This chapter is a little different from the last one.

You could say it's a normal chapter while the last chapter simply shows the world from a new perspective, more of an 'interlude' chapter or a prologue. This, I'd argue, is the true first chapter of Part 2.

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Join it to be kept up to date with the story!

Enjoy!

Monday.

0700.

Musutafu City.

"Sor~aaaa!" A voice jolted me awake, or perhaps it was the rays of the sun beating down on my face. Maybe I wasn't asleep in the first place. I yawned, sitting up in bed as I rubbed my tired eyes, looking around the pitiful state of my room as I sighed. Boxes upon boxes, all packed up and ready to go at a moment's notice. "It's mooorrr~ning! Time to get up and eat breakfast!"

I peered down at my phone, staring at my reflection on the screen.

Dark brown hair as opposed to light blue hair. Even after ten months, it was still weird to see. At least my eyes were still the same shade of dark brown, not too far off my hair colour, but I didn't really pay attention to that as I stroked my cheek. My beard was starting to come in full force as I had stubble finally, sometimes it was so prickly that even my mum complained.

I smiled at that before yawning again.

"So sleepy."

I got up from bed, stretching my legs as I turned to look at the time. Eight?! Shit. I quickly put on on school uniform, making sure I had a pen with me as I walked to the kitchen with my toothbrush and toothpaste in one hand and my hair comb in the other. Miwa was already sitting at the table, eating her breakfast which consisted of eggs and sausage. Hinata was humming to herself as she turned to face me, her ever-present smile never faltering even once.

"Good morning!"

"Morning," I returned, walking to the bathroom and locking it as I brushed my teeth, washed my face and tried to comb my hair. Somehow, my hair had gone from wavy-ish light blue hair to spiky dark brown hair. My hair was medium-length, with each side having sideburns that overall fit the very light stubble on my face. After I was done with that, I walked back to the kitchen and sat opposite Miwa. "Morning."

"Notice anything new about me?" Miwa asked.

"Can you pass the soy sauce?" I returned, eagerly waiting for my meal as I fiddled with two wristbands I had on my right hand. One was blue while the other was red. I watched as Miwa slammed the soy sauce bottle right next to me, causing some sauce to spill out of the bottle and onto the table.

"There, happy now?" MIwa grumbled out.

"What're you so upset about, Miwa?" I asked in confusion.

"September. You don't remember what's happening this month for me?! Interviews for universities! My school said I've done so well on my exams that they want me to graduate early, don't tell me you forgot about that?!" Miwa yelled angrily.

"I didn't forget," I replied, pouring the soy sauce over my egg and rice breakfast. "It's just you forgot to zip up your skirt. Dumbass."

As Miwa went to check over her uniform for her interview, Hinata fussed over Gekko who was standing at the door of our home. He held two ties in front of him as he turned to face me.

"Sora, which one suits me more?" Dad asked me. "This one?" He held up a green pinstripe tie. "Or this one?" He then held a dark blue bow tie with stars on it. Hinata giggled at her husband's antics, forcing him to take a seat so he could eat some food.

"Neither," I replied, taking off my plain black school tie and tossing it at him. "Wear this one instead. It'll suit your navy blue suit more than whatever options you picked out."

"Won't you get in trouble at school?" Hinata asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders in response, turning back to eat my breakfast once again.

"Eh. Don't think they'll really notice."

We ate in silence, or as silent as a family of four could be. Dad kept on bursting into tears at how much his angel daughter had grown up, how she was becoming an adult with every passing second while Hinata tried to calm Miwa down from throwing a fork at him for 'stressing her out' the morning of her interview with the University of Tokyo, ranked first in the entire country.

Eventually, the conversation turned to me.

"What about you, Sora? Have you given any thought as to what university you want to go to?" Mum asked me, pouring me seconds. I shrugged my shoulders in response, glancing at the clock on the wall. Ten to nine.

"I still have until the end of the year," I replied, getting up from my chair and thanking her for the food. I then turned to Miwa and smiled proudly at her. "Good luck with your interview, but I doubt you'll need it."

"Won't you say anything to me?" Dad asked me, pouting slightly.

"...You have the face of a goat. Shave off your pitiful excuse for a beard, please."

I ignored his groan as I walked to the door and slipped my trainers on, saying goodbye to my family as they wished me a good day at school. Walking out of the apartment complex, I walked past my car and sighed heavily. For some reason, I wasn't allowed to drive to school since the parking lot was reserved for staff only. Then and again, I didn't want to drive my old sports car to school.

It would ask too many questions, ones I couldn't answer.

Why was I so rich? How did I work for the Yaoyorozu Ball Event? Why would they give me extra tips? Thankfully, the school wasn't that far away for me. Just two stops at the nearest train station to me and a short five-minute walk.

Jonji Acadamy was closer than U.A. ever was, which meant I was rarely as late to school compared to before. Hell, even as I walked up to the train station, my train arrived perfectly on time and I had to constantly wait for the train to go to U.A.

…

It's been ten months since that battle. Close to almost a full year.

I'm a second-year high school student now.

Thankfully, U.A.'s story of telling everyone that Aozora died due to his injuries in his fight was believed right away without much verification. It helped that the government under Yamaguchi, the new Prime Minister at the time, helped to cover for me as well. A favour since my actions helped propel her to win the election. Well, I guess after seeing something so monstrous as a Felix Felicis-powered Overhaul slaughtering heroes and civilians, I guess they had to accept it as the truth.

Even so, I'm glad the world accepted it as the truth without saying anything.

"Good morning, Yamazaki," Someone in my maths class said to me, sitting beside me on the train.

"Good morning," I politely replied.

Nothing much really changed in my life. Sure, I moved schools but at the end of the day, school is all the same. I changed my phone, but that was because I didn't really care about having a smartphone anymore. I could access all my old social media accounts on my laptop if I really wanted to use them, not to mention it was a hassle updating them. A flip phone functioned right away, and since I barely used my phone it was good enough for me.

I didn't have people to text.

If someone called, it was only for a few minutes just to remind me of something.

I guess the biggest change in my life was that I had no Quirk anymore. But even then, it's not like that mattered. Normal people never used their Quirks, it was illegal. I fit right in saying I had a 'healing Quirk' and everyone accepted it as the truth. Either way, as I looked at the TV on the train, I smiled softly as I read the headlines.

'Charge Bolt saves the day! Are 2A the bastions of hope for our country?!'

Right around the time I left U.A., it was like Class A had become reborn. Now I guess since the Musutafu incident, the entire world has been looking at the next generation of heroes. They don't do many interviews, and tons of people thought that 2A probably views them as a pain in the arse, but I disagree with them all.

They've come to terms with their responsibilities and seem to be handling it pretty well as they always keep themselves busy, running up and down the country saving as many lives as possible.

And beating the villains.

It made me smile as I read more articles about them on the train, waiting to reach my stop. Deku saving an entire building full of hostages, Shoto defeating a villain that was notorious for brutally murdering their victims, Earphone Jack's new album as well as her efforts in rescuing people trapped in an earthquake in southern Japan. They had all grown into fine heroes, and it didn't surprise me to see them flourish.

It was partly why I left after all.

I couldn't keep up with them, the class was full of heroes. The class created a blinding trail ahead of all of us while we sat back and watched as they fought for our safety, it was why they were all so popular.

They were younger than most people, barely older than the teenagers who obsessively kept up to date with their exploits, and young enough to where kids wanted their merchandise. Within just a short year, Class A had turned from absolute nobodies to some of the biggest heroes in not only Japan but globally.

Heroes that were trying to do some good within our world.

I watched as the train I was on suddenly halted to a stop as a group of passengers holding up signs walked in. 'Disarm heroes! Let's prevent another tragedy like the Musutafu incident from occurring again!'

I scowled at them before realising this was my stop.

As I got off the train, I shook my head at all the stupid protests. The people were angry, sure, but they were just complaining for the sake of complaining. Defund the HPSC, get rid of the privatisation of hero agencies, and make all heroes conscript and fall under the government's control. Hell, some protests even argued that we shouldn't even have heroes.

It wasn't easy to be a hero, not with this much pressure.

Shrugging my shoulders, I made my way to my external locker. Since the lockers in school weren't that big, and everything in my room was packed up, I hired a private locker in the area here where I kept most of my school stuff. My school bag, books and even my wooden sword were all stuffed in there. Even as I opened it up, I hummed to myself as I thought about what subjects I would have for the day.

Maths, literature, double lessons of science and then a double of history.

For a Monday, I suppose it wasn't too bad.

As I grabbed my schoolbag, slinging it over my shoulder, I couldn't help but stare at the small broken piece of a mask I had stuffed into the locker. My old mask. I couldn't keep it at home, especially since it had my blood on it, but I couldn't exactly throw it away either. I forgot to give it back to U.A. when I left, but it's not like they asked for it anyway. Ever since I lost my powers, ever since I left, it's not like it had a function.

It's just a normal broken piece of a mask that had some blood on it.

In essence, I guess it was the only proof left that I was a hero.

"Hey, where are you going thief?!" I heard someone yell from behind me. I turned around to see a masked thief steal a woman's handbag, only for a hero dressed in green to zoom past me. Every other student around me yelled the hero's name in recognition, but I could only roll my eyes as green electricity danced around his body.

Maybe he briefly recognised me which was why he refused to look in my direction as he managed to grab the thief, despite the fact that the hero was wearing his school uniform. Even if we didn't say a single word to each other, I was sure that Deku was still in hot pursuit of the eventual number one position. I shut my locker and made my way to school, ignoring the crime that just happened, or the hero that was currently being bombarded by tons of fans.

Izuku Midoriya was the local hero in this area which made sense considering he lived here. Despite that, I knew that he was not supposed to be doing this so early in the morning, especially when he had school soon. I just hope he didn't overdo it and get Aizawa pissed at him for being late…

Ever since I'd left U.A. the way I did, since I last spoke to Jiro, no one from class A or B had come to speak to me once. Not that I'd want them to reach out to me in the first place, I left and that was that.

"Sora!"

I turned around to face her.

Long straight black hair kept neat in a red hair band and black eyes, not to mention the same uniform as me. Of course, if anyone was really that desperate, she had long legs which weren't too bad but not my type. Yui Kazuma was a desirable girl, but to me, she reminded me more like Miwa - An annoyance that kept on getting involved in my life until I had no choice but to acknowledge them.

"Yo," I waved at her.

"Yo?! I thought we were going to walk to school together?" Yui asked me, barging me in the arm. "Anyways, did you see Deku?! I nearly screamed in surprise when he ran past me!"

"Yeah, I saw him," I replied, smiling as we walked through the small gates. "We have an extra twenty minutes, want to go to the school roof?"

"Haven't had your early cigarette yet?" Yui asked me, flicking her hair backwards as we walked towards the elevator. I shook my head, bringing out my lighter as I played with the flame in the meantime as we waited to use the elevator. Within a few minutes we were standing on the school roof, even the weather was sort of dreary, I couldn't help but throw my bag on the floor and lean over the railing.

I took a long drag from my cigarette as I stared at the horizon of the city.

"Sora, have you decided on what you're going to do in the future?" Yui asked me after checking her timetable for the day.

"Nah. I think I'm going to skip homeroom though. Anyways, do you mean like university or a career, or something?" I asked her, taking a cigarette from the near-empty packet and lighting it up, taking a long drag from it.

"Or something?!" Yui asked incredulously. "What other options are there? I'm a first-year sure, so I don't have to worry about this for another year, but aren't you going to start making decisions soon so you can focus on them in your third year?"

I shrugged my shoulders at that.

