"Would you like tea, water- anything of the like?"

The question was so out of place coming out of the Hero-Killer's mouth that Shouji wondered for a moment if he had heard correctly. Because the mental image of Stain offering him a drink was so absolutely absurd that it had no right to have been created, Shouji was completely lost... reality was absurd, his mind was confused, and he was feeling particularly overwhelmed.

He didn't want to be here. Right now, Shouji wanted nothing more than to be far, far away from the murderer that had just offered him beverages... as if he were a regular host welcoming a normal guest into his home.

This was no home, though. It was a warehouse within the docks at the edge of the city and it was the place Shouji was asked to come to by an absolute madman.

At the very entrance, there were large shipping containers- they took up quite a bit of space. But once past the line of containers, there wasn't much to say about Stain's criminal headquarters... it was pretty spartan; minimalist. The space was large and only had a few pieces of furniture- all in different states of deterioration. There was a table at the very back of the space with what appeared to be a laptop closed on it, with a chair in front of it. Various cups surrounded the laptop- some had dark stains on them that reminded Shouji of the kind of stains left behind by coffee.

Towards the right of the space there was a refrigerator, along with an electric stove and a coffee maker. Towards the left there was a bed.

Only the necessities...

Stain didn't seem bothered or perturbed by Shouji's silence. But instead of prodding and re-asking his question, the villain turned around once they were both standing nearer to the center of the warehouse space and crossed his arms over his chest.

Shouji faintly noted how the man could easily look at him in the eyes without having to glance up or down- and he had a noticeable hunch to his walk. Undoubtedly, this man was some centimeters taller than him... maybe he could even be taller than his father...

The thought of his height disadvantage made the teenager's throat run dry.

As if he hadn't already been at a clear disadvantage before... not only was Stain years older than him and therefore had the advantage of experience on his side, he had a quirk Shouji little to nothing about and was taller and undoubtedly stronger than him... he was so very out of his depth... there was absolutely nothing he could do now.

If he displeased the Hero Killer, his family would be the ones to pay the price... he couldn't allow that.

He was at the Hero Killer's mercy and there was nothing he could do about it... all he could do was... just do whatever the man wanted.

"Combat- what's your preferred style?"

You will be trained in the skills you will need to become a real hero.

Shouji remembered those words in Stain's communication to him. He still had no idea what they were supposed to mean... well, how he was supposed to have understood them.

He knew that Stain had particular ideals about being a hero that did not coincide with what U.A. was teaching them; just like he knew that the vigilante was more villain than hero. When it came to the kind of skills he was talking about... Shouji knew he didn't want to learn them. If they were taught by the Hero Killer himself, they were nothing more than villainous.

Stain was talking to him casually and now that Shouji got a chance to breathe, he noted that the man wasn't in his regular get-up. Instead of the suit he normally wore to go out and fight, he was wearing a simple long sleeved shirt with loose cargo pants- both black. His feet were bare. He still wore his red headband and gray mask.

Even in this state of casual dress, it was clear to see that the size he seemed to have while fully kitted up wasn't an exaggeration- Stain was a muscular and tall man.

Red eyes narrowed and a long frown appeared slowly- irritation was starting to seep into the villain's face.

Shouji broke into a cold sweat and he struggled to swallow what little saliva his mouth produced.

"I won't ask again." this time, his voice had an edge of annoyance to it that Shouji couldn't ignore- the mostly relaxed posture was slowly becoming tense.

Blinking rapidly, Shouji forced himself to move and say something, anything. He morphed a mouth from his right arm and hurriedly said the first thing that came to mind whenever combat or offense tactics were spoken about in regards to him, "I excel in support roles."

The villain's face suddenly lost all clear emotion, becoming blank and unreadable.

Shouji's body tensed and he couldn't stop himself from taking a step back- his heart was beginning to hammer so loud in his chest that he could hear it. His chest was uncomfortably tight.

Slowly, Stain's arms uncrossed and he raised one up to his chin- the other went to rest at his hip.

Shouji stared, wide-eyed, terrified.

"Huh."

