Twelve Years Earlier

Mina screamed as the claw raked across her cheek, inches from her eye. She cringed away from her attacker, hands raised in a desperate attempt to protect herself. Blood was coursing down her cheek, the fresh cut stinging painfully. Tears left glistening tracks through her dirty face as she tried to make herself smaller, desperately trying to shrink further back into the tiny alleyway.

Above her, a man with the head of a lion, raggedy mane and all, grinned down at her, waggling one lethally-tipped finger in a mocking admonishment.

"You stupid fucking brat," he said in a hard, angry voice. "Don't ever lie to me again."

Mina didn't dare meet her attacker's eyes. "B-but I wasn't lying," she said desperately, her voice small, weak. "I don't have any food-"

The mutant leaned in closer, looming over the tiny girl. She could see the feral anger in his eyes-there was no higher process there, no mercy at all. The lion-man was just as desperate as she was-but unlike Mina, he was big and strong and scary, and he could use that to get what he wanted from those even weaker than he was. On the food chain of the homeless, Mina knew she was at the bottom-the most helpless of them all. She hated it with every fiber of her being-when she had the time or energy to devote to hate, instead of the endless, desperate hunger-fueled daze she spent most of her time in.

Her attacker's eyes seemed to glow with evil light as he studied her. Mina tried to draw her raggedy cloak tighter around her, some childish part of her wondering if the bad man would go away if she pretended he wasn't there.

"I don't believe you, little brat," the lion-man hissed, his voice low and violent. "If you don't cough up, I'll gut you, I swear I will."

To make good on his threat, he raised one massive paw, tiny specks of dim light glinting from long, hooked claws. The deep slash on Mina's cheek throbbed painfully, though she didn't dare worry about it right then. She begged, "P-please, I'm telling the truth, I swear-"

The lion-man seemed to have had enough of her pathetic pleading. He snarled, a sound that shook Mina to her core, and reared back to swipe his talons across her face again.

Mina curled up tighter, eyes shut tight as she raised her hands, waiting for the pain. It was an old friend at this point-she was an easy target for the other desperate mutants in this part of the cavern. Tiny, weak, too mutated for anyone to care enough to help, and completely, utterly alone. She braced herself as the deadly paw came down.

Then, from nowhere, a miracle arrived. A voice, small but loud, shouted, "Hey, leave her alone!"

The lion-man froze, paw inches from carving into Mina's face. Mina desperately craned her neck, trying to see around her attacker's bulk. At last, she got a good look, and her heart began to beat quicker.

At the entrance to the alleyway, framed by dark stone and a little more light than seeped into this tiny crack in a buried world, was a young boy Mina's age, wearing a dark cloak that hung down around his shoulders, hiding his hands, his legs, and all the rest of him from view. Above the neck, though, he was avian; black feathers, yellow beak, and eyes that seemed to glitter and dance with rage. He took a step forwards, into the tiny alleyway, looking like a shadow of a nightmare. For a second, Mina thought she might be hallucinating.

But the lion-man could clearly see him, too, because he stood up, turning his back to Mina's prone, vulnerable form to meet the newcomer eye-to-eye. "Who the fuck are you, little boy?" he snarled.

The boy didn't answer. Instead, he demanded, "Get away from her. Now."

The lion-man didn't move. For a second, he didn't react at all. Then, he laughed, "You think I'm gonna listen to a fucking child? Run home, boy. This ain't none of your business."

The boy's eyes narrowed, and Mina felt a bolt of fear run through her. She couldn't tell whether it was from the danger this boy no older than her seemed to radiate, or because she didn't want to watch him get carved up trying to help her. She wished she had the strength to stand, to help.

"I don't care whether it's none of my business or not," the boy retorted. "You won't touch her."

The lion-man, enraged, didn't bother to respond. He charged, deadly claws outstretched. Mina couldn't bear to watch. He was massive compared to the boy, who seemed to be thin and small beneath his cloak.

But then, with scarcely a movement from the boy, that cloak rippled, and Mina's jaw dropped.

