Iida had woken up feeling as though rocks were sitting in his stomach, weighing him down. He knew that it was logically the result of dread, but he couldn't pinpoint the source of his overwhelming feelings as he normally would.
Instead, he felt stuck in bed, even as he mentally chanted instructions to himself of what he needed to do. He needed to get up and help reassure the class that everything would be alright even though nothing was okay. But when that didn't work, he simplified it a bit. He needed to go to the common room to give and receive comfort from the presence of his classmates.
But the longer he laid there, the more he spiraled. At this point, he was simply begging himself to get up out of bed, to just shift his arm a little bit to reassure himself that he was in control, that he could do it if he wanted to.
And eventually he did, but a glance at his phone revealed it had taken him nearly an hour to get up and face the day.
Iida hoped that this was some one-off type of occurrence, that this wasn't an omen for terrible things that had yet to come, but the constant weight of his frustratingly somatic dread implied otherwise. It wasn't often that his knee-jerk reactions lead him in the right direction. Yet right now, with the world all but collapsing around them, he was inclined to listen to his gut.
The sight that greeted him once he stumbled into the common room proved him right. The sight of his classmates crushed, dejected, anxious, upset, turbulent, fearful faces was enough to make his knees weak.
"Iida…" Kaminari muttered once he looked up and noticed a new addition to the crowd of their classmates.
The normally upbeat and playful joker of the class stared at him with the most downtrodden expression he had ever seen grace those features. And considering the looks they'd had in the hospital right after the battle against the Paranormal Liberation Front… He immediately feared the worst.
Upon a second inspection, there were several key faces missing from the crowd. Some of which surprised him, one of which did not.
Immediately, he straightened up and stared at the faces that were now all looking at him apprehensively.
"Where are Bakugou and Kirishima?" Iida demanded, clenching his jaw painfully in an attempt to smooth out his expression.
His efforts were obvious futile as most of the class glanced away, different emotional reactions trickling their despite their own best efforts to suppress their own tumultuous affects.
"Bakugou left UA last night."
Iida whipped around, only to be met with Todoroki's vibrant eyes staring directly into his own. His frustration was difficult to hide, almost reminiscent of his father in a way that Iida wished hadn't so easily associated the two together.
"Nezu informed me about it this morning," Yaoyorozu interjected, "Because there was nothing we could do, I didn't want to wake you. We have all been ordered to remain in the dorms until someone is freed up to monitor us at all times."
"He thinks we are all flight risks," Iida clarified, making a statement more than he was asking.
Well, he couldn't argue with the that, regardless of the angered faces that avoided eye contact with him. The only ones looking at him were Todoroki and Uraraka.
Todoroki made sense, considering he had been through the same ordeal as him. It felt like deja vu. Back then, his classmate had been roped into such a dangerous mess by Midoriya, who had been dragged in because of Iida's foolish decisions. And now Iida was fighting the urge to chase after Midoriya alone, the way his friend had done for him.
And although the Class President wanted nothing more than to break the rules once more, to save his friend despite all the odds stacked against them, he knew he could not.
Therefore he could only presume that Todoroki was staring at him so intently to remind him of his past mistakes. To keep him in check, in case he could no longer handle himself under all the pressure.
However, Iida was at a loss as to why Uraraka was giving him such an expectant look.
He took in a deep breath and hoped ****for all that was good in the world that both missing classmates were safe and sound. They could take care of themselves, he knew, but given the state of things it wasn't their capabilities that gave him pause. And if he was internally grateful for Bakugou's selfish decision and hoped that Bakugou knew what he was doing and somehow would manage to retrieve Midoriya and bring him to safety… well, that was nobody's business but his own.
When Yaoyorozu finally returned her gaze to his, Iida gave in, "Well, then I believe the best course of action is to follow orders for the time being. It isn't wise to rush things."
Some of his classmates grumbled reluctant agreements while others protested. One or two of them may have very well stormed out of the room, but he put it aside. He knew that without either of the classmates that tended to keep the class stable and together and strong, someone had to keep them all safe. He felt almost as though he was walking in shoes that didn't quite fit.
