Chapter 24: What Will We Become?
His footsteps echoed around the dingy alleyways, indefinitely louder than the white noise of the city. He was hyper aware of his breath, his heartbeat.
Is this how Tensei felt?
Cold, and alone – when Stain left him to die like that?
Iida felt himself stop. He stared up at the sky lined by skyscrapers.
Everything had just… it had all happened at once. They'd had such blissful ignorance during their last day of term, laughing and talking like they really would see each other again in a week or so – that they really were going to go through with Midoriya's crazy ideas and become something great, despite the odds. Midoriya was just that kind of person. He was terrifying, yes, but also so kind and caring – optimistic and… well he had this confidence about him – something Iida couldn't quite describe, but he could try. It was like… he'd seen it all already; experienced every harsh word and thought through every scenario. It was hard to convince someone that there was a single fault to Midoriya's words because he was so sure he was right, every time, that it simply felt infeasible for him to not be.
Maybe that's why Iida called him when he left the hero agency, on his way to finally confront the man who had ruined his life.
It wasn't good timing, Iida knew. Shoto had just disappeared and Hosu was a city in the back of everyone's minds. And then Midoriya told him that Shoto had chosen to speak to him too when he made the decision to take his life elsewhere. Iida felt a bubble of regret when he heard those words. Poor Midoriya, he didn't mean to traumatise him. He'd… he'd just wanted to say goodbye, just in case. And maybe some part of him wanted Midoriya to talk him out of it.
Now here he was, in that alleyway, still thinking of Midoriya's unbridled anger and frustration towards him. Iida knew Midoriya had been right; as always. This was the wrong thing to do – Iida should have left Stain alone. But… no.
What was Iida going to do when he found him? He wasn't quite sure. The first time, Iida was going to kill the man. He was going to. Now he was less convinced. Nonetheless, the villain would be taken down that night. He'd tie him up somewhere another hero would find him.
Iida wasn't like the other members of class A.
He had everything handed to him – a bright future, a happy family and home; real hopes of being a hero. He'd been sent to class A fully expecting to spend perhaps a term there, maybe less, and to move onto class B as soon as time would allow. He'd leave that blip in his life behind him and turn a new leaf.
But this year's class A wasn't what anyone was expecting, certainly not Iida – he'd said it many times before, but that was the fault of Midoriya. Perhaps fault was the wrong word. Regardless, Iida become stuck between a rock and a hard place. He couldn't betray the only friends he had ever made by handing them over to the heroes when they tried to flee UA, so he went along with it, acting as their only voice of reason, instead.
And time went on… and Iida realised that this vigilante thing, maybe it wasn't such a bad label. The heroic system had many faults, some only skin deep. Vigilantes took this matter into their own hands. Stain's preaches of false heroes may have not applied to Iida's brother, or many others he'd slain, but he couldn't deny it held an inkling of truth.
So, this was it. Iida would stop Stain and take on that message for himself. He'd strive to be a real hero. Too bad the world would see him as a vigilante instead.
He'd stop Stain anonymously, of course. He'd go back to UA if he could and continue on his path to be a hero on the terms of his class – ignoring the injustices of the system. That was the best-case scenario – just like Midoriya had taught them. Worst case, he'd die, or another option, he'd be expelled from the school. But Iida knew this was the only way forwards. He couldn't go on knowing that Stain was still out there; that he never followed through to stop that monster. The least he could do was try.
Iida gulped down his uncertainties and ploughed forwards.
He hadn't realised it then, but he had made a fatal mistake. And that mistake wasn't venturing out into the night at all, for he'd made this particular error before.
And that mistake was underestimating Midoriya.
Lemillion bought two tickets for the bullet train to Hosu. They were return tickets; Midoriya shoved them in his backpack.
He now sat beside the brightly coloured hero, attracting a few curious gazes, so he'd pulled his hoody over his head. He didn't want to be recognised.
"What's your plan to find them?" Lemillion asked after a prolonged period of silence.
Midoriya averted his gaze from the window. He'd been deep in thought, pondering the same question. He took a moment to mull through his jumbled brain and assemble coherent sentences.
