Chapter 39:

On Sunday afternoon, Zach Sazaki stepped up to the front gates of U.A. High School. He had been gone for a little over two and a half days, since Thursday night when he walked right out of these same gates. He could not go back in through them without his student I.D., so he had to press a button on a pad outside and request entry. He had done so hesitantly, and he was now waiting for someone to come get him. His right hand was lifted up in front of his chest, in case someone at the school informed the villains he was right outside the front gate. It lowered a bit though as he saw the group coming out to get him after five minutes of him standing there.

Zach tried hard not to grimace at the looks on Midnight, Aizawa, and Present Mic's faces, as the three of them headed out to get him. They all looked mad, and Zach could tell he was in trouble before they even got close. He was told to follow them and he did just that. Zach followed them into the school and into the main office, and the principal arrived right after he got in there. They had his student I.D. with them, and Aizawa pulled out a note once they were all in the main office with the boy who had a very nervous look on his face. "'Going on vacation. Be back in a few days.'" Aizawa read off the note then lifted his gaze to Zach's.

"Um," Zach started, preparing his apology.

"Where did you go, Sazaki?" Aizawa questioned before Zach could speak.

"To, Kyoto," Zach replied. "I'm sorry-"

"Kyoto?" Present Mic said, lifting his head back and looking down his nose at the kid to check if he was lying.

"Yeah," Zach replied. "I just- I couldn't handle the stress," Zach said, looking apologetically towards Present Mic, then at his own homeroom teacher, then over to the principal. "I felt too much like a prisoner here, so I left to remind myself that I was free."

Principal Nezu kept frowning at Zach, though he hummed to himself at what Zach said. "I, I know it sounds suspicious," he added, turning towards Aizawa who he already knew did not trust him very much. Aizawa frowned as the kid looked his way while saying that, showing him that Zach knew how he felt. "But, that's why I took a bunch of pictures. And I've got receipts and stuff ready too," he said, and he reached down for his pocket with his left hand. He looked around hesitantly to see if anyone would tell him to put his hands up, but they were all just waiting for him to give the proof he said he had. Zach pulled out his wallet that he removed his I.D. from before leaving, and he opened it up and took out some receipts, including the one he got at dinner the day before.

Zach hesitated as he looked at that receipt, and he did not want to hand it over but did after a second's hesitation. Then he pulled his phone out while Aizawa flipped through the receipts Zach handed him. "I took some pictures, and made sure I was in them too. And a couple of people who recognized me took pictures too," Zach added. Midnight looked at the boy in surprise and leaned back as he said that, and Zach continued, "They probably haven't posted them yet, because I asked them not to, but I'm sure they will in a few days or something."

"Why did you ignore protocol?" Aizawa snapped, interrupting the boy who started to smile as he gave that reasoning. Zach frowned and looked back towards his teacher who continued, "And you skipped class too. U.A. is the top hero high school," Aizawa's scruffy look narrowed down at Zach who frowned deeper at the sight of it, but not in an afraid and nervous way. Zach just frowned back at Aizawa in a darker way as he wondered how to respond.

I already told him I was stressed. What does he want from me? Zach glanced around at the other teachers, then to the principal as well. "I was afraid," Zach said.

"Afraid of going through proper protocol?" Midnight asked, lifting her tone skeptically at the boy.

"Those protocols are there to keep you safe-" Present Mic continued.

"I'm afraid, at this school," Zach said. He frowned at the two who just tried countering him, then he continued while they frowned at his answer. "Why wouldn't I? After a villain attacked me here, after I got taken in front of the people who are here 'protecting' me? How could I feel safe?" Zach's expression got even darker while turning from Present Mic's face towards Principal Nezu, "And we all know there's a spy here." Zach said it in a dark tone, and the three teachers around him opened their eyes wide.

"You know-"

"If I knew who," Zach cut off Aizawa. "I would have said something. But it's because I don't know, that this place is even scarier. I know, it's the only place I'm really protected at all, but that doesn't change that someone here must have told them where our training camp was. One of my classmates? Someone in Class-B? Or someone in the faculty, even in this room?" Zach's eyes darted around the four with him. "I don't know. So how could I go to the main office and tell them exactly where I was planning to go? What motel I was going to stay at, for how long, without anyone there to protect me? The villains would have been waiting inside my room by the time I got there," Zach muttered the last part and his eyes dipped down. "But, I know it was still against the rules. And I'm sorry. I just needed some time away, to calm down. And then yesterday morning, I really started feeling better after I heard Diamondfist got taken down," he grinned a little and lifted his gaze. "And I just- I'm sorry. It wasn't right of me to break the rules. I just didn't know what to do."

