"Can't we locate him, at least?!"
Mina had been trying to speak to a member of the ESD regarding the whereabouts of Izuku. They were proving to be a bit less than helpful in that matter at the moment.
"I apologize, but we are trying to help those in need of urgent care. We cannot risk the additional lives at the moment while we recover our losses. Until we regain control over the situation, Emerald paragon is going to have to wait."
It frustrated the desperate pink girl to hear such a callous answer from the female officer assisting in the effort to get the hundreds of injured heroes to a medical facility.
"But he could be out there, fighting by himself! Why can you just-"
"Miss."
A stern tone from the older woman through her mask silenced the emotional young woman. They removed their mask to reveal a pretty face in their late twenties. Kneeling down to Ashido's eye level, the officer spoke honestly and directly towards the hero.
"We have more injured than active heroes. Many have lost their lives. As of right now, we cannot afford to risk anymore lives with the little we have. While the target is away, we must focus on helping those in need."
There were no holes in the logic the officer provided to Mina. She was even further shut down with what the female officer said to cement her point.
"We aren't heroes, like you or your peers. What we do is save lives, and many here are in desperate need of that. We cannot, in any way, risk your lives more than necessary. We will do what we can, but we are protectors more than anything. Safeguarding your safety as well as the others is our main priority. I apologize. If you will excuse me…"
Reequipping her mask, the officer returned to her job in assisting the injured.
Feeling a bit lost in this chaos left Mina at a loss for words. Looking all around her, the truth of the situation was more than apparent to her. She couldn't justify leaving all these people without the aid they needed for her own selfish desire to save one person from the individual who caused all this carnage. Without another alternative, Ashido steeled her nerves and wiped the leaked tears from her eyes before getting herself involved with the rescue effort. If Izuku was here, he too wouldn't want to leave all these heroes lying on the ground while severely injured.
For now, she needed to believe in Izuku.
She just hoped that faith wasn't misplaced, wherever he was.
Elsewhere
Bakugou coughed up some more river water next to Izuku. His hacking and coughing caught Midoriya's attention enough to make the fellow hero ask about the blonde's condition.
"Kachan, you okay?"
"Shut up and focus up, moron! I'm fine."
He was right. Izuku and Bakugou remained focused on their quarry as Bloodsoaked remained vigilant against the two young men. Their faceoff created enough tension that one could cut out a section of it out of the air with a knife. Stood across from one another, this next battle would perhaps be the one to determine who would walk away versus the ones who would fail in their mission. It all rode on who would be the stronger will to continue on with their goals for the world at large.
Keeping their heads about them, Katsuki and Izuku synched up their breathing until they both exhaled at precisely the same time. That was their silent trigger to begin their assault.
Going for a direct charge was none other than Katsuki. He launched himself directly into Bloodsoaked while Izuku Shot a thread of Black Whip halfway between himself and his target before sprinting with Fa Jin amplifying his speed. The side attack forced the killer to block Izuku's kick as Bakugou hit Bloodsoaked in the face with a compact explosion into his face.
Their combined momentum actually forced the killer to lose his footing enough to move him about five meters to his right. They also noticed that both their attacks were blocked by Bloodsoaked. His left arm was up to block the kick in a boxer's pose while the punch had been caught in his hand. There was no time to think for Katsuki. He immediately pulled the pin on his gauntlet to unleash a single focused superheated jet of repeated blasts into Bloodsoaked's face to help separate himself and Izuku away from the masked murderer.
Thankfully, that moment of quick thinking gave the two young men enough time to back off once more from their enemy. After making sure they were a safe enough distance away, both heroes watched as the smoking head of Bloodsoaked simply emerged from the cloud of black smoke when he stood up straight again.
"Fucking seriously?!"
"Stay calm, Kachan! We can still do this if we focus up."
Now it was Midoriya who told him to keep a level mind. Cooling his nerves, the both of them faced the infamous serial killer with renewed determination to take him down. Nothing else mattered at that moment than facing their opponent with anything less than their best.
With the training they received over the past year or so, both of the heroes gained senses that would usually take years to develop. Noticing the smallest yet necessary details forged these young men into truly formidable combatants that were to be feared by even the most capable of fighters. All that training gave them enough of an edge to notice the nearly imperceivable turn of Bloodsoaked's body language. Only with the most minimal of indicators did they manage to see where this killer intended to strike next.
"Black Whip!"
