Pain and shadow were all that surrounded him in the liminal space, Izuku staring off into the darkness as he felt the familiar presence wash over him.

Again?

The voice that wasn't a voice echoed through his entire being, making the teen shiver slightly as he looked around for the source.

"Come out," he said, a sound like a laugh reverberating through the black space before the voice came again.

How?

"What do you mean how?" Izuku snarled, looking around again, "Just come out!"

Why?

"Because I…" the teen trailed off, "I want to talk."

Talk?

Izuku wasn't sure, but it seemed like the voice was genuinely surprised. He shivered again as he felt it smile.

Yes.

Izuku blinked as the darkness in front of him warped, forming into a shadowy figure that looked too familiar for comfort.

"Alright," the teen muttered to himself as he watched the figure watching him, "Let's do this. What do you want?"

Control.

"Why?" Izuku asked, watching the figure shift slightly, as if thinking.

Freedom.

"Freedom? Freedom to do what?"

Feed. Kill. Live.

Izuku started at the answer, recoiling back slightly at the sudden wave of emotion that passed through him, pure desire flooding his mind, trying to overpower him.

"N-no!" Izuku ordered, shaking the feeling from his mind as he glared at the figure, "Not now! Not ever! Not after what you did!"

Did?

The voice sounded genuinely confused as its body flickered and shifted.

"You…you tried to ki-…to kill Kacc-Bakugo," the words caught in Izuku's throat as he spoke, making the figure in front of him ripple, "And hurt Sire."

Sire…

The wave of regret made Izuku blink, looking at the thing in front of him as it sagged slightly.

"S-so you regret hurting Sire?" Izuku asked, the figure just giving a short nod, "B-but what about Ka-…Bakugo? What about him?"

KILL. HURT. DESTROY.

Izuku was at least partially prepared for the wave of emotion that hit him but was still surprised by the pure unadulterated hatred that washed over him. He struggled against the feeling, trying to keep his feelings separate from that of the creature within him. After a moment, the feeling passed, Izuku panting slightly as he looked back at the creature, it's body flickering like fire as it glared back at him.

"Why?" he gasped, "Why do you want to hurt him?"

Brides. Ours. Hurt.

The voice responded slowly, still staring at Izuku as the teen shuddered, remembering the anger he'd felt when he watched Bakugo act so brutally against Tsuyu and then Ochako. He forced down a growl as the images flashed through his head, clenching his jaw tightly as he felt his fangs begin to grow.

Yes. Fight. Hunt. KILL!

"NO!" Izuku shouted, glaring at the beast in front of him, its body warped, long claws extending from its hands as too white fangs glinted in its mouth, "I…I won't kill!"

Lies.

The single word was accompanied by a strange feeling of guilt, though Izuku couldn't tell whether it was coming from the creature or himself. He took a deep breath, calming himself as best he could as he looked back at the monster before him.

"I…I asked this before, but…" Izuku trailed off, "Who are you?"

Who?

The voice laughed again, sending another shiver up Izuku's spine at the response.

I am you.

Izuku gasped as he stared up at the ceiling of the gym, his wrists aching as he felt the chains pulled taut.

"Midoriya?" the voice was far away, the teen coughing as he looked around weakly, locking eyes with the red glow of his homeroom teacher's, "Are you okay? You started…reacting badly."

"Send me back," the teen muttered, slumping forwards, "I was so close…I need to go back…"

"No," Aizawa shook his head, pointing to the high windows of the gym, the first signs of dawn peeking through, "You've been doing this the whole night. You need to rest."

"NO!" the teen shouted, struggling against the bindings, "I need to go back! I almost found out what it is!"

"It?" the Pro asked, carefully approaching, his eyes still glowing as he dropped a blood bag in front of the teen, "What are you talking about?"

"The Darkness," Izuku growled, shaking his head, "The Beast. The Monster that lives in me now. I can still hear it! It wants to get out! But if I can find out what it is I can beat it!"

"Still hear it?" Shota muttered, "But I'm using my quirk on you. Your quirk should be erased."

"It's still there! I can hear it!" the boy snarled, shaking his head harder, "It won't go away! I can still hear it!"

"Midoriya! Calm down," Shota tried, grabbing the teen, keeping his eyes open even as he felt them begin to burn with pain, "Listen to me! You're safe! We'll take you to Recovery Girl now! Then get you a session with Hound Dog to talk about this! Just calm down!"

"It's not me," the teen suddenly whimpered, a desperate look in his eyes as he stared up at the teacher, "It's not me! It can't be!"

"Sensei?" the blue-haired teen said again as the man started, looking up at Iida as he held out a sheet of paper, "I apologise for the lateness of handing this in, but here is my selection for the internships."

