If you ever wake up from a dream confused, know that it's because there is no more disorienting thing than living in reality.

Bubbles burst as they rise to the surface of a Nomu preservation tank. Suspended by tubes feeding into him, supplying him with oxygen just as electrical wires transfer energy into his modified body, Chizome Akaguro is mildly aware of his supported system. The way that there's no ground for his feet to reach whilst he floats in a bath of chemicals is disorientating. That's the only way to describe his constant dream-like state as of late … a foggy daze just on the brink of delusion. He's in a constant flux of fighting but feels as though he's surrendered his freedom to fight of his own conviction.

Eyes closed, he allows himself to lull to sleep. He does so as he thinks about the will of his blades. He remembers the importance of conviction to a cause.

The aching in his limbs ebbs and flows like a tide. Yet, the saliva in his mouth has dried just like the blood crusted around his wounds. What scars aren't exposed are wrapped in bandages, stained red by the liquid that bled through the gauze. His head throbs and his vision stirs when he tries sitting up. Instantaneously, he lays back down with a groan.

Faintly at first, the childish form of Chizome Akaguro hears a deep voice coming from his left. His ears tune in when he turns his head to look in the direction of the source, the sound much clearer then. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever wake up", someone was alerted to Akaguro's discomforted noises.

Akaguro squints to see who. But his eyes are still too bleary to make anything out just yet. Not to mention the slender shape is squatting in a shadowed corner with their back turned. "Wh- Who are you?", the boy strains to ask his question just as much as he struggles to get a good look at the other person occupying the room.

What he gets in response is an amused grunt. Akaguro isn't sure why the stranger finds that line of questioning so funny. Until he sees the shimmer of steel across the person's crisscrossed legs. It looks like a sword, the motion of the figure's arm polishing the blade. In his current state and making out that type of weapon at the very least, Akaguro isn't expecting the person's response to be, "I'm the man that saved your life."

Akaguro's eyes flick between the katana and his wounds. A combination of shallow and deep gashes along his body tells a different story. Then again, he IS resting on a cot with bandages to cover those injuries. Uncertain of what to say or do, he settles for a wobbly, "Thanks?"

The stranger grunts again in some form of acknowledgement before gesturing with a back tilt of their head, "Drink", getting Akaguro to turn his own head the other way momentarily. A metallic canteen sits beside him on a stool that's been turned into a makeshift nightstand. Akaguro must take too long with his indecision to take it since the voice he's gotten accustomed to adds, "I would have left you to bleed out instead of poisoning you if I wanted you dead."

And Akaguro has to admit that his self-proclaimed savior does have a point there. He figures he could have also been slain in his sleep. After one more second of hesitancy, the boy takes a swig from the canteen to wet his parched mouth. It's only then that he realizes how thirsty he is. Gradually, he goes from sips to greedily downing the entire tin of water. Once he's finished, Akaguro wipes his dripping chin with the back of his hand.

Then he turns his head back towards the stranger in the shadows. He musters up the courage to ask, "So.. Why DID you save me?", while still trying to peer through the dark in order to identify his supposed rescuer, "You're not any hero that I recognize."

This time, Akaguro gets a humored huff instead of a grunt. Though the response that the injured boy gets isn't very much of a laughing matter to him, "Yeah. I'm far from a hero, kid" Chills run down the base of the boy's back as whatever blood hasn't been spilled from his body turns cold at the implications of that statement. "Any so-called hero would have dumped you off at a hospital and left you to be somebody else's problem on a good night", there's a hint of disdain in the anti-hero's tone that gives Akaguro even more goosebumps.

He's not sure if he even wants to know the answer, so Akaguro dithers a little before asking through bated breath and a stutter, "If you aren't a hero.. Th- Then who are you?"

That's when the figure finally stands tall and unveils themself from the confines of the shadows. Slightly hunched, and still missing a nose like the nostrils of a skull, Akaguro recognizes the cloaked grim reaper visage. Crazed eyes match the man's unruly tangle of hair, but his tone speaks with a premeditated and calculative mind. "I'm the one who keeps them in line", death incarnate says with pride.

