Heeeeeeey, hello everybody. Guy here. So, a little delay on the update but here it is. I know I'm geting pretty dark lately (Lord Vader would be proud) but wait just a little longer, I promise it is just a phase. Well then, to the chapter!
Back To Home?
"We will initiate the mission in five minutes. Everyone, be ready to enter the locations. We can't let that opportunity pass" Nezu spoke through the communicator, transmitting the last directions for this mission.
A few hours ago, the police confirmed the information Midnight got from the inventor Malware, at least eight different places that the assassin Toga Himiko used as hideouts. The surrounding areas of the buildings were being monitored by a large task force. If there were any villains around, the police would be ready to react and contain the damage.
Reuniting lots of pro heroes, Nezu organized eight different squads with two teams each. The 'strike' squad would be the one entering the building, one pro hero and two students with a provisional license. The 'support' team would guard the entrance, watch out for escape attempts and help with the rescue once the strike squad got out.
Nezu thought about this with extra care. There was a great chance that the League would make a move tonight. It was strange that they didn't act until now. Their purpose kidnapping Midoriya Izuku, the methods they used and the lack of activity at all were his concerns. If the word of Shigaraki's former mentor, All for One, was to be trusted, this wouldn't be a pattern the young villain would follow. He was determined to taint the image of U.A and degrade the reputation of heroes face the society.
That left him with two possibilities: a new agent entered the equation. If that was the case, they didn't have any idea of their numbers, capabilities or intentions. The other one was that the League had already reached their objectives. Though the latter option was more concerning regarding his student's integrity, the former was much more troublesome. To think that an unknown group or even worse, a single agent, managed to slip through their defenses like this was terrifying. In both cases, Nezu wouldn't take any risks without the proper countermeasures.
Sitting next to the animal genius, Toshinori was as worried as the principal, if not more. He hated having to use this method again but All for One was the only connection he had with Shigaraki. Unfortunately, the man taught the young boy what he knew. Shigaraki saw this whole crusade against the hero society as a game and to All for One, keep hidden all this time wouldn't bring Shigaraki any rewards. If it was on his plans from the beginning, he should have acted already.
Along with this and the safety of Midoriya, something else or someone else worried All Might. He might have lost his power, but his sense of justice and will to help the others were the same. He kind of felt it when people around him were in trouble and after that night he was sure Midnight was going through something. It was related to Midoriya at some level, but he couldn't tell what was the nature of this connection she had with him, only that it seemed to be a strong bond.
He noticed how she had been on the edge lately and she looked desperate to hide it from anyone. Proof of her relentless state was that she put down the mask to talk with him. She worked practically alone to track down the person involved in the kidnapping, something that proved to be crucial to find Midoriya. It was because of her huge efforts that they were about to start the mission to save the young hero in training. Still, it made Toshinori slightly angry, being at his current state. He looked at his hand, contemplating what once was the vessel of an almost unstoppable force. We wished he could do more with this power. Being reckless lead All Might to end his career too soon, and now he was passing his legacy and burden to a quirkless teen like him, holding on the strong will and sense of justice Midoriya showed him. Suddenly, Toshinori felt a small touch on his shoulder. Nezu apparently noticed him in his thoughtful state.
"Don't worry too much about him, Toshinori. You already did your part to make the world a better place. Now, allow us to use the great pillars you built up to take a step further and make this place safer"
"I… I suppose I can only watch from afar now, right?"
"I don't completely agree with it. When we rescue him, I'm sure Midoriya will need all the attention and support we can give him. You'll be pretty busy, Toshinori, as a teacher and mentor"
The skull-like face of the former number one shifted into a determined expression, his eyes burning bright blue.
"You're right, principal"
"Would you like to give the command?" Nezu offered him the small microphone.
Toshinori took it, staring intensely at the many screens in front of him.
"All the eight teams, be ready at your positions"
The eight teams, waiting hidden near the locations of the hideouts.
Team one: Aizawa, Ojiro, and Hagakure on strike squad; Present Mic, Todoroki and Kaminari on support squad.
Team two: Vlad King, Kendo, and Tetsutetsu on strike squad; Snipe, Komori, and Fukidashi as support squad.
Team three: Ectoplasm, Ashido, and Tokoyami; Thirteen, Bakugo and Mineta.
Team four: Uwabami, Tsunotori, and Kamakiri on strike squad; Ryukyu, Bondo, and Honekuni on support squad.
Team five: Fatgum, Kirishima and Iida on strike squad; Endeavor, Aoyama, and Sero on support squad.
Team six: Hound Dog, Shishida and Kuroiro on strike team; Cementoss, Kaibara, and Fukidashi.
Team seven: Mirko, Rin, and Monoma as strike squad; Hawks, Amajiki and Shoji as support squad.
Team eight: Midnight, Uraraka and Tsuyu on strike squad; Mt. Lady, Yaoyorozu and Hado as support squad.
The remaining students from 1-B would be at strategic locations to help out if things got out of control.
"We cannot allow ourselves to fail. Everyone, go beyond! The mission to rescue Midoriya Izuku begins!"
Following the command of the Symbol of Peace, all the strike teams dashed forward into the hideout. With team eight, Ochako kept repeating in her mind.
"Just wait a little longer, Izuku. I'm coming to save you!"
Two hours previous to the beginning of the mission: unknown location
"Kurogiri, did you call everyone already"
"Yes, Shigaraki. I gathered some disposable personnel and sent them to the hideout. The Vanguard is leading each group"
"Good to hear that. We might risk being discovered but there's a great chance the heroes will try to rescue the boy. Dealing with them now would be troublesome"
Actual time
"Shigaraki!"
"What? Did they get the boy already?"
"No, four of the groups reported that the hideouts were empty. The problem is, the heroes are entering the buildings and fighting our forces"
The pale skinned man started to scratch his neck nervously.
"Tsk. Tell the Vanguard to retreat without being tracked. They can cause as much damage as they can to distract the heroes. But whoever finds the Midoriya boy, they have to bring him to us no matter what"
"Understood"
Team Eight: Strike Squad
The building they were going to enter was an old two store shop. There were large glass windows in the front, allowing to see the interior of the shop and two entrances at both sides. There were lots of shelves, aligned at the sides of the shop, most of them dusty and completely empty. Apparently, the business went bankrupt. Midnight opened the wooden door as quiet as a kick allowed her to be. Making a signal, she entered with Uravity and Froppy right after her, scattering around and going through the corridors. The place was silent. Too silent. There was a large space between the shelves and in the middle was a door, probably leading to the storage room. Midnight gave the girls another signal and they proceeded cautiously to the back of the store.
"Get down!" Midnight suddenly shouted. Being completely dark inside the shop, her eyes just adjusted to the lack of light. At that moment she noticed a movement on the other side of the shop and then a spark of blue light. The next second, a huge flame of a bright blue color flew over their heads. One second later and they all would have been turned into crisps. The trio quickly retreated and hid behind a shelf as another fireball came flying.
"Oi, oi, were you waiting to welcome us, heroes? I thought the boy meant more important to you than just a bait"
They didn't know exactly who that voice belonged to but Midnight, Uravity and Froppy already wanted to punch him hard in the face.
Outside the building, Mt. Lady quickly turned giant to turn two cars and use them as a barricade, shrinking again and hiding with Hado and Yaoyorozu. There was a bright flash inside the shop and they suddenly got under attack. Villains came from the alleys and started to shoot at them. Some had Quirks that allowed them to do that but most were using guns.
"Shit! Where did these guys come from?!" The blonde asked no one in particular as the bullets and other projectiles hit the cars.
"Principal Nezu guessed right. The League of Villains is trying to move Izuku from here"
"That means he's really here?" Asked Nejire.
