The morning light hit Izuku right in the eyes, waking him up. He groaned and covered his face with his arm. Last night's event slowly crept their way back into his mind like black water and he had to stay where he was for a long while. He remembered blood, wounded blue eyes, and… His name. The name that by now must be on every newspaper and news broadcast in the city. Scratch that, the country.

He wondered if his mother had been notified of what had happened.

His back ached from sleeping on the ground and his neck felt stiff. He sighed and dared to look around him. Stain and he had stayed in an abandoned building and as bad as it had looked the night prior, it was worse in the light of day. The walls were cracking, graffiti decorating every inch of them. The windows were missing their glasses and there was trash on every corner. They weren't the first ones to stay there, Izuku guessed.

He sat up, his back popping loudly. Stain was nowhere to be seen.

They hadn't spoken much after what had happened, but he remembered Stain telling him to "stay put." so he had no intention of even looking for the other man. He stretched slowly and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

A part of him had thought that everything had been a horrible nightmare, like the ones he'd had since he'd broken his arm. A part of him had expected to wake up back home, ready for another pointless day at school. He chuckled to himself.

What would his classmates say about him today? He could imagine his teachers attempting to control their class in vain, everyone trying to talk over each other to get their theories across.

"Maybe the hero killer forced him!" Some would say.

"He's probably dead by now!" Someone else might suggest.

What would Kacchan say? He was the one who'd known him the longest, but he was also the one that thought the least of him. He'd probably think that Izuku had simply gone insane.

In all fairness, he was starting to think that himself. Three weeks ago he would have given everything to be like All Might, and today he was willing to follow a serial killer around like a little duckling. What had changed?

I did, Izuku thought, staring at his hands. He had to admit that he didn't feel as bad as he thought he would. He was probably still in shock but at least he didn't have the horrible urge to cry or curl up in a ball and give up.

Not knowing when Stain would be back, he decided to write about what had happened last night. Putting his thoughts down in paper always helped him get a better perspective of things. He reached for his backpack and pulled out his notebook. He realized that he still had his school supplies with him but he ignored them for now. Future Izuku could figure out what to do with those. For now, he wanted to clear his head.

He jotted down what had happened in order, all facts and no opinion. He wrote about Stain's quirk extensively, making his own little theories about how it worked and what it's limitations were. He wrote about Stain's ability to jump off a roof and not only not die on his way down, but the way he'd gotten two people right in the palm of his hand while he was at it. This man was insanely strong and the fact that he could do most of what he did without his quirk blew Izuku's mind.

It also filled him with an oddly pleasant feeling. Did that mean that maybe someday he'd be able to do something similar? He tapped his pen on the page, thinking.

He stayed like that until the sound of steps coming down from the roof snapped him out of his stupor. Stain joined him in the decrepit space.

"You're back," Izuku said dumbly.

"You're awake." Stain shot back. He passed by Deku and threw something at the teen, taking a seat by the nearby window and taking out his katana.

Izuku took the objects, noticing that it was a newspaper and a piece of bread. Stain had made headlines, as he usually did, but his name wasn't the only one in bold letters. Right over the picture of the boy they'd let go last night, was Izuku's full name.

Young teen seen accompanying the Hero Killer: Who is Midoriya Izuku?

He swallowed dryly. His mind debated on whether he wanted to know what the media had reported or not. But he remembered the blue-eyed teen from the night before and he gave in to his curiosity. He started nibbling on his piece of bread just to have something to do with himself whilst he read.

"Last night, pro-hero Conjurer was assassinated by the Hero Killer while on patrol just three blocks from the police station..."

Izuku almost spit out the food in his mouth. Had they been close to a station? Was Stain crazy?!

"... along with a UA student, age 15, whose name will be withheld for the time being. It was this student that managed to get away from the scene and into a nearby shop were authorities were contacted. Officers and other pro-heroes were quick to arrive, but the Hero Killer remains at large.

The young student gave a full statement to the police in which he described both the Hero Killer and a new, alleged accomplice. This new individual has been identified as Midoriya Izuku, a 14-year-old middle school student that has, as off last night, been reported missing by his family.