Akaguro opens his mouth to respond, but there's a lump in his throat that has lodged itself too tight. That familiar cold shiver running down his spine creeps out in the form of sweat, dampening the gauze wrapped around his trembling frame. The boy puts a name to a face. He recognizes the man towering over him not just from last night, but puts two and two together via reputation in the media. Akaguro finally finds his voice and manages to say, "Y- You're the hero killer.. Stain", the expression on the man's face confirming the identification.

Stain nonchalantly sheaths his katana, as though the action is as casual as having a seat. Sensing the kid's anxiety based on his sheer presence alone, the hero killer tries not to over exaggerate rolling his eyes, "Don't expect any autographs, kid" He takes a subtle step back to ease the tension a little, for the squeamish boy's sake.

Akaguro tries crawling back on the bed in an attempt to increase that distance between them, but his wounds burn in protest. His eyes fall to his lap as he stammers out, "B- But .. why?" Afraid to take his eyes off the hero killer for too long, he glances back up with tears brimming the edges of his vision, "Why would a villain save my life?"

Stain's face scrunches into a frown for a split second, akin to a flinch. And then the hero killer growls out a response upon being labeled a criminal, "Once you see the world as it is, you become villainous", but Akaguro has to strain a little to hear. Brushing off the low tone, Stain speaks louder to say the next part of his response, "You're strong willed to have carried yourself the way you did last night. I wanted to know if what I saw was true."

But Akaguro is still at a loss. For words and belief. His timid tremble doesn't diminish in the slightest as he pushes through the pain to draw his knees up to his chest. "Wh- What do you mean?", his voice squeaks as meek as a mouse.

Stain tilts his head, taking in the poor sight. He inspects the weak and frightened child with an interest that looks beyond what's on the surface. There's something he's searching for within the thin frame of the kid, behind all those bandages and tears. The judge, jury, and executioner of hero society hums in contemplation before prompting the boy to speak, "Tell me.. Do you wish to be a hero?"

And what Stain was looking for can be found within the boy's eyes. The faintest glimmer within the red orbs that unconsciously react to that question. The kid's gaze hardens with a resolve that doesn't match the rest of his body. But Stain knows what the boy's answer is before it's given, "Of course.."

"Just like every other kid your age. It's to be expected", Stain won't settle for a brat's pipedream lacking authentic ambition though, "But I want to know WHY you want to be a hero so badly."

The rephrasing and specification catches Akaguro by surprise, making him falter. His hands clench his knees as he wracks his brain for the correct answer. "I..", but nothing comes.

"Money? Fame?", Stain throws out some suggestions to test the waters. If the boy has superficial reasons for chasing the hero fantasy, then he'll surely bite at the bait.

"No! None of that..", but Akaguro has a knee jerk reaction to deny those intentions. He reacts almost violently in the way he snaps, something Stain notes internally; it's possible Akaguro has similar convictions to him about being a hero. Buried deep down. Which is odd when that vengeful side doesn't match what the boy says next, "I want to save people with a smile" Stain cocks his head curiously, interested to know what that means and quietly asking for elaboration. Akaguro obliges, "Like All Might."

Stain grins at the mention of the number one hero. "All Might.. Now there's a true hero", he agrees that the man who's solidified himself as the symbol of peace deserves the idolization, "You've got good taste, kid" Speaking of taste, Stain stops when he's reminded of the bitter pills he kept out for the boy's treatment. He grabs a few to hand over, "Here. Take these. It'll help with the pain."

Akaguro tentatively takes them, hand shaking. He swallows the medication before daring to ask, "W- Why do you care so much?"

"Because no one else will", Stain's immediate response freezes the already chilled blood within Akaguro's veins. And the weight of those words crushes the metaphorical ice, breaking the boy down. The child shivers, half expecting condensation in the air as he breathes through his mouth. Stain then asks, "Are you blinded by hero worship like the other children your age?"

