A/N: Okay, I'd like to start this chapter by thanking everyone for being patient with the story so far. I know it hasn't really differentiated from the original series thus far, but that's about to change now. I'm not saying that this will derail the original plot entirely, but there will be more noticeable changes from here on in.

With all that being said, please enjoy the chapter!

P.S. If you haven't put in your vote for the poll that I mentioned last chapter, make sure to go do so now, as I'm still taking votes.

Phase 1: Chapter 7

Fatal Risk

From above the scene of battle, Kurai and Midoriya watched as Aizawa tore through the ranks of villains with seemingly little effort, never hesitating, striking swiftly with unnerving accuracy. "Wow, I guess he doesn't need any help," Izuku muttered.

"This isn't the time to be analyzing!" Iida called back from where the rest of the class was retreating. "We need to get out of here!"

"He's right," Kurai said as he turned his back on the battlefield. "C'mon. Much as I hate to leave someone to their own devices like this, it's out of our hands." Setting off at a swift jog, he and Midoriya hurried to rejoin their class' retreat.

They were about halfway to the exit with the sounds of battle fading behind them, when Kurai felt that uncomfortable shiver race down his back again. Before he could call out a warning to his comrades, a shadowy vortex opened up between them and the exit gate, growing to be at least four times their height. Unlike when it appeared at the fountain, however, the shadow now had a pair of gleaming yellow eyes near the top, which glared down at them with undisguised malice.

And from the shadow spoke a powerful, echoing voice. "Hello there," it said to them as they skidded to a stop, Thirteen at the head of their group. "We are the League of Villains. I know it's impolite, but we decided to invite ourselves into this little haven of justice."

While the voice was speaking, Kurai quietly readied his quirk for a barrage of energy blasts. Running from villains when his teacher told him to was one thing. But if an enemy was standing in their way of escape, he was prepared to not hold back out of self-defense.

"Wouldn't you all agree that this is a fitting place for All Might to take his last breath?" the shadow-villain asked of no one in particular. "I believe he was supposed to be here… I suppose there was a change in plans that we could not have foreseen."

"Hrah!"

"DIE!"

Bakugo and Kirishima launched themselves forward, the former unleashing a devastating explosion while his comrade hardened his body to both protect himself from Bakugo's blast and tear through the dark villain.

"Kirishima, Bakugo, DUCK!" Kurai roared as he thrust his hands forward, sending out a barrage of yellow energy blasts into the smoky haze that Bakugo's attack had left behind. Even before the assault connected with their enemy, the two students had rolled backwards, out of harm's way.

Unfortunately, Kurai realized that none of their attacks had been successful when his Energon bursts slammed into the wall and door behind the villain. "No good!" he growled. "I don't know that we can hit this guy!" But I'll bet that he can hit us.

His suspicions were confirmed when the dark mist reformed from the remnants of the smoke, something metal glinting from within its depths. "You live up to your school's reputation," it said ominously. "But I have no time to waste on playing games with children. Now I'll scatter you across this facility to meet my comrades- and your deaths!" Shadowy tendrils shot out from the void, reaching for each of the students, even as the darkness itself washed over them. On reflex, Kurai shut his eyes and braced himself for a physical impact.

"Hikari!" he heard someone shout, just before he felt a jerking sensation, followed by a brief sense of weightlessness. The instant he opened his eyes, he was slammed on his side into a rough, rocky terrain. However, he had excellent reflexes that saw him to transforming his fall into a summersault that landed him right back on his feet before he could go further down what appeared to be a small mountain of dirt and rubble.

This looks like the landslide zone, he thought as he took in his surroundings, confirming to himself that he was, in fact, still within the USJ. At least we didn't get separated too badly- assuming everyone else is still in the complex.

"Looks like we have company," a calm voice said from a few feet to his left. Kurai turned to see Todoroki standing next to him, a neutral expression on his face as he gazed down the slope, where at least twenty villains were headed their way, chuckling ominously.

"Well, seeing as they've gone through the trouble to get themselves invitations, why don't we give them a proper welcome?" Kurai asked as he held two glowing balls of energy in his hands.

"I'll immobilize, you disable them," Todoroki nodded as he took a few paces to the left. From his right foot, a sheet of ice washed forth, freezing every villain in his line of sight solid, leaving only their faces uncovered.

"Nice," Kurai commented before hurling blast after blast at their exposed faces, knocking all of them out cold within a few seconds, save for one, a tall, muscular man with sandy-colored skin. "Let's see if we can't get some answers out of these morons." His comrade nodded in agreement, already on the move.

"This is embarrassing," Todoroki said as he strode toward the remaining villain. "Losing to a couple of children? For God's sake, put up a real fight." One villain that had managed to avoid the first ice blast erupted from the dirt to take a swing at the dual-quirked boy, only to have Todoroki move his head to the side and grab his club with his right arm, freezing him in place just like the rest.

"Listen up," he said as he allowed the would-be ambusher to fall on his face without a backward glance. "If you stay frozen, your cells will begin to die as your body succumbs to hypothermia and frostbite. Now, I want to be a hero, so that doesn't have to happen- we can avoid unnecessary cruelty." Stopping in front of the sandy-colored villain to place his wintry hand on his exposed face, he added ominously, "But I can only do that if you tell me what it is that you hope to accomplish here."