According to the witness's statement, Midoriya accompanied the Hero Killer during the crime and stopped the villain from killing the UA student, though he did not interfere in the murder of 41-year-old Conjurer.

It is unknown since when Midoriya Izuku has been with the Hero Killer, as no other witnesses have come forward to identify him and there is no evidence of the two having any prior relationship. His family has refused to give an official statement as of this morning, but it is known that the police are approaching the situation as a kidnapping case for the moment.

This leaves the total victim count at 24, two more since the villain's last appearance in Sapporo almost two months ago. The UA student attacked last night has been, thus far, the only victim to not need intensive care in the hospital."

Izuku scanned the rest of the article, but he only saw things about Stain and the hero named Conjurer that had died. They didn't go in-depth about the state of the body, but he was sure that some other graphic newspaper had published all the gory details. He shivered.

There was a small picture of himself at the bottom, a small smile on his face, and his school uniform visible. It must be a yearbook picture, Izuku guessed. He wasn't sure what to make of it. His mother and the police believed that Stain had him hostage, which only was true in the sense that Izuku couldn't exactly go home anymore.

He was sure that a bunch of people would conclude that the Hero Killer had simply gotten a sidekick and that the teen was just as guilty as the serial killer. At the very least he was glad that the other boy was fine and safe with his family.

"I told you," Stain said briefly while he cleaned his katana. Izuku could see bright red adorning the blade and he swallowed. It hadn't even been 24 hours but the Hero Killer had struck yet again. It would be about a week before Izuku would know that Stain had killed not one, but two heroes that morning.

"Yeah, I know. I expected as much." Said Izuku. He was amazed by the calmness in his voice. Was that a good thing? That he was calm after everything? Maybe.

"You seem tranquil." Stain commented, turning his katana over in the sun. It sent small reflections all over the room, "I expected you to be crying by now."

Izuku laughed which earned him an odd look.

"To be honest? Me too. But I think I'm okay, for now." He pulled his knees up to his chest and rest his head on them, following the little dancing lights that came from the villain's sword with his eyes. "I felt much worse after the incident with the Sludge Villain."

Stain hummed, changing his katana for a knife, and cleaning this one as well.

Izuku let his mind wander in the silence. He tried to imagine the police showing up at his house and asking his mother all sorts of questions. Would she tell them that he'd been getting home late for almost a month? His school had probably already clarified that both his "tutoring sessions" and "club meetings" were nothing but lies. What would his mother think about that? Would she even believe that he was with Stain willingly?

He felt his mind beginning to fog over, so he attempted to talk with his teacher.

"Stain?"

"Hmm?"

"How old were you when you became the Hero Killer?"

Stain stared at him. "Why do you ask?"

Izuku shrugged. "I'm curious."

Stain sighed and examined his knife closely. He was quiet for a long moment and just when Izuku thought he'd get no answer the other man finally spoke.

"I was doing things under the radar since before I was 20. But the public didn't call me Hero Killer until much later."

"How old are you now?"

"Thirty-one."

He's been doing this for over a decade, Izuku thought. He stared at Stain carefully, trying to see if there was anything about this man that ha hadn't noticed before. But there was nothing new. The lower half of his face visible under his mask revealed no scars, no apparent wrinkles or marks. His eyes were small, irises even more so, and looked as bloodshot as ever. His hair was long enough that, was it not for his red bandana, it would fall past his eyes.

"Knock it off, kid." Stain warned, meeting Izuku's eyes with some hostility, "I'm not your little attraction."

"Sorry, Stain," Izuku said, tearing his eyes off and letting them get lost somewhere along the wall. "I was just thinking."

"You should get out of your head." Stain pointed out after a pause, "I need you focused."

"For what?"

Stain got up and moved towards what looked like a plastic cooler with a fabric strap. Had that always been there? Was Izuku so out of it that he hadn't noticed? Stain opened it and pulled out a long strip of black fabric. He tossed it at Izuku.

"We're getting out of town. You better cover your face, just in case. And take off your uniform."

"What?" Izuku could feel himself waking up from his awkward aloofness. He was suddenly very aware of his surroundings. "Right now?"

"Yes."

"But," Izuku looked out the window. The sky was a nice baby-blue. "It's the middle of the day!"

"So?"