"I've still got time," I countered, turning around to face her. "Think I gotta' do career counselling or some shit at the end of the term. So I really don't have to start thinking about it that much yet, thankfully."

"Didn't you have good grades just a few months ago?" Yui asked me, I could tell she was trying to tease me and grumbled in response.

"I still have good grades. I may not be in the top five students in the year anymore, but I'm in the top twenty. Anyways, I had a bunch of shit going on back then, so it's not like I coulda' done anything about it. So shut up, won't you?"

Yui giggled at me, making me frown even more.

"Is that so? Well, I think you'll be fine, so long as you put some thought into your future," Yui replied. "Still, don't you ever wonder about the grades of your old friends? Or even what they are going to do in their future?"

"What made them suddenly pop into your head? You don't even know them," I told her, throwing my finished cigarette off the roof and lit up a second one. "Does it even matter in the first place?"

"Well, wouldn't it be nice if they stopped by and said 'hi' to you every now and then? Even if you say that you aren't friends with them anymore, I doubt they feel that way as well," Yui answered. "Isn't it kind of cold that despite spending what? Nearly a year with them?"

"No, it isn't," I told her, sitting down on the ground, resting my back against the railings as I took another drag from my cigarette. "First of all, U.A. is on the other side of town so why would they come all the way here to speak to me? And secondly, they are probably busy with their own futures and responsibilities. Maybe they do want to speak to me, they just haven't had the chance - And that isn't being cold."

"...You don't miss them?" Yui asked me.

I stared at my cigarette for what seemed like an hour. I then threw it behind me, putting my lighter in my pocket as I stood up from the ground and grabbed my bag off the floor, slinging it over my shoulder.

"There's no reason to," I answered truthfully, smiling at her as I said that. "After seventeen years of living my life, I can finally say that I'm living carefree. I've got a normal life for once. No weird psychos, no near-death experiences and definitely no crazy stalkers. I'm fine with living the rest of my life out in peace, something this city in recent months hasn't gotten."

"Fair enough," Yui shrugged her shoulders as she got up from the floor, walking over to the exit of the roof before me. "I guess you don't want to live through anything scary like Overhaul ever again. Just watching it on TV scared me, I can't imagine what it must have felt like for you in the city."

"It was…" Violent. I could still feel the fear of when Overhaul broke free, the light dimming from Nighteye's eyes and ultimately the… It doesn't matter. "It was something," I eventually told her, ignoring the fact that she rolled her eyes at me as we entered the elevator.

The truth was that I was happy that I could live the rest of my life peacefully.

I never felt a sense of superiority at U.A., at the fact that I had passed the exam and could become a hero. And I never once thought of abusing the trust of a hero to make a profit from it, or even dedicate my entire being to helping the public. I just longed for a carefree tomorrow, for a life where I didn't have to fight anymore.

And I finally got what I always wanted in that regard.

The worst I had to worry about was school and what to eat for dinner.

Not what villain was going to attack me and my friends, not if I could trust myself in a fight to stop a ravaging monster that could kill everyone I care about, and not even whether I could save them all.

And wasn't that something different for a change?

A carefree tomorrow.

Chapter

Forty

Seven

'Remembering Thy Past (Remembrance II)'

'Hey bro, how long are you gonna sleep for? Wake up, man! Let's go to the arcade together, just like old times. Man, you better wake up soon else I'm gonna shock you awake!'

'Sora, you helped wake me up once. I kept my promise to you, so in turn you better wake up so we can continue where we left off… my rival.'

'Idiot. Just wake the hell up already!'

"Wake~" I immediately shot out of my chair, even though I was just sleeping moments ago and pulled the person in front of me into a headlock. "Up?" I looked down to see Yui tapping my arm to let her go. "What the hell was that for?! I just wanted to wake you up! Just because you've dozed off doesn't mean you can put people in headlocks! What would have happened if you choked me to death?!"

"Gone to Heaven. Or Hell," I joked, letting her go as I sighed.

"Nice come back, but that's beside the point!" Yui returned.

"Listen, can you keep your voice down? I had a weird dream." I told her, yawning as I sat back on the school roof, the cool air waking me up completely. Were those… The first one was definitely Kaminari, and the second one was probably Zero. But the third was-, it had to be-,

"Weird dream? What sort of weird dream?"

"I don't remember. You woke me up making me forget it," I replied, yawning as I got up from my seat. "Anyways, you said you wanted to talk today?"

"Yeah! Can you answer some of my questions about U.A.?" Yui asked me, pulling out a notebook and a pen. "First of all, regarding your experiences with Aozora, you said he was your friend, right?" I nodded at that. "You've told me a few stories about him. How he was the co-author of the manga Bleach, and how he was good friends with Charge Bolt and Earphone Jack. But what else?"

"Hm," I stroked my chin, deep in thought. "Did you know that Aozora was a part of the Hosu incident? He helped evacuate some lives."

"Really?" Yui looked hopeful at that. "Do you remember any names that he told you?" I shook my head.

"Nah. Pretty sure he did his internship with Manual. All I know is that Aozora saved a little kid from a burning fire and that's it," I told her truthfully. "Anyways, do you want more? I get ta' leave school early today. After lunch, I can go straight home 'cause I have study leave or some shit."

"Lucky. I have double English." Yui moaned.

"Cheer up," I smirked at her. "At least it's not science."

"True. Uhm, my next question then is what motivated Aozora to become a hero in the first place? If you know the answer to the question of course… Do you?" Yui asked me, and I nodded slightly.

"Honestly? He didn't really have a motivation when he first joined U.A., it was simply a career he had chosen because tons of people he knew pushed him into it. Hell, his close friend was also going to be a hero at U.A. as well. He found his motivations at U.A., and that was to protect those close to him."

"But what about the general public?" Yui inquired, and I could only laugh at that.

"Aozora wasn't a total bastard. If he could save someone in front of him he would, but if the choice was between a civilian and someone he cared about, the choice would be clear to him. Aozora was… he was a considerate and thoughtful person to his friends and family. Always worrying about what gift to get them for their birthday rather than the homework due the next day, always goofing about rather than taking school seriously to make everyone relax around exam season."

I watched as Yui wrote all that down.

"This is great! You're a much better source than random people on the street!" HACK HACK HACK. I choked on thin air as she said that, turning around to stare at her in confusion.

"Why'd you ask random people on the street about Aozora?! I already told you, I'm your prime source of info-,"

"Yeah, but maybe they might have seen him around on patrol or something," Yui cut in. "Though barely anyone remembered his name, and those that did said they had never seen him go on patrol…"

"His patrols were at night," I explained to her. "No wonder you got no answers. And if you think of going out at night and asking criminals questions about Aozora, I will tell your aunt and uncle."

Yui groaned at that, but I didn't pay her any attention as I went on my phone and browsed the web. Even if it was a flip phone, I could do some pretty neat things with it. Like, listen to the radio.

"Are you seriously going to put on the radio show dedicated to just 2A again?" Yui asked me as I shrugged my shoulders in response.

"Why not?"

"Well if you want to listen to them so much, why not go and speak to them? Since Deku lives close by," Yui started, smirking at me. "Why don't you ask him about an interview with him on Aozora? For me of course. You don't even have to be there!"

"I… I used to be a delinquent back in U.A. I doubt he even remembers me, and if he does he'll probably tell me to scram or something," I replied. "Plus, ain't it a bit weird to stalk a hero back home? Trust me, it won't work. Just give up on that idea."

"Aww, you're no fun," Yui sighed, collapsing to the floor as she stared at the sky. Then the school bell rang. "Oh shit, I have to go to lessons now! See you later!" I waved goodbye to Yui, grabbing my stuff as I made my way to the exit of the school. I waved at the receptionist, who took one look at me and rolled her eyes, allowing me to walk through the gate.

That was when I took out my phone and called her.

It didn't go through, but that was fine as I left a voice note instead for her.

"Yo. I'll be coming over in about twenty minutes. See ya' soon, Megumi."

I then made my way towards my big locker. However, blocking my entrance was a street punk. Not that he was fixated on me, no, he was instead trying to rob a young adult. Probably around his late twenties or early thirties, but he was a tall and lean man. Probably standing at around six foot one, maybe even closer to six feet two.

All I knew was that the top of my head just reached his top lip.

The man had fair skin and brown eyes, a similar shade to my own, but he had shoulder-length black hair with a single lime green highlight, which made him stand out. Well, that and his unzipped expensive-looking leather jacket that had some fur coating, as well as a thing gold chain necklace that hung right over a plain white tee. In fact, it was his worn-out jeans and cheap shoes that made me wonder why anyone would want to try and rob this guy in the first place.

"Your money! Now!" The street punk demanded as the man simply kept his hands raised. I sighed to myself, throwing my bag to the floor as I walked up behind the punk and crackled my knuckles

If there was another thing that counted as proof that I used to be a hero…

I guess the battles I had fought through and won had trained my body to fight. The reflexes I had gained in order to win, as well as the muscle my body had grown into, came in handy in its own way.

"Oi, let him go," I said to the punk. I watched as he turned around and waved a knife in my general direction.

"Huh?! Who the bloody hell are you-,"

I didn't give him enough time to finish his sentence as I grabbed his free hand and threw him to the floor. Even as he got up, trying to stab at me, it was rather easy to just grab his arm and sock him in the jaw, knocking him out. Beside me, the man clapped politely at what had just gone down.

"Woah! Holy shit man, that was pretty awesome. Thanks!" He told me while I shrugged my shoulders in response, picking up my bag on the floor. "It's about noon, so you must be hungry, right? I'll treat you to some okonomiyaki or something, how about it?" The man offered me.

"Nah, I'm good, thanks," I replied. "Just don't tell the school that I beat someone up 'cause they get prissy about that sort of shit and we'll be good. Do you want my advice? Next time you get nearly robbed in this area and it ain't school time, shout out 'Deku'. He'll come runnin'."

And with that I left that odd-looking man, making my way to my locker where I dropped my schoolbag and picked up my wooden sword. The Daiguren Dojo wasn't far away from here, thankfully I could walk it-,

Ring Ring.

Ring Ring.

Ring Ring.

"Hello. Who's this?" I asked, feigning ignorance despite having read the caller ID's name.

"You wound me!" Shigeo said across the phone. "That being said, I have eight and a half months' worth of pay currently in front of me. When's the next day you'll come to work so I can give you your paid dues?"

"Hmm, does next week work for you?"

"YOU MORON!" I heard Shigeo yell, even if we were on the phone. It was so loud I had to move my head away from the speaker so it wouldn't damage my ears. "Do you realise what you're saying!? First, you take last week off, not even showing up for a day, and then you want to take this week off as well?!"

"Well I said I was sorry, didn't I…?"

"Do you think everything will be smoothed over because you said sorry? How carefree do you live? Jeez," I heard Shigeo sigh. "Listen you can't keep going on like this, Sora."

"So then just fire me," I told him, smiling slightly. Maybe this was it. "I guess it was unavoidable."

"What're you saying, Sora?"

"I'm saying that a lazy guy like myself, a real natural-born slacker can only do so much so you might as well fire me and replace me with a hard worker. I'm really sorry, thanks for supporting me but I guess this is it-,"

"Moron! I have your money sitting on my desk! I run a business! If I let you go, how the hell am I going to function with just a single waiter?! I have bills to pay!"

"Use my wages that you 'owe me' then. I'm sure if you do that you'll be perfectly fine, hell you'll have enough money to maybe even start a hiring campaign that'll surely bring at least three or four new waiters. And there you go, your problem is solved," I told him. "You'll never have to think 'bout me again. It's a good deal, right?."

"Or, I can guilt trip you using Denji's name," Shigeo said over the phone. "You'd abandon your friends' poor grandpa who can't even go to the crapper by himself?"

