Katsuki had hoped that the new information would be enough to pique Aizawa's interest, but it had done the opposite. Aizawa wanted something tangible. He didn't want ghost stories.

His words.

And with the second murder, Katsuki had been biting at the bit to head out to the crime scene. The problem was he never even made it past the doors before Aizawa had pulled him into his office and told him to drop Emiko's case. Katsuki may have lost his cool soon after by slamming the door shut so loud it rattled through the office.

But he didn't regret a damn thing.

"You're on desk duty until further notice!"

Aizawa's poisonous words still stung at Katsuki's ears as he stomped back to his cubicle. Kiri the bastard was probably already at the crime scene, so Katsuki dialed his number to get whatever information he could. As soon as Kiri came on the line, Katsuki was already hounding for the very information that was denied to him.

"So what happened with Aizawa?" Kiri asked.

"I'm leashed until further notice." Katsuki said.

He had attempted a whinier imitation of Aizawa, his petty self already coming out in waves as he glared at anyone who even looked his way.

"What did you find?" Katsuki asked.

"Definitely similar to our last Vic." Kiri said.

Katsuki pulled a notepad as he prepared to jot down anything his partner offered.

"What do we have? Do they look the same?"

"Kida Ayase, 24 years old. Much older than Emiko Ito. Her father is a pretty well known business man too. Both vics don't appear to have any known connection, and they didn't run in the same crowds." Kiri said.

Katsuki cursed. This wasn't what he was hoping to hear. If there were no link or similarities to the two, then it would be harder to build a profile on their killer.

"Cause of death?"

"Tsuyu already confirmed that it was by strangulation, so that's another difference." Kiri said.

"Then what the hell is the same?" Katsuki yelled.

His partner chuckled through the line and Katsuki, fed up with Aizawa, didn't have time to deal with Kiri's teasing today.

"There's no confirmation that it's an exact match until Tsuyu looks her over, but I noticed precise cuts all throughout her body. They're pretty similar to Emiko's, so there's a chance we may have at least one MO if it's the same guy." Kiri said.

Katsuki's gut turned. This was what they were looking for. It wasn't enough. Not by a long shot, but everything was telling him that there was something there if he just kept digging.

"What about stomach content?" Katsuki asked.

"Already ahead of you. Tsuyu will send us a report first thing tomorrow, but if we're lucky, then it will match Emiko and we'll have a second MO."

"Maybe I'll check in with Tsuyu tonight before talking to Izuku. See if she can speed up the process. We can't waste time right now." Katsuki said.

There was a pause from the other end, which stretched long enough for Katsuki to notice the awkwardness.

"What is it?" Katsuki asked.

"I thought he told you to stay away?" Kiri asked.

Katsuki glared at his desk, the reminder of Izuku's blatant rejection was still a sore spot for Katsuki and if it had been anyone else, he would have accepted the rejection in stride and moved on without so much as a fuss, but this was Izuku they were talking about.

There was no way he would take his rejection lying down. The green-haired fool was at least attracted to him and, with a weakness for Katsuki, that he planned to milk it for all he was worth.

Figuratively speaking.

Physically speaking as well, if Katsuki had any say in it.

"The idiot is lying to himself. He wants me. He just won't admit it yet. But I'm actually going to see if I can get anything else out of him."

There was a resigned sigh that came from Kiri, but Katsuki didn't dignify his disapproval with any form of acknowledgement. He knew logically he made little sense, but that's how it usually went until all the pieces fell down. He just hoped things played out in his favor so his friends would finally trust that he made the right call with Izuku.

"Just be careful, Kats. I know you like to trust your gut, but that isn't always full proof."

"Yeah, yeah." Katsuki said.

"Katsuki! I'm serious!"

Kiri wasn't one to yell often, but there was a twinge to his voice that gave away the worry he had for Katsuki. He didn't like when his partner fussed over him, but he tried not to let it irritate him too much and instead focused on easing his worries at least a bit.

"I'm being serious. I won't let my guard down completely with Izuku until I know it's safe." Katsuki said.

"And promise to keep in touch when plan to see him."

"I'm not a child!" Katsuki yelled.

