Shouta lowered the notebook with a groan, reaching up to rub the space between his eyes with the heel of his hand. One week into the new school year, and he already knew that his new class was going to leave him with worse migraines than the last three combined. And it wasn't just because of the class itself; the strange and frankly alarming circumstances that seemed to follow them around would be a decisive part of it too, from the mysterious intruder to the decayed gates during the media storm yesterday. He wanted to believe they were separate incidents, especially considering that the first intruder had demonstrated his ability to come and go without anyone noticing, but his gut told him otherwise. Mindlessly, Shouta grabbed his mug of coffee and took a sip, making a face as he realized that it had gone cold in the hours he'd spent decoding the disturbingly remarkable notebook Bakugou had lent to him a couple of days before.

The author had written in three different languages: Japanese, English, and French (why French?), both with the traditional alphabets and shorthand, implying that some of his notes were taken on the fly and others with more thought. Honestly, it wasn't so much a code as a deterrent, but the almost seamless flow from one language to another, sometimes in the middle of a thought or paragraph, was nothing short of vexing. Truth be told though, it was a testament to the author's intelligence. Despite the nature of mixed language and shorthand notes, his grammar and vocabulary were astoundingly good in all three, even when he switched languages mid-sentence. He didn't really seem to have a pattern to it, which reeked of fluency in all three languages. It was almost frightening, the amount of time and dedication it must have taken the writer to learn it all, but truthfully, the information it contained was what terrified Shouta the most.

Aizawa 'Eraserhead' Shouta

Quirk: Erasure

Affiliation: Independent underground hero, UA hero course teacher

Erases the quirks of those in his line of sight

Pros:

Can erase any emitter or transformation type quirk effects

Highly intelligent

Observant; specializes in information ops and stealth missions

Martial arts expert; acrobatic style, very adept with his capture weapon (see notes)

When he wears his goggles, it's difficult to tell whose quirk he's erasing, especially since it only requires line of sight, not eye-contact

Cons:

Cannot erase heteromorphic quirks, but he can erase any emitter/transformation-like effects (see notes)

Can only erase the quirks of those directly in his line of sight (see notes)

Specializes in one-on-one combat and sneak attacks; although capable in more drawn-out fights, he appears to slow down as time goes on

His quirk doesn't give him any special combat advantage except to level the playing field

He has a tell: his quirk has an emitter side effect where his hair floats when it is active (also appears to affect his scarf; research further?!)

Possible that his quirk causes dry eye or a similar condition (see notes)

Notes/Questions:

What exact effect does Erasure have on emitter-like transformation quirks?

Capture weapon is his scarf; likely a carbon fiber alloy judging by flexibility combined with strength; does it float as an added emitter side effect, or is there some element of electronics? (Edit: probably the former)

Doesn't affect heteromorphic quirks; would indicate that Erasure doesn't attack the quirk itself but rather the quirk factor (heteromorphics don't require any 'activation'; the 'mutation' doesn't disappear)

What sort of energy is 'emitted' to affect a quirk factor? Can it be replicated/blocked?

Can't erase effects if he can't see the person to whom the quirk belongs, even if he can see the person affected

Can't erase the quirk if he can't see the person (what counts as 'seeing' the person?)

He has to blink more often the longer his quirk use extends; it would appear that his quirk causes some sort of strain on his eyes

There was more. So much more, all marked and connected with color-coded annotations (which were usually in kanji). Patrol routes, schedules, theories about a mild telekinesis emitter side effect, his quirk's ability to affect people through clothing, the name of his cat-!? He'd known something was off from the moment Bakugou recognized his capture weapon during the quirk test, but frankly, Shouta felt more than a little violated, especially considering that almost none of this information was public knowledge-and even the small bit that was had to be searched for. What it meant was that this person, as Shinsou had suggested, had likely been watching him-as well as about another two dozen pros, a few Hero Public Safety Commission agents, and fifteen or so small-time villains in this book alone-for an extended period of time, perhaps for years. Not to mention the fact that this was notebook number thirty-two according to the title and it was barely halfway full-! How many more pros had been unknowingly compromised?! And now, this unknown entity was watching Shouta's students. To make matters even more complicated, if Bakugou, Jirou, and now Shinsou were to be believed, it looked as though this 'unknown entity' may very well be a child the same age as his students!

He'd pulled the police case file on Midoriya Izuku as soon as Bakugou had left his office two days earlier. There wasn't much there: the kid had disappeared, his mother had filed a missing person's report as soon as she could, and a search had begun. His backpack was found on a bridge, still containing all of his textbooks, identification, and a short note to his mother, but there was no sign of the owner. There wasn't even a sign of a struggle. It didn't take long for the police to start dredging the river, but they never found anything. No body, no nothing. But, because there were no leads, witnesses, or otherwise evidence for a kidnapping, the police were still forced to make the unfortunate conclusion two weeks later: suicide.

And now Midoriya Izuku might be back from the grave.

Unfortunately though, he hadn't been able to confirm any of it. Somehow, even though they had at least three witnesses to the boy's presence on campus, it seemed that not a single security camera had caught sight of him. Nezu was both surprised and thoroughly impressed by that particular development, but Shouta just felt his blood pressure rise a little bit higher. Maybe the problem child really did have some kind of invisibility quirk, even though every known type of registration had him marked as 'functionally quirkless'. Not even a vestigial mutation to fool anyone with.

