Disclaimer: I don't own Boku no Hero Academia

Chapter 23:

"I'll accept any punishment," Kuroiro said, staring ahead at his homeroom teacher as they stood in the hallway outside of their classroom.

Vlad King had a serious expression on his face as he stared down at Kuroiro. He had been waiting for him outside the room when Kuroiro approached late, having been slow on his way to school since he knew what he was in for. The boy had steadied his resolve on the way to school though, telling himself that he did not regret what he did while accepting that he was still going to get in trouble for it. The boy's homeroom teacher frowned down at him for a few more seconds, then he lifted a hand in the red glove of his costume and scratched the back of his head. Kuroiro's eyes opened wide at the sight of his teacher doing this, and Vlad King ran his hand up from the back of his gray hair to the front before lowering his arm again.

"You're not, in any trouble," Vlad King said.

"Huh?" Kuroiro muttered, as he had spent the entire morning fixing his resolve for the punishment he would receive.

"It's just, not-" Vlad King stopped himself and he frowned more at the shocked boy in front of him. "I'll give it to you straight, Kuroiro. The more Sazaki saves people, the less anyone's looking for him to be punished." Kuroiro's narrow eyes opened even more, almost to the point they were as wide as most others' were normally. The boy with the Quirk Black gave his teacher a confused look, and Vlad King hummed as he could see he needed to say more.

"At first, when he started using his power to bring people back, I am sure you heard many people calling it 'unnatural.' They claimed that the dead should stay dead," Vlad said. He paused, his lips deepening in his frown after it came out. Then he continued, "However, more and more people are finding out that they know someone who was brought back, or know someone who knows someone. The number is rising too high, and vocal supporters are appearing who are frustrated at us heroes and the police."

"At you?" Kuroiro questioned confusedly.

"They know the police and heroes have been targeting him, and although he is breaking the law…" Vlad King hesitated. He scratched his head again, then he stood firmly in front of the boy and put his hands on his sides to not let his own student think he was as hesitant about all this as he really was. "The citizens are upset, that we are forcing him into hiding: 'The Healer,' the 'Miracle Worker,' or the name that's been building up steam since this person first denied being Zach Sazaki- 'Lifebringer.'" Kuroiro got a more confused look on his face as to why Vlad King said that, and his homeroom teacher grunted before saying, "It's the name he chose as his hero name. Which means most likely, it was posted online by someone at this school."

Kuroiro's eyes opened wide, but Vlad was not finished. "It's one of the reasons we cannot punish you for this. Considering half the school shared your video," Vlad King muttered. Kuroiro had to keep himself from smiling as Vlad King continued, "If we gave you a punishment for it, we'd have to punish everyone, and that's not our position anyway."

"What-" Kuroiro began. Vlad King looked into the boy's thin eyes, and Kuroiro stopped holding it back and asked, "What are the teachers' positions? What is U.A.'s position on this?"

Vlad King hummed, then he said, "If Zach Sazaki has sided with the League of Villains, then even if he is doing good he is our enemy." Kuroiro's eyes lowered to the floor, but then Vlad continued, "But, if he's doing what he tried to do at the training camp, and in Camino Ward… If he's still doing it, but pulling the long-con this time," the left corner of Vlad's lip curled up and he shook his head once. "Admittedly, we do not know what our reaction will be. But he can't kill anyone else," Vlad said, his lips dipping back down far after Kuroiro looked up at him. "That's the number one thing we are looking at. If he kills anyone, after going with the villains on his own, he'll be going to prison when he comes back- or when he's captured, whichever comes first."

Shihai Kuroiro frowned but he nodded at his teacher, understanding the stance while questioning himself what he would think if Zach came back after doing something like that. Vlad King slapped a hand down on Kuroiro's left shoulder and finished while he pulled the boy forward towards the door of Class-B. "Despite all that, it really just comes down to this. How could we punish you, for saving your own grandmother's life?" Vlad asked. Then the teacher reached forward and slid the door open, before shoving Kuroiro through and into the classroom.

The rough way in which Vlad pushed Kuroiro in had the entire classroom silent. Kuroiro walked over to his empty seat after steading himself, and he sat down on the left side of Monoma, on the right of Tetsutetsu. They both looked towards him, then their attentions snapped forward as the homeroom teacher started talking to them all.

Kuroiro listened in to what Vlad was saying for a little, but his attention shifted away a few minutes in. Mom told me, after the scolding- she told me, Grandma's condition was better. I don't know what that means, but maybe her memory is back to what it was. What does Zach's Quirk do… Kuroiro closed his eyes and shook his head once to shake off those thoughts. He sat back in his seat, then as Vlad King turned to the board, Kuroiro looked to his right at the blond boy who turned to him noticing his classmate turning. Kuroiro stared at Monoma for a second with his mouth still in a frown, then he said in a low whisper, "Thanks for sharing it."