Something about the way Stain said that sounded like an accusation, almost offending the boy. So the boy retorts with what he believes is the perfect validation, "Heroes deserve to be idolized for the good that they do."

The hero killer shakes his head in disapproval. It's hard to catch what he says, but Akaguro swears he hears Stain muttering something under his breath. "It's always the most brilliant minds that are the most damaged", the quiet grumbling is just barely decipherable. If he could hear what was said, he would wonder who the hero killer was referring to, not considering himself.

"Heroes put their lives on the line for us! To protect us! Save us!", Akaguro suddenly gets the urge to defend his idols. He feels they're being unrightfully looked down upon. But it's only after he's already shouted his argument that he realizes who he's yelling at. He recoils, reminded to be afraid, very much afraid. He's in the presence of a villain. He stammers a little quieter as he loses his bravado, "Th- They put others before themselves.."

Much to his relief, Stain doesn't appear displeased by the outburst. If anything, Stain looks delighted. "At least you know what the definition of a true hero is", he agrees with Akaguro's sentiment to some extent apparently. Though that's only to an extent. The hero killer sneers as he counters Akaguro's argument, "But not all so-called heroes are like that", and practically spits out the last part, "Certainly not ones like Endeavor."

Akaguro's eyes widen at the mention of the number two ranked hero. Certainly a hero who climbed to such heights couldn't be doing a poor job. Endeavor had brought down nearly as many villains as All Might over the years, the two practically in competition with one another. Not to mention his indomitable firepower. Akaguro's curiosity gets the better of him and he forces himself to ask, "Wh- What's wrong with Endeavor?"

"What isn't wrong with that dumpster fire?!", Stain snarls with what can only be pure unbridled hatred for the number two hero. Akaguro flinches back at the sudden shout, more than startled by the hero killer's fury. "He has no regard for civilian lives. He only cares about his placement in the hero rankings like it's some sort of leaderboard in a game", spit flies from Stain's mouth as he provides his criticisms before landing one final venomous hiss, "He's a FRAUD!"

Akaguro stares wide-eyed at the hero killer, pondering the criticisms to himself. He hadn't considered the competition between Endeavor and All Might for the top spot in the rankings as an actual motivation for either of the heroes, but now he can see with a bit of hindsight what the rivalry means to Endeavor based on past interviews. Even so, Akaguro shakes off his disturbed thoughts and chooses to look for the best in heroes. He asks quietly under his breath, "B- But.. What does it matter so long as he's saving people and stopping bad guys?"

He hadn't expected Stain to hear him nor actually provide an answer. But the hero killer does. Stain sighs like what he says next is common knowledge, "Ulterior motives are what separates the good guys from the bad guys, kid" But it's the first time such a thought crossed Akaguro's mind. And it resonates.

"O- Oh..", Akaguro mulls over that statement and begins to understand. At least a little. It's a bit like his mother explained to him once about men doing her favors in his father's absence; they had expected something in return instead of doing those things out of the goodness of their hearts.

"Which is why I bothered to patch you up and bring you back here", Stain draws Akaguro's attention again; he's holding up a familiar notebook, "Tell me about this."

The cover reads 'Hero Analysis For The Future No. 12'. He gasps, recognizing it as his own recordings of hero fights and analysis. But he's much too ashamed and embarrassed by its contents and purpose to admit to anything. So he instead tries to brush it off, avoiding eye contact, "Th- That's nothing.. Just a stupid dream.."

Stain's infamous grunt of amusement returns in substitution of a raised eyebrow. He flips open the cover, flipping and thumbing through the scribblings on all of the pages. "I had plenty of time to read through it. I'd say it's certainly SOMETHING. And stupid isn't the word for it", Akaguro watches warily when he thinks for a fleeting moment that Stain sounds impressed.

