Dark Light Chapter 7

Yellow eyes watched with rapt attention mixed with awe at the spectacle before them. Sitting on the tatami mat with legs folded so as to not appear indecent Himiko watched the two figures dance in a complex series of punches, kicks, palm strikes, blocks, evasion, redirection and all manner of other techniques she had really only seen in kungfu movies.

'As expected Izuku gives his all with everything.'

Whether it's mastering his Quirk, studying Heroics, training for combat or even a simple date Izuku tries to give 110%. When she said 'combat experience' this wasn't what she meant but only Izuku could take 'learn self defence' and turn it into 'become a kungfu master.'

Speaking of…

'Looks like the spar is about to end.'

Spar would be too kind of a word though this was more like a brutal practical lesson. For a kindly looking old man Silver was old school with the lessons, like really old school. At a certain point in a disciple's training they would have an evaluation and since Izuku was the only student (with Himiko only wanting to watch Izuku work) the teacher took it upon himself to personally evaluate the boy.

…by having a spar that incorporates everything he's learned these past several months and brutally exploiting any flaws or weaknesses while giving harsh (yet helpful) commentary.

"Nice evasion"

With a front kick which Bang easily blocked Izuku gained some distance before settling into a stance, one which Silver copied.

She should be protesting this but…

"Not fast enough"

This time he want on the offensive and he only managed to get a single fist out before it was deflected, a moment later a kick hit the back of his knee forcing him into a half kneeling position with a single leg.

That same leg came up and smacked him in the side of the face-"GAH!"-forcing him to stumbled back again and somehow managed to block a third side kick before getting hit on the shoulder-"Ow!"

She has a vested interest in Izuku being hurt…

"Your stance is too stiff" Silver kicked his shin from under him causing the boy to fall.

He used the momentum to do a roundhouse kick which missed its mark by a mile "sloppy" and before he could even properly stand Silver delivered a chop to his chest that made him hit the tatami.

Izuku tried a kip-up quickly to catch him unawares but was stomped back down when Silver performed a spinning axe-kick to the chest.

"Oof!"

-besides her needs-

Izuku crawled away but got to his feet when Silver continued on the offensive. He managed to deflect all the well placed strikes "well done" but failed to avoid the sudden leg sweep that had him falling to the ground.

-someone is going to have to nurse Izuku back to health-

Said boy rolled away and to his feet but again went on the offensive with noticeable sluggishness.

"Useless" Silver slapped away his hands and delivered a palm strike to his face.

Izuku, who was barely even standing, actually spun from the momentum of the strike (slap) before dropping like a tree that's been cut down.

'And that's my cue'

"Izuku!" she rushed over to his side with handkerchief in hand and laid his head on her lap then began wiping away the blood with a concerned expression "did you have to hit him so hard old man?" she said bitingly "we already know you're better than him, you don't need to remind us."

Silver rolled his eyes "it wasn't that bad and he could heal those minor injuries in mere minutes besides" he stroked his chin a little while looking at his disciple "both of you shouldn't be complaining since you both get something out of it" he gave her a look that conveyed his unsaid words.

"You get to nurse him back to health and Izuku has the privilege of being cared for by his girlfriend."

Himiko clicked her teeth in annoyance 'tch, so he saw through me after all.'

At that moment Izuku must have realized the soft sensation under his head wasn't a pillow and sat up with a groan "ugh, it's okay I learned that Sensei has to hit me at least that hard or else my Quirk would just revitalise me and the fight would end up getting dragged out unnecessarily, like last time."

Himiko frowned and gently forced his head back to her lap "well I'm sorry if I worry about you Izuku" then she swooped down like a hawk and her lips caught bruised injury that just so happened to have a blood stain. When she came back up the bruise and blood was gone "there all better" she smiled a bit widely "now I just have to get the others~"

The kiss must have did more than cure his boo-boo because Izuku sprang up with a shout "t-that's alright Himiko!" he held his hands up front while backing away slowly.

This did little more than amuse the blonde whose expression took on a teasing tone "aw~ but Izuku my way is a lot more fun~"

*Gulp*

"And I'll make sure to get every spot~" she licked her lips in a way no minor should be able to.

…no words could describe the white noise static that was Izuku's mind in that moment.

"I'll remind you two that there are no illicit behaviours allowed in my dojo" Silver remarked dryly while walking away.

Himiko looked at the man's back with irritation before looking back at Izuku except he wasn't there "where…"

"He left when you took your eyes off him"

There was a breeze and Himiko's head turned to door in time to see it slam shut.

"Hmm his recovery time has increased" Silver noted as he stared at his watch.

Himiko simply giggled into her sleeve and followed after him.