Shouta could feel the beginnings of a headache pounding through his skull; there were too many questions. Who was this kid? Where had he been all this time? What were his motives and who was supporting him (because Shouta refused to believe this child had the resources to be acting alone, and anyway Jirou had mentioned someone named 'Kurogiri' yesterday, too)? Were his actions being taken under duress? Was the boy in danger? How much danger were his students in, or even Shouta himself? And what was he supposed to do about it now?

The exhausted pro hero shot a glance at the clock. 7:15 am. He had to get to campus. Good thing he'd slept in his hero clothes (what three hours he'd gotten before his anxieties pulled him back into the world of the living). Groaning, Shouta pushed himself to his feet and grabbed his mug of cold coffee, intent upon reheating it as he idly flicked on the radio to keep him company.

"-landslide on Nabu Island was mysteriously redirected last evening just before it reached a highly populated recreational beach area. No heroes are stepping forward to claim the rescue, and authorities are beginning to wonder if, perhaps, it was simply a freak-and extremely fortunate-happenstance, however the sole reported witnesses of the event, Shimano Mahoro and Katsuma, ages eight and six, claim that there was a hero present, although if the man was in fact involved, the question of whether he is an underground hero avoiding media attention or a vigilante remains to be answered. In other news, yet another pro hero suspected of tax evasion and embezzlement has been arrested by the poli-"

Shouta turned the knob to change the channel to something more local as he set his kettle on the stove, only half-listening as he absentmindedly patted Red Bean's head. The cat mewled at him, searching for breakfast no doubt.

"-stage situation in downtown Tokyo at the bank on 3rd Street and Main, where four villains have broken into the vault! They've taken several of the employees here hostage, as well as a young girl who was visiting with her mother when- Oh my goodness!"

Shouta paused as he placed Red Bean's meal on the floor beside her, his curiosity piqued. Only to groan as, even over the radio, he heard the overly-exuberant cry of, "Never fear! For I AM HERE!"

Of course he was. Of course he was throwing himself into hero work at 7:25am when he was supposed to be going to class and he had students that needed him! They were supposed to be doing rescue training today and if it was just him and Thirteen, it would be a heck of a lot harder to manage all his rowdy kids. But enough of that; he didn't have time to wait around. Instead he flicked the radio off, grabbed a jelly pouch from the fridge, pet Nezuko's head one last time and hurried to campus.

Thankfully his students were all waiting for him when he walked into his homeroom class at exactly 8:00am, utterly silent and eyes bright and eager as they waited for the morning's announcements. He wondered if Jirou or Shouji had been listening out for him.

"You're learning," he acknowledged simply, taking his own place behind the lecture podium. "Now, class rep, go over the day's announcements."

"Yes sir."

The day passed at its usual pace. Shouta did his best to catch up on the sleep he'd lost. He calculated that he managed to get another hour or so in before his students returned from lunch, ready for Hero Basic Training. "Today, we'll be doing something a little bit different," he announced. "Me, All Might, and another faculty member are gonna oversee your training at an off-campus facility." Eagerly whispered and I-think-I'm-whispering-but-I'd-die-if-this-was-a-stealth-mission comments immediately broke out through the entire classroom and Shouta resisted the urge to groan audibly. He really did not get enough sleep to deal with this.

"What kind of training will we be participating in, sensei?" called Iida, much too forcefully as usual, his arms moving at sharp angles that were going to take someone's eye out one of these days.

"Rescue training. We're going to start teaching you how to deal with disasters: fires, shipwrecks, landslides, things like that. Anyway, grab your costumes if you want and head outside. I'll meet you there."

Most-oh who was he kidding all-of the class showed up in their hero costumes, excited to try their gear in a new setting. He supposed that he could respect their eagerness to learn. He just hoped that no one had bitten off more than they could chew, diving into a new situation in costumes they were still getting used to. Getting everyone on the bus was its own special hell. Not because any of his students were being especially difficult, but rather because Iida was a little more exuberant about keeping everyone organized than Shouta was prepared to handle at the moment. Thank heavens for Jirou, quietly stepping in and reminding him that there was no assigned seating, so how about he just take roll to make sure they didn't leave anyone behind? When the bus finally started on its way, Shouta closed his eyes, falling into a light doze, lulled by his students' conversations.

"…hard for anyone else to understand…"

"…so glad the media weren't there…"

"…like the new costume, Yaomomo! It really…"

"What was Present Mic saying about…"

"So Bakugou, I tend to just say whatever's on my mind, so I have to ask: what exactly happened during the battle training the other day?"

Shouta startled awake as all other conversation on the bus vanished in an instant. Obviously, Asui wasn't the only one who had been wondering.

"C-Come on, guys, that's not manly, putting Bakugou on the spot like that," Kirishima's voice piped up. Shouta could imagine him nervously fiddling with his hair while simultaneously reaching out to make sure his friend didn't explode on anyone. Literally.

"Nah, it's fine," came Bakugou's weary sigh, and with it Shouta stiffened slightly. He was actually rather surprised the blonde gave in so easily. Trying to get him to talk after the training had been worse than pulling teeth (which he may or may not know due to personal experience). "But there are some things I'm not gonna talk about, get it? So don't bother pressing."

"That's fine," Asui spoke up again. "You don't have to talk about anything you don't want to."

"So how much did these two knuckleheads already spill?"

"Hey, that's not fair!" Ashido whined, and Shouta rolled his eyes.

"Gonna deny it, Panda Eyes?"

"Well no… But Kyoka started it!"