"I'm not sure. I'm receiving info that all the teams are in combat like us" Mt. Lady heard from the other team leaders, thinking about how to deal with her own problems. "Creati, can you do something to shake them a bit? I will give you cover. Hado, you go around them and take them down since you have a better range than us"
Both girls agreed with the plan. For a second, Yu and Momo looked inside the shop. The possibility of Izuku being inside that place was enough to tempt them in simply bursting in, but they had to stick to the plan. Hado noticed their apprehension but for now, she chalked that as the worry for a friend in danger.
Back inside, the situation was heating up as the fireballs kept hitting the shelf, heating and melting the metal. He was playing with them.
"Ei, ei, what's up? Why don't you show your faces a little? Do you like to play dodgeball?"
Uravity and Froppy exchanged looks.
"Ochako-chan…"
"Yes, he was at the attack during the training camp. These blue flames…"
"Forget about it. More important, the other teams are being under attack too, so the League also knows the locations of Toga's hideouts. I'm almost sure Izuku is here so we can't lose time with this guy. They'll try to move Izuku to another place"
"But didn't Toga act alone in this, ribbit?"
"I guess… the League somehow discovered she had Izuku with her and then made this move. While I'm glad they didn't do this earlier, it had to be right now...?"
"Midnight, I have a plan"
Nemuri and Tsu looked to Ochako, waiting for the brunette to explain.
On the other side, a generic thug came out of the door in the middle, stumbling his way to the side shooting fireballs, barely avoiding one of them. She fell on the floor beside Dabi, coughing and apparently bleeding. The black haired man looked down at him with a bored face.
"Oi, what are you doing here? Where's the kid and Himiko?"
"Sir, we didn't manage to- ~coughs~ get to the target"
"Why not?"
"The girl… she stopped us. She killed everyone that tried to enter the- ~wheeze~ the room, sir. That fucking blonde demon- argh!"
Dabi looked at the fallen man. Probably would die of blood loss. Well, disposable. The problem was that he would be forced to go there and bring Himiko himself, and he really didn't want to do this, even less now that there were heroes here. He knew being her babysitter would only bring him problems. Speaking of problems, Dabi got distracted for a moment, but when he focused again on the heroes hiding across the shop, a shelf came flying at his direction. He barely avoided being hit.
"What the hell?! I saw them really quick but none of them should have super strength"
On the other side, Uravity made the shelf weightless and Froppy tossed it forward, and the gravity effect was cut right before the impact. They did that another two times, forcing Dabi to retreat.
"Now, Let's get in!" Midnight said.
"I don't think so" Dabi got up and launched a huge flame towards the door in the middle, forcing the girls to retreat.
"Seriously… I didn't need to be here. Himiko did a lot of stupid things because she got a stupid crush on that damn green haired boy. And now there's a bunch of heroes and kids giving me another headache. I'm not in a good mood so I'll just burn everything to ashes"
The heat in the shop started to raise. Midnight thought about using her Quirk but in this room, it would take too long to spread. By that time, this crazy ugly guy would have set the entire place on fire.
Outside, still under heavy fire, Creati finished her creation. She pulled her red leotard open and a rocket launcher came out, surprising both Mt. Lady and Hado, as the scene was flashy in more than one way. After that, the black haired girl popped some spheres from her right arm and piled them at her side, loading the rocket launcher with one.
"Mt. Lady-san, when I say, remove one of the cars. I'll shoot at them and Hado-san will fly up and get to their backs"
"Oi, we don't want to kill anyone. What's with the cannon?"
"Don't worry, these are some custom flash bangs Mei created. They look like fireworks. There might by some scorching, though"
"Well, in that case, just give me the order"
Creati made a mirror to look at the way the enemies were positioned. Some were behind cars like them, but others were using the alleys to cover. Luckily they didn't surround them, but these guys could do it any time now. She had to act quick. One shot, reload, another shot, and she couldn't afford to miss them. She breathed in and out to steel her nerves, thinking about what would Izuku do in her place.
"Don't be nervous. Keep your head clear and cool. You have a plan, follow it. If something goes wrong, analyze the situation quickly and adapt. Overcome your problems with a clever solution"
"Yosh! Now, Mt. Lady!"
Hado got ready to fly and Creati prepared to fire. What she wasn't expecting was Mt. Lady to grow and kick one of the cars in a single motion, launching it at the direction of the villains, who barely avoided being hit. Momo, still a bit shocked, got out of the barricade and took aim, shooting the flashbang at one of the alleys. She turned away and reloaded the cannon without looking, as Mei said these were some pretty strong flashbangs. Indeed, the alley became engulfed in a world of white and the thugs closer to the explosion got their clothes set on fire at some spots. In less than three seconds Creati shot again, hitting the other alley. She returned to cover and reloaded the cannon while Hado flew over them and landed on the backline of the villains, knocking them out with her shock waves.
Creati made a steel shield and a sword without edge and was ready to help the girl when the glasses from the store blasted into pieces. She and Yu watched in horror as the shop looked like a blue inferno.
Inside, Froppy leaped back and pulled Midnight and Uravity with her using her tongue, right before the place they were turned into a sea of flames. Dabi was setting the entire place on fire like he said he would. They got to the farther shelves but if the fire didn't directly burn them, the heat would knock them down. Tsu herself was already feeling the downside of her Quirk as the air quickly became dry. If she had thought better, Nemuri would have asked Momo some gas masks so she could use her Quirk from the start. She was so eager to get inside that she didn't consider this possibility. The girls would be asleep way before Dabi if she used her pheromones right now.
"Come out already, I want to end this was quick as possible" Dabi taunted. They were in a pinch. Through their heads passed a single thought, what would Izuku do now?
Suddenly, something came flying through the window, landing near Dabi. He just had time to look down and the thing exploded in a huge mess of pink foam that spread everywhere, covering him. At the same time Mt. Lady punched a hole where the door was and Momo came in. Hado landed right behind and followed her. At last, Mt. Lady blocked the way with the other car, shrunk and stood outside just in case she had to grow again.
"Momo-chan! What was that thing just now, ribbit?"
"It's a fire extinguisher for emergencies that Mei made. The foam quickly settles the flames, but since the villain is a flame generator it won't do much"
"We have to get in quick" Hado said.
"If I get near him, I can knock the guy out with my pheromones, but someone came out of that door before. They might have Izuku already" Midnight said.
"Nemuri, I'll secure the exit. Someone has to go inside and take Izuku" Mt. Lady told them.
"I'll go. Tsu, I'll make myself weightless and you launch me at the door. This is the fastest way to cross that distance. Momo, can you make another foam bomb?"
"Yes, just give me a minute"
"Wait, Uravity, you're going there alone?" Hado thought that is was a suicide plan, given their current situation, but then she felt Midnight putting a hand in her shoulder.
"Just trust in her. Getting Izuku out of here is the priority"
Still a bit reluctant, Hado decided to help in this plan. Creati-san, let me toss the bomb. I'll use my waves to spread the foam in his direction. This should slow him down more"
Everyone nodded and got ready, while Dabi got rid of the foam covering him. He ironically always kept his head cool, but right now he didn't have enough patience to deal with it.
"Seriously… I'm gonna burn you all to dust"
He lit up his arms on fire and was about to launch a hell storm at what was left of the shelves across the shop when suddenly a girl with hair curled up like horns jumped out of the blockade and tossed another one of that foam bombs. He raised his arms but the thing exploded in mid-air, and the foam flew directly at him, along with a shockwave that knocked him back.
