Death

by tmb1112

Death is a Quirk that can only kill. A perfect Quirk for a villain, but what if the boy who manifested that power just wanted to be a hero? Enrolling in U.A. might not be enough when all your Quirk can do is kill people. Follow Zach Sazaki from his first day in Class A on a story that spans years, as he learns to be a hero, finds out more about his Quirk, and too much to summarize!

237. Chapter 237

Disclaimer: I don't own Boku no Hero Academia

Chapter 237:

This is so awkward, Zach sat in his seat the day classes started back up. The classroom had been almost fully fixed from the attempt to arrest him the week before. There were still lingering signs of what had happened though. Scratches on the floor, fresh panes of glass on the windows, a new coating of paint on the adjacent walls and ceiling that had been damaged too. Zach ignored the damage as well as similar signs outside the window of their fight that had extended around the center of campus.

He had on a new school uniform that Principal Nezu offered him. He had to have all his school supplies replaced as well, although his phone had been returned to him. It had been located after the battle it miraculously survived, and although confiscated, Nezu informed his student how he had gotten it back from the arresting officers. The short mouse principal also informed him how the phone had been opened by the heroes who confiscated it as evidence, but the phone's memory had been completely wiped by that time. It's odd that I remember all of their contact information. Did I have Death on the brain while plugging it in? I didn't do it consciously.

Zach wondered about how he re-plugged in his contacts while looking at All Might who was explaining the schedule for their practical final that would be going on until the end of school. So many different tests. They're really making sure they get us ready for everything before they send us out there. Probably a good move. Going out into the world half-prepared leads to making a lot of mistakes. You get a lot of people killed that way. Zach focused up on All Might though his focus shifted in an instant. But I'm not half-prepared anymore. I can't even fake interest. None of this matters to me. I'll just do the practical finals how they want me to do them. I won't struggle with them. I studied for hours last night too. Sorry, Momo.

He avoided looking back at the girl he just thought on as he was avoiding looking anyone else's way that morning. Too many of them were staring when they thought he was not looking. Almost all of them had him in their peripheral vision, so glancing any direction would cause accidental eye contact to be made. The only way he could look towards was the windows, but looking out there he saw U.A. staff out on the lawn re-laying sod over huge patches of upturned earth. A bead of sweat formed on the right side of Zach's face as he watched people fix the mistake he had made. I should be the one doing that work. I have enough to do! Stop trying to add more on, idiot.

Zach lifted his left hand and rubbed the side of his head with it. He felt a buzz in his pocket but ignored it for now. Wait until homeroom's over. Notifications mean I'll actually have an excuse to avoid their gazes. God, this is so weird. I told them so much. I must have ranted for eight hours straight. Longer, even. I had to wake up Kirishima and Mina by the end of it. Which means I was literally just speaking to the people still awake in the hall. Or to myself. I really needed that. I needed to remember everyone. A tiny smile lifted on Zach's face for a moment. And I did. Everyone who died. All those who lived too. The ones who quit, and the ones who turned on me too.

Some things are best left unsaid though. I shouldn't have mentioned Eziano, but I really don't want everyone worrying so much about him. The kind of power he displayed was frightening. I want rumors to spread of his death. Leave it mysterious to keep Deku from getting tarnished. No one can know he was there. They'll all assume I massacred them, but that's fine. Much better than the truth. Ares, must stay a secret. Only myself and Midoriya, and Momo. I really should have kept my mouth shut to her. I was losing it after the surge from killing him though. All that power was messing with my head. And how do I know it's not still messing with me? I just have control over the power, not over my mind. Right now, I'm no longer controlling my mind. I have to stop doing that. Which means, unintentional thoughts can persist. Don't push away the darkness anymore. Let everything flow. It may be harder now, but it will help in the long run… I think.

All Might looked towards his student who he never thought would be back in this classroom. Sazaki. I wish, I knew what to say to you right now. Your trials are not over, but I do not know what I could do to help you. I also wish to apologize for my part in deceiving you the day of your arrest, but do I have the right? All Might walked to the door and left as homeroom ended, unable to say a word specifically to the student who met his gaze at the end as if wondering if All Might had something to say to him.

Alright, what's this message? Zach watched All Might go, then he pulled out his phone and read the title of the news article that Kotsumura had just sent him. Ah, that's not good. Where the hell was he hiding a camera?

Yaoyorozu pulled out her own phone and checked a message from Assurely. The pro she was interning with had sent her a link that she clicked on, though she kept the video muted as it started playing the moment she clicked on it. Others in Class A just started talking to each other after All Might left, though many felt like the elephant in the room needed to be addressed. No one wanted to bring it up though. Some of the students frowned at Iida, Midoriya, and the others who had been part of the group who hid the arrest from them and suddenly attacked Zach in the middle of class. They felt like those were the ones who should apologize, yet those students still felt like they had done the right thing in helping heroes with the arrest rather than standing against them. Even after all they had seen.

Yaoyorozu's eyes bulged at the recording she started watching caught on a hidden camera. She cut the video short for now and put her phone back in her pocket, while Zach lowered his phone to his desk and then rubbed his forehead with his right hand. That was foolish of us. Foolish of him too, though he'll probably make a lot of money with interviews and… Dastan's such a sleazy guy. He must have kept the footage from the secret camera for insurance claims. It makes sense for him to have it prepared for the damage surely to come while serving villains, and yet he couldn't let them see the cameras or they'd get suspicious of him working with heroes. As for why he hid it this long and only decided to release it now, he must have not wanted to upset the Army of Death. Now he sees that they don't care apparently, to have revealed that footage with me out there without a helmet on. Damn it. New evidence can't get the trial reopened, for the same crimes though. Did I do anything in that video-

Actually, it doesn't matter. Zach reminded himself of the simple fact and felt some relief. No one else will know what to do with the information either. It will be just "one more thing." Some could call it proof, others will call it faked, and they'll use the precedent from the trial to just dismiss it. Even if a lot of people believe what they see in the footage. We were disguised fairly well. Hope Darling's face is obscured enough. If not, Rebel should be able to deal with it. Or Cody. They better…

At the start of finals week, Class A like all the other classes at U.A. were preparing for the hardest exams of their high school careers. It was hard to focus in the classroom at the start of the day with Zach being back and no one addressing it directly, though it got easier after Mother Russia started her class by saying how she was glad he was back. 'Things would be boring without you,' she had told him in the classroom, and she grinned at the student who looked surprised by it as did his peers. His surprise did not last long as he focused up quickly with everyone else as Mother Russia warned them how she did not care that the whole country was waiting for them, she would fail any one of them if they did not meet her expectations in this next week.

Every teacher was in full-review mode, though Zach had to make up three tests on the last new subject matter that he had missed due to all his absences. He missed much-needed review because of that, and as he walked to lunch with his classmates he nodded in agreement with Midoriya. He nodded but kept quiet as his friend talked about studying together after the full-class-training that Yaoyorozu and Iida had proposed to Class A earlier that morning before All Might arrived. The teachers had not set it up for them, but the responsible class reps made the decision themselves to organize a class training period to better prepare for the practical sections of the finals that many in the class were concerned about.

Zach walked to the lunch line side by side with Midoriya but slowed for a second as he neared it. His eyes locked on the dark straight ponytail of the girl at the back of the line in front of him. She was about to enter into the horizontal strip going past Lunch Rush's counter from the curve where the line extended outwards once it got too long. Slowing down meant Midoriya got a step ahead of him, and Zach sped up and moved by Midoriya when they were almost at the back of the line, making his curly-haired friend sweatdrop as Zach did it too late and pretty much just cut him in line. Zach gave a look back though at Midoriya in thanks for letting him take the spot, then he looked back forward at the girl in front of him who he hesitated again upon looking down at. She noticed me, right?

Jirou had not turned around, but the fact that she did not turn to even check who it was behind her made him more assured that she knew it was him. She took another step forward on the line, but Zach spoke up behind her, "Jirou?" Her lips dipped down at the corners farther as he said her name. She frowned more and the blond boy in front of her who glanced behind himself gained an uneasy look on his face.

Monoma quickly spun back forward and moved to get his lunch as Jirou was glaring harshly at him, What did I do?

The Class B boy speeding up made it quicker for Jirou to get her lunch too. Zach stepped up behind her and held his tongue for a moment as she was given her lunch. Once she had it though and Lunch Rush was turning to him, he stepped after her before she could go, "Could we talk? Just, for a-"

Jirou turned back towards him with her eyebrows narrowed in and a harsh glare for a split second. Then she turned back and walked out of the lunch line quickly, I don't want to. We talked enough. Jirou glared down at her tray then at the floor below it as she marched away. What is he thinking?! Does he- I'm eating somewhere else! Her eyes snapped up and she went straight for the doors of the cafeteria, getting out of there before Zach could get his lunch and see where she was going.

Zach can't just do it again. Not with me. Jirou's face hardened and some underclassmen eased out of her way just from the look of the girl's expression. I won't let it happen… Her eyes were more conflicted than her angry and determined expression. Her thoughts were full of anger towards Zach, but she still had to bite down harder as she questioned herself, Why am I afraid of letting him talk to me then? I know I won't change my mind… easily. Jirou squinted her eyes and shook her head back and forth. No. No! I- I can't let him just- The thoughts she was having were getting too conflicting with the way she felt, and her fists clenched harder at her sides in fear. He couldn't say anything to change my mind. I know it! I know, that.

Zach walked towards a table in the cafeteria more empty than the others near it. He sat down in a large gap between Class A students already in conversations with each other, though they did get quieter and seemed to end after he took his seat. His frustrated eyes glared down at his mashed potatoes and bowl of ramen. I know "fixing" things with Jirou isn't as easy as it is with everyone else. Not that the others were easy, but, but it deserves to be harder too! I know. I know that. I've been trying for months though. She doesn't even want to talk to me, let alone forgive me, and forgiving me isn't the point. It's never been the point. Zach's lifted his left hand and pressed the heel of the steel fake palm into his forehead just above his eyes.

She's spiteful. Hateful. But she's lived as this person for almost two years now. It's who she is. Colder. Angrier. She doesn't trust people! Or, she doesn't trust me, at least. She never will. No matter what I tell her it won't work. Zach rubbed his left hand harder into his skull and he closed his eyes painfully but exhaustedly too. I know that, and, I've failed. I've truly failed her. She won't say a word to me. Jirou called me out on my lies months ago and I continued lying to her.

Zach shook his head around and then lowered his hand as he slouched down into his bench at the lunch table. I can't just tell her, 'I'm not lying anymore.' Like what I say means anything. I know that. She's just ignoring me. She's done listening to anything I have to say. Moving past me. That should be fine too, right? If she moves past me, maybe the things I've done to her will just, they'll just… Continue to fuck with her, forever. I can't pretend like they won't. Zach closed his eyes shut tightly again. And I can't do anything about it. It's just some horrible fucking thing I did. One that I chose to do. A choice I made, to ruin my friend's- to ruin her, life. Fuck. FUCK! I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Jirou. I- I wish you… I wish you had read…

"Hey Zach," Zach glanced to his left. His expression lightened a little and he picked up his spoon to start eating his mashed potatoes.

Mineta sat down and tried to wipe the hesitation from his expression as Zach got right to eating his food rather than saying anything about how he had just looked. At another table farther from Zach's, Ojiro leaned back and looked across the room towards Zach and the empty spots around him. He nudged next to him into his girlfriend and nodded that way, and Hagakure hummed affirmatively then stood up with him. The two of them took their trays and walked over to Zach's table, and they turned their heads before arriving as Shoji approached from the other way at the same time. All three of them sat across the table from Zach and Mineta who felt more relieved not to be the only other person sitting there.

A bead of sweat still formed on the back of Mineta's purple Pop Offs, as he could feel the majority of the room staring straight towards him. It was at least better with more people there now though. He started eating too, but he stopped as Zach mentioned to the four of them, "You guys don't have to sit with me." Mineta looked to his right at his taller classmate sitting there who glanced around at them and gave them a half-hearted smile. "I know this is weird. Me being here, now, it's making everyone uncomf-"

"We're glad you're here," Ojiro countered with a shake of his head to tell Zach not to finish that sentence.

"Yeah!" Hagakure agreed emphatically. She nodded her head fast then added, "Mother Russia sensei is right. Things are way more interesting when you're around."

"Yeah, you bring the party," Mineta joked, laughing about it to himself even as he went back to eating. Party? Zach being around makes everything crazy! The time he was gone feels so tame now in comparison.

Shoji hummed in agreement but stayed his usual quiet self. He looked at Zach carefully from under his sharp protruding bangs. Is it really them that are uncomfortable? You look like the one who's most uncomfortable right now.

"When you leave things get boring around here," Hagakure said. "I bet, if you had stayed all that time, we would have had a ton of fun…"

Zach lifted his gaze back up from his tray and looked directly across the table in surprise. Hagakure sat between Ojiro and Shoji who each glanced in at the invisible girl who did not have to worry as much as everyone else about hiding the expression on her face. She opened her eyes wide though as Zach stared back at her as if looking directly at her face, though she noticed a moment later that the other three had all recognized the tone of her voice and could see exactly how she was feeling based on that emotion. Hagakure had to smile at the looks in their eyes. All four of them looked at her in knowing ways that she doubted most anyone else would have been able to pick up on so instantaneously. Even though you were gone for so long, you can still read me as well as anyone.

"Yeah," Zach agreed after a few seconds. "I, think so too." He smiled softly at her then lowered his gaze back down to his food. "Had I stayed here… It really would have been, a fun couple of years."

The others all quieted down and then looked back at their own food. The sadness and regret in Zach's tone countered the smile on his face as he said that. It sounded as if he was imagining a life where he had stayed rather than left them. Ojiro frowned after a few seconds himself as he imagined that world too. The people we all are wouldn't be here right now. None of us would be the same without the Lifebringer Incident. You changed things, as much as Raijin did.

"…I really had to leave though," Zach whispered. Mineta stopped with his spoon just off of his lips. His hand froze and his eyes widened and darted to his right side at his friend who said that quietly to them. His spoon lowered down slowly and his eyes started to narrow a bit.

Hagakure frowned herself too. "You shouldn't have," she retorted. Her voice was soft too, but she shook her head that Zach was saying this now as if he had not learned anything. I thought you regretted it? I thought, that that was real! At least, that much.

"I had to," Zach whispered again. He rose his eyes up to Hagakure then glanced around at the others who wished they understood but also wanted him to understand that he was wrong to leave in the way he did. He added, "The way I did it, how I left, that was wrong. But I- I really felt that I, had to leave. I couldn't stay here any longer."

"We all wanted you to," Mineta said back. Zach looked next to him and Mineta frowned and shook his head, "Kaminari was my friend too. You held on though, when I really couldn't." The other three across the table from Zach and Mineta all looked at the shorter boy in surprise at what he was saying in such a serious tone. "I really, really wish you had stayed, Zach. That letter helped me out a lot, but what would have helped more would have been my friend being there."

What did Zach say to Mineta in his letter? Hagakure's eyebrows rose up high and she cocked her head to the side.

His letter to me was, personal, Shoji thought while looking back at his own lunch tray. I wouldn't ever say anything about what was in it. Not many people have.

"I know, Mineta," Zach responded to his short friend. "But," he continued, his eyes shifting from Mineta to the others as well who looked back at him again. "I, really thought…" He tssked and shut his mouth for a moment. His eyes shifted around the cafeteria. Zach looked back at Mineta and pursed his lips. "There were a lot of things, that made me leave. Things I needed to fix. Things I needed to do. Stopping Kurogiri and the League, was the goal, but leaving… Leaving wasn't just something I had to do because after my trap, I wouldn't be able to stay. Leaving was something I needed to do, to protect… to, keep you all from, dying."

His friends looked at him in surprise as he said it. "Dying?" Ojiro asked.

Zach looked away and his eyes shifted across the cafeteria. He noticed people looking away from him when he glanced away, but his eyes shifted back towards his friends after a moment as he knew he had to give them more of an explanation than that. "As much as I yelled at Kaminari that I wasn't broken," Zach continued in a low voice. His face was intense and his tone coming off seriously to a point that the others stayed completely silent to hear every word. "Even though I told him that I was stronger than ever, I, believed I was cursed."

Mineta's eyes bulged and he flinched. He thought of that night so long ago now but he remembered Zach saying that word that had crushed him to hear at the time. "…Cursed." I knew he felt that way. Only that night though, but he doesn't still feel like- "You're not cursed-" Mineta started.

"I know," Zach whispered back. I hope. He said it more confidently against the countering thought he had at the same time. He needed to just get Mineta to think he was completely past it though, and his expression appeared like this was just something from the distant past that made Mineta relax his shoulders and nod at Zach to continue on. "I know that now, but I really thought I was cursed back then. When I was bringing back Tsuyu, I just…" Ojiro was listening in the hall. "That was when I really figured it out. Or when I thought I realized it- when I started thinking about, how cursed I was. I knew everyone was going to die. Everyone I cared about would die. It was happening faster and faster: everyone I cared about dying one by one, and it hadn't even started yet."

"Webb and Ganji, Maye and Tsura, and all I had left was Class A. I'd gotten everyone else killed, so how long until I got you all killed too?" Zach whispered the rhetorical question aloud.

Mineta shook his head though. "Kaminari killing your family wasn't your fault." Zach frowned deeper and sadder, his eyes shifting down and squinting more. I can get why you blame yourself for the anti-heroes. You said that you told Kaminari about them, and I know that had to feel like you were the worst person- and nothing I say will change that! But you can't take the blame for everything! "Villains are horrible, and Raijin just-"

Zach shook his head at what Mineta was saying. "You don't get it," Zach whispered. "I knew they were dead, while I was reviving Tsuyu. I knew they were dead when he started shouting at me… But I had time." Zach's teeth clenched and his forehead scrunched up. "Aunt Maye, my cousin Tsura, they didn't die right away." Zach darted his glare to the left at Mineta whose eyes were wider at what Zach was saying now. Zach's eyes snapped back to the table though and he sucked in a sharp breath through clenched teeth, "I thought, that if I just ignored them, Kaminari would too. I thought that if I didn't even think about them then Kaminari wouldn't think about them either! To make them so insignificant to me that he wouldn't waste his time… I should have told heroes to protect them. I should have told the teachers, what I knew Kaminari would do."

Zach balled his fists under the table and hissed, "But I didn't trust anyone. Telling someone out loud to protect them, might just give Kaminari the validation he needed when they tell him that I actually still cared? Right? So I had to just, ignore them. So deep in my mind that I actually wasn't thinking about them, because what if Kaminari could tell that I was- or something. I just… I messed up. I made the wrong choice. And, I failed them." Zach shook his head again then closed his eyes and took in a much deeper breath to hold back any tears.