"That's kind of true," Jirou admitted guiltily. "Mina and Kirishima mentioned the name Izuku and… well, I couldn't help prying. Kirishima told us he was a friend of yours that had supposedly committed suicide, Mina found a picture in an article that mentioned he was quirkless, and I told them he appeared at the training, but that's it."

Bakugou's irritation was as audible as his resignation when he sighed. "So what d'ya wanna know?"

"Ooh! Ooh!" Hagakure's squeal broke out. "How did you meet?!"

"Our moms were friends. Next?"

"Okay, but how old were you?" Hagakure insisted.

"You think I'd remember? It was before preschool."

"Awww!"

"So why was he at the training?" Sero asked next, right to the point.

"The hell would I know?"

"How did you know it was him?" Asui questioned curiously.

"You freakin' kidding me? Looked just like him; duh!"

"No, I mean before that, kero. You knew it was him right? That's why you went running in to begin with."

"Oh, that. It had to do with what Jacks overheard. Izuku was kind of infamous for mumbling when he thought things through, and 'cuz he was quirkless and his dad was a researcher, he was kinda obsessed with quirks. Used to take all kinds of notes on hero and villain battles and the quirks of people around him. When Jacks mentioned someone was mumbling about your quirk, it just kinda clicked."

"But, I mean, the dude was dead, right? Why'd you still think it was him?" Kaminari piped up, and Shouta winced at the lack of tact.

For awhile, Bakugou didn't answer, and Shouta could feel the levels of increasing tension in the back of the bus. Eventually, it was Yaoyorozu who murmured quietly, "Would you want to give up on a childhood friend, Kaminari?"

"W-Well… Yeah, I get it. Sorry, man."

"Yeah, whatever," Bakugou mumbled. Shouta knew that wasn't the full story. He'd managed to get a few more details out of the kid a few days ago, specifically concerning the sludge villain attack and Bakugou's surreal encounter with Midoriya in the middle of it, but even that hadn't felt like the full story. However, it had been all his student was willing to say.

"So when did he disappear?"

"'Bout three years back. We were twelve."

"Why did he call you 'Kacchan'?!"

"We were frickin' four, got it? And no, you can't call me that!"

"So if he's really been alive all this time, what's he been doing?" Satou asked.

"Like I'd know," Bakugou snorted, and at least he sounded like he was mostly back to his regular self.

From there the conversation devolved into increasingly outlandish conspiracy theories until Bakugou finally couldn't take it anymore, an explosion with the force of a firecracker going off in his palm as he yelled at everyone to back off. Fortunately, they'd just pulled into the parking lot by then, so the driver didn't run them off road when he jumped in surprise.

Thirteen was waiting for them by the front steps of the USJ, greeting his class with a cheerful wave. He could see Uraraka squeal a little bit as she recognized the Space Hero, but whatever. It was expected that you'd have a few fangirls or boys in a Heroics course. As long as she didn't get distracted from the exercise, he couldn't be bothered to care.

"Where's All Might? Shouldn't he be here by now?" Shouta frowned.

"Actually, he apparently overworked himself this morning," Thirteen sighed. Shouta merely groaned. He'd seen that one coming.

Whatever, we should still be able to handle it, he sighed, stepping back as Thirteen began introducing his class to the USJ and reminding them of the dangers inherent in quirks as a whole. Shouta rolled his eyes as applause followed the short speech, but a moment later, he felt his hair prickle on the back of his neck.

Shouta stiffened, spinning around as the lights throughout the USJ suddenly popped and shattered, glass tinkling against the floor. Every alarm bell in Shouta's brain was going off, thinking of the strange events at the battle simulation, the decayed entrance to UA, and now a smoky purplish cloud that was appearing around the center fountain-just like Bakugou and Jirou described.

"Shit!" he heard Jirou hiss under her breath as his students noticed the mass as well. Bakugou was staring too, his eyes wide and shocked and worryingly hopeful as he focused on the cloud. The pro hero swore under his breath, vowing that he would get the full story of his and Midoriya's relationship when this was over as he lifted his goggles to hide his gaze, quickly shifting his position so that he was between the purplish mass and his class.

A figure stepped out of the smoke, tall and slightly gaunt, with pale blue hair and… were those hands covering his body?! More figures appeared out of the smoke, including a giant covered in scars with a bird-like face and an exposed brain, but strangely Shouta did manage to find a little comfort in the fact that none of them matched the description of Midoriya Izuku.

"Where is he?" the first villain hissed, his voice harsh and raspy, like he was ill. "Where's All Might?! He was supposed to be here! Deku lied! He lied to me to make me look bad in front of Sensei!"

"Deku did try to call off the attack," a new voice, deep and echoing oddly, sighed as the smoke took the shape of a tall figure dressed in slacks and a formal vest. So this was the teleporter. Kurogiri, right? "Perhaps this was the reason."

"Hold on, has the exercise started already?" Kirishima frowned. "I thought we were rescuing people?"

"Stay back!" Eraserhead snapped sharply, slipping fully into 'pro hero mode'. "This is real. Those are villains!"

"What?!"

"Why aren't the alarms going off?"

"It's probably someone's quirk."

"Kaminari, use your quirk to try and contact the school. Thirteen, protect the students. I'll hold them back!"

He charged without another thought, leaping from the top step towards the crowd of villains below, vaguely hearing Kirishima's voice yelling at someone before focusing his attention on a group of three villains that had stepped to the fore, extending various limbs towards him. Long range attackers. Deal with them quickly.