"Th-The b-big bird g-guy!" the villain stammered as he tried to speak through his body's attempts to shiver. "He's s-sup-posed to b-be able t-to k-kill All M-Might!" As Todoroki withdrew his hand, the villain sniffled, "P-Please, th-that's all I kn-know!"

"That wasn't very hard," Kurai commented as he hit the last two villains with an Energon burst apiece. "These guys seem like they're small-time, not elite criminals."

"True, but it doesn't seem as though they themselves plan to kill All Might," Todoroki replied as an intense wave of heat began to emanate from his left side. "My bet is that they were meant to kill us while All Might fought that monster they mentioned." Letting out a derisive snort, he added, "They severely underestimated us." By now, all of the unconscious villains had been freed from their icy shells, though the two students doubted that they would be getting up anytime soon.

"To be fair, we did just get out of junior high," Kurai said with a shrug. "How many kids our age do you know of that would be able to handle this kind of situation like we did?"

"Speaking of which, you kept your cool under dire circumstances even better than most of our classmates would have- and likely are," his classmate remarked as he looked him over with an appraising eye. "I didn't see you get in on recommendation, though it seems as though you easily could have."

"My father is Commissioner Hogo-sha," Kurai replied. "And you, you're Endeavor's son, right?" Todoroki stiffened with surprise, but before he could say anything, Kurai preempted him by saying, "Yeah, I notice stuff, too. In any case, I think we have better things to do than discuss our pedigrees. These guys plan to kill All Might? I say we get to work disrupting that plan."

"How so?" his classmate inquired. "From what I can tell, there are four or five people here that are truly dangerous, unlike these thugs. If it is their plan to kill All Might, and they went through so much trouble to sneak in here quietly, they may have well found a way to do it."

"Even so, it doesn't sit well with me to just wait around for another villain to jump us," Kurai said with a negative shake of his head. "I'm headed to the central plaza to join up with Mister Aizawa. At the least, he needs to hear about this, and maybe he'll have new orders for us."

"All right," Todoroki agreed. "In all honesty, I don't really see any other course of action, given the circumstances. You go ahead- I'll catch up and make sure no villains are following us."

"Thanks," Kurai acknowledged as he used his quirk to reinforce his limbs so that he could run ahead at high speeds. "Watch yourself, Todoroki."

"You do the same."

Kurai made it to the plaza just in time to witness something out of a nightmare. The pale man with hands gripping his body all over was laughing as the black-and-red monster was beating Aizawa into a bloody pulp. Judging from the amount of the red liquid staining the ground, he wasn't even sure that his teacher was still alive. All around that grotesque scene, there were perhaps a dozen villains left that the pro hero hadn't managed to get around to.

Pushing his quirk to the maximum that his costume would allow, he shot forward, clearing the space between himself and the brutish monster in the blink of an eye, reaching for his brother's gift as he did so. Let's hope that this thing works! he thought in a brief moment of panic.

Hitting a silver button on a cylindrical object about a foot in length, he felt some of his power being drained, but only for a split second. A yellow blade flashed to life as he swung it at the monster holding his teacher, right at the elbows.

The next instant, he had Mister Aizawa slung over his shoulder a few dozen yards away from the beast, which was now missing its arms from the elbows down, a blank look on its grotesque face that showed no signs of pain or surprise. The thick appendages twitched a couple of times by its feet, but other than that, the monster stayed completely still.

"That's freaky," he muttered as he threatened any of the other villains that were dumb enough to get too close to him with his sword. A 'photon blade' his brother had labeled it, though they both knew it was just to avoid a copyright strike from Disney Studios. "All right, you all saw what my saber did your big ugly friend over there," he said warningly. "Stay back, and no one else ends up in pieces!" The weapon had been modeled after the swords of Zakuul royalty, a style that Kurai had long been enamored with.

"You… stupid kid…" Aizawa grunted, surprising his student. "I told you… to run…"

"Tried that, we got warped to the landslide zone," Kurai informed his instructor. "I know Todoroki is on his way, and I suspect that the rest of the class was scattered to other places in the USJ. I can't account for anyone else, though." The whole time, no one made a move, except for the pale man, who was scratching his neck furiously, muttering feverishly, though Kurai couldn't tell what he was saying.

"You need… to leave while you can," Aizawa urged him. "That monster… he's as strong as All Might."

"Yeah, I kind of guessed," Kurai muttered as he eyed the beast. "Is he even human?"

"Don't know… Run, Hikari. I won't tell you… again."

"Don't worry, I can get behind that idea," his student agreed in a lowered tone. "I'm really not too interested in finding out- Is that guy regenerating?!" His exclamation of surprise was drawn out when the hulking monster's arms began to spit out new muscles, bones, and skin. If Aizawa had something to say, it didn't come out as anything more than a slight grunt as he passed out of consciousness.

"Nomu here has super-regeneration," said a nasally, hoarse voice. Kurai looked over to see the hand-face villain giggling as his henchman finished growing back his arms. "Even if you can get past his shock-absorption with your sword, it won't stop him from coming back, even if there's just one little speck of his flesh left."

