Heroes of Light

by Silverbits

Shadows of the Past, Light of the Future Reboot! When shadows threaten to take over the world, and all seemed lost a new hero appears out of nowhere and chases away the darkness. Izuku Midoriya wants to follow this hero, feeling a strange connection to her and her power. Little did he know that he'd become part of something bigger.

6. First Days

First Days

Izuku hummed to himself as he packed up his bag, practically vibrating in excitement. It was his first day of school, finally. After waiting for three weeks, spending most of the time getting ready for school and training.

He had noticed that his magic had grown a lot more powerful ever since the weird dream he had. The details still escaped him, he couldn't remember exactly what happened, all he could hang onto was the feeling. The fear, confusion, and the momentary feeling of safety. It made him shudder every time he thought about it, and he'd always push it to the back of his head.

Izuku got to his feet and slung his backpack over his shoulder, making his way through the house. His mother caught sight of him as he walked past the living room.

"Oh! Izuku, are you heading out already? It's pretty early." She slowly got to her feet, still half asleep.

"Yeah I know, but I figure that the earlier I get there the sooner I can find my classroom and take a look around campus. It's pretty big and I have a feeling I'll get lost." He laughed and scratched at his face.

Inko looked at the clock before sighing and shaking her head. "Okay then, just be careful okay? I'll be going to work today too, so be careful on your way home okay? Let me know when you get back."

"I will!" He promised, stopping at the door and looking over his bag one more time, just to be safe. Inko followed him and stopped behind him.

"Do you have everything? Pencils, notebooks, keys to the house?" She listed off. "You didn't just pack action figures did you?"

"No mom, don't worry I've got everything." He grinned, putting his backpack on. "I'm heading off!." He was about to open the door and walk out when Inko spoke up again.

"Izuku." She said, making him stop.

"Yeah?" He watched her, seeing his look down before slowly looking up at him. He had forgotten he was a little taller than her, he hardly ever got to see her anymore. He straightened up as she stepped forward and tried to tame his messy hair. His curls bounced back up again whenever she tried to smooth them over, as per usual. She smiled to herself and kissed his forehead.

"I'm really proud of you Izuku."

Izuku paused before smiling back at her. "I'll see you soon."

Inko smiled and waved goodbye as he stepped out of the house, making sure to lock the door behind him. He walked at first, looking around to make sure he wasn't being followed. Once he was sure he took off running towards his Master's home.

He took in the quiet of the morning as he ran, people slowly emerging from their homes for work and school. The dim light of the sun banishing the shadows of the night, making people feel safe again. Some people gave him a few passing glances, recognizing the UA uniform.

He ran even faster, excitement fueling him as he hopped over benches and dodged past people. Soon enough he got into the more quieter parts of town, close by his Master's home. He looked around again before turning into an alley, taking a less obvious way towards her home, a small habit he had gotten into a short while ago.

Izuku grinned as he approached the entrance, quietly moving the makeshift door to the side before placing it back.

"Morning everyone! I'm here!" He shouted, placing his bag by the door.

Aqua poked her head out the kitchen door, her hair a mess. Like she had just gotten up, though it was more accurate to say she had just gotten home.

"Oh, well well well, look at you." She smiled and made her way over to him. She looked over his uniform and laughed a little. "Your tie is all bunched up."

"I don't know how to tie a tie!" He admitted, turning red. "I tried looking up some videos and I still couldn't get it right. I thought about asking my mom, but I didn't wanna bother her with it. So, this is what I ended up with."

"Okay, okay, hold still and let me see." She was quick to undo the tie and hummed to herself as she tried to do it the right way. She had seen one or two videos in passing, even so she was a little lost after the first few steps.

Izuku watched her as she tried again and again, backtracking a few times.

"Okay let's see, around...under, no over, then under." She muttered to herself, straightening it out. She stared at it for a moment before shaking her head. "Yeah, I think I messed up somewhere along the way." It was even more bunched up if possible, looking like a tangled mess.

"Yeah I think so too...but that's okay, I guess it's something I gotta look into later." He undid the tie and redid it, once again making it shorter than it should be. He huffed in frustration before shaking his head.

Aqua laughed again and shook her head. "Come on, eat something real quick before you have to leave." She motioned him to follow her as she walked into the kitchen. Already having set a plate for him.

"I decided to try out this new recipe I found for crepes, so let me know how it is." She said, motioning at a few slices of fruit. "I still think I added too much water though…"

"It's fine Kupo." A Moogle said as they passed by, finishing the rest of their food.

"This is coming from someone who just ate a bowl of cereal." Aqua raised an eyebrow.

The Moogle stared at her and shrugged, walking out of the kitchen and into the living room. Pausing when they saw Izuku's backpack, and taking a sudden interest in it.

Izuku quickly assembled his breakfast and dug in, thankful to eat something before he headed to school. Just as he was finishing up the food and about to thank Aqua, Eri walked in with a yawn.

"Morning…" She mumbled, making her way over to the table and sitting beside Izuku.

"Oh look who's awake!" Aqua smiled and set down a plate in front of her. "How'd you sleep?"

"Still tired…" She answered, staring at the plate for a moment before looking up at Izuku. "Izuku? What are you doing here so early? Are you here for training?"

Izuku laughed and shook his head. "No, I'm not here for training. It's my first day of school, remember? I wanted to come and see everyone before I headed off."

She stared at him before nodding. "Oh yeah, that's why I woke up." She smiled. "You look fancy."

"Yeah, well this is the uniform. I guess it looks a lot fancier than my last school uniform. I actually have to wear a tie this time." He tugged at the wretched piece of cloth again.

Eri only hummed and nodded, only half paying attention. "Are you gonna come back?" She asked.

"Of course I am. I'll be back before you know it. Oh! Speaking of uniforms, Master I brought some of them for when I stay over and have school the next day. I'm going to go put them up in my room real quick."

Aqua looked at the time. "Okay, but then you should take off. It's getting pretty late and I don't want you late for your first day."

"Right!" He got up and ran over to his backpack before running up the stairs.

"Don't run up the stairs!" Aqua called after him.

"Sorry!"

She watched him run up and smiled to herself. She was proud of him, she really was. She remembered when he came flying in the day after getting his results. He was in tears as he told her he made first place with 114 points in total. Most of them being something called Rescue Points.

She was ecstatic, congratulating him and saying how proud she was. He cried out of joy and relief, surprised that he had gotten such a high ranking at all. It only made the gifts she made for him that much sweeter.

She snapped back to the present as Izuku made his way down the stairs, skipping steps as he went. He hopped over the last ones and landed on the ground floor with the thud. He checked his phone and yelped in surprise. "Oh geez, I didn't think it was that late!" He shouted.

He quickly ran over to his backpack, gathering his things while Aqua walked over.

"You got everything? Backpack, phone, charger?"

"Yup!" He nodded, grunting as he put his backpack on. It looked like it had a little weight to it.

"...Your good luck charm?"

Izuku paused and looked at her before grinning and reaching into his shirt and pulling out the charm around his neck. A bright green star with a few red streaks towards the middle of it, in the middle was the same crest she wore proudly. Just one of the gifts she had given him.

"Of course!" He answered. "Wouldn't go anywhere without it!"

Aqua smiled before ruffling his hair, getting a small laugh out of him. "Have a good day Izuku."

He nodded and turned to leave. "Will do!"

Just before he stepped out the door Aqua stopped him. "Hey Izuku?"

"Yeah?"

"...I'm really proud of you, you know that?"

He stared at her before turning a little red and nodding. "Thank you!" He said before turning around and leaving. His heart soaring with joy and excitement. It was his first day at UA, as far as he was concerned, nothing could go wrong!

As he ran off he didn't see his Master peek out the entrance, staring at the sky in worry. It seemed a little darker than usual.

-.-

"I'm late, I'm late, I'm late…" Izuku muttered to himself as he ran through the halls. "Class 1-A...come on where is it?" He turned a corner and looked around frantically. He looked around and gasped as he caught sight of the room labeled 1-A.

He couldn't stop a grin from reaching his face as he raced forward, a bit of nervousness creeping in just as he stopped at the door.

"This thing is huge...are there giants here?" He asked himself, shifting his bag a bit. It still bothered him that it felt a little heavier than it did when he got to his Master's house. Did he pack that much stuff?

Okay, focus! The most promising students of the country are going to be behind this door…

Izuku stared at the door handle, the dreaded thought of both Katsuki and that strict boy from the exams being in the same class made him hesitate. They didn't like him then, there was no way they were going to like him now.

Maybe they got in different classes. Maybe we won't meet each other…

Izuku took a deep breath and slowly opened the door, being met with chaos. People were chatting, sitting at desks that weren't their own and overall getting to know each other. Seemed normal enough.

"You take your feet off that desk immediately! You are defacing UA school property, very desks that pro heroes used before!"

He recognized that voice immediately. It was the strict boy from the exam, scolding none other than Katsuki Bakugo.

Just my luck…

"What's your problem? Did your last school put a stick up your ass?"

"Mind your language, we are in a school setting!" He made chopping motions with his hands before stopping to clear his throat. "Perhaps we should start over. My name is Iida Tenya, I previously attended Somei Private Academy."

"Somei huh? You must think you're better than me. Ha! Can't wait to tear you a new one!"

"You threaten me? Your own classmate? Are you sure you're in the right place?"

"Uh oh…" Izuku muttered, catching their attention. The boy who named himself as Tenya looked up to see him.

"It's him." He muttered. "The one who got first place."

Izuku bit his lip as everyone in the class turned to look at him. He felt himself blush as they looked him over, probably trying to gauge what kind of person he was.

"U-Uh...hi. Nice to you all." He greeted, keeping his eyes averted.

"Good morning." Izuku tensed up as Tenya marched forward. "My name is Tenya Iida from-"

"Y-Yeah I know. I heard you introduce yourself." Izuku said, looking up at him. "I'm Izuku Midoriya, it's super nice to meet you." He held out a hand, which Tenya took and shook stiffly.

"Midoriya, you realized there were more to the exams. I must say I admire your perceptiveness. I apologize for misjudging you, I must admit you are the superior student."

Izuku scratched at his face. That was rather hard to believe, just off the bat Tenya seemed like a much more studious person than he was. He was about to respond when a new voice came up from behind him.

