[Beta Read by Doc43Souls]

[Training Camp of Hell – Part 3]

When Yoshihara awoke, she felt strange. Tired, but not at the same time. It must've been because of the gas that was used, but either way, that hardly mattered now. The seat she had sat in was away from everyone else, so thankfully she didn't wake up embarrassed.

She felt a pain in her neck, though it was most likely from how she slept, and her body was also rigid as a result, though that quickly changed when she sat up properly and stretched out her arms and back. She hadn't slept sitting up for quite some time, and it was clear her body wasn't used to it, nor did she like it all that much.

At the blonde's feet was her suitcase, though it was knocked over rather than standing like she had set it to be before they left. She guessed that the bus made a rather sharp turn at one point, and it fell over as a result. And because Yoshihara hadn't woken up from it when normally she would've, that just went to show just how potent Nemuri's Quirk was—or at least this particular version of it. Her Quirk had been weakening because of the medication she was taking to curb the side effects caused by her Somnambulist, and it showed.

Even before she started living in the dormitory with Class 1 – A, Yoshihara noticed that Nemuri would come home with more bruises, cuts, and even bandages most likely hiding burns or gouges, more so than she used to. Nowadays, while she was living at the dormitory, Yoshihara noticed that Nemuri spent most of her time on campus rather than going out to do patrols and the like unless she had backup.

Yoshihara knew Nemuri was considering retiring because of the drug she had to take, and it seemed as if she was now getting into the habit of not doing hero work as often. If Nemuri was retiring, that brought a lot of questions to the blonde's mind. None of which were important right now. She just hoped this wasn't her fault — Nemuri's early retirement, that was.

After a few moments of having been stopped, a cacophony of groans filled the bus, meaning that everyone else were slowly waking up. From what she knew, Nemuri's Quirk originally lasted around an hour, so that meant the drive from U.A. to wherever they were had been an hour long, on the dot.

While she knew it was needed for security reasons, why couldn't they have been told to take some melatonin before leaving instead of being gassed? Maybe it was because Aizawa didn't want them waking up due to being jolted by the bus turning. That was a possibility, and from that angle it made sense.

"Whatever, I doubt the little details matter. All that matters is that we're here."

Standing up from where she had sat the entire ride, Yoshihara walked into the corridor of the bus, before making her way to the exit, dragging her suitcase behind her, with everyone else doing much the same; some were carrying their suitcases, while others had wheels attached to them, much like Yoshihara's. The door to the bus opened, and when it did, everyone came pouring out.

Yoshihara was greeted by a blinding flash of light thanks to the sun, and it made her squint. Putting a hand over her eyes, the blonde grumbled as her feet made contact with the ground. One by one, everyone marched their way out of the bus, standing wherever the hell it was that they had arrived at.

"Damn, that was probably one of the worst sleeps I've had in a while," Ojiro grumbled.

"It wasn't pleasant," Mezou murmured, yawning as Kirishima said something, though Yoshihara ignored it. Instead, she focused on approximating where it was they had been dragged to. She looked out to where it was they had found themselves, and found it more than a little strange. It was a cliffside that overlooked a massive, outstretching forest. It was only because she was with Class 1 – A and their teacher that she trusted this place even remotely. Otherwise, she would've begun to freak out.

Maybe it was because she was a massive nerd, or maybe it was because this had all the trappings of a "The Lord Of Flies" scenario, but she couldn't help but feel that something was up about this place. Much like she had felt after The Final Exams, Yoshihara couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.

She felt as if something bad was going to happen here, and it was made infinitely worse due to the fact that she had no idea where this place was. And what was even worse than that was that because this place was so far out in the middle of nowhere, it was perfect for a horror movie setting, or, as she previously denoted, a "The Lord Of Flies" scenario.

And as disastrous as that book ended, she knew that in today's day and age, something like that wouldn't have happened, and they would've been rescued after a day or two—not that she worried about anything like that happening anyway.

That didn't change the fact that the sense of dread still lingered. Something bad was going to happen here—call it a gut instinct of sorts, but that was what the blonde Stand User believed. Yoshihara had been in far too many incidents and had read far too many manga and watched far too many shows to know that this was like a massive set piece; A ticking time bomb just waiting to go off at any moment. Although, she really, really hoped that that wasn't the case. That she could possibly just enjoy her summer without the looming threat of death.

But, considering the fact that she was a Stand User, and also because a Vampire was actively hunting her, she knew damn well that she wasn't going to get that peace of mind she wanted, even if it was only brief. And what made things worse was that should something bad happen here, even if Pro Heroes were littering the place, the closest town from here was most likely miles away from wherever it was that they were, so calling for back-up would've been a no-go.

"This really is a death trap, isn't it?" Yoshihara thought, frowning as she balled her free right hand into a fist, a glimmer of worry in her eyes as she felt that familiar sense of paranoia wash over her. She didn't feel safe, and in a place where she was meant to feel safe, that wasn't a good sign. After the USJ incident, the Stand attack on campus, and the recent vampire attack, who could blame her? Yoshihara wasn't exactly confident in U.A. 's capabilities to keep them safe.

