"A traitor?!"

"No way…"

"That...can't...be…!"

Peter closed his eyes and took a rather guilty breath. Though it was hard for Deku and him to even come to the conclusion that there may be a spy inside the school, it is the best conclusion they could come up. How could a Nomu know all of those secretive details without prior knowledge of them? Someone had to get inside and provide the information to them.

Kurt looked at the three shocked U.A students and grimaced slightly, "I know it must be hard to take in, but all evidence points to that one estimate. It would be ignorant not to consider that idea."

"B-but…" Iida couldn't stomach the thought of someone they knew having a hand in the League's schemes. It would be an atrocious discovery to unearth.

"As I said, though," Peter looked at Iida, "It is just a probability. There could be other factors Midoriya and I did not think of."

"Still though," Uraraka spoke, "The idea of a renegade infiltrating us and playing a hand in my failed kidnapping let alone helping cause the USJ attack, it's too much." Uraraka looked down, "Especially if it would be someone we know from our class…"

Todoroki kept silent as he was pondering other possibilities, but the only other one he could think of is the traitor being forced into it against their will or U.A's upgraded security isn't as proficient as they thought.

Midoriya looked down and wondered to himself too about the concerning concept. Though it is one no one wants to believe, they have to make a note of it. "We can't tell anyone though." Everyone turned to Midoriya as the green haired boy looked up, "If we tell anyone about this, a mass panic could occur. Someone could leak the idea and everyone would be edge at school. The school would fall apart because of a lack of trust amongst each other."

"You're right, Deku." Peter had an image of the school in utter chaos. U.A would have no choice but to close its doors and possibly kick everyone out just to start fresh again. That would put a huge mark on U.A's already damaged reputation, maybe the biggest stain since opening its doors. "We keep it to ourselves. No one else."

"What about X-23, Dr. Banner, or Deadpool?" Kurt asked.

"No." Peter sternly replied, "Too many of us already know, and I want to keep it that way. If too many people have knowledge of it, it can be very dangerous."

"But we can trust them, Peter." Kurt looked a bit hurt by that. He was used to keeping secrets from others, heck he has his own secrets, but this wasn't about him, it was about the safety of everyone.

Peter signed, "We can, I know. But I think it is better this way."

Kurt looked ready to argue, but decided against it, "Even if we don't tell them now, they'll figure it out if another attack happens but on a grander scale."

Uraraka shook violently for a moment and caught everyone's attention, "I just had a thought, one that frightens me to my core." Uraraka looked at them all with a terrified expression, "If the League wants me, what's to stop them from taking my parents?!" Everyone gasped at Uraraka's thought. None of them even considered that the League might do that. It wouldn't be out of the norm, villains are ruthless after all and taking someone's parents isn't out of their circle of evil. Uraraka shook her head and had tears forming in her eyes, "I don't want to imagine my parents getting caught in the crossfire because of me." Uraraka then turned her focus to Peter and Midoriya, "What do they even want with me anyway?!"

Midoriya and Peter couldn't find an answer to that question. There are many possible reasons as to why, but that is information they do not know.

Kurt placed a hand on Uraraka's shoulder, "Calm yourself, Uraraka. It'll all be okay."

"Yeah, everything will be okay, Uraraka," Deku said with confidence in his voice.

"If it helps, I can assign one of my bamf's to watch over them to make sure they are okay," Kurt suggested.

Uraraka nodded her head and relaxed a little, "That would be nice, Kurt." Uraraka gave the blue X-Men a soft smile, "Thank you."

Kurt smiled back and took his hand off her shoulder, "Don't mention it. I'll have one out as soon as possible." Kurt's face then had a look of realization. His eyes immediately turned to Peter, "Peter, what happened to X-23? Now I think about it, I have not heard from her since yesterday. Is she okay?"

Peter nodded his head, "Yeah, she's okay. It's just…" Peter then remembered Eri. How can Peter tell Kurt and everyone else that X-23 found a little girl and took her to his place to care for her? That would be a bad idea to say, so Peter thought he should tell Kurt when they are alone, "It's just that she ran into a Nomu, and the Nomu gave her a tougher time than she had originally thought it would. It took a while to put down."

Kurt nodded his head, "Okay." Kurt was hoping that when Peter said 'put down' he meant as knocked out and not a lethal version of the phrase.

"That just leaves one question…" Todoroki finally spoke and eyed everyone, "How do we continue going to U.A without causing suspicion to ourselves?" That was a question that needed to be asked. No doubt they'll all be on edge in U.A, so how do they prevent attracting attention to themselves?

"We just have to try our best and act natural." Kurt said, "It is all we can do."

"And we protect everyone while at it." Peter added, "If they aimed for Uraraka, no doubt they would try and grab others."

Uraraka flinched and looked a bit anxious. She was so close to being kidnapped, but it was because of Hulk that she is still here with everyone and not somewhere else. Uraraka felt a hand on her leg and looked to see that it was Deku's hand.

"Don't worry." Deku said, "We'll keep you safe. I won't let them take you."

Uraraka stared at Deku and took in his reassurance. She felt most of her worries wash away at this moment. She really did believe in Deku's words. That he could protect her when she needs him. Uraraka smiled warmly at him, "Thank you, Deku. And...if they come for you, then they'll have to get through me first!" Uraraka said as both 1-A students smiled and looked to the others.