"Wait, which is it?" Kurai frowned. "His quirk lets him heal, or absorb impact?"

"Both," the skinny maniac laughed. "He's been bio-engineered to take down the so-called Symbol of Peace."

"Cool," Kurai deadpanned before hurling an energy blast at the villain, resulting in a small explosion. "Stupid villain," he added. "Monologuing is how the good guys win half the time, don't you know?"

"Sorry, you were saying?" the nasally voice said from within the dust that the bolt had kicked up.

"Oh, damn," the boy muttered. 'Nomu' had apparently put himself between his boss and the teenager, taking damage on the surface of his body from the laser, though the impact of the resulting explosion had done nothing to him.

Setting Aizawa down with his free hand while keeping his saber activated and in a threatening position, Kurai asked, "Okay, so what now? I apparently can't hit you because of your giant bird-brain there- plus I can't really leave my teacher- and you can't let him near me, because if he does get close, I'll turn him into sashimi."

The pale man laughed hysterically, saying, "You think you can take on the ultimate weapon that was created to kill All Might?! You're strong, kid, but nothing like that piece of trash."

"Wanna bet?" he said, hoping that his bluff might unsettle his opponents, even just a little. He knew he was more powerful than the average pro already, but he was nowhere near All Might's power. Not unless… Nope! Not going there!

The stalemate was broken when a duo of green-haired students broke onto the scene. Izuku punched out a couple of villains with his right hand, his left tucked close to his body the whole time. Asui roped up a few of the crooks with her tongue and smashed them into the others, taking care of the last of the minor threats.

"Hikari!" Midoriya called over his shoulder as he kept an eye out for any reinforcements. "Are you okay?"

"Just dandy, now that you guys are here," he grinned, relief flooding his limbs. "What took you so long?"

"We were dealing with some villains in the shipwreck zone," the frog-girl answered. "Midoriya thought we should come here and help out Mister Aizawa if we could."

"Well, you can still do that," Kurai told them as he leveled another energy blast at Nomu and the boss. "That big guy messed him up pretty bad from what I could tell. He needs medical attention, stat."

"Sure," Midoriya nodded. "But what about you?"

"I'm gonna keep these guys busy until reinforcements show up," he answered tightly. "Hopefully Kaminari got a message out."

"You're taking an awful risk," Asui pointed out. "That guy took out our teacher, and you think you can fight him off?"

"I'm not a pro, I know," Kurai replied, his eyes keen for any movement from their enemies. "But I'm not gonna let these guys get to any of you, just the same."

"Shigaraki," said a familiar voice that chilled the students, just before the shadow villain appeared beside the thin man.

"Kurogiri…" he replied, sounding annoyed. "Did you block their exit like I told you to?"

"I scattered the majority of the students across the facility, but there were a few that I was unable to disperse," his henchman answered. "One of them got outside, and will likely return with faculty members of U.A."

While he was speaking, Kurai made urgent motions with his blade for Midoriya and Asui to leave with their teacher. Fortunately, they did so, though it was clear that the boy was reluctant to leave his friend alone.

Meanwhile, Shigaraki was scratching his neck in a frenzy again, this time hard enough to make himself bleed from some shallow cuts. "Kurogiri, you fool…" he seethed. "If you weren't our exit, I'd tear you apart, atom by atom!"

"Hey, Hands-On!" Kurai taunted him. "How's about you pack it in and leave now, while you can? Teachers will be here any minute, and then you guys are screwed."

He thought that Shigaraki might be looking at him from behind the hand covering his face, but it was almost impossible to tell. However, he did stop scratching himself before saying, "You pesky little brat… I may not be able to kill All Might today, but… Hehe… Nomu, kill him."

Knowing what was coming, Kurai swung upward almost before the beast moved, slicing his arm off again as he leaped backwards, narrowly avoiding the claws on Nomu's other hand. This guy's too fast! He thought, sweat lining his brow. It's gonna be do or die, I suppose.

Nomu was already charging at him, so he did the one thing he could think of, hurling his sword at the monster, its own momentum carrying it directly into the path of the whirling light. There was a sound akin to water hitting a red-hot piece of metal, then Nomu's top half fell off of its waist, sliding to a stop just inches from where Kurai leaped away from.

That buys me a few seconds, he thought as Nomu's lower and upper halves started crawling toward each other awkwardly, the flesh yearning to be whole once again. Strangely, no blood spilled out from the grievous wound, though it hardly mattered to Kurai.

Mother, Father, forgive me, he thought with heavy heart as he yanked off his gauntlets and tore his chest piece away from his body, leaving him in nothing but a plain old gi. But if I don't do this, my classmates might not live to reach their own potential. I can't let that happen.

"You're quick, but surely you realize that no one is coming in time to save you, right?" Shigaraki laughed. "You're not a pro. You're just a child playing hero. You can't beat Nomu."

"Even so," Kurai growled, his fighting blood fully aroused, now that the pressure points to keep him calm were no longer being applied. "I will fulfill the obligations expected of a hero, and fight evil, just as my predecessors always have!" He could feel his every sense sharpening as the air around him began to swirl, drawing upward like a miniature tornado. A blue light sparked in his eyes while his hair stood on end, orange electricity crackling along his body. "You wanna kill All Might and my friends?!" he bellowed as energy flashed between him and his enemies. "You're gonna have to make it past me!"

