasn't ever about how much someone had but how much they could gain. When someone wanted power and you could give it to them then you became the most powerful, no matter what kind of morality heroes had they were always going to be human. As long as they were human he would have control over them.

The world was diseased in his eyes, filled with sociopaths that wore costumes and claimed they were going to save the world and the scum crawling out of the shadows claiming they were going to rule it. The thought made the man sick, humans were so quick to try to validate their existence with displays of power and some unreachable moral goal.

Though in the end it didn't really matter, he himself is a doctor in a world of the sick. As a doctor his first and main priority is fixing the world one disease at a time, they were the sickness and he was the cure. Once his project is completed to perfection he can begin curing them, no more capes, no more scum.

Just sterile and clean justice.

The brown haired man looked behind himself, spotting a young girl sitting in a chair with a blank expression on her face while he took another sip of his drink before setting it down on the bar, turning to walk toward her. The girl sat there still as the brown haired man stepped closer, when he was standing in front of her the man looked at her silver hair, picking up his hand and taking off his glove. He gently stroked the hair in his hands while the girl stood still, he could barely hear the sound of her breathing with how still she was.

The man kept a blank look on his face while he slowly moved his bare hand from her hair to her face, the warmth still present in her features while the girl flinched from his touch. This reaction was expected given his methods of his madness, his touch only represented death and pain to her; it was engraved into her body along with the scars.

The man tilted the girl's face upward allowing him to take a look into her eyes, they were the color of rubies and carried a slightly pained expression. His yellow eyes looked back at hers as he continued inspecting her features.

In another world out there they would have been father and daughter.

When he first met the girl she had been recovered from her family home after erasing both of her parents from existence using her quirk, she was so small and scared back then shaking like a leaf looking at her hands as if they were ones of a monster.

He and herself had that in common.

If he hadn't known how valuable her blood was or if he had never researched until he accidentally stumbled upon it maybe he could have given her some kind of a normal life, alas that wasn't the case with either of them. He had a world he needed to change no matter what, he had debts that he had to pay to those that he owed and he planned to pay in full. Clean and sterile is the only justice he wanted to bring to this messed up society.

His hands were the only ones that needed to have blood on them.

The brown haired man took his hand away from the girl's face who immediately looked back down toward the ground, the man looked at his hand noticing that there wasn't a single hive unlike when he touched anything else.

Curious.

Though he wouldn't linger on it, he didn't have the time to. Things were moving ahead as planned and he needed to stay just as sharp to ensure everything stayed that way, the man then lightly grabbed the hand of the girl.

"Come Eri."

The man said while the girl complied with him grabbing his hand and walking with him while he placed his empty glass on the counter grabbing his mask while on the way out of the room they were in together, the girl looked at the ground with empty expression while the brown haired man fastened his mask against his face.

"We have someone we need to meet."

Overhaul said as the door closed behind them.

A few books fell off of the shelf as the room shook slightly, golden eyes met with fierce red ones as Katsuki glared at Himiko who just looked back at him almost boredly. His forearm was pinned against her neck while his other palm was raised while sparking.

"Keep away from the girl."

Katsuki said with a growl while Himiko flicked her eyes toward the girl before she looked back at Katsuki with a smirk, "She's cute, where'd you steal her from?" Himiko asked while Katsuki pushed against her neck while glaring.

"Like I'd tell you a damn thing, if you're here to try to take her you should have left before I opened the door."

Katsuki said the growl still present in his voice while Himiko sighed, "Suki, how could you? We're friends, why would you assume I'm here to steal something? I texted you and everything." Himiko said while Katsuki looked down toward his pocket before he looked back up toward the young woman while he released her.

"My number is for emergencies only, don't fuc-... Randomly text me out of nowhere like we're tickle buddies or somethin."

Katsuki said while Himiko rubbed her neck noticing the fact that the boy was holding back and the fact that he censored himself around the kid, "So who is she?" Himiko asked while Katsuki sat on the bed inspecting the girl's features while she kept looking toward Himiko warily.

"None of your business."

Katsuki said while the girl tilted her neck at the gentle nudge at the bottom of her chin from the older blonde boy while Himiko sighed, stretching, "So what's for dinner?" Himiko asked while Katsuki merely growled in response.

"Nothing for you, I ain't the kind of guy who makes food for those who literally invite themselves in. I'm more than happy to show you the door… or a window… or even through a wall as long as you get the hell out of here."

Katsuki said while Himiko rolled her eyes at the boy who got up from the bed walking toward the door being followed by both the girl and Himiko as he walked into the kitchen, the girl took her seat at the island while Himiko took the seat next to hers.

"Didn't I tell you to leave?"

Katsuki asked while Himiko huffed, "You sure got a lot of guts… You're talking to a real bonafide gangster y'know?" Himiko said, catching the attention of Katsuki who reacted slightly while the girl looked toward the blonde next to her with a curious look.

"Gangster?"

The girl repeated while Himiko looked toward her red eyes, "That's right little lady, your papa is friends with a villain." Himiko said with a wicked smile on her face while the girl just gave her a blank look back causing the smile to fade from Himiko's face.

"It means I'm a really bad person, kid."

Himiko said while Katsuki placed the pot filled with rice on the stove while he looked back toward the pair, "Don't start saying things like that to the kid… Looks like you guys finally got to the Yakuza." Katsuki said while Himiko looked toward the boy while shaking her head.