"W-wouldn't it be better to wait for nightfall?"

"It's best not to stay in the same place too long. Besides, by the time we make it out of the city, it'll be night already." Stain answered, giving Izuku an expectant look after a moment.

The teen blinked. This sounded horrible risky, in his opinion. But he still did as he was told, changing out of his school uniform and into the clothes he'd used for their last day of training. He stuffed the outfit in the bottom of his backpack along with the rest of his few possessions and he tied that black piece of cloth around his face like Stain had suggested.

He pulled his bag over his shoulders just as Stain was getting up himself, cooler hanging by his side. He examined Izuku briefly and then nodded, taking the lead. Just like that, they were outside in broad daylight.

They walked through back streets and alleyways, miraculously not running into anyone other than a sleeping homeless man with a dog. Izuku kept as close to Stain as he could, practically stepping on his ankles. He was nervous, far more than he thought he'd be. He had felt fine when he woke up, but the reality of what he'd done was finally catching up to him.

Anyone that even caught a glimpse of him could become a potential problem and there was no way he could just bounce up buildings the way Stain did to escape. If anything happened, he had no idea what he'd do. And that was utterly terrifying.

Had Stain been someone else, Izuku might have risked grabbing onto the strap of the cooler just for fear that he'd lose the man at some point. But he settled for just following quickly.

While they walked, the sun above them glided through the sky slowly, shifting shadows from one side to another and making them longer.

Izuku had panicked at one moment when Stain had stopped abruptly and had reached for his katana. Tense seconds had gone by without either of them moving. Then, in a blur, Stain had managed to get both himself and Izuku into a small space between two houses. He could hear multiple sets of footsteps passing by them and he held his breath. They stayed there for what felt like an eternity before Stain considered it was safe to come back out and keep going.

The same thing happened two more times and the poor teen felt helpless and paranoid. Izuku never noticed anything coming towards them, and that made him feel even more on edge. He felt blind and deaf.

But thankfully they didn't come across anyone directly.

They'd been walking for what felt (and probably had been) hours and Izuku felt exhausted both mentally and physically. He tensed at every noise he heard and more than once he'd reached for Stain, only barely stopping himself from acting like a four-year-old. But they were making progress, and so he pressed on.

Buildings had slowly stopped appearing around them and the sounds of the city had faded almost completely. Izuku could still hear some cars, a few people, sometimes even music but nothing like the hubbub of where he lived. That made him think of home.

Not wanting to think about that, he tried to think of something else. But in his mind only swam familiar faces, all looking at him with different arrays of disappointment and distrust. He wondered if his school had given any kind of statement or if they'd started acting like Izuku was never even a student there to save face. A small part of his mind even wondered if All Might knew, or if the man remembered him enough to even realize that Izuku was the same kid from the Sludge Villain fiasco.

The night gave Izuku and Stain a better cover and he wasn't feeling as nervous anymore, but he still stayed as close to the other man as he could without risking bumping into him. Stain had said nothing so far and the teen was glad about it. He felt a little safer with the villain close to him. He'd come to trust Stain in the past weeks.

And he was sure that Stain trusted him at least to some extent. He wouldn't have agreed to meet him otherwise, right? Not to say that he was guiding the boy through back alleys after what had happened the night before. Even with his face and name plastered all over town, Stain hadn't left him to his own devices. That counted for something, Izuku was certain.

He considered for a moment that maybe he was being naive, but he didn't think so. While Stain's reasons were a total mystery, he had yet to turn his back on Izuku. The teen smiled slightly, his eyes focused on his mentor's back as they walked.

He wondered if soon he'd feel confident enough to ask Stain about food or where they would stay the night. He hadn't eaten a full meal in over a day and his body was starting to complain. He was just considering about speaking up when-

"My name is Midoriya Inko,"

His mother's voice hit him like a brick. He froze midstep, eyes wide and unfocused. Had he imagined it? Was he that tired? But no.

"My son's name is Midoriya Izuku, he's only 14." The voice carried on with obvious difficulty. He wasn't hallucinating, even Stain had stopped walking at this point. But how? Where? He wanted to look for the source but he couldn't move.

"He went missing yesterday, but he was seen with-" The voice cut out, replaced by some irritating song that made Izuku turn his head towards the sound.