"Bullshit! Old man, you literally explained to me how porn was amazing and how you've been more active 'down there lately' you dirty old pervert! You'll be fine, even without me. Just-, Fine. Alright. I'll work another week, but after that, I'm done, you hear me?!"

"Hehe. I'll see you next week, Sora."

"Whatever," I grumbled out. "Shitty old man."

Old geezers were the worst.

"Hyah!"

I watched as a middle-aged red-haired woman holding a wooden sword with both hands started swinging it wildly, yelling loudly while doing so. Despite her piercing yellow eyes, ones that reminded me of a snake, I gripped my wooden sword a little tighter as I stared at the dummy in front of me.

…

Swish.

Within seconds I lashed out, changing my footwork so I could prioritise my first swing, a diagonal slash to the chest-,

If I had hit Overhaul with that, he would have died.

I sidestepped to the left and watched as the training dummy rotated alongside me. Gritting my teeth, I stepped forward this time aiming for a piercing strike in the abdomen-,

If I had hit Overhaul with that, he would have died.

I deftly dodged backwards, pretending that I was being rushed by the dummy who did follow right after me. I used our momentum to force the dummy to eventually run in front of me, and I used that split-second advantage to slash it in the back-,

If I had hit Overhaul with that, he would have died.

To my left, I saw the red-haired woman clap her hands as she looked at me proudly.

"Pretty good. The Rishin-Ryu swordsmanship is looking pretty good on ya'," My teacher complimented me. Her name was Megumi Kurase, and she was the sole teacher at this dojo. Conversely, I was also her sole student. "However, you lost concentration there. In a spar, you'll be fine, but if you ever got in a real sword fight it would cost you. How many times have I told you? The founding principle of the Rishin-Ryu swordsmanship-,"

"Is to be one with your sword. Each strike should reflect your emotions. Your sword is an outlet for your soul," I finished for her. "I know. You've told me about a hundred times. At least tell me my footwork was decent that time?"

Megumi grinned, raising her sword in the air.

"It was admirable, my young student!" She yelled excitedly. "Finally, my family swordsmanship can be passed down to a student who can use it for good! Oh, but what if you turn out to be a dastardly villain who uses our swordsmanship to commit great evil?! Then I must train another student before being brutally cut down by you to ensure that this dojo lives for hope rather than fear-,"

"As much of a great storyteller as you are," I cut in, wiping sweat off my forehead. "I think I'm gonna' train some more. Anyways, how could you tell I lost concentration? And what can I do to prevent that?"

Megumi smiled at me, offering me a water bottle and a towel.

"It's rather simple, my number one student!" Megumi exclaimed, jabbing her thumb right at where my heart was. "Whatever seems to be striking you at your heart must be addressed by you and you alone. Whenever I watch you swing your sword, you have no hesitation. You're prepared to strike and kill. The weight of a sword is a heavy one, and my student it proves that you've lost people in your life. You understand the value that a human life inherently holds."

"But?" I asked, waiting for her to finish her line of thought.

"But, what you lack isn't a conviction. Nor is its strength. It's not a mental problem either, it's a heart problem. When you aren't being truthful to yourself it tends to cause this, Sora," Megumi explained cheerfully. "Nonetheless, I have faith that you can sort it out in time. You're a wonderful student and a great babysitter for my younger brother."

"Don't mention it," I shook my head at hair. "Just learning from you, someone that's won a gold medal in this field is more than enough."

"You come here every day, Sora. You even have keys to the dojo to come and train here when I can't make our sessions, you're the one that can earn a ton more gold medals than me," Megumi told me proudly. "When you first came here, your swordsmanship was unrefined. Developed out of battles rather than bad training habits. But you had the drive to learn from me, and you've nearly surpassed me. I've dedicated my entire life to this, but you've managed to come this far in only ten months."

"Maybe I'm a genius," I joked.

"Or someone that spends every waking moment here," Mugumi scolded me. "I have cameras installed. I know that you come here every morning at around six AM, and if you can't make that then you'll skip school and come here instead. Now your grades seem to be fine, but it's not healthy. I've never seen someone devote this much time and effort to swordsmanship only not to enter any tournaments. You just keep on refining your skills. Why?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I dunno. I guess I just like it," I told her. "Anyways, how's your little brother? Is he still sick?" Megumi sighed, resting her hand on her forehead as she shook her head in response.

"You need to stop trying to look out for me," Megumi chastised me. "I'm not one of your classmates that you can bunk school with, I'm an adult. I have responsibilities - Not just to my brother, but to you too. I'm not at an age where I need a kid like you trying to worry or even look out for me, I have my people for that. You're a kid, so if something's happened to you to take training this seriously, just say it. It's okay for kids to turn to adults when they need help."

I stared at her in surprise.

Rely on adults, huh?

…

I felt my lips quirk upwards as I smiled at her.

"Thanks… Megumi."

"Don't thank me! Just work on your footwork or else this will happen to you more often!" Megumi told me, swiping my feet off the floor leading to the back of my head and hitting the training dummy with a dull thud.

Yui Kazuma POV

It was five in the morning.

But, for Yui, it was a Saturday which meant that she had nothing going on during the day anyway. She could afford to sleep until three in the afternoon. Despite that, she looked at the three empty energy drink cans by her desk and sighed to herself as she reached out for a fourth. Her aunt and uncle were sleeping soundly, but she still had her headphones plugged in as she looked at her notes.

'Two thousand words…' Yui had only written two thousand words despite being stuck at her desk for ten hours. What was worse was that she didn't even like what she had written, they were just meaningless words. Yui eyed her phone, wondering if Sora would even be awake to answer some of her questions.

The problem she was starting to face was that Aozora was a nobody.

His past was unknown as his identity was kept secret. Ultimately, the only source of information she could get face-to-face was from an ex-U.A. student like Sora, or any member from class 2A or 2B - But they weren't going to give her an interview. Thus, the only real way Yui had of gaining information on Aozora was through the internet.

Of course, she was highly sceptical of every source claiming they 'knew him' on chat forums, yet Yui still spoke to each and every one of them, making notes on what they claimed 'Aozora' was as a person. Sometimes the notes she made matched with Sora's words, that being a person who was always putting other people's needs in front of his own, and while it was an admirable trait, it was also his biggest weakness.

Others online claimed he was a twisted sadist with a penchant for bullying people.

One even claimed that they had seen Aozora 'get close' with a female criminal, calling him a womaniser which also didn't fit what Sora had said about him. Despite that, Yui knew she couldn't take Sora's words as the primary source - He wasn't in the hero course thus those in 2A who had fought alongside him would probably know him a little better. But then the problem of her getting an interview with anyone in 2A was so low that Yui considered giving up on potentially using them as sources for her book.

But she couldn't.

Even if she couldn't find Deku patrolling his local area, she would get an interview one day.

Yui hummed to herself, browsing some hero forums.

What was Aozora really like?

That was a question that had been plaguing her mind from the very beginning. Sora might have been friends with him, but he only knew so much. He was a friend, but he was likely kept at arm's length considering what she knew about Aozora, and how dedicated he was to protect his friends and family. And while 2A might have fought with him, Aozora seemed like the type of guy to keep his true emotions on a lid.

Yui wanted to know the real Aozora.

The person behind the mask.

But no matter how many times Yui pleaded, Sora didn't reveal to her the true identity of her hero. She understood it was for privacy concerns, not to mention his family wishing that his identity wasn't known, but it's not like she was going to parade his name around the internet for everyone to know! She just wanted to write a book about him! Yui admired Aozora, and she just wanted to show the world why!

"Endeavour saving a small child… boring. Hawks rescuing a cat? Cute but useless," Yui muttered to herself as she scrolled further down and down. "A random hero in Osaka chatting up a civilian, Star and Stripe announces her foray into American politics, U.A. Sports festival footage from a years ago-," Yui paused as she read that last one again. "A year ago? But that's when Aozora was at U.A.-,"

Immediately clicking on the post, she saw the original poster was still online and it had no comments. It was published only a few minutes ago. This meant she could find Aozora's real name! Usually, the U.A. sports festivals were scrubbed from the internet, but none more so than this specific year. She clicked on the video, one that showcased the final round of fights as she saw a purple-haired boy enter the ring followed by a blue-haired boy.

A familiar blue-haired boy.

Aozora.

Her heart skipped a beat as Aozora scowled, walking into the arena and dragging a wooden sword on the ground behind him. The way his eyes lit up as the 2A stand cheered him on, the way his eyes focused on the purple-haired boy as he jumped into the arena, prepared to fight.

"The first competitor," Yui heard the presenter say. "The most consistent student in this tournament with a Quirk that allows him to control his very own personal cloud! Give it up for the incredible Sor-,"

Black.

"Shit!" Yui swore loudly, banging her head against the table as a copyright notice from U.A. appeared on her screen. The video had been taken down right before the important part even began. Despite that, she scrambled to reload the page, hopefully, it would be reposted somewhere else. But it wasn't.

Yui groaned.

Just her luck-,

Ping.

"Huh?"

On the top right corner of the website, Yui could see that she had just been messaged by someone. That was odd. This was a Japanese forum dedicated to heroes, who else would be awake at this time of night? As she looked at the person who messaged her, she recognised the name as the person who posted the initial video in the first place.

"J..Jay…Jayro?" Yui read out, confused at the name the person had chosen. It was in English, which was her worst subject by far. Despite that, she read the message they had sent her. "A shame the video was taken down, but oh well. U.A. is really prissy about Aozora's true identity. But I must thank you for viewing my post, not many people care about Aozora. I love him, and he's my favourite hero of all time." Yui read out.

"Omg, same!" Yui said, pressing the keys as she entered that message and began to smile.

Whoever this 'Jayro' was, they had gained this footage.

They were like her!

Yui couldn't help but grin as they continued to message each other.

This was it.

This could be her helper!

"You need to wait for your opponents to strike first!" Megumi berated me, hitting me on the head with her wooden sword. "Rushing to throw the first swing is being brash. Stop being so impatient, the core essence of the Rishin-Ryu swordsmanship style is counter-attacking. Being quick on your feet, which you already are, might allow you to attack first but it also allows you to completely dominate an impatient opponent."

I groaned at her lecture.

"I just-, You're telling me not to attack? That's just stupid. In a real fight, not attacking means you'll die!"

She whacked me on the head as well.

"Listen, in a real fight you would not die. A street brawl or a spar doesn't lead to you dying, well not usually," Megumi said, slamming her sword on the ground. "I don't know what fights you're going on about in your peaceful life, but you certainly will die if you never learn how to counter-attack properly! You can swing a sword all you want, but if your opponent can dodge everything you throw at them, you'll be the loser!"

"Alright, alright," I moaned, getting up from the ground as I readied myself for another spar with her. "I'm ready."

Megumi grinned, launching herself forward as she swung her sword at my head. I ducked to my feet, aiming to swipe her feet off the floor but she jumped over my attack and tried swinging her sword at my back. My reflexes kicked in as I caught the sword using my free hand and returned a blow to her head, knocking her down.

It didn't keep her down for long as she jumped up like a tiger and began unleashing a flurry of swings. I kept myself calm, parrying each of her strikes, looking at her footwork to try and predict where she would next go.

Left.

Right.

Right.

Left.

This was familiar.

Left.

Left.

Right.

Right.

The rhythm of battle.

Right.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Left.

"Stop grinning like an idiot!" Megumi yelled, "You haven't won this spar yet!" Huh? I was grinning. Shit. I had to watch as she disarmed me, my wooden sword flying in the air and landing on the other side of the dojo. I grit my teeth, I could do this if I summoned my Nimbus and-,

Smack.