Some of the other officers turned to Katsuki's outburst, but most were used to his loud mouth at this point that they turned back to their work just as quickly. Katsuki glanced over to Aizawa's office just in case, but the older man didn't so much as stick his head out to check on the commotion so he figured he was in the clear.

"I just want to make sure you're covered, so promise me." Kiri said.

Katsuki slouched back in his chair in defeat because there really wasn't much he could say to dispute Kiri's request. He knew the other man had no trust in Izuku, and it would be safer to keep tabs on each other in the meantime. That didn't mean the restrictions overjoyed him, so he agreed begrudgingly.

"Fine. I'll reach out when I'm going to meet with him, happy?"

Kiri's light tone came through satisfied that he had won this time.

"Very!"

When Katsuki finally had the chance to leave the office, the sun was hanging low in the sky, although that only meant their department became more active the darker it got.

He tried the cafe first, but only the old lady from before was inside as Katsuki walked out the door. She eyed him warily, and he wondered if Izuku had warned her to send him away.

"You looking for Izuku?" She said.

Katsuki's eyes lingered on the back door. It was possible Izuku had already left for the day, but he wouldn't put it past him to hide like a coward in the back, either.

"He's not here. Left a few hours ago." She said.

"Fine, then I'll just head over to his place then." Katsuki said.

He turned to head out, but the old woman's voice reached his ears as she returned to her sweeping.

"Help me close up."

It wasn't said in a questioning manner, but something in her tone hinted that it would work in Katsuki's favor to be kind to the old hag. So, with only an annoyed huff, Katsuki turned back around as he rolled his sleeves up to get to work. The older lady smirked as she made full use of him to close the cafe in half the time it would have taken her alone.

Katsuki came back from throwing out three large bags of trash into the back alley's dumpster, making the last of his tedious chores done. Mrs. Shuzenji was standing by the front entrance holding a tote bad that looked bigger than her slight frame could hold, but she didn't seem too bothered by the weight as she waited for him.

"You seem like a good boy." She said.

Katsuki made had improved over the years, but he didn't think that it was enough to get the approval of most elderly who had considered him brash on a good day.

"Thanks?"

"A few blocks over on Maine St is where you'll find Izuku. He likes to frequent the gym there when he's feelings restless. Probably still there if you hurry." She said.

"Thank you!"

This time, he meant it as he headed out the door. He had wasted time, but not enough if he had waited for Izuku outside his apartment, so overall it was an excellent investment of his time. As he heads over to Maine, St. Katsuki pulls up Tsuyu's number, hoping she had any updates on the reports.

"You know I'm not supposed to be talking to you."

"And need I remind you that you owe me that favor? I'm here to collect." Katsuki said.

Tsuyu sighed on the other end of the line, but Katsuki could hear the shuffle of papers moving around so he knew he had won this round.

"Kiri said they had similar wounds. Is he right?"

"The cuts are too specific, some kind of sharp instrument, like a scalpel. It's easy enough to get if you know where to look, so we overlooked it with Emiko, but our current vic has the same cuts."

"So the same person could have done it?" Katsuki asked.

"Oh, it most definitely was. It's not outwardly noticeable, but these cuts are almost an exact match, as if someone meticulously replicated them." Tsuyu said.

A shiver rolled down his back at the first evidence that Toya Setsuno was not their killer, but he wondered if it would be enough to convince Aizawa's superiors. After he went to him about the organization, Aizawa couldn't take anything less the concrete evidence he had already benched him so he couldn't be careless.

A chill came through and Katsuki sped up his pace to keep warm. The sign for Maine St was just up ahead, so he needed to wrap things up with Tsuyu before he reached the gym.

"What about the stomach contents?" Katsuki asked.

"There's nothing similar to Emiko, but the quality is higher end. I hear her dad was pretty rich, so this maybe nothing you can use." Tsuyu said.

He was afraid that would be the case.

"Alright, keep me posted if you find anything else out." Katsuki said.

"Yeah, yeah, but we're even after this, you hear me?" Tsuyu said.

Katsuki chuckled, it was rare to have one over on Tsuyu since she was a pretty straight lace girl, but he knew she had her wild side so it would only be a matter of time before he was bailing her out of her next 'adventure'.

"Sure, you keep telling yourself that." Katsuki said.

