Mayume sat on the roof of her home, holding her phone in her dominant hand. It was late at night, just a day after the Hosu disaster. Everyone was still recovering, still raving about what had happened. She was reading an article about it on her phone, the light of the screen somewhat blinding to her eyes at this hour. Reading about the Nomu, she was honestly glad her deal with the League of Villains was cut. Despite practically having an army of villains now, they weren't using any of them. They must have been bored; it wouldn't surprise her if they came crawling back at this point.

"That'll hurt your eyes."

The mysterious assassin known better as Nightmare appeared on the edge of the roof, kneeling to look at what she was reading. She didn't seem surprised to see him there, like she had been expecting him after everything finally settled.

Putting her phone away, she stood up and adjusted her scarf before addressing the business at hand, "You did say you'd find me after it was all over."

"Yeah, I did. Have you thought about my proposal?"

Thought about it? It's all that was on her mind for the last few days. If he really knew where the time stone was, then she couldn't pass up the opportunity. The only issue at hand, however, was the possibility of this man wanting something out of this. What does he hope to gain, she wondered? Does he want to use the stones power? Perhaps he is only in it for the money. There was even a small chance he just wanted to help with no strings attached, but that seemed the least likely. "I did," She answered, "What's in it for you by helping me?"

"Take a wild guess, Lumina. You're collecting stones of infinite power, and I want in on that."

"What is it you want?"

Nightmare hopped onto the ground and stood close to her, nearly getting up in her face. His presence made her uncomfortable, yet she couldn't bring herself to back away, "I know where the Time Stone is, do you want it or not?"

He wasn't doing much to offer motivation. Nightmare clearly wanted something out of the stones, she just wasn't sure what that was yet. There was a vibe about him, something deeper beyond the darkness of his helmet. What she couldn't yet understand what his allegiance was verses his semblance. There wasn't quite something evil, though there was nothing that told her he was pure. The man was a walking contradiction.

"Ok," She sighed, "Where is it?"

She couldn't see it, but he was smiling under his helmet, seemingly excited to be working with her. Stepping out of her personal bubble, he jumped back to the edge and looked down, "Remember what I told you before? About my former employer? He's the one that gave me my barring's, before I took my chance and got out as quick as possible. He's always looking for an advantage over others, even if he doesn't understand the kind of power he's dealing with. He just takes and takes and takes…" a pause in his speech, perhaps of actual worry, "He's the one who found the stone."

"Who's your former employer?"

Nightmare turned around, looking her dead in the eyes with a stern look she couldn't see, "He goes by All for One."

…

The internships finally came to a close, and everyone returned home to be greeted by their friends and family. Those who were in Hosu during the events that transpired were asked not to say anything of what really happened, specifically about the Hero Killer. Though it was Shoto, Tenya and Izuku who took down Stain originally, long before Carnage possessed him, the news had depicted it was Endeavor who did the deed. This is because the students technically broke the law, but were given a pass because of the circumstances.

The three students had made their peace with what happened with Stain, but not everything else. Tenya's mind was still clouded by Peter, and the things Izuku had said. He still felt strongly for what Peter did, but now he wasn't sure just what that meant. Much like Kyoka, he too was now torn between two versions of his own perception. Since then, when it came to discussing Peter, he had been rather silent.

The first day back to school had begun, and everyone had gone into homeroom to meet with the friends they hadn't seen in a weeks' time. All they could talk about was everything they had done under the watch of Pro heroes. Being out in the field and helping people was everything they hoped it would be. Some had close calls, though, like Tsuyu. She and her Pro heroes had come across some dangerous villains, but thankfully they had been stopped. Many of her classmates had asked her about what happened, and she was embarrassed to tell them. Having that much attention wasn't something she was used to, but it felt nice.

The news had talked about more than just Tsuyu's encounter, but also what happened in Hosu, and it peaked everyone's interest. No matter how much their classmates asked what happened, Izuku and the others remained quiet about the specifics. They weren't allowed to talk about fighting Stain for legal reasons, even if the chief of police there had forgiven them under the circumstances.

Of course, not everything could be kept under wraps forever.

"Is it true what people are saying?" Mina asked, "Was Peter in Hosu with you?!"

Izuku looked away, trying to avoid answering his pink friend. Just at the mention of Peter, everyone had stopped their conversation to listen for his response. Everyone had a different reaction; some were concerned, others were angry. Mina was among the concerned. Despite his crimes, she missed Peter very much, and wanted to know if he was ok. While she had long since moved on from her suspected feelings for him, that didn't mean she couldn't still care about his well-being.

"I-uh …" Izuku stuttered, "The thing is- about Peter- he was- he could have been- well-"

"He was there."

Shoto, sitting alone at his desk next to Momo, blurted out the answer Izuku was too afraid to give. In his mind, they had only been asked to keep quiet about fighting Stain. Everyone wanted to know about Peter, and he wasn't afraid to enlighten them.

