Izuku was frozen, staring at Ejiro. Mina was still hanging off the ceiling, clearly startled and panicking, and Izuku could only imagine what his best friend was thinking.

"I…I can explain," he began, stepping forwards.

Ejiro chuckled. "I don't think you need to, buddy," he replied.

Izuku paused. "I…don't?" he said, confused.

"I mean, this sorta speaks for itself, doesn't it?" Ejiro answered, gesturing at the scene in front of him. "You've been holding out on me."

Izuku somehow turned even redder. "I d-don't know what you're talking about," he stammered.

Ejiro rolled his eyes. "Izuku, buddy," he said. "You do realize how shitty you are at lying, right? It's been obvious that you're hiding something for a while. And as far as things to be hiding go, a secret relationship is pretty damn classic."

Izuku winced. That was a good point. "So you knew?" he asked.

Ejiro shook his head. "I figured you were up to something like this," he admitted, "but digging around in people's business ain't manly. I figured you'd tell me when you were ready for me to know."

A sigh of relief escaped Izuku's lips. This whole situation was a mess…but at least it was Ejiro that had found them, and not someone else. This was salvageable.

"I'm sorry you had to find out like this," he said.

Ejiro shrugged. "It's not your fault," he said, eyes twinkling. "Though you have earned every bit of teasing you're gonna get."

Izuku groaned. "Oh God," he muttered. "You're never going to let me live this down, are you?"

"Nope." Ejiro confirmed, his voice cheery and his smile bright.

Shaking his head, Izuku realized he should probably be worrying about his girlfriend. Turning to where she'd launched herself onto the ceiling, he said, "It's okay, Mina. You can come down. Ejiro's trustworthy."

Mina hesitated for a moment, still nervous and none too pleased about getting walked in on. Still, nobody was yelling, and Izuku clearly trusted Red Riot not to freak out. Mina took a deep breath, then let go of the handholds she'd melted into the ceiling-Izuku was probably gonna be grumpy about that later-and landed lightly in a crouch. Rising to her feet, she pushed her hair back from her eyes with an annoyed huff. She muttered, "Is it too much to ask to have a few minutes of privacy? All I want is one chance to-"

Mina froze, cutting herself off as she heard Ejiro's good-natured chuckling turn into a shocked gasp mid-breath. She raised her eyes to meet his, realizing that she wasn't wearing her mask. She hadn't been wearing it around Izuku for days now-she hadn't even thought about it. And once her hood had fallen back around her shoulders, there was nothing hiding her pink skin and horns from Ejiro.

Izuku, for his part, was just as panicked as Mina, realizing a second too late that Ejiro didn't know Mina was a mutant.

Ejiro twitched, as though he wanted to move but wasn't sure what direction to go. His eyes were locked on Mina's, his earlier amusement vanishing behind a wall of surprise and confusion.

"Holy shit," he said softly, caught so utterly off guard that he obviously didn't know how to react.

Mina flinched. This was why she had hoped to keep their relationship a secret as long as possible. Izuku may think the best of his friends-of everyone, really-but Mina had had too many people look at her with hate and distrust to trust strangers anymore. Izuku may have been able to see past her appearance, but there was no way other heroes would, let alone the aboveground public.

Ejiro turned to Izuku and said disbelievingly, "You're dating a-"

Izuku raised an eyebrow at Ejiro's tone. The slightest flicker of lightning escaped him as he crossed his arms and interrupted, "Yes."

Perhaps recognizing that he was on the verge of saying something he'd probably regret, Ejiro caught himself, taking a deep breath. He still couldn't look away from Mina, or the way Izuku was now standing between him and her. Maybe that was what gave him pause-or maybe it was the unmistakable fear in Mina's eyes, the way she seemed to be bracing herself for a fight.

Ejiro closed his eyes for a second, visibly centering himself. Then, he asked, "Izuku, can we talk? Outside, I mean."

Izuku hesitated, looking back at Mina. To his surprise, he found her nodding.

"Go ahead, Izuku," Mina told him.

Still, Izuku looked uncertain. "Are you sure?" he asked quietly. "You'll be okay?"
Mina heard the question he didn't ask, the one written in his worried gaze: "Will you run away again?"