Peter and the others, minus Todoroki, smiled as they watched the duo ensure the other that they'll have their back when danger arrives.

Uraraka looked at the clock and got up, "Well, I got to go. Gunhead was nice enough to let me visit, but I have to go back now." Uraraka said as she gave everyone a smile, "You take care." Uraraka then made her way to the door.

"I got to go too actually, I have an errand to run." Peter said as he got up as well and stood behind Uraraka, "See ya guys!"

"Bye guys! See you at school soon!" Uraraka and Peter then left the room.

"Bye Peter, bye Uraraka!" Deku and Kurt waved to them.

Deku kept his gaze on where the two were and did not feel Kurt's presence next to him, "Soooo…do you have a thing for the miss Uraraka, Midoriya?" Kurt asked him as Deku turned his head to Kurt with a red beat face.

"I-I-I-I I was only, um, I was just comforting her so she doesn't feel scared! I mean yeah I do like her but I wouldn't say like like! Not to say that she isn't pretty because she is very pretty but…." Deku stopped himself as he noticed Kurt's devilish look.

"You like her, Liebhaber (Loverboy)." Kurt teased.

"Kurt, please!" Deku pleaded and hid his own face from his teasing friend.

Kurt laughed and patted the poor boy on his back, "Oh don't be like that, just admit you like your brunette friend." Deku only groaned in embarrassment much to Todoroki's slight amusement.

X-23 and Eri

X-23 was sitting on the couch while using Peter's laptop. She had the TV on as it was on the news talking about the events from yesterday and what had happened. As she was listening to the news people, X-23 was searching the internet for any information on the man she met yesterday. X-23 wanted to know any and all information she could get on him. He looked like the type of man she'd have to look out for on a daily basis.

X-23 growled lowly as her frustrations were growing. There was no information online matching any of his descriptions. X-23 had to wonder if he was just new at being a villain, he knew how to keep himself hidden, or this was the only acceptable information allowed on the internet right now. Whatever it was, X-23 was not going to find any data on him.

X-23 closed the laptop and heard small footsteps coming from the room. She looked towards the room and saw Eri walking out it. Eri's expression looked rested and her hair was refreshed. Yesterday it was dirty, but today it was shiny. Since Peter obviously didn't have any clothes meant for young girls, X-23 improvised and used one of Peter's undershirts. It was certainly too big for the young girl, but it was better than nothing.

"Hey, kid." X-23 got up from the couch and left the laptop on it, "Did you sleep well?"

Eri nodded her head, "Yeah. The bed was comfy." Eri replied and walked over to the couch. Her focus was on the TV as her expression changed to curiosity, "How did a person go inside that...thing?"

X-23 blinked at her question. Does Eri have no idea what a TV is? "That's a Television or TV for short." X-23 said, "Do you know what a TV is?"

Eri shook her head, "I have never seen one."

"Oh my goodness…" X-23 thought to herself, "Well…this is a TV." X-23 said and kneeled next to Eri, "That person is actually somewhere else, but this TV allows us to see where they are because of the cameras."

Eri looked at X-23 and tilted her head, "A camera does this? How?"

"Ever heard a recording?" X-23 asked.

"No," Eri answered.

"This might be a little complicated to explain then…" X-23 mumbled.

"Oh…" Eri mumbled as well and looked back to the TV, "What is she doing?"

X-23 looked to the TV to see that they were talking about the weather now, "Right now she is going over the weather for today. To see if it'll be hot or cold outside and if there is wind or not."

Eri nodded her head, "Is that all the TV shows?"

"No," X-23 grabbed the remote, "There is a lot more stuff." X-23 put the guide on and looked at Eri once more. "I'm assuming she is like 5, 6, or 7?" X-23 told herself and went on the hunt for any kids shows. When she stumbled upon them, X-23 placed her free hand on her face, "You have got to be kidding me…" X-23 thought to herself. The same kids show at home were the same here. X-23 didn't even look and put something random on to amuse Eri. If she found it entertaining anyways, if not, then switch it until she does. "You can sit down on this couch here," X-23 told Eri as she did so and kept her eyes on the TV.

X-23 walked towards the kitchen and began to ponder to herself, "What am I doing? Taking care of a kid? I can't do this. I don't have the funds to take care of her." X-23 looked back to Eri and focused on the little girl. Eri was different this morning. She seemed calmed, relaxed even. But X-23 knew behind those eyes laid a mountain of anxiety and fear. A child doesn't wash away experience like that overnight, they never do. They need help to overcome such heavy trauma. X-23 clicked her tongue, "I know all of that, I've been through it myself, but why? Why do I feel the need to help her? Why is my mind compelling me to keep her? She'd probably be in safer hands than mine. I'm a killer, a cold-blooded assassin and a heartless freak of nature. I lost my humanity long ago, but she still has hers. So...why do I not want to let her go?! And why do I get the feeling I am terrified of something related to her?!"

"Laura."

X-23 snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head. Eri was looking at X-23 with innocent and curious eyes, "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" Eri asked, "You look like me when I have bad thoughts…"

"She can read expressions? I better be careful then." X-23 nodded her head, "Yeah, I'm okay. Just thinking of what to make for breakfast."