"First up is the press," he announced, tilting his phone screen so that the young hero could see the news articles he had open. "The police and heroes have running tabs on the story to make sure that residents know what's going on and so they can stay safe. Since it's now confirmed that both Dabi and the Hero Killer are in Hosu, that's two mass murderers on the lose – they need to calm the public down by releasing as much information as possible and insisting that the best heroes are on the case. Consequently, we'll know where Endeavor is at all times. It also means that Dabi and Shoto likely know too. If they want to confront him, they probably don't want to do it out in the high streets where lots of other heroes can jump in on the action. They want to isolate Endeavor from the group first – meaning they'll lead him to the back alleys."
"I… think I'm following," Lemillion nodded. "So, we're beating Endeavor to them."
"Something like that," Midoriya replied. "Also, that's the kind of area where Stain will strike – but he'll want to be as far away from Endeavor as possible. We could… split up to go for Shoto and Iida?"
"I'm sorry, Midoriya – but I'm not letting you out of my sight!"
"Figured."
"But there are a lot of back alleys. Hosu is a big place – where do we go first?"
Midoriya was frowning at his phone. He had the map app open over Hosu, occasionally flipping between it and news stories. He started to put red markers down on every place he was sure Endeavor had been to. After a moment longer, he zoomed out and passed the phone to Lemillion.
"We go there," and Midoriya pointed at a section of what appeared to be residential housing (everything in Hosu was built very close together and Midoriya didn't like it too much just by looking at this map). Surrounding it, were numerous red dots. Endeavor had been circulating this area specifically, perhaps trying to run his two wayward sons into a corner. Unbeknownst to him, this was likely exactly what they wanted.
Lemillion just nodded again, understanding where he was coming from, as he flicked through Midoriya's phone, "Whatever you think is best."
With that, they fell silent again.
Midoriya didn't find it awkward if he didn't think about it. He was just staring out the window again, lost in the realms of his own mind.
Perhaps Lemillion was struggling a little more than him though because he soon tried to strike up a conversation again as he passed Midoriya his phone back.
"So… I've heard you're not the biggest fan of All Might?"
Midoriya turned to frown at him as he accepted his phone – it was a weird statement, "Err… not really?"
He scratched at his head nervously, "I saw that video of you shouting at him and the other heroes."
"Ah." Yeah, that made more sense. He cleared his throat, "That wasn't a good day for me."
"It didn't look like it. No one really seems to know what happened though." Lemillion looked to Midoriya for an explanation.
He sighed deeply and looked out the window again. The distant lights of Hosu were approaching now. "Yeah, I err… I'd had a bad day at school. I didn't really get along with anyone there and –"
"Like Bakugo?" Lemillion was extremely curious about all this. It made Midoriya feel like he'd been talking about it with someone, and now wanted to get his facts straight.
"…Yeah, like him. So… it had been a bad day – and I was walking home. I'd taken a different way to usual, so I didn't bump into Ka–Bakugo again. And then out of nowhere, this villain just jumps me. I think I'm going to die and then All Might appears in hot pursuit. He defeats the villain – this sludge guy – and shoves him in a couple of bottles from his shopping or something. And I'm… feeling really down, and before he goes I… I ask him if I'm really… just… useless – if someone like me could actually make a difference; if it was worth it at all or if I was always going to be the guy who needs to be saved. I ask if I could be a hero even if I didn't have a Quirk and… well, long story short he just kind looks at me and says no. Then he leaves me there."
Lemillion frowned at him for a moment. "So… how did that same sludge villain attack Bakugo?"
Midoriya waved the comment off, returning to gazing out the window whilst he spoke. "Oh yeah, he escaped at some point. I don't know. I saw smoke rising in the distance and went to see what was happening and saw that sludge guy attacking Kacchan and no one was doing anything! It was so… so… frustrating! My idol had just told me what everyone else always had – and now look at them all. They're just standing there the same as I am! So, I decided to… yeah. I ran in and tried to stop it. I didn't care if I got hurt because at least I'd tried, which is more than what the heroes could say. And guess what? It worked – and Kacchan's still alive." As an afterthought, he muttered under his breath, "Not that he's ever thanked me for it."