Aizawa kept glaring at the kid whose gaze lowered back down after he finished. Then he lifted his right hand and started rubbing the back of his head through his hair. He glanced over at Mic and Midnight, and then he grimaced again as neither of them were looking very strict or angry anymore. So he kept a stern look on his face and looked back at the boy in front of them. He opened his mouth to say something, but Principal Nezu spoke first, "Sazaki." His voice was high-pitched and understanding, and he continued as Zach lifted his gaze to look the principal in the eyes. Nezu had a scar over his right eye diagonally down his face similar to the one under Zach's right eye, and the small creature gave the boy a reassuring smile which had Zach's eyes open wide. "I understand the predicament you found yourself in, however we cannot allow you to just leave campus as you please and ignore the rules that all of the students need to follow. Is there anyone amongst the staff who you do trust?"

Zach hesitated, then he nodded and said, "All Might." He glanced around at the other three around him, stopped on Aizawa sensei, then he lowered his gaze and shifted it back to the principal. He thought about both Aizawa and Nezu. He thought about how badly hurt his homeroom teacher was at USJ, and how he had run out to try and protect them at the training camp. But anyone can lie. Anyone can disguise their true motives. And maybe he didn't become a spy until after USJ. And Nezu, he made those cameras. Even if I did help him get out of trouble for them, because I knew it was Hackerman… how did Hackerman find them? Is it part of his power? Or did Nezu give it away and just act surprised? He seemed genuinely apologetic, but his Quirk makes him smart enough that he could trick me easily. "That's all," Zach whispered after a few seconds.

Present Mic opened his mouth, then he closed it and just bit down as he thought about what Zach said to him and the other teachers who tried apologizing for VTS. His eyes lowered down, and his fists clenched at his sides. Midnight glanced next to her at her colleague who looked so frustrated that he was being considered the spy, after bringing it up to the rest of the staff in the first place.

Aizawa stared down at the top of Sazaki's head, the right side of his face too as he faced the principal. He frowned at the kid's lack of trust even in him, and then he frowned deeper thinking back on the trial he had been a witness at. Had I known then, he could actually train Death not to kill people, what would my answer have been? Can he become a hero? He's still breaking the rules. "After everything," Aizawa said in a dark voice. "You're still breaking the rules."

Zach's face scrunched up and his fists clenched hard at his sides. I know, he thought, his heart beating faster at Aizawa's scolding. And I'd have no one to blame but myself, if that had backfired and I was captured by the villains again, or even killed. No one would have known what happened to me, until Shigaraki used my body to make a point or some shit like that. He'd have killed me, and videotaped it, and showed everyone what happened to their Lifebr- to the Life… Zach clenched his eyes shut, then he opened them and looked into Nezu's eyes again.

"One week detention," Principal Nezu said. The three teachers around Zach turned towards the principal in some surprise, and Zach's eyes widened too at the look on the small creature's face. "However Sazaki, if you break the school rules again, you may be expelled." Zach's eyes shot open huge, and Principal Nezu continued, "Although your entry into U.A. was part of your deal during the retrial, you are not excused from the same set of rules as your fellow classmates. If you feel you truly cannot trust our system though, and you find yourself again afraid and in need of an escape," Nezu smiled more and he said, "Then please inform All Might of where you will be going. If he knows, then the staff of U.A. can account for your whereabouts. And if something were to occur where you went to, there would be at least one person who knows."

Zach's eyes opened huge, and he started breathing heavily as he thought about what the principal was saying. Just All Might? Is that really okay? That- I can do that. Even if I have to lie to All Might though… Webb said that All Might had no idea what we were doing. "I-" Zach started, and he nodded his head before taking a deep breath. "I can do that. I'm sorry, I, I didn't realize that was an option."

"It is now," Nezu said, giving the child in front of him a reassuring nod. "I want you to be able to trust us. You are not a prisoner here," Nezu said. "But we are tasked with protecting you, and we cannot do that if you will not allow us to."

Zach shifted his gaze towards Midnight. She sighed and then smiled in a small reassuring way at him too, then he turned to Present Mic who was still frowning at Zach's distrust, but he nodded his head as well. Then Zach turned towards his homeroom teacher who was scratching the back of his head and looking away. "A week detention, sounds like a good punishment," Aizawa muttered, and Zach's eyes shot open wide. His teacher then looked back at him and kept a stern look on his face as he said harshly, "I didn't tell anyone to do it, but you should see if any of your classmates took notes for you on Friday." Zach nodded quickly at his homeroom teacher, then he looked around at them all again and to Principal Nezu last.