Firing a mesh of his black netting to intercept Bloodsoaked's path, the man needed to cut through the webbing with his knife in order to reach the blonde. That nanosecond of a delay gave Bakugou enough of a window to launch himself up into the air and out of the way of Bloodsoaked's grasp.
"Detroit Smash!"
Remaining out of range of Bloodsoaked's melee range, Izuku used the force of the attack to propel the killer off to his left at towards the river to his left. Using the same defensive block from earlier kept the serial killer on his feet as they skidded several meters.
"Rapid AP Shot!"
Dozens of high velocity shots rained down where Bloodsoaked stood. He didn't waste any time dodging all the bullets from Katsuki's barrage. Moving like a blur, this murderer bobbed and weaved out of the way of the shots directed at him from above. Not only that, he took advantage of the chaos and moved backwards away from the two. Chasing after the villain with his aim made Izuku aware of what Bakugou noticed just then. Neither of them hesitated in giving chase after the criminal who was trying to escape once again.
Across the bank of this river, a black blur could be seen being chased after a green and red streak of light.
Their path across the city took them farther and farther away from the other heroes. At this point, they were truly on their own against the legend himself.
Elsewhere
Taking her first breath of real fresh air after months of chaotic isolation, Mitsuki found herself walking past a river with a line of benches to her right. Being able to finally take a walk outside in public was something she never knew she missed until it became unavailable for an extended amount of time.
Decompressing with nothing but the sounds of nature accompanying her felt so relieving to the soul. A cool breeze felt incredible as she just let the peaceful atmosphere unwind her stress. Never again would she ever take for granted the smaller things in life.
Just walking out in the open left the single mother pondering on things in her life up until this point. All the good and bad in her life that made her the woman she was now. Although, a lot of things along the way certainly felt nearly overwhelming for her; many good people helped her through the toughest of it all. Her son, her friends, they all played a part in keeping her head it all.
Especially when she lost her husband.
Those few months of her life were the longest she ever experienced. It still filled her with guilt over how neglectful she became regarding her only child's wellbeing during that difficult time for both of them. How Mitsuki just emotionally shut down and left Katsuki with all his pent up rage and guilt over his father's death as she fell into her own misery over their loss. Things were better, but that was only because of the help this family received from one man in particular.
Nakamura had been a kind soul who had been there when her family nearly died. She felt indebted to him for the longest time for what he did to try and save both her husband as well as her son. Even after what he confessed to her many years later after the fact.
Taking a seat on one of the many benches, her heart felt heavy from the sudden reemergence of the bitter memory of when Nakamura came over when Katsuki was out with friends during a sleepover.
What he said would never leave the woman. Those feelings would forever be embedded into her soul for as long as she lived.
Six Years Ago
"Yes, yes! I'm coming!"
It had been roughly eight pm in the evening when her doorbell went off. Her son had been gone for the evening with a slumber party with a few of his friends, so Mitsuki had been by herself in the mostly vacant apartment. Having some peace and quiet let the single mother finish up her office work in her study before she would go and enjoy some tea and a good book before going to bed. She hadn't expected any deliveries or visitors, so she didn't know who it was that stood in front of her home.
Peering through the camera on her front door, her surprise couldn't be contained as she went to unlock the entrance to let her closest friend into her home.
"Haru? What's wrong? Are you okay?"
Something was definitely off about the usually composed man when he arrived at her doorstep. His swaying and stench led to the most obvious conclusion for the now single mother.
"Hm? Oh, Mitsuki. Sorry… I, uh… What's up?"
He was drunk. Knowing how much a heavyweight Haru was led the woman to conclude he had more than enough to knock out six people cold before arriving here. She helped the inebriated man through her doorway before he slumped onto the step leading into her home and taking off his shoes before stumbling in with great difficulty. Mitsuki plopped Nakamura onto her couch, where he weakly thanked the woman for her hospitality while she went to get some tea for both herself and her friend. By the time she returned with the beverages, he was sitting up with his head slumped back onto the couch. Something in his eyes told her that Haru had some serious issues he needed to talk about.
"Here, drink this. It'll keep you from having a hangover."
"I don't get them… But, thank you."
She sat across from him on the opposite couch while they sat in a comfortable silence while Mitsuki waited for Haru to start talking. It was clear as day he wanted to share something with her, so she let the man take his time to muster up the strength to get to the point. Several minutes passed before his eyes focused on the cup of steaming tea in his hand before speaking his mind.