\

A sigh of content escaped his lips as Izuku let the rays of the almost setting sun shine down upon his now exposed torso. He'd done it so many times that he could almost feel every moment of the gradual change of his body as it heals itself. Izuku was pretty sure he could estimate how long it would take to heal a particular damage.

He plopped down onto the ground then winced, the bruises were healing but slowly especially since the sun is in its early stages of setting.

"Ow, Sensei really did a number on me"

"Well what did you expect when you told him you couldn't handle it?"

He jumped at the close proximity of the voice and yelped when a hand pulled him back down to the ground except instead of feeling the floorboards it was a soft cushion that Izuku recognized as Himiko's supple thighs. And soon enough the aforementioned girl came into his view.

Himiko looked down with a small grin "feeling better?"

"A-a little" he stammered relinquishing eye contact.

He didn't get up though, no he found some time ago that Himiko liked 'skinship' and giving lap pillows as much as any teenage boy would like getting one from a cute girl. And though its sort of embarrassing Izuku couldn't deny he very much liked Himiko's lap pillows, he would've liked it better in private but that's just the kind of person his girlfriend is.

Oh was it failed to mention that Himiko is officially Izuku's girlfriend?

His mind pondered this as she ran her hand through his curly green-tinted hair while humming.

'This is nice' he thought.

And very much needed, especially after the anxiety induced few weeks he has been experiencing.

It all started after the faithful night of Himiko's confession and his subsequent acceptance to start dating his friend. His mother had given the news that detective Tsukauchi visited her in the day and told her that Yamaha, the boy whom he mistakenly attacked was found dead in his home.

Izuku later found out much later that the police found him drained of almost all his blood which was missing. That raised his paranoia through the roof and he kept his head on a swivel for days, going to school and coming back home which was inconvenient since he literally just got a girlfriend. It wasn't long until the paranoia was toned down thanks mostly to Himiko herself who worked wonders in calming him and his mother down.

So he was ready to restart his training, which was about the time he hit his second speed bump. His training ground which was virtually cleared of all trash had now become a popular hangout spot for couples. On the bright side with a girlfriend now he still had a legitimate reason to hang around the place, not that he bothered anymore.

Luckily by that time he had devoted most of his time to training with Silver Fang so it was more of an inconvenience rather than a setback.

However recently a string of murders have gotten him on edge, granted it wasn't anywhere near their neighbourhood but if you ask him it was too close nonetheless. Especially since his mother has to commute to and from work in that general area.

'At least there are more heroes patrolling the streets now.'

But still…

"What are you worrying about this time?"

Izuku looked at Himiko's face, a frown adorned it "it's nothing"

"You're a terrible liar Izuku" she said frankly without a hint of mirth "now tell me" she lowered her head, her hair falling down in a shower of golden strands.

Izuku bit his lip and tried to turn away but she gently nudged his head back to look at her. He would avert his eyes but that became harder to do with how progressively close she got to take up most of his vision. By the time he finally caved their noses were touching

His eyes closed in bliss yet the nagging feeling of worry still plagued the dark recess of mind.

\

"Goodbye Midoriya-san"

The single mother responded in kind towards her coworker having finished for the day she headed out and made her way to the bus stop. It had been a miracle she managed to find a well enough paying job after she moved from her old neighborhood. She had only managed to break even with the money she gained from selling her old house to buying another. Luckily it hadn't taken that long and she was able to receive her first paycheck in conjunction to when she had to pay utilities.

It just seems like her luck has gotten better ever since she moved. After the horrible incident with her son and Katsuki she had been wracked with guilt. She always suspected her son was being bullied, at one point she was convinced of it but she has a perpetual weakness to her son she would put her faith in him that he would confide to her his problems.

He did not.

She felt guilt at not only finding out too late but also hurt that Izuku had not told her of this so she could do something about it sooner. Later she would learn he didn't want to make her worry, Inko was shocked.

Worry?

Worry!?

Inko knew she was a worry wart but that was just ridiculous and at the same time it was sad. Sad in how her 9 year old son perceived her to be so weak that she couldn't handle a bit of worry. The fact that he would perceive her to be a worry-filled dependent person instead of a strong adult role model made her equal part sad and upset. A parent was supposed to protect her child from the dangers of the world, not the other way around.

It was all her fault though, she was always like this, she let the pressure of the outside world get to her, she couldn't hide it from her son, never thought to really. Why would she ever hide her feelings? She was his mother, a responsible independent woman raising him by herself.

That had to count for something right?

No it does not, not to Izuku and not so soon. He wasn't old enough to understand the concept of everyday sacrifice, the most he could tell you about self sacrifice is the sacrifice a hero makes every day in saving the life of civilians. But not the sacrifices a modern single mother makes in raising her child. She could not blame him for his ignorance he was still a child despite his keen intellect.

She hated it.

