Izuku-kun?! Himiko turned quickly and watched as Izuku rose from his seat in the defense's crowd. She'd been curious as to why he was wearing his hero costume for the first time today since the trial had started- he'd been wearing a normal suit every day before! Now it made sense. It wasn't just Midoriya Izuku speaking. It was Deku as well. He was using his authority as a pro hero to try to help. Himiko's heart swelled at that thought. A hero trying to help? If only it weren't too late…

She watched as he whispered to All Might for a few moments, getting a reassuring thumbs up and smile from the older hero. Dynamight grumbled something as well before also giving him a thumbs up. A few whispered words from Ochako earned him a nod, and he quickly left the defense's audience and headed for the stand. He looked so cute in his costume, the fabric hugging the muscles he'd worked so hard to carve into his body. Himiko sighed, knowing full well she'd probably never get the chance to speak with him like she had during the summer camp raid or during the final battle again. Oh well.

"Good afternoon, everyone. I um… Sorry. I've never been very good at public speaking," Izuku explained, rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous smile on his face. He looked so pretty like that, and the scars on his face only made him all the more irresistible for Himiko.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why I'm here, and speaking on Toga Himiko's behalf. I… I understand a lot of you aren't happy with me being here," that earned a loud grumble of agreement from everyone in the audience. Heroes, civilians, victims. No one was happy to see Deku of all people standing up for the serial killer, terrorist, blood obsessed monster. It forced them to think that maybe they were wrong in wanting Himiko put to death. And who wanted that? "But please, let me explain."

"Heroes… No, sorry. We… We heroes fight against bad guys every day," he started. Somehow Izuku still found it difficult to remember to call himself a hero. That he was just as much a hero as the people he'd looked up to his entire life. More of a hero than even All Might himself- the public's words, not his. "It's our job, and all of us happily continue to do it despite the danger. We fought as hard as we could to take down the League of Villains. But something we all promised we'd never do- not unless it was the only way to save others- was to take lives. We… We pride ourselves on being more than the villains. On not stooping to their level. We've got dozens of rules to make sure that we exhaust every option possible before it ever even has to come to that."

"Two hundred and twenty-nine heroes died at the hands of the League. That takes into account Stain's activities, the raid against the Paranormal Liberation Front, the dozens of heroes that were murdered during and after the jailbreakings, the Final Battle against All For One's army, and America's number one hero Star and Stripe." Izuku paused for a long moment, letting his respect for the deaths sit with the crowd.

"I mourn their loss. I mourn them every day. Heroes like Majestic, Native, Master Driller, Crust, and… Midnight… I often feel if I'd just been a bit stronger… A bit more like All Might…" Izuku's voice wavered for a moment, and he looked to the crowd to see All Might urging him on. All Might and Dynamight and Ochako. Even the heroes on the prosecution's side weren't against him. They were just against Himiko.

"I want to take a look at the villain's losses as well. Hawks killed Bubaigawara Jin." The attention turned- for just a moment- to Japan's former #2 hero. He was dressed in a burgundy suit, and sitting on the defense's side next to Lady Nagant. He looked so different without his wings. Himiko had seen him there every day of her trial, and it always made her anger boil. She'd stopped just short of killing him during her Sad Man's Death Parade, the Double that had slashed at him melting into goo before it could do any real damage.

Keigo Takami shrugged, diffusing the attention that was on him as nonchalantly as he always did. It made Himiko even more upset. Why was he even on this side of the audience? He'd killed Jin-kun! She didn't want him here!

"My oldest friend, Kacchan- Dynamight… he was forced to kill All For One." The attention shifted to Dynamight for a moment-

"THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS LOOKING AT! DEKU'S SPEAKING, EYES FORWARD," Dynamight shouted, getting everyone's eyes back on Deku as if they were a bunch of students who'd been distracted during class.

"Todoroki Touya died a couple of weeks after the battle from self-inflicted injuries. I… I killed Shim- … Shigaraki Tomura." Izuku swallowed, fighting back tears at the admission. He still felt guilty for what he'd done. He still felt that if he'd just fought a little harder, he could've saved the young boy that All For One had corrupted.

If only…

"But Toga-san… she killed herself. She sacrificed herself to save the life of my friend- Uraraka Ochako-san. Pro Hero: Uravity. And I'm forever in her debt for that," Izuku said, his eyes turning from the crowd to Himiko with such gratitude it felt foreign to her. She couldn't remember the last time someone had been grateful for something she'd done.

