Chapter 11: Of Healing, Escapes, and Derailed Dates

CONTENT WARNING: Depiction of Domestic Abuse, attempted child abuse

Also, all of Mirrond's OCs that appear in this fic have been used with permission.

Midoriya rubbed the sleep from his eyes. And here he thought that the three days off he had after the Sports Festival were going to be relaxing. First things first. He needed to record what he knew. He went to his desk and opened the right hand drawer and pulled out a journal.

He glared at it in disgust for a second. When had he bought an Endeavor branded journal? He considered lighting it on fire for a brief moment until he realized something. No one would ever expect him to actually use it. It was the perfect place to keep the notes he needed to make.

The first notes he wrote were for what he decided to call the core of One For All. Namely, its power enhancement abilities. Notes on Full Cowling's auxiliary effects and capabilities at various percentages went in this section. He flipped a few pages ahead ~leaving space for the Quirks of the Second and Third wielders~ and began to write what precious little he knew about Danger Sense,

It seemed to be a passive ability that warned of incoming danger. It did so by emulating a stabbing pain in the head. That was all he knew. It's possible that it'll hurt worse if my Full Cowling level is higher, need to be wary of that.

There was a knock at the door. "Izuku, breakfast is ready!" Inko said, "Oh, and you have a guest!"

A guest? Ugh, that meant he couldn't just go out there in his pajamas. Before doing anything else, he hid the Endeavor journal under his bed. He winced as he tested his arms. They were still sore. At least they weren't hurting so badly he had to keep them in a sling or something. That would've sucked. He put on his shirt that said shirt on it and a pair of sweatpants. That was good enough, right?

He walked out of his room and into the living room. His mom and All Might were in the kitchen. All Might glanced in his direction. "Well, look at this! He's back on his feet faster than All Might after his battle with Toxic Chainsaw!"

Inko playfully jabbed him with her elbow. "Behave, Toshi."

Wait, so the mysterious guest didn't know about One For All? Who-

"Yaoyorozu, how do you like your eggs?" Inko asked.

In his defense, he wasn't fully awake yet.

"Oh, let's go with scrambled." She said. Midoriya marveled at how she could make any outfit stunning. She was just wearing a simple pink dress and black leggings, but she was still so incredible.

"Good morning, Yaoyorozu!" He said, fumbling around for something else to say, "Um, you look really pretty."

Yaoyorozu smiled. The duality in Midoriya's behavior was fascinating to her. Whenever anything Hero-related was involved, he was confident and assertive, but never in any sort of overbearing way. Then there was this. The kind, sweet, will ramble on about nothing for ages, trips over his own words, clearly smitten with her Midoriya. "Thank you, Midoriya. You're..." She suppressed a laugh, "Your shirt says shirt."

Midoriya smiled brightly. "Well, that's what it is!"

"Yaoyorozu, could you help him out of the bandages on his left arm? He shouldn't need those ones anymore." Inko said.

"Sure, I can do that." Yaoyorozu said.

Midoriya sat next to her on the sofa. Truly a great hardship. The bandages on his left arm only went up to his forearm, as he had only broken fingers on this side, and Recovery Girl had been able to heal them. The bandages were more to reinforce the don't do this anymore message.

Even so, Yaoyorozu was gentle as she took off the bandages, which Midoriya... didn't mind. Normally he didn't like people touching him, mostly because that meant that Bakugo and his lackeys were beating the stuffing out of him. Frankly, other than his mom, he didn't get anything like this.

It was nice.

He kind of wanted to lean into her, but at the same time he didn't want to ruin the moment by pushing his luck. Also, if he made it awkward, then breakfast would be awkward and that wouldn't be fun for anyone.

She stopped when she got to his hands. "Yaoyorozu? Is something wrong?" Midoriya asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing, it's just... Recovery Girl said that there could be scarring on your hands. To think that you, or anyone in our class for that matter, would be collecting scars this early is jarring." She paused briefly, "I could've been the first, now that I think about it." She added quietly.

"What are you talking about?" Midoriya said.

"At the USJ. When me, Kaminari and Jiro were sent to the Mountain Zone, after we knocked out most of the villains, the one we missed cornered us, took Kaminari hostage, and threatened to make an example of Jiro for trying to pull a fast one on him." Yaoyorozu shivered as a phantom tingle went through her. "Having overheard that the villains were under orders not to kill me, I... offered to take her place."

All Might glanced back towards the kids. The villains at the USJ had been under orders not to kill her? Why? The chaos that would've caused in the Hero Support business would've been felt nationwide. That definitely sounded like something that Shigiraki and the League would want. Right?

Heedless of the Number One Hero in disguise, Yaoyorozu continued. "He attacked me, saying he was going to leave a scar because he wanted the lesson to stick."

"How did he..."

"Lightning-type." Yaoyorozu said, "I just... hm, I'm rambling too."

"No, something's bothering you." Midoriya said.

Yaoyorozu looked into those green eyes of his and her heart skipped a beat. What did I ever do to deserve you, Izuku Midoriya? "I think it's... The concept of scars just seems so foreign to me. Everything in my life up till now has just been shiny and clean, and if something broke or was damaged, it could be repaired or rebought with little effort. The idea that something or someone I care about can be marred like that and it just... can't be changed..."