Katsuki wasn't sure what he was looking for, so he kept an eye out for any gyms. They considered main St a historical district, so most of the shops were pretty old and run down. They had opened these small time businesses since before their city was even a city.

The street was pretty busy though, with bars beginning to open up the later it got in the evening. The youth of the city found it in trend to visit the area as they bar hopped through. Katsuki wondered if the gym would even still be opened by the time he reached it as he began weaving his way through the lingering groups of people.

By the midway point, Katsuki almost pass by the inconspicuous sign, with only the simple image of a dumbbell as the indicator for a gym. There were no windows on the outside showing the equipment or advertisement for its business, and someone had covered the door for privacy. Katsuki tested the door with a small push and it came open with no trouble, so he made his way inside after some hesitations.

The whole thing looked sketchy as fuck, but he was trusting the old lady that he would find Izuku as promised.

As he walked farther into the establishment, there was no one at the front desk to greet him, so Katsuki made his way further in where some basic equipment laid out in a small open flooring.

There wasn't much, most of it being weights or punching bags, which made him realize this was a specialized gym, not for the average yoga classes.

"Keep moving Jones! Keep moving."

There was a repetitive slamming thud coming off to the side of the gym and as Katsuki grew closer, the noise came louder. He had enough time to see Izuku slam a body kick into another man side.

The force was enough to make Katsuki wince at the obvious pain the other man showed right before he pulled away from Izuku.

An older man shouted from the other side of the ring, his face agitated and red as he climbed over the man, who was crouching forward while clutching his side.

"I told you, didn't I? You can't stand there like a log or Bunny will eat you alive."

Izuku chuckled as he brushed back the damp strands of hair from his face. His face was pink from overheat as he moved to his corner to take a pull of water from his bottle. His back was to Katsuki, the expansive view of his back slicked in sweat became in full display. It was pure muscle covered in scars and complete perfection to Katsuki's greedy eyes.

Katsuki's chest clenched as he swallowed the spit that pooled in his mouth.

"Does he need a minute?" Izuku asked.

Katsuki needed a minute.

"Yeah, let's call it a night." The older man said.

"It was a good spar. He's caught potential with those power jabs." Izuku said.

The man huffed as Jones sat on the ground to catch his breath, but there was a pained smile on his face of pride. The old man smacked him lightly over the head in irritation.

"Don't let that get to your head kid, you got a long way to go before you're ready for the real thing."

"Man, Torino, why can't you just let me enjoy the compliment? The Bunny said I have potential! Let me have this." Jones said.

Izuku laughed while catching the towel that the old man threw at him.

"The point was for him to knock you down a peg or two, not inflate your ego!" Torino said.

"Cut him some slack." Izuku said.

"And you! Don't think I didn't notice you going soft on the kid!" Torino yelled.

Izuku flinched away from the much shower man who aimed a well placed low kick to his calf. Izuku avoided it and in doing so, his face turned in Katsuki's direction and the two made eye contact.

"Kacch….Katsuki?"

Before he could say anything, Torino's second kick landed straight in the center of his gut, knocking the wind out of Izuku as he fell forward in pained shock.

"I still got it!" Torino said.

Katsuki's hand half raised in greeting blinked in surprise at the sudden attack by the smaller man, who now stood over Izuku triumphantly. Jones, still in the same spot, watched the situation with a sympathetic shake of his head.

"Crazy old man."

Torino and Jones introduced themselves to Katsuki while Izuku was still catching his breath, unable to stop him.

"My name's Katsuki Bakugou. I know Izuku from way back." Katsuki explained.

Torino gave him a once over, his face unreadable while Jones smiled as he patted Izuku's back to check on him.

"You interested in fighting?" Torino asked.

Before Katsuki could answer, Izuku passed in front of them, already shoving his things into the black duffle back. He unwrapped the sparring gloves from his palms as he stared Katsuki down, his eyes dark as they bore into him.

"Don't you know a copper when you see one?" Izuku asked.

Jones let out a low whistle as he leaned over the ropes of the ring as he looked over at Katsuki. Torino turned away with a huff his interested lost.

"You in trouble, Bunny?" Jones asked.

The man looked younger than Izuku, hair buzzed short and face half swollen from healing bruises, but he looked both amused and cautious. Katsuki knew he'd throw him out the second Izuku gave the word.