"Huh?" Shota blinked as he took the paper, watching the boy walk stiffly away before he looked at it, "What? Manual?"

"What's that, Shota?" Mic called, "Something wrong?"

"I…no," the man sighed as he just put the form with the others, "Just…tired."

"When are you not?" Midnight chuckled, "I mean, there must be a reason you're always sleeping in that eyesore of a sleeping bag."

"Worse than usual," he muttered, stifling a yawn, "Was up all night…training Midoriya."

"Ah," the two said, looking away at the mention of the boy, before Mic spoke up again, "Any success?"

"No idea," the scruffy man sighed, "He…he said some worrying things after I erased his quirk, but that's more for Hound Dog to sort out than me."

"You're still his Homeroom teacher," Mic said, "I'm sure he feels more comfortable knowing that you're on his side."

"Yeah," Midnight nodded.

"Yeah," Shota repeated, feeling a pang of guilt, "On his side."

The week seemed to drag on, the students of 1A constantly stealing glances at the empty desk throughout classes, the teachers not commenting on it. Finally, Saturday arrived, the teens gathering quietly on the station platform. Shota just sighed as he gave them a small pep-talk, before seeing them off quickly.

He glanced at Iida as the boy boarded the train to Hosu, a nagging feeling in the back of his tired mind that he quickly dismissed, putting it down to a worse lack of sleep than usual. Slowly, Shota made his way back to UA, dread welling up in his chest as he thought about what they would have to do that night.

Do again, he thought, shuddering at the words.

Eventually he made it back to the gates of UA, looking up at them sombrely, wondering if this teaching thing was really worth it.

"Hello, Eraserhead-san," the voice said, making the man jump, looking at the cloaked figure standing in front of him, "Nedzu sent me to retrieve you. You have been standing at the gate for over half an hour."

"Ah, Sire-san," he said with genuine surprise, "You're back. Sorry, I was lost in thought."

"About the young one?" the man hummed as he walked beside the Pro, the two heading towards the teachers' office.

"Yeah," Shota nodded, "I just…I know his quirk protects him, but…it just…"

"It feels like you are being forced to kill him each night," the man finished, "I can understand your worry, but it is the most effective way for him to gain control of the Darkness within."

"It's tiring," Shota sighed, "How do you manage it? Aren't you…linked to Midoriya or something?"

"I struggle as well," Sire nodded, the hood of his cloak bobbing back and forth, "But I also know it is for his benefit in the long run. Apparently, he has made some progress in my time, for lack of a better word, away."

"If you call becoming more and more paranoid progress," Shota muttered, "He keeps talking about hearing voices even when I erase his quirk."

"That is worrying," Sire replied, "Perhaps it shall help if I am to be present for tonight's training?"

"Are you sure?" Shota asked.

"Yes," the man replied.

"So, you want me to join your little gang?"

"Potentially."

"Potentially?" Stain blinked, glaring at the pale-haired man in front of him, "What does that mean?"

"It means I have a job for you, Hero Killer," Shigaraki grinned, tossing a photo onto the bar, Stain peering over at it, "A very special job."

"Ah, one of the so-called 'monsters'," the man grunted, "And what do you wish for me to do with them?"

"Simple," Shigaraki's smile widened, cracking his lips further, "Kill him."

"Easy enough," Stain replied, picking up the photo, "And how do you suppose I do that? I understand that this one is being closely guarded by UA."

"Simple, I'll make sure that he ends up in your hunting grounds," Tomura hummed, "And then all you need to do is kill him in the name of the League. That way we'll be partners in crime, so to speak."

"And if I choose not to?" the man growled, reaching for one of his knives.

"Then you can leave now," Shigaraki chuckled, "We won't keep you from your hunt any longer, Hero Killer. But just remember, the boy will end up in your hunting grounds, and I will be expecting you to kill him."

"You have no control over me," Stain hissed as the portal opened behind him, the man giving one last glance back before stepping through, "I had planned to cull those Fakes from the start."

Tomura simply smiled as the portal closed, chuckling quietly to himself as he turned back to the small television in the corner of the room.

"Very good, Tomura," the voice of Sensei said through the tinny speakers, "It seems as though you have begun to mature far sooner than I had anticipated."

"Hello and welcome!" the helmeted Hero said with a wide smile, "I'm pleased to have you, Iida-san!"

"Thank you for accepting me," the teen replied, bowing low to the man.

"The pleasure is all mine," Manual nodded, "I mean, to be honest I didn't actually expect you to choose me, but I figured I might as well try."

"Yes," Tenya nodded, "I look forward to working with you."

"Great, come on, I'll show you where the dorms are so you can get set up for the night!"