Hagakure failed on that front, and Mineta glanced away too as he wished he could repeat what he said before with as much confidence even after what Zach just told them. He knew Raijin was going to kill them, but he was powerless to do a thing. Yet he wasn't- if he had actually told heroes, would it have been different? It might have- it really, could have been. "That's still… Raijin's the one who did it. You didn't kill them," Mineta countered in a sad voice of his own that he tried to make sterner near the end to not sound doubtful of it at all.

"You're right," Zach whispered back in reply. "But I still cared about them, and they died because of that. That's why he killed them." Zach lifted a sad smile while looking at Mineta next to him, "And I loved you guys so much, and I never wanted to leave you… but all of Japan looked to Class A for support. This nation believed in you." His friends stared at him in more surprise now at what he was saying, and their eyes only widened more as he went on, "I knew that you would never want me to go just to protect you, but it wasn't just for that. I thought you might die because I cared about you, and I wanted to protect you, protect the image of you, protect your families, protect the world. So much I needed to protect…. So I left you."

"Because I knew I could never just isolate myself and stop caring. I'd tried that with my aunt and cousin, but when I heard that they had gone missing I knew that I couldn't trick myself anymore. It crushed me, again." Zach's voice got hurt more as he said 'again' and his friends remembered just how much had happened in such a short time for him. All the crazy things he was thinking about and feeling back then did not sound very crazy at all when they considered all of this piled on top of everything else Zach had already been through.

And we didn't know he was going through it. We knew it was hard for him, but we didn't know a fraction of why, Shoji thought disappointedly in himself.

"I had to leave you because I cared. Yet all the new friends I made, the new comrades I tried protecting, and failed," Zach added with a lower voice. The others watched him with sadder looks too as he mentioned failing, and he continued in a very low voice, "I cared for them too. And the ones I did protect, we were together for a year, more for some. They didn't die. They became so close to me, closer than most of Class A ever had. And I had thought of Class A as more than just friends. You were my heroes," Zach admitted, cracking a slightly bigger smile as he told it to them.

It sounded like something he had had on his chest for years and always wished he had the chance to tell them. He admitted it and smiled at the four who looked at him in confusion that he would say something like that, while to most other people in the country right now it was Lifebringer who was their hero. Zach could see confused looks but that made him just smile more and shake his head that they would be confused about it. "When I first came back that January from the villains, I was in a rough way. I had been dirty, covered in my own blood, sleeping in alleyways because there was no home for me to go back to- burnt to the ground. No safety as long as the villains were hunting me. Not even after I came back. Not with Hackerman and Kurogiri out there. And I was so paranoid."

"…I didn't do this because I hate you. I did it, because every night I go to sleep in Nightmare form, in fear of Kurogiri." He was scared to go to bed even in our dorms- of course he was! Hagakure thought it in frustration at herself for even questioning that he might have been overly paranoid. Twice he was on campus and suffered at their hands. Two times the villains- three, if you count the camp, and I do! Of course he was afraid!

"I was scared all the time. Paranoid that there was a spy around me. Terrified that I was going to get taken. It was crushing, all the time. And I still felt like I had nothing… but that day, after I snuck off to fight Diamondfist," Zach smiled as he was saying it. He looked across the table at Shoji and under his bangs, and he continued, "You all came to my room and apologized. Even though none of you had done anything wrong. You all came in there," Zach looked across the other two sitting on the opposite bench as him. "And you just apologized to me, and I don't know what it was but- but that moment."

Zach glanced to his left and he lifted the left corner of his lips a little higher while looking at the stunned expression on Mineta's face. "You all became my heroes. You all saved me. More than my heroes though… you were my family." Zach glanced down for a moment but then kept his cracked grin and rose his gaze back up. "I thought of you as it, though it was too embarrassing to say aloud, and I knew the rest of you didn't feel the same."

"I knew that we were a class, at school, and the rest of you had families who you thought of differently than your classmates. But you were all I had. And I loved ya'. I cared about you, like you were my family." Zach took in a deep breath after admitting that to his classmates. Then his lips flattened out as he added on, "And my family kept getting murdered."

Mineta winced as Zach stated that in a steady voice. It was a horrible sentence to imagine, because it was something that if it happened even once to anyone else Mineta figured it would have been the worst moment of that person's entire life. "Kaminari said it in the forest," Zach went on. "'How many times?' I couldn't go through losing another family. I couldn't do that again," Zach said with a shake of his head at the thought of going through it again back then. His shaking head slowed though and he added darker, "But over that year where I'd made so many connections, people who I considered my brothers and sisters at arms…"

"We fought side by side. Ate together. Lived together. Trusting each other to watch our backs, and I had to watch them die. Hundreds of them. Multiple times each-" Zach's voice rose slightly there but he cut himself off just as he started speaking faster. "…But no matter how much of a new family I made, how big it got, how much I cared for all of them," Zach paused and he rose his eyes back up with the anger that had been rising in them fading away. Instead there was just a caring look in them as he said to Hagakure, "My feelings for Class A never faded."

Ashido was right about everything. Did you really come back here just for us? Shoji grimaced but was glad Zach could not see it.

Hagakure just smiled warmly though at what Zach said. She shook her head softly and Zach looked at her wondering what it was for, though he did not appear anxious like he thought her head shake was for some bad reason. He again just read her body language enough from the look of her clothes to feel what she was thinking, before she even said, "You're not cursed, Zach. I promise, we're going to be okay."

"Yeah," Ojiro agreed, nodding along with his girlfriend. "And we could protect ourselves just fine. We're heroes. So, don't do anything, to protect us-"

"I know," Zach said, seeing what was making Ojiro frustrated as he wanted to just agree in some sentimental way with Hagakure but also felt conflicted because of all Zach had said. "I know I shouldn't have made decisions based on protecting all of you. But, when I first came back that winter, I decided not to get close to any of you in the first place because I didn't want the spy to know I had weaknesses. I didn't want the spy to know that I had friends close enough to me that they could hurt me through using them." Zach shook his head with his lips pursing for a moment, then he explained, "And Kaminari told me that I can't make that decision for him."

Shoji winced as he considered the implications of that instantly upon hearing Zach say it. The others took a little longer but all felt similarly hurt as Zach added, "He told me that because you were all heroes, I couldn't make the decision to protect you. That you chose to be in danger… Aunt Maye and Tsura didn't choose that. They didn't choose that life and I put them there. That was on me. But, even with all of you, you may have made the choice to put yourselves in danger by becoming heroes, but you didn't know that by being my friend you were getting involved with a cursed man. So, since you didn't sign up for that, it was on me to protect you. The only one who had ever told me otherwise, was lying…" Unless that's really what Kaminari thought. He may have been able to come up with some bullshit like that easily, because the full personality he had created was the kind of guy who- not now. Don't think about that now.

"I know you're right, Ojiro," Zach continued to his frustrated-looking blond friend. "But back then I was just so scared I was going to get you all killed. It's just another reason why, I had to leave."

---

"Enough standing around everyone!" Iida called out. He ran with his Engines ignited and flames flying out of his calves. The class rep circled the majority of Class A's students and then lunged on one loop to lift up to a slightly higher section, then another. His strides got longer as he jumped from risen platform to higher-up platform, then he jumped up and flipped in the air before crouching his armored legs upon landing on a thirty foot tall pillar of stone. Gym Gamma was reserved out for Class A for the early afternoon, and their period of reservation had already begun in the Training Kitchen Land.

Ectoplasm was busy doing review with one of the younger year's hero classes, but Cementoss sensei was in the training ground with them. "If anyone would like my assistance, I would be happy to provide it." Cementoss made the class look his way where he stood on an even higher pillar of stone than Iida that was much thicker too. He had brought up that pillar first then started adjusting the TDL around everyone which Iida utilized to get himself in a higher position more easily seen by his entire class at once.

"Ooh! Cementoss sensei! Me me!" Ashido jumped up and waved her hand to the teacher looking down on them. "I have a new special technique I want to try out!"

"New technique?" Sero wondered to his ex-girlfriend, glancing to her in some surprise as he had not heard her mention anything about it before. He looked past her and saw Zach looking at her in similar unknowingness, but Zach glanced back up over her and shrugged at Sero who did the same as Mina just grinned secretively at his look questioning what it was she had come up with.

I have a new move too. Don't see me shouting about it, Jirou kept her grumbling to herself as she walked away from the class.

"Oi Mineta," Sato started. The short boy next to him who was stretching his arms up over his head looked up to the spikier-haired more muscular boy who pointed a thumb over his right shoulder. "You mind sparring with me for a little bit?"

Kirishima looked to his side with his right eyebrow lifting up high at the question he just heard. Midoriya looked the same direction from just in front of Kirishima though and he just nodded in an intense way like Mineta did after a moment of looking pleasantly surprised to be asked. Mineta did not look confused as to why he was asked though, and he and Sato started heading away. Sato explained anyway because he did not know that Mineta understood the reasoning as quickly as Midoriya picked up on it, "When I'm on a Sugar Rush I can't always focus on the smaller things-"

"No, I get it man. Just, don't hit me," Mineta added. Then he paused for a moment and even stopped walking. "Actually, go for it."

Sato sweatdropped himself as Mineta said that. "I don't know… If I hit you that hard while-"

"I have an idea," Mineta countered before Sato could finish that sentence. "Don't worry about it." I bounce off my own Pop-Off, but it gets stuck to him, so if it's in my hand- It might knock me back. There will definitely be recoil, but the harder he punches the more he'll get thrown back himself. If I do what Todoroki does though, and I put a backstop of Pop-Offs behind my heels…

"What are you going to work on, Midoriya?" Zach wondered as Deku was still just stretching and had a thoughtful look on his face as he planned out how to spend the next two hours productively.

"Yao-Momo!" Hagakure called out, waving down her taller friend who was already walking towards a more secluded area to train on her own. "Can you help me out?"

"With what?" Yaoyorozu wondered back.

Hagakure smiled and fist-pumped that her friend seemed willing. "Could you make a bunch of paint?"

"Mm, I understand," Yaoyorozu replied without Hagakure needing to say anything else. "After what happened at the last Sports Festival, it is very smart of you to come up with counters for this."

Hagakure hummed in agreement back, glad that Momo knew what she was up to. Yaoyorozu added after handing off two large metal tins of paint to her classmate, "I would suggest not getting splashed in the first place. But remember that if you do-"

"Not to get flustered," Hagakure replied back quickly. "That was my biggest mistake last time-"

"And know that your opponent might feel most confident in that moment they make you visible again," Yaoyorozu added. "The second they feel they have you, is likely the second they let their guard down the most. No villain would suspect that someone trying to hide where they're coming from would go for a frontal attack immediately after losing their stealth advantage."

"Oooh, I'm going to use that," Hagakure said with rapid nods of her invisible head. Yaoyorozu could imagine that was what was happening, even though Toru only had on her gloves and shoes right now to show where she was standing. "Especially if we wind up having to fight heroes again this year, probably without a handicap this time," Hagakure continued. She turned and shook her head back and forth with a shiver at the thought of that. Then she imagined one of her old teachers though who she had gone up against before, and her smile faltered at the thought of Snipe whose body she had seen after the SFI. She shook her head faster to get the image out of her head, then she smiled back over her shoulder at the vice-rep. "Thanks Momo!"

Hagakure started running back to where she told Ojiro to wait for her. She slowed down though as her head turned to the right and she looked back closer to where they had all started off earlier. Her bottom lip lowered as she spotted the five people standing there in a group, and more specifically the looks on their faces that made sweat form on hers. Hagakure ran their way, taking off her gloves and keeping her feet behind stone pillars to keep herself from being seen as early.

"…a warmup jog isn't necessarily a race."

"So you're saying you'd lose?" Bakugo retorted.

"That isn't what I meant-"

"There's nothing wrong with a little competition," Zach countered Midoriya before he could finish. Deku looked back at him with wider eyes, then Zach looked to Iida and mentioned, "Might help to make us more serious about it, if we were racing, right Iida?"

"I…" Iida closed his mouth then looked to his side at Todoroki who was frowning but hummed and turned his head to glance around the outside of the gym.

"Or is it too obvious who would win?" Zach wondered.

Midoriya looked to his side at Zach still in confusion for another second, then he flattened his lips out and got a more serious look on his face. I won't lose a race.

After saying something like that, Todoroki turned his body more and faced the direction Zach was already looking. Zach stepped forward and got on line with Todoroki who was on his right, then he stopped only seven feet away. Bakugo blew up an Explosion under his hands and lifted up then dropped down on Zach's left side only a couple feet away. Midoriya jogged up on Zach's right between him and Todoroki.

Iida was still up on a slightly raised platform, but he stared at the other four and something inside made his heart race faster. He saw a couple of them glance towards him, then he looked forward and at the curvature of the gym. "No leaving twenty meters of Gym Gamma's wall," Iida started. Then he turned his head and called out, "Excuse me! Cementoss sensei!"

Cementoss turned away from the pink girl who had climbed up to a higher section near the middle of the gym where he had been. He was high enough to see around the whole gymnasium and keep an eye on all his students, but he looked down Iida's way and watched the class representative jump down then run to the same line as his fellow classmates. "It would not be fair for me to officiate while also taking part in the challenge," Iida said, his voice stern and loud as he declared that he was doing this for the sake of fairness. None of the others doubted that Iida would be a fair judge anyway, but they accepted his feelings to need to bring in Cementoss or feel that he was cheating. "Could you tell us when to begin, the race!" Iida yelled out, and Bakugo grinned cheek to cheek as Iida called that aloud.

"Start and finish line the same?"

"One lap."

"In that case," Cementoss began to himself while staring down towards five of the strongest students he had ever had. Ashido was already gawking down there, but she did so more as Cementoss slammed his hands down into the floor in front of him. "Very well! On the count of three!" Bmm-CH Chhh CH CH Stone columns rose up from the wall to all the way in past Bakugo on Zach's left at the farther point inwards of the competitors.

"Full Quirk use?"

Zach glanced to his right past Midoriya who also looked right as he heard that question. Todoroki's left hand closer to them was starting to twitch after he asked while his right pointed down at Iida's legs.

"One!"

"I don't see why not," Zach replied after a moment. He heard a smirked-laugh on his left but did not look at Bakugo whose fingers all curled down and behind him.

Cementoss got a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face and stopped altering the gym in preparation for this. Perhaps, more safety is required. Cementoss stopped adjusting the course and instead rose up a ten foot tall wall on the inside of Bakugo that rose up in a circle around the room. It rose up away in front of them and then curved around the room and came all the way around before connecting to the piece that rose up first.

"No!" Hagakure put her gloves back on quickly and started climbing up interior pillars to be able to see over that wall.

Ojiro slapped his tail on the ground and rose up to a taller pillar himself. He spotted his girlfriend around the bend but not coming closer to him. She put down her two buckets of paint then climbed up and let out a yelp of 'Wait' as Cementoss called out, "Two!"

Mineta bounced up over and over on his Pop-Offs. His head snapped to the side each time he came back down, "Iida's there too… And they're all lined up… Oh man, here they go…" Mineta bounced up again and held his breath as he looked their way. I should probably start turning my head now if I want to see them go past…

Dark steam came off of Zach's back. Smoke came off of Bakugo's fingertips and out the tips of the exhaust pipes in Iida's calves. Steam came off of Todoroki's body the same time that Midoriya got a glow around him as One For All coursed through his body.

"Three!"

Red flames turned to blue instantly and melted the ice that just started covering Iida's legs in that moment. Todoroki's left hand pointed straight back at the last second as there was no chance of him getting off any flames into the people on his left before they were already ahead of him. Instead the flames fired out behind him in the thin flame jet that propelled him off the ground and forward high enough to rise over the first ledge that Iida was sprinting straight up. Bakugo's first explosion hit nobody because none of the others were still at the starting line, but the wind from it hit Todoroki who was slowest moving forward and felt the wind rush from the blast and from Bakugo shooting past him. As Bakugo flew by too, his right hand curved to the right and set off another smaller explosion that Todoroki had to lean away from and duck his head away from the flames.

Iida lifted up past the top of the first risen section then pressed his feet down harder and made a leap for a different platform elevated just higher and to his right closer to the wall. Recipro won't last all the way around, Iida landed and he pulsed more heat down into his legs so the bright blue flames got even brighter and hotter out the backs of his calves. Go for it! He ran to the right edge of the platform and had his body leaning inwards as he reached the ledge. His body was diagonally tilted towards the middle of the room, and he picked up his feet and stepped out onto the wall that he sprinted along sideways too fast for gravity to take him off of it.

Midoriya darted a glance to his left side and Zach darted his red eyes to the right. Midoriya's arc was finishing though and he was coming down for another leap. Zach's black wings grew larger and spread out in front of Midoriya whose eyes darted every which way as Zach got ready to flap them. Then those wings just broke off of Zach's back instead of flapping which would give him a huge burst of speed. They broke off and flew back at Midoriya, who landed a moment before they would hit him. 90% Midoriya's feet made the pillar below him shatter as he pushed down, then he kicked forward his right foot and sent a rock flying through Zach's black smokescreen and right past Zach's right shoulder so fast that Zach's red eyes trailed behind it in a blur.

Zach darted his gaze forward and watched the rock slam into a wall across the gym and left a huge crater in it. His eyes shifted back rapidly though to the figure flying by his side after kicking off the collapsing ground and shooting the gap in Death made by the rock. Cementoss tried to raise up a huge stone wall to block the rock before Midoriya's kick broke the training gym, but he was too slow and the wall was only half-risen when he gave up on it and tried to keep track of all five of those students at once to prevent any more damage.

If that had broken through the wall I would have had to end this. If Midoriya was any stronger- no, if he had held back any less, Cementoss corrected himself as he considered Midoriya and Bakugo's previous fight at the Sports Festival. Both of them kept me from having to do anything that day. Despite how hard they fought, they could have fought harder. I know that. And even right now, they're all aware of the others around them. It's part of their training. Competing with one another while still ensuring the safety of everyone else, despite how powerful their Quirks are. Be careful! Cementoss was just praising their responsibility in his head, but he rose up a higher wall as Todoroki pointed his left hand out towards the interior of the room and in front of Bakugo who was gaining on Zach and about to blow apart the new wings Zach had created and actually intended to use as a boost this time.