Lemillion sighed, "We all have tough days; we all make wrong decisions. What you did was very brave, but also… reckless. You could have made things worse, which is why the heroes present didn't jump in. They waited for someone more suitable to arrive, and that was All Might."
Midoriya ground his teeth together, knowing that All Might had been there all along, way back when, standing not that far from himself and just watching in his weakened form. That had made Midoriya even angrier.
"You heroes are all the same," he grumbled, curling up into a ball and resting his head against the cold glass, letting the train rattle against him, "you always say the same things, over and over – oh, you should have waited for help – you could have made things worse! Well I don't care. What if All Might hadn't arrived in time, then what? Huh? If you were a hero on that scene, could you have stood by and watch someone die, or would you have done everything you could have, even if it seemed useless?"
Lemillion stared at him, he opened his mouth to answer, but Midoriya got there first.
"Because I know what it feels like to be useless," he said, swallowing the lump in his throat. He'd done that far too many times that evening. "I know what it feels like to have nothing going for you – to be the underdog every single time. So, I always try. Because there's never a situation where I'm out of my depth. Not when I'm used to drowning."
"…Hm. Well, that's what friends are for, right? To stop you from –"
But he didn't reach the end of that sentence.
There was a crash and a bang, a myriad of screams and a deafening roar.
Midoriya jolted out of his seat and wind ripped through the carriage. There was a hole in the side of the train, only a few seats ahead of them. A beast stood there, eyes blank, brain bulging from the missing top of its skull. A hero dressed in white (and red) wrestled it, urging everyone to stand back and get away whilst the train screeched to a halt.
Lemillion vaulted over the back of the seat in front of him. He punched the beast square in the jaw, giving the other hero the chance to kick it out of the train and onto the tracks below, just as they stopped.
Midoriya just stared, mouth hanging open.
That was a Nomu.
"Stay there!" Lemillion yelled back at him whilst he jumped out of the train to help the other hero.
Midoriya rushed around the seats to get a better view of what was going on, just in time to see the Nomu jump off the bridge the train track was supported on, quickly followed by the two heroes.
Heart in his mouth, Midoriya realised there was no time to waste, because now, added to his list of potential confrontation in Hosu city, was the League of Villains, the same people who had attacked them at the USJ! Where else could the Nomu had come from? Who knew how many there could be?!
He didn't stop to think any more than that. Shouldering his backpack, Midoriya pressed forwards, ignoring the shouts of the train conductor as he leapt out of the hole in the carriage and began to run alongside the train tracks.
The station wasn't far. People gasped as the strange, hooded boy hauled himself up onto the platform. He quickly paused to pull his ticket out his bag and use it to get past the barricades, and soon enough, Midoriya was charging through the streets of Hosu.
Phone in his hand, panting, Midoriya watched as his location inched closer to where he was sure Shoto would be hiding. For a moment, he glanced up at the night sky lined by skyscrapers. Plumes of smoke billowed up around him, and he knew this wasn't the fault of the Todorokis this time.
Too late. He swallowed his fear, pocketed his phone, and continued to run.
No one was going to drown tonight.
Shoto ran through the streets of Hosu, brushing the hair from his face with the back of his hand. It had gotten too long; he could barely see where he was going.
He skidded around a corner, breathing heavily as he peered around behind him. Fortunately, he was alone.
Closing his eyes, he sighed deeply. After a moment's thought, he pulled off his backpack and began to root through it. He was quite sure he'd stolen this bag from Fuyumi, and sure enough, there was a forgotten hairband, loose at the bottom. He used it to tie back his hair in a small, low ponytail.
He was panicking now. This wasn't what he'd been expected. He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but it was safe to say, this wasn't it.
Now, he was who knows how far away from… UA – alone, nowhere to go, no one to help him… He didn't know what to do!
He just thought things would go back to the way they were. Just the two of them, him and Dabi – the family he knew, living each day as it came with no worries about what was going to happen next. Where Shoto felt like he didn't have to be a hero or a real villain or anyone other than himself. He just wanted to run from those choices; to live life on his terms and his terms alone.