"Oh hey, I recognize that messy hair! You're Lightning boy!"

Lightning Boy?!

"That move was amazing! I can't believe you took that giant robot down in one hit! Also, thanks for coming back to save me, it really means a lot. And I'm glad to see you're okay too, you passed out after taking that giant robot down I was really worried." She babbled, unconsciously getting closer.

"O-Oh it's no problem! I just did what anyone else would do ya know? And yeah, I'm okay, I just used up a lot more energy than I had at the moment." He answered back, feeling his face become warm again.

"Still though, what you did was pretty cool! Oh! I never introduced myself, that's so rude! I'm sorry, my name is Ochako Uruaraka! What yours?"

"I-I'm-"

"If you're here just to make friends, then I recommend you pack your things and leave." A low, tired voice spoke up. They froze and slowly looked down to the floor, only to see a man in a yellow sleeping bag.

Is that a demented caterpillar?!

Izuku gulped and watched as the man sighed and got to his feet. "Hello everyone and welcome to UA, my name is Shouta Aizawa. I'm your homeroom teacher."

"He looks so worn out." Izuku muttered to himself, looking over the man again and again. He seemed familiar, though he couldn't place why. He knew he had seen him before, he had to. He just couldn't remember where.

"Alright, enough chit chat. It's time to head out to the field. You've got uniforms waiting in your lockers, come on let's go."

Everyone looked at each other in confusion before watching the man walk out of the classroom. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get going." He narrowed his eyes and began walking off, making everyone scramble to their feet to follow after.

Izuku stepped to the side to avoid the stampede of students rushing out. After everyone was out Izuku sighed to himself and was about to rush after them when a rustling from his backpack made him stop. He stepped back and took his bag off his shoulders.

"What the…" He yelled as the bag came flying open and a Moogle popped out.

"Hello Kupo! It is I, the great Mogma!" He cheered.

Izuku stared at the little creature before feeling panic rise. "Why are you here? What are you doing here, I'm supposed to be in school! When...How-" He stopped and looked down at Mogma who had already hopped onto the floor. "You snuck in my bag while I was putting my uniforms away!"

"Indeed!" He pointed at him. "Anyway, you hear a lot of buzz on the streets about UA, whether it be about students or faculty. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about myself."

"By sneaking into my backpack? Mogma you're trespassing!" Izuku frowned.

"I know! That makes it even more exciting!"

"N-No! I can get in trouble, Mogma you could get in trouble! You're not supposed to be here, and seeing as you technically snuck in you can be tried!"

"Only if I get caught!"

Which you probably will...does Master even know you're here?" Izuku asked.

"...I am going to choose not to answer that."

"Mogma!"

The Moogle stared up at him before giving a nervous giggle and running off. "Okay I'll see you later Kupo!"

"No wait!" Izuku closed up his bag again before trying to chase after the Moogle. Much to his dismay, Mogma was already gone. Running rampant in the halls of UA.

"Mogma…" He looked around frantically.

"Midoriya!" Aizawa shouted at him from afar, standing at the end of the hall. "Get moving, I'm not going to wait so you can catch up."

Izuku took another look around before shaking his head. "R-Right, I'm sorry sir!"

I'm going to have to find him later, please stay out of trouble…

Izuku raced forward, wondering what they were supposed to be doing. Orientation was still a thing, and he was pretty sure that they weren't heading in the right direction. He shook his head and sped up to catch up, he supposed he'd figure it out when he got there.

-.-

Mogma hummed as he walked around, peeking in every door he could. There he was, at UA, what was supposed to be the best school in Japan. Packed with heroes and students full of potential.

At least that was what he heard.

"Let's see…" He pushed open a door and peeked inside. "Another empty classroom. Aw man, there's nobody here...but there is stuff to look at!" He cackled to himself and slipped inside. The student desks were obviously empty, it was the first day after all. What he was really interested in was the teacher's desks.

He hopped on a rolling chair and began peeking in the desks, shuffling things around.

"Paper...paper...chalk. Oh, Oh! Look at you..." He hummed as he picked up a small gemstone, it seemed like a shiny bauble to a normal person but to a Moogle it was something much more. "I'll be taking this." He put it in his bag and left a potion in return. He peeked through a few more drawers, finding nothing else of interest. Once he was through with his search he left the classroom, a tad upset it didn't yield anything too interesting.

He went through a few more rooms, in each one not finding anything that caught his interest. Each time he couldn't help but wonder just where everyone was, it was a school after all. Where were the teachers and students? Maybe if he could find some people he could sell a few of the wares he had on hand.

Mogma closed yet another door to an empty classroom and sighed, continuing to walk forward. Where was everyone? It was a school for goodness sake, the first day no less!

Mogma stopped.

That's right, it was the first day. People had to meet their teachers and learn all the rules and expectations. What better place to do that other than an orientation? If he had to guess it was on one of the lower floors, which was more beneficial to him there was still so much to explore!

-.-

I am so screwed…

Izuku stared at his homeroom teacher in silent horror as he finally realized who he was after the man scolded another student. As soon as he saw the yellow goggles hiding beneath the scarf the pieces had finally clicked together.

Shouta Aizawa was the pro hero Eraserhead, the Erasure Hero. The same hero who had chased after Master Aqua quite a few times. The hero whose Quirk didn't work on her, because she didn't have a Quirk, she had magic.

Izuku had magic, and magic couldn't be cancelled out. Only then it had dawned on Izuku the kind of situation he had put himself in.

Everybody in the school was either a hero or a hero in training. Then there was Izuku, who was a hero in training just like the others. But unlike the others he was directly connected to a vigilante, and if anybody found out not only would Izuku be in trouble, but so would his Master.

If the man tried to cancel out his 'Quirk' and it didn't work would he think he was in direct relation with Guardian? How much suspicion would it cause? Could he find a way to explain it away?

"Mr. Aizawa is pretty scary huh?" Ochako asked, and Izuku nodded. "He seems kinda mean too, threatening to send one of us home if we're in last place."

Iida nodded beside them. "UA is one of the top schools for a reason, I suppose this is just to gauge how much potential we have."

"Yeah, but sending last place home still seems harsh." Izuku frowned.

"I never said I approved of this method." Iida reminded him.

Izuku bit his lip as they walked over to the area of the first test, a 50 meter dash.

I have to focus, I need to get through these tests. I just have to be careful, if he ever tries to cancel my powers then I have to cancel it on my own.

Izuku stood in a line, fumbling with his hands as pairs went off. He was fast and considered himself to have pretty good endurance, though that would only get him so far with these tests, especially considering they're physical. That meant having to get a little creative with his magic, that also meant having to ration off his energy in proper amounts.

Izuku eyed one of his classmates, someone who used ice to skate across the distance. Could he pull that off? Make a trail of ice and skate on it? He had seen his Master pull it off a few times, but then again she was much more advanced. This was a test he didn't have time for risky experiments.

"Midoriya, Bakugo, you're up!"

Izuku swallowed hard and moved forward, taking his place.

I'm just going to have to push myself forward…

A blank went off and the two were off, dashing forward to the finish line. Izuku had been keeping good pace with Katsuki before the explosive boy threw his hands behind him.

"Burst Speed!" He shouted, racing ahead.

Izuku took a deep breath and surrounded himself with wind, feeling it push him faster and faster. He pushed himself and passed Katsuki.

"4.07 seconds!" The robot chirped.

"4.13 seconds!"

Izuku panted and flexed his hands, it seemed that Aero was going to be his friend in these tests. Which was fine, he felt the need to practice control over that spell anyway. What better place to do it than here?

"Deku…" Izuku froze and looked up to see Katsuki glaring at him, his palms smoking. The blonde opened his mouth to say something, but before he could get anything out Izuku ran back to the group of students who finished the test.

"Of course he's mad at me…" Izuku mumbled, taking his place beside Iida and Ochako.

"You know Bakugo?" Iida looked down at him.

"Y-Yeah...he and I don't get along very well. It's uh...it's kind of complicated." Izuku scratched at his face.

"Ah, I see." Iida nodded. "That seems rather unfortunate."

Izuku shrugged and kept his head down, refusing to meet Katsuki's eyes. He didn't want to fight him, or try to. Not today, not when there was a lot more to worry about.

"Alright, next up is the Standing Long Jump. Come on." Aizawa waved them over and they followed.

Izuku sighed and followed, hoping to get through the rest as quickly as possibly.

Mogma I hope you're okay…

-.-

It turned out that the school was much bigger than Mogma had thought, a lot bigger. Finding the orientation area was a lot harder than he thought it was going to be, which was fine. Maybe he could find something even more interesting than an orientation, there was always something else to look at. He could sell some stuff when he found the crowd.

Mogma hummed to himself as he roamed the halls.

"There has to be something interesting around here." Mogma muttered to himself. "I can only get turned around so many times and not find something to look at. Or some kind of stray items, people always pick up synthesis items they never need."

It was common for some Moogles to trade with humans, instead of them paying with their usual currency they'd be willing to take the neat synthesis item they had picked up from somewhere. Where they managed to get them, none of the Moogles had any clue. At least it was understandable as to why Aqua did, she slayed Heartless all the time and they would drop all kinds of stuff.

Though where they found most of their supplies was the trashed Dagobah Beach. Every other weekend or so Moogles would go over and see what they could find, usually accompanied by Aqua or some of the older Moogles. Even though they would mind their own business, some humans would insist on harassing or attacking some Moogles if they were alone.

"Hopefully none of those kinds of people are here...I mean this is a hero school after all." He mumbled.

Mogma turned a corner and looked around the hall to see if there was anything of interest. Much to his surprise there was an open door with a light on.

The Moogle tilted his head in confusion and began approaching the door, technically nobody should be on the floors. Everyone should be at orientation, right?

Mogma crept forward and looked into the room, hearing voices as he got closer. Inside the room were two couches facing each other. On one side was an older man, thin and withered with blue sunken eyes. Across from him sat a young man, sitting up straight, blonde with blue eyes as well. Though he had a more muscled form compared to the man who sat across from him.

"I apologize for pulling you away from your friends Young Togata, especially on your first day back to school."

"Aw it's no problem sir, really. Besides I actually wanted to talk to you too, I had some questions about your power."