She wanted to. The window was right there, she could be gone in a flash the moment that door closed behind Ejiro and Izuku. It would let her get away, free her from this suffocating room that felt like it was accusing her of being all the things she knew she was; a thief, a monster.

But she couldn't run. Not this time. For the first time, she'd leave behind something important, something vital; Izuku. For him, Mina could stay. She could stop running.

It should have been a momentous decision, her choosing not to run. It wasn't. It barely felt like a choice at all. Mina had already chosen the moment she told Izuku she loved him. She was committed to this path now; committed to him, to finding a way to bridge their worlds. She found that that made everything easier.

Mina let out a sigh, and nodded. "I'll be fine," she assured him. "I'll be right here when you get back."

Izuku met her eyes, and smiled softly. The sight of it made Mina's chest so warm, she thought she'd catch fire.

Ejiro had a strange look on his face as Izuku leaned in to kiss Mina softly, but he didn't say a word. Izuku straightened again, meeting his best friend's gaze, seemingly challenging him to say something.

"Alright then," Izuku said. "Let's talk."

Ejiro and Izuku slipped out of Izuku's office, closing the door-and making sure it was locked this time-before they headed down the hall. They'd only made it thirty feet before Ejiro turned and slammed his hand against the wall, stopping Izuku in his tracks.

"So," Ejiro began, voice ominously calm, "you're dating a mutant."

Izuku forced himself to stay just as calm as his friend, though he didn't feel it. Internally, he was a mess, torn between his friendship and his newfound relationship, desperately hoping that he wouldn't have to choose one or the other. He hoped Ejiro wasn't going to do that to him-they'd been friends far too long for something like this to pose such a threat-but he was afraid nonetheless.

What Izuku was more concerned about was the anger boiling in his chest. Mina was scared and hurting because of Ejiro, and even though he couldn't blame Ejiro for what had happened, Izuku was still having to fight to keep his cool. What a fucking mess. Barely an hour of being in a relationship, and Izuku was already screwing up.

"Yes," he replied, arms still crossed over his chest. "Is that a problem?"

Ejiro held his gaze for a moment, studying him. Izuku didn't flinch. He didn't care what people thought. He loved Mina, period.

Ejiro let out a deep breath, then shook his head. "Of course not," he said, "But come on, Izuku. Do you really think that this is a good idea?"

Izuku frowned. "How is it not?" he asked. "I love her, and she loves me. As far as I'm concerned, that's more than good enough."

Ejiro opened his mouth to speak, only to catch himself. As Izuku waited expectantly, Ejiro seemed to soften a little bit. "I was going to ask if you were sure about that," he admitted quietly, "but…no. I don't know her, but I do know you. If she was using you, you'd know."

Izuku scowled. He began, "Are you implying she's-"

Ejiro held up a hand, and Izuku stopped. "I'm not," Ejiro answered. "That was the whole point. But dammit, can you see why I'm so surprised right now? I never thought you'd suddenly fall in love with a mutant like that."

"Her name is Mina," Izuku growled, eyes narrowing.

Ejiro met Izuku's gaze levelly. "Mina, then," he corrected himself. "But seriously, Izuku, I feel like you owe me an explanation right now. How the hell did that happen? More importantly, how did I miss it?"

Izuku sighed, then answered, "She's the one who saved my life."

Ejiro's eyes went wide. "Seriously?" he asked. Izuku nodded.

Ejiro cursed under his breath. "That day you disappeared to go look for them alone," he realized, putting the pieces together. "You actually caught… her."

"Yeah," Izuku confirmed. "She took off her mask, and caught me off guard…almost exactly like what happened to you, actually."

Ejiro snorted. "You probably handled it better than I did," he joked. "Seeing as you're dating her now."

Izuku sucked air in between his teeth, remembering that day, then shook his head. "Uh…not really," he admitted. "It took a long time for her to trust me."

"So, every time you disappeared, it was to go…meet up with her?" Ejiro said, smirking softly.

Izuku reddened. "Not like, uh, that," he corrected, "But…yeah. She…actually helped with the whole Toga thing."