The lion man slammed into a wall of solid darkness mere feet from the boy, letting out a cry of surprise as his forward momentum was suddenly stopped dead. Slowly, the storm of shadows that had erupted from beneath the boy's cloak took shape, revealing itself to be a monster. Enormous yellow eyes, a gaping, formless maw, and misshapen hands with talons far longer than the lion-man's appeared, all while the man fought bitterly, determined to push his way past this new obstacle with sheer brute strength.

Whatever strength he had, though, it was nowhere near enough. The two combatants shoved back and forth, neither quite able to completely overcome the other. But then, the boy spoke again. "Mezou," he said calmly, eyes never moving from where they were locked on the lion-man's snarling face.

From the mouth of the alleyway, another figure suddenly appeared, this one even more terrifying than the boy with the monster under his cloak. It had dozens of arms, a mouth like a sea monster's, and a man's face. After a heartbeat, Mina realized it had to be another mutant. He couldn't have been older than Mina or the shadow boy, but he bowled into the lion-man with the force of a battering ram, waving arms wrapping around his enemy's limbs, dragging him deeper into a deadly embrace even as he drove the larger man back, until he slammed against the wall of the alley.

The shadows moved again, long talons swiping at the man as he kicked and screamed, unable to move or fight back. Mina forced herself to watch as long, deep gashes appeared across her attacker's chest and shoulders, with one strike leaving long scores down his snout. And through it all, the boy who seemed to control that shadowy monster never stopped glaring at the lion-man with those beautiful, deadly, terrifying eyes. They were like dark embers, glowing with light that never seemed to make his expression brighter.

At last, the bigger boy-Mezou, that must have been his name-stepped back, grunting, "That's enough, Fumi. He's beaten."

It was like a spell had been broken. The shadow boy took a deep breath, shaking his head as the shadows began to pull back, the immense, snaking head of the monster drawing into itself. The lion-man slumped back to the ground, bleeding heavily, shaking so bad he could barely stand.

"Still think this is none of our business?" the shadow boy hissed. The lion-man, too scared to speak, shook his head violently, blubbering as he tried to press himself up against the wall, unwilling to get near the two boys.

"Get out," the shadow boy snapped. Mina's attacker didn't even look back. He sprinted from the alley, unsteady and bleeding.

Abruptly, Mina realized that she was now trapped in the alley with these two terrifying mutants. She tried desperately to shrink again, to become invisible. She knew they were coming for her next.

It didn't work. The two turned towards her, backlit by the dim glow of distant lights, and Mina felt another stab of worry.

"W-who are you guys?" she asked, voice quiet, weak. She realized she was trembling, but she couldn't stop herself.

The two boys looked at each other, then back at Mina. At last, the shadow boy replied, "Nobody important."

He took two steps forwards, towards Mina, but froze when Mina cringed back, desperately shouting, "Get away from me!"

Mina could feel herself on the verge of panic. There was nowhere to run. She was trapped, and these two boys were too strong. She couldn't fight back. She was helpless.

"Relax," the shadow boy said, his voice soothing and calm. "We aren't gonna hurt you."

Mina didn't move. "I don't believe you. Everyone wants to hurt me," she insisted, her voice still childlike, still timid.

The shadow boy knelt down, bringing his head level with Mina's. "We don't. I promise," he told her, reaching a hand out from under his cloak. Mina was surprised to find his hands were normal; she'd half expected them to be shadowy talons, like those of the monster that was still floating in the alley, connected to its master by a tendril of smoky darkness.

Still, she tried to scoot further back against the wall of the alley. "I mean it. D-Don't come any closer," she said desperately, trying fruitlessly to sound intimidating. Her quirk was making her fingertips sting. Just another pain to add to the list.

"You're hurt," the boy said gently, gesturing at her cheek. Mina's hand rose to cup it, finding it still sticky with blood, still stinging dully against the open air.

"It's nothing," she insisted, though whether she was trying to seem tough, or convince herself, she didn't know.

Still, the boy seemed unaffected by her panicky threats. "What's your name?" he asked.

Mina's eyes narrowed. "Why do you care?" she demanded.

"Because I do," the boy responded, voice soft but strong, warm enough to fill Mina's heart. "Because somebody needs to care."

Mina couldn't explain why, but the boy's words left her reeling. They found cracks in her jaded soul, wormed their way into places she'd buried a long time ago. She couldn't help the words that slipped out of her mouth, almost on their own: "I…my name is Mina."

