"Izuku! Izuku, can you hear me!?"

A woman's voice. One he could only vaguely remember…

"Izuku, I need you to listen closely, okay?"

When was this again?

"You need to-"

He couldn't hear anything after this…

Japan was such an interesting place.

The food was great, the sights were too.

And everywhere he went, he found a new kind of demon.

Case in point, the blinged-out monkey that stood atop the shrine.

It stood proud and on two legs against the light of the moon.

"That's cute. It thinks it's people."

He sidestepped a kick that flew past his face at the speed of a bullet.

"Woah, feisty!"

"Mind your tongue, human!"

"And it speaks so well, I'm impressed!"

The beast growled as it landed, righting itself and turning to face him again.

It took up a stance; knees bent, open hand forward, fist raised above its head.

"You speak to the legendary demon Seiten Taisei! You will proffer the respect that I am owed!"

The white-haired young man picked a stubborn bit of debris from his inner ear, flicking it off to the side disinterestedly.

The monkey demon kept talking.

"I rose from the underworld alone. I have claimed legions of souls in this fetid realm. And after I kill you, I will return to the underworld AND DEPOSE THAT ROTTEN UPSTA-"

BANG!

The demon dived out of the path of the speeding bullet that was on a collision course with its face.

It glared at the young devil hunter.

"I was talking!"

"You were monologuing."

"I was-"

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The way that the demon moved to avoid all of his shots was interesting.

Its motivations, however, were not.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Didn't ask. Don't care. On a schedule. Please shut up and die quickly."

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"You insignificant little- AGH!"

Seiten Taisei moved a little too close to a tree.

Unfortunately, that just meant that instead of a single bullet coming straight at its face, there was also shrapnel shooting straight for the back of its head.

The demon's own folly seemed to make it make even more irate, its irritation made manifest in a flurry of strikes that the young devil hunter dodged easily enough.

At that moment, Izuku's only thought was that he had never known demons to be so sensitive.

Then, he remembered who his present company was.

"Milord, I get the oddest feeling that you were just incredibly rude to us just now."

"You're imagining things."

He jumped backwards, feet lifting slightly off the ground, evading a high kick that was clearly aimed to take his head off.

He aimed Yuki directly at the ground-

BANG!

The blast kicked up a lot of dirt and dust, while also launching him high into the air.

"Would you like my help now, Milord?"

Izuku stared down at the cloud of dust and dirt on the ground.

In the midst of the carnage, he could see movement.

It was slight, blink and you'd miss it.

But Izuku didn't blink.

So when a screeching chimp (for all of its earlier posturing) jumped at him in a fury, Izuku was far from surprised.

"I think I can handle it."

He twisted his body in mid-air, dodging the demon's flailing limbs, before pointing Minokichi back at its head.

BANG!

When he pulled the trigger, that should've been that.

Unfortunately, at that moment, Seiten Taisei proved himself to be at least somewhat interesting.

WHOOSH!

Eyes widened, Izuku shifted his head to the side, narrowly avoiding the bullet that the monkey had just kicked back at him.

That's…

The devil hunter righted himself and dropped to the ground gracefully.

When he looked at Seiten Taisei, who had done the same on the other end of the clearing, he raised a brow.

"Inari. You saw that, right?"

Babylon hovered over his shoulder.

"I did, Milord. It was almost uncanny."

The demon had replicated his mid-air twist almost exactly, the only difference was the kick of the bullet.

He would've just shrugged it off, but then it copied his landing as well.

Once is a coincidence, twice is a copycat.

The sword-wielding young man slung the heavy blade across his shoulders.

The monkey demon had taken up another stance.

"How was that human? Do you see my speed? My power? My overwhelming str-"

"Yeah, shut up a minute, George. I need to check something."

The white-haired swordsman put up a finger and pulled out his phone.

1:58 P.M.

He sighed.

"Alright monkey see, monkey do. I've got a lunch appointment to make at noon tomorrow. Traffic from here to my apartment is gonna be a pain, and there's still the matter of filling out paperwork at the police station down in town, re-dyeing my hair, and getting at least eight hours of sleep. So, as much as I'd love to have an awesome fight, flying through the air, tearing the forest apart, I'm just gonna kill you now."

The demon was so angry that Izuku could see steam coming out of its ears(?).

"YOU-!"

Whatever foolishness that was about to leave its mouth was long lost to time as a golden glimmering blade severed its head from its body.

Slick Slayin'!

"I'll be back one day. I promise."

The big, rough hand landed gently atop his head and ruffled his hair.

"Be good for them, okay? You'll be safe here. Doubly so because of what I've entrusted to you."

The hand retreated.

His own two smaller hands reached out.

He never reached what he was grabbing for.