Time after time, they had failed to keep them safe. Who was to say that this time wouldn't be any different?

"Where are we?" Ochako was the first one to speak up about the current predicament and was the reason why Yoshihara was pulled out of her thoughts. With how the brunette's body had straightened out, and how her muscles seemingly tensed, ready to fly off the handle at the given signal, it was clear she was ready to defend herself should something happen—most likely a product of the recent happenings. Her attention was focused specifically on the forest in front of them, her eyes slightly narrowed. "Why are we stopped at a forest?"

"And where's Class 1 – B?" Josefumi added, crossing his arms. "Aren't they supposed to be here, too?" The purple-haired teenager questioned as Aizawa sauntered his way off of the bus, hands in his pockets and head lowered. He cracked his neck from side to side, and as he walked, Yoshihara couldn't help but notice that he was doing so in such a way that indicated that he really didn't want to be there. That didn't inspire much confidence in the blonde.

"We stopped for a reason… The other Pro Heroes I spoke of wanted to meet you lot," Aizawa stated bluntly, calming Yoshihara's nerves just a little bit. However, it wasn't enough for some who were still a little nervous, namely Kaminari and Sato. "Although they should've been here by now."

As if on cue, a voice rang out from the forest, causing everyone to look in that direction. "Heya, Eraser! Sorry, we're late, I had to make sure a certain someone was trustworthy, so if you want to blame someone, blame them!" the voice said as another voice, slightly older than the first, spoke up.

"Seriously though, I haven't seen you in a while!" The other voice spoke up. And, fittingly enough, the two people whose voices belonged to, showed up, revealing them to be a pair of women — which was obvious given their lighter tones of voice.

They walked out from the woods with a small child following in tow, who was wearing a red hat with yellow spikes on the front, a white and blue striped shirt, and a pair of brown shorts. He looked downright miserable as if he didn't want to be there, doubly so due to the frown on his face and the lack of him saying anything.

Just by looking at the kid, it was clear that he was dragged there against his will. The kid glanced over the sea of teenagers, and when the kid looked at her, his eyes narrowed the most, as if he was judging her. She didn't know why, but she didn't like what it meant. For whatever reason, before she even got to talk to the kid, the way he stared at her sent her a message. And that message was rather plain and obvious.

I Hate You.

She didn't know why, nor did she care, but for whatever reason, this random kid that she had never met before, hated her. Yoshihara couldn't help but feel as if she was missing something, though she knew now was not the time to ask.

Moving on. Before anyone could say anything, the two women did what appeared to be some kind of catchphrase-pose-thing, that Yoshihara was not at all enthused by. As a matter of fact, she completely ignored whatever mantra they were doing, and blankly stared at them, deciding to take in their appearance rather than pay attention to their little performance.

The two women wore similar outfits, though they looked more like uniforms than outfits they chose to wear. The outfit in question was what you'd typically see an idol wearing; that being a cropped shirt around the waist, three buttons going over the chest held by strings as if it was holding a waistcoat in place, and thigh-length skirts that stopped just above the knee, along with a pair of fluffy boots with heels. To complete the look, the two women both had cat-like accessories—fitting for them being called The Wild Wild Pussycats as they were oh-so gleefully exclaiming.

The two both had mechanical cat ears above their head, which assumedly enhanced their hearing like cats, seeing as they covered their actual ears as if they were a pair of headphones. They also had cat paws on their hands and an attached tail at the back of the skirt. Overall, it looked exactly like something an idol would wear and not a hero.

But, she wasn't one to nitpick people's hero costumes, otherwise, she would be there for hours critiquing her other classmates, as well as Nemuri's outfit, and even her own to a degree.

"These are the Pro Heroes who'll be helping us out this time. Before we begin, though. Kira, Kujo, Zeppelli, and Bucciarati, come here please." As Aizawa said that, Yoshihara walked away from the rest of her class and stood next to Aizawa. The other people named followed suit, standing in a line next to Aizawa, who was hanging back next to the bus.

Kira was a little confused, all things considered. However, it was at that point that she realized that something was off. Her eyes narrowed at the two pro heroes, her arms crossed. The blonde-haired Stand User frowned, humming to herself. What was this about? Aizawa had yet to say anything. He was just staring off at her classmates.

And it was then that he smirked.

"Oh no…"

"This whole area here is our territory," the red one said, pointing out to the forest beyond them. "Your lodging is at the foot of the northmost mountain over there." As the woman spoke, the class erupted into murmurs. Speculation was afoot, and as the woman smiled, the hair on the back of Yoshihara's neck stood up on end. As that happened, a few of her classmates began to make a break for it back to the bus.

"The reason why Aizawa-sensei called us over here…"

"It's now 9:30 a.m. So… if I'm being generous… yeah, around noon will do. At the earliest, that's what I expect from you," the red one said, an aura of what could only be described as pure menace flowed around her, her prosthetic tail wagging like that of an actual cat.