"Dumbass," Megumi berated me. "Who the hell stands still in the middle of a spar? And why were you doing hand signs, grinning like an absolute buffoon while doing so might I add?"

"Yeah, idiot!" A young boy teased me as he sat on the floor, eating sweets and crisps. Keigo Kurase, Megumi's younger brother.

"Shut up, Keigo," Megumi told her younger brother.

"Yeah, kid, shut up," I told him, grinning as he threw a bar of chocolate at me. Megumi chided him, and I sat on the ground, staring at my hands. Nimbus. Instinctively, I willed a cloud to try and come out, but nothing happened. I knew it wouldn't. I didn't have a Quirk anymore, I was essentially Quirkless.

I knew that.

So why did I try and make hand signs?

Trying to use my Quirk that wasn't there anymore was stupid of me.

"Sora," Megumi threw a towel at me. "I'm going to be shutting the place for tonight. Get up from your ass and take a shower. If you want you can always stay the night at my place. I have a spare bedroom."

"Thanks, but I'm fine," I replied, wiping the sweat off my brow. "I'm gonna' drive home tonight. Maybe next time."

Megumi frowned at me but said nothing as I picked up my wooden sword from the other side of the room and walked over to my bag. I changed my shirt, applying deodorant underneath as I yawned, put on my coat and slung the bag over my shoulder.

It was early October now.

Autumn was in full force as I bid goodnight to both Megumi and Keigo and walked over to my car. It was a month away from November, more specifically November Twenty-Fourth. A year since the raid. I sighed at that, entering my car and turning it on. It was a short drive home, only around twenty minutes if there was no traffic, and thankfully there wasn't. I hummed to myself, turning on the radio as I listened to the news.

"Death Arms, the people's chosen hero to protect Musutafu City, has once again proclaimed that he's working with the police to find the missing five billion Yen stolen a few months ago despite the fact that nothing substantial has been found! The new law restricting what heroes can and can't investigate meaning they can only investigate cases where a Quirk has been used has been floating around more in the Diet Building!"

"Will this controversial law be passed as is being predicted, or not?"

Huh.

That's a weird law to pass, but oh well.

I'm not that knowledgeable on politics, but I had to wonder whether Hachi our Prime Minister, another reincarnate like myself, had anything to do with it. Knowing her, she was probably against it since she was and still is Pro-Hero despite more public backlash against heroes.

"Moving on, Detnerat's cleanup of Musutafu City has been 'exceeding expectations' says the mayor of Musutafu. We can only hope that the buildings and lives lost during the Shie Hassaikai raid last year can serve as a reminder for us to be greater."

"In other news, Class 2A has done it again! Recent reports of Deku and Shoto stopping a terrorist hijacking of an aeroplane has just reached our ears! Thankfully, no one was injured. Still, I must commend 2A for being the shining light of the next generation of heroes! Who knows, maybe they'll even reach the top one hundred ranks still in school? That's just how popular they are, not just in Japan, but globally!"

I smiled at that, turning the radio off as I parked outside my apartment complex. I could see that the lights were on, meaning someone had at least come home. After a few minutes, ensuring that I wouldn't get fined, smoking a cigarette and collecting all our mail, I entered my home. The TV was on as Miwa was sprawled over the couch, watching some new reality TV show.

"Yo," I greeted, an unlit cigarette in my mouth as I threw the mail on the floor, took off my shoes walked to the fridge and grabbed a can of beer before I sat down next to her. "Is it just you here right now?"

Miwa nodded.

"Alright. I'm gonna order some kebabs for us since Mum and Dad ain't back yet and I'm starving," I told Miwa who grunted in response. I frowned at her but ultimately said nothing as I called up the local kebab shop and gave my order. Two chicken kebab sandwiches with one portion of chips, one portion of rice and some extra sauces. Miwa changed the TV channels until she turned on Pluck, a streaming platform and put on a certain channel.

"Turn it off," I warned her, gripping my phone tightly. "Now."

"Why?" Miwa asked me, sitting up as she glared at me. "Don't you want to watch 2A stream?"

Due to 2A's popularity, as well as U.A.'s connections, during the day some members of 2A streamed their daily lives online. Within just a few months they had become one of the most popular channels on the platform for streaming.

"You know how I feel about the channel," I replied angrily. "I'm not looking to have another argument with you, please just change the channel."

"Fine," Miwa replied, throwing the TV remote at me. "Do it yourself. Or are you going to turn your back on me as well?"

…

"I didn't turn my back on anyone-,"

"You didn't, now?" Miwa rolled her eyes at me. "So how come you looked so guilty when you saw them? Why do you keep avoiding them?"

"They don't call me."

"No, they message you on social media," Miwa countered. "That's why you got your shitty flip phone. You could access your accounts on it, but you don't. You could log in more often on your computer, but you don't. Sora, why don't you understand it?"

"Understand what? That I'm not their friend? I understand that perfectly," I replied, frowning at her. "I don't need to reply to people that I don't care about. Or watch the people that I don't like-,"

"Liar. You're a liar," Miwa raised her voice at me. "You care about them so much that you can't message them. Not after what you did. Do you still think that your plan's working? That you're in the right?"

"I never once thought what I did was right," I told her. "Never. Don't you even try and put those words in my mouth. It was necessary. You wouldn't understand-,"

"Help me then. Help me understand," Miwa begged, tears threatening to spill as her voice cracked near the end. "Sora, you're my brother. I love you. I really do. But you're pushing everyone away. You're not a monster-,"

"Fifty-nine dead," I cut in, stunning her into silence. "Fifty-nine dead. One a child. Eri. Denji Narukami. Mirio Togata. Mirai Sasaki. Enjiro Konishi. Rin Yuhi. Sara Nohara. Genji Chiharu. Hironaka Chiharu. Oe Kameko. Tamahana Aya. Kurokawa Eiko. Goya Shin. Kida Ayano. Matsuoka-,"

"I get it," Miwa yelled at me. "Well fucking done. Reading out the list of names that died during the raid doesn't mean you're responsible for it."

"You have no idea what happened."

"Because you refuse to talk about it!" Miwa yelled at me. "Because you'll run off as soon as Mum or I start talking about it! Because you get that look in your eyes whenever Gekko asks if you want to visit the graveyard! Because whenever Aizawa is over for dinner, you prevent us from asking how my loving brother turned into a shell of his former self!"

"That's not true," I replied, raising my voice at her. "I'm happier than ever."

"You're secluding yourself from everyone."

"I'm focusing on myself," Miwa snorted at that. "I'm living my life the way I want. I've achieved a peaceful life, a happy one. Carefree. Just take a look at 2A. They're happier without me too, look at them achieving all these great things without me. I don't need to fight anymore, I've gotten everything I've ever wanted! A carefree tomorrow. Miwa, I'm done."

"You've given up on your life, you idiot!" Miwa cried, throwing a pillow at me angrily. "You've given up on everyone. You pay for my tuition, but you've never once visited me at my school! How many packets of cigarettes do you go through a day?"

"...two."

"What about your health, Sora? Lung cancer isn't a fucking joke! Do you think we want to see you be put in an early grave because you're addicted to an unhealthy coping mechanism?! Because you don't want us to reach out and help you because you want to play 'being a man' today!? You're a child," Miwa howled. "And you don't want to accept help because you think you know better."

"I'm not a child," I scowled at her. Why couldn't she get it?! "Unhealthy coping mechanism? What about you running around chasing after boys, you think I don't know where Mum and Dad's weekly spending money they give you is going towards?!"

"You-, How do you-,"

"Yeah," I nodded at her. "I know. Do you think I don't check up on you? That's not true, Miwa. I care about you too but don't try and claim like you know what I went through. What it was like that day. You think that you've lost a brother, but I lost everything! My Quirk, my place in the hero course, even my fucking hair colour. But I'm happier now than I was in U.A. 2A's better than ever, just look at them saving so many lives. Believe me, this was the only option. In the end, we were both hurting each other-,"

"How the hell do you know how they feel? You ignore them completely! Do you know how much you've hurt them?!" Miwa asked me, and I felt my mouth suddenly turn dry. "You don't know shit, Sora. I saw what you did to Kyoka. I was here, watching you tell the girl that you love that you hated her. That you wanted her to kill herself. That she was ugly, that she was useless, that a villain should have killed her. That she meant nothing to you."

"...what do you want me to say to that?" I asked her, annoyed as I played around with my lighter. "I did all that. I know I did. Well done. What's your fucking point?"

"My point," Miwa grabbed me by the collar angrily, glaring at me as tears spilt down her cheeks. "My point is I miss my brother. You're ignoring them, running away from your responsibility because you know you messed up. You keep running because you think you're weak. Because you think you can't protect them. You keep lying to yourself, saying you enjoy this mockery of a life you have going on, but then you train in swordsmanship."

"That's because I'm bored-,"

"It's because you still want to fight," Miwa whispered, tears trailing down her cheeks as her voice wavered. "It's because you're a loser who hates losing. It's why you don't give up. You hate this more than anyone else. It's why you've always gotten up. You aren't good at lying, Sora. I can see it in the way you move, the way whenever a news report on the League is out you're enamoured by it. The way you hate watching 2A because it reminds you of a life you could have."

"You clearly don't get it," I screamed at her. "I'm not a hero. What part of that don't you get? I'm not running away, I'm facing the truth-,"

"SHUT UP!" Miwa screamed at me. "Shut up. Enough with your pathetic excuses! Do you… do you even know how much it hurts to look at you right now?" Miwa asked me, wiping her tears away.

"Miwa, I left U.A. I can't go back. I don't have a Quirk, I can't be a hero again," I explained to her for the millionth time. "I won't be a hero. I don't want to be one. Just let it go-,"

"Like you let go of your friends? Of Kyoka? Betraying their trust for what? You're a fucking hypocrite," Miwa yelled, frustrated at me as she threw her hands up in the air and began crying harder. "It's not too late, you know. You can always go back if you stop running away. But looking at you right now is like looking at a corpse. I regret ever pushing you into being a hero. Maybe then my brother wouldn't have died a year ago."

Wha-,

Ring. Ring. Ring.

The doorbell rang.

Miwa ran to the bathroom as I stood still.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

I walked to the door numbly, opening it and thanking the man who had delivered our food before closing it and walking back to the couch. A corpse. That's what she called me, and wasn't that a surprise?

I began violently coughing and opened my eyes in surprise as small silver of wet blood landed on my hand. Shit. I guess my cold hadn't passed. After washing my hands at the sink, Miwa still hadn't left the bathroom making me sigh.

Fuck.

That was partly the reason why Miwa was never home, and whenever she was I made myself go out and avoid her. We always tended to have these arguments. She wanted me to go back to U.A., to apologise to everyone and be a hero again. But that was never going to happen. It just wasn't possible. I left U.A., I betrayed everyone's trust because I knew it had to happen.

Ultimately, losing my powers wasn't the ultimate sacrifice.

That was.

After what had happened, after what I had done, I couldn't be in their carefree tomorrow. It was the promise Zero and I had made, one that bonded us completely. He had stuck to his word, and in the following year, the League had ran away from 2A and 2B, while the meteoric rise of 2A led to their popularity as well as heroics being on display for the world. In the end, for all that to have happened the way it did, Aozora had to die.

Sora Yamazaki must have left their lives forever.

And I did that.

The fights, my Quirk, our friendship and love…

I don't need it anymore.

I have no more enemies to fight.

No one to save.

My life is complete.

I grabbed my car keys and put on my shoes, slamming the front door shut as I kicked the pedals out of anger. Fuck. I reached out for my cigarette packet, only to find one left. Tch. Scowling, I opened my window and began to smoke as I watched cars pass by. Why the hell was I so angry at Miwa!? Why the hell was she so wrong!? Damn it…

…

…

…

…

I turned on my car engine-,

"-And 2A's been-,"

Slam.