Before the notifications had popped up so fast that he was unable to follow, he had caught glimpses of the first names of people who shared his live stream. One of the very first, was the boy sitting on his right side now. The blond boy smiled back at him and nodded, then Monoma turned to look back towards Vlad King as the homeroom teacher was turning back around. A few others behind Kuroiro and Monoma who heard the whisper looked at Monoma's back too. Vlad King had scolded Kuroiro and Monoma harshly on the first day back after the training camp, when they were first moving into their dorms, and everyone in Class-B was shocked to hear Monoma had gone to try and save Bakugo and Sazaki. Some of them still did not know how to feel about their classmate, but almost all of them had forgiven him for his actions at the Sports Festival now. One of the ones who had not yet was sitting right behind Monoma, but the boy's expression softened as he stared at the back of Monoma's head.

Neito Monoma looked down at his notebook, then up at his teacher again who kept talking about what they could do now that most of them had acquired hero licenses. As Monoma listened to Vlad King, he thought to himself, I wonder, if I would have gotten my provisional license if I hadn't… What I did to Sazaki, I was ashamed. But because of that, I became a better hero. I hope everyone in class can see that. At the exam, Kendo wanted to hear what I thought. I was surprised, but then when the others actually listened to my strategy- Monoma pursed his lips and he continued taking notes, trying hard not to smile as he did. His urge to smile faded though and he stopped moving his pen. I never really, helped him. I saved Mt. Lady like he wanted, but him, what did I do to help him? I hid when the others talked him down, afraid of what he'd do if he saw me, terrified because of the monster I thought he- Monoma closed his eyes while still looking at his notes. And now he's a villain, Monoma's hand tightened on his pen, his eyes opening back up and lifting towards Vlad while his mouth lowered into a deep frown. Then a sweatdrop formed on the side of his serious face, and he thought, A villain, who saved Kuroiro's Grandma…

On an elevated train shooting over Musutafu City, Kuroiro glanced at the blond boy next to him who had a red hoodie on with the hood up. The sixteen year old blond boy kept talking even though Kuroiro mentioned how they should keep low profiles. Kuroiro had a black hoodie on himself, that along with his Quirk made him as dark as could be. He appreciated that people usually looked away when they saw him for once, because he had become too well-known in the past week. Even though it had just been a video stream that disappeared once it was done, people had taken screenshots and a lot of people knew his face. He felt like it was more than even when he was in the Sports Festival's final round.

Kaminari was not hiding himself as much though. His hood was barely over his head, halfway back on his blond hair so the front spikes were still sticking up, and he was not doing a good job at hiding considering he kept talking to Kuroiro about their classes. "You could have just given me his address," Kuroiro said as Kaminari closed his mouth again. Kaminari rolled his eyes as Kuroiro mentioned it again, and Kuroiro frowned more from under his hood while looking at the blond next to him. I could not locate his address as easily as I had hoped. Yet I was still surprised when he told me he knew where Zach lived.

"Where's the fun in that?" Kaminari asked. He laughed, even though Kuroiro did not look to be in the laughing mood. "Hey, anything I can get that tells me more about him, I'll take," Kaminari said. He looked up at the electronic banner over the sliding doors in front of him on the train, checking what the next stop was. "We're getting off here," Kaminari said to the boy next to him, and Kuroiro just nodded once.

The two of them got off the train, and as soon as they started walking in a less crowded area, Kaminari took off his hood and unzipped his sweatshirt. He fanned a hand at his face and muttered about it being too hot, and Kuroiro just frowned that the other boy was not taking the secrecy seriously. Two U.A. students walking around, near Zach Sazaki's apartment no less. It could draw unwanted attention, Kuroiro thought.

What's in the letter? I gotta know! Kaminari pretended to still be looking straight ahead, but even though he was facing forward his eyes had darted to his right side and were watching Kuroiro. Why'd he send it to this girl? Couldn't he have written me one too? I want to know what's up man!

"Where are we going?" Kuroiro asked, turning his head to Kaminari who looked away fast before pointing down the road.

"It's right around that corner," Denki Kaminari replied.

Kuroiro nodded in response again, and Kaminari rolled his eyes as he could never get a conversation going with the boy next to him. "So, what do you think this girl looks like?" Kaminari asked. He continued as he was only half expecting an answer, "I bet she's like, black haired, and probably got these huge knockers-"

"What are you talking about?" Kuroiro muttered. "We're just delivering a letter. Does it matter what she looks like?"

"Um, yes?" Kaminari said, his eyes widening, surprised that was even a question. "How can you not be interested? Zach went out of his way to give you that envelope, risking everything he's doing for this girl." Kuroiro hummed and he felt the envelope in his pocket again, wondering what could be inside it even though he had tried to keep from getting interested up until now. Kaminari kept going, "I never even considered he had a girl back home. This is easily the biggest mystery about him."

This made Kuroiro sweatdrop and he actually cracked a smile for a short second. Out of everything, the thing that interests you the most is whether he has a girlfriend or not? Kuroiro asked himself while shaking his head.