Midoriya glanced guiltily at his right arm, which was undoubtedly going to be more scarred than his left hand. "I'm sorry, Yaoyorozu. I should've found another way to beat Todoroki."

"Don't do that. Don't try to take everyone's problems on your shoulders. It would crush anyone, even All Might. And you're a great deal more fragile than him." Yaoyorozu continued taking off the bandages. As the last ones fell off, the lasting damage to Midoriya's left hand was revealed. His fingers were crooked, for lack of a better term. There's wasn't any damage beyond that, but even then Yaoyorozu felt a pang in her heart. "Oh, Midoriya..." She let slip.

Midoriya had to bite his lip to suppress a gasp as Yaoyorozu ran her fingers across his own. "I guess we should... talk about what we were going to talk about yesterday?"

Yaoyorozu composed herself, "Right. That. Well, as I told your mother yesterday-"

"You can call me Inko, dear!" Inko called out.

"Moooooom!" Midoriya whined, "Why are you like this?"

"It's my duty as your mother to make sure your future girlfriend knows that you're a complete dork."

Yaoyorozu giggled, "It's alright, I already know." Noting Midoriya's pout, she refocused on the topic at hand, "As I was saying, yesterday I told Inko that us getting together is a foregone conclusion. That doesn't mean I'm in a hurry."

Midoriya nodded. "Yeah, I'm not really in a hurry either. This is my first time... dating, or anything like that so I want to... savor it? I guess? Stop and smell the roses? With you?"

All Might nodded sagely. "A complete dork."

Yaoyorozu once again put Midoriya at risk of cardiac arrest by winking at him. "I'll see if I can pencil you in for two o' clock."

"Huh?"

"Yavin Ward's Massassi Rose Garden. If we take the bullet train, we could go today."

Midoriya was used to being thrifty. He was not used to casually hopping on a train to go somewhere. "But that's really expensive!"

There was a beat of silence before Midoriya realized who he was talking to. "I'm going to get spoiled a lot, aren't I?"

Another beat of silence.

"Do I have any say in this?"

"No." Yaoyorozu, Inko, and All Might said in unison.

"Food's ready!" All Might announced.

"Oh, before you two head out," Inko said, "There's something I need to share with you, Yaoyorozu."

Midoriya's head throbbed. Danger Sense? Why?

"Oh?" Yaoyorozu said, "Is it..."

Inko broke into a grin. "His baby pictures and his All Might onesies. We couldn't really donate any of them, because they're so well-loved, so we still have all of them from back when he was three until now."

All Might fixed Midoriya with an amused stare. "So, you still wear them, huh?"

Yaoyorozu rested her chin in her hand and smiled smugly at Midoriya. "You really are quite cute."

As horror descended on Midoriya, he realized that Danger Sense had a sense of humor. Wonderful. Fortunately for him, Yaoyorozu had decided to allow him a brief respite. "Inko, do you mind if I have a double helping of... everything?"

All Might gave her a thumbs up, "No worries, I'm on a liquid diet. So, you can have what would be been my portion."

"Is it because of your Quirk?" Midoriya asked. He knew that fat based Quirks typically had drastic effects on appetite and metabolism. Fat Gum was a prime example.

"Exactly." Yaoyorozu confirmed. "My metabolism is about three times faster than the normal person, to allow any food I eat to be available in a pinch to use for creations." She took a bite of her scrambled eggs before continuing, "So, as a result, I have to eat an obscene amount of food to actually stay full for long."

She noticed the stares from everyone else at the table. "I also have a monthly appointment with a therapist to make sure that I'm not developing an eating disorder."

Inko's Mother Sense activated. "How do you make sure that you're eating right during the school day?"

Yaoyorozu smiled sheepishly, "Well, let's just say there's a reason why Sapato Corp's line of protein energy bars is heralded as the best in the industry." She tucked a lock of her hair back behind her ear. "Honestly, I'm just grateful to start the day with a proper breakfast without having to hold back due to time constraints or decorum."

Midoriya blinked. If what Yaoyorozu had just said could be taken at face value, then her parents were perfectly willing to use all of the considerable resources of the Sapato Corporation to move metaphorical mountains for their daughter.

Was this the kind of support he was going to receive from Yaoyorozu in the future if things kept going the way he hoped they would?

He realized that he didn't care one way or the other. He knew that he liked Yaoyorozu, and that she liked him. That was enough for him.

To be fair to the staff of Corusan Psychiatric Hospital, Shoto Todoroki had shown up without any sort of warning he was coming,

"This is rather sudden, isn't it?" Todoroki glanced over at Dr. Marudo, the doctor in charge of his mother's care. He was utterly unremarkable, with no outward sign of any Quirk. He wore thick glasses and had graying hair.

Yes, it was sudden, given that he was only here because of the paradigm shift that Midoriya had metaphorically beat him over the head with. "Is that a problem?" Todoroki said.

