Chapter 119 - Old Scars

The night was another filled with rain, that didn't bother Deku much. Not the cold, or the tension in his body, the feeling of Danger Sense prodding his mind almost constantly, it was all a numb sensation with every passing day. Yarath was the last Deku considered a 'threat' as his ice would leave Deku bundled up warm after parting ways with Valstrax. That was... he wasn't sure how long ago, days? A week? It was all a dark blur by his count. In the end, he was alive and kicking, that mattered the most these days.

Since Yarath, nothing came close to be being a challenge for him, his mastery of One For All was bearing fruit every battle.

Or so Deku believed.

His hand hovered near his ear, it was about to press down on the dial to his radio to All Might but all he felt was a rush of hot air sail between his hand and mask. He blinked, seeing the device speared into the building ahead of him by a large, navy and pink spiral bullet. Deku stood frozen on the rooftop, staring over his shoulder in the direction of the bullet, but with how dark it was, combined with the rain, he struggled to spot his attacker.

~Young boy... in green... we'll take you with us~ A feminine voice spoke through a small microphone embedded in the base of the bullet. ~Follow my orders, and I'll leave your limbs attached~

"They're coming, this villain didn't appear coincidentally... she's targeting me! One that connects with the jailbreakers!" He glared through the night, knowing his hunter was watching his every move through the dark cityscape. "An assassin sent by Drevis!"

Turning in the direction of the assassin, Deku spared the bullet another look. "A bullet made of blue and pink fibers, it's her," He knew this person, it was written down in one of his notebooks back at UA from years back. "Former Public Safety Hero... Lady Nagant!" If Deku had one regret, it was not anticipating Kovik wanting to release someone as skilled as her into his services. She was without question a dangerous enemy to face.

~So, you moved~ She commented expectantly.

*BANG!*

Another flash through the dark sent Deku into a race through the skyscrapers, catching the bullet before it punctured the wall behind him with a whip. Using his quirks, Deku tore across the dark city in an attempt to steer clear of her shots, his mind ablaze. He held the broken remains of his transmission device, it was totalled, but on the plus side, it meant the Pros would realize something was amiss now that his signal was gone. "But... there's a chance she'll target where I'm heading! What do I do!?" Squeezing his eyes shut, he focused on what was within his capabilities. "For now, I'll do what I was told and retrea-"

In a flash, a bullet swept around the corner of the building Deku swung across. ~You're out of options~ Lady Nagant replied as the bullet struck Deku with enough force to fling him back, dispelling Blackwhip instantly as the bullet's curve tore into his left gauntlet, his insides pressed against his torso.

"She's on a whole different level!" He may as well be facing Drevis, his power wasn't suited for a long-ranged fight like this. With his left Mid-Gauntlet destroyed, Deku was spun through the air, hanging upside down as his body shook off the recoil. "A precision that Mr. Snipe would envy! And she can do rapid-fire!" Stabilizing himself, he tried to rationalize his thoughts. "If it wasn't for the fourth's quirk I would have been defeated long ago..." His emerald eyes shot wide with static through the dark. "But with that bullet and the first, I figured out where she is!"

"About 1KM ahead. Rather than enduring this barrage and escaping... I'll get closer!" He dove behind a building, bringing forth the upmost limits of Blackwhip to swing constantly, air pressure increasing his speed to zig-zag between buildings to throw off her aim.

Atop a random building overlooking the dark cityscape, a woman could be seen retracting bone, muscle, and skin back into her right elbow with a huff. "This is the first time someone has deflected two of my bullets." She was impressed to say the least, the reason behind Kovik's interest for the young man made sense now.

Kaina Tsutsumi, or Lady Nagant, is a tall woman with a curvy body. She had short, dark blue hair with numerous scattered pink streaks on it with two shoulder-length full strands of hair to frame her face. Her eyes are purple with a mauve shade. She wore light boots, a dark, sleeveless dress and a metallic utility belt in which she stores her bullets in.

Behind her, a raspy, dry voice cut her concentration. "Old man..." It was her, well, she would say 'companion' but that was a stretch. He was dressed in a baggy white shirt even though he lacked arms, a pair of black trousers and shoes. "I want to go back to the old man... now..." He just stared blankly at the ground, devoid of any emotion or awareness as Nagant glared at him, yanking his sleeve.

