Mustard takes a direct action that drives Izuku and Nejire deep into wild territory to pursue, but they expose themselves to two other formidable enemies as a result - one for him, and one for her.

That night, Izuku dreamed of the mansion in the woods.

It was his third day away from UA. He'd defeated a jailbreaker from Tartarus, the very first of the escapees to cross his path. The downed villain had given only one piece of information - an address, where he'd been directed to take a captured Izuku, on a set date in two months' time.

The heroes had gone into the mansion and found nothing except a video. A video from All For One, addressed to Izuku.

He was there again, in that dark, murky space, a stream of light coming from the projector, displaying AFO's wrinkled, grinning face on the wall. The other heroes were distant shadows, next to him and behind him but also thousands of miles away. Next, it's your turn, said All For One, pointing at Izuku. Promising. Threatening. Next, it's your turn. Your turn.

Your turn…

The mansion exploded. Fire rained down from the rafters. In reality, Izuku and the others had all escaped, but in this nightmare, he could not move. He was frozen to the spot as he burnt up in the inferno. The flames licking at his skin. There was a horrible roaring, a horrible ringing filling his head. It hurt. It hurt bad.

Your turn…

Your turn…

Headache…headache…that's Danger Sense.

Izuku forced himself awake, shoving his brain toward the real world, urging it forward and out of this mire of a nightmare. His surroundings were fuzzy. Danger Sense was going haywire, and he was having sleep paralysis. Shit. Shit. This had happened before, when he was so stressed about the day ahead that his mind woke up before his body. Bad time. Bad time!

His limbs would not budge no matter how hard he tried, and the room lurched and bent. Something horrible was happening. That was the only reason why the fourth's Quirk was so…

What is happening? he mentally screamed, grinding his teeth. Help!

He sensed the past users lend their will to him, forcing his body out of stasis. Izuku shot up like a spring, tingly all over, all the blood in his head sloshing downward and redistributing. "Oh, whoa…" he swayed. "Arrrrrgh."

He'd packed his bag late the night before, and had slept in his costume, so it was just a matter of walking out the door. He did so.

The world seemed to spin. It was just past dawn, and the earliest risers in Kijimi were attending to their duties on the street. It was a cold morning. Danger Sense continued to yawn at him. His head pounded.

"Midoriya-kun? Midoriya-kun, are you okay?"

Nejire sounded very far away for some reason, but she was right there in front of him, concerned.

"What are you doing…up so early?" He blinked hard.

"It's my job now. What is the matter?"

"I…" He gasped, turning in a circle, staring at the scene. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

His communicator. Someone was calling him.

Izuku fumbled for it. This had to be the thing. Whatever this was…had to be it. Had to be.

"H-hello?" he slurred.

"DEKU, this is Detective Tsukau…are you drunk?"

"No. I'm…my body is already reacting to whatever you're about to tell me."

"...the danger Quirk, isn't it?" Tsukauchi sighed. "Look, I don't know exactly what's going on, but All Might was supposed to meet my men and me at a rendezvous point two and a half hours ago, and he's still not here. His car's GPS tracking shows that he's at an address a couple of miles across town. I'm gonna send it to you. Meet us there?"

Izuku's eyes widened. Danger Sense did not fade, but he immediately became alert. All Might. "Yes," he responded, and hung up.

The address came through the communicator a moment later. Izuku prepared to take off in that direction, lightning kicking up at his feet.

He'd forgotten Nejire was standing there. "Wha? You're leaving now?!" she exclaimed.

"All Might never made it to his destination. They have a location for his car. I have to go."

Nejire staggered. "All…Might…?" Something flashed across her eyes. Izuku almost knew what she was going to say before she even said it. "I'm coming, too."

"You have responsibilities here."

"They don't really start for another few hours. This is also important."

Izuku felt like he should have argued more, but for some reason, he caved to her. "Fine. Try and keep up, then."

Tsukauchi and his men had been much closer to the address than Izuku and Nejire, but even with their head start, all parties arrived at the same time.

The cop cars pulled from one side of the street, sirens and alarms blaring, while the two heroes, green and blue, descended from the sky on the other side.

"Deku!" Tsukauchi ran forward, panicked, the flaps of his jacket spreading out to either side. "Thank goodness, okay, we've tracked the…oh. Hello, ma'am."