Froppy used her tongue and launched Uravity towards the door. The brunette landed just in time to hear a loud blast from the other side. Dabi got up much faster, probably due to his temper. He didn't remember being so angry in a long time. He rose in the middle of blue flames, just to get another blast of foam to his face. He tossed fireballs at them while the girls countered some with the foam bombs. Outside, Hado and Midnight kept the villains at bay, the blonde using the rocket launcher Creati made before.
Uraraka ran through the corridor fast, reaching the stairs at the end quickly. She climbed it and got to the second store, but she froze upon seeing the place. Scattered around the place along with card boxes, at least a dozen corpses, all with large red marks and visible cuts. Looking at the rooms around, three or more lifeless bodies. She was preventing her stomach from throwing up with sheer willpower. Uravity quickly scanned the second store but she didn't find Izuku, either the blonde. From the floor below, she heard more explosions and the gunfire outside. She had to find him.
Getting back to the corridor, she spotted with the corner of her eyes something odd on the wall, a small hole. Looking closer at it and hitting the wall, it sounded hollow. Uravity stuck a finger inside the hole and felt some kind of lock mechanism. She pressed it and the wall opened like a door, revealing another corridor. So she modified the place, Uraraka thought.
Cold air came from the place. It could be a place to store meat or maybe an office, as the floor tiles were made of wood. It was quite dark inside, but she could see some brightness coming from the end of the corridor. She ran in and turned at the end, entering another room. The moment she stepped in, her eyes landed on him, hung by his wrists, waist, and neck, chained like a puppet. Her mind had a lot to process.
It has been so long since she had seen him. So long since she thought about the moment she would find him. And now that she was here, Ochako was lost. She didn't really know what to expect or in what state she would find him. She didn't want to think that he was suffering, so saying that she was shocked didn't nearly describe her current emotional state.
Her eyes were working just fine, she wasn't hallucinating. Izuku, her precious Izuku, was completely cut from head to waist. There was so much, so much blood all over him. He had done serious harm to himself before, but he never looked like this. Not only his body was tinged in scarlet, but his muscles also seemed frail, compared to the built up body she knew so well. He had lost weight, his skin was pale and his beautiful green hair looked dull and lacking the usual shine under that dim light. What has she done to him?
"Izuku…"
Only after a long moment, Ochako brought herself to say something, though the sentences didn't form in her head. She slowly approached but stopped again when she saw him twitch. His voice cracked into a tired mutter. Apparently, he acknowledged her presence. His head slowly and with effort raised. His green eyes, lacking some of the light she loved so much, slowly focused on her figure. His mouth opened a bit, having a thin red line coming from his lips. Was that a bite mark on his neck?
"O… cha… ko…?"
There was a brief moment where he seemed to be relieved, but this suddenly turned into confusion and wariness. He weakly shook his arms in a pitiful attempt to break free from the chains or at least get away from her. But why? Why would he ever want to get away from her? Ochako didn't know but that could wait. She had to save him. She walked closer to him and reached out to at least hold his face and comfort him, but the move was strongly avoided as he backed off with his head. His eyes now were filled with something that Ochako never thought he would feel towards her. Hate.
"Stay… away…"
"... Stay away…? I-Izuku. It's me, Ocha-"
"Stay away! I'm not kidding, Himiko! If you don't, I swear I'll kill you when I get out of here!"
Himiko? What was he talking about? Wait, these cuts… Himiko could shapeshift, right? That meant that she… with her face…
Ochako shook and fear and anger, afraid to imagine what was passing through his mind now. What terrors he went through while this vile blonde tortured him with her face. What image he had of her now? Did he still… did Izuku still love her?
"Izuku… Izuku, listen to me! I'm not her! I'm the real one! I came to save you!"
"Stop that! You're not going to trick me again! You wanted to play with me by yourself, didn't you? Then just show your face already. I already told to not use her like this"
It was too much for her. Ochako felt like her world had been broken into tiny pieces, then burnt and crushed again, until only the dust remained. In the middle of that mental breakdown, she reacted by impulse. The space between them suddenly vanished and she found herself hugging Izuku close to her. He trashed around as his chains allowed him, but she didn't let go of him. She felt that she would lose him for good if she ever let go.
"Let go, Himiko! You want to do something else, don't you?! Just do it already. Don't hug me as you love me. Just! Just… let me go…"
He didn't have that much energy to fight back, so he just hung his head down, tilting it to the side, letting his neck exposed. Ochako raised her head a little and looked closer at the bite marks. Two round tiny holes, like he was bitten by a vampire. She let go a little and held his face on her hands. She didn't care that now her costume had his blood all over the place. She looked deeply into his eyes and waited for his eyes to focus on hers.
"Izuku… look at my eyes, please. It's me, Ochako. I… I took so long to find you. Everyone got so worried… I'm here for you, my love. I'm your Ochako, right?"
The light fog on his eyes cleared.
"... My… Ochako…"
"Yes, that's me"
"And… I'm… I'm your Izuku… right…? Only yours…"
"Yeah… only mine… Don't… don't forget the girls, okay?"
"The girls…? They are okay?"
"Yes, everyone is fighting to get you back. We couldn't let you go, Izuku"
Tears started to form in his eyes.
"Ochako… you're… the real Ochako ~sob~ Not her. You're real. I'm not dreaming. I won't wake to a nightmare again, am I?"
"No, Izuku. It's over, everything will be fine now. I'm here for you"
She let him cry a little on her shoulder before getting rid of the chains. She made it. Ochako saved him. And he still loved her. But then she felt him getting stiff.
"Behind you!"
She had a second to react. Ochako spun around and then felt something cut her left arm. It wasn't a deep cut but it hurt a lot. She took some steps back and looked at the cause of all this while holding on the wound. She stood there, looking at her, holding a knife in her hand that now had some of her blood. Ochako surely didn't know what to expect. Right now the only thing in her mind was wiping that fanged grin from Himiko's face.
"Oh, look Izuku, we have a visit" She giggled.
"You…"
League of Villains hideout: unknown location
"Kurogiri, what is the situation?"
"Six of the eight groups reported, Midoriya Izuku hasn't been found yet"
"The two remaining?"
"Dabi and Spinner. All groups reported being still in combat, though"
"Tsk. I told them to retreat. Are they really that desperate to go to jail?"
"From what I heard, this is a joint mission with the police so the number advantage has been greatly decreased"
"Tsk" Shigaraki scratched even more. This wasn't going the way he wanted. "Kurogiri, let's move. There are two locations remaining so our options are narrowed"
The pale young man got up from his seat and walked off with the black mist man right behind him. He would need to do things himself again.
Team Eight: Support Squad
"I'll run out of nutrients soon… maybe I can do two or three more bombs-"
"Easy there, Momo, don't force yourself" Midnight made Momo sit. She looked pale a little dizzy. The room was hot so Tsuyu wasn't much better. She felt like she was suffocating, being used to a higher supply of oxygen from her skin respiration. Outside, Hado and Mt. Lady were having trouble keeping the thugs at distance. Midnight was running out of options and time as Dabi kept bursting flames everywhere.
"Aahh, this guy doesn't cool down!"
"Wait… cooldown?"
"What is it, Momo?"
"Nothing, it's just that… Todoroki-kun has a limit to how much of his ice and flames he can use. If he uses too much ice, his body starts to freeze, and he also has a limit to heat up"
"So you're saying…"
"... That this guy must have a limit too. His Quirk is quite similar"
"Ribbit, then you plan to make him overheat?"
"Not necessarily. After all this time, he must be close to exhaustion. It's just an assumption but… no, we can do this"
Momo ate the last cereal bar she had some minutes ago so she was ready to make her last creation.
"Hado-senpai, once we start, there will be a small window of time to react. Before he launches his fire, you have to hit this with your shockwave. After that, Midnight-sensei, you have to get to the other side quickly and knock him down"
Midnight let out a small laugh, despite the dire situation and the heat in the ambient.