There was a red car passing by with its windows down, he could see past the entrance of the alley, and the voice had come from the radio inside. The car drove off slowly, taking all sounds with it. His mother had been on the news, already looking for him.

He felt like he was crashing.

He curled in on himself, falling to his knees and incapable of even making a sound. He cried in silence. He'd been so sure that he had made the right choice, that the rest of his life finally had some sort of purpose, that he'd finally found the one person that believed in him, but now…

He didn't know what to think. He was shutting down fast. He didn't know how to breathe, how to think, how to anything. He felt like he was falling into the void. His mother's voice had sounded so broken and sad that it physically hurt him.

Did he really think he could just vanish, him, an only child, without his own mother going out to search for him?

His chest felt tight like something was pressing down on it firmly and he had to cover his eyes to keep himself from getting dizzy. The world around him seemed both to stop and race past him all at once. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd had such a bad emotional response to something. Not even All Might's words -hell not even his father leaving had left him feeling so lost.

"If you want to go back, you're free to do so." Stain said lowly, suddenly very close to Izuku. "But that's something you gotta decide for yourself."

He heard steps getting further and further from him. Izuku bit his lip and, then, when it proved insufficient to hold back his wailing, he tore off his mask and bit the palm of his hand as hard as he could. He couldn't afford to make noise alone in the middle of nowhere, he knew that.

He was sure he had just torn open his hand, he could taste iron in his mouth and he was forced to let go before he ripped off a piece of his flesh. His backpack was heavy and his clothes felt horrible against his skin. Everything felt wrong. Even breathing felt incorrect but he had no control of his panicked inhales and exhales.

What had he done? He'd forced his mother into the horrible reality that she might never see him again, that her only son was either being held hostage by a murdered or, even worse, he had decided to leave with said man on his own accord.

Had everything he'd done in this past few weeks simply something that would hurt others? Had there been nothing to Izuku's decision other than his own need to feel accepted? Needed? Was Stain just a replacement for the ones that had failed him before?

Is that all?

He tangled his fingers in his hair and pulled, his forehead touching the ground.

He didn't know what to do. He didn't know where he was for god's sake. He'd followed Stain for ours without asking any questions like a lost puppy. He was on his own. His mother's voice echoed in his head painfully and he was about to scream as loud as he could when he ran his hand down his neck and he pulled at one of his many scabs by accident.

He inhaled as silently as he could, his eyes widening as far as they would go.

He was filled with tiny cuts and bruises, all in different stages of healing. Ever since he'd started training he'd been having to wear long sleeves to cover all of his wound, some of which he had given himself in moments of clumsiness.

"I don't know what to do!" He heard himself screaming in his mind "How am I supposed to do something on my own?!"

Izuku looked up, expecting Stain to be standing where he'd been weeks ago, towering over a broken Izuku but he was met by an empty alley. He thought of how hopeful, how sincerely optimistic he'd felt after meeting the Hero Killer and speaking to him and he felt something stirring in his chest.

For so long he'd searched for someone to tell him that he could , that he'd forgotten about what it felt like to be believed in. For the first time in years, he'd felt like his life had meaning, like even a quirkless nobody like himself could stand up and do something to better the twisted world around him. He had initially started looking for Stain in search of some sort of validation, but as the days had gone by he had moved on from that.

He hadn't followed Stain halfway across the city in search of approval.

No.

That's not it.

Izuku tensed on the ground, taking in a deep breath and trying to get his heart rate under control. He let his tears dry and he got up.

And then he started running.

He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, not caring if someone saw him of not. He ran past houses, past empty streets until he finally saw the open road ahead of him. There was a sign with the name of the city and a faded " Come back soon!" underneath and beyond it was the highway, dark and foreboding. But Izuku didn't stop. He ran and ran for god knows how long until he tripped on a rock and he went flying. He landed painfully on the ground next to an overpass, his hands and knees feeling like they were on fire. He heard a car pass by overhead and he suddenly felt like he couldn't move.

But still, he tried, tears streaming down his face. He had to keep going, he had to-

"What makes you think this was the right choice, kid?" Came the dry but wonderfully familiar voice. Izuku looked up and saw Stain's figure crouching in the darkness under the overpass. He could see nothing but a silhouette but it was Stain for sure and he was oh so glad. He saw the figure stand up and approach him slowly.