Sometimes, Iida believed whole-heartedly that Midoriya should have retained the position of Class President for which he had been initially elected. He had the charisma, patience, empathy, care, stubbornness, and dedication for the role. When everything had been normal—or at least as normal as it could be after being targeted by villains—he had felt more than prepared for the role. But now, he felt like he was severely lacking.
The only thing that had been holding Midoriya back had been his anxiety. Their entire class had had the pleasure of watching the uncertainty begin to fade away as he'd gradually come out of his shell. Iida wished he could go back in time to reassure his best friend that he would have done wonderfully in the position.
But he felt inexplicably guilty every time he pondered such a thing. At this point, it felt selfish.
Midoriya was already carrying the weight of everyone on his shoulders. That was what had driven him to leave in the first place. Any further burdens may very well have served to crush him completely.
Eventually, Iida was left alone in the common room with Todoroki and Uraraka.
He wondered how he could even begin to say something to comfort them. As some of Midoriya's closest friends, his absence felt more… raw. The three of them had almost been too dependent on their classmate's cheerful attitude and endless optimism. Whenever they fell on their journey towards becoming a hero, he had always been there to pick them up and dust them off. But who had been there when he had fallen.
All Might, it seemed. Perhaps Aizawa at times. And Uraraka, for sure. Likely Todoroki as well. But when had Iida personally been there to help? Not any time that mattered.
It felt wrong to be the one to comfort them. Midoriya had been the one to bring them together after all.
"We're going after him," Todoroki bluntly stated, breaking the silence and leaving no room for argument.
Iida flinched at the sudden admission. Despite his knee-jerk reaction to deny them and tell the two off for even considering such foolishness, he hesitated. His two classmates were watching him like hawks and easily noticed his hesitation, circling in on his weakness like vultures.
Uraraka narrowed her eyes as she stepped towards him, "You want to go as well, don't you."
"Perhaps you are right," he conceded knowing that he would be unable to fool two of his best friends, "A part of me wishes to rush to Midoriya's side to protect him, even if that means protecting him from himself. However, I know that putting ourselves in harm's way is the last thing he would want. He is more likely to take more risks if he believes us to be in danger."
"Bakugou already made that decision for us." Uraraka argued.
Todoroki's brows furrowed as he pursed his lips, the determination not leaving his eyes, "She's right. At this point, it doesn't matter if more of us leave. Maybe several of us in dangerous might finally convince him to come back, assuming he's still hiding from us all by choice."
Iida winced at the reminder that Midoriya likely wasn't missing of his own voalition. After all, even when he ditched the pro heroes he'd been working with, All Might included—he still kept the phone on him and allowed himself to be tracked just in case. That had been the only way they'd managed to find him originally. But now with no signal and the way that man he and Bakugou had chased up and vanished out of nowhere much in the way Midoriya had…
He knew in his heart that something wasn't right.
His eyes flew open as Todoroki rested his hand reassuringly on his shoulder, Iida not having realize he'd squeezed them tightly shut in the first place.
"You're right. We don't have a choice in the matter," Iida relented, regretfully convinced despite himself.
Perhaps Stain had been somewhat right. It seemed that he hadn't learned from his mistakes. However, Iida felt that he could live with that, if it meant that Midoriya would be safe and sound.
Uraraka's lips wobbled as she expressed her relief, "Thank you. I know we should be following the rules, but I don't… I don't think I can trust them to keep Deku safe. They aren't acting in his best interest. I don't like how they allow him to take on their burdens for them."
"They clearly don't know him well enough. We have fight him every step of the way, argue and claw back responsibility. They're just letting it go," Todoroki sneered, "Probably because it's easier for them that way. Some Pro Heroes they are. Midoriya is more a hero than any of them could ever hope to be."
Iida was slightly taken aback by Todoroki's vitriol, but he couldn't help but silently agree with his friend's assessment, even if it was far more rude than he would typically allow. Now was not the time to police tone when everything was on the line.
And so they schemed.
