"This will be your room, for now," Kurogiri told Izuku, opening a wooden door and showing the teen inside. The space was tiny, but it was private and that was all Izuku could hope for at the time, "We'll be heading out in a few hours."

"Thanks, um… Yeah, thank you." Izuku told the other man, stepping into the room and letting Kurogiri close the door behind him. He'd been briefly introduced to the League downstairs, but he didn't know much about anyone except for their names.

They probably don't care, Izuku thought as he flopped down on the bed. He had no idea just how he could even talk to the other members of the League. He'd never been great with new people anyways, so he closed his eyes and told himself to sleep a little before the mission.

But, for better or for worse, there was a knock at his door.

The door was open before he had a chance to say anything, and he could see a very happy Toga already walking towards him. She'd been the most thrilled out of everyone to have him here, so he wasn't that surprised.

"Toga! I- uh, what are you… doing here?" He all but squeaked, sitting up and pressing himself against the wall as Toga flopped down on the center of the bed, bouncing excitedly as she crossed her legs.

"I just wanted to talk to you! You just came upstairs so fast, you didn't give us the chance to speak!" She gave him a playful pout and he responded with a nervous chuckle. She really was too much.

"O-ok. Um, what do you wanna t-"

"How bad were your injuries after Hosu?" She interrupted, her eyes shining, "The videos didn't really show but you looked really bad. Do you have any scars? Can I see them?" She was like a child, making the mattress move under her as she got close, and Izuku looked around like a cornered animal. There wasn't even a window to jump out of.

"I, uh, Toga, wait!"

"Let him breathe, you crazy girl." Izuku turned towards the door, the sight of Dabi and Spinner in the doorway almost bringing tears to his eyes. He was saved, thank God. Toga didn't look too happy about the new visitors.

"What do you want?" She asked, her tone suddenly cold. Izuku didn't know which side of her he feared the most, to be honest.

"We want to talk to him, too." The burnt man said plainly, stepping into the room and taking a seat on the only chair available. Spinner simply leaned against the wall, not coming as close to Izuku as the other two had but still looking at the teen with intense eyes.

"Wait your turn!" Toga said, her demeanor switching back to that of a love-struck teenager. She clung to Izuku's sleeve, but the other two made no move to leave. She stuck out her tongue.

Izuku cleared his throat, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.

"So, um… What do you need?" Izuku tried meekly, hoping that the atmosphere would clear if they talked. Maybe if he answered their questions, they'd let him sleep for a while.

"You've been traveling with Stain for a year now, right?" Dabi stated, and Izuku nodded, "How did you two meet?"

Izuku hesitated, unsure of how to start. He had no idea of how much these people knew about him, though he suspected they knew a lot more than he'd like. He looked at the three figures in his room, all of them with curious and expectant faces, and he finally sighed.

"We crossed paths when he attacked his first target in Musutafu, and then again a few days later. We talked."

"About?"

"... His beliefs. His work." Izuku said after a while. He wasn't ready to share all of the things they'd spoken about back then. Dabi narrowed his eyes, but it was Toga who spoke next.

"What's he like in person?!" She pulled at his sleeve and Izuku laughed nervously. Spinner looked very interested in the answer.

"Stain? He's… serious. Focused. Incredibly passionate about everything he does. He's a great teacher, he's honest, he…" Izuku coughed, suddenly embarrassed at how he was sounding. He was ranting. Dammit. But none of the others seemed to mind so he quietly added, "He's incredible."

"Why did he let you join him?" Spinner asked, his tone surprisingly curious. He didn't sound like he doubted Stain's logic and Izuku took that as a positive.

"I… I don't know that well, to be honest. I think he saw that I believed in him and that I was willing to act upon that belief." It was odd, speaking about his relationship with his mentor in this way. He didn't feel good enough to really share all of his thoughts and feelings, but a small part of him saw something familiar in the people around him. At least, in the three in this room.

"You didn't kill anyone in Hosu. Have you killed before?" Dabi asked, his monotone making the question sound weird. It was almost like he was asking about the weather. Izuku swallowed, aware of the looks they were all giving him.