Shaking off that thought and berating himself for being so uncharacteristically egotistical, he returns his gaze to his lap. "I can't be a hero anyways, so you don't have to worry about judging me", he instead chooses self pity over pride.

Stain glances up from the notebook in his hands to ask, "And why is that?"

Akaguro's fingers curl inwards, balling his hands into fists. If he hadn't cut his nails recently, he's sure they would have dug into his skin and made his palms bleed. "I'm..", his frustration cuts himself short. His body shakes for a different reason now. He has to shut his eyes to force back the waterworks as he explains, "I've got a villain's quirk."

He keeps his eyes closed, unwillingly to see what kind of expression Stain must be making. Akaguro had seen them all. The looks of disgust. Pity. Heck, even fear. Afraid to 'catch' his villainy like it's some kind of disease. Or that the villain may use his villainous quirk on them. Though he doubts the hero killer would feel that last one; Stain doesn't seem like the type to get scared. He hadn't considered it until now, but perhaps Stain will cut him down. Akaguro has had his fair share of beatdowns for his quirk that he wouldn't be surprised if his condition got him killed.

Imagine Akaguro's surprise when he hears Stain say, "That doesn't appear to matter if your intentions don't align with that of a criminal's."

Akaguro's eyes snap open in shock, head whipping up to stare at the hero killer. Stain's face looks dead serious. He's not pulling some sort of cruel trick. Akaguro shakes his head as he repeats what he's been told his entire life, "Y- You can't be a hero with a villain's quirk.."

"A quirk means nothing. Will and courage is everything. The will to act", Stain speaks with such absolute certainty that the words cut deeper into Akaguro than if the hero killer were to use his katana. There's a strong conviction in the man's voice that makes Akaguro's heart beat like a wardrum. Stain is practically saying the desire to save someone is more important than the ability to do so. "A hero is made by their heart, not their power", the confirmation is spoken in Stain's own words.

"B- But.. Unless you're strong like All Might, then how can you stop bad guys?", Akaguro's brain is boggled over the prospect of being able to stand on the same footing as the number one hero.

"Not everyone is as strong as All Might", but Stain reminds Akaguro that there are indeed other heroes not like All Might. There are heroes not in the top ten who still make a major difference in society. Underground heroes who don't even receive credit and remain out of the spotlight have quirks less suitable for high stake combat. Maybe Stain is right. "That's what weeds out the difference between the weak and the strong", and then the hero killer adds that.

Akaguro finds himself staring at the open palms of his hands. They aren't as massive as All Might's. They're hardly even calloused. "I don't know what to do without a powerful quirk though", malaise melts the boy's voice to a low whisper.

"There are other strengths you can find within yourself", Stain taps the side of his head with a finger from his free hand. If that gesture isn't enough, he also holds up the hero notes that he's holding in his other hand for extra emphasis, "Your analytic abilities, if you were to hone them.." Akaguro stares at the hardcover of the book as he processes the hero killer's words. As though he can hear the negative argumentative thoughts within the boy's head, Stain adds, "If you knew how to fight, you wouldn't have ended up like you did last night."

Akaguro involuntarily sits up straight, a little more than a flinch. But then he remembers that Stain isn't his mom or a teacher. And that even if he wanted to hide his wounds, the man had cleaned and wrapped them himself. "Oh.. That..", the boy stares down at the mummified state of his body as he recalls the events leading up to now. "They're stronger than me", he shrugs slightly.

"Only because you lack the conviction to fight back", Stain's grunt is without humor this time.

But Akaguro shakes his head in denial. "I don't want to bully anyone! I just want to stop them from bullying others", he grabs handfuls of the bedsheet sprawled across him in frustration. He clings to the fabric, grip tightening.

Stain stares at the boy incredulously. "You took that beating for someone else?", he considers how heroic of an action that is to sacrifice oneself. He begins believing that he made the right decision in bringing the boy back to his home.

But Akaguro misinterprets the question. He huffs, a cross between an unamused laugh and a scoff. "I'm pretty good at being a punching bag", and shrugs again. He doesn't let go of the bedsheets.