"It will be after school for an hour every day this week," Nezu said. "And I want you to think hard on who you think you can trust here, Zach Sazaki. It is smart to be cautious, but there is a difference between caution and paranoia. I am sure if you think on it, you will discover you have more people here who you can trust than you currently believe." Zach slowly started nodding at the small white creature, then Nezu handed forward Zach's I.D. for the boy to take.

Zach took his I.D. back and he slid it into his wallet that he took back out of his pocket. He paused before closing his wallet though, and he turned to Aizawa who still had Zach's receipts in his hand. Zach opened his mouth, closed it, then he asked, "Could I get one of those back?"

Aizawa frowned deeper at Zach, then he picked out the receipt that he had stared at closer when he first flipped through, because there was no doubt who the receipt had been given to. It was not written in Sazaki's handwriting, and Aizawa sighed as he held the receipt forward. Zach's eyes widened a bit that he did not have to say which one, then he nodded gratefully at his teacher and took the receipt back from him. "Thank you, sensei," Zach said.

"Now that you have returned as well," Nezu started. "I must also inform your legal guardian of how you broke the rules and your-"

"My aunt?" Zach asked, his mouth twisting down and his head turning back to the principal. Nezu frowned more and stopped while the other teachers around Zach got hesitant looks on their faces. Aizawa wanted to scold Sazaki for interrupting the principal, but instead he just felt awkward at what the boy said. He still remembered how shocked he was when that woman shouted certain things about Zach at the courthouse, and he glanced towards Principal Nezu wondering why he had to bring that up.

Zach's eyes narrowed at the principal, then he lost the look and shook his head fast. He got a less angry one, and more just a nervous one on his own face as he hoped Nezu would accept what he was about to say. "Could you, please not? The two of us aren't in contact," Zach said. "I, cut off ties with her," Zach said, and he grimaced more at the looks of the teachers at his sides. "So, please don't drag a stranger into my business. I'll take more punishment, if that's an alternative."

He does not want to drag her into his life, Nezu thought while staring at the boy. I feel I should inform someone though. He needs support from outside of the school as well. "If not your Aunt," Midnight started. Zach started turning towards her, as she continued, "Then how about John Akers? He and his-" Midnight stopped at the look on Zach's face. He stared at her with wide eyes, and a trembling lip that he bit down on before shaking his head at her. "You do not have to be afraid of dragging them into…"

Zach lifted his left hand and he grabbed the side of his head while clenching his eyes closed. "That's not," he whispered. "That's not true," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I already did," his voice cracked even more, then he quickly rubbed his hand on the side of his head. What am I saying?! "I don't want, to involve them more," Zach lied through his teeth, having to seethe it out as his heart filled with pain.

"Okay," Nezu said. "I understand. In that case however, you are accepting full responsibility for your actions. You must correct your actions on your own, Sazaki."

"I will," Zach said. He nodded quickly at the principal, and then Principal Nezu told Zach that he could return to his dorm.

Zach left the main office, then Nezu turned to Midnight who was watching Zach leave with wide eyes. She turned to the principal as did the other two teachers in there, and they saw Nezu look back and forth between them. Principal Nezu lifted a hand to his face and sighed at the looks on his teachers' faces. "I am afraid, Midnight, that it would be quite impossible to convince Sazaki of that." Midnight looked at the mouse-dog-bear creature in some confusion, then her eyes shot open huge as did Present Mic and Aizawa's. "As John Akers, and his entire family, died in a house fire in November. Shortly after, Zach Sazaki betrayed the League of Villains."

Present Mic lifted his right hand to his head and started rubbing it around, then he just started scratching it while looking down from behind his orange sunglasses. Midnight turned his head still with shock over it, and she looked back towards the door Zach Sazaki left a minute ago. "I already did." She turned back to Nezu, and she whispered, "A, house fire?"

Nezu nodded his head, but he closed his eyes as he did. "If only, that were true."

Aizawa kept staring at the door of the office that Sazaki just walked out of. He lost the rest of the suspicion he felt, and he just felt bad now. He caught how the boy responded to what Midnight said, and his expression got darker. He blames himself for dragging them into his mess. And what's worse, he's not wrong. That's a new step for the villains though. Going after families. If people knew that sending their kids to hero schools would make them themselves targets- could that be why Sazaki's keeping it a secret? Probably not. He probably, just doesn't want to think about it. Is that why he's spending so much time, distancing himself from his classmates? That's a hard way to live. If we had saved him at VTS, would things have gone this way? Would they still have died? Aizawa's eyes started widening more, as he thought about the real reason the boy might not trust them. As much as he blames us though, he thought about the choked up way Zach responded to Midnight, and he grimaced deeper. He blames himself much more.