I punched the car radio so hard it broke.

Fuck.

I just-,

"Shit…" I sighed, pressing my head against my steering wheel as I turned my engine off. I was just fine. I understood Miwa was angry at me, for someone who devoted so much to my friends and my family to have just thrown it all away, it must have hurt her watching me do this. But it was necessary, and that wasn't a lie - It was the truth. Maybe I was avoiding 2A, but to say that they weren't happy was a lie.

None of them could act that well, they were about as from being good actors as possible.

I knew that better than anyone else.

The carefree smiles on their faces were put there because I left - Because I hurt them and they brought themselves back up. They were stronger than before, they had known loss and their bonds with each other had strengthened to a point where hearing about what they get up to amazes me. Working together to save the day. The way I left them was cruel, true.

The way I broke up with Kyoka was…

Turning on the engine, I threw my cigarette out of the window and drove away, the numbing silence of the car filling my ears. The city was illuminated by the street lights, and even as I drove through it near the dead of night I couldn't help but admire its beauty. Construction buildings were just starting to be finished as I parked at the one place I always went to at night.

U.A.

If I could describe what I felt staring at the closed gates of the school, I wouldn't even know where to begin. Nostalgia? Happiness? Sadness? A mixture of all three and even more emotions that I just couldn't understand. I couldn't see it from here, the U.A. walls were simply that good, but 2A's dorm was a short walk from here. I could almost remember the steps there…

Knock Knock.

Even though my car was parked, I couldn't help but narrow my eyes at the man. Even with a metallic arm thanks to the Yaoyorozu foundation's connections with U.A., Shota Aizawa's grin couldn't be wiped off as he entered my car.

"Usually you're not this early," Aizawa joked.

"Yeah well, Miwa came home early," I replied, turning on the engine as I narrowed my eyes at the passing cars. When I had sufficient space, I moved onto the main road and began to drive to another destination. "You brought the goods?"

"You mean two bottles of whiskey and ten cigarette packets?" Aizawa asked me, amused as I nodded in response, checking my mirrors as I signalled to turn to the nearest right. "Of course. Soon you'll be able to purchase them legally."

"Don't remind me, Mum's already starting to say she's going to be a grandma soon," I groaned. "Personally, it feels weird that I'm close to reaching eighteen. Only seven months left yet I already feel like an old man. Anyways, just cause I'm going to be able to buy them doesn't mean I will, right?"

Aizawa snorted at that.

"You expect me to buy you this shit even after you're of age? Hate to burst your bubble, but that ain't happening."

"Liar. I'm literally your favourite nephew-,"

"Only nephew." Aizawa corrected.

"My point still stands!" I told him, strumming my fingers against the steering wheel as I looked at free spaces to park. Since it was night, it was a little annoying to see even with my dipped headlights. Thankfully, after a few minutes of searching, I found a free space and parked there.

I followed Aizawa as he led me to a familiar place.

Well, it was a familiar grave.

Oboro Shirakumo.

"Technically," Aizawa began as he passed me the cigarette packets he had bought me. "This is trespassing. But, if I say that I spotted a villain here I don't think that they'll really care."

"Ain't that illegal?" I asked, opening one of the whiskey bottles he had bought for us and smelt the inside. Cinnamon flavour? Smells good. "Like won't you get fired from your job or some shit?"

"Technically you're the villain trespassing," Aizawa joked, taking a sip from the bottle as he sat beside the grave. I followed suit. "Anyways, I'll be fine. What did you and Miwa argue about today?"

"Same old, same old," I replied, drinking two mouthfuls from the bottle. I liked whiskey. Even if I couldn't drink that much since I was the one driving, it did mean that I could smoke as many cigarettes as I liked. "Apparently I'm running away from 2A. From my responsibilities."

"She isn't wrong."

"She isn't exactly right either," I snapped back, lighting up my cigarette. "You told me, didn't you? That 2A's better now without me than it was with me," Aizawa nodded at that.

"But that doesn't mean that you can't be in their lives, Sora," He countered, he had already finished a quarter of the first bottle. "It's been nearly a year. I think your point has been proven. That you aren't a hero. But ignoring them is making things worse, you can't do that forever. It's not healthy, for either you or them."

"I already said they aren't my friends anymore, so why should they be my responsibility," I told him. "I severed our bonds. I made them hate me. They're the ones being protected from the League right now, Zero's kept his word! I don't… There is no way I can enter their lives again, not when I don't need to protect them."

"You don't need to protect them to be in their lives," Aizawa pointed out smugly, almost as if he thought that made him win the argument. "And I'm sure whatever deal you made with Zero would still be upheld if you became friends with them again. If I recall correctly, the deal was for you to leave Class A."

"And I did."

"You burnt all the bridges you made."

"But they'll come crawling back to me," I muttered. "Our friendships failed the first time because they couldn't help but rely on me, and all I did was put their needs in front of my own. That selflessness of mine was also arrogance, thinking I could protect them all. And then what happened? I messed up big time. You know, if I had left U.A. back when I went with the League, maybe things wouldn't have been so messed up."

"Is that a touch of regret?" Aizawa asked, smiling at me.

"Nah," I threw my cigarette butt away, before lighting up another one. "More so a what if. I'm happy with my peaceful life. I don't have to fight, I don't have to protect, I can finally just live. We all can. We can all live our futures the way we want."

"Speaking of futures," Aizawa began, pulling out a form from his pocket. I groaned as I saw what it was. "Hinata and Gekko told me you still haven't decided what university you want to attend. Or what course you want to study. What's up with that?"

"I just… I'm still deciding."

"It's been five months."

"Yeah, and? It takes time to decide what you want to do in the future," I told him. "I'll figure it out. I always do. I just don't know yet, and I still have another five months to decide! I'll get it done by then, I promise."

"Sounds like the words from someone who's stalling for time," Aizawa said. It wasn't a question, and I knew that he had figured me out as I sighed in response. "It's fine not knowing what you want to do in life, but you have to have some ideas. Some interests at the very least. I have contacts in most major universities, I'm sure I can set you up with-,"

"It's fine," I told him, throwing another cigarette butt away as I reached for my fourth this night. Damn. "I'll figure it out soon. I'm getting more and more free periods in the coming months to help me make a decision, and when I do I'll tell you, okay? You need to stop worrying about me."

"I can't help but not to," Aizawa returned. "After everything you've been through, I wouldn't be surprised if I woke up tomorrow to your parents frantically calling me saying that you've disappeared completely. It would be easy for you to rationalise it as well, you'll say that it's better for them and that's it."

"I wouldn't do that," I replied. "I told you before, I'm done."

"No one is ever done," Aizawa said. "You're not even eighteen yet. You don't know what the future holds, no one does. And even when you did, didn't you change the future? Who's to say the future hasn't changed once again?"

"I trust Zero," I told Aizawa. "Anyways, about Zero, have you heard any news from the League? Or even from Azrael or even Yozora? They've been pretty quiet which is why I'm asking you since you'd have more information to share-,"

"I can't share sensitive information with a civilian," Aizawa interrupted me, looking guilty while doing so. "Even if you were once a hero, you aren't one now. You don't even have a Quirk. If I give you sensitive information that could lead to you getting killed, who'll be there to save you?"

"I don't need to be saved-,"

"Are you purposefully being foolish or what!?" Aizawa raised his voice. "Kid… don't you understand? Just how long are you going to keep playing it cool? You're not a hero anymore, you're fighting with a flesh-and-blood body with no Quirks to help you out. No healing Quirk, no Nimbus to help you out, and no Quirk that'll allow you to gamble with power at the cost of your body. Did you fight too long with them and lose your sense of reality? You can die. You don't get a second chance at that."

I-,

…

"Whatever," I muttered, taking another drag from my cigarette. "How's everyone in 2A? 2B too."

"Why don't you go and see for yourself?" Aizawa asked me, a sardonic smile plastered across his face as he still drank from the whiskey bottle. He had drunk a little more than half the bottle straight, all by himself as well. "How are you doing? Made a friend yet?"

"Actually, I did," I grinned at him. "She's a little annoying and a big hero worshiper. Especially on Aozora. Always asks me questions about him 'cause she found out I went U.A."

"You know, you didn't have to sacrifice Aozora to make him become a martyr," Aizawa said, tracing a small circle on Oboro's grave. "Have you ever heard of 'Psychological Egoism'?"

"I don't study psychology," I returned.

"It's a concept that denotes that all actions are committed with the intent of personal gain and self-interest, even acts of altruism," Aizawa explained to me. "I can't help but apply it to our rotten world. How many heroes stand by and watch vigilantes go? How many heroes take bribes? Even I, a hero, worked with criminals to gain information on other more severe criminals that then led to arrests. But ultimately, wasn't that just me protecting my idea of what it means to be a hero?"

"Do you still work with them?"

"I can't answer that," Aizawa replied. "But what I can say is that I don't subscribe to that description anymore. You and everyone in 2A taught me another reason to be a hero, to endure and overcome the barriers facing me. For so long I thought that Oboro's death was my fault, if only I had listened to the law and not gone off to fight those villains hot-headedly," Aizawa took a swing from the bottle as he said that. "I thought that he died because I didn't follow the rules. So I learned them off by heart, and I became my own hypocrite."

I didn't say anything in response.

Aizawa sighed, lighting up on his own cigarette as he took a long drag from the thing, staring at the starless sky.

"You know," He began, searching for the right words to say. "When I saw you that day. After your battle, I looked at the sky and prayed that you were alright. The entire world did. But there were no clouds in the sky, it was completely clear. I didn't even recognise you at first, not with your brown hair. But they did. And then you went and got put in the coma… and when you woke up this was your plan."

I could tell where he was trying to go with this.

"It's my atonement," I whispered, clutching my cigarette so hard it snapped in half. "I killed Denji. Eri. Mirio and Nighteye too. And so many others. I was always driven by my power to protect everyone I cared about but… I lost. I was so focused on a carefree tomorrow that I didn't realise how weak I was, how much I had been helped. I grew conceited, didn't I? Like I knew better. Why'd I want to live in the world I created by losing."

"So that's it?" Aizawa asked me. "That's all of it."

I shrugged my shoulders at the man.

"I don't understand myself most of the time. But yeah, that's partly why Aozora had to die. To become a martyr to the public, and a warning to most heroes, to not end up like me," I smiled wistfully at that. It was a hopeless dream. "But 2A's gone and fucked that up, haven't they? The world's rotten to its core. Aozora's death meant nothing. My betrayal of 2A made them closer, but they still want to prove me wrong, right? They haven't moved on yet."

"Not every plan goes accordingly," Aizawa told me. "Sometimes you just have to take it on the chin and move on yourself. Stop clinging to the past and move on Sora. And be more honest with yourself, protecting others isn't the only reason you fought. It wasn't the only reason you constantly put yourself in danger. You enjoyed it, you were good at it. We both know that."

"..." I decided not to reply, only closing my eyes as I thought back to it all. To that day when the clouds in the sky vanished. "I can't go back on what I've done, Aizawa. It doesn't work that way. I don't work that way. This world and its over-reliance on heroes, on our importance of Quirks that we can't even control, it's all disgusting. I think being on the lower end of the spectrum really opened my eyes."

"How so?"

"I have to lie about having a Quirk every day just to be accepted. I have to lie about Aozora to a friend because if news got out that I was alive, that I didn't die, the world would go mad. Because I didn't just die for my sins, did I? I was still in a coma when it happened, but how many people were mad after the raid? How many riots were there? How many do you think cheered at my death?"