"Yes, yes, as soon as we're done here!" She scoffed, pushing him out of sight. "Now go hide! The target's coming!" She honestly wondered if bringing him was worth the trouble, he was like a zombie half the time, if not constantly. "Maybe... I should've left you behind."

"So you're the hero killer before Stain, Lady Nagant," Before the woman in a blank orange jumpsuit as the cell block around her crumbled into chaos, a towering figure approached her. His body was crumbling at the seams, he looked like a machine held together by sheer will as his parts were exposed like a gutted bird. Yet, Nagant could tell, the power he was concealing as he gestured to her and her companion with a hand. "An honour, my Silent Fang has her eye on you,"

Nagant held a furrowed brow, but smiled sarcastically. "Kovik the Devil Splicer... and the monster that killed an old target of mine, All For One, can't say I'm not honoured myself,"

"Be that as it may, allow me to offer you something, the likes of which cannot be accomplished by these... humans," He hissed. "There is a young man who will leave UA very soon to act independently, he may even come after my Barons. I want you to work with my assassin, Drevis, in tailing and capturing him," Kovik explained, cocking his cracked pyramid head. "He will be guarded by several powerful heroes, so I suggest hunting when he's isolated, or perhaps when the weather is no longer in his favour"

Nagant just gave him an incredulous look before scratching her head. "Wait, wait, I'm doing none of that, the only thing I needed to escape from Tartarus was for these guys to go on a rampage, so why should I do anything for you?" She asked.

Kovik stared at her for the longest time, "You've slaughters many fellow heroes, the society you yearn for will never come, so long as that brat lives,"

Her eyes darkened, "Giving me false hope, I see..." He was crafty, if she were to take what he said with a grain of salt, the idea of her last hope being snuffed out irked her more than being locked up in this hellhole.

"Old man..." Nagant's companion, Kai Chisaki, muttered to himself.

"I'm surprised to see you again, Overhaul," For the first time since Nagant met this young head of the Eight Precepts of Death, those eyes found a flicker of anger.

"You... what do you want...?" Overhaul spat at the Splicer.

"Nothing that concerns you, the last of your efforts were a waste anyhow..." Nagant's brow twitched at that, seems it was a hot topic between the two. "So, a friend I presume?"

"No... he's a broken man, but I thought he'd be useful down the line," Nagant insisted, still holding Chisaki upright against her side. "He's another victim of this Pro-Hero Society."

With his claw extended to Nagant, a red power surfaced, and it felt... dark, sinister even. "Come now, I will offer you the strength to snuff out those that cling to the rotten world we know, all I ask is for your loyalty... do we have a deal?"

With a great leap, Nagant took to the sky, and from her back on a small pack strapped with leather belts sprung a pair of black, angular wings, a red membrane of hardlight brimming to life in the night. "I will carry out my mission."

Further away, Deku continued his wayward pathing toward Nagant's location, the rain pelting his costume as it was whipped side to side between the buildings. "When I reach her, I'll find out where Kovik... where Shigaraki is!" Only those closest to the pair were left, one of them had to know the location of the villains, a way to bring them back now that Compress was out of the picture. There was no other way!

Like a bolt of lightning through his body, Deku's body snapped backward in a sharp twist. "From behind!" His leg sprang out, swatting the bullet away from him at the last second. Before he could understand how, pain burst from his stomach with an audible squelch, a bullet tearing a gash through his costume and skin in an arc. Deku ground his teeth in pain, his mask and visor pulled back to display his pain, falling toward the streets below.

"How did she get behind me so quickly... unless, she has company!? No, I don't sense any hostility or murderous intent nearby - hold on, that's right!" Deku cracked an eye open where a red light bobbed in the darkness toward him slowly becoming less and less like a blob. "How could I overlook that possibility, an assassin working for Kovik and Drevis... of course, she would have support through them!" Along her back, two dark wings fanned wide, allowing her to bend her elbow back, producing her rifle and firing a shot backward to increase her momentum. She smiled but it was hardly pleasant.

Clutching his bleeding side, Deku pushed himself to flip in the air. His options were dwindling, having cut off her long-range attacks, she's now coming in close, Nagant won't be hindered by predictions of where Deku may be, if she were to produce another barrage this close, even with Danger Sense, he'd fail to dodge in time. "If that's the case...!" Flipping around with a vertical kick, Deku landed on the ground with a thud, smoke squeezed from his costume. "Smokescreen... Full Throttle!"