"Oh." Eri looked at her stomach for a moment, "What do you have to eat?"

"What do you want to eat?"

"I don't know."

"Ever had eggs?"

"Eggs?"

"A white solid with a yellow ball in the middle."

"Ewww."

"Eww?"

"I've had it before, it wasn't good." Eri then looked down and frowned lightly, "That's what I always ate in the morning though."

"Oh." X-23 walked into the kitchen and looked into the pantry before pulling out pancake mix, "Okay, I'll make you something else then."

Eri looked to X-23, "What is it?"

"It's called pancakes. They take awhile to make, but I like them." X-23 said as she grabbed the needed utensils, "Just watch TV or do whatever you want until I say food is ready. Okay?"

"Okay." Eri sat back down and went back to watching the TV.

"Just keep her for now, until it safe. After that…Eri finds a home."

U.A Staff

"Is everyone present?" Nezu asked as he scanned the meeting room. Nezu had called for a meeting in regards to the attack on Hosu City, and how the news recorded many aspects of the battle both good and bad.

"Yes, sir," All Might answered, "We are all here."

"Good." Nezu shined his signature unfaltering smile, "Let's begin with the attack on Hosu City. It seems as though there were two fights occuring at the same time. One with Nomu's, and the other with the Hero Killer."

"I can't believe the two problem children along with Iida and Kurt decided to get involved." Aizawa growled, "They know the law, and I shall remind them of the rules when they get back with punishment."

"I'm not sure Peter would mind it one bit." Midnight said towards Aizawa, "We already know he is the type to run into danger when he sees it without a second thought."

All Might nodded his head in agreement, but with some hesitation, "Him and Midoriya are two peas in a pod. No matter the consequences, they will always jump into action. I feel as though Kurt may share the same feeling as them."

Aizawa groaned lightly and grumbled under his breath, "Wonderful. Another idol that the students will look up to, but for some of the wrong reasons."

"Let's get back on track, we can talk about the students afterwards." Snipe said, "The Hero Killer got away, but he left a message that is spreading like wildfire among society. I fear he may have caused an unwanted impression and a call to arms for villains in hiding."

"That would be troublesome." Power Loader spoke, "Heroes are already working a little overtime, but that is because All Might's retirement gave villains a push to act out more, but not enough for most who live in the shadows still fearing that All Might is simply daring them to come out."

"Why would they think that? That is not something I would do." All Might asked.

"When you fear or hate a man that the mere thought of him shakes you to your very core, you grow irrational conceptions about them." Aizawa explained, "Villains are no exception to that train of thinking."

"But it seems that fear is over." Ectoplasm sighed, "Hero Killer woke them up from their own nightmares and now villains are moving faster than ever. The crime rate has yet to increase, but I would not be surprised if it rose by at least two percent by the end of the season."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Present Mic crossed his arms and stared at the table below him, "We have to push the students further. Hero Killer said he wanted to start a revolution, and it looks like his may keep his word. We mustn't allow our students to slack off at any time for any reason."

"I second that." Nezu said, "In fact, I have an idea on we can challenge our students further but I will explain after the next topic. The Nomus."

The rooms atmosphere shifted. The Nomus have left a wave of destruction wherever they went, not to mention one almost defeated All Might and nearly killed Spider-Man on the same day. No hero wishes to come across one. To the Pro-Heroes, seeing a Nomu is like seeing Death at your front door.

All Might frowned as he recalled the one at USJ, "The Nomus. I heard from my old mentor, Gran Torino, that he and Laura encountered one together. They fought it until Laura landed a decisive blow to its brain and ended the battle."

Aizawa looked over to All Might, "Weren't both Peter and Midoriya internships taking place at Gran Torino's? How did they split off?"

"Gran Torino said he told Peter and Midoriya to stay on the train when a Nomu attacked it." All Might let out a weak laugh, "I guess we know how they reacted to it."

Cementoss decided to go next, "Three Nomu's were sighted. Two on the ground and one that could fly. Both ground Nomu's were taken care of, one by Laura and Gran Torino, and the other by the city's Pro-Heroes."

"What about the last one?" Midnight asked.

"That one is what concerns me. It was defeated, but…" Cementoss' voice trailed off.

"But it was smashed into the street." Thirteen continued for their colleague. "The Nomu was found in a crater with all of its bones broken. There were massive footprints too." Everyone was now on edge. Only one person would be capable of such a feat, "That one ran into Bruce Banner."

Nezu placed his paws on his head and signed, "Not only that, but Hulk was caught with our students and Spider-Man when Stain was making his leave. We have to address this, but Spider-Man also has to tell the news why he let both Hulk and Stain go."

"What was Spider-Man supposed to do though?" Power Loader asked with his teeth gritted, "There was wounded with him as everyone can see on the news feed, and we saw what Hulk was clearly capable of on his own…" Everyone looked towards the former number one hero as All Might looked down. "Even then, Hero Killer was with an unknown assaltante. There is little on who the Hero Killer is and if he works for someone, but this new figure may be his partner. There was too much for one hero to deal with, and the news wants an explanation? What kind of crap is this?'

"It's the media." Aizawa snarled, but not at Power Loader directly, "But I have a question though. What was Uraraka doing there?"