Midoriya looked to his right and over his shoulder as an explosion and flames pushed against each other right behind Zach and hit him with part of the collision which was bigger than either of those two attacking him individually which he appeared more prepared for. Deku looked further to his right instead and at the wall where Iida was sprinting with bright blue flames still pushing out of his calves. Every step was so quick that it was like Iida was barely touching the wall, though the speed he was running at was cracking the windows above him as he was just sprinting just underneath the first windows lining the outer wall of TDL.

"TURBO…"

He's already using Reciproburst! Midoriya's eyes opened wide as Iida leaned his body forward in his silver armor. His feet pressed harder into the wall, and Midoriya cut across the wall at the end of the room with his head pointing back forward as he needed to jump over a much taller stone column or change his path and go around it. His eyes bulged though as Iida sped around the first corner, then reached the next corner by staying on the wall. How is he turning the corners?!

"BOOST-AH!" Iida felt a sharp pain in both legs from when he hit the first of the shorter two walls in the rectangular-shaped building. His sprint across that wall happened so fast that no sooner was he recovering from hitting the wall was he turning onto the next one that went longways back to the opposite side of the gym as where they were facing at the start.

Midoriya landed on top of the tallest pillar for the whole first section of the race, and his eyes narrowed past the nearby inner wall corner that Cementoss had risen. From this angle… Midoriya leaned his body far forward and filled One For All through him. "Full Cowling, Ninety Percent…"

Iida had gone beyond Reciproburst. The inner light blue core turned violet and the white flaring outer flames looked as hot as any and caused smoke to come off the back of Iida's legs. They sputtered though after he turned the second corner onto the third wall. He ground his teeth and pushed through, only to gasp as the wall in front of him cratered outwards with a pair of feet in heavy iron shoes slamming into it. Midoriya flew past Iida in a blur faster than Iida was moving, and then he bounced off of the wall and in the direction Iida was already going.

Bakugo turned the second corner on the inside path and put both gauntlets behind him. The pins were already falling from them. Todoroki was behind him too much, and trying to put up an ice wall right now was out of the picture with both of Bakugo's hands pointed right at him. His left hand changed where it was pointed at instead, sending him past the inside corner all the way to the wall and barely dodging the massive explosions that pushed back into the shorter wall and shattered every window on it. Todoroki had another reason he was not trying his ice to block Bakugo though, and as he flew through the air thanks to the jet of flames that got engulfed by Bakugo's much larger explosions, he swung his right hand down towards the outer wall on the long stretch opposite where they started.

Ice hit the wall and shot down it in an instant. A wave of it pulled up into the air faster than Cementoss was lifting his own Cement Quirk without making it hard. The ice curved in the path that Iida was flying at rapidly in a suit of armor that was going to hurt him a lot after he tripped on the huge crater in the wall that Midoriya had just made in front of him. Iida was still falling from the wall after losing his footholds upon Midoriya crashing into his path. He was falling, while Midoriya reached the end of the long wall, slamming into the next shorter one, and right as Bakugo hit the inner corner of the third turn too. Midoriya reached his right hand out as he was nearing the end of the wall so as not to hit the shorter one too hard that he would smash right through it. Instead, Midoriya dragged a trench through the long wall under windows that all broke apart, shattering outwards from the force of Deku flying by them.

Deku's eyes shifted to his left at where two explosions just stopped Bakugo instantly at the inside corner and the shorter path across the second wide wall. All they had was the short path in front of them, one last corner turn, and then the return to their starting point on the first long wall. The starting point had been closer to this side of the room too, so there was not half of the gym to go back across after the turn. Neither hesitated for a second after reaching the corner nearly at the same time. Bakugo's smaller explosions stopped his momentum whereas Midoriya's drag along the long wall and his feet slamming into the short one stopped him in his tracks.

Todoroki was less focused on the two far ahead who sped around the width of the training gym in an instant. His huge ice curve had risen in front of Iida's path, and Iida smashed into it, but not before hitting something softer that lifted into his path so fast that Todoroki could barely track it. His ice wall was still forming, and he had felt regret as the curve was not perfect and was still going to make Iida crash into it very hard. Then a pillow of black shot up in between Iida and that ice. It carefully avoided the lifting Cement that all froze too as Cementoss was careful about that darkness touching any material he was controlling with his Quirk. The Death itself was avoiding Cementoss on its own though, instead lifting up and then curling around Iida as he slammed into it, slowing him down before he touched the ice wall softly and in shock at what was pushing by on either side of him.

The black wisps faded off in the air as Iida slid down the curve of ice that Death had stopped him from colliding into. Where is Zach? Iida thought with wide eyes as he did not even see his classmate who saved him right there.

Todoroki could see him though. And it stopped him where he stood. He stopped in place and stared to the end of the long wall and around it onto the wide path at the end of the room. Zach was looking over his shoulder in their direction as he controlled the Death that just prevented Iida from getting hurt any worse. Midoriya and Bakugo already rounded the next turn, and yet Zach was running along that path with strides that took him from one Cement pillar to the next. He jumped from one to another, and he flapped a pair of black wings off his back to reach that next corner he turned to look ahead of him where his competitors were.

Bakugo and Midoriya could each see Todoroki and Iida practically opposite them in the room now. They knew Zach was closer behind them, but the finish line was just ahead. Sero had shot out a line of Tape to make it easier for them to see. It was connected on the far end to the wall and the other end to where Sero just stuck it to a stone pillar he and a bunch of others were watching from at the finish line. "Catch up, Zach!" Sero yelled out.

"Come on, Midoriya!" Mineta yelled out as he saw Bakugo and Midoriya speeding towards the finish practically side by side.

"Go for it, Bakugo!" Kirishima shouted his input too as no one else called out Bakugo's name even though he was in first at the moment.

After the wider wall that Bakugo kept up with Midoriya on just barely, Bakugo pointed both of his hands towards Deku on the final turn. His body had twisted in midair before he fired off the blasts at his childhood friend who had to kick the air in front of him and change his momentum backwards for a moment. Deku knew that Kacchan might do it though and prepared to have a wall behind him right there though, and he kicked both feet off while Bakugo slammed his hands behind him and fired off consecutive Explosions twice a second.

Explosion after Explosion blasted Bakugo forward. Midoriya shot ahead and slammed into a huge Cement column that rose up in front of him. He crossed his arms before colliding and blasted straight through it with stone flying everywhere. As he busted through though, Midoriya saw on his right side Bakugo swerving a similar pillar as the one he just smashed into as Cementoss lifted it. Bakugo pointed his right hand slightly out and changed his midair momentum. Then he pointed his left only slightly down to keep himself blasting forward while also with perfect maneuverability in midair that Deku did not have.

Midoriya pressed his feet down on a large chunk of stone that he had blasted forward with his last collision. Turn it, the soles of his feet pushed down on the block until it was diagonal in his fall. He angled himself and shot forward, blasting through another pillar, and another one after that. Bakugo dodged left and right, and Midoriya used his brute force to smash through three pillars in a row just to his left as they had criss-crossed and Bakugo had the outside now. There was no shorter path or longer path on the straightaway though. It was a straight line to the finish for both of them. Yet as Midoriya smashed through the third pillar, his body eased sideways and he kept his momentum while flying past the next pillar that Cementoss rose up too far away from his student.

Cementoss was rising them up before his students reached them because he needed to account for their speed and leading them. Yet Midoriya was already moving before he started raising up his fourth pillar in order to angle himself through the third one to dodge the fourth. Cementoss could understand it the instant he saw Midoriya exceed the speed he was able to keep up with and put another pillar up in front of him before the Tape finish. Midoriya had found a pattern in the obstacles he was making. And Cementoss knew he figured it out only after two of them, that he was able to use the third one that Cementoss made in order to get his teacher to miss with the fourth. Although he would have been able to go through a fourth tower of stone, against Bakugo who was so close to him, every millisecond was going to count and he was now inches ahead…

Two bulges of pitch blackness shot up off the ground just before the finish line. Between the line of Tape and the two approaching racers a second away from it, fifteen foot tall giants of Death bubbled up into existence in an instant directly in the paths of Midoriya and Bakugo. The two of them stared forward with wider eyes as these things appeared out of nowhere. Pitch black forms rising out from cracked ground that had been created with their initial lift-offs at the start of the race.

Did he leave Death there for this- Midoriya cut off his own thoughts questioning if Zach knew this was how the race was going to end the second it started. He prepared in case it was.

Bakugo examined the dark form in front of him and did not just blast another explosion out behind him. In his head he saw Zach killing two villains who underestimated his speed after seeing how large he had become. Despite both of these dark giants being nearly three times the size of him, he knew how fast they could move and how fast any black strand inside those dark figures could shoot out at him. The two dark forms did not look identical either. The one in front of Deku on his left rose up slightly taller, though that may have just been from the round hat on top of that shadow's head. It had two huge arms and a muscular body but partly shrouded by a thinner veil of Death around it like a cloak that was translucent and showed the bulky form inside. Those two arms were holding onto a giant broadsword that emerged in its grasp and extended down into the ground in front of its feet.

On the right side and in front of Bakugo, stood a similarly large dark monster that had four muscular arms that it held out to the sides and blocked off his path though while giving gaps for Bakugo to try dodging through. And both of those huge giants gained red glowing eyes on their heads that narrowed and snapped directly onto the eyes of the competitor flying towards it. The one in front of Bakugo punched its upper right arm, so the arm to Bakugo's left and slightly above him. The one in front of Deku dragged its sword up with its right arm just to Deku's left as he was centered perfectly with this thing's body.

How condensed is it? Can I smash straight through- Do I need an Air Force first? If I do, will the recoil stall me enough that it will fill back in too quickly with as much as it looks like there is there? I can't dodge between the legs even though the veil is thinner there. He planned that specifically, and there could be huge reserves hidden in the cracks still that they rose from. Sensei's final Cement ledge is in the way of the cracks so I can't see where they all are. Kacchan's going to blast his way through! Find the gap! NOW!

Why are they both punching on opposite sides? They're giving a clear path on the outsides. Bakugo saw the one that dragged up its sword on Deku's left was actually lifting that one up above its head rather than slashing to the outside path and blocking Midoriya from rushing to the finish just alongside the inner wall of the racetrack. Its real attack was coming from its left fist that released the sword and swung forward at Deku. Bakugo's opponent was also swinging its upper right arm that was on the inside between him and Deku, rather than either of the arms on the outside closer to the wall. And he could see at this moment, that he and Deku were off-centered. They were not directly in the middle of the track, so the one closer to the wall right in front of him should have been trying to close off the outside track to his right that had a wide opening for him to rush towards. His eyes did not shift towards that side though, as he pointed his right hand more directly behind him but upwards a little and angled slightly closer towards the wall.

The one that was slashing up its sword only did so with its right hand. Midoriya noticed that it let go with its left too, but he thought at first that was so it could block the inside with that arm while swinging the sword out onto the short wall side. The giant did not slash its sword out that way though, making Midoriya hesitate for another instant as the inside was impossible to go through because the giant's left hand punched forward with its fist passing close to the upper right arm of the one next to it. There was no room to pass there, but Midoriya had eased center-wards because of the rising sword making him think the inside path closer to the middle of the room was gone. He moved closer to Kacchan who also moved to the inside despite the wider path on the outside to go to. Midoriya flicked his fingers in front of him, and he had to kick back his entire legs to off-set the force in his Air Force flicks to disperse the Death flying at him. Bakugo pointed his left hand in front of him and blew apart the punching fist that he did not manage to duck under enough. He also had to blast away the dark wisps rising from the lower of the two arms on the four-armed giant's right side that all started sucking up towards him as he thought they would.

The left fist of the sword-wielding giant blew apart, and all the Death Bakugo tried to blow apart blew away too, but both of the Class A students noticed it happened too quickly. Their attacks were aimed in front of them and slowed their momentum. The darkness blew past their sides as they opened paths in front of themselves, but that darkness surrounded Zach as he spiraled forward rapidly. The darkness that pulled past Deku and Bakugo slingshotted Zach as he hit into it.

The darkness pushed on either side of the other two and got thickest right between them. That thick Death acted as a pathway that Zach coursed through without slowing down as they did. His already fast-moving body sped inside the darkness and emerged out the back of it, just in front of Midoriya and Bakugo. Midoriya's kicks behind him put him against the force of his finger flicks, and Bakugo ground his teeth in pain as he set off a larger explosion from his right hand behind himself to off-set the power of the Explosion from his left hand to blow apart the Death. Zach shot out of his spinning mass of Death with his legs kicking forward as they emerged from a dark cloud that thinned because of how fast it just shot the gap between Midoriya and Bakugo. Zach's legs extended out in front of him, kicking into the Tape that Midoriya reached his right hand out for and that Bakugo's neck extended out towards with his jaw opening up as the last Explosion pushed his upper body forwards.

Midoriya's fingers grasped at empty air as Zach's feet pushed the Tape forward. Bakugo chomped into nothing, and his left arm swinging back forward too just missed the Tape that Zach collided with first. The dark veil surrounding Zach faded away as his body fell out of the darkness. He dropped down to the ground and came out of the air running, then into a jog, then he finally walked into a stop right as he reached a stone column not destroyed yet and which he would have collided with. He put his left hand out and stopped himself from running into it, then he let out a deep breath and reached down, picking up the long piece of white tape with his right hand.

Bakugo and Midoriya landed down next to each other and skid forward on the ground past the starting line that was partially upturned and not so easy to stop on. Midoriya stumbled as he tried to come to a stop after moving so quickly, while Bakugo pointed his hands in front of him and let out smaller Explosions that ended the skid at once. Midoriya stopped a few feet farther in front of him, and he ground his teeth while lifting his head up from the crack on the floor he slid his left foot away from. His eyes rose and he relaxed his jaw after a second as the frustration at losing faded. Deku sighed instead as Zach lifted the Tape and looked back at him with a small grin lifting on his face.

He laid a trap for them… in a race. Ojiro scratched the back of his head for a couple seconds then tilted it to the side. He admitted to himself, They should have seen that coming though.

How did I not see that coming? Midoriya thought, tilting his own head back and taking in some deep breaths.

I knew there was something off. I shouldn't have done anything to slow myself down. It was the moment hesitation. Not even a fraction of a second separated us, Bakugo glared down Zach's victorious expression for another second then turned his head and looked back behind him. He watched as those two huge forms of Death flattened down into the ground and then shot around him and Midoriya as nothing but shadows. They flooded into Zach's legs and disappeared inside his body. Both of those things had glowing red eyes. Was he fucking with us? Bakugo's eyes rose and glared darkly into Zach's. Could he have just replaced his consciousness into either of those forms and passed the finish line? Is that how it works? Or despite his consciousness being in each one, is there still one that is the most powerful? An original body. I don't want to ask. I want to figure that out for myself.

Bakugo lifted a smirk after a moment when Zach was actually lowering his grin as he wondered if Bakugo was seriously angry at him here. Zach relaxed at the way Bakugo glare-smirked at him in a way seeming dangerous but also like he was threatening Zach to challenge them to another competition while feeling that cocky after a first victory.

No one ever saw how Zach fights with his Quirk. He hid it at the first Sports Festival, the second, and he wasn't even around at the third, Tokoyami stared across the room towards the finish line of the race he caught half of, which was still only a few seconds long. He rarely used it during class back when he was here before his Incident. And during the joint training, Tokoyami winced thinking of Zach handily beating him inside the smoke without much of a struggle on his part. Every time we have a chance to see him fight, he holds back. He fought the Subspace Devils while obscured by a wall of his Death. The most we have ever seen of him fighting with Death, was as Death. Those videos in Wampajawa. Frunoco and Egypt. And now the new video from that bar in Kazakhstan, where he was not even in Army of Death armor. Is he now going to use Death more often because there is no reason to hide it anymore? Right there, Zach showed power like he never presents before us.

He cushioned Iida while setting up his trap and avoiding Cementoss' obstacles, Todoroki looked across the room as he and Iida walked together up a risen ramp that their teacher had made for them across the middle of the room so they did not have to go all the way around the outside track. As heroes, we all need to know how to multi-task. But he's the king of that. Todoroki imagined Zach interrogating prisoners, while redistributing billions of dollars to charities around the world, while bleeding out from dozens of injuries at the same time, and still somehow managing to fabricate the most intimidating atmosphere he had ever seen before. More than after the battle- that's just easier to see. Because it was actually slower then, than during the battle itself. He was juggling a thousand things in Wampajawa during the actual battle. Being able to manage all that and knowing that picking any wrong option could get people killed, of course he can multi-task a few things in the middle of a race that he considers no more than a warm-up for training.

If you aren't going to kill me, Zach thought while looking back at Midoriya who he walked up to as his friend was closest in front of him. "Nice try, Midoriya. Maybe next time." He cracked a competitive grin back at Deku who hesitated for a moment before smiling in a small way and nodding back in agreement with him. Then I need you to see me at my best. See the way I set traps. Understand that I would have gotten you if this was a fight. That I was a step ahead. I'll show you everything I can do as soon as I'm able to do it. Even if I'm stronger than you, Midoriya, I know that if there's anyone in the world who could put a stop to me, it's you. Both of you would be preferable, Zach thought while still seeing Bakugo too in his peripheral vision. And actually more likely to succeed. I know you didn't fight together during the arrest. When you two fight together it's really something to see. And arresting me for the Death trial wasn't the kind of fight that would get you two to fight together. If a time came that you two actually needed to put a stop to me, I think you would really go for it. I hope you could.

"Nice job on your victory, Sazaki," Cementoss said while sliding down on moving Cement and then hardening the ground under him as he was just above his three students. "And good job helping your class rep as well. Midoriya," Cementoss frowned at his curly-haired student who looked surprised at what Cementoss just said and also nervous as he was spoken to directly after that. "At the speed Iida was going, what you did was dangerous-"

"I would have been fine, Cementoss sensei… Not to interrupt, or to disregard what you are saying," Iida corrected himself quickly after running forward and then stopping short when he thought he might be sounding rude to have cut off his teacher. Iida stood up straight then reported loudly back at the older man, "I believe Midoriya simply knew that I could have handled the fall."

Thanks, Iida, Midoriya thought, while giving a once over of his good friend and seeing that Iida did not look to be hurting as he got worried about a moment ago.

Yeah, he probably would have been fine. Plus we have Recovery Girl, Zach thought to himself as well. Was just a precaution on my part.

"Well then," Cementoss said with a nod and a look back at the student who had won the last Sports Festival. He frowned at Midoriya still and then frowned at the runner-up too who grimaced while lifting his gaze and looking around the gym's exterior. "You are still in trouble for breaking every window in this building. You as well, Bakugo. And you," Cementoss looked back at Iida who stood up straighter and then bowed in apology to Cementoss as he had noticed himself breaking the windows but had gotten too focused on the race.