Should he lie? Would that get him anywhere? He had nothing to prove to these people at the end of the day, but he was unsure of how they would react. If he said yes, would they ask for details? Would they test him later to see if he really had taken a life before? He held Dabi's gaze steadily, even forgetting about Toga clinging to his side for a few moments while he thought.

"No. I haven't."

They all looked genuinely surprised, though they showed it in different ways. Spinner raised his brows and even stepped closer, Dabi crossed his arms and Toga loudly asked how that was possible.

"In a whole year not even one person?" She asked, like the idea itself wasn't compatible with life. That was a little worrisome, but Izuku decided to not judge her too much for now.

"There's been no need. I'm more of a support, I guess."

"He never asked you to kill anyone? A target? Some random person?" Dabi asked and Izuku tensed slightly.

"He'd never attack a random individual just to test me like that. That'd go against everything he believes in." He sounded defensive and everyone noticed, but they didn't comment on it.

"Well, what about a hero?" Spinner tried, looking slightly uncomfortable. He didn't seem like the confrontational type, at least when it came to talking.

"It's not like we didn't talk about it, or that I didn't want to. It just never happened."

There was a short silence amongst them, and Izuku looked down at his hand in deep thought. He'd been ready to kill back in Hosu and maybe if Endeavor and Kacchan hadn't ganged up on him like that, he might have been able to kill his old friend. The idea didn't shake him anymore and that spoke volumes to him.

Slowly but surely, he'd changed drastically from how he used to be.

"What did you think of Endeavor?" Dabi asked, snapping Izuku out of his thoughts. The teen's mind was suddenly flooded with memories of fire and blood.

"Me? He was powerful, strong. But he always looked so… angry, didn't he? Like he hated even the people that he was helping. Nothing like All Might."

"And Stain?"

"Oh, Stain hated him. He considered killing him a win." Dabi loudly chuckled at that, seeming amused with the response, and Izuku smiled briefly.

All the people in his room looked in the very least satisfied with what Izuku had said so far and that put him at ease. He hadn't known what to expect of the League at first, but these three seemed approachable enough. Izuku guessed it'd be ok to ask some things of his own.

"Why did you all join the League?" He asked, eyes shifting between the three individuals. He didn't expect them all to answer 'Stain' at the exact same time, almost like they practiced beforehand. Izuku blinked.

"Wait, really?"

"After Hosu, everyone knew that you guys were with the League. We wanted to meet him." Spinner explained with the first smile Izuku had ever seen on him. He seemed to be the quiet type.

"Him and you!" Toga added, beaming as she held onto Izuku. She'd been glued to his side for so long that he was almost getting used to it. Almost.

"He's inspired a lot of people. We want to turn his ideals into a reality." Dabi finished, tilting his head with a small smirk. They all looked genuine and happy, and Izuku found himself liking that. These people were a lot more like him than he expected.

"And the rest of the League?"

"They don't really care," Dabi shrugged, "Most of them just want to wreak havoc or kill whoever they want. They want freedom."

Izuku frowned slightly. There were seven people downstairs and, assuming that all of the League had been present when Izuku arrived, that was over two thirds of the total members that apparently only wanted to destroy whatever they pleased. Izuku could already imagine Stain's expression, how disgusted he would be when he found out that he'd have to work with people like that.

He's gonna kill all of them as soon as he gets the chance, Izuku thought bleakly. He glanced at the people around him, knowing that he couldn't even hint at the fact that Stain might turn against the League as soon as he was free. If Shigaraki suspected anything, they wouldn't rescue Stain to begin with. So he kept his mouth shut.

Thankfully, Toga spoke up next, her cheerful voice distracting Izuku a little bit.

"So, what's your blood type?"

The plan was relatively simple. Kurogiri would warp them in, they would divide in pairs to search for Todoroki and whoever found him first would report to the rest. The League had been keeping an eye on the Todoroki family ever since the incident on Hosu and they knew who came in and out of the house on a regular basis.