Ejiro raised an eyebrow. "So she was the informant, then," he said understandingly. "I see."

Izuku nodded. "The whole… romance part of this is still really new," he admitted. "We're trying to figure it out together, but…that's kinda hard when human battering rams keep barging into my office."

Ejiro winced. "Fair," he conceded.

Slowly, the deadly-serious air faded from the conversation. Izuku found himself relaxing as he filled Ejiro in on the details of what he'd been hiding from him for weeks. The weight of his guilt gradually vanished, and he began to hope that Ejiro wouldn't hold a grudge.

After a long moment of silence, Izuku asked, "So…are we good?"

Ejiro nodded. "I don't know her, and I'm not entirely sure I trust her," he admitted, "But I do trust you, and you clearly love her. Besides, it ain't my place to tell you who not to date. If she's willing to put up with your shit, I certainly don't mind."

Izuku snorted. "Thanks," he said softly.

"That being said," Ejiro added, looking regretful. "There is one other problem this is gonna cause."

Izuku raised an eyebrow. "What?" he asked.
Ejiro shot him a look loaded with meaning. "The press," he replied. "Hell, the public in general. The moment the world finds out about her…"

Izuku winced. He knew that damn well. It would be a disaster-and Mina knew it too.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"It'll be a shitstorm," Ejiro continued. "The press will tear you, her and the rest of us apart. I know you love her…but you need to be ready for that. Are you?"

No. No they weren't. Mina would crumple under that sort of pressure, and Izuku was all too aware of it. She didn't want to be a symbol, not like he was-and she would become a symbol of something, the moment her relationship with him became known.

Izuku grimaced. "Why do you think we're hoping to keep this secret?" he asked.

Ejiro gave Izuku a regretful look. "You can't keep this secret," he reminded Izuku. "Not forever. You gave up your privacy when you became the Number One Hero, you know that."

Izuku nodded. "I just…wish that I didn't," he admitted. "For Mina's sake."
For a moment, the look in Ejiro's eyes was unreadable. Then, he said, "I'll help you keep a lid on this for as long as we can, so you guys have time to get ready. Just…don't hide from this, Izuku. We both know you can't."

Izuku sighed heavily. "Okay," he agreed.

A moment later, Ejiro's expression shifted again. Grinning lightly, he said, "Mind if we head back? I'd like to try this whole "meeting the girlfriend" thing again."

Izuku winced, but said nothing. The two of them walked back down the hall-considerably less upset than they had been going the other direction-and found Mina waiting for them in one of the chairs in Izuku's office. She hopped to her feet, worry plain in her eyes. She still wasn't wearing her mask, which surprised Izuku…but then, he supposed that there wasn't much point to it now.

"Is…everything okay?" she asked softly, clearly nervous. It broke Izuku's heart to see how worried she still was. She clearly thought Ejiro hated her.

Still, he was able to smile and tell her the truth. "Absolutely," he replied, stepping forwards to pull her close. He could feel her relax in his arms, and another wave of warmth spread through him as she pulled him close for a kiss.

A loud cough interrupted them a moment later, making both of them look up sheepishly as Ejiro closed the door.

"I'm not sure whether I want to smile or vomit more," he cracked.

Chuckling a little at that, Izuku and Mina pulled apart a little, just enough for Ejiro to step forwards with an apologetic expression.

"Uh…sorry about what happened earlier," he told her, extending a hand. "You just…surprised me a little."

Mina raised an eyebrow. Part of her-the part that held grudges like nobody's business-was tempted to just ignore Ejiro's peace offering. She wasn't in the wrong, why should she care? And yet…no. This was Izuku's best friend, and she couldn't spot any sort of dishonesty in him. He looked genuinely sorry. And besides…Mina couldn't really blame him for being shocked. It wasn't like he saw people with pink skin and yellow horns every day.

She shook his hand. "I do that a lot," she answered. "No harm done, Red Riot."

Ejiro grinned. "I'm glad to hear that," he said. "And you better call me Ejiro. Anyone who makes it so I have to deal with less of Izuku's bullshit gets to call me that."