Nejire just nodded to him. "Here to help." Her face was slightly pale and clammy, and she'd seemed uncomfortable the entire way over. Izuku couldn't really put his finger on what was wrong. Maybe she just doesn't get up this early very often?

But the detective only nodded back. "Alright. Good. No idea what we're in for." Other police began to gather on the sidewalk. "We tracked All Might's car to…"

Izuku turned toward the building they were standing in front of. "It's a church," he muttered, disquieted.

Goosebumps traveled down his arms. The church was dark and built of bricks, with a diagonal, sloping roof and a rusted old cross. There was an immense stained-glass window above the double doors of the front entrance, but part of it had shattered inward, leaving whatever scene it depicted incomplete.

"How would a car get inside?" one officer asked.

Tsukauchi made an are-you-an-idiot face and said, "It didn't. Come on."

He and the other police followed Izuku and Nejire up the overgrown, weed-tangled path…and into the church's sanctuary.

Wan morning light scattered the room. Dark pews lined the floor, a moldy red carpet traveling through the center between them. The carpet led to an austere wooden podium, upright on the edge of a shadow. Wilting flowers were displayed behind the podium, and there was something written in Latin on the back wall.

"Bad vibes," Nejire muttered. "Bad bad bad bad vibes."

Izuku walked forward down the center aisle. The police, quietly turning on their flashlights en masse, followed.

Is this All For One? The thought was incredibly invasive and unfriendly. If it was, Izuku felt so, so unprepared. Nejire cannot be here, nor the police. If this is him.

Next, it's your turn.

Izuku reached the podium. There was a Bible on it, but also a little black object with a blinking red light. He picked it up.

"The tracker," he announced, causing mutters among the officers.

Tsukauchi exhaled sickly and put his hands on his head, pacing. "Okay, let's remain calm. Let's think. Is there any logical explanation for-"

Danger Sense again.

Nejire's head twitched upward. "Do you hear that?"

Tsukauchi cut himself off. The police officers began to look around, confused.

There was a rumbling coming from outside the church.

"Scatter," said Deku, a horrible feeling entering his mind now. "Scatter to the walls, now!"

The group obeyed, parting in half, crossing between the pews to get clear of the center aisle. Izuku remained where he was. Nejire remained next to him. The rumbling grew louder and louder and louder until it climaxed as a sustained roar…

…And All Might's car broke through the front wall of the church.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! CRAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSHHHHH!

Glass and bricks and drywall and dust cascaded into the sanctuary, the pews bursting to splinters as the black armored beast of a vehicle drove through them like a plow, engine revving, slicing a diagonal path of destruction toward the podium.

A few police had not gotten fully out of dodge, and dived out of the way now. Izuku grabbed Nejire with Blackwhip and pulled her aside, just as the car rode up the steps at the back wall and slammed into it. POWWWWWWWW!

The front of the vehicle bent and flexed as the design dictated, but didn't crunch. The tires skidded, screaming. The car bounced slightly off the wall, having left a huge cracking dent in it…

…The engine slowly died down, and the car stopped, hanging off the steps, one wheel still turning because it was up in the air, the formerly sleek black surface now covered in dust.

Izuku took the whip off Nejire and slowly raised his fist, gesturing to the officers.

The police crept across the ruined room, guns and flashlights drawn, all gathering behind the two young heroes as they approached the crashed car.

There's no way it's All Might in there. The car had autopilot. It had been programmed to try and attack whoever came for the tracker.

Then the driver's side door was kicked open by a long, unmistakable leg, and Izuku's eyes bugged out in shock.

Toshinori Yagi stumbled out of the vehicle, to a chorus of echoing gasps from everyone in the room. His sunken eyes were bright with panic. His mouth was covered by a piece of tape, and on that tape there was a message in marker: FALSE TEACHER. He was waving his arms in desperate appeal.

Tsukauchi lowered his gun, stunned. "All Might?"

"There's a bomb around his neck!" someone hissed, and the police began to scream, half of them ducking and covering behind the few remaining intact pews. Even Nejire flinched, but she held her ground.

Izuku felt like he was standing in yet another nightmare. His mentor took a few more pleading steps forward, still making murmuring sounds through the tape, his eyes begging. There was, in fact, a device like a big metal collar around All Might's neck, and it was blinking, a few colored wires sticking out of it.

Oh, Jesus, kid, Nana commented. Okay. What do we do. What do we do…

Izuku took a careful step forward, and All Might made a noise of protest. "Mmmph! Mmmph!" He waved his arms again, and lifted one of them up…

…There was a phone taped to his palm.