"Was because myself, Kujo, Zeppelli, and Bucciarati aren't students here…. We're "teachers," and as such…"

"Kitties who don't make it there by 12:30 won't get any lunch!" As the red one said that, the blue one put both of her paw-gloved hands on the floor. As she did that, a veritable mudslide formed out of thin air and launched the rest of Class 1 – A over the edge of the cliff, and sent them to the forest below. Aizawa's smirk turned into one of his patented shit-eating grins, letting a sly chuckle escape his face as he spoke.

"Sorry, kids. The training's already begun," Aizawa said as the red one walked over to the ledge, and shouted instructions to the rest of the class. Meanwhile, Giorgio crossed his arms and huffed with approval.

"Gotta admit, that was pretty cool!" Giorgio said as the two-cat-like pro heroes turned to face them.

"Why thank you!" The blue one said as another vehicle pulled up. It was smaller than the bus, and it looked more like a security van than anything else with The Wild Wild Pussycats logo on the sliding door, the logo being that of four cats facing the north, south, east, and west, with the letters WWP in the center. The sliding door opened, and the group of four were ushered to follow the pro heroes into the van along with the kid. When they entered, they were greeted with a wall of security monitors.

The monitors turned on, allowing everyone to watch what was going on, though the blue one insisted on talking amongst themselves rather than paying attention, as she lessened the amount of the monitors to the one she sat at. From what Yoshihara had seen before, they had been shifted to the singular monitor, the monitors depicted everyone getting into the forest, recovering from the landslide with minimal scrapes and bruises.

For a brief second, Yoshihara was worried about Izuku, but relaxed after reminding herself that he was going to be fine. This was Izuku Midoriya she was worried about. The same boy who used to shrug off broken bones as if they were expected to happen. A landslide, while annoying, wouldn't hurt him. That, and he had Hamon to help heal any surface wounds he had received from the fall.

"Pretty crazy pace you've got in mind for these kids, Eraser," the red one spoke up, dragging Yoshihara out of her thoughts once again. The red cat-like pro hero had her hands at her sides as Aizawa hummed to himself, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Well, normally these are skills they wouldn't need to learn till their second year. However, as I'm sure you're aware, with everything that's been happening, and with the immediate danger my class seems to be in, I can't wait for the second year to start their advanced training. Hence the sped-up pace. And while originally we were only going to take them to get their provisional permits once Summer Break was over, I've changed my mind, as has Nedzu."

When Eraser said that, it caught Josefumi's attention. The boy raised an eyebrow before speaking. "What do you mean by that, sir?" Josefumi asked as Aizawa glanced over his shoulder at the teen.

"Provisional licenses are limited, and the only legal way to use one's Quirk with them is if it is an extreme circumstance. It was a law that was put in as a means to protect the safety of everyday civilians and to prevent rampant Quirk use. Typically what would happen at the end of the first term, is that the first-year hero classes would take their provisional license exam with the second years to get them started on their journey as a hero early.

"But, in light of recent events, and in light of the danger that U.A. has been in as of late, no thanks to The League Of Villains and whoever they're paired up with, I, along with Vlad, decided to speed things up a little. In short, after this Summer Camp is over, instead of joining the second-year students in the provisional license exams, we'll be sending you all to get your Extended Provisional Licenses.

"As such, you'll be going with the third-year students. Meaning you will be given more freedom with the extended permits, rather than the basic ones. However, that'll mean your batch of hero students will not be participating in the second and third-year exams when the time would typically arise. And while that can be a little headache-inducing for the government officials, I'd much rather have you all safe and with the ability to do whatever you all see fit to defend yourselves."

"Effectively speaking," the red one spoke up, turning to face the rest of the group of Stand Users, "You'll be allowed to use your Quirk on the battlefield regardless of the situation, and you won't have to wait till a hero allows you to do so! Regular provisional licenses wouldn't allow that. Though considering the fact that you lot are different, to you, it's more like a badge of honour."

Yoshihara frowned but nodded all the same. "I see… Thank you. And I take it you were filled in with the whole Stand User issue, correct?" Yoshihara asked as the red one nodded, her expression becoming serious.

"Yes. Quite frankly, when I first heard about it from the Speedwagon Foundation Agent who visited us with that certain someone earlier today, I was skeptical. That was until they showed me evidence in the form of that funky arrow they brought along with them. After an… incident where I almost got impaled by the thing, I had no choice but to believe them," the red one said, shaking her head in disbelief. "I never once thought it possible for objects to be sentient…"

"Sentient arrows?" Aizawa drawled, looking over to Josefumi. "That's new. I didn't pay attention to what Sugimoto was saying in his first class, on the account that I was asleep. Mind explaining?" Aizawa asked though it sounded more like a demand. Josefumi, for his part, sighed. The boy looked over his shoulder and had Soft & Wet close the sliding van door, before promptly leaning on it, his upper body slouched over and his arms crossed under his chest.

