Soul Marked

Chapter Twenty-Three

The Blood that Stains

I apologize for how long this chapter has taken to make. I did have a reviewer say I should either finish it up in one chapter or give it over to someone else and I'm sorry but I won't be doing that. I have so much I want to do with this story, and unfortunetly for you guys my life outside of this story does come first. If any of you have kids then you know how hard it can be to stick to a schedule for things like this somtimes and I'll be getting a job soon.

I do my best and I promise I will be getting to the point where I'm back to once a week but I'm just not there yet. Be rest assured this story isn't being abandoned as I have this story chapter plans written out in a notebook up intil season three and I have solid plans in my mind up until season 4.

Also I do have a question. Would anyone be interested in being my beta until my other beta is able to help me again?

Also important I will be changing my name on here sometime soon so when it does don't freak out!

Edited by ICanHearThemTo

Izuka lifted her arms up in defense as Toshi's fist came barreling down toward her face. She pushed back using One For All to make him stumble but it didn't do much else against him. He was way more powerful than herself and her meager management with her quirk was nothing compared to him. She huffed as she dodged another punch, moving under his arm as she spun back around and kicked out. Her legs glowed green with the use of her quirk and she used the force of the kick to push her up into the air, blackflipping, before landing on her feet. Toshi in All Might form was already in front of her once again, having regained his balance at an amazing speed. Izuka reared back in surprise as her hand automatically went out to push him away.

Her instant reaction wasn't helpful as All Might gripped the hand that she had used and tugged on it. Her balance was thrown off as he used a small percentage of his quirk to blow her backwards. Hissing she gripped at the grass underneath her to keep her backwards descent from continuing. Huffing she felt like all that had been happening was her being shoved around by the two of them. Thankfully she only had to fight one of them at a time.

As her thoughts came to an end, her eyes widened as a blur came straight at her. Gasping she rolled off to the side avoiding the impact from Gran Torino who had decided to join the fight. One For All hummed inside her body as she kicked against the ground her body being tossed up into the air as she flipped. Landing safely a few feet away Izuka knew this wouldn't be enough distance for long. Not with both of them coming for her.

She breathed in deeply trying to calm her nerves as they blurred and moved at a speed that was hard for her sight to keep up with. Timing was key. She could try out her new technique even if it was still in beginning stages and would probably end up not going as planned. But it was worth a try. Bending her knees she strained to see how far away they were. Letting out the breath she had just taken in, she brought her power to full cowl as her legs pushed her upwards. The ground underneath her cracked and a loud boom vibrated through the air.

The earth shook as Izuka left it and appeared mid air, her body not quite used to being this high airborne, causing her to begin to tumble over herself. Down below the earth shaking had caused All Might and Gran Torino to stumble and stop as they tried to keep their balance. The next instance Izuka would have crashed back down causing the earth to fly up around them, making them fly away, but she was sure Torino wouldn't approve of the destruction of his back yard so instead she tried to regain control over her movements. Tucking inward she spun and righted herself as she fell back down to the earth. Knowing that speeding up the process like her original plans called for was out, she allowed herself to drop and hit it normally. Landing on her feet, she glanced up as she winced slightly at the feeling of the blow resounding throughout her legs.

All Might and Torino seemed caught off guard at the mini earthquake feeling that happened underneath them so Izuka darted toward the nearest one, who happened to be Torino. She struck out and he was barely able to dodge, realizing that they were still mid battle and he could comment on her new technique later. Several more minutes passed by before Torino called it to a stop. All three were breathing hard from the work out but Izuka was beaming brightly. Her plan had worked better than expected and she couldn't wait to work out the kinks and try the ending once she got back to school and had the proper area.

Toshi smiled back at her as his form seemed to shrink while smoke surrounded him. He was once again her skeletor. "What was that last thing you did?" he asked in wonder as the two adults began to walk closer to her.

"It's something I've been working on these last couple days," she said excitedly as she closed the distance between them. "It's all just been theory with a few practical exercises. I haven't been able to completely do it yet. I'm supposed to be able to cause an earthquake-like effect on the area around me. The first stage is like what I did, causing the earth to shake and crack, but when I come back down I'm supposed to do it with enough force that the earth opens up and hinders my enemies movements. I didn't think Torino would appreciate it though."

"You thought right kid!" Torino called out as he passed the two of them to move back inside where his favorite pastries were waiting for him. Izuka glanced back to where Toshi was as he picked up the few items they had brought out to help Izuka change. Turning back around she grabbed her jacket from the lone chair that sat outside and picked through the pockets until she found her phone. Sliding it from the pocket she went to turn the screen on, but her attention was taken away from it before she could look.

"Come on, kid," Toshi said as he began to move past her. "We're going out to fight villains today." Her eyes lit up and excitement began to pump through her veins as she dropped her phone into the pocket of her jeans.

She missed the message that lit up her screen with the name "Bakugo" on it. It had been there for three days without her noticing, having been caught up in her training.

"Really?!" she asked as she caught up to him quickly and walked inside the house with him.

"Yeah, that's what this internship is about," Toshi said with a nod as he placed his arm full of stuff down. "Gran Torino and I agree your ready to go out. You only have a few days left anyway." She darted forward, wrapping her arms around his middle as she smiled brightly. There was a hint of nervousness deep down but her excitement overruled that part of herself.

"You really think I'm ready?" she asked as she pulled back. He nodded his head as his hand came up to ruffle her hair.

"You'll do great kid," he said as he dropped his hand and she moved away.

"Are you coming with us?" she questioned. Izuka wondered if he had enough time left to even go out and hero with them. She hadn't been keeping track of how long he stayed in his All Might form today training her. His expression changed as he thought about it before slowly beginning to nod. He turned back around to glance at her before walking over to the kitchen where Torino was eating his fish pastry.

"I believe I can go there for the beginning of it," he said with a smile. "I might not have time to stay the entire trip, but that's okay." Izuka nodded as she took her seat next to the older man of the two as Toshi rummaged around in the fridge. Torino absentmindedly picked up one of the delicious treats and slid it over to Izuka who gladly took it and began to eat it. This had become routine between the two and she found she enjoyed the man's antics. He had started to feel like a grandfather to her over the few short days she'd been interning with him.