It was live on a call.

Izuku squinted. The call was a video call, but only one-way. A live image of the church could be seen, small in the top corner of the phone screen. We can't see them but they can see us. Izuku could also see the timer on the call: 1:09:47. It had been going for over an hour.

"Hello there," said Mustard.

Mutters turned to chatter. Izuku and a few of the police stepped forward, but All Might hissed at them, gesturing for them to stay back, and Mustard laughed, on the other end of the phone line. "Take one step closer and I blow the Symbol of Peace to kingdom come."

"You slimy. Little. Bastard," Nejire growled.

"Err…who are you supposed to be? Eh, doesn't matter. I know Deku when I see him."

"Mustard," Izuku responded, keeping his voice level. His mask was up, so his voice was the only thing that could betray his turmoil. All Might…his mentor's blue eyes were filled with a unique brand of fear. He's not afraid to die. He's afraid of me seeing him die.

"Ah, so you do know it's me, then! I was wondering if you all in Class A had forgotten about me, or if there were even enough clues for you to make the connection. I must say I'm impressed."

Tsukauchi had stepped out of frame and was gesturing to one of the officers, who was holding a piece of scanning equipment. "Remote track the call!" he whispered, pointing at the phone. The policeman began fiddling with the device, just out of the camera's line of sight.

"What do you want?" Izuku asked the phone, deadly serious. Nejire was vibrating next to him, full of rage. He was trying to subdue his own.

"I want to ask Toshinori Yagi some questions. I want him to answer them honestly and completely. And I want you to hear those answers. That's all! Simple, right?"

"Why, you…" Nejire cocked her fist.

"Are you a UA student as well? This is perfect; I'd like you to hear this, too. You're both a part of this whether you think so or not."

"How are we a part of this?" asked Izuku. His eyes darted over to what Tsukauchi and the other officer were doing. They were fiddling with the scanning device, pointing it at the phone from a skewed angle. The detective looked up and silently waved him along, mouthing a single word: stall.

Izuku's eyes darted back, just as Mustard chuckled. "You will see. So! First question, Mr. Yagi! Are ya ready?"

All Might made a helpless noise and shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh, right! The tape! I threatened to blow you up if you ripped it off, didn't I? False teacher. Well, you may do so now."

Izuku didn't know the boy well enough to guess if he was bluffing or not. All Might had certainly not seen fit to test the waters, since he had left the tape on despite having free hands. Mustard has murdered hundreds now. His morals are long gone. No. Best not to test it.

But All Might obeyed now, reaching up and slowly taking the tape off his face, gasping for breath as he freed his mouth. Izuku's eyes darted to the policemen again. They appeared to be still working on the tracker.

"First question, then. Why did you begin teaching at UA?"

"I…" All Might looked from Izuku to Nejire, and then jammed his eyes shut, trembling. "I wanted to help the younger generations…"

"LIES!" Mustard roared, and suddenly a loud beeping sound came from the neckbrace bomb, its light blaring brightly and quickly. The police gasped and ducked again, and Izuku took an urgent step closer-

"BACK, stay back Deku, I told you to stay! BACK!"

All Might winced, his arms crossed over his chest, as the beeping subsided.

"Now then," said Mustard. "The truth. Give it."

"I…I wanted to find the next user of One for All." All Might's eyes opened to meet Izuku's. "But I ended up finding him before I actually started the job."

Some of the police had not known this - they reacted with a smattering of whispers.

"So. You had no real, actual interest in teaching, is that correct?"

"I…"

"Don't lieeeeee," Mustard sang. Another warning beep.

"Come on," Tsukauchi muttered, still working the device. "Where are you calling from…"

"I wanted to teach my successor!" All Might blurted, somewhat indignantly, standing his ground. "I had less interest in teaching the others at the beginning, yes. But I have grown to care for each and every one of my students!"

"Aww. I'm sure they appreciate that. Those poor, neglected hero students. They had it so hard, didn't they?"

"Is that a question you want me to answer?" asked All Might, defiant.

"Answer me this: before you started at UA, how often did you speak to young people during your hero career?"

"I…I often rescued children, and interacted with many young fans on the street at crime scenes…"

"Did you ever speak at any schools? To any classrooms? Or perhaps at an assembly?"