Not the thought process of her son (she could never hate him) but of her own weakness perceived and actual. Inko was aware of her short comings, she was not a strong woman, not physically or mentally but she could at least try to persevere if not for herself then for her son. Heavens know she had been through much in her life, an abusive household, a husband who abandoned her at her time of need.

But everything was worth it whenever she looked on her child's face. Izuku had also been through much despite his age and for now he has become stronger for it and Inko in turn has become from that. The enthusiasm Izuku exudes on an almost daily basis in the Midoriya household is infectious.

She has never seen Izuku smile so genuinely this frequently and for once it wasn't about another hero. No the rant like speeches he gave around dinner time about discoveries in a new Quirk was all him. His accomplishments, his discoveries, how he could apply them was all him, Inko had never been so proud. Izuku was a shoe in for Yuuei because if the school was raising heroes and heroes inspire the public then Izuku was already one step ahead of his peers.

That's right Inko wasn't afraid to admit it if asked, her son, her little boy was her inspiration!

He inspired her to better herself in a way that she didn't think was possible for a 14 year old. Inko was now more confident in herself, enough that she was able to swallow her self-consciousness of the past and join Izuku in his morning exercises. She could tell he held back for her which would have been a blow to her pride except she was too busy being in awe that Izuku could do this amount of rigorous training every day without fail.

The thought pushed her to new grounds, which gave her a sense of accomplishment that in turn boosted her confidence. It had been a month since she started Izuku's training which also extended to a change in diet and things have been looking up for her ever since. She'd even noticed a few of her male co-workers giving her looks now which was flattering but she wasn't ready to start dating again, not yet.

Maybe in a few years when Izuku becomes a pro hero she might consider.

In her musings she had arrived at home and as always she was the first, Izuku operated like clockwork and with the recent murders he had taken to arrive before sunset as per her instructions. She would expect her and Himiko back any minute now, yet another blessing to have been bestowed on the Midoriya family.

Izuku had a girlfriend.

It was something she dreamed of happening but being the type of person he was she hadn't bothered to hold her breath. Then she met Himiko Toga, she was a strange one, not in a bad way more quirky than anything. Inko could tell the girl had an infatuation with her son, the way how she would smile wider when talking about him was almost like she was swooning when she mentioned how hard he worked.

Then the very next day they were a couple. Now that came out of nowhere. She had expected them to take it slow but she had come to realize that Himiko was the type of girl to take what she wants. She liked her son, then she confessed to him and there was no way Izuku could reject her and they have been together ever since.

It was nice having someone else looking out for her son and even helping around the house. At least this time she could see that the girl had only good intentions and wasn't secretly doing anything nefarious behind her back. Izuku was a different kind of nervous whenever talks about their time together came up in conversation.

'Ah young love'

By the time she entered the house the sun had already set, Izuku and Himiko would be home any minute now so she went upstairs to her room to take a bath. Even though it was routine for her at this point she paused to look around, something felt off. It wasn't something she could visibly identify but there was something wrong here. The feeling increased the further inside she got to the point where her heart beat faster.

Inko was nervous, she'd had moments like this before, particularly when she was alone. Inko Midoriya was no stranger to fear but there would always be a prevalent explanation for her feelings. Right now it just felt wrong…off.

"Hrr"

Inko jumped, almost squeaked in alarm when she heard the faint sound coming from behind the door to her room. Sweat formed on her brow, the fear reaching a fever pitch, she started retreating with her gaze still fixed to the door.

*CRASH*

Something smashed through the door and Inko froze as the 7 foot tall man wearing a dark hood turn towards her. She couldn't see his face but she could feel his eyes roaming over her increasingly shivering form. For a split second their eyes meet and he grinned, Inko was greeted by jagged, disfigured teeth as the man advanced at a brisk pace.

Inko didn't think for a second, the moment he twitched she ran, descending the stairs as fast as she's able towards the door. Something impaled her leg and she fell down the rest of the flight of stairs. She ended up crashing the back of her head on the wall, her vision was blurry and her ears rang but she could make out words being spoken by the man.

By the time her vision cleared se saw him making his way down at an almost leisurely pace, her leg was bleeding and useless. She didn't care and pulled herself up beginning to limp to the door. She didn't make it two steps before something impaled her other leg and she fell flat on her face. Looking back she whimpered when she saw the instrument of her disability rip itself from her leg and back into the man's mouth.

It was a tooth, he was using his teeth to attack her.

"Flesh…so…pretty…" she heard him growl

Tears started running down her face as she made to crawl away, the path to the door not more than ten feet away seemed to stretch on for miles. Her palms were impaled next and a screamed tore through her mouth. She felt several more of his teeth impale her body causing her to lose her voice. The combination of pain and unbridled fear caused her mind to slowly shut down to preserve itself.

"Show me more…flesh..so…pretty"

Inko fell unconscious in a pool of her own blood.