Zach walked up the path towards his dorm building. He looked at the entrance hesitantly, getting an even more nervous look on his face than he had when he approached the school as a whole. This is going to be rough. I'm doing well so far though. The teachers didn't say anything about it. I mentioned hearing about Diamondfist, so maybe they didn't ask because they knew what I was going to say. Or maybe they wouldn't have asked in the first place. And the receipt for the motel, I got the guy to mark the date for when I "first" arrived on it, so the receipts spanned the whole time I was gone. He slowed down right before reaching the entrance, and he stopped at the door before taking in some much needed deep breaths.

Well, here goes nothing, Zach grabbed the door handle and stepped inside. He took his shoes off just through the entrance, then he turned his head left towards the couch area. Hanta Sero and Fumikage Tokoyami looked towards the door and dropped their jaws as Zach stood there and took his shoes off.

"Hey," Zach said, lifting a hand up at his side and cracking a smile.

"Dude!" Sero shouted, jumping up to his feet.

"Zach," Tokoyami also said while getting up quickly. He jogged over right behind Sero, and he started smiling after a second of seeing Zach's nervous smile. The dark-skinned boy with a beak let out a low chuckle and shook his head at the worry he had felt for nothing.

"Where'd you go?" Sero said after running up to Zach. "Are you alright? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I, went to Kyoto," Zach said, leaning back from Sero and then smiling as he reached up and scratched the side of his head. "Sorry for not telling anyone, I just needed a vacation."

"Zach!"

"Zach?!"

Others father in the common room around the corner who saw Sero and Tokoyami run over came over themselves and then called out his name as they saw him. Sato, Hagakure, and Uraraka ran towards him and gathered near the door and their classmate who had returned. Zach looked at them and his eyes widened at the relieved looks on Uraraka and Sato's faces, and he wondered if there was one on Hagakure's too.

"Are you alright?" Hagakure asked as she ran straight up to the boy and lifted her head to look in his eyes. Zach looked down at her invisible face, a nervous one on his own at how close she just got to him. "Are you?" She asked again at his strange look.

"Oh, oh yeah," Zach said, shaking his head around and smiling to assure her he was fine.

"You're looking," Sato started. Zach turned his way and Sato was hesitating. Their rooms were next door to each other, and Sato thought about a few things he heard in the middle of the night coming from Zach's room. Things he had not told anyone else about. That's why he looked pretty confused as he said, "Like you're, in a good mood."

Zach got surprised for a second, then he smiled and said, "I am." He thought about how he felt on Thursday afternoon, compared to right now. He smiled and even laughed a few times at the attitude he had after returning from that shopping trip he ran from. "I really, really needed that vacation."

"Zach!"

Zach sweatdropped while turning right and looking towards the girl's bath and laundry rooms, and the staircase where two girls and a few more guys just came down. He smiled towards them, though he was getting a little tired of every person in the dorm shouting his name as they saw him. As much as he thought it annoyed him though, he kept smiling as the group of them ran at him right to the door.

Yaoyorozu, Jirou, Midoriya, Iida, Ojiro, and Mineta all ran up to him. "I'm fine. Kyoto," Zach said, leaning away and trying to respond to everyone at the same times. "I just needed a break from school. Sorry. I know I should have said something. Didn't want anyone trying to convince me not to go. I know."

"You should always go through the proper protocol," Iida scolded even after Zach apologized to him.

"Yeah, got in a bit of trouble for that," Zach admitted. The others looked at him wide-eyed wondering what that punishment was, and Zach said quickly, "I got a week of detention after school."

"Oh, that's great!" Yaoyorozu exclaimed, clapping her hands together in front of her. Zach glanced at her oddly, as did a few of the others at her excited reaction to him getting detention. Her eyes shot open wide, and then she swung her hands in front of her and said, "I didn't mean it like- I'm just glad it is not something worse."

"Me too," Zach admitted, laughing after a second at her flustered expression.

Yaoyorozu's eyes widened as she saw Zach start laughing. He was laughing in a way that seemed so genuine to her, and the others were seeing his laughter for the first time right now and their eyes widened as they wondered if this was the same boy they'd been seeing for the past month.

"Zach!"