Cops had been keeping patrol the first few weeks, and apparently pro hero Hawks came to visit every couple of days now. The two older brothers of the family went out some times, but not too much. The only real worry at the moment was the possible appearance of the newly assigned number 2 hero, but he was currently on the other side of the city apprehending some bank robbers. This was their shot.

And, if anyone arrived unannounced, Kurogiri would bring in Moonfish to help. Izuku was glad that the man wouldn't join them in the mission, since he seemed the most psychotic member of the League.

They all walked through the black portal in silence, the other side opening to a small alley sandwiched between two stone walls. The area seemed to be residential, and Izuku guessed that the stone barriers protected two different houses. The sun was just setting and the teen sighed. He was feeling a lot more anxious than he'd like, the weight of the situation heavy on his shoulders.

He hadn't trained properly in months and if anything went wrong, he might never see Stain again. If the man was moved to Tartarus, it would become impossible to rescue him. This had to go according to plan, no matter what. He had to work with all the people assigned to this task and make it work.

He'd been partnered up with Toga, Magne was with Spinner, Dabi with Mustard, and Mr. Compress was with Twice. Izuku hadn't had the chance to speak to half of the people present, but he guessed he'd have time for that later. He had to trust them for now.

"I don't like how I look in this." Toga said, tugging at the neckpiece of her uniform. They'd all been given different things for the mission, ranging from gas masks for everyone, to complicated looking equipment for some. Toga and Mustard were the ones with the most elaborate outfits in the group, and the girl didn't seem all that pleased.

"It's to take advantage of your quirk. Stop complaining." The youngest member of the group told her, the oxygen tanks on his back looking absurdly big on him. Izuku wondered how old Mustard was.

"I'm not complaining!" Toga responded, adjusting the equipment on her back, "I'm just saying. It's not cute."

"I think you look fine," Magne told the girl with a supportive smile which Toga immediately returned. She then turned towards Izuku with an expectant look and the boy waved his hands in front of him.

"Yeah, you look good, Toga." He offered hesitantly and Toga's smile grew in size. Magne gave both of them a look but said nothing else.

"You all got your masks?" Dabi asked, to which everyone nodded, "Then put them on. Let's do this quickly."

Just as Twice was half complaining about the mask and half encouraging Mustard on his role in the plan, Spinner grabbed Izuku's shoulder. His mask was shaped differently to accommodate his face, and Izuku would only barely see his eyes behind the goggles.

"Here. I know they gave you one at the bar but you can never have too many."

Izuku was presented with a long serrated knife and a short sword, both shiny and sharp looking. The teen blinked, looking at Spinner for a good second until the other shrugged.

"I have a bunch and you left your things in that house, so..."

Izuku perked up slightly, taking the blades and twisting them in his hands expertly. He immediately felt more at ease and smiled. He let out a long breath, the metal in his hand feeling like a little lifeline. The two of them hadn't been paired up for the mission and Izuku was suddenly a little sad about it. In all truth, he liked Spinner so far.

"Thank you, Spinner." Izuku thanked and Spinner gave him a thumbs up.

Toga was at Izuku's side in an instant, her eyes sparkling even behind the goggles of the mask.

"I'm excited, are you?" She asked him and Izuku just nodded slightly. He still couldn't get a proper read on the girl.

"Let us begin." Compress said, and everyone started moving without another word. Mustard was the first one to jump over the stone wall, a pink-tinted gas emanating from his body already, and everyone else followed suit.

The Todoroki household was absurdly big. Now that it only housed three people, the mansion looked more inconvenient than it did luxurious, the absurd amount of space and rooms probably unused all the time. But it was a nice house, with wooden finishes and a big courtyard in the middle.

Much like a smoke machine, the gas from Mustard's quirk filled the area quickly. They only had to wait a few seconds before the atmosphere was thick with the fumes and by the time they followed the young boy into the house, it was even hard to see around them.

They split into the preassigned pairs, Dabi staying with Mustard in the central area of the house so that the gas would be the most effective. Toga and Izuku headed upstairs quietly.