"Well, the best way to describe The Stand Arrow and its cousin, The Requiem Arrow is if you were to describe a magnet. If the arrow believes you to be not only worthy but to have potential in awakening a Stand, by its logic, it will see to it that you must awaken one. Therefore, if it isn't restrained, it could go flying about the world, awakening Stands one after the other without pause," Josefumi said as the red cat-themed pro hero tilted her head.

"Then why not just let it loose? I mean, if you know where it is, and your Speedwagon Foundation agents can track it, why not just recruit whoever the Stand Arrow stabs, cuts, or whatever it does to do… that?" She asked as Josefumi shook his head.

"No. Just because you can awaken a Stand, doesn't mean you will. There's a reason why only 1% of the global population are Stand Users, and that's because of the price you pay when you fail to awaken a Stand, should you be pierced by the arrow. As I've said before, and will most likely have to say again, if you don't awaken a Stand when hit by The Stand Arrow, you will die. There will be no saving you. It doesn't matter what doctors do to try and stop the death, you just simply will. Even a Stand that can control fate or concepts, cannot prevent The Stand Arrow from claiming your life if you fail to become a Stand User."

When Josefumi said that, the red cat-themed pro hero paled, all colour in her face draining, as a slow realization morphed onto her face. "Y-You mean… that if that thing actually hit me, and I didn't awaken one of these Stand things…."

"You'd die? Yeah, pretty much," Josefumi replied bluntly, a frown taking up his visage. "I don't know why the agent in question didn't keep it restrained. The arrowhead glows when the Stand Arrow detects someone it wants to pierce. My guess is he was a new hire, so I can't blame them for an accident. Though they'll probably be reprimanded when they get back to wherever they got stationed," Josefumi said, clearing his throat.

"As for the Requiem Arrow… Well, considering it's property of Passione, and considering it's being kept in a vault underneath the Vatican per our request ever since Giorno Giovanna's death, we haven't had much of a chance to see what its limits are. All we know for sure is that those who pierce their stands with it will have a small chance of gaining access to abilities that transcend the laws of the universe if not completely controlling them in a limited fashion."

A bead of sweat trailed down Yoshihara's face after her cousin said that. Sure, she had an idea of what a Requiem Stand could do if her father's example of Gold Experience Requiem was anything to scoff at. But the fact that a Requiem Stand like Giorno's existed at all was proof in-of-itself that Requiem Stands were beyond powerful. She was actually kind of thankful that it was locked away. If it got into the wrong hands, that would spell the end of Hero Society as they knew it.

"That… horrifying picture out of the way, I never introduced myself! My bad!" The red one said, clearing her throat and bowing, quickly changing the subject as a result. "My hero name is Mandalay, but seeing as you all will be playing the role of "teacher" here, just call me Sosaki-san!"

The blue one turned around in her chair and smiled. "My hero name is Pixie-bob! But you kittens can call me Tsuchikawa-san!"

"A pleasure to meet you both, Tsuchikawa-san, and Sosaki-san," Bucciarati said, bowing slightly as everyone else smiled. When Bucciarati straightened herself out, the car engine rumbled. When it did, Sosaki tapped the side of her earpiece cat-headset thing before nodding. Afterward, she spoke up.

"Well, the seven of us will be driving to your lodgings to drop you kids off. We won't be too far away, so if you ever need us," as Sosaki spoke, she tossed the four of them earpieces, all of which they caught using their Stands, except for Zeppelli, who leapt to catch his. "You'll have these to contact us whenever necessary, alright?"

Everyone put their earpieces in, as Zeppelli flashed the pair a thumbs up. "Sure thing, signora," The Italian boy replied as Sosaki smiled. The boy, who had been silent the entire time, continued to glare at Yoshihara, which was finally noticed by Sosaki.

"Kota, stop staring at the young lady, okay? That's not nice," Sosaki said, getting low to the ground to stand around the boy's height. This earned her a huff before he looked away, but not before the boy said something.

"I don't like her. She looks like him."

Sosaki did a double take, before frowning, tapping the boy on the head with her paw glove, making the boy flinch. "Kota Izumi, you'll apologize right now. She does not look like that monster, do you understand me?"

It was only brief, but it was unmistakable. For a split second, something appeared on his wrist and prepared to squirt water at Sosaki, originating from his palms—like a nozzle of sorts. The small object on his wrist that appeared out of nowhere was connected to a strange tank of sorts that had a fish motif surrounding it, which had been attached to his back. The fish it seemingly took after was a basking shark, and the line going from the tank to his wrist was see-through. The nozzle that was on his palm was designed to look like the mouth of a basking shark, open and wide, almost like it was about to devour something whole. The fish-themed tank thing made a clicking sound like a dial being set to determine the pressure of the water. When that happened, the liquid squirted out of his wrist like a small canon would, though it wasn't with enough force to do any damage. The water hit Sosaki in the face, annoying the woman, as the boy's Stand went away. "Kota! What has gotten into you!"