"Fine," Shigaraki shrugged. "It doesn't matter if you have a flashy power, you're still not-"

Blam! Crack! Crunch! Kurai landed three blows in the time it takes to blink. The first two were delivered to the shadow villain, Kurogiri, rending the armor that Kurai had glimpsed before, and could now see clearly. The man in the dark gasped and groaned in pain, collapsing where he stood. The third punch socked Shigaraki in the stomach, sending him splashing into the water, and certainly breaking multiple bones.

Before he could celebrate, however, Nomu was upon him, reaching out to envelop him in a spine-shattering bear hug. Instead of trying to completely dodge, Kurai charged at the thing, nothing but a blur of orange and blue as he unleashed a blast of energy that tore through Nomu's side, and created enough of an opening for him to escape.

Where before the boy had unassuming features of black hair and brown eyes, now he was ablaze with an aura that matched his short orange hair and complimented his deep blue eyes. His speed was astounding, his strength awe-inspiring, and the power he exuded, terrifying.

Whirling around with all the force of his body, Kurai slammed Nomu with a devastating kick that sent ripples across the water and generated a strong enough wind blast to shatter many of the lights in the USJ. However, it seemed to do nothing to the villain himself, because as soon as he was done regenerating his flesh, he went right back to trying to vivisect Kurai.

The boy was just too fast at this point, though, and he nimbly dodged swipes and even attempts to bite him. When Nomu finally threw a proper punch, Kurai countered with one of his own, stopping the blow in its tracks, though he could tell that his knuckles were going to bruise badly from that. Good, he thought with a fierce satisfaction. I'm strong enough to counter his brute force now, even if just barely.

Switching gears, he began to let loose with a series of punches that Nomu mostly managed to block with his own fists, though Kurai did manage to get in a few shots. However, he did not possess Nomu's resilience to physical force, and so when the bird-faced monstrosity finally did manage to get a good shot in, he went flying into the fountain, destroying the stone and vanishing in a cloud of spray.

Not good… he thought as he coughed up blood, feeling the same substance beginning to trickle down his lip from his nose. Gotta end this now, if it's gonna happen.

"Hey, Beak Freak!" he shouted as he forced himself to jump high into the air, where he could get in a clean shot from above. Nomu's gaze snapped up to where he was with a predatory gleam in its normally vacant orbs. "I got something for you!"

Letting out a strange squawking scream, Nomu leaped up at Kurai, even as orange energy began to gather in between his palms, which he held at his side. "I've been saving this one!" he crowed once Nomu was about halfway up to him. Thrusting his hands forward, he roared, "Kamehameha!"

An orange pillar of light blazed out of his hands, smiting Nomu just before it could reach the young hero-in-training, disintegrating most of its body, and sending the remains down to crash into the ground, whereupon an explosion blew his head and left arm in separate directions.

Landing hard enough to create a small crater, Kurai became aware of a few of his classmates standing nearby, presumably having come to help subdue their enemies. Kirishima looked in awe of his power, Todoroki seemed surprised, while Bakugo was staring at him with some kind of mixture of a grudging respect and… fear?

Ignoring them for the moment, he turned toward Shigaraki and Kurogiri, both of whom were standing up painfully. "I beat your monster!" he shouted as he levelled his hands at the both of them. "Surrender or run!"

"No…" Shigaraki hissed, furiously scratching at his neck and shoulders, where some of his hands had been torn away. "No, no, no! It wasn't supposed to go this way! Nomu can't be beaten by All Might, much less one of his stupid kids!"

"Surrender or run!" Kurai repeated, more blood dripping from his nose, even as he began to feel a stabbing pain in his head, his arms trembling with the effort of keeping them up.

Shigaraki flinched at the words, and for a moment, Kurai thought that he might call it quits. However, much to his displeasure and worry, Kurogiri grunted out, "Do not be deceived, Shigaraki… He is in no condition to fight us- Nomu clearly wounded him. He's barely standing right now. We can at least destroy this student of All Might's as revenge for our losses today, if we work together."

Kurai tsked and fought to maintain consciousness as the pain in his head grew worse.

"Yeah…" Shigaraki nodded, calming down almost as quickly as he had become upset. "You're right. Okay, let's kill him, and then get outta here." So saying, he began to stalk toward the student, apparently ignoring the pain from his wounds.

"Not so fast!" Kirishima declared as he moved between the villains and his comrade. "You want him, you're gonna have to go through us."

"I don't care about that loser, but I'm still pissed at this guy for warping us!" Bakugo snarled as he stood by Kirishima, levelling his gauntlet at Kurogiri.

"The students of U.A. will not fall so easily to the likes of you delinquents," Todoroki added as he stood on the other side of Kirishima, his right side poised to freeze the water that Shigaraki was standing in solid.

"You're not hurting anyone else today," Kurai grinned savagely, even as his vision began to flicker and dim. "Because… ugh…" The last thing he saw before he fell into darkness was Nomu, fully reformed, charging at his classmates.

"I think he's waking up."