Stain smiles ever so slightly, a small shape on his lips that's easily missed. There's hope for the future generation of heroes yet. The boy had proven without realizing it himself that he can save lives; all it takes is the selfless heart of a true hero, not power. Stain drops the hero analysis notebook on the bed as he asks, "What's your name, kid?"

"Ak-", Akaguro starts to answer. But stops short. He remembers that Stain is the hero killer; a villain. Having already started to say the first syllable of his name, he works with that to come up with something else on the fly, "Akatani.." The fake name sounds foreign and strange on his tongue as he tests it. Then he notices Stain waiting to hear the rest. "Ah! Aahh..", Akaguro scrambles to come up with the rest of his newly crafted alias and uses his stalled substitute for 'um' to do so, "Ah.. ? Ah, Akatani Mikumo!"

Stain stares with what can only be described as a deadpan look. Having witnessed the flailing and brainstorming, he isn't easily fooled. "You're lying", his tone holds a warning that Akaguro not try withholding the truth again.

"Sorry..", the boy recoils at Stain's tone as he apologizes. Realizing he has no other choice, he swallows his nerves in order to push them down and provides his real name, "Izuku Midoriya."

Suddenly, the boy before the hero killer is entirely different from Chizome Akaguro. Rather, it's Akaguro who has taken the role of his past mentor, becoming the hero killer. The kid on the cot is the one he fought in the alley. The one he vaguely remembers fighting a second time. His glimpse into the past blends with the future. His memory, his recollection, is hazy and malformed like the rest of his mind.

Stain continues staring at Izuku with a suspicious eye. His gaze is fixated on the green curls atop the boy's head. "Midoriya..", Izuku's actual name sounds faker than Akatani Mikumo. But Stain doesn't test it. He accepts the name with a nod before asking, "Do you wish to be a hero? A TRUE hero?"

Izuku's grip on the bedsheets loosen ever so slightly. He looks up at Stain. The glint in his eyes that the hero killer had seen before has returned. "Yes", even the boy's voice holds the conviction he has in his stare.

Stain's smile returns, but this time, it's much more noticeable. "Then.. Become my apprentice", Izuku bristles at the hero killer's offer, "I'll give you the proper tutelage to become what you desire to be. Better than the frauds."

Izuku feels queasy. Like he's going to be sick. He's always wanted to be a hero, not a villain. How a villain could teach him how to be anything other than a criminal, he just doesn't buy it. But then again, this isn't the average villain. Stain at least seems to have morals and values. Plus there's no telling what the man will do if Izuku were to turn down the offer. "I- I don't know..", he nervously fiddles with the cloth on the bed while trying to stall for time with his answer.

"Izuku Midoriya", but Stain demands the boy's undivided attention. His voice booms like thunder, his words like lightning striking the boy in the heart as he says, "YOU.. Can become a hero."

Izuku had never heard that before. From anyone. Not even his own mother. His heart stops for more than a second, skipping a few beats. There's no stopping the waterworks. If Stain were the storm, Izuku's tears are the monsoon. He sobs heavily and uncontrollably. The boy bends over, trembling hands shifting from the bedsheets to his chest. A maelstrom of emotion overwhelms him, barely contained by the bandages bound around his body. He had always dreamt of the chance to become a hero. To hear someone say it's possible.

"Why did it have to be you.. ?", Izuku cries in between fits of wailing. Spit and snot streams with tears down his face as he curls into himself even further. He wishes he could have heard his mother say that. Or the boy he grew up with, Kacchan. Maybe it'd have been too much to hope for his idol to tell him what he always wanted to hear. Perhaps in another life he'd have been spurred on by All Might himself, he imagines. But to hear it from a villain. One that has killed heroes and continues to do so. He's conflicted by the onslaught of emotion.