"Is my plan… too dumb?"
"No, that's not it. You're sounding like Izuku now"
That comment made Momo bright red, but she shook that away and focused on creating her last object for today. It was a small light blue cylinder with metal caps on both sides. She held it firmly in her hand, looking quite nervous because it was smaller than the size she expected to create. "Mei-san, please don't let this be another work in progress…"
Creati handed the cylinder to Mt. Lady and they readied to the last attack. Dabi was about to melt the shelf they were hiding when he saw the blonde getting up and tossing something at him. It was quite small, the size of a baseball maybe. He didn't know what it was but after a dozen bombs covering him in pink foam, he wasn't going to wait and discover.
Before he could create another fireball, Froppy jumped up and tossed a piece of scrap metal. He reacted on instinct and burned the flying piece of metal. The light blue thing got dangerously near and he was ready to ignite his surroundings. Once again the girl with curly hair appeared and sent a shockwave towards him, but he was prepared now. Dabi firmed his feet and burst in a tower of flames. The moment the shockwave hit the small cylinder, it shattered and the blue content spilled over Dabi, creating a coat of crystals over his arms.
"What the-"
"Midnight-sensei!"
"I know!"
Midnight came from the half melted shelf and ran as fast as she could. She made it just in time for Dabi to get up, still with an arm immobilized. He raised his free hand and shot a fireball at her, missing by inches. The heat left some scorches, though. Midnight jumped over the cover he was, ripping her left sleeve in the process and liberating a pink cloud.
Dabi heated his trapped arm and it blasted the crystals, sending pieces everywhere. He got up and held Midnight by her other arm, making her wince in pain. Still, she pulled him and swiped Dabi out of his feet, making him fall face first on the floor. With that, she got him into an arm lock, but it was hard to hold the guy because he was heating up his body. She had to hold his arm that felt like a hot iron bar for at least three more seconds until her pheromones knocked the villain out.
"Gaah! Hot! Hot!" She quickly got away from Dabi, checking at the burns on her arm and hands, probably of first degree. It stung a lot but she would survive.
"Midnight! Did you get him?" Mt. Lady shouted.
"Yes. Don't come here, my Quirk will put you to sleep"
Now, the only thing to do was get Izuku and leave this place.
Ochako tried to get closer to Izuku, but Himiko did the same, waving the knife along with her index.
"Nu-hu. Not so fast, Ochako-chan. I know you're happy to see Izuku but I came here first~"
"You… You took him from me! Not only that, you hurt him and tortured him to the point he was scared of me!"
"And what will you do about this, O-cha-ko-chan?~"
The brunette balled her hands into tight fists.
"Isn't it obvious?" A wide grin grew in her lips. "I'm going to take him back"
"That we will see"
Himiko spun the knife in her hands in a flashy manner while Ochako took a deep breath in and held a fighting stance, emanating her 'really serious' aura. For a moment, time seemed to freeze, then both dashed into the attack. Himiko used her blade with wide swings, still, Ochako couldn't find an opening. She dodged slash after slash, looking for a chance to counter the attack. All the time, that crazy blonde held that fanged grin. She laughed all the time. You could say she was liking it like it was just a game to her. That infuriated Ochako.
Himiko spun on her feet and made a broad move, managing to cut some strands of hair from the brunette, but Ochako used that to take a step closer, entering into Himiko's defense. She dodged an incoming stab twisting her body a little and used this momentum to hand a powerful blow under the blonde's ribcage, knocking the air out of her for a moment. Himiko quickly retreated, avoiding a punch to the face.
"Oho, so I can't play around with you~"
"Do it again and you won't see what hit you… bitch"
Second round. Himiko changed her hold on the knife, holding it backward. She got into a more defensive stance and, still grinning, taunted Ochako with a finger. The brunette decided to fall for it, running at her and throwing punches that barely missed. She hated to admit it but Himiko was pretty skilled.
And strong too and she stopped her right fist, pulling Ochako closer to the blade on her other hand. Ochako moved her head away and kicked Himiko in the guts, but ended with a cut on her cheek. She wiped the small line of blood while the blonde licked the red liquid from the blade.
"You really want me to get serious, Ochako-chan?~"
"I thought you were serious already. Can you even do better?"
Now Himiko seemed to emanate a 'really serious' aura, but it was dripping with murderous intent. She squinted her yellow cat-like eyes and dashed forward, making a wide swing that Ochako easily avoided.
"What was that? I saw it coming from a mile-" A butcher cutlass came flying, almost hitting her head, and got stuck firmly at the wall behind her. Himiko actually jumped to reach the table full of blades she had. She looked dead serious at Ochako. The grin completely faded. As she talked, her usually gleeful tone was replaced with a low menacing one.
"Aaah, seriously… I don't get it. What did he even see in you…?" She said taking off her oversized cardigan and tossing it away, revealing a white shirt, typical scholar uniform with short sleeves. She had a thin belt around her waist full of small blades. Himiko started to inspect the sharp objects laying on the table. Ochako, still a little shaken from her last stunt, took a step forward but instantly regretted it.
"What…? You must really be crazy if you think I'm going to let you-"
A machete flew by, passing dangerously close to Izuku's neck, and got stuck on the wall behind him.
"Shut up for a moment! Do you want me to kill Izuku?! I cut to kill when I'm angry!" Ochako and Izuku flinched at the blonde's sudden burst. Izuku himself never saw her in that state.
"Seriously, it pisses me off. Why it had to be you?" Himiko casually pointed a thin dagger at Ochako. "Why did he even see in you? Is it your breasts? That fat butt? Or this plain round face of yours? I like you as a friend, Ochako, but as a love rival… I really hate you"
Ochako felt her left eye twitch a little. This girl didn't have her mind in the right place.
"Love rival? Are you telling me… you love him?"
"Yes, that's it. I fell in love since I saw him at that Sports Festival"
"No, just… no. You can't love him"
"Why not?"
"For starts, 'cause I said so and second, you're a villain. Do you even know how many people died by your hands?"
"Do you know how many loaves of bread you ate in your life, Ochako?"
"I… why am I even talking to you?!"
"Because we're going to settle this" Himiko said, now with a shorter dagger on her other hand.
"Settle what?"
"Who will get out of here with Izuku"
"You can't be serious…"
"I'm very serious, Ochako"
That she could tell just by looking at the blonde. The grin was long gone and these yellow eyes followed every move she made, focusing all the hate she had on Ochako. It made the brunette a little nervous but she wasn't going to retreat now. Izuku needed her. Speaking of which, the teen could only watch with attention, being unable to stop Himiko from harming Ochako. He never felt so useless, being in front of someone he loved and not being able to help her. So he watched and hoped that Ochako could win without harming herself more.
The two girls stared at each other intensely, so much that they could feel the tension in the air. Both dashed forward at the same time. Himiko brought down the knife but Ochako held her wrist. The dagger came faster, almost stabbing the brunette near her waist, but she managed to hold the other wrist too. They kept at that struggle for a minute before Ochako separated from the blonde with a kick. Himiko kept on the attack, swinging her blades dangerously close to Ochako, who dodged some attacks and blocked others with her hands.
Ochako held Himiko's arm after an attack too wide and twisted it to force her to drop the dagger, but Himiko got out of the hold jumping up and spinning forward. Once she landed, Himiko pulled Ochako and brought the knife forward, making a cut on Ochako's right arm. The brunette got off the hold but she barely had time to recover as Himiko took three of the small daggers in her belt and threw them. Two missed but one got slightly stuck her Ochako's leg.