Heavy silence fell over the both of them.

That had been the wrong answer, there was no doubt about it. The Hero Killer just like everyone else that had ever seen him had thought that he was the kind of person that would throw his weight around and confront others directly. Shouji had yet to ever meet someone that didn't immediately assume such a thing just by looking at him.

All of the sick and twisted plans that Stain had come up with had probably dealt with turning Shouji into some sort of cold-blooded killer... hearing this... would it make him completely give up on- no way. This was a villain. He'd probably just forced Shouji to fight and forego what he actually liked.

And Shouji would have to allow this to happen- if only to keep his family safe.

"That's not that bad, then." Stain eventually murmured, and shrugged- Shouji stared on in disbelief at the absolute casualness of his words and actions. "It's actually better this way- you becoming the defensive player would work to Midoriya's advantage, something tells me he doesn't keep watch of his surroundings as much as he should."

Midoriya... Shouji struggled to breathe properly- it felt as if his lungs weren't filling with enough oxygen.

He wasn't the only one caught in this madman's schemes.

With a final nod to himself, Stain began to speak directly to him once more, "Your abilities in intelligence gathering are your greatest strength- we will continue to build on that for the next few weeks. After you have progressed to a level I deem satisfactory, we will begin to focus on your defensive tactics. It will be important to have Midoriya with you for that block, seeing how you two will work off each other in active combat."

Stain continued to speak as if what he was informing was merely a conversation on common topics- as if he were talking about the pleasant weather of the night or mentioning how a recent sporting event had gone for Japan's national team. His tone of voice was composed and somewhat laid-back... almost as if he wasn't a villain talking to a hero-in-training he had blackmailed.

"There will be time to learn theoretical information before going into applied training, of course, so this will not be a training period that will go by fast. No, not at all. The reason why I am training you is much too important for any sort of rushing and even though we have a tight time-table, I will not sacrifice quality to speed up your education."

As he said this, the Hero Killer turned around once again and made his way towards the table with the laptop on it, continuing to speak with his back turned to Shouji.

His posture was relaxed; his gait bordering on lazy.

Shouji couldn't help but feel small, even with the man so far away from him.

He was considered such a non-threat that Stain believed it wouldn't be risky at all to turn his back to him and leave himself completely open... he was so out of his league... there was absolutely nothing he could do.

Stain continued talking as he opened up the computer and accessed it. He didn't even bother looking back to make sure Shouji was paying attention; he seemed to just... know.

This wasn't the first time Shouji was ever in close quarters with a villain... but he could safely say this was the first time he felt hopeless.

Even when he had messed up during the training camp... his eyes began to sting and Shouji had to forced himself to breathe in and ignore those thoughts- he'd already cried enough. He needed to just... survive at this point.

He needed to figure out what Hero Killer Stain wanted, how he wanted to accomplish it, and most importantly, he needed to figure out what was the villain's quirk. Once he had all of that information, he would be able to begin thinking up of a way to getting him a- Shouji frowned.

Stain knew his family.

Even if he managed to come up with a good plan... there was nothing stopping Stain from going through with all of the threats he had laid out in his letter.

He was cornered and there were no means of escape.

Hero Killer Stain truly was the worst kind of villain: smart.

"Considering how your quirk allows you to gather information at a notable rate, your first assignment will be to acquire personal information on six of your classmates- you have a month to find out as much pertinent information as you believe would be important to know on an adversary you must take down and bring it back to me."

Shouji's blood ran cold and he began to believe that he was hallucinating now- there was no way Stain had just told him he would have to bring him information on his friends! He must have heard wrong! There was no-

Stain looked at him over his shoulder and nodded at the chair towards his right.

Shouji's eyes were absolutely burning- he wasn't sure if it was because of how wide they were or because of the tears that were welling up.

"I'm not a patient man, Gyūgēsu."

The voice... it was cold... frigid.

Shouji's legs moved of their own accord; mechanically he made his way to where the man had motioned towards and sat down on the rickety old office chair. It had been used so much that most of the padding had lost what volume it must have originally had.