"You're cute, but I ain't telling you shit for free. You know this."

Himiko said smirking while Katsuki narrowed his eyes at the young woman, "I'll take a warm meal, a place to sleep… oh and some of your blood!" Himiko exclaimed while Katsuki huffed at his fellow blonde as he extended his arm out to her.

"Take too much and I spill yours."

Katsuki said while Himiko gave the boy a surprised look as she was caught off guard by the response, the girl stared at this arm for a moment her mouth twitching before she just slapped it with her hand causing Katsuki to pull it back.

"And here I thought you were getting soft because of the kid here, didn't think you'd be willing to agree so easily you usually put up much more of a fight."

Himiko said while Katsuki huffed, "Any information I can get that gets me closer to my goal is all that matters as annoying as you are, you're a resource." Katsuki responded while Himiko narrowed her eyes at the boy.

"You wanna die so fast, I can kill you right here."

Himiko said while Katsuki leaned toward the young woman while glaring, "Who said anything about dying, Buffy? You're more than welcome to try." Katsuki said while the two glared at each other while the rice was starting to boil over.

The two teens kept glaring at one another until the boiling suddenly stopped, causing Katsuki to look over, spotting the girl turning the temperature down on the stove using a step stool, "...Sorry, the rice was going to spill…" the girl responded with a queit while Himiko also looked toward the girl who stood there nervously as if she had done something wrong.

Katsuki walked toward the girl placing a hand on her head, rubbing her hair gently before he softened his expression looking at her, "Thanks brat." Katsuki said while he moved past her back to his cooking while the girl looked toward the teen's back.

Himiko watched the girl for a moment before she sighed, "You want something, you gotta ask for it kid." Himiko said while the girl looked back toward the blonde teen who was leaning onto the counter looking toward her with cat-like eyes.

"What is it kid?"

Katsuki asked while the girl looked back toward the blonde boy before getting nervous again, "I… I want to…" the girl started asking while Katsuki tilted his head toward her while stopping what he was doing to look toward the girl.

"I…want to help Suki cook too."

The girl mustered out while Katsuki's eyes widened in surprise while the girl looked away from him, Katsuki then sighed before walking over and giving the girl a nudge into the kitchen toward the step stool causing the girl's eyes to brighten while Katsuki began to help her. Himiko watched the two of them in the kitchen while Katsuki carefully guided the girl on cooking while the girl looked curious and even a bit happy at being able to help, at this moment the two of them looked so peaceful.

Himiko felt a pang in her chest while she continued watching the scene, her face shifting into a frown while an image of a blood stained bathroom filled her head for a moment before she just saw the both of them together again.

It wasn't fair.

Katsuki carefully watched the girl who was excitedly doing tiny tasks in the kitchen while he did the bulk of the cooking, Himiko watched the pair with mild interest while occasionally looking at her nails almost boredly.

Eventually the food was complete and dinner was served. It was fried rice with egg and vegetables, a little simple but it was already late so Katsuki wasn't going to sweat the details. The three of them began to eat while the girl looked happier than usual eating her food causing Katsuki to raise an eyebrow at the oddly energetic girl.

"Gotta say, I didn't think you could cook super well but color me impressed."

Himiko commented while Katsuki just huffed at the teen who then looked toward the girl eating next to her, "Or maybe I should be thanking the help?" Himiko said, causing the girl to suddenly become very conscious while eating, looking away embarrassed.

"Shut up and eat. You should be grateful you even have a bowl, I hope you aren't thinking this shit is free. You owe me intel."

Katsuki said while Himiko nodded her head at the boy, "Yeah Yeah." Himiko said while winking at the girl before returning to her food in front of her. The three ate together rather peacefully while shortly after plates were cleaned the girl yawned while Katsuki looked toward her.

"Go brush your teeth, I'll come and get you in a minute."

Katsuki said while the girl nodded slowly moving toward the bathroom while Himiko huffed, "What?" Katsuki questioned while Himiko shrugged, "You two seem oddly comfortable together, like a perfect little family. Who's Mama?" Himiko said with a chuckle.

"Shut up."

Katsuki replied before he shut the water off moving toward the bathroom where the girl had been waiting for him, Himiko observed Katsuki as he gently helped the girl wash her face wiping away any toothpaste from it.

He was so gentle with her yet she knew at first hand the type of destruction that boy could bring with his palms when motivated, was it really so easy to switch between violence and gentleness? It was hard to believe just hearing about it but seeing it made her even more curious than she already was, if he could do it then could she?

Was it really that easy to switch to being normal?

"Um…"

The sound of the girl's voice caused Himiko to look up from her stupor making eye contact with the red eyes of the girl who was in Katsuki's arms latching onto him in a manner akin to how Koalas are depicted on trees.

"You're a really bad gangster."

The girl said suddenly causing Katsuki to chuckle while Himiko just smirked at the girl allowing a dangerous gleam to escape her eye, "That's right, pure evil baby." Himiko commented while the girl just shook her head.

"No, I mean you're really bad at it."

The girl said immediately wiping away the smirk off of the blonde haired girl's face, Katsuki laughed a little more in response while Himiko rolled her eyes. "I hope the bed bugs bite tonight kid." Himiko commented while the girl yawned again.

