They chain him as soon as he arrives. His wrists, his ankles, even his neck is clamped with metal that hides his bruised skin, and as he's led to his cell, his every motion is monitored by people who used to be his superiors. He can only convey his emotions through his eyes since a peculiar device similar to a muzzle is strapped on his mouth and prevents him from speaking, but even if he wanted to there is no feeling he yearns to express.
They make him sit on a metal chair as soon as he gets inside his cell. They check the room by running their hands on the walls and verifying the security cameras as if they suspect he tricked the cell beforehand. They lock the door and pull down a black curtain so he can't see outside. The only source of light comes from a fluorescent lightbulb that flickers from time to time, casting Midoriya's distorted shadow on the ground.
They don't come for a while, for so long that Midoriya believes he was left to rot here. He keeps on looking up towards the one-way mirror, staring ahead. He's well aware that people are observing him, analysing him, judging him just like he judged Pro Heroes.
The door opens noiselessly, Midoriya turning to glance at the newcomer, his heart beating fast as he catches glimpses of crimson and ivory.
"I'd like to be alone with him."
The police officer guarding the door squares his shoulders with false bravado. "Sir, Tsukauchi-san requested that anyone wanting to see the criminal has to be—"
"Satou-san," and said Satou shrivels on himself, his facade crumbling, as two eyes of different colour glare at him, "it won't be long."
The door swings back on its hinges, the light flickering and plunging the room in pitch black. When the dim lighting comes back, he catches Todoroki beside him and his breath hitches. The Hero freezes his manacles until they break open with a slight click, revealing what looks like a canvas of grape and lemon crushed on his skin, the ecchymoses spreading up to his forearms.
Midoriya swallows as Todoroki sits opposite of him, folding his arms.
"I didn't think you'd give yourself in. I thought you'd rather die."
He did entertain the idea for a while until he had his conversation with All Might.
Midoriya tugs against the straps of the muzzle, searching for a metal clasp to unfasten. He struggles for many seconds, perhaps waiting for Todoroki to intervene and break the device like he destroyed his shackles, but the Hero watches him completely motionless.
"They locked it," he tells Midoriya, "and I think it's better like this."
Midoriya's hands let go of the muzzle to fall on his lap. Yes, it may be better like this. If he opens his mouth, it'll be like breaking down a dam and everything could submerge him. To make sure his head stays afloat and his thoughts remain rational, keeping his mouth shut is the best solution.
"I thought All Might arrested you but he told me you gave yourself in." Todoroki snickers out of sudden, shaking his head. "I thought you were smarter than this."
Midoriya chuckles, the sound stifled by the muzzle. He assumes his strongest suit is his intelligence since he's still scrawny even if he can defend himself and that he has no Quirk. Still, there's a slim difference between intelligence and stupidity and oftentimes, he flirts with both of them without knowing which boundary he's crossing.
He never considered, however, admitting his identity to All Might as a foolish move.
"You could've got away, you know."
Midoriya nods. Of course he knows. He could've got away because of Todoroki's schemes, less intricate than his own yet more successful than his own.
"You could've decided to leave but you didn't. You destroyed your cover. Why?"
He would've like to know himself. It wouldn't be the first time he'd lie either to someone or to himself. It wouldn't be the first time he'd take the easy way out, shrugging off his problems for his future self and hoping that said future would never come. It wouldn't be the first time he'd choose the Judge's interests over his own, killing people instead of saving them.
Meeting All Might, truly meeting him, not through Todoroki or through Tsukauchi, not by viewing interviews or browsing through articles or reading tearstained letters, but by standing only a few feet away from him and being at his level, made him realise something. He realised he changed.
Todoroki doesn't accept his silence as an answer.
"Midoriya, why did you give yourself in? I don't understand."
Neither do I.
And Midoriya really doesn't but something changed. He's living in the same world, under the same clouds, swept away by the same cold wind like every morning, taking the same subway and stopping at the same stations, but something changed. He can't smell it in the air and he has nothing tangible to touch or to see, but he knows it did. It's just like waking up one morning and knowing it'll be a good day. It's instinctual.
There's no event he can pinpoint because the memories are all so vivid, wrapped in sweetness and spices instead of the bitter and acrid taste he's grown used to. However, there's a person he has no trouble identifying who instilled this change and right now said person is rising with his lips curled in distaste, turning towards the exit.
Midoriya jumps on his feet and trips in them, forgetting the shackles chaining his feet. They clang as they're being stretched to their small limit. Midoriya catches himself on the metal table and he looks up, he finds Todoroki staring at him with features carved in marble.
"Pathetic," he whispers, and he's slipping out of the room without adding anything.