"He tell you about tonight, girl?" Torino asked in between the sweets. Izuka nodded as she took her first bite of the delicious treat, her body angling toward her teacher. "You'll be in your hero costume. I expect you to follow my every word." Her head moved once more as she felt herself absentmindedly wondering how it would end up going. Would there be a villain she could actually help against, or would this end up being more of showing the civilians they were out and doing something? To be honest Izuka wasn't sure which one she wanted to end up doing. She felt nervous about going up against someone but at the same time it wasn't anything new. The only difference this time was she would be out in the public, having to watch for civilians, much unlike the unpopulated USJ.

子猫

Izuka excitedly pulled out her hero costume from its case, she took her time in putting on each part, wanting it to look flawless for her first debut outside of school. She knew realistically there was a high chance that she wouldn't run into any villains and fight alongside All Might or Gran Torino, but it was a chance. She wanted to look her best.

Shaking her head she grabbed her cell phone, still not looking at the screen in her happiness, and shoved it into one of the many pockets around her belt. Sliding her mask on she stepped out of the room and made her way to the dining room where Toshi and Torino were waiting for her, both already in their hero costumes. Toshi officially looked like All Might once more and she smiled up at him.

"Are you ready, my girl?" he asked with a dazzling smile. She nodded eagerly and moved closer toward the door. Slowly Torino followed behind as he locked the door, his two companions moving down the stairs to wait at the curb.

"Where are we going, Torino?" she asked slightly bouncing on her heels. He moved closer toward the curb, throwing out his thumb in the process.

"It's a bit far out," he started as they watched a yellow cab catch sight of his hailing. "There's not much crime around here lately, what with the population going down, so we need to travel to Shibuya."

"We'll need to take the bullet train to get there, right?" she asked as they slid into the cab. All Might took the front seat causing the driver to begin to sweat, his body tensing, as a huge smile spread across his lips. "From Kofu to Shinjuku?" Torino nodded his head as he stared evenly at the young girl, her mind whirling as she thought about how they would be passing through Hosu City. Her worry began to grow for her classmate. She had seen how the attack on his brother changed him, had seemed to place a darkness inside of him. The need to check in on him began to grow heavier as they pulled up to the train station. She decided then that she would throw him a text and check in on him, just to calm the fretting. After all, it was her job as class president to make sure everyone is fine.

They boarded the train, Izuka keeping close to All Might who drew stares from all directions and whispers that grew louder as the minutes past. Her brows scrunched together as a group of young women dashed past her, shoving her in the process, to draw closer to All Might who laughed as he greeted them. This was part of fame that she was sure she would ever grow used to, people knowing her, crowding her, and then the more demanding of the fans.

Her mind flashed back to the train ride with Kacchan, when the strange boy had tried asking her out. Her cheeks pinked at the memory but her head shook dislodging it from her mind. Right now she needed to take the opportunity to check in with Iida, and then put her mind into fighting villains. Nothing could go wrong tonight. Thinking about Kacchan would be a distraction. Swiping the new message from her screen she ignored the name only focusing on opening a new message to Iida. Whoever had gotten ahold of her could be replied to at a later date. Sending her message to Iida she began to wait on his reply. Deciding that now was as good a time as any she began to move back to the ignored message but before finding out who it was from All Might grabbed her shoulder.

Quickly placing it back into her pocket she looked up at him seeing the relief on his face. It seemed these fans were the more demanding type.

"When we get there young Midoriya you must always stick by myself, or Gran Torino," he said staring at her seriously. "No running off or going against our word." Her mouth opened to let him know that she understood but the words caught in her throat as the train seemed to lurch to the side.

"Please remain seated, we are making an emergency stop," came a voice over the intercom.

Her head snapped up at the announcement as All mights did the same, both of them on high alert. Izuka's eyes widened as the train seemed to come to a stand still, everything slowing down as a large object hurtled toward the right side of the train. In the next instant everything sped back up, faster than before, as the body of a man crushed through the side of the train. A loud screeching noise filled her ears as the metal was torn apart.

子猫

Bakugo glared down darkly at his phone, the message he had sent to Izuka days ago still having not been read or replied too. His fingers tightened around the device, cutting off the blood circulation and making them look paler than usual. He forcefully made himself take an even breath holding himself back from blowing up his phone. His mom would be pissed at having to buy him a new one and he was sure she'd keep from buying a new one anytime soon just to spite him. With a growl he shoved it back into his pocket as he glanced up at Best Jeanist.

The man in question had been pulled a few feet away by one of the people who worked at his agency. They seemed to be in a heated discussion but he was hardly interested in knowing what it was about. His mind was conflicted with why she had written him back. Since they exchanged numbers Izuka hadn't gone very long before texting him back, and the thought that he was possibly being ignored now caused him great anger.

He tried to force himself not to care. What she did wasn't any concern to him but that nagging tug in his chest refused to go away; it itched his anger even more. She seemed too busy for him. It should have caused a feeling of relief, the change in their relationship recently put him on edge and even moodier than normal, but that wasn't the case. Anger was all he ever really felt recently, the twisting and turning of hot magma building in his gut, never too far away from exploding out of him.

"Bakugo," Best Jeanist called out to him causing his head to snap up to attention.

"Hn," he said not allowing any more of a response to leave him.

"We'll be going to Hosu City tonight instead," he said as he came to stand in front of the boy. "I've received a tip and want to check it out." The ash blonde nodded, not caring where they went as long as there would be someone to take his anger out on. Actually going out to capture villains is exactly what he felt he needed. "Get ready to leave." He was dismissed. Shoving his hands into his pockets Bakugo made his way back to his room to change, his simmering thoughts still hung up on Izuka. His fists clenched.

子猫

A black portal opened up above the city of Hosu, figures moving through it, a dark aura erupting around the area. It doused the city in darkness and the people who stepped through did not help with the change in atmosphere. Shigaraki glared as he glanced around noticing all the people milling about below them. His lips pinched as he turned his attention back to his companion, Stain.