Izuku feels the aching from within battling for dominion over his physical pains. It's just too much. He gradually lifts his head to look at the man in front of him. No longer does he see a figure of death. His heart begins beating again. Like a rebirth, Izuku uncurls from his balled up shape. He wants to get stronger. He wants to become a hero. He wants to know why someone would want the same of him. "Why call yourself Stain?", Izuku's tears make the smudged figure appear as such, stained into his sight.

Stain stands taller, losing his hunch. He has a presence that towers over Izuku. "I want to leave a lasting mark on society. A deeply rooted one that can't be wiped away, no matter how hard they try", the hero killer speaks with a strong willed spirit that holds extreme conviction. He stains the soul of Izuku Midoriya, "A stain."

Chizome Akaguro reopens his eyes, remembering the crux of his origin even if it's been tainted. That boy, Izuku Midoriya, is just like him. A desire to be a hero. A villainous quirk. A villainous appearance… The blades attached to the man's arms glisten in the glow of the murky liquid. He recalls Izuku's chainsaw form. They're two sides of the same coin.

He stirs from within the confines of his preservation tank. Finally, Akagaro feels awake again. Stain has a reason to return. If he hopes to recover his memory and continue to carry out his mission, he feels he needs to find and confront Izuku Midoriya. The pointed tips of his bladed arms pierce the glass of the tube he's in, chipping into it until it cracks fully.

Akaguro breaks free, blue liquid spilling out with him. Escaping from his containment, he uses his katanas to hack off the wires and everything else holding him back like puppet strings. As his dripping form rises up, shrouded by darkness, he finds the resolve to his conviction.

Katana Man must face Chainsaw Man.

Kyoka swings her katana down, practicing chopping motions. It feels good to hold a sword in her hands again. It's not only a weapon that she feels she's able to fall back on should she not be able to rely on her quirk, but it reminds her of the lessons she gave Izuku. A swipe of the blade curves and cuts at an unnatural angle. She sighs. That was a sloppy swing. Any time her thoughts trail back to the boy, she loses her edge.

So she does what she does best when she needs to focus. She sings. Out here in the wide open space of a forest with nobody to overhear her, she has no problem doing so. Besides, this IS a training camp. Honing her voice is just as important as her quirk. The girl chops with her katana again, this time humming to the whistle of the sharpness slicing through air. Birds begin to join in, chirping along.

She uses both of her hands to wield her sword, holding them together in front of her. "Pray sinner, pray sinner, say a prayer for me" Light gleams through the leaves of the trees shielding her in shade while she closes her eyes. "A prayer for me…"

"My blood runs cold", the last time that she saw Izuku was right after he fought Stain, "Like the killer you know" Little does she know that he'll be fighting the monster again, this time much more-so a monster. "The killer you chose…", she can only pray he doesn't become one himself, "The devil you know."

And as she does, she bends her knees. "Plead sinner, plead sinner, plead to God for me" A stance with her sword mimes the one she taught Izuku. "Plead for me…"

She can hear her own breath, low and steady. While the thrumming from within is a war drum. "This heart beats cold", it's a sound that reminds her of Izuku, "Like the devil his own."

Kyoka practices her swordship skills as she continues to sing. It's a symphony swallowed by the mountains. Within those trees, the rest of Class 1-A trains too. Tokoyami dwells in the dark of a cave, containing Dark Shadow. "The devil you know…", Kyoka's mind wanders from Izuku to the boy's childhood friend, "The devil you know" Katsuki Bakugo burns his hands while Shoto Todoroki casts fire as well. Hellflame rises.

Class 1-B trains within the terrain as well. "Pray sinner, say a prayer for me" Ibara Shiozaki kneels in the dirt, the vines atop her head stretching to become one with the nature of the world around her. "Pray for me", Kyoka's lyrics are in tune with the girl's presence.

And it's then that she ends her song, reopening her eyes. Izuku is still absent from the rest of them. And yet, they all train as hard as they can.

"The devil you know…"

AUTHOR'S NOTES

The song Kyoka sings this chapter is Devil You Know by Blues Saraceno for anyone interested.