It was far easier than Iida had expected to develop a minor escape plan. It helped that they didn't plan to leave the pros completely unaware of their absence, but for such a tight security, Uraraka's quirk made for a quick work around. All but one of them would leave their IDs behind, since they only needed one to get back in and each time one crossed the UA barrier, the owner was noted.
Todoroki was quite determined to take the fall for this plan.
"Because of my father, I can get away with far more than either of you."
Which may have been true, but they were all so obviously at fault for the mess they were no doubt about to create. And so they made sure whoever no one was there to witness their departure, an easy task since, at this point, most of the class was hiding in each other's rooms in groups, supporting each other through hard times. The teacher or pro who was going to supervise them had yet to arrive, so they quickly exited via the roof exit.
As they left, Iida saw a flash of skin and a familiar mask from the corner of his eye as they climbed the steps up to the roof level. He had a gut feeling that Shouji would report them, but he refused to change his mind. They were going to go look for their friend. Their plan would have been found out eventually, so now it was simply a matter of making a quick escape before they could be stopped.
And they would have to be stopped by force, because there was no longer any chance of anyone talking them out of this. Iida was certain of that.
But Shouji simply met his eye and frowned before offering a solemn nod and looking away.
Perhaps they had more allies than he had thought amongst their class.
Iida did his best to shove away the guilt. The three of them hadn't given the rest of the class the chance to join them. Even though he knew that this mission was best kept to a limited number, he knew that Midoriya had positively impacted the whole class in one way or another.
In the end, the three of them made a quick and effortless exit from UA campus. Perhaps they should have been worried or nervous or even afraid, but they were none of those things. The only thing consuming their consciousness was determination.
After some deliberation, the trio began their search at the plaza to which they had initially tracked Midoriya down. As they treked there, they kept an eye out for movement. Whether it be a villain, a Pro Hero, a civilian… anybody was a threat or a risk to their plan. They also secretly hoped they would run into Bakugou at some point and join up in their search, since he had been a bit more in the loop than the rest of the class with what the pros were discussing regarding Midoriya's whereabouts, but of course, they didn't make it very far before a sleek, black car drove up right next to them on the deserted streets and parked. They all readied themselves for a fight as the door opened, unwilling to flee if only to lightened the burden and do their part in the case that this was an escaped convict.
Instead, they were met with the stern glare of All Might.
Iida did his best to ignore Uraraka's choked wheeze coming from his left and Todoroki's frustrated growl from his right.
"I'm certain Nezu requested that all of Class 1-A remain in 1-A Height's Alliance. What on earth do you think you are doing?" All Might demanded.
His glare was intimidating, but Iida couldn't bring himself to feel much shame.
"We're doing what you won't," Todoroki retorted.
His snide remarks felt very reminiscent of their interaction with the Chief of Police in Hosu. Iida couldn't help but feel that Todoroki's anger was justified. It was relieving to have someone express the feelings he couldn't bring himself to say aloud.
Uraraka stepped forward with her arms crossed, though it looked more like she was hugging herself that standing defiantly, "We were also planning to look for Bakugou. Why does he get a pass and we don't?"
All Might simply sighed as if he had expected this reaction from them.
"As Class President, it is my duty to bring Bakugou back. I feel that he won't listen to any adult, so it's best it the message comes from us."
The former number one hero stared at Iida utterly unimpressed. Truthfully, his statement wasn't a lie, but it seemed he was still terrible at lying by omission.
"Young Iida, forgive me for saying this, but I don't believe that's the only reason you three left. I know you boys have a track record for this kind of thing, but don't think you can continue to get away with skirting the rules," he admonished.
"Get away with skirting the rules?" Uraraka repeated in disbelief, her arms falling to her sides, "You think we care about rules? No. We care about Deku. Something you don't seem to do."
Iida stared at Uraraka in shock. Although she sounded like she wanted to cry—her voice wobbling, on nearly every syllable—her face was utterly defiant.
He honestly had been about to scold her for saying such an insulting thing to provoke a reaction out of All Might, but he resigned expression on the hero's face and the defeated posture that overtook his towering features held him back.
All Might sighed, "Perhaps you are right. It is my fault that this burden was placed upon his shoulders. However, that doesn't mean I don't care about young Midoriya."