Ngh… Shut up… Kurai's mind felt slow, and trying to summon any memories was like trying to find a single fish in the ocean.

"He's been talking his sleep the whole while, how do you know he's going to wake this time?" a deeper, familiar voice asked.

"Judging by how much his eyes are moving underneath the eyelids, he's either having a nightmare, or about to awaken," said another voice that Kurai recognized. "Given that he isn't attempting to toss and turn like he has during previous REM cycles, I find it more than likely that he is coming around."

"Go away," Kurai grunted.

"See?" the second voice chuckled. "Wake up, Kurai. You've kept mother and father waiting and worried long enough as it is."

Huh?

In a flash, his memories of how he had lost consciousness returned. Battling villains alongside Todoroki, rescuing Aizawa, and lastly, his clash with the monster, Nomu.

His eyes shot open in a panic, only for him to hiss in pain as his optical sense was assaulted by a bright light. "Ow," he grunted.

"Take it easy, son," he heard his father say as a strong hand gripped his shoulder. "You've had quite the experience."

"Hello, Dad," he replied, keeping his eyes shut as his head continued to throb painfully. "Sorry to worry you and Mother."

"There will be time for us to be upset about your actions later on," the man laughed softly.

"We're just glad that you're safe now," he heard his mother say from somewhere to his father's left. "And although your father is correct, we will be upset about the risk you took later on, we are also proud of you."

"You are?" he managed to crack open his eyelids so that his eyes could get used to the bright light of a hospital room before he slowly began to unveil the covered orbs. "I don't think I even managed to save my classmates…"

"Actually, everyone is fine, except for a kid with green hair," Akarui said from the opposite side of the bed. "Apparently he broke his legs or something. All Might showed up in time to beat up that crazy bird-brain before he could get to your classmates."

"That's a relief," Kurai sighed. "I am sorry I overused my quirk, but that Nomu thing would have killed me and my teacher if I hadn't acted as I did." Another moment's alarm prompted him to ask, "Mister Aizawa! Is he-?!"

"He was in very bad shape, but it could have been much worse," his father interrupted him. "He is expected to make a full recovery, though there is a chance that there will be permanent damage to his eyes."

"I understand," the recovering student sighed, disappointed at the news. It was good that his teacher's health would recover, but he sincerely hoped that defending his class had not cost him his career as a pro hero.

"You were admitted with multiple lacerations to your back and arms, not to mention some cracked knucklebones, all on top of your aneurism. It's a good thing that Recovery Girl assisted with your treatment- the doctors expect you to make a full recovery," his mother informed him. "Though you'll likely have some lasting migraines for a couple weeks, so they want you to take it easy."

"According to your classmates, you could give All Might a run for his money," his father said as Kurai was finally able to focus his gaze on the man. He looked almost exactly like Kurai, except with about twenty years and a goatee added.

"Hah," Kurai laughed with a pained grimace. "Maybe, but I bet he doesn't end up in the hospital like me after fighting villains like that."

"Actually, he had to be seen by Recovery Girl, but he got out after one night," Akarui corrected him, surprising his brother. "He'll be fine, don't worry. That green-haired kid was telling us about it outside."

"Outside?" Kurai repeated. "Are my classmates waiting on me?"

"Yes, Iida and a few other kids have been coming here for the last couple of days," his mother nodded. She was a short lady with purple hair and eyes, which attributed to her quirk, 'Ultraviolet'. She had often joked that it wasn't fair how she had been the one to carry and give birth to her sons, only to have them both come out looking like their father. "They've been quite worried, but the hospital only allows family in until a patient regains consciousness. If you're feeling up to a visit, we can send them in, three at a time."

"Sure," Kurai nodded. "Tell them to temper their expectations, though. I feel terrible."

"We'll let them know to keep it short," his father assured him.

"Hey, who's the pink girl?" Akarui asked. "She seemed really-"

"Let's go, Son," Hogo-sha said firmly, escorting his youngest progeny out of the room with an arm around his shoulders. "You can taunt your brother later." His mother left with them, only pausing long enough to give him a kiss on the brow.

Kurai smiled, leaning back into the soft pillows that had enveloped his head as he cast his eyes about the room. Now that he was alone, he could see that he was in a private hospital room, featuring what he assumed was a fully furnished bathroom, a bench that could be turned into a pullout bed, and a large open window that afforded him a decent view of the city. He could hear machines beeping behind him, and feel electrodes on his chest and back, but he really didn't feel like moving to examine them more closely.

As the minutes ticked by, he wondered how long exactly it had been since he had lost consciousness. Judging by the IV drip in his arm and lack of thirst despite an empty stomach, it had likely been at least a day, maybe two or three.

He was wondering how he was going to catch up on school work when the door to his room was opened, and in came three people, muttering quietly among themselves. "Hey guys," he grinned weakly as he recognized his friends.

"We're so glad you're awake, Hikari!" Uraraka exclaimed as she ran around to be on the opposite side of the bed from the door. She was carrying a small vase full of some white flowers, Kurai wasn't sure which kind. "Deku and I got you these!" she added as she placed them on the window.

"Thanks, you guys," he said sincerely, touched by the gesture, even if he wasn't much of a flower guy. Turning to Midoriya and Iida, he added, "I was glad to hear that you all made it out of that mess okay."

