The rest of the day went by pretty fast for Katara and the rest of her class. After getting their licenses, they loaded back onto the bus and made their way back to UA. Now she was in her room, freshly changed into more comfortable clothing as she turned and sat back onto her bed. She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment before she reached into her pocket, pulling out the card she was given after the test, her eyes locked onto the plastic and seeing her picture on the front of it. It was what she finally needed to go and help people… without these rules keeping her out of the way. She truly was excited to have this now.

But she still felt off.

To learn that anyone in the class who didn't get their license, she never expected it to be Shoto. The entire situation truly confused her, especially the situation with Yoarashi. The rival teen had also failed the test, both of their actions costing too many points to be considered passing. To their surprise, the wind user gave a deep apology after the test, blaming his own selfishness for what had happened and shouldn't have let his feelings cost their chances. Shoto didn't seem angry with Yoarashi in fact, putting some of the blame on himself. Fortunately, the facility announced that those in the final hundred that failed could do a special class to get their licenses in a few months. While decent news, Shoto instead remained pretty quiet the entire time.

Too quiet… even for himself lately.

Ever since they left the testing ground, she had tried talking to him to try and make him feel better, but he wanted to think to himself at the moment. The entire way back, he stared out the window of the bus, seemingly unfocused and not wanting to engage in conversation. Even as soon as the bus reached the school, he left her and went up to his room alone to try and clear his head. After getting cleaned up and hanging out with a few of the girls afterward, she tried calling his phone only to reach his voicemail.

Now… It had been close to three hours since they got back, and she still hadn't heard from him. Frowning, she stood up from her bed and opened her door, walking into the hall and ready to go and get some answers from him. She had to know what had happened to him during the test, and she was determined to get answers. "Just what happened to you today?" She grumbled as she pushed the elevator button, taking a breath as the door opened up in front of her. To her surprise, the door opened up to have Mina standing there with a huge smile on her face.

"Hey what up! Was wondering where you went earlier," the pink girl giggled as she sipped her soda. "Just heading up to grab a movie for a few of us. You coming?"

"I'm okay, thank you." Katara waved her hand, "I'm… just heading up to talk to Shoto."

Mina's smile faded seeing the look on Katara's face, sighing and putting a hand on her hip. "Oh… Still haven't talked much?"

Katara exhaled and rubbed her arm. "Not since we got back."

Frowning, Mina lifted her eyebrow as she stared at the waterbender, the tension between her and Shoto pretty obvious to everyone. "Well you're going the wrong way. I saw him walk down about fifteen minutes ago."

"What?" Katara asked surprised, "He did? Where did he go?"

"Saw him head outside. He's alone out there so he may need some company." Mina gave a wink, giggling when she saw Katara roll her eyes. "Go get him, girl."

"Thanks." Katara mumbled and walked to the right, deciding to simply take the stairs and head down the single floor to the bottom. Making her way down, she entered the large living room where a few of the guys were making snacks as they laughed, obviously their excitement for their licenses still there. Leaving them to their celebration, Katara left through the front door of the dorm and out into the cool air. The sun had just dropped below the horizon, leaving a sky barely orange as the blue began taking over. The light breeze ran over her body making her shiver slightly, rubbing her arms as she walked to the left trying to see if he was nearby.

She walked down the sidewalk for a few minutes, her eyes scanning back and forth hoping to see him before it was too dark and hard to find him. She huffed out as she continued on, frowning since she had no idea how far he could've gone since he wasn't answering his phone, hoping he wasn't too far away at this point. Luckily for her, she didn't have to search long before she saw the familiar red and white hair.

Sitting under a tree in the grass, Shoto was staring at the ground in silence. As she approached him, he glanced up from his spot, a small sigh escaping his mouth before he looked away once more. "I wasn't expecting any company out here." He mumbled.

"Well, you haven't been answering since we got back, so I had to find you somehow." Katara answered as she walked across the grass towards him, stopping a few paces away and grabbing her arm. "I've been wanting to talk to you."

Shoto continued staring at the ground for a few moments before he closed his eyes. "There isn't much to talk about. I failed and now i have to-

"Shoto…" Katara cut him off and knelt on the ground next to him. "I do care about you, I really do. But I want you to be honest with me and quit hiding yourself. I need to know what happened earlier, because you weren't just frustrated by what he was saying. That…" She took a breath to calm herself. "The way you were acting. And the look in your eyes."

The comment about his eyes made Shoto's body tense up, thinking back to what Yoarashi told him. "What about my eyes? That they look like my father's?" He growled out, making Katara frown.

"That you were not mad at him, but yourself. That was exactly how you used to look at me before the festival," She retorted, "I haven't seen you so… distraught before."

Feeling sick to himself he used to treat her like that, Shoto stood up and walked out from underneath the tree. "What do you want me to say? That it will be all better now that I know what's wrong?"

"I want you to talk to me. I know you don't like your father, and from what I have heard over these few months, there isn't anything he can do now to hurt you."

Shoto looked up to the darkening sky, his mind flashing back years ago. He remembered staring up in fear as his father stared down at him as he was in pain. He clenched his teeth as he remembered his crying mother, his repressed memories beginning to resurface. "I thought I was leaving this in my past, trying to move on and become something more. I tried for so long to abandon that part of me, completely rejecting that side of me so I could be my own person." He looked toward Katara, his solemn expression making her chest tighten. "And then you opened my eyes, making me realize I could choose who I want to be."