Mogma raised an eyebrow and crept closer, hiding behind a plant near the door to hear better.

"Of course, how is One For All treating you? I'm sure you're still adjusting to the new boost in power, which is natural so don't worry." The old man reassured him.

"One For All?" Mogma asked himself.

"It's fine, I won't lie. The sudden change in power was surprising, but thanks to you and Sir, I've been getting the hang of it." He smiled brightly and flexed his arm as if to emphasize his point.

"That's good to hear young man." He muttered.

Mogma watched the expression on Togata's face shift a bit before quickly shifting back to his laid back smile.

"While I appreciate you checking on my progress with One For All, I feel like you called me in for another reason All Might." The boy's tone had turned a bit more serious.

All Might?!

Mogma covered his mouth to keep from making any noise. All Might? That skeleton of a man was All Might? How was that possible? All Might was a beast of a man, nothing but muscle and...muscle. The man sitting on the couch looked like he could barely carry himself across a room!

Mogma watched, shaking with anticipation as the man who was called All Might stiffened and sighed loudly. "Has Nighteye told you anything about what he's seen with his Foresight?" He asked.

Togata gave him a look of confusion before shaking his head. "No, he hasn't. Actually he hasn't been using his Foresight at all lately. I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried, everytime I ask about it he seems...shaken."

All Might nodded. "I can understand why, and he hasn't spoken to you about it?"

"No sir."

The two sat in silence for a moment, both looking at each other. A sense of tension rising in the room, making the hidden Moogle shudder.

"All Might, do you know what Sir saw? Has he told you anything?"

All Might nodded. "I'm actually surprised he hasn't told you anything, but I feel that you of all people have a right to know."

"What do you mean?"

"...A few weeks ago I called Nighteye to ask him about, well you, my successor. He was frantic when he answered, saying he was relieved that I finally called. He told me he had used his Foresight on someone, and while the Quirk was active it came to his attention that something was wrong, he described it as everything going dark. He used his Quirk again and again when he could, finding that at some point whoever he had used his Quirk on faced the same fate."

Togata watched the man carefully, trying to piece together what he was getting at. "What do you mean? Like a mass...a mass…"

"I'm afraid so."

"Does he know what caused it? I know Sir's visions are always accurate, but there has to be some way to stop this? I mean, it can't just be the end of the world right? There has to be something we can do, when did he say this takes place?" He leaned forward and put his hands on the table.

"Young Togata…"

"Does he know what caused it at least?"

"The Heartless…" Mogma murmured.

"We have a theory that the dark creatures are what will cause this, as to the exact day he said he's not sure, but he's told me that it'll happen soon. Some disappeared one day, while others faded away what he supposed was days later. Though he has told me that he has seen one survivor who's future hasn't faded."

Togata sat up straighter, struggling to keep from rising.

"Who is it? Maybe if we find them, they can help us find a way to prevent this!"

"It's you Young Togata."

"What?"

The world is going to fall to darkness…

Mogma began to creep out the door, a little more than shaken up by what he had just heard.

Oh this is bad, this is bad. This is really, really bad. The world is going to fall to darkness, does that mean she failed? Was she killed by Heartless?

Mogma quietly panicked as he started heading out of the room. He had to find Izuku and then get back home, and tell Aqua everything. Maybe sneaking out wasn't such a bad idea, not when he could find out stuff like this.

Just as he reached the door Mogma had stumbled and knocked something over, causing a loud thud. The two looked up at the source of the noise, only to see the small Moogle frozen in fear and staring right back at them.

"Uh...hello?" He waved his hands.

Togata got to his feet and started to walk over, opening his mouth to speak when Mogma took off running through the halls.

"Kupo! Kupo help!" He shouted as he ran away.

"Wait, hold on!"

-.-

Izuku panted as he crossed the finish line of the long distance run, it wasn't too hard. Basic training as far as he was concerned, he just had to keep a good pace and not tire himself out. Easy enough.

"We got through the Apprehension test." Ochako sighed in relief. "It felt like it'd never end!"

Izuku nodded in agreement, doing a few stretches before following the crowd of students.

"I just hope that we made it, you know? I don't think Mr. Aizawa was kidding when he said he was going to expel someone." She mumbled.

"That would be rather cruel." Iida agreed.

"I'm hoping I'm not in last place." Izuku admitted, wringing his hands. "My Quirk wasn't exactly suited to all the tests."

"Oh I'm sure you did great!" Ochako smiled. "I mean you did great on a lot of them, especially that ball toss that was amazing!"

"I must agree, I believe you have nothing to worry about Midoriya. With what you've shown I highly doubt you'd be in last place."

"Right...I guess it's just nerves." Izuku muttered.

"I don't blame you." Ochako smiled.

"Alright, pay attention, the results are up." Aizawa called, making the class settle down. "You've been ranked from best to worst, but you all should have a good idea where you stand." He pressed a button on his remote and a screen appeared.

Izuku looked down the screen, starting from the top and finding his name early on, 3rd place. Just below Shouto Todoroki and right above Katsuki.

"Oh woah you made it to 3rd place!" Ochako said. She herself made it to 9th. "See, we told you you wouldn't be in last place!"

"Well done Midoriya." Iida congratulated him.

While a majority of the class breathed a sigh of relief, Aizawa wasted no time in addressing their concerns. "Oh, by the way, I was kidding about expelling last place." He grinned. "That was just a logical ruse to make sure you gave it your all in the tests."

Everyone was silent before erupting into protests and complaints.

"Why on earth would you do that?"

"You made all of us scared for nothing! That's so mean!"

"I'm so lucky…"

One of the girls looked over to the others. "I'm sorry, I thought you all knew. I probably should have said something."

"You think?" A group shouted.

"Oh man that was nerve wracking!" One of the boys muttered, taking a seat on the ground.

"You kidding? It's always fun to have a challenge like this." Another argued.

"Alright, and with that we're done for the day." Aizawa sighed, pressing a button and making the screen disappear. "Go pick up a syllabus and read it over. Go enjoy the rest of your first day." He muttered as he walked away.

Izuku sighed in relief and rubbed his eyes.

Great, now that this is over maybe I can go and find Mogma.

He was about to start walking away when a loud shout cut through the chatter. Izuku looked up to see Katsuki was furious. Dark smoke rising from his twitching palms.

Uh oh…

"Deku you little bastard! Get over here so I can kick your ass!" He sprinted towards Izuku, raising his hands with small sparks coming off of them.

Izuku shouted and put his hands up, fear holding him in place. Before Katsuki could get too close Ochako placed herself between them, and was about to slap Katsuki when Aizawa's scarf shot out and wrapped around the blonde.

"What...the hell?"

The class looked between the students and the teacher, shuddering when they saw him. They had considered their teacher frightening enough, but with his Quirk activated it always made them quick to silence themselves.

"Bakugo, it's still the first day of class. I can still expel someone, especially if they don't behave themselves." Aizawa growled, tugging on his scarf to drag the boy away from Izuku until Katsuki was right in front of him. "You are a heroics student, you are not to touch any of your classmates in a way that would seriously harm them. Do I make myself clear?"

Katsuki glared at him, about to yell in his face before stopping himself. He had to confront Izuku, not now but later, when he could get him alone. And put him in his place.

"Tch, yes. We're clear." Katsuki answered, muttering angrily to himself as he was let go.

"Now head back and change. And be ready for tomorrow, that's when your real training begins." He dismissed everyone as a crack of thunder surprised them.

"Oh...that's weird. The forecast said it was gonna be sunny all day…" Izuku muttered as he looked to the sky. He couldn't help but notice that the sky seemed almost barren in a way, empty.

He was about to walk off with the others when he was called over. "Midoriya, hold on a moment, I'd like to have a word with you."

Oh crap! He knows!

"We'll wait for you Midoriya." Iida said, stopping and turning around to see his friends had gone very pale.

"You okay? You're not looking too good." Ochako commented.

"I-It's fine!" Izuku stammered out. "You guys don't have to wait for me, go on ahead. I'll find you guys later, promise."

"You sure?"

Izuku nodded quickly, watching them walk away before turning around stiffly to see Aizawa looming over him. Izuku gulped as he met his gaze, afraid of what might come next.

Did he know? Did he suspect it?

Had he used his Quirk while Izuku wasn't looking? Was there anyway he could talk himself out of this?

"Uh...w-was there something you wanted to talk about Mr. Aizawa?" He asked quietly.

"Just a few concerns I wanted to address." He answered nonchalantly, as if the student in front of him wasn't scared to death.

"Like what, sir?"

The man eyed him before letting out a sigh. "Midoriya, it's come to my attention that your Quirk registry was updated a few days after your exam. For a majority of your life your file has said you were Quirkless. That's a pretty dramatic change, at an awfully convenient time."

Izuku stared at the man, the gears turning in his head. "You...You just wanna know about my Quirk?" He asked.

Aizawa nodded. "Your file doesn't give any details other than recorded changes and descriptions. Call it curiosity, and concern as your instructor."

He doesn't know, I'm still in the clear. I'm still safe, we're still safe.

"I uh...well I had just changed it after the exam because I needed to, f-for the clothing allowance. I wasn't really sure how to before until I looked it up, so it was something I kinda had on the back burner…" Izuku mumbled.

Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "I see. So when did your Quirk come in, Midoriya?"

Izuku cringed. "About...10 months ago…?" He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Excuse me?"

"It uh, I had tr-traces of my Quirk as a kid. Like feelings, but it n-never was considered a Quirk. Since nothing actively manifested…" He was beginning to ramble now and wring his hands. He kept his head down, afraid to look up and see the man's expression. "My Quirk uh...didn't fully manifest until I was…attacked by a villain?" It sounded more like a question than an answer.

"What?" He raised his voice a bit, making the boy flinch.

"I was attacked by a villain…" Izuku said again, cringing at the memory of the Slime Villain. "I was panicking and my Quirk activated." He finished.

Aizawa stared at him for a moment, he supposed it made a little sense. Given how he had lost control in the Entrance Exam. If his Quirk was that volatile that meant he had to keep an eye on his new problem child, especially if his powers were to flare out like that again. He only had it for 10 months and displayed good control over it. Even so he could see the occasional spark around him, a Quirk attached to his emotions, perfect.