Satou startles when Todoroki leaves the room, a small squeak escaping his mouth. While the guard expects a rebuke, he's ignored as the young Hero stalks away. He lets out a sigh, allowing his posture to slope, and his face to drop this serious expression he practised for hours in front of the mirror.
"What did they talk about?"
Satou jumps in the air, one hand flying over his heart instead of grabbing his weapon like some competent guards would do. He spins around, as stiff as a wooden beam once more, and his mouth almost falls agape.
"A-All Might! Dear me, you're the real deal... I apologise for my rudeness," he gasps as he realises his mouth was faster than his mind, bowing low. "What can I do for you, sir?"
"Todoroki-shonen talked to the prisoner, didn't he? What did they talk about?"
His cheeks flare red as he shakes his head with too much zeal, "I have no idea. The door was shut."
"Satou-san." The Pro Hero's smile widens but one hand pats his shoulder with so much strength it almost floors him. "We both know why Naomasa placed you here."
Satou's eyes dart everywhere as they avoid All Might. He rubs the back of his neck, laughing as a desperate effort to hide his unease. Still, he can't help feeling smug at the implied implication.
"Tsukauchi-san does trust me a lot, All Might, sir... Sir All Might."
"Toshinori is good. But tell me, Satou-san, what did they talk about?"
The guard swallows. Disclosing information to the Number One Hero isn't like disobeying orders, right? After all, didn't All Might himself just confirm he's friends with Detective Tsukauchi by calling him by his first name?
"Well, my Quirk does grant me exceptional enhanced hearing but when there are interferences like, uhm, walls, I might miss some bits..."
"I have the utmost faith in your ability," All Might retorts, and the unbearable pressure of the Hero's hand on his shoulder contrasts with the friendly smile he sends him. "So omit no details."
"Alright..." So he tells him about the one-sided conversation, about Pro Hero Shouto's insistence if not despair to get an answer, about the last word he spoke to the criminal before storming out of the cell. "I don't really understand their exchange though."
All Might's face is serious even with the smile still plastered on his face. Satou wonders if he should've kept his mouth shut. With hindsight, he probably shouldn't done anything, not even let Pro Hero Shouto inside.
"Satou-san, can you do something else for me?"
"As long as it's not illegal," the guard titters, squirming a little more since All Might's grip keeps crushing him.
"I assure you it's not. I just want to talk to Midoriya."
Satou blinks owlishly. "Midori who?"
"The man who's in the cell you're guarding."
Realisation dawns on his face, his mouth opening to shape a perfect 'O'. He glances at the metal door behind him, nodding slowly, "Are you sure I won't get in trouble with this?"
All Might leans forward, "You won't, and if you ever do just tell Naomasa I forced you."
Satou fumbles with his keys to unlock it, whispering under his breath, "You're technically forcing me... How can I say no to the Number One Hero?"
The door opens, revealing someone who can't be older than him, thin as a toothpick and with his All Might hoodie — the same model Satou has at home —, hanging off his bony frame, and with his back drooping forward as if burdened by something invisible. His head snaps up, eyes haggard as they settle on him briefly before locking themselves on All Might.
The Hero pats his back, finally releasing him. "Thank you, Satou-san. It won't be long."
And as the door swings back on its hinges, Satou curses Tsukauchi for placing him in front of the Judge's cell.
He pivots on himself, his back facing the door once more as his eyes peruse the corridor as if daring a Pro Hero to come and ask to see the criminal. The way is clear but his ears perk up as he hears a chair rattling on the ground. He shuts his eyes, refusing to listen anymore.
"Midoriya-shonen," All Might's stifled voice reaches his hear as if he spoke underwater. Still, Satou has no difficulty to catch the rest, "Did they treat you well?"
The criminal doesn't answer; how could he when Tsukauchi's first order upon seeing the Judge was to seal his mouth with whatever was at their disposition? Satou doesn't understand everything but he isn't stupid. He saw how Pro Hero Shouto looked as if he'd been slapped, he who never displays any emotions, and his superior's eyes cast downwards with his mouth twisted in a grimace as if he'd swallowed the most acid of lemons.
"Wait, I'll remove this."
Satou musters his willpower not to rip the door open and scream at All Might that it's a trap, that the Judge will corrupt his mind with his silver tongue, or else why would Tsukauchi muzzle him? The Judge has to be a cunning mastermind who plans everything beforehand, anticipating moves and acting accordingly to his predictions. Satou's ready to bet the Judge's Quirk has to do something with premonitions or mind-control, or something eerily similar. Allowing him to speak would ruin the efforts Tsukauchi made to neutralise whatever power the Judge possesses...