The boy smiled. "I'm Fumikage," he said in return. "The big grumpy moron behind me is Mezou."

Fumikage jerked his thumb over his shoulder, to where Mezou had leaned up against the wall of the alley. He was still huge, especially for someone their age, but his arms had shrunk back into just three on either side. He was still menacing, especially with a look in his eye Mina couldn't read, but he seemed content to just sit and watch.

Scrambling to maintain her hardened heart, Mina demanded, "What do you want?"

Fumikage blinked, looking surprised. "Excuse me?" he asked, clearly not understanding.

"Nobody talks to me unless they want something I have," Mina said, voice too resigned for a twelve-year-old. "I don't have anything right now, though."

Fumikage shook his head. "We don't want anything from you," he told her, shocking her with the fervor in his voice. "We just wanted to help."

Mina tamped down the rising bubble of something in her chest, forcing her guard to stay up. "I don't believe you," she retorted, crossing her arms.

"Why not?" Fumikage asked, tilting his head curiously.

"Nobody does anything to help," Mina insisted, her voice trembling. "They don't care. You need to look out for yourself."

Fumikage smiled, but it was sad, like he was watching something he found tragic. "I suppose we'll just have to be the first, then," he murmured. "To care, I mean."

Mina narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

Fumikage sighed as he stood up. Once again, he extended his hand towards Mina. She watched it cautiously, but didn't reject it.

"Come with us," Fumikage offered. "We've got a place you can stay, if you want. Food, too. It's not much, but it's better than this place."

Mina blinked, trying to understand. "What's the catch?" she asked suspiciously.

Fumi shook his head. "No catch," he promised. "It's just the two of us, but you deserve to have people who care about you."

Mina fell silent, trying to decide. She was sorely tempted, but..

Suddenly, there was an indignant squawk. "The two of us?" a strange, gravelly voice repeated, sounding insulted.

Mina cringed in surprise as the shadowy monster Fumikage had unleashed came barreling towards her, headbutting Fumikage and nearly sending him reeling.

"Jeez, fine," Fumikage muttered. "The three of us."

Even as the strange monster crowed in victory, Mina shrieked, "It can talk?"

From behind Fumikage, there was a snort of laughter as Mezou's face finally cracked into a grin. Fumikage gave a long-suffering sigh.

"Yeah," he confirmed, sounding exhausted. "He can talk. Mina, this is Dark Shadow, my quirk. Dark Shadow, this is Mina."

Dark Shadow happily sank down towards Mina, making a strange cooing sound as he wound himself around her affectionately. Mina watched him do it, a little numb.

Cheerfully, Mezou added, "You mean he never stops talking!"

Fumikage just shook his head as the heavy mood in the alley slowly but surely evaporated, replaced by a warmth and a joy Mina had never felt before.

It was that, more than anything, that helped her make her choice. With one hand, she scratched Dark Shadow on top of his head, making him purr. With her other, she reached out and took Fumikage's outstretched hand.

"Okay," she agreed, a smile threatening to burst onto her face. "I'll go with you."

Fumikage smiled as he helped her to her feet. "Welcome to the family," he told her. Mina's heart felt like it would burst, and for the first time in years, she remembered what hope felt like.

Present Day

Not far from Mezou and Tsu's house, atop a ledge overlooking the Depths from hundreds of feet above the cavern floor, Mina scowled, forcing old memories from her mind with a vicious kick.

"Why am I thinking of that now?" she wondered, staring up at the cavern ceiling as she lay on her back. "Is it because I know Fumi is gone forever?"

It had to be. Mina may not have been the most introspective person out there, but she knew she was far too scrambled to be in a good place right now. The day's revelations had left her feeling torn and broken, and too tired and overwhelmed to piece herself back together. Fumi being gone, really gone, had torn open an old hole she'd thought would never change again, and she was reeling. She felt like she was crumbling, and she didn't know what to do.

But that wasn't good enough, no. Mina couldn't just learn that she'd been wrong about what had happened to the first person she'd ever trusted, she had to learn something about one of the most hated people in her world that had her rethinking everything she thought she knew about him-and about herself.