"I know. And that's why what happened earlier isn't who you are," She said as she approached him, her hand reaching out and grabbing his arm. "It wasn't your fault."

To her surprise, he pulled away from her touch, walking a few paces in front of her as the wind picked up. The slight chill from the air didn't bother her as much as the feeling he was giving off, seeing his face etched in pain and frustration. "It was mine, though. When I heard what he was saying about me, I just became so blind by my repressed feelings I couldn't control myself. I nearly hurt you again because i was so stupid."

While she was upset at what happened then, Katara was more concerned with him now. "I'm over what happened to me. But I-

"You shouldn't be over it. You were held back because I was so foolish and were almost caught in our stupid argument. I was so convinced that I was past being like my father, that when someone confronted me about it, I fell back into what I used to be. I'm not even mad about failing the test… but because of how I felt from his words. Everything I tried pushing away came back at once… all of it."

Katara sat silent as he spoke, her eyes watching as his fists clenched at his sides. Her hand came up and gripped her shoulder, partly from the cold but also in comfort to herself seeing his emotions rise up.

"All the anger, the frustration I tried moving past came back to me," Shoto let out a hiss as he took another breath, his jaw shaking in rage as he saw the cold eyes of his father again. "For years, I barely saw my siblings. I was always told I was above them just because of my powers, so he isolated me from even spending time with them most of my life. He forced me to train non stop, to be the perfect hero he made me for."

The description Shoto used caused Katara's stomach to churn, remembering even the way Endeavor described his own son to her.

"I can't remember any time when all of us sat down together happily for dinner. We… I hated every time he even came home from work. The times he stayed away to do his hero work were the few nights of enjoyment I could spend with my family. Whenever he was around, it was only pain and misery. He grew even worse after…"

The crack in Shoto's voice caused Katara's chest to swell, hating seeing him in pain like this. "After… what happened?" She asked.

Shoto grabbed the front of his shirt, speaking of this for the first time in so long. "After my brother died."

Katara's eyes widened in shock hearing this, being the first time knowing about this. "Your brother died? But… I thought you said your brother was at college?"

Shaking his head slightly, Shoto ran his hand down the front of his shirt. "Natsuo is alive. I'm talking about my oldest brother, Touya, my oldest sibling. My sister told me that he was the only one who could use fire, so my father trained him growing up. But… his body couldn't handle his flame quirk because of my mother's ice powers. Due to his inability to continue training, my father cast him aside and… he put all his focus into me instead. I was all he even cared about talking to after that, but… it was never about love with him, all about his damn goal that I never cared about."

The anger in Katara's heart grew as she listened to Shoto speak, getting more frustrated as she learned of what he dealt with from his father. "And your brother? What happened?"

"He refused to be ignored. My sister told me how he became obsessed with wanting to make my father's dream come true. He wanted to prove he could be the best hero even with his disability. Fuyumi tried helping him move on, but… he wouldn't listen. He kept training and hurting himself. And then…" Shoto sighed out as he looked to the sky again, barely able to even recall his brother's face. "I was only around seven years old when he went to the mountains to train himself, refusing to be cast aside. But… he lost control of his quirk setting fire to the mountain top. He wasn't able to get out of there in time."

Katara's breath caught in her throat when she heard him reveal that, her hand coming up and clasping over her mouth in shock. To hear his sibling burned alive by his own power was something that made her heart ache. "He… was caught in the fire?"

Shoto gave a small nod. "After that, my father grew even worse. His anger, his drive to make me the strongest hero. All he cared about was that number one spot, and if that meant our family's happiness was lost, he didn't even care. So many times I remember the pain from his training, my mothers pleas to make him stop before he would…" His fist shook in frustration as he replayed the many times his mother tried to get between himself and his father, only to receive a fresh bruise somewhere on her body. "I hate him. I tried moving on but, I still hate him inside my heart. He hasn't laid his hands on any of us in years… but the damage has been done. I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive him."

The sudden touch from behind made Shoto's eyes widen, looking down as Katara's hands reached underneath his arms and snaked around his chest. She pulled him close into her chest as her head laid down on his back, squeezing her arms and giving him a much needed hug. Immediately Shoto felt his heart jump, taking a breath as he reached up and squeezed her hands. The simple act of her touch brought his hatred down, the warmth of her embrace helping both of them in the chilly night. They both sat in silence for a few minutes, not needing to say anything else as they let go and turned around to face each other, the waterbender pulling him close once more and laying her head against his shoulder.

Shoto closed his eyes as his arms came up and encircled her shoulders, hugging her back and breathing hard in and out to calm himself. Katara herself took a deep breath, pulling her arms closer and tightening her hold on him. "I'm really sorry, Shoto. I know what it's like to feel the pain of losing someone too. But… What happened to you because of your dad… I always knew he was bad but… I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. You're the one who helped free me in the first place. I'm the fool for falling back into the darkness today." Shoto shifted his arms and rubbed her shoulder, taking one final deep breath before laying his head against hers. "Thank you for everything."

"I'll be there whenever you need me, alright?" Katara told him, leaning back and looking into his eyes. She noticed his gaze was soft once more, gone was the anger from earlier at last. She gave a small smile and reached up to brush her hand over the scar on his face, not caring about it in the least. "I know you think of him being the cause of this, but as long as you keep moving forward, there isn't anything he can do to hold you back any longer. You already are a better person than he is, and that is what I care about."