"Alright, good to know." He sighed. "But Midoriya, Quirks that are activated through trauma and manifest at such a late age can be unpredictable. If you start having problems you are to come to me and we can set you up with a Quirk Counselor. Understand?"

Izuku hesitantly looked up at the man, his expression unreadable. Still looking tired and bored as ever.

"Yes sir...I understand." Izuku nodded.

"Good, now get going. I've used up enough of your time, lunch should be starting soon. Go eat something."

"Y-Yes sir!" Izuku nodded and darted away, putting as much distance between them as he could. Eager to meet up with his new friends, and look for the missing Moogle.

From afar All Might stared on in relief, he had been passing by looking for the small intruder when he saw the two alone. He was scared Aizawa had figured the kid out and was interrogating him, or expelling him. No doubt either option would raise some kind of hell upon them via Guardian. The kid was safe for now, and for the time being he would keep his mouth shut.

-.-

"Midoriya, over here!" Iida spotted the green haired boy and waved him over.

"Oh, he's here?" Ochako asked with her mouth full.

"Uraraka, please don't talk with your mouth full!" Iida shouted. Making a noise of disapproval as she stuck her tongue out at him.

Izuku jogged over and placed his bag on the floor before sitting next to them. The cafeteria was huge, Izuku was surprised his friends had been able to spot him from where they were sitting.

"Hey." He smiled, breaking his chopsticks and taking a bite of his food.

"What did Mr. Aizawa want to talk about?" Ochako asked, leaning forward a bit.

"Uraraka! That's his business, you shouldn't pry into things like this." Iida began making chopping motions with his hands.

"It's no problem Iida." Izuku waved his hands to try and calm him. "And it wasn't much of anything, he just wanted to talk about my Quirk. Just making sure that I have it under control, he saw what happened during the Entrance Exam and wanted to make sure I have a good handle on my powers. I did go kinda nuts there."

"Well at least he's acting like a proper teacher now." Iida muttered.

"Oh yeah, you know I never asked but what is your Quirk anyway Deku?"

"Deku?" Izuku nearly choked on his food and looked at Ochako.

"Yeah isn't that your name? I mean that's what Bakugo called you." She gave him a look of confusion.

"O-Oh! No, Deku isn't my name. Deku is what Katsuki calls me to make fun of me, you see my real name is Izuku."

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"That's awfully rude of him…"

"It's okay, but yeah my name is Izuku." He smiled.

Ochako smiled back before nodding. "Alrighty, Izuku then."

He felt his face warm up before coughing into his fist. "R-Right, yeah. So, you asked about my Quirk…" Izuku looked around before holding his hands out, conjuring up a small flame.

"Hold on, I thought you had an electricity Quirk!" Iida exclaimed.

"Well, kinda but not really. My Quirk is called Energy Conversion." Izuku changed the flame into a small ball of water. "You see I take my own energy and I convert into other types. Fire, lightning, water, wind, ice. I was actually using wind during the tests since I thought those would be best suited."

"Woah, that's an amazing Quirk!" Ochako grinned, watching in awe as the water froze into a chunk of ice.

"Thanks." Izuku smiled. "Your Quirk is really cool too. I mean being able to nullify the gravity of an object or a person, that's a great power! It's great for rescues and even in combat it can give you the upper hand."

"You know I'm actually interested in going into rescue as a hero. I really think I could help people with this Quirk."

The three had settled into a comfortable discussion, talking about their Quirks and their expectations of the Heroics class. They would occasionally jump at the loud crack of thunder, it had started raining at some point. Something that made Izuku mentally groan to himself.

"Okay, I have to ask." Ochako stopped the conversation to change the subject, prompting the two to look at her. "Who are your favorite heroes?"

Izuku beamed at the question, though Iida ended up answering first.

"Ingenium of course! He's the one who inspired me to be a hero!"

"Ingenium? The Turbo Hero? Hold on...isn't his last name…" Izuku trailed off while Iida nodded.

"Yes, he's my older brother!" He smiled. "My brother has followed the Hero Code and always does his best to help people wherever he can. I aspire to be the kind of hero he is."

"Woah, it must be cool having a family of heroes…" Izuku mumbled. "What about you Uraraka?"

Ochako leaned back in her seat, putting a finger to her chin before humming. "I wanna say Thirteen. She's so cool, and it's rescue heroes like her that inspire me to use my Quirk in different ways. I gotta say Mirko is pretty cool too, even if she can be a little aggressive."

"Interesting, what about you Midoriya?" Iida turned his attention to Izuku.

"Oh! Me, uh...well…" He rubbed the back of his neck, one had unconsciously going to the necklace that kid beneath his shirt. "All Might is one of my favorites, but I'm gonna be honest he's kinda in the number two spot for me."

"Oh?" Ochako leaned forward with a curious grin. "Who's in number one?"

Izuku smiled to himself. "Well, I'm not sure if she counts or if you guys would count her. But it's Guardian."

Iida sputtered.

"Guardian? But she's a vigilante! One my brother has attempted to capture time and time again. She always slips away though…"

"Oh Guardian, I've heard of her. Isn't she the vigilante that shows up at night and fights off the monsters? She sounds pretty cool, she must be exhausted, going out every night to fight all those things off."

She is…

"But she's a vigilante." Iida continued to argue. "She's not a licensed hero and technically takes part in illegal activity."

But she does a lot of good." Izuku pointed out. "She can take out the monsters in one go, and she's saved a lot of people who can't get home in time. Or are just stuck outside, I mean she's even saved a couple of heroes."

"She has also gotten into a few fights with heroes."

"I think she only punched Endeavor once."

"Oh I saw that video!" Ochako cut in. "That was crazy, that was one of the only times she was out in broad daylight. She actually punched him in the face!"

"He was so mad…" Izuku remembered the fight on the social media pages. People either laughed at Endeavor and sided with Guardian or chastised her while being sympathetic to the Flame Hero.

Izuku remembered when he asked about that incident. Master Aqua had only grumbled about him misusing his power and nearly getting someone killed. It had been early on before she had changed to night patrols only.

She had also described his face as 'very punchable' and left it at that.

"I get that she's a vigilante, but I will admit I am pretty biased. I mean, I was one of the people that Guardian actually saved." Izuku admitted.

I'm actually really biased.

"She saved me as a kid, and you know she was a hero that was actually in my life at some point. So yeah, I look up to her. She does a lot of good, even though she's breaking the law she still does the right thing. It's not like I plan on becoming a vigilante just because I look up to one."

Iida hummed and crossed his arms.

"I suppose it is admirable, and it is good that you're choosing to take the proper channels."

"Sometimes people can't play by the same rules Iida." Izuku hummed. "Sometimes circumstances make us take another route."

"Still though, I-" Iida stopped mid sentence and looked at Izuku. "Midoriya, did you kick me?" He asked.

"What? No! Why would I-" Izuku felt a bump on his leg and looked under the table, eyes widening as he saw a familiar face clinging onto his leg.

"Hi Kupo…"

Iida and Ochako looked down to see what Izuku had spotted. Ochako gasped in surprise while Tenya stared in confusion.

"What on earth…"

"It's a Moogle!" Ochako grinned.

"A what?"

"Mogma?" Izuku muttered.

"Hi Kupo…"

Izuku frowned and pulled his backpack under the table so the small intruder could climb inside.

"Where have you been? I have been worried sick all day...please tell me you didn't get caught or something."

"Nope."

Izuku sighed.

"I almost did!"

"Mogma!"

"I didn't know you're friends with a Moogle." Ochako continued to stare in awe. "Mind if I ask what you sell?" She turned her attention to Mogma who had climbed into Izuku's backpack, which was now resting in his lap.

"Excuse me, but may I ask what in the world is a Moogle? I have never seen a creature like yourself." Iida leaned forward warily.

"Moogle are basically merchants, Kupo, we sell stuff at reasonable prices. Occasionally trade if you've got anything that interests us. And as for my wares…" He turned to Ochako and pulled out a small bag, digging through it and pulling out a few bracelets and potions. From where he was Izuku could see a few synthesis items in the bag, ones he had certainly never seen before.

Oh don't tell me he stole from the school…

"I've got these if they interest you." Mogma hummed.

"Oh, can I see this one?" Ochako pointed to a silver bracelet with pink and purple threads.

"Sure!"

"I'm sorry but do you have a permit to sell your wares on campus?" Iida asked, eyeing the creature.

"No." Izuku frowned. "Because he snuck in the backpack while I wasn't looking."

"In my defense, you should have been paying attention, Kupo." Mogma shrugged.

"I was putting stuff away!" Izuku defended himself, he leaned a little closer so the others wouldn't hear. "And just imagine what Master is gonna say when she finds out about this."

Mogma froze then slowly looked to Izuku once Ochako had put down the bracelet and apologized for not having any cash on her.

"Oh yeah, Kupo we need to get home like now."

Izuku further lowered his voice. "Oh, now you want to go home? Mogma it's not like I can just skip school."

"Okay but like, I really need to talk to Aqua now."

Izuku stared at the Moogle before narrowing his eyes. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything! But the point still stands that I need to- eep!" The three jumped at the shout of fear he gave before hiding in Izuku's backpack again and closing it up.

The three stared at the closed up bag in confusion.

"I'm sorry, did I...miss something?" Tenya asked, looking at the bag.

"I don't think so?" Izuku mumbled, poking at the bag and getting his hand swatted away.

"Maybe he just saw something that spooked him." Ochako hummed, looking up when the bell rang.

Izuku slung his backpack over his shoulders and sighed. "I guess so, I'll have to talk to him about it later."

"How did you not notice him in your bag?" Tenya asked, watching it rustle for a moment before going still.

"I guess I thought I packed a lot more than I thought." Izuku explained. "I mean I did kinda cram a lot of stuff in my bag if I'm being honest. I didn't really think about it until well...I found out I had a stowaway."

As the three made their way to class Mogma peeked out of the bag to look around, just a few ways away he could see who had been chasing him earlier. He had barely gotten away from him with way too many close calls.

Mogma gasped to himself as the boy, Mirio, spotted him from afar. He was getting closer and about to approach them when the warning bell went off and made the group of first-years look up in surprise.

"I thought we had more time!"

"Apparently not!"

"We can't be late, that would be unbecoming-"

"Just hurry up Iida!"