"Livelier than expected," he muttered out in disgust. Stain ignored his words as he greedily took in his surroundings. His tongue swiped out to taste the air, excitement coursing through his veins at the mere thought of his plans for the city. Taking a step closer to the edge he drank in the sights, his eyes bouncing around, not caring for the two behind him. They were merely obstacles and soon he would start his destiny.

"I will reform this town," he said in satisfaction. "But I need more sacrifices." Shigaraki flickered his gaze over to the man as he took a step closer to him.

"Hey, hey, now before you go off reforming or another, I need you to keep a lookout," Shigaraki said his voice changing, the tone softer, but there was a hint of malicious intent under his words. Stain stiffened at the close proximity, his eyes growing colder, as he turned his attention over to the man that caused him to be on edge. He bit back the biting reply and listened to what the man wanted. "You find her, I want her." A photo slid from his pocket as he held up the glossy image between two of his fingers. Stain stared intently at the photo but held no desire to be this man's errand boy.

Instead, he turned back to the city and jumped, his body flying through the air. He had work to do.

Shigaraki stared after the figure before his crimson eyes darted down to the picture. His gaze narrowed at the laughing face of the girl, his mind snapping to another time, another girl. Flickers of curly dark hair, and bright eyes emerged over his sight, but he shoved them away. It wasn't the time. His fingers that held the image dug harshly as he gritted his teeth before shoving it back into his pocket.

"Fucker barely even looked," he ground out as his toe began to tap harshly against the building they resided on. His fingers began to scratch at his neck feverishly as he turned to the man behind him. "We're too fucking different. This will never work out. Pisses me off." His hand dropped from his neck to cross in front of his chest as he sighed out harshly. "Kurogiri, bring out the Nomu." The dark portal opened once more this time revealing three figures emerging from the shadows. Shigaraki smirked, the crazed gleam in his eye growing sharper as he pulled out the photo once more. This time he wouldn't fail on capturing the girl.

子猫

Izuka shoved herself to her feet as the hero who had just been thrown through the side of the train came to a rest at several passengers feet. Torino and All Might weren't far behind her as another dark figure came rushing toward them, entering through the hole and tearing open the metal even wider and leaving barely anything left on that side of the train. The giant loomed over them dangerously, the brain peaking out, the blank gleam in its eye. She knew exactly what this creature was. Her stomach dropped at the sight of it as her body tensed in preparation. A screech erupted through the air causing the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end.

It was a Nomu.

Torino rushed past Izuka toward the Nomu, his body plowing into the creature and knocking back out of the train. The force of the hit sending them both hurtling away. Midoriya lurched forward to stare out of the massive hole in the side of the train, her eyes wide as she searched the area for the hero. All Might came up behind her, his hand landing heavily on her shoulder.

"Stay here," he said urgently. His voice was darker than normal, the seriousness of his tone shining through. An explosion rocketed up into the air, the force of hit blowing her hair back out of her eyes. All Might turned to look down at her as he pinned her with his gaze. "I won't last long out there but I have to help in any way that I can." He didn't hesitate before jumping from the train following after where Torino and the Nomu disappeared too. Her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest as she stared after them, her eyes searching the area but the heroes had disappeared. This was Hosu, she knew it.

Her body shook as she tried to figure out what she should do. Both of her teachers had told her to stay put but she knew All Might wouldn't be lasting long, that he would push himself to stay in the fight. Knowing that she couldn't just stay here, she had to be there for All Might. In the back of her mind she could hear someone yelling off orders as they hunched over the hurt hero. Her emerald eyes flickered down to them before darting back over to the trashed side of the train. Her body tensed and every muscle began to move on its own accord, taking her toward the opening.

The man shouted at her to stop but all she could do was shake her head no. Her feet carried her forward, wind tugging at her clothes as she stepped off the train and took off running down the track toward the city. She could only hope he was doing fine, her calculation in her head told her he really didn't have much time.

"Hey!" the man shouted behind her. "Get back here it's dangerous!" Ignoring the man she only ran faster using One For All to increase her speed. As she entered the danger zone civilians surrounded her, pushing, shoving, trying to get away from the beings that caused their fear. Her eyes narrowed as she carefully pushed herself through the crowd not wanting to knock into anyone or cause them to fall down.

She was sure that creature was a Nomu, it may have looked different than the last but so many of its features were the same. If she was right then that meant it would take a lot of power to take the creature down. It took so much out of All Might the first time that she was sure even with Gran Torino's help it would be a hard battle. Not only that but she had seen that Iida saw her message but never messaged back. He was here too, and with all of this craziness going on she grew even more worried. Plans, ideas, roamed around inside of her head, trying to place what she would be doing next.

She ran down another alley, moving closer to where the middle of the chaos was coming from. A yell resounded through the air causing her to come to a screeching halt. Her body tried to catch up with herself as she stumbled forward, twisting around to face the direction that the yell came from. She didn't recognize the voice, but that name that was being yelled sent a chill through her bones.

"Tenya!" came another yell off to her right. Abandoning her first plan she took off toward the yelling. As she left the mouth of the alley, all hell broke loose around her. Heroes attacked two more Nomu. The sight caused her to stumble in her run almost making her fall to the floor in fright. This was much worse than she had been expecting. One Nomu was hard enough, but three? That was impossible. Her fists clenched at her side as she dodged a hero that had been flung randomly in her direction. Green eyes widened as she activated her quirk once more. She flung herself forward, her arms wrapping around the waist of the male hero as they were both shoved forward with the momentum. Gritting her teeth she flung out her hand causing a shock wave to crash into the side of a building slowing their descent through the air and causing them to drop toward the ground. She grunted with the impact but carefully released the body of the hero she had saved. He was unconscious below her and she stood up after making sure he still had a pulse.

"We've got him!" called out a female hero as the one that had been yelling Iida's name ran over to her to help assist. "Follow police instructions and get to safety!" She turned only long enough to make eye contact with Izuka. "Thanks kid." Izuka nodded but had no intentions of getting to safety. She was beginning to feel panic inside of her now that her brain caught up with the thoughts of why this man was yelling out Iida's name. Iida, the super serious boy who always followed orders would never just run off, especially during this.