Momo, being closest, perked her interest to listen in. Like everyone else, she had been having doubts about her connection with Peter. Though unlike the others, she was looking for whatever excuse she could to repair that connection. In truth, she didn't want to start hating him like everyone else had. She wanted to see the best in him, especially after their last interaction.

"When my father saved us from Stain the Hero Killer," He lied effortlessly about his father's involvement, "That's when we saw Peter. He was fighting this other creature, trying to protect everyone from it, helping fight against the chaos."

Mina's expression grew to that of pure joy, gasping with happiness, "I knew it! I knew the news was wrong about him! He's always been one of the good guys!"

"That doesn't mean anything," Mezo chimed in, crossing his arms and staring the pink hero down, "One good deed doesn't redeem the lies."

"But he was saving people!" She argued, turning to look at Kyoka, "Jiro! You were there! Tell him Peter was helping everyone!"

Perhaps a week ago, she would have sided with Mezo when it came to Peter. After the events of Hosu, however, things had drastically changed. Mezo, from what she understood, based his feelings off the media and pure instinct. There were facts, but the facts didn't always get the specifics. She knew there was more to what happened than what the news says, "Peter saved my life," Jiro admitted, "That creature was trying to kill me, and he protected me. I think that, even with his crimes, he has never stopped being the good guy."

Mezo could see he was being ganged up on, and retreated to the safe bubble of his desk, ending his involvement in the conversation.

Momo thought she would be happy hearing this. She thought that knowing Peter was still doing things for the right reasons meant he wasn't the bad guy everyone said that he was. Yet, she found herself only bathing in guilt and shame. All she could imagine was the look on his face when they meet again. Would he still be upset about what she said after the festival? Peter may not even want to see her; he may even hate her. Who could honestly blame him?

"You ok, Yaoyorozu?" Asked Todoroki, startling her out of her train of thought.

"Yes!" She exclaimed, clearing her throat soon after, "Yes, I'm ok. I'm just thinking, that's all."

He knew there was more to what she was saying. Her confidence had been so obviously reduced since the festival. He did want to help, but wasn't exactly sure how to do it. Was there something he was suppose to say? Something he should do? That's what a friend does, right?

"Do you …" He hesitated, "…Want to talk about it?"

His gesture was surprising, especially considering his past attitude. He's always been so isolated from the class, at least since before the festival. Now he was actually asking about her feelings? "There isn't anything to talk about. I'm ok, Todoroki."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes …thank you for asking," She smiled, finding his compassion enough to ease her aching heart.

The school day continued on, and everyone got the opportunity to show off their new skills during the Heroics Class. When the end of the day came, everyone grabbed their stuff and made their way out the doors. Kyoka Jiro normally walked on her own, and fully intended to do so once again, especially after what happened lately. Her mind was still thinking about what happened in Hosu, with the image of Carnage and Bloodstain engrained in her mind. The words he spoke about ripping off her ears always made her flinch, and hold her ears as though to protect them.

Passing by her was a girl with familiar red head, her hair put in a ponytail. Kyoka had only briefly seen her face, but she recognized her right away. "Hey!" she called out, rushing up to her.

Kendo turned to face her with surprise, feelings of worry rushing over her. Had Kyoka recognized her? What was it she wanted? "Hey, you're from class 1-A, right?" She played dumb, just in case she was reading too deeply into it.

"I know you. You were in Hosu with Peter, the girl in the hood."

Turns out, she had read just deeply enough. Kyoka could tell by Kendo's expression that she didn't enjoy being outed like this, especially considering the rules behind vigilantism. Even if she technically didn't use her quirk on anyone, she still didn't want the attention.

"It's ok!" Kyoka blurted after seeing the turmoil on her face, "It's not like I went and told on you or something. I just wanna talk, that's all."

"That's all, huh?" She sighed, holding a hand to her heart in relief, "That's a relief."

The two made for the sidewalk together, earning only a few staring eyes. It wasn't out of judgement, the other students just hadn't seen them walk together before, especially being from different classes. The sun was now coming down, and a comforting yellow light emitted over the city. It was peaceful, and the sun was just dimmed enough that you could actually look at it without hurting your eyes.

"Have you heard anything from Peter since Hosu?" Asked Kyoka.

"No, and I don't blame him. His cell phone doesn't really have signal in Japan. Even if communication was easy, he probably wants to lay low for right now."

"I guess that makes sense. It's just that everyone has been asking us about Peter since they heard he was there."

"How's everyone feeling about that?"

The question made her wince and sigh, clearly showing the subject to be somewhat difficult, "Everyone is so divided. We used to always help each other and work together in some way. Now, though, everyone is fighting against each other over this. The class has been split down the middle now, and I really don't like it."

"Peter wouldn't want everyone fighting about him. Thank goodness he isn't here to see it."