"Why am I so surprised to learn what Izuku did to Shigaraki?" Mina asked herself. All heroes were killers, no matter how much they pretended otherwise. It was their purpose-to make sure the people who threatened the social order paid with their lives, one way or the other. Killing them, locking them away forever, letting them rot down in this subterranean hell-how much of a difference was there? No, what had her messed up was how Izuku had talked about it.

He regrets it, and it seems like he hates himself for it," Mina thought. "So…does he hate me for trying to kill someone, too?"

For some reason, Mina really, really hoped not. But she couldn't be sure. She'd been willing to turn on Izuku for far less plenty of times-would he do the same? How did she feel about him even if he didn't?

Groaning, Mina hauled herself to her feet. She knew she was never going to answer these questions-and besides, they didn't matter. After today, she might never see Izuku again. They lived in different worlds-who cared what he thought of her?

Forcing down her scattered, messy thoughts and vowing to worry about them later, Mina strode to the edge of the cliff. "That's enough feeling sorry for yourself," she muttered, determined to pull herself out of this funk one way or another. "Just get back there and get the damn hero out of the Depths."

Without fanfare, Mina leaped from the cliff, acid-coated hands biting into the rock, melting long trails down the sheer fall as she descended. A pair of gleaming dark eyes followed her all the way down towards the house she'd so recently fled from, occasionally fading out and being replaced with green eyes, instead. She did her best to put both of them out of her mind.

Barely a few minutes later, Mina walked in the front door of Mezou and Tsu's house, expression firm and unbending. She found Izuku standing on the balcony outside, watching the empty expanse of the Depths.

"Hey," Mina said as she walked up behind him. Izuku's shoulders tensed, and he whirled in surprise, the briefest crackle of green lightning appearing around him before he realized it was just Mina.

"Hey," he replied, smiling widely in a way that made Mina want to punch him. "Feeling better?"

Mina let the slightest snort escape her as she replied, "No, not really. But I'll be fine."

Izuku looked tempted to respond to that, but something in Mina's eyes stopped him dead. A moment later, Tsu spotted Mina as they re-entered the room, and the smile on her face was far smaller and more tempered with sorrow. Beside her, Mezou and Kugo broke off whatever conversation they'd been having in favor of turning to look at her.

"There you are, ribbit," Tsu said kindly. "We were starting to get worried."

Mina grinned, though it didn't reach her eyes. "There was no need to worry," she told Tsu. "I just needed to clear my head, that's all."

Tsu said nothing, though Mina got the distinct impression she didn't believe that for one second. Thankfully, Mezou stood, crossing the room in a few floor-shaking strides.

"Does this mean you can finally get him out of here?" he asked, gesturing at Izuku.

Izuku frowned. "We didn't even get Toga," he pointed out. "Shouldn't we-"

Mezou shook his head. "She's long gone," he interrupted. "Odds are, she won't show her face again for a long time. Maybe ever. Besides, if you spend any more time down here, you put us all in danger."

Frowning slightly, Izuku nodded in understanding. Mina added, "Yeah, Izuku. It's time to get you home."

Izuku let out a quiet breath as he turned to face her. Mina fought back the warmth she felt in her chest when Izuku smiled at her, refusing to even think about what it might be.

"Okay," Izuku said. "Lead on, then."

Mina nodded, and with one last wave to Tsu, led Izuku towards the front door. Mezou followed them, finally pausing just outside the door, where he, Mina, and Izuku shared one last quiet moment of understanding.

Mezou's eyes softened as he met Mina's gaze. "I hope that the next time I see you won't be in another six years," he told her. "You're always welcome here. Don't be a stranger, you hear me?"

Mina smiled fondly, though there was ancient, creaking sorrow just below it. "I'll do my best," she promised.

Mezou nodded in return, then turned to Izuku. His eyes darkened, and Izuku found himself recalling just how much presence the seven-foot-tall mutant man could radiate without a drop of effort.

"You," Mezou said, "please, be a stranger. I don't want to see your face ever again."

Mina snickered beside him, and Izuku managed to crack a smile. "Got it," he replied. "Thank you for your help."