"Nah, I'm good. Mind giving us a minute?" Izuku said.

When the other two left, Katsuki watched as Izuku threw on a simple white tee, duffle bag in hand. His movements were jerky and tense as he turned to Katsuki.

"I thought I told you to stay away." Izuku said.

Katsuki grinned, but it clenched his teeth tight as restrained irritation oozed in his tone.

"And you actually thought I would listen?"

Izuku rolled his eyes as he passed by Torino's office, saying his goodbyes with a small wave that the other man acknowledged with a small nod his eyes cautious as he followed Katsuki who hardly passed the man a sideways glance before following Izuku out the gym.

"What do you want, Katsuki?" Izuku said.

"I just want to talk. You didn't respond to my text, but I know you saw it. A second murder means they may open Emiko's case back open." Katsuki said.

Izuku shoved his hands in his pockets as the cold hit his still damp skin.

"Something tells me it won't be." Izuku said.

Katsuki paused, but Izuku didn't seem patient enough to wait for him, so Katsuki sped his steps up to keep up with the green-haired man.

"I thought you didn't think it was the organization." Katsuki said,

"I still don't think it is, but that doesn't mean I don't think they're copying the real thing. I'm sure thy have at least one official in their pocket if you've had this much trouble." Izuku said.

They reached the crosswalk and Izuku didn't wait for the light to turn before he jogged over to the other side of the street, and Katsuki reluctantly followed him. It wasn't like it mattered at this point since the night was in full swing with people moving about, uncaring of the usual traffic laws.

"How are you so sure? All criminals become sloppy with time." Katsuki said.

Izuku chuckled but didn't turn to look at him, his form cast in the amber glow of the streetlights and the neon signs of the bars.

"Not AFO. There's no merit in these murders. Every choice he made, from the illegal to legal companies, extravagant charity balls that had helped millions. Everything had a purpose to his see society in his image."

"Sounds like a cult." Katsuki said.

Izuku turned to look at him for the first time, and an amused smirk twitched at the side of his right lip.

"You're not completely wrong. There's a reason he is who he is and has accomplished what he has built. To some, he is this godly devil pulling the strings behind the scene. And we're just the players on the board."

"Is that why you got out, to cut the strings?" Katsuki asked.

Izuku stopped in the middle of the street, his brows furrowed as he thought over Katsuki's words. He shook his head before speeding up, making it harder for Katsuki to catch up as the crows thickened around him.

"Hey…. wait Izuku, you're going too fast."

"If they close this case too, then you're dealing with a dangerous group that's already deep in your boss's pockets, so hopefully you'll finally listen and drop all this before it's too late."

Katsuki tried to keep up but Izuku was no longer being courteous as he disappeared farther into the crows until Katsuki had lost him three blocks down. He wasn't sure what he would do if they closed this case as well, but Katsuki doubted he would drop it. It would only fuel him more if what Izuku said was true.

But he had little to go on, so Katsuki agreed he needed more proof. Thankfully, Katsuki had picked up at least a few new pieces of information that Izuku had let slip.

AFO had legitimate companies and became known for his extravagant charity balls. Which means Katsuki only needed to follow the bread crumbs until he had at least a name. Even if it wasn't AFO, this could lead them in the right direction, or at least that was what he was hoping for.

He heads back to the office where Kiri is already waiting for him, displeased.

"I thought you were going to let me know when you meet with Izuku." Kiri said.

"I did. This morning I told you I was going to meet with him." Katsuki said.

He flopped down in his chair as Kiri loomed over his face, pinched tight in a frown as worry lines crinkled the edges of his eyes. Katsuki ignored him, unbothered by his attempt at intimidation as he began searching companies with known charity events.

"You were supposed to tell me when, so I could be on standby, not after the fact." Kiri said.

"Hey, are there an annual charity balls in the city? Something that upscale companies would go to?" Katsuki asked.

The changed in topic was enough to distract Kiri's obnoxious fretting as he thought over Katsuki's question.

"Hmm… no, that's not really our scene, so I wouldn't know the first thing about charity balls."

Katsuki flipped through different articles, though most were small time events, nothing that he would describe as extravagant. He tapped his pen against his lips as he thought over his search options that could help narrow down.