"Yeah, well, it was a close call," Izuku laughed nervously. "Thankfully, Recovery Girl has been able to get me back on my feet."

"I was able to reach the teachers in time to bring reinforcements," Iida informed him. "But I doubt that they would have made it in time if you hadn't held off those villains and rescued Mister Aizawa."

"I get the feeling our class would have managed somehow," Kurai chuckled painfully. "How long was I out?"

"Three days," Midoriya informed him. "Classes are cancelled until next week, cos of the attack and police investigation, but we all go back on Monday."

"Here's to hoping I can make it out of here in time," Kurai sighed.

"If you don't, we'll be sure to bring you notes and homework so that you don't fall behind," Iida assured him, causing Kurai to roll his eyes.

"What a relief," he said, making no attempt to hide his sarcasm.

"Studies are important, and it's not as though you'll be doing much else!" his friend objected.

"Except for, you know, recovering from bleeding out of my brain," Kurai said wryly.

"Yeah, maybe let's just let him take it easy, Iida," Uraraka giggled.

"Who else has been stopping by?" Kurai asked, eager to get away from the topic of school work. Just thinking about straining his mind right now made him feel queasy.

"Well, let's see…" Midoriya muttered as he thought about it. "Su stopped by on the first day with Kaminari and Jiro, but they've been staying home since then."

"They did say that they wanted to know when you woke up, though, so I'll tell 'em later," Uraraka informed him.

"Kirishima and Ashido have also been here regularly with us," Iida added. "Oh, and Todoroki is downstairs as well. We tried to ask him why he came by today, but he hasn't said much of anything to any of us. Still, he's been waiting with us, so we assume that he's here to see you."

"He did mention that you two wound up working together against the villains," Izuku remarked. "Maybe he wants to see if you're okay."

"That'd be awfully nice of him," Kurai smirked. "And kinda out of character."

"Regardless, it's good to see you on the mend," Iida said with a smile. "You really had us all worried, Kurai."

"Sorry, but I thought protecting everyone at the risk of my own life was kind of what a hero would do," he smiled lightly. "That's what we're training for."

The trio stayed talking with Kurai for a little while, but they left after about fifteen minutes, aware that there were other people that wanted to see him. Bidding him farewell, they promised to come visit him in the morning.

Next to visit was Kirishima and Todoroki. Before he could wonder why Mina hadn't come in with them, the exuberant redhead was standing next to him, saying, "You, my friend, are the definition of manly!"

"Huh?" Kurai blinked in surprise while Todoroki stood to one side, his expression blank as ever, making it impossible to tell his current mood.

"Dude, you took on a monster that All Might had to beat, and you almost won, too!" Kirishima grinned. "That takes guts, power, and skill! I've never seen anything like what you and All Might did!"

"I'm just glad I lived through it," Kurai grunted. "Also, let's not do yelling. My head might still kill me."

"Whoops, sorry," his friend replied, making a conscious effort to lower his volume. "I'm just glad to see you doing okay. Feels like we've been waiting forever for you to wake up."

"I just came in today," Todoroki muttered.

"Yeah, speaking of, how'd you know he was gonna wake up today?" Kirishima asked him. "Are you psychic on top of your ice and heat?"

"No, I just had a gut feeling," the other boy answered.

"You know, you don't have to stand all the way over there," Kurai told him.

"I'm fine," he replied quietly.

"Okay…" Kurai said as he glanced at Kirishima, who shrugged in confusion. "Well, thanks for helping me out back at the landslide zone."

"Likewise," the half-and-half boy replied as he moved toward the door, apparently already leaving. "By the way, Ashido is waiting just outside the door. Said she wanted to talk to you alone." Then he was gone without a sound.

"I can never get a read on that guy," Kirishima muttered.

"That's the longest interaction I've had with him outside of a fight, but I get the feeling that's as social as he gets," Kurai shrugged. "And here I thought I was the introvert."

"Yeah, man, you seemed really quiet when we all started getting to know each other, not to mention you embarrass way too easy," his friend grinned crookedly. "But you've got a real fire in that heart of yours'. I get the feeling that when people joke about you being the next All Might someday, they might be closer to the truth than they originally thought."

"There's only one All Might," Kurai said with a negative shake of his head. "One Symbol of Peace."

"Only as long as you keep telling yourself that," Kirishima told him as he stepped back. "I'll let Ashido in now, since she wanted to talk to you by herself. Word of advice, though?"

"Huh?" the recovering boy asked, bewildered by the sinking feeling he had in his stomach.

"If you ever break her heart, super-powerful quirk or not, I'm gonna make sure they move you from a hospital ward to the morgue," the redhead said with a wicked grin before he opened the door, a dangerous gleam in his eyes. Then the look was gone, and he departed with the words, "Get well soon, buddy."

"Yeah, I'll… do that," Kurai replied, feeling supremely uncomfortable now. My classmates are all weird, he decided.

No sooner than he'd formed the thought than did a messy mop of pink hair and yellow horns pop through the door, followed quickly by Mina, who shut the door quietly behind her. "Hey," she said in an uncharacteristically quiet voice.