\

Himiko and Izuku walked hand in hand with a smile their face and skip in her step at least in Himiko's case. Izuku was still recovering from the passionate make out session Himiko (once again) instigated in the backyard of the dojo. He didn't really know how much time had passed- one moment they were watching the evening sun the next thing he knew the sun had gone down and Silver was in the process of throwing them out his dojo.

So it was that Himiko started to basically lead him home while he sorted his mind out. Months of dating and he still couldn't get used to some of his girlfriend's quirks but in his defense her kisses were frequent and frankly out of this world. It's now a known fact at school that he has a girlfriend which is inconvenient because a lot of people (jealous guys) kept hassling him about it.

Apparently it was against the laws of nature for a 'Quirkless loser' to have a girlfriend let alone a cute one. And they made sure to confront her on that since he's Deku then it means he must have an angle…lies, money, blackmail etc. As if he could even do any of those thing to Himiko. He went to defend himself but Himiko beat him to the punch and the looks on their faces when she was finished tearing into them verbally (with a cheerful fake smile) was something that would forever be ingrained in his memory.

Priceless.

Also the look on his face when she capped her award winning speech with a deep kiss in front of the already broken boys (and every single passer-by) would be something forever ingrained in their memory

Also Priceless.

At least for a while anyway, Izuku wasn't afraid to demonstrate the fruits of his training if the need arises, which thankfully didn't. The one silver lining about this school compared to his last was the zero tolerance policy it held when it comes to Quirk abuse and bullying. They tried to get him outside of the school in some misguided revenge plot but that plan went south when Himiko gave them the look.

Even Izuku was scared of the look and why shouldn't he? Himiko can be scary when she wants to be.

Speaking of Izuku had noticed the gradual slow down of their trek the closer they came towards the house. Then they stopped as Himiko took the time to observe the building, all the lights were on, nothing seemed out of place but Himiko still looked suspicious.

"Himiko?"

"Something's wrong" her eyes narrowed as she approached.

'Something stinks' she thought actually smelling the air lightly 'like…!'

Without another word she ran the rest the way with Izuku following close behind "Himiko what's wrong!?"she didn't answer and instead opening the door, both teens froze at the sight that greeted them.

Inko Midoriya laid sprawled on the ground with her eyes closed, a hooded man in dark clothes hovered over her, his long, jagged disfigured teeth were covered in blood. Izuku froze in shock and fear as the man regarded them, Himiko on the other hand acted immediately, her expression blank she leapt across the room and landed a flying kick across his face.

He flew with the force of her impact and Himiko landed "Izuku get her out of here!" she shouted reaching for her thighs only to curse as her boxcutter was not there, it hasn't been for weeks now.

Her eyes drifted to the kitchen where she knew the cutlery was located before cartwheeling away from a string of teeth that seemed to follow her.

"Don't get in my way…I want to see her innards!" the man shouted.

Himiko ignored his crazed outburst and made her to the kitchen only to be barred by a several rows of teeth that sprouted jagged spikes in her direction. Himiko back flipped away though she got knicked on her arm and chest. The wounds were superficial though so she paid them no mind as she now had another problem, the man isn't as stupid as she thought.

'Dammit, I'm no good without a weapon' she cursed leaping back only to hit a wall.

With trepidation she realized the man had her covered on all sides. A bead of sweat rolled down her face as she saw the crazed look of manic glee and hunger in the man's eyes.

"Let me see your insides" he drooled and the teeth surrounding her speared forward.

Not a moment later they were all smashed apart by a giant black tentacle that swept the room and coiled around the man. Himiko's shocked gaze instantly turned towards Izuku and she gasped. The very air around him was warping, twisting in black like a stain on white, his eyes were a dulled black-green.

"I-Izuku?"

Himiko felt a shiver go down her spine when their eyes met, then he looked down at the motionless Inko before uttering two words that had her suppress another shudder.

"Take her"

Then all hell broke loose.

The lights were the first to go, the bulbs within the vicinity spontaneously exploding in a shower of glass and sparks. The second thing to happen was for the man to retaliate or try to anyway Izuku pulled him close and with a giant fist made of shadow punched him through the room. Izuku followed after him deeper in the house in a concentrated swirl of darkness that seemed to swallow the lights as he glided towards the maniac.

Himiko didn't think twice, she went to Inko's side ignoring the sounds of battle to check on the woman's injuries.

'Shit, he severed an artery in her leg'

That seemed to be the source of most of the blood on the floor but it wasn't the only one. There was a large cut on her back near her spine that looked to have been carved out.

"I want to see her innards!"

The words echoed in her mind and she scowled 'that bastard!'

She wanted to kill him, she wanted to stab him with a butcher knife so many times-not even for the blood, just to see the light leave his eyes.