Marudo twirled a pen around his fingers, "Well, no. Rei has made a great deal of progress, and it's my professional opinion that she's at a point where seeing you wouldn't cause her to regress. But I also have a responsibility to make sure the rest of your family's mental health is secure, given... the circumstances."

Right. Father had put this doctor on retainer to act as a therapist for them should they need it. As far as Todoroki knew, only Fuyumi had taken him up on that. "I didn't come here to be psychoanalyzed, I came here to see my mother."

"Just two or three questions, that's all I ask."

Todoroki shot Marudo a irritated glance before relenting. "Fine."

"Why did you decide to begin using your flames?" Marudo asked, notepad and pen at the ready.

He looked at his left hand. Todoroki knew the answer to that, but would the doctor accept it? "Because in rejecting it, I... my classmates at UA helped me to realize that I was heading down the same path that father has taken. They're all running headlong towards becoming their ideal hero, and I've been half-assing it this whole time." He closed his hand into a fist, "I know why my father wanted me to be a hero. To become a hero that will surpass All Might. If that does happen, it will be a coincidence."

Todoroki's eyes followed the end of Marudo's pen as it weaved back and forth. It vaguely reminded him of Midoriya's note taking. "Would you say that your classmates are your friends as well?"

Todoroki blinked. "I'm... not sure. I said some... rather rude things to some of them yesterday. I don't know. I've never had friends before,"

"I see." Marudo said, "One last question. Why do you want to be a hero?"

Todoroki's eyebrows knitted together in concentration. He could just regurgitate what he had screamed at Midoriya during the Sports Festival -that he wanted to be a hero like All Might- but he was rather certain that the doctor wouldn't accept it. "I think it's because... I suffered things that no one should have to, all by myself. With my Quirk, I have the power to make sure that no one else has to suffer alone."

Marudo hummed as he pondered Todoroki's answer. "So, you no longer think of the flames of your Quirk as your father's power? How did that come about?"

Todoroki provided a ghost of a smile. "Would you believe me if I told you that it's because one of my classmates kept beating me over the head with a figurative stop being a dumbass bat?"

Marudo slapped his knee with his notepad. "Well, I'm a firm believer that it doesn't matter how unorthodox a therapy method is as long as it works." He stood up, "I'll take you to your mother."

They took a winding path through the facility -which Todoroki memorized- before arriving at what he knew to be his mother's room. "Now, one thing before you go in." Marudo said, "I understand it may be necessary for you to mention your father in this talk. Please refrain from mentioning him more than necessary."

Todoroki nodded and entered the room. It was exactly like he expected. A large window dominated the far side of the room, off to the left was a door that he assumed led to a bathroom. To the right was a bed. A vase containing Icicle Orchids, Rei Todoroki's favorite flower, stood on the nightstand. His mother sat in an armchair facing the window, her hair done up in a simple ponytail. She was either just staring out of it or she was reading a book. Todoroki couldn't tell from this angle.

He swallowed. Well, he had made it this far. Time to tip the band-aid off. "Hello, mother."

Rei turned around at a measured pace until she locked eyes with him. Well, she had seen his face and didn't appear to be repulsed, although it occurred to him that from the angle she was looking at him, she might not be able to see the left side of his face. "Shoto? You finally came?"

He nodded. "I'm sorry it took so long. I had issues to work through. Not with you, but with..." He paused. What was the best way to broach this? "Did they let you watch the Sports Festival?"

Rei nodded. "Yes, they did. You used your flames."

Todoroki chuckled, "Only because my classma- my friends... Ah..." He shook his head. There was no other way to say this, was there? "Pardon my language, but it's all thanks to one of my friends hitting me over the head with a metaphorical stop being a dumbass bat. Repeatedly."

Rei laughed, and it felt like Todoroki had been slapped in the face with a memory. Her laugh was just like what it had been before...

"It sounds like you've found some good friends." Rei stood and faced him. "Shoto... oh my God..." She walked towards him, almost in a daze. "What have I done?"

Todoroki's eyebrows knitted together in confusion until he realized that this was the first time his mother had seen his burn scar. "You did nothing wrong, mother. Father pushed you to that breaking point." No, that wasn't enough. He needed to say something more. "I forgive you."

Tears began to stream down her face. "You... forgive me?"

Todoroki nodded. "Yes, mother."

Rei bit back a sob. "What about your father? Will you forgive him for everything he's inflicted on our family?"

Todoroki frowned, then looked at his left hand. "I do not know yet, but I intend to find the answer. No matter where it might lead. If I am to become a hero like All Might... then I can't shy away from this."

Everything was lining up perfectly. So naturally Katsuki Bakugo was suspicious of it. The day that his dad had decided on to get them the hell out of that damn house just so happened to coincide with the day the hag was leaving for some fashion design conference?

It was sus, as Stupid Hair would've said. As he was saying, actually.

"This is sus." He said as he hefted four boxes on the way to the moving truck, "The hag just happens to be leaving town on the day you and your dad make your escape?"

Bakugo grunted as he finished packing up the last of his hero merch. "Don't remind me... uh..."

"Kaminari."