Zach cracked his grin slightly bigger and looked away as if to try not to laugh as they got scolded by one of their nicest teachers. I'm glad I managed not to do any excessive damage. My Quirk can be so dangerous with collateral, but it's not like mine alone has that problem. The three who are getting scolded right now have less dangerous collateral than me, or Todoroki admittedly. He has better control than anyone, I suppose. He's been able to use huge attacks that are too massively dangerous for years longer than the rest of us though. His control is amazing. He doesn't have the speed that Midoriya and Bakugo have reached though. I doubt anyone else in the world could really keep up with, them…

That's not true. Kaminari. Shigaraki. All For One. I'd bet all three of them could keep up. Zach's eyes looked more serious as he stared up towards broken glass on the wall ahead of him. Only three of them? Three villains left in the whole world who are dangerous… Three is enough though. "Only?" What does "only" mean when it comes to Kaminari? Or All For One? Even just one of those three is a danger like none other. They're unstable unhinged criminal masterminds. And they have insanely powerful Quirks. And I killed Shigaraki before. Too dangerous. I'm not a level of strength so far removed when it comes to them. Even if I'm stronger, it's still dangerous. Don't get cocky. There are villains who can still threaten a world under my protection. For now…

---

On Monday evening, several students of both Classes A and B were gathered in one of U.A.'s many study halls. The main campus building was crowded throughout finals week, but there was a sign on the door labeled '3-A and 3-B Study Session.' There was a little noise out in the hallway that quieted as the underclassmen passed by the door and gulped as they realized they might have been too loud, though after they fell quiet they could hear talking on the other side and relaxed again on their way to the cafeteria.

A pair of Class B boys were walking in the opposite direction from the cafeteria. They had their trays with them, and Kamakiri and Shishida entered into the study hall with their food as many others had before them. There were twenty two other students already in the room so it was not a very quiet study hall, not that anyone expected it to be. The people who needed quiet more than they needed their classmates' help were just studying at their dorms. Some others who did not need help as much but were also happy to study in a group and help their classmates who were struggling more were also there too though, with Iida, Yaoyorozu, Kendo, and Shiozaki all there taking part despite their great grades and confidence on their upcoming written exams.

Kodai glanced over her shoulder as Kirishima and Tetsutetsu both exclaimed their frustration at the same time and started running their hands through their hair. She sweatdropped and glanced next to her at her boyfriend. She leaned over and whispered into Awase's ear, "Reiko might have had the right idea." Yanagi had declined to come along and was back at their dorm studying by herself, and with the two shouting boys behind her, Kodai was starting to get a headache.

"What seems to be the problem?" Kendo wondered, leaning forward next to Tetsutetsu and looking down at the pages of the frustrated boys.

Tetsutetsu glanced to his right and up at Kendo's face that was very close to his, then he pointed down at his paper and opened his mouth to say-

"They can't figure out the most simple logarithmic equations we went over just last week. It's disappointing, really," Monoma said from Tetsutetsu's other side as Kirishima. Tetsutetsu and Kirishima both frowned at him, while Kendo just turned her head the other way and looked down at Monoma's page that he quickly covered with his left arm. "But if you are going to help them, go right ahead! Haha, hahaha!" Monoma looked away and whistled while still clearly listening to his other side which caused all three of the others to sweatdrop while staring at him.

"They want you to write in Kanji on the test?" Sero asked in surprise to his blonde ex-girlfriend who nodded back at him quickly and with an anxious look on her face. He glanced to his other side as the girl on his right, to his other ex-girlfriend in the room on his left side who also looked back at Pony with a sympathetic look. "Well," Sero started and looked back at Tsunotori himself. "Present Mic's got us writing an entire three essays on different subjects. One a day. Says he's sending them to teachers at Patriot Hero High to grade on the subject material rather than on the actual English, but we still get points off if we have any spelling mistakes or grammar errors."

"So if you help us prep a bit for that," Mina started while leaning past Sero's front and bouncing her eyebrows at Tsunotori a few times.

Pony bat her big blue eyes at the other two and smiled wide at what they were saying. "Then you will help me with lots of Kanji studying? Lots and lots?"

Ashido got a bead of sweat on her face at how much help Pony sounded like she needed. Mina said "a bit," but, Sero looked closely at the girl on his right side. I'm pretty sure you know that, and you're making a joke. Might as well play along though. "Sure. We have the time," Sero replied with an accepting nod. Ashido darted her gaze back at him and got even more nervous. She had been the one to bring up the trade, but she suddenly started counting how many hours they had until their first finals and how much time she had to study for all the other subjects-

"Or at least just these Kanji," Pony said quickly, as she noticed the uneasy look on her good friend's pink face that Sero had to look away from in fear she would catch him snickering.

Tsunotori pulled out her notebook that she opened up to the words in English and her most recent attempts at drawing the Kanji from memory. Sero looked back and then sweatdropped himself, Or, maybe even an actual 'bit' of work, might take more than I thought. Is that supposed to be "muzukashii?" "Uhh, yeah, let's go through the strokes," Sero began, figuring getting started quickly on it was the best way to make sure this actually did not take this entire study session, let alone longer than that.

At an emptier table than most, Zach sat with headphones in. His phone was out on the table next to his open notebook and textbook. The phone was flipped over so the screen was face-down though as he listened to his music on wireless headphones. His eyes glowed red as he sat there, and he flipped the next page of his textbook with his right hand while those red eyes scanned the papers before him. His left hand held a pen and was over his notebook, but he was not writing anything and had not for five minutes now. The pen in his left hand was more for just tapping down on his paper over and over as he read. He flipped the next page of the textbook, then he flipped the page after it, then the one after that.

Zach flipped his phone over as there were six seconds left in the song he was listening to. The volume was already fading, and he guessed the next song based on the shuffle pattern, Let's see… Called it. Interesting. I've measured the algorithm's random nature for months. It came out so random when I first investigated, and yet my guesses have become more and more precise. Hundreds of times. Thousands of times. Shuffle has preferences. How? It's not artificial intelligence. It's a random pattern in the code. But, the code should be for there to be randomness ingrained in a "Shuffle" setting. "Hmm," Zach hummed to himself, while he flipped his phone back over and started listening to the song that would have taken longer for him to start hearing than it did for him to check the instant it changed.

Interesting. Zach flipped the next page of his textbook. Keeping the Prefrontal Cortex shrouded in Death during studying does remarkably well at retaining all memory of the information seen by attached Death retinas. The connection between my eyes and my brain is quicker than electrical impulses between neurons. Or at least, Death is speeding up those signals. Shooting neurons manually faster than natural. Still not exceeding Kaminari. That's just matching him. Matching him from back when he was eight years old, I bet.

Zach flipped another page. Do it faster then. Don't just shroud it, but fill it. Zach focused on the inside of his skull where he had not replaced his brain but just had part of the brain cavity filling with Death. He focused on the inside of his skull and flooded Death into the organs up there, and he started moving his left hand more with the pen's point on his paper. His red eyes darted from his textbook to the notebook page for a moment then back again before he could flip the textbook page. As he was flipping the page and could not see the words of the next page yet, his eyes darted back to the diagram of the human brain he was drawing with his left hand to better visualize inside his own head and what he was doing with Death. His eyes darted back to the textbook as his right hand moved faster, releasing the page he had just flipped and reaching over to grab the next one while his eyes read the entire two pages and his mind retained all the information. Zach flipped the next page while looking back at the notebook where his left hand started scribbling back and forth over the drawing of the brain. He saw the black squiggles he drew into his head while actually inside his skull there were dark wisps engulfing his mind.

Although his table was emptier than most as it was a table where people were mainly quiet and not studying with each other, there were a couple of others at that table. The closest of them was Shinso Hitoshi who looked over as he saw Zach actually writing something for once. He had been frustrated that Zach was seemingly not taking any notes during the study session and flipping his page too fast that he looked more like he was skimming than anything. Shinso stared towards the page that Zach had drawn a human brain on though before scribbling all over his cerebral cortex. The dark scribbles were pressed harder into the page than the brain was initially drawn, and Shinso felt a shiver go down his entire spine as his eyes snapped up to Zach's intense facial expression and red eyes that glared at a textbook he was flipping the pages to rapidly.

And, chapter done. Zach stopped all at once. He stared at the page for the start of the next chapter and then slowly released the corner of the next page that his hand had grabbed instinctively. Not now. The next chapter isn't what I'm reviewing right now. Calm. Focus on Shinso. He's staring at me. This is just studying. For a test that doesn't matter. It's not training. Calm. Zach's eyes lost their red glow and he let out a heavy breath, then he panted a few times and leaned back in his seat. He lifted his gaze then turned to Shinso who he "noticed" staring at him only at that moment once he finally finished whatever it was he was just doing. Zach took in a deep breath then flashed a small grin at Shinso.

"What were you just doing?" Shinso wondered. Did that take it out of him? It looked so intense.

Zach shrugged his left shoulder up, then he nodded down at his textbook. Shinso furled his forehead for a moment but Zach responded, "Just studying." Shinso had started to feel that Zach was intentionally not responding to him because of his Quirk, and yet when Zach finally did respond he did not start using it to catch him letting his guard down or something. The way Zach looked at him told him not to do it. Even though Zach appeared friendly and sounded normal, Shinso just felt that he should not even do it as a joke with his usual dark humor that he would sometimes just catch people with his Brainwashing. Shinso pictured in his head several people with mental abilities using them on Death all at once, and all of them getting darkness blown out of their ears and eyes.

Physical strength has fewer limitations than my mind. I'm trying not to mess with my head as much anymore though. Making it stronger isn't messing with it. As long as I'm not doing it to myself but for training, for no other reason than being stronger- is that the only reason? Double check and then triple check afterwards. I've thought I was acting for certain reasons before and come to understand differently later on. Training my mind to fight Kaminari doesn't mean becoming like him. But I don't need to "break" my mind to train it. I can handle quicker mental capability. And I can handle more than what I just allowed here. Studying from a textbook and using my head in a fight are different, but don't use that as an excuse. Train for how you would fight. No point in training at less than capacity.

Zach's eyes were no longer glowing red but the tired expression he showed to Shinso for a moment had disappeared. His face was more serious and his eyes narrowing down at the page he had drawn on, though the drawing was now covered in scribbles so it was hard to make out the initial image.

A figure dropped down onto the seat on Zach's left side. He turned and looked in mild surprise at the brown-haired boy from Class B's smiling face right there. Tsuburaba had just sat down next to him, but Zach turned to the other side now as Rin Hiryu took a seat on his right. "How's it going?" Rin wondered.

"Good," Zach replied. Weird. They're not even Class A. Figured everyone outside our class wouldn't want to talk to me anymore, or at least they wouldn't know how to approach me. They're just, being friendly. Very strange. Appreciated though. Zach flashed a half-smile at the two who just sat at his sides even though he had looked fully focused on studying to the point that his other friends had not come over to him or just left him alone when he nodded 'hello' their ways earlier. He still had his headphones in but he actually took the right one out closer to Rin as it looked like the black-haired Chinese teen had more he wanted to say. Kosei looked across the table and over to Shinso as Rin spoke up to Zach again, and Tsuburaba wondered what the look Shinso was giving Zach was for.

"So I saw on the news earlier, they were talking all about this group focused in Kyoto. They're trying to convert an old Shinto shrine, you know?" Rin wondered. "That Church of Lifebringer. It'd be nuts if there's actually a shrine to-"

"Don't-" Zach started. Rin stopped and looked to his left at the Class A student who frowned and glanced back down at his books. "It's a cult," Zach said. "Don't legitimize it by calling it a 'church.' Yeah?"

Tsuburaba nodded his head in agreement with Zach for a moment, but he frowned and furled his brow after that. "Wait," Tsuburaba started. Rin was still nodding at Zach and although he was just bringing it up because it was crazy, he was also glad to hear Zach say that. Tsuburaba said though as the other two looked his way, "If you feel that way, you should probably tell people that, before it gets any more popular. Put a stop to it yourself. Don't you think?"

Zach grimaced and shook his head once. "I think that might have the opposite effect," he replied.

Both Rin and Tsuburaba sweatdropped, and Shinso looked back to his work as well. Rin leaned away and then nodded his head once more in agreement with Zach. He's definitely thought way more about the situation than we have, Rin admitted to himself. He had those answers ready! He knows- I mean, of course he knows. I would probably spend a whole lot of time thinking about it too if people were treating me like a religious icon.

Tsuburaba thought along the same lines as his classmate. He shook his head to get past this entire conversation as he doubted there was anything they could add that Zach had not considered already. "So," Tsuburaba started, his tone indicating he was changing the conversation. He smirked more and then leaned over the table a little and said quietly, "I saw that video that just came out. The one of you in that bar-"

"That was just someone who looks like me," Zach replied.

Tsuburaba suppressed his smirk from growing any larger as Zach responded like that. Rin spoke up on Zach's other side in a quiet voice too, "Well I saw this video after the security footage was released, where the guy who owns the bar, Dastan, was on this Kazakh talk show that got subtitled in Japanese…" Rin slowed and shut his mouth for a moment when Zach turned and looked him straight in the eyes. He suddenly remembered watching people get cut down by Zach's hands that were only a foot away from his throat. Tsuburaba also wiped a bead of sweat from the side of his face while Zach was facing the opposite direction.

As much as Zach was an unnerving person and very scary, both of the boys next to him remembered what he did for Kendo. Not just Kendo, Rin reminded himself while calming his heart. All of China. And so much more. Rin smiled and continued after his pause, "Apparently he already showed the video to his insurance company but didn't let anyone else see it. He thought the Army of Death wouldn't want him to, but then after he saw Wampajawa he figured, you know." Rin tilted his head to the side and rose an eyebrow to question if Zach agreed.

Zach lifted his left shoulder up though in a half-shrug like it had nothing to do with him. "It was really weird, seeing that video," Rin continued despite a lack of a response. "Like, so out in the open. Why- what were you, going to a bar-"

"It was just some guy using my face," Zach repeated in a low voice.

"Yeah yeah, but what do you think he was doing there?" Tsuburaba cut in.

Zach lifted the right corner of his lips farther from the Class B boy on his left who asked the right question. He leaned back himself and cocked his head to the side for a moment, "Could be that they just wanted to meet somewhere public, rather than in hiding and in their full uniforms." Tsuburaba and Rin looked at him oddly as he worded it as if seriously saying it as a hypothetical. Both tried to just get past that though and accept it was how he was going to speak, and they listened closely as he added, "If their flying headquarters was nowhere near them, it might have just been a good location to meet up and discuss movements and strategies face-to-face."

"Yeah, that sounds like it makes sense… but, then it didn't have anything to do with those villains who showed up?" Rin wondered.

Shinso lifted his eyes up while staring down at his notebook. You know he can't answer that-

"They might not have known those villains were even going to show up, or that they were anything more than a rowdy biker gang," Zach responded.

Shinso frowned deeper. Or he'll answer and just lie about it.

Tsuburaba lowered his own lips a little too. He wasn't just waiting there for them? It's, not really the Army of Death's style, I'll admit. A more thoughtful look spread on his face as he considered it. He could have just attacked them all and while wearing his armor. Why risk getting seen fighting without- Wait! That's just what he wants me to think. Yeah, yeah that's it. He's really convincing though-

"And maybe," Zach continued in a lower voice. "He just noticed that the girls with Triple R were more afraid than they were letting on. That they were not actually happy to be there, and that they were actually terrified of the men they were with." Zach glared at his books, "And it was in that moment that he decided to fuck them up."

Tsuburaba gulped as he doubled-back on what he just suspected. Shinso's heart rate spiked and he snapped his eyes back straight on his notes, though he darted them around a bit and wished more people were focused on this, though no one else seemed to be listening right now. Rin's lips were dry and he opened his mouth to ask, but Zach continued first, "Those sex slaves he talked to at the end of that video, that fake me probably asked where they had been bought from. Them, and the other girls who had already been killed for not acting as friendly towards their slavers, were all bought from the same place. And he probably tracked that location down afterwards, and discovered the city they had been sold in, a city that he might never have been to before…"

Zach's eyes were darkening while he was saying it. The boys at his table found it impossible to breathe. "An entire market full-" Zach froze while in mid-sentence. What the hell am I doing? He realized in regret with his eyes squinting then closing once slowly. He shook his head and muttered to finish, "Or something like that, could have happened."

---

On Tuesday morning, Zach Sazaki sat in Class A at his window seat. The mood in the classroom had shifted even more from the day before, which had already been a huge difference compared to how Class A had been since Zach's initial return to U.A. The trial was over and he had been acquitted, but everyone saw what they saw and there was no reversing that. Zach knew everyone in the classroom was aware of the truth as well, so there was nothing to hide as he sat there in his seat with a colder look on his face. His expression was harsher. And there was no reason to hide those looks, because none of them would look at him skeptically or scoff at him for trying to act dark and mysterious. Reasons he was able to get behind to put on a happier face, even though those reasons mattered so little now as he questioned whether or not to try and lighten up just to make things easier for everyone else around him.

What's even the point? A week left. They're heroes who are going to be fighting for their lives against villains. They can handle seeing me upset. That was a stupid reasoning anyway. I just used it to make it easier for myself. Trick myself into smiling because it felt better to. Have more fun because it could do better to hide the reality. I can't enjoy myself though. Not now. Not in the midst of Kaminari's plans. They could come at any moment. Every moment. He's watching me right now. Zach's eyes darted out the window and glared into a specific point in the sky. He did not see any sudden movements up in the open air. His eyes continued to glare into that one spot for several more seconds, then his expression just got back to looking more tired as it was before.

His left forearm was up against the ledge of his desk in front of his upper abdomen. His hand over the desk twirled a pencil between its fingers in a steady rhythmic pattern. Zach had very little focus on his prosthetic fingers that kept his pencil spinning around aimlessly as he stared out the window. It spun between his fingers idly and yet with a skillfulness that it could so smoothly spiral in and out of his fingers without him expending a single thought on it. If I just turned into a cloud of Death and floated through the wind, how thin could I get? Could I spread the particles out far enough to a point that I'm invisible? Testing it out, would likely destroy my consciousness. It's worth a shot though. Zach's eyes closed more and he continued breathing steadily while spinning his pencil. No it's not. It's too dangerous. How could I even do it, logistically? There's so much that the only viable location to try something like that would be over the Pacific.