In seconds, a large section of the streets and buildings became engulfed in smoke, forcing Nagant back to wait for her target, much to her annoyance. "So he's got multiple quirks too, now I get it," This night was proving to be a bigger problem than she expected. "No wonder Drevis was so pissy before, this kid's a walking utility case."

Under the jet of smoke, two hands shook Deku's shoulders. "Hey-hey-hey, ninth! Did you forget what I told you!?" En's expression was one of worry. "Releasing too much smoke is a pretty risky move, the enemy is a so-called Flying Artillery Battery, she'll hit you as soon as you leave the smoke. You've got nowhere left to run!" He insisted until Deku ceased the burst of smoke with a deep breath, charging his legs with energy as he squatted, eyes a combination of cyan, red, and white briefly.

"I'm not going to run, I just need to buy some time!" Deku argued, preparing himself for his counterattack, much to En's disapproval as he jabbed a finger at the greenette.

"Wait, could that be... that's dangerous! You remember the last time you tried this!" En warned, reluctantly scratching his head in thought. "I really don't recommend that..."

Behind them a new figure emerged in the smoke, a stern look on his face, the third holder. "I know what you're trying to do, but your body isn't suited for my quirk right now, your last usages were lucky to have not torn something, remember what you told us?" He recited for Deku. "First, figure out how to handle two processes at once simultaneously, then, throw in another element,"

"I can't be too slow!" Deku heaved, feeling invisible weights pull his limbs down but his power fluctuated in a way the visages hadn't seen before, atleast not to the extent in the young holder's body. His powers were all adjusting on various levels. "I've learned how to gauge my power a long time ago, I just never realized how invaluable that knowledge would be now, so I've been testing the waters from time to time," He explained furrowly. "As it stands, if we beat Lady Nagant, Kovik and Shigaraki will come for us next, so I can't afford... to slow down." The look in his eyes was of a man beyond reasoning.

Grabbing the blue cape on his back, Deku felt a pang of guilt overflow into One For All. "I'm so sorry to use your gift like this, Yuki." He tore his cape off.

Waiting above, Nagant brought a tendril close to her right eye, forming a scope as she scanned the best places for Deku to flee the smoke. The rain poured down but it didn't so much as sway her stiff body. She was a phantom in waiting. Her brow twitched, and the smoke burst forth ahead of her. Firing a bullet, she saw it tear through what she thought was Deku. "What is that!? A decoy!" The cape was shredded, then three more clouds of smoke sprung from the ground. Nagant ground her teeth. "How impudent!" Three shots followed in succession, striking various items but not the wearer. "You can't just hide in the smoke and expect to get away..."

*Shatter-Shatter-Shatter-Shatter-*

Below, a building trembled as a gust of wind flung glass to the empty streets below, from the rooftop, a blur of green and black collided with Nagant, grabbing her left arm. "That's if I was hiding!"

"He's a lot faster than before... he's figured something out while in the smoke!" Nagant wasn't down for the count, even with the boy now leaving her unable to fire her weapon.

"I couldn't have foreseen a sniper like you closing in on me, maybe Drevis, but... I'll make you give me information on Kovik!" He glowered back at her equally furious stare.

"Don't act as if you've already won!" She warned, contracting her rifle to bend forward, arm folded backward. "Why would I tell you anything!?" With her arm angled right, she summoned her rifle to slam its length into Deku's stomach, swatting him away with an elongated polearm of flesh and bone. "I was trained for any situation by Public Safety." The only thing she could be happy about.

Even falling, Deku refused to stop, floating through the sky. "Tch! Why have you sided with Kovik!? He's planning to let Shigaraki dominate the world, and destroy countless lives in pursuit of that! Weren't you supposed to be a hero!?" He screamed but her face was... tired, darkened in the rainfall while aiming her rifle once more, flexing her wings.

"...some cannot see past the 'justice' that hero society created, people who follow it blindly could never understand," Nagant replied calmly.

"'Blindly'!?" Deku wheezed, his body unable to cooperate, his parallel process was all screwed up again. "That sounds like..."

'-The way I see it, the law is there to keep order and peace, but the definition of a hero is to not break the law but to uphold the peace built atop their foundations. That's the moral reasoning alot of heroes today have forgotten'

He shook from his daydream, bending his stomach forward as his medical pouch was torn to pieces. "Behind?!"