Aizawa frowned at that.

"There are still riots to this day." He pointed out.

"Exactly," I laughed at that. "Who saves heroes when they are in despair? Heroes have feelings, they have loved ones. They feel fear just the same as any civilian. They aren't an indestructible force that can keep going. Maybe you had something going with that 'Psychological Egoism' thing you mentioned. How many people are showing support for Stain and his cult?"

"I can't talk about that," Aizawa told me plainly. "But I can say that you aren't wrong. The average hero can't handle that. Did you know that the Pro-Hero job itself has the highest turnover rate in the country despite being the job that hires the most people in the country? It's ironic, people may support a murderer but bash heroes for saving lives. You should have saved more. The most common criticism we've all faced."

"Yeah. Can you blame me for running away from all that?" I asked him.

"I can't," Aizawa answered. "As 2A's tutor, I've had to stop people from asking those questions. I've had to cut interviews short because unlike you, that class doesn't understand how this world works. What's even more ironic is that if 2A is reckless, they'll be praised for it. They already are. Being reckless, specifically for having no regard for themselves and always saving others with no consideration for themselves, when if any other hero doesn't replicate their errors - they're simply not heroes? That's the nature of our society."

"They're all bastards," I replied. "Pushing the blame on someone higher than them, it's a euphoric feeling. Blaming everyone else but yourself. I used to do it all the time. It's easy to put the weight of responsibility on someone you don't know, someone who wears a mask. Hasn't society itself become far too complacent in this? In having heroes do everything for them, no matter the cost, then bitching when things don't go right. How many people would go out on the streets and plead for my execution if the truth ever got out?"

"That's-,"

"It's a question I ask myself every day," I told him, looking down at the ground. "The only reason I'm not in prison right now, or even in a grave, is because Aozora died. You can't punish someone who 'died' for their sins, you can only make them a martyr that's eventually forgotten. Only for the roaring tides of society sweep it all away as we move on to our next disaster, and then our next one. I became a hero to protect those I wanted, I was pushed by so many to be one. I let them down and even had one friend die. But I'm still pushed into something I have no interest in."

"Because you were happier back then," Aizawa told me, a small smile appearing on his face. "Instead of moping around and having these conversations, you went out with your friends. Coming to U.A. was the best decision of your life."

"Leaving it was," I corrected him. "I'm living my carefree life as Sora Yamazaki."

"Is it really carefree?"

"How can it not be? I'm not in U.A., hell my biggest 'worry' is deciding what university to attend and what course to study. No one is out to kill me, I don't have to worry about anyone's safety and I'm happy," I told Aizawa. "What more could I want?"

"You're ditching your responsibility," He told me. "To 2A and even to your promise of a carefree tomorrow for everyone. But more importantly, to yourself. Being a hero isn't just about saving those you care about, it's about-,"

"That's why I'll never be a hero," I cut in. "I don't care about saving people who'll slag me off the next day. At the end of the day, I'm not an altruist. Like that 'Psychological Egoism' you mentioned, my actions do come from a sense of personal gain. That's never going to change, and I never want it to change. I ain't gonna be used by them, nor am I gonna take shit from them either. That's why I ain't gonna be a hero."

Aizawa laughed at that.

"Now that sounds more like you."

"Why wouldn't it sound like me? Listen, I get that talking about heavy-handed topics like this ain't exactly what I normally do," Aizawa barely suppressed his snort. "Usually I'm the impatient type that'll just let my emotions out by fighting. Emotional shit's never been something I understood, not even now. But I'm the same, I promise."

"Good," Aizawa said as he finished the first whiskey bottle. "I made a promise. Not only to your parents but to myself as well. You aren't going to die before them. Nor are you going to become unrecognisable - And I failed at that one year ago. But I've endured. And I'm going to make sure that barrier in front of me won't stop me… Thanks for just living, kid. It means a lot to me."

"Don't mention it, Uncle."

"Oi! I told you to stop calling me that!" Aizawa grumbled out, punching me in the shoulder lightly. "You know, you're the best of all of us, Sora. You're on your way to being the man I know you can be. The man we all want you to be. Just keep going. It's not too late to come back, to get back up."

"...maybe I can't get back up," I replied. "Maybe I can't endure. Isn't it better this way? I'm safe, and I don't have to suffer anymore. Isn't that better than before? Doesn't that make everyone happy?"

Aizawa grunted at that.

"Hmph. Don't assume everyone's happy with you being like this," He told me. "Because ultimately, are you not getting back up because you can't? Or because you won't? You're afraid of the answer, aren't you?"

"..."

"It's a leap of faith either way, Sora. Even if you come back, you'll be thrown into the deep end," Aizawa explained to me. "Maybe you can't swim. But, don't you owe it to yourself to at least try? Don't you owe it to Classes A and B who are trying to pick up the slack after you left them? Shouldn't you come back and make things easier? I understand that our responsibilities in life are difficult, but we have them for a reason."

"I severed my ties-,"

"Responsibility doesn't go away because you want it to, Sora," Aizawa cut me off as he stared right at Oboro's grave. "Kurogiri might be my old friend - your biological father - And I'd love to just forget about him. But I can't. I have a responsibility to not just Oboro's memory, but our friends, myself and even you to catch him. It's the right thing to do, not the easy thing. You can live a good life like this, Sora. But it won't be a happy life. Do you know what your problem is? It's that you care too much…"

I watched as Aizawa laughed at that, before dozing off.

Tch.

Guess he had a lot to drink.

Despite that, I couldn't help but get up from the ground as I wandered the graveyard, ultimately walking towards a grave that had been recently cleaned. Even now, there were a few decorations surrounding it, but more important a small frame that encapsulated everything.

I was smiling, wearing my costume for the very first time.

"Here lies Aozora, a hero to many, but a man nonetheless," I read out. "Even should death take me, I'll continue fighting to my last breath. Tch. Stupid quote. You can't fight death itself… whatever happens, happens."

…

I lit up another cigarette, staring into the sky as I blew smoke in front of the grave.

Even now, I couldn't help but feel that weight.

But also, the emptiness.

"Halloween!"

"Huh?" I frowned, taking a plate from the kitchen and walking over to the main floor. Yui trailed behind me like a lost puppy, which admittedly was funny especially since I was working. "What about Halloween? Oh, and please enjoy your meal, sir." I said, giving the pasta with meatballs to the customer while Yui kept on bouncing up and down like an excited child.

"We should go to a Halloween party!"

"Why?" I asked her, surveying the restaurant. Every customer had their food and drinks now, and it looked like this was going to be it for the night. Shigeo waved me off, telling me to check the stock at the back, but I knew he just wanted me to take my break. Yui followed me as I sat out in the back, taking two cans of coke, and passing one over to her.

"What do you mean why?! Have you ever not been to a Halloween party before?"

"I went to one a year ago," I told her, thinking back to the party we had at our dorm when all the girls in 2A, or 1A at the time, got drunk quickly. "It was fun I guess. Although, it's annoying dragging drunk girls back to their rooms so they can sleep. Oh and watching over them so they don't choke to death on their own vomit."

"I hate alcohol, so I promise I won't drink!" Yui said.

"Yeah, but if I go I would want to drink," I told her, taking out a cigarette and putting it in my mouth and lighting it up. "And I'm the driver. Drunk driving is something I will not do under any circumstances, I ain't endangering our lives 'cause you wanted to go to a party."

"Please."

"No."

"Pretty please."

"No."

"With a cherry on top?"

"What are you, five? Grow up."

Yui sighed.

"Fine then," She said, getting up from the table. "I guess I'm going to go to a big Halloween ball all by myself, and when my drink gets spiked and I'm kidnapped by some criminals, it totally won't be your fault for not coming with me." She tried guilt-tripping me, but I could only laugh at her antics, taking a drag out of my cigarette as I blew smoke in her face. "Stop that! I hate it when you do that!"

"Don't try and guilt trip me then," I replied, smirking at her. "Firstly, I don't have a costume. And no, you will not buy me a costume. Secondly, it'll be a fuckin' Tuesday and we have school the next day. And thirdly - this is the most important one - You don't even know where the ball is being held! If there even is a ball! A Halloween ball?! I've never heard of anything shittier in my life."

"Alright, how about a house party!"

"Who's house party?"

"Aimi," Yui replied, almost as if that would win our argument.

"Who the fuck is Aimi?"

"Huh?"

"I asked who the fuck is Aimi," I repeated, "And why the fuck should I care if she's hosting a house party? I mean, has she even invited me? I don't think I know anyone called Aimi, I'm pretty sure I would know if I did."

"She's in your maths class…"

Huh?

I narrowed my eyes as I thought about everyone in my maths class.

Aimi, Aimi, Aimi, Aimi, Aimi-,

"Fish lips girl!" I yelled in recognition. Her lips were more like a puffer fish than a normal person's lips, something to do with her Quirk! "Oh, you mean her. Ugh. Fine. I'll go with you to her party, but I ain't dressing up!"

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because," I opened my can of coke and began drinking it. "Costumes look shit on me. I'll just wear some good clothes and call it a night."

"Oh shit!" Yui yelled, jumping out of her seat. "Sorry! I promised I'd meet a friend soon! Talk to you later!"

"You got a new friend?" I asked. "Sick. How'd you meet?"

"On an online forum," Yui told me. "It's fine, don't give me that look! We bonded over a certain hero. He's cool, trust me on this! Anyways, bye-bye! Don't spend too much time working or else I'll kick your butt!"

"Tch." I clicked my tongue as I waved her off.

Halloween…

The rest of my shift, which was only four hours, went by rather quickly. I said goodbye to Rixia, the one other waiter who worked at the diner. Soon it was just the chef, Shigeo and me who were cleaning up. Even then, I told Shigeo to sit down as I mopped the floor clean.

"Twist it! Twist it!" Shigeo complained from his chair. "Gah, you young kids have no idea how to mop, do you?!"

"Shut up you stupid old man!" I yelled at him, cleaning underneath the table. "Fucking hell, if it weren't for your back problems I'd tell you to mop the damn place."

"And I'd probably do it better than you!"

"Yeah, sure whatever," I returned, itching to go out back and smoke another cigarette. "Listen, I'll come super early tomorrow and work a full day, alright? I'll mop the floor better then."

"Why not now? We don't have any-," Shigeo was cut off as the front door was opened. A tall man with slicked-back black hair with only a single lime green strand hanging out. Of course, his clean-shaven face wasn't that important, but it was the black leather jacket with fur coating and that gaudy chain that made him feel familiar to me… "Customers? We-Welcome sir!"

I stared at him before everything clicked in my mind.

"You're that guy from the other day!" I yelled. "The guy that was getting harassed by that street punk near that school!" The man simply smiled, waving his debit card in the air as he took a step forward.

"How about some okonomiyaki?" He offered once more, sitting down on the table I had just cleaned under. Tsk. Fucking cunt-,

"Right away, sir-,"

"Hell no!" I cut in before Shigeo could ask the chef to prepare some okonomiyaki. "This is a diner past closing time, if you want okonomiyaki maybe you should come again in the morning."

"The hell we are past closing time!" Shigeo replied, shoving me to the side. "I'll prepare your okonomiyaki right away, sir. Sora, just go home. Your shift ended five minutes ago." I rolled my eyes at him but didn't complain as I yawned and checked the time. It was close to one in the morning, and Hinata was certainly going to throw a fit by the time I went home.

"You aren't going to sit down and eat some okonomiyaki with me?" The man asked me.

"I'm short on time you see," I narrowed my eyes at the man, it wasn't that he was smug when talking to me, but I couldn't describe the feeling he gave me. Sort of like a predator meeting its prey. "So, what do you want with me?"

