Izuku's eyes lay flattened, as much so as his form under the hospital bed's thin sheets. "Well…", they flick left and right despite having a glazed over look, "If it isn't my two favorite people…" Sitting opposite of the boy are Makima and Nezu, the two visitors at a seated height level.

Nezu's small maw of a mouth morphs into something of a smile. "I may not be entirely human, Midoriya, but I do understand sarcasm!" The quirky creature straightens itself as it speaks.

Izuku blinks slowly before replying, "You I can understand and – somewhat – tolerate", he blinks again to hide the quick glance that he throws Makima's way, "But I still can't help but wonder why you're allowed in here… I thought U.A was done for.."

"Quite the frank way of putting it, and you were moved to the care of Miss Makima here regardless of the institution continuing teaching practician or not", Nezu nods along before ceasing the head bobbing with a clap of his paws, "But you're on the right track that those are not the reasons why I am here!" A beat of silence follows before the retired principal adds, "Either of us", along with a gesture towards Makima.

"Yeah..", Izuku holds his gaze on the red haired woman who operated as his boss and caretaker for a time, "You're uncharacteristically quiet for all of this…"

"Like U.A, the HPSC is undergoing… a change in management", Nezu speaks for her and regains the boy's attention with that explanation, "Makima's being here is not in regards to your heroics career either."

His eyebrows raise as though to curl into question marks without the dotting. "Okay.. I'll bite..", and he swallows as though to chew if he were to, "Then what's this all about?"

"Hmm.. Where to begin?", Nezu keeps his paws clasped together whilst he muses.

Makima's voice pierces the room so suddenly that Izuku and Nezu jump a little, "Let's lay all our cards on the table."

Nezu recovers quick enough, "She finally speaks", trying not to show that he had been startled.

"That's probably not a good thing", Izuku still feels a sense of unease but decides to piggyback on the former principal's lighthearted effort at releasing that tension.

"You can decide that after you hear us out", Nezu's semblance of a smile shakes and wavers as he gets serious, "I know I said this isn't pertaining to your teachings but how about a final lesson for old time's sake?"

"Is there anything even left to learn? From what I've been seeing and hearing, hero work is going down the drain", Izuku shifts uncomfortably to sit up straighter in his bed.

"The subject matter is more-so to do with history", Makima chimes in again. She sideyes Nezu, "Though there is a hero involved."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves", Nezu holds up a paw as though to silence her.

And yet, she continues talking. "Midoriya, what do you know about the origin of quirks?"

Izuku glances between the two as he hesitantly answers, "The same as everyone else.. The luminescent baby was the first and–"

"The first human to gain a quirk", Nezu drops all but one digit on his paw to emphasize the point of his interjection, "However…"

Izuku catches on. "Oh, you're talking about the quirk theories about animals being what passed those genes onto us, animals having quirks first."

"You're on the right path but there's a reason why not every animal had a quirk", Nezu keeps indicating what he's saying with his singular digit poised.

"And not every human", Makima's interjection makes Izuku look away from the mammal. He feels as though that was directed at him particularly, but for her to know he was born quirkless is something she shouldn't be aware of.

"Devils, otherwise known as monsters, have been known to roam the earth for centuries", Nezu's return to formula gets him off that train of thought and back on track when he goes back to listening, "They could take a variety of form and interact with the like of humans, which led to deals being struck and contracts being made" Except that what he hears is mind boggling and full of assumptions just the same.

"Wait..", Izuku thinks about Pochita and his promise to his pet when he was granted a quirk.

"Yes, Midoriya, your dear friend is a devil too", Nezu must see something in the boy's expression since he clarifies that thought with a confirmation.

"And you forged a contract with him to have a quirk, just like everybody else with their own inherited devils", Makima adds to that confirmation.

"Yours in particular though", Nezu motions to the scar crossing over one of his eyes, "Was quite rebellious."

Izuku almost flinches at that. The implications and the timeline of what could have transpired in the past makes him reconsider everything. Before he can ask anything, the two keep spilling more exposition.

"We have our own motives", Makima gestures to herself, "I to bring him out"

"And I to keep him restrained", Nezu gives the woman a glare with his beady black eyes.

"It's just a matter of making or breaking the contract", but Makima remains passive and coolly collected as she folds her hands in her lap.

"Yes", Nezu grinds through his teeth before returning his focus to Izuku, "Although a major shift in what we believed possible transpired when All For One forced the contract to become null and void for a while."

"I'm not sure I'm following", Izuku feels the string dangling from his sternum as he recalls blacking out during the Kamino Ward incident.

The boy looks to Nezu's dark eyes for answers. He expects to find none in the blackness of the voided sockets but they do begin to brighten. Into orange fiery glows. With rings of amber spiraling to their epicenter of depth and death. "I'm sorry to have hidden this all from you, and as such, it must indeed be very confusing…"

"There's no need to elaborate anyways", he recognizes that hellish gaze as Makima's and all seven circles illuminating those eyes.

"You say that like we aren't at a stalemate", the casual conversation Nezu has with her now excludes Izuku completely. Watching and listening as a spectator, he can feel the heat rising in the room.

"I did say we'd be putting all our cards on the table", Makima's smile is whimsical as she tilts her head playfully to the side. It's like predator and prey when Nezu's response is a stilled stare.

Then, there's a knock at the door. Izuku's head is the first to move, whipping towards it.

"Shall we answer that?", Makima's voice is behind him. It moves closer. Towards the door. Past him. And towards the door.

"What have you done?", Nezu's voice is a hushed whisper as he starts to stand.

"Hawks hasn't come to visit you because he's dead", but Makima ignores him in favor for talking to Izuku again, "I killed him!" Izuku nearly chokes on his gasp when hearing that. It's only worse when the cruelty of her joyful reveal carries on to a threat, "Just like everyone else I will take away from your life in pursuit of becoming a hero per your contract."

Izuku shudders when Makima reaches for the door handle but keeps her gaze looking back at him. "Just like your mother…", the warmth is gone and his blood runs cold.

"Kyoka?", his breath releases a cloud of condensation when he sees the girl come to visit him.

She appears as scared as him, "Izu-"

"Bang", and then she's gone.

Blood covers the room.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

It was recently brought to my attention that some YouTubers have been posting readings of this fic. Honestly, I think that's pretty cool and I don't mind, but I do ask that they give me credit as the author. Just thought I should address that particular development.

On another note, that and some of you all commenting still has been spurring me on, so I really appreciate it. For a while I felt like everyone lost interest in the fic and I started to lose motivation to write by extension. So, as you can probably tell from recent chapters, I'm at least trying to wrap everything up to give a decent payoff to anyone who's sticking around and still reading.