Her breath caught in her throat as she thought of the only reason Iida would have run off. It could only mean that the man was here in this town today. The one that caused the change in Iida's life and personality. Narrowing her eyes she ignored what the heroes were yelling, the screeching of the creatures, and the sound of utter chaos. Everything was exploding around her but she knew she needed to find Iida, or something bad would be happening. Her mind rapidly moved through her options of how to find him. She knew that the Hero Killer was different than the ones that had attacked USJ. She took off back toward the alley. As she entered she began to bounce from wall to wall allowing the speed to take over her as she formed connections inside of her mind.

It couldn't be a coincidence that those Nomu, who were undoubtedly connected to the League of Villains, were also in the same place as Iida, who wasn't helping with the main problem. The Hero Killer could be the only reason why that that was true then she feared that the two villains were working together. It scared her to think that this was true.

Pushing those thoughts away she began to think of how the Hero Killer worked, trying to recall everything that had been reported on the news. She knew that he killed away from everyone else, that he didn't want to be interrupted. Wherever Iida, and he, was they would be in an alleyway away from the commotion. Heading deeper into the alleys she pushed herself faster. Her legs barely feeling the impact from every bounce off the wall she felt. Her mind was too focused to realize that she had been pushing a little harder than she had meant too.

Voices began to drift toward her, one she didn't recognize, but the other, she knew that one. Iida.

Spinning herself around she came to the next alleyway and flashed into it, her eyes taking in the form of Iida lying on the ground, another hero up against the wall, and the man she could only assume was the Hero Killer. His blood-red scarf moving with the breeze, white crazed eyes landed on her as recognition seemed to spark in them. Ignoring the confusion that his emotions brought to her, she focused part of her attention on the fallen classmate behind her. She unconsciously had put her body between the villain and Iida, protecting him from harm.

"I've come here to save you Iida," she said confidently.

"Midoriya!" Iida called out from behind her, his own eyes wide in shock. "But why?"

Stain stared wide-eyed at her, recognition flowing through his brain as he knew she was the one from the photo that Shigaraki had shown him. This was the girl that he had wanted. Crouching in a defensive motion Izuka kept her eyes glued to the villain as he languidly stared at her. Her quirk lit her arms and legs in green as she prepared for an attack.

"I've been searching all the back alleys near the normal hero agency, and close to the danger, trying to find you," she said directing her words over her shoulders. "Are you able to move? If you can I suggest you go back to the main road and find a hero to help us here." A look of frustrated annoyance crossed over his features as he grunted.

"I can't, Midoriya," he said in irritation. "He cut me I think that's his quirk." Izuka tried to pick out a solution to this problem. She knew that if Iida couldn't move then the guy further down the alley wouldn't be able to as well. She might have had a chance just carrying Iida away but she wouldn't have been able to carry both of them, and she couldn't just leave the other to die. This wasn't good even she knew that. They were stuck between a rock and hard place. "Don't interfere! This has nothing to do with you."

These words caused Izuka to turn her head to look behind her at her classmate. His words made no sense to her but they caused her to feel uncomfortable. He shouldn't be trying to turn her help away, this wasn't about saving anyone, she knew that now. She had hoped it wasn't true, that dark nagging feeling in her gut, the reason why he was even here. It was revenge. It was something Izuka had only hoped she was wrong about.

"W-what do you mean, Iida?" she asked her voice shaking. Her comrade wasn't given the time to answer before Stain spoke up.

"A friend shows up and says 'I'm here to save you.' It's a good line for sure," he started as he stared down at her. Her focus shifted completely onto the man in front of her. She knew there was no running away and finding help. That left only one thing. "However, little hero, it's my duty to kill these two. Naturally, if you don't leave, we will have to fight. The weaker of us will be culled. So, what now?" He watched her, pinning her under his intense blank gaze. His white eyes causing her to become uncomfortable at the odd coloring. Her body shook lightly with the realization that she should have had talked some of the heroes into coming with her. The normal hero probably would have with promises of knowing where Iida was. She was way out of her realm here, but that didn't mean she couldn't try. She had to.

Carefully she slid her phone from the back pocket she had hid in. Her fingers roamed carefully over the screen as she typed in her location and sent it off to everyone in her contacts.

"You need to run!" Iida yelled from behind her, the anger in his tone apparent. "Just go, Midoriya! This is none of your business!" Her body tensed as her eyes narrowed at his words. Her fingers curled around themselves but she kept her gaze trained on the enemy. Her eyes had gone icy at his words, but she didn't allow her emotions to give the enemy a chance to attack.

"What's a hero supposed to do when you say crap like that, Iida," she said sternly. "You and I have a lot to talk about later, but not right now, because like All Might said 'giving help that isn't asked for is what makes a true hero'." Her words caused Stain to grow excited, interested in the fact that this girl was brightening in his eyes. She was acting like a true hero, her words not fake, and quoting All Might. Her leg moved forward showing her reaction to attacking. A smile spread across his face as he looked excited.

Izuka pulled One For All throughout her whole body allowing it to take over and cover herself. The electricity filling her veins was a comforting sign that she might have a chance, but only one. Flying forward her eyes kept themselves trained on the villain taking in the smile, and his movements of his hand reaching for one of the long swords. He rushed forward to meet her halfway, his sword at his side, quickly moving up to reach her first. She ducked low keeping closer to the ground as she used her quirk to gain a burst of speed as his sword swung forward. The whooshing of air directly above her signaled that he had missed, but just barely. Her body slid between his legs, her torso twisting as she used full cowl to shove herself up into the air.

Stain, knowing what she had just done, twisted his own body around, his sword slicing through the air to meet her movements. The force from her jump was too fast as the sword swiped underneath her, barely grazing the bottom of her boot. She arched mid air as her fist came down hurtling toward his face. Stain dodged the hit, his free hand swinging another sword in an X, both of them slicing in her direction. Her aim was direct on, she ignored the slicing of pain in her arm, only hoping for long enough to finish her move. Izuka's fist dug into the ground, the force of her hit shoving the ground up into the air, a crevice hurtling toward Stain, throwing him off balance and up into the air.

She gasped as the pain in her arm took over her senses, black flashing across her vision, it definitely wasn't the feeling she had planned but she would work on it later. Would fix the kinks in it and make it nonpainful, but for now it had worked. Her eyes rolled up into her head before she forced herself to find where Stain had gone. One of his swords had landed only a few mere inches from her face, but it didn't have a trace of blood on it.