"I did, yes!" All Might declared, defensively. "I spoke at an elementary school six months before the sludge villain incident, and then at a cram school a year before that as a favor to…"

Mustard interrupted him with laughter. "As a FAVOR?!"

"We've almost got him," mumbled Tsukauchi. "Narrowing it down. Just a little longer."

Izuku nodded almost imperceptibly. Kept his eyes forward. His mind was rapidly trying to prepare for the possibility that All Might did not make it out of this. And if he doesn't, we're going to find this kid and destroy him.

"I was the busiest hero in the country!" All Might protested. "I was fighting villains constantly, and had to stay on the move. The other hours of my day always remained booked up with matters related to the business side of heroism. On the rare chance I could do public relations, it often had to be an interview. I would have loved to have spoken to more young people if I'd had the time, but…"

"Too busy fighting villains, yes. Didn't you ever give a single thought as to where all those villains were coming from? Where they were being CULTIVATED? DID YOU?"

"I thought about that every day," All Might muttered.

"Not enough." Mustard was breathing heavily into the other end of the line now, worked up. "Insane how being the most famous hero in the world suddenly means you're qualified for any other job. Even though you proved time and again you never cared about children, UA hired you as a teacher. I'm going to make them regret that and every other mistake they've ever made. DEKU!"

Nejire jumped at the sudden change of tone and volume, but Izuku did not. If I blast forward with Fa-jin and get a whip around the brace…no. Too risky.

"Almost…got it…" Tsukauchi hissed.

"Yes?" Izuku asked Mustard, not a semblance of shake in his voice.

"Let this be a warning to you. I could have killed your precious mentor, and I didn't. I don't want to kill him. But as you can see…I am capable of much more than you can ever imagine. So do. Not. Challenge. Me. STAY AWAY FROM ME, DEKU! Go throw yourself at Shigaraki and All For One. I want NOTHING to do with you. If you come near me again, I will target someone you love again. And my mercy will have run out. Do you take my meaning?"

"I take your meaning, Mustard."

"Very well then."

The brace was automatically unclicked and released from All Might's neck, Mustard operating it remotely. Then, Tsukauchi announced, "Got him!" and the scanner made a positive beeping sound.

Izuku sent out a Blackwhip at lightning speed and yanked the brace away from All Might's body, throwing it across the church with a wide swing. Mustard cried out on the phone, and the brace suddenly lit up, beeping rapidly…

…And a bunch of yellow goop burst from it, as it clattered to the floor, underwhelmingly.

Izuku stared, his whip severing and retreating back into his wrist, aghast. The yellow sauce spread over the carpet, staining it. A bunch of the police let out gasps of surprise.

"It's…mustard…" A bluff after all. God DAMN IT!

His heart and mind on fire, Izuku looked back at All Might, who hung up the phone call and then tossed the phone to Tsukauchi, who snatched it out of the air. The detective held the phone and the scanner up to each other and nodded in confirmation. "Yep. We tracked it to the east, near Taito."

"SEND ME THE SIGNAL!" Izuku demanded, his feet practically sparking to go, go, go already. There was no time, no time, no time-

"Young Midoriya, are you sure-"

"Sent!" Tsukauchi exclaimed. A beeping sound of confirmation from the communicator. The detective met eyes with Izuku. "Go get him," he declared.

Izuku took exactly one second to turn around and acknowledge Nejire. "Come on," he told her, not even stopping to think about why he inherently, impulsively, wanted her along.

And she had clearly already made up her mind, though her mouth was tight with some discomfort he could not identify. Yellow spirals burst from her boots. "Lead the way."

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Izuku dashed over the rooftops, One for All and Float working together as he bounded across the prefecture.

Nejire followed, Blackwhip wrapped about her waist so that she didn't fall behind. She was mainly using her Quirk to hover and stay upright as Izuku dragged her along. He had insisted it was faster this way. When she'd protested, he'd said that she was light as a feather.

Maybe that was the wrong thing to say? Nejire seemed very out of it now, grimacing and pale to the point where her complexion almost looked grey. Izuku didn't know why. He couldn't stop to consider it.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

His communicator screen showed a map. In the map's center was a red dot, sitting in a location about fifteen miles away now. The dot was the phone that Mustard had used to call them. The signal was live, sending out a rhythmic animation of a growing circle in waves. Each wave was accompanied by a beep.

He's close. He's so close. A storm was raging in Izuku's mind. For all the lives lost at Shiketsu and Ketsubutsu. He had All Might's life in his hands and treated it like a joke.

