By the time that the class arrived back at the school, it was over. They all changed in the locker rooms before going their separate ways. Midoriya barely finished changing when everyone else had left. The teen pulled his phone out when he felt it vibrate.

'I'll be late, Hizashis being an idiot. See you at home.'

Midoriya reread Aizawas text a few times before tugging his beanie on. He didn't know if the feeling in his stomach was exhaustion or happiness that followed the words but he found himself replying anyway.

'See you at home.'

After sliding his phone into his pocket once more, he grabbed his backpack. The teen found himself face to face with Bakugou. Izuku sighed deeply.

"Any possible way we can do this tomorrow?"

The other stuffed his hands into his pockets, "You said later. It's later. I already told my mom you're still alive."

Midoriya frowned, "Are you kidding me? Dude, come on."

Katsuki shrugged uncaringly, walking away from the locker room. Midoriya watched his back for a moment before sighing in resignation and following. He tried his hardest to ignore Katsukis shaky smirk of victory, punching the other lightly on the arm.

"I need food."

Katsuki made a face, "I'm not feeding you."

Midoriya shrugged, "Then this can wait."

Bakugou stomped his foot before pivoting and turned down the street that would lead to the shopping district.

Midoriya was glad that the other had the patience to wait until they were sitting down. But it seemed to come far too soon. Izuku avoided the others eyes, playing with the number card for the table. Suddenly, Katsuki rapped his knuckles on the tabletop loudly. Their eyes met, leaving the green haired teen to groan internally at the defeat.

"So… what the fuck was the problem? You and your parents up and leaving? Not a word? My mom fucking cried for weeks, shitbag."

Izuku bit his tongue from saying certain things. Like at least he still had a mom. At least he had a dad that wasn't an asshole. You know, the like.

He popped his mouth, glancing at the other before grabbing the offered tray eagerly and popped a fry into his mouth. He didn't know there were American fast food joints around here.

Fries were really good.

"Oi, asshole! I want answers! Now!"

Midoriya wiped his hands on his pants, popping another fry into his mouth for good measure. His head lolled, he really didn't want to talk about this. He was ready to sleep for two weeks but… a small part of him remembered playing with the other. Remembered the family dinners and –

And how close their moms were to each other.

He sipped his drink and spoke right before the other could (literally) explode.

"My dad cheated. For, like, years. My mom had enough of it after a while and got a divorce. Took a few years to save up for a lawyer and shit. We ended up moving to Kinoto for a few months before we moved to Tsubani."

Midoriya ate another fry, swallowing it down as well as the lump in his throat. Katsuki was looking at him blankly and Midoriya found himself continuing. Now that he thought about it, he could really compress the story down.

"My mom died last year. Cancer."

To his mild surprise, the other actually gained a glassy look in his eye, like he was about to cry.

"What?"

Midoriya didn't know what kind of clarification he needed, so he decided the truth.

"She was working a couple jobs and was wearing herself out. I was too young and stupid to notice anything was wrong and she was too stubborn. It was stage four pancreatic cancer. She was in the hospital for close to four months before she died."

The other scooted back, chair scraping and hand to his mouth. Midoriya frowned at the guilt that suddenly rooted in his stomach. He waited another moment for the other to say something but was met with nothing.

"Sorry for laying that on you."

If anything that only made the other look more upset.

"The fuck? That's," Katsukis eyes widened, as if he figured something out. "Is that why you didn't go to the hospital?"

Midoriya grimaced at the memory of white walls and the burning sense of clean. He doubted he would ever forget his mothers room. How everything happened so fast in those four months and the feeling of complete and utter helplessness.

He cleared his throat and looked down. "Yeah. That-that's why I didn't want to go to the hospital."
Bakugou licked his lips, scooting the chair back up to the table and fidgeted. He kept sniffling and Midoriya was suddenly assaulted with the thought that the other actually missed him. His mom.

He swallowed, remembering Mitsuki.

Auntie Mitsuki.