"I called Gunhead when I saw the news," Nezu looked up and put his paws in front of him, "He told me that the flying Nomu kidnapped Uraraka." Aizawa tensed up at the comment. Nezu quickly, but calmly, added, "But she is safe. Uraraka has returned to Gunhead's Agency with no injuries."

"Wait a minute." Present Mic said, "If Hulk beat down that Nomu, but the Nomu had Uraraka in its grasp, would that imply Hulk saved Uraraka?"

"That would be the case." Nezu answered, "I'm quite surprised by his actions too."

"Hulk may not be a mindless brute after all." All Might thought aloud.

"But he is dangerous nonetheless." Aizawa said, "That is why we agreed to keep Bruce Banner under U.A supervision so Hulk will not break out."

"Where are Peter and the other students now?" Snipe questioned.

"Peter recovered fairly quickly so he went back to his apartment," Midnight replied, "However, Kurt, Iida, and Midoriya all are still in the hospital. Though I feel they may be checked out soon today."

"Good." Snipe simply said.

"The Nomus have shown the same reaction as the last one from USJ. No responses to any type of questioning and their eyes looking blank like nothing is there." Nezu said, "More studies will be needed to confirm what type of creatures these things are, but I have a theory they only listen to commands given to them by a leader."

"You mean Shigaraki?" All Might inquired.

"Maybe." Nezu answered, "It's just a theory."

"I say we move on then." Present Mic suggested, "Sir, you said you have an idea about how to challenge the students to push them even further, would you explain to us your plan?"

"Ahh yes, Present Mic." Nezu chuckled lightheartedly, "My idea was to change the final exams and replace the robots with different opponents."

"Replace them?" Snipe said, "With what?"

"Leave that to Aizawa," Nezu pointed to Aizawa.

Aizawa was holding a folder full of papers. "I have an idea of how I want to proceed with my students, and what they should do for their finals." Aizawa got up from his seat, "I will discuss with all of you tomorrow about my idea and see where it goes from there."

"This meeting is adjourned," Nezu announced.

Peter and Kurt

"You ready?"

"Yeah. Bye Midoriya, take care."

"See ya guys. Tell X-23 I said hi."

Kurt chuckled a bit amused by the request made by Midoriya. Peter had came to help walk Kurt back to his place to stay. X-23 was said to be there, and she wanted to meet Kurt there for a private talk with Peter. Kurt hoped it was nothing serious.

Midoriya waved the duo bye as they closed the door and went down the hallway to check out the blue demon.

"He's so spirited, ain't he?" Kurt asked Peter.

"Yup. Midoriya is a compassionate soul." Peter answered.

"But incredibly naive." Kurt chuckled and looked at Peter, "Like another person I know."

Peter rolled his eyes, "Don't look at me." Kurt laughed as the two made their way down to the front office before checking Kurt out. The duo exited the building and walked towards the direction of the train station.

"Why does Laura want to meet me at your place?" Kurt found it odd it couldn't be at the warehouse. Was there something she wanted to keep hidden from Deadpool and Dr. Banner?

"I can't say." Peter turned his head to Kurt, "All I know is that it is urgent, and it will surprise you." Kurt nodded as his head as the two made it to the train station.

It did not take long for the train to arrive at the station, but the length it took to get to Musutafu did take a few hours due to the many people getting in and out on the various stations.

Once Peter and Kurt touched down at Musutafu, Peter lead Kurt to his apartment. Kurt looked at the apartment and was feeling an urge to ask Peter to let him move in with him.

"This way." Peter said as Kurt followed him. They made their way to Peter's room, but before the entered, Peter looked over to Kurt, "Whatever you do, do not scare the little one."

"The little one?" Kurt tilted his head, but receive no answer as Peter opened the door. The first thing Kurt saw was on the other side of the door in front of Peter was X-23 sitting on a couch, and in her lap was Eri, who was looking at the two in curiosity. She was dressed in pajamas that fit her body now since Peter went to the store and bought her clothes after he left the hospital for his errand.

"Nice to see your doing well, Kurt." X-23 said.

Kurt entered the room alongside Peter as Peter sat on the other side of the couch. "Laura…" Kurt mumbled and closed the door behind him, "Who is the little girl?"

"Her name is Eri." X-23 answered and went on to explain to Kurt the events that happened that led X-23 to saving Eri, and taking her here. As Kurt was listening to X-23, he took a glance at Eri. Eri looked a bit frightened and shrunk a bit into X-23's lap. Kurt reestablished eye contact with X-23.

When X-23 finished telling the story, Kurt signed and looked down to the ground for a moment and rubbed a hand through his hair. "Does Dr. Banner or Wade know?"

"Not yet." X-23 answered, "I wanted to tell you first."

Kurt took a breath and looked around the room, "Okay, but tell them soon. What are you going to do with her then?"

"I...don't know." X-23 looked down to Eri. Eri looked up to her and both kept a gaze on one another before they simultaneously broke it. X-23 faced Kurt and Peter once more while Eri looked elsewhere to fuel her interest. "For now, I want to make sure that masked freak is not a problem before I decide what to do with Eri. I have no doubt he is looking for her, and sending Eri to anyone else will her and the caretakers at risk, and potentially, have Eri be in his grasp once more."