"Don't remind me, Kaminari." Bakugo said as if he hadn't almost used his demeaning nickname for his classmate. "It feels like a trap." He did appreciate how quick on the uptake Kaminari was with what his nickname for his mom was, it definitely earned him some points towards not being an extra.

Kaminari frowned. "I guess you'd know better than me by this point, I've got no clue how you've made it through this in one piece." He left to take the boxes to the moving truck.

Bakugo pinched his nose. "That's because I haven't made it through in one piece." He muttered to himself, "I'm barely holding it together. At least now I have a chance."

He glanced around his room. Everything irreplaceable had already been loaded up, except for one thing. He reached under his bed and pulled out a small safe. He hadn't wanted to go to such lengths to protect its contents, but with how his mom could get when she was pissed... who knew? Especially since she knew how important it was to him.

He reached into his shirt and pulled out the key that was on his necklace and opened up the safe. It contained only one object. The limited edition holographic All Might Hero Trading Card he had gotten when he was four, that he and Midoriya had opened at the same time. He sighed. It was a good memory. Of a time before everything had gone to shit.

He shut and locked the safe, then stood and began to take it to the truck. Then Dark Shadow sounded the alarm.

"We've got company!"

Bakugo rushed into the living room to find everyone looking out the window as a car pulled into the driveway. "I knew it." He said, "It was a goddamn trap."

Aizawa turned to Bakugo's father, "What did we miss?"

Masaru scratched his head and tried very hard to keep from panicking. "I don't know! Maybe she installed security cameras?"

Aizawa grunted and gave his instructions. "Positions." All at once, the students moved. Kirishima and Kaminari took up positions flanking Bakugo, while Tokoyami found somewhere that would be out of Mitsuki's line of sight.

Bakugo shoved the safe in his hands at Kaminari. "Hide this. Don't want her to know about it."

Kaminari glanced at Aizawa who nodded. "You got it. I'll sneak out the back."

Mitsuki Bakugo made her presence known with all of the grace of an exploding whale. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Masaru?"

There was a beat of silence. Kirishima and Tokoyami glanced at each other, and Aizawa applied some eye drops out of habit. Had she really not figured it out?

"I'm leaving you." Masaru said simply. "Katsuki is coming with me."

Mitsuki laughed in his face. "Bullshit. You know full well that you can't afford to keep paying Katsuki's tuition on your own, don't you?"

Bakugo made a decision. If it meant a chance to dunk on his abusive bitch of an excuse for a mother, he could endure one more beating. "That was before he got a job at UA, you hag!" He could hear Aizawa sighing. Yeah, this was probably a bad idea.

Mitsuki shot a glare at Bakugo. "I'll deal with you later, Deku!" She turned back to her soon to be ex-husband, "The hell is he talking about?"

For the first time in a long time, Masaru Bakugo stood up straight and threw his shoulders back. "I work at UA now. Lunch Rush needed an assistant." He gestured to a manilla envelope on the kitchen counter. "UA's Legal team has drawn up fair divorce papers. You will sign them."

"Like hell I will! I'm not letting you steal what's rightfully mine, you spineless little shit!" Mitsuki seethed.

Aizawa stepped in, "If you attempt to fight this in court, UA's legal team will bury you."

"Who the hell are you and why do you care?" Mitsuki snapped.

Aizawa narrowed his eyes. "The Erasure Hero: Eraser Head. I am also your son's homeroom teacher." He advanced on Mitsuki, "Your pervasive abuse of Bakugo is vastly detrimental to his progress as a future Hero, so I will see it removed."

Bakugo laughed, "Face it, you old hag! You can't hurt us anymore, you can't threaten us anymore, and you can't control us anymore! I'm gonna become one of the best Heroes around, and every time you see my name up in lights, you'll get slapped in the face with the fact that you were a shit mother! Hell, Auntie Inko was more of a mother to me, and I haven't seen her in years! So sign the damned papers and FUCK OFF!"

With a growl, Mitsuki shoved Masaru into Aizawa and swiftly crossed the room to Bakugo. He saw the spark of fury in her eyes. He knew what was coming. Whatever. I've said my piece. Do your worst, hag. He shut his eyes and waited.

His eyes snapped open when he was yanked backwards by Kirishima. What-

In the split second before the blow landed, Kirishima took his place. Mitsuki's hand came down on Kirishima's cheek, and instead of the sound of skin on skin, there was only a sharp crack. Mitsuki stumbled back, cradling her hand and crying out in pain.

"You damn brat! I'll sue!" Mitsuki said.

Aizawa's binding cloth snapped out and wrapped around Mitsuki. "No, you will not. That was an instinctual activation of his Quirk. There wouldn't be a court in the land that would side with you, especially once they hear Kirishima's testimony." He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Hello, it's Eraser Head. I need a pickup for the perp in an assault of a minor."

Mitsuki paled. "What are you blabbing about? That brat committed illegal Quirk usage!"

Aizawa ended the call. "Technically, you are correct." Then he smiled, "At least, if I hadn't already given him permission to use his Quirk in defense of his friend."

Kirishima wiped his nose, "No one's gonna hurt my friends while I'm around!"