~I'm tired~ Nagant answered through the bullet's mic embedded in the concrete. In seconds, more and more bullets zoned in on Deku, forcing him to twist and pull his body at various angles to evade. ~I've killed enough to help preserve this fake society of ours.~

She stared down the scope of her rifle, all she could see was the blood on her hands. "A certain group plotting a terrorist attack on heroes... A hero team associated with a villain organization which had slowly gained fame and money... The very people capable of shaking the very foundation of society... had disappeared without ever being found guilty in the court of law,"

"They were all taken care of under the secret orders of the Public Safety," Nagant revealed, like muck she scraped from under her nails. "There was a period when vigilantes were trusted and heralded as heroes... even the country approved of their actions. In the end, the superpower society was founded on the trust we had in those heroes. I was a cog in that machines to preserve that trust,"

"Those who work in the shadows and those in the light... both were required to keep our society functioning," Blood, that's all it was to her, blood and death wherever Nagant went. Good, evil, the colours in-between, it was all a blur of reds before long. "So I obeyed. I obeyed. And obeyed." When she would go to shake a child's hand, all she could see is blood forever staining her skin. What 'good' came from her? What 'peace' was she preserving? "How fragile... it made me sick. I'm tired."

Eventually, it all tore her down. And when she confronted her own superior of this... What was her thanks for staining her hands in the blood of lives? What was it that they offered for her mental scars and nights when she would sleep restlessly? What did they offer?

"I'm sure you're well aware, but... you know what a resignation will mean, right?" They spat on her soul's pain like everyone else.

With her arm raised, not even a flicker of remorse crossed her eyes. "Chairman... I respect you." Her rifle's muzzle pressed against the old man's nose.

Deku's whole world flipped, in both ways. "You murdered the Public Safety Chairman at that time!? That's not how it was reported... so he was killed in an argument with a hero!?"

"That's right, even then, Public Safety insisted on protecting their false image. They would never tell you about any internal disputes or rebellions that occurred, the one before me, he knew that well before he could escape their twisted roots," Nagant envied him greatly. "You never knew, right?" She couldn't see it, but Deku's face scrunched up with a flurry of emotions.

"The superpower society that everyone envisions and admires... is really weak and fragile, what do you think will happen if we regain it?" Her face was shadowed and expressionless. "History will simply repeat itself," She saw that bright-eyed girl from years back. "They will only show you the bright side," The smiling Chairman stood with a strict woman. "And once again, someone will need to shoulder the burden of the truth,"

Side by side, Nagant's younger self was a drastic contrast, bright and cheerful, to her now cold and tired expression of hate. "Even a future where Kovik and Shigaraki are in control... will be far cleaner than what we have now." Her muzzle flashed once more.

"There!" The bullet whizzed by his cheek, and Deku snapped his arm straight with a single whip. "One-Point Strike!" The black tendril sliced by Nagant's hair, pinning a building behind her scowl.

"This kid... he analysed the pattern of my trajectory...!" She swayed to avoid the whip. He was gunning for her now.

"I didn't know!" Deku yelled over the rainfall. "But bit by bit. I'm starting to understand - rather, it's all coming together with the pieces I have!"

A series of memories flooded his mind, he understood them all. Civilians fighting for themselves. Kovik's fanatical ambitions beyond upholding his House. Endeavor's past. The mouse woman he saved from discrimination. Zarlik. Freksos. Selas. Yarath. Mr Compress. Yuki and SIVA. Akio and Viral. "It isn't just black and white... the world is awashed with shades of grey. Anxiety and fear are all jumbled together. That's exactly why we have to extend a helping hand!" He declared back at her.

Her rifle levelled with his body. "...A mindset born from being raised in falsity!" In Nagant's mind, she was at a choke-point. "Even in the air, he's doing well to avoid any damage to his joints, he's completely concentrated on trying to predict and avoid my projectiles!" The barrel swung away in a wide arc. "If that's the case... I'll just increase his mental burden!"

Across the buildings, Deku caught eye on what Nagant was aimed for. And his hearted resounded as the image became clear. "Still not done!? Hurry up, I want to go back to the boss!"

"Chisaki...!?" If this world wasn't so messed up, Deku might have considered it to be a trick or illusion.