"That's his apartment building," Kaminari said as they rounded the corner. He lifted his head and said in some surprise, "I don't remember that other building though… guess it must have just been built."

"Sure we're in the right place? And you didn't get us lost?"

"I'm sure! That's definitely it," Kaminari said assuredly, recognizing the place he had been to twice before. He knew the route well enough now that he did not even have to pull it up on his phone after Kuroiro asked him for directions.

"Alright," Kuroiro replied. "Let's go up…" he trailed off and frowned deeper. How am I going to figure out which neighbor it is? I guess if I can find a landlord. "Hey Kaminari," Kuroiro began, turning to see if the blond boy had any ideas.

Kaminari's head was turned to the left though, watching the figure who just ran by them on the other side of the road. She had on a brighter red hoodie than his, with her hood up, and she was wearing tight black pants that Kaminari was staring at when Kuroiro turned. Kuroiro rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to continue, then Kaminari spun towards him with wide eyes and pretended like they were mid-conversation, saying, "No way. Really?"

Kuroiro glanced the other way, and Kaminari started sweating more. The girl he had been watching run away had looked back all of a sudden, catching him staring at her butt. He was trying hard to pretend it was not the case, but out the corner of his eyes he saw that girl jogging across the street in front of them. Oh man, Kaminari thought, leaning back with a smile on his face as he turned to this girl like it was the first time he was seeing her. She was jogging right up towards them, and Kaminari began, "Hey there."

The girl came to a stop in front of the two. She was shorter than Kuroiro by an entire foot, and just a little less than that for Kaminari who was a few inches shorter than his darker companion. She reached up and pulled her headphones out of her ears, then she pulled back her hood and shook out her red hair so the ponytail it was tied in came up over her bunched-up hood. The short girl looked back and forth between the two, and Kuroiro was getting more annoyed at Kaminari by the second for getting them into this. He opened his mouth to apologize while Kaminari was thinking up an excuse since it seemed like the girl knew he had been watching her, then she said, "Denki Kaminari? And, Shihai Kuroiro?" She pointed a finger at each of them, then she grinned wide at their reactions.

"You know us?" Kuroiro began, though he wondered if maybe it was just a U.A. Sports Festival thing. It seemed like it was more than that though considering the girl came right up to them without hesitation.

Kaminari grinned as he felt relieved like the girl did not actually catch him. "Yeah, that's me," he said while flashing the girl his smile, and she just smiled back at him before he asked, "How's a cute girl like you know who we are?"

Her entire light-skinned face shaded pink, and Kaminari and Kuroiro's eyes widened a bit in surprise at her Quirk. Jenny got over the compliment quickly though as she realized what they were staring at. Instead of getting more embarrassed about it and making that shade turn more red, her skin turned back to normal and she smiled at the two in her normal way again. "Sure I know you. You two were on Zach's team for the Cavalry Battle."

Kuroiro looked at the girl in even more surprise, then he looked around and muttered, "Does everyone around here know who Zach-"

"Don't you get it dude?" Kaminari asked. Kaminari started grinning as Kuroiro looked at him in confusion, and Kaminari said before the girl could respond to his question, "You really think Zach's friends with more than one cute girl? No way." Kuroiro's eyes widened a bit, while Jenny tried to keep from letting her face turn pink again, though it did turn pale white at what Kaminari said next. "This has got to be that Jenny girl."

Jenny Akers' eyes opened huge, then her face turned pink, then it shaded into a warm yellow as her mouth curled up so much again. "Did Zach talk about me?" She asked, confirming what Kaminari said which made him smirk. "Actually," she continued, her skin turning back to its normal color. She looked around the neighborhood that was very close to her apartment, then she looked back at the boys in front of her and asked, "Why are you here?"

Jenny lifted her right arm and wiped it across her forehead. She was sweating from her long run that she was just getting back from, a run she took on her own even though it was the middle of cross country season and she got enough of it at school, or so her parents tried telling her before she ran out. She thought she recognized the two boys from only a quick glance their way, and though she had questioned it while she kept running for a few seconds, she had to turn and make sure she was wrong. When she saw it really was the two who Zach teamed with during the Cavalry Battle, easily recognizing them since their team was the only team she was really paying attention to back then, she had to say something.

"Actually," Kuroiro began, reaching down into his pocket. Kaminari stared with interest at the girl's expression while Kuroiro pulled a folded in half envelope from his pocket. "Zach wanted me to get this to you," Kuroiro said, unfolding it and showing the girl that it had 'Jenny' written on the envelope.

Jenny's eyes opened wide again, then she lifted a hand towards the envelope. Her arm froze though before her hand grabbed it, and a more hesitant look formed on her face.