Shoto gave a small smile to her words, nodding before they returned to their hug once more. The pair of them didn't move for sometime, simply holding onto each other as one gave the other the comfort they truly needed at the moment.

Three Hours Later

The chilly air hung thick over the land now, with the majority of the lights going out over the school property. Most of the UA campus has gone silent as the students across the grounds had relaxed by now and gone to their rooms for bed. All except for the two walking alone in the darkness.

Izuku quietly made his way down the road, keeping several paces behind Bakugo as he led him deeper into the campus grounds. Neither said a word to each other as they walked, and not having said a word since they met outside their dorm ten minutes earlier. Normally Izuku would have been confused as to why Bakugo told him to meet outside alone at this time after they got back, the mystery going out the window however when a single line hit his ears in the end.

"Let's have a talk about that quirk of yours."

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Izuku looked ahead as Bakugo walked with his hands in his pockets, still remaining silent until they found themselves back in the original testing site they did in the beginning of school; the area where they had their first mock battle against each other. "So, wh-what did you want to talk about Kachaan?" Izuku asked, wishing somehow he was wrong.

Bakugo stared up at the building in front of himself, sighing as he thought back to that day. "This is where it first started, Deku… our first time we put on our costumes and fought. You were always such a pathetic weakling, but then… you somehow beat me back then." He let out a scoff and kicked at the ground. "How the hell did this ever happen? You were a quirkless loser and then you somehow had a quirk and got into this school… it doesn't make sense."

"Kachaan…" Izuku stepped forward trying to alter the conversation. "I wasn't ever hiding it. I-

"It was a borrowed power, right?" Bakugo growled out, clenching his fists in his pockets. "I can't believe it took me this long to figure it out. Ever since that day with the sludge villain and All Might showed up, that's where it started. That's why you're always talking to him on the side and shit." He took a deep breath and turned to face his childhood friend, his eyes glaring right through the green headed teen's soul.

"You got your quirk from All Might, didn't you?"

The single question made Izuku's heart skip a beat, realizing full well that Bakugo knew the truth now.

"I heard that damn boss villain had taken that cat girls power away from her, and now she had to retire. That guy and All Might are connected somehow, and perhaps that means their powers are similar in a way." Bakugo ground his teeth in annoyance as he stared at the once weak kid before himself. "Ever since All Might came working here, your power has been growing like crazy, where All Might's got weaker and now is gone. But then your reaction after the battle, that told me everything. Everyone saw it as hope, but you saw All Might was talking to you directly. Somehow, you, the weakling that followed me around all those years, got the powers from the man I looked up to most in the world."

The air fell silent for several seconds as the pair stared at one another, Bakugo huffing out and stepping forward. "You're not even trying to deny it, so I know it has to be true."

Knowing there was no way around this, Izuku clenched his fists and hardened his stare back. "What do you want to say now, Kachaan? What are you going to do now that you know?"

Pulling his right hand out of his pocket, Bakugo pointed straight at Izuku. "You and I are going to settle this, right here and now."

"What?" Izuku gasped out in surprise to the request, not expecting this from him. "What do you mean?"

"I want to know why the hell All Might picked someone like you to take his power," Bakugo brought both of his hands out as he cracked his knuckles. "I got something else I want to ask about that All for One guy, but this is something I have to do first. You're going to prove to me why you deserve that power."

"But to fight here? We can't just-

Shut up, damn it!" Bakugo barked out, baring his teeth as his hands sparked out. "You're fighting me now, so don't you dare run on me!"

Izuku's eyes widened as Bakugo launched himself forward right at himself, barely dodging in time by jumping to the side of the incoming blast. Before his feet could touch the ground, he gasped as Bakugo redirected himself and brought a scorching hand toward his face. Swiping his hand up and knocking the incoming palm up, he avoided the blast and quickly kicked backwards on the ground to give some space between them. Seeing him flee only made Bakugo more furious, spiraling through the air and bringing his palms together.

"Fight me, Damn you!"

The street lit up as a large blast burst out from Bakugo's palms, Izuku covering himself as some of the attack scorched his shirt as he retreated. Gritting his teeth, he flipped backward over the handrail on the side just as Bakugo was on him again, another explosion cracking the metal and splitting some of the cement. "I'm not fighting you, Kachaan! We don't need to do this!" he yelled out, having to activate his full cowling to stay fast enough.

"Yes you do! Show me why you got his power!" Bakugo roared back and swiped his arm forward, releasing a wide explosion out in front of him, hissing as Izuku slid underneath it and kept backing up. "Show me!"

Izuku growled in frustration as Bakugo launched up into the air before putting his hands behind to launch himself downward, crashing into the street where Izuku was just moments before he backflipped out of range. The two continued the game of cat and mouse for another minute before Bakugo managed to blind Izuku momentarily with a flash before clotheslining him into a nearby car. Izuku gasped from the hit, prepping his body for another hit, only for Bakugo to step back glaring at him.

"Fight me…" Bakugo hissed out, his arms shaking in frustration. "Fight me, damn it!"

"I don't want to fight you," Izuku yelled back at him, getting back to his feet and readying himself of another attack. "I'm not going to-

"Shut up!" Bakugo screamed at the ground, the crack in his voice sending a chill through Izuku. "Damn it! Why! Why did someone like you get All Might's power? You were always weak and crying! I was always ahead of you! But now I… I…" Bakugo gasped out as he struggled to get his breath, clutching his black shirt in agony as he looked up to Izuku, the sight making the green haired teen eyes wide in shock.