"Please no…" Eri whimpered and gripped onto X-23 tightly.

X-23 gently rubbed her head and looked down to her, "It's okay, you won't be in his possession again. My friends and I will take him down before we'll let that happen." Peter and Kurt nodded their heads in agreement.

"Yeah, I ain't going to let some maniac abuse you anymore." Peter said, "If I ever find him, I'll make sure he gets put behind bars and stays there."

Kurt walked to Eri slowly and knelt down to her level, "I promise that we'll keep you safe, and away from him." Kurt held out his hand in a calm manner, "I understand how it feels to be hurt, too, by a parental figure." Kurt gently stroked Eri's hair as Eri shivered in slight fear by the new face, but after feeling Kurt's pleasant and soft touch, Eri felt at peace once more. "Do not fear, Eri, for we are with you." Eri nodded her head and relaxed her grip on X-23's shirt.

X-23 moved Eri off her lap and stood up. "Also, I'm staying here with Eri, Kurt."

Kurt smiled lightly and flashed his tail to Eri, to whom the little girl was surprised by the extra limb and looked on in curiosity, "I understand, Laura, our place isn't exactly comfortable for one such as her." Kurt moved his tail to Eri and allowed Eri to grasp and fiddle with it. Kurt couldn't help but laugh lightly at Eri's actions, "She's adorable."

"Agreed." Peter said as he watched Eri poke the sharp end of Kurt's tail, and was amazed by how smooth and pliable it was despite its contradictory appearance. "She's really taken an interest to your tail."

"As long as she doesn't pull, or God forbid bite it, I do not mind." Kurt replied as he recalled instances where that has happened to his tail, and most were not pleasant memories aside from a few humorous ones. Kurt placed his focus back to X-23 as Eri was now distracted, "Though I do have a few questions. How will we take care of her when we are not present? Who will watch her then? Should we tell the others at Class 1-A?"

"I wouldn't trust her to anyone I don't know, especially those who I haven't seen fight yet so I'll have to think on that for the time being." X-23 placed a hand on her chin, "And we'll only tell one person from that class, and that being Midoriya."

"Why Midoriya?" Peter crossed his arms, "You don't even know him."

"That kid just screams purity and kindness." X-23 deadpanned. "Not to mention you trust him more so than others."

"What about Tsu aka my girlfriend?" X-23 laughed a little in Peter's face.

"Oh please, I wouldn't trust any of your girlfriends with anything considering how fast you move onto the next lady." X-23 then laughed a harder, "You're like 'Hey I'm Spider-Man, wanna know my secret identity?' That's a perfect description of you with women."

Peter looked absolutely offended by that comment, "Okay, first of all-"

"Enough." Kurt raised his voice slightly at the two before a fight could brake out, "We're getting off topic here."

X-23 snickered, "Fine, Kurt." Peter simply looked away in response with a huff. "Oh calm down ya big baby. I know you had your reasons for break-ups and such."

"Whatever." Peter shook his head with a small chuckle, "Yeah, X-23 and Eri will stay here; we'll tell Wade and Dr. Banner soon as well as Midoriya, and we still need to find suitable babysitters for when we are at school." Kurt and X-23 both nodded in agreement. "Okay." Peter then looked at the time, "I need to go to the store to buy groceries." Peter walked to the front door.

"Wait for me." Kurt said and gently took his tail away from Eri. "It was nice to see you, Eri." Kurt said with a smile. Eri stared at Kurt in response before holding her hand out. Kurt took his hand out and met hers and gently stroked it once more. "I'll see you again soon, schätzchen."

Eri looked up to Kurt terribly confused, "Sch…sch…e…sche…"

Kurt chuckled lightly, "Sche-"

"Sche-"

"Chen."

"Chen."

"Schätzchen."

"Schätzchen."

"Very good." Kurt praised Eri and rubbed her hand one more. "It's a german word that could mean many different things, but I'm using it to say 'sweetie.'" Eri nodded her head in understanding. Kurt nodded his head back to her and softly pulled away. "Bye, Schätzchen."

"Bye." Eri watched Kurt and Peter leave the room before looking up to X-23. "I like him."

"That's nice." X-23 genuinely stated and knelt down to her level.

"What's his name, again?" Eri asked her.

"Kurt." X-23 picked Eri up and took her to the kitchen, "Kurt Wagner."

League of Villain

"You stole my spotlight!"

"You're abominations caused me to lose my targets!"

"I wouldn't have sent them if you weren't trying to get your name everywhere!"

"That is never my intention! My only objective is too kill unworthy heroes, never putting myself in the spotlight either! It just so happens that the media just loves me!"

It was complete anarchy back at the League's base. In one corner, Shigaraki was being held back by Kurogiri's portals to prevent the decay user from striking at the Hero Killer. In the other corner, Stain had a sword out and was ready to chop down Shigaraki if a brawl ensured. In the back corner was Taskmaster as he watched on with his feet on the table and a gun out under it just in case Shigaraki needs to be defended.

"Shigaraki, listen to reason!" Kuorgiri urged his boss's pupil, "Hero Killer Stain does not murder heroes for the image, but rather to fulfill his desires!"