There was a louder crash and Himiko left Inko for a moment to see that both Izuku and the maniac were gone, she could faintly hear sounds of conflict outside.

Taking a deep breath Himiko forced herself not to pursue 'Izuku can take care of himself'

She went for the phone but hesitated upon picking it up, Himiko had an abhorrence for police but a quick glance to the dying woman on the floor made her change her mind.

\

Meanwhile Izuku felt like a third wheel inside his own body. The moment he saw his mother face down in a puddle of blood something in him snapped. It all went downhill from there, his mind became semi-lucid, darkness creeped at the edge of his vision yet his body moved of its own volition. The sensation was jarring, Izuku had control yet he didn't feel in control of himself.

It was like he was playing a videogame character of himself. The only thing he could do was guide his body into doing certain actions and hope it gets carried out. They do in a way but it's usually hit and miss and not in the way he had hoped. The only thing that does seem to register as the prime objective and side objective for him in this game called life were the following:

Defeat the villain.

Avoid the light.

And dark Izuku seemed to carry out these objectives with brutal (in)efficiency.

That's the thing about not being fully in control Izuku wasn't nearly as good as he could be in this situation since his brain's orders seemed to pass through a muddled filter. All the training he did with Silver was rendered moot, his brilliant mind had been muted and any plans he might've had were effectively thrown out the window.

On the other hand the man, though obviously insane was a good fighter. He easily had Izuku beat in speed and maneuverability while Izuku had more raw power but without proper coordination he was at a disadvantage.

Izuku was knocked to the ground where he rolled away from being skewered and thrust his palm out sending a thick shadow tendril the man moved away from at the cost of some of his teeth formation. He seemed unperturbed though as the broken off teeth seemed to grow back and attack with a vengeance.

He leapt away using the shadow to propel himself from the onslaught before he got caught in luminance of a street light.

"Ah!" he hissed in a moment as his power weakened.

The moment of weakness was all the man needed to get him, Izuku made a wall of shadow but it hardly made a difference. The teeth speared through his barrier and pierced through his shoulder and leg, he screamed out in pain. A tentacle smashed the lights out and coiled around the offending object.

Like ink it traveled until it ended up at the source, then without preamble slammed into his face, violently ripping out two his teeth at the root. The man yelled in pain but was coherent enough to leap aside from the follow up. He retracted his tooth regarding the teen more warily than before.

Izuku ripped the appendage from his person, his powers already cauterize the wounds, not that he needed his limbs. Using several tendrils he slowly rose, his eyes now more pitch black and staring into the soul of a maniac. Suddenly all the streets lights went out in several smashes in their vicinity encasing the area in darkness.

\

"Come again and be careful out there!" the store manager warned.

"Thank you" she greeted walking down the street.

Things were a little hot right now, especially for women with the string of murders going around. Her pace was faster than normal as she made for home, she could see that the streets were empty, in fact there was an entire section devoid of light.

'A power outage'

Weird since the entire block is powered by a single fuse box, if there was something wrong with it then she would have needed her night vision goggles to continue walking. Not that it really mattered, she wasn't even headed in that direction so whatever was happening wasn't her problem.

A body was sent flying from a dark corner and crashed into a car with enough force to cave in the metal door and obliterate the windows. She froze then pressed herself to the corner when the person pushed himself to his hands and knees. Her bags were dropped the moment she saw something fly out the dark and her hands fumbled around the pocket of her cargo pants.

'Come on, come on…' finally she took it out.

A makeshift tazer gun of her own design, it could charge up enough voltage to take down someone with thick skin…in theory. Although her theory was correct since it did take out that one guy with a brick-skin Quirk.

Mutterings from the guy caught her attention, she cringed once she got a good look at him. He was beat up real bad, his face was disfigured, had a few teeth missing, blood was staining his clothes.

She felt sorry for him…up until he noticed her looking and his eyes widened in manic glee in conjunction with his teeth.

Before he could fully stand though a giant fist made of darkness smashed him back into the car earning a startled gasp from her. The appendage slithered back into the darkness and out came someone else. He was short, shorter than her, his back was hunched and he seemed to drag his feet.

Not that she noticed what with his features literally being shadowed by darkness with writhing tentacles here and there. Her breathing became ragged as she backed away but that was the wrong thing to do as the walking silhouette paused its advance to the downed man and slowly inclined its head in her direction.

She let out a gasp at the visage of abnormally dark eyes staring at her, the street lights flickered as its entire body turned in her direction. She held up her trembling hands pointing the gun at him.

"S-stay back"

It inclined its head at the rather toy-looking gun then at the girl before reaching out its hand "I-"

She pressed the trigger and five barbs sprung from the mechanism onto its chest charred by 30,000 volts of pure electricity. The electricity was actually visible as it sparked off its body in arcs. Through the lightshow and agonizing screams that made her cringe she could see the shadow peel off of him like smoke off a fire.