Zach frowned slightly more as he continued thinking about this despite considering it mostly as a hypothetical. Why would I need to? In the wind I would wind up getting in people's lungs and hurting them. Spread out more I could just pull together swarms of Death and then revive at any location. What if I was higher up? Spread out more in the atmosphere? For what purpose? At least, I could get away. Be a dark cloud. Hide in storms. Alone?

That's better. I know I can't continue to live like this. I'll make too many… Zach's eyebrows narrowed down. I can't do it. Not if Ares was right. He thought it was true before I had even killed him. How much longer do I have now with him added? I can't stand the loneliness though. If I just leave like that, I won't be able to stick to that conviction for very long. I know I won't. And coming back down just to revive friends would get them hated by the world. I'd have to continue reviving so many others in order to mask it. Focus on children. People could accept that, right? Not if I do a hard cut-off. What kind of person would I be to cut it off at 18, or 20? Or, 16… maybe? That's still so many. Way too many.

What was it Enzo wrote in there? About children getting revenge for their parents? Even the children I revive might come to despise me. They'd hate me. Come after me. And maybe after reviving them, some of them might actually have the chance to kill me. I'll be waiting for them. Atop a mountain- This is so fucked. Zach closed his eyes and then started spinning his pencil back the other way through his fingers. Why did Kaminari have to pick the God of Lightning as his stupid villain name? If he's electrifying all his body to make himself move faster, he's probably wearing his body down quicker though. He's probably wearing down his mind too, so even a brain transplant wouldn't save him. Pushing his body to maximum capacity without the Quirk-empowering benefits that myself and Ares had. It won't matter to him though. Not if he can kill me. He'll accelerate beyond lightning. I've seen the data behind the rolling blackouts that slowed dramatically after I got out of Tartaros. No one else even noticed. He was doing something though. Siphoning power. It had to be him. He probably even used the fact that I blew a transformer to block Japan's heroes from seeing the Cloak on flights over- I assisted him. Maybe even gave him the idea- that's not true. The data goes farther back. Weeks after the Lifebringer Incident.

He's been planning for so long. Planning against me specifically. He's now seen me fight in Wampajawa. Gentle, you underestimate him. Or you're overestimating me. Kaminari knows me too well. He knows me inside-out. And he's going to, try… Zach's eyes grew darker yet as he glared through the glass panes and into the sky outside the classroom. I don't think he can really kill me, do I? Am I hoping for it? I'm glad Midoriya didn't kill me. Kaminari would have fucked him up. I do have faith in you, Deku. I do. In everyone in this room. But he was in this room once. And he knows all of you. Knows your weaknesses. What you care about. How you'll act and how you'll react to him. He's more dangerous to all of you than Mysti was, and I don't hate him like I hated her. I am certain he'll be able to catch at least one or two of you by pretending that he fought off Raijin for a second in his own mind. Get the drop on you and cut your throats in the very next second that you hesitate. I have to be there. I have to stop him first. I'm the only one who can.

Ares was the strongest in the world. There's no denying that. Kaminari will be the hardest fight though. He'll use innocents. He'll use all of you. He'll use all the villains. All just to kill me. Zach bit down behind closed lips. Ares wanted our fight to be isolated. If he wanted to beat me, he could have brought that fight to Seoul. A city he had so much influence in. A city he watched get built and destroyed a half dozen times. A God looking over an entire civilization that split in half and reunited in what was only a fraction of his lifespan. Of course they must have felt like ants to him by then. How many generations? Hundreds of generations of humanity- Even Drac lost it for a while. For hundreds of years he said he no longer cared for humans. All Might helped him come back.

I'm a teenager. I have so much time before- but I know! I know what they didn't. When they were my age they never had this understanding. Humans, we all have the basic understanding of our mortality. Of our fleeting existence and how it could come to an end at any time. There is a time limit. An end date. I've removed another basic aspect of humanity. Ares wasn't a God! But, but was he still human? Am I? I am! Of course I am. Even though I don't believe in my own- Stop that! He wasn't right! He, he probably wasn't…

And if he was? I already know more secrets than anyone in this world. I would have to safeguard so much more. If I don't push for more understanding- and even if I do. No one will know. Fallen empires I did not tell even Midoriya about. The translations I burned. Lost dimensions. So much to learn, explore… but too much time to do it. Far too much. If Ares was right… Was he? How do I know? How could I deny it, without knowing for sure?

Jirou's eyes bored into the back of Zach's head and the edge of the left side of his face since his head was partially turned towards the windows he stared out of. Is he just thinking of more ways to try and convince me? It's not going to work! Just stop trying already. "Good morning Jir-" I don't want to hear it! Don't just talk to me like, like we're friends! We're not. I've told you that over and over. I don't forgive you. I won't. Everyone else can go right ahead. I, I know something's still off about you. And I won't let you just convince me. You're too smart. Coming up with ways all day to try and get me to listen.

I know what a place like The Pit would do to you. You told the others and they just feel bad for you, but they're not paying attention! You said stuff that- "…And we fought to the death, brutally. They wanted to see bloodshed but there were no cheers as I took him apart. Ripping him to pieces- limb from limb- gutting him-" He sounded like a monster. As horrible as the situation was, it's not just okay to pity him for it. More importantly than what the Pit would do to him, is how he could survive a place like the Pit and still be out here going to class. After killing those people, I could hear how fucked up he was, but- but then why doesn't he just go revive more people then?!

That should be the way to fix what you did, Jirou glared harsher into the back of Zach's head. As much as it hurts, it sounds like it hurts you more to think back on that stuff. So reviving people should fix that, right?! I know you can do it. You can fix it. You have the chance to! He can fix all of his mistakes now. Make up for all that shit, if he just finishes school… but I don't think he's making it to the last day. Jirou's eyes glared more at the side of Zach's face, and a part of her wished his eyes would shift a little farther to the side and look back at her to see that look. He doesn't look like he's getting ready to be a hero. He looks like he's, questioning himself…

Jirou furrowed her brow. Her angered look got even more suspicious, He's not trying to hide his real thoughts anymore. He's sitting here thinking on what he's going to do, instead of just taking the hero's path forward. I can see it. I can see him questioning it. I know he might not have had a plan, but he's coming up with one now. Or he's thinking about it! Or figuring out how to adjust that plan he had, which was ruined by being arrested? Her forehead scrunched up more. Was it really ruined? Or did getting released fix- I don't know. I can't! But you have that plan on your mind, and you've got all that horrible fucking shit swirling around up there, and you want me to think that you actually care about us? About talking to me and- it doesn't matter! So if it doesn't matter, then what the hell are you doing it for?!

Jirou thought of the way he tried to talk to her that morning again. She grit her teeth harder as she pictured turning away from him as fast as she could. What am I on your mind for? Is he still just thinking of ways to fix it- It's not that easy, Zach! It's not something you can just half-ass while working on your master plans! I'm not! You- you fucking… Jirou's eyes narrowed harsher and darted past his body to his hand that his pen stopped short in his fingers. His eyes narrowed in more worry out the window, and his lips parted with a heavy breath seething through his teeth that had Jirou's mind racing as she questioned it.

…How do I stop it? Zach's long breath sucked back in slowly and he shifted his gaze for a moment back to the front of the classroom where his teacher was going over their review sheet while trying not to stare at him.

Across the classroom, Ashido could barely focus on the review at all though. Her eyes were shifted to the left throughout the period and her own brow furrowed as much as Zach's was. It's all eating away at him. For the first time, all that stuff he told us he had just turned into fake memories, it's all there. Of course he isn't happy. I should be though, that at least this is real. That he's actually- It was always real. He's just hurting more now though. What can I do though? What can any of us do, about all of that?! Just Wampajawa alone was so crazy that I didn't know how to talk to him about it, but then he went and told us a thousand different things and I- I just don't know-

I have to try though.

---

"Hey! Momo, Kyoka," Ashido ran towards the two who were on the fifth floor of a building in Training Ground Beta. The large office building was being used by the Class A girls for practical training after lunch so they could prepare for the upcoming practical finals that were rapidly approaching and starting tomorrow afternoon.

The two dark-haired girls trying to focus on their training turned at the sound of Ashido's voice. Kyoka frowned as she was trying to concentrate and had her earphone jacks plugged into the wall closest to her and was isolating sounds at a farther distance than this building. She was drowning out her best friend closest to her who she asked to make some noise, which also kept Yaoyorozu from hearing Ashido approaching as well, though she stopped Creating wooden clackers that were dropping to the floor in a constant flow from her chest.

When the girls turned, they saw not just Ashido approaching but also Kirishima behind her. He had told the pink girl where the other two had gone as he had seen them enter this building, though he was more unsure as to why he followed her up here. Still, when he looked Jirou and Yaoyorozu's way, he felt an intensity rising in his chest that he focused on and approached them too.

"What is it, Mina?" Yaoyorozu wondered after turning to her classmate who approached them looking more frustrated after calling out initially sounding glad to have found them.

Ashido got a much more serious look on her face and took in a few deep breaths as she got close. Jirou's eyes narrowed instantly as she saw Ashido preparing herself and darting a look in her direction before starting. Just stop already! Jirou could tell what this was going to be about before it even started. He's all you ever talk about-

"You two," Ashido started. She frowned more and her expression got harsher which was odd to see on Ashido's face. Kirishima looked her way hesitantly as well as he was surprised at how focused she got on this. "Did you not see, when you were at the Fundong FLICC with Zach, how much it was hurting him?" Ashido questioned the girls in front of her who were surprised at what she was asking.

Jirou's expression even flipped with her eyes widening at what Ashido was asking them. "Did you just not notice?" Ashido questioned.

"What, did he say about it?" Yaoyorozu asked quietly. I knew it was hurting him. We were in the middle of a crisis though! I- I didn't have the time, to go ask.

Jirou glared away though. She looked off towards the windows and ground her teeth that Ashido was coming to her with this. Did he want her to-

Kirishima stared at the side of Mina's face for a few more seconds then looked back at the other girls who were in China with Zach too. He frowned harsher as well as he thought about all Zach had said to them in his room about China.

Ashido shook her head a few times after Yaoyorozu's hurt question towards her. Her eyes lowered for a moment, I know that a lot of what happened to Zach was so long ago. So much of it was when we were not even around. But he's undergone trauma in recent weeks as bad as anything he's been through before, and we didn't even notice! "Zach said, that it hurt so much that he flew up into space. He turned his body entirely into Death and flew into space, and he considered getting lost just so that he couldn't find his way back and keep dying, so horribly…" Ashido's face scrunched up before she could finish the sentence. Her eyes started to water just thinking about what she was saying, but she rubbed it quickly with her right arm as it was not the time and she did not come here just to cry about it. After wiping her eyes fast though, she narrowed them at the shocked girls in front of her who did not appear to know about this.

"And you were right there with him," Ashido continued angrily. "And you didn't notice?"

"It was so frantic," Yaoyorozu whispered, trying to defend herself even as her mind was racing. "And, and I barely ever saw Zach but-" Her face fell and her eyes lowered down to the floor with her shoulders slouching. I had not idea the toll it was taking.

Ashido's frown deepened with her glare shifting onto Jirou who had a different kind of expression on her face than Momo. It looked like Jirou was not as surprised to hear this, and there was a guilty look in her eyes as well as if she had actually known more than Yaoyorozu who looked stunned. Jirou's chest was tying in knots though. I heard him breaking down to Recovery Girl, but flying up into space? Considering just flying away? What about his… his plans? Jirou's face twisted in confusion and her head started shaking back and forth with her teeth clenching violently hard.

"Kyoka, if you-" Ashido started.

"Just shut up about him already," Jirou snapped. She started away and moved around Ashido without giving her pink friend another look even as Ashido and Kirishima both stared in surprise at her as she stormed past looking furious. What is he telling them?! Flying away into space and getting, lost?! What even- I don't get it! If it hurts that much, then just stop… No! he has to do it, to make up for- Wait. WAIT! Just stop, Jirou got into the stairwell and gripped the side of her head insanely hard, her eyes squeezing shut harder. She gripped onto the wall with her other hand and seethed breath through her clenched teeth, Why?! I know it hurt that much, but then he went and did all that horrible stuff. He went and acted as Death! So, he reversed the good he did, by reviving- It's a loop! He's just putting himself in a stupid fucking loop of pain! You fucking idiot!

Getting everyone to feel sorry for you. Making excuses like- that's it! You're telling them now, because you're close to stopping. You're about to stop reviving anyone, and you want people who would excuse you for it! That's it, right? Well even if they do, I won't. Most people won't. You already changed it! Jirou kept marching down the stairs, her eyes squinting open and glaring furiously ahead of her. You changed what death means. You don't get to reverse that now. And you tell them because you don't want them to turn on you? Like they would! You could tell them you massacred people- bit people's throats out! And they'll just go defend you no matter, what?! Why? WHY?! You don't deserve their forgiveness. Not when you… Not when you made me, think I could- Jirou's eyes shook in rage and her left fist slammed out into the wall next to her so hard that her skin ripped on her knuckles and she hissed out a sharp breath of pain.

Jirou looked down at her knuckles she turned towards herself, and she bit down on her bottom lip as her eyes started to water at the sight of the blood on her fingers. I can't stop hating you. You, you made me feel like… Like I was alone. And now everyone's forgiven you. And they're made at me? Isolating me, for hating you- You're doing it again. Jirou's eyes narrowed and two tears fell and dripped to the floor past her bloodying bottom lip she had to stop biting to start grinding her teeth instead, in rage rather than despair. No one else cares anymore. I'm all alone, in how much I hate you. It's your fault. It's your fault again. I hate- I hate you I hate you! Why can't I just, hate you?

Back upstairs in that fake office, Ashido lowered her head sadly and shook it back and forth before apologizing to Yaoyorozu who was trying to defend herself but sounded so guilty over it. "It's not really, your fault," Ashido whispered, going back on how she was feeling when she confidently stormed up to the other girls. "Zach just hides that stuff. But, but it's so different now. Seeing him like this," Ashido whispered, and Momo lifted her head back up to look at the pink-haired girl's saddened expression. "I don't know how to help him."

Kirishima nodded slowly. He seems like he's changed. But he really just finally admitted that it's too hard for him. I knew that. He screamed it into my thick head. How I couldn't handle it, and how he couldn't handle it. I didn't understand why he was lying. Not the real reason. But I still don't understand him. "He isn't normal. I don't think there is a normal for Zach though, anymore," Kirishima muttered. He looked back up at Yaoyorozu in a hesitant way as he started murmuring that. He stared at the tall girl with a spiky black ponytail who looked back at him wondering what that strange look on his face was for.

Kirishima looked away to his right, then he turned back to her and slowly started, "It's just weird to me. Why, haven't you been…" Kirishima slowed down and did not finish his question that also had Ashido turning back to her side and looking at him questioningly.

Yaoyorozu stepped towards him though while breathing faster. "What do you mean?" She asked quickly. The way Kirishima trailed off made her heart pound as there was something he wanted to say that spiked her heart rate. Kirishima did not know how to finish though. Yaoyorozu stepped another foot closer to him though and Kirishima got a more awkward look on his face as she wondered, "What do you mean by that? What haven't I been doing?" She was not asking in a way upset at him, but more sad and frustrated at herself for not knowing the end to his question that he could not even word himself.

"It's weird not seeing you, be the one who helps him," Kirishima admitted. The fact that he and Ashido had come up here and were saying this to her felt backwards to him. He placed the feeling and admitted it aloud though felt some regret as he did because of the look on her face. He thought about Zach going with Yaoyorozu to eat and the two of them talking like normal, and he furled his eyebrows down towards his nose at himself for saying it like that. "I mean…" he started going back on what he just said. He paused though, then he said softer, "You always did that. It was always you."

Kirishima sounded more in regret and mad at himself now as he said that to her. The girls looked at him and felt more sad by the way he looked as he looked up into Yaoyorozu's eyes again. I always wanted it to be me. I wanted to help him. To repay him for all the times he helped me. Kirishima shook his head and then continued strongly to her, "When I watched the Lifebringer video with Zach, I couldn't do anything. He just sent me and Kaminari away, but you…" Yaoyorozu's eyes widened and shook while staring back into his. "I don't know what you did, but when I saw Zach again after you had gone to talk to him, he was better. Out of that darkness."

The redhead shook his head again while Ashido started nodding along in agreement with him and looking back at Momo herself. Kirishima glanced to his side at Ashido in a glad way that she was agreeing with him, then he continued, "I'm trying. A lot of us are, but you always did it." He said it in a regretful way but also with the right corner of his lips rising a little. "You were the only one who really could."

Yaoyorozu lowered her gaze from the two in front of her. She remembered the night Kirishima was speaking on well. She also recalled it sadly though, because she could imagine Zach standing there on the roof and yelling at her. "…the stronger I got, the more control over this power I had, the more like Death I actually became…" "…Before I become the real grim reaper, who commands death, a demon…" I saw it before anyone else. The doubt in his mind. How he considered turning into that. I talked him off that ledge though. In her head, she saw the literal ledge that Zach looked off of when he talked about the possibility of becoming Death.

That moment had haunted me so much while he was gone. Things he said that I knew indicated what was to come, and that I failed to stop. Yaoyorozu shook her head frustratedly. I also feel like what our relationship has become since he came back was more like that than ever. Trying to keep him from going over that ledge? Is that all I'm afraid of now? I let it happen once before, and so I've changed my priority. Yaoyorozu put together her own thoughts quicker as she thought on what Kirishima brought to the front of her mind. I cared more about helping him then, and so I ignored the danger and told myself it was nothing. That way I could just be the one helping him instead. But it haunted me for a year. Knowing that I had a precursor. Knowing that I should have been able to see it coming. As a hero, I failed…

But as Zach's friend… As someone who cares about him, am I screwing up? Yaoyorozu rose her gaze back up and nodded at her classmates in front of her. "Thank you, for doing whatever you can to help him." Ashido looked back in a surprised way then smiled brightly at the determined look on Yaoyorozu's face. Kirishima also let out a sigh of relief that she reacted in that way rather than getting defensive or mad at him for saying something like that to her.

Before, he had saved me too. He saved my life over and over, and I saved him back. But he came back and started lying from the first day, and I can see the toll it's taken on him, and I didn't know if I could do it. I have to try though. As his friend, and as a hero. I can be his hero.

---

On the main road of U.A. campus heading towards the central U.A. building, four boys of Class A walked with empty stomachs. Three of them were hungrier than Zach was, though he was going to eat with the others he had just been studying with after school back in their dorm at one of the tables on the first floor. Although the sun was still up, it was setting so they knew by the time they left the cafeteria it was going to be dark out. It was still more lit than it had been though through the rest of the term, but the days were getting longer as they got into the full swing of Spring.