"A couple days in a holding cell will do you good, Mitsuki. Give you some time to reflect on your sins." Aizawa said. "Sign the divorce papers now, or when you're released. I don't care, as long as it happens. You'll receive medical attention for your hand, even if you don't deserve it."

The rest of the time spent at the house was a blur to Bakugo, Dark Shadow popping out of Tokoyami to give him a thumbs up. The cops hauling his mother away. It wasn't until they were in the car and halfway to UA that Bakugo turned to Kirishima. "You didn't have to take that slap."

"What kind of man would I be if I stood by and did nothing while my best friend gets abused?" Kirishima asked.

Bakugo opened his mouth and closed it. "I-" His voice cracked and tears began to fall. He didn't deserve this. Not yet anyways.

"If you feel like crying, you should." Kaminari said, "After all, emotionally sensitive men are emotionally healthy men." The others stared at him until he put his hands up in defense. "Look, that's what Jiro told me, alright?"

Bakugo smirked as he wiped his eyes. "He's either whipped or a simp, which is it?"

"Dark Shadow says simp." Tokoyami reported dutifully, "I say whipped. Pardon me while I mentally play Rock-Paper-Scissors with my Quirk."

"Nah, it's whipped. I saw Mina's shipping chart. They're dating." Kirishima said.

"Oh, come on!" Kaminari complained in vain.

Purity, the leader of the Creature Rejection Clan, was being released from prison on a technicality that had the general public accusing the judiciary of gross incompetence. They had failed to prove she actually used her Quirk in any of her crimes, so she had to be released from Tartarus.

The first supervillain ever released from the notorious super-max prison, and it was the leader of the most notorious heteromorph hate group. The outcry was intense and pointed. She was guilty of inciting riots in heteromorph-majority neighborhoods snd intimidation of heteromorph owned businesses. Not to mention all of the assaults. Surely that was enough to throw her into a regular prison and throw away the key, right? Unfortunately, since the prosecution's entire case against her was predicated on her using her Quirk, it all had been thrown out.

No one was more angry about this than Purity's son, one Yoshihiro Maki. It was obvious that she had used her Quirk in all of her crimes. Then again, she had managed to wipe her information from the Quirk Registry somehow, so of course the suits had no idea how to prove it.

Her Quirk was called Incite. It allowed her to increase the physical strength of anyone who shared her values that could hear her voice. Maki's own Quirk was a variant of it. He called it Zealotry. It increased his physical strength based on how morally superior to his opponent he thought he was.

He was currently preparing to use it to break out of the CRC compound that had been his home for most of his life.

Over the span of the last few months, Maki had made good use of the lack of supervision his mother's incarceration had afforded him and had taken to the internet. Originally he had been looking for proof that his mother's views were correct, but quickly found that the opposite was true.

He had also discovered that he had practically been raised in a cult, and he wanted out.

So, he made his decision. If Purity was going to be released on a technicality, then he was going to leave her a ruined compound and broken army to come back to.

In its flames, the burgeoning villain known as Zealot was going to die, and in his place would rise Paladin, The Smiting Hero.

He opened the door to his room, and was met by two guards. At six foot four inches -even though he was only 15, probably a thing with his Quirk- he towered over them.

"Zealot, what did you need?" One of the guards asked, "You know you can't wander, Purity's orders."

Ah yes. His mother's insane delusion that she thought she could control him because she gave birth to him. He glared at the man. He was just the average CRC grunt. An upjumped bigot that hid behind a phony religion to justify their hate.

Gear Two.

Maki grabbed the man by the head and slammed him into the wall behind him. He turned to his partner and backhanded him, sending him spinning through the air until he landed in a crumpled heap. He walked past them with purpose, making for the door that would lead him above ground.

An alarm sounded. One of the goons he flattened must have still been conscious, or there had been cameras. Whatever, it just meant that they would come to him. He rounded the corner to find a group of four. They drew stun batons and rushed him. Cowards.

They were overconfident because of their weapons, and Maki exploited that flaw. Four exchanges later, all of them were lying on the floor.

He got to the door that stood between him and... well, one step closer to freedom. Using his Quirk on inanimate objects was tricky, because it meant assigning morality to inanimate objects. Since the door was keeping him from freedom, it was an easy sell. He kicked it and it flew off its hinges, ripping away from the frame.

He stepped into the sunlight and took in a lungful of fresh air. And found a welcoming committee. An assortment of CRC thugs wielding Power Punch support items -gauntlets that used hydraulics to give the wielder a facsimile of superhuman strength-, an assortment of his mother's lieutenants, and... Deathmonger, the S-Rank villain, wanted for an untold amount of murders, due to his activities of hunting heteromorphs for sport.

Deathmonger stepped forward, "Zealot, you're being very naughty. Why don't you just head back to your room, and I'll forget all about this little escape attempt."

Maki growled. "I am forsaking that name, you maniac. I will not hate others just because they look different than me. I will escape, and I will become a hero!"

Deathmonger laughed, "Oh, that's rich! Newsflash, brat. They kicked me out, said I was too violent. You think they'll think twice before tossing your ass into Tartarus?"