The fierce, loud, violent but caring and loving woman that never liked his father but always loved his mother like a sister.

He sniffed, folding the edge of the paper on the tray. "I'll talk to her. Your mom, I mean. It would probably be easier."

The other didn't answer for a moment and when he did, he wasn't looking at him. "Do-would you really do that? I can't fucking handle seeing her cry."

Midoriya pursed his lips. "I'll talk to her. But not today, I-todays been a lot as is."

Bakugou nodded, "She's-that would be good. Maybe, this weekend? Would-would that work, or?"
Izuku nodded, "That would be fine."

Neither were looking at each other and they ate despite their lack of appetite.

"Does she have a grave?"

Midoriya stilled, taking a moment. He leaned back, giving up on the food. "She has a headstone."
Bakugou nodded but didn't say anything else or look at him. Midoirya rubbed his eyes and stood, it was getting late. "I can take you sometime. Maybe with your mom this weekend. It's in Tsubani, though."

Bakugou met his eyes after a moment. "Thanks, Deku. And I'm s – thanks."

Midoriya found himself standing straighter, thankful that the other didn't say the dreaded 'I'm sorry.' He nodded, turning to leave, "See you at school, Kacchan."

Izukus mind was pleasantly blank. He was thinking, yes, but never on one thing for too long. It was nice. Until his phone rang.

Assuming it was Aizawa, he picked it up.

"Hey, sorry. Something came up. I'm – "

"Midoriya?"

Tsukauchi. Why would he be calling this late? Or at all? They haven't spoken for a while.

"What do you need, Tsukauchi?"

The other took an audible breath. Izuku felt pretty sure that he should just hang up. Pretend that the cop never called him. Could be block him? Would that be rude?

"Something came up and we need to talk. Where are you?"

Izuku swallowed, looking around before finding a street sign. "15th south. Outside of Jugos."

"I'll be there in ten, don't go anywhere."

Midoriya hummed, hanging up and sliding it back into his pocket. He crossed the street to get to the actual place. He didn't want to run into Katuski again if he can help it. As instructed, he waited. And waited.

And then it was raining.

Ten minutes hit, followed by fifteen. And twenty. It took almost half an hour for the familiar police car to pull up. Midoriya slid in, ignoring the watchful pedestrians. They were silent for another minute, Izuku not wanting to start talking about whatever it was this was.

"I already called Aizawa, he knows you're with me."

Shit, he totally forgot. He nodded in reply. The other sighed and he turned, waiting.

"We checked out that location that was on the card. Kyoto? We haven't found a whole lot but what we do know is that it isn't good. We think that this League of Villains is connected to All for One."
Izuku didn't show his surprise. He didn't want to talk about this. The League of Villains. About All for One. Because then this would lead to All Might and his supposed quirk.

Pretty much everything that caused the rift in the barely there relationship between the two of them.

"We weren't planning on pulling you into this, trust me Midoriya, but at this point we don't really have a choice."

Midoriya swallowed at the others solemn tone. The other didn't continue, waiting for him to say something and he sighed. "Ok?"

The other glanced at him, rain pelting down and the windshield could barely keep up.

"The past couple weeks, nine people have been murdered. All of which leave some sort of taunt. Aimed for you. For Midorikari."

Izuku shifted, rubbing his shoulder. "Were they killed by the League? Is this because I didn't join Shigaraki?"

The detective exhaled heavily, getting on the freeway. Izuku refrained from saying anything. He was tired as hell and it looked like he would be out for a while. At least Aizawa knew.

Speaking of which.

"You said that I was out, or whatever. That I'm a kid or something. Shouldn't you be talking to Aizawa?"
The cop looked at him sadly for a moment before it was masked.

"We did. The thing is, Midoriya, is that the world at this point isn't as great as it looks. I'm sure you know this, but when you started being a vigilante, you made yourself a public figure. A well known one, even if it's in as compact of a place as Tsubani. Word gets around."