He hadn't noticed before, but Toga had a little bounce to her steps even at moments like this. He could see it as she walked up the stairs and down the hallway. They checked each room they came across but found them all empty. All but the last one in this part of the house.

The room was spacious and it had the same traditional style that the rest of the house had. On the ground, in between a lamp and a rustic looking chast, was a body. They approached the unknown person, Toga even leaning down to poke at them. It was a young woman, her white hair speckled with red strands, and she was already unconscious from the gas.

"She's cute," Toga said, poking the other girl on the cheek and giggling.

"How toxic is this gas, anyway?"

"Mustard said it wasn't lethal." Toga shrugged. Izuku, just in case, checked for the girl's pulse. Toga giggled again, leaning forward to look Izuku in the eye through both their masks.

"You care about people a lot, don't you Midoriya? Even if you don't know them?"

Izuku blinked. He couldn't see Toga's expression but her voice had a slight edge to it. Like she was going to laugh at any given second.

"I suppose I do."

"Why is that? I expected Stain's successor to be far more vicious." Toga stared at him as she balanced back and forth on her heels. Her voice was so innocent that Izuku hesitated for a good second. Was that an insult? Curiosity? An opinion? There was no way to know for sure.

Izuku checked the unconscious woman's breathing one last time before he stood and Toga followed suit.

"She's just a civilian. It'd be wrong to hurt her just to accomplish our mission; we'd be just like our targets if we acted like that."

"Is that something Stain taught you?"

"Not quite," Izuku sighed, giving Toga a sideways glance, "But it is an important part of his philosophy."

Toga hummed in response, following Izuku as they made their way out of the room and down another hallway. They opened another door and came across a big gym and Toga was just about to say something when the ground beneath them shook.

It wasn't strong enough to get them off balance, but Toga reached out for Izuku regardless and he instinctively held her arm. The trembling was followed by a sound that promised nothing but chaos in another part of the house and both teens immediately made their way towards the ruckus.

Izuku already knew what was happening as soon as he started seeing pillars on ice on the stairs, but he was still surprised at the scene that greeted him in the living room.

Todoroki Shoto was still awake somehow and he was currently shooting ice constructs in every direction that he could. Two very different Dabis were melting them as fast as he could, but Todoroki was quick. Magne was completely entrapped in ice on the ceiling and Twice's leg was also trapped. Spinner was chipping away at the frozen prisons and Compress was nowhere to be seen.

"Just keep him busy, he'll go down eventually!" Mustard said as he shot at some of the ice walls to get rid of them. The only reason he wasn't shooting at Todoroki himself was because Shigaraki had asked for the teen to not be harmed during the mission.

Toga and Izuku immediately jumped in to take advantage of the element of surprise, but they had barely moved when an ice barrage came their way. Todoroki wasn't even looking at them, but the attack effectively hit them both and sent them flying against a wall. This kid was strong.

Izuku hit not only the wall but some random piece of furniture that broke on impact. He got up as fast as he could and turned towards Toga, ignoring the pain on his burnt side.

"You oka-" He wasn't even done with the question when he froze at the two things that greeted him. The first was the fact that Toga's mask had been broken by the attack, the cracked piece of plastic laying on the ground a few feet away. The second was the absolute bloodlust shining in Toga's eyes at the moment as she glared at Todoroki.

He couldn't see it because Toga was covering her mouth, but she was smiling wickedly as she coughed.

She got to her feet, knife in hand, but she swayed to the side because of the gas she had already inhaled and Izuku caught her before she could fall. He took a deep breath, held it, and then removed his mask to put it over Toga's own face. The crazed look in her eyes disappeared immediately and she instead looked at Izuku in surprise.

He said nothing, instead turning to look at Todoroki. The boy was struggling by now, his eyes unfocused and his attacks much weaker, and Izuku saw an opening. He rushed in, throwing one of his knives close enough to the other teen's face that it made him turn towards Izuku in surprise. There was the briefest hint of recognition in the boy's eyes before Izuku hit him in the stomach with the hilt of his sword, effectively knocking the air out of his lungs and making him inhale sharply.