Ochako took it off with just a grunt and jumped to the side as Himiko kept coming after her, swinging her knives and throwing more daggers. Ochako was being pressed and it broke her rhythm for a moment, so it was hard to evade the attacks and recover. More superficial cuts appeared in her skin. Running around was making both of them short-breathed but Himiko didn't show any signs of stopping. Slash after slash, her psychotic gaze became more intense.
"Ne, Ochako, didn't you say before you were going to take him? How can you do that if you can't defeat me? Huh?! Where is all the boldness you had before?! This way you won't be able to save him"
"Shut up, you freak!" Ochako ducked and connected a strong kick to Himiko's chest, knocking her back. Finally, a moment to breathe. From the other side, Himiko kept talking while holding where she received the kick.
" You can't even kill for him... Can you really say you love Izuku, Ochako?" There she was again.
"Of course I love him! More than you, for sure!"
"Oh yeah? How can you be so certain? Just because you fucked with him?"
Even in that situation, Ochako got a little pink on her cheeks.
"W-what's wrong with what?! I mean, I love him for more reasons than that!"
"Oh, you don't say… Well, just so you know, I love him as much as you do. We even fucked, after all"
Ochako thought she heard something wrong. What was that blonde saying again?
"You… what?"
"We fucked. A lot"
"... No way… you're trying to distract me, playing with my head. That's really low"
"Oh, keep saying this until you convince yourself. If only you knew what we did together, right I-zu-ku?~" Her eyes moved to the teen hung by chains. Ochako followed her and saw in Izuku's face an unspoken plead for forgiveness as if he was the worst person in the world. Ochako let her head fall a little. She was shaking in her place.
"Oh, can't handle the truth? What if I tell you about that time we fucked and I was in your form? It was my first time, you know~"
No one heard a noise, but something snapped inside Ochako. When she looked at the blonde again, she had the same intense eyes of the villain, aiming to kill.
"You… you are dead"
"Uuh, scary~ You will get stuck with that look in your face, Ochako, though it would be an improvement to that plain round face"
"You shouldn't have done this, Himiko…" Ochako cracked her knuckles.
"What? Fuck with Izuku?"
"Take what is mine"
It was the last round, both felt it. They went into another attack, Ochako running straightforward. Himiko tried to hit Ochako with her knives, making short and quick swipes, while Ochako countered what she could, finding some breaches to punch the blonde. None of them backed away, so Ochako ended with some shallow cuts in her arms and belly. Himiko too didn't come out unharmed as her rival landed some heavy hits in her, making her body feel sore in many spots.
Both were equal in close combat, but Himiko had more speed, which she used to reach her opponent with her blades, while Ochako had more strength and managed break defenses more easily. The blonde girl blocked a fist with her right arm and closed in with the knife pointed forward, but is only made a thin red line as Ochako countered with a kick on her sides.
Himiko spun on her heels, making a broad swipe that Ochako evaded by jumping up. The blonde used that to catch her off guard and aimed at her left shoulder, effectively sinking the tip of the knife. Ochako held on her even with this and punched Himiko straight in the face, drawing some blood from her nose.
Himiko held both blades in reverse and attacked again, moving much faster than before. She spun the blades at her hands while she slashed at the brunette, changing her stance all the time. Instead of blocking the incoming blows, Himiko twisted her body and spun around, practically annulling the impact and creating a dangerously aleatory counter attack. Ochako was having difficulty to keep up because of the cuts but at some point, she held Himiko's arm, spun on her heels and used the momentum to toss her over the shoulder. Surprisingly, Himiko managed to land her feet on the floor, stopping her fall holding on Ochako's neck. She quickly got up but received a strong kick to her sides.
Ochako attacked now, taking advantage of the light dizziness Himiko felt. Most of her punches and kicks were evaded, but the ones she hit caused major damage. In a moment of recklessness, Ochako opened her guard and Himiko ducked, jumping at the brunette and tackling her to the ground. It became a battle of strength as Ochako held Himiko's hands while the blonde tried to sink the knife in her chest with her weight.
Ochako, in a surprise move, stopped struggling, moving Himiko's hands to the side so the blade hit the floor next to her head. This threw Himiko out of balance and Ochako tossed her rival over her with her legs. Himiko landed with a thud and got up in her knees, only to receive a kick at the side of her head. She got up again and the first thing she saw was an incoming fist.
The brunette started a streak of heavy blows, not giving any space for Himiko to react or breathe. Left hook connected to the face, followed by a rising punch in the jaw, a strong left kick at the sides and another at arms height, a spin and elbow at chest, then a knee to the guts. With all the defenses down, Ochako parted to simple and strong hooks, right and left, and a hick kick to finish the sequence. Each punch, each kick, carried all her anger. She never felt so angry in her life before, so much that she didn't know this kind of feeling even existed. Ochako brought her right hand back and landed a punch square in her jaw, making Himiko spin and stumble back. The blonde stood up, maybe with the sheer force of her own anger. Himiko spat some blood and stared at the brunette for a moment, breathing heavily. Her face was all bruised and with purple marks. She quickly reached for the small daggers again and threw them, but Ochako was quick to dodge them. Her vision was blurry so Himiko had a hard time aiming at round face. Once she ran out of daggers, Ochako ran and tackled Himiko, hitting her abs and carrying the girl with her. Himiko was ready to stab Ochako's exposed neck but then she felt the impact of her backs hitting the wall, knocking the air out of her.
Her feet didn't even touch the floor and her face got struck with another punch. Now the back of her head slammed on the wall. Her legs lost the strength for a moment, but she didn't fall because Ochako held on the wall like boxer cornering the other on the ropes and hit her repeatedly. She then held Himiko's shirt and made another toss over her shoulder, effectively slamming her backs on the floor this time. The blades she held until now fell from her hands. Himiko felt her head spinning and everything hurt.
Still short-breathed, Ochako slowly walked to Himiko while she tried to get up and sat on her lap. The blonde looked up and saw her eyes devoid of any emotion that wasn't related to hate. Even in the sea of pain, she was, the villain couldn't help but have a small fanged grin crossing her lips. Seeing this, Ochako raised her fists. Left, right, punch after punch, she hit Himiko with all the strength she had, letting out all her anger, frustration, all the stress and worry she felt during these weeks. She couldn't stop herself. She wanted to wipe that cursed grin from her mouth, get rid of that stupid blush.
"You! Fucking! Bitch! Do you know- what you made me- go through- these weeks?!" She held on her shirt and banged her head on the floor. "I thought I would never see him! You almost took my life away! Love him?! Are you insane?! Izuku would never love you! Why?! Because he has me! ME! YOU HEAR ME?!" Tears came out as Ochako found herself in a storm of mixed feelings.
"YOU WON'T TAKE HIM FROM ME AGAIN! NO ONE WILL! IZUKU IS MINE! ANYONE THAT TRIES TO TAKE IZUKU FROM ME… SHOULD JUST DIE!"
Ochako grabbed the knife that Himiko used to attack her, probably the same she used to hurt Izuku. For the first time, Ochako saw fear in her beaten face. She was about to give Himiko the end she deserved, but then she froze in place. From the other side of the room, Izuku shouted, making both girls stop.
"STOP!"
Ochako slowly turned and what she found was Izuku, with tears in his eyes, looking scared like she had never seen before. Why was he so scared? She was about to set him free, get rid of all his problems for good. Why did he tell her to stop?
"Ochako… stop it… please"
She let the knife fall on the floor. Himiko tried but she didn't have any strength to pick it up at the moment, so she just gave up.
"Okay, I admit, you win"
"I… win?"
"Yeah… I told you we would settle that. Come on, finish this"
Ochako looked at the knife but Izuku shouted again.
"Ochako, don't!"