Izuku frowned, "Get to the point, Tsukauchi."

"Tsubani was one of Japans red light cities, it's what we call the cities that have high crime rates. What a lot of people don't know is that it's more or less, on purpose. You can't get rid of all crime, particularly when quirks are involved. So we confine it. It doesn't always work out."

Midoriya didn't really know what he could say to that. It wasn't like that was a surprise but hearing it from a cops mouth was something else. That they'd purposely have cities where crime rate was so high that when a kid doesn't even flinch when you hear that people have been murdered.

Like him. Something twisted in his stomach and he looked out the window again.

"You already knew this."

Midoriya shrugged looking back. "It's not that hard to figure out. You learn a lot when your involved as well."

The other shifted, looking somewhat uncomfortable. Izuku rolled his eyes. He didn't know what the other was expecting him to do. Cry? Shout?

"Anyway, we aren't positive that they're all connected to the league. We only know that one is."

Izuku turned to face him completely, now completely lost. The detective continued, getting off the semi-busy street. Izuku noted that it was the exit that would take them to the outskirts of the city.

"This usually happens when new heroes make their debut and begin to garner attention. We have a note from the first murder, signed by somebody by the name of Himiko Toga. She's confirmed to be involved in the league. We believe that the other three are copycats, of some sort. The one thing they all have in common is that they're all calling you out. We call them challengers."

Midoriya winced, starting to get an idea.

"Now, I know that you've been out with Aizawa the past few days. And I am disappointed, but at this point, I'm more worried."

Izuku refrained from saying that he didn't have a right to be disappointed. That he had no place to be. They were pulling into a street that showed half a dozen cop cars and other government vehicles. The lights on the cars were going crazy, making him dizzy. Izuku didn't look at the other as he spoke.

"The one killed today wasn't even is Tsubani or Kinoto. It happened here. In Masafasu. Four prefectures away from where you started."

Izuku swallowed the bile at what he was being told. There was no way Midorikari would have spread out this far. But –

He showed himself in another city. A larger city where it was bound to get more attention. Where it wasn't a crap city that had this type of stuff happen everyday. He was an idiot. He was so stupid-

"I'm sure you figured out part of it. The department and I don't like it but the chief ordered that you get involved. The person found killed today was a hero. Silver Orchid."

Midoriya bit his cheek, the car stopping but the cop didn't make a move to get out yet. He –

None of this was supposed to happen. He did this to help people. Now they were getting murdered? That wasn't supposed to happen. Hell, he wasn't sure it was even supposed to go this far. None of this.

"Let's go, kid."

Midoriya waited a second before opening the door and following the other. The steady fall of rain had turned to a sprinkle. He pulled his blazer tighter and moved his beanie further down.

He followed the officer under the yellow tape of an alley and tried to ignore the pitying looks he received from the other unnamed cops. He managed to keep a straight face when they found the body. It wasn't hard.

Silver Orchid. Female. She had been a hero for a little over five years. She was able to control poison based plants at will. She wasn't known well above ground but she had been fairly well known underground.

The alley looked normal, dirt and trash littered, if you ignored the body and the blood splattered brick. There was a note pinned between two crumbling pieces of the wall by a sword.

Midoriya walked forward and pulled it off. Nobody stopped him. Tsukauchi wouldn't let him into a designated crime scene until they had everything they needed. He read.

'Greetings, Little Hero.

I say with honesty that I'm impressed. Your little act with the bank is what sold the show. As I kill off these fakes, the people could use a real hero. Don't go anywhere –

Stain.'

Midoriya, through his shock, reread the letter. And again, just to be sure. "Stain."

He looked at the body of the hero, noting the cuts and wounds. They were definitely from a blade. He should have had an idea when he saw the sword with the note. But you couldn't blame him. This was Stain.

"Self proclaimed Stain, garnered the name of Hero Killer after his villainy debut and has carried it with pride. His real name is Akaguro Chizome. 31, male. For the past two years he's been killing off heroes. From what small profile we've gathered, we think that he holds the belief that this is all his duty. All of the heroes who have died have been under 30 in the country ranking system. And none of them have anything to do with volunteer work or charity."