Bakugo was crying.

"Why… Why was I the one who ended All Might?!"

The words cut through the air like a knife, leaving the street silent besides the sobs coming from Bakugo. "Why did I have to be the weak one?! Why did All Might lose his powers because of me?! If I didn't let myself get captured, then he would never have had to come to the city to save me! All of you needed help from All Might, but it would never have happened if I didn't get grabbed by those fucking villains!"

Bakugo continued to wail in agony as his guilt from that night poured out, leaving Izuku speechless at the sight. Bakugo was one who never showed emotions other than anger, so this was something Izuku never expected. Not only that, he had been weighing himself down with the feeling thinking he was responsible for that night, of what happened to make All Might retire. "Kachaan…"

Taking deep breaths, Bakugo glared up again at Izuku, wiping his face dry and getting into his fighting stance. "So you show me right now, Deku. Show me why you get to take All Might's power for yourself!"

Realizing the only way out of this was with his fists, Izuku got into his own stance and charged up his quirk. "Alright Kachaan. If this is what you want, then I'll do it." He declared glaring back and not backing down.

Seeing that only made Bakugo more determined, his frustration with everything making him sweat more. "Don't you dare hold back, Deku. I've seen what you can do, and you better use it all!"

The two teens launched at one another, Izuku watching as Bakugo's right arm cocked back ready for an attack like he always does. He ducked underneath the swipe and whipped his leg around cracking Bakugo in the side, the ash blonde gasping out before gritting his teeth and flipping over the kick. "You've always been a pain in my ass my whole life!" he yelled as he unleashed a massive blast, missing Izuku and destroying the wall behind. He sensed movement from behind, leaping up in the air just as Izuku came flying in from behind. "You never just left me alone, sticking around like a damn cockroach!"

Izuku spun around in time as Bakugo came careening at him through the air, bracing his arms as he saw the glowing hand coming at his face. Instead, however, he gasped out as Bakugo's left fist drove right in his gut, launching him backward and smacking into the opposing wall. Coughing out, Izuku kicked off the wall just as Bakugo came flying in and shattered the concrete wall with another blast. "Why the hell did you follow me around all those years?!" Bakugo yelled out as he took off after him again.

"Because we were friends before!" Izuku shouted back as he spun across the road and charged forward, throwing an ax kick down towards Bakugo, missing him and cracking the street. He charged up his power and body slammed Bakugo back into another car, spinning around and throwing a round house right into Bakugo's blocking arms and launching him over the roof of the vehicle. "We both admired All Might, and we wanted to be like him!"

Hissing out, Bakugo unleashed more blasts from his hand redirecting himself back towards Izuku. "I tried to get rid of you back when you were quirkless! Why the hell did you keep following me?!" he yelled out as his hands erupted, the blast flipping the car over at Izuku, watching as he spun underneath the vehicle. "Why wouldn't you just go away after everything we did to you?!"

Izuku's own eyes glared in frustration as he kicked off the ground and threw out several kicks at Bakugo, the first few being dodged until another round house connected into his stomach, throwing him into the destroyed car. Bakugo yelled out in rage as he blasted off the vehicle once more, his speed increasing from before as he spiraled through the air and unleashed a massive blast forward engulfing Izuku. Not giving him a chance, the explosion user dove into the blast and caught Izuku off guard, grabbing him by the throat and using his other hand to launch them both into the air. "Why did you want to hang with me after I tried pushing you away?!" Bakugo screamed out.

Gritting his teeth, Izuku threw his forearm up, breaking Bakugo's grip and kicking away from him. Landing against the building beside them, he charged his quirk as he glared at his childhood friend and bully. "You were always so strong. Everyone praised you for your power… and so did I!" Izuku yelled out, kicking off the building and charging up his fist and landing a clean punch to Bakugo's stomach making him wheeze. "I wasn't just chasing All Might all those years… I was chasing you!"

Bakugo's eyes widened both from the second punch that drove into his stomach making him cough out, but from the words he was hearing. Hissing out, he brought both hands forward to blast Izuku off, but Izuku's fist cracked him directly in the face, spinning him in the air. Before he could regain his balance in the sky, Bakugo felt Izuku's arm wrap around his neck from behind putting him in a headlock. Tightening his grip, Izuku gritted his teeth as his classmates' hands yanked at his arms. "I wasn't just following you because you were my friend. I Always admired how strong you were, and that I wanted to beat you, Kachaan!"

Feeling his blood boil, Bakugo gasped out from the tight hold on his throat, eying the road below both of them and growling out. "Get off me, damn it!" Turning so Izuku was beneath him, Bakugo unleashed a pair of powerful blasts, sending both of them crashing into the road below. Dust and concrete exploded outward from the impact, the street falling silent as the mushroom cloud dissipated. After a few moments, the pair of teens were revealed facing each other, both of them bruised and cut up from the powerful impact. Their breaths came in deep pants as they crawled off the ground, Bakugo coughing out and glaring at the gasping teen.

"What the hell… You're telling me… this is how much you've got controlled of All Might's power?" Bakugo hissed out and stood up, "This is all you can do so far?"

"I'm getting… used to it still." Izuku mumbled out as he sat up himself, panting as he grabbed his sore shoulder. "I am doing the best I can, Kachaan."

"Well it's pathetic!" Bakugo snapped back, his eyes filled with anger. "He chose you and this is the best you can do for him?!"

"Young Midoriya is trying, Bakugo."