"So that's all?"

"Yup."

"All those kids lost… They were only a couple of years younger than me."

"That's just the way of the world sometimes."

"Mm. Do we have a list of names?"

"If you asked the cops, they'd probably have it. When I was filling out the paperwork for my reward, they were talking about informing the families."

"Alright, I'll do that then. Oh, and speaking of your reward…"

The heiress reached into her purse and pulled out a white envelope.

"The second half of your pay."

"Thanks."

He accepted it. He didn't even need to check to make sure everything was there.

The Yaoyorozu Family wouldn't stiff him.

The affluent conglomerate was both his best and his most consistent client.

They always came to him with good jobs and even referred other people to him.

Their support was what kept him afloat, for the most part, considering his occupation.

"Oh, by the way, I spoke to your landlady this morning. Did you that she planning t-?"

On paper, he was a Private Investigator.

To be completely honest, if that were all he was, he would like be able to pay his rent more consistently.

Devil hunting was… a strange business.

Decades ago, demons attacked humanity, rising from a massive breach in the ground in Red Grave City.

A hellish month of death and destruction ensued, but due to the efforts of several of Devil Hunters, the problem was taken care of.

This, however, left the issue of knowledge of the supernatural with humanity at large.

It was a strange time.

After all, there was already the strange phenomena of unique meta abilities appearing in children, known to the common man as 'Quirks'.

Super strength, flight, telekinesis, and even the ability to see the future.

These were but some of the abilities granted to those born with a Quirk.

And now- now people had to wrestle with the understanding that the supernatural not only existed but also nearly wiped them all out?

No, that was far too much.

Records of the incident in Red Grave were sealed, and any possible witness accounts were written off as rumors or conspiracies.

Of course, there were still people who knew and/or believed that the supernatural was out there.

That was where he came in.

Well, not just him.

Other Devil Hunters existed, but not many of them had anything close to the pedigree that he had.

After all, he was the great-grandson of-

"Midoriya-kun? You still there? I really think you shoul-"

"Delivering exposition, gimme a sec."

"What does that even mean?"

He was the great-grandson of one of the most awesome Devil Hunters in the world.

And his father was no slouch either.

His grandfather was… well, no one ever told him what his grandfather did, but he must've been just as cool.

So he got most of the jobs in Japan.

Of course, he was one of the only Hunters in Japan among an already pretty sparse profession, but that was beside the point.

VRRRRRR! VRRRRR! VRRRRR!

Leading back to the point prior which involved his job.

He answered his phone, the bill having been paid by the black-haired scion earlier that morning, and chimed with his most customer-friendly voice.

"Devil May Cry."

"So your line's connected now, huh?"

A deep voice spoke up from the other end of the line.

"Indeed it is."

"Huh, and here I thought you were only taking walk-ins."

Izuku scoffed, "Please, that would practically kill my clientele. You ever seen the neighborhood I live in?"

He heard a chuckle from the other end of the line.

"Yeah, I get that. Chit-chat aside, you got time for a house call. I got a client lined up and figure you could use the work."

He raised a brow.

"They know my rates?"

"Heh, they're offering double-."

"Be there in five."

"Entrance is in the same place as last time."

Beep!

Izuku looked over at his friend, who had clearly heard that he was going to be cutting their hangout short.

She didn't seem the happiest about it, as a matter of fact, she seemed somewhat concerned, but the greenette was sure that she understood.

"Sorry, but it's work, y'know?"

"I get it. But really, you should talk to your landlady as soon as possible."

"Got it. Later."

And with that, he made his way off to another job.

"I'd like you to meet my pride and joy! Say 'hey', Izuku."

"There is a place beloved by wanted men and rogues, where money and power rule all. It is where I have established by the office. Those who call this place by its given name are instantly identified as newcomers, as the tired hands of this rathole all call it by a single name only – The Dump.

Bloody battles and dirty disputes over money are an everyday occurrence here, and the concept of concern for one's fellow man was long since lost on The Dump's denizens. What the people here are after, what they love to see, is not of this world.

They thirst for the uproar only the occult can inspire. The appearance of a specter, a man being devoured by a demon… these are the snacks they eat as they drink and cavort in The Dump's numerous watering holes. It is this place that I have come on my pilgrimage in search of a grasp on reality.

The Dump is a wretched hive for all sorts of scum and villainy; home to everyone from black market businessmen, to informants, and devil hunters in between. But amongst them all, one man is particularly strange. His name is Rodin, proprietor of "The Gates of Hell" bar.

That is all I have been able to wring out of people here. There are also rumors that if you enter the bar from some sort of hidden entrance, he will provide you things money cannot buy… Or so sayeth the gossips in this occult-obsessed town. They even go so far as to say these things are not made via normal means but are weapons made from materials available only in Inferno."