"Of course not!" Iida agreed rapidly.
He glanced back at Uraraka, intending to shoot her a stern glare of his own. However, at the look of horror and regret on her face, it was clear that she hadn't intended for those words to slip out. Tensions were high and no one was managing themselves properly, it seemed. Iida was wondering if it perhaps was the best idea to return to UA and settle themselves before they made any further rash decisions. He believed that they had thought this plan of their through, but he was no longer so sure.
"That being said, I have been tasked with locating and picking up young Bakugou as well. You can accompany me until we find him," All Might relented, his face conveying how conflicted he was about the sudden change of heart, "And if we happen to find clues related to Midoriya's whereabouts… well,
All three of them looked at All Might in shock as the hero offered a tentative, reassuring smile. And for the first time since the battle against the Paranormal Liberation Front, the three student truly felt as though an adult—Aizawa non-withstanding—was actually on their side.
All Might's car certainly made the trip to the plaza quick compared to heading there on foot.
He had asked where they had planned to check first, which was tough question, considering they were no longer supposed to be looking for Midoriya. Of course, All Might quickly easily set aside the real intentions of their tentative plan by insisting that Bakugou might have thought to search there as well.
"Even if he's long gone, he might have left a trail for us to follow," the hero reasoned.
But when they arrived there was no one in sight. As they scoured the area, there was no denying that they had left behind quite the mess in the plaza. There was ice and make-shift weapons scattered about for anyone to pick up. There were hints of blood splattered, but most signs of a struggle had been washed away by the rain from that day.
All Might's statue stood tall and proud, void of the any of the defacing that commonly occurred nowadays. Iida swallowed the lump in his throat when he realized how such a sight might have affected the former number one hero if the disrespect had been present for him to bear witness to. The hero himself seemed content to completely ignore the statue of his likeness in the center of the mess.
The scene in front of them offered up no good clues, although nothing had been touched aside from what the weather had naturally worn away. If Bakugou had been here at any point, there was nothing to help track him down.
Without thinking about it, Iida found himself following the path he'd ran after Bakugou that day. The pursuit of that strange man that disappeared into thin air. Like before, he wound up in that empty alleyway, staring down at the puddles that lingered despite the rain having been clear since. Iida jolted in place, suddenly recalling the black sludge that seemed to have caught his classmate's interest. Was it the byproduct of some quirk?
Perhaps it was the quirk of someone from the League of Villains. It would make sense that Bakugou would recognize it considering…
Iida purposefully pushed away the thought that it might have been one of the quirks in All for One's collection. He didn't want to consider the possibility that something more sinister than Midoriya's stubborn, selfish selflessness was at play here. But who was he trying to fool? They knew damn well that All for One and Shigaraki were after Midoriya. The odds that this didn't involve them in some way were slim to none.
Iida shook his head and turned to head back to the plaza. The walk back took a bit longer than it should have, though he couldn't fault himself for his downtrodden pace. He decided that it was best to handle his own frustration and worry without putting it on others. Once he rejoined his friends, he wanted to be able to take-up the mantle Midoriya had so kindly bestowed upon him, to be the Class President that all of his classmates could rely on when Midoriy was no longer there to pick up his slack.
Iida ground to a halt, his arm suddenly aching with phantom pains at the sight in front of him.
Back at the plaza was Todoroki and Uraraka standing defensively, but incredibly hesitant. A few meters away was All Might held hostage with a long serrated blade held up to his throat.
Held hostage by Stain.
It felt as though his blood froze in his veins as he was struck as still as a statue. He had never forgotten that night in the alleyway, consumed by rage and embodying the antithesis of what a hero should be. Todoroki looked equally as shocked and still while Uraraka was taking cues from them despite not knowing they had crossed paths once before.
Stain's sudden presence almost felt like a sign from the universe that Iida was doing something wrong, that he hadn't learned his lesson. Suddenly, he felt a lot less confident in their original plan to search for Midoriya.
But then All Might's eyes widened in horror. It took a moment for Iida to realize that Stain's attention, previously focused on the retired hero, was now laser-focused on him instead. When their eyes met, Iida took a deep breath to recover the air that had been reflexively pushed from his lungs. He took a determined step forward. And then another.