By the time it was finished the now revealed young boy with unruly black-green hair was blasted back by the force where his body crashed to the ground in a boneless, smoking heap. She stayed at that position for a while trying to get her trembling under control when she heard a groan.

With a click she discharge a five pairs of quadruple-A batteries, hissing as the smoking material hit the ground, she had to knock one out of the cartridge as it basically melted inside, all the while she kept the boy's prone body in sight. She loaded up the makeshift ammunitions, fumbling a little with the last she clicked the cartridge into place and held it up towards the boy who had now began to move.

"Ugh…" he slowly began to shift his slightly twitching body.

She could hear sirens coming from the distance and getting louder. Despite herself she couldn't help but smile at the situation she stumbled upon. She could practically see the headlines now. She wasn't stupid, a string of murders happening and she just so happens to stumble upon an attempted murder.

This had headlines written all over it and with the publicity she could-

Her monologue paused as the other guy woke up, she completely forgot about him.

"Hey guy are you okay?" she questioned still keeping her eyes on shadow man.

He didn't answer, his breathing was ragged and but she could have sworn she heard him mumble under his breath. She still didn't pay him any mind mostly because the boy was finally on his hands and knees breathing hard. He looked up with bleary eyes clearly not all there and she paused.

Why does this guy look so familiar to her?

After a few moments she realized 'no way.'

"Midoriya-san?"

The name seemed to jolt him into awareness as he looked to her but just as quickly his eyes darted to the side and widened in panic.

"Look out!"

She spun around aiming her supercharged tazer but didn't get a chance to fire as something impaled through the gun forcing her to let go and drop back on her butt and scramble away. Looming over her was the previously thought victim, his mouth filled with deadly lengthened jagged teeth that seemed ready to stab her.

He tilted his head to consider her before rows of teeth converged like a released arrow. She saw it coming in slow motion her vision zoomed in to the point where she could make out the gross finer details. Then she was tackled to the side narrowly missing death but obscuring her vision as she landed on her chest. There was a grunt and a bright light followed by an explosion and shout. She was literally shaken from her terror induced stupor as her vision returned to normal.

Midoriya had a fiercely determined look yet at the same time she could see his fear.

"I-it's going to be alright, I'm here."

He was acting brave, trying to be a hero-but he wasn't a pro, he was just a kid like her with no training and if the rumors were true then he was worse off than she was.

His hands lit up with two glowing orbs of light that he threw at the incoming rows of teeth "run away, I will hold him off."

She scrambled back but didn't immediately leave "you sure about that? No offense but you just took 30,000 volts to the chest" he glanced at her "oops?"

He rubbed his chest with a grimace "so that's what that was" he mumbled.

"Sorry"

"It's okay" he cut himself off when he attacked again forcing Izuku to whip out a shadow tendril to scoop her up and another to yank them away via street light.

'What kind of Quirk is this?' she saw him throw balls of light and now he's whipping out dark tendrils- 'no way'

\

'30,000 volts!? How am I still alive?'

That is by far the most his durability had been tested which was a shock (no pun intended). Although it explains why he's feeling pain in his chest, it was difficult but not too difficult to breathe and the constant movement wasn't doing him any favors and that was while his dark Quirk was numbing most of the pain.

That much power applied directly to someone's chest could stop someone's heart a couple times over, how did she even manage to get a weapon (because he saw one) like that? She was his age.

"Gah!" he fell short but didn't dare drop the girl and instead ducked into a dark corner making sure to kill the street light.

He was really hoping the police sirens would deter the criminal while he gathered his bearings. He could still push himself but he didn't want to press his chances against a psychopathic villain while he wasn't at one hundred percent. He kept his ear out in case they were followed but once the coast was clear he leaned against the wall and slid down with a huff.

He really felt like taking a nap right now.

He yelped when someone grabbed his shoulder but calmed once he came face to face with the girl he had saved.

"I-is he gone?"

Izuku swallowed "I'm not sure. Stay here."

"Are you out of your mind?"

'Maybe' he thought but didn't deign to answer the question.

"Should've brought the flashbangs" he heard her mumble.

Flashbangs?

He regarded her with a confused expression from his peripherals before they widened in shock. She turned a second later in time to see a wide open maw of razor sharp extending teeth closing in on her face. To Izuku's surprise instead of freezing up (as he would've likely have done) the girl did an impressive dive to the side narrowly missing the deranged man.

Izuku reacted in that moment with his expression schooled in conviction he did an uppercut putting all his weight behind it and with a mighty yell of "SMASH!" a giant fist of shadow leapt from the ground and crashed under his chin, knocking out most of his teeth and knocked him into the air.

In the brief rain of teeth and blood the man miraculously gained consciousness two storey's up and a pair of his teeth latched onto to the two buildings.