"Shut up," the boy said, before walking away from Sosaki. The boy, Kota, then sat down across the van near Tsuchikawa. The blonde pro hero was too busy watching over the monitor to interject, but Aizawa was. The man unceremoniously walked over to the boy, who glared up at him. Aizawa then reached down, and before the boy could do anything, he picked the boy up from the ground by the back of his shirt collar, dangling him in the air with a slight tilt of the head.

The boy scrambled in the air, his legs kicking about furiously as he grunted, but to no avail. "Listen here, kiddo. That's not how you talk to adults. I don't know what kind of mood you're in, but if you're not out of it by the time we get back to the lodgings, and if you haven't apologized by then, I'm making you run laps until you do, got it?"

"You can't do that!" Kota spat as Aizawa scoffed.

"Sure I can. If your Aunt allows it, that is," Aizawa replied coolly, getting a thumbs up for Sosaki. The positively betrayed look on the kid's face was almost comical. The boy no longer wiggled in the air, he just sat and stared. Aizawa huffed, putting the boy down, who slumped in his spot next to Tsuchikawa, a defeated look in his eyes. "I'll take that silence of yours as an "I understand". So, you got about half an hour to apologize to my student and your Aunt. M'kay, Izumi?"

"Yes, Mr. Eraser… Sorry…"

"Sorry, to whom?" Aizawa asked as Kota huffed.

"Auntie Shino and Blonde girl…"

"Good," Aizawa said before flicking the boy on the forehead, making him grumble. Aizawa then looked back over to Sosaki, before crossing his arms. "Also, something I should note. When he lifted his hand up to spray you with water, I used my Quirk. Nothing happened, so I think there's something you're not telling us, Sosaki."

Sosaki blinked. Just before she was about to say something, Josefumi spoke up.

"The kid's a Stand User, Sosaki-san. And that… that's not good," as Josefumi said that, he looked over to Kota. "How long, kid? When did you get that water power of yours?"

"Since I was born. Duh," Kota grumbled. "Why does it matter? And why do you care, wannabe?" As Kota said that, Josefumi summed Soft & Wet to his side, making the kid freeze up. "H-Hey! What's that thing!"

"I take it you summoned your thing there?" Aizawa asked as Josefumi nodded.

"Yeah. And seeing as you can see it, Kota. I'd suggest you drop the attitude. Because if I have anything to say about it, I'm training you, kid. You have a seriously dangerous power that can and will attract danger to yourself by others who can and will try to kill you simply for existing. So when we get back, I'm dragging you with me. No exceptions."

"W-What!?" Kota exclaimed, staring at Josefumi who smirked. "B-But—"

"No buts, kid." As Josefumi said that, he looked over to Sosaki. "Of course, assuming you're alright with that, Sosaki-san. No offence to you, but I'm surprised you hadn't noticed the irregularities with the kid till now."

Sosaki, for her part, rubbed the back of her neck with an embarrassed look on her face. "W-Well… it's not like he's been to public school or anything. We've kept him on a program here because he doesn't mesh well with other kids his age. But even so… is what you said true? That… my nephew is in danger?"

"And he will be for the rest of his life," Josefumi said curtly, making Sosaki frown. "That's the life of a Stand User. Sometimes, you'll be able to live in peace. But other times, you'll be dragged kicking and screaming into a fight. That's just the way it is. It's another reason why only 1% of the global population are Stand Users. We typically die before our lives even truly begin. You won't believe the amount of teenage stand users who die before they hit 18, and are considered legal adults."

That was when Josefumi placed his hand on Kota's head. "Hopefully, though. Izumi over here ain't gonna be one of those. And, also, if I may suggest something, once this little sting operation with The Speedwagon Foundation is done, I'd suggest moving yourself and the boy into a SWF living quarters. Most kid Stand Users we find, go there to be protected. Free education, fellow kids his age with similar backgrounds, and no cost of living. Kids of all ages are allowed to live there till they turn 18 with or without guardians, and by 15 they get a monthly allowance of 18,000 Yen. I know I sound like a salesperson, but believe me when I say he'll be better off there than here."

Sosaki nodded, looking at Kota, who was still grumbling but otherwise wasn't making any objections to the idea. And while it was good that Kota was most likely going to be spared the true horrors of being a Stand User, being protected and all, Yoshihara couldn't help but feel that evergrowing dread grow even more.

Stand users attracted other Stand users. This was going to happen regardless, but even so, now there were six confirmed Stand users in one place. She didn't know what that meant, but if five already brought them grief, what would six do?

"Whatever the case is, I'm not too keen on figuring it out. I hope that things don't take a nose-dive…" Yoshihara thought, lowering her head as she stared at the ground. Everything had been going poorly as of late, and the last thing she needed to happen was for this whole Training Camp thing to go to the wayside as well.