But the question actually is: how come All Might know someone as ruthless as the Judge and act so friendly with him? Satou doesn't even want to think about such implications.
"There you go. Naomasa tightened it a lot, didn't he?"
Satou yields to the urge of gnawing his nails, his heart thumping against his rib cage. What will the Judge do? Will his words enthral All Might like those of a mermaid, and then he'll proceed to stab him like the sea creature drowns poor sailors? Will they poison him, paralyse the Number One Hero, and Satou will be the only obstacle standing between his cell and his freedom? Will his words brainwash All Might and Satou will have to fight him?
"Thank you, All Might," the Judge's answers, clearing his throat, and Satou almost tears off one entire nail in anxiety, "but you shouldn't be here."
"I know. But I wanted to talk to you."
"Apparently everyone wants to talk to me. I wonder who's next in the line?"
The chuckle sends chills rolling down Satou's back. The Judge's laugh is nothing like he imagined though. While it's not the devious cackle of cliched villains sometimes shown on television, it's barren as if he's never known emotions.
"My boy, I'm not here to ask you anything."
"Right." There it goes again, this empty, soulless chuckle. "No need to hide. Tell me the truth."
"What truth?"
In Satou's opinion, the truth can't be clearer: the Judge will be trialed and judged guilty since he himself gave himself away. The Judge answers, he has to, but even with Satou's heightened hearing he doesn't perceive the response. It's an inaudible mumble and he immediately fears the worst: what if he just spoke some incantation to jinx the Pro Hero?
"Are you really thinking—?"
"What other alternative do I have?"
"We're not going to kill you, Midoriya-shonen."
Satou almost chokes in his own saliva. Even if the Judge killed many, they're not going to do the same with him. The Police Force isn't led by savages who are going to sentence him to death. Maybe where the Judge comes from, they torture people who fail their mission and then kill them?
"You won't?" The Judge doesn't sound like the super villain described by the media but rather like a boy who's lost his way home, and maybe, Satou thinks, just maybe, that's what he is.
"Midoriya, didn't Todoroki tell you?"
"He told me nothing."
Satou is seized by the belief he shouldn't be listening to what is going to unfold but his curiosity is piqued by now, and even if he puts his hands on his ears to block the sound, he's convinced he'll catch snippets of their conversation.
There's a pause before All Might speaks again. "Todoroki spoke to Naomasa in your favour."
In the Judge's favour? Pro Hero Shouto, the ever steadfast and rational youth who's rumoured to become the next Number One Hero? That must be the long awaited proof that the villain has the Pro Hero Shouto under his spell and forces him to do his bidding. There's no way Pro Hero Shouto would try to save someone like the Judge willingly, right? Right?
"In my favour?" The Judge sounds incredulous, and Satou is impressed by his acting skills.
"Yes. Todoroki told Naomasa you were working as the Judge with the League of Villains, directly under Shigaraki Tomura's command. Is it true?"
There are a few seconds of silence following the question, where the Judge probably organises his thoughts and finds the best answer that wouldn't incriminate him further. "I wasn't under his direct command but in a way he was my superior."
A chair creaks, and Satou pictures All Might leaning back as a he processes this information. Tsukauchi, in charge of the Judge case, didn't interrogate the prisoner but after hearing two Pro Heroes meeting the villain, Satou's starting to understand just how baffling the case is. The Police Force's trying to solve a gigantic puzzle that's missing crucial pieces.
"Todoroki said you were being influenced by the League. That you weren't acting on your own. His theory is that you were threatened or that the League manipulated you to become the Judge."
Could it be true, or is the Judge messing around to create chaos and confusion? Even if the villain's depicted as the worst of scum, a fiend who strikes as low as his morals, Satou can't fathom how someone as frail and exhausted was able to craft schemes able to kill three Pro Heroes. However, why would this man give himself away as the Judge if it's not true?
"His theory, uh? I wonder how much time he spent thinking about this."
"Todoroki projects a warm glow on those he loves and a cold shade on those he's wary about. I'm afraid that as much as he cares about you, you fell in the second category. If I may ask, have you ever heard of the name 'All for One'?"
Satou may not be in the same room but he can sense the atmosphere darkening, like heavy clouds gathering in the sky. Satou shudders, busying himself with biting another nail. All for One sounds just like All Might's Quirk but with two words reversed as if to represent his antithesis. Now that Satou thinks of it, wasn't there a villain who opposed All Might but was vanquished back when he was young?
The silence on the other side is ominous and probably consists of an answer in itself. Satou jolts as his ears are assaulted with the sound of metal scraping against the ground, undoubtedly All Might's chair being pulled back as the Pro Hero rises.