Zach did not even sweatdrop this time at the sound of his own name being shouted, though he did feel a little nervous as he looked towards the stairs. He saw Kaminari running towards him, and Ashido and Kirishima coming out of the stairwell right behind him. "Hey Kaminari," Zach said, his voice already apologetic. "Sorry I didn't say anything-"

"Where'd you go?" Kaminari asked as he ran over.

"Kyoto," Zach started. "I always wanted to, but I went to-"

"Are you sure you didn't go to, Ugina City?" Kaminari asked, lifting his eyebrows accusingly. Zach's face got confused for a second, then his eyes opened wide and his bottom lip lowered.

"Ha, haha," Zach laughed and then went, "You think I attacked the League of Villains?" He glanced around, but the rest of them were mostly shaking their heads or rolling their eyes at Kaminari. Then again though, as he laughed and looked past his classmates, he was really checking to see which of them might have thought he was serious. Iida and Midoriya. Zach turned back to Kaminari, and he said, "I actually took a bunch of pictures while I was gone, since I thought the teachers would want to see when I got back."

Zach pulled out a phone, and the others all looked at it in surprise. He noticed Jirou's eyes widening in front of him and to his right, and she said when he looked up at her, "Didn't you leave your phone here?"

"Bought a new one," Zach said, scratching the back of his head for a second while letting out another laugh. He looked down at the phone and then moved towards Kaminari who was still giving him a skeptical look. "Look," Zach said, turning the phone a bit so Kaminari could see the pictures too. "I went to see the Kinkaku-ji, and I walked through the bamboo forest where those monkeys come right up to you," he scrolled through some pictures, smiling as he thought back on the stuff he actually did yesterday and that morning which he enjoyed a lot.

Hagakure ran around and she leaned past Kirishima who was looking at the pictures from next to Kaminari. "Was it really cold there?" Hagakure asked.

Zach just showed a selfie of himself in the bamboo forest, and he was wearing his red beanie along with having his black hood up on his sweatshirt. "Well," Zach started. "I just didn't want people to notice me," he said, lowering his phone a bit as he looked back around at the others. Zach was making this out to be a lot more normal than any of them had thought, and that was starting to make a few of them frown. "People noticed me anyway though," he added with a laugh, looking back at Kaminari.

"Weren't you," Midoriya started. Zach looked over to him, and Midoriya hesitated before continuing, "Weren't you nervous, about people seeing you?"

"At first," Zach admitted. "But people were all really cool about it. Some people wanted selfies with me, though I asked that they didn't post them or anything. I was surprised they recognized me though," he added. He spun to Kaminari who was looking up at him in surprise at how talkative and smiley Zach was being. "I even got a selfie with some girls on the train this morning who called me out on it," he said and swiped a few pictures down until reaching the one on the train.

Kaminari looked down at the picture, then his eyes opened wide and he snatched the phone out of Zach's hand. "Whoa! These girls are cute!"

"Let me see!" Mineta exclaimed, jumping up at Kaminari's side with huge eyes.

Zach grinned at Kaminari's reaction, while two girls on his left frowned at the boys. Jirou rolled her eyes in annoyance as Kaminari asked Zach if he got their numbers, and then she glanced to the side and noticed Yaoyorozu's frown lift up a little as Zach said he didn't ask. Jirou cracked a grin after seeing that look on her face, then she shook her head and spun back towards Zach, "Wait a second. You only got a week of detention for this?"

Zach turned back towards her and got a hesitant look on his face at her question. Her eyes widened and she waved a hand in front of her, "Not that I wish you'd gotten more. But, Momo's right, I thought it was going to be a lot worse."

"I think Aizawa sensei wanted it to be," Zach said, and he shivered.

Midoriya's expression got a little sadder as he saw Zach make that face that had a couple of others laughing or shivering themselves imagining Aizawa's scolding. Is he really, Midoriya thought. Is he just going through, the motions? I thought he was really happy for a moment, but I've seen him let his guard down a bit. This, looks like him still hiding everything. Is he, lying about everything? Are those emotions fake?

"I can't believe you didn't get their numbers," Kaminari said, holding the phone out for Zach to take. He grinned after Zach took it though, and he said while nudging his elbow forward into Zach's side. "Guess you've already got a girl though huh?" Zach started turning towards him, and he said while Zach's eyes widened, "Bet Jenny wouldn't be too happy about that picture."

Zach nodded his head, his mouth flattening out and his expression getting a bit darker. "Not, my girlfriend," Zach muttered. He shifted the strap of his backpack on his back like it was feeling really heavy, then he glanced back around at the others, a few who were looking at him in surprise after what just happened. "I'm going to go settle in," Zach said, and he started for the stairs to head up to his room.