A flash of his eyes, and all three villains were left fumbling in confusion before his scarf whipped out of nowhere to seize them around the waist and send them flying in all directions. Somewhere to one side, he heard a villain calling out a warning that they were up against Eraserhead, and that he could somehow cancel out quirks.

Eraserhead frowned at that, his thoughts spinning. He'd thought that the portal these villains arrived by was the same as the one Midoriya Izuku escaped by, but if that were true, then shouldn't these villains be more well-informed? They didn't know the exact nature and function of his quirk, nor were they aware of his ability to seize the four-armed heteromorphic villain with his scarf and send him flying and then slamming to the ground. Not to mention they didn't recognize him initially, when the sketch in Midoriya's journal was more than accurate enough. Could they have been separate incidents after all? Could it all just be a coincidence?

A coincidence that he recognized at least six different villains from Midoriya's notebook, including the extremely specific weaknesses that were mentioned in his notes?

Yeah right.

He may not have known exactly what was going on, but that didn't stop him from taking advantage of those notes. A villain with a taser quirk got thrown into the nearby shipwreck zone's lake (he electrocuted himself when wet). A man with massive, blunt claws got tossed into a tree (his mole quirk made him scared of heights and virtually blind). A woman with a plant-control quirk got caught in his capture weapon and dragged forward so that Eraserhead could slam his foot into her ankle; she screamed and collapsed in an instant (she had an old injury that had never properly healed).

Unfortunately, he got so caught up in taking down these slightly lesser villains that he didn't realize the teleporter had disappeared until he heard shouting in the plaza above him. Eraserhead grit his teeth, but he couldn't afford to get distracted now. He just had to focus on taking out the small fry and trust that Thirteen would keep the students safe. Slowly, bit by bit, he whittled down their numbers, but he knew that he was flagging. At least all of the long range fighters had been taken care of, so he could afford to blink a little more often. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and spun towards it. There was the man with blue hair, charging forward with his hands splayed open, gaze hidden behind the hand on his face, but presumably fixated on him.

"Final boss," Eraserhead muttered as he raced forward, activating his quirk as a precaution as he struck with his elbow, slamming him in the chest only for the other man to roll slightly to the side and catch it in one hand.

"First it was twenty-three seconds. Then it was twenty-four seconds. Then twenty. Then seventeen," he hissed with a crazed, dry-lipped grin, crimson eyes burning behind the pale hand attached to his face. "It was hard to see when you were jumping around like that, but I found your tell: your hair. When it drops, it means you've stopped using your quirk; you're having to blink more often."

So then he hasn't read Midoriya's notes either. If he had, he'd already know that. But he wasn't wrong. In spite of his best efforts, Eraserhead couldn't stop his eyes from closing. Instantly, he felt a strange rush of foreign energy passing through him, accompanied by a breathy, manic laugh and flash of pain.

"Don't work yourself too hard now, or you may just fall apart!" the villain cackled. The pain grew and Eraserhead was forced to kick the man's legs out from under him and leap back, dodging strikes from other members of the group as he tried to assess the damage.

He destroyed my elbow. Some sort of disintegration quirk then? He only went skin-deep though. Is that the extent of his ability or was he just playing around with me?

"That annoying quirk of yours isn't suited for drawn out fights against big groups, is it," the main boss sneered as he pushed himself upright once more. "Don't you think you're a little bit out of your element here, Eraserhead head? You're much better at working stealthily. You're known for surprise attacks, not fighting head to head." His head tilted to one side, observing him with keen interest in those gleaming red eyes. The man was insane, but he obviously wasn't stupid. "But despite knowing that, you didn't hesitate to dive right in, just to put your students at ease."

Eraserhead didn't have time to answer. Three villains charged him at once, forcing him to focus on them, gritting his teeth and avoiding using his right arm as he lashed out, using his capture weapon, keeping his distance where possible, throwing one into the other and going for the knock-out. When he turned back to the blue-haired villain, he'd reached his feet and Eraserhead could hear the crazed grin as he called, "Would you look at that; you're still standing! You really are so cool Eraserhead! But you should know-I am not the final boss."

He sensed it. Sensed the vast presence that caused him to whirl around, quirk activated. He saw the massive black figure, the wild rolling eyes, the bared teeth and the exposed brain. He felt the dread pulsing in his stomach as the villain raised one massive fist. He began to leap away, bringing his scarf taut in front of him as a weak barrier against the strike.

"Nomu, halt!"

Everything and everyone around Eraserhead froze in an instant, including the giant villain that he was sure had been about to kill him (or at least about to try).

Well, not quite everyone. The hands villain, after a millisecond of growing tense, reached up to his neck and began to scratch at it, careful to keep his pinkies raised (something Eraserhead took careful note of) but still hard enough to draw blood.

"Kurogiri," he hissed, "how could you?!"

Eraserhead turned to see the smoky villain take shape behind a new figure wearing plain gray sweatpants, crimson high tops, and a black jacket, the hood raised to conceal his face. He was short, but he carried himself with his head held high-his very aura demanded attention and respect. It seemed a very different person than the one in the photo he'd found with the police file, but still, could it be…?

"My apologies, Shigaraki Tomura," the smoky villain said, inclining his head to the blue-haired man and pulling Eraserhead out of his scrutiny, "but I had to follow orders."

"You've ruined it; you've ruined everything, Kurogiri!" 'Shigaraki' shrieked. "We were going to kill him; we were going to kill All Might!"