Despite being somewhat lit up from the setting sun, the sky was darker than the night before because of the dark gray clouds rolling in from the east. Zach's gaze rose up towards them and he measured the speed of approach before lowering his gaze back down feeling confident that Maelstrom was not there. Wouldn't be hard to get her to signal for me. Just any old odd-shaped cloud pointing me where to go. Do I want her to show up? Why would I? I'm not going back to them. Even in a week? Where else am I going to go? I could be a sidekick- Zach cracked a half-smile then refocused on his classmates walking with him who were wondering what he was thinking about looking as distant as he was.

Sero and Kirishima were talking about their villain iconography class and the review Midnight had given them earlier. Bakugo walked more quietly but still snapped at the other two on his right, "Idiots! Horns are sharp. Get it?" The other two sweatdropped and tried thinking back to what Midnight had told them about that, and Bakugo growled, "'Piercing through,' whatever. Be it hero ideology, or society, or any of it! She told us this on the third day of classes. Pay attention! Or just die!"

You remember everything she said back to the third day of classes? Sero wondered though he smiled and nodded at Bakugo as he did recall Midnight saying something about that on one of their early lectures. It was a basic description of sharp points in villain icons, but it was pivotal to understanding a lot of the more advanced symbolism that she got to after that, which was why remembering it actually helped a lot with the rest of the symbols he was trying to have full explanations of ready for in his mind. "Bet she doesn't even give us a real symbol on the test to write an essay about though. Midnight sensei probably makes us one herself, then tells us to explain what her imaginary villain group was trying to say."

"Hmm," Bakugo grunted back, humming to himself as that sounded like something Midnight might put on the exam.

"What are you thinking, Zach?" Kirishima wondered, looking to the boy with messy wavy black hair who glanced back his way then forward again.

"I'm thinking, villain symbolism doesn't mean much. Notice the League doesn't have any real symbols that people can think of? Not many groups in the past couple years have had anything like what we're studying in Midnight sensei's class. No offense to her, but it's not very important."

"You don't think so?" Sero wondered in surprise. "Thought this would actually be something you were more into."

Bakugo gazed sideways towards Zach as well, wondering what he was getting at by talking down the importance of their class that had actually been one he focused more on as it pertained directly to hero activities. He thought on what Zach was saying about it too though and frowned deeper, though he nodded as Kirishima mentioned, "We've been studying a lot on the symbols the Braizos used though. Meta and Sonic are up there-"

"But neither of them are Traxx. Meta and Sonic don't follow his ideology, from all we know. Traxx created that symbol. The other two didn't bring it back, and the League doesn't have some big symbol either. You know why?" Zach wondered.

He continued on without needing to be asked as it was a rhetorical question, "It's because heroes have taken control of the world. All the villain symbolism we've been studying, most of it at least, was back before the time of All Might. The most recent symbols were things pertaining to the Cult of Stain, but that's because Faith was a relic of that time long ago. He was great at it, and so even though it was a time a heroes, he managed to get a bit of a following. Not a huge one though, comparatively."

"You think heroes have stopped villain groups from using symbols, to recruit people?" Sero wondered thinking that was an odd perspective to have on it. "Even if they're not drawn-out symbols, they still use stuff. Like Stain?"

"Yeah," Zach admitted with a tilt of his head to the left in agreement. Bakugo tilted his own head back more thoughtfully as Zach was not just talking down or like he had some expert information beyond what any of them knew, a tone Bakugo figured Zach could probably be speaking in with all his experience. Zach accepting what Sero just had to say made it seem like this really was more just Zach's point of view, and it made Bakugo even more willing to listen and consider it. "But that class isn't really discussing stuff like Stain. We spent a lot more time on old-fashioned symbols. The icons of really old villain groups that the people who specialize in that kind of iconography have had a lot of time to examine. In a world full of heroes though, it's not as easy as making some bright scary symbol and spreading it around to try and recruit people, or spread an ideal. Before two years ago, if villains tried spreading something like that, heroes would usually track them down rapidly and end them before they gained any speed."

"Then even in this most recent Age of Villains, there were still so many heroes that the villains dumb enough to try and make huge displays and symbols like that were taken down fast. Because heroes knew how dangerous that kind of recruitment could be, and so they tracked down those villains with an intensity lacked in other cases. And so the smartest and most powerful villain groups, all understood that creating those icons would do them more harm than good." Zach described it in a way hard to argue with, especially since he was so familiar with all those "most powerful" villain groups he was talking about.

"Still an important history class, at least," Sero admitted. "And maybe those other groups that you're saying weren't the most powerful and got taken down the quickest, were only taken down so fast because heroes have all studied that kind of iconography and actually used this class to do great hero work."

"Great point," Zach admitted again with a shrug. He did not take a second to agree with Sero and just nodded his head as he considered it for another few seconds, "Really great point. Guess I should focus a bit more on it." The Fourth Eye's symbolism. The Illuminati. The pictures in the God Book and the descriptions where Enzo explained why he created the symbols as he did. They're all so much easier to look back on than Midnight's class. A lot of modern thought on those icons' symbolism is really off from what he intended though, which is pretty funny. No one will ever know his intentions. Fucking prick. Zach cracked a small grin and then rolled his neck and let out a heavy sigh.

"Ideological villains are usually the ones to use such symbols though," Zach started up again. He sounded even less like he was certain on it now, and more that he was just speaking on personal experience and not diminishing the importance of the class at all. "And fanatics, really aren't the most dangerous villains. Or at least they're not the best villains. They might be most dangerous, like the Fabu. But, the really good ones. The ones who manage to escape for so long, while really having no huge ideals? Guys like the Triakuza, who could survive longer than the League of Shadows, while in the open for longer than they were as well. They were villains so powerful that they operated in the time of All Might, were important contacts of the League of Villains for a bit-"

"Until Dabi killed those dealers?" Kirishima wondered, his expression harsher as he wondered about something Zach shouted in the Enudora Forest.

"Exactly. They weren't very happy about that," Zach admitted. "It wasn't good for business. And they were businessmen, as illegal as their operations were. They were crafty. Intelligent. Adaptable. The Triakuza were insanely dangerous, but they always seemed to be so small-time and just a collection of drug dealers and weapons traffickers, that it took a long time for me to really focus on them with my full attention. By the time I started treating them as dangerous as they were, they had already adapted to me and grew to become the most dangerous force in the world without me even realizing it. Organizing the Battle of 6 Armies was their idea. Their master plan."

"Better than the remaining Pueblos, or the last of King's lieutenants who were there, it was the Triakuza heads who almost managed to kill me that day through their biological weapon in Zombieman. Through an ambush they kept everyone quiet about. Such dangerous villains, for them to be nothing more than a group trying to maintain their cash flow and stay rich. That was their end goal. Money. That's all." Zach shook his head and let out a sigh, "Even the one who funded the Fabu just did so to get heroes preoccupied I'm sure. Wipe out the best heroes who would respond, then take advantage of the chaos to regain some of the control I had shattered."

Sero darted his eyes around and was glad no one else was listening as they entered into the main school building. Both he and Kirishima felt like telling Zach to whisper more, while Bakugo just humphed and shrugged his shoulders as he considered all Zach just said. "And what about Shigaraki?" Bakugo wondered. "You think of him more as a fanatic, or as one of those 'great' villains who-"

"Shigaraki's definitely a fanatic," Zach started to reply to Bakugo. He hesitated then added, "And he has a lot of fanatics with him, but he's also smart enough not to act on pure fanaticism. Not anymore. Back at USJ, that was a fanatic who was not dangerous in the least. Not compared to what they are now."

"Ch," Bakugo tssked and glanced away, though he agreed with Zach's assessment of it. We were just too weak to handle him even at his weakest.

"If All Might was in his prime, he probably could have ended the League right then and there," Zach added. "But now, Shigaraki definitely has people who are way too intelligent to let the group act solely on impulsive fanatical attacks. As much as the underlying reason for their villainy might be fanaticism, they will act using the smartest tactics and in a way no one sees coming. It's going to be brutal, if we don't find them before they make their move."

"Then that's what we'll do!" Kirishima declared. What Zach was suggesting sounded like it was going to cause a lot of innocent deaths, and he balled his fists and stated, "Soon as we graduate, let's hunt them down before they do it. Yeah?" He snapped his head back and forth to check if the other three were okay with that.

Sero sweatdropped. "I think there are probably ongoing investigations already-"

"Fuck yeah," Zach replied, looking back into Kirishima's eyes and responding with his lips curling into a grin. Kirishima's eyes widened a little, but then he grinned more as Bakugo glanced next to him at Zach then smirked too and nodded in agreement.

Sero gawked at all three of them. If they just rush right in without any help- Zach wouldn't do that. He's agreeing, but he'll play it smart, right? Of course he will. Bakugo and Kirishima are smart enough too. They'd call for backup… And if they don't? "Yeah, I'm in," Sero agreed, putting his hands behind his head and interlocking his fingers. Do I really have to make sure these three don't try to take on the entire League by themselves? "Hahh," Sero sighed and chuckled under his breath. Might have to tell Ape Man right after I start the job that I'll need some time off. I doubt it takes Zach very long to locate them.

Sero slowly gained a frown over his face at the most recent thought he had. Do I really think it'll be that easy for him? If I'm right, doesn't that mean he's wasting time- It's not a waste. We need to go through hero school before, before finding the League? There's a week left. Whether Zach finds them tomorrow or a few weeks from now, the only difference is going to be how much damage they can do in that time. Sero curled his lip and glanced away from his classmates for a moment as they continued towards the cafeteria. I don't want him to run off again. I don't want him to go track down the League on his own. But, if he can do it, shouldn't he? That's a- that's not a good thought. Think about it. If he goes by that logic, there's always going to be another villain group he could be spending his time going after. Always more people he could be reviving. His massive amount of power just makes it so easy for him to be everywhere and do everything. Or easier than I can.

The boy with rounded elbows reached his hands to his hair and ran them through a couple times, then he shook his head at Kirishima who looked at him oddly and questioning what he was doing. Sero smiled again after shaking his head around. There's no point in thinking about it. Zach will do what he decides to do. If I try to convince him to do anything I'll probably just make things harder on him.

"The first thing we'll have to do if we want to get around Kaminari's preparations for us is to expose his corrupted officials, or to flip them onto our side," Zach continued as they walked through the cafeteria onto the line for dinner.

"What do you mean?" Bakugo asked, his voice angry but getting instantly serious at the suggestion Zach made.

"Japan has a remarkably low number of corruption cases compared to other nations," Zach continued. "Which I don't consider to be a sign that Japan's politicians and hero officials are somehow of a higher esteem than in other nations, rather Japanese heroes have just failed to find this corruption."

"But you don't know it-"

Zach interrupted Kirishima, "Kaminari knows how important a single plant is." Zach frowned that Kirishima would disagree with him here, and he gave the redhead a look that made Kirishima grind his teeth but nod in agreement with Zach's explanation. The other two had to admit it as well and just nodded in dark ways as they considered Zach's words as truth. "With how much he was able to do from inside U.A., not to mention those cops who Faith had blackmailed or turned to his side, anyone watching could tell you that having people on their side in positions of authority is vital to any major plans they have in the making."

"How do we uncover this corruption?" Sero wondered.

Lunch Rush stared at the boys walking down his line who were having this ridiculously intense conversation in too casual a way. They were not hiding their voices either, and two girls in the general studies' course ahead of them in line were staring back with wide eyes at the kind of conversation the young heroes were having. Lunch Rush gave out dinner to the students who went on and just nodded in appreciation at him for the food but did not get too distracted from their conversation.

"It's not going to be easy. As heroes we need proof before really going in and even starting investigations on anyone. And Kaminari's too smart to leave a paper trail even if we had some circumstantial proof to give us the right to open investigations," Zach began.

"Then nothing?" Bakugo snapped.

Zach tilted his head to the side, and Kirishima frowned then told him, "We can't break any laws."

"I didn't say we should," Zach countered at Kirishima's assumption as to what he was thinking. "But not 'nothing' either," Zach added with a look to Bakugo. Sero finally filled his tray then the four of them headed out and over to an empty table near where Class A usually sat. None of their classmates were in the room at the time. "We just have to be, open-eared. Hawks is a great hero not just because of his Quirk or skill in using it. He's a master of obtaining information."

Bakugo nodded along. Like how he found out about the Pit. Now most of us know anyway, but he's the one who actually did the digging.

"Should we get Hawks to help us then?" Sero wondered. Thought we were just talking before when they all got excited about taking on the League right after graduation. Zach really immediately started up plans on how to do it though. Sero ate his food but stayed fully focused on a conversation that was likely going to lead them into the fight of their lives only right after graduation. We should get Midoriya in on this too. Todoroki and Iida- we really need everyone.

"Possibly," Zach replied. "I trust Tokoyami, and I think he trusts Hawks. I'm pretty sure we can trust him too-"

Bakugo's eyes widened and Sero's jaw dropped. Kirishima took another second after what Zach started saying but then interrupted in shock, "You're considering that, even Hawks might be-"

"That's the thing with corruption," Zach interrupted right back. "You never know who it is." He said it seriously and reminded Kirishima of their very personal experiences with betrayal. "Why can't it be Hawks? Or Endeavor? Any of our teachers or the people who run this country?"

"If they were, then they would have helped…" Bakugo started but he trailed off and Zach nodded at what he saw Bakugo thinking in that moment. Bakugo tssked and looked away though Sero and Kirishima kept looking at him oddly wondering why he had stopped himself. "But they could get corrupted at any time. After any of the previous incidents included."

"Exactly," Zach replied. "When we charge into the villains' base, if we have Endeavor at our side, how do we know that the rest of Todoroki's siblings and family haven't been kidnapped and are being used against him? We won't. We never will. Blackmail is that kind of danger. Where even the best people can suddenly betray you. It's the worst form of corruption, because it's hard to even get mad at the person if they're being blackmailed in such a way. But! If you put yourself into that high a position of power, you do have the responsibility to be selfless and ignore the blackmail."

"You're saying if our parents get taken, to ignore it?" Bakugo wondered back. He said it without much anger in his voice. He just asked the question in a low voice and Zach paused but then shook his head back at him.

"No. If that happens, our only focus should be getting them back. Nothing else," Zach assured to show he was not talking about that. "Heroes don't give up on civilians. One life, is worth more than whatever our total goal is, yeah?" Zach said it as much to assure them that it was how he thought as to get them to feel less disturbed by the idea of letting their families get killed in order to stop villains. "But that means that if it comes to it and they ever try blackmailing you, you have to find that one or two people that you can trust. Ones who you're positive aren't also being blackmailed and can report on you, getting your family killed. Once operations spread out too much, they invite the opportunity for corruption to take part. It's how the Faith ambush went, right?" Zach wondered while looking back into Bakugo's eyes.

Bakugo nodded there darkly as he thought back on the ambush that cost a lot of heroes and good cops their lives. Sero responded in a very low voice, "But how do we avoid that, while still bringing in enough force to take on the whole League? How deep do you think the corruption goes?"

"With Kaminari?" Zach wondered back. "It could be anyone. I'm not as worried about the top heroes as I say. They're heroes, after all. And the rate of corruption among heroes is amazingly small. It's great to see." Though that rate would be higher if people knew the heroes who were Eziano's assassins the whole time… "But in our government, and among hero officials, it's hard to tell. Kaminari's definitely got someone though in enough power to report on our activities since we'll have to report to higher-ups once we're heroes. Putting us at a lot of risk for the bureaucracy."

"Red tape and politicians are going to get us killed, huh?" Bakugo wondered.

"We don't even know, if there's even any corrupt people here," Kirishima argued, not liking the way this conversation was going. Zach frowned at him, and Bakugo just frowned deeper at Kirishima for being naive. Even Sero gave a sideways look to his classmate for not just listening to Zach here who he figured was most likely right. "Maybe Japan really is different. Kaminari's good, but if he tried to get a bunch of corrupt spies then one or two of them probably already talked to heroes."

"That's fair," Zach replied, surprising Kirishima though Bakugo continued frowning darkly as he could tell Zach was not retracting previous statements because of what Kirishima said. "The more corrupted officials there are, the higher chance that one of them has a change of heart and tries to help us. Kaminari knows that too though. Which means his circle of spies will be small, but influential. Holding power at the highest levels. And that makes it much harder for us, because finding them is like finding a needle in a haystack. Assuming it's one or two officials out of potential hundreds, thousands even, is nothing to go on. And what's worse, Kaminari's sure not to make the mistakes that others who corrupt political figures make. They meet with them too much. Explain too much of their plans. In trying to make those corrupted officials feel more like villains, thus trapping them even more in the corruption because they knew about crimes before they happened, many times villains reveal too much. And when you go to crush that corruption, the officials who never wanted to be villains in the first place are very fast to give up those who are corrupting them."

"You see this a lot out there?" Sero asked.

"Constantly. Everywhere I went," Zach replied. "Every nation. Like clockwork," Zach said, really driving in how predictable it was that he could make all of these claims so confidently. "It was so extensive in some places that for there to be none here is unimaginable to me."

"How deep did it go?" Bakugo questioned.

"In a few countries, not that bad," Zach assured. "Some places did better than others. Nowhere really as good as Japan, even if Japan has some we don't know about yet. But then you take a place like, Kazakhstan. You can't even begin to fathom how much-"

"How deep?" Bakugo repeated as Zach was using too many vague statements.

"Everyone," Zach replied. "Literally, everyone." Bakugo looked back at him skeptically but stared with wider eyes after a second as he started to believe it. Sero thought he was being a bit hyperbolic, while Kirishima just frowned at Zach for calling an entire nation corrupt. Zach continued though in a way that unnerved the others at the shift in the tone of his voice, "When King had the top heroes killed, it became easier to corrupt officials no longer under the watchful eyes of heroes. And no longer under their protection either."

"The incentives get more enticing without the risks of getting caught, and their fear of villains' retribution grows when there's no one left to save them. And when the top officials are corrupted, it becomes easier for King's hitmen to take down more heroes as they know where those heroes will be and when they'll be there." Zach shook his head with his eyes darkening and glaring down at his food that he had barely touched yet. "And not just King's men, but Eziano's assassins, Fergus', even Amaterasu. Though she was not aligned with King, she abused the chaos he created to expand her own corruption network parallel to his. Everyone was reporting to someone or other, some of them reporting to both, or to even more than that. The nation was a fucking mess."