With a great deal of force, the intricate flesh rifle bulged and fattened into a long cannon-like barrel of muscle fibers and bone around Nagant's whole arm. Beyond her eyesight, Chisaki stood in plain view. "I'VE KEPT UP MY END OF THE BARGIN! HURRY UP AND LET ME SEE THE BOSS!"

"There's a risk my rifle might jam, but I need to increase the bullet's velocity," It would be worth the price to see this hero fall. "Hero Education is the thing I hate the most..." She grunted. "No matter who he is, anybody dying will weigh on your conscience, right?" Firing the super-charged bullet, three rings expanded from the muzzle, the large bullet aimed directly for Chisaki's center. "If you overthink, your judgement will be clouded, and your movements will stiffen, and that's when... I'll kill you!"

That was her plan, had a heavy gale not swept under her wings, and she gasped. A massive blackwhip stretched from afar, swinging Deku in a massive width across the skyscrapers, a burst of cyan light compressed and exploded from one of his legs, sweeping him wide in a burst of tremendous energy. The likes Nagant had never witnessed before.

"FAUX ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT!" His speed outran the bullet at the last second, shoving Chisaki away from the fatal shot while sparing Deku of any injury. Using two whips, he held himself high in the air, anchored to withstand the whiplash of his unity move.

"He caught right up to the bullet!" Her eyes were wide, unable to comprehend... why? "No... instead, he changed his direction the moment I altered my weapon's position... this kid..."

"We aren't done yet, Chisaki," Deku warned the armless villain, sparing him a single look before glaring down at Nagant.

Nagant had turned her wings, she was going to flee. But Deku felt it, the kinetic energy stored in his right leg remained. So, with his own body anchored right, he slung himself forward, threshing his left wide with a massive blast of air pressure behind it. "Faux One-Hundred - Manchester Smash!" With a single, precise blast, her right arm's rifle was broken into several fragments, and her arm was left purple and bleeding from several gashes. "Your rifle arm is done for! It's over, Lady Nagant!"

"No hesitation..." She felt her stomach turn with that same, awful memory of lies told to starry-eyed child. If she could, she would scream and shout at herself to run away, to do anything but follow that man's twisted lies. "Even after he recognized it was an enemy, he rushed to his aid as if it were the most natural thing in the world," Nagant stared at her broken, bloodied arm, the stains of red were far less revolting, maybe because it was her blood this time? "When was it, that there sort of lip-service started making me sick?"

She accepted her loss. In the end, why does it matter if she lived in this world or not?

*Clap!*

Nagant's eyes snapped wide awake, a hand, a firm, trusting arm caught her broken one, slowly her fall to stare up at the glow in Deku's eyes, he was clearly running himself ragged, and his eyes had bags under them, but there was still a soft glow to his irises, how, how can he look at her that way? "That bullet you fired at Chisaki, it's trajectory was off. If you were really on the same side as Kovik, you would've ripped through my back with your first shot then and there," Deku pointed out her flaws, and her speechless face only seemed to endure.

"You've seen the dark side, so you should know where to shine the brightest!" His hand gripped tighter. "Fight alongside us! You still have the heart of a hero!"

It was strange to her, finding her hand gripping his back as tightly, why didn't she just let go? How ridiculous did this kid sound? And why... did it make her stop seeing her hands covered in blood? Even if just a little? "Just... how heroic..." She smiled, an honest smile crossed her tired lips in so long. "Izuku Midoriya?" She closed her eyes, giving a toothy grin. "You're a tru-"

...

"Pop."

...

"Pop."

...

"Pop!" Drevis pulled the trigger back.

A fresh stream of blood stained Deku's costume as his grip on Nagant slipped away, a small static blast burning a good portion of her body as the wound in her stomach had burnt through her back, a second round streaked through the dark, and on instinct, Deku threw his right leg wide, catching the bolt as it burned across his iron sole, stripping through to cut his leg. But Nagant was falling, bleeding out profusely. "NAGANT!" He screamed, reaching out as he fell toward her.

Several red feathers intercepted for Deku, holding Nagant's still body as two arms caught under her. Hawks stared back at her pale face, fear overtaking him. "Don't die on me, Teacher!"

As the situation unfolded, Drevis growled furiously that the boy had somehow deflected one of her enhanced explosive shots with ease, "He's gotten stronger already..." This was bad, but she didn't pursue, Endeavor had arrived so her time had come to a close. "Why rely on humans... pathetic, weak-willed creatures..." She detested them but only when not in front of her leader... for now.