His posture was rigid, keeping himself as still as possible as he waited for Stain to continue speaking.

Shouji made sure to keep his eyes on the laptop to ignore the freezing glare that the Hero Killer had trained on him. But it wasn't as if the contents on the screen were of any help in helping him calm down. Currently being displayed on the screen were pictures of his classmates- two per person. One was a still picture taken in a professional setting- their ID pictures- and one of them in action... during different events in the Sports Festival.

He hadn't thought it to be possible, but he felt his stomach drop further- possibly to his feet.

That had been one of the ways the Hero Killer had been able to find his identity and track his family down... the Sports Festival. It had been broadcast all through Japan... Of course.

"In my opinion, the easiest to gather intel on would be the loudmouths- very often, those that speak the loudest also give away the most amount of information. But there is merit to focusing on other students, maybe like your own, much quieter friends."

How did Stain know that his friends were the quiet kind? How had he been able to find out so much information on him?

His breathing was becoming faster and more stunted with every passing sentence from the villain.

"In four months, you are to have a comprehensive file complete with the personal information of each of your fellow students. Consider this your first assignment- it's main purpose is to teach you how to begin learning how to find your opponents' weaknesses to be able to exploit them."

Stain took a step back, away from him, and Shouji was able to breathe just a little bit better.

He continued to stare, frightened, at the pictures of his friends.

His hands were beginning to tremble ever so slightly.

He was so out of his depth... how was he even supposed to do any of this? How was he supposed to betray his friends like this? He couldn't... he just... maybe if he lied-

"I'll know if what you're telling me is a lie, Shouji Mezou. Do not underestimate the lengths I will go to in order to make sure that I have not been deceived."

His breath stopped.

Could... could this man read minds?

How did he know? How?

With a sigh, Stain's voice adopted a much laxer tone, forgoing most of the threat it had accumulated to ensure Shouji understood the true danger he was in.

"I won't tell you precisely what is most important for you to find out right now- I want to see what you consider to be most important with the first evaluation. Once you have handed in the first six profiles, I will go over them with you to educate you further on what is most necessary for the kind of assignments I will be training you to undergo."

Evaluation, handed in, educate, assignments, training... these were all words Shouji knew very well from his school.

They brought no comfort anymore- there was nothing routine or mundane about the Hero Killer's use of such normal words. If anything, these words were twisted and mangled into something that squeezed harshly at Shouji's heart.

There was no returning to normality now...

"Make sure that Midoriya Izuku is one of the students you observe. He has yet to learn of what he will be brought into, so you have some time to learn of his life before he undoubtedly seeks you out."

Ashido and Aoyama were the students at the top of the screen- both were smiling eagerly.

How could he ever even think of betraying his friends?

How could he ever contemplate allowing his family to get hurt?

This was a lose-lose situation, no matter what he chose...

"You are to come back here before a week has passed- once again, between nine at night and five in the morning. I will start you off on basic hand-to-hand techniques." Stain's voice sounded farther away than the last time he had spoken and Shouji chanced a glance in his direction- the man had made his way over to the refrigerator on the other side of the room.

When he began to open it, he asked, without bothering to look at him, "Have I been understood?"

Shouji struggled to find his voice, but he managed to murmur out an affirmative reply before Stain had to turn a vicious glare on him once again.

The teenager turned back to the computer and found himself haunted by the carefree looks on most of the faces of his fellow students; faintly, he heard the door to the old looking refrigerator open, the sounds of some rummaging, and then the door closing.

A few seconds later, he found a plastic blue bottle waved directly in front of his face, just about pushed at him.

"You're looking pale." was the only explanation he received from the villain forcing the bottle at him.

Mechanically, with movements he knew were stunted, Shouji took the bottle, but he didn't drink from it. Instead he held on to it with two hands, clutching tightly at it.

Stain walked away once again.

Shouji remained seated.

The rest of the night blurred past him. Stain didn't explain anything further and, mercifully, he had not needed to listen to anymore of the man's horrible plans.