Stay away from me, Deku. That was what Mustard had said.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Alarmingly, the dot began to drift to the left side of the screen, leaving the rectangle shape on the map that represented some kind of building.

"He's moving!" Izuku declared, looking up to check where he was going and then back down at the screen, pulling Nejire along.

"That's fine, he can't…outrun us," the girl breathed in a light, weak voice.

I'd assumed he had caught onto us tracking him and abandoned the phone there. But he still has it with him! Unless someone else had picked it up. A scavenger in the area, maybe?

Whoever it is, they're not moving fast. The dot crossed a street and walked parallel to a large parking lot, which was for an amusement park. Izuku and Nejire would be there in minutes.

You're not getting away.

The dot entered another building and stopped moving again. Maybe he's not onto us? Maybe whatever building he just entered is a better hiding place than the previous one?

Steady, Nine, said En. Be wary of tricks. Trust your eyes only to a certain extent.

"What's he doing now…?" Nejire forced out from behind.

"He's stopped in another building. Just a few more minutes…" Izuku's head pounded with deadly focus. Gotta prepare to hold my breath. If all went well, it would only be for a moment. He could knock Mustard out with one punch.

Ten miles and closing. Nine. Eight. The dot did not move any more.

The howling wind rushed past Izuku's ears. The buildings were becoming more modern and stylized; this was a more luxurious area of the metropolis.

He landed on a roof and jumped again, pulling Nejire high over a wide, empty promenade boulevard. The bottom of the spirals from her feet brushed against the top of an ornamental tree. She barked out a quiet cry of pain. He did not notice.

Three miles. They were over a street of shops now, souvenirs and food. There was movement in an alleyway, likely some street scrappers, but Izuku ignored them. His eyes focused forward. He could see a Ferris wheel in the distance.

The sun was reaching its mid-morning height now…or would have been, if it was not overcast. The amusement park loomed out of the misty atmosphere, decrepit and flat-colored. The dot was on the far side.

"Deku, I…" Nejire began.

"Nearly there! Hold that thought!" Come on. Come on. Come on…

He blasted across the park. Leapt from a roller-coaster track to the top of a tower, and then bounded off the Ferris wheel. Nejire had to push herself upward with her Quirk to avoid getting hit by a metal beam, and let out another cry, trembling now. Izuku did not understand what was wrong with her. He wasn't being overly tight with the Blackwhip, and he was holding it steady to not give her whiplash. What gave?

The building came into view, ahead and beneath. It was a power station. Izuku dived to the roof and Floated to a stop, using auxiliary whips to pull Nejire to a safe landing. Her Quirk died and her wavy hair fell back around her shoulders. Her knees bent inward as she found her footing. Izuku felt the surface of the roof solidify beneath his boots, and then took off at a run toward a roof hatch.

"Watch for electrical equipment!" he warned Nejire as she followed. "I think he's trying to bait us with some kind of trap." He arrived at the hatch, pocketing the device with the signal. It had not moved. It was directly beneath them.

Izuku opened the hatch and dropped into a dark corridor.

"Deku, wait-"

He took off down the corridor and turned a corner into an open space, the main room of the station filled with equipment. The air smelled vaguely acrid. Izuku prepared to release Smokescreen. He looked left, right, every direction.

There were too many dark, reaching corners in this large room. Too many places to hide. Is he here? Is he here or not?

"Deku." Nejire finally caught up, moisture glistening on her face. Izuku took it to be sweat. "Look." She pointed.

On the floor in the center of the room, between two generators, was a tangled mess of wires.

Izuku crept closer and looked down at it. Upon further inspection, it was a piece of circuit board. Likely ripped out of a mobile phone.

He held up the signal again. It matched. This was what they were tracking.

"Well, if he's here, then he's got the next move-"

"He's not here, Deku." Nejire shook her head sadly. "He told you he wants you to stay away. He left this for us and fled."

"How can you be sure?"

Nejire nudged the circuit board with her boot and flipped it over. On the other side was a taped piece of paper; it had just barely been visible from the corner. It had a series of symbols on it that Izuku didn't understand.

He picked up the small note and squinted at it. "Some kind of code?" he muttered. If he wants me to stay away, why is leaving clues?

A loud impact sound distracted him.

Izuku turned. Nejire had fallen against the wall, her whole body trembling, her face like that of a ghost. Her mouth was drawn tightly, and he realized now that she was not sweating, but crying.