Stain made no move to stop him or dissuade the notion.
When he was only two or three meters away, the killer finally spoke, "If it isn't that foolish boy, Ingenium."
It took everything Iida had to keep his breathing from hitching. He almost couldn't believe that the serial killer had remembered his hero name.
"Why are you here, Stain?" Todoroki demanded.
Uraraka turned to him in shock, apparently not having realized just who this noseless man before them was, "S-Stain? You mean the Hero Killer?"
"Is it true? This pathetic fool in front of me really is All Might?"
Said hero grimaced, clearly pained by the reminder of his now weakened state.
"It is," Todoroki confirmed confidently, "Why have you come here? What do you want from All Might?"
The killer narrowed his eyes, "I only came to visit the statue of the greatest hero of all time. Much to my dismay, it was defaced by nonbelievers."
Uraraka glanced over at the statue, brows furrowed in confusion, "Did you clean it up?"
Stain laughed.
"I doubt he would do that, young Uraraka," All Might coughed.
Stain sneered at him, "And you would be wrong, fool. I simply didn't have to. A young lady came and cleaned it, as she has every day for the past few weeks. Despite the danger, she makes the trip to this plaza consistently. She has such respect and faith in the hero All Might, so why have you lost your hope, fool?"
All Might flinched at the accusation.
Iida wanted to protest that All Might was incredibly strong despite his weakened demenaor, but watching the man practically wither before their eyes sent a different message. A message that Iida hadn't expected, but was far from surprised to see.
Even All Might was struggling to see a way out of this mess. He no doubt felt useless despite being a pillar of reassurance for all the students involved in this mess, Class 1-A in particular.
"You're still our hero, All Might!" Uraraka blurted out, immediately tucking her balled fists into her chest in a fit of passion.
"Young Uraraka, I-"
"She's right. You've saved us many times, but even without your physical strength, your reassurances and feeling of safety still reaches us," Todoroki added bluntly.
Even so, there was a determined glint in his eyes.
"We couldn't have made it this far without you, All Might," he added, "Please don't undervalue everything you've done simply because you are more limited in how you can help now."
It was simultaneously an upsetting and heartwarming sight when tears slid down All Might's emaciated cheeks. Stain seemed pleased that this revelation, releasing the retired hero from his hold and jumping away from them.
"It seems that the boy was right about you, Ingenium," Stain grinned, tilting his head down, making his smile appear more menacing.
Todoroki narrowed his eyes as Uraraka muttered to herself in clear confusion, "The boy?"
"But speaking of such matters… that boy wasn't one to hesitate. Meddling where you aren't supposed to is the essence of being a hero," Stain quoted, "So, where is he now?"
Iida flinched as the killer pointed his sword at him accusingly. It took a moment for Iida to realize that the boy Stain was referring to was Midoriya. All of a sudden, Iida felt like vomiting. It was thought that stain had been working for the League of Villains and now he was also looking for Midoriya? That wasn't a good sign. Midoriya was already being targeted by dangerous people like Stain? Iida wasn't so sure that his friend would be able to defeat him a second time without assistance.
Although on second thought, if the League of Villains didn't know where Midoriya was either, then that meant he might be safer than the heroes had thought. They still had time to save him.
"Don't tell me that unmotivated fool managed to kill him."
Todoroki glared daggers at Stain as All Might cut in, "Unmotivated fool?"
"Shigaraki. It is clear that he has developed motivations of his own, but I believe they conflict with my own goals. He made it clear from the start that he wished death upon the boy. I doubt that has changed, so I will only ask once more. Where is the boy?"
All Might was clearly at a bit of a loss as to the identity of the boy. Iida hated that he knew. Iida hated that Todoroki was giving him nervous glances, clearly hoping that he wouldn't answer the killer's question.