Eventually, a taxi was hailed by the villain and Shouji found himself ordered to get into it and to remember that if he wasn't careful, it would be his family that would pay for his mistakes.

He continued to hold onto the bottle so tightly his fingers were begging him to release some pressure- they were aching.

By the time he arrived back at U.A., he only had around two or three hours to get any semblance of sleep. One of those hours was spent sneaking back into the dorms without getting caught. Another was spent staring at the dark ceiling of his dorm-room, eyes wide, alert, and mind so frazzled that he wasn't able to even feel the exhaustion of his body. The final hour he may have been able to use to relax before he had to officially begin a new day was invested in silently sobbing, curled up with his knees hugged by his arms.

He felt so small.

Bakugou, like always, was the first student to get up.

Shouji heard his distinct footfalls softly thud against the floor of his room as he began to walk about to gather a change of clothes. After some time spent preparing himself, he made his way towards the staircase that ran through the whole dorm-building and then entered the gymnasium area to begin his morning exercise routine.

Kirishima followed soon after, his own dragged footsteps a clear contrast to Bakugou's sharp, awake, movements. He managed to slump into the gym after Bakugou and slowly fired himself up.

Six a.m. was announced by the various different alarms of most of the class. That was followed by many of the students beginning their days; Bakugou and Kirishima hit the showers.

Shouji knew that he needed to get up and begin his day- even though Stain hadn't said so, he knew that one of the most important things he needed to do was appear as if he was still normal.

Before everything had happened, it was usual for him to wake up after Bakugou and Kirishima had begun their second set, but before everyone else did. By six a.m., he would already be getting dressed and prepared to find something to eat for breakfast- sometimes he would make tea so he could exchange it for a cooked meal from some of the culinarily inclined students.

... he wanted to go back to those simpler times... back when his biggest worry had been passing tests and finishing homework- not the safety of his family and friends... he wanted to go back to a time before he had thrown himself into danger and wound up somehow impressing one of the most dangerous men in Japan.

Kaminari's sudden shout made Shouji's whole body tense up and his senses become so much more alert. His heart began to hammer in his chest, anxiety beginning to crawl into his psyche even as his mind tried to remind him that it was common for the blonde to shout when he eventually fell off of his bed in the morning.

Shouji bit at his bottom lip as he closed his eyes- tears began to flow from his eyes before he could even properly understand them.

How was he supposed to face today? How was he supposed to act as if things were normal? How?

He felt so small...

Tokoyami rapped at his door to ask him if he was awake; Shouji struggled to find his voice yet again.

He knew he looked exactly as he felt- drained, weakened, and vulnerable. Even though he had attempted to cover up such feelings with a fresh set of clothes and a combing through his hair, nothing could hide how absolutely tired his eyes were.

The only saving grace was that with his normal set of clothes, he was mostly covered up and so he didn't have to worry about his whole face giving him away. But the hollowed out look to his eyes paired with the bags beneath them were unconcealable.

His face was usually mostly covered up... but just one good look at his eyes and his friends would know.

How tiresome it was to have such observant friends.

Shouji breathed in deeply in an attempt to calm his frazzled nerves, but such an act did little to nothing to aid him. "I'll be out in a bit."

Well, at least his voice didn't break- that was an accomplishment.

Dark Shadow crooned out a reminder that they needed to butter up to Bakugou again this week if they wanted him to make some more of those delicious treats and Shouji was an integral part of the plan.

For the first time in his life... Shouji found himself irritated by how childish his friends were.

As soon as the thought surfaced, he found himself aghast by it.

How could he be so cruel?

No.

He wasn't being cruel.

He just hadn't slept all night.

And he was being blackmailed and had his family under constant threat of death if he didn't do as a villain said.

... maybe he had a reason to be irritated with friend's behavior; even though he shouldn't allow himself to feel such a way.

With a sigh, Shouji murmured a quick 'yup' and then Tokoyami was leaving to join the rest of the class to eat some breakfast.

This was going to be a long day.

~..~..~

I will not make promises for a quick update because time has proven those mean little to nothing- what I will promise is an update.

I Hope y'all enjoyed this!