"And how do you propose to do that when All Might isn't here?" the newcomer asked coldly, his voice flat and emotionless as he stepped forward, briefly waving a hand (was that sign language?) towards the warp villain, who promptly disappeared. "Do you realize what you've done, Tenko?"

"I warned you not to call me that, Deku!"

"If you want me to stop treating you like a child, then stop acting like one!" 'Deku' shot back. He didn't sound angry though, at least not in the same way that Shigaraki was. No, Deku seemed more to radiate this strange mixture of parental disappointment and sheer disdain that even had what other villains remained conscious around them hanging their heads and shuffling their feet awkwardly with shame and embarrassment.

Perhaps Shouta should ask for lessons.

"The stunt you pulled yesterday with the media was bad enough, but this is nothing short of insubordination! Do you realize what your actions have cost us? Do you know how many of our allies have become casualties of your childishness? Not to mention that any hope we had of the element of surprise is gone! This could only have worked once, Tenko, and only if All Might had been here from the start! What, were you hoping that somehow he would be summoned by the deaths of his students without the rest of the UA faculty finding out? Or was this just a pitiful temper tantrum when you realized things weren't going to go your way?"

All at once Shigaraki's scrabbling hands pulled away from his throat and he charged forward, screeching in rage. Deku merely sidestepped the other man's unrefined attack, carefully avoiding his hands as he struck a precise blow to the middle of his spine, leaving him staggering and gasping for breath. "We're pulling out, Tenko. Whether you agree with me or not."

Eraserhead knew that he should attack-this individual was obviously the true leader of the group; take him down and everything should fall apart-but somehow he couldn't bring himself to do it. Maybe because he'd stopped Nomu from attacking him? Or maybe, more likely (more rationally), because he obviously intended to pull his forces back, and he was the only one, apparently, able to supersede Shigaraki's (Tenko's?) orders. Frankly, at this point, he'd rather let them slip away than risk his students getting caught up in any more fighting.

And that might have been precisely what happened, if the door hadn't suddenly been blown off of its hinges.

"HAVE NO FEAR, STUDENTS!" All Might's booming voice snarled as he entered the building, "BECAUSE I AM HERE!"

"NOMU, GET HIM! DESTROY THE SYMBOL OF PEACE!"

A blast of air pressure sent Eraserhead staggering back. When he glanced back Nomu had vanished, charging up the stairs to fight All Might, Shigaraki's eyes were manic as he cheered the giant on, and Deku's hood had been knocked back by the force of the wind, revealing a forest of curly green hair. The young man cursed softly, but sighed with something like resignation as he raised his head. Shouta stiffened as he gazed upon a young face smattered with freckles, his overlong curls shrouding his eyes.

Eyes that were far too cold and lifeless for a fifteen year old child.

"Midoriya Izuku," Eraserhead breathed. He shouldn't have been surprised. He wasn't, really, but it still felt like a punch to the gut, having his suspicions confirmed.

Midoriya quirked his head towards the pro hero, not even a hint of recognition passing through his eyes. "Haven't you heard, Eraserhead?" he asked softly, flatly. "Midoriya Izuku died three years ago. My name is Deku."

Shouta opened his mouth to respond-with what he wasn't certain-but in that exact moment, there was a heavy thud! and Nomu landed hard some four meters away, cracking the pavement with the force of its landing. All Might landed a second later, snarling in rage, his dress shirt already bloody down one side as he launched himself back into the fight.

"JUST DESTROY HIM ALREADY, NOMU! DAMMIT, YOU HAVE SHOCK ABSORPTION AND SUPER REGENERATION; THIS IS WHAT YOU WERE CREATED FOR!" Shigaraki screeched, practically dancing on the spot like a three year old throwing a temper tantrum.

Midoriya, or rather Deku, grimaced slightly at the noise, rubbing a finger in his ear. "Just leave him to do his job, Tenko. Or do it yourself if you think you can do better. But remember that Nomu was designed to take All Might at one hundred percent. Now that he's weakening, it shouldn't take long."

"SHUT UP DEKU YOU BASTARD!"

Shock absorption and super regeneration? A creature created to destroy All Might? Weakening? Shouta's heart raced as he glanced from Deku to Shigaraki to Nomu and back again. What the hell did all this mean? Did Deku somehow know about All Might's time limit? It didn't matter; whether or not he did, Shouta knew about it. He knew that All Might didn't have long before he reverted back to his weakened form. He had to help him, before it was too late. Using his capture scarf as a launching mechanism, he threw himself towards the Nomu-

Only to find Deku in midair in front of him, eyes suddenly blazing a radioactive shade of green, a cold smile touching his mouth. "I'm sorry, Eraserhead," he murmured. "But I can't let you interfere."

The boy's kick-to say nothing of his jump-was far more powerful than any functionally quirkless individual should be capable of, strong enough to send him flying back to the ground, utterly winded and desperately gasping for air before he was forced to roll quickly aside, dodging Shigaraki's hand. Deku landed lightly on the ground nearby, his eyes still blazing as he stepped between Eraserhead and his partner in crime. "Tenko, keep an eye on Nomu, just in case. I'll deal with Eraserhead."

"Like hell am I going to leave you to have all the fun, Deku," the hand-covered villain snarled back.

"Okay then, I suppose that means I get the pleasure of destroying the Symbol of Peace should Nomu fail," Deku shrugged, deadpan.