With her cloak tucked up, she vanished from sight.

Hawks, holding Nagant in his arms, tried to wake her, to give whatever she could to them before she passed out or worse. He wouldn't let her die like this, not after everything the Commission had done to her. "Please tell me what you know! Please keep that hope alive! You can't die after being manipulated, you're a hero! YOU'RE LADY NAGANT!" He bellowed as loud as he could.

In the dark, her consciousness stirred to meet the fuzzy face of her 'successor', resisting the urge to blink as the small blast had left a few cuts across her face, burning her. "A successor... for Public Safety... I'm sure they must have made you... do alot of bad things too. How... do you still have that heroic fire in your eyes...?" She wondered, staring past his visor to see that light shared with Deku. "In the midst of chaos, how, do you guys..."

Where she wallowed in nightmares and torment, they seemed indomitable. Somewhere in her broken body, a voice croaked. "In the next two months... the target shall be brought... to the mansion in Haibori forest!"

At the last second possible, Deku's blackwhip cut out, dropping him, Nagant, and Hawks to the pavement with a rough landing. Hawks set the heroin out flat, her eyes to the sky in a haze. "There were a few people... who were called on besides me... hey, young man..." Deku swung his head around to see her breathing heavily to endure the pain. "My heart couldn't stand it... how could you... make such a face?"

"'Cuz I'm..." For a moment, Hawks just saw himself as a young kid clutching a plush of Endeavor tightly. "...an optimist!" He flashed her a smile.

"I..." Deku added, rubbing a hand against Yuki's mask to tap for good fortune for Nagant's safety. "...have someone I want to protect, more than anything."

To interrupt, Endeavor landed with a rush of flames, Chisaki in his arm. "Deku, he's the only one, right!?"

"Drevis was the one that shot Nagant but..." He looked to where her shot came from, but nothing was there. "...she's already gone by now, she doesn't stick around with too many powerful targets."

Chisaki was still thrashing as he was set on his knees. "Hey, this isn't what you said, I'm being taken away," He glowered at Nagant who didn't move, rather, she was waiting to pass out and forget she brought that armless fool with her. "Let me see the boss! He's the only one I have left!" His face was still twisted with animosity. "I want to apologize to him!"

Deku didn't like hearing any of it, just bile in his mouth. "Chisaki."

Hearing his name again, he snapped at Deku. "Shut up! You sick little bastard! I need that woman to-"

"Do you remember what you did to Eri?" Deku asked him with a cold voice but Chisaki didn't seem to catch on.

"Eri... yeah, if only she were here..." He could have his arms back and do away with this brat, "...you and that bitch ruined everything...!"

"Seems like you got someone to apologize to, if only, you felt the same way towards Eri," Deku mouthed off, and Chisaki's face froze up, his spite stitched to his features. "The promise you made to Lady Nagant, I'll keep it."

A pair of tires screeched, and in seconds, All Might came running out into the downpour. "Young Midoriya, are you okay!?"

The voices were all just a mute echo at this point, Deku gingerly brushed Nagant's hair from her resting face, she wasn't dead but her life was still hanging by threads after what Drevis did to her. What Kovik did to her. His dirty, wet face only stared down at the hero who gave him a warm smile, the first he's seen on her since they battled, now it was reduced to a pained frown, face marred by cuts and burns. Even with bags under his eyes, two green orbs burned with an everlasting hatred.

"Kovik...!"

That hatred stayed with Deku up to the day the Pros gathered to the location Nagant gave them, a lone mansion in the woods. A former hideout for the Creature Rejection Clan, located in Haibori Forest. "Take care everyone!" Hawks declared.

"Be careful," Best Jeanist added.

"Deku, wait! Don't be reckless!" Endeavor called out but Deku kept walking forward, pushing the doors to the manor wide, his senses on high alert.

"Kovik and Shigaraki aren't ready to take One For All," If there was a moment to act, it was now. No more waiting until they fell into Kovik's little game of chess, this time, they would act accordingly.

To no one's surprise, the main hall, and most of the rooms connected were abandoned, not a single indication a person had lived here in months. Then a flash of light caught their attention. ~Did you enjoy cutting down my Barons, and Lady Nagant, Izuku Midoriya?~ His eyes blinked, then slit toward the video screen of Kovik giving a very cliché applause.