A few minutes of their walk was spent in silence, basking in the warmth of the yellow sun as they let everything settle in. They have their exams coming up before summer starts, and they aren't sure what to expect just yet. Kendo was already trying to think of ways to find out, maybe by asking the upper classmen what they went through. The written half isn't the issue, it's the practical exam that everyone is on edge about. It doesn't help with Peter still being on everyone's minds; they should be able to focus on studying.

"Do you know why he lied?" Kyoka forced herself to ask, "About his papers, about everything? I know he's a good guy, but it still bugs me that I don't know why he did it."

Of course she knew why, but it wasn't something she could really say. How does one go about explaining the multiverse in a way that makes sense? Izuku and herself only believed it because of specific circumstances. The night she found it out, she had sat in her room and contemplated it for what seemed like hours. Explaining it to someone without proof would be nearly impossible.
"What I do know is that Peter never meant to do it. He got tossed into a bad situation with no way out. He's been struggling to stay on two feet just to keep everyone safe."

"That's all you can say for sure?"

"Is that not enough?"

"…I don't know."

Silence fell again, only Kendo wasn't having it this time, "What about Todoroki, Iida and Midoryia? Have they …said anything about me?" She knew Izuku would stay quiet, but Kyoka didn't know he was also in the loop, and she didn't want to rat him out.

"No, actually. I don't think they really had a good view of your face. I pieced it together because I actually talked to you more."

Shoto talked to her as well, yet he was keeping quiet? Were they protecting her, or did they really not see that she was the hooded girl from that night? Either way, perhaps she should just be thankful for it.

"Hey," Kyoka bumped her arm with a smile, "Thanks, by the way."

"For what?"

"For helping that night in Hosu."

Kendo smiled, bumping her arm back, "You're welcome."

…

Finally, she could be useful.

That's what Momo told herself over and over again as she traversed down the sidewalk. With the exams coming up, everyone was concerned over the written portion. Most of the class were sure they could handle the practical exam, but the written needed a whole different set of skills. That's why a few of her classmates asked for her help in studying since she ranked number one in the class for academic studies. Roughly a fourth of the class will be visiting her home to study with her, and it made her so happy. All she could think about was getting her mother to open the hall, and preparing all kinds of tea for her guests. She needed to impress them, and show them she was still worth turning into a hero.

"Yaoyorozu!"

The voice of Shoto Todoroki caught up with her quickly as he slowed from his sprint into a walk by her side. He could have just gone straight home, but felt like he still had more to do first. Momo's reaction in class earlier was still up for questioning, and he felt as though he couldn't just leave it alone. She was normally so confident, and he respected that, but everything changed after the festival. If he was going to try this 'friend' thing, then he needed to start now.

"Todoroki?" she questioned, "Is something wrong?"

"I just wanted to ask you something."

It wasn't normally like Todoroki to show such concern for his classmates, or others for that matter. Then again, he had been different since the festival; a lot of people have been different since then, "What is it?"

"You said before nothing was wrong …but I'm having a hard time believing that," He could instantly see her expression change from her illusion of a smile to the cold truth of her frown, "I would have just kept to myself a few weeks ago, too, but someone helped me open up and it actually helped me feel a lot better."

"There's nothing to talk about, Todoroki, really. I'm fine!" She forced a smile.

"Momo," He said sternly, using her first name to express how serious he was, "Trust me, keeping something hidden within for so long not only turns your heart to ice, but burns it too. I've seen how much pain you're in every day, and I'm worried."

"…Worried?" She muttered, holding a hand to her mouth to hold back her tears. Her throat felt blocked up, holding in the gasps of her agony, "So you're saying you care about me?"

"…Yaoyorozu …"

"If you don't, it's ok to admit it, I won't be mad," A tear ran down her face, trailing off her hand and staining it with the mark of pain, "What I feel doesn't matter, because what I feel just drives everyone away …that's why he won't come back."

"'He'? Wait, do you mean-"

"I said such horrible things to Peter," Her tears became stronger as her voice rippled, "I scolded him for being a good person, and he chose to leave us. It's my fault that he's gone, I'm the reason he left us. Why would he want to come home if he hates me so much?"

"That's enough!" he shouted, catching her completely off guard, "What happened is not your fault! Peter does care about you, no matter what you said to him. Back in Hosu, he came to our rescue when we needed him. He wasn't just in the neighborhood; he came because he cared about us even after what happened. Peter might be an enigma, but one thing I know is that he still loves us, no matter what. Maybe you are part of the reason he left, but not in the way you think. I don't think he left because he hates us, but because he loves us."

She was silent, taken aback by his words of kindness. Though his tone spoke from an aggressive place, he still clearly cared, even if he had a strange way of showing it. The shock made her tears stop completely, though she still hiccupped from them.