She was confused. Why did he say that?
"Izuku, what's up...? I'm… I'm almost saving you. I just have to-"
"You can't! You… you can't kill her, Ochako"
"... What…? What do you mean? She hurt you… Izuku, she hurt you so bad… she has to pay-"
"No! Not like that. Not you, Ochako!" The tears didn't stop flowing. "You can't do this. The Ochako I know would never kill her like that… so please, don't do this. Please… please be real… the real Ochako… the real one…" Izuku seemed to drift away a little, repeating this under his breath. Ochako felt her blood freeze at the thought that Izuku was doubting she was real. She then felt Himiko move under her. The girl was… laughing.
"Hahahahaha. So it ends like this?! I knew you were a joke. You can't kill for him! How pathetic can you be, Ochako-chan?~"
"You…"
Ochako held her shirt and pulled Himiko up. The blonde showed her fanged grin again, taunting her to punch again. She wanted Ochako to hit her? That was her plan? Winning by making Izuku believe Ochako wasn't real? She didn't know, but just one more punch wouldn't kill her, right? Maybe two or three or twenty. Yeah, borderline dead was enough. But before Ochako could slam her fist in Himiko's face again, a pair of arms held her back. She reacted frantically, trying desperately to hold the blonde again and hit her with all her strength.
"Ochako! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
These words apparently brought her out of her angered state. Coming to her senses, she let her arms fall to her sides limply. Midnight held the brunette and dragged her away from the fallen girl, still feeling the pain from her burns. They finally stopped the guy with the ugly scars and when she entered the hidden room, what she found? Izuku hung on chains and a bloody mess, and Ochako about to punch Himiko into next life. What has happened?
"Midnight-sensei, I- ~gasp~ Mi… Midoriya…" Hado just came into the room and found the scene, being completely shocked.
"Hado, did the reinforcements arrive already?"
"Huh? Ah, yes, the police and some pro heroes are here. We'll use the back door to escape"
"Good. Quick, take Izuku out of these chains"
Hado moved and proceeded to free Izuku, making an effort to not let herself cry, as the state of the teen was terrible, to say the least. As for Izuku, he never stopped crying, and his eyes remained focused on the brunette.
"Midnight!" Mt. Lady came into the room, having a shock when she saw Izuku. "Oh my- not now, Yu… Midnight, more problems!"
"What now?"
"The villain you knocked down vanished!"
"What?! He shouldn't be able to wake up"
"He didn't. I was going to carry him with us, then I saw that guy with the purple smoke head. He teleported away before I could reach them"
"Damnit!"
"Nemuri, what happened to Ochako?"
"Huh? She fought with Toga, what else could have happened?"
"And where's the villain?"
"She right… where?!"
Looking around, they spotted another hidden door in the corner of the dark room. Mt. Lady checked it and it leads to the sewer system.
"She's… she's gone"
Midnight's eyes narrowed in anger. After all this, they didn't manage to catch her. She shook away this feeling, turning to look at Hado finally taking off the shackle on his neck while his body rested in her. The black haired woman let out a tired sigh.
"Let her go then. We came here for another reason"
-/-
When everyone received the information from Midnight that they got Midoriya back, everyone cheered with the success of the mission. They didn't get to capture the villains of the Vanguard as Kurogiri appeared on the hideouts and teleported them. The League suffered a great loss in numbers, though. Most of the villains were common robbers but there was a large number of gang members that were being searched for some time. Some known names of the underground also got captured as well, so to the police, it was a complete success. Thanks to the preventive measures principal Nezu took, the collateral damage was minimum and the number of victims, zero.
Well, there was one victim. The feeling of victory vanished when class 1-A heard that Midoriya was taken to the intensive care unit in a hurry. Mt. Lady carried her team in giant form to get there as soon as possible. The students wanted to see their friend, know his current state, but Aizawa was imperative in denying them. He also made Tsuyu, Momo, Hado, and Ochako promise that they wouldn't tell anyone about his current state, under a threat of expelling. The following days were full of anxiety for 1-A.
With the teachers, All Might and Recovery Girl arrived at the hospital to see the young survivor. Needless to say, they were shocked to see the kid. Toshinori felt his legs lose the strength and he fell to his knees, holding on the bed and looking at the floor, dread taking over his features. Chiyo then hit his head with her cane.
"Stop whimpering, Toshinori. This kid went through a nightmare. You have to stay strong and help him when he wakes up"
The skinny man slowly got up.
"You're right. I can't let Young Midoriya see me in a broken state. He… he went through this because of the path I lead him to"
"It's good that you're aware of it. Now, what you have to do guide him through this path. He'll need your help more than ever. Yours and of everyone"
After some hours, other teachers and some police officers reunited in another room of the hospital. They were discussing the results and how to proceed.
"Do you think… the damage was too severe?" Toshinori asked, apprehensive.
"To his body? I doubt" The short old lady took the medical records and revised them, as she got a preview from the emergency team that took Midoriya into the hospital. "Blood loss, and cuts all over his upper body. No signs of infection. The most serious things are bad nutrition and his muscles. The exams point out that he didn't move at all during these three weeks. To be honest, he caused himself more damage than that"
"And about his mental state?" Aizawa said.
"Well, that's what worries me the most. Tsukauchi-san"
The detective reviewed his notes. He interrogated the student of Team Eight that got to rescue Midoriya.
"According to Uraraka Ochako, Uravity, the assassin Toga Himiko used both physical and psychological torture on Midoriya. When she found him, he didn't recognize her at first, probably due to the transformation ability she possesses. While most of the cuts over his body were shallow and only intended to draw small amounts of blood, two things are more concerning. One, the large drawing carved on his chest, and two, the bite marks on his neck. This style of torture isn't new to Toga. In fact, it seems to be her main way of killing the victims, which is the beginning of the problem" He took a moment to breathe. Telling these things was never easy.
"Given her psychological profile, this extremely long period and the nature of the marks leads me to believe she developed some kind of attachment to Midoriya that isn't related to just torture and murder"
"So you think she fell in love with him" Nezu out it bluntly, shocking most of the people present, Nemuri and Yu more than the rest, of course.
"Well, you could say that. She carved their initials on his skin… From now on I can only speculate because she never did something like this before. My theory is that Toga Himiko assumed the form of Uraraka Ochako and other people closer to Midoriya, and tortured him. This would explain the distrust and detachment from reality Uraraka described"
"Is there any chance this attachment could be mutual?" Snipe asked. The question seemed to weight a ton.
"That we'll discover once he wakes up" Recovery Girl said.
"If you allow me" All Might started. "Young Midoriya is much stronger than he looks. The proof is that he survived all this time. I heard about this girl, Toga Himiko, and to me, that alone is a great feat"
"We're not saying he's weak, All Might. The problem is that being isolated and tortured for so long has serious consequences. We have to accept that the Midoriya we knew is gone" Aizawa said coldly. It wasn't as if he didn't care, but they had to face the facts.
"I… I agree with All Might" Mt. Lady hesitated a bit but gathered her courage to say what she was thinking. "I don't know him that well but… I believe Midoriya will still be the same when he wakes up"
"There's no point in worrying about the worst when it didn't happen yet," Nezu said. "If this situation aggravates, we'll take the needed actions. Until then, we must hope for the best"
"And about the little villain, she escaped, didn't she?" Mic brought another urgent topic.
"She was in a really bad state when I found her, but she managed to escape while we were rescuing I- Midoriya" Nemuri said. "She will be in the dark for some time, I think"
"It's a bit troublesome to know it. Someone that alone invaded U.A and kidnapped a student is still free somewhere. We'll need your help again to find her, Tsukauchi-san"
"Count me on, she had been causing problems for too long"
"May I ask exactly what do you mean by 'bad state', Midnight?" Ectoplasm asked.