"You said it yourself didn't you…"

The girl said through her yawn while Himiko inspected the ruby red eyes of the girl that held a sheen filled with life that caused her to want to just continue looking at them.

"Gangsters are really bad people… You didn't make me think of that for even one second,"

The girl commented, taking Himiko off guard while Katsuki walked the girl to his room leaving the blonde young woman with a slightly confused look as she watched the small hand of the girl wave at her until it disappeared behind a door.

What a weird kid.

But a kid nonetheless, what would she know about good or bad. Hanging around Katsuki too much may confuse the girl since he's a walking oxymoron, emphasis on the moron part. Himiko was a bad person through and through nothing could ever change that, she had embraced this fact by the time she was 13 years old.

Nothing.

A steaming cup landed next to her getting her attention while her eyes met red ones again, these being a crimson color darker than the ruby shade of the girl's that had been taken to bed.

"Time to spill, Buffy."

Katsuki said while Himiko looked at the tea and followed Katsuki into the living room where they took a seat on the coaches, Himiko began to explain in parts and pieces the information she had gathered from their current business with the Shie Hassakai so far.

"So, they're running an underground Trigger operation and quirk destroying bullets? How in the hell did the Yakuza of all people discover something like that?"

Katsuki asked while Himiko shrugged, "No idea, I just got those tiny pieces of information just from the brief intro before we did introductions. Looks like they're current prototype can only disable a quirk for 24 hours." Himiko said, taking a sip of her tea while Katsuki narrowed his eyes at his own cup.

"So they're using Trigger as a cover to also run test trials on different types of quirk destroying bullets, eventually they'll be using the data to create something permanent and making a profit from it, that sound about right?"

Katsuki said while Himiko set her cup down with a nod, "So tell me, what exactly are you doing with this information? While I know for a fact that you have zero friends, how am I supposed to know you aren't just leaking this info to the Heroes?" Himiko said, eyeing Katsuki dangerously while the boy glared back at her.

"I ain't leaking shit, I'm looking for an opening. If it isn't anything that's going to directly affect my plans then I'll leave it for the heroes to screw up and chalk up another piece to the puzzle, then I destroy them with it."

Katsuki said while Himiko tilted her head, "Gathering information? What are you going to do? Tweet out a list of failures of hero society and hope people give enough of a shit to cast a vote? I knew you were a little rough around the edges but that's just stupid."

Himiko commented while Katsuki narrowed his eyes at the girl sitting beside him, "It's a bit more complicated than that, not that you get any special permissions to hear about it either." Katsuki said while Himiko sighed.

"You're always so mysterious, tell me again why I bother telling you anything?"

Himiko asked while Katsuki took a sip of his tea before placing his cup back on the table with an unreadable expression.

"Mutually Assured Destruction, Buffy. I want to get rid of Hero Society and you want to destroy it. You help me, I kinda help you."

Katsuki said while Himiko grinned before taking a sip of her tea, "That makes you a villain doesn't it? I think you'd rock a bloody costume." Himiko said while Katsuki scoffed at the girl.

"Keep me out of your fetishes, Dollar Store Vampire. Also I'm not a damn villain, once I'm through with the heroes I'll be bringing my broom to clean you bastards up too."

Katsuki commented while Himiko grinned at the boy again, "No you won't." Himiko said while Katsuki narrowed his eyes at the girl.

"Oh yeah? And why not?"

Katsuki asked sarcastically while Himiko pointed at him.

"Because you like me. I'm way too adorable to clean up."

Himiko said boisterously while Katsuki gave the girl a confused look. "What of shit are you on that made you think that? I want the drugs you bought." Katsuki said sarcastically while Himiko giggled.

"A goody two shoes like you wouldn't be caught dead around that stuf-"

Himiko was cut off by a sudden coughing fit causing Katsuki to look toward the girl with concern. Himiko shivered as she wiped her mouth before taking her hand gripping her left arm with it to get it to stop shivering.

"Shit."

Himiko swore while Katsuki looked at the girl who tried to turn away from him, Katsuki reached out gently grabbing onto her trembling forearm. Himiko gave him a look as Katsuki felt her shivering in his rough hands, he looked back up at her with a serious expression.

"Withdrawal."

Katsuki said while Himiko coughed a little again before grinning, "Ding Ding Ding… Damn, you of all people seeing me like this… I should have left earlier…" Himiko mustered before sucking in a breath to regain some of her composure only to cough again.

"You wanted to know what drug I'm on? It's blood… I figured you would have guessed earlier."

Himiko sarcastically commented while Katsuki moved her tea cup to the side moving closer to her while keeping his hand on her arm.

"When was the last time you had any?"

Katsuki asked while Himiko looked toward the boy, "It's been a couple of weeks, it's not like victims come crawling to get bitten… especially when your face is plastered everywhere with a warning… My just desserts right?" Himiko said as she chuckled a little before she coughed again.

"Why didn't you just bite me earlier if you were starting to show symptoms? You don't look like you're in any shape to deny it."

Katsuki asked while Himiko shook her head, "I just… didn't feel like it." Himiko said while Katsuki huffed, rolling his eyes.

"Get over yourself."

Katsuki said as he tugged at his collar revealing more of his neck causing Himiko's mouth to twitch, her tongue sliding across the back of her teeth before she took in another sharp breath.

"You know this is all a mental thing right?... If I use enough of my spectacular willpower it'll go away eventually."

