I'm so sorry for the wait but Chapter 7 of Dekiru is here!

Holy crap, over 1000 alerts?! safoweorgbwro I can't believe it!

Anyway, warning: Blood and violence feature in this chapter so warning out there. It's not pretty!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy!

P.S. And yes, I am continuing. I'm the type of author who has writer's block A LOT! Sorry in advance!


Izuku leapt to the side, using his staffs to keep the katana's sharp edge away from him. Due to the survivors, he knew exactly how the Hero Killer worked and had analysed the man just in case they ever crossed paths. From what he knew, the blades were used to draw blood, which was most likely due to his Quirk that paralysed if blood was ingested. If he was going to live through this encounter, he had to be alert and not allow himself to get cut. He couldn't, he just had to bide his time. His mother would realise something would be wrong when he doesn't make dinner and call other heroes to help. At least, that's what he hoped would happen.

Another blade swiped from the left, only managing to snag the hood of his costume rather than cause any physical damage. That was a close one, almost too close. Another swing like that and it could all be over, with his body on the floor.

'Hold it together, hold it together, hold it together…' Izuku repeated the mental mantra in his mind continuously, however, it was quite hard to do so when a killing maniac was watching his every move and trying to outsmart him. Unfortunately for Stain, Izuku was doing the exact same thing. 'Look for an opening, look for an opening… ah ha!' Using a staff to catapult himself over Stain's head, he quickly turned, grabbing the handle of his mallet. He pulled it out of hits handle and used momentum to send it flying down towards the villain. Stain suddenly backflipped out of the way of incoming danger, deciding to create a no man's land in between them, instead of using that chance to get a solid slice in.

"You already show more promise than the other fakes I've met," Surprisingly, the Hero Killer crouched down, weapons re-sheathed. It was a sign of a small truce, one Izuku was wise enough to realise. He too returned his equipment to their proper places, but still remained in a cautious pose. "I want to ask some questions."

"What kind?" From survivor accounts Stain had never asked them to talk, instead he continuously hit them until they made a mistake and monologued about how their death would help cleanse the society of heroics. That monologue was one of the reasons why a few heroes had survived the attempted culling, that and they were in an area that was heavily populated with people who could find their injured forms easily. Izuku wasn't so lucky in that department.

"Obvious ones," Stain's eyes narrowed, unhappy with the supposedly stupid question he had been given. For Izuku, it was a perfectly normal question to ask when a killer suddenly stopped trying to kill you for a random Ted talk or something. "Why did you become a hero?"

"Well…" Out of the corner of his vision, Izuku noticed a glint of something heading in his direction. He moved out of the way of the incoming knife, but the next two weren't so easy to dodge. The blades sliced through his mask and mouth guard, both items dropping to the ground as they could no longer remain attached to Izuku's face. Quickly, he raised a hand to check for any bleeding. Somehow – he seemed to have luck on his side tonight – there was none. "You could at least let me start talking before you start the fight again!"

Without his mouth guard, Izuku didn't have access to the voice changer installed inside it. Because he didn't have access to the voice changer, Izuku didn't sound like an older version of himself. In short, Stain now knew he was fighting a kid and not an adult.

The Hero Killer stood up straight, putting his spare throwing knifes away. "I don't fight children. You'd better run along cosplayer, or else I might change my mind." Stain thought he was a fake, a child just pretending to be a hero. Deep down, Izuku knew this was his chance to escape a certain fate of death or injury, but…

… He wasn't going to leave Stain's question unanswered.

He WAS Dekiru, and he WOULD live up to his name.

Izuku pulled out his roll of capture tape and threw it like a lasso, ensnaring one of Stain's wrists. It made a statement as well as putting Izuku on the advantage. Children couldn't have access to capture tape, heroes could. He WAS a hero, despite being so young and Stain was underestimating him.

"You know, calling me a cosplayer isn't the best thing to do," Izuku grinned cheekily, lassoing Stain's other wrist with his spare roll. "I'm the real deal alright. What? Can't children be heroes just as much as children can be villains? I'm not THAT young."

"Hmph, you are persistent," Stain tugged against the tape, to which Izuku grabbed hold of it tighter. "Why didn't you lie though? Use my morals to have an excuse to escape. You could have just played along just fine, and you wouldn't be in this mess right now."

"Because that would be going against MY morals!" he, the hero, grunted back. Even if Izuku couldn't win, he wasn't going to allow a murderer to walk free. He wasn't going to allow any more heroes to die from the actions of one individual with a warped sense of bringing forth a better society. "I can't sit by idlily whilst you continue to murder heroes. I may not be strong enough to defeat you, and I know that inside, but there's a reason why my hero name is Dekiru! It means "You can do it!" and right now, I can do it, I can stop you from killing anyone else because I'm here!" Izuku paused, still using all his strength to stop Stain from pulling the capture tape from his hands. "If I'm going to save as many people as I possibly can, I better start by trying to save any future co-workers you have marked in red on your list!"