He was wrong.
"Shoto."
He jolted, turning around, and there was Dabi.
He had his hands in his pockets, a bewildered look upon his face. "What are you doing?"
"I could ask you the same question," Shoto dared to reply, putting his backpack on again; ready to bolt. "I should have realised something was up the moment I saw that portal – I should have never followed you through! What were you thinking?! Siding with the League of Villains?!" he rasped.
Dabi just looked at him like he was an idiot. "Why the hell are you so against them?"
"They're villains!"
"So are we! Get your head straight!" his brother yelled. "They tried to help you get out at the USJ as well and you were too stupid to follow through! They hadn't even met me back then and they were already on your side!"
"They tried to kill Midoriya!"
"So?" he growled. "They didn't know he'd be important then."
"That does not make it any better! He's my friend!"
"Sure looked like it yesterday."
Shoto bared his teeth at him, which made Dabi laugh. "Come on, Shoto!" he grinned, rolling his eyes. "You had your fun at UA – with all the other little villain kids, but that's over now! Look, think of it this way – you have two choices. Either you go back to UA and do our old man proud by becoming the hero he always wanted you to be –" his smile faded, eyes suddenly alight with menace, the same deadly blue as his flames – "Or you can finish what we started; take this elitist society of heroes to the ground. Burn it all."
His fire itched under his skin, and Shoto was reminded why it despised it so. It represented everything he longed not to be – his father, his brother. He didn't want to destroy. He wanted the calm and serenity of his ice, the cool balm on the fever his life endlessly fuelled. He hadn't seen his mother in so long. Now, he wanted to more than ever.
But to his knowledge, she still had no idea what had happened to Shoto.
Shoto gulped, "There are better ways."
Dabi laughed again, staring at the sky as he did so, "Better ways?!" he repeated in disbelief, "Better ways? UA really did a number on you, huh?! No, no, there is one way this goes down – and it's with dear old Dad dead at my feet! Even better, yours. But not before we tell the whole world what he did to his family, to Mum. Let him suffer first at the hands of the people who worship him!"
"…So why are we here?" Shoto almost whispered.
"In Hosu?" Dabi blinked, moment of mania fading.
"If we're not going to kill him now," he said slowly, "then why are we here?"
He smiled, "The League wants us here. They've got a show planned – and we're only the supporting act this time. Why'd you think I threw fire at that hero earlier? For the hell of it? No! Shigaraki – the idiot with the hands – wants Endeavor to stay in the city, and he'll only do that if he knows we're here. You would have known all this if you hadn't run off!"
"Those Nomu, they'll kill people."
"So?! Death is freaking inevitable! It's not like those people are gonna amount to anything in their pathetic lives anyway – at least they'll die making a freaking point! You've seen me kill before – why the heck is this bothering you now?!"
"You think it didn't bother me then?!" Shoto dared to raise his voice. "I was thirteen and too scared to say anything against it! I-It's like wherever I go I'm trapped. Whether it's with Father or with you – and when I'm with one I-I'd do anything to be back with the other!"
Dabi glared down at him, "You'd rather be with him?"
Shoto wavered, "N-No I – I'd rather be anywhere but here…"
He stared at him for a moment, mulling the words over. "…This is UA's fault."
"Maybe it is. But it wouldn't have happened if you came back for me."
"You were always going to get out, Shoto! If I went in, then we would have both been caught and it would have been over. Don't you freaking dare hold that against me!"
"I WAITED FOR YOU!" Shoto yelled, the volume even started himself. "YOU don't seem to get you were MY FREAKING HERO! You saved me from Dad a-and everything! You were the only person who ever seemed to give a damn! And then you never came back, and I realised, oh, NOBODY CARES! NOBODY. CARES. SO WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!" his voice cracked.
Dabi just continued to stare at him for a bit whilst Shoto's frantic breathing levelled out, rage shaking his very core.