Himiko said while Katsuki narrowed his eyes at her, "Shut up." Katsuki said while he presented his skin to the girl who approached him.

"I like 'I'll kill you' Suki more than 'I want to die' Suki."

Himiko said while Katsuki gave the girl an unreadable look, "Don't call me that." Katsuki said while Himiko continued her approach.

"Aw, the girl can call you that but I can't? …I gave her the idea and everything."

Himiko said while Katsuki stayed silent much to the girl's joy before she briefly paused just before his neck, Katsuki's eyes flicked toward the stalling girl who was holding herself back from biting him.

"...I'm not an actual vampire you know, this kind of thing really isn't sexy… As a matter of fact it'll really hurt…"

Himiko said in between breaths while Katsuki kept his eyes on her he could tell she was trying really hard not to give in to her urges, the blonde boy sighed before speaking "Didn't I tell you to shut up?" Katsuki said while Himiko mustered a grin.

"Why can't you say you like me already?"

Himiko asked while Katsuki could feel the warmth of her breath on his neck before the sharpness of her teeth, her canines slowly punctured the skin on his neck while Katsuki did his best to ignore the sensation.

"Get over yourself."

Katsuki said before the girl had begun to indulge on his kindness, it did hurt a lot more than the blonde boy expected but he bore with it. She was a resource. He didn't need to make any friends, nor did he care. He needed a means to an end, to finally reach his goal no matter the cost to himself.

That was it.

That's at least what Katsuki told himself until he found himself asleep, getting some of the best sleep he's had in a while not caring for a minute about the girl who laid next to him and the warmth she provided.

They both found themselves asleep.

"Clear out! Nothing to see here folks!"

An officer called out while the sound of heels clacking approached the police tape, she pushed the tape up enough to allow herself to walk underneath it. Her gray eyes scanned the area quickly while the trench coat over her hero costume swayed slightly with her gait.

"Another body."

Momo said while she inspected the gore, one of the officers walked over giving the black haired girl a nod.

"Creati."

The officer said while Momo nodded back, approaching the mess for an even closer look at the carnage.

"Blood's maybe 8 or 9 hours exposed based on the color, this must have been done early in the morning. Same typical slash marks as the other bodies… except for this one, it shows more signs of ripping like he was pulled apart."

Momo said while the officer hovered nearby the girl, "You seem rather experienced for someone so young… in any other circumstances I wouldn't have let you anywhere near the body. You gonna be alright?" The officer said while Momo sighed before looking back toward him.

"Seeing something like this is always awful, I'm not really all that experienced even now I'm trying not to pay too much attention to how horrible this is. However, it won't stop until the culprit is caught."

Momo explained while she went back to inspecting the corpses with a somber look on her face.

"We have to stop them."

Momo said while the officer just nodded at the girl again as she created gloves, "How long before forensics gets here?" Momo asked while the officer looked toward another cop who put up three fingers.

"3 minutes."

The officer said while Momo nodded her head, "I'll be gone before then, thank you." Momo said while she inspected the spread out parts of the bodies.

"Brain matter, missing hearts and livers. It looks like the bones are untouched other than…"

Momo trailed off as her eyes widened before she backed away from the mess taking a look at it.

"Creati… you ok?"

The officer asked the spooked girl as Momo quickly exhaled trying to calm herself down before she looked down at the ground.

"Teeth marks on the bone…"

Momo said while the officer gave the girl a confused look, Momo's eyes began darting around the scene as she backed up slowly from the scene taking in the scope of it while she continued scanning the bodies.

"They're eating them."

Momo said while the officer made a disgusted face causing another one to vomit to the side as Momo did her best to ignore the sensation as she looked at the scene.

"They wanted this to be found, like last time but this scene is the messiest of them all currently. Either they've become more confident or impatient…"

Momo said while she turned toward the officer and bowed toward him, "Thank you and excuse me." Momo said before she turned walking away while the officer gave her a worried look.

"Forensics is here!"

Another officer called as more police approached the bodies, Momo meanwhile tapped on her earpiece while walking.

"Did you see that?"

Momo asked while a voice on the other side sighed before answering.

"Yes. I saw everything, the person who did this is sick indeed."

Trace said from the other line while Momo shook her head, "This confirms that this is the work of Nomu." Momo said while Trace stayed silent for a moment before answering.

"I believe you told me that Nomu aren't intelligent, the suspect deliberately made this scene so we could discover it. That makes the Nomu theory null."

Trace said while Momo nodded her head, "That may have been true but the teeth marks on the bone aren't human and don't match any canine jaws. There is also what exactly they are eating."

Momo said while she turned a corner, "They are specifically targeting the Heart and Liver consistently, occasionally the victims have also shown signs of damaged brain matter." Momo said while Trace sat up in his chair.

"Are you telling me that there may be a Nomu capable of reproducing human intellect after consuming brain matter from humans?"

Trace asked while Momo stopped for a moment before she sighed again, "I… The possibility of something like that… I can't honestly say sir. I can note that they seem to eat the same regions as Bears since the liver and heart is nutrient rich. Could it be that they are gaining knowledge from this?" Momo said while Trace rubbed his chin on the other side.

"Miss Yaoyorozu, thank you for your work. If your theory is true and this really is the work of a Nomu then we'll be on the edge of discovering a new threat."