Her eyes widened as she found him struggling to his feet. The attack had thrown him off guard but it hadn't had enough force behind it to knock him out like planned. His tongue darted out to swipe at the blood that coated the sharp edge of one of his blades. She felt her body freeze up as she continued to lay on the floor. She couldn't believe that a small scratch could be enough but upon seeing him lick the blood from the sword she knew it had to do something with her blood, not just simply cutting her.

His eyes lit up as he realized her attack had actually hit, she hadn't missed, and he had completely underestimated her. She had almost taken him down with that move, if she had more training with it he may have been toast.

"I underestimated you, little girl," he told her as his eyes gleamed. "What you lack in experience you make up in power, I wonder if one day you'd make a good hero. So many fools out there are nothing but talk, but you are worth keeping alive." She stared widely at him. "Unlike these others." Izuka shivered at his words as he began to walk forward once more, only a slight limp in his stride.

Stain knelt down in front of her where his missing blade was, his eyes connecting with hers before picking it up and moving past her. How she had fallen gave her a clear view of the man walking over to Iida. He towered over her fallen classmate, the swords tip hanging over his eye as he prepared for the killing blow.

"No!" she yelled out cursing her body for not moving. He lifted the blade and slashed it through the air. Her eyes refused to close as she watched in horror. A chill erupted in the air as she felt the scream stick in her throat. Ice formed between the blade and Iida, effectively blocking him from the attack. The cracking of ice filled the air and sounded like music to her ears. Izuka felt herself let out a breath of relief at the familiar sight of red and white hair. If her body could move she would have slumped closer to the ground but as her circumstances had it she was already as close to the concrete as she could get.

Stain let out a frustrated groan as he stared up at the newcomer, his eyes twitching. "Just one interruption after another. How annoying."

Todoroki slid his phone out as he glanced down at the screen that lit up with Izuka's text. He frowned as his mismatched eyes settled on her form, the wind blowing his hair into his eyes keeping them shielded from her own gaze.

"Midoriya, learn to write more specific directions," he said as he settled his gaze on Iida, the hero, and finally Stain. He lifted his gaze, his hair falling away, and leaving her a perfect view of the seriousness on his face. "I was almost too late."

"I'm starting to get annoyed with everyone getting in the way of my plans," Stain hissed out as his eyes glared at Todoroki. "It's about time someone died." Izuka was so happy she could almost cry. She had thought Iida was done for. Her text though meaningless at first glance had worked.

"It took me a few seconds to realize what your text meant," Todoroki said, completely ignoring Stain as he raised his hands. "I knew you weren't one to just send a meaningless text, and that it had to mean you were in trouble. Don't worry, others in our class should have seen it, and I tipped off the pros. They will be here soon."

Stain sighed as he listened to the boy and knelt down to grab his knife, his eyes never leaving the boy. His white eyes trained on his movements knowing that he had to know exactly when he moved, or he could be caught in his quirk. Now that he knew what it was he could avoid the ice.

Todoroki stepped forward the ice shooting out from his foot and encasing the ground between him and the villain quickly. Stain jumped, his grip tight on the knife as he shoved himself forward rapidly, completely avoiding the ice. Shouto pushed his hand out, a wall of ice shooting straight for the man. Stain flung himself to the side. The new ice shot out toward the pro hero and Izuka, flipping them up into the air, and sliding them safely behind Todoroki. Midoriya shivered at the cold that bit through her costume, but her body resisted as she sucked in a breath.

"It's just like the reports said," Todoroki said. "But I'm sorry, today you won't be killing these guys." His left side lit up in a flame quickly melting the ice around the frozen comrades. Izuka could feel the ice warm and then soak her, but she ignored the feeling. Stain, however, just stared at him, his face blank as his tongue swiped out against his lips. His gaze darted down toward Midoriya and the others before resting back on the only person between him and them.

"Todoroki!" she called out to warn him. "Don't let him draw blood! I'm almost completely sure he paralyzes people by ingesting their blood. It's how we were caught." Todoroki nodded as he took a step back closer to her.

"Got it," he said. "Keep my distance. Don't get nicked." As the words left his mouth a blade whizzed by, the boy barely able to dodge the attack. His eyes widened and he gritted his teeth as he moved off to the side. Another blade was let loose from Stain's hand and was easily dodged once more.

"You've got some good friends, Ingenium," Stain laughed out. His tone wasn't happy, but tight. He rushed forward another longer blade in his hands as he sliced forward, but ice came up and stopped the blade from growing closer. At the same time Todoroki could feel his cheek sting, a line of blood bubbling up from a cut. There had been another knife hidden in the first attack. His eyes latched onto the one that hit him barely seeing the tongue that darted out to swipe at his face. Shouto stomped his foot forward, ice springing up between them and flames erupting, causing Stain to jump back before he could get a taste. Reaching up to wipe away the blood he realized he would need to be more careful. The villain had set up many attacks in one.

"Just stop," Iida coughed out, his voice shaking. "Both of you, just stop." His tone was harsh but there was a waver in it. "I've inherited my brothers name. I have to do this, he's mine!" Izuka found herself frowning once again, that uneasy feeling erupting in her stomach.

"Inherited you say," Todoroki said as another wall of ice built up between the two, driving Stain farther back. "That's weird." A permanent chill seemed to hang in the air. Izuka found herself wishing to be unfrozen, to move, to help Todoroki. To drive away the chill and unease she felt. "'Cause the Ingenium I know never made faces like that. I guess even your family has got a dark side."

Izuka could feel the need to move build up inside of herself, the desperate need to do something, anything. She gritted her teeth as she tried to flex her hands. Just one single movement would do. Her hand twitched and with it came the sudden knowledge that she could move.

"Todoroki!" she yelled out.

Daggers struck through the ice, shattering it to pieces, as they dug themselves into Shouto's arm. The boy groaned as his free hand came up to grab at the injured arm, blood running freely down it.

"Obstructing your own vision when up against an opponent faster than yourself doesn't seem like a smart choice," came Stains taunting voice. Todoroki gritted his teeth as he called for his flames, looking around for the man, who appeared above him, blade pointed down. "You're not that bad."