-Notebook of Antonio Redgrave

Entering The Gates of Hell was a strange task.

As far Izuku was aware, there was only one actual door to the place in the world and that door was in the States.

The way that Izuku usually entered was through a portal.

One of hundreds spread around the world, tens of which were located in Japan.

He'd walk into an alleyway off of a main street, stand atop a red sigil, and immediately find himself across the room from a bar well-stocked with liquor and adorned with a gothic motif.

Purple light shone from the neon sign that hung above the shelves.

Yet all of that was far less eye-catching than the giant of a man that stood behind the counter.

A tall, well-built black man, wearing sunglasses.

He wore a long light brown leather overall coat with a lifted collar lined with black fur coating on the inside, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows to reveal that same black fur coating.

This was Rodin. The owner of the Gates of Hell and Izuku's second best client.

And even then, he was far less impressive than the mint ice cream sundae that sat atop the counter.

"'Bout time you showed up. Here I thought your ice cream was gonna melt."

The greenette walked up to the counter, taking a seat at one of the stools in front of it.

"C'mon, Rodin. You've known me for what? Six years, now? You know I'm always there when it counts."

"Hmph, when there's cash and a sundae, you mean?"

Izuku took up a spoon and scooped a sizeable bite of heaven from the glorious manna that had been presented to him.

It was only after he had accepted the gift from his gracious host and client into his digestive that he responded.

"I know what I'm about."

The Gates of Hell proprietor just chuckled before pulling out a cigar.

He put one finger to the unlit foot, holding it there for a moment before Izuku saw a purple flame dance at the tip of it.

Just Rodin things.

Izuku continued eating his sundae, only stopping when he was halfway through the glass to ask Rodin something that was on his mind.

"So what's the deal with the client? I mean, I appreciate the work, but is there anything I oughta know before they get here?"

The dark-skinned bartender stared at him through his shades.

"No. They'll be here soon. You oughta finish your sundae in the meantime. Gotta clean that glass."

The greenette raised a brow, but pressed no further.

As was said before, Rodin was Izuku's second-best client.

He'd never screwed him on a job before, so if there was something that the man decided not to tell him, there was surely a good reason for it.

It also helped that he was being offered one of his favorite snacks as a bonus after weeks of eating nothing but his special recipe.

Special Bell Peppers and Beef (Hold the Beef).

To be completely honest, Izuku didn't even want to look at a bell pepper after the past month.

The sundae, however, was just what the doctor ordered.

Rodin knew just how he liked it.

Drizzled with chocolate sauce. Topped with mint-infused whipped cream and just a light sprinkle of crushed cookies.

He could practically feel his body loosening up in relief as he continued digging into the sweet treat.

His eyelids also felt… heavy.

His brain… was… cloudy.

What's… up… with me?

He slept when he got home.

He was wide awake just a moment before.

What was going on?

Clack! Clack! Clack!

The clacking of high heels drew close.

They came from the direction of the portal.

His heart rate quickened.

Even in his drowsy state, he would recognize that sound anywhere.

They were merely the prelude to the symphony of his destruction.

And if the heels that drew ever closer were the prelude, then surely, the sultry voice that came after was the first chapter.

"Hello there, Little Rabbit."

If his eyelids weren't trying their best to draw themselves together, he was sure that his looked of shocked betrayal would've rattled Rodin, who simply took the glass that Izuku had eaten from and began to wash it.

As it were, only one thought came to the greenette's mind before it all went black.

"I can't believe that this is how I lose my second best client."

When his eyes opened again, he didn't quite know what he expected to see.

The roof of a plane, however, was not it.

His back didn't hurt that much, oddly enough.

He looked to his side.

He was on a couch.

This was not normal for a plane.

He looked to his other side, there was a television.

This was also not normal for a plane.

"Where...?"

He began to sit up slowly...

"Good morning, Little Rabbit."

Before shooting immediately and whipping to face the person who had just addressed him.

Only one person called him that.

One person who he never wanted to see again.

A beautiful woman with a slender yet curvy bewitching figure.

Long black hair worn in braids with red ribbons in them, and a bang sweeping to the right side of her face.

A black suit with puffy sleeves and short ruffles protruding out of them.

Glasses with a large, rounded frame, and intricate decorative elements.

The sides of her legs were uncovered, with tiny braid patterns forming images of roses, exposing the smooth creamy white skin underneath.

This woman oozed confidence and sex appeal.

For Izuku, however, she represented all of his worst nightmares.

This is why, as he saw her wave and smile at him coquettishly with a champagne flute in hand-

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

-the scream that came from the private jet could be heard from miles below.