A couple of the others moved out of the way, then Jirou stepped up to Kaminari's side and elbowed him making him spin to her in surprise. "Way to ruin to mood," she said and rolled her eyes at him.

Kaminari leaned back and then looked around to see a few others frowning at him too. "I didn't know it'd do that," he said. "They must have had a falling out or something," Kaminari mumbled, turning to look at Zach's back.

"He really had a girlfriend?" Jirou asked in surprise.

"No," Kaminari shook his head. "I know his neighbor though, she's his best friend. More like, a sister I guess," he said, and he scratched the back of his head.

Yaoyorozu watched Zach head into the stairwell, then everyone close to the door heard a voice in the stairwell call out, "Zach!" Most of them sweatdropped as he obviously did not make it to his room.

Class-A looked around at each other on the inside of the door. They were all frowning. None of them felt satisfied. A few started humming to themselves, and Iida turned to look back towards the stairs after a few seconds. It does seem like he just went on a vacation. It looked like it did him some good, but…

Kirishima's fists clenched at his sides. He'd do it again, Kirishima thought. Just head off on his own. He doesn't look afraid. Maybe it did do him some good, but I- Kirishima frowned deeper towards the stairs.

"Hey guys," Hagakure started, her facing lighting up as she looked around at everyone else who seemed to be feeling the same way she was. "I just had a great idea!"

Zach sat in his room, at his desk and staring at his right hand. He looked at his bed with his backpack on it, then down at his right hand again in front of him. I was on my own outside the school. I had a new phone on me, and I was probably in view of cameras a whole lot. I wasn't being careful, as careful as I should- or I have been. Do I need to sit here in Nightmare form? Do I get complacent just because they haven't attacked me yet? He started shaking his head, but he lowered his hand anyway. He smiled softly while looking down at his desk. He stared at the books he put on them a few days ago to make room in his backpack. As Aizawa said. I should get notes from my classmates. Kaminari seemed to believe me after I showed the picture I took with Kate and Maou on the train. They really were cute… Zach closed his eyes hard, preventing the water he felt building up again as he thought about what else Kaminari said to him.

It's not like anyone knows, Zach thought. I barely even think about it. I can't. Even thinking the words is too much. Thinking about those weeks, that I now just refer to as "those weeks" or "those six weeks" in my head. He lifted his gaze to his windows that still had the blinds open. But even if I don't think about them, it's not like they didn't happen. It's not like I'm not different now. I've seen so many beautiful things in this world. I love this world. But out there, Zach stared out and saw clouds rolling across the orange sky in the late Sunday afternoon. Out there, underneath that beautiful sunset, are monsters. This beautiful world hides so much darkness, and I never truly understood it. I saw glimpses of the darkness through my entire life, but nothing like I- Zach lifted his left hand and put it against his temple, bowing his head and putting his elbow on the desk in front of him to help hold his head up.

He stared out the window while grabbing his head, his eyes dark as he continued to watch the sky get darker. Evil. I won't think of the specifics. I'll just make myself sad, and scared, and angry if I do. But I remember it all. If I think back. I saw true evil. Something I did not think existed. Everyone must have some good in them? Those who don't must just be insane? Naive thinking from naive people. Even villains have good sides? It was foolish to think of them all in that light. Zach sighed and he closed his eyes, then he snapped them back open and focused outside. "AAAEEEeee…" The screaming voice in his head when he closed his eyes faded off as he started thinking heavy thoughts again. I fought the League of Villains, and no one but Webb knows. And I'm fine with that, a soft smile came to his face. I don't need recognition. I'll just feel self-satisfied over it. And it's not like I need to be a flashy hero to get people to like me. It's been months since I went around saving everyone as L- why can't I even think that name? Life-bringer. Lifebringer. It's not hard to- "Who are you? What is your name?! Are you LIFEBRINGER?!"

Zach brought his right hand up to the other side of his head now. He pressed both palms against his head, shaking it around while clenching his eyes shut. It's enough, isn't it? His eyes opened again, and he looked out into the sky that was getting black now, and even cloudier. What's enough? Nothing. I haven't done enough yet. I haven't become a hero. I haven't saved enough to change the answer, and I never will now. I haven't even gotten over those six weeks. Is that something I can do? I never even considered it, but that should come before the others. I can't do those things, with everything that happened holding me back. Like on Thursday when I couldn't do a thing, because of that terror. It's something I need to overcome on my own. Something I need to rise above, in order to become a hero.