"Thank you, shonen. I'll speak to Naomasa about this development."
"Aren't you going to put it back?"
"Isn't it a little easier to breathe when it's off?" A pause, probably corresponding to a physical response from the criminal, and Satou can almost hear the beam in All Might's voice. "Then I won't put it back."
Satou straightens, footsteps growing louder as All Might nears the exit. He wonders if he should act like he heard nothing even both of them know he listened to their conversation, or if he should tell All Might he's not going to reveal anything to anyone? Satou deems it safe to be honest.
"All Might," the Judge calls, and everything stills inside the cell. "I didn't have time to write a will but I'll give everything I possess to my mother. Also, I don't want her to be alone to pick apart my bones from my ashes."
"You won't die, Midoriya-shonen. Not today."
On those words, the door opens and Satou startles, his heartbeat skyrocketing. He stares down instead of meeting the Number One Hero's gaze with his cheeks burning, observing his right hand whose second and third fingernails were chewed raw.
"Satou-san," All Might begins.
Satou answers instantly, frantic. "All Might, sir!"
"Please make sure he's alright."
"And... how am I going to do that? Not that I don't believe in your faith in me, of course I won't let you down!" He adds quickly, running short of breath. "But I'm not very fitting for this task... for any task, now that I think about it."
"Just make sure he's not too lonely."
Lonely? If the Judge didn't want to be lonely, then he could've not kill people? Alternatives exist, like joining a club? But the guard decides to nod because the person making this request is All Might and All Might must have an excellent reason to ask him this.
"You can count on me."
"Thank you. Now take care of yourself as well."
He's a little dazed by such concern, and concern coming from such an important man, so when he regains his ability to speak All Might's already gone. "You bet I will!" He shouts, throwing a fist in the air.
Satou sighs, facing the door. He doesn't know what to think anymore. He doesn't even know why he grabs the doorknob and twists it. Keeping his eyes fixed on his shoes, he slips inside the room.
"H-Hey."
Not bad for an introduction, he thinks, if not for his voice's shakiness and his reluctance to stare at him in the eye. Satou steals glances in his direction, his confidence growing as he observes the Judge's eyes rimmed with red and weighed down by bags. They remind Satou of pebbles you find along the shore, looking bright when damp yet dulling the longer they dry.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Satou. Satou Takahashi."
The Judge frowns and Satou almost takes a step back in fright. "I've never heard of you," the villain muses. "Did Tsukauchi send you?"
"N-No. Yes. I'm your, uhm, your guard. I have to guard the door so no one enters."
"Then why are you inside the cell?"
His interest sounds genuine, much to Satou's surprise. Perhaps that's why being locked in does to the mind: it's so desperate to be entertained that it focuses on trifles.
"All Might told me to keep you company."
The Judge cocks an eyebrow. "Did he now?"
Satou swallows and nods. It seems he's not the only one wondering why the Number One Hero made this peculiar request. The Judge keeps on frowning at him, arms folded in front of his chest, and that's when the guard realises the villain's wrists aren't shackled anymore. He's seized with a vision of tiny hands sneaking in his pocket to take out his gun and aim it at his head, of hands like vines curling around his neck to choke him, of hands with nails sharpened like spearheads viciously sinking into his eyeballs.
Satou staggers backwards, tripping in his own feet in the process and lands on his rear. His legs are shaking as he leans on the wall to prop himself up and his eyes are wide, mouth open as if in a silent scream, as they watch the Judge. The latter's examining him from behind the interrogation table, still seated on the metal chair.
"What are you doing?"
"Me? I'm doing fine. I mean, uhm, I'm keeping you company. That's what I'm doing," he spurts, scrambling to his feet and hanging on the shreds that's left of his dignity.
"Are you afraid of me?"
"No. Of course not," he snorts, shaking his head. "I'm your guard, remember? I'm guarding you. I'm not afraid."
The Judge nods. "Alright then. Sit with me."
Satou's back on his legs yet he swears his knees almost buckle underneath him. He half expects the Judge to laugh at him, tell him he was mocking him, but his serious expression remains.
"What? Why?"
"Why not?" He shrugs, his slender arms spreading open as if to embrace him, while his eyes pierce through his soul. "Can't you guard me when seated?"
"I... It's easier to defend you when I'm up."
It's a pretext and they both know it. The Judge chuckles and rises to his full height to loom over him. Satou freezes as the villain shuffles towards him, the chains on his ankles rattling on the ground. The guard gulps, flattening himself against the wall as one wild hand searches for the doorknob, groping blindly in the air.