Mina snorted, while Izuku spluttered indignantly. "Really, Ejiro?" he demanded. "Can you go five minutes without insulting me in front of my girlfriend?"

Ejiro turned to look at him, eyebrows raised. "No," he replied imperiously. Turning to Mina, he asked, "Want me to do it again?"

Mina couldn't help it. She laughed, high and clear like a weight was lifting from her chest. She answered, "Oh, please, don't let me stop you."

Maybe things would work out, after all.

Deep below the ground, in a burning city, Mezou felt like an earthquake had yanked the ground from underneath him. He stayed crumpled on his knees, struck dumb by the sight of Fumikage standing in front of him with a dark cloak and a pained expression on his face.

"I-it can't be," Mezou whispered, agonized. "You…you're dead."

Six years. Six goddamn years, Mezou had mourned Fumi, who had been his brother in all but blood. He'd built layers of armor around his ruined heart, become the man Fumi would have wanted him to be, dedicated his life to honoring the memory of the boy who had pulled him from the dark. He'd lost Mina, nearly lost himself because of the grief.

And now Fumi was standing there, wearing the quirk he'd hated like armor, with eyes that were older, more haunted, and far, far harsher than Mezou remembered seeing. But for all that…it was still him.

Fumikage took a step forward, then hesitated; it looked like he wasn't sure how to react, either.

"I'm not," he answered quietly, barely audible over the roar of the flames surrounding them.

In Mezou's shock, he blurted out, "But Toga said-"

Fumikage's face went dark. For a fraction of a second, there was a look on his face that Mezou half-remembered from the lowest, most hateful moments of their childhoods, a look that ran too deep, contained too much venom. It was like staring into the face of death itself, and just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished again, like a long breath escaping Fumikage's lungs.

"Toga," Fumikage spat, "lied to you. She was trying to hurt you for her own sick, twisted amusement. I dealt with her."

Mezou, retreating from the shock and pain that yawned like a chasm in his chest, focused on the little, inane details. "S-she worked for you?" he asked.

Fumi nodded, his expression grim. "It was a mistake," he said. "One that I've done my best to correct. I'm…sorry."

The weight behind those last two words was well beyond what it should have been. It was more than an apology for Toga's actions-far more. Next to the enormity of the pain he'd inflicted, though, it was like spitting into a wildfire. Mezou barely registered the words.

He wasn't the one who spoke, though. Tsu-calm and cool as always-asked in a voice like flint, "So if you were alive all this time…where have you been? Why did you… leave?"

The way Tsu asked it made Fumikage flinch. Mezou felt a rush of sudden, savage glee at that, and let it go just as quickly. It was easy to forget, sometimes, that Tsu was just as strong and just as capable of hating as Mezou or Mina were-and that she grieved very, very differently. Where they were fiery and explosive-quick to anger, overpowering and uncontrollable, but quick to cool as well-Tsu was just as cold blooded as…well, a frog. It took a lot to make her angry…but when something did, she was icy in her rage, and that rage could grind stone to dust like a glacier. She wasn't there yet, her words tinged with pain and shock instead of anger…but Mezou could hear the tipping point in her voice.

Fumikage took a deep breath, then looked around at the burning city that surrounded them. His expression wobbled as he took in the devastation, and the prone forms of Kamakiri and Kuroiro. He visibly came to a decision. Meeting Tsu's eyes, he told her, "I can explain, I promise. I will explain. But this isn't the place to do it."

"Then what is?" Tsu asked, crossing her arms. Suspicion filled her eyes. Mezou found himself torn; on the one hand, he knew that someone should be suspicious, after Fumi had shown up like that, with so many unanswered questions on his heels. On the other, though…this was Fumi.

Fumikage, somehow, didn't look hurt or upset by Tsu's borderline hostility. On the contrary, he seemed to be encouraged by it; Mezou couldn't make heads or tails of a response that strange.

"Please," Fumikage pleaded. "Come with me. I'll answer your questions, I swear. Any of them. But not here. There's…some things I need to show you. We can get medical attention for them, too."