Knock Knock. Zach turned his head and looked back towards his door. He lowered his hands from his head, and since his right was still wearing its glove he had not gone into Nightmare form.

He stood up from his seat and started for his room's door. "Yeah? What's up…" Zach asked, while he grabbed the doorknob and opened his door inwards. He froze and stared outside his door with wide eyes at the group gathered outside. "Everyone?" he finished, at the sight of Class-A standing outside.

"You missed out on the Room King contest!" Hagakure exclaimed.

Zach got a confused look on his face, and he glanced around at the others to see what she was talking about. "We had a contest over whose room in the dorm was the best," Kaminari explained when Zach gave him a confused look. "Though the votes were totally rigged."

"I won!" Sato mentioned proudly, and Zach looked towards the large boy with big lips who the girls all smiled at for some reason after he said that.

"But the competition isn't over," Hagakure continued, holding up a finger even though no one could see it.

Zach glanced over his shoulder after she said it, sweatdropped, then he moved out of the way a bit so the others could look into his room. His eyes widened a bit as the girls all took the opportunity and ran right in. Ashido was normally really excited over this sort of thing, but she just saw Zach's room the other day and she came in after the others. Jirou and Yaoyorozu had also seen inside it before, and that was why neither of them were actually particularly excited about going back in. That, and well…

"Oh, this room is, nice," Sero said as he stepped in after the girls, scratching the side of his head.

"It, looks a little like mine," Uraraka added, turning and smiling at Zach even while a bead of sweat dripped down her face.

"Really?" Zach asked. He looked towards his window that had a desk in front of it and a chair pulled out from beneath. Then he looked over towards his bed, and the backpack on it. The rest of his clothes that were not in his backpack lay at the foot of his bed or folded up on the edge of his desk.

"I'd say it looks more like Shoji's," Todoroki said.

Shoji nodded his head, as there was barely any more in there than there was in his own room.

Zach looked at Shoji in surprise, his eyes wide. "Really?"

"Shoji's room has even less," Kaminari said.

"I don't need much," Shoji said.

"The school will give you stuff if you need," Zach started, feeling weird about what Shoji just said. He glanced back over at his bed, and then at the desk and desk chair. "I thought they probably offered everyone this stuff."

"Wait, that's not your furniture?" Jirou asked in surprise.

Zach shook his head, and he frowned as he looked around his mostly empty room. The bed, the blankets, the pillow, the desk and chair, they were all just in here for me when I arrived. And, my bag from the training camp with my things in it.

"Well hey dude, you should bring your stuff from home here," Sero said in surprise. He looked around the room, then he turned back to Zach and continued, "You lived by yourself, right? So you could just bring everything here."

"I don't-" Zach started. He frowned at Sero, then looked around his mostly empty room again. He thought about his drawers of clothes, his closet too, his extra shoes, his wall posters, his cookware, his tv. "My apartment caught fire while I was gone, so all my furniture…" he muttered.

Zach said it while his eyes pointed down. Every single person in front of him stared at him in a deadpan way at that response, and then all of their gazes turned annoyed and shifted to Sero whose face covered in sweat. Sero opened his mouth to apologize, but he really did not know what to say to that. No one had a response for what Zach just said, though half of them thought simultaneously, Unlucky.

Kaminari opened his mouth to ask something, but Ashido jumped up first and broke the awkward silence by exclaiming, "Well did you know Sato can bake?!" Zach looked back up in confusion at Ashido. She continued quickly at his look, "You have to try some of his cake!"

Sato's eyes opened wide, but a more proud look came to his face as Zach shifted his gaze over to him. "Yeah! I'm making another chiffon cake tonight actually!" I am now, Sato thought to himself, though he kept smiling as he was happy to make one anyway. Hope I have enough ingredients.

"Yaoyorozu brought her bed from home," Jirou added, and Zach turned to the girl with earphone jacks sticking out of her ears. She snickered and added, "It doesn't really fit in the room." Yaoyorozu blushed and lifted a hand to cover her mouth with, then Midoriya added that Tokoyami had a sword in his room too. Tokoyami got annoyed at Midoriya for saying that, and then Aoyama exclaimed that Zach's room was not nearly dazzling enough.

Midoriya smiled as Zach looked back and forth between their classmates who were all telling him about the contest he missed so long ago. We all realized it in the last few days since he left, Midoriya thought as he looked at the others. He knew they had all felt it too when they were left inside the front door earlier all feeling unsatisfied after Zach once again walked away without telling them anything. We were all letting Zach do as he pleased since he got back. We let him set his own pace. Midoriya's expression softened as Zach pursed his lips like he was holding back even as Mineta and Kaminari both tried getting him to agree that Sato making a cake was totally cheating. When we should have been the ones setting it, Midoriya thought, and he opened his mouth to say something again.