Trace said while Momo nodded her head before the line went silent for a minute, "Miss Yaoyorozu, I'll be placing you on standby until I contact you again." Trace said while Momo raised an eyebrow.

"Did I do something sir?"

Momo asked confused while Trace shook his head at his computer screen, "I wasn't being considerate of the fact that you are only still a high school student… I'm sure those sights aren't ones that are common for you. Think of it as personal investigation time while I get with forensics in case they find anything further." Trace said while Momo nodded her head.

"Good work again on your investigation, be on the lookout for my call. I'm hoping I can find something more about this 'Smart Nomu' of yours. Talk soon."

Trace said before abruptly ending the call while Momo sighed again. Thankfully she did appreciate having some time back to work on her other investigation; it still didn't make her any less stressed. Lately she had been losing sleep over late nights of research and coming up with little to nothing on either case, the murders had been one but finding Katsuki was another.

Every trail that she's found has gone cold, reports about Katsuki, any missing persons reports about Katsuki. Any records of assaults or explosive quirk related action, everywhere she's looked has gone cold.

It's almost as if something is repeatedly covering up his tracks.

Knowing Katsuki she wouldn't have been surprised if the boy was covering his tracks, he was definitely capable of doing so and certainly had reason. According to Midoriya from her conversations with him Katsuki had been through a lot that night. The kidnapping, All Might, the suited villain that they encountered as well that fought All Might. That's a lot of stress for a teenager to go through.

Not to mention the guilt.

She should have noticed something was off by the way that he looked afterward, he was beaten and bruised but the most telling thing about his appearance was his face.

That look she wished she paid more attention to.

If she had noticed and reached out chasing after Midoriya and Katsuki, would she have been able to stop him?

Would she have been able to save him like he did her?

Momo stopped walking for a moment before grabbing onto the necklace she had made that carried the fabric ring stained with his blood.

She still carried it around and wore it as often as she could, her friends have called it gross including Katsuki himself but it was an important relic to her. It represented when her friends all came to her in her darkest hour and pulled her away from dropping everything. The look in those defiant red eyes that brought every wall she had put up around her crumbling down.

It inspired her.

She owed that to him.

He was her irreplaceable friend.

Would she have been able to reach out a hand that could have helped him too?

"I can't give up just yet. Not until you're home…"

Momo said to herself as she heard a hand thud against glass causing her look toward the noise in interest.

There she spotted a young woman roughly around the same age as her, maybe older with light grey hair tied up in a spiky bun and bright pink eyes. The young woman had flinched at the glass as if she didn't even notice it in front of a frozen custard store, Momo chuckled at the young woman before the young woman noticed her.

Momo cleared her throat bowing toward the young woman, "I apologize I didn't mean to stare." Momo said while the young woman gave her a blank look.

"I don't mind."

The young woman said plainly while Momo smiled at her, "Did you want some?" Momo asked while the young woman raised an eyebrow before Momo motioned toward the store before the girl gave her another blank look before nodding.

"Shall we?"

Momo said as she walked in while the pink eyed young woman walked in behind her marveling at the store. Momo wasn't sure about what it was about this young woman but she seemed interesting to her for some reason, not to mention she spent the last 5 minutes inspecting a chair. Everyone had their quirks after all, Momo had ordered the soft serve for the both of them before she found them seating in the small yet busy building.

"Thank you."

The young woman said plainly while Momo smiled, "It's not a problem at all, honestly I needed the distraction. I apologize it must be strange eating frozen treats with some random person." Momo apologized while the young woman tilted her head.

"Why apologize? I'm not bothered, isn't this how one acquires friends?"

The young woman said in her plain voice while Momo smiled at the woman again, "Thank you… what is your name? I'm Momo." Momo said while extending a hand toward the young woman who just stared at it.

"Yes you do have very nice fingers, Momo."

The young woman responded causing Momo to chuckle before the young woman looked at her hand again before having a realization grabbing her hand gently shaking it.

"I'm called Umai."

The young woman responded while Momo nodded her head, "It's nice to meet you, Umai." Momo said while Umai nodded her head as well.

"Are you from around here Miss Umai or are you a tourist? It seemed like you were a little curious about this place."

Momo said while Umai inspected the ice cream cone in her carefully looking at it, "You could say I'm a tourist, I believe a better term would be… sheltered?" Umai said before biting into the side of the cone.

Momo tried not to laugh at the girl's antics before Umai gave her a curious look, "I've never had Ice Cream before." Umai said while Momo smiled at the young woman.

"I understand that feeling all too well, I was also pretty sheltered growing up. I'm just now experiencing a lot of things that most teenagers my age have experienced for a while."

Momo said while she licked the top of her ice cream cone prompting Umai to tilt her head before biting directly into the ice cream of her own cone. The young woman nearly spit out the ice cream while chewing on it, the cold assaulting her teeth while Momo laughed at Umai's open mouth chewing from pain but not wanting to waste the ice cream cone.

"It's really cold isn't it? I did the same thing the first time I had ice cream."

Momo said, chuckling at the fond memory while Umai glared at the treat in her hands before she watched Momo lick hers again.

Umai then copied the black haired girl using her tongue instead of teeth, the grey haired young woman could properly taste the coffee flavored treat without pain shooting through her teeth.

It was enjoyable.

"Much better right?"