Eventually, his brother sighed, "I do give a damn. And I'm sorry, ok? I know you don't… trust the League because they tried to hurt your little friend. But that's in the past now and I bet they regret it. UA's got it in your head that they're the bad guys and yeah, maybe they are, but they're doing it for a good reason, and they're gonna help us. Just give them a chance – they're giving you one. And hey, Shigaraki's very interested in that friend of yours, the Quirkless one. Maybe he could join us."
Shoto met Dabi's eyes again, he'd been avoiding them whilst he spoke. "He wouldn't want that."
"No?" Dabi blinked, almost surprised. "The kid's an anarchist. Bet he'd get along with Shigaraki if he gave him a chance. Well, his morals – not sure if it's actually possible to get along with his personality."
"Midoriya wants to be a hero," Shoto dropped the bomb.
Dabi didn't seem phased, "Yeah, well hero has got a loose definition, doesn't it?"
"…I guess."
"And you don't know him yet, but Shigaraki's, err… boss? Father figure? Heck if I know – just calls him Sensei. But he's a smart guy – I'm sure he'd be interested in Midoriya too. Half the villainous population in the country wants to know that kid; he's got the heroes quaking in their boots. Bet they regret taking him into UA."
Shoto couldn't disagree. He was feeling a little calmer now, a little ashamed by his outburst. "…I'm sorry."
Dabi smiled sympathetically, "It's alright, kid," he tsked. "Anyway, all that running about has got Endeavor in a knot. We have a meeting place for portal guy Kurogiri to pick us up, then we can watch the mess this city has gotten into with the rest of the League." He shoved his hands back in his pockets and started to walk down the darkened alleyway again, indicating for Shoto to follow with a tilt of his head.
"Why doesn't Shigaraki help too?" Shoto pondered. "Instead of just sitting there like an idiot and watching."
Dabi snorted, "'Cause the wimp's still got bullet wounds from that USJ incident, and they don't have a healer like UA does. Plus, he is doing stuff. He was talking to the Hero Killer when I was off collecting you."
"Stain? Really?"
"Yeah! Cool guy – would love to meet him. I like his ideals. Glad someone else is doing something about all these fake freaking heroes. Bet he'd join the League; but Shigaraki's got some kind of hatred of All Might, and he's the only one Stain can stand."
"Midoriya doesn't like All Might."
"See? He'd get along with Shigaraki then, for sure. I don't really care, personally. But the League's helping us knock Endeavor down a few pegs, so I'll tag along for the time being."
Shoto… still wasn't sure. But if there was one thing he knew; it was that he couldn't be a hero; he couldn't return to UA. He'd practically cut his ties with Midoriya already anyway. Well, if the League reached out to him too and he joined, Shoto would be more than happy, but that wasn't up to him. If all this meant that, in the future, he'd see his old friends again on the other side of this endless war between the good and bad, then so be it. It would be bittersweet, but… well, Shoto was glad he'd been given the opportunity to choose between heroes and villains, at the very least.
He was fed up with boomeranging back and forth. Time to stick with what he was meant to do – and that was to help Dabi take his father down.
"…Where's the meeting place?" Shoto asked.
"Other side of this block," Dabi replied simply. "The heroes should be running after the Nomu now rather than searching for us but keep an eye out. I don't freaking care if you use ice or fire, just get rid of them."
"…But I –"
"STOP!" someone yelled.
Dabi sighed exasperatingly, "Speaking of which, are you going to do the honours or am I going to have to –" he turned around and stopped. "…Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise?"
Frowning, Shoto turned too, only to come face to face with –
"…Midoriya?"
He was panting heavily, struggling to catch his breath, "Stop," he repeated.
Shoto just stared, "What are you –"
"Persistent, isn't he?" Dabi grinned, pointing a thumb in Midoriya's direction.
Shoto glanced between Dabi and Midoriya, he turned to the latter and said, "How are you here?"
"Train," he managed between gulps of air. He wasn't exactly the most athletic of people, and who knows how far he'd ran to catch up with them.
"Yeah but… how – how did you know where we'd be?" Shoto gaped.
"Logic."
"…That's not –"
"What you gonna do, kid?" Dabi interrupted, clearly not interested in how on Earth this interaction was happening. "Huh? What are you here to do?"