"Hi," he said with a small wave from his right arm, the one without the I.V. sticking out of it. "Everyone said you wanted to talk to me alone?" As he phrased the question, he felt an uneasy stirring in his chest, though why exactly that was, he couldn't fathom.

"Yeah, I did," she said shyly, not moving from her spot in front of the door. "Now that I'm here, though, the words aren't coming out like I planned them."

"Did you forget who you're talking to?" he said with a forced smile as he pointed at himself. "I think the only person more uncomfortable than me in social situations is Midoriya."

"I guess that's true," she grinned back, but he could tell that she was forcing it, too.

When the silence between them began to stretch, Kurai said, "Hey, mind coming closer? I'm having to strain my neck to keep looking at you over there."

"Oh, sure!" she said as she crossed the room to his bedside. "How, uh…? How are you feeling?"

"Well, my head is killing me, but I think the suspense might beat it," he said with a raised eyebrow. "What's up, Ashido?"

"W-Well…" she said, scuffing her foot on the floor as her cheeks blushed lilac. "I was just really worried about you, ya know? Wondering if you were gonna wake up, and all that…"

"Is that it?" he asked, confused. "I'm fine. Just a little nosebleed… from my brain. Nothing a three-day nap won't fix."

"Hikari, I'm serious!" she said, her caramel eyes flashing with traces of anger. "You almost died! That's really scary!"

"I know, I know," he said calmly, in an attempt to soothe any injured feelings. "I'm taking this seriously, I promise. I just try to deal with my fear by laughing it off, is all. It's how I cope."

"I guess I should be impressed that you cope with it at all," she said, the anger in her eyes fading as her shoulders slumped. "I've always known that heroes have to risk their lives for others, but what you and our teachers went through just made it more… I dunno, real, I guess."

"Reality check, huh?" Kurai asked quietly.

"Yeah."

"I guess I'm already more or less numb to that reality," the boy said somberly. When Mina looked a question at him, he asked, "Remember how I told you I have a cousin?" When the girl nodded that she remembered, he continued, "My father and his brother- my uncle- joined the police force around the same time. Both of them advanced rapidly through their precinct's ranks, and now my dad is the Commissioner for Musutafu."

"I thought I recognized him," Mina nodded. "That explains it. But where does your uncle come in on this?"

"There was a battle with some villains about ten years ago, when I was little," Kurai replied. "My dad and uncle ended up in a firefight with some of the bad guys, and they were badly outgunned. Most of the men and women with them were killed or retired from the force due to permanent injuries before the pros showed up. Within minutes, All Might and Endeavor had the villains rounded up and in cuffs. Unfortunately, our Number Two Hero was feeling pretty cocky, and he missed one of the villains that had a needle quirk. He was aiming to stab Endeavor, but my uncle saw what was happening and put himself between the villain and his target."

Closing his eyes, he sighed as he went on to say, "Killed him on the spot. Left behind my aunt and older cousin. Endeavor came to the funeral, supposedly to pay his respects, but he looked like he was in a hurry to get somewhere else the whole time. I remember being really angry with Endeavor for not caring that my uncle basically sacrificed himself for his sake, and wondering why we revered heroes so much, if that's what they were really like.

"But All Might was there, too, and I overheard him telling my cousin, Shukin, that even though his father wasn't a pro, he was the real hero that day, having seen the job through to the end. It was then that I seriously thought about becoming a hero- because All Might recognized that it's not even those with the most power that are heroes, but the people that risk everything to see justice done. I want to be a person that honors my uncle's sacrifice, whether I'm a pro hero or not. I certainly don't want to be a hero like Endeavor, a man who looks and acts the part in public, but couldn't care less about the people that he's supposed to be protecting."

"That's why you acted the way you did," Mina said softly as he opened his eyes again. "You'd rather see everyone else safe, even if it meant losing everything you had going for you."

"If my life is the price for keeping others safe, I will pay it gladly," Kurai nodded. "That, to me, is the mark of a real hero."

"That's really noble," his friend said. "Kinda makes what I came to say easier and harder at the same time."

"Come again?" he asked, now feeling really confused.

"You know how when we hung out on Sunday, I told you that I wouldn't wait around forever?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"I take it back," she said with slumped shoulders. "I'll wait until you give me a direct 'yes' or 'no'. Cos I know I'm never gonna find a guy willing to risk his life like that for his friends."

He blinked a few times in utter surprise before he said, "You do know we go to a school where people train to do exactly that, right?"

"Yeah, but that's the thing," she said earnestly. "A lot of people train to become that way- most of them aren't already here with that mindset. And I don't think that any of those people would give a slacker like me a second look, you know? You didn't run away screaming, or laugh at me. And now that I know you've got a real hero in there," she pointed at his heart before adding, "it's hard for a girl to wanna give up even a shot at being with somebody like that."

"Oh boy," he said blankly. "You do like to move fast, don't you?"

"I go with my gut, what can I say?" she said, her cheeks coloring lilac again. "So… do I have a shot?"

"Can I answer that when my brain doesn't feel like it just got punched by a sword?" he asked. "I'm not saying 'no', but I don't think I can make a decision like this when we're recovering from a life-and-death episode, both physically and mentally, in my case."

"I promise my feelings are genuine," she told him earnestly.