Yoshihara glanced at Kota, who was still staring off into his own little world, most likely cursing out Aizawa and Josefumi in his head about having to do something that he probably didn't want to do, and frowned. His general attitude reminded her of a more toned-down, far younger version of Bakugo. She just hoped he didn't end up like Bakugo, in regards to him turning out to be an asshole—and that was putting it lightly.

When she thought about Bakugo, all she could think of was what he did to Izuku back in Aldera. The revelation of what he did had pissed her off so much to the point that she was willing to kill him in cold blood. Aside from a handful of people, all of whom were scum of the earth, she had never felt that before.

She had only killed the people who actively put her life in danger or her friends. But Bakugo? He was the first that she just… wanted to kill. And what was worse was that it naturally came to her. It wasn't as if she had to think about other options. That was the first thing that she defaulted to. Sure, she had reasoned that he deserved it for telling Izuku to kill himself, but had it not been for Josefumi, she would've killed him.

Perhaps what Yaoyorozu was saying about her was getting to her, and perhaps Yoshihara had been dwelling on it more than usual, but it was true that normal people didn't automatically default to wanting to kill others. But she did. She had killed half a dozen people. Sure, all of them were cruel, pedophilic, or outright evil. But was that what a hero did? Did Heroes really kill their enemies?

She had flirted with the idea of killing those around her for a while now. It was an impulse that she forced back. It was a horrible thing to think. To have the impulse to kill those who were around you. But she held it back, and only allowed it to show its ugly head when she felt threatened. Her natural killing intent.

Was that wrong? Was she wrong? Was Bakugo and Yaoyorozu right? That she was a villain in the skin of a hero….

"Oi, Kira, you good?" Zeppelli's voice cut through her thoughts, causing the blonde to snap to attention. She glanced over at the Italian transfer student and flashed him a small smile.

"I'm alright. Just… thinking about something."

For his part, Zeppelli raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing the blonde, but shrugged anyway. Yoshihara leaned against the wall of the van, looking up at the ceiling of the moving vehicle. Whatever the case was, and whatever it was that Yoshihara felt, the blonde was going to have all summer to think about her past actions, and perhaps even confront Yaoyorozu about everything.

Maybe then, she could finally figure out just what was truly wrong with her.

xxXXxxXXxx

"Is everything in place?" Tomura questioned Toga, who was adjusting her short skirt after getting back from doing an overview of the area they planned to raid. The only reason why she wasn't detected was because Sensei gave Toga an extra Quirk, Invisibility. He had stolen it recently off of someone who had begged for The Boogyman to take their Quirk away. Once she was done with it, Sensei took it back and congratulated the teen on a job well done, something that she seemed happy with.

Toga looked at Shigaraki, then silently nodded, earning a huff from the hand-wearing villain. "Good," he turned away, but not before looking over his shoulder back at Toga. "You should talk more. I hate having to decipher head nods. I know you probably don't trust me as far as you can throw me, but still. I am your leader until further notice, and I don't want to feel like there's something you're not telling me."

Toga blinked, then looked away. Maybe he tried to advance that quest line a little early. Whatever, he at least showed the kid that he was open for discussion. It was something that Blackwell had said he should try and do to increase his bonds with his party members. He explained it just like Sensei had, but unlike Sensei, he could tell that Blackwell seemingly meant what he said, instead of dismissing him in the way of a response.

The more Tomura thought about it, the more he began to realize that Blackwell was more like a Sensei than Sensei was. It made his itch flare when he realized that. But that was something he would keep to himself. Besides, bad teachers were a thing that existed in both the school system and in those heroic agencies. From Blackwell's experience, he had said that his "fellow heroes" really weren't the best teachers, because most of the time they were talking out of their asses just to appease their students or interns.

Quite frankly, had it been a month ago, Tomura probably wouldn't have cared. But this was the new Tomura. And the new Tomura cared a whole lot about whether or not Sensei was giving him good advice or not. So that was something to think about. In other news, according to the spy his Sensei had implanted into the school, Katsuki Bakugo, one of his targets to kidnap for this mission, wasn't there. In fact, he had been expelled temporarily due to an incident they had uncovered.

It intrigued the blue-haired man. Just what was it that the school expelled the boy for? Was he right about Bakugo? That he was just like them and was a villain to his core? Maybe. But he would never know. If Bakugo wasn't there, then what would be the point of going after him? That was his logic, anyway.

That just left Midoriya Izuku, the "ninth holder of One For All". Once again, Tomura found himself unable to care for the reason that his Sensei wanted the boy. Blackwell did say that this Midoriya brat was important but at the same time just how important was he? One For All? Why did that matter? Moreover, why did All For One matter too?

What was the point of this stupid feud that his Sensei had been involved with All Might and his predecessors? And how was his Grandma involved?

His Sensei thought that he had forgotten what he had done. He sure has hell made him believe that. Truthfully though? How could he ever forget about who he was? That was a bunch of bullshit. Oh, sure, he repressed a whole lot of what happened—some things were still foggy at best, but he remembered the basics. But that was all he needed to remember to know that something wasn't right.