"She's here today because she's been given the chance to face justice for her crimes thanks to the efforts of Uraraka-san and Hatsume-san." Izuku had said Mei's name, but his eyes were locked on Ochako's. He only had eyes for her, and he was lost in those wide, watery brown pools for a long while before he continued to speak. He looked at her so much differently than how he'd looked at Himiko just a moment earlier. He looked at her differently than he looked at anyone else. Himiko was certain that they were in love, it was impossible that they weren't.

"Two people who risked everything because they felt it was the right thing to do. Who felt that all life was sacred, regardless of whose life it was. Uraraka-san and Hatsume-san are true heroes. They… they did something that even I couldn't do. They saved Toga Himiko… We can't let that display of sincere heroism be in vain!" There was a murmur in the crowd. Lots of people clearly didn't agree with what Izuku was saying, but it was hard to deny his words. It was even harder to say he was wrong considering everything that he had personally sacrificed during the final battle. The entire world had watched his arms get taken by Shigaraki's Quirk. They'd watched him give it his all, broken and bloodied. A hero student doing more than any hero in history… Even All Might.

"Not only should we not assign Toga-san the death penalty for Uraraka-san, and Hatsume-san, and all the heroes that sacrificed their lives for what they thought was right… We should do this for Toga-san. We should do this because out of all of the villains who'd fought that day, she was the only one who'd stopped of her own accord! Iguchi Suichi fought until he couldn't fight any longer! Todoroki Touya fought until he'd all but killed himself! Shigaraki…" Izuku cleared his throat, and recollected himself.

"Toga Himiko stopped on her own. She called off her Sad Man's Legion. She put down her weapons and in doing so saved dozens of hero's lives. She'd turned the tide of the battle towards the villains all on her own, and by her own will, she turned it back towards the heroes. Her actions gave us a chance to stop Shigaraki Tomura. Her actions gave us a chance to save the world that we otherwise wouldn't have had. Without her relenting, we never would've won that day." Again, even more heroes seemed frustrated by Izuku's words. Not because he was lying, but because they all knew how true they were. They'd all been there during the battle. They'd known how impossible the odds had been. So many of them had been absolutely overwhelmed by Himiko's Sad Man's Death Parade.

"Toga-san proved to the entire world that she has a heart that day. That she's just as human as the rest of us. She gave her life to save Uraraka-san… Toga Himiko is my hero… I hope you can all take that into account and offer her some leniency with whatever sentencing you deliver. Thank you for listening." Izuku wiped a couple of tears from his eyes before standing and bowing towards the crowd and then the judge. Always so polite and cordial. Always so grateful. Himiko watched as Izuku walked back to his seat next to Ochako and All Might. Watching him made her heart hurt all over again. He'd rejected her feelings…

Himiko couldn't remember a time where she wasn't in love with Izuku Midoriya. He was so strong and kind and selfless, and so, so pretty. Even Stain had recognized him as a true hero. Being in love with him just felt right. Well… okay, maybe she could remember a time before that. But only because she'd been silly and in love with someone else…

Himiko had felt like she'd seen a ghost. He hadn't been in the audience earlier- or at least, she hadn't noticed him? There was a deep scar stretching across his cheek that split his upper lip in two. His skin was sickly pale- as if he didn't go out much, or get much sun. Still, Himiko could've recognized him anywhere.

"My name is S-Saito So-Soma… I… I went to middle school with Toga Himiko." Soma's gray eyes had been wide with fear, and he couldn't help but stutter even as he said his own name. He'd practically been shuddering in his seat and his eyes would snap to Himiko's every other second, as if he were terrified she'd lunge towards him at any moment and finish what she'd started.

"Are you okay, Saito-san," Watanabe had asked, taking a small step to her right and blocking Soma's view of Himiko with her body. "You look a little nervous."

"I-I am, ma'am, s-sorry," he'd stuttered.

"Why are you nervous, Saito-san," she'd asked, making a show of stepping out of the way so Soma was forced to look at Himiko again. He'd practically flinched as she did so, showing the crowd just how terrified he was of the younger woman.

"I… I'm s-sorry. I haven't seen T-Toga since… since s-she…" He could hardly even get the words out, as if just mentioning it would've made it happen all over again.

"Please, tell the court what happened to you," Watanabe had encouraged.

"R-Right… well… I was fourteen. I… I'd gotten into a f-fight at school. Someone in my class had called Toga-san a freak, and I told him that he was wrong. That he was being mean and cruel. I… I told him to take it back. I… I hit him." The memories of that day haunted both his dreams and his waking hours, and he could recall every moment as if it'd happened yesterday.

