This was fine, he thought as he walked past a masked man freneticaly moping the floor. Red. Red everywhere, he saw.

This was fine, he thought as he was he took the blade from the man's gloved fingers. He couldn't cry, not anymore. For her. Overhaul was a scary man, but he couldn't risk making him mad. For her. For her.

This was fine, he thought as his little sister whimpered in front of him. She was used to this, too used to actually cry. This was fine, this was fine. It was for her, after all. For her. But... why?

Red. Red everywhere, he saw, and this was fine.

This was fine, and nothing was wrong. He couldn't see why, but they always told him so. They told him it was for her, so it was.

For her. For his sister.

They hurt her. They tortured her, they took her blood. They would make a whole bunch of other people suffer with this same blood.

He hurt her. He tortured her, he took her blood, for her sake. A terrified little girl, and this was fine.

He heard her cry, finally, as he leaved her alone in her cell. The broken sobs of a broken liitle girl, to scared to make any noise louder than a whimper.

She had to be happy, he thought. He did what they told him to do, what they told him to do for her. It would make her happy, because... because...

This was not fine, Izuku realised, but what could he do?

.

"Izu... Why are you d-doing this?" she asked him the first time, a long time ago. Back when she still cried, and screamed, and beg. Back when she could still smile for him, if only a little, after Overhaul was gone and everything was over. She was a little girl, a long time ago, and not some sort of broken tool. This was when he swore he would do everything to protect her.

Eri, his little sister, his sun.

The light of his day, his only joy after he was diagnosed Quirkless.

A crying little girl, a sobbing mess, an empty puppet.

A walking corpse, pleading for it to stop.

Pleading for death to come and claim her.

Izuku could still remember what he told her that day. Empty words, he now realised. "To create a better world. To create a place where nobody have to suffer like I did, like we did. But don't worry, Eri. I will protect you."

He flashed a smile, after that, a fake, empty smile. Back then, he couldn't even save his little sister when she cried. He couldn't stop Overhaul has he broke her again and again and again. He couldn't stop himself has he strapped her to a chair and cut her.

He started to bandage her arms and legs and she stared at him blankly. Brokenly. Eri looked at her brother and saw a stranger. Another puppet in Overhaul's plan.

She didn't cry.

.

Eri escaped.

She ran as fast as she could, but her body was small. Her legs, her arms, they were small and couldn't run fast. She was running, but only fear kept her standing.

She hadn't eaten in days. Her throat was dry and she could taste the blood, her blood, on her tongue, and how she hated that blood.

That blood took her her life, her body and her sould, but most importantly, that blood took her her brother.

Her brother Izuku, Izu, whom she couldn't even stand the sight of anymore. He was a scary man, now, and only her distant memory kept trying to remind her how he used to smile. It was painful.

She was used to pain.

Eri escaped her prison, her broken past and her memories. She escaped her brother's broken, empty eyes.

Perhaps she let a few tears roll on her cheeks. She left Izu behind.

But that was how selfish she was.

.

"Then find her," the man known as Overhaul said, and only fellow members of the Shie Hassaikai could hear the treath in his tone.

Eri had escaped. Izuku had been suppose to watch over her, and she had escaped.

Ran away.

Maybe you should run away too.

Izuku kept his head low. He had to find her, his mind said. He had to let her go, his heart said.

For her.

Do what is best.

Some people would tell you to follow your heart, but like always, it was Izuku's mind who won the battle.

.

Eri bumped into a girl.

The girl had a strange aura around her, like she could protect her. Eri was so selfish to think she would want to help her. She was a curse. She killed people. That was what she did.

The only thing she was good at. Really, she should thank Overhaul to give her a chance to do something good with her curse.

But right now, she couldn't. Because she was scared and a coward.

And because for the first time, she had at least a little bit of hope.

.

Overhaul had told him to find Eri. Eri was slow because she was weak. Weak because she was cursed. Cursed because... because what, after all? Who decided that kind of things? Izuku didn't know, perhaps it was the same person than the one who decided he was worthless because he didn't have a Quirk.