Maki brought his fists up. "I do. Since I'll be hauling your sorry ass in after I'm done with you."

Deathmonger drew twin knives. "Well, it's gonna be real difficult to explain to Purity why i had to skin you alive. Oh well, I'll figure it out." He ran at Maki.

A murderer. An insane murderer that saw heteromorphs as nothing but animals to be hunted. The moral gulf between Deathmonger and Yoshihiro Maki was vast. Enough for Maki to tap into the current high end of his power.

Gear Three.

Maki charged at Deathmonger. He had no idea what the man's Quirk was, and he had no intention of finding out. He bobbed and weaved around the villain's knife strikes before delivering a gut punch to Deathmonger that bodily lifted him off the ground. He followed up with a hook that sent him face first into the pavement. Maki winced. It was a damn good thing Deathmonger was wearing a helmet, or he would've just become a murderer.

He grabbed the villain by the collar and began to drag him towards the entrance. The entrance that was still blocked by all of the CRC members who had assembled to stop him. "Move." He spat, "Or be moved."

All but one of Purity's lieutenants got out of his way. "Zealot, why are you betraying us? We put a roof over your head, we taught you the natural order and how it's being perverted, we-"

Maki responded by stomping, sending a spiderweb of cracks out from where he had stepped. "Zealot is dead. When you see me next, I will be a Hero for all. You all hoped that my mother would mold me into being a fanatic believer in your twisted ideals, but she has succeeded only in creating the Creature Rejection Clan's worst enemy. A Paladin that will fight for all, because freedom is the right of all sentient beings." There was a beat of silence before a wry smile crossed Maki's face. "And yes, I did quote exactly what you think I did."

The lieutenant shook his head. "It really is a shame that Purity's triumphant return will have to be besmirched by your death. Kill him."

Maki glanced around. All of the grunts hadn't fled, they had surrounded him while he had been bantering, At this rate, he'd have to escape without Deathmonger, and who knew if whatever Hero he ran into would believe his story or his sincerity without that peace offering?

The mob -twenty at least- began to move in, only for them to be hurled back and pinned to nearby walls by some invisible force. "What the hell?" One of them shouted, "What are- Feathers?"

"I thought my feathers sensed something. Why are you CRC loons bothering this kid?"

Maki looked up at the top of the arch that stood at the entrance to the compound and saw that a man with bright red wings and a yellow visor was perched on it. Hawks, the Number Three Hero. He saw his chance, and he took it. "Because I learned that their values are a load of crap, and I would prefer to leave before the date of my mother's release."

Hawks's head canted to the side. "Your mother... Oh. Oh. Er... you've already been using your Quirk haven't you? Uh... okay. Hold on, is that Deathmonger that you've got by the collar?" He laughed, "You've got some balls, kid. Alright, let's wrap this up." In a flash, the flew down as he drew twin swords made from his feathers. He landed behind the lieutenant and sliced at his legs. The man fell to the ground, then unable to stand since Hawks had sliced up his leg muscles.

He tapped a button on his visor, and he was instantly connected with one of his sidekicks. "You got my location? Good, I've stumbled into a Creature Rejection Clan compound, call in the calvary for me. All hostiles ready for pick-up. Also... turns out that Purity's in for a real nasty surprise, but keep that between us. This is something we need to keep close to the chest. Contact UA for me, they're the only place I would trust with this. Yeah, potential new Hero Course student. Thanks!"

He looked back at Maki, "You can drop that dead weight. He ain't going anywhere." True to his word, some feathers flew over and pinned the villain to the ground. "What's your name, kid?"

"Maki, Yoshihiro Maki."

"What do you want to do now, Maki?"

Maki relaxed as his Quirk deactivated, "I want to be a Hero."

Hawks grinned, "Well, then you've got a meeting to get to with a certain rodent overlord."

"Pardon?"

It seemed that Midoriya's wish for an advocacy group for the Quirkless that wasn't connected to Humarize ended up being a monkey's paw. As him and Yaoyorozu left Yavin Ward's bullet train station, they walked right into some sort of rally.

"Bah, the QLF's at it again." A passerby said to no one in particular, "One of these days, these rallies of theirs are gonna go bad."

Yaoyorozu glanced at Midoriya -who looked absolutely handsome in the slacks and unbuttoned button up shirt that his mother most likely had picked out for him- and grabbed the attention of the complainer, an elderly lady. "Ma'am, what's the group doing this? I don't think I've heard of them before."

The old lady turned to look at Yaoyorozu, and her face lit up in recognition. "Hey, I know you. Didn't you get fourth in the Sports Festival?"

Yaoyorozu blinked. Someone was remembering her performance in the Sports Festival before Midoriya? "Yes, ma'am."

"Good for you, always had a soft spot for heroes with Intelligence-type Quirks. You have to work so much harder than everyone else." She turned back to the crowd, jabbing her walking stick in their general direction. "That there is a rally for the QLF, or Quirkless Liberation Front."

Midoriya drew a sharp breath in. "The what?"