Deep down, he knew, for some reason, that Sensei wanted him for something. Whatever that something was, Tomura wanted to find out. However, asking the man directly was a surefire way to lose everything. So, he'd wait. Wait until he got the chance to ask him at a time when he couldn't do anything.

Tomura Shigaraki was an alias. His real name was Tenko Shimura. Flat out. He didn't care what character customizer his Sensei used on him to trick him into believing he was Tomura Shigaraki. He had lived in that delusion for 16 years straight. Funnily enough, it was the USJ incident that woke him up. That forced Tenko to understand what the situation was.

To put it bluntly, he didn't like it. He didn't like having to hide away from people. From the public. All because he was related to the world's most dangerous supervillain. And while that would be a point of contention, said supervillain had practically raised him from the ground up after he had saved him from himself in that alleyway all those years ago.

Say what you will about All For One, aka Rikitatsu Shigaraki, and the horrible deeds he had committed during his time as Japan's dictator, but even he was a human, and all humans had some form of compassion no matter how small. There was a reason why Sensei had brought him into the fold. What that reason was - eluded him, but he would probably find out sooner rather than later, especially considering what it was that he was about to do in two days.

There was something about this raid that Tomura and his allies had planned that seemed to have an air of finality to it. This would either make or break The League Of Villains. If this succeeded, then The League Of Villains would go down in history as one of the most prolific villain groups known to man. But, on the opposite side of the coin, if this failed, they would all be sent to Tartarus with the key thrown into a storm drain.

In other words, this had to work. Because if it didn't… all of this work, all of his conviction, all of his everything would be for nothing. That, and he would've dragged a bunch of people into this that, quite frankly, didn't need to go down with him.

He cared for the people in The League Of Villains. He saw them as his friends, and for the likes of Kurogiri, his family. Even the newcomers like Dabi, Twice, Toga, Jirou, and now Magne, Muscular, Mustard, Spinner, and Compress—the latter two were currently out stealing some extra money for the League to pay off Giran for the time being. They were all members of The League. They were his friends, his party members. Some were more important than others, sure.

But if anything happened to them…

The door to the bar opened, and Dabi walked in. His hands were in his pockets, and there was a noticeable lack of Stain, which had been the whole reason why Tomura had sent Dabi out, and that was to retrieve Stain. Tomura's eyes narrowed underneath the hand mask, as the off-blue-haired man sat down on a stool. "Where's Stain?"

"Got captured," Dabi replied bluntly. Tomura's eyes widened, as Dabi continued. "I saw it with my own two eyes, Boss. The guy got trapped by Mt. Lady, and several police officers hounded him after that. I would've intervened, but there were far too many of them, and I was… pre-disposed at the moment."

Tomura sighed, glancing over to Toga, who looked upset. "What! How can Stainy get captured? He's The Hero Killer!" Toga whined as Dabi shrugged.

"He's a man, not a God, Toga. Men make mistakes. He bit off more than he could chew. 'Sides, did ya see the guy? He looked disillusioned with himself. Chances were he probably wasn't in the best mindset in the world," Dabi replied as Toga pouted, crossing her arms, mumbling something under her breath. If Tomura had to guess, it had something to do with "not seeming him bloodied enough" or something along those lines.

Don't get Tomura wrong, he liked Toga for her work ethic and her dedication to the cause—the cause of rebuilding society by destroying it for folks like them—but there were times when he believed her Quirk talked more than herself. Almost like a less severe case of Twice's DID. There was Himiko Toga, and then there was Transform. The line between them was heavily blurred, but Toga seemed to truly show herself around Jirou more than anyone else, aside from Twice of course.

Speaking of Jirou, she was off at the warehouse getting used to the gun that Mustard was training her with. It was a Ruger P345, smuggled over from the United States. If she was going to use her Stand effectively, mastering the ability and mastering Guns was going to help, especially if she was going to be an assassin. They were using Muscular as target practice because his Quirk was perfect for it. His Muscles could harden to the same density as Titanium Alloy if he was in danger, and it did so automatically, so there was no harm.

That, and the big guy was kind of knocked out with enough tranquiliser to stop an elephant. That way the testing was safe. Otherwise, those two would've been flattened faster than a pancake cooked. Stand User or not, some Quirks were just flat-out better, despite what Blackwell had said.

That had always been the annoying part about Blackwell, and that was his meatriding of Stands. Oh, sure, they were overpowered against Quirks users, mostly because they couldn't see the fucking things. But if the user is left defenceless, what the hell is the user going to do if said Quirk user could punch someone into a blob of blood and bones in one go — case in point, Muscular.

Regardless, aside from Blackwell's overt love of Stands, Shigaraki was content with this. Pressure or not, this was going to end in the League's favour. If things get dicey, they still have Kurogiri should things go to shit. That, and they had Tool—a new Nomu—to distract the Pro Heroes. One with a litany of Mutant Quirks that Eraserhead wouldn't be able to Erase.