"... I killed him."
Unable to even speak, Mitsuki didn't understand what Haru was talking about until he further elaborated.
"I failed to save him… But that isn't all of it. Mitsuki… I… I'm… I'm so-"
Choking back a sob, Nakamura almost lost himself in his misery before he could explain further. Keeping his head, Haru remained steady as he laid everything he could out for her to see.
"... That day. That day, I was there… Ma… Masaru, he… He was low on cash. He asked me for directions to that bank… I… I… Oh, god… I… I gave him directions… And he… Katsuki, they… I was the one who killed him… It was me… I'm his killer…"
Hearing this for the first time in her life, it filled the single mother with all sorts of confusing emotions to hear someone she always considered an important friend admit something so heavy to her. All the hot tea splashed onto the floor as Nakamura began to sob behind a hand covering his face. Never had Mitsuki seen the usually charismatic man with such control in his actions act so feeble and lost. She never knew the extent of the guilt that Haru held in his heart regarding the death of her husband. How it tore him apart from within to carry the burden of sending his best friend to his death along with his son. In protecting their son, Masaru no longer was amongst the land of the living. Some moments passed before Mitsuki could even move from how shocked she was in hearing the admission of guilt.
Some part of her was bitter at the fact her husband died because of Nakamura, but the greater majority of her being felt horrible for how much of this burden had been carried by this one man. Years after the fact, Haru held onto this terrible burden all by himself while still trying to help the family he felt as though he destroyed.
While Haru sobbed miserably, Mitsuki did the one thing that could help the situation.
Bringing Nakamura out of his crying fit was the sound of glass clinking on the coffee table. In front of him were a liter bottle of hard liquor and two shot glasses. Mitsuki poured both of them a shot of the hard stuff before offering Haru a glass as well.
"... If that's how you feel, then let's get through this together."
Looking into the teary eyed mother's stare, it dawned on Nakamura that Mitsuki didn't resent the man. They were two people who dearly missed Masaru. This was a shared moment of grief for a man who they cared about.
"It's what he would have wanted for us."
Taking the glass and slamming their drinks, these two drank to the memory of the passed away patriarch of the Bakugou family. Maybe this wasn't how it should have been handled, but it was their way. They drank until the pain numbed itself enough for them to pass out on the couches. Waking up on the opposite couch where Nakamura passed out left Mitsuki with a headache capable of splitting a continent.
Mitsuki still couldn't figure out how Nakamura never felt hungover when she smelled the decadent scent of breakfast the next morning. It made her incredibly envious that he never felt the pounding ache of the morning after.
Present Time
Only she saw Haru break down in such a vulnerable way over his guilt. Those emotions made her realize that perhaps her pain wasn't something she needed to let guide her actions. Nakamura still remained strong for all the times he interacted with her son. The pain of loss didn't prevent Haru from trying to guide Katsuki on to the right path in life. He kept Katsuki accountable when necessary. He taught the boy the lessons of life despite his guilt. Nothing kept the man from doing the right thing for her own flesh and blood. If he did this as her friend, then she had no excuse from doing the same for her child. That strength of character was what motivated her to be the mother she wanted to be for Katsuki. Her precious son.
Feeling renewed, Mitsuki stood back up and stretched upwards to untangle the tense spots in her back after sitting on a park bench for an extended period of time. Looking up towards the slightly cloudy sky, she smiled as the idea of her husband looking down upon his family still living their best lives in his memory filled Mitsuki with some much needed confidence.
Even though she missed him, her husband loved her as she loved him. She would honor his memory by finding happiness for both herself and their son.
Just then, something caught her attention. The river she stood next to had a large curve to it that made the next kilometer or two of the rural area visible for anybody standing where she was. A distant explosion caught her attention as the faint echoes reached her ears. Turning to her right, the distant plumes of smoke could be seen erupting towards her in a line tracing the river she stood next to. Seeing the distant evidence of destruction didn't give the single mother enough of a chance to react to the foot chase charging at her at ungodly speeds.
"AP Wave Charg-"
By the time the one launching the attack against their target realized who it was that stood in the blast zone of his attack, he couldn't stop the projectile.