Izuka followed the movements of the Hero Killer as she willed her body to move, happiness filling her up inside at the motion of just being able to move again. One For All swam throughout her body as she flashed up to bounce off the side of the building, her momentum gaining higher, nearing Stain. Her fingers reached out to grip at the back of his shirt, tugging him down with her.

"Midoriya!" Todoroki yelled as he clutched at his arm and watched her carry off the Hero Killer.

Her fingers dug themselves into the cloth of his shirt, refusing to allow him to flee. Stain growled as he realized what blood type she must have been to allow herself to move again so quickly. He began to twist his body mid air meaning to dislodge her grip on him. His elbow came out to jab her in the side but she had felt him move, her own body moving as she swung her arm around, pulling him up and over her. Her other hand came up to let loose a sonic wave, flinging him up high in the sky as she began to fall back toward the ground, gravity having finally caught up to her. As she spun around to try to land right, ice came up and met her, softening her fall, and sliding her back down toward Todoroki.

She let a thankful smile take over her face as she pulled herself up to her feet to stand next to the mismatched boy. Stain crashed down to the ground several feet ahead of them, the cement shaking under the impact.

"His quirk must have to do with blood types," Midoriya said having deducted that it would be the most likely of choices.

"We need to grab those two and leave," Todoroki said as Stain began to pull himself to his feet. A growl erupted from the angry killer as he pinned them with his glare. "He's much too fast for my ice and fire, that doesn't leave many openings for us. Our best course of action would be to fend him off and keep dodging until the pros get here." Izuka couldn't exactly deny this plan knowing it was really their only option, but she knew he would only go after them, especially with his need to kill the hero and Iida. Todoroki and herself could possibly get away without being chased but the other two wouldn't have the same luxury.

"You've got lots of exposed blood," she said pointedly to Todoroki. "I'll be the distraction while you provide rear support." Todoroki sighed as he stared down at his bad arm, the blood still flowing freely. His eyes hardened but he nodded.

"It's not the best, but we don't got much of a choice. The two of us will protect them." At his words Midoriya began to glow green as she hunched forward. Her stamina was running low, but determination filled her veins.

"Two on one," Stain said his light eyes darkening almost with his emotions. "At least your not naive." He could almost understand the obsession Shigaraki held for this girl.

Izuka darted out, her body flinging forward, her legs moved faster than before. From behind her Todoroki kept a cover of ice and fire, effectively keeping Stain from attacking her from the sides. He had no choice but to meet her head on. She could feel the blade slice through her clothes and into her leg, but she gritted her teeth and ignored it. Her sole focus on the man in front of her as she dodged to the side and swung her good leg out trying to clip him from the side. The power behind her kick, if having made contact, would have flung him through a wall of the building behind him, but he had dodged. His speed having moved to amazing levels, had caused him to disappear from in front of her and reappear directly in line with Shouto.

"Todoroki!" she yelled out as her eyes widened and she flung herself around. She could hear the fire and ice user yelling at Iida but the sounds jumbled inside of her ears, no clear words being made out as she watched in horror. She desperately reached out as her legs carried her forward, but she was going to be too late. Ice formed in front of Todoroki but it wouldn't be enough. His words ripped through her ears.

"Never forget who you want to become!"

Ice was shattered away as Stain appeared over the edge, emerging from the wreckage as he loomed dangerously over Todoroki. Izuka slid her foot, catching part of the ice that had been cut off as she stumbled, still much too far away to be of any help. Her hand curled into a fist as she prepared to let loose another sonic wave, the panic building inside of herself as she watched the blade dangerously close the distance to line directly up with Shouto's arm. He was preparing to cut it clean off. The wince wracked throughout her body as a boom shattered the air molecules. With a burst of extraordinary speed Iida had pulled himself off the ground, and connected his leg with the blade. It broke off just mere inches from connecting with Todoroki's arm.

The sound grated throughout the air as Stain stumbled back several feet bringing him closer to her than before. Her excitement for Iida's recovery flooded throughout her.

"It seemed to have faded," Todoroki said. "The bastards quirk ended up being no big deal, surprisingly." Izuka wasn't sure if she could agree with him on that as he had been mere moments away from losing his arm. Her heart was still pounding loudly away inside of her chest as the danger eased just slightly.

"For wrapping you two up in something that had nothing to do with you, I must apologize," Iida began causing Izuka to grit her teeth once more. She couldn't believe he was on that again. "That is why I cannot allow the two of you to spill anymore blood."

Stain stood to his feet slowly, his eyes never leaving the three as he began to brush debris from his clothes. His fingers curled around the broken blade, hostility rolling off him in waves. His tongue slid out to run across his teeth as doubt clearly written across his face.

"Don't try to make me think you've had a change of heart," Stain said with a roll of his eyes. "A man's true character doesn't change so easily. You are nothing more than a fake who prioritizes his own selfish desires. You are the cancer of society, warping the word 'hero' and someone needs to fix that."

"Ignore him Iida," Todoroki said seriously as he took a step toward the other man.

"No," Iida said stopping him in his tracks. "It's just as he said, I'm not qualified to bear the name.. Of a hero. Nevertheless, I can't afford to fold here, for if I were to fold, then Ingenium would die." Stain looked disgusted as he took a step forward.

"That's out of the question," he snarled as he went to leap forward. Todoroki used his fire to keep him at bay. Izuka rolled over from her spot to avoid the flames as she gasped at the pain that ripped through her leg. She could hear the pro hero, who still couldn't move, yelling out for them to leave. Her frustration at the situation was spiking as she tried pulling herself to her feet. Her eyes were wide as she watched a knife flash through the air.

"Todoroki!" she yelled out in warning but Iida had flashed forward his arm taking the knife. He fell to the cold, hard ground. Her mind began to race as she tried to figure out what she could do. Her eyes darted to the ice and she once again tried pushing herself to her feet. The pain was still there, but she gritted her teeth and pushed through it. Her body swayed as she tried to find some semblance of balance. Would she be able to do it?

Stain shot forward as the flames disappeared. Iida's engines kicked to a start, his teeth clamped around the blade and pulled.