"She… she was seriously beaten"
"And that happened after the League of Villains appeared?"
"Yes"
"After Uraraka found Midoriya" Aizawa had a suspicious look towards the 18+ hero.
"Yes… apparently, she fought the forces sent to move Midoriya"
"And at that state, she still managed to fight Uraraka and cause so much damage? Doesn't something seem odd to you?"
"What do you mean by that, Aizawa?"
"You tell me, you were in charge of Team Eight"
Before this transformed into a serious fight, Nezu calmed their nerves.
"Now is not the time to discuss this. The investigations are still ongoing. Mt. Lady said that Shigaraki and Black Mist appeared briefly to take their fallen partner. It confirms that Toga Himiko acted on her own. They might not have any bases in a code of honor but I believe the League will pursue her too. We need to find her before that to discover her intentions"
"Oh, there's something else" Recovery Girl remembered. "They extracted a very intriguing object from Midoriya, a small dart with the property of annulate Quirks"
Aizawa furrowed his brows when he heard that and Mirio came to his mind. "Does he still have his Quirk?"
"We don't know yet, Aizawa. We have to wait until he wakes up"
With that, Nezu dismissed everyone. They had a lot to review and analyze in order to solve this huge problem. Out of the room, Nemuri was going to try and sneak into Izuku's room to check him up but a hand prevented her from walking away. Looking back, she found Aizawa glaring at her with his usual tired eyes, but he had something in his mind.
"Aizawa?"
"Tsk… just what you had in mind, Kayama?"
"Excuse me, what are you talking about?"
"Since you want to play dumb… I'm talking about this borderline suicidal mission you got yourself into"
"I still don't get it…"
"Then let me explain. The team you selected could be much better. You ended in a situation where you couldn't use your Quirk, having Yaoyorozu by your side? And these burns… were you so desperate that you couldn't think of a better way to solve this?"
"Well, sorry if this wasn't my best performance. What, did you come here just to point out my mistakes?"
"No, I came here to know why you made these mistakes. You're not like that"
"Thanks for your concern but it was just that, mistakes. We all have bad days"
"Bad days don't make you think sending a student alone after an assassin is a good idea"
"You saw my report, right? We were in a pinch and she was the one in the best condition. I couldn't leave the others. Besides, we rescued Midoriya"
"So please explain me the bruises on her hands. Or you want me to believe she simply met with Toga and let her make some cuts?"
"They fought, Uraraka knocked her down and we got him back, that's it"
"A simple fight wouldn't leave her at the state she returned. It was a serious beating"
"So your point is?"
"You knew it would happen or at least that it could happen, still you brought Uraraka with you and put her in the front line. So I'll ask again, what did you have in mind, Kayama?"
Nemuri was reluctant to answer but she said it anyway.
"I don't know, I wasn't thinking straight. After three weeks I got… frustrated that someone took one of our students under our noses. She felt the same as me, I guess. She was so eager to save him that I couldn't say no when she asked me"
"~sigh~ You know, as a teacher, you shouldn't let your emotions affect your decisions. That goes for you and me"
"Huh? For you too?"
"Who do you think convinced Nezu to take classes 1-A and B with us? The brats promised to study twice for an entire month. After saying yes, Vlad came to me and told me 1-B wanted to help too"
Nemuri was surprised, to say the least. She wasn't completely honest with Aizawa but he also felt angered with Izuku being missing. He simply had his own way of doing something about it. She would never guess he felt like that because she was so used to his tired face. It was a pretty effective way to conceal his emotions.
-/-
"Kayama-san, you don't need to force yourself"
"No… I have to do this myself" She said, taking a deep breath as she stopped in front of the apartment door. She raised her hand and hesitated a bit but knocked on it. A voice called from inside and the door opened, revealing a rather short woman with dark green hair tied into a bun and some strands falling back. She seemed surprised to see two famous figures in more formal clothes, rather than their costumes.
"All Might? And… Midnight?" Inko opened the door completely. "What brings you two here? Oh, it must be Izuku, right? Does he need authorization for something? I haven't been able to talk with him these last weeks but I guess he's really busy. Maybe is a test period and he's studying-"
"Miss Midoriya, can we come in?" Nemuri politely asked. Inko didn't like the way she said it, even less the tone she used. Worry started to grow inside her, a worry that she ignored for the past weeks.
Once inside, Inko offered some tea for her guests but they declined the offer. To be honest, Nemuri had a bad taste in her mouth right now.
"So, may I ask the reason for this surprise visit then?"
All Might started to speak. This would be difficult.
"Maybe you should take a seat. Ahem. Miss Midoriya, we came here to inform that yesterday, at 11:57 pm, we successfully accomplished a mission to rescue Midoriya Izuku. He went missing about three weeks ago and was kept hostage by a member of the League of Villains. He suffered physical damage for an extended period and we're still searching for mental damage. Currently, he's being treated at an ICU"
All Might looked at Inko's face, not knowing what expression he should have at this moment. Inko, on the other side, looked beyond shocked. Her face lost its colors and a trembling smile formed in her mouth.
"What…? Is this… is this some kind of joke? I… there wasn't any news talking about kidnapping… in fact, nothing happened lately. And now you come to me saying that… that my son… ~sob~ Izuku got kidnapped… for three weeks…? It's a joke, isn't it?" She was shaking from head to toe.
"Unfortunately not. I wish it was just a really bad taste joke. Given the nature and objectives of the League of Villains, the case was kept hidden from the media to prevent chaos. The main goal of this organization is to stain the image of heroes before society and-"
"And what does it have to do with me…? It's my son who has been taken… I should have the right to know that when he was taken away… all this time I was acting like… everything was alright for me while my Izuku was somewhere with some cruel villain… oh my- what kind of mother does it make me…?" Good thing that was sitting because Inko felt all her forces being drained. She covered her face with her hands and hot tears came down her cheeks. Both heroes got up but All Might was faster to come to her side and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. It was a meaningless move, he knew, but it was the only thing he could do now.
Looking at the mother in great sorrow, Nemuri breathed in again. She had to do it.
"Miss… miss Midoriya. I-I… I'm the responsible"
Inko, still with waterfalls in her eyes, looked up at the black haired woman. "What do you mean? Responsible…?"
"I… I suggested that we should keep this in secrecy for you. I thought… I thought that you shouldn't have to deal with this until we could solve the problem, after all that your son went through already"
"So ~sob~ if it took three more weeks to save him ~sob~ you would keep that a secret until then?"
"... Yes. I judged that it was the best option. My intent was to save you from unnecessary pain"
Inko was speechless for a moment and so was All Might. When she decided to say something, Nemuri continued, shutting her eyes tight and clenching her fists.
"But! I know it was selfish of me to leave you in the dark like this. I cannot imagine how you must have felt not being able to talk with Iz- your son. I'm not a mother so I can't say I understand how you felt or how you feel right now! I had the best intentions but it doesn't justify what I have done"
Then came the most surprising part. Nemuri got on her knees, planted her hands on the wooden floor and lightly hit her forehead on it too.
"I ask you- no, I beg you, miss Midoriya. Please forgive me! As teachers and as heroes, we have failed to protect your son again. I know I don't have the right to ask you this but… if you could find in your heart at least a little bit of faith, we'll take care of him and work harder so it won't happen ever again. I beg you, miss Midoriya, that you trust in us again to guide your son through the path to become a hero!"
Nemuri didn't believe it hurt so much to get these words out, but it didn't matter because it must hurt way more for Inko while she heard them. She didn't have the courage to look up at the woman so Nemuri decided to keep her forehead on the floor. A little ahead of the famous hero, Inko was once again speechless, still crying.