The man smirked at that.

"What a strange thing to say, I don't want anything from you," He replied. "It was a coincidence that I met you back then, and a coincidence that I met you now as well."

"Is it also a coincidence that you came here and ordered okonomiyaki?"

"What can I say? I just love okonomiyaki."

"If you're gonna go to a diner and order that at one in the morning, I might as well go home and order a pizza." I returned, my eyes narrowing even further as I studied the relaxed man. I could see that he was also studying me.

"You like pizza? How cute."

"Prosciutto with olives specifically. Maybe even some Hawaiian depending on my mood. But don't try and change the subject."

Alright, I'll get straight to it then," The man leaned forward as his demeanour became serious. "I'm looking to do some business. Maybe a kid like you who's looking to make some extra cash could do it?"

"S'that so?" I asked, clenching my fists. "What kinda' job. I'm the picky type you see."

The man laughed.

"Oh, it's simple, just some research really. I want information on these people you see," The man took two pictures from his jacket pocket and slid them across the table. I frowned as I saw who was in those pictures. "Their names are-,"

"Shota Aizawa and Yukari Aotsuki," I cut in, my hands trembling with anger. "Are you trying to fuck with me?"

"You know them?" The man asked me, feigning a look of surprise, but I could see it in his eyes. He was just toying with me. Before a fight could erupt between the two of us, Shigeo slammed his hands on the table, the pictures flying in the air before landing on the floor I had just mopped.

"That's enough," Shigeo told us. "I'm afraid sir, we have run out of flour. If you could please the premises so we could close our diner, that would be the preferable outcome. Or I could call the police if you so desperately want your okonomiyaki."

The man simply raised his hands in the air, apologising as he got up from the table.

"Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to cause a fuss," It was then that his stomach growled violently. "Heh. Sorry about my stomach as well. I'll get going. But I do want to say this," The man then honed his eyesight on me. "If you do know who they are, then I suggest you keep a close eye on them. Just how much do you really know about them?"

The man then walked out of the diner, whistling a famous song that I recognised as if nothing had happened.

"...ast…"

"Huh?" Shigeo turned to me, confused.

"I said that bastard!" I yelled angrily. "Tsk. I don't think I can come tomorrow, I don't want to run into that bastard ever again."

"Funnily enough, I was going to suggest the same thing," Shigeo joked. "After all, you did just break my mop." I looked down at my hands and realised that I had been gripping the mop so hard it snapped in half.

"Ah, shit."

"No worries, we have four spares," Shigeo warmly smiled at me. "Just go home and eat some food. And sleep. You look tired, Sora." I nodded at that, wishing the old man goodnight as I walked to my car. The nearest seven-eleven was open, and I sighed to myself as I checked my wallet to make sure that I had enough money to purchase sweets before I went in and bought a big bag of different crisps, sweets, chocolate and energy drinks.

I had an essay that was due soon.

Yet as I walked to the car, I couldn't help but watch the scene unfolding before my very eyes. Shit! I hid behind my car, my heart pounding as I closed my eyes and swallowed down any vomit.

I still had a cold, even if it had been months.

"-And that goes doubly for you as well, idiot!" She shouted. "Urgh, I can't believe you bought cheesy fries. I already told you, the only person that eats cheesy fries is-," The girl, one who I recognised immediately was cut off by her boyfriend.

"Just shut up, Yuko!" Saito replied. "Damn him! Damn Sora Yamazaki! I swear, that kid went and told his parents and months later they managed to link him to us?! We shoulda killed that kid."

"Huh?! Who cares about Sora? I'm more pissed that you bought cheesy fries, you doofus!" Yuko said. "H-hey, what are you doing!" I heard her get pushed to the floor with a thud. "S-Saito, I don't want to do it! Stop! Help! Someone help-,!" She was then gagged. Tsk. I could feel my breathing slow down as I realised what was going to happen next.

But no one was here to stop it.

I was.

God damn it! Where were the heroes?!

I was here.

I didn't want to get involved-,

"Oi, stop being a dumbass!" I yelled, standing up from my position behind my car as I bit my lip nervously. I felt like I was going to vomit. Shit, did I take enough medicine before I went to my shift? My head was killing me. I watched as Saito looked up, his eyes lighting up in recognition.

"Holy shit, just my luck," He grinned at me, taking a knife out from his pocket. "You wanna play hero again? I got kicked out of school cause of you. I'm going to teach you a lesson-," It was then that I coughed up blood.

W-,

What the fuck?!

"Haha, look at you, can't even-," I kicked him in the stomach then elbowed him in the face before he could finish his sentence. I coughed up some small blood, but I wiped that away from my mouth as I turned to stare at Saito who was whimpering on the floor.

"Don't you have a knife?" I mocked him.

Saito growled as he got up from the ground and began swinging his knife wildly, but it was easy to dodge all of them, ending it by swiping his legs off the ground and watching in fascination as his head smashed against the pavement.

"Ooo, want me to call an ambulance for you?" I mocked him once again.

"S-shut up! Why the hell are you grinning, you sick fuck?!" Saito screamed, enraged at me. "Aren't you afraid of the knife?"

"Not really," I replied. "It's like two inches anyway. Probably bigger than your cock. Seriously dude, rape? On your girlfriend? How pathetic are you?" I shook my head at him. "I bet if you stabbed me with that thing I'd feel it more than she would feel your small penis." Saito's face twitched as he yelled something incomprehensible.

He then charged me for the third time, and it was rather easy this time to simply disarm him and bang his head against a nearby pole, knocking him out. There was a nearby street gutter that I walked to and threw the knife inside. My work was done. What a dumbass.

"S-Sora!" I heard the girl, Yuko, yell. "I-, Thank you."

"Don't mention it," I waved her off, getting in my car. "Just call the police and ask for Nanao Iori. Tell her my name and she'll sort all this out for you. Oh, and dump that bastard. I know a thing or two about toxic relationships…"

Before Yuko could reply, I shut my door and began driving home.

I just wanted to go to sleep.

"You saved Yuko from being raped?!"

I winced at Yui's tone of voice.

"Too loud," I told her, before blinking and shoving her away from me slightly. "And too close. Jeez, ever learnt of personal space?"

"You were a hero-,"

"Nope," I got up from the floor and fiddled around with my lighter. I had forgotten my cigarettes at home today, sadly. I leaned over the rooftop railings and tried to ignore Yui and her excitement. "Not a hero. Just… I stepped in 'cause no one else would, alright?"

"You still saved her."

"Whatever," I shrugged at her. "Just drop it, alright? I ain't a real hero, not like those dumbasses in costumes."

"Like 2A?"

"Oh yeah, especially them," I grinned at her. "Them and their stupid brand of idiocy. Anyways, what do you want to talk about today?"

"Who says I want to talk?" Yui asked me, tilting her head as she smiled at me. "I just want to spend time with my friend. Who's a hero in his own right. Don't forget that, okay? I may be writing a book about Aozora, but I will write a section dedicated to you."

I couldn't help but laugh at the irony of that.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothin'," I replied. "You still down to go to the Halloween party next week?"

"Of course!"

I sighed at that.

"Do we really have to dress up?" Yui nodded at that, and I deflated slightly. Halloween costumes were so expensive…

"Stop trying to turn on the radio!" I swerved oncoming traffic into a side road as Yui was checking her makeup in the mirror of my car. That was the worst thing about Halloween, the goddamn costumes. Yui was dressed as a vampire and even had 'blood' on the side of her left cheek with fake fanks and dark eye shadow.

She even wore a red cape that fit with her red dress rather nicely.

"COME ON!" Yui yelled, gripping the vodka bottle I had gotten her tightly. "I want to go to the party! Can't you drive a little faster?!"

"Unless you want me to wrap my car around a post, killing us both, I suggest you shut up," I joked, pulling into a free parking space in front of the house. "Here we are. Bring the bottle with you and make sure you give it to Aimi right away. I'm going to go to the toilet." Yui made a face but ultimately ignored me as she walked into the house that was blasting music loudly.

I could only sigh in response.

"Tsk, what a pain…" I whispered, lighting my cigarette as I stared at the sky. I didn't really want to go to the toilet, I went before I even came here, not to mention I don't even want to be here.

The costume I had worn for the party wasn't anything special.

Just a cloak from a random anime character that was popular, it was the cheapest one I could find if I was being honest. I hadn't even seen the anime or read the manga, hell I didn't even recognise the character, but Yui did. And so did a few people at the party as they waved at me and told me I had a cool costume.

I didn't want to be here.

I don't even like parties.

Throwing my half-finished cigarette on the other side of the road, I tucked my hands into my pockets as I walked inside the expensive house. Aimi, the girl hosting the party who always sat next to me in maths… or was it English? Either way, she lived on the outskirts of town. It wasn't a pain to drive there, nor was it a pain to find parking, but I could only whistle in surprise as I entered the house and saw just how big it was.

While I lived with my family in a sizable apartment in the city, one of the more expensive ones, Aimi lived in a mansion. Its size was comparable to the old Class A dorms, only instead of twenty people living there alongside their teacher, this was for a family of four.

"Sora!" I heard someone shout.

It was a familiar voice…

"SORA-SAMAAAA!"

My eye twitched as I instinctively dodged the male that dived from the first floor in an attempt to bear hug me. I watched as Neito Monoma's head smashed into the floor with a thud and the pretty orange-haired girl that could kick my ass known as Itsuka Kendo giggled as she sipped her cup of whiskey neat.

Jack Daniels too, judging by the fact that her other hand was holding the bottle.

"Er," Yui looked at me, then Monoma in confusion. "Do you know them?"

"We went to school together," I managed to get in before Monoma could open his mouth and yell the truth. "Back when I was a general studies student, I was friendly with them." Kendo, even while tipsy, understood what I was saying while Monoma moaned.

"Friendly with us?! Sora-sama, don't you remember-,"

Thankfully I managed to cover his mouth in time.

"Yes. Friendly. Anyways, what are you two doing here?" I asked them, walking over to the bar and pouring myself two shots of vodka, drinking them in succession as I also poured myself a small cup of orange juice to make sure I didn't vomit right after. "I wasn't aware you knew Aimi."

"She's Kaibara's ex," Kendo answered for me, pouring a glass of alcohol for Yui to drink with us. "How do you know her?" I smirked at her, pouring the three of us a round of shots.

"I go to school with her," I replied, knocking my shot against theirs as we drank them together. "Same with Yui here. It's a crazy small world, huh?" Kendo nodded at that, while we watched Monoma initiate a conversation with Yui.

"So, you're Sora-sama's friend as well?"

"Why do you call him 'Sora-sama'?" Yui asked, and I could only snort as I mentally prepared myself for Monoma's answer.

"Why? Isn't it obvious?" Monoma relaxed at that as he smiled at me. "It's because I respect him. I… I don't know what he's told you about his time at U.A., but he's gone through a lot of things. He's also helped me out before, but better than all of that - He's a genuinely good person underneath, and because of that I'll always respect him."

…

Yui giggled at that, and I could only grumble in response as I poured myself another drink.

"He's a swell guy, isn't he?" Yui asked Monoma, who nodded his head in response. "As much as he hated being praised, I think he knows that deep down. Oh, did you guys hear that Sora saved a girl from getting sexually assaulted by her boyfriend?" Kendo whistled, smiling softly at me while Monoma cheered loudly, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

"Dude! You've grown! You're about the same height as me now!" Monoma yelled in my ear, the stench of alcohol on his breath was noticeable but I didn't mind it all that much. "And of course, Sora did a heroic thing! Why wouldn't he after all he-,"

Kendo's well-timed elbow to the ribs prevented Monoma from finishing that sentence.