"Y-you…" Todoroki half said, but his eyes soon rolled back in his head and he fell limply to the ground before he could finish that thought.

"He's down." He heard someone call behind him and all at once, the gas dissipated. Izuku allowed himself to breathe once more, a little surprised at how quick Mustard's quirk could come and go.

Spinner finished freeing Twice's leg from the ground and the two Dabis got to melting Magne out of her predicament and just then, Mr. Compress opened up a hole in one of the ice walls and walked through.

"He's a flashy fighter, isn't he?" Compress told Izuku as he walked up to the unconscious teen and touched him, the boy all but disappearing and apparently turning into a tiny, turquoise ball of glass.

"This should be easier to carry, don't you think?" The man asked Izuku, clear satisfaction in his voice as he offered the surprised teen a small bow.

One Dabi was talking into the communication device in his ear, and Kurogiri was soon to appear at the scene. When Magne was freed from the ice, the Dabi that was helping her melted into mud and Izuku finally knew why there had been two Dabis to begin with. Twice's quirk was incredibly powerful.

Izuku recovered his tossed knife and then turned towards Toga, who was leaning against the wall. She was standing and the mask was off, but she was breathing heavily and her cheeks were more flushed that usual. The gas was probably still in her system, Izuku thought as he approached her.

"Toga?" Izuku tried, unsure of whether the girl would want help or not. He had a lot of experience with people not accepting support and he didn't want to overstep any boundaries. But the girl smiled and reached for him, and Izuku immediately helped steady her as they walked towards the portal that Kurogiri opened for them.

She clung to him tightly, far more than she needed to be able to hold herself up, and she stayed like that even after they made their way back to the bar.

"What's wrong with her?" Magne asked worriedly, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Her mask broke mid-fight and she inhaled some of the gas," Izuku answered quietly, very aware of the shakiness in Toga's breathing. He put the knife in his hand on the bar and used his now free hand to hold Toga better.

"Take her upstairs," Shigaraki instructed, the marble that was Todoroki Shoto in the palm of his hand, "We need some space down here, so you should all go with them."

Only Compress, Dabi, Kurogiri, and Shigaraki stayed at the bar and the rest of the team went upstairs. Magne and Spinner joined Izuku and Toga in his room, Twice and Mustard staying by the stairs to try and listen to what was going on downstairs.

Mustard assured them that the effects of the gas would pass naturally in a few hours since she'd only inhaled a small amount, but Izuku still laid her down in the bed so that she could rest.

"How do you feel?" Magne asked her, and Toga gave her a small smile.

"Tired. A little dizzy, too," the girl giggled and then, almost as an afterthought, she added, "Maybe some blood would help."

"Blood?" Izuku asked, not sure if he had heard properly.

"My quirk allows me to turn blood into energy if I drink it," Toga explained cheerfully, "And I can also turn into the person that the blood came from."

"Do you really think that would help?" Magne asked and Toga nodded.

"I always get a small boost when I do that," She had this innocent, puppy-like expression on her face, like the very thought of using her quirk made her feel better already. Izuku looked around at the other people in the room, but neither had anything to say or offer. Izuku gave the girl a long look, her hand clutching his shirt weakly, and he reached for one of the metal pieces of Toga's outfit before he had any chance to really think about what he was doing.

"How does this work?" Izuku asked Toga, already rolling up his sleeve to stick the needle of the metal tube in his arm.

"W-what are you doing?!" Spinner stammered, clearly freaking out about what Izuku was so nonchalantly doing, but Izuku just waved him off.

"She needs it." Was the only answer, and Toga pulled herself into a sitting position with the widest smile Izuku had ever seen in his life. She was like a child at Christmas, her eyes sparkling as she told Izuku to just stab himself with the needle and that the machinery would do the rest on its own.

She put on her mask, a deep blush on her cheeks as Izuku plunged the needle right below the crook of his elbow easily. Blood went up the little plastic tube and towards Toga's mask and the girl closed her eyes as she drank quietly.