Midoriya took another deep breath and a step forwards, "I'm here to talk."
"To talk," Dabi repeated. Shoto was still too shell shocked to say a word. "About what?"
"You."
"Me? I get the feeling I'm not welcome in this conversation then," he leered.
Midoriya had the gall to say, "No, you're not."
Dabi laughed, raising his hands and taking a few steps back. "Well, I'm not going anywhere, but feel free to talk."
Flipping between his brother and his friend a few more times, Shoto finally settled on Midoriya to ask, "Seriously, how the hell are you here?"
"Determination and sheer luck," Midoriya replied without hesitation. "Also spite. What the hell, Shoto? You insult me to my face and then run off and expect me to not do anything about it?!"
"You're not even supposed to leave your house!"
"Neither are you!"
"How did you get out without being caught by a hero?"
"…Didn't."
"…What?"
"Might have been escorted here."
"What?!"
"I don't know, lost him at some point. Anyway, I'm here to tell you that you're an idiot."
Dabi scoffed in the background. He was leaning against a wall and casually listening in.
With zero fear, Midoriya pointed right at Dabi and said, "Your brother is a psychopathic mass murderer and is not the best option to get away from your dad!"
Dabi just blinked, not losing his smile. He turned to Shoto, "You told him, huh?"
Still overwhelmed, Shoto turned back to Midoriya. "And you came all this way to tell me that?"
He wavered, "To be perfectly honest – I didn't think I'd make it this far."
This was an incredibly serious situation, which is why Shoto was fighting back his smile. Of course, it was Midoriya, after all. Trust him to meticulously plan out every detail except the very important, final step.
"–But I couldn't sit there knowing there was still something I could do," he finished.
Shoto closed his eyes as he replied, "There isn't anything you can do, Midoriya." He opened them again and he was still there. He didn't know if he'd expected him to disappear; some small voice in the back of his head was wondering if this was an hallucination – the personification of the angel on his shoulder. Or maybe the devil. It was hard to tell when it came to Midoriya.
"W-What are you hoping to achieve from… this?" Midoriya asked, waving his arms about as he spoke, and taking a few steps closer.
"From what?"
"From being the villain."
"I think we've established that heroes and villains really aren't words that can apply to us."
"…I suppose you're right. But regardless, you know what I mean."
Shoto sighed, "I can't stay at UA. I can't be what Father wants me to be. I'm sorry."
"Yeah but we've had this conversation. It doesn't matter what Endeavor thinks! Just do what you want and when we're old enough we'll have the power and sway to crush him," he said, slamming his face into his palm as an illustration.
Dabi was clearly enjoying this. Shoto could feel his grin on the back of his skull.
After a moment, Shoto continued, "You're not the same person who I met when you first joined UA."
"…N-No?" he blinked, surprised.
"No," Shoto couldn't help his soft smile, "I can't tell if you're better or worse."
"…Probably worse," he admitted with a wince.
"Everyone keeps saying you're a bad influence on the class. I think it's the opposite way around. UA really shouldn't have put you in class A."
"…No, I think it was the right move."
Shoto frowned, "It was?"
He nodded slowly, "I was really angry at first. I thought it was unfair – but I get it now. I really think I do. You know… the other day, Mr Aizawa said I was ready to graduate, if I wanted too. I think he was lying. I am not ready," he almost laughed. "I… want to be a hero, Shoto. I've always wanted to – I wanted to be something. And I am not playing pretend –" Shoto winced at that, recalling his harsh words – "because I think I'm in class A not just because I had the potential to be a dangerous villain, but because… well, I hope Nezu thought I could really be a hero! That's what class 1-A is about, right? Have you not noticed that ever since Nezu took over UA, the people being put in class A have become more than just troublesome teens, right? That's what a real reformation class would be for – but UA is a hero school! And every single one of our classmates has the potential to be a hero. That's why we're here. Don't you see? We can't do much alone – but we can together. And we need you to be able to do that!"
Shoto stared at him in silence for a moment more. In the background, Dabi laughed again, "So optimistic!" he exclaimed. "If you really want to make a difference, Midoriya – you're on the wrong side."