"He what?" Yui asked us.

I sighed in response, pouring three shots for Yui to drink.

Hopefully, I'd get her so drunk to the point of her not being able to remember this night, just in case Monoma spilt the beans. Kendo was on the same page as me as she took away Monoma's drink and made him promise that he wouldn't drink any more alcohol.

"I, er…"

"While Sora was a general studies student," Kendo took the initiative as she stepped forward and lied to Yui for me. "He tried to get in the hero track. That's how Monoma and I, as well as another friend of ours, found out about Sora."

"Huh?"

I chuckled at Yui's expression as she studied Kendo's face, her eyes nearly popping out of her skull as she recognised who Kendo really was.

"Y-y-y-your-,?!"

"Yep," Kendo nodded, holding her hand out. "I'd appreciate it if you kept that quiet. If you want we can exchange numbers, that way you can contact me privately. All our social media accounts are managed by U.A. anyways, so even if you tried messaging me on my hero account I'd probably never view it."

"R-really? That'd help my investigation a lot!"

"Investigation?" Kendo asked confused, turning to look at me. Even Monoma looked at me, although I was pretty sure that was because he was already looking at me to see how 'Sora-sama' had changed in the past year, the last time he had seen me properly. I could only click my tongue in annoyance as Yui explained to Kendo what her goal was.

"Yeah! Even though many people might not remember him, Aozora is my hero," Yui told her cheerfully. "That's why I want to write a book about him. So Aozora's legacy and hope can live on!" While Monoma chatted excitedly with her, I could feel Kendo's disappointed stare pointed directly at me.

I didn't dare reply.

Not even when Monoma took Yui to the corner so they could discuss all the positive things Aozora had accomplished.

I only kept on sipping on my drink, even pouring some whiskey in it to make it alcoholic.

"...Aren't you going to reveal the truth to her?"

"Not for as long as I'm alive," I instantly replied, my eyes narrowing as I glared at her. "And you better not say anything either. I know Monoma won't, at the very least he understands what I want even if he disagrees with me. But you've been frowning at me ever since you first saw me."

Kendo shrugged her shoulders at that, she wasn't denying it at all.

"We aren't friends anymore. Not after what you did."

"I left U.A.-,"

"You weren't there," Kendo coldly cut in. "You have no idea just how devastated they all were. We all were. You know, Tokage visited you so many times when you were in that coma of yours. We all had to deal with you leaving, but here you are wasting your life away."

"Wasting it away now, am I?" I asked her amused, pouring myself another drink.

"You smell like cigarettes, you're drinking way too much alcohol not to mention your eyes tell me everything I need to know," Kendo pointed out with a smug smirk. "You don't even want to be here. That 'friend' of yours? You're being cruel to her. You're just playing with her for your own amusement, like you played with us. She wants to write a book about your legacy, but you haven't even told her what she needs to know-,"

"And what does she need to know?" I asked her. Kendo spluttered, but I continued on as I pressed my thumb against her chest, "Kendo, you weren't there. So don't get your panties in a twist. That raid was… Listen, I ain't a hero. I left cause I needed to-,"

"I don't have a problem with you leaving," Kendo cut in. "If anything, well done on leaving. Perhaps you weren't cut out for it. I know that Class A would have tried to prevent you from leaving, and it's clear to see that back in our first year at U.A. they were suffocating you. You cared for them so much that they relied on you. But. And I do mean this, that didn't give you the right to trample over your friendship like that."

…

"They're stronger now-,"

"That's not the damn point, Yamazaki!" Kendo whispered furiously at me. She took a few seconds to calm down, clicking her tongue in anger as she realised she had spilt a little of her drink over her costume. It was just a red Chinese dress. "...You know, your room is still empty. No one goes in it, in fact outside of Yaoyorozu, everyone on that top floor moved down. There was enough space for them all, they just couldn't stand the sight of your room being empty. You could always go back."

"And do what?"

"Not fuck up again. Apologise," Kendo told me, leaning on the table. "There are tons of things you have to do. If you really don't want to be a hero again, then why try and run away from U.A. What's really keeping you away?"

"Maybe I made a deal with a villain," I poured myself another glass of whiskey. "To protect you all because I was too weak."

"Bullshit," Kendo replied, smiling at me. "I know you. Tokage knows you. Maybe there is some truth to that, but you wouldn't leave them just for that. I trust Tokage when she says the reason you left is far simpler, but also far more complex than that."

Tch.

"So you and Tokage have a little gossip club about me? Isn't that cute?" Kendo only shook her head in response, giggling at my comment.

"We all discuss things when we are bored, Sora," Kendo answered. "And since you're an interesting subject, it's only natural you would be discussed. Anyway, my guess is that you're ashamed. Whatever happened during the raid made you ashamed of defeating Overhaul, of doing so with that many casualties. Maybe you think that's not what a hero should be, or something along those lines. Am I right?"

I shrugged my shoulders, grabbing my cigarette packet.

"I don't know," I replied honestly. "Whether it's shame, a lack of interest or a bunch of other things. It felt right. That's why I left. It doesn't help that I lost my Quirk…" Kendo nodded at that.

"Right. Your powerlessness. That's what Tokage said drove you the most to leave, the fact that the protector couldn't protect anymore," … Kendo scoffed at that. "I disagree. Having a Quirk doesn't give you power, it's what's in your soul. The reason why you would fight in the first place. That's true power. Someone like you surely wouldn't give up everything because of that."

…

"Like I said, I don't know. And I don't care," I left the table, walking over to the smoking area. "I'm living a happier life now compared to before, so I don't care. Not one bit. And everyone else back at U.A. is living happier without me as well, right?"

I saw Kendo reluctantly nod in response.

"Yeah. You're right in that sense. Even Jiro's got a new boyfriend, someone who treats her right. Better than you ever did, and judging by the amount of times they've been 'caught' if you get what I mean, they are far more intimate with each other than you ever were with her. If anything, she's happier with him compared to when she was with you," Kendo told me.

I shrugged my shoulders in response, placing an unlit cigarette in my mouth.

"It ain't that hard. I was a lousy boyfriend after all, not to mention I broke her heart," I smiled sadly at the ground. "It really isn't that hard to surpass me, honestly. I'll probably never get married or even find another girlfriend 'cause I just ain't interested in a relationship right now."

"Are you sure it isn't because you think it's because you don't deserve one?"

…

"Nah," I waved her comment off, smiling at her. "I just haven't found the right girl. But you, Itsuka, are real easy on the eyes, have I ever told you that before? I wouldn't mind getting to stay with you tonight." Kendo rolled her eyes at me.

"Your attempts at flirting are atrocious. And also, I'm taken."

"That doesn't stop me," I replied with a grin.

"Well, it does stop me," Kendo replied, pushing past me angrily. "And anyways, Tetsutetsu is way better looking than you in my opinion."

I didn't waste any time in going to the garden all alone, finding a quiet corner where I could smoke without anyone distracting me with stupid comments.

Tch.

Just thinking about what Kendo said made me annoyed.

Either way, no matter how wrong she was, I thought back to Yui. She went off with Monoma, and knowing the two of them, they were probably deep in a conversation about Aozora. There were times I was afraid of Yui getting hurt, after all, she was poking her nose into finished business. Aozora was dead. And he wasn't coming back, ever. 2A had accepted that, and so had so many others.

It was just a shame not everyone could accept the truth.

"Hey, do you mind if I sit here?"

I turned to look up and nearly dropped my cigarette in shock.

"You-!?"

The tall man with slicked-back black hair with only a single lime green strand hanging out with the black leather jacket with fur coating and that gaudy chain that I had met twice before stood in front of me.

The guy from the restaurant that wanted to speak with me?!

"I didn't bring any okonomiyaki, but I did bring this," The man raised his right hand, showing an expensive alcohol bottle. "I just want to speak, just me and you. Finally, I have a chance to really explain everything."

"Give me a reason not to run away from you in three seconds," I told him, sitting up straight as I glared at him. The man simply grinned in response as he rolled up his sleeves, and I felt my eyes widen as I saw what was there.

A number five.

"T-that's-,!"

"Impossible?" The man asked me, sitting down opposite me. "Oh, don't I know it? All For One tried to erase me, not that he succeeded anyway. What did he tell you? That one through six were dead?"

"Shut up!" I yelled angrily, clenching my fist. "Who the hell are you?! One of All For One's remaining spies?!" The man put his hands in the air, but I could tell that he was amused by my actions.

"Relax, relax. I'm the real deal. Also, nice work with your manga, Bleach. A shame you didn't reach the Lost Agent arc, but oh well," The man joked, slowly raising his hands down. "My point is that yes, I'm the fifth."

"... you must be old."

"Thirty-three to be precise," The man replied with a small smile. "Listen, I did deliberately go out of my way to find you. I'm sure that the gears in your brain are trying to turn right now, perhaps even trying to gauge what I want from you, but the pictures of your mother and Eraserhead were just to get your attention. If anything, I'm the one who needs help from you."

"...What do you mean?"

"Don't make me spell it out, I know who you are," The man replied. "But that's beside the point. I need you. Or more accurately, I need your powers. I need you to fight for me, Sora Yamazaki."

"S'that so?" I leaned back on my chair, throwing my cigarette to the floor as I fiddled with my lighter. "I hate to disappoint you, really I do," I injected as much sarcasm into my voice as possible. "But right now, I'm Quirkless. Sorry mate, maybe try your luck elsewhere."

"Oh, I know that you're Quirkless, that's why I'm still asking you," The man grinned at me, placing two cups on the table we were sitting at as well as the bottle of expensive alcohol. "That's entirely why I need you in the first place."

"Huh? What the fuck do you mean?"

The man still grinned at me as he wasted no time as he leaned forward and whispered in my ear words that made the hairs on my body stand up.

"I'm telling you I can get your Quirks back. All of them."

OoO.

Finally, the plot kicks in! I mean, what else did you expect? As entertaining as a Quirkless hero sounds, it's highly impractical. Sora's not Batman nor will he ever be like Batman.

Firstly, his Quirk isn't him being rich.

His Quirks are as much a gift to him as they are a burden, and yet without them, it's clear to see that he feels incomplete. This chapter has helped to show that, as well as show how developed Sora and Aizawa's relationship has become.

They are uncle and nephew, no matter what anyone says!

This isn't 'dadzawa' and never will be. He cares for Sora in his own gruff way, and he'll always be tough on him - Which is what Sora likes about him. However, I do hate the fans of MHA who claim that Aizawa would never care for his students.

Aizawa is a poor man's Kakashi, clearly, they've been through a lot but I don't doubt that they care for their students. Saying that Dadzawa can never happen is ignoring canon in my opinion, the subtext of Aizawa and his character arc.

Still, this was a fun chapter to write.

Hopefully, everything is becoming a lot more clear for you all!

Netapel:

Cheers for the kind words. While I'd love to be the best MHA fic on this app, I must say that there are many fics I think are better. Death by tmb1112, Walking Study in Demonology by ijustwanttodestroy and Epicenter by downix2k are all great stories and are stories that I one day aspire Over the Top to be compared to.

But I don't think I'm there yet.

Thanks for the support!

The-Tobi:

That's an interesting theory. Whether Sora does get his powers back or not is something that I obviously want to talk about, because I think I've made my point clear with this chapter regarding how Sora feels about it all. Whether he becomes a hero again is something that's entirely up to him and his own feelings.

And right now, he believes that he doesn't need to be a hero.

Also Guest reviews are always funny to me, well all reviews are funny. I can't make everyone love my story, but for the few that enjoy reading it well I hope you continue to feel that way!

I'll try my hardest not to let any of you down!