-HoL-

Izuku sighed to himself as he made his way into the house, dragging the metal sheet back in its place before turning to the living room.

"I'm home!" He called.

There was a gasp and Eri came running out of the kitchen. "You're home!" She shouted.

"Yup!"

"Aqua! Aqua Izuku's home!" She ran over to the stairs and yelled.

Izuku walked forward and watched as his Master came down the stairs. She looked up and smiled when she saw Izuku.

"Hey you, how was your first day?" She walked over.

"It was good, kind of stressful." He rubbed the back of his head.

"First day nerves?" She asked, making herself a cup of coffee.

Izuku shifted and took his bag off his shoulders, keeping it in his arms. "Well, yeah. That's part of it."

Aqua stopped and looked up. "What do you mean? What happened?"

Izuku sighed and looked at his bag. "Do you wanna tell her or me?" He asked.

Aqua opened her mouth to ask what he meant when his backpack opened and one of the Moogles slowly came out.

"Hello…" He mumbled.

"Mogma!" One of the older Moogles shouted. "That's where you were all day? We thought you just took off without letting anyone know!"

"Hold on, wait, what happened?" Aqua asked, watching Izuku lower his backpack so Mogma could hop out.

"He snuck in my backpack this morning." Izuku sighed. "And then ran off while we had to do a Quirk Apprehension Test. He didn't find me until about lunch time."

Mogma went still as Aqua and a few of the other Moogles stared at him. He could feel the waves of disappointment and anger coming off them.

"Okay, I know that sounds bad but, one I found some neat synthesis materials that they had lying around."

"You stole from the school?!"

"Well they weren't gonna use it properly. And two, Kupo I need to talk to you." He pointed at Aqua. "I found some stuff out and I really, really need to tell you this stuff."

Aqua groaned and rubbed her eyes. "You snuck into the school and stole stuff...Mogma please tell me that nobody saw you."

"Uh...Kupo's friends saw me. And All Might...and someone else…"

"All Might saw you?" Aqua almost raised her voice. "Mogma…"

"Kupo! You can scold me later but I really gotta talk to you so can I please tell you?" Mogma hopped up and down frantically. "This is some really serious stuff!"

"What did you find?" Izuku asked.

"Can't tell you yet. Kupo please?"

Aqua stared at the young Moogle for a moment before sighing and downing the cup of coffee. She took a moment before speaking. "Izuku, why don't you go change and then do whatever homework you might have. Eri, you wanna sit with him?'

Eri nodded excitedly.

"Okay, Mogma put what you took on the table. We can't exactly return it without raising suspicion, then meet me upstairs and I'll talk to you. The rest of you, do not harass him. I know what he did was risky, but I'm sure he understands the consequences of what he's done and what could have happened." She continued.

While Mogma began to walk away, Aqua smiled to herself and ruffled Izuku's hair. "Welcome home."

Izuku smiled and nodded. "It's good to be home."

Aqua made sure the others were okay and see if they needed anything before following Mogma upstairs. She was already planning out a lecture for him after he had told her whatever he needed to. She was almost ready to think he had just called this private meeting to plead his case and get off with little to no punishment.

Mogma hurried upstairs and ran to the same table she had sat with Izuku at. He hopped on top of a chair and waited for her to sit down. Once she was in front of him he immediately went off.

"Okay! So I was walking around the school just looking around and looking for some neat stuff. I ended up walking past a room where I heard two people talking and I got curious. I know you and all the older people tell us not to eavesdrop but I couldn't help myself and I snuck in there."

Aqua watched Mogma as he spoke, despite him going at a fast pace she was quick to catch up with what he was saying.

"In that room was All Might, and some kid named Togata. Clearly older than Izuku but we can get to that later! Here's the thing though Kupo, the guy who said he was All Might didn't look like All Might at all! He was all skinny and withered and looked like he was on death's door. The Togata guy said he wanted to talk to All Might about his power and apparently its something called One For All, and it boosted his power which is neat and all but that's not the point!"

Aqua stared at Mogma for a moment, taking in what she had just heard. All Might didn't look like himself, he was sickly. He asked her how she chose her 'successor'. The pieces began to click together when Mogma took a deep breath and continued.

"The point is Kupo, I heard them talking about something that's bad. Really, really bad. Apparently some guy called Nighteye used something called Foresight which I guess is his Quirk, but it can see into the future from what I'm guessing. They were talking about it, and it sounds like this guy saw the world was ending."

Aqua stiffened up at that. "What?"

"He saw the world falling to darkness, and the people's futures he saw went dark. Apparently he used his Quirk on Togata, and saw him as the only survivor of what happened."

Aqua stared at Mogma silently before standing up and turning away, taking a moment to process everything.

All Might was sick, he passed his power down to this Togata person. A young man, still a child. Nighteye had foreseen the world falling to darkness which either meant she was going to die or fail in some way. She didn't know the specifics about Nighteye's Quirk other than he could peer into the future of a person.

"Kupo...does this mean the world is going to fall to darkness? What's gonna happen to us?" Mogma hopped off the chair and approached her. "I thought the seal on the world might keep us safe."

"It keeps anyone from coming and going the normal way, it didn't cut off the Realm of Darkness." She muttered. She looked down, going over different options and scenarios in her head. She didn't have enough information, she needed to know more. Maybe there was a way to stop or delay it. Izuku didn't even have his Keyblade yet, she didn't know when it would manifest but she knew it'd be soon. She could feel his magic growing stronger every day since the Entrance exam.

"Kupo?"

Aqua took a deep breath and stood up straight. "Mogma, this stays between us, understand? If this gets out the others may panic, and panicking won't get us anywhere."

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm going to have to pay Nighteye a visit."

-HoL-

"Be good you two." Aqua smiled at Izuku, who was finishing Eri's hair.

"You're heading out already?" Izuku asked, looking at the clock. "It's a little early isn't it?"

Aqua shrugged and walked over to them, opening her arms and catching Eri who jumped towards her. She hugged Eri tightly and looked over the two. "I've just got a few errands to run, it'd be best to get them done now before it gets too late."

"What kind of errands?" Eri asked fussing with a strand of Aqua hair.

"Hmm, errands." She smiled.

"Aww can't you tell us?" Eri whined.

"Nope."

Eri whined as Aqua gave her another tight hug before putting her down.

Izuku came over and Aqua ruffled his hair. "Make sure you two go to bed on time, the latest you can stay up is 10. You've got school tomorrow," she pointed at Izuku, "and you shouldn't be keeping my late hours." She pointed at Eri who playfully stuck out her tongue.

"I'll be back in the morning, be good, try not to cause too much chaos while I'm gone." She put on her helmet and tucked in any strands of hair sticking out.

"No promises." Izuku grinned.

Aqua looked at him. "I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear that." Smiling beneath her visor as he and Eri laughed to themselves. "Okay then, I'm heading off." She walked towards the door.

"Be careful!" Izuku called.

"See you in the morning." Eri waved.

"Yeah, I'll see you in the morning." Aqua waved before slipping out and taking off. She made her way to the rooftops quickly, seeing it as the fastest way to get around. She had a general idea where Nighteye's Agency was, she had been in that area once or twice in the past year. Ever since the man had chased after her for hours and always seemed to predict where she was, he was always two steps ahead.

Last time she had to use Stop to get him off her back. Time magic wasn't her specialty and was exhausting to use. Especially after a long period of time. The man was a pain in every way and she wasn't looking forward to the meeting, though whether she liked it or not she had to see him. She needed answers.

Aqua smiled to herself as she leapt over a gap between buildings. Thinking back to what Izuku had told her about his day. She couldn't help but let herself feel proud. Izuku had gotten third place in the Quirk Apprehension Tests, from what he had said the top 5 were neck and neck with each other. Either way, he still did better than Katsuki. The boy who constantly tried to tear him down again and again, her student had risen above that. He was growing, he was getting better, he was working hard to get to the top. Aqua may have had a hand in it, but Izuku had done a great deal of that on his own. His hard work was his own, she only gave him the basics.

She was excited to see where he was going to go, during his school years, once he graduates, once he's a hero. She had no doubt he'd go far, and she wanted to be there to see it. She had to, but she couldn't do that if the world was gone.

She huffed and leapt again, using a bit of ice magic to keep herself from slipping and falling over. It was raining hard and the water made it difficult to always make a graceful landing. She was about to start running across the roof again when a white and blue blur hopped from wall to wall and leapt onto the rooftop. He landed safely and looked up to see Aqua had stopped to stare at him.

"Found ya!" Without another word he kicked his engines into high gear and raced towards her.

Aqua couldn't help but let a smile play on her lips before leaping into the air and icing over the roof. She heard a yelp of surprise as the hero tried to stop himself, only to crash into the railing and knock the wind out of himself.

"You really need to work on running on slippery areas, there might not be a railing there to save you next time." Aqua crossed her arms and looked at the hero.

"Oh ha ha, like you wouldn't catch me." He slowly made his way over to her.

"Hmm, I dunno. I mean you came pretty close to catching me last time. I don't think I can trust you." She hummed, walking away to the other side of the roof and hopping on the railing.

"Aw come on, you're the one that kept slipping up."

"I wasn't the one slipping up, excuse you." She laughed, hopping to the next roof.

"Hey hold on now!" Ingenium went chasing after her.

"Listen if you're going to talk to me then try to to keep up." Aqua rolled her eyes and kept moving forward.

"You act like that's such a hard thing!" He used his engines to speed forward, catching up to her quickly. Aqua could almost see the grin beneath his helmet. "So, you seem to be in a hurry. Going somewhere?"

"Just have to pay someone a visit." She answered.

"Oh? One of the rare times you're working with the police again? Who caused so much trouble that you've decided to work with law enforcement again?" He asked, keeping pace with her.

"It's not that someone's causing trouble, rather something and I heard that a certain someone might be able to help me."

"Oh? And who, pray tell, is this person?"

Aqua groaned as she landed on another rooftop and quickly changed directions. She was certain she was heading in the right direction anyway. It had been a long time since she went anywhere near his turf.

"Nighteye." She answered.

Ingenium sputtered and nearly fell over in surprise, quickly recovering and pulling ahead of her a bit. "Didn't he try to hunt you down the last time he saw you? And he's pretty vocal about not liking the route you've taken. Regardless of you being a big help or not."