"And I believe you," he replied gently. "But you did say you'd wait as long as necessary to hear my answer, yeah? Then please give me a little time to think about all this. The part of my existence that's supposed to be making these decisions is kinda broken right now."

"Yeah, that's fair," she nodded, a little embarrassed. "I shouldn't expect an answer right now, you're right. But… soon?"

"Soon," he nodded. "Promise. And… I doubt it's my brain damage talking when I say that our chances are pretty good." He managed a smile at the last, which saw her own face light up.

Then she blinked and asked, "Wait, do you have brain damage?!"

"Not entirely sure yet, but the doctors are apparently pretty confident in my chances of full recovery, especially since they're letting me have visitors right after I've woken up," he said with a pained laugh. "But if Iida actually brings me homework while I'm in here, I might conveniently pass out again."

Mina laughed at first, then became more thoughtful. "What if… I brought you class stuff?" she volunteered shyly.

"Really?" Kurai asked with an impish grin. "You'd be willing to touch not one, but two piles worth of homework?"

"Only if you help me with it," she replied with a matching smile.

"You're really going out of your way to get me to say yes, aren't you?"

"I won't lie- it is a factor," Mina admitted. "So how about it?"

"Sure, as long as Iida doesn't find out," he nodded. "He thinks dating within the class is a bad idea, so if he sees us visiting- even just to do homework- he'll jump to conclusions."

"Is it a bad idea?"

"Not sure yet, but we'll likely find out sometime in the next few weeks," Kurai chuckled. "Thanks for offering to bring my schoolwork, Ashido."

"Drop the last name," she said with a cheery smile and a wink. "Call me Mina."

"You know, before I met you, I needed way more time to be comfortable with calling someone by their first name," he half-laughed. "But you certainly have a way of disarming people with your charm, Mina."

"Does this mean I get to call you Kurai?"

"I get the feeling you'd do that whether I give you permission or not."

"You're not wrong!"

Deku: So does this mean that the ship has set sail?

Mataras: Kinda? They're not exactly official. But what would we even call this particular ship?

Kurai: Mirai? Kuna?

Mataras: Let's see if our readers have any ideas about it.

Kurai: Fair enough... My head is killing me, anyway.

Mataras: Hey, you knew what would happen if you used that power. You're lucky to be alive.

Kurai: And who gave me that drawback?!

Deku: Does this mean that Kurai is as strong as All Might?

Mataras: HA! No. No way, not by a long shot.

Kurai: Then how did I-?

Mataras: Okay, lemme back up on that. When at full power, you're close to being on par with All Might as he is now, but as we've seen evidenced several times in the series, he's only at a fraction of his true potential anymore. If you want a visual for it, check out My Hero Academia Two Heroes, particularly the scene where David Shield is measuring All Might's energy output. We can see on the chart that at this point in time, All Might's maximum potential caps out about one-fifth of what he could do before he fought All For One.

Deku: I guess that makes sense, but we're still just kids. Does that mean that-?

Mataras: Yes, Kurai will get much stronger, but that will take time. It's not gonna happen overnight, but if he trains right, Energon has the potential to keep up with OFA and AFO. That's the premise of the story, after all.

Kurai: I thought the premise of the story was my death?

Mataras: What, there's only one premise allowed per story?

Kurai: Fair enough.

Deku: So... What happens next?

Mataras: A little bit of filler before we get started with the Sport's Festival, but only one chapter.

Kurai: Why, what's happening next chapter?

Mataras: That's what the preview is for. And speaking of, which... Deku?

Deku: You got it! Next time- Heartfelt

Kurai: Go Beyond!

Mataras: Plus Ultra!

Next Time on Your Hero Academia...

"Hey, Hikari," Izuku Midoriya said with a friendly grin as he stepped through the door, followed by his ever-present companion, Uraraka.

"Ack!" he all but yelped, flushing a deep red as he backpedaled, nearly falling over in the process.

"You doing okay?" the other boy asked with concern. "Do you need me to call a nurse?"

"No, just…" Kurai breathed, forcing himself to calm down. "You guys surprised me."

"Sorry, we are a little early," Uraraka said with a cheery smile. "Mister Aizawa has been letting us out early so we can train for the Sport's Festival coming up."

"That's in two weeks, rats!" Kurai grumbled, his embarrassment forgotten in his annoyance. "That means I get half the training time that everyone else does!"

"I'm sure you'll be fine!" the girl said encouragingly. "The only person I can see giving you competition is Todoroki."

"Don't count out Kacchan," Izuku replied. "He might be a jerk, but his quirk and his control over it are nothing to laugh at. I would know, having had to fight him."

"Eh, I'm with Uraraka," Kurai shrugged. "Yeah, he's got skill and power, but his temper is his biggest weakness, and it's easy to exploit. But speaking of controlling a quirk…" He met Izuku's eyes as he said, "Heard you broke your legs last week."

"Y-Yeah…" the other boy stammered. "I saw the villains moving to attack All Might after he was messed up from fighting Nomu, and I just moved in without thinking. Fortunately, the other pros showed up before I got hurt any worse."

"We can't rely on luck every time, though," Kurai muttered. "I wanna propose a trade, Midoriya."