"He could shove his dreams up his ass for all I care right now, Kurogiri!" Shigaraki barked back and attempted another go at Stain, only for his body to be swallowed up by a portal and sent back, causing Shigaraki to become more frustrated. "It hasn't even been a day and the Hero Killer is all anyone talks about! Why him?! Why not us?! We caused more destruction, more panic, and more deaths then you ever did your owe career in that one day!"

Stain narrowed his eyes to Shigaraki in disgust, "You really have no idea, do you?"

"Know what?" Shigaraki snarled.

"You claim to be the leader of this pathetic group, but you can't even solve the reason why the media never gives you the front page of a newspaper?" Stain shook his head, "And here I thought I couldn't be even more disappointed."

"Why don't you go fuck off elsewhere!" Shigaraki the proceeded to give Stain the middle finger and causing the grown villain to groan in annoyance and embarrassment for the others.

Stain looked to Taskmaster, "Do you seriously put up with this on a daily basis?"

"Here and there. But as long as the boss pays me well, I'll deal with anything but betrayal." Taskmaster replied.

Shigaraki looked towards the mercs way and let out a growl, "Why aren't you dispatching of him?!"

"Because you never told me too." Taskmaster joked.

"Then do it!" Shigaraki pointed to Stain. Stain watched as Taskmaster put his feet down and rose from his chair.

"Could've asked earlier." Taskmaster drew out his sword and looked ready to dance with Stain today.

"Taskmaster, don't." A new voice said from the room.

"Oh." Taskmaster withdrew his blade, "The bigger man is here."

"Bigger man?" Stain looked around quickly to see no new presence was here. "Where is he?"

"I'm not there physically, but I have been watching you for awhile. Chizome Akaguro."

Stain's body froze completely still and his eyes darted around frantically. The Hero Killer held his blade close and began to thoroughly scan the area multiple times at the mention of his identity. "Where are you?!"

"Like I said. I am not there physically, but I have been watching you through the TV." Stain turned his eyes towards the lone TV stand and saw that its once previous blank screen was now replaced with a 'Mic On' setting. "I apologize for the reveal of your name, but I needed to get your full attention."

Stain glared at the TV and regripped his blade, "You have it." Stain could've sworn he felt as though the voice behind the TV had a grin on his face.

"Good." The TV then let out a small haunting laugh that Stain could only describe as pure evil, "Now. I understand your confusion by the roles of leadership here. Shigaraki is the leader of the League of Villains, but I am what you can call an 'angel' for him. I help him when he needs me the most." Stain looked back to Shigaraki to see that the boy has calmed down enough to listen to the TV. The man behind the TV has a big influence on Shigaraki it seems. "We understand your goals and do not wish to interfere for you can do as you please if it does not interfere with the League's business."

"As long as yours doesn't get in the way of mine." Stain dared himself to see to test this new figures mettle.

"Fair enough." The voice surprisingly said to both Stain and Shigaraki.

"But Master, he-" Shigaraki tried to intervene.

"Tomura." The voice commanded Shigaraki's attention and silence, "In order to grow, you must work with people with who you dislike or even hate. Being about to cooperate with such people shows your willingness to adapt, evolve, and most of all, become versatile. Let Stain do what he pleases, and in return, when the League needs him on a mission, he'll provide his support. Now, does that sound fair, Hero Killer?

Stain thought for a moment about the words the TV spoke. Stain then sheath his sword. "That is reasonable, but I will refuse to work missions that involve killing real heroes."

"That can be arranged." The voice chuckled lightly, "See, Tomura? You must be willing to negotiate at times in order to achieve the best outcome." Stain and Shigaraki had a stand-off for what felt like an eternity. Shigaraki broke off the stare with a grunt and headed upstairs. "Do not worry about Tomura. He's learning as he goes."

"You gave a child the position of leadership?" Stain crossed his arms, "I do not feel that it the best choice, but…" Stain looked up to where Shigaraki went, "I can sense something fierce in him."

"I do too, Stain." The TV then went to silent mode.

Stain looked to Kurogiri, "I'll be back. Going to scout out heroes and see who is worth killing."

"Understood." Kurogiri responded as Stain left the room. Kurogiri turned to Taskmaster, "When are you going to carry out your goal?"

Taskmaster held a grin under his mask, "When the bastard doesn't see it coming."

X-23, Peter, and Eri

Time flew by pretty fairly the rest of the day. For Eri, it was the most strangest day to her. Waking up by herself, feeling comfortable, clean, and refreshed was the most weirdest moment of her life. Everything seemed so surreal, but when she recalled last night's events, she nearly broke down in tears after realizing it wasn't a fantasy and was, in fact, real. Soon the day went by and she was introduced to a TV with some strange videos on it. She watched a few shows, but couldn't remember what they were called for Eri was mostly stuck in thought about everything. Then the nice lady, 'Laura' as she is called, cooked for her and pancakes are now the best thing ever. Then lunch came and she was fed a pizza, which was the second best thing ever along with this red drink called 'Kool-Aid' that the kind man 'Peter' brought when he returned along with other stuff. Eri was hoping to see Kurt again, but the blue man must be busy. After awhile, Laura decided that Eri had enough TV and wanted her to do other things. Peter brought coloring books and other kids stuff. They were fun.

Now it was night time.