"Yeah well I'm not in the mood to take any of his criticisms. He has something I want to know and I'm certain I may have something he wants to know. It's just a matter of finding a way to talk it out. Which I have a feeling he may not want to do."

"What are you gonna do? Freeze him over if he won't comply?"

"If I have to."

Ingenium shot her a look before looking straight ahead. "This is really serious if you're willing to use force. What's going on?"

Aqua frowned and pulled ahead of him.

"Hey, Guardian!" Ingenium called, speeding up. "Listen, if you just talk to me I can help!"

"Well the thing is I don't know how I would go about solving this problem. So you can't exactly help me at the moment."

"And you think Nighteye can give you some insight?"

"That's what I'm hoping." She pointed her weapon at the hero and shot out some ice, a frozen platform catching him where he would have slipped. "And I need to know what I can do."

Ingenium nodded and followed after her in silence. Hopping from building to building, occasionally stopping to get their bearings. It wasn't until they were in the area of his agency that he spoke up again.

"Hey, Guardian."

"Hmm?"

"Listen." He walked forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "If something's going on, and you need to talk about it then you can talk to me you know? You're a criminal yes, but you're a person first. I know you don't know me very well, and I don't know you too well either, but I still consider you a friend...and a hero."

Aqua glanced over her shoulder at him, she hated the helmets they wore sometimes. Sometimes she wished they didn't have to cover their faces. So in the least they could tell how sincere they were being with each other. Sometimes, she really just wanted to see the face of someone she was willing to call her friend.

"Something's bothering you, that's easy to see. So honestly, if you need help, if you need someone to lean on I will help you. You just have to ask, Guardian."

Aqua watched him for a moment before sighing. "When did I become so easy to read?" She smiled.

"Eh, I've been chasing after you for a while. And you lost the cool and mysterious points when I saw you gushing over a dog once." He grinned.

She laughed, and it sounded like pleasant and musical bell chimes to him. It was rare to get a laugh from her, and he couldn't help euphoria whenever he made it happen.

"Do you usually befriend vigilantes wanted by the law?"

"Only the ones I like." He shrugged.

Her laughter slowly faded and she cleared her throat, going quiet. She looked around, tilting her head this way and that to listen for any tell tale of the Heartless creeping around. It was unusually quiet that night, leaving an uneasy feeling in her. Where were they?

Dread creeped up inside her, leaving the taste of bitter and coarse rust in her mouth, drying out her throat. Her hand tightened on her weapon, the solid weight of the Keyblade keeping her grounded and getting ahead of herself. She acknowledged the icy pinpricks that ran up and down her spine, screaming that she should be alarmed and ready. That something was coming.

After all these years she's learned to listen to her instincts.

"Ingenium." She spoke, flinching at the crack in her voice.

"Guardian."

"I can trust you right? Genuinely."

"Yeah, of course you can. Why, what's going on?" He stepped forward.

Aqua stared at the streets, scanning, scanning, where were they? Why weren't they here?

Mogma's words rattled around in her mind. What he had heard, the world was going to fall to darkness. Which meant she either died or disappeared. Which meant there was no one to take care of them, of Eri, Izuku, the Moogles. There would be no one to take care of her family, if she couldn't stop this. Could she stop this? Was there any chance? If she couldn't then there'd be nothing left.

"Guardian?"

She frowned to herself and looked to him. "There's something coming, and I don't know if I can stop it." She admitted, slowly turning towards him. "I...I don't know if this is something I can handle on my own. That's why I'm reaching out to Nighteye, I'm just hoping there's something I can do. There has to be...I refuse to lose anyone else."

Ingenium looked up at that.

Anyone else…

A few gears began to turn in his head as he took another step forward. "Guardian…" He stopped himself, unsure what comfort he could really offer. He sighed and looked to the side. "I'm sure you can figure something out, you've gotten out of really bad situations before, I'm sure you can get out of this one."

Aqua shook her head. "Well, we can only hope. Come on, we should keep moving." She took off again with the hero in tow.

The two went in silence for a while, both focusing on what was in front of them. Aqua was fidgety, eyes darting everywhere. There was no trace of Heartless, not yet. It was already midnight, and that was usually when most of the Heartless came out. The fact there was nothing on the streets unsettled her. Not even the late night walkers or people who were struggling to get home.

The area was dead.

She suddenly stopped in her tracks, holding out an arm to stop Ingenium.

"What's wrong? We're almost to Nighteye's Agency." He asked, pointing ahead to a mundane building in the distance.

"Something's wrong. It's too quiet, no monsters have shown up to attack us. Even the late night stragglers are gone." She muttered, slowly creeping forward. "It's too easy, something should have attacked us by now."

"Now that you mention it, it is pretty weird." Ingenium muttered. "Weren't there a ton the night before?"

"Yes, there were." Aqua nodded. She stood there for a while, scanning the streets and trying to listen for any of the Heartless.

"There!" Ingenium shouted, pointing at the street below. One small shadow appeared, and began to run down the street. A few more appeared and followed in a hurried frenzy, all of them heading in the same direction.

"What's that all about?"

"I don't know, but I don't like it. Come on, let's go!" Aqua took off, keeping to the roofs of the buildings. She eyed the Heartless as they ran, noticing they became more excitable the further they went.

It didn't take long to find out why.

Aqua froze in her tracks once she saw it.

All the shadows were gathering at one place, piling together and combining into a mass of darkness. A large sphere took shape, taking in shadow after shadow; growing larger and larger. The shadows that weren't added to the large sphere instead began to swirl around it, turning it into a large tornado of darkness.

"Oh my god...what is that thing?" Ingenium asked.

"I...I don't know." She muttered before shaking her head. "Whatever it is, we can't let it get any bigger!" Aqua stepped forward and pointed her Keyblade at it. "If you want to get out of here, I recommend you start running."

"As if I'd leave you on your own with this thing." Ingenium readied himself, shuddered as the air got colder.

"Alright then, get ready." Aqua dropped the temperature further and further, gathering up as much magic energy as she could. Forming the spell into a giant arrow. "Blizzaga: Ice Arrow!"

The arrow shot down towards the mass, freezing over anything in its path before slamming into the large sphere. Before it could drive in too far the shadows that were swarming around the core wrapped around the arrow and shattered it.

"Alright we've got their attention, you got a plan in mind?" Ingenium asked, his engines flaring out.

"Try to take out the core." She pointed at the dark sphere being surrounded by the shadows. "And don't die."

"I like that plan."

They jumped away as the shadows slammed onto the roof, scattering before regrouping and taking to the sky. The two ran to avoid the shadows as they came rushing down, kicking up dust and concrete wherever they went.

Aqua sprinted forward to catch up to the head of the horde, seeing the core beneath the writhing shadows. She huffed and held up her Keyblade, fire gathering around her. She fired off spell after spell, great balls of flame slamming into the Heartless. When some faded away and revealed the core more surged forward to cover it back up.

Ingenium was a few feet behind her, kicking away some of the stray shadows and knocking them away.

They're endless.

Aqua hummed as she surrounded herself in a ring of flames, then a second ring of ice. She focused on the energy gathering inside of her, letting it build up more and more. She jumped forward and began striking down shadow after shadow, getting closer to the core. Any shadow that came too close either burned up in fire or was frozen and shattered.

Aqua shouted as she struck the core again and again, being carried along by the shadows. The passing shadows tried to claw into her and tear into her armor. Only to be knocked away as soon as they came.

Just as she was about to unleash a flurry of magic on the core, the shadows began to frenzy. Yellow eyes turning orange and rushing at both herself and Ingenium. Tearing up anything in their paths.

The shadows threw the Keyblade Master to the street.

"Guardian!" Ingenium yelled, sprinting to try and stay ahead of the horde.

Aqua rolled to her feet and looked over to the hero, she yelled as she shot a spell towards him. Just as the tide crashed down on him a clear shield appeared around him. Sending the shadows scattering before regrouping. She snapped her fingers and made the shield explode, giving him room to run ahead to safety.

"You okay?" He asked.

Aqua grinned and nodded. "Perfectly fine." She gathered the built up energy and felt it wrap around herself. A soft pink glow surrounded her body.

Good, keep it going!

"Let's go."

They rushed forward again and dodged the few swarms that branched off from the tide to attack them. They both shouted as they attacked the core, delivering blow after blow. Aqua let her Keyblade flow around her, magic carrying it and cutting through the Heartless. Every time she tried to cut through the shadowy core it rebounded and was sent flying back to her.

I need more power!

"Ingenium get back!" She shouted, grabbing her Keyblade and aiming at the tide. He looked up at her shout and obeyed, running to get out of range. Just as he got out of the way she threw a wave of fire at the tide, watching the flames encompass the mass. She leapt out of the way as they came charging out and slamming into the ground.

Good, keep on coming!

Aqua used her magic to leap above the tide and rain down great sparks that danced along the street. She just had to wear it down, as long as she kept raining down blows she would destroy the core at some point. She had to. Everything has a limit, she just had to find how far this thing could push itself.

"Guardian get down!" Ingenium leapt from a rooftop to grab her, dragging her down as the Demon Tide frenzied again and came rushing towards them. The Heartless slammed into them and drove them to the ground. Aqua shouted as she forced a shield to manifest around them, protecting them from the rest of the attack. They watched as the shadows bounced off and regrouped to slam back into the magic shield. Ingenium eyed the growing cracks warily.

"Will this thing hold?"

"I've got plenty of energy to spare, we'll be fine!" She grunted, holding her hands out to reinforce it.

They came over and over again, Aqua pushing back each time they tried to break it. As soon as it let up she shattered the shield and began chasing after the Heartless again. The two watched as the Heartless took to the sky, climbing high before glowing orange again and rushing back to the earth.

"Move!" They jumped out of the way as the shadows crashed into the ground, a dark void appearing beneath them.

"What the…"

"Get out of the way!" Aqua grabbed Ingenium before the shadows erupted where he was. "Keep moving!"

They raced down the streets, the Demon Tide following close behind them. Crashing to the ground and appearing a few feet away from them. It was starting to get faster, and more aggravated. The tide disappeared into the ground before reappearing in front of the heroes and barreling towards them.

Ingenium ducked into an alley while Aqua took it head on, blocking the shadows and getting in hits when she could. They destroyed any buildings in their path, causing rubble to rain down.