Both teens eyes went wide at the familiar voice, turning to see All Might walking down the road towards them. "All Might?!" Izuku gasped out.

"The security system caught you two in your battle, and I wanted to talk to you both before Aizawa has his words with you." Toshinori quietly explained as he approached. "And judging from what you said, it seems it isn't a secret any more for you."

Growling out, Bakugo gritted his teeth and looked to the ground, still frustrated seeing the former hero in this state, nothing more than skin and bones now. His hands shook in anger the man he always idolized was like this now. "All Might… So it's true you gave this power to Deku?"

Giving a small nod, Toshinori walked up and placed a hand on Bakugo's head. "Yes I did. After that day when he risked his life to save you, I saw that he had the heart that was worthy of taking on my power. But I see now… that you are no different."

Bakugo hissed to himself as Toshinori pulled him into his chest giving him a small hug, the teen struggling to keep himself composed as his emotions bubbled up.

"All this time since Kamino, you've been carrying around this guilt inside of you, that you think you are the cause of my demise. But I assure you, Bakugo, that is farther from the truth. My powers have been weakening for years, the injuries I've received slowly sapping away at my strength. In time when Midoriya can fully control it, he will be as strong as I was or even more than in my prime. And I can tell you along with everyone else will be pushing him to be stronger."

Shoving All Might's arm off, Bakugo growled out and took several steps away. Now that he knew the truth, he had another thing bothering him now. "So who else knows about this, then?" he grumbled out.

"Other than a few of the staff here, the only students who know the truth is you and Young Midoriya." All Might answered, surprised when he saw the panicked look on Izuku's face. "Midoriya?"

"Uhh…" Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat as he rubbed his head. "A-actually, M-Momo also knows as well, sir."

…

"What?!" Toshinori gasped out, spitting up a small amount of blood from the shock. "You told her about One for All too?"

"I had to, All Might!" Izuku pleaded, "W-we are really close, and I felt it was best if she knew the truth since we are… well, together."

While he was somewhat frustrated at the news, Toshinori had seen how close the pair had become over the last few months now, and realized it was probably better that she was told. "Well, as long as she promised to keep it a secret."

Y-yes sir, she swears she will not tell anyone." Izuku declared as he looked over to Bakugo, sweating as the explosion teen stared at him.

Bakugo however was more confused now, learning that the only classmates who knew were himself, Deku and Ponytail now. Since All Might was here, it was the perfect chance to ask the final thing that was bothering him. "And what about Hair Loops? What is her connection to all this?"

Both All Might and Izuku were caught off guard from his question, the pair looking at one another in confusion. "Katara? What do you mean?" Izuku asked, receiving a sharp glare from Bakugo.

"Cut the shit, Deku. There's obviously something going on here with her. Her quirk has been getting strange abilities ever since the beginning of school, and that boss villain was trying to take her power. Whatever it was though, he couldn't take it, and I know you guys know something about it." He demanded, turning his attention up to the former hero. "I've seen you guys talking to her on the side, and I know Deku has been close to her since school started."

Toshinori was truly caught off by his words, not expecting him to make that kind of connection. "Bakugo, Katara has nothing to do with the power I passed to Midoriya. I can assure you that."

"Yeah?" Bakugo growled as he stood up, "Then what is her connection to that All for One bastard? Why was he not able to take her quirk when he took that cat girl's power?"

While Izuku hesitantly looked back and forth between the two before him, Toshinori kept his face calm and took a breath. "All for One makes it a habit to take powers that he finds intriguing, making others suffer just to satisfy his own hunger for power. But sometimes, there are times when even he cannot steal quirks. I…"

Toshinori's words fell silent as the stare from Bakugo intensified, seeing that trying to lie about it at this time was pointless. Despite his hotheaded demeanor, Bakugo was probably one of the sharper kids in the class, observing much more than they originally thought. Sighing, he slipped his hands into his pocket and turned away. "When you have the chance to talk to her alone, Bakugo, take it. It's not my right to tell you about her past."

Gritting his teeth, Bakugo decided to take a deep breath, realizing he wasn't completely wrong about her. "Fine. And don't worry, I'll keep your secret to myself unlike Deku here."

Nodding, Toshinori walked down the road back towards school. "Thank you. Now… it's time you speak to your teacher."

As the trio made their way out of the testing grounds, Toshinori glanced over his shoulder at the ash blonde following him. While he was grateful he was willing to keep his secret to himself, the other revelation made the former hero's heart race. He couldn't help but replay in his mind the conversation he had earlier.

Eight Hours Earlier

Far south of Tokyo, the great iron walls of Tartarus rose above the ocean as the waves beat against the sides. The single five kilometer bridge connecting the prison to the mainland was heavily guarded, dozens of guards standing watch for anything suspicious. And deep in the prison, a certain room was occupied by the leader of the League of Villains, laughing as he sat restrained.

"This is quite an honor, All Might. I thought you would be there supporting your students since the second semester is about to start… and yet here you are, honoring me with your presence." All for One chuckled as he stared through the bullet proof glass, the former symbol of peace sitting before him in his loose fitting costume.

"I wanted to clarify some things here and now, All for One." Toshinori grunted as he shifted in his seat. "I want you to tell me where Tomura Shigaraki is."

"Oh, are you going to try and make amends for failing your master?" All for One snickered, "Do you want to have an intervention with him? To convince him that he can be good and come to you? Everything Tomura does now is his doing, and he will continue down this path unless you strike him down. Would you be able to do that to Nana's grandson?"

