"'Hero' should not be a title given to those seeking reward and recompense. But one gained through tireless self-sacrifice. The heroes of this era are pretenders who misrepresent themselves. Only through a relentless purge can society be made aware of this truth."

"The only one allowed to kill me is All Might, a true hero. He alone is worthy."

Stain's ideology began to spread like wildfire throughout Japan. The infamous hero killer had finally been apprehended and was being sent to Tartarus, but not without his message making people question the foundations of the hero society the world was built on.

While there were always those who were critical of heroes and their over-glorification, Stain was the first to truly do something about it. Even people who supported the Pros couldn't deny that Stain had a point, despite his violent actions. Seventeen corrupt heroes were brought to an end by his katana—several of which Akane had wanted to serve justice to herself for a while.

Akane Akiyama was one of many whose Stain's message inspired. She was a U.A. graduate, and an active hero for three years before her license got revoked. A year had passed since then, and she was currently getting by as a vigilante, operating out of the legal bounds heroes had to adhere to. She patrolled the streets near her home, listening to a police radio frequency she had tapped into. She protected people when she could and even took out some villains before heroes arrived on the scene of crimes.

She had been on the couch cuddling her doberman, Eris, after a patrol when she got a text message from an unknown number that contained the link to Stain's video. She had watched the video with rapt attention. Listening to his past and how he tried to tell the world that there needed to be a "Hero Revival", though no one had listened, so he had to take action. He had expressed everything she had felt for so long, everything that she wanted to change. He wasn't just some killer going on a rampage. Another text came through a few minutes later.

'Figured this might interest you. I know the group he was part of. If you're curious, meet me at the usual spot at 9 A.M. - G'

Giran.

The man had a new number every time he contacted her. Akane had met Giran during her time as a hero; he was a well-respected information broker in the criminal underworld. He'd exchange information with her on certain criminals, but only if they were a threat to his business or his clients. In return, she kept the Hero Commission off his trail. When she was unceremoniously demoted from being a hero, she started working with him more often as a vigilante. She used his black market connections to get gear, and he'd occasionally contact her if he got any clients that could use her help. However, it was always ultimately up to her if she took the job. Lately, though, even being a vigilante has started to feel meaningless, and she left her apartment less and less. She hadn't seen Giran in a few months.

Hero society had been letting Akane down since she was a child. Her mom had also been a vigilante, but unlike Akane, she was warm, caring, and funny. Freedom was everything to her; while she was never a registered hero, she had saved plenty of people in her time. She even helped a select few heroes who didn't mind her life choices. But when she got injured to the point of going into an irreversible coma while assisting a hero in taking down a quirk boosting drug ring, she was tossed aside. They didn't get any support from the heroes her mother once helped, and Akane's father threw all their money at keeping her alive. Whether the heroes didn't care or the Hero Commission prevented them from helping, it still showed Akane at a young age just how cruel hero society could be.

Her mother wasn't the only one she lost due to the negligence of heroes, but even through the grief, Akane still had hope that if she became a hero she could improve things from the inside. Though, despite her commitment to becoming a hero, her quirk concerned some people.

Her quirk was registered under the name Iron Blood; she could manifest the iron in her bloodstream into weapons that projected out from her body. It did injure her to summon the weapons as they stabbed out from her skin, but her body healed wounds from her quirk much faster than an average person. She had to be careful how often she used it, though; if her iron dropped too low from overusing her quirk, she was at risk of fainting in combat. Using her quirk had also left thin scars over various parts of her body, mostly her arms. The areas she activated her quirk most often having much heavier scarring. She kept her arms wrapped in bandages to cover them up, and they also served to stop the bleeding when she used her quirk.

Meeting another person with a blood quirk is ultimately what led her to getting into U.A. Vlad King, a teacher there, was visiting local schools to talk to potential applicants about the hero program when he met her. He had admired her tenacity and dedication to becoming a hero as young as she was, and he felt a sense of kinship with her since he knew what it was like to have an unconventional quirk, one that led to people being wary of you over something you couldn't control. When she completed her entrance exam, he was there to vouch for her abilities. Securing her a spot in his class, 1B. While they didn't have the most powerful quirks, the kids in 1B made up for it in determination, and a teacher who was endlessly supportive of his students. Akane was an extreme example of the perseverance Class B students had, always pushing herself to her limits in training and sacrificing sleep to study and learn all she could. She was determined to make it to the top. She made a promise she intended to keep, even if it killed her.

When Akane graduated, Vlad gave her some advice on how to be more approachable to the public. He didn't want her to go through some of the discrimination he had dealt with. So despite her darker tastes in aesthetics, she tried to make her hero outfits more colorful. She bleached her black hair lighter than it was naturally and put in colored contacts to hide her unnaturally gold eyes. She couldn't do much for her sharp canines, though. She did her best not to look frightening. But even then, no matter how many people she helped, some civilians she saved still didn't trust her when they saw what her quirk could do. Ultimately, all those changes she made didn't matter in the end. As a vigilante, she stopped altering her appearance for the sake of others, letting her black hair grow out again and dying the still blonde ends a dark red.

During her three years as a hero, she began to see some of the worst of hero society. There were always those only in it for fame and glory; she had known that for a long time. But it was other actions that caught her off guard. Heroes who paid off criminals to improve their numbers, heroes that refused to help heteromorphs, and heroes who abused the people in their life while maintaining a friendly facade to the public. Every time she tried to expose those actions, to hold those heroes accountable, no one took her seriously. No matter how vocal she was or how much proof she had. Akane believed that her protesting, along with an incident with another hero, was what got her license revoked in the end. Vlad had been the one to give her the news. To Akane, it felt like he hadn't even tried to defend her from the Commission's judgment. She appreciated everything he had done for her through the years, but he had let her down, and she couldn't forgive that.