Don't tell me all the shadows took everyone here. Did they?

Aqua shook her head and turned her focus back to the fight, lowering the shield and chasing after the now calm tide.

"Its aggression levels just change on a whim doesn't it?"

"Unfortunately." Aqua frowned.

Ingenium looked around hurriedly, gasping as he saw a tall intact building. "Hey, Guardian, I've got an idea. But you need to keep this thing in this area. Do you have any way to bind this thing?"

Aqua looked at her Keyblade as it let off a golden glow. "Yes."

"Cool, just keep it distracted!" He ran towards the large building, using his Quirk to scale the fire escape.

"Will do." Aqua muttered, sprinting forward towards the tide. The Heartless grew excited at her approach, rushing towards her. Aqua eyed the side of the building, seeing her friend climb up as fast as he could.

Aqua froze mid step and held up her Keyblade, allowing a mixture of fire and lightning to surround her. As the Demon Tide was about to crash down on her, Aqua shouted and pushed back with a wall of raging flames and lightning. The flames wrapped around the core and ate up the Heartless surrounding it, leaving it partially exposed.

She looked up to see Ingenium was almost to the top, she just needed to expose the core a little more.

Within moments the fire had extinguished, but Aqua was ready with another spell. Water gathered around the entirety of the Demon Tide, closing in and pushing back whenever it tried to break out.

Just a little more.

Aqua grunted as she began to freeze the water, trapping the tide in there. She grit her teeth as she forced the ice to travel deeper, to cover every shadow and freeze it over. She ignored the cold that began to creep up her arms, packing in the ice tighter and tighter.

She backed up and caught her breath, concentrating on keeping the ice from breaking. Some of the shadows were still struggling and trying to break free. The core began to glow an angry red, steam appearing where it struggled.

She looked up at the sound of a loud boom to see Ingenium yelling as he shot down towards the core, his engines blazing.

Aqua rushed forward and pointed her Keyblade at him, shooting a bright light towards him. It gathered around him, a form of protection from the fall. Shimmers of light trailed after him as he fell, aiming right for the core.

"Recipro Burst!"

He slammed into the core and shattered the ice and the Heartless surrounding it, leaving it open. He shouted as he hit the ground.

"Guardian now!"

"Right!"

Aqua leapt in front of the core, golden chains surrounding her. She pointed the Keyblade at the core and sent the chains after it. The glowing chains surrounded the core and tightened around it. Keeping any more shadows from gathering.

Aqua gasped as she felt the energy building up evolve into something different. A bright glow surrounded her and wrapped around her Keyblade, transforming it into a large blade made of light. She rushed forward faster than had been expecting to and slammed the blade into the core.

Ingenium shuddered violently as he was filled with what he could only describe as immense power. It almost felt like too much for one person to handle, hot and cold mixing together with the sparks of lightning and heaviness of gravity. It was invigorating. He hadn't noticed the glow that surrounded him as well.

Without another thought he took off and barreled into the core of the tide. It shuddered violently under their attacks, writhing in desperation as it tried to escape. The two dashed around the core and each other, landing blow after blow and slowly tearing it apart.

After a while Ingenium had noticed his attacks would have different elements trailing after them, a small wave of fire or water, or the chilling ice that froze whatever it touched. It was only then it had dawned on him.

He and Guardian, they were borrowing power from each other. His speed and her...pure energy. He couldn't deny the rush he felt with each attack, only able to wonder if this is what being her felt like. Her power, it almost felt liberating.

"Ingenium!"

He sped forward without thinking, as if he already knew what she was planning.

He stopped beside her, beneath the core and nodded at her. He felt the power he borrowed flow into his hands as he aimed them at the core. Golden light surrounded them and encompassed the core, blinding them as it washed away the shadows.

The chains broke and the core gathered shadows around itself, compressing them tightly around the core to protect itself. Once it was finished the core writhed and let out a haunting screech before slamming into the ground.

The entire street turned black, buildings were dragged into the endless abyss as dark tendrils closed in to keep them from escaping the area.

"What is this? What is it doing?" Ingenium shouted, watching as the buildings were dragged away.

"I don't know." Aqua looked around, looking for the Demon Tide. "I'm more concerned where it-"

She was cut off as a tornado of raging shadows erupted from the ground beneath them and swept them away. They yelled as the enraged shadows surrounded them and tore into their armor. Leaving deep scratches and tearing off a few components. The shadows tore apart Ingenium's armor like it was nothing, leaving his upper body exposed.

The dark tornado threw Ingenium away to the street and continued to try to tear into Aqua. They chipped away pieces of her armor, hardly able to make a dent before losing patience and throwing her away. She landed on the ground with a crash, she stood up and glared at the red and black tornado.

The bottom part of her mask had been broken off as well as parts of her arm guards.

"Ingenium!" She looked over to him as he tried to get up. He was bloodied and scratched up, his mask in pieces beside him. He groaned and sat up, looking at the tornado. They didn't have any time to react before the tornado began to spew shadows at them. Aqua put up a shield and looked over the hero.

"We really pissed them off huh?" Ingenium chuckled weakly. "They got me pretty good."

"Shut up." Aqua huffed, focusing on his wounds and healing them. "It has to be almost done, it's just trying to stay alive at this point."

"I take it you have a plan?" He asked, running his hands over the closed wounds.

"Somewhat." She grunted and reinforced the shield. The shadows angrily scratched at it furiously.

"Cool, what are we gonna do?" He asked, getting to his feet.

"You are going to stay here, that thing is going to try to tear us apart and your armor is already broken after just one big attack like that. Mine is still intact, so I'll be fine." She stood up and watched the shadows run back to their source.

"Hold on you expect me to just sit here while you fight?"

"Yes."

"No way! Guardian I-"

"I'll be fine, my armor can take their attacks. Your armor is pretty much gone, I don't want to risk not being able to heal you."

"Guardian…"

"'I'll be fine." She stepped out the shield, keeping him inside. "They're going to have to try a lot harder to kill me." A bright glow surrounded her again, a beacon of light in the darkness.

After reinforcing the shield again Aqua rushed towards the swirling mass of Heartless. She was going to end it here and now. The Demon Tide seemed to acknowledge her presence, beginning to launch spheres of shadows into the sky. She dodged around them, focusing on getting closer to the core.

Just as she was before the tornado one of the dark spheres burst from the ground and barreled into her before disappearing into the ground again. She righted herself and looked around to see the dark orbs hopping around at random, trying to hone in on her.

Aqua was stuck dodging between the shadows that leapt out of the ground and the swirling mass of darkness that tried to chase her down. She would cut through the large orbs when she could and always tried to dodge every swarm that was aimed at her. She fired off spell after spell at the core, only for it to hit a wall of shadows every time. The Demon Tide was dying, and was doing whatever it had to in order to stay alive.

She yelled as she ran towards the heart of the shadows, blocking and slicing through the smaller spheres of Heartless. Just as she had cut down another group of Heartless the tornado frenzied again and rushed towards her, giving her no time to dodge.

"Guardian!" Ingenium shouted as he watched the Demon Tide sweep her up. He heard a loud cry as she was dragged further and further into the swirling black mass.

Aqua struggled against the shadows, surrounding herself in ice to try and get rid of the ones that were too close to her. She could see the core hanging high above her while the shadows furiously tore into her armor. Trying to rip her apart. She grunted and flinched at the sound of screeching metal as parts of her armor were ripped off.

She continued to fire off large blizzard and thunder spells, clawing and pushing through shadows to get to the center of it all. She gathered up a lot of power and shot another blizzard spell at it, shaping it to be another arrow. She fired it off with a shout, grinning as it pierced through the core before dissolving. The core shuddered and let out another eerie cry as the Heartless grew angrier and became more eager to rip her apart. She put up a barrier to buy some time, only for them to break it halfway through its manifestation.

She was buried beneath countless shadows before being thrown out to the street with a crash. Aqua grunted and got to her feet. Her helmet was starting to crack, as well as other parts of her armor. She looked up to see the red and orange glow of the tornado as it swirled around, becoming more denser. She held up her Keyblade, daring it to come closer. She could see a few small shadows fall out of the swarm and dissipate. She just needed one more good hit.

A low rumble filled the air and Aqua braced herself. She pushed more power into her Keyblade, making the blade glow even brighter. She was going to put an end to that thing.

Without warning the shadows raced towards her, Aqua raised her Keyblade ready for one more good strike at the core. The shadows were almost upon her when she realized they weren't aiming for her. The core rushed past her, barreling towards Ingenium. She whirled around in horror, seeing the shield was barely intact, most of it had been chipped away at.

"No!" She screamed, using magic to push herself forward and throw herself in the Demon Tide's path. She thrust her blade at the dark horde, practically making them throw themselves at her Keyblade. The shadows split and rushed past her and the one she was protecting. They pushed against her blade, pushing her back a bit.

Aqua grunted and forced herself to step forward against the rushing tide. She could cut through the core; she just needed a little more strength. The Demon Tide pushed even harder, making her lose ground. A few shadows that were flying off the swarm managed to scratch at her before disappearing.

"You're not getting past me!" She screamed at the Demon Tide, moving forward and cutting into the core. The shadows wailed and tried to push against her. "I won't let you!" As she took another step she gasped in pain as something in her shoulder popped. She flinched and the Demon Tide took advantage of that. Putting in one last push to try and kill the Keyblade Wielder and hero.

"Guardian!" Ingenium shouted, banging on the shield, seeing it flicker a little with his efforts. He watched her for a moment before shaking his head and throwing himself against the shield. She was losing ground, inch by inch, she just needed one final push. The barrier flickered and began to flake away the more he beat on it. He watched Guardian for a moment before moving back to the edge of the shield, aligning himself with Guardian.

"This is probably gonna hurt…" He muttered, firing up his engines. He eyed the barrier and nodded to himself. "Definitely."

He yelled as he raced forward, forcing himself to not freeze as he came closer to the fading wall that stood between them. He put more force into his engines, pushing them to the limits. He broke through the barrier with a loud shout, feeling a few of the shards cut his arms and face. He paid that no mind and raced towards Aqua. He raced forward and held out his arms, wrapping his hands around the hilt of the blade.