It was bizarre to see her transform into Izuku, especially since she was still wearing her own clothes and a skirt, but Izuku found himself a lot more fascinated than he was uncomfortable. After a good minute, she opened her eyes and removed her mask, and Izuku removed the needle from his arm carefully.

"You're insane," Spinner murmured, eyes wide.

"Such a gentleman," Magne half-joked, and Izuku chuckled softly.

"How's that?" Izuku asked Toga and she beamed as bright as the sun.

"A lot better! Thank you, Izuku-kun!" Izuku blushed slightly at the use of his first name, and Toga hugged him so tightly that he half thought one of his ribs was going to crack.

"You're even better than I imagined you'd be," She mumbled into his chest, and Izuku just softly pat her head as Stain tended to do with him. She wasn't breathing as shallow anymore and the shaking of her body had gone down considerably, so at least he knew that the blood had genuinely helped her.

"How long are you going to be me?" Izuku asked her after a while, still trapped in her iron grip.

"As long as I can," Toga answered sweetly, her ecstatic expression looking odd when it was on Izuku's own face. He was almost sure that he had never smiled like that in his life. She was still clinging to him when, a while later, they started hearing a commotion downstairs.

There were screaming and crashing noises and Twice informed them that Todoroki was apparently very awake now and he was fiercely arguing with Shigaraki and Dabi at the moment. Compress had joined Twice by the stairs since he'd been asked to leave after he brought Todoroki back to his normal form, and not even he knew what they were talking about.

But the ruckus persisted for a long time, reaching its peak about forty minutes in and then going down considerably.

"He's in quirk suppressing cuffs, so he can't do much." Compress said at one point, when they had heard something shattering downstairs. They all wanted to go see what was happening at the bar, but Toga had refused to let go of Izuku and so he couldn't get closer to listen in.

They were alone in the room now and she was still clinging to him.

"How are you feeling? The effects of the gas should be going down by now." Izuku told her, hoping that he might be able to convince her to let go by now.

"A lot better." She answered in his voice, giving absolutely no signs of letting go anytime soon.

Izuku was just about to say that he had to go to the bathroom or something when he started hearing a bunch of voices coming closer to his room. Dabi appeared in the doorway, a frown appearing in his face at the sight of two Izukus cuddled up in the bed.

"Which one's the real one?" He asked, and Izuku raised his hand quietly, "I need you downstairs."

"Me? Why?"

"Just come with me," Was all that Dabi said, and Izuku had to promise Toga that he'd be right back to get her to let go, even if it was very reluctantly. She even offered to come with him, but Dabi and Shigaraki, who was now up here as well, shot her down quickly.

Izuku followed the burnt young man down the stairs, and they stopped right in front of the door that led to the bar. Just then Izuku noticed that Dabi had an off expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" Izuku asked.

"Shoto wants to speak with you," Dabi answered, the frown on his face deepening.

Shoto? Izuku thought briefly, but the intense look that Dabi shot him was enough to stop his thoughts. He hadn't known Dabi for too long (hell, he barely knew the guy) but he had only seen a bored, kind of aloof look in the other's eyes up until now. This look, heavy with meaning and emotion, was a complete surprise to Izuku.

"He recognized you today. He knows you were at Hosu with Stain and he won't say another word unless you're there."

"O-oh. Okay." Izuku nodded, still unsure as to what was happening.

Dabi stared at him for a long moment and Izuku struggled to maintain eye contact. He was momentarily relieved when Dabi looked away to open the door, but he was filled with anxiety as soon as his eyes landed on Todoroki's form.

He was tied to a chair next to the bar, the quirk suppressing bindings wrapped around his torso, and his eyes immediately landed on Izuku's own. He couldn't be sure from where he was, but he believed that the teen's eyes were red from crying, tear tracks still visible on his cheeks.

"Midoriya Izuku," Todoroki said, and Izuku swallowed.

What the hell had he gotten himself into?