Akane considered Giran's offer. She had seen the news reports the night Stain was caught. They had mentioned him having possible ties to the League of Villains, a group who had successfully infiltrated her alma mater a few weeks back. She had been impressed by that move, U.A.'s security was intense. Ultimately they had failed; many of the members were captured, with only the two leaders still at large. But if Stain was part of that group, maybe it would be worth it to at least learn more about them. She texted Giran back, letting him know she'd be there.

Akane got up from the couch and went to get ready for bed, Eris following along behind her. Having spent so much time in hero circles, she was unsure how to feel about a group dubbing itself the League of Villains. She didn't know their ultimate goals, and she didn't want to just cause chaos for the sake of it. But, it looked like they had some decent resources, and if that was the case, through them she might be able to finally accomplish one of her goals.

The next morning she got on a train and went across town to a small coffee shop that also served as a neutral meeting ground for criminals. Giran already had a table ready for them.

"Akane, long time no see! Wasn't sure if you'd actually come." Giran grinned at her while taking a drag from a cigarette that never seemed to leave his hands.

She laughed sarcastically as she sat down in a chair across the table from him.

"I wasn't either, honestly. But you were right. The Hero Killer did catch my interest."

The waitress came by to get their order and set down water for them.

"He really is the man of the hour. This guy's message is spreading like the plague. From the punks with just a few priors to the really bad guys on the run. Anyone who's anyone, myself included, of course." Giran said.

"You're not wrong. I wasn't expecting to see the amount of support this guy has. You said you knew the group he was part of?" She asked him.

He took another drag off his cigarette before he answered.

"I do. I actually contacted you because I'm doing some recruiting for them. You might have heard of them. They managed to break into U.A. recently."

"The League of Villains, right?"

"Exactly. You've always wanted to take a stand against the heroes, and I know you've had your eyes set on taking down one of the top guys for a while now. So I thought you might be a good fit."

The waitress returned with their coffee, Giran handed her a few bills from his wallet. He was always a generous tipper. Being good with people was an important part of his job.

"You don't think they'd be suspicious of an ex-hero?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Suspicious? Probably, but you've got me vouching for you. And having an ex-hero would actually be a benefit to them. You've got information and experience that they don't. You can add some legitimacy to their organization." Giran said with a smile, his cigarette slowly burning away as he talked.

Akane considered what he said while sipping on her coffee. She hadn't thought of herself as an asset before. Giran was the best information broker in the business, and he knew what her ideals were. He wouldn't ask her to join any random gang. If he was willing to put his name on the line for her like that, the least she could do was meet them.

"Okay, okay, no promises just yet. But, I am interested. Know how I can get in contact with them?" She asked.

"I'll set up a meeting; there are a few others who I plan to bring along. Easier to introduce everyone at one time." Giran said, almost as if he already knew she'd say yes.

"Oh? Anyone interesting?"

"No one too flashy, but you'll meet them soon enough. There's an abandoned bar in the Kamino Ward of Yokohama. I'll send you more details later. Meet me there in two days."

Giran put out his cigarette and pulled another out, lighting it before standing up. "It's been good to see you, Akane."

"You too, Giran."

Akane considered something. She wasn't comfortable with the League having her real name just yet.

"And it's Kanashimi from now on."

Giran smirked at her.

"Fitting name. See you in Kamino." With that, he turned and left. Kanashimi finished her coffee, lost in thought.

The next two days passed rather uneventfully. Giran found someone to watch Eris for her, and she started packing everything she'd need in case she was gone for a while. The night before the meeting, she laid in bed feeling conflicted, unable to sleep without her dog, and with so many thoughts in her head.

She had spent so much of her life trying to be a good person, to make the right choices, to be a hero, but everything she worked and sacrificed for had been for nothing. Even so, she wasn't sure if she was ready to be seen as a full-fledged villain. At least in being a vigilante, she felt a sense of closeness with her mother, and knew she wasn't hurting anyone. But being a vigilante wasn't enough, she wasn't bringing about any sort of change like she wanted. Her actions ultimately felt pointless. The idea of joining a group that had actually accomplished something, that had real goals, gave her hope for the first time in a long time.

Kana tried to distract herself from her thoughts by going through old photos. She had gotten a burner phone at the advice of Giran and had transferred most of her files to it. She flipped through them, trying to calm her mind enough to sleep. She passed a plethora of pictures of her dog, some nature shots, art she enjoyed, and pictures from her days at U.A. until she saw one that made her freeze.

She was 12 at the time, with choppy black hair and a smile that showed off her canines. Next to her was her best friend. A boy who had died way too young. His arm was around her shoulder, he had a wide smile on his face. His turquoise eyes sranding out under his snow-white hair.

Toya…

Kana closed her phone, feeling rage and grief building up inside her. It had been a while since she had looked at any of her pictures or videos of them as kids. He had died almost a decade ago, but sometimes the night she lost him still felt like yesterday. She curled up on her side, staring out her window. They made a promise to each other a long time ago, and she wasn't able to fulfill it, despite her best efforts.

If she couldn't keep her promise, the least she could do was get justice for his death. If the League got her closer to exposing and destroying Endeavor, she'd do anything they asked, even if it meant hurting people. She had spent too much of her life doing what everyone else told her to, living for what other people considered right, and in return for all of her hard work, she was cast out, left to figure life out on her own. None of the good she had done mattered in the end. From now on, she was going to do what she wanted. She fell asleep, no longer caring if she was doing the right thing.

Song Inspirations:

Everybody's Fool by Evanescence

Bad Apple (Metal Cover) by RichaadEB ft. Cristina Vee