"Ingenium!" She shouted. "I told you to-"

"And what kind of a hero would I be if I let you take on this thing alone? You're going to have to try a lot harder than that to keep me away, Guardian."

She stared at him before nodding and looking at the Demon Tide again.

"One more good push right? That's all we need?"

"Yeah!"

"Then let's give it to 'em!" He yelled as he fought against the tide, forcing the blade in deeper. The swarm panicked and yowled.

Aqua grit her teeth as she ignored the pain in her shoulder. It didn't hurt, it didn't hurt! She turned the pain to anger, anger towards the Heartless. It couldn't be allowed to live and run rampant, not when it would kill even more people.

Just a little more, just a little more. I just need a little more strength!

Aqua's Wayfinder shimmered for a moment, unbeknownst to her. She gasped as she felt phantom hands wrap around her own, pushing her forward and adding to the blinding light that was surrounding them.

The two screamed as they put all their strength into one last strike, splitting the core in half. Just like that the shadows stopped, the angry glow fading as they all fell to the ground and disappeared in puffs of dark smoke.

The core idled for a moment before collapsing and letting off streams of spoke, slowly decaying into nothing. They watched it until it was finally gone, the darkness disappeared from the ground. Revealing the torn up street and lack of buildings around them.

"That was…"

"Exhausting?" Ingenium supplied.

Aqua shook her head. "That's one word for it."

Ingenium looked at her with a grin. "So...I guess I kinda lost the game. You know, as to who would unmask who first?"

Aqua laughed and gave him a shove before yelping in pain and holding her arm.

"Woah you good?"

"I'll be fine, give me a second." She held up a hand, a soft green glow appearing around them and healing all their injuries. Aqua grunted as she felt her shoulder pop back into place. Ingenium hummed as he felt the rest of the scrapes heal.

"So, are we ready to head to Nighteye's Agency now" He asked, holding out a hand.

"I think you should head home Ingenium, your armor is gone and if more of those monsters show up you might get hurt." She looked at him. "Just give me the address and I'll head right over."

"Tensei."

"What?"

He smiled down at her. "My name is Tensei, figured I should tell since I'm...well unmasked and all."

Aqua smiled. "I see."

"...What? Not gonna tell me your name?"

"Not until the mask comes off." She starts walking forward, towards Nighteye's Agency.

"Oh, well in that case…" He laughed, running towards her. She shouted and began to run ahead of him. "Get back here!"

"No!" She shouted, a laugh escaping as she pulled forward.

"My engines are overheated, that's not fair!"

"Yes it is!"

"No!"

They continued to run through the streets, laughing as they went. For just a moment it had been a victory they could be proud of. They were almost to Nighteye's Agency when a loud boom of thunder startled them.

"Holy crap I forgot it was still storming." Tensei panted.

"I hadn't even realized it stopped raining." Aqua murmured, looking around. The streetlights were out, it seemed all the power went out. That was unfortunate, she only hoped it wasn't the entire city. Eri couldn't sleep without her nightlight.

"It might start up again, come on we're almost there." Tensei motioned for her to follow him as he ran forward. "It should be right over here, though he probably won't answer since it's so late. So I personally recommend going through a-" He froze in horror as he turned a corner, unable to finish his sentence.

"You recommend going through a- oh my god." Aqua caught up to him and stopped in her tracks. "No…"

Where the street should have been instead was a large divide. A black and purple void where an entire block should have been. They stepped back as the ground began to crack.

"No way, what is this?" Tensei looked over the void, seeing nothing at the bottom.

"Don't tell me it's…" Aqua stopped when she looked at the sky. "No, no way." She shook her head.

"What?" Tensei looked at her before following her gaze and looked to the sky. He paled at what he saw.

The sky was dark, no stars could be seen among the black clouds. Lightning lit up the sky in brief moments, showing even larger cores of Demon Tides beginning to fall to the earth, ready to bring more chaos and tear the world apart.

Is the world collapsing? So soon?

"No way, there are more of those things?" Tensei asked. "We barely took care of that first one, that has to be hundreds if not more!"

Aqua was silently panicking to herself. The world was falling apart, she failed, she hadn't even been able to try to save it. The world was falling apart, people were going to die. She was going to die- Izuku and Eri were going to die.

She took in a shuddering gasp and stepped forward, looking down at the void. Was there anything she could do? Could she block out the darkness? Even for a little while longer? Could she buy them any more time?

Her mind was racing, looking for some kind of solution when she stopped. She could buy them all time. She wasn't sure how much though.

"I think...I think I can stop all of them. At least for now." She said, walking forward.

"What do you mean? Guardian I know you're good but I don't think you're that good. I don't think even All Might could take all those on." Tensei argued, watching her walk further ahead. "Guardian! What are you doing?"

Aqua took a deep breath and looked at the sky. "Buying some time." The ground beneath her began to crack, tendrils of darkness seeping out. She paid them no mind, even when they began to wrap around her ankles, even when more of the world began to fall away.

She had a trick up her sleeve, something she had been saving for a long time. Storing magic whenever she could, at least 10 years worth of magic reserved for emergencies. She had hardly touched it in all that time.

"I recommend you get back, it's not stable here and I don't want you getting dragged into the darkness." She said, ignoring his protests.

"Guardian, get back here! What are you-" He was about to run towards her when the ground split and divided them.

Aqua took another deep breath and focused, gripping Master Defender tightly. She began to draw out her magic, opening the dam and freeing a flood of raw magic power. A golden glow began to encompass her body, starting with her hands and travelling up her arms. Her helmet cracked and the rest of the pieces fell away, revealing her face. She took a moment to look at Tensei and smile as the light consumed the rest of her body, slightly dimmed as the darkness began to wrap around her to drag her down.

Tensei could only watch in a mixture of awe and fear as she was slowly dragged away. He had to get to her, or she would be taken too.

Aqua took a deep breath and looked to the sky, hoping what she had was enough.

"Tensei." She looked towards him with a smile. "My name is Aqua."

He didn't get to respond as she pointed her Keyblade to the sky, the light surrounding her was blinding. A spell she had used once before, but never on such a scale as she was trying now.

"Salvation!"

A brilliant column of light shot towards the sky, piercing into the clouds and driving away terrible darkness that resided within them. Shrieks of the Demon Tide cores could be heard through the entire city as they were banished by the light they feared. The faint stars could be seen in the sky, shining faintly, some fading away with a blink of an eye.

The ground around Aqua fell apart beneath her feet temporarily driving away the darkness that lurked below. The light lasted for what seemed like hours, banishing all darkness and fear. Tensei felt the light pass through him, and felt nothing but warmth and safety. Without thinking he jumped over the divide, trying to reach for her.

Soon the light began to fade, having drained away all of Aqua's power and leaving her with nothing. She began to fall towards the void below until a hand grabbed her own. She looked up in surprise to see Tensei above her, hanging onto a light pole to keep from slipping. He yelped in surprise as the ground began to crumble beneath him, almost making him lose his grip on the light pole.

"Hold on!" He shouted. "You're not falling, I'm not going to let you. You're not done here Guardian!"

"T-Tensei!" She looked at the concrete that looked ready to give at any moment. "You have to let go or we're both going to fall."

"I'm not letting you go!" He shouted. "I can get us out of this, I just need a second." He tried to pull her up only to disrupt the ground and nearly send them falling. "I'm sure you have someone at home waiting for you, so do I. That's why I'm not gonna let you go! Come one, I just got your name, I just properly met you. I'd like to get the chance to know you better." He grunted as he tried to pull them both to safety.

Aqua was about to protest against his efforts again when she felt droplets fall on her face. She look up to see him crying. "Come on, you're gonna tell me after all that now you choose to give up! Enough people have been lost tonight, I'm not going to let you be another!"

She gasped as he slipped for a moment but got his grip back. "I know that attack must have left you weak, or else you would have gotten out of this by now. So just let me-" He gasped as he tried to pull them up again, only for more of the ground to give away, leaving both of them dangling over a dark pit. Tensei grunted as he tried to keep them both above.

Aqua looked down to see swirling darkness at the bottom, the Realm of Darkness slowly encroaching upon the world. Only delayed by her efforts. If she fell, then the world would inevitably fall. If she didn't it would still fall, there was nothing she could do. What she could do though, was spare one of them from falling to the darkness.

She could only hope Eri and Izuku would forgive her.

"Tensei, I'll be okay." She assured him, letting go and leaving him desperately grasping her wrist. She was slipping. "Nothing good will come of both of us falling, you can let go."

"N-No!"

"Tensei." She smiled sadly. "I'll be okay. I promise."

Tensei lost his grip and screamed as she fell into the darkness below, watching the light from above slowly fade. She felt the darkness drag her down to the place she feared the most. She shuddered violently, now unable to stop her own tears from falling.

"Izuku. Eri. I am so sorry…it looks like I won't make it back home."

-.-

Tensei sobbed as he watched her fall away, a sad but reassuring smile still on her face as she faded from view. He looked up and slowly dragged himself back to solid ground, crawling away from the large chasm.

He didn't know how long he sat there, staring at the void until a warm glow drew his eye. He looked up at the still cloudy sky, being lit up by the golden warmth of sunrise. A sunrise she was able to give them, a sunrise Guardian-no Aqua couldn't see.

-.-

He was in that place again, the one with the glass mural of himself. This time he felt coherent and aware of where he was. Like he actually existed in that place.

He jumped as a hand placed itself on his shoulder, turning around to see his Master. He tried to speak, but no words came out. He could only stand there in shock as she ran a hand through his hair, a sad smile on her face.

"Take care of Eri for me, okay?"

What?

He tried to speak, the words getting caught in his throat as he reached for her. She was disappearing.

No! Don't go!

She was crying too. Why was she crying, why couldn't she stay?

Please don't leave me alone!

"Master!"

Izuku woke up in tears, screaming for Master Aqua. He panted, feeling tears pour down his face as he tried to get his bearings. He only snapped out of it when he realized he could hear Eri crying from the next room.

He wiped at his eyes and rushed out of his room, hurrying over to Eri's room and opening the door to see her crying her eyes out. He walked forward wordlessly scooping her up in his arms and made his way downstairs with her. She clung to him tightly wordlessly sobbing as they silently agreed to sit on the couch and wait for her.

Aqua never came back.