Midoriya shoved his hands in his pockets, thinking for a moment. He scanned the note again.

"You think he's killing off fake heroes."

Tsukauchi nodded, small glint of pride in his eyes. "The heroes he believes are fake, yes. Again, we don't have anything concrete. He never stays in one city for more than a week and doesn't pop up again for another couple. This is the first time he's called another hero out, save for All Might."

Midoriya frowned slightly and looked away. You could hardly tell there was a fight. Like the hero just fell.

"What's his quirk?"

The officer let a bit of annoyance seep into his voice. "We don't know. We believe it has to do with either the blood or the swords he favors so much."

Izuku nodded, not saying anything. He didn't know what the other was expecting, to be honest. He had an idea but that was insane.

They ordered him to be 'out.' For legal purposes. And for whatever other reasons they had. He didn't know what their problem was. Or his own. Everything was messed up.

Naomasa noted it, studying the kid. When it was clear he wouldn't say anything, he continued from where he left off earlier.

"You have the League of Villains, Stains and, most likely, a couple of organizations attention. This isn't good, kid. Generally when heroes leave, the after effects are ugly. And a lot of people are left hurt. People die."

Midoriya eyed him for a moment before turning to face him completely. "I'm not a hero, Detective. I'm just a kid. You made that very clear."

It wasn't guilt that flashed in the others eyes but something else. Determination? Midoriya opted to think on it later.

"You are a hero, I thought I also made that clear."

Izuku shrugged, ignoring the sudden burning in his eyes and willed it away. He was too tired to make a conscious decision but he doubted it would matter.

"Could you get to the point? I gave you the card, you know where the league is. You've been after Stain for years and he's gone by now. He left a warning, that much is obvious. While this is all, by technicality, my fault, I don't see what you want me to do about it. I didn't even know people were getting murdered. I didn't know I was getting called out."

The other tilted his head, Midoriya wondered if he was using his quirk. Probably. There wasn't any use to it though. He wasn't planning on lying to the other anytime soon.

"Yet you still went out. Even when we told you not to."

Green eyes narrowed, "I told you, I didn't know any of this was happening."

"Get involved in the media kid, you're gonna need it."

Izuku cocked a brow, "For what?"

Naomasa rose his own brow, "Are you really going to make me say it?"

"Say what?"

Because, yes, Midoriya was going to make the other say it. What he was trying to get at because he was really too tired of this shit to make guesses.

"The chief wants you out and about. Helping people, being a vigilante and all. You have too much attention and it'll get ugly if you lose it. People will get unsettled and you have the challengers you need to worry about."

"No, I don't. I'm out, remember? I just started school, I have other shit going on. I can't – if I go back out, I'll get more attention. The league is going to come after me at worse and at best, I'll meet other villains. Not petty criminals or drunks. This is real people – who have support and plans. These are real villains."

They both let down the feeble walls they built for each other. Midoriya saw the others resignation and guilt and the cop saw the childs exhaustion.

Because while Midoriya more-or-less pulled this onto himself, he didn't want a league of bad guys attention on him. He didn't want fucking Stains attention. Or who knows how many others.

He just wanted to help people. And he would do this, even if he was tired and felt he had nothing left to lose. But he didn't want to be tugged around by legalities and be told what to do. He… he didn't want to feel like a child pulled into an adults war. But he also didn't want to be treated like an adult because he wasn't.

But being treated like a person, with trust, might be a nice place to start.

"I know that."

Midoriya hated that answer because it really wasn't even that. It was an…opinion, or something. Not an answer.

"What is the chief hoping for if I go back out there? What's his plan?"

When the other finally answered, his frustration showed.

"He doesn't want you to actively look for any of these guys, or fights in general. You'd only go out when Erasurehead is on patrol. You'd be given a temporary hero license if you ever get caught by somebody who isn't under his orders."