"They picked off hero after hero, making it even easier to corrupt more officials, and thus find more heroes who are spreading out farther to handle the surges in villains that comes with every death of a hero. And with more villains, there are more dead heroes, and more corrupted officials, and thus even more dead heroes, and the cycle feeds itself." Zach glared harsher at his food, a blood red color filling his irises. "Until the entire nation is corrupt. Every official and inspector. Every cop and their lieutenants, their captains and chiefs. Every public servant from the lowest level to the head of the country and his cabinet. Every representative and local assembly leader. Too many to just get rid of them all and leave the country with no infrastructure, weakened and vulnerable to more villains and further corruption."

Everyone? An entire country all corrupted by villains? Sero thought in disbelief, his fork stopping in his food as he did not know how to process this.

It's why Kazakhstan was the perfect place to hide the City of Villains. Zach grimaced then took a bite of his food to calm himself down for a moment.

What must it have been like to live there during that time? Kirishima thought, his fists curling angrily over the table. Did their people know what was going on? With that much corruption, it would have had to be obvious!

"If it was that deep… wait," Bakugo muttered. "When you ended it, why didn't we- you said it was too much? So what? You just, didn't…" Bakugo knew Zach would not have just let it continue, but Zach was saying that he could not just destroy the nation's infrastructure by revealing all that corruption. If he had revealed it too, who would have arrested them? He said it was every cop and official. That's, something beyond whatever heroes were left could handle. The rest of the people in power in that country would have just made it out like the heroes were trying to steal power, or something. Too delicate a situation-

"Instead of revealing it, counter-blackmailing became my go-to," Zach explained. "Threatening to reveal their criminal acts if they did not fix what they had already done, then go above and beyond that to make things even better. Just fixing mistakes didn't make what they had done alright. They had to prove that they could make it better, or I would reveal what they had done and get them arrested. I did it everywhere. Told them to resign when their re-elections came up, but that until that time came they had to do everything in their power to do right by their people."

"But in some places like Kazakstan, I was not satisfied with that…" Zach had continued in a low voice but his tone just got much darker. They almost missed it because they were too focused on what he just said about his counter-corruption, but even Bakugo got a bead of sweat rolling down the right side of his face at how Zach went on. "…And for months, any citizen in that country would have been suspect as to why every police officer and official in the country had black eyes, broken limbs, busted lips." Zach's teeth ground though the right corner of his lips curled up as he paused then snarled, "I beat them all. Physically beat them."

Holy shit dude, Sero stared at Zach's face straight across the table from him. His eyes darted around for a moment and he was glad Zach's voice was low so no one else in the cafeteria could hear the insane things Zach was saying.

Kirishima's jaw dropped farther while Zach continued, "Walked into police precincts after cutting the camera feeds, and beat every single cop in there to bloody pulps. Threatening to return and deal punishment ten times as bad as what I just did, should they continue to act villainously. Should they continue to ignore the plights of their people and destroy evidence that could hold villains their heroes were desperately trying to get off the streets. Giving up the heroes' locations and getting them killed- I fucking," Zach's fingers curled harder as he thought about good heroes who he had worked with in Kazakhstan and who had died twice during his time out there. "I made them understand, who to be more afraid of-"

"You can't do stuff like that," Kirishima seethed. Zach looked to his left side at his friend sitting there next to him with fists curled as hard as Zach's were. Zach frowned back at him but Kirishima argued with his look, "That's not how you should have done things. Even out there, doing what you were doing-"

"When corruption is that deeply rooted inside of a system, very little can fix it. Not without causing massive harm to the innocent populace like I did in Arkistan. Revealing all of them, left the country open for even worse criminal activity. It was a foolish mistake, and one I did not intend to repeat." Kirishima stared back at him with wider eyes at Zach's counter. Zach settled himself as he noticed Kirishima staring straight into his eyes and felt the red that had pooled into them. It did not fade away, but he did say in a steadier voice, "I found the loophole. The ability to not harm any civilians while ridding the nation of its corruption. It was unheroic, but there was nothing heroes could do in that country. Not until the system was fixed to a point where corruption could actually be punished. I took that position as the punishment until the jails were back under the control of people who were willing to run them correctly."

He was the "punishment?" Dude, you're too fucking scary. Why do you have to say stuff like that? And why is it, that I completely understand why you had to do it? Sero wondered to himself while letting out a sigh again. Beating all those people isn't something you enjoyed either. As dark as you just talked, I think you had to think about it that angrily in order not to think of it as who you are now. You beat up all those people- well, actually, Sero countered himself and looked at Zach carefully. You didn't say anything about killing them. Maybe, that was something you enjoyed? Beating them all up, was the most justice those people were going to receive in a system not fit to actually punish them any other way. I bet the embarrassment and shame they felt from all the people who saw them too- and those citizens definitely knew that you were the reason they were all banged up! Ha- haha, Sero chuckled aloud as he thought about the corrupt politicians and cops walking around with busted lips and black eyes, getting glared at by all the citizens they had failed. The ones who had all the power in the country, suddenly shown to be in no control at all because their power meant nothing to Death who could even beat up the head of state without being stopped.

Kirishima glanced across the table at Sero then leaned back himself as Sero seemed to be taking this lightly even as bad as it sounded. Bakugo glanced to his side too then humphed and started eating again, deciding to just move past this. Kirishima frowned more at the scary boy at his side but hummed to himself considering what else could have been done to stop villains back then. It was the same time Zach said heroes all over the world were being killed. It's not like foreign heroes would have come in to save them. And if the corruption was that deep, they weren't going to call for help either. Still though! That sounded horrible. That's not how we should root out corruption. We can't do that!

He said it all in the past tense, Bakugo ate his food without being as concerned or frustrated as Kirishima. He made it clear we're not doing things the same way he did them. By following the rules though, it's going to be harder for us than it was for him. Making it harder on ourselves against fucking Kaminari? Seems like a stupid fucking plan. How the hell are we going to do it? "So what do you suggest?" Bakugo muttered through bites of food. "How do we find the mole?"

"There are ways to narrow down the field. But, in the end," Zach paused and shook his head. "We might just have to rush them with fewer of us than we should. Letting fewer higher-ups know, and telling whoever we do decide to trust that they can't tell anyone else. Get the permission that we need as heroes to carry out the plan, while not risking putting ourselves directly into Kaminari's trap."

"That's going to be a very thin hole," Sero said. "To thread a needle through."

"Yeah, but a smaller group has its own benefits. Reducing the risk of our attack being discovered is one. Reducing the potential harm that our enemies could cause is another."

"Reducing harm, as in fewer heroes could be killed?" Sero wondered, making sure he understood what Zach was getting at.

"So more risk of harm to us then?" Kirishima wondered too, as that sounded like the trade-off for having fewer heroes.

"What? You scared?" Zach asked.

"Just stay home then," Bakugo snapped at the redhead right after Zach replied.

Kirishima's bottom lip lowered then he quickly shouted back at them, "That's not what I was saying!"

Sero started laughing and then shook his head around. This is crazy. Zach really wants us to attack the League with a small group? I don't feel like, I'm the right person to be in this conversation. I know I'm not corrupt though, so that's one plus… And they also know that I'm not. Sero countered his own doubtful thoughts about being included. Having trust in one another is more important than power in this instance. I can do a lot too. I'm a hero too! If they want me there with them, I'll be there.

Iida and Uraraka entered the cafeteria as they came for some dinner too. The two each glanced over towards a table they usually sat at for lunch where four of their classmates were already sitting. Uraraka avoided staring towards the table too much after briefly making eye contact with Bakugo who glanced her way when she entered. She looked away before Zach could turn and see her, if he was even going to look her way. Uraraka walked for Lunch Rush to grab herself some dinner, and her heart raced as she thought of the video she kept replaying for herself when she was supposed to be studying with Iida.

The footage from a bar full of villains was mostly blocked by smoke. Zach's face had been mostly obscured by his hood. She could see him slamming the knife he put through the villain's hand though, then punching him in the face while the man's hand was pinned to the table. That was definitely Zach. The girl with him there was that Darling girl. Gentle and La Brava, and I think that other man was probably the one he called, Exodus. They had villains all around them and just beat them all then left them there for heroes. The ones still alive, at least. Getting in bar fights and killing people? That's, not what the Wampajawa video showed.

More happened than just what we all saw though, Uraraka reminded herself. And there were probably much better things too that weren't recorded… And much worse things than even that bar. There's no question about that either. Uraraka's troubled look was shared by the taller boy at her side who followed her up for food.

Iida's troubled expression was for a different reason though. People are getting more nervous about him now. The news doesn't know how to refer to him. People don't know whether to pretend they believe him, or if they actually know if it's all true, and no one here really understands either. He told us months ago about so much of this, and I still cannot talk to him like normal. Iida thanked the hero who gave him and Uraraka their meals, then as they headed back through the cafeteria they looked towards their classmates still talking to each other with focused looks but mostly smiles too. Zach's lips were even up a small amount though they lowered again and his expression just got more serious as he turned to Kirishima to argue about something.

Seeing him at war, Iida thought. A real war. A full-blown war unlike anything any of us have ever seen. I was wrong to deny him so much about it before, because I've seen him leading an army. Killing and bringing back the dead. Taking bullets like they were punches. All in a year since we last saw him.

Uraraka shook her head while she walked over to a different table as their classmates though neighboring that one. Iida came with her but sat across from his friend he had studied with that afternoon along with another friend of theirs who had been called away though by All Might to talk. Uraraka sat and tried to keep her gaze from shifting over towards Zach, though she failed. We were all going to school. Playing games, having fun, playing at being heroes! What right do I have to even be afraid of him?! He might have acted brutally- unheroically, but Zach destroyed crime around the world and brought it back as low as it was in the time of All Might. How am I supposed to, talk to him about that? How do I even act around him? I want to just smile and talk to him but… but I'll probably mess up. I don't know how to just be okay with all you did.

It's hard for them to even look at me. Everyone averts their gazes. Even inside of Class A it's rare to have a moment like this, Zach thought darkly as he nodded along with what Kirishima continued back to him about having Gang Orca and Suneater both help with their plans as he trusted them a lot too. His mind had wandered far from their previous conversation already though, The day is coming. It's almost here. I had months. So long to figure it out. This plan doesn't mean anything if I'm not here to help them carry it out. Is this me making my choice right now? No. Sticking to this plan will be impossible. Spending days after graduation focused on the League? They'll demand revivals. A pro license. That's what they're waiting for now. If I don't… but I can't. I can't, and I won't- so what will happen? Do I have to?

I… I don't know.

---

Why should I? Jirou stood in the center of her bedroom. The lights were on but it was dark outside of her closed blinds. She was staring towards her desk and the envelope on top of it that she took out before getting out of her seat and pacing her room for the past twenty minutes. I need to! In order to figure out what he's thinking now. If there's something in there that can give me a clue, as to what he's… What he's planning- Or what he's going to do next!

Jirou took a step but her right hand that started lifting up hesitated and she grabbed her wrist with her other hand. "No," she muttered. "This is stupid. I didn't care before. I don't care now. He can do whatever he-" Jirou imagined Zach spinning a shotgun across the front of his body and snapping a man's neck with it. I'm a hero! I can't ignore the danger. He's dangerous. Mina was right about something. We were all there when he planned out the Lifebringer Incident. I should have known…

Jirou's eyes squinted as she imagined standing in Zach's doorway. She had seen papers on his desk, which he had moved his body to the side to block her from seeing as clearly. Her squinted eyes focused down on the envelope again. It had her name written across it. She stepped closer and lowered her right hand to it, and she slowly turned it upside-down. Jirou stared at the corners of the fold that were already peeled up. Some of the paper was ripped though had stopped being ripped after only cutting in partly from the edges. Her fingers moved to the edges of the envelope again, and they ran over pre-ripped corners showing the previous times she had gotten this far.

I need to know what he's thinking now! It's not about whether I want to read it or not. This is my duty. As a hero! Jirou's hands were trembling even as she yelled her conviction at herself. Somehow, this will help me figure him out. How he can sit there in class after all that- And what he's planning! Why, he did it- I don't care why! I know why. This letter won't explain anything. It might just, Jirou hesitated, lowering her hands back so her knuckles rested on her desk. Then she grit her teeth and yanked the letter back up, and in a swift movement she ripped the flap of the envelope off.

She gulped. The flap was gone. She dropped it and it fell to the floor. She could see writing on the part of the paper that was sticking out, but it was upside-down and she had to remove the letter first. Jirou closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. I've gotten this far. Just do it already! Jirou opened her eyes back up and slowly removed the letter from the envelope Zach had put it in. It might explain what he's still trying to tell me… Jirou turned the paper and stared at the top of it, and she sat down on her desk chair as her eyes moved back and forth across the page.

'Jirou, I'm sorry.' Jirou's teeth clenched at the line at the top, but her teeth started grinding with her eyes shaking as she dragged them down the page. 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry…' It repeated over and over for lines down the page. The page was stained in a few spots too. As if Zach had spilled drops of something onto the paper that shook in Jirou's trembling hands. 'I just- I want you to know- I'm-'

Jirou could see that he had written 'sorry' again after the last 'I'm,' but Zach had crossed it out then put a quick scribble over it that did not even cover it completely. His penmanship had gotten slightly worse as he failed at putting down any other coherent thought on the page. He just kept apologizing down to the fourth then fifth line of the paper. 'I'm sorry. Jirou I hate myself for doing this- and I hate what it's going to do to you. You don't deserve this…'

22 Months Ago…

Zach Sazaki sat at his desk after Jirou had left his doorway. He had no idea how to start off these letters, but the first one looked horrible to him already. He lifted his left arm back up and rubbed his eyes quickly with his short sleeve, then he lowered his shaking pen back to the paper that had been getting wet so he had to write around a wet mark on the page. "I'm sorry," Zach whispered. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," his face had scrunched up and he bit down on his bottom lip as he started to write it again only to stop.

"I'm going to run out of room," he whispered to himself in a cracked and higher-pitched voice. He pictured her terrified expression and the soft words she had just spoken to him after he comforted her. He gagged and then shook his head rapidly back and forth. I need to tell her more. This isn't- That's not anything! Apologizing won't help her. What will!? Me being here. Me staying. I CAN'T! "I'm sorry, Jirou…"

Present

'I know- I feel like I have to leave, and no matter how much I hate this I'm going to leave you and- even though you need me and- I'm sorry.'

Jirou's hands shook harder on the sides of the page. Her lips pulled so far out at the corners showing her bared teeth. Her hands shook in so much anger that she was almost about to rip the page, How can he be so apologetic and hate himself, but did it anyway?! "You left like that," she seethed out at the boy on the page who she knew was not the same one she had been thinking about all day. "You left after telling me how you cared!" Her voice was a whisper but got louder even though her voice was hoarse. "I thought you were the k-kindest person in the world, and you did this to me not a week later! How could, you?!"

'…I feel like I'm a monster, but I already feel that way because of what I know is happening to people I care about right now because of my own big mouth. I was stupid. I was so stupid, and you all trust me and I'm going to betray you all. But I already betrayed so many other people by telling Kaminari things I shouldn't have. things I never thought would get out because Kaminari could be trusted… But that's not your fault. I'm sorry! I'm sorry I'm sorry, I shouldn't talk about Kaminari and even try to blame-'

Zach stopped writing there. His pen stopped and there were a few more attempts to start saying something to her but they were all scribbled out. Only one other line looked somewhat legible, and she could read out, '...the one thing that makes me consider staying...' but nothing after that was written legibly. Her eyes lowered down the page closer to the bottom. 'I'm sorry for everything. Goodbye Jirou…' His writing got even fainter like he was barely moving his pen on the page, and Jirou lifted the paper up and squinted to read it. 'I doubt you'll ever read this. But I am sorry. I'm sorry, for what I'm about to do.'

He doubted I would ever read it? Jirou checked the back but there was nothing there. She dropped the paper onto her lap and bowed her head. Her lips pursed and a lot of her anger from a minute ago had faded. Does that mean, you knew how bad it would hurt? You knew I wouldn't ever be able to read it? So you knew even then, what you were going to do to, me? Jirou's lips trembled more and her eyes filled with water. "I hate you," she gasped out, her hands going back to the page and starting to squeeze on the outsides of it. She froze, then she pushed together and balled up the letter in her fists.

"Why?" Jirou gasped out. You know why. "How could-" she pursed her lips again and stopped herself from finishing the question. If it hurt you that much to hurt me, why couldn't you have just stayed? I don't understand how you could do something like that. Saying you're sorry doesn't mean anything. Jirou rose her hands up and quickly rubbed her eyes to keep back any tears that she did not feel should be falling right now. She frowned deeply under her hands, then she lowered them and stared down at the page she left crumpled on her lap. "I don't forgive you.

---

"What, brings you here, so late?" Zach asked. What a dumb way to word that.

"I just…" Yaoyorozu stopped herself. She stared in front of her at the boy whose room she had entered. They had finals in the morning. The two had to wake up early. She had come to his room though and he let her in without hesitation. "All day you looked, troubled?" Yaoyorozu stated it as a fact but rose her tone to give him the opportunity to deny her or give an explanation.

Zach wanted to sit on his bed and offer her a seat at his desk. He felt awkward to do it though, wondering, What if she doesn't want to? She might just be here to check in real quick. We do have finals in the morning. I shouldn't keep her. Zach shook his head and gave her a small smile. "I'm fine. Just, tired."

Yaoyorozu nodded back at him but only once. Tired? You don't mean that as in it's been a long day and you need to sleep. Is that how you meant it to sound? To try and get me to go? Or do you know that I'll stay because I can see past that? Yaoyorozu stared back into Zach's eyes and she said in a soft voice, "I know. You look tired. I, hope you aren't, pushing yourself too hard."

Zach tried to raise up his smile a little more for her. He failed though. He looked away and then stepped back closer to his bed that he wanted to fall down to his butt on. He kept himself up instead. "I'm fine, Momo. Really I'm just, just tired. That's all."

"It's okay if you need a break," Yaoyorozu started. She stepped towards his desk and his chair but she stopped herself from sitting too. Her lips pursed then she looked back straight in Zach's eyes, "I- I see you-" Zach stared back at her in confusion but her head started shaking as she did not know if that was how she should say it. "Still, even now, doing the same things that you did in those videos. What you did as Death, you're still-"

"I'm acting as a hero now," Zach countered.