Glaring, Toshinori huffed out and leaned forward. "What's your endgame, All for One? Why are you using him like this? You've never been one to have disciples."

"You know that all too well, All Might. Just like how you pass on your legacy because of your weakening body, the same comes for me. I'm barely alive now due to the damage you gave me, and I want my legacy to continue on forever. While you want to be the symbol of peace, I simply want to be an all powerful devil. It's simple, because I have the power to take it, so I will."

Toshinori clenched his fists as he listened to All for One speak, noticing he purposely didn't mention One for all due to the cameras monitoring them. While a cold blooded killer, All for One seemed to have a strange sense of respect for All Might, choosing not to simply reveal his secret when he easily could tell the world. "The fact you are targeting my students is beyond sick. Were you too afraid to face me and the other heroes directly that you instead went after children?"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic. Everyone knows the smartest strategy is to target the replacements to your waning hero society. If no one is there to fill the spots of your tired heroes, then the system begins collapsing from the bottom. Fear spreads throughout the society, and others refuse to risk their lives to help others. It's human nature to abandon others for their own self interest."

"There will always be those ready to risk their lives to help others. The drive for those to throw themselves in harm's way to save those in need will never vanish." Toshinori declared, earning a large smirk from the villain leader.

"Oh yes, I have seen your students, All Might. Kids like your precious Midoriya, or special ones like Katara."

Toshinori clenched his teeth at All for One's taunt, knowing exactly what he was referring to. His eyes looked up to the cameras in the room, the blinking lights recording everything happening here. Toshinori however needed answers for himself, and he was not going to get them like this. He took a deep breath and looked to the one way glass on the side, knowing the guards were there watching them. "Turn off the audio for the cameras." he demanded.

"All Might, we can't do that, sir. We need to monitor him for every moment of the day." The voice through the speaker said. "We have to keep them on for-

"DO IT!"

The powerful voice escaping Toshinori's throat rang out in the room, bringing a smile to the villains face. After a few moments of silence, the green lights on the camera's shut off, earning a chuckle from All for One. "Well, look at this. All Might is using his status to push his demands around. That's not like you."

"I need to speak to you without others listening to us," Toshinori declared, clenching his fists on his knees. "I have never understood why, but you seem keen on not letting out my secret to the world."

"Of course, All Might. If everyone knew your secret other than myself, then what would be special left between us? That is the bond that has kept us so close over all these years, and I for certain wouldn't want to squander that to the public. The same goes for your little water student Katara."

"And what do you want with her? There are so many people who's power you can take for yourself, and you wanted one from a child. Why?"

"Must I write it down for you to understand? I am a collector, always curious to find quirks to experiment with and push to new bounds. The ability to control any source of water is decent, while versatile, it's nothing too special to peak my interest. Throw in the ability to heal is even more intriguing, but what I saw in the end…" All For One laughed out imagining what he could have done if he had that power. "The control of one's blood is what peaked my drive for it. Someone with a noble heart has no idea the applications that could be used for. Along with my quirks boosting other quirks' power, who knows what I could've done testing that power out."

A cold laugh escaped the villains throat as his eyeless face seemed to gaze at All Might. "But then I realized the true meaning to her power, and the reason she seemed to have so many abilities. And from your reaction, you knew she did not have a quirk to begin with. That is something I have to find out for myself. Is it the next stage of human evolution? Or is this something else entirely?"

"No matter what it is, you will never get your hands on her," Toshinori declared, "She has proven to me and so many more that she has a pure heart, and is willing to risk her life for others. She will become a great hero along with Midoriya and their classmates."

"Oh, then why did you request this talk be private?" All for One chuckled out. "If she is a good person, why keep her power secret? It's because you know what would happen if your precious hero association found out her power. A child with abilities and yet it isn't a quirk? She would be hunted down by those who command you pathetic heroes, brought in and tested on as they tried to figure out what she was. At least I'm honest with who I am, where your side hides behind a mask of blood and calls it justice."

While he wanted to open his mouth to counter, Toshinori couldn't help but feel his stomach tighten from the words he heard, his skin crawling from All for One's laugh.

"I heard one of the prisoners here was a former hero, a sniper with skills that your wondrous hero commision put to good use. They had her hunt down and kill those they simply suspected would cause trouble to your society, not even waiting to see if they would commit the crimes they suspected them of. She simply stood against this crooked society and they locked her away. If they did that to a notable hero, what do you think they would do to your precious student? You think they will let such an anomaly free in this world? Oh no… Just like how I want to find out her secret, your all honorable hero commission would test her like a lab animal, taking her apart piece by piece to figure out just what she is."

"The same would be for your precious Midoriya; the ability to stockpile powers would be such a wonderful quirk for the government to exploit for themselves. That is why I haven't said a word about them to anyone, I would rather be the one to free them from the pressure of living in this cursed world." All for One laughed out as he watched All Might's face twisted in anger, relishing in the fact the normally calm and collected hero was struggling to control himself now. "You are simply avoiding the inevitable, All Might. No matter what they do for the people of this country, eventually they will be ostracized, cast out and treated like nothing more than a threat to society."

Clenching his fists, Toshinori stood up from his chair and glared down at the man across from him, the intercom in the room turning on. "All Might, stay back from the glass!"