"You once told me that we were all in this hero gig together, and that ten years from now, we would need to rely on each other. I think that Peter still abides by that, even being so far away. If nothing else …" He paused, hesitant with his next few words that would either make or break the bond he was trying to make, "I will stand by you, so that you have someone to rely on."

For him, Izuku had recently been that person. He closed off his feelings until they were forced open by that green haired hero, who made him realize he shouldn't fear his power. His help motivated him to finally visit his mother in the hospital and reconnect with her after all this time. He of all people understood now that they should rely on their friends when they needed them most.

Her tears came right back, sending Shoto into a panic. He thought he had made things worse until she rushed in for a hug, holding him tightly with her face buried into his chest. A quiet 'thank you' was whispered from her lips and muffled by the cloth on his shoulder. Awkwardly, he hugged her back with a faint smile. It wasn't going to be a full recovery for Momo just yet, but this was a good start.

Izuku gave him kindness, and he finally figured out how to pass it on.

…

They had travelled for some time, making their way into an entirely other city. Nightmare had been leading them toward the location of the last stone, and she couldn't resist following him. Now only was this because she needed the stone, but also because of who may have it. She knew Nightmare worked with the League of Villains boss, but she hadn't previously known who that exactly was. Now, she partially wished she remained oblivious.

"You never explained," Mayume accused him as they continued moving across the rooftops.

"Explained what?" he asked, not bothering to look back at her as he leapt to the next roof.

"All For One, you never explained how he was still around."

Everyone knew the story of what happened over 5 years ago. All For One was a horrible villain who had the ability to steal quirks and even pass them onto his followers. He caused chaos and mayhem everywhere, until All Might showed up to stop him. Thanks to All Might, All For One was finally stopped, and everyone thought he was gone for good. Never did she think he would resurface again after all this time.

"All For One …" Nightmare stopped on the next roof and let her catch up, crossing his arms and refusing to even look at her, "I was recruited by All For One so many years ago. He gave me my quirk and put me to work as one of his followers. He was polite, controlled, but there was always a more sinister nature to it. To him. After All Might defeated him in battle, All For One went into hiding, and I used that as my chance to escape and go on my own."

"How did he survive the fight? He would have had fatal wounds, right?"

"Not sure, he probably found a quirk that could preserve him. That's the only thing I can think of. Now, though, I have reason to believe he found the Time Stone. Good thing is that he doesn't know how it works, let alone what to do with it."

That was a relief for her. The Time Stone was one of the most powerful of them all next to the Reality Stone. If All For One actually knew how to use it, it would mean total destruction for everyone in Japan, maybe even the world. Getting it from him was about more than her own goals, it was about humanities preservation.

Finally, they came to a mysterious warehouse, abandoned and run down. Old construction gear was laying around, but none of it was in any use. Whatever people thought this building was for, it was only a façade for whatever was really inside. It was hard to believe that this would be the hidden bae of the infamous villain All For One. There had to be more to it than just this, considering his reputation.

"Is this his base?" She asked.

"No, just a property he owns. When I reached out, he said to meet here."

"You reached out to him? I thought you wanted to get away from him?"

"I did, but I figured I couldn't avoid him forever."

He was afraid, that much was clear. Nightmare has always appeared to be fearless and powerful, yet this was different. He was visibly afraid, and who could blame him. This wasn't your run of the mill crime boss or super villain; this was All For One. He was the worst of them all, and everyone thought he was gone at this point. If All Might really didn't defeat him back then, then what hope is there he could ever be stopped?

"Are you scared of him?" She asked.

"…Yes."

"Really?"

"That surprising?" he looked at her confusingly, his head tilted slightly to the left.

"I just didn't expect you to admit that."

Nightmare let out an audible sigh, turning away again, "I think he's the one guy it's ok to be afraid of. Now, come on."

Nightmare went first, finding that the door leading inside was left open for them. It was dark inside, the only light they could see coming from windows on the other side of the large room. All For One could have asked them to meet anywhere, yet he chose it to be here, out of sight from the people. Either he simply wanted a private meeting, or he was planning to end him and his new friend for abandoning him over five years ago.

Mayume was the one who managed to find a massive light switch on the wall, and switch it on for a better view. She expected an empty factory with old equipment covered in dust. If not that, perhaps a weapons factory where they produced their gear.

Her second guess came close, but it was far from the ugly truth.

Inside of the massive room were pods, scattered all over the place in linear order. They were bubbling, tubes pumping liquids in and out of each pod. Inside of them were humanoid figures, floating in the liquid and unconscious. They were massive, with features that defied the human structure. She only recognized them to be the Nomu, creatures used by the League of Villains in now two different attacks. These were the same creatures that gave All Might a hard time against, and there were dozens of them in this room.

"What …is this place?" Mayume could barely comprehend.

"…A Nomu factory," Nightmare, just as surprised though hiding it much easier, began walking around the pods to look inside of them as he lazily let his hand run across the glass, "This must be where they make all their Nomu. I didn't realize there were so many of them …"

Mayume joined at his side, looking at the ugly faces of each Nomu, each one different from the last, "Why would he have us come here?"