"What makes you think you're ready?" Sain asked. He sounded calculated but honest. He wasn't being sarcastic, he wasn't pushing Izuku around. He wanted the truth.

Izuku swallowed, pushing himself onto his hands and knees. There were tears still dripping down his face and onto the dry soil below.

"You," He answered hoarsely, "You do, Stain. I… You opened my eyes, you made me see that I can… I can do something. Even if everyone told me it was impossible, even if they told me it was wrong, you… you offered me something that I never thought I'd have, " He swallowed and looked up, his right hand clenched in his shirt, "And I believe you. Every word you've said, all of it… I just… I know you're right, even if it's hard for me. I just… I want to make a change, Stain, even if it takes everything I have from me. I want to fix everything that's broken out there, so no other kid has to…"

He broke down. Out here, he let himself cry openly. Stain said nothing but Izuku had spoken only the truth. He'd realized throughout the days that Stain was more than just a silly idol that Izuku needed. He wasn't like what other heroes had been to him before.

Those had been dreams. Stain was real. He was willing to guide Izuku down a path that, while not perfect, would lead him somewhere. Somewhere he now believed was right, necessary even. He truly believed in the man before him. And even if it hurt, even the world called him a monster, he knew he'd never feel right until he did it.

He didn't hear Stain move, but he did feel the hand that landed on his shoulder.

"Look at me." Izuku tried to focus on Stain's face but his tears wouldn't let him. Still, he held his head high. He knew Stain was looking at him intensely, he knew what was happening. The other man wanted to make sure Izuku wouldn't back out, that he had his heart where it had to be to go forward with what had to be done.

Or at least, that was what he assumed Stain was looking for.

"If you come with me, your life from this moment on will no longer be yours." Stain started. He was dead serious, but Izuku could hear the hints of passion he'd come to admire, "You will become a faceless existence that only takes action in the name of an ideology. You will shed and draw blood wherever you go, and that will be the only proof of your significance. You will take steps and do things that can never be undone or wiped away. You'll have to burn down everything you ever believed in."

"I know!" Izuku cried, his hand closing around Stain's wrist.

"And for what purpose?"

Izuku could finally focus on the red eyes looking at him. He thought of everything he'd learned, every single idea he had started considering like his own since they'd met.

"To create a more just society," Izuku said, loosely quoting something Stain had told him before. He felt something warm in his chest and smiled. That had been it, all along. What he'd wanted to accomplish his whole life. He knew that now.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, Izuku on his knees trying to get a hold of himself and Stain watching him close. The teen took one deep breath after the other until his tears stopped and his trembling subsided. Stain removed his hand from Izuku's shoulder and stood up, looking around. It had been a while since a car had passed by them and the moon was right over their heads.

"Can you walk?" Stain asked.

Izuku nodded and got up. His legs felt cramped, but he refused to show any more weakness. He would walk until dawn if he had to, he told himself.

"Come on. We have to get away from the road before morning."

Stain started walking and Izuku followed numbly. His body was past the point of feeling tired and he knew that if he stopped he'd collapse. They walked under the underpass and through a small field before making it to the edge of what seemed like the woods. The highway wrapped around the mountain in curves, dense trees already decorating the area. They had walked all the way out of town in a single day, Izuku thought briefly.

They made their way through the foliage in silence, Izuku following the sound of Stain's steps more than he was following his form. It was very dark. Izuku was ready to push himself far beyond his limits, but they only walked for a few minutes before Stain stopped. Izuku walked straight into the other man's back and he had to hold onto the bigger form to keep himself from falling.

"This is far enough, for tonight."

"You… Are you sure?" Izuku mumbled.

"Get some rest, kid." Stain stated softly. Or had Izuku imagined the tone in the man's voice? He was so tired that he might as well.

Izuku leaned on a tree and made his way down onto the dirt, not even bothering to take off his backpack. He ended up leaning against the tree trunk with his bag as a sort of backrest and even if he was uncomfortable, he didn't care. Sleep was already taking hold of him and before he knew it, he was out like a light.