"That's not what I mean," Yaoyorozu replied softly, shaking her head again at him. "You put your body, and your life, and your soul on the line over and over and over again. It never stopped." Her head rose after her chin dipped a bit when she was shaking her head. She stared into his eyes and whispered, "You're going to die at this rate. You can't keep up that pace, if it hurts you to the point that…" That you want to just fly up in space and disappear! If you can't handle what happened in China, then you can't go out there with the intent to revive everyone. Even if people want you to! Tell him that!

"If it helps others-" Zach started in a counter with the corners of his lips rising.

"Stop that!" Yaoyorozu snapped at him. Zach froze and his lips stopped lifting into a smile at the sound of her concern. His face flinched instead at the scared way she looked at him that was too sad for him to keep smiling. "You have to stop that! You have to stop sacrificing yourself! You do it too easily, too naturally!"

Momo lowered her gaze to the floor. "At the Sports Festival, I thought it was amazing that you got in front of the bullets for me and for Uraraka. I was always awed that you would go through so much pain to help so many people, but it has to be enough!" She looked at him in a sad way getting more desperate at the look on his face not accepting what she was saying. As if what she was telling him was not even one of the options she had been watching him consider for his future.

"I knew you were Death," Yaoyorozu whispered to him. "I always knew. And I looked up the things you did all over the world every single day. As much as you tried to hide, I still knew. And, it breaks my heart, knowing how much good you've done only for you to think you still don't deserve the happiness you've given the rest of us."

Zach shook his head and closed his eyes. His head bowed while his fists curled at his sides. I don't.

"The world is so much better than it was a year and a half ago. You did that," Yaoyorozu whispered at him. Though her voice was quiet, it came out steady and strong as she hoped he would just listen to her. Her expression flinched though and she tilted her head back more at the look of denial on his face and how it scrunched up from what she said. "Yet you're in so much pain. Your body is torn and beaten and broken, and you had to see the worst things in this world with no one to talk to. Described them as fairy tales, because the reality was too sad to believe."

Zach's hands were trembling as she told him all of this. "I know," he whispered back to her. His eyes opened and his head unbowed a little, "I told all my soldiers in the Army of Death the same thing. They all had to find happiness. I told Darling the same thing." He said that with his lips curling slightly up but they trembled too and fell with his eyes dropping back to stare at his floor. "But," he gasped. His eyes clenched back shut, and he tried to listen to her, and to listen to himself in the past. He just started shaking his head again. "I can't do it."

"Why not?" Yaoyorozu whispered back, her tone suggesting to just try. She suggested in the question that he could do it if he would just try. That he could do anything if he put his mind to it, even this.

"I destroyed the anti-heroes," Zach replied. "And I promised Cee I would forgive myself, but I got people who saved my life killed. Not just them, but all my soldiers who guarded my back too. The ones who died twice for my goals. I sacrificed my friends. Left them to die-" Zach chomped down to stop anything else from coming out. He knew that any more and he would not be able to keep going, and he did not want to break down again. I can't keep losing it. If I'm not alright when the time comes, how am I going to become anything that people could look to? I'd have to leave if I can't be someone like that. Have to disappear again! "Raahh-" Zach seethed a harsh breath through clenched teeth.

"You did so much good though," Yaoyorozu argued with him. She pushed past the pained expression covering his face and gave him a smile that he stared back at with curling eyebrows and an even more agonized look. "So much more good than bad. And it was never your fault. Those anti-heroes you talked about that night in here, without really telling me. It was Shigaraki, the League of Villains, and Raijin who did it. Not you."

"I know," Zach whispered. "I know it was never really my fault. None of the horrible things… most of them," Zach corrected himself. Whatever I can alleviate guilt for, what I did to Jirou is not one of those things. Zach lifted his gaze back to the girl in front of him whose eyes he stared into. And I know you feel the same way. What I did to our friend is unforgivable. Yet you're still here with me?

No. Not with me. Things will never work out between us anymore, but you're still a friend. Zach tried to force a smile to her but his head bowed more. I know you're just trying to help me. "Even the things that weren't all my fault though," Zach continued, pushing his mind off of another dark-haired girl who was currently thinking about him downstairs. He went on softly, "They hurt. It hurts me so much, all those terrible things that happened." He turned his head and looked back into Yaoyorozu's eyes, "And other people have to feel that pain. More of them will, if I don't stop it."

Yaoyorozu's lips spread apart and an audible gasp came out. Zach leaned back from her at the look on her face, and he whispered in agonized frustration, "I can't stop. Because if I stop, someone else will be hurt. Someone would have to feel this pain. The world isn't that amazing a place that it can become beautiful on its own without people who will accept the darkness." Zach felt the pain of bringing back Tsuyu shoot through him and his entire body coursed with agony. "Without people like me who are willing to take everyone else's pain, how else could this world become beautiful?" He looked in her eyes for an answer, and he told her, "I haven't found a way. I haven't found any option that tells me that I can stop what I'm doing."

"Do you think I haven't searched for one?" He asked her desperately, his head tilting to the right and her watery eyes searching for an answer to this never-ending problem. "Do you think I haven't hoped to find an answer? Any better answer?" Zach brought his right hand to his head and gripped into the side of it. Then he lifted his left in front of him and stared at the steel prosthetic. He curled his hand that was not even real. Although Yaoyorozu knew he could not feel pain in it, she watched him curl that fist a few times with pain covering his face.

"There are other ways," Yaoyorozu whispered back at him. She cleared her throat then got louder, "You know, that it doesn't have to be just you-"

"I don't know that," Zach countered her. She stared back with wider eyes, and Zach stared down at his curled fist that shook in front of his torso. "I, never got to be a kid. Never got to grow up as a normal child. Never got to enjoy the love of a real family. Never got to go through high school like a normal person!" Zach's teeth ground back and forth and his fake fist uncurled in front of him. "And I think, in the world as it is now, others could still be born like me. And I hate that!"

Zach snapped his left fist back down to his side and shook his head angrily while glaring down at the floor between him and Momo. "I despise the idea that this world isn't at a place yet where I'm sure that I've prevented it from happening again. How can I be sure?" He wondered with is head snapping up to stare at the intelligent young woman before him. "The Army of Death is a good moderator. It should make it harder, be an outlet for people like me who Death will search for to help. It will continue to look for those who are evil to stop them. It's not enough though," he shook his head while saying. Then he leaned forward and cried, "It's never going to be enough!"

His lips twisted and he shook his head hard again as he said that aloud. "And I hate! That I don't believe that it will be enough at any point. Hate that I'll have to keep doing this until I die, because if I stop I'll feel like people I could have saved by steeping into that darkness will be dying because of me. Because of this great power I hold. Because I have the power to make changes in the world, and yet people are still sad and dying and angry and homeless and family-less and depressed. I have the power to change these things, so how can I stop? How could I ever stop?"

"It's not all your job," Yaoyorozu countered him in just as desperate a voice as he was speaking in. The kinds of things that were stressing him and that he felt he needed to fix were so massive that it sounded like an impossible task to her. "The weight of the world isn't on your shoulders-"

"I feel like it is," Zach countered her. He said it seriously and also in a scared way as he looked back in her eyes. "In the Lifebringer Incident I left to do so much because I knew I could. I knew there were great things I could do as something else. And right now, there's something even greater. Possibly. But it would require…" Zach's face aged ten years before he could finish the sentence. Yaoyorozu's entire body shook as she thought about the sacrifice Zach made last time that he was trying to compare this to. He shook his head at the look she gave him scared of what he was thinking, and he told her in a weaker voice unsure if he could do it that sounded to Yaoyorozu like that grand aspiration was not actually something he was considering very seriously, "The more I did to help, the more power I got…"

He's not going to do it! That's, what he's telling me. He knows he can, and thinks he should, but the sacrifice itself is too much for him this time. He's agreeing with me! And that hurts him, Yaoyorozu's face scrunched up more. As much as anything else. Knowing he can't because of his own pain?

"…the more power I got and more connections, the more I saw that the systems in place were full of corruption. I saw that there was literally nothing for people to believe in that was real!" Zach bit down and curled both of his fists hard at his sides, and his entire body hunched forward as he rose his voice, "Even heroes! There are heroes who are corrupt, who work with villains, who have been spies the ENTIRE TIME!" Zach yelled it thinking of all the assassins who people in the world mourned as their missing heroes. Then another face filled his mind, and his eyes clenched so hard shut as he wheezed out in pain, then shouted, "Kaminari, was a hero!"

Yaoyorozu looked back at him in a horrified way. She thought about them in this room almost two years ago, and how Zach had the same look on his face then as he did now. Her heart ached as she thought in realization, Zach's never gotten over that. He pushed it away but, it's been hurting him that entire time. He completely lost faith in the world and everything in it that makes the world amazing. Lost faith in all of it except for himself. To the point he felt it had to be him who fixed it, all because Kaminari betrayed him.

"Not all heroes," Yaoyorozu started. Her voice was steady and she stepped closer to Zach to look in his eyes from up close. There was no wavering in her gaze and she looked seriously at the boy before her who started to nod but froze as she said, "Believe in Midoriya." Zach opened his eyes wider and looked straight back at Yaoyorozu closely as she told him to do that.

She doesn't mean just to trust that he isn't a spy. Believing in him, to the point where it doesn't have to be me? Isn't that what I wanted?! "Believe in Deku," Yaoyorozu repeated to Zach, saying their classmate's hero name this time. Momo knows. She knows I trust him! She knows how much I want to believe in him. That it can be him, to stop Shigaraki. To replace All Might! Right?! Zach's lips trembled and his eyes shook but darted down to the floor as he could not respond to her. If he isn't willing to break any rules though, the best he can do is what All Might did. And I was created in that world! In All Might's world! Do I really believe Midoriya can stop that? All of that?!

"I don't know," Zach whispered. He cut himself off and leaned back with a sharp pain cutting through his chest. I came back to Japan in part because Midoriya was capable! I knew I wasn't needed. Right? I felt Midoriya had mastered One For All, or at least that he was close. "I don't know if I can," Zach whispered aloud, despite how hard he was arguing with himself in his head. I always thought it was him. I still do! But, but that doesn't mean the world doesn't need me. It needs me to be something different. Something, too much- "I don't think, I can do it-"

"Then believe in me."

Zach's body tensed up and he froze again. His eyes rose back to look into Momo's in front of him. His face stopped shaking and his eyes that were wider closed back halfway in a soft way as he stared unsurely back at her. I can't tell her that I don't believe in her. Because I do. Zach gulped while looking into her light gray eyes. I just can't say it, because I can't hurt her feelings by telling her I don't-

That's not true. Zach countered himself and pursed his lips while the girl in front of him calmly stared back. She looked confident and nodded again as he looked at her as if uncertain what to say after that. I do trust you- I believe in you. The fact that I care enough about your feelings being hurt by saying I don't, is because I know you're such a great person. And a great hero. And you're smart and kind and people can look to you and feel safe. And because you believe in what I was doing, I know that I can believe in you, when you ask me to.

"You have to believe in something," Yaoyorozu continued quietly to him, though she smiled at the boy before her who had appeared so conflicted every day lately. "Something other than yourself, to get behind and believe in. So that you know it doesn't have to be you."

"Your judgement is amazing," she continued. She kept smiling even as Zach looked back at her unsure if she was telling him the truth. Yaoyorozu shook her head that he would doubt her sincerity, though she did not get discouraged by his doubt in her when it was just in how she viewed him. "You traveled the world and destroyed evil all over, and you made compromises on what to do depending on how many people it could help, or who it could hurt." Yaoyorozu mentioning his 'compromises' pained both her and Zach who had to look away when one of those people he had compromised to hurt told him this straight to his face. "Yet, with that boy who was a nuclear weapon you told us about," Yaoyorozu went on, and Zach looked back into her eyes with his own wider as she brought that up.

"You didn't give up on him either."

"I didn't revive him-"

"But you changed your mission. You had so many goals and terrible things you needed to prevent, and you just tried to save that boy instead," Yaoyorozu countered as he attempted to cut in on her. She shook her head at him as he bit down hard and closed his eyes tightly thinking about that day. "And you're afraid because you think that decisions that hard are ones that you need to make. The thing you doubt yourself most on today, the part of your judgement you doubt the most, is your belief in others. In us! Because for you to put so much of this on yourself, means you don't think we can do it!"

Zach opened his mouth but failed to come up with a way to counter her. The fact that he was slow on his response told Yaoyorozu everything she needed to hear though. "You know you can trust Midoriya!" Yaoyorozu shouted at him. "You know it in your heart that Midoriya's an amazing hero, and your friend! Don't you?" I've always seen the way you look at him. More than any of our friends. I know it wasn't coincidence that you wound up in Hokkaido with him. I know he was there with you when you fought Eziano, and Ares! There's a way you push him that tells me you know that he can be the one who you trust! The one who can be what you need, so you can stop!

"And I know, you probably believed Kaminari was someone who could have helped," Yaoyorozu added quietly. "And you doubt that you can trust anyone else to do it, because he broke that faith you had. He betrayed you and you ran off to do things your own way. No faith in the systems here, or in those of us who still believed in them." Her forehead scrunched up and she frowned at him deeper, "But stop doubting us! Please! It's going to kill you, if you don't trust us to help. You can't go back like you did in China. Believe in those of us around you right now. Just believe! Not just in us, but in yourself who believes in us!"

I do trust you- I believe in you! And in Midoriya! I don't know what I was thinking, but of course I believe in him. I've always believed in him! Zach nodded and looked back up into Yaoyorozu's eyes intensely. Kirishima died to save my life from Dabi. Iida and Todoroki fought against Stain to stop that hero-killer. You and Jirou fought by my side at USJ- Zach thought back on USJ and his expression faltered. He thought of another person with them that day. He was my friend too. I believed in him too…

Just like I believe in everyone in Class A. Despite just thinking about Kaminari, Zach's thoughts grew stronger after a moment and he thought of the rest of his classmates. All of my friends who I still love but have a small shred of doubt in each one of them. It never went away. I couldn't get Kaminari to admit a second spy, but I was wrong to even try to force that out of him. It wasn't just a fake-out. I wanted him to give someone up. Or I was afraid that he really would. If I can have even the smallest shred of doubt that one of them is a spy, how could I ever believe in them to take my place? To stand at my side or to do what I know needs to be done, without my help?!

Without me? Zach questioned himself. Is that really what, I want? I want them to do it without me… I have to be the one who stops Kaminari! I- I have to keep fighting… What was it that they died for? Zach looked away from the girl in front of him who was getting more confused now by the way he was looking. A world after the war, wasn't a world where they had to keep fighting. Fighting as hard as we did, you don't get to come back home and fight without that kind of war-mentality. Post-war, is retirement. Is that…

The life I wanted them all to have. Families. Wives and husbands, kids… safety. Zach's shoulders slouched. He took in a deep breath, The life they all wanted. A life that so many of them died for, giving me the opportunity for it instead. And I've not even considered it, because I'm needed. But, but if I trust you? If I believe in all of you… And I do. Does that mean- Zach's eyes started to water. Each of his friends and classmates in Class A became better heroes in his mind as he stared back at Creati in front of him. I can believe in them again. And the workload of carrying the world, Zach felt it alleviate off his shoulders. Weight that he distributed across the friends he pictured in his mind. Zach smiled and he rubbed his eyes, Don't cry. Not anymore.

"I do believe in you," Zach said. He said it with a small but real smile on his face while looking into Yaoyorozu Momo's eyes. "And in Deku," he assured her. "In all of you. And, in the Army of Death too." Zach's smile lifted a little more and even though Yaoyorozu felt a bit more unsure about that, she nodded with him and smiled herself. Her eyes opened wider though as he continued, "In certain political leaders who I spoke to and told me things that really inspired me, or the ones who helped me root out corruption because they just wanted what's best for their people. Not everyone in positions of power is corrupt. I believe in the parents and school teachers who I found to help orphaned children of war-torn areas. In the doctors and scientists who helped me heal people experimented on by those whose hearts were full of evil."

"In humans," Zach finished. He smiled more than he had the whole day. And he felt more relief than he had in a long time too. "In humanity." He looked at the girl smiling before him and then added, "Inhuman was wrong."

Yaoyorozu smiled brightly and nodded her head in agreement. "I know," she replied to him. She smiled so wide, because she had always believed that, because of him. "I always knew he was wrong. You prove that every day."

And I know it's true, because of you. Zach nodded back at the girl who nodded again then stepped backwards. It still was late at night, and they did have finals in the morning. "You don't need to feel like the world is always in your hands. We'll be here to help you with it. Always," Yaoyorozu assured him.

"I know you will," he told her before she could leave his room. He watched as she gave him one last smile before turning and walking out, closing the door behind her. His smile did not wipe from his face for several seconds though it did lower a little until the corners of his lips were just lifted. Zach closed his eyes and let out a heavy breath before smiling again and looking at the door to his room, imagining the girl who just walked out of it.

He waited until he heard the faint sound of her door opening and closing all the way down the hall across from his room. Then his mouth moved and the quietest whisper slipped from his lips that was too soft for even him to hear it. Zach thought it at the same time that he breathed it out though…

I love you.

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A/N ;) Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Had a lot going on the past few weeks so sorry again about slow updates, but yesterday I had a great day of writing. Finished this chapter and half of the next one, so hopefully I get that one out before I have to move again. I've been moving frequently recently. Left California after spending a little over a month there. Went and hiked in Utah for a few days during the election. Now I'm in Colorado where I'm getting ready to move in to employee housing at a ski resort I'm going to work at for the winter. Going to try being a ski instructor, so wish me luck! XD Hopefully Covid doesn't mess up my plans! And luckily we've got some great news about it too just today, so hope the plague can end soon and we'll all get back to normal! Unfortunately for some people like Zach, there is no normal. He's back in school after the trial and trying to just deal with normal school even though he's anything but a normal student. Everyone around him knows the truth, and it's got everybody a bit on edge. He still has close friends though and is working through plans for the future, the short time he has left in school, how to handle it all and a couple of girls who are on his mind. Jirou reads her letter. Momo comes to check on Zach who ends this chapter thinking something we haven't ever heard him say/think before. I think he's been close to mentioning it, or he referenced to Shoji when he was losing control over his Quirk how he had left behind the 'girl he loved,' or something along those lines. Zach loves all his classmates and tells some of them that earlier in the chapter about how he considered them like family... but it seems like the feelings towards one girl in particular might be a bit different. Anyway guys, hope you enjoyed the race and the rest of the chapter too even if it's not action-packed! Finals week is now though. My Hero Academia, is about to reach graduation... Let me know your predictions in a comment below! Questions or comments as well are welcome! No responses today though. It's getting really late and I still haven't made myself dinner, and I am STARVING! XD I'll get ya' next time! 'Til then, stay frosty!