Feeling his fists shake, Toshinori clenched his teeth and took a deep breath. "All you ever do is hurt others, using them for your own pleasure and causing death and chaos wherever you go. And you may be right; there have been mistakes made by the association, and there are problems that we have to live with. But I assure you that the way of torture and suffering that you live by will never be the law that rules this country! All the students I teach will shape the way this country will go, and they will bring forth a new era of peace to this world! You can watch as your villainous society crumbles from prison, and soon we will put Shigaraki in here as well to join you. I can also assure you that nothing of what you state will come to these kids. I have seen the next generation of heroes are perhaps the greatest group to come, and all of these future heroes will bring an end to the evils that have plagued us for so long! No matter what troubles may come to face them, I will stand beside them and face whatever comes their way!"

Flipping his cape behind himself, Toshinori turned and walked towards the exit door. "It seems we have nothing more to discuss then. I'll find Shigaraki my own way."

"That is your problem, All Might. You only focus on a single thing and assume it all ends there." All for One shickered as he saw Toshinori stop walking, "You think Tomura is the key to keeping your students safe. The flames of hatred go far beyond a single person."

Toshinori glanced over his shoulder back at All for One, knowing he was referring to the flame user Dabi. He heard from the students how he had a particular interest in Katara and Todoroki during the attack on the camp, and was the one who cornered them in Kamino as well.

"You have seen there is more than just Tomura who has an interest in your students. It seems that others have come and found intent in getting close to them. Unless you plan on taking every one of the league of villain members at once, this will not end. I can't wait to read in the newspaper what comes next."

Gritting his teeth, Toshinori turned forward and knocked on the door, waiting until the buzzer signaled to open up. He quickly pulled it open and walked out of the room, his blood boiling as he heard the cold laugh echo behind as the door closed.

Opening his eyes, Toshinori came back to the present after finishing the meeting with Aizawa. Their homeroom teacher was more than upset learning of the scrap fight between Izuku and Bakugo, placing both under house arrest (three days for Izuku, and four for Bakugo for admitting to starting the fight). While Toshinori convinced Aizawa the fight was about the guilt Bakugo felt for everything, the secrets to One for All were kept to themselves. While he was relieved to have that part cleared up, the other question Bakugo brought up made Toshinori more concerned, knowing there was certainly the problem of Katara.

Even though he knew she was innocent, there would be those that would want to figure out what she was, how her power came to be like that. And while he was a hero, he couldn't deny the fact there was a darker side to the association. If push came to shove, he would have to confront them if they ever tried to make a move against his students. He also knew there were the other members of the league of villains to deal with besides Tomura, and all of them had been missing since the battle.

He knew the next battle was going to happen soon, it was inevitable. It was just a question of who was making the first move.

Meanwhile, in Fujiyoshida near Mount Fuji

Bzzzt. Bzzzt.

Standing in the alleyway, Dabi sighed to the vibration in his pocket, reaching in and pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Yeah?" he grumbled into the speaker.

"Dabi, where the hell have you been?" Compress's voice yelled out. "No one has heard from you since Kamino."

Glaring, Dabi slipped his free hand into his pocket. "What's it to you? It's not like anything's been planned since then."

"But that is the thing. Shigaraki asked us to try and find others to join our cause. We are-

"His cause, which is the same thing that nearly got us all caught back there." Dabi hissed out. "I told you all that I am with you guys on my own will. That means I do what I want on my own time. And I am looking for others. Just… haven't found them yet."

Frowning to himself, Dabi glanced up to the moon above in frustration at his answer, knowing it was near useless at this point. "Why did you call me anyway?"

"Twice says he found someone interesting. Shigaraki is meeting him tomorrow, and wants to find out where everyone else is." Compress sighed over the phone. "I figured just to let you mope alone after what happened, but for some reason Shigaraki seems interested in you now."

"Oh, aren't I so honored now," Dabi scoffed out, "I'm in Fujiyoshida, so I will be missing your boy band meeting."

"What? The hell are you doing out there for?"

Taking a breath, Dabi turned his gaze back towards the ground. "Thought I could find some guys to help myself. Guess I got my hopes up."

"Whatever you're doing on your little field trip, cut the shit and head back. I'm getting annoyed by that muscle freak here breaking everything. If you want to keep up your little search, I'll send that maniac your way."

Grunting, Dabi spit on the ground in annoyance. "Fine." Hanging up the phone, he put it back into his pocket and rubbed his head. "Well, it was worth a shot. Guess this witch hunt was a waste of time after all."

"Never been called a witch before, that's a new one."

The voice behind Dabi made his eyes widen in surprise, his hands igniting as he spun and shot his flames out. The wall of blue fire engulfed the alleyway, illuminating the area in bright light… but revealing no one there. Glaring, Dabi spun back the other way, seeing the figure crouched in front of himself now.

"Damn, not even asking questions before trying to fry me? You really are hot headed." the hooded figure chuckled out, brushing off the small flames that caught his sweatshirt. "Maybe if i just walked up and said hello it would've been better."

Readying his hands, Dabi watched cautiously as the figure stepped closer, not even sensing him move from one side of the alley to the other. "You're pretty fast, I'll say that. Who the hell are you?" he asked. His eyes then widened as the figure pulled back his hoodie, revealing the yellow hair and black spots beneath his cat ears.

"What, you're the one who was looking for us," Haraka smiled as his eyes dilated, standing up from the ground. "Thought you would be more excited to finally meet."