"Intimidation," his voice dropped, "He wants us to take this meeting seriously, for us to know that there is no way out if we displease him."

"I thought you said he was polite."

"I also said he was sinister."

The ground beneath their feet suddenly got softer, then completely vanished before either of them realized it. Their bodies were pulled into a portal of black mist of which neither of them could escape. For the brief moment of transition, they felt nothing. It was similar to when Overcast used her shadow quirk to case an environment, everything went completely numb. That's why it was even more disorienting when they did the ground and quickly regained all feeling, just in time to feel pain on their knees.

The new room was darker than the last, the only light now coming from a TV on the wall behind them. A man in a suit with a head of mist stood behind them, guarding the door in case they tried to leave suddenly.

"It's good to see you again, Nightmare."

In front of them was the man himself. He was sitting in a big chair, his face shrouded in shadows. Even in the dark, though, Mayume could see his face was covered in scar tissue. He didn't seem to have any visible facial features that she could see beyond his mouth, which grinned confidently in the darkness. He sat with one leg crossed over the other, establishing dominance over the guests he saw only as children in need of guidance.

"It's not often I allow guests, however," All For One grinned, "You're a special case, aren't you Night."

"Let's skip the-"

"Allow me to stop you there," He cut off, "I refuse to get to business until we catch up a bit, there's nothing wrong with that. Besides, I'd like to get to know our guest."

Even though his verbal patterns suggested no sinister vibe, she still felt a cold shiver running down her spine every time he talked. How was it that he kept his true nature so well hidden, yet she could still sense it in her gut. It was like hooks latching to her body and pulling every time he spoke, just before he offered a Band-Aid for the wounds. He didn't want to do business until the casual talk was out of the way, so she had no choice but to obliged, "My name is-"

"Lumina," Nightmare cut in and ended her sentence for her, "This is my friend Lumina."

On one hand, he wasn't wrong; Lumina was in fact a name she went by. At the same time, why would he create a lie to hide her true name? What was he up to? Was he protecting her for some reason? Did her name mean something to All For One?

"Lumina …yes, I've heard of her," All For One said, "I've been following her work on the side. Very organized, might I say."

"…Thank you," She answered awkwardly.

All For One leaned forward in his chair, looking closer at her attire. She came here in her casual clothes, but she was still recognizable. After all, her Hero Outfit didn't consist of a mask. She never wanted people to question who it was that was saving them.
"I know your face, though," All For One said, "Yes …You're one of those Pro Heroes. That's fascinating …A Pro hero masquerading as a Villain, or perhaps it's the other way around," He leaned back, hand on his chin, "I wonder which is the façade, and which is your true nature."

"You act as though I'm two different people, I'm not."

"Very true, you're simply a woman after one thing."

Slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the glowing stone. It was orange, barely showing more features of his face as he lifted it up. The time stone was one of the more formidable of them all. With it, time adapted the same physics as a DVD player. The flow of time can be disrupted with a thought, as long as you know how to use it. He would have done something by now if he knew what to do.

"You came here for this little thing," He said, juggling the stone between his fingers, "So much fuss for a piece of jewelry."

…

If there was one thing that made her feel better, it was dancing.

It was late at night, and most of her friends were at home studying. She had just finished studying with Momo and her friends for their exam. Everyone had headed straight home, expect for Mina Ashido. She was making her way back when she passed by the local TV store and they showed a newscast of Hosu, with images of Peter and the term "Villain" shown underneath. It upset her, to say the least. She didn't want to walk in the door of her home with a look of sadness on her face. Instead, she brought herself to the local baseball field, where she can find solace in isolation.

Pulling out her phone, she opened up a playlist and set it with her stuff. The first song to play was one of her favorites by an artist whose name she couldn't even remember. It didn't matter, she had already started dancing. It was of decent pace, so she didn't have to push herself. She was always very athletic, even in middle school, so dancing became one of her hobbies. It always helped to dance and get that energy out whenever she was upset.

And boy was she upset.

Very rarely has she ever broken down from her usual cheery demeanor. Momo was one of the few to finally break down those walls. This though, this was hitting her where it hurt. Though she moved on from her feelings for Peter, she still thought of him. He was her friend, someone who supported her. To have him branded a bad guy just didn't sit right with her. Some of her other classmates were more than willing to brand Peter the bad guy, but she wasn't. She just couldn't.

"Hey there Pinky."

She recognized the voice instantly and turned around to greet it. It was Eijiro Kirishima, wearing a pair of shorts and a hoodie. He was smiling at her with his hands in his pockets, his head tilted to one side as he listened to the music playing from her phone. How long had he been standing there? Had he seen her dance the whole time?

"Kirishima!" Mina exclaimed awkwardly, "What're you doing here?"