Chance! Kaminari thought with a grin, before getting more serious and stepping towards the girl. "If you want, we'll read it with you." Kuroiro darted Kaminari a look, while Jenny lifted her gaze to him in more surprise. He could see she was hesitant about responding, and he lost his serious expression and frowned more. "Actually, I just want to read it," Kaminari admitted to her. "I want to know how Zach's doing," he told the red-haired girl, and he continued, "It's really bugging me that I don't know how he is. So you know, if you don't mind-"

Jenny started nodding her head, because she knew that feeling herself. "Fine," she said, and she grabbed the letter from Kuroiro's hand while turning to him too. She tilted her head at him, asking with the motion if he wanted to listen in too. Kuroiro opened his mouth to say it did not matter to him, but he hesitated and then nodded his head while his mouth closed back into a frown. "Cool," Jenny turned and she started heading back for her apartment. "Come on," she said.

"We can't read it here?" Kaminari asked.

"Well I'm not taking you inside, if that's what you think," Jenny remarked. Kaminari's eyes widened for a second, then the girl in front of him turned and smirked at the blond boy who she definitely did catch staring at her, as well as dropping a few well-placed compliments. "I just want to sit down for this," she said, and she pointed towards the side of her apartment where the steps leading up to the second floor that she lived on started.

The three teenagers walked over to the steps, and Jenny walked up a couple before sitting down on the fourth step up. Kaminari popped a squat on the second step and leaned his back against the bars of the outer railing, while Kuroiro just leaned back on the wall on the inside of the staircase in front of the blond, crossing his arms and staring ahead as he prepared for what came in the letter. Jenny was hesitant about opening the letter, but she was glad Kaminari had asked to listen in. It made it harder for her to keep sitting there without opening the envelope in her hands, especially with Kaminari looking at her expectantly and with eyebrows raised. "I'm doing it," she said at his look, and he held his palms up defensively.

Jenny looked back down at the envelope, took a deep breath, then she ripped the top of it open and pulled out the paper inside that was folded into thirds. She pulled the top flap up and the bottom down and held it in a way so it would not re-fold itself, and she stared at the top line. Should I really tell them this? Zach did address it only to me- but, these guys came all the way here to find me. They deserve to hear it too. Jenny steadied her voice and started, "'Hey Jenny. I don't know how I'm going to get this to you, but if there's an opportunity I'll try to take it.'"

Kuroiro stared out past the railing above Kaminari's head while the boy in front of him glanced back his way. Guess he got his opportunity. Not that, it was the priority to him, Kuroiro thought, shaking the idea out of his head that Zach had come just to give him the letter, considering how quick Zach was to run to his grandmother's side. And now she's doing better than ever.

Jenny read some more of what was written in her head, then she started speaking again. She wanted to confirm first that she was not going to give away Zach's secrets that he only wanted her to hear, but she did not see much of that in there. She continued, "'I don't really know what to tell you. I guess, I'm sorry. Can't say anything about where I am right now, even if I knew. The others here could find this after all.' He's, talking about the villains?" Jenny whispered, lifting her gaze from the note and looking to Kaminari who nodded at her after a couple of seconds. Jenny frowned and hummed in her throat while lowering her eyes back to the page. "He kept going, 'I'm saving people Jenny. I know they're probably saying all kinds of things about me on tv, but it's still me. Even if I can't come back right now, I am saving people in my own way. I'll see you again though! Just because I can't come back right now, doesn't mean it'll be forever.'" Jenny paused, and she looked farther down the note as there was a small gap there, a couple of crossed-out things too like Zach did not know how to keep going.

"'Well, that's about-' he stopped again, but he didn't cross it out," Jenny muttered, then she stopped herself as she read the bottom. She read it, glanced up at the others, and she did not know if she wanted to keep speaking. Yet even after only a few seconds, she could barely hold it in anymore and wanted to ask questions about it. So instead she started in a softer voice, "He, gets kind of personal here." She glanced up, but neither of them told her not to say anything. They did not ask to hear either, but Jenny wanted to go on. "He said, 'Next time I see you, I'll tell you everything. About what happened-'" Jenny paused, then she continued after pursing her lips for a second, "'About what happened to my parents. About how All Might saved me when I was a kid. All of it.'" Jenny looked up, but both Kuroiro and Kaminari had wide-eyed confusion on their faces after hearing that. Jenny folded the letter back up and placed it down on her knees, and she muttered, "'Goodbye.'"

Jenny stayed quiet after, but her elbows were on her knees and she stared forward in between the boys and out into the street past her apartment. "I know I don't say it enough, but I love you and your parents. I miss you. Goodbye." Idiot… say more. Jenny's eyes lowered down to the letter and ripped envelope she had pressed to her knees by her elbows, frowning as there was so much more she wanted to hear.

Kaminari put his hands up behind his head and leaned back on the railing. He let out a loud groan, and the other two thoughtful teens on the steps looked down his way. "I wish he had said more," Kaminari said, looking up in annoyance at how Zach ended that. "More questions than answers there," he muttered, rolling his eyes. He stopped after a second and smiled though, "Sounds like he's alright though." Kaminari looked up at Kuroiro, then he turned to Jenny who was looking at him in surprise. "He sounds like he's in good spirits, despite everything."