Mezou just grunted, nodded at Mina one last time, then turned and went back inside. Mina and Izuku began to walk away.

They'd barely made it a hundred feet before Izuku said, "Mina…I heard about Fumikage, and what he meant to you. And…I'm sorry."

Mina smiled weakly, fighting back her urge to snap at him. He'd meant it kindly, and she knew it, but…it still hurt. "Thank you, Izuku," she said quietly. "But I'm fine, I promise."

Izuku's expression remained skeptical. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked pointedly.

"No," Mina thought. "I'm sure fucking not."

But there was no way in hell she was going to admit that. She just told Izuku, "Yeah. Now, please stop asking, or I'll make sure you get lost in the tunnels before you ever get back home."

She smiled at the shudder that went through Izuku at that. He may have been the strongest hero in the whole country, but it was still good to keep him on his toes by reminding him that he still needed her help.

When Mezou returned to his living room, he found Kugo sitting in a chair, red eyes boring into his soul.

"So," Kugo said in a low voice that was nearly a growl. "She's the one who brought him down here, then?"

Mezou nodded, brow furrowing as he sat down. "She is," he confirmed.

Kugo sucked a breath through pointed teeth, shifting as his many injuries wore at him. "You know what's going to happen to her when the gangs find out," he told Mezou. "The Claws, the Ten Kings, the Tunnel Rats-if any of them figure out that it was her who brought a hero to the Depths, her life won't be worth a fucking wooden penny. Nobody who did something like that would survive more than a day down here."

Mezou ground his inhuman teeth together, hands clenching into fists in his lap. "I know," he agreed. "But she's my goddamn sister, or as good as. If anyone -including you- tries to hurt her, I will rip them limb from fucking limb. Are we clear?"

Kugo's expression barely changed, but Mezou met his gaze, refusing to flinch until, at last, the orca mutant lowered his eyes.

"I wasn't planning on ratting her out," the larger man rumbled. "And that won't change. You saved my life-I owe you that much. But you can't fight them all, not forever. And that's not even counting whatever this "Outcast Army" is. You're just one man."

Mezou shook his head. "I don't care," he snapped. "I'll fight anyway."

Kugo smiled, ever so slightly. "Ah, to be young again," he sighed. "This place won't be safe for her, but…well, if anyone can change that, it'll be you. And…well, it seems like Stain made the right choice. If there's heroes like that out there, maybe we've got a chance after all."

Several hours later, Mina and Izuku emerged from a smuggler's tunnel in a remote part of the second level, in an area with little more than a few shops and warehouses. Izuku was almost instantly struck by how bright it was, even here.

Mina watched him sympathetically as Izuku squinted, briefly shielding his eyes until he was used to the light. "It's a big adjustment, isn't it?" she asked. "Coming back from the Depths, I mean."

Izuku nodded. "Yeah," he agreed. "I can't believe you do that so often. I feel like I'm gonna get a headache just standing here."

Mina shrugged. "You get used to it," she replied. "Besides, I'm pretty sure something's weird with my eyes. I swear I have better night vision than regular people, and sometimes they seem kinda…reflective? It's weird."

Izuku frowned thoughtfully, stroking his chin as he began muttering, "Fascinating. Do you have some sort of tapetum lucidum, then? That wouldn't fit with the actual emitter part of your quirk, but then, not much of your appearance does. I wonder if it's some sort of secondary adaptation to…"

Mina rolled her eyes, then elbowed Izuku, promptly jolting him back to reality. "Enough of the nerd shit, buddy," she said jokingly. "All the summary I need is that I'm pink, I'm weird, and I freak people out."

Izuku gave her a look Mina couldn't read. "You don't freak me out," he responded. "And you're definitely not weird."

Mina opened her mouth to respond, then hesitated. Why did the look in Izuku's eyes leave her feeling so strange? The heat in her cheeks, the way she wanted to smile at him…it made no sense.

At last, Mina coughed, then said, "Okay, whatever. Look, I should probably get going."

She turned to leave, but Izuku caught her by the wrist. "Wait," he said, his voice soft but urgent.

Mina paused, then met Izuku's eyes. "What is it with you and touching me?" she asked. "It's like you're trying to lose every layer of skin you've got."