Fumikage pointed to the crumpled forms of his lieutenants, as well as Kugo. Mezou…probably should have been more suspicious of that. But this was Fumi. Mezou trusted him, down to his bones. As silly as that was, as hurt as he'd been by whatever Fumi had done six years ago…Mezou still trusted him.

Tsu opened her mouth as if to reply, but before she could, Mezou hoarsely agreed, "Okay."

Somehow, he found the strength to stand. As Fumikage collected Kamakiri and Kuroiro in those enormous shadowy hands that somehow belonged to Dark Shadow-even though Dark Shadow was nowhere to be seen-Mezou picked Kugo up from the ground. Even as weak as he was, Mezou managed to heft the enormous man across his shoulders without too much difficulty.

Tsu still looked skeptical, and more than a little worried. "Mezou," she said, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Mezou looked at her incredulously. "It's Fumi," he said simply.

"That's what worries me," Tsu shot back. "He's the leader of the Outcasts. Don't forget that, please, Mezou."

Mezou set his jaw, studying Fumikage, who had turned his back to them.

"I don't care," Mezou replied. "I know what you're thinking, Tsu. I've got just as many questions as you do. But I trust him. I trusted him the day he saved me, I trusted him the day he disappeared, and… dammit, I trust him now. As much as he's hurt us both…that's still true."

Tsu sighed, long and deep. Mezou could see her own pain shimmering in her eyes-she'd been Fumi's friend, too, and grieved him just as much as he and Mina had, in her own way. He hated to do this to her.

"Okay," she agreed. "Just…be careful, okay?"

Mezou nodded. "Always," he promised.

Together, they followed Fumi out of the burning city and down into the dark.

Fumikage led them down through dark, winding tunnels, down and down until they were further beneath the ground than even Mezou or Tsu had ever been. If not for his presence, they would have long since gotten lost.

Despite the fact that the tunnel Fumikage was using was completely unfamiliar to Mezou, it was far from empty. In fact, huge numbers of people flowed back and forth around them, as if the tunnel was an aboveground highway and the tunnels branching off it in every direction were side roads. By the way they nodded to Fumikage, making space for him or otherwise acknowledging him, they were all members of the Outcasts.

For the first time, Mezou found himself understanding the scale of what the Outcasts were doing. The sheer number of people who looked at Fumi with something between respect and hero worship was…humbling. The Outcasts weren't like the Neo-Stainists, occupying a single fortress, and they weren't like the gangs either, with their extensive territories but relatively small numbers. They were something else entirely.

Eventually, as they got deeper and the tunnel widened, a woman in loose white clothing stopped Fumikage, pulling him-and Mezou and Tsu along with him-off the main path of the tunnel and towards the side. Mezou was just close enough to hear their conversation.

"The Tunnel Rats are in full retreat," the woman reported. Her face was oddly pale, and surprisingly free of the old scars and damage from most people in the Depths bore. None of the possible reasons for that were…pleasant. "We suffered casualties, but not too many, thank the Lord. The medics are handling the wounded as we speak."

Fumikage nodded. He hadn't spoken much on the trip down, but he did so now. "Are we in a position to pursue the Tunnel Rats?" he asked. "I would prefer to prevent them from being able to re-fortify and continue the fight."

The woman shook her head regretfully, making her hair-green like Tsu's, bound into a tight bun-bounce. "I chose to prioritize firefighting," she answered, her voice businesslike, but still oddly warm. "I got a little pushback from some of the more… eager troops on that, but they did as I asked anyway. I imagine the desire to follow your wishes played a role there."

Fumikage smiled. "Oh well," he sighed. "You made the correct decision. We need to avoid innocent casualties as much as possible."

The woman nodded. She opened her mouth to say something, only to finally spot Mezou and Tsu behind Fumikage. "Oh," she said, not unkindly. "Great Leader, who are these two?"

As Mezou and Tsu exchanged a look, Fumikage sighed, sounding frustrated. "Please don't call me that," he said. "We've been over this."

Blushing, the woman corrected, "Sorry, Tokoyami."

Fumikage shook his head. Clearly deciding to move on, he explained, "This is Mezou and Tsu. They're…family."