"'…they're probably saying all kinds of things about me on tv,'" Kuroiro started. The other two turned his way, and he said, "It sounds like he doesn't have access to television." Both of the others' eyes opened wide, and Kuroiro continued after seeing those looks, "I thought he may have been trying to leave secret messages in there. Didn't you-"

"Let's read it again," Kaminari said. "Look closer in the-" he paused as he suggested and started leaning towards Jenny, seeing a more hesitant look on her face. He quickly realized that she probably left some personal things out and just sat back again. "Nevermind. Do you think he'd try doing that?" Kaminari asked, looking at Jenny who was surprised he leaned back so quickly.

She smiled that he did not try to pry and read it for himself though, and then she shook her head and said, "I don't think so. He's good at puzzles and codes, but he knows I wouldn't be able to figure that kind of stuff out. And if he was trying to be careful about the villains reading that, he'd have to make the codes harder than they could figure out, yeah?" Kaminari hummed and nodded his head as that made sense to him. "No way I decipher a code he's making too hard for villains."

"Hmm," Kuroiro hummed, nodding his head too. He's just being careful, Kuroiro thought, though he was disappointed there was not more useful information in that letter.

"But," Jenny continued, looking up at the dark boy leaning on the wall. "Zach's right-handed." Kuroiro gave her a confused look, and she continued, "He's so bad at writing with his left hand, that there's no way he still has that box on his hand to be writing like this."

"What does that mean?" Kaminari asked.

"Well," Jenny said, turning back to the blond. "It means they're not just taking it off to let him go around healing people. He might not be allowed to watch tv," she said with a shrug, then she smiled and said, "but it seems like he's got some freedoms. Especially if he was able to write this without anyone noticing."

Kaminari smiled at the sound of that, but Kuroiro did not know if it made him feel any better. He's free. He's making decisions on his own. I kind of knew that, but how free is he? He said he doesn't even know where he is towards the start of the letter. That could have just been to convince the villains he's on their side though if he really expected them to find the letter… Why am I thinking about this? Can I really figure out what Zach's trying to do? How well do I know him to think I can do that? Well, enough…

"That's pretty cool," Kaminari said, smiling at the girl who looked excited by her revelation. He then smirked more at the cute girl, and he said while keeping his hands behind his head, "So, you Zach's girlfriend?"

Jenny's eyes bulged and Kaminari leaned back at the panicked look on her face. "What? No, he's like, I've known him my whole life. Zach's more like a, a brother to me. It's not like that-"

"You know," Kaminari cut in. "A simple 'no' would have been a lot more convincing." His tease made the girl's face light up pink, then turn redder as she frowned at the boy who laughed at her reaction. Didn't want to make a move if she was, but, I think I'll stay out of this, Kaminari thought, deciding not to go after the cute girl in front of him.

"We're really not though," Jenny said, rolling her eyes after calming down and realizing he was just messing with her. "He's just, my best friend." Kaminari grinned and nodded at her, while Kuroiro frowned at the blond boy for making it awkward. Kaminari did not seem to think it was though, and neither did Jenny who actually felt relaxed with the blond boy's attitude being less serious than she would have thought. Jenny pouted and she continued after a few seconds in an annoyed voice, "Even though, he never told me anything."

In that annoyed voice, Kuroiro also thought he heard some hurt laced in it. Kaminari added on right after she finished though, "Haha! I know, right?" She turned to him, and Kaminari said, "He's always being so secretive."

"I know!" Jenny exclaimed, taking her elbows off her knees and throwing her hands up in the air. "Like when he was locked up in his room, he wouldn't-"

"Oh my God, that was so annoying," Kaminari said.

"You came here?"

"Twice! I thought maybe he just wasn't home the first time-"

"Oh he was there the entire time," Jenny assured him.

"I know that now," Kaminari retorted. The two of them stopped for a second, then they each started laughing. Kuroiro watched this in mild amusement, then he cracked a small smile with his lips closed, which would have made it impossible for anyone to tell he was smiling since his whole face except for his thin eyes was now pitch black.

Jenny stopped laughing and she shook her head, though she was smiling more now. "Zach needs to share more," she said.

"We'll tell him that, when he gets back," Kaminari agreed, and he nodded at the girl who looked surprised as she made eye contact with him. She smiled again after a few seconds though, and she nodded back in agreement.

"When he gets back."

"What do you mean? Send me there," Zach said, narrowing his confused glare at the dark figure in front of him who narrowed his right back.

"If I do, this time, we're going to need something more in exchange," Kurogiri told the boy standing in front of him. They were in Zach's room: dark, cramped, with only a bed up against one wall and a small dresser with the boy's clothes in it. Kurogiri had just told him about a construction worker who fell to his death because of some faulty equipment. It sounded to Zach like a brutal way to go, and maybe even too much for him to be able to revive, but that's why he wanted to get out there as soon as he could.