When they stand only a few inches apart, Satou shuts his eyes as he waits for imminent death. He hopes it'll be painless and quick. He never had a good tolerance to pain, always shying away from things he knew could hurt him, and yet his career consists of dealing with criminals almost every day. It's because of his Quirk that he's here today, that he was recruited by the Police Force. Sometimes he wishes he had a different one, or even that he had none.
"If you're not going to come and sit, then I'll be by your side."
Satou opens one eye tentatively. "By my side?"
He yelps when the Judge pulls one of his arms, making him lose his balance. Both of them sit on the floor, Satou tumbling down more than sitting, leaning against the wall. He crawls away from the Judge and only stops when a considerable distance separates them. The villain watches him with a sad smile, rubbing his arms and then looking down.
"I'm that scary? If only everyone was like you."
"L-Like me?"
"Yes. Like you. Perhaps people would treat me seriously then." Satou holds his tongue, drawing his knees to his chest while the Judge does the opposite, his long legs unfurling to lie in front of him. "But this is not serious, it's just ridiculous. It's like I'm the boogeyman and you're a seven-year-old child. Do you really see me as a monster?"
"Yes." The Judge doesn't react and Satou takes it as his permission to go on. "You killed three Pro Heroes who saved people and helped eradicate crime. Pro Heroes keep us safe and when people like you kill them, then you threaten our peace."
"Why do you think Pro Heroes are necessary for peace? It's because villains exist. Villains are as important as Pro Heroes. I did a little cleaning to keep the balance, that's all."
Something thuds against the door and the doorknob budges, both Satou and the Judge turning around to stare at it. There's more knocking, more kicking, but the lock holds on.
"Izuku-kun?"
Satou recognises the voice instantly and shoots on his feet, already reaching out for the door. "Tsukau—!" He's cut short by the Judge's hand covering his mouth, holding him from behind.
"Quiet," he orders and offers no other explanation.
On the other side, Tsukauchi knocks again, shouting, "Izuku-kun, please open the door."
Satou struggles against the Judge, hitting his hand away but it remains firm against his mouth. He elbows the man from behind and bites his fingers. The hand retracts immediately, the Judge cursing under his breath, before trying to grab him.
"Wait, that's not—"
"Tsukauchi-san!" Satou greets as he rips the door open. "I apologise if I..."
He's never seen such a terrifying smile on his superior's face before, his lips are stretched wide, showing two rows of sharp teeth like those of a shark. Satou winces, knowing he messed up by entering a prisoner's cell. Behind him, said prisoner has grown silent.
"Tsukauchi-san—"
He doesn't have time to finish his sentence. He stares down at his abdomen, wondering why it hurts so much, and notices the knife deeply planted in his skin. Tsukauchi's smile doesn't fade as he removes the knife, blood oozing out of the gaping wound. Satou opens his mouth as he seeks for air, his eyebrows wobbling in incredulity.
"Sorry but you're not the one I'm looking for." Tsukauchi giggles — positively giggles like a schoolgirl — and pushes him out of the way.
Satou shakes his head, incapable of understanding what's going on, even with his blood streaming out steadily, and collapses in a heap. He wants to scream but only gurgles escape his mouth as a thousand of burning needles piercing his body.
"Izuku-kun!" Tsukauchi, or not-Tsukauchi, exclaims and as he advances he steps on Satou's chest. The guard yells at the added pressure but is too weak to push him away, his arms flailing beside him uselessly. Not-Tsukauchi ignores him, going directly for the Judge. "Oh, how I've missed you!"
He hugs him, arms looping around his neck and one leg raised in the air. The Judge doesn't push him away yet doesn't return the embrace. Not-Tsukauchi begins to melt, then, and Satou blinks to make sure blood loss doesn't make him hallucinate, but the detective's disguise keeps on melting until it reveals... a girl completely naked.
"I'm here to break you out of jail and I'm allowed to kill as many as I want! Isn't this amazing?"
Satou averts his eyes, grunting as he tries to prop himself on his elbows, to take the gun out of his pockets, to do something. His chest heaves, his lungs burn and his vision flickers, but his ears catch the Judge's sigh and the rustle of fabric as the villain removes his All Might hoodie, dropping it on her shoulders. Through the haze, Satou distinguishes his expressionless face as he gazes down on the girl with half-lidded eyes.
"Are you sure you're not here to eliminate me?"
"Silly, I would never do that to Izuku-kun! Come, now! I can't wait to cover us in blood!" She grabs his hand and tugs, leading him out of the cell.
The last thing he sees is the Judge's wide eyes, glimmering like damp pebbles on the shore.