Izuka activated her quirk, the power rippling through her body, the pain dulling to a soft ache, as she pushed from the ground. The ice in front of her was used to jump higher, her body twisting as she turned mid air, heading straight for Stain. Iida pushed from the ground, the cement breaking and crumbling under the force of his body ripping through the air.

"I'll fight, I'll give up this arm," Iida thought to himself. "Because right now." His leg swung forward, Stain's momentum keeping him from halting and avoiding. Stains eyes twitched to his left where Izuka was rushing forward. Her arm was pulled back crackling with a green glow.

"Right now," Izuka thought.

"Go!" Todoroki yelled as he stared up at the two, sweat building at his brow.

"My kick," Iida thought.

"My fist," Izuka thought to herself.

"Is needed!" they thought at the same time. Her fist struck forward, flying through the air, and connecting with the side of his face. Stains head whipped to the side, red blushing through his face. Iida's leg struck out, slamming into his gut, as his body was thrown in two different directions. His body twisted mid air, tumbling over himself as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

Izuka could feel her arm spasm slightly but her power output had been perfect, nothing was broken, and her arm would stop feeling anything in just another second. Blood slid down from his lips as Stain's eyes flashed open, his hand grabbing for his sword, as it sliced through the air straight for Iida's head. Izuka could hear Iida yell, her ears ringing, as she felt her body begin to fall through the air. Gravity had caught up with her but before she could catch herself ice had risen from the ground, catching her, and causing her to slide toward the ground, and at Todoroki's feet.

Her head hit the ice causing her to groan as she felt another body slam into her from the side. Todoroki moved to grab at Izuka's arm to haul her up to her feet.

"Get up!" he yelled down at them. "The bastard-" His voice dropped as he found Stain lying on a pillar of ice, unmoving. His body barely balancing on the edge, one of his legs and arms thrown over the edge, his face rolled to the side.

"I guess he got knocked out?" Izuka said sounding kind of confused as she slid around trying to gain some kind of traction. Todoroki took pity on her as he leant down and began to melt the ice where Iida and herself lay.

"We should bind him and turn him into the police," Todoroki said as he leaned over to wrap a hand around her arm, tugging her up, as he steadied her.

"We should take away his weapons just in case," Iida said as he too began to get up. Izuka, unfortunately, was hardly able to stand at this point without assistance so Todoroki had led her over to the wall where she slid down to sit. Iida walked over to the pro hero and began to help him to his feet as the man had begun to show that the paralyzation was wearing off. Todoroki in the meantime walked over to where he could see there was a pile of newspapers and decided to use the cords that bound it together.

Izuka never let her eyes trail from the unconscious body of Stain, too afraid of him waking up and no one noticing. She didn't begin to relax until after Todoroki had moved back over to dispel the ice that held up his limp form so that he could then bind his hands together before making sure he couldn't move his arms either.

"I'll drag him," Todoroki said as he walked to stand in front of Izuka. "Are you going to need help?" She tested weight on her leg once more and crumbled already knowing it would be useless.

"With my adrenaline gone, I don't believe so," she said, her voice taking on an upset tone. It frustrated her that she had gotten this hurt and was now reliant on the others. The hero they had rescued walked over to them and leant down, his hand reaching out to offer Izuka help.

"I can carry you," he said kindly. "I owe you three, and with their arms I think it's best if I take you."

"Thank you," she said softly as her hand reached up to grab at his own. He hauled her up. She winced at the pain that sprang through her body but she gritted her teeth, pushing it past. Swinging her onto his back Izuka instantly wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs held by his own hands. Izuka, drained, and exhausted, leant her whole weight on him as she sighed, her head falling forward onto his shoulder. She found the need to sleep overwhelmingly powerful in that moment, but they weren't done yet. She had to stay vigilant in case Stain woke up. There would be no way she would allow herself to be useless in a fight.

"I must apologize. I am a pro and yet I wasn't any help," the hero said as his grip on Izuka shifted. Midoriya grunted at the pain the action caused but said nothing else of her discomfort.

"It's not your fault," she said after the pain passed. "In a one-on-one fight between him with his quirk, there wasn't much you could have done. He was just too powerful."

"Even with three-on-one, we just barely made it," Todoroki said. "It was truly just because of the mistakes he made, and the force we put behind him. He panicked, and it gave us the upper hand." They broke through the alley coming out on the street, causing Izuka to feel relief for only a second before a yell broke out from across the street. Instantly she felt herself cower back in fear as she realized she had been found out by one of her teachers. Neither one of them would have been someone she wanted to run into now. Their disappointment and anger would be too much for her to bear. She wasn't sure who was worse.

"What the hell are you doing here, girl!" Torino hollered out as he glared at her from his position. In a blink of an eye he was gone, re-appearing in front of them an instant later. His face was pulled into a scowl, his eyes hard, as he stood in front of her and the hero. "What were you told!? To sit down and not to follow!"

"Gran Torino," she whispered as her eyes widened.

"For now it doesn't matter," he muttered as a new emotion filled his eyes. Relief. "As long as your fine, we'll talk about it later." She knew Toshi would be told everything that happened. She was going to be in so much trouble, but she wouldn't regret her decision. Not when it saved Iida and this hero. More people arrived on the scene and Izuka froze upon seeing Best Jeanist, and next to him, Kacchan.

The look on his face was twisted with many different emotions, and out of the blue Izuka wondered if that text she had ignored had been from him. It was such a random thought but she instantly began to feel guilty and horrible at the prospect of ignoring him, even if she hadn't done it on purpose. His eyes bounced from her and to the hero that held her, another emotion morphing inside them. She wasn't sure but it almost looked like jealousy and fear? Only a second after she saw him her body instantly began to move to get down from the back of the man who still held her up.

Noticing her struggle the man began to help her only to have Todoroki move from his spot and gripped her around the waist with his good arm and helped pull her down.

"Thanks Todoroki," she said as her head ducked, not wanting to witness the anger on Kacchans face anymore. They would have a lot to talk about after all this was finished.

"That is the Hero Killer," Best Jeanist asked as he moved across the street to stand with everyone else, Kacchan only a step behind him.