Stain's smile, his creepy gum showing smile, was growing by the sentence. His eyes lit up with a newfound kindled fire.

"I see, you're a follower of his teachings too!" The Hero Killer was obviously referring to All Might and whilst it was true that Izuku was inspired by All Might as a child, now Izuku knew the man for what he truly was. A human being with flaws and emotions, not just some icon to be placed on a pedestal. All Might was the ideal hero, yes, but what All Might stood for was something that all heroes should learn from. The lack of monetary greed, the lack of fame fighting, that was nice and all, but All Might was a hero whose only purpose was to serve the people and to save as many as he possibly could. Stain saw All Might's actions as the only way to be a true hero, but the other side of things, the job like aspect of heroics contradicted his views slightly. People were putting their lives on the line to make a living, even if they didn't become popular.

Judging heroes based on one person solely wasn't how he should create his killer code. Heroes weren't godlike beings, not like All Might was, they were normal people with desires and needs. They were just licenced by the Government to use their Quirks to stop crime. More heroes garnering the same mentality of All Might may just help change the imbalanced society that ran the world, but killing all heroes that don't fit that mentality would mean a lack of heroes worldwide. Villainy would run amuck and Stain would be left to deal with his actions.

"I used to follow him, I used to want to be like him!" By now, Stain had begun the fight once again, striking down with his blade from above after having jumped into the air. His katana was met with Izuku's two staffs in an X shape, both pushing against each other to stop one overpowering the other. "But now, I'm my own person, my own hero! I want to save people, just like All Might, but I also want to change society. I may be Quirkless, but I'm a hero and I'm not going to let you kill another person!" Pushing forwards, Izuku swiped his staffs to the sides, blowing Stain back which allowed him to regain some breathing space.

"You want to change society?"

"Yes!" Izuku felt tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "Do you know what it's like to be told you're nothing because you don't have a Quirk?! Do you know how it's like knowing that all life has instore for you is an early death and next to no human rights as living beings?!" As he shouted, the two exchanged blows, using their weapons for both offensive and defensive measures. "I couldn't stand it, and as a hero, I want to change it! I want to change the way people see us Quirkless! I want to show other people that Quirkless people can be heroes too! I want to save people with a smile, and for them to feel safe, even if I don't have a Quirk!" Stain managed to gain the upper hand, pushing his blade down until Izuku's staff met his neck. He strained against the weapon, trying to keep it from pushing him down.

"I… see…" Stain was still grinning, but it was even wider than it had been before. "So, you really are a true hero, then, aren't you? I guess I did misjudge you despite your age, Dekiru. You're trying to change society for the better, which means you aren't my enemy. I used to tell the fakers, I'll only let one hero defeat me, kill me, and that hero was All Might…" A long tongue licked over chapped lips "… But now, I'd be more than happy if you killed me tonight!"

"Luckily for you, I don't like killing people," Izuku grunted, managing to even the odds again by using one of his feet to trip up Stain from behind his ankles. "And I never will, not even if they want me dead."

"Well then, it's good you do stick to your morals." Stain rectified his position, staring the young hero down. "But I have more fakes to eradicate from society, and I don't want to be caught just yet. So, I believe I have to stab you."

"For your Quirk, right?" Izuku smirked as Stain's grin finally dropped. "You need the blood of your victims to paralyse them. It last for a set amount of time, which allows you to usually kill them off or let them bleed to death. I've had my theories, it could be linked to the amount of blood indigested, the number of people afflicted or… a person's blood type." Seeing the flinch confirmed Izuku's suspicions. "So, if it's blood type, that means the time limit is different depending on type. And if the amount of time is longest against type B, then that means type O has the shortest time limit, am I right?"

"You're right…" Stain was smiling again, and it was terrifying. "You're pretty smart for a small brat, Dekiru."

"I have to be," Izuku answered back immediately. "In a world where I can't use a Quirk to fight back, I have to figure out the opponent's Quirk and use my own skills to defeat them. It's the basics for me."

"Well then, let's wrap this up," Stain held his katana loosely, twisting it so it caught the light of the moon in various different places along the blade. "I have a date with destiny."

"Oh, you mean jail? I hope you treat them well!" Izuku rushed forwards, choosing the heavy hitting mallet over the staffs. He needed power more than speed now, he needed to end this fight as soon as. His mother would be getting worried, and he didn't know what time it was.

Shockingly, Stain threw his blade into the air, pulling out another one to meet with the mallet. The killer looked up, drawing attention to the blade, which was rotationally falling back to Earth, possibly to land on Izuku...

… It was a trap…

Izuku only just managed to avoid another hidden blade that would have been used to cut his arm, flipping backwards twice through a handstand to get away from it. He was running out of stamina and fast, having not eaten for hours since lunch. There was no way he could last much longer. He had to end this and quickly. Reaching into his belt pouch, he pulled out a smoke bomb and threw it as hard as he could. It hit the ground, sending bellowing cloudy smoke to cover the Hero Killer, who was coughing loudly. Great, he was right where Izuku wanted him to be.