His eyes widened. "Oh my God, Hado-senpai! Are y-you okay? I'm so sorry, I didn't…" Dammit, she's exhausted! I don't know why but she is, and I wasn't even paying attention!

He hurried over to her and leaned over, putting her cheeks in his hands, looking into her eyes. They seemed awfully cloudy. "Is it my fault? I'm so sorry, I'm-"

Nejire laughed hollowly. "It's…it's okay, Deku. Not your fault. You were carrying me well, it's just…this is routine. I was being the reckless one. Knew this was coming."

"I don't understand. Routine? What did you know was coming?"

"Listen." Nejire gripped his hand. "There was…a pharmacy. Back on a corner of that shopping street. I need you to go there and see if they have a medication…called Midol."

"Midol…? Do you have a prescription?"

Another weak laugh. "It's over-the-counter, Midoriya. Pink box. Shit, it's never been this bad before…" She re-situated herself against the wall, wincing. "I ran out last month and just…pushed back worrying about it…"

"Okay. Midol. Pink box. Got it."

"It's possible it's all…been raided. If that's the…case, then…just come back. We'll figure something else out."

"I can't just leave you here with a villain in the area." Izuku reached forward and picked her up in a fireman's carry, despite her weak protests. "C'mon."

He took her to a side room on the upper floor, which had a window to look outside and an easy path back to the hatch. "If you feel like you can move before I get back, then move. Anything happens, call me." He tapped his communicator.

Nejire nodded, grimacing. "Okay…thank you, Midoriya-kun."

Moving quickly, Izuku left her.

Tunnel vision, he thought as he soared over the amusement park again, back toward the pharmacy. Shouldn't have let it get so bad. He'd ignored all the warning signs that Nejire was in pain. Since when did he care more about catching a villain than helping someone in need? Was he Bakugo?

Mustard could have killed All Might. He was SCREWING with us.

Steady, Izuku. You did everything right this time. It's not your fault Toshinori was captured. Nana.

But if I'd been there, I could have-

No. STOP with the ifs. You're better than that now. Just focus on helping the girl. She needs you.

What happened to her? I don't understand. What's this medication for?

He heard Nana laugh. It's for a specific type of pain. A pain that Hado likely anticipated, but when you have a day like today, or even the week that she's had…it hits like a truck. I know the feeling well.

Izuku realized. Nejire was on her period. Or rather, about to be, since she was cramping. That's why she had spent so much time in the restroom during karaoke last night. Why wouldn't she just say so?

Maybe she didn't want you to freak out.

I wouldn't have! Freaked out…

His communicator rang. Izuku fumbled with it frantically, thinking it would be Nejire, but then All Might's voice came through.

"Are you alright, young man?!"

"Yes. We tracked Mustard to a power station. He wasn't there, but he left a coded note." Izuku walked up to the store's formerly automatic doors and kicked them open. It was dim inside, with mostly empty, disorganized shelves.

"Okay. That's fine. I would recommend you pull back. You're deep into Taito, and we have very little support out there."

"But…"

"I know you're probably angry about what happened. But I'm fine. Getting caught was my fault; you don't need to avenge me. The best thing you can do for me is retreat with that note."

"That's not it." Izuku walked down the aisles, scanning. Most of the drugs were gone. "Hado is having some medical trouble. It will be difficult for her to travel for a bit, I think."

"What sort of medical trouble?!"

"Nothing out of the ordinary." He didn't think Nejire would take kindly to him just out and saying it. All Might could figure it out. "I'm trying to find some meds for her right now." He hopped over the counter and looked beneath it. No pink boxes anywhere. Damn.

"Alright. Do you think you'll be a full day?"

"I'm…not sure." The word cramps jumped out at him on a different box, a white one. Izuku scanned the small text that listed what the medication was good for. Menstrual. There. He put the box in his bag, and left some coins on the counter before leaving the store.

"If it's difficult for Miss Hado to move, then I can come pick you up."

Izuku still had his communicator to his ear, taking off up toward the rooftops. "I don't know if-"

Danger Sense.

POW!

The bullet sliced through the device, pinning it against the concrete wall of the far building.

Izuku's head whipped around, and then up. He immediately activated Float and Blackwhip, pulling himself into the shade on the side of the street.

Dammit! Not again! Not now, not NOW of all times!

"PISS OFF, LADY NAGANT!" he shouted, somewhat recklessly. "I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING!"