Momo said while Umai nodded her head before looking around the store, "It's much better when you lick it instead of biting it, definitely less painful." Momo said while she licked her cone again.

"Have you ever engaged in coitus, Momo?"

Umai suddenly asked while Momo bit her tongue at the question, nearly dropping her cone while Umai looked at a different table away from them.

"I'm sorry what?"

Momo asked as Umai kept looking toward the other table, "Coitus, the act of reproduction between mating partners involving the insertion of-" Umai was cut off by a flushed Momo who waved her hands at her.

"I know what Coitus means! I meant I know we are both girls and all and those kinds of topics do tend to come up in girl talk but what made you ask?"

Momo asked embarrassed while she caught what Umai was staring at, it was another table with a couple sitting at it feeding each other.

"When two people engage in Coitus is that what makes them fall in love?"

Umai asked while Momo, still blushing, shook her head, "No, it's more complicated than that." Momo said while Umai looked toward the girl.

"So Coitus doesn't make you fall in love? You could perform Coitus with someone right now and you wouldn't fall in love with them?"

Umai asked while Momo was burning up trying to find a way to change the topic, "W-well no its just-" Momo was cut off by Umai leaning closer to her.

"Then you should be able to engage in it and disprove my theory right? You are attractive with the proper parts for appealing to males. It would be rather easy for you."

Umai said while Momo slammed her hands on the table.

"That's only something you should do with someone you love!"

Momo exclaimed embarrassed while multiple heads turned toward her causing Momo to bow and hide her head even more.

"I see… Love is something you can feel before you mate with someone… Do you love someone Momo?"

Umai asked while Momo flushed again before taking a deep breath and exhaling, "I… don't know." Momo answered while Umai tilted her head toward the girl.

"It's complicated. I've never had anyone I've liked before let alone love but things have changed. I suppose I'm closer to understanding it now."

Momo said while Umai leaned back away from the girl, "I see… You're also looking into love as well. It's always been the one thing that I've always wanted to truly understand. Tell me, how does one know they are in love?" Umai asked while Momo cleared her throat.

"Um well… from most resources I've heard it's when you feel safe around someone. They give you a place where you don't have to be anyone but yourself around them, it's someone you long to just be around even if it isn't for any special reason or circumstance. Someone you want to protect and be protected by."

Momo said while Umai raised an eyebrow looking at the girl.

"That feeling that you could face the entire world as long as you had that person waiting for you, they give you strength and joy. They can also make you sad, when they're gone or if you don't know if they are safe. They can make you feel selfish like you don't want anyone else to have them."

Momo went on while Umai's eyes focused on the girl in intrigue while Momo herself seemed to forget about the world around her.

"I believe that love is, no matter where you are or what you did I'll always be there with you."

Momo finished as Umai looked at the girl with a semblance of emotion on her face while Momo started waving her hands.

"B-based on my resources!"

Momo immediately said while Umai bowed her head toward the girl, "Momo, you're quite the interesting one." Umai said while Momo sighed.

"Sorry."

Momo said while Umai then bit into the bottom of the cone causing an ice cream mess Momo quickly cleaned up and apologized for. Once the pair finished up with their frozen treats the two of them walked together down the sidewalk before Momo sighed.

"I really appreciate you taking your time to hang out with me, honestly I've been really stressed recently so just being able to relax really helped."

Momo said while Umai nodded, "Thank you, for showing me ice cream and teaching more about love." Umai said while Momo smiled at the young woman.

"You're welcome, that's what friends are for."

Momo said while Umai stopped for a moment causing Momo to look at the girl in surprise before she thought about what she said.

"Oh sorry right, we did just meet today and didn't really do much. I apologize for jumping the gun. I just had fun with you today."

Momo said while Umai gave Momo a confused look, "You and I are friends?" Umai asked while Momo smiled.

"Would you like to be?"

Momo asked while Umai looked at the girl's extended hand again before gently taking it into her own.

It was warm and soft as if she gripped any harder it would have fallen apart but she didn't want to grip harder or tear it apart.

This pressure was perfect.

Momo suddenly tapped her earpiece, turning away from Umai who inspected her hand, noticing the warmth leave.

"Sorry that was work, I have to go but we should meet around her again and do something else that time!"

Momo called as she started walking away while Umai looked toward the grey eyed girl, "Momo!" Umai called while Momo stopped for a moment.

"I hope you find him."

Umai said while Momo flushed again waving before she ran off, Umai sat there for a minute gripping her hand that held that warmth before turning and walking down an alley. Umai continued walking down the alley until a cracking noise was heard and something had landed beside her. The figure stood to its full height towering over the girl while the gray haired girl looked at the monster in front of her.

"You look appetizing."

The Nomu said while Umai only gave it a blank look, "That was the human girl right? The one that's been tailing us? I hope so, she looks quite delicious herself. A strong heart and a heart brain hopefully." Three said while Umai narrowed her eyes at the creature.

"Momo."

Umai said as Three tilted its head at its transformed peer, "Ooh peaches, do you think her organs have the same taste?" Three said before a hand punch through its chest. Umai narrowed her eyes as they shifted into a red color.

"Her name is Momo. This human is mine, touch her and I disassemble you and scatter the parts."

Umai said as she yanked her hand out of its chest as Three grumbled, "Touchy Touchy Five, it's unbecoming of you. Let me know when you get bored of her so I can tear her up. We feast and call it a day!" Three yelled with a cackle while Umai only looked at her hand covered in gore.