"Actually, I was on my way to Yaoyoruzu's house to see if you guys had room for one more study partner, but I can see everyone went home. Except for you, though. What are you doing out here?"

"Well …you know I like to dance …so …"

Kirishima was one of the few people who made it to U.A that Mina knew from middle school. Back then, he didn't have his signature red hair. He had changed it because he wanted to start off school by saying goodbye to his 'old pathetic self'. They had been friends for a while, though growing closer since coming to U.A together in the hero program.

"You do like to dance," Kirishima said, the smiling slowly drifting away from his face, "And I've known you long enough to know you also dance when you're upset."

He had her there. Kirishima was one of the few who would actually know that, "Yeah …everyone's been upset about something lately."

"Well, I can see you still got it!"

The comment made her blush in embarrassment. Coming from anyone else, she would have bathed in the limelight of the compliment, but it was always different with him. To retaliate that feeling she was getting, she decided a joke would best balance the tables, "Yeah, well, still a better dancer than you."

"Hey! I've gotten a bit better! Gotta be ready for when those school dances start up, like the one their holding after the exams."

"That's pretty soon. You sure you're up for that?"

"Duh!"

"…Fine," Mina approached her phone and picked it up, playing with the settings as Kirishima watched confuzzled. When she set it back down, a new song was playing. It was slower than the last one, "Everyone loves a slow dance song. I want you to prove you can woo a girl."

"Pfft, of course I can!" He said, not entirely confident in that, "Just you watch."

The two came close to each other as the music started to get going. In truth, she could have been a bit more subtle about this, but perhaps she wasn't in the mood for subtlety; she just wanted to dance with someone. Having someone to look at while dancing took her mind off the horrible things going on right now, and she weirdly liked to look at him. His red hair stood out among the class, just like her pink skin. She admired how he went into this year wanting to change and be a better person. It inspired her to want to do the same, even if she couldn't find the will to succeed.

As the dance continued, Mina found her hands locked with his. One of his hands rested on her hips as they swayed back and forth, smiling awkwardly as they tried to find the right facial expression to hold while staring at each other. Every once in a while, Kirishima would try to spin her under his arms, just barely succeeding. It made her laugh, which spread to his own lungs.

One of these attempts to spin her made her trip. As she fell, she was still holding onto Kirishima's hand, and he was pulled along with her. They crashed into the ground just next to Mina's stuff, dust settling from the impact.

And they laughed.

They laughed so hard that they couldn't seem to get up. Their stomachs were too clenched to do anything, and they just let their bodies collapse into the dirt as they squinted their eyes shut. The laughter was so contagious, she honestly forgot why she came there in the first place.

Finally, they settled, yet remained with their backs to the dirt and their eyes to the sky. A few bubbles of laughter came out every once in a while, starting a short chain of chuckles between them.

"You need some work," She commented.

"What else is new," He half-jokes, believing every word even if he put it off as the opposite.

"…Thank you, Eijiro. I uh …I really needed this."

"Yeah …yeah, me too."

"It's just …" She sighed, letting her lips rest her smile, "Peter was our friend, and we're just supposed to pretend he wasn't. I mean, I'm not crazy, right? He wasn't the bad guy, right?"

"No, he was a good guy," He agreed, feeling slightly down they were talking about another guy, but he knew the context was unique, "I fought him once during one of our classes. When one guy fights another guy, you get a sense of who they are. Dude was cool, no argument about that. He was also just as flawed as the rest of us, yet everyone is pretending he was some kind of… evil mastermind."

"It's about more than that, though. This whole issue with him is dividing the class. I miss when we would all be there for one another, now it seems like we're supposed to pick a side."

"Well …whatever side you pick," He turned and smiled at her, "I'll follow you."

She blushed again with a faint gasp, turning her body to look at him. She whispered his name and tried to form a sentence, but found nothing could come out. All she could do was smile, nearly letting herself cry as tears formed in her eyes. He saw the tears coming, and shouted 'Incoming!' before pulling her into a hug. She laughed off her tears as she buried her face into his chest. They laughed together under the watch of the stars whose light approved of the bond they shared.

Whatever happens, they knew that they at least had each other.

…

Izuku was alone in his room, a book deep in his lap. It was late at night, but he couldn't let himself sleep just yet. Exams were coming up fast and he needed to be prepared for them. He was used to studying alone, gaining his strength in knowledge from the comfort of isolation. He could have studied with his classmates, but they likely wouldn't be able to understand his constant muttering. It's just how he did things; getting so caught up in his own thoughts that reality seems to shut itself off. Some say it made him smart, others thought it was a social fault; depends on who and when you ask.

When someone knocked on Izuku's door, he nearly leapt out of his bed in fear. The sudden noise had yanked him out of the depths of his psyche. He needed a minute to catch his breath before he could finally stand up and open the door.