"Why don't you ask Shoto?" Kiri asked.

Katsuki groaned at the very idea of speaking to that icicle, but he agreed it was possible since Shoto Todoroki's family came from old money and his father was a well-known businessman in military and firearms.

"Fine. You still have his number?" Katsuki asked.

Kiri sent him the man's information and Katsuki dialed the number into his phone impatient as the ring tone continued on and on before someone finally had picked up.

"Helllo?"

"Yo, Ice princess been a while." Katsuki said.

"Oh, Hello Bakugou. It's been a while."

Katsuki ground his teeth, already annoyed. Not that he had issues with Shoto personally, he would even say they were on friendly terms, but the man's lack of reaction just got under Katsuki's skin, who most would consider the complete opposite. They always grouped them as a pair for most of their high school years, Shoto's ice, to Katsuki's fire. It had irked him, making him go off around the other boy often enough that they weren't allowed alone for too long.

"Sooo… I actually wanted to call you for a favor." Katsuki said.

"Of course, anything for a friend."

Kiri snickered nearby as he listened to the call. It was probably whatever face Katsuki made at the word 'friends'.

"Do you know of any high rise charity balls that happen annually in the city? Maybe something that isn't advertised to the public?"

Katsuki paused as he considered some things Izuku had told him about AFO that could be useful.

"I'd say something that maybe is no longer active in recent years after the benefactor or an important big wig retired?" Katsuki asked.

"Why?"

Katsuki opened his mouth, more than likely ready to shout something at the infuriating man, but Kiri's panicked face had his vocal chords stuck in his throat. Taking a breath, Katsuki tried again. His voice calmed, but tense.

"It's for an important…..case..… So if you could.. Please!…. Answer… the question?"

Kiri looked uncertain, but he gave him a thumbs up, more or less pleased with his restraint so far. Shoto was quiet for too long of a time as Katsuki waited in silence. His leg shook with energy under his desk and Kiri looked uncertain, probably realizing he was ready to pop at any second.

"Well, now that you mention it. My father met with a private benefactor a few years back. He's well known for his private charity events in the city until his retirement recently." Shoto asked.

"Yes! What was his name, or do you remember what he looked like?" Katsuki asked.

Kiri leaned forward closer, his eyes wide and lip twitching as he held his breath for Shoto to speak.

"I never saw him directly, but I think his name was An… something... Anju…. Aki….. Akuji…. yeah, that's the name Akuji Shigaraki."

It was like a weight lifted off his chest as Katsuki sagged back in his chair at the revelation.

They had a name. They had something tangible, something real that wasn't a ghost in the shadows.

"Thanks Shoto, I owe you one."

"Sure, I could go for some cold soba, but you know you're not supposed to be investigating the recent murder case. You're lucky Kiri wasn't dragged down with you."

"Shut up Ice Princess! This isn't for the investigation!" Katsuki yelled.

Kiri flinched before shaking his head at Katsuki, a look of disappointment on his face so Katsuki gave him the finger in retaliation because fuck him. He was lucky Katsuki had kept his cool as long as he did.

New personal record.

"I'll be you your stupid soba noodles next time we meet up." Katsuki grumbled.

Shoto, completely unfazed, didn't even sound upset as he responded in his same cool tone.

"Sure, tell Kirishima hello for me." Shoto said.

When they hung up, Kiri moved closer to rest his hip against Katsuki's desk.

"I agree with Shoto though you should lie low, even if we got this new piece of info you're still off the case and even if Aizawa gave you his blessing to investigate on your own time, he won't be able to protect you if the Commissioner catches wind of you snooping around." Kiri said.

"We need to follow the thread. I can't just get benched now that we have something tangible." Katsuki said.

His friend patted him on the shoulder, one of his usual sunshine smiles on his face, making Katsuki look away at the brightness he was giving off.

"Let me take the lead on this for now. Once things settle, you can join me and in the meantime, I'll keep you in the loop with anything I find."

Katsuki wanted to say no, but he knew what his partner was getting at. The fact of the matter was his leash was being kept tight in the office. Aizawa was so busy keeping Katsuki busy; that Kiri could move around freely with little supervision.

So why not use that to their benefit?

"Fine."