However, Iida couldn't forget the way Stain had saved Midoriya from that flying Nomu. Even though he'd had the chance, he hadn't slaughtered Midoriya even as he had him pinned to the ground and squirming. Iida had thought about that moment long and hard, spending many nights painfully awake and constantly thinking. In this moment, he couldn't help but think that Stain had deemed Midoriya worthy, just like All Might. Even though Iida disagreed with his cruel culling—as Stain himself had described it—he had a feeling that the man had seen the similarities between the former hero and his protege.
No, Iida did not think Stain was going after Midoriya to hurt him. In fact, Stain was simply standing and waiting for a response rather than being aggressive and threatening to receive an answer. It was clearly a curiosity, perhaps a hope that a true hero had managed to survive despite the vendetta Shigaraki had for Midoriya.
Midoriya's heroic spirit was likely the only thing he and Stain would ever agree on.
And so Iida spoke, "He is alive, fighting villains as we speak."
His classmates and even All Might turned to look at him in utter shock and horror, but Stain simply relaxed and tilted his head as though Iida was some puzzle he couldn't quite figure out.
"Well, I believe I can trust you, All Might, Ingenium," Stain nodded at them.
Without warning, the man tossed a knife at their feet, making them scatter. All Might rushed over to make sure they were okay and before they knew it, Stain was gone. Upon closer inspection, the knife pinned a piece of paper to the ground. The three students watched without a word as the retired pro cautiously approached it. The silence was tense as they stood and waited for some idea of why the paper was important. Iida could only assume it was a note of some kind, but he was unsure of what kind of thing Stain would write other than some kind of fan letter for All Might, since his whole distorted ideology centered on the man.
But then All Might gasped loudly, "Change of plans, we're going back to UA immediately."
All three of them desperately wanted to know what was on the paper that was so important, but one glance at All Might's face quickly dissuaded any probing or protests.
Iida was disheartened that their attempt to rescue Midoriya had come to a close so soon, but he had a feeling that the mystery was slowly unraveling as they continued on.
Shigaraki had no idea where he was.
One minute, he had been trapped in some nightmarish space within his mind, expending so much effort in a futile attempt to gain control back from All for One. The next, he was stuck with no clue where he was and no land in sight.
He still couldn't believe Sensei had done everything he had for him, only to control him in the end. Did the man not trust him? No, the man had said it himself, he only cared about One for All. All this time, Shigaraki was nothing but a tool.
But he would show that bastard that he wasn't some dog to be enjoyed, used, and then kicked out whenever it suited his fancy. If it was the last thing he did, he would destroy everything and everyone that had done him wrong.
Though, he didn't know where he was at the moment which was vital to carrying out his plan. At the very least, he knew he was no longer in Japan, given the vast waters around him. What quickly became apparent, however, was that he was at the site of some shipwreck. There weren't many survivors—as far as he could tell—but he scoured the area from his place on top of some floating wooden plank anyway. It took a moment, but before he knew it, he had spotted a man pathetically clinging to a tiny piece of wood that was beginning to drift away from the wreckage.
With a grin on his face, he pulled the man from the wreckage and demanded to know where he was.
The fool was utterly shaken, a pathetic and whimpering mess as he words spilled from his lips that made no sense. But as he discarded the newly made corpse and sought answers from the few other survivors, they all claimed the same ridiculous things.
Once he was the last person alive amongst the wreckage of what had previously no doubt been a ship, Shigaraki was left with nothing except the striking realization that he was very well in another world.
There was no way that this was the heroes' doing, since they were far too weak and incompetent. This had to be the work of a quirk. But then a vague tugging drew his attention away from the floating wood and restless waves around him.
He grinned.
This was certainly All for One's doing. He had a feeling he knew exactly what the bastard had planned. He wouldn't follow orders, he wasn't going to take One for All for that son of a bitch. No, he would take it for himself and use it to exact his revenge. No one would ever hurt or control him again. Not if he could help it.
With a grin, he prepared to launch himself into the air, resigned to the fact that he would likely have to swim a great distance to reach his target. But that was no matter, with the enhancements he'd received that now felt complete given the bubbling power of the energy he could feel pulsing through his veins.
Shigaraki could practically feel victory within his grasp in the form of Midoriya Izuku's stupid freckled face clutched by his hand. Nothing could get in his way now.