Standing there was May Parker, with a plate of food in her hands. She was dressed in an apron, telling him that she had just finished helping Inko cook dinner. The poor woman looked very tired, and who could blame her? "Your mother told me to bring you dinner."

"Oh! Thank you so much, Mrs. Parker!" He smiled brightly and gently took the plate from her, moving it over to his desk and setting it down. It smelled amazing as always, May and his mother were great when they worked together. Their knowledge of cooking put together made for some amazing meals.

"How's the studying going?" asked May.

"Struggling, but I'm getting there. There's so much that I need to figure out and not enough time. I keep looking up strategies to memorize information faster but only two of them actually worked-"

He stopped when May started chuckling. In no way was he offended, as he often expected specific reactions when he started ranting. Normally though, no one laughed, rather they were just confused. "Sorry!" May said, waving her hand, "It's just that you sound so much like Peter. He's always been the same way when he studied."

This wasn't the first time someone compared him to Peter. They were, to be fair, quite a bit alike. Both got their quirks so late in their lives, and from an outside source. Both of them were missing a father figure, and often threw themselves into their studies, pushing to become great heroes. No wonder they always worked so well together.

"May," Izuku called to her before she could leave, "Can I ask you something personal?"

"Of course, what is it?"

"I just wanted to know how you were doing …about Peter, and everything."

The smile on her face dwindled away like candle in the wind. She had been trying hard to keep herself busy and productive, but she could never avoid what was going on with those she loved. Every day the news had something else to say about Peter, branding him a villain. It was rough to see her nephew branded a criminal for doing the right thing. "It's …it hasn't been easy. Peter has always been a magnet for trouble. I wish I could fix it for him, but I can't."

"Are you worried about him?"

"I'm always worried about him. I know he's capable of protecting himself, but he always throws himself into the fire without hesitation. I worry what it will do to him one day."

This brought something back to Izuku's mind. Peter once told him how dangerous this is, and that the world won't wait for them to become heroes. His life is dangerous, always attracting danger at every turn. No wonder he preferred having a secret identity, it was to protect the people he loved from himself, not his enemies. It's easier when you're an adult, but a child? Kids already go through enough trying to figure out puberty, let alone saving lives while wearing a mask.

"I'm sorry if I made you upset …" Izuku said sadly.

"No, no! Don't worry, Izuku. I'm fine-" her sentence was cut off by a bad cough, making her bend over with her face toward the floor. Her face became red, her throat temporarily clogging up as he went into a fit of pain. It lasted only a few seconds before she recovered.

"Are you ok?" He asked, a hand hovering over her back, "You've been working too hard, May. Maybe you should get some rest."

"Perhaps," She cleared her throat, "That Parker Pride of mine is a killer. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"I should be telling you that."

A joking smile creeped on her face, and she left the room slowly to go and rest in bed. The door bumped against the blow-up bed that was resting in the corner. He couldn't help but stare at it, the blankets still resting atop the sheets. The pillow still seemed to have an indent of Peter's head-shape. They would often sit on their beds and study together, testing one another on the facts for their written quiz's in the coming days. It was nice to have someone who thought in the same way he did. He missed that.

He missed his roommate.

…

"You came here for this little thing," He said, juggling the stone between his fingers, "So much fuss for a piece of jewelry."

To her, that little stone was so much more than jewelry. It was the next piece in her plan for repairing her life, and it was in the hands of one of the most dangerous villains in Japan. By the way he was holding that stone between his fingers, he was taunting them with it. He didn't know how to use it, but he knew how important it was to them.

"Do you expect me to hand this to you?" asked All For One, "I know very little about these stones beyond how much power they potentially possessed. Shigaraki brushed them aside because of his arrogance, but you'll find I am not quite as idiotic."

"You don't need any extra power," Nightmare scolded, "You already have so many abilities."

"But what about power over time? The ability to manipulate the flow of history with only a thought. Tell me, why should I give this power over to you? A whining child who begs for what he lost, yet refuses to chase it."

"You don't know me anymore."

"I know you prefer to run from your problems, just as you ran away from me. I could have hunted you down any time, but I wanted to see how you would fair on your own. I'm impressed that you finally managed to make a man out of yourself these last 5 years, but what about the other problem you continue to run from? The one you refuse to face?"

He looked away, his gaze leaning toward the ground. It was clear that All For One knew quite a bit about his backstory, and was using it against him.
"If you use that stone, then you don't deserve victory," Mayume said to him.

The insult startled Nightmare, and he nearly felt like smacking her across the head for saying something like that to someone like him. Yet, a few seconds pass and nothing happened. All For One hadn't acted out, he hadn't even spoken, he just stared at her with a curious look, asking her to continue with what she was saying.

"Think about it," She continued, "You're trying to beat All Might, just like 5 years ago. Every attack has been about him in some way. You use your abilities to steal other quirks, that's well within your limit of strength. If you use the stone, then it counts as an outside source. That's practically cheating. You want to be better than All Might? To prove you can defeat the Symbol of Peace? No one will care if you cheat your way to the top."