The old woman glowered at him, "Did you break the bones in your ears too, boy?" She rolled her eyes, "From what I've heard, the QLF's general mission statement is all fine and dandy. Advocate for the Quirkless, speak out against discrimination, especially the systemic discrimination the Quirkless face. But in practice? It always feels like every one of their protests or rallies is on the verge of breaking out in a riot."

Yaoyorozu glanced at Midoriya. She knew that their agenda for the rest of the day had already shifted. "Well, I believe that in America it's often said that a riot is the language of the unheard. I believe that this is the case here."

The woman waved her hand dismissively at Yaoyorozu. "That's nonsense. Our government is doing everything they can for the Quirkless. Not like it'll matter in a generation or two."

"Like that's an excuse?" Midoriya snapped, "You're basically saying that we should put off doing whatever we can to stop systemic discrimination of the Quirkless population because they'll die out. That's unacceptable!"

The old lady shrugged, "Complain to the government, not me."

Midoriya laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Are you kidding me? Name one member of the National Diet that's Quirkless. None of them know what the Quirkless have to endure every day of their lives, and you expect them to affect meaningful change?"

The woman regarded him. "You're a strange boy, why would someone with a Quirk as amazing as yours stop to care about this?" With that parting shot, the woman walked off, muttering something about how kids these days have no respect for their elders.

Midoriya sheepishly looked at Yaoyorozu. "Sorry, I kind of lost it there."

Yaoyorozu smiled at him, "If you hadn't jumped in, I would've too. That woman was out of line."

Midoriya shook his head, "Maybe, but she was right about one thing. Why would any of the public believe I genuinely want to try to find a way to help everyone take a few more steps towards ending the systemic discrimination of the Quirkless? To people with Quirks, they'll just think I'm trying to play the hearts and minds game, just pandering to the outliers of society so they don't all become criminals." He sat down on a nearby bench, "And the Quirkless? They'll just think that I'm just another person who hasn't experienced the discrimination they face every day telling them that it's not that bad, trust me!"

Yaoyorozu sat next to him on the bench and made him look at her by gently grabbing his chin and turning his head. She noted the tears starting to prick at his eyes and sighed, "Midoriya, do you remember what I told you at the tea shop? After USJ?"

Midoriya blinked. "Uh... which part?"

Yaoyorozu laughed. "That someone who has no worth would not be able to create miracles by nothing but their own will. And you are not worthless." She prodded him in the breastbone to make sure the message sunk in. "When the time comes for you to share your experiences to help bridge the gap, the Quirkless will hear your honesty, and realize that the hell you struggled through is the same one that they are, they will realize that you will always stand with them."

"Will they now?"

They both turned to see a woman -in her mid 40s possibly- dressed in military fatigues. She had piercing light blue eyes and hair that was black and white, divided between the two right down the middle. "I mean, the two of you are UA students. So you've got powerful Quirks, so why even bother? The Quirkless are tired of super cops- excuse me, Heroes preaching canned PR lines at them, my QLF is proof of that. So, why do you think that you're any different?"

There was a lot to process there, including the fact that they were now talking to the leader of the QLF, but there wasn't time at the moment. Midoriya knew he had to make his case here and now. "I was a late bloomer, and I didn't get my Quirk until I was fourteen. Before that, I was incessantly bullied for being Quirkless. Beatings almost daily, constantly being called worthless, and suicide-baiting. And of course the esteemed staff of Nojo Public Middle did nothing to stop it. In fact, they would punish me, tell me that I need to stop lashing out at people more gifted than me. So, whoever you are, don't you dare insinuate that I don't know what the Quirkless go through every day of their lives, because for fourteen years of my life, I lived it."

The woman blinked. "Okay. Shit, you're actually serious." She turned to Yaoyorozu, "What about you, Princess?"

Yaoyorozu's eyebrow twitched. "If you know enough about me to call me that, then you know that the Sapato Corporation has a long history of helping the disenfranchised. Quirkless, villain-Quirked, and heteromorphs alike."

The woman sneered at her, "I didn't ask what daddy's company does, I asked what you think."

"it's the right thing to do." Yaoyorozu said, "No one should be treated as lesser just because they didn't win the genetic lottery."

"Eh, kinda close to a canned PR line, but I think you mean what you're saying." The woman said, "As you might have gathered, I'm the leader of the QLF. Call me Eclipse."

Yaoyorozu's eyes narrowed, "That sounds rather close to a Hero name."

"it's not." Eclipse said bluntly.

Alarm bells went off in Yaoyorozu's head.

"So, what are you planning to do here today?" Midoriya asked, his curiosity getting the better of him despite the red flag that Eclipse had raised, "How are you going to get people to listen when they haven't before, either due to apathy or malice?"

Eclipse folded her arms, "That sounds like something an HPSC spy would say."

"What does the Hero Public Safety Commission have to do with this?" Yaoyorozu asked.

Eclipse laughed, "The HPSC has everything to do with this. You see, when you live on the fringes, you start to see the cracks in society. And the HPSC is one gaping hole in the wall. Now, let me ask you a question. What do you think should happen to a so-called Hero that is caught using excessive force on Quirkless suspects?"

Yaoyorozu responded immediately. "Their license should be stripped from them, and they should be held accountable in a court of law."