It wasn't warm at all.

"Alright!"

Mirio called out excitedly while Izuku followed behind the boy with a nervous smile on his face as they walked along the sidewalk, Izuku scratched the back of his head before looking toward his upperclassmen.

"Um Mirio, was it really OK to just leave the scene after defeating the villain like that? I know the police were there and all but shouldn't we have made some kind of statement or assisted them?"

Izuku asked while Mirio just flashed the boy a winning grin before shaking his head at the green haired boy.

"When the police arrive we as heroes have to trust them to take care of the situation properly, the more time we spend making statements at every scene the more time somewhere else someone could be in danger! A good hero is always one on the move!"

Mirio called excitedly while Izuku nodded his head at the taller blonde, "Right!" Izuku exclaimed while he continued walking beside Mirio.

'This must be what All Might meant, so being a hero is a job you constantly have to move instead of sticking in one place too long. Man… Mirio is great.'

Izuku thought to himself while watching the boy greet passing civilians, never allowing the smile to fade away from his face before Izuku thought back to a little earlier.

"Lemillion?"

"Yes sir. I'll be working with him under Nighteye during the work study."

"..."

"All Might?"

"Sorry, it's just I find it funny that you were working with my old sidekick now that he's his own pro, not to mention Young Togata."

"... Nighteye had a similar reaction, am I missing something?"

"...Young Midoriya, originally when I was looking for a successor for my quirk… myself and Nighteye had already been looking toward Lemillion as the one to take it."

"..."

"This was before I met you of course! He was the one who seemed the most fit to receive the quirk at the time. He was diligent, hard working, and definitely has the spirit."

"... So was I just lucky?"

"Young Midoriya… I wouldn't put it that way. You're able to be described as the same, I wouldn't have just given anyone One For All. I felt that you could earn it."

"... Hey All Might, I'm going to be late but we'll talk later!"

"Young Midoriya wait."

Izuku thought about the interaction and looked toward Mirio again, the guy was practically perfect.

He could use the quirk in a way more efficiently than he could if he had it without having to worry about his bones as much, he already had a quirk and has worked hard all of his life to master it.

Mirio was practically made for One For All.

Meanwhile Izuku had been just some depressed quirkless kid who dreamed of being a hero that randomly got one because his hero happened to be nearby to watch him try to save the day.

What if All Might wasn't there?

Kacchan would have been saved and Izuku would have been back to his average normal life without being a hero and Lemillion would have the quirk and become the greatest hero ever.

What if All Might didn't stop to find him after the fight?

What if Izuku didn't even meet All Might in the first place?

Was his entire journey from this point strictly because of a lucky break? Mirio was perfect for the quirk and yet Izuku was the one who had it and could barely use it. He was just some kid when you really looked at it.

He couldn't even save his childhood friend, not only from the villains but from himself. Kacchan was always tearing himself down and fighting against the world, even with the great power Izuku received he still couldn't stop Kacchan from leaving.

What was it that made him a hero?

Was he worthy?

Izuku was lost in his thoughts as he was suddenly bumped into on his side, snapping him back to reality, he looked over, spotting the color red.

They reminded him of Kacchan, the color of her eyes. She was small, maybe around 6 or 7, with silver hair and a small horn poking out of her forehead. Her arms and legs were covered in bandages but the thing that Izuku focused on the most.

Was the look of terror on her face.

"Hey there."

Mirio said while the girl looked toward the boy with panic while Izuku crouched in front of the girl, "It's ok." Izuku said while the girl looked toward him with the same panicked look.

"What happened?"

Izuku asked while Eri looked slightly behind herself as Mirio smiled at the girl brightly before waving.

"What's your name?"

Mirio asked while Eri and Izuku looked toward the boy, "...Eri." the girl responded while Mirio kept smiling.

"That's a nice name, I'm Mirio but you can call me Lemillion! Hey, so what's your favorite color?"

Mirio asked while Izuku looked toward the boy with a confused look while his eyes darted around trying to locate where the girl ran from. They needed to find out where she came from and locate the villain who did this the sooner she's safe the better. Mirio continued speaking to the girl while Izuku gave the other boy a confused look while he was looking around, he didn't want to be that but they didn't have time for idle chatter something could be lurking and they are still out in the open.

Izuku then noticed that the girl had a more relaxed look on her face before he realized what Mirio was doing, why continue to scare the girl further when…

You could try to calm her down instead.

Izuku himself relaxed while watching Mirio trying his best to make the girl laugh, this is only a further testament to his heroism.

Mirio was exactly what the hero world needed.

Izuku tried to shake away any negative thoughts but was suddenly washed over with a sickening feeling, both Mirio and Eri both flinched feeling the same as Eri immediately shut back down.

"Leave."

Eri said while Mirio and Izuku looked toward the small girl who had begun tearing up while she shook her head.

"Run."

Eri said again as Izuku quickly rose to his feet immediately making eye contact with yellow eyes as he nearly jumped back out of instinct from the man.

"Ah, here's where you ran off to Eri."

Overhaul said while Mirio looked toward the man while he himself trembled slightly looking at him.

'This feeling reminds me of All For One!'

Izuku thought to himself as Eri herself continued to shed tears while the man looked calmly at her before looking at the two boys beside her.