He hesitated on the last word, clearly unsure of himself, before spitting it out anyway. The woman's eyes went wide, and for a second, she looked as if she wanted to bow to the two.

"It's an honor to meet you!" she said eagerly. "Anyone our leader calls family is more than welcome among the Outcasts!"

Mezou and Tsu glanced awkwardly at each other, unsure how to respond to something like that. Finally, noticing their discomfort, Fumikage stepped in.

"We've got wounded with us," he said. "Do you mind taking them to the medics for me? I'd like to…catch up with these two."

The woman beamed. "Gladly, Great Lea-Tokoyami," she said, hastily catching herself. Fumikage lowered Kamakiri and Kuroiro from his dark-shrouded shoulders, offering them up to the green-haired woman. For a moment, Mezou wondered how she was going to possibly carry the weight of three grown men-one of them a veritable giant-when she didn't even seem to have any visible mutation. A second later, he got his answer.

The woman undid her hair bun with swift efficiency, shaking out her thick, bright green locks with a sigh. Mezou blinked as she did it; her hair strands were oddly thick, with… thorns along them? Suddenly, the hairs-no, vines- were shooting over her shoulders, dozens of them, curling around Kamakiri and Kuroiro tight enough to support them-though they didn't seem to get cut by the thorns. Impressed by the strength and sheer number of the vines, Mezou didn't protest as they pried Kugo from his grip and wrapped him up as well.

Fumikage smiled, a real smile of the kind that Mezou remembered seeing more often, once. "Thanks, Ibara," he said warmly. The woman-Ibara-nodded as well, then turned and headed down the tunnel, easily carrying the three injured men along.

As soon as she'd vanished from sight, Fumikage turned to Mezou and Tsu. "One of my lieutenants," he explained. "And a damn good one, too. She's in charge of the medics and firefighters we have, most of the time-though she's more than capable of fighting on the front lines if she has to."

Tsu raised an eyebrow. "Firefighters?" she asked, clearly thinking of the burning streets above them.

Fumikage nodded. "I know the damage we caused, back up there," he told them. "And I remember being ten and watching my world burn down. I want to make sure it never happens again. I'm going to be better- we're going to be better. That fire was mostly under control by the time I found you guys. We managed to contain it to that area of the cavern, thankfully. I wouldn't be surprised if it's almost burned out now."

Mezou nodded cautiously at that, even though it warmed his heart to see that some parts of Fumi hadn't changed over the years. Still, he was preoccupied just then. Something about the way Ibara had looked at Fumikage…unnerved him. It wasn't angry or hateful, it wasn't even inappropriate. No, if anything, it was too positive. He said nothing, though, not even as Fumikage led them in the same direction Ibara had gone.

Mezou could hear something from up ahead, growing louder as they made their way through the busy tunnel. They never had trouble, though-people continued to make way for them, leaving a bubble around Fumikage as if he radiated some sort of forcefield. Mezou had seen warlords and gang bosses walk among the people they controlled, and something similar happened there-but that was because of fear. People cringed away from those with power, afraid to become the object of their attention. This…this was different. The look in these peoples' eyes was like Ibara's; awestruck, admiring, worshipping. They made way for Fumi, not because they feared him, but because of something else. Mezou found himself wondering just what that boy from the streets had become.

Hell, what had Mezou become? They'd all changed-shaped by their choices, by their pain, by their anger. This, though…this was another reminder of the fundamental difference between them, the four mutants who had become family all those years ago.

When faced with a world that hated them for who they were, Mina ran, Mezou fought, and Tsu healed. Fumi…

Fumi built.

At last, they turned a corner, and Mezou was nearly blinded by light, shining from beyond the mouth of the tunnel. They'd reached the end of their journey, and found…

Mezou's breath briefly left him. As they stepped out into the light, he struggled to take it all in. They were standing in one of the largest natural caverns he'd ever seen, with the ceiling so far above the lights anchored there that it almost felt like the sun. The cavern stretched back further than he could see, and waterfalls poured in through cracks in the rock all along the walls, dropping from above like giant faucets. The cavern's floor was a vast city at the perfect balance point between chaos and order-grids of streets laid out for ease of access and movement, but buildings so haphazard and riotous in their color they almost seemed organically grown rather than built.