He glared hatefully at the small panting boy with blood dripping from his toothless gums "you…hinder me…no more, DIE!" his mouth opened impossibly wide and teeth shot out like missiles.

"Die!"

Izuku's fist balled and he cocked his fist back as a pool of shadows gather beneath his form.

"PLUS UUULTRAAA!"

The moment he let his fist fly, a shadow twice as large as his body shot from the ground temporarily obscuring his body and formed into a giant fist that easily smashed through the sharp teeth like they were Styrofoam. The fist impacted the man sent him through the side of the building where it soared across the street and landed with a dull crack.

For a moment he laid still then twitched-

BAM!

A shadow fist stomped him down where he remained unmoving and Izuku released his dark powers feeling the warmth returned.

"Is it over?"

Izuku nearly jumped at the voice but was truly too tired to react much.

"I think so" he turned to look at the girl "a-are you alright?"

"I'm fine but" the girl looked him up and down "you don't look so good."

He didn't feel so good either, the edges of his vision were growing darker.

"I thought you didn't have a Quir-hey!"

The remark sounded sarcastic but at that point Izuku was too far gone and he fainted.

\

Katsuki's fingers drummed against his leg, he was anxious and just a bit scared. He hated that fact, fear wasn't something Katsuki was accustomed to. Oh he had a taste of it in his younger years and that one isolated incident with his mother not so recently (which will not be remembered) but nowadays Katsuki would usually curb stomp his fear into the ground and double tap it with an explosion to make sure it knew its place.

Now the sonuva bitch was back with a vengeance and this time Katsuki didn't have the means to put it down. It's not like his fear (god he hated that word) was a person or object he could fight/kill and it's not like it was internal so he could rationalize. No the worst kind of fear for someone like Katsuki Bakugo wasn't fear for himself, it was fear for someone else.

Beyond those doors leading to the ICU Inko Midoriya was in the middle of surgery. Apparently she suffered from some a few yet lethal, she lost a lot of blood, had internal bleeding and- Katsuki would rather not think of the exact details.

And during all this Katsuki noted that Izuku wasn't there with them in the lobby but Katsuki wasn't too worried about him oddly.

That idiot was probably in another room being treated for stupidly trying to protect her from the villain.

He wasn't surprised that his guess was partly right and Izuku was in fact unconscious in another room in a separate wing being treated for his injuries and exhaustion from overuse of his Quirk. Katsuki didn't go to see him because he's pretty sure if he did see Deku's face he would most likely finish what that villain started.

It didn't matter that Izuku not only stopped but defeated a villain/psycho/serial killer/cannibal and it didn't matter that he managed to save another civilian while he was at it. What did matter to Katsuki was that the little fucker left Inko bleeding out on the ground of his living room to do it instead of calling the cops.

If Katsuki was being honest he felt disappointed and confused but mostly pissed he would do that, just left his own mother to go be a hero to someone else.

What. The. Fuck?

This was all explained to him by his mother after her enquiry to the lead investigator, the would-be victim, her parents and Izuku's…girlfriend.

What. The. Fuck!?

Katsuki had no business prying into someone's romantic life (least of all Deku's) but that particular revelation made the man pause and at that moment he felt the universe shift right around him. Now that conversation took place roughly an hour ago, the girl Deku saved was long gone and since Katsuki absolutely refused to see him he has been stuck waiting in the lobby.

Up until a few minutes ago his mother and Deku's girl (he didn't bother learning her name) were with Deku. He said a few minutes ago because they had seemingly gotten tired of seeing his sorry ass. In reality visiting hours were about to be over and they wanted an update on Inko.

Thankfully the doctor informed that she was now stable and will make a recovery, Physically. Inko in Katsuki (and his mother's) opinion was an emotional mess most of the time and is the one person they knew who was even worse than Deku (because who did he get it from?). If her son getting into a dangerous fight was enough to have her move as far from the neighborhood as feasibly possible then how must worse would she be after almost getting killed?

Katsuki cursed under his breath.

This family was going to be death of him.

"It's terrible"

Katsuki red gaze turned to the only other teen presumably his age, Deku's girlfriend he reminded himself- then there was that feeling of how wrong that felt or maybe it was just her. Looking at the girl now, tall, blonde and fairly pretty with worry in her yellow slit-like eyes Katsuki was genuinely surprised that this was that idiot's choice for a girlfriend.

If one were to ask him on a very, very, very good day who he thought someone like Deku would end up with then Katsuki would probably answer "he'd go for someone like his mom or someone like my mom."

No, he does not have a complex with mothers or mother-types it was simple psychology from what he has observed from types like Deku. The only female he was remotely comfortable with was Inko so it was reasonable to say he would seek out a meek girl who fusses over everything like her.