Before Midoriya could speak, Zach opened his pursed lips and he tried to say something. He opened his mouth to respond to something Mineta just said, but he stopped and just froze there with his mouth open. And then Tsuyu Asui stepped forward while Zach was stuck in place looking like he had something to say but could not make out the words. "Zach," she whispered, and he turned to the girl and stopped trying to strain himself to speak. He was having so much difficulty getting out what he wanted to say for some reason, but his eyes just widened more as the shorter girl in front of him started, "I was so against anyone going to help you and Bakugo-chan. I- I thought it was the right thing to do," most of the class behind Tsuyu started staring at her with wide eyes as her voice cracked right there. "But, I feel like I stopped some of the others from going who might have, been able to save you before you had to kill that villain," Tsuyu's eyes watered up and she continued while shaking her head, "Which led to so many terrible things happening to you."

"Tsuyu," Zach started, lifting a hand up towards her. "It's not- don't worry about things like-"

"Zach," Tokoyami started, and Zach spun to the dark boy with a beak who stepped farther into the room. Mezo Shoji also stepped forward too, while Tokoyami continued, "I must also apologize. After seeing you in the woods that night, I believed you had turned to the dark side."

A mouth formed on one of Shoji's right dupli-arms, and he said, "I did as well. I'm sorry."

"It's not your faults," Zach started quickly. "It's not any of your-"

"I apologize too," Todoroki said. Zach spun towards him and his breathing sped up more. Todoroki looked away after making eye contact with Zach for a second, and he said in a low voice, "I, really thought you were a villain at the training camp. And I told the others as much," he added in a lower voice. "I should have had more faith in you."

"That's not-"

"I'm sorry I was so afraid of you," Mineta added. "Even though you were being really scary! I should have just, pretended to be scared for the villains, or something…"

"And I shouldn't have believed you actually killed Kirishima," Ashido started quickly. "I'm sorry, I should have known…"

Midoriya looked around as everyone in the room started apologizing to Zach. Things they were never able to say to him, because he had been avoiding talking to each of them since the day he returned back to class. He had avoided contact altogether, avoided getting personal with almost any of them. Everyone had mixed feelings, Midoriya thought, while he pursed his lips himself at Zach's expression and his eyes that were darting back and forth around all his classmates. No one knew what to think. We were all so confused over how to feel about him, and when he suddenly popped back up in the classroom, no one knew how to react. Even when he came and talked to me about certain things, I didn't know how to respond to him, because he wouldn't tell me everything. We all tried to treat things like normal, because that's how Zach did it. But it was impossible after all. We all agreed, even without really talking about it. Things couldn't keep going the way they were.

The look on Zach's face started to change more, and Midoriya felt his heart clench up even as the corners of his lips pulled up into a trembling smile. We all want to get things back to normal. Our normal lives of working together and studying together, and pushing each other to be better heroes. Back to normal, the way they never were that second term. The tears coming out of Zach's eyes were spreading to a few of his classmates now, and Midoriya's eyes were watering up as well. I know everyone kept it in the back of their minds, even while we tried keeping up the fun act and pretending that everything was fine. I know because I felt it too. When I did not know how to react when I'd be sitting in class only to get a notification on my phone that Lifebringer just got in a confrontation with police at an active crime scene. We all knew you were alive, but we couldn't do anything to help you. You were clashing with the police, and saving lives, and you were all alone.

Zach did not know why he was crying. He did not even care though, that tears were spilling down the sides of his face freely while he clenched his eyes shut. He didn't know why they were all saying these things to him, why they chose now at this moment, or why he was not saying anything to them. He did not know why he was crying as they apologized, but he could not stop. Finally the tears came out of Midoriya's eyes too, and he started after Yaoyorozu apologized in a teary-eyed way herself, "I've told you over and over that I'm sorry, but you never accept it. So I won't say I'm sorry for letting you get taken this time, but Zach I'm sorry, because we were all confused when you came back different than you were the first semester, and we didn't know how to react to the new you. But it's still you, still our classmate and our friend." Zach opened his clenched eyes and stared at Midoriya in the middle of all his classmates, smiling faces yet many of which that had tears in their eyes just like Midoriya's teary-eyed smiling expression.

Midoriya held out his right hand, close enough that he could reach Zach. "Let's do it together. Let's become heroes, as a class, once again!"