How stupid.

But it was true, and he was here to follow orders. Because he was weak too, and worthless.

So he searched. He arrived at an alley about five kilometers away from the base. Eri may be weak, but she was perseverant. It wouldn't surprise him if she was here.

Surely enough, he found her. Holding to a girl like a lifeline. She was crying.

Izuku remained in the shadows. He was close to a populated area, and he couldn't afford to make scene. He had to take Eri back from the girl without her doubting his trustworthiness. So Izuku watched.

The first thing he noticed was that the girl, whom he did not recognise, was in fact not alone like he had first thought. A blond man was standing next to her glancing warily at Eri as he made a phone call. He was wearing a suit.

Lemillion, Izuku recognised. Work at Nighteyes agency, has a quirk that let him phase through matter itself. Has taken on a large amount of rank D and C villains. Threat level: 8/10.

The second thing Izuku noticed was that the girl was twisting a lock of her short brown hair nervously while holding Eri with her other hand. She looked like she had no idea what to do. Threat level: 4/10. She was still wearing a hero suit after all.

The last thing Izuku noticed was that the street behind them was almost empty of people. That was all that it took for him to reveal himself. He had to take Eri back or else Overhaul would kill him and take her himself.

As soon as he stepped out of the shadows, he felt Lemillion's gaze on him. Izuku ignored him, focusing on his goal.

Eri.

They couldn't help her. The heros couldn't help her, he had to do it himself. That was what he was always said, anyway. It was always implied. Always.

"Eri," he said simply. Izuku watched as the brown haired girl finally seemed to remark his presence. Eri immediatly tensed between her arms, and of course, she was scared of him. He couldn't place why that thought made him feel both disappointed and sad.

He kept his poker face and repeated. "Eri. You have to go back. Now."

The brown haired girl looked at him in confusion. "Eri look scared." She said hesitantly. "Is everything alright?" Her sentence trailed at the end, as she seemed to notice something. Her gaze fell to his neck, were his plague mask hang loosely. The girl muttered something and Izuku was suddently hyper-aware of another stare on him.

Lemillion's eyes were piercing, but he smiled as he looked at Izuku, clearly trying to plan his next move. If Izuku had to guess, he knew very well about the Shie Hassaikai's real goal. Which would make his next move fairly interesting to watch.

"Hey, I recognise that mask! Are you part of the Shie Hassaikai?" he asked pleasantly. Look like he had chosen not to get involved right now. This was for the better. Really, Overhaul wouldn't like it if he fought here.

"I am, actually," Izuku replied emotionlessly. "Could you give me my sister back?"

Eri whimpered. The brown haired girl looked at Lemillion, who frowned. "This is your sister?" he asked slowly, as if not sure. This was actually getting on Izuku's nerves.

"That is what I said. Eri, you have to go back or else Chisaki will throw a fit," at the name, Lemillion's smile grew strained and the girl's gaze sharpened.

"But Eri doesn't look fine," she stated. "We could take her to a hospital to-"

"Uravity, we should hand him Eri back now," Lemillion's tone grew urgent.

"No! She needs help! I can't just-"

Izuku sighed and changed his approach. He had no choice if he wanted Eri back anytime soon. It was for her, he had to remind himself as he nonchalantly removed his glove, knowing fairly well that even if he wasn't Overhaul, the move would activate something within her.

Eri's eyes snapped open and she ran back to him, shaking slightly as she moved. Sometimes Izuku really thought she was an idiot, after all the horrors she saw, she was willingly going back to 'save' two strangers. She was to weak to even stand without shacking. Overhaul could do anything to her in that state, and yet, she went back.

Izuku wanted to cry.

Maybe that's what pushed him, at that moment, to talk. "Five kilometers away to the east. That's where they hide." He continued his way without looking back to see Lemillion and Uravity's shocked faces.

He could hear them talking behind his back, and he looked back once only to saw Lemillion slowly raising his hand back to his hear. A phone. After all that time, it was only now that he realised that Lemillion never ended his call when he arrived.