The more time that passes, the less likely I can save them, Zach thought. He frowned at Kurogiri though and did not just accept what the man told him. "I'm already giving you stuff in exchange. Isn't me saving people what you want? Change the-"

"If all you do is bring people back to life," Kurogiri began, holding up a shadowy hand in front of him with the palm facing up. He was wearing a black suit and the silver guard around his neck was visible as he was standing in his normal form at the moment. "Then the people will not distinguish you from the heroes. There needs to be more."

"I won't kill anyone for you," Zach said, glaring at Kurogiro harsher. What am I saying? What if he doesn't let me go save that guy now? Bluff him-

Kurogiri let out a sigh, then he moved his hand from his right side and left a warp gate next to him. Zach lifted his eyebrows at the portal-user, but Kurogiri motioned towards it with his head and said, "We'll talk more on this when you get back. Think hard about how you want to play this."

Zach walked forward, eying Kurogiri as he moved for the portal. He only half-expected the portal to send him where he needed to go, and he was surprised when he arrived at the construction site where an ambulance was parked near. There were other construction workers all around him, and even a couple of cops who were near the ambulance. Why'd they even send one? Zach wondered as he bent down and put his right hand over the man's chest. His head is cracked. That's bad, but not impossible. If it's not crushed, complete- ahh… "Ahhh," he groaned, lifting his left hand and grabbing the side of his head. He had to pull his right hand off of the man for a second, then he grit his teeth and pushed it back down, grabbing his wrist with his left hand as he put it on and made his hand turn black again.

"I can feel, my skull, cracking," Zach gasped out, his eyes turning bloodshot as the black color ran up his entire arm and reached his neck. He could feel the tingling sensation in his throat, reaching up to his chin as he let out a pained groan and leaned backwards. He snapped his head back and bit down so hard he was afraid his teeth might break, not that he could spend any time thinking about that before letting out a roar of agony. He could feel it in his broken legs, in his head, in his crushed chest cavity. I hope this guy died quick, Zach thought, while experiencing just one of the worst pains of his life. The black color on the bottom half of his face started seeping back down. It retreated off of his neck, down his arm, all the way to his fingers which turned white again. Zach lifted his hand and his fingers hid back behind the fingers of the glove that re-covered them.

Zach's eyes that had been clenched shut at his final scream opened back up while he panted there on his knees. His eyes hurt as he opened them, and he reached his left arm up and rubbed them as they felt wet. He lowered his sleeve and looked down to see some red on it, making his eyes open wide in some fear. That's never happened before, he thought, but then he lowered his gaze down to the man who he saw movement from in front of him. Then again, he was, he looked splatted. "Are you, okay?" Zach asked, worried that the man's cracked skull may have lost something considering the guy's blank look as he stared up at Zach. He stared at the boy who put his mask on as soon as Kurogiri mentioned the incident, before the portal-user had made it seem like he wouldn't let him go for a minute. It probably wouldn't have hurt as much if Kurogiri had just- Zach saw the portal open up behind him, and he darted his gaze around wondering where there was a camera that Hackerman could see him on.

Zach stood up next to the construction worker who did not look great, but at least was alive. Zach took a step back for the portal, shifting his gaze towards the ambulance. He stared at the two EMTs and the two cops near them, and his eyes opened wide behind his mask as the officers each turned away from him. They had been watching him, but when he looked their ways they pretended like they had not seen him. Zach's smile lifted up more behind his mask, then he dropped it back down and stepped through the swirling darkness behind him. He heard the cheers come from the other construction workers right as he was stepping through, he heard clapping, but his expression was dark as he walked through the warp gate.

He stepped into a room he was not surprised to find himself in. Knew it, he thought, as he suspected he would not be returned to his room after that. I'm not even in the same building. I've been around the one I'm in most of the time to realize that's a separate facility as this one. The one, that's probably the main headquarters, considering he's here. Zach stared at the man he stepped out right in front of, and the guy with hands attached all over his body started walking towards him. "Shigaraki," Zach said, nodding at the man who was supposed to be his boss.

Shigaraki Tomura walked right up to Zach, leaving barely a three foot gap between them. "Good work," Shigaraki said, and he smiled from behind the gray hand covering most of his face.

Zach hesitated, then nodded and said, "Yeah. Thanks, I guess." I don't like this. Why the sudden shift? Are they making new plans? Do I try and kill Shigaraki right now? Is it just me and him here? No, Kurogiri's probably watching and protecting too. Anything I do, he could stop in an instant. Zach's expression did not shift once as he thought, keeping just a slightly hesitant and confused look on his face instead. "So, why am I here?"

"You might not have noticed," Shigaraki said, turning his back to the boy in front of him. Again Zach did not change his expression even as he had a clear shot on Shigaraki's back, he just kept looking confused at what the villain was saying. "But villains are showing up. Lots of villains. The age of All Might is over," Shigaraki mocked, saying 'age' like it was a laughable thing.

"I've noticed," Zach said, and Shigaraki turned back to him. "A lot of the people I've been- who you've been letting me save, are killed by villains." Zach changed up his wording to assure Shigaraki that he was grateful, and the villain with wavy gray hair smirked at him behind the hand for his non-hostile attitude.