He rushed forwards, jumping to gain height before swinging his mallet down where the Hero Killer's head should be, which resulted in a hit. Izuku landed on the ground, smiling as the smoke cleared to reveal an unconscious Stain. He'd done it, he'd beaten the Hero Killer! Him, a Quirkless Hero who succeeded where Quirked Heroes had failed. A part of him was still on edge but his brain blamed it from the adrenaline from the fight.

Izuku brought his phone out of his pocket and was about to dial the police to come and pick the Hero Killer up when a searing pain burst through his abdomen. His pupils contracted as he looked down, only to be greeted with a bloodstained blade to be sticking out of his gut. He couldn't speak, this wasn't happening, there was no way this was happening…

The blade was pulled out, agonising flares of pain sparked in the area and Izuku fell to the floor, his mobile skidded away from his prone form slightly from his left hand. Blood was pooling beneath him from his wound and his ears felt as if they had been submerged underwater.

How?

HOW?!

"You're still young," Stain wasn't unconscious, he was wide awake with a bulge protruding from his scalp. He'd been faking it, waiting for Izuku to make a rookie mistake. He knew he should have checked if the Hero Killer was truly unconscious. "But, you'll have time to learn from your mistakes." The man licked his blade slowly, almost as if he was savouring the taste. Almost immediately, Izuku felt his limbs lock up, they weren't responding to any mental commands he gave them. Only his eyes and his mouth continued to work for him. "I won't let you die, I would never let a true hero die, I just needed you incapacitated so I could leave. You did well, very well, especially for a hero of your calibre."

"… N-n-no… Please… don't…" Izuku found trouble in speaking, his vision blurring as the blood loss and pain mixed to affect his brain. "… Please don't… kill… anyone… else…"

"Even in this state, you are still thinking of others above yourself?" Stain shook his head with a fond – as fond as one can get from a homicidal maniac – smile. "A true hero indeed. You won't die, but I won't agree to your wishes. I have a new society to build." The Hero Killer turned and left, the blood dripping in droplets from the tip of his blade as he walked.

Once he was out of sight, Izuku struggled to reach to his phone, forcing his eyes open to stop them from closing shut. He needed to get help, he needed to call his mother, All Might, anyone! He couldn't do anything, his limbs still wouldn't respond and he was stuck where he lay. The screen was dark, cold and dead, smeared with his own blood. How fitting.

Izuku couldn't keep his eyes open, they were forcing themselves shut as the world darkened around him. He only wished that someone could find him in time.

'Please, someone, anyone, save me!'

'… I… don't… want… to… die…'

'… … … … Help… … me… … …'

'… … … … … … Please… … … … … …'

;-;-;

Inko paced around the living space, making sure to mind the furniture as she did so. It was half past nine, way past the time of Izuku's patrol ending, and usually he'd be back within five minutes of his shift ending, ten at a push if he was the other side of Musutafu. Izuku knew how worried she would get over him so made sure to come back as soon as possible to spare her the grief.

She had checked the local news, with no major villain takedowns, or crimes at all in the area, Izuku should have been back twenty minutes ago. And yet, he was still nowhere to be seen. Her nerves were on edge, the horrific thoughts of her son being injured sprung into her mind as she imagined the worst…

… No, she hadn't imagined the worst. If she had…

… Then she'd be imagining her baby's dead corpse.

Inko shook the thoughts from her head, staring at the bowl of katsudon she had made especially for him. It was slowly going cold as time ticked on, which kept her worrying about her son as every minute passed. She couldn't continue on like this, biting her nails away to nothing as she waited for her baby to walk through the door with an apologetic "Sorry I'm late!" followed by a lot of nervous rambling.

Heading back to the kitchen, she picked up the home phone and dialled Izuku's mobile number which she had memorized perfectly. Her heart soared when she heard the ring tone, only for it to plummet down to earth the longer the tone lasted until she arrived at the voicemail.

"You've reached the phone of Midoriya Izuku! If I'm not answering, I'm probably on hero business and yes mum, I love you too! Please leave a message after the tone… beep!" Then the real beep sounded, drawing Inko back into the depths of her horror filled world of imagination.

"Hello, Izuku honey, it's me," she gulped as her hands trembled as she held the phone. "It's half nine and you're not back yet, so… can you please call me back whenever you get this. I need to know you're safe and okay, alright sweetheart? I love you, bye!" Inko ended the call and leant back against the counter, taking deep breaths to steady herself so she didn't collapse.

She hoped her baby was okay.

meanwhile, the ringing of All Might's classic "I am Here" catchphrase echoed around the alleyway, sound reverberating from the closed off space. The screen lit up, mobile shaking from the vibrations it was making. Blood was spattered across the screen, light compared to the small puddle it was bouncing around in. Next to it, a body, oblivious to the world around it in its unconscious state. Crimson blended with green, light skin becoming paler by the second, nearing white. All the while, the puddle of red was growing ever wider.