"As expected, nobody is here," Endeavor wasn't expecting much but it was frustrating nonetheless.

~I like to think my ability to predict another's actions to be quite accurate, if not a little fun on my part, away from logic that comes with scientific pursuits. Though, most of which was thanks to the bug implanted in SIVA before it was stolen from me long ago~ Kovik rambled, hands together. ~Ah, but with that troublesome thief gone, alongside the Guardian, Splicer, and Nightmares I feel... so much more content~

Kovik leaned forward a bit, ~On topic, someone like you can't bring themselves to abandon someone like Nagant, right?~

Deku stared at the video screen, his fist trembled tightly. ~I didn't force her into any ultimatum, her choice was her own. The people that fall are labelled as villains, some of no fault of their own~ His hand waved toward him. ~Even if you take pride in your 'Quirks' or 'Light' and individualisms, in the end, it's a controlled society, if you can't fit in you'll be excluded~

~No exceptions, be it a dictatorship, democracy, or Guardians, the result's the same, the facts written long before societies formed, it's human nature to want community, at the cost of those that threaten the normality~ Kovik sounded like he was giving a lecture. ~Of course, the Eliksni were much the same, you could say humanity and my kind are two sides of the coin, so it's no wonder I find myself hating your kind as much as my own for fracturing their civilizations~

With a long-winded sigh, Deku found that helmet glare focused squarely on where he was standing. ~For weeks I've watched you tear apart my Barons, using NARA and the inferior SIVA to best my plans, a path riddled in thorns, the longer you fight, the more that spirit of yours is chipped away under the pressure and knowledge you acquire~ Deku's body locked up at what he said next. ~But you fought anyway, all to save her from exile, that's right, in the end, you selfishly did this only to save her, didn't you?~

That was when the last nail was struck. ~Even with Mr. Compress and Fragment defeated, even if my hated enemy's power is restored... don't you understand yet?~ Kovik's helmet brimmed with light. ~Yuki Azuru is lost to the multiverse. She will never return to this world~

Slowly, Deku's hands unfurled from their fists, and his eyes were pins in his mask at the words he wished to unhear, the words he refused to acknowledge himself. There had always been a way for Yuki to bounce back. She escaped death before, had taken brutal fights and cracked a smile. She could return home... right...?

~There it is, the fear, the harsh reality~ Kovik sat back, enjoying the view. ~I must admit, now with the Thief out of the way, I can't help but be enthralled by your hopeless efforts~ He pointed straight at Deku that anyone could feel his grin. ~Now, It's Your Turn~

Before the heroes knew it, the whole mansion was engulfed in flames.

The day Izuku and Yuki finally fought head-to-head at the Sports Festival was a rush of pure adrenaline, the likes of which Izuku had never felt before. He was smiling, and beneath her mask, Yuki mirrored his expression.

Another punch shattered the wall behind them.

The moments Izuku shared with Yuki in his arms, the two didn't do much but sit in silence. His hand combed her soft hair that smelled like fruits most of the time. She traced his scars across his arms mindlessly while flicking through one of his hero notebooks with a cute smile.

Something shot past his face, but it missed by a wide margin, he rushed forward without an ounce of hesitance.

Times at the Cultural Festival where they laughed and hung out with their classmates and Eri, enjoying the warm weather together, like the idea of Quirks, Heroes, and Villains didn't exist, it was just a time they could be themselves. Izuku was content then, he had no worries of what could be for his future, just of the people he could be around.

With a single, resounding Smash, it was over before it could really begin.

That afternoon, when Izuku held her lithe body close to his, alone in the dark, the glow in her eyes enraptured his every thought. He loved her, from her personality, to her actions, all down to her body and the little things like the way she smiled. Everything was already perfect about her.

Outside the building, All Might approached to find Deku standing over the unconscious villain ensnared by blackwhip. Deku's costume was absolutely mangled, his cape a flailed mess of fabric, not a single nanites remained to repair the damages. Even Deku's mask was banged up all over, but he didn't even seem phased. "Kid...?" He was beyond worried, even as Deku rushed past him to the street again.

"That one didn't have any intel, I checked, Drevis isn't nearby so you'll be safe," Deku didn't even sound like himself, his voice was dry and hoarse, emotionless even.