And it was full of mutants. Thronging the streets, swimming in the pools of sparkling clear water, soaring through the air on wings, living their lives as best they could. Everywhere Mezou looked, he saw his people, building their own world because the one above rejected them. It was beautiful, and it made Mezou angry, because it shouldn't have had to exist. A beautiful, hope-filled cave was still a cave, and humans just weren't meant to live like this.

Beside Mezou, Tsu seemed to have similar thoughts. She murmured, "I never knew something like this could exist."

Fumikage smiled. He seemed to know every thought Mezou had-knew them intimately. His own eyes were shining with pride and regret in equal measure. He strode into the world he'd built, and turned back to see the people he'd left behind to do it.

"This is what I've been doing, these last six years," he said softly. "Building this place. Welcome to Homeland. Come, there's a place where we can talk in private."

Mezou nodded dumbly, still lost in the sight of a city built by and for mutants. It was like something out of his wildest fantasies, a place of dreams, of hope. But he couldn't lose sight of the reason he was here. The pain that had flared up again the moment Fumikage strode through that wall of smoke and fire still ruled him, ruled him like the anger once had.

As they walked through the city, people kept looking at Fumikage. They waved at him, fell silent as he passed, or nodded in respect. Mezou saw battle-scarred men and women with the look of hardened killers look at Fumikage with stars in their eyes-or at least, with gruff acknowledgement, which was more or less the same thing for many of them. Mezou stayed back, avoiding the way some of those admiring gazes carried over to him for walking alongside Fumikage.

It was like watching a god stride through his domain, and it shook Mezou to his core. What the hell had Fumi done for the past six years? How had he become… this?

At last, though, Fumikage came to a stop before a hole in the cavern wall. The entrance was twenty feet wide and at least that tall, but it bore no other embellishment beyond a sturdy door set deeper in, and one or two guards- guards- standing outside. They did nothing more than nod in acknowledgement as the three of them walked towards the door.

Just before they entered, Fumikage paused, turning back to look at the city he'd-apparently-built. Mezou and Tsu turned with him, basking in the lights and noise of a place more peaceful, more hopeful, than any Mezou had ever seen before.

"You know what I'm proudest of, when it comes to this place?" Fumikage asked. Mezou and Tsu shook their heads.

Fumikage smiled, his eyes distant. "It's not how big it is, or how many people live here-how many people have decided to try and build something meaningful here," he began. "It's the fact that a bunch of no-good garbage did it."

Tsu blinked, confused. "What does that mean?" she asked.

Turning to face her, Fumikage replied, "Nobody helped us do this. None of the people here ever made anything of themselves. We're the dregs, the leftovers, the scavengers fighting over the scraps. All of us, from me to my lieutenants to everyone else, were scum once. I was a street rat. Ibara is the daughter of a prostitute-she grew up in a brothel. Kurorio lost his parents to a gang fight when he was eight. Kamakiri…"

Fumikage caught himself, closed his mouth, and shook his head. "It's not my place to explain his story," he decided, his voice soft. "I'll let him tell it to you, once he's recovered. But the point still stands. This place exists because we refuse to stay trash. We've built it from the ground up, and made it better."

The pride, the glory, in Fumikage's voice was infectious; Mezou could feel it in his chest. But Tsu, bless her, was just as calm and levelheaded as always. "And what do you plan to do with it now that you've built it, kero?" she asked dryly, arms crossed.

Fumikage…hesitated. He looked like he wanted to speak, but the sight of Mezou and Tsu seemed to remind him of what he'd lost too much to speak of what he intended to gain. He opened the door, gesturing for them to follow him.

"That's a question for later," he said softly. "For now…I promised you answers, and I intend to keep that promise. I've…broken too many of those, in my life."

Mezou…couldn't argue with that. He followed his oldest friend inside, wondering if, finally, he could put an end to the pain that had eaten him alive for six years.

What he would fill the space with once that pain was gone, though…that, he didn't know. He clutched Tsu's hand tightly, and she squeezed back, his anchor as always.

It was time to get their answers.