It's their fault, Zach thought, while keeping the mild-mannered look on his face. He had become an expert of hiding what he was thinking, and he really hoped the League of Villains never got a mind reader on their side. The "age" of All Might ended because of them. That hero, he… Zach's face looked a bit more frustrated, and he shook his head to stop thinking about the man who appeared in his mind, sitting behind the witness stand in court. All Might stopped villains like these before. He can't do it now, and that might be partially my fault… No, no All For One was just that strong, and All Might beat him anyway. These people I'm saving, I'm really saving. All Might can't do it anymore, and the other heroes can't save everyone. I can though.

"That's exactly right," Shigaraki said to Zach, and Zach looked into the villain's eyes through the parted fingers of the hand over his face. "But although we have gotten you to some of their victims, the number of fatalities from villain attacks is still on the rise." Zach grimaced and gained a darker look as he frowned at Shigaraki. "But don't worry," Shigaraki said, "you can change that."

Zach's grimace deepened more. Alright. How do I play this? Like, Kurogiri said… Damn it, they still know. They know I'm not- Zach lifted up his grimace and he just asked as if confused, "How?"

"I like how so many people are feeling it's alright to be a villain again," Shigaraki replied, lifting his arms to the sides and grinning more. "It's what I was going for, but!" He narrowed his gaze and his mouth dipped down, "One of the villain brokers helping us out, was killed by some villains I asked him to recruit for us. I can't have that," Shigaraki said, his eyes narrowing more behind his face-hand-mask. He lifted up his right hand and he started scratching his neck, and he continued, "They're not people I can work with. They're too, crazy."

Too crazy for you? Zach thought, though he managed not to say it out loud as he really wanted to. How crazy can they be though for the League of Villains to think they're too much?

"And it wasn't just the broker they killed," Shigaraki continued. Zach's eyes widened for a second before narrowing again at the implication, and Shigaraki continued, "They seem to enjoy killing, just for the sake of killing." He said it in a mock-astonished voice, holding his hands up at his sides and shaking his head in disbelief.

What do I do? What do I say? This is the next step up. This is the next step they want me to take, before they'll give me another one step up. How many one steps have I already taken and not known about? I'm standing in front of Shigaraki without the box on my hand, having a conversation with him without anyone else around. "And you want me, to kill them?" Zach asked. His face was dark, and he thought after asking, How many people would I save? Taking out villains that crazy? Wait! How do I even know Shigaraki's telling the truth? Hell, if I do what he says, it might be a trick and I wind up killing a room full of orphans or puppies instead. I mean, not that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but the point stands that they could be good guys. Or even just villains who might not agree with Shigaraki, but that doesn't mean they're more evil than the League of Villains. If anything!

"Pretty much," Shigaraki said. "Though I can settle for less," he added.

Zach reached up with his left hand and he slid his mask up his face, putting it over his short black hair that usually stuck out the top of the mask. He had a genuinely confused look on his face this time, and because of that he felt okay with showing Shigaraki his whole expression. He hoped that he had been convincing up until this point anyway, but the more he could speak his mind and what he was really thinking, the more he wanted to. "I don't get it," Zach said. "If you want them out of the way, why would you want me using my powers to do anything less?"

"It's not that I want you to use your Quirk at all," Shigaraki said. He smirked at the boy who just looked more confused now. "Twice is taking a team to get rid of them. You remember Twice?"

Zach had not seen Twice in a while, but he nodded his head as he thought about the schizophrenic man. Sending a crazy guy after other crazy people. And I'll be there in the middle of a villain gang war? Zach nodded his head at Shigaraki, and Shigaraki continued speaking.

"You might not have to kill any of them yourself…"

If I go. If I go there and just let villains kill each other, is that a full step up? I'm already- I already know that they've still been being villains even while I was here. It's not like this is news to me. But, the closer I am…

"You'll just have to listen to Twice. Do what he says. And Dabi tells me you've worked your Quirk enough to…"

He's right. I wouldn't have to kill any of them. If I weaken them though, and then the League of Villains kills them, then I helped with that murder. But, if killing one of them saves innocent people…

"The thing is, some people are starting to wonder if keeping you around is really worth it," Shigaraki said, and Zach met his gaze again. They stared into each other's eyes, and then Shigaraki grinned again after a few seconds of it, "But I know you are. Still, how are we supposed to keep letting you do as you do, without any give-back? I can't let it continue like that."

An unnerved look spread on Zach's face. How much, of a choice do I have in this? It seems like I do. It sounded like it at first really. But, if I don't do this, he's not going to let me save more people. And if he's stopping that, and I don't do what they say, then that means I'll be the same thing as a prisoner. Zach got a bead of sweat on the right side of his face, though he kept a thoughtful look on his face like he was pondering pros and cons of the decision. "And, just how many people have they killed?" Zach asked. His mind was not on the mission or what Shigaraki started replying with though. If I'm just a prisoner here, if I can't save people anymore… it hasn't been enough!