Shigaraki bristled in rage. "In your dreams, you bastard!" he screeched, rushing towards the fight between All Might and his monster, where both were trading a series of blows fast enough to break the sound barrier. Deku clicked his tongue almost pityingly, then turned back to Shouta, slipping easily into a fighting stance as he watched the pro push himself upright.

"Well then. Ready to get serious, Eraserhead?"

"Don't patronize me," Shouta growled.

Fighting with Deku was like trying to fight anywhere from two to four villains at once. He was fast, strong, and insanely versatile, fluidly combining fighting techniques from multiple different martial arts styles concurrently, not unlike his polyglot writing style. To make matters more interesting, he somehow had this way of slipping out of his capture weapon's grasp just as it was about to nab him-Shouta swore that once or twice he even felt the snap of the scarf seizing hold of his arm or waist only for Deku to drop smoothly out of its grip, aiming a low, sweeping kick at his legs or instantly springing acrobatically backwards and waiting for the pro to make his next move. Not to mention that his analytical skills obviously extended beyond simple quirk analysis-Eraserhead actually grit his teeth in frustration when he realized that the longer they fought, the more he noticed some of his own fighting techniques being woven into Deku's movements.

And speaking of analyzing quirks, Shouta, for the life of him, couldn't figure out what in the world this kid's quirk was! He clearly had one-the flashes of green light in his eyes made that obvious-but he couldn't seem to nail down any singular effect. Sometimes, it seemed to give him a strength boost, sometimes speed, and at other times he would just disappear and he was left wondering if the kid had an invisibility quirk all over again. Then there were his frustrating evasive skills and most concerning of all there was one instance where Eraserhead fixed the boy with his quirk-erasing stare and the green light in his eyes didn't fade.

Of course, after his initial flash of panic, he was able to cancel the boy's quirk after all, so maybe it was just a delayed reaction caused by the overuse of his quirk. But the flicker of contentment-the first emotion he'd seen from the boy throughout the battle-warned him otherwise.

"What the hell are you trying to accomplish here, Midoriya?" Shouta hissed in an instant before they engaged once again, sucking in as much air as he could in the brief interim.

"It's Deku, remember? And I'm going to change the world."

"By attacking a Goddamn school?! These are kids for God's sake!"

Something sour flickered across the boy's face before Shouta was forced to dodge a particularly vicious kick towards his eyes. He managed to avoid a concussion, but the boy's foot still managed to catch his goggles, the sheer force of the blow knocking them off his face and sending him reeling.

"So was I, Eraserhead," came the cold response before his expression suddenly cleared. "That being said, I had no intention of harming your students. Honestly I'd been hoping that we could be friends."

Shouta's blood ran cold, trying to activate his quirk. He was down to five second bursts, now. "What do you mean by that?" he hissed, his voice low even as he lashed out once again.

"Come now, you can't think that I'm the only teen disillusioned by hero society as it now stands," Deku smirked as he miraculously dodged Shouta's scarf again, his green eyes flashing briefly as Eraserhead's quirk faltered, his dead smile becoming somehow coy. "There's a quirkless student in 1-B now. Do you think he's had an easy time of it? Not to mention your own students. You should've seen the fear in Shinsou's eyes when he told me his quirk. The surprise in Shouji's when Sero called his strength amazing. Not to mention the pain behind Mina's smile, and don't even get me started on Todoroki Shouto."

"Todoroki?" Shouta frowned, dodging another strike. Shinsou he could understand as being at risk for recruitment, certainly. Even Shouji and maybe Ashido he could understand, considering their mutations. Tsukino from 1-B he could definitely understand. But Todoroki?

For just a moment, Midoriya seemed surprised. Then a sharp, bitter bark of laughter escaped his mouth. "You mean you seriously haven't noticed yet? You've never even considered how strange it is that he has a burn scar on the side of his body that's supposedly flame resistant?"

Eraserhead actually stumbled as the implications of Deku's words hit him like a tidal wave. For a burn scar to appear as he had suggested, then the flames used to hurt him would have to be hot, hotter than any normal flame, and considering who Todoroki's father was-

A roar of "PLUUUS UUUULTRAAAAA!" snapped Shouta out of his reverie, and he glanced up just in time to see the black figure of Nomu flying through the roof of the USJ, evidently thrown by the Symbol of Peace himself. He and Deku each glanced towards the man, standing by the edge of the plaza and breathing heavily as he turned to face a stunned and subtly shaking Shigaraki, his iconic smile still fixed in place.

"Surrender, villains!" he called. "We all want to get this over with quickly!" There was steam pouring off of his body, visible even through the dust and smoke settling around him. Shouta's exhausted eyes narrowed, relying on his sheet of dark hair to conceal them now that his goggles were gone. He was going to change back any second now. "What's wrong? Not attacking? I'm right here, so come and get me if you dare!"

"Deku," Shigaraki hissed, scratching at his neck again in obvious agitation, "you lied to me! He's just as strong as he's always been, you bastard!"

Shouta's heart leaped into his throat as he shot the green-haired boy a glance. If he called All Might's bluff then they were done for. But strangely, the boy didn't say a word, though his eyes did grow narrow and calculating.

"What, are you scared?" All Might called again.

"Not at all," Deku said finally, taking a half-step forward, a cold smile touching his lips. "You simply taught me when to cut my losses."

All Might glanced towards the boy, then he suddenly froze, his eyes visibly widening even from this distance. "Y-You," he whispered, and Eraserhead frowned at the implied familiarity underneath the shock.