Dabi stared at the cheetah user for several seconds, his mind immediately realizing what he had found; one of the hunters had come to him, just like that man from the bar had told him yesterday. While he should've been excited, he couldn't help but feel pissed off right now. "What the hell… you've been making me walk this damn place for a week trying to find you bastards…"

"I've only been following you for three days, so don't be so dramatic." Haraka laughed seeing Dabi so irritated, "I had to make sure you were serious, and not just some fool drunk on frustration looking for a quick answer to his problems. But it seems my boss has an interest in you now."

"An interest?" Dabi asked, watching as the hunter reached into his pocket and pulled an old style flip phone and tossed it his way. Catching it, Dabi gave a grunt and glared at the man. "So what is this now, a gift?"

"More like… an invitation." Haraka said, "Just push two and then dial."

Raising his eyebrow, Dabi looked down to the phone in his hand and flipped it open, deciding to go on with this development that had occurred. Tapping the keys, he brought it up to his ear as he heard it ring, just before he heard a click on the other side.

"I heard you've been interested in finding us, Dabi." A female voice spoke out, "I hope Haraka has been treating you well."

Sneering, Dabi clicked his tongue at her sarcasm. "So you're the one keeping this cat on his leash. What made you finally give your pet permission to talk to me?" Dabi snickered internally when Haraka hissed at his taunt.

"I am the one who was making you wait. I was a bit concerned when I heard you were here looking for us. After your boss was captured, I wasn't interested in that heat coming on us."

"That man wasn't my boss. I do my own things for myself." Dabi declared, hearing a cold chuckle on the other end.

"That is good to hear. We've always been those who kept to secrecy, and we plan to keep it that way. And I hear you are looking to put our services to use."

Feeling the first smirk to grace his face in sometime, Dabi let out a small sigh and looked to Haraka. "I believe I am. I have heard you will do jobs others won't, and that you are good at it."

"Well that all depends what the job is, and how much it will cost you."

"Oh there will be enough money because of this job that you can retire after this." Dabi chuckled out. "But being so secretive as you are, you want this discussed face to face, agreed?"

The woman on the phone laughed out in pleasure. "Of course. It seems you get the picture. But if you try and make a fool out of us with some pathetic request, I'll kill you with my bare hands. Agreed?"

Just from the tone in her voice, Dabi could tell she was serious. She was one who didn't care about getting her hands dirty, and one who he knew was perfect for what he wanted. Grinning, he nodded to himself and looked up to the moon. "Sounds like we understand each other, then."

"Good. Now then, Haraka will bring you to me. I'll be seeing you very soon."

Before Dabi could ask anything, the phone turned off and a cloth was tossed in his direction at his feet. Eyeing the material, he bent down and picked it up, realizing it was a small burlap sack. Frowning, he knew exactly what this was for. "Serious?"

"Hey, can't be too careful." Haraka snickered, "Why do you think no one can find us? And don't worry about us destroying your phone. It won't have a signal where we are going anyway."

Growling in annoyance, Dabi rolled his eyes and threw the phone back towards the cheetah, resisting the urge to just burn this bag in his hand. After finally finding them, however, he wanted to see what these hunters were capable of. And if they tried to kill him like she said she would, he would certainly not make it easy for them. Sighing, he opened up the bag and brought it up to his face before shaking his head. "This is going to make it quite hard to follow you to your hideout, genius."

Haraka laughed out loud at his statement. "Oh don't worry about that. We will help you with that part."

"We?" Dabi questioned, just before a loud crash landed on the ground behind him. "The hell?!" he yelled out as he spun around, his hands igniting as a massive figure walked towards his light. The green scales shined in the darkness of the tall beast, it's stomach covered in lines of thick yellow plating before going up to the massive green arms and clawed hands. Topping it off, his eyes found their way up to the large crocodile head staring down at him, the creature's enormous jaws hissing out and clamping it's teeth together. "The fuck is this?!"

"Calm down, alright? We will carry your precious ass to our boss. We just can't let you walk there yourself." Haraka joked before he saw Dabi's hands unleash more fire, his own claws extending from his fingers. "Just stay calm before we all get hurt here."

While frustrated, Dabi growled out and relaxed his hands, stepping back until he saw the crocodile man relax as well. Bending down and picking the bag up again, Dabi glared and pulled the bag over his head, giving a silent nod as the large arms picked him off the ground. The new figure hoisted him onto his shoulder, feeling the thick scales push against his shirt.

"You burn me, and I'll bite your damn head off." The crocodile man warned him, his voice extremely deep and rough. "You got that?"

"Just shut up and take me to your boss." Dabi snapped back, resisting the urge to kill him here. Through his mask, he could see the yellow eye of the croc staring at him, glaring right back at it as well . "I don't want to be carried like a fucking bag."

The large figure growled out at the threat, turning to Haraka with a scowl, "Does she really want to see him? This man will be nothing but trouble for us."

Haraka's ears flattened at the question, his eyes dilating in anger at the large man. "Hey, if she wants to hear him out, then we bring him in. You're still new, so don't be asking too many questions, Rogue."

Baring his large teeth, the new figure Rogue turned to the shadows, his large scaled tail swishing behind as he walked. Following suit, Haraka gave a quick glance around before he disappeared after him, the pair taking Dabi to the leader of the Hunters.

Notes: Ohh ho ho, step by step moving closer! the hunters have made their approach, but what will be Dabi's plan for them?

(Rogue is a term used for many adult male saltwater crocodiles, refusing to share space with others. hence why was a good fit for him)

While mostly set up, this chapter was the final step before moving towards the big change in this stories tone. Hope you like what comes next.

Till next time!