Izuku flushed, then dropped her arm, but Mina still didn't move. Instead, she waited patiently until Izuku managed to gather his thoughts enough to say, "I just wanted to…thank you, for all the help you gave me. I know you didn't have any reason to do it, but-"

Mina waved it off. "I was helping myself too," she said quietly, thinking of Fumikage. "I…I needed to know the truth. And now I do, I guess. So…thank you."

Fighting back sniffles, Mina tried to continue, but Izuku interrupted, telling her, "If you ever need anything, come find me, okay? I don't want to just…leave you by yourself after a day like today. You deserve to have people who care about you."

Mina smiled weakly, cursing herself for how much of a mess she was, that those words could make her recall another day, another life, another person telling her exactly that.

"Thank you," she said. "I'll keep it in mind. As long as you don't mind me dropping in at the most inconvenient times possible."

Izuku snorted. "You already walked into my agency bleeding out from a fight," he pointed out. "It doesn't get much more inconvenient than that."

Mina grinned. "Fair," she agreed. On a whim, she reached out her hand.

Izuku took it, and they shook. "So…are we friends now or something?" he asked, half-jokingly.

Mina froze, but couldn't deny it. So instead, she sighed dramatically. "Well, I suppose you've learned more about me than I can really deny, so….fine. Congratulations, you're now friends with a criminal."

Izuku shrugged. "If it's you, I'm okay with that," he replied.

Mina…didn't really have a way to respond to that. Instead, once their handshake ended, she said, "See you around, Izuku!"

Izuku grinned. "See you around, Mina," he replied. With that, he watched her disappear back into the tunnel, and take some piece of him with her that he couldn't quite place.

He turned back towards the city, and took a deep breath. Time to face Ejiro, and explain that all those risks had been for nothing. Pulling out his phone, he quickly found his best friend's contact. When he called it, though, he was in for a surprise.

As soon as Ejiro picked up, he said, "Congrats, man!"

Izuku blinked in confusion. "Congrats?" he repeated. "For what?"

"For capturing Toga, obviously!" Ejiro replied.

Izuku got even more confused. "Hang on, what are you talking about?" he asked. "I didn't-"

Ejiro, seemingly not registering Izuku's response, told him, "It's just like you to dodge the press frenzy by just leaning her unconscious body up against the front door of the agency, though. Practically gave poor Akari a heart attack when she left for the day."

Izuku's blood ran cold. "Ejiro," he said in a low voice, "That wasn't me."

Ejiro paused mid-sentence. "Wait, it wasn't?" he asked. "Then who-"

"I don't know," Izuku responded, his mind running a mile a minute. Lightning surged around him. "But whoever it was, it sure as hell wasn't me. I didn't capture her, Ejiro. She got away. Are you sure it's Toga?"

"Completely," Ejiro responded, having shifted rapidly into business mode again. "She got taken into custody about an hour ago, rapid testing has already come back. DNA, fingerprints, everything, it's all her."
"Fuck," Izuku thought. "Somehow, someone found her and decided to…gift-wrap her for me? Could the group she was working for have decided to punish her for what happened at the compound? What statement are they trying to make?"

"Stay right where you are," Izuku ordered, bending his knees and furiously calculating the quickest way back to the agency. "I'm on my way right now."

There was a moment's pause, before Ejiro replied in a sheepish voice, "Uh, I'm not sure that's a great idea."

"Why not?" Izuku asked, gripping his phone tightly. God, if someone had managed to capture Toga, they could have gotten information from her first. If that was the case, they knew what had happened at the compound-

Which meant Mina was in danger.

Izuku forced down panic as Ejiro spoke.

"Uh, the mayor is kinda here," Izuku's best friend replied. "He wants to talk to you."

Izuku cursed under his breath. "God, not him," he muttered.

"Yeah," Ejiro agreed. "Hope you're ready to lie to some elected officials, buddy. Because this is about to get messy."

"It already has," Izuku thought to himself, worrying about Mina. She didn't know-she was in danger and didn't even realize it. If someone in the Depths knew about the role she'd played in the compound assault…

Izuku disappeared from the small clearing at the edge of the second level in a blur of electric green light. He had to get to his agency.

Now.