Or if he was a glutton for punishment (or secretly a masochist) like his father then he would attract someone like his own mother, someone who wouldn't put up with his crap and straighten him out, though that could be 50/50. For some inexplicable reason in spite of his mother's attitude his father somehow had her wrapped around his finger despite being a complete pussy.

He would never understand girls and at this point he didn't care to anymore.

Speaking of girls, she had been staring at him for a while now and it was starting to piss him off.

"What are you looking at!?" he snapped.

He gave her credit for not flinching like most would, instead she gave him an appraising look before she spoke "Izu-kun was right about you."

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?" he demanded.

She answered nonchalantly "oh nothing" she looked to the sky in a whimsical manner "I should go now, places to be, someone to see" with that she took on a leisurely stroll humming a tune while her hands flexed behind her back.

Katsuki felt a tingle go down his spine at he last word as she departed. She wasn't normal not like a regular girl should, at least he's sure regular girls don't react the way she did towards him. Somehow Izuku had detracted from his expectations yet again, it was an insignificant thing but this girl was anything but. There was something decidedly off about the girl who claims to be Deku's girlfriend.

If that is even true.

"Hey!"

She paused and looked over her shoulder curiously.

"Just who the hell are you anyway?"

He wasn't expecting her to smile at him "I'm Izu-kun's girlfriend of course" she answered as if she was talking to a child.

"I want a name dammit!" he snapped, getting more and more pissed at not being taken seriously, at being underestimated, at

"Himiko Toga" she answered easily though with finality as if she expected (at least to Katsuki) that he would acknowledge her.

He didn't.

Katsuki spat at the side and turned his back to her obviously finished with the conversation though she wasn't apparently.

"Bye-bye" Katsuki almost rolled his eyes at the childishness in her voice "Kacchan" Katsuki froze in place.

No one absolutely no one called him that name since kindergarten. The childish nickname had been lost to the ages and frankly it felt insulting to be called such, he hadn't been a kid for a long time. The only person who he would allow to get away with it were his family and only the older ones or Inko and by grudging extension once upon a time Deku.

For her to call him that and in such a way that it sounded intentionally mocking was an affront to his pride. There was no question who she had learned that nickname from and he could swear he heard the little shit laughing to him now. The thought made his palms started sweating in preparation for an explosion, his expression had a nasty snarl as he whipped around ready to show her just why Deku had moved away from their old neighborhood.

He wouldn't hurt her of course but he would renovate that smirk off her face for sure. Except that he didn't, couldn't actually because Himiko Toga was nowhere in sight the second it took for him to turn around after she spoke not ten feet away from him. Katsuki's bewildered expression slowly melted away as he straightened his posture and look around.

There are a number of definitively plausible reasons why she could up and disappear but Katsuki refused to dwell on them. He wasn't about to spend any more of his energy thinking about Deku or his girlfriend. Inko was safe, the criminal was caught and Deku would live to be defeated by him another day.

Everything was as it should be.

\

The Next Day

"The villain serial killer, dubbed Moonfish, responsible for a string of recent murders was found dead this morning in his containment cell. The inmate who was slated for death row was discovered by the escort security team with his throat and wrists slashed. Sources in the Coroner's office confirmed that the cause of death was severe blood loss. One of the officers on duty for the night watch was allegedly found unconscious outside the facility having apparently been knocked out with his personal effects being stolen-"

The television clocked off.

"Well Himi-chan, it looks like you've been a busy girl."

To Be Continued…


Author's Notes: First of all I would just like to apologize for how long this chapter has taken, I wanted to release it by the end of August but stuff happened that made me have to stay away from all my stories. Plus today-well yesterday- was my birthday and thought I would do something special for myself.

Second of all WOW this story is now the third most followed story of the fandom, HOLY SHIT! I'd like to say I would take the high road and be like 'it doesn't matter how many people follow I write because I enjoy it and fuck who doesn't likes it' but really while I do enjoy my work I would be an asshole not to consider how other people find it and seeing a lot of follows and favs and especially reviews lets me know I'm doing something right.

Thirdly, so ends the exciting second year of Izuku's middle school adventures, one more year to go. I've wanted to introduce another character from the show whom I think has potential and could be used here and I'm sure some of you have already guessed who. As for the person at the end, yeah he's an OC, I'm pretty sure the manga isn't going to go in depth into Himiko's past though I am curious and not just for this story.

There are so many questions I have about that girl like her age. Himiko does not seem like a 15 year old kid, 16-18 maybe. Aside from that I want to know where she got her training, you don't learn combat skills and espionage like that from being a self taught runaway. And while she doesn't have much acting skills for her targets Himiko is a freaking badass, she has to be if she managed to get the upper hand on Eraserhead in their brief encounter.

You probably won't see this story updated until Christmas if at all, enjoy.