They had two goals with this raid. Kill Yaoyorozu Momo, and capture Izuku Midoriya. Of course, there was a secret goal, specifically for Shigaraki. And that was killing Takiyuma Yangu. He had been training his Decay to be faster than Vampire's regeneration, which was comparable to a regular Nomu with a copy of Regeneration.

Needless to say, with his Quirk having grown slightly, that Vampire stood no chance. And seeing as he was going to make a beeline for this "Yoshihara Kira" kid, seeing as she was the target for his revenge, he would be too blind to detect him. Thus, he could get him for brutally maiming Jirou.

If there was one thing that you never did, it was a mess with his allies, friends, or family. Of that, he would teach Takiyuma.

He was able to get away with it for a while, but not anymore. It was time for him to pay his dues. And what better way to get rid of him than right when he would be getting his perceived revenge? He and Kurogiri had planned it out for a while now. It was going to work. That, and he had a feeling that this Kira girl could potentially be worthwhile to keep an eye on.

If she was anything like her ancestors, of whom he had done some research, that would make her an outcast. And The League Of Villains was ripe with them. So leaving a positive impression on her, if only a small one, would be good in the long run.

After all, he was to be The Symbol Of Fear, so having connections was going to be needed.

Shigaraki smirked underneath his mask, gesturing for Kurogiri to pour him a drink. These next two days were going to be hectic, yes. But the results were going to be more than worth it. The League Of Villains would become a name that Japan would fear, and it would bring him one step closer to his goal, and one step closer to a society that would bring people like him to the foreground.

"They cannot ignore us. We won't let them. I will bring forth a new age, an age of fear for those who cast us out."

And with that thought, everyone who had been out, had come back, except for Stain. Jirou was tired, as was Muscular as it seemed from their body language, though he seemed more confused than anything. Compress and Spinner walked in through the door with several marbles in both of their hands, meaning he had the money they needed to pay off Giran. As they all sat down and began to talk amongst one another, the blue-haired man got an idea. Shigaraki accepted the drink that Kurogiri poured for him, took off his hand mask, and chugged back the glass of brandy, before slamming it on the desk. Everyone glanced at him, as Shigaraki smiled.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and all of those in between…" Shigaraki began, before turning around to face everyone. He overlooked his cohorts. They all looked a little confused, but Shigaraki couldn't have cared less. "I think it goes without saying that we were all brought here for a reason. Whether it be because our cause interested you, or because Giran bribed you. It hardly matters. Be your reason for joining us to cause bloodshed, to uphold the teachings of our recently captured accomplice Stain, or to prove to yourself that those who held you back, or trapped you in a situation you hated because they thought they were helping you, all of you are welcome members to The League Of Villains."

As Shigaraki said that, murmurs began to spread in the room. Shigaraki smiled, this time though, it was a quaint smile, not a psychotic one. His smile turned into a grin as he continued. "This mission is going to be a dangerous one. We're going in outnumbered and with next to no backup. But I believe in you all. You all know your missions and what your goals are. Should things get dicey, Kurogiri will retrieve you at a moment's notice. We will all remain in contact with the earpieces that will be handed out to you before the mission begins. And God forbid something happens to where you die and or are captured, know that you will not go unavenged.

"We of the League Of Villains, above all else, are rejects. Dredges of society that they threw away because they didn't want to deal with us. Because our Quirks were "too dangerous" or "not worth having around" in "polite society." But with this raid, with this attack on U.A., one of the many pillars of this wack society, we will be chipping that pillar and bringing it closer to crumbling. They are already at the mercy of the Government, and if one more disaster occurs, they will be buried, and one more pillar of this toxic, horrendous society will be destroyed!"

Smiles and smirks appeared all around the room. Muscular, namely being one of them, looked more pumped up than the rest if the flaring of the tendons in his arms wasn't obvious. It meant his speech was working. Even Jirou, who prior to a few days ago was still waning on her mission, was smiling, raising what appeared to be a juice box in agreement.

Shigaraki's grin turned genuine, as he continued. "We will bring about a new era! We will make those who turned on us fall, and we will be the ones to make a new world order! Stain's sacrifice for the cause will not be in vain. We will honour him in our way! Let the fire in your hearts burn, and our determination stand tall. By the end of this week, this country will know our names! We are The League Of Villains, and we will show them what happens when you neglect and spit on the downtrodden!"

The room broke out into cheers, as Kurogiri prepared drinks. The bar table was swarmed by members taking what they wanted, and Shigaraki couldn't help but feel as if he had succeeded in what it was that he had set out to find. A place to belong. Gone were the days of him being petty. Gone were the days of him being all talk and no bite.

Tomura Shigaraki, or, rather, Tenko Shimura was no longer a bud. He was a fully bloomed flower. And with it, a toxic mist would spread over Japan. He would uproot society. He would achieve his dream, no one was going to stop him.

Not even his Sensei.

-To Be Continued-