Izuku could only hope whoever was on the other end wasn't anyone too important.

.

Ochako could only stare as the green yakuza boy disappeared in a dark alley. She could still hear Mirio talking to Nighteye on the phone - no doubt he had recorded the whole disscution. A weird feeling of unease was rapidly growing in her stomach. She was a Hero, damnit! How could she not do anything as a distressed little girl was snatch away from her by someone who was probably the source of this stess? The boy might have helped them- well, probably, anyway- to locate the Hassaikai base, but yet...

She knew it was for the better. Long term thinking, Ochako! Come on!

It didn't help her feel better.

.

They planned. They planned for a whole week, until they were ready.

Ready to raid a Yakuza base, to destroy everything on their way until they reached their goal.

Ready to save a child.

.

Izuku was in his bedroom when ther riot broke up there. Far away from the entrance, far away from Overhaul and far away from Eri's cell. He sat on his bed with a small 'thump', looking at his wall without emotions.

Where the Hero's here for Eri? After a week, he had convinced himself he was an idiot to believe someone might want to help her- help them- at all. Had he been wrong?

Maybe, maybe not. It did not bother him, not anymore. They probably just came here to fight. Nobody ever wanted to save her- them- before. Why would anything be different now? Even if they did come here for them, he would end up in a cell for his entire life after they find out what he did to his own sister. He was an horrible person, he always had been.

So he waited. He heard fighting, shouting and the clash between metal and metal. He heard laughing from the Eight Bullets and alarmed cry from the policemen. He felt the walls and the ceilling shake and he was sure Mimic was using his quirk- along with the boosting drug, of course.

He heard with clarity when Overhaul used whoever's quirk- and one member down, at least- to call Eri back. Had the Heroes rescued her? Was she safe?

Pobably not, and he was being an idiot again. To think they could beat Overhaul was absurd. They would be slaughtered.

Thinking about Eri almost made him actually move from his spot to go and get her. Almost, because he knew a Quirkless idiot like him was only good to follow orders- not to give them. Even to himself.

The fighting stopped, at some point, and he couldn't tell who had won. He didn't want to know, either. Nothing mattered anymore. So he stayed and watched the wall with a blank face, hoping whoever was with Eri would keep her safe, wether it was a Yakuza member or not, he didn't care. Why couldn't he keep her safe himself? he wondered, and he didn't know the answer.

Had he been so scared of Overhaul that he forgot all about his sister's safety? He did not think so, but he was never good with that kind of things.

He shouldn't be surprised, after all.

What did surprise him, however, was when Lemillion, along with Uravity and some other heros and policemen, burst into his room as if expecting some kind of attack. Or resistance, at all. How laughable.

So the Heroes had won? That was good. Maybe. He turned to look at them, still without moving from his spot. "Are you here to arrest me?" he asked, and they seemed to hesitate. Lemillion made a sign to the other officers and that left him alone- exept for Uravity, who for some reason didn't move- with Izuku in the room.

Both the Heroes' gaze lingered on his mask, who was still hanging around his neck because he hated to wear it, before they talked.

It was Uravity who broke the ice, a determinated look on her face.

"Are you alright?"

Izuku blinked. Did he heard that right? "You know I'm a villain, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, I guess..? You didn't seemed evil when you gave us your base's location."

Ah, that. Maybe that was why he wasn't already shoved in a prison cell. Still, she looked kind of hesitant as she said that, as if unsure of herslef. He listened to Mirio as he explained the procedures and how they were going to get him to a hospital.

Well, he guessed he could bear with that.

.

A week. That's the amount of time he had to wait before he could do about anything. Apparently, Overhaul's methods were a bit more destructives than what he thought. He was bedridden with tubes into his arms and chest since the moment he arrived to the hospital.

During that time, Uravity- or Ochako, he learned- visited him daily. She talked about her school, UA, or her friends pulling stupid stunts to annoy their teacher, even bearing with his stubborn silence. His talking resumed to asking about Eri once in a while, and then listening as Ochako explained her progress. She was doing great, he was said, and her horn was shrinking. He barely noticed when two knock on his door announced someone's presence.