The short lady got up from the couch or at least tried because she took one step and her knees failed her. All Might caught her but she nodded to him, meaning she was okay this way.
"I can't believe this… it's the second time a famous hero comes to my house and bows at my floor. Do you even know how overwhelming that is for me? I'm just a normal mother"
She reached forward and placed her hand on top of Nemuri's hand, something really unexpected.
"If you allow my boldness, Midnight, a hero like you shouldn't be bowing at the floor like this" She gently pulled Nemuri up. "And a beautiful woman like you shouldn't be crying either. I say that but I always cry a lot. I think I passed this habit down to Izuku, somehow…"
The small tears in the corners of Nemuri's eyes didn't compare to the rivers running down Inko's cheeks, but to the green haired lady, they carried the same meaning.
"Miss Midoriya I-"
"I understand. You did what you thought was best. I can't be that angry when you went that far thinking about my well being"
"And… about Iz- Midoriya. If you can trust us again-"
"Of course I trust you. You're heroes. Who should I trust in if I can't count on you? This… this kind of thing is a risk Izuku will deal with as a hero. I only wished he didn't have to face it so soon… But you'll help him to get through this, right? He has grown so much already. You'll have to pardon me, All Might. With all due respect, my son will be the greatest hero that ever existed" She looked up at the skinny man. He replied with a smile.
"I think the same, miss Midoriya"
"Glad to know we agree in that, but that won't happen so fast if you don't guide him there, right?" She turned to Midnight again. "So I have a request to you since you felt you had to tell me this personally. Midnight, please take care of my Izuku"
Inko stared intensely at Nemuri's eyes, really waiting for an answer. The short lady had a powerful aura for someone that looked so sweet and harmless. Maybe Izuku also got his bold side from her.
"Yes. I will"
"It's a promise. You have to do what you can, but please don't throw your life away for this. I'm happy to see you kept your promise, All Might" The man stiffened a bit upon being reminded of that. She indeed had a powerful aura. "You have to promise me too, Midnight"
"I… I promise" A light pink adorned her face, almost imperceptible. "It's almost like… she's giving me her blessing. I feel so nervous now…"
"Well then" Inko got up, still holding Nemuri and helping her get up too. "Can I at least see my son?"
"Uh, how can I say it…? Midoriya went through… some intense experiences. He… he suffered torture and… he's not in a good state right now…"
Inko struggled to keep the smile that she had now, but the tears were still rolling free. "T-then I must see him. He'll need me close to him when he wakes up"
"How strong can this woman force herself to be for her son?"
And so they left the apartment. Inko was allowed to stay at the hospital for an undetermined time, with a little help from Tsukauchi and Recovery Girl. Once she laid her eyes on her son, lying peacefully on that bed, she almost fell to her knees again, but Nemuri helped her to stay on her feet. Inko stood the rest of the afternoon and the entire night by his side.
During that time she talked with Chiyo about his condition. The old nurse told her he had been through worse cases, but he had to rest. The cuts were shallow so they would heal pretty quick even without her Quirk. She also knew a medic in that hospital. The woman was a lady with a different type of healing that could get rid of most the scars that could form. Inko was glad that he son wouldn't have to live with the marks of this nightmare. Well, at least not all of them. The one on his chest was too deep to be healed like this. This would be a permanent mark, just like the bite at his neck. Inko wondered what kind of heartless villain would do that to her precious son.
On the next day, Inko received a lot of visits. Izuku's friends wanted to see him but Aizawa-sensei didn't allow them yet. When they got to know Inko was at the hospital, they asked principal Nezu to at least see her. They brought a variety of gifts to her and to Izuku, and they all expressed their feelings for her, wishing for his quick recovery. All of them, even Bakugo. The blonde waited for everyone to leave and came to her, with his hands on his pockets.
"I guess… old rag would want me to at least say this. I feel sorry for De- for Izuku"
Somewhere inside all this rage and rebellion, Inko sensed an honest feeling. Bakugo was a good kid deep inside.
"Tell that loser when he wakes up that I'll beat him for being captured so easily"
"So that's your way of wishing him a good recovery, Katsuki-kun…?" Inko sweatdropped.
Still, something bothered her. Among all the students, one of them looked like she wanted to say something, but gave up in the last moment.
"Katsuki-kun. Can you please call that girl with the pink hair?"
"OI! SHITTY PINK SKIN! Midoriya mom wants to talk to you!"
"Bakugo-kun! Don't shout at the hospital!"
"Bro, you're shouting too"
"Ahh! I broke the rule myself!"
"It's okay, bro"
Ashido timidly approached the short lady.
"You… wanted to talk with me, miss Midoriya?"
"Please, at least call me Inko, since you're a friend of my son. You seemed like you had something else to say before"
"Oh… I, well I…"
"It's okay if don't want to tell me, but I feel that sometimes we have to take these things out of our hearts, don't you think?"
Ashido took a deep breath in and said what she had in mind.
"Well, miss Inko. To be honest, I was the last person to see Izuku before he went missing. If I was with him at the time, then…"
"You don't know about that. This villain seems very dangerous. Both of you could end kidnapped"
"But I-"
"And I'm sure Izuku wouldn't want that to happen. I'm happy that you told me that. If it's not asking too much, please take care of him" Inko made a small bow while Ashido got a light lavender blush on her cheeks.
"Yes! I will!"
And with that, she left, with her heart beating fast inside her chest.
"Izuku, please wake up. Your friends are waiting for you"
Bonus Chapter
The tunnels were dark and humid, and they smelled of an awful mix of rotten things. It was a long way, and her sore muscles only slowed her pace. Leaning on the walls, Himiko still felt her head spinning from the fight. Good thing she prepared more than one escape route.
"As the saying goes, eight hideouts are not enough when you stab people, hihihi- ouch"
She got in a small space on the wall and took side steps, forcing her body to slide in that confined space until she got to the other side. There, she climbed a ladder and opened a small trap door, finally breathing fresh air. Crawling out of that hole, Himiko just rolled over and stared at the low ceiling for some minutes. The carpet she was in was fluffy, so it would work as a temporary bed.
"Aaahaah, I lost… To think Ochako was really going to kill me. No, it was more like a possessed version of her. Those eyes definitely were not hers. Still, fufufu, Izuku said she couldn't kill me~ He must really love me, right?~"
She rolled on her belly and struggled to get up, holding on the small couch near her.
"I know I have- argh! some painkillers somewhere"
She leaned on the walls and made her way to a small shelf where she got some flasks with medication and started to eat them like candy. She limped to a yellow bean bag and let her body fall back, wincing as even this caused her pain.
"Well, what should I do? My other homes are busted, I lost Ochako's blood AND my collection of sharp things. Ahh, Stain's knife… Hmmm, Shigaraki must be mad at me because I hid Izuku from him. There's this huge win for the heroes too. Guess I don't have other options then, hahahaha- ouch! Hahaha- it hurts! Hahaha~"
Tada! Here you go, the fight everyone was looking for. I have to admit, now that I reached this point in the story I got kinda excited. I have some guidelines but most of the time I write whatever comes around my head and feels right. This chapter was one of these guidelines and I got so caught up that I ended writing the next two chapters. I'm going to keep the weekely updates, though.
I will try my best to make the story follow in a way that Izuku doesn't develops traits of Stockholm syndrome (as you clever guys pointed out). In my opinion it would be way too cruel and quite lazy too. That said, who will be the next girl? Because yes, there will be more. I have the feeling that by the end of this at least 70% of the ships involving Izuku will be present... Oh well, as always, the reviews are very welcome. Hope you have liked it, thanks for reading!