"Thank you for finding my daughter for me, kids her age are quick to become handfuls running around without a care in the world."

Overhaul said while he extended his gloved hand out toward the girl who turned toward his hand walking to him, she felt hand touch her shoulder preventing her from walking forward as she spotted Izuku holding her.

"Excuse us sir, we were just passing by on patrol."

Mirio said with a cheerful tone causing Izuku to give the boy a strange look while he looked back at the masked man. "Really? I haven't seen your faces around here before… Are you both new heroes?" Overhaul asked while Izuku was taking in breaths to relax his features to not provoke the man while Mirio scratched the back of his head.

"You've got a sharp eye sir! Maybe it's the green on our costumes but we are new around this area!"

Mirio exclaimed confidently while Izuku kept breathing but his heart was still racing from the threat standing in front of them, Izuku looked toward Eri who was giving him a terrified look unnerving Izuku even more.

"I'm Lemillion! And this is…"

Mirio said, trying to cue Izuku who looked toward the man, "Deku!" Izuku said a little too loudly while Overhaul slightly narrowed his eyes at the boy.

"He's certainly lively isn't he?"

Overhaul said while Mirio laughed a little scratching the back of his head, "Yup! Good ole Deck- I mean Deku!" Mirio tried to joke but the man didn't even chuckle.

"Don't leave."

The girl said, causing Izuku's expression to darken a little while the girl turned to cling to him while Izuku tried his best not to glare at Overhaul who seemed to be getting upset with him.

"Y-your daughter seems a little scared sir."

Izuku said through gritted teeth while Overhaul narrowed his eyes at the green haired boy while Mirio shot Izuku a look that screamed 'Stop it' while Izuku held onto the girl.

"Come on Deku, let's go!"

Mirio called cheerfully while Overhaul stared straight into Izuku's soul through his eyes, "She's covered in bandages, she might need a hospital or something." Izuku said again while Mirio's face slightly shifted into panic.

"She's accident prone, if I were to take her to the hospital everything she tripped the medical bills would be insane… I'll take care of her when we get home."

Overhaul said while Izuku's teeth gritted again while Mirio walked over, snatching Izuku by the arm and pulling him away from the girl.

"Forgive him, he's such a worry wart! You two make it back home safe!"

Mirio called while Izuku looked at the girl with concern as she had reached out only for her hand to be grabbed by Overhaul's gloved one. Her red eyes in terror were the last things Izuku saw before the girl was dragged into the alley with the man, Izuku narrowed his eyes at Mirio as they walked.

"He's hurting her and we're just going to walk away from him?"

Izuku asked, trying not to yell at the older blonde while Mirio just gave him a stern look. His normally cheerful blue eyes looked serious.

"All of us could have died right there and then... you and I are not pro heroes yet. We don't have the resources to just fight someone like that without thinking. We have to consult Sir about this, moving without him would be suicide."

Mirio warned while Izuku immediately put his head down away from the older blonde boy who kept walking forward. Even now he couldn't save anyone, a little girl was in danger right in front of them and they just walked away. Was that who they were? Was that who he was? Why did they have to prove him right?

What would Kacchan have done in that instance?

If he was in that moment instead of them he would have fought to get that girl away from him.

If Kacchan was here right now then he would have looked at Izuku with every bit of disappointment knowing that Izuku had become the very hero he swore to destroy exactly as he said he would back at Kamino.

Izuku thought back to Kamino watching Katsuki blast away after smashing his phone on the ground.

He thought back to USJ when he pushed past his own limits to fight the villains to protect the people he swore not to care about. He thought to the look on his face after he came to school when the internships ended how hurt he looked at that moment. Finally Izuku remembered when he was a little kid watching Katsuki's hand smoking and red as he looked at a tree he blasted down.

Those red eyes had the same look of fear that hers did.

A crack was suddenly heard as Mirio looked back spotting a darting Izuku as he looked at the green haired boy in shock.

"Deku!"

Mirio called while Overhaul and Eri were walking down the alley with Overhaul glaring ahead of him.

"You tried to run again… there's no one that is ever going to get to you. They fight, then they die. It's the same result each time and yet you still ran to them in the hopes that they might be able to reach you but no… you're mine Eri."

Overhaul said while the girl looked at the ground in fear while the man glared toward her.

"Don't forget that."

Overhaul said while Eri allowed a few more tears to drop from her face before the sound of cracking concrete caused her head to jerk up in time to see Overhaul's face getting kicked by a foot.

Eri looked in shock as Izuku glared at the man while kicking him before rebounding off of the other wall, grabbing Eri quickly and running with the girl.

"Like hell I'm just going to let you get away with her!"

Izuku yelled while Overhaul quickly turned snatching his glove off ready to touch the ground but stopped his hand midway before glaring toward Eri.

"Don't forget."

The man said while Eri looked at the man fearfully while Izuku dashed with her in his arms rushing past Mirio who looked at him in shock.

"You're crazy, Deku!"

Mirio cheered while he ran with Izuku away from the area while Izuku kept his focus on the girl in his arms who was still in disbelief of being away from that man. She looked toward the face of the green haired boy who ran with her and for the first time felt a glimpse of hope. Meanwhile Izuku ran with the girl glad that he didn't just leave her but couldn't shake off the feeling that things weren't as they seemed.

They'd all find out soon that there are some things better left in the dark.