"Just wait a minute!" All Might snapped, finally getting Deku to land and stay still. "What's become of you, Young Midoriya?" This was beyond unhealthy, he was killing himself mentally this way. The ex-hero held out a wrapped lunch for Deku. "You... haven't been eating! But you need to rest, I haven't seen you stop for a moment after a battle, this isn't good for long periods of time!"

Silence deafened the area, and All Might's heart sank. "All Might... you... don't have to tag along anymore. I'm fine," He had to get away from him. He needed to protect the person he admired before he was taken from him too. "Really... I'm... fine." The words All Might parted Deku with after the defeat of All For One... Deku could only see Kovik staring back at him now.

"No, I can't just..." All Might found his words, staring angrily at his student. "I can't let you destroy yourself! Is this how you wish to contend with Kovik and Shigaraki? Beaten and exhausted!? Look at me, Izuku Midoriya!" He yelled... but Deku kept his back to All Might. The skeletal man's stern expression lessened. "I'm worried for you-"

"Listen!" Deku spoke up. "What I'm capable of now is on par with you at one-hundred percent! I've mastered One For All aside from the other quirks! I have since Yarath! And with no recoil to boot!" He felt the change most after his fight with Nagant. "So..." He craned his neck back.

If the world came to a halt, it would be now, All Might stared at his student, the boy he raised to not be his successor but to surpass him in every aspect, who fought with a kind heart constantly. "You're dead set on keeping me out of harm's way. And you have your duty as a wielder of One For All," The sinking feeling reached the bottom of his gut, his eyes wide at the implications.

Two bright, emerald orbs stared back at him with the fakest amount of reassurance possible. "Don't worry about me, really."

"I swore I'd raise you up and protect you!" Deku turned around, lightning arcing down to his soles. "Wait...!" He reached for Deku but he was too far away. "But I know how it is. You're the only one now that can bear this burden, and I know how crushing it is to have no one there to prop you up!" His hand reached for Deku's, but the gap was too wide as that damaged hand was dragged to the sky, "'Do your best', 'you deserve to rest', I... need to tell you that. Kid... I..." All Might collapsed to the ground, the food he carried spilled out on the pavement.

All Might grovelled on the ground, defeated at his lack of foresight into what his student had become, all because of him and his failure to realize what Kovik had done to Deku. He stole away his friends, the person he loved, and every battle chipped away at that burden, bringing the whole weight of the world down onto the boy's shoulders. He couldn't stop for he would finally fall apart. All Might... had failed him.

Behind a wall, another had overheard the conversation, playing with the cowl of his hood. "Hm, they say he appears like mist, pumping with various quirks like that All For One character, just like the old Nomu. And yet, he fights to protect the innocent without question, caked in blood and filth to hide his scars. If you asked me what my first impression of him was..."

The rain continuously cascaded upon Japan. Deku wandered the streets, Blackwhip crawled from his back to sway around his frame like pincers. His cape torn to pieces around his neck, almost merging with his mouthguard and mask that appeared ragged and weathered, with jagged eyes big and black, two emerald eyes peering through the darkness. His arms were like black claws, twitching as his sides. The rest of his costume was heavily damaged and coated in filth.

His legs were much like his arms, the soles split to form angular talons that slapped against the tarmac. A yellow sash flapping against his left hip, and a metal mask, perhaps the only untainted piece, clattered against his right hip. All the while mint-green streaks of energy snapped and crackled down his sinister frame, a primal guardian without rest or remorse for his enemies.

"I'd be honestly surprised, that he was a hero."

Deku will keep moving forward, even if it breaks him. He's truly alone now, but for how long? Also, love Lady Nagant, her character's awesome, can't wait for their fight to be animated. I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, Heroes!

Next Chapter Intermission - Withering Heart

Standing to the far left was Kyoka, her hair swept to the side by the wind, her eyes fixated on the person ahead of her. "I'm not letting you go another step further, Izuku."

To the right, Deku stood motionless, his body marred by dark lines say for the teal tint to his whips and the green discharge from his body, his irises no longer visible. "Please, get out of my way."

Her jacks poised at the same time as his whips snaked to shield their user. "Make me, Cabbage Patch."

"...next, Withering Heart... go beyond..." There was no light in his eyes.

"Tsk, Plus Ultra." Her amethyst glare was unyielding.