Midoriya nodded, not showing his feelings on that. "You're just telling me what I'm going to be doing. What he's wanting for this. To be honest, it seems kinda sketch that the head of the police department is purposely sending a teen out to get involved."

Tsukauchi didn't answer for a moment, inhaling before pulling his phone out and dialing his boss. Midoriya took the phone with an annoyed look and walked away out of spite. If the other didn't want to answer himself, he didn't need to hear the conversation.

"Tsukauchi, I'm busy."

Midoriya pulled his beanie and took a silent breath. "This isn't Tsukauchi. It's Midoriya Izuku."

The line was quiet for a moment. When the chief spoke, light amusement danced in his voice.

"Ah, Midorikari. I've been wanting to talk to you."

If Midoriya was in a good mood, he may think about not sassing the other. But he wasn't. And if he was, it was an if, anyway. Right now, he was tired.

"Well, here we are. What can I do for you?"

"You are the one who called me, Midoriya-san."

He barely refrained from rolling his eyes. "I'm at Stains crime scene. I'm confused about what you want me to do."

"Ah, I suppose that would make sense. How can I help?"

Izuku wondered if all cops were this cryptic and annoying. Probably.

"You can start by explaining what it is your thinking. What your plan is with all of this shit."

The other was yelling at somebody else over the line. Izuku was annoyed but he waited.

"Sorry about that. How about we meet after UA hours tomorrow?"

Izuku looked up, the rain had stopped. "How about you tell me right now and I'll think about it?"

The other let out a chuckle. "You've got some balls, kid."

Midoriya wasn't impressed.

"So, do you. Asking a minor to get involved in legal cases that involve murder and god knows what else. Almost seems fishy."

"What are you implying, kid?"

Their tones turned more serious and Midoriya glanced back at Tsukauchi. The other was talking to other cops but glancing at him. He turned back.

"I just find it interesting that the police force is depending on a fifteen year old kid to do their jobs. All the while withholding potential information from him."

"We aren't depending on you. Don't get a big head with your fans, kid."

Midoriya let out a small whistle. "Didn't know I had fans but thanks for the compliment. Funny you didn't say anything about the information though."

"What do you want?"

Midoriya snorted, "Don't make it sound like I'm blackmailing you. You don't have anything that I couldn't get myself. But if your offering, the truth would be nice. Why do you want me on this specifically?"

In the silence, he glanced back. Tsukauchi was gone but he knew that the other wouldn't go anywhere too far.

"We can't talk about this over a phone, kid. Meet me outside Dasagi park tomorrow morning."

His brow furrowed. "The elementary park in Kinoto?"

A hum. "6:30, kid. Don't be late."

Midoriya nodded at the ding, signaling the end of the call. "Yes, I'll make sure to do that."

Midoriya turned, jumping when he saw Tsukauchi approach. He didn't say anything, only meeting the others inquiring eyes.

"So?"

Midoriya handed the phone over, putting his hands back into his pockets in thought. Something else was happening. Something that Tsukauchi didn't even know, and he was head detective. He supposed it all came down to what the chief had to say tomorrow morning. But for now?

It seemed that at least he had the clearance to continue working as a vigilante.

"I'm surprised Aizawa agreed to this."

The detective shook his head, appearing slightly amused. But not really.

"He didn't. He's against it, if anything, but he said that it's up to you in the end."

Midoriya looked down, trying to breath around the sudden lump in his throat. He had only known the hero for a few weeks, but knowing that the other cared, gave him something else to think about.

"What did the chief say?"

More like what he didn't say. Midoriya sighed, suddenly unsure.

"He said to think on it. He'll call me Wednesday."

Tsukauchi looked surprised, "He's giving you time to think about it?"

"Yeah. I should get to bed, Tsukauchi. I have school tomorrow."

The officer swallowed unsure but nodded and headed back to his car. The ride back was silent. Midoriya looked for the faint stars in the city lights.