"It's been a long time, All Might," Deku inclined his head in greeting, almost mockingly. "It seems that you haven't regressed as much as I calculated you would by now. Although, I suppose it's nice to confirm that you haven't chosen your successor yet." Shouta didn't miss the way that All Might flinched at that, but he couldn't be bothered to wonder why at the moment. "But anyway, I believe we've all stalled long enough, so our reunion will have to wait."

As if on cue, Kurogiri appeared next to Deku, stepping out of his smoky portal. "Most of our allies have been reclaimed," he announced smoothly. "They await us back at the base. There were some that I was unable to collect, but the other pro heroes are nearly here. I believe it would be unwise to stay any longer."

"Thank you, Kurogiri," Deku acknowledged with a slight nod. "Tenko. We're leaving."

The blue-haired villain's hands balled into fists at that, audibly grinding his teeth. "Not yet," he hissed. "Not until I've killed the Symbol of Peace!" With no further warning, the villain charged directly at All Might.

Shouta swore softly, his capture weapon lashing out to try to seize the man and haul him back, but to do so he had to sling it past Deku, whose hand snapped out and grabbed the scarf, twisting and using it to slam Shouta into the ground with enough force to crack one of his ribs and bang his head against a piece of stone torn from the pavement. He gasped, the shock keeping him from moving, so that all he could do was blink stars from his eyes and stare in horror as Shigaraki rushed a weakened and nearly helpless All Might with one hand outstretched, fully prepared to disintegrate the number one hero into dust in an instant.

Boom!

"Haaah!"

Shouta's heart actually leapt into his throat as he saw a blur of pink and a stream of smoke falling towards the pair out of the corner of his eye and realized that Uraraka had just leapt between All Might and a murderer! He tried to force himself upright once more, gasping through the pain in his side, desperate to save his student-

-only to find that she didn't need saving. Somehow, Uraraka Ochaco had managed to grab her assailant by the wrist and the back of the neck, pull him off-balance, and slam him into the floor, pinning him to the ground with her knee in his back. Shouta caught his breath, Kurogiri blinked, and Deku allowed himself a low whistle, a flicker of something between amusement and admiration passing through his eyes.

"Gunhead knife defense techniques, huh?" he mused. "Clever. She must have realized that Tenko's quirk only emits from his hands. But unfortunately…"

Shouta's heart seemed to stop again as he realized what was about to happen a second before it did. This time, Deku didn't stop him as his scarf flicked out, but between the pain of his broken rib(s?) and ruined elbow, not to mention the fact that he likely had a concussion after that last hit, he missed his target as the smoky portal appeared beneath Shigaraki.

"All Might!" Shouta cried with the last of the air in his lungs, and fortunately his fellow pro hero understood. Even as the villain sank into the shadows, shrieking and howling in protest, All Might seized Uraraka around the waist and hauled her off of him seconds before the portal closed, sending him off who-knows-where. The teacher felt relief pour through his chest. The villain had (reluctantly) escaped, but at least Uraraka was safe now. Deku in the meantime had distanced himself from Shouta, that strange, dead smile hovering around his mouth as another portal appeared behind him.

"Lovely meeting you, Eraserhead. I look forward to the next time." He turned away after that, taking a step towards the portal. Then suddenly, he stiffened, his head snapping up.

Deku leaped backwards just as an explosion struck the ground between him and the portal. Shouta gasped as he recognized the blond figure that had appeared, interposing himself between the green-haired boy and his ally.

"Like hell am I gonna let them take you away again," Bakugou growled softly, glowering at the mass of purple smoke. "I dunno what they've been doing to control you Izuku, but you don't have to go back. We can help you."

Shouta's eyes widened from where he lay, still struggling to regain his breath. Bakugou… Bakugou honestly thought that Midoriya was being forced into this? His eyes flicked towards the shorter boy's, and he was more than a little startled by what he saw.

Pain. Anguish, even. Raw and sharp and-

And then Deku blinked and it was gone, leaving Shouta wondering if it was just a hallucination brought on by his concussion. The boy chuckled, shaking his head pityingly, though the sound seemed awfully hollow, even dead. It only seemed to confirm his suspicion that he'd imagined that poignant flash of emotion.

"You honestly think that you're going to save me, Kacchan," Deku sighed, something hard and bitter creating an edge in his voice.

Bakugou blinked, surprise registering across his face. Then confusion, suspicion, and slowly a dawning horror. "No," he croaked. "Izuku, you can't seriously… But you… you always wanted to be a hero! That was your dream; it's what you wanted more than anything!"

"Hm," Deku considered, his voice even. "I wanted to save people. I wanted to make the world a better place. But I learned that it was impossible for someone like me to save people as a hero. So I decided to make a difference as a villain instead. As a deku."

Bakugou actually flinched. "No…" he whispered. "No… Izuku…"

"Goodbye, Kacchan," Deku murmured as another portal appeared behind him and he took his first step into it. "Don't try to follow me. I'm already past saving."

The warpgate closed, leaving an eerie silence in its wake. Shouta finally managed to drag in his first full breath since the villain had slammed him into the ground, although he instantly regretted it, considering that the movement caused his cracked ribs to shriek in protest. After taking a moment to blink the spots from his eyes, he groggily pushed himself upright, doing his best not to put any more undue stress on his ribs. "B-Bakugou?" he managed to pant, chest heaving with each shallow breath. His student didn't respond, just stood there shaking, his head bowed, his fists clenched at his sides. From his angle, Shouta could see that his eyes were wide open still, horror warring with guilt and sheer absolute rage as his breaths came faster and faster.