Another bullet was the only answer he received, popping out of an alleyway and curving toward his back from behind. Izuku caught it in his gloves and was thrown backward by its velocity. Argh! Shit!

FOCUS, Ninth!

This could be it!

Next, it's your turn, said All For One.

His mind was astir. Gotta get back to Nejire. What if Mustard's still around. No, can't let Nagant get away. She was the highest of AFO's hired guns. If anyone had the real orders…the real information that led to the final enemy…it would be her.

He landed on a lower rooftop, skidding against it and managing to redirect the bullet into the concrete. It left cracks where it impacted.

Ugh! Not allowed to actually take a break without a villain kidnapping someone I love! Not allowed to catch the villain without someone else needing help! Not allowed to help that person without ANOTHER GOD DAMN VILLAIN SHOWING UP!

The bullet that had landed next to him had a speaker inside of it. "This is it, Izuku Midoriya," her voice said. "Come quietly now and I will let you keep your limbs. But if you move from that spot…I'll start with your right arm."

"TRY IT THEN!" Izuku roared, and took off.

KA-POWWWWWWWW. Another bullet whooshed toward him. Izuku bobbed and weaved between upper floors, getting a corner up on the projectile and then coming around. Delaware Smash…Air Force! A wave of wind from his kick sent the bullet spinning upward and away, useless. He shot back in the other direction, a green rocket of lightning.

Need one more shot to triangulate her position. He kept his head down and forward. Speed was of the essence here. She was somewhere off to his left.

The next bullet came, and Izuku dived downward into a narrower alley, passing over some clotheslines. The bullet sliced through them, making a plucking sound as the strings snapped to the wall, pluck-pluck-pluck.

At the last moment he floated sideways, just inches above the ground, and the bullet planted there.

Nagant spoke again through the bullet-speaker. "Have you nothing new to offer me?"

"I was about to ask you the same question!" He launched into the air again, and then kicked to redirect himself at high speed, positive he knew where she was…

…The roof he'd expected her to be on was vacated. The wind rushing through his ears, he anchored himself with Blackwhip and spun about in a wide, high arc. FWOOOOOM!

She was using that air walking Quirk to move as soon as she fired at him. He would have to look for her visually. She can't outrun me!

Hawks, Endeavor, and Best Jeanist were driving on the far side of the city when they received an urgent call from All Might.

"You three! Where are you?!"

"What is it?!"

"Deku chased the school bomber to Taito, but we were on a call and he got cut off! I think Lady Nagant is attacking him again. I heard something whistling like a projectile right before…"

"Jeanist," Hawks said quietly, straightening up in the backseat. His wings were almost back to normal now, and it was time to face his predecessor. "Change course."

Ugh.

Nejire Hado slumped in the dark room, unable to focus on anything but the pain in her lower abdomen.

She had gotten so dizzy earlier that she'd nearly fainted. Embarrassing. I wonder if Midoriya-kun figured it out. I guess if he finds the medicine and sees what it's for, he'll know. Uggggggh.

She berated herself for not being more responsible. Even though so many of the events of the last few days had sprung on her unexpectedly, her period was still not a thing to brush off. Especially this month, when I honestly could have predicted that the pain would be worse. This was by far the most active and stressful month of her entire life. Of course she had been rendered practically immobile.

Her back slick with sweat, she slid up the wall a bit and went from sitting on her butt to a low squat position, her forearms resting on her knees. Her head down, her now medium-length hair hanging over her face. How pathetic. She'd been crying softly since even before they'd reached the power station, but the tears were finally subsiding. At least it's Midoriya. It didn't matter whether he understood or not; once it had become clear to him that she was in pain, he shifted all his focus to that and nothing else. And on the same day that his mentor was under threat of death in front of him. Of course I become a nuisance now. I don't deserve him.

Nejire sighed. He was taking kind of a long time now, considering how fast he could fly. She debated calling him. No, I'll give him a few more minutes. It was likely that he hadn't found any Midol at the pharmacy and was now freaking out to figure out an alternate solution, even though she'd specifically told him to just come back in that scenario. He'll try and help to the very end.

The pain was getting a little more bearable now that she was at rest. I think I can stand. She did so, managing not to tremble. Keeping one hand on the wall for support.

Yeah, this is alright. I can…probably walk a bit.

She was about to step toward the window when the singing began.

Nejire froze.