Eclipse inclined her head in Yaoyorozu's direction, "Well, you know what's supposed to happen. What should and is happening are two entirely different things."

"What?" How?" Yaoyorozu said.

"Thunderbolt." Midoriya hissed.

"Got it in one, kid. The Number Five Hero... who was also the prime suspect in the savage beating of a Quirkless man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He died from his injuries, and you know what the HPSC does?" She leaned in towards Midoriya and Yaoyorozu, "They sweep it under the rug, claim that Thunderbolt failed to save him from a nameless villain who conveniently escaped. There's a pattern too, Thunderbolt ain't the only one."

Midoriya's blood ran cold. If this was true, then it was entirely possible that a large chunk of the currently active Heroes were dirty. "Who else?"

Eclipse started counting off her fingers, "Let's see, those that one hundred percent should've lost their licenses... Scream, Nightstick, Redwing, Yoroi Musha... Hypoxia too, but the court of public opinion nailed his ass to the wall."

Yaoyorozu finally connected the dots, "You can't seriously be considering attacking the HPSC? That would make the QLF a villain organization!"

"Like the HPSC isn't at this point?" Eclipse snarled, "They keep some of the worst heroes on the streets, and for what? Just for them to keep their boots on our necks? No!"

Midoriya gritted his teeth, legally there was nothing him and Yaoyorozu could do except alert the Heroes or police. "Yaoyorozu, we need to go."

"If either of you make a move, I'll kill you where you stand." Eclipse said, "Or sit. Whatever. Doesn't matter. Can't let any heroes step in this before I'm ready for them, so you two sounding the alarm would be problematic."

"I'm calling your bluff." Midoriya said, "You probably don't even have a-"

Midoriya gasped as four wafer-thin metal shards appeared in front of his face. All uncomfortably close. Eclipse glared at Yaoyorozu, "If you make a move, your boyfriend's dead." She turned back to Midoriya, who was doing his best to analyze what exactly Eclipse was doing with her Quirk.

Some kind of ferrokinesis maybe? No, that doesn't seem right. Those shards appeared out of thin air, and they're so thin they might as well be two-dimensional. Whatever this is, she can create and control. If they're that thin, they might be able to slice through anything by virtue of being a single molecule thick. I don't have any proof of that though, but that's the furthest thing from important right now...

"Late bloomer. Just like you." Eclipse said by way of explanation, "Except I didn't let the Quirk Registry know. Pity. Now, here's the thing. I don't want to kill you. I really don't. Because you've got all of those wonderful ideals that might actually start waking people up to what the Quirkless go through. So, I'll make you a deal. You two head right back into that bullet train station, and get the hell out of Yavin Ward. Don't breathe a word of what's going to happen here until after it happens. Do that, and I'll let you walk away from this. Do anything else, and your parents will opt for a closed casket. Is that clear enough for you?"

"C-Crystal." Midoriya stammered out.

Yaoyorozu nodded. She knew what they needed to do. For all intents and purposes this was now a hostage situation, and she had received training on what to do.

Eclipse snapped her fingers and the shards disappeared. "Great! Better get going before I decide you're taking too long."

Yaoyorozu grabbed Midoriya's wrist and hauled him up off the bench. "Don't say anything. Keep walking."

"Okay, okay!" Midoriya said, "That's smart, we don't know if those shards of hers give her any sort of surveillance capabilities."

It wasn't until they were safely on the train headed back to Mustafu Ward that their hearts stopped trying to hammer out of their chests.

A/N: Alright, let's take it from the top.

What's the best place to hide notes on your secret Quirk that is giving you more Quirks? In the journal that literally no one would assume you would ever use.

Inko ships it. Clearly. As if I needed to reiterate that. And yeah, All Might's cover story here is being his own personal assistant. He's literally going full Clark Kent here.

Yep, Mitsuki got what she deserved. Will she realize that she was being a horrible person? Yes. Will she try to change? Yes. Will Bakugo (and Masaru for that matter) accept her apology when that time comes? As of right now, no. We'll see what happens when the time comes.

And a little bit of levity at the end there. These are teenagers, after all.

And the first of Mirrond's OCs makes their appearance. Yoshihiro Maki, along with his incredibly racist mother. Oh, and Deathmonger. Who is somehow simultaneously a jobber and a S-rank villain. (It's because he doesn't know how to fight when someone actually fights back instead of running in fear.)

And finally, we have a Midoriya Moment. Yaoyorozu literally can't take him anywhere, can she? Two more of Mirrond's OCs here, Eclipse and a mention of Thunderbolt. (Along with mentions of a few more of his lesser OCs)

Eclipse's Quirk is bonkers. Like, absolutely bonkers. She can create surfaces that she can then control. These surfaces are made out of whatever material she is touching at the time. Due to being only one molecule thick, they appear two dimensional and can cut through just about anything with ease.

Like I said. Bonkers.

And uh... yeah, the HPSC is corrupt. Nothing new there.

Anyways, that's it for this chapter. Next chapter will be Hero names and the start of the internships. And Bakugo comes clean with 1-A in the middle of all that. Which will cause fireworks.

Until next time.