X-23 and Peter were sitting at the table together looking online through multiple sources. When X-23 told Peter about her unsuccessful research, Peter thought they should give it a try again. X-23 agreed. They spent hours looking through different sources together, and only came up with two photos taken in alleyways. It showed him, but with no leads or any viable details.

X-23 shut off her laptop and growled, "What a waste of time."

Peter did so too and let out a yawn, "This guy must be good at covering his tracks. Do you think he could be a mafia kind of person?"

"You mean a Yakuza?" X-23 was educated in Japanse culture for reasons beyond her control, and has dealth with the Yakuza back at home a couple of times.

"Yeah." Peter nodded his head and turned to Eri, who was drawing on paper with a green crayon with the same blank expression she kept on all day. "She could be the source to everything, but-"

"But you're afraid that she'll have a panic attack and worse?" X-23 interrupted him, "And before you say anything, she will." X-23 signed with her head looking to Eri as well, "She just escaped hell, and trying to get her to reveal stuff she doesn't want to think about is the last thing she needs right now."

Peter leaned back, "Yeah, I know." Peter kept his gaze on the innocent girl a few feet away from him, "What do we do?"

"Right now…" X-23 rubbed a hand through her hair, "We just let her be. Take care of her until she is ready to be transferred to a safer household."

"What if she doesn't want to leave?"

X-23 was silent at Peter's question. X-23 never thought of that. What if Eri doesn't want to leave them? That'll be the hardest thing for Eri to go through, especially if she grows attached to them. "I…" X-23 grunted in response and clenched her fists. God damn was this hard for her. This was more challenging than X-23 thought it would be. It wasn't this hard for her when she found Megan and Debbie again after she blew up the prison. How could she be so ignorant to assume this would be similar to her case? Yes, they may have suffered quite the same fates, but Eri's situation is vastly, divergent from her's, far different.

"X-23?" X-23 looked up to see Peter's slightly concerned face, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." X-23 straightened herself out, "Just thinking about how we're going to do this without messing her up even more."

Peter smiled lightly, "Hey, if anyone is capable of helping someone through such trauma, it's you believe or not. No one understands her better than you. Sure, Wade knows too, but I don't think we need a mini Deadpool."

"Oh hell no." X-23 could imagine it now, and it was not a pretty sight. With a shake of her head to clear her mind, X-23 got up from her seat, "We'll take care of Eri how one would care for a child, but leave the episodes to me. Okay?"

"Okay." Peter got up as well, "It's pretty late, think it's time for bed?"

"Yeah." X-23 walked to Eri and knelt next to her.

Eri noticed her presence and showed her the picture she was drawing. It was a picture of what seemed to be a black figure inside of a green aura. That definitely struck X-23's curiosity.

"What did you draw, Eri?" X-23 confusedly asked.

"Someone I saw in my dreams once." Eri casually responded, "I never saw them again, but…" Eri looked to be in thought as she glanced down, "But I remember feeling a power from them. A power that just made me feel…" Eri's words trailed off before she looked up to X-23 with a lost look.

X-23 kept this in mind. This figure in Eri's dream might have just been a random thing from a dream, but stranger things have happened before and this certainly fit that bill. "It's a nice drawing nonetheless." X-23 replied. Eri nodded her head before letting out a yawn. "Tired?" Eri once again nodded her head with tired eyes. X-23 lifted Eri up by her arms as the child held onto her drawing, but let the green crayon fall.

"I'll clean this up, just get her to bed." Peter said as he walked over to the mess and began to sweep it up.

X-23 walked towards Peter's room and helped prep Eri for bed. Since Eri had no bed, Peter said it was fine for Eri to sleep on his bed the whole she's here as he wanted the little girl to be comfortable.

When Eri was ready, she climbed into the bed and under the blankets. Eri looked to X-23 as the older teen sat on the edge of the bed. "How was today?" X-23 asked her.

"Peaceful." Eri responded almost immediately, "Will all days be like this?"

"Not all of them." X-23 told her, "I might have to take you outside the apartment a couple of times for whatever reason that may be. But I also want to explore the outside world too. There's a lot for you to see and learn about, and you won't get it being in here." X-23 had to be realistic that Eri needed to experience the outside world sometime. It was big risk to do so, but keeping Eri inside all the time was not a good ideal for her overall health.

Eri nodded her head a little fearful of the unknown but was excited too for she always wondered was beyond these walls. Yes, she has ran away a few times, but Eri never really paid any attention to what was outside when she ran.

X-23 gently rubbed her hand on Eri's head, "Go to sleep. I'll be here like yesterday."

Eri fell back onto the pillow peacefully and watched X-23 get up to leave the room. "Laura." Eri called out to her.

X-23 turned around and looked back to the small girl, "Yeah?"

"Will you always be here?" Eri asked with some hope.

X-23 stared at Eri for a moment before closing her eyes and nodding her head multiple times, "Yeah. I'll be here for as long as you need me to be." X-23 looked back to Eri to see her calm once again, "Now, get some rest, kid. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Eri responded with confusion over the new word. When Eri closed her eyes, she passed out almost instantly.

?

Run…

Run…

Run…

Running was all she could do. There was no time to stop. Never a time to rest her tired feet. She had to keep running. The monster was chasing her. She didn't want him to catch him.