"…I told you, all I want you to do is save people," Shigaraki said. Zach's eyes widened, as that was what Shigaraki told him the first day he had joined back up with them, right after the trial concluded. "And this. What you'll be doing there. That is saving people," Shigaraki said.

What kind of people are they? The day I got here I was ready to kill any villain on a second's notice, but, but… In Zach's head he saw Kurogiri lowering his arm and making that portal for him to go save the construction worker. He thought about the villain taking his advice and how he even let Zach call one of the doctors recently and tell the truth about what he wanted them to do. He recalled smiling smugly at Kurogiri afterwards when the doctor agreed to call him back when the time came, even though Zach never threatened the man once. Then Zach thought about Dabi. He thought about the man who killed Kirishima, and he thought about how angry he got a week earlier when he finally snapped at Dabi about doing that. "Did it look like it hurt?" Zach thought about Dabi's response, and that made an even more frustrated look form on his face. Did he kill Kirishima painlessly on purpose? Does that really make it any better? Zach thought about the man grinning at him after finally bringing back a sheep that Dabi had roasted as badly as ones Zach had been unable to save his first few weeks there. He thought about how Dabi told him he was getting stronger by using his power like this all the time, and how he was glad someone else had noticed even if it did upset him that the villains knew about his rising strengths.

If, the villains can have good sides to them, Zach thought. Then how can I kill them just like that? As much as they think that by making me into one of their own, I'll be more likely to help them, if anything it just has me thinking villains are more like people than I ever had before. I thought there was such a huge gap between villains, and the rest of society. But the villains I see, they're not working for straight-up evil reasons. And some of them, like Twice and Toga, they're genuinely crazy. Insane people who have no place in regular society, nothing that can help them. Zach's eyebrows furrowed in more. The more he thought about the villains he was currently working with as real people, the more he thought about the others. The ones he used to tell himself not to feel guilty about, because of all the people he could have saved with their deaths, he thought more about them every day. In his head appeared Shindeki Buda laughing evilly, but then Mr. Compress appeared. And as much as he tried hating him, as much as he resented Compress for all that had happened to him because of him, he felt bad about what he had done to him.

"What's your answer?" Shigaraki asked the boy whose mind was swirling with all these thoughts. Zach's eyes rose again and locked with Shigaraki's. They were in a huge open area in a warehouse somewhere, lights illuminating a garage part of it off to their right, but it was pretty dark around them. Zach's head bowed a little but he kept his gaze up and locking with Shigaraki's.

What this comes down to, is what my response in this moment will mean. Forget everything else. If I say 'no,' I'll become a prisoner here. I won't be able to save anyone. Who knows what their next move will be if I don't do what they want voluntarily. Things could get much worse, if I don't say yes. If I do what they say, I can continue saving people. I can keep on the current path, and I still don't need to kill anyone. "Alright," Zach finally replied. "I'll go with Twice, but I'm going to use Nightmare from the start. I don't want to kill any of them. I'll, take some out, if need be…" Zach hesitated and he pursed his lips, then he had to say, "And leave them for the cops."

Zach kept his eyes cold as he steadied his expression. He finished saying it and glared coldly into Shigaraki's eyes, waiting to hear the leader of the League of Villains tell him that that was not an option, tell him that Twice would execute them if Zach did not finish them off. "Hmph," Shigaraki leaned back from the short kid whose eyes opened wide at the grin he saw on Shigaraki's face. "Do what you want. You're a villain after all. Act by your own code. Just listen to what I say, and do what Twice says on this mission."

Act by, my own code. That's what I told myself. There's no mind-reader here, he just thinks that way. Unless there is and they're going for a long-game and really think they can change my mind with enough time, if they know all my thoughts and can try changing me… No, no they wouldn't be doing that. It's too unlikely. What's more likely, is that the 'act by your own code' thing, is just something villains already believe in. Shit. Shit! But I thought of that on my own. Well, that's what separated villains from heroes. Heroes have the set code, set rules, and everyone who doesn't follow those rules is defined as a villain. Even though I'm saving lives, I'll always be just, a villain. And who knows, maybe going out on a mission like this, I'll wind up saving lives that would have been taken by the other villains? I can't say no, but that doesn't mean I have to do things the way they want. I'll do whatever I can to be able to keep saving people, except take a life. That's, my code. "I understand," Zach said to Shigaraki, nodding and putting as serious an expression on his face as he could. "I'll do it." Unless he tells me to kill someone. That's, where I should draw the line.

It's not much of a code. Save people, without killing anyone. It's what my code was always meant to be, but now, I'm the only one enforcing it. The people around me wouldn't care. In fact, they would be happy if I broke it. But that's why it's all the more important. I don't have a system of checks, don't have anyone making sure I stay on the right path. It's up to me. So I'll do what Shigaraki wants. And I'll go attack another villain base with these villains. Anything, to keep Kurogiri sending me to save lives. That's, the most important thing.

A/N Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed. Leave a review below telling me what you think, or predictions for upcoming chapters!