All at once, his student threw his head back, a scream that didn't even sound human tearing itself from his throat as a massive explosion, bigger than any Shouta had seen him create before, burst from his palms, sending a wave of heat blasting outward before he fell to his knees, slamming his fists into the ground-although whether the action was taken due to rage or grief or sheer frustration Shouta couldn't be certain.

Either way, he could hear the muffled sob wrench itself from his student's throat, in spite of his best efforts to contain it. Cringing against the pain, Shouta dragged himself forward, kneeling at the blonde's side and laying a weary hand against his shoulder. Bakugou simply lay there, unresponsive, trembling, while bitter tears leaked from his scrunched-closed eyes and heaving gasps caught in his chest, oblivious to the world around him.

Shouta was no good at this side of hero work. This was Hizashi's area, this whole 'comforting' thing. But Hizashi wasn't here, and anyway it was his student struggling, so he'd give it his best shot. "Bakugou-"

"He's a villain," the blonde whispered, his voice raw, broken.

Shouta blinked. Okay, he hadn't exactly expected him to bring it up himself…

"Izuku's a God damn villain," he hissed, another sob cutting into his tone.

"Bakugou, that's not your fault," the teacher tried again.

"Don't try to talk about shit that you don't understand," Bakugou spat back, almost choking on his tears. "This is my fault. I'm the one who turned Izuku into Deku."

Outtake:

Mitsuki put the car into park and stretched her hands over her head until her back popped. "Well, here we are," she smiled, the expression considerably softer than her usual toothy grin.

Inko took a slow, shaky breath in, one of her hands clenched in a fist over her heart, the other tightening around the bouquet of flowers in her lap.

Hydrangea, peony, and a few white carnations.

Mitsuki glared at the bouquet, worried.

"I know what my brat told you the other day, but Inko… I don't want you gettin' your hopes up too soon," the blonde frowned, trying to keep her tone gentle.

Inko managed a weak smile. "I know," she nodded, unbuckling, "but until we know for certain, I still want to believe that he could be out there."

"Well, I won't try to stop you," the ash blonde shrugged, beginning to push her own door open. "Anyway, time's a-wastin', and I'd like to get home before Katsuki finishes school."

"Mitsuki?"

"Yeah, girl?"

"Thank you. For coming with me."

Mitsuki smirked, although there was a touch of sadness in it. "Inko, you've been dealing with my emotional constipation since grade school. This is the least I can do."

The green-haired woman almost laughed at that, but the smile that stayed on her face was still warbly and a little anxious as she climbed out of the passenger seat.

The trek up the grassy hill was characterized by a friendly, but tense silence. That tension only seemed to increase as time went on and they grew steadily closer to their destination. "You sure you wanna do this so soon?" Mitsuki frowned, noticing how Inko's breath grew steadily faster and more shallow as well.

"Yes," Inko nodded, a look of determination that reminded the ash blonde where her son got it from crossing through her eyes. "I can't be there for him, but if there's any way that he can see me, I want him to know that I'm thinking of him."

Mitsuki managed to smile at that. She didn't really get it but hell, if doing this gave Inko a bit of comfort over her lost son, then she would do what she could to help her.

They arrived at the gravesite a few minutes later, both of them a little warm for the trip, and Inko was definitely fighting back tears as they entered the little cemetery, but she still pressed forward with the same degree of determination as before.

Only to pause, a flash of confusion crossing her face.

"What? What's wrong?" Mitsuki asked, stepping around another headstone so that she could see little Izuku's.

There was a bouquet of flowers lying at the base of the headstone, all short stems with clusters of purple, six-petaled flowers on one end, wrapped in white floral paper.

Purple hyacinths.

"Huh," the woman frowned, moving closer, Inko close behind her. Neither of them had visited in a week or two, but these flowers were pretty fresh. Probably left today. Maybe even only a few hours ago. Strange, since as far as Mitsuki knew, only their families ever visited Izuku's grave. "Who would've-?"

Just then, Mitsuki's phone started ringing, playing a rather language-heavy rap song that caused Inko to wince slightly. Mitsuki frowned. That was Katsuki's ringtone. Why would he call while still in school?

"Yeah, what is it, brat?" she growled, but without any heat. If he was calling during school, then the situation was probably pretty serious. Had he had another panic attack?

"Ah, Baku-kasan?"

"Eijirou? Ah hell… What's going on? Did that damn brat have another breakdown? Ah shit, please don't tell me he attacked someone…"

"Well, uh, yes and no," Eijirou's voice made it pretty obvious that the kid was cringing.

"Ugh, just spit it out, kid."

"Um… Well, our class just got attacked by a bunch of villains, and Bakugou's not taking it too well."

"Say what?!"

Hydrangea - Perseverance

Peony - Healing

White Carnation - Remembrance

Purple Hyacinth - Apology

Also Baku-kasan roughly translates to Mama Baku, or in my head Mama B. :)

Okay, seeing as how the outtakes have become a regular thing, if anyone wants to see alternate perspectives or 'deleted scenes' from any of the earlier chapters, let me know what scene you're interested in and whose POV you want it from and I'll see what I can do. The only POV that I will not do is Izuku's. :) Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the update! Don't for get to comment and leave kudos (seriously, feedback is the lifeblood of authors everywhere)! Next update comes out May 31st, courtesy of the world's #1 living skeleton! ;) Until next time! PLUS ULTRA!