As much as the idea angered him, he found her to be right. The stones, as much as they were powerful, also operated as a crutch. It would be too easy for him. The point of defeating All Might was to show people that he struggles before the end. If there's no struggle, if it's too easy, no one will react the way he wants to. They may be heart broken, but there would be no hope before his defeat. A city crumbles faster when they had hope before everything ended. The loss of hope is more powerful than a lack of it.

"You make a point, I don't need the stones to defeat All Might," He tilted his head, "So, why do you need them?"

"…my family," She answered honestly, "They died a long time ago …I just want them back."

"You want to control life and death?" He chuckled, "That is nefarious."

"Nefarious?"

"Life and death are not gentle concepts. To wish to manipulate it can only come from a place of darkness. That kind of darkness consumes little girls like yourself, unless of course, you truly are a villain pretending to be a hero. If so, then you have nothing to worry about. If not, I'd abandon this little dream before it consumes you. Consider this a friendly warning."

Like a coin, he flipped the stone upward and toward the pair, from which Nightmare used his speed to catch it before it could hit the ground. Holding it in his hands, he could feel its gentle vibration that made his body shiver. This was only a single stone out of 5 others, yet its power was unreal.

"The stone is yours so long as you remain out of my business. I'm sure you will make sure of that, won't you Night?"

"Yeah …yeah, sure," He agreed, returning to Mayume's side as they observed the stone together.

"It almost seems like destiny that the two of you chase the same goal," All For One stated.

Mayume looked up at him, unsure of what he meant. Her facial expression urged him to elaborate.

"For as long as I can remember working with Nightmare, he always talked about the same thing; reclaiming the family he once lost. Much like you, his family died a long time ago."

Nightmare snapped out of his trance and pocketed the stone, grabbing Mayume tightly by the wrist. There were no words to depict what he was thinking, or why he suddenly wanted to leave so badly. They had what they wanted, yet it seemed like more than just wanted distance between them and the villain. She tried to ask him what was wrong, but he refused to speak any words as they made their way for the door. He was rushing, desperate, and the only reason he wasn't speeding away is because his 15 seconds weren't up yet.

"You can't keep running from it," All For One called out, "You continue to avoid facing your family, perhaps out of shame. Perhaps your new friend can talk you into facing her again."

"What does he mean?" She asked him, but got no answer from the masked man.

All For One grinned, a hand held to his chin, "I do hope we meet again, Koji Aihara."

She came to a complete stop, her feet planted in the ground and Nightmare recoiled from the resistance. He tried tugging her wrist, but stopped when he saw the look of shock on her face. It was only now he registered what his former boss had said, and the color flushed from his face hidden by metal.
She only knew one person by that name, and that person had been gone a very long time. Yet, as the name had been uttered, everything seemed to click into place. The police had never found a body or Koji, only her parents. Nightmare, like herself, lost his family at a young age. She didn't want to put the puzzle pieces together, but they had spilled on the table and made the image they were designed for.

She couldn't even bring herself to blink.

"Send us back …" Said Nightmare, feeling just as panicked as she was, "Send us back already!"

"No!" Mayume shouted, "How long ago did he come to work for you? How long?!"

All For Ones smile faded, answering her with a stern "14 years ago."

That was what sealed it. The dates lined up perfectly, too perfectly for it all to be a coincidence.

Mayume wanted to question him more, but the black mist returned to their feet and sucked them in. Like before, everything had gone completely numb of all sound and feeling, dropping them back into that warehouse. Mayume had landed directly on one of the Nomu pods, startled by the massive creature inside. It didn't help that she was already on edge.

She looked around and found Nightmare had already used his speed to reach the exit before she could, and he scurried out the door. In a panic, she chased after him while calling out his name, the name she hadn't often spoken aloud since the incident.

When she made it out the door, she expected him to have been running still, trying to get away from her as quickly as he could. Instead, he was standing there with his shoulders tensed up and his gaze pointed to the ground he stood upon. Had he given up? Exhausted his routes of escape after using up his speed again?

"…I wanted to confront you for so long," He whispered.

"…Just tell me the truth," She begged, "Is it you?"

He had nowhere to go. Finally, it was time to face her.

Slowly, he lifted his hands up to his helmet and clicked the buttons on the side, releasing a puff of steam from the sides. The helmet came right off as he held it to his waist, turning slowly like peeling off a Band-Aid. His skin was lighter than hers but not by much, sporting hair that was a mix of brown and blonde. Across his face were massive scars, faded but still present. Some were slashes, others hint at something once being stuck there. The most notable of them was a scar that trailed from his eye downward, almost recreating a tear streak.

Beyond that, he looked so much like their father.

"…Koji …" She muttered, "You're alive …"