He even tried to catch the attack with his other hand in a desperate attempt to keep the blast from hurting the last family member he had. It was far too fast for him to stop through such means. Unable to stop his own attack, Katsuki watched helplessly in horror as the image of his mother standing there in front of him seared itself into his mind. He didn't expect his mother to still be within the city after the mandatory evacuation had been issued to everyone in the city. The stubborn woman had been one of the few who didn't vacate the city when asked. Due to Nakamura telling his men to treat the woman with respect, they didn't do anything else when she refused the order.
Now it came back to bite Haru in the ass after all the bad judgment calls he's made so far in his emotionally compromised state.
Swallowing up the image of his startled mother, Katsuki's attack erupted the spot where she stood and tore the concrete along with the benches out of the ground. Both Katsuki and Izuku came to a screeching halt at the shocking development.
Midoriya didn't know what to say as the mother of his best friend was unexpectedly caught in the crossfire. Turning his gaze back to Katsuki to his right, the shock of getting his mother involved in this fight was more than evident in the frozen expression of horror on Bakugou's face. This woman was all Katsuki had left as family. Now he was contesting the fact that he may have killed his own mother in his own mind.
"Ka-"
"Mitsuki?! Are you okay?!"
Cutting through the tense silence was the voice of the man the two young heroes were hunting. This shook the two heroes out of their stupor as there were a multitude of reasons hearing this would confuse the ever living shit out of both of them.
First of all, it sounded as if he saved the woman who was almost hurt by the attack.
That fact alone left them severely muddled already.
Second to that was the fact he called out the woman by name. Both Izuku and Katsuki knew that it was Mitsuki who was almost caught in the crossfire. Why would the country's deadliest assassin know some random civilian by name?
"I-I'm fine, Mist-"
Peering up at her unknown rescuer revealed to Mitsuki the masked vistage of the most infamous criminal to exist in Japan's history. She couldn't believe her eyes at the fact that Bloodsoaked himself was carrying her bridal style while asking if she was okay or not. Her shock was short lived as he let her sit back down on the ground gently before turning back around to face his two pursuers. Right when he turned back to face them, the one behind the gas mask then started to react oddly at the sight of the collateral damage.
"N-no… No, not this."
Although it was lost to Bakugou, Izuku started to recognize the area around him and Katsuki. The more he realized where he was, the more his panic rose in the face of the fact that Bloodsoaked was acting oddly. An unsettling feeling buried under his confusion caused Izuku to react in an unusual manner in Katsuki's eyes.
"No… NO! Not here! Not this spot!"
Bloodsoaked knelt into the smoking rubble where Katsuki's attack landed. His gloved hands were shuffling through the rocks and debris desperately in search of something. Midoriya felt his heart sink to his stomach as his stomach launched itself into the back of his throat. Katsuki turned his head to see Izuku look horrified yet enraged all at once. Izuku lost all perception of his surroundings as he started to erratically question the villain.
"Why not here? WHY NOT HERE?! ANSWER ME! WHAT IS THIS PLACE TO YOU?!"
His erratic behavior had Katsuki grab Izuku from behind to prevent the distressed hero from approaching the dangerous individual. He actually needed to get Izuku into a headlock to prevent his friend from making any stupid mistakes.
"Calm down, yo-"
"ANSWER ME!"
Stopping his desperate search through the rubble, Bloodsoaked knew that this was it for him. He no longer could fend off the inevitable. Too much of his vulnerability had been shown already for him to continue this facade. Standing back up slowly, the killer finally placed his cards on the table. For him, it was over.
"... You already know why this place is important for us, kiddo."
Those words shook both Izuku and Katsuki to their core. Mitsuki also recognized the significance of the way Bloodsoaked addressed Izuku. Only one person she knew of spoke to the young man in such a way. The hiss of the mask being released sounded like a jet plane taking off for those there. Hearing the undisguised voice of the one behind the mask only cemented the worst of all their fears.
"I told you what it took to achieve your goals here. It was here…"
None of this was fair. Anybody but him would have been better.
Not only was the bench that Nakamura Haru both Izuku and him sat on when Izuku needed help at the lowest point in his life was destroyed; the villain in Midoriya's story had revealed themself to be the one person Izuku loved as a father. His heart shattered into dust at the sight of his dad unmasking himself as the worst murderer in the history of Japan.
"You learned to be the man you needed to be to accomplish your dreams."
Katsuki felt his head swim in a miasma of confusion at the sight of the one who unveiled their identity to him and Izuku. One of them finally uttered the name to question the real identity of this one individual.
"... Haru-san?"