"It is," she said quietly as she could hear Todoroki asking another hero about his father. Her eyes were forced to stare into Kacchan's face. His crimson eyes were burning, but now there were far too many emotions swimming in their depths to make out what they were. Her attention was ripped away when Iida began to bow in front of her and Todoroki asking for their forgiveness once more.

"Both of you sustained wounds because of me, I'm truly sorry," he said as his head was bowed. Kacchans eyes narrowed at the boy as he listened in. "I-I became so blind." Tears slid down his face. "I couldn't see anything."

"I'm sorry too," Izuka said as she fidgeted under the stare Kacchan turned to her. "I should have pushed more when I knew something was wrong."

"Pull yourself together," Todoroki said but even his voice had acceptance in it. Her attention moved once more toward Kacchan as she winced at the weight being thrown on her leg. As she had hastily moved away from the hero, she was now supporting herself on her own and that hadn't been the brightest idea. Nevertheless, she wasn't about to have the anger return back to his face. Instead, she began moving toward him, needing to talk to him. She missed the widening of his eyes, as Torino yelled out.

"Duck!" Gran Torino yelled. Her head whipped up into the air as her body began to move down, but it was too late. Talons dug into her side as she could feel herself being ripped up into the air. Kacchan reached out to grab at her but missed by several inches. His fingers curled into themselves instead of his target. She could see the new emotion slide across his face, terror, as she was pulled higher and higher into the sky, farther away from them.

"Midoriya!" everyone yelled as Kacchan took a step forward.

"Koneko!"

Her side was stinging as the claws dug into her side but only lightly piercing her skin, the creature not meaning harm toward her at the moment. Her breathing became erratic as she tried twisting out of its clutches before she got too high for anyone to save her. All the action succeeded in doing was digging the talons harsher into her skin and she went still once more. In the next instant she felt the creature freeze mid air, fear clutching at her as the first signs of dropping came over her. A flash of a person sprung past her. She felt blood spray onto her face as a knife wedged into the head of the creature who had grabbed her. The talons released her and she felt her body begin to fall rapidly back down to the earth.

"The phonies that have over run society," Stain called out as he killed the monster. His eyes moving to the girl rapidly tumbling downward. Her capture had been done by Shigaraki and having met the girl he found he couldn't just let her be dragged back to the man. She had been chosen as worthy, and he'd give her a much more honorable death. "And the criminals who so aimlessly sprinkle around their so-called power." Izuka felt a huff of air release from her lungs as someone snatched her from mid air and they both landed safely, but heavily, to the ground. "Those are the targets of my purge."

She could feel the arm tighten around her waist, keeping her stuck beside him, in his clutches. Her body felt far too heavy to move at the moment anyway.

"All of this is for the sake of a just world!" Stain yelled out his body hunched over. Sweat and spit dripped from his face, falling to the cement. His grip as he leaned forward kept her smashed into the concrete. She could hear the entrance of Endeavor as she began to try to squirm from his grip. Her whole body was screaming out in pain, angry that she was even trying to move.

"Let me go," she said quietly, her voice sounding exhausted.

"Endeavor," she heard Stain hiss as his hand lost its grip over her. The pressure on her back lessened until she watched as he turned around, a hungry look on his face. Her heart stampeded, trying to shove itself through her chest. "Another phony, the fake must be rectified, someone must stain himself in his blood, the word 'hero' must be restored." He took a step forward, blood lust rolling off him in waves.

Izuka couldn't breath, the raw fear that powered throughout her body having froze her lungs.

"Come and just try you pretenders!" he yelled out, the blood lust becoming more powerful. Izuka began to shake, her lungs screaming for air, an action she denied them. Tears leaked from her face as all she could manage was to continue staring up at him. Her hands clutched at her throat. "The only one who is allowed to kill me is All Might!" She felt when the blood lust disintegrated around her, his body stilling, as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

The air was forced through her lungs in a single swoosh as she felt the killing intent disappear. Her body continued to shake as she wheezed her eyes frozen on the man in front of her. It wasn't until Kacchan had leaned down at her side shaking her that she tore her gaze away.

He helped her to her feet, but she knew they would still have much to talk about later, after All Might and Gran Torino ripped her a new one and they had returned back to school. She knew he wouldn't come seek her out before then. He'd be going back to Best Jeanist headquarters before the chance could even arrive. Nothing was said between the two, but his body was stiff, and his eyes blazed as he stared at her.

Gran Torino had rushed her off, pulling her away from the boy, as he began his long rant of everything she had done wrong. But in his tone was relief. Relief that she hadn't died. Todoroki, Iida, and Izuka were rushed off to the hospital, their wounds being taken care of. Later she would find out that a rib had punctured Stains lung, ending the fight.

In that moment, Izuka was sure that it had been him, without ingesting any of their blood, in that moment, the hero killer alone stood firm against the other side.

I made this chapter longer to try to make up for the long wait.

Kare-chan- I hope you like this chapter! I'm so excited to hear from someone who's been reading this since the beginning! Thanks so much for sticking around with me and that the story is still worth reading!

Bonus Chapter: Eight

Inside the Mind of the Hero Killer

As well all know, Akaguro Chizome, (alias "Stain," 31)- one of the nations most wanted criminals- was arrested several nights ago.

Having struck fear across the nation, the Hero Killer's capture came as a great relief, but what was the story behind all those kills? What drove the Hero Killer into his new path of righteousness? What unforeseen pain was hidden in this criminal's past? We unearthed the truth, a beautiful love story turned horrifying in the late hours a year ago, Chizome's bonded was torn violently from his life.

A man once believing in heroes was failed by the people he should have had complete trust in. One stormy evening, Tanaka Aimi, (Chizome's love) was murdered viciously after having called for help. The hero who had arrived, a shining beacon of hope to Aimi, was later accused, and arrested. The hero was found guilty of working with villains, the offer of money apparently too powerful to resist.

Upon arriving on scene and finding the attacker was one of the criminals he worked for, he turned a blind eye, allowing the damsel to fall to her fate. Chizome, stuck in grief, searched for his lover's killers, and upon finding out the hideous truth, dubbed himself as Stain, the Hero Killer. Deciding that all those who hid themselves behind the name hero answered to him, and justice would be dealt upon those who were phonies.