"Aaaah, ah-ah, ah-ah, aaaah…"

A high, yet distinctly male voice, clear as a crystal spring, singing an uneasy, nonverbal tune. Not Midoriya.

"Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-aaaaaaah…aah."

Nejire thought of sirens. Not the kind attached to vehicles, but the kind that lived underwater. Nearby and closing.

Footsteps outside the room. She turned around and faced the doorway.

A hooded, cloaked figure stepped inside.

Warily, Nejire took another step back toward the window. Her nostrils flared, her breathing sped up. "D-declare your intentions!" she ordered. "I am a pro hero, and…"

"Oh, yes, a hero. I know that now," chuckled the man. She recognized his speaking voice.

The hood was lowered, revealing a silvery, reflective face, a pair of eyes no more than dark square dots, and a mouth that was a simple smiling arc. Six musical notes spread out in an array behind the man's back as he raised his arms, guiding them telepathically.

"Akira…" Nejire breathed, the pace of her heart quickening.

"You don't forget names," the Skindancer's former right-hand man commented. "And I don't forget faces. A blue-haired escort with a burnt cheek…Nejire Hado."

Nejire's eyes darted to the window, then the door. I have no idea what his Quirk does. Would prefer to not be in close quarters. Her abdomen continued to pulse.

"I didn't know you then. But after looking up some old UA recordings…I must say I'm a bit of a fan." Akira laughed, advancing. The musical notes turned in midair, pointing toward her. "You're the best of the best! The top of the top! How flattering that Mitoma-sama attracted the attention of your like."

"She no longer pays you and n-never will again. There's nothing to g-gain from attacking me," Nejire told him.

Something flashed across his strange, rippling face. "You know nothing, girl."

That annoyed her. "You clearly l-looked me up, and still came here anyway, knowing what I could do. I think that makes you the stupid one…boy."

She put all remaining strength into her feet and blasted toward him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Akira sang a ringing, sustained pitch. All six of his floating notes swept about in a circle and curved up toward Nejire, catching her in mid-air.

The notes struck like blunt, resonant metal objects, causing her whole body to vibrate as they swiped her in quick succession. Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun! Nejire cried out and was redirected past Akira, sliding across the floor. Her abdomen erupted in agony. SHIT!

She rolled and tried to find her feet, stumbling on the opposite side of the room now. Akira sidestepped to block the door. "Ah-aaah!"

Two more notes came at her, one from either side. Nejire pawed at one of them with a short spiral from her hand, and tried to dodge the other. It went low and struck her in the side, sharply. She wailed and tried to grab it, but Akira only whistled, and it hurtled back toward him loyally. "Aaah…ah-ah-ah."

Three of the notes combined into a triplet formation and spun at her, while a fourth went solo and far around the edge of the room. Nejire's eyes darted back and forth. She blasted up toward the ceiling with a critically low power output, and the triplet caught her foot and tripped her over, causing her to flip back toward the floor.

She stuck out both hands and used her Quirk to decelerate herself, preventing her head from taking the impact. Unfortunately, she had landed right at Akira's feet.

With an almost disgusted look, he grabbed her by the hair and lifted her head up forcefully. "Sloppy. I expected more."

He sang again, and the notes went up and over Nejire and then knifed downward into her back, picking her up and snagging her costume. "AAAH!" he bellowed, and she was thrown toward the doorway by his Quirk.

She skidded against the floor, a dozen spots on her body now sending off alarming signals of pain…but all paled in comparison to the insidious cramp. It beat in her core, wracking her with repeated, brutal throbs of torture. Nejire could hardly think. She shook, unfocused, unable to release her Quirk, unable to do anything.

Her gaze flicked up.

The room seemed to tilt and leer as Akira approached her, his face shining victoriously. "What's the matter, Nejire-chan?" he whispered, a looming shadow, his weapons floating on either side of his head, preparing to strike. "I thought you wanted to fight."

Nejire Hado's past battles flashed before her eyes. She had not backed down from a pair of tussling giants, nor a rampaging yakuza strongman boosted by Trigger, nor a multi-Quirk decay demon possessed by his supervillain mentor, nor a nigh-suicidal fire user with insane resolve…

…Yet right now, she was not shaking from any of the unbearable agony she was experiencing. She was shaking from pure terror. I am going to die.

The door was behind her, and it was open.

Nejire did the only thing that her brain could allow. She gathered what little stamina was left to her, and fled.