He glared at him, "I've made up my mind."
Dabi rolled his eyes like he didn't believe him.
Midoriya's gaze flipped back to Shoto, "Have you?"
…He didn't know what to say. There were so many emotions flickering through his brain. It settled on anger.
"I DON'T KNOW!" he cried, pulling at his hair as some of his fell out of his ponytail. "How many times do I have to be in this position?!" he begged his friend, like he'd know the answer. "How many times do I have to make the same decision?! I'm on one side, then the other – and then I'm back with the heroes, and back with the villains – and it's never going to end, is it?!" He turned back to Midoriya and realised he was standing right in front of him. He'd been inching closer this whole time. Shoto rested his hands on the shorter boy's shoulders, gripping the fabric of his hoody around the straps of his backpack. "Is it?!"
Midoriya gently brushed his hands away, "You've just got to make the right decision," he said, like it was an easy thing to do.
"This is sweet and all," Dabi perked up, pushing off the wall to stand up straight, "But we're out of time here. Let's go."
Shoto's eyes grew wide, breath a little frantic as he glanced between the two of them again. He took a few steps away from Midoriya, so he was firmly in between them both. This was his last chance – his family, or his friends?
But then… what was family – and who were friends? Family is something you're born with, right? And friends are people you choose. Or… are both the same thing? In which case, who was his family?
"We'll take him down!" Midoriya suddenly cried out, as if afraid he'd lose this battle. He outstretched his hand, "I promise! Even if it means playing his game for a little longer – becoming a hero isn't a life sentence! We can all drop out and turn the tables at any point! But once you're a villain, that's it – no turning back. And that's what we're going to do to Endeavor, ok? Soon enough, he'll be the villain! If there's anyone who knows how to out the good guy as the bad guy, it's me!"
"Come on, Shoto."
"You have to believe me!"
"This is getting ridiculous."
"Don't listen to him!"
"WOULD YOU BOTH SHUT UP?!"
And they did.
Shoto looked down and realised the entire ground was covered in crystal clear ice. It melted to a puddle around Dabi, whilst Midoriya had to yank his feet free with some force.
Shoto closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. He didn't know how long he stood there, in silence as he tried to mull it all over. But in the end, there was one factor he kept returning to – just one action to make the difference.
He opened them again. "I –"
There was a scream.
"…What was that?" Shoto breathed, glancing around. It had been close.
Midoriya seemed panicked, his eyes too, flickering around in the darkness in search of the source. His breath hitched and he took a step back, almost slipping on the ice, "Iida."
"What?"
"Iida!" and he turned tail and ran, not once looking back.
Shoto turned back to Dabi, who held a blue flame in his palm, illuminating the abandoned street in an eerie glow. "What was–" Dabi started.
But before he could say a word more, Shoto turned and charged down the alley after Midoriya.
"Hey!" his brother cried after him, "Shoto!"
He didn't stop.
He reached the end of the street, glanced around, and decided upon a direction to take, praying that it had been the right one. Fortunately enough, it didn't take long for him to catch a glimpse of Midoriya's yellow backpack as he darted away.
"Wait!" Shoto exclaimed. He tried to catch up but Midoriya was uncharacteristically fast. Shoto ended up summoning more ice to skate along in pursuit, it didn't help much.
Eventually he turned another corner to find Midoriya standing there. Shoto skidded to a halt with some difficulty to stand by his friend.
His eyes lay on a sight he never guessed he would behold that fateful evening.
There, stood a man wearing a ragged, white mask, and a scarf equally torn, coloured as red as the blood that dripped from his sword. Another figure lay on the floor before him, his glasses lying a meter or so away, smashed and ruined. Even in the dark, it was clear who it was – who both of them were.
It was the Hero Killer – and Iida.
And Shoto knew Dabi wasn't far behind.
He stood up tall beside Midoriya, bracing himself for a fight. Whatever had just happened between him and Dabi didn't matter right now. Just like they'd said – heroes and villains? Who cares?! Right now, his friend needed his help. If that made him a hero –
– then so be it.