There was nothing more she could do than run away. Her lungs ached and her chest felt ready to explode with her heart close to just giving up entirely. Everything hurt, but no more than her wrists. She took glance at them and saw scars. Scars that made her remember every minute of pain she ever felt in her life. Every step made her knees buckle under the weight of her body, and they screamed for rest, but she couldn't do that. She had to run.

The walls next to her were as wide as one could be and the light she was chasing was so far away. She reached out to it to see if she could grab it, but every time she did, it moved away even further from her. She turned her head around to see the darkness inching closer and closer to her, ready to swallow her hole and make her its own slave.

She looked forward and saw the light slowly dimming away as if she was running out of time. She tried to scream for it to stay up, but no words came from her mouth. Her voice didn't matter to anyone around her as they never listened to her when she begged for mercy and for the pain to stop. So, why keep a voice that wouldn't emit a noise?

She tried so many times to tell the light to keep itself alive, but the light kept dying out slowly. The child's hopes lived with that light and they were dying out with it. The child wanted to plead, cry, and beg for it to stay alive because if it dies, she dies with the darkness.

The child inches closer and closer to the light. She is about to finally feel its grasp, it's warm tender hug to let her know everything is okay and that the darkness will never harm her again.

But suddenly, she feels a grip on her leg and she stops moving. The girl sees that its the darkness. It got to her leg and is quickly spreading across her body. The girl tries to fight it off, and looks to the spot where the light was.

There is none.

The girl stares at the spot in a lose of words as the darkness completely takes her over and her voiceless screams with her.

X-23 shot up from the couch she was sleeping on with a loud gasp, heavy pants, and a sweating head. She hastily looks around the room to get her surroundings back to her. Once X-23 realizes that it was all just a dream, she wipes her face with her hands and lays back down onto the couch.

"It was all too real. Too fucking real." X-23 tells herself and tries to get as comfortable as possible to go back to sleep. Before she could, however, X-23 heard something. She looked around once more to make sure she didn't miss anything, and even sniffed the air for new scents, but there was nothing. X-23 shrugged it off as her mind messing with her, but then she heard it again but more clearly. It was muffled and almost sounded like a…whimper.

"Eri." X-23 deduced and quickly got up. She made her way through the door to Peter's room and spotted the young girl curled up at the edge of the bed. X-23 carefully walked closer to her as she heard the whimpers again. When close enough, X-23 was barely able to make out the pained look on Eri's face.

"No…" Eri mumbled out, "Not again…"

"Eri…" X-23 whispered to her and got closer.

"No, please, no…" Eri staggered out.

"Eri." X-23 got a little louder.

"No. No. Don't! I'm sorry! Don't! PLEASE NO!" Eri screamed out.

"Eri!" X-23 yelled and shook Eri to wake her up, "Wake up!"

Eri's eyes shot wide open and jumped away from X-23 in a panic. "No! No more! Please, I'm sorry! I won't run away again, just don't kill me again!" Eri was sobbing as she unawarenly begged to X-23 and covered her eyes.

X-23 looked to Eri with shock for a moment. Kill her again? Eri's died before? X-23 quickly shook her thoughts away and scrambled onto the bed and hugged Eri tightly, "Eri, it's okay! I'm here, not him! Me, Laura, I'm here, not him, Eri! It's okay, it was just a nightmare, you're safe now…"

Eri slowly unshielded her face from her hands and looked up to X-23 with tear riddled eyes, "L...Laura?"

X-23 looked down to Eri with a concern stricken face, "Yes. Laura. Not him." X-23 softly said to her and stroked Eri's hair gently, "It was a nightmare, it wasn't real. You're safe, Eri. I'm right here, like I promised you before you went to sleep."

"Laura…" Eri cried out before she planted her head into her chest and wept, "Don't let me go…please…I'm don't want to be alone…I'm so scared…"

"I won't let you go." X-23 said to her. X-23 kept rubbing Eri's hair and heard Peter suddenly enter the room. X-23 looked his way as Peter was stunned to see her holding a now sobbing Eri. X-23 gave Peter a look that told the whole story. Peter nodded his head, and seeing how X-23 was handling this, left the room. X-23 sighed and looked back down to Eri. Eri was still crying from the nightmare she had just had, and maybe even more than just that. X-23 repositioned her legs so she was sitting criss-crossed and placed Eri in her lap. She gently held the frail girl's body in her arms to give her the comfort she needed right now. X-23 kept caressing Eri's hair as Eri started to calm down.

"Laura…" Eri whimpered with her forehead on X-23's chest, "Please…don't let me go…"

"Eri…" X-23 whispered, "I will never let you go." X-23 held Eri closer to her.

X-23 and Eri stayed like that even after X-23 heard Eri fall back to sleep. X-23 took a deep sigh and laid their bodies onto the bed. X-23 slowly let go of her grasp on Eri, but the little girl clung onto her in her sleep. X-23 stared at Eri as her earlier comments entered her mind. "'Don't kill me again?'" X-23 couldn't wrap her head around that comment. That wasn't something she was expecting to hear from Eri. "What the hell has he done to you?" X-23 looked down to Eri's gripping hands on her shirt. Those hands really did tell a story, a story X-23 could understand. X-23 wrapped her arms around Eri's body and held her close to her before closing her suddenly heavy eyes.

"I'll keep you safe, no matter what. I promise."