Izuku looked up as Ochako entered the room.

"This is the last time we'll see each other in a while, Izuku. The internships are finished, so I have to get back to UA. I promise to visit, though!" she said with a beaming smile, and Izuku's heart warmed up a little.

Ochako sat down on the wooden stool next to his bed. "And I brought this, since hospital food is so boring and flat. Thought you might want some freshness after all this processed junk!"

She then managed to pull a whole fruit basket out of her bag. The brunette probably noticed Izuku's startled look because she added: "I might have exagerated. But I don't think you mind, yeah?"

He shook his head slowly, eyes still on the basket, and reached to take an apple.

So many memories in a single red fruit.

Apples were Eri's favorite, he remembered. Their mother would remove the peel so she didn't choke on it, and then she would ask Izuku to help her cook dinner before their father came back from work. They would bake pies in autumn. Eri always asked to lick the spoon after they were finished, and their mother would let her because she asked with such adorable puppy eyes.

Then Eri's Quirk manifested, and she must have really spooked their mother out, because she let them both to Overhaul's care. For the better, she said. That's when he became the monster he was.

Izuku didn't realised he was crying while looking fixedly at an apple before Ochako asked him if he was alright.

"I really messed up didn't I?" he asked softly, not bothering to respond. He slowly put the apple back in the basket. Ochako looked at him with a puzzled expression, so he continued. "She used to smile all the time, before her quirk manifested in such a violent way. After that, I didn't even tried to help. Her quirk scared me, probably, I was so young. I would listen to Overhaul blindly, whatever he asked. He told me I was doing it for her, and only now do I realise he was lying." He looked up from his hands to the window. "I was turned into a monster without even realizing it."

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," Ochako said hesitantly, probably trying to make him feel better.

"Believe me, it was worse that that. Do you know what he would do?" Izuku looked directly into her eyes. "Tie her to a chair with metals bands. Cut her and collect her blood until she fainted. After that, he would kill her and bring her back with his quirk. Restart. They filled bags and bags of her blood before they let her go. Then they brought her to her cell and let her alone for weeks, barely feeding her." He paused, his eyes unfocused. "I let that happen. I helped them."

Izuku didn't saw Ochako's face draining of colors during the story, his eyes to blurry with tears. "How can I even hope to atone for this?"

They both stayed silent for a while, lost in thoughts. A nurse came in, at some point, but backed off the second she saw their faces. Thy must look like living deads, Izuku chuckled without humor.

"You should talk to Eri, when she's ready," Ochako suddently said. "I'm sure it would do both of you good."

Izuku smiled. Maybe he would, after all. He couldn't predict the future.

.

After that day, Ochako called him to talk daily. She even put him in contact with some of the other kids in her class, wich was pretty nice of her. She came to visit a couple of times, introducing him to friends (Kirishima was a nice guy), but less often because of work.

Mirio came too, a couple of times. Something to do with losing his quirk to Overhaul. The bullets, Izuku knew, were quite powerful. There was a cure, though. He didn't knew what was up with that, but didn't asked. The Heroes knew their stuff. If they didn't cured Mirio, they probably had lost the blue bullets.

Anyway, Mirio updated him about Eri and even invited him to some sort of festival at UA.

A week later, he was given permission to visit Eri for little bits of time each day. She seemed to be doing much greater than with Overhaul, which was unsurprising, but still a relief. She wasn't as bright as she was before the Yakuza, but Izuku didn't expect her to be.

Eri, he learned after a couple of days, was still uncomfortable around him. The first time he went, he was told to leave after a mere minute. But the times after, Izuku could talk to her and she would respond. Mirio animated most of the conversations, though. He would be a great hero, quirk or not.

Izuku could not be reintegrated to society anytime soon, neither could Eri be. They were still learning the basics of the world, a place completly different than what Overhaul told them.

They went to UA's festival. Eri learned to smile again. For the first time in forever, Izuku could finally say it without lying. This was fine.

He couldn't hope for anything better.