"So you defended Toga Himiko? You protected her from one of your own classmates," Watanabe had asked, getting the crowd pulled into Soma's story. Himiko couldn't help but feel frustrated. Everyone already knew how this story ended. Everyone already knew what she'd done.

"I… yes," Soma had said, his head down as he'd answered. It'd sounded as if he'd regretted ever being kind to her. To be honest, he likely did.

"And what happened next, Saito-san?"

"I… I was walking back to class a few hours later…" Soma had looked at Himiko and swallowed before closing his wide, gray eyes, taking a deep breath, and starting again.

"Toga was waiting for me a few feet outside the classroom. Like… like she'd been planning the entire thing. She asked me if I was okay. I told her yeah, I was fine. That Hamada had been rude to her and that she didn't deserve that. I… She told me she loved me. I kinda just… laughed. I'd never been confessed to or anything before and… I told her I didn't really know her, but we could hang out after class if she wanted." Soma had gone quiet for a few moments, seemingly overwhelmed by his memories.

"Then… she whispered something. I almost hadn't heard it, and what I'd thought I'd heard… It didn't make sense. I asked her to repeat it- I got closer because her voice was so low! She… she'd asked for my blood!" Soma had seemed to be panicking as he relived the memories. They'd seemed particularly traumatic to him.

"I hadn't even noticed she'd had it in her hand until… Until she… She attacked me!"

"How did she attack you, Saito-san," Watanabe had asked, looking back at the crowd. Himiko could barely even pretend to be interested in this at all. She'd already heard what the news had said about her. No one had ever cared to hear her side of the story. Why she'd done it… Did it even matter?

"She sliced me across the chest! With a boxcutter! Not just once but… She… she kept slicing, and slicing, and slicing! I tried to shout. To run away. But… I was so shocked. I didn't know why she was attacking me! I was nice to her," Soma had been shouting as he retold the story. His voice had been cracking with frustration.

"What happened next?"

"I… I fell to the floor. I was in so much pain. And… the doctors said I would've bled out if I hadn't… If I hadn't gotten to the hospital in time. I needed a blood transfusion- seven units of blood, and over a thousand stitches across my body…"

"Saito-san… Can you show the court your injuries? Can you show the court what Toga Himiko did to you that day? What you have to live with for every day of your life," Watanabe had asked. But just like with Camie, it hadn't exactly sounded like a request.

I… Yeah… Okay," Soma had mumbled. He'd stood up and unbuttoned and removed his suit jacket. Then untied his tie. Finally, he'd unbuttoned his undershirt. The entire courtroom seemed to gasp as they looked at the patchwork of scars that lined Soma's torso and arms. They were deep and stood out against his pale skin. Ugly reminders of what his kindness had cost him. Tears filled Soma's eyes as everyone looked at him in horror. It was a feeling he'd never get used to.

"You can get dressed now, son," Watanabe had said, unable to look at Soma's scars herself any longer. The crowd had waited for Soma to get his clothes back on before beginning again.

"Saito-san, did Toga Himiko at any point realize she'd hurt you? That she was going to kill you? Did she try to get help for you after she'd attacked you," Watanabe had asked, turning her back to Soma now as she locked eyes with Himiko. Himiko was too busy watching Soma. Something felt… incredibly different about him. And not just his age…

Himiko looked back to Izuku. She'd noticed from the moment Soma had taken the stand, that Izuku had been somewhat uncomfortable in his seat. They could've been brothers, really. They looked so much alike. But… not at all, either. It was hard to explain, but the difference between Izuku and Soma was like night and day. Same sky, same horizon, but so, so different.

"No… No she was…" Soma's voice had been a whisper, not at all audible in the courtroom.

"Louder, please, Saito-san. The world deserves to know this."

"She was drinking my blood. She'd gotten a straw and had it in my wounds and was drinking my blood." Soma had taken a few minutes after that to catch his breath. As if the story still sounded foreign to him. As if he still couldn't believe that it'd happened at all, let alone to him.

"I passed out… One of the students that'd found me told me that she'd had a horrific look on her face. That she was crying but like… happy. That… she looked so excited! I would've died that day… Toga Himiko would've killed me if no one had been in the hallway on their way to the bathroom." He'd turned his wide gray eyes onto Himiko, and the realization struck her like a lightning bolt. When she'd last seen Saito, she'd thought he was attractive. Cute. Sweet. Now? Even with his scars… She didn't feel a thing for him.

"You have your chance right now, Saito-san. It's been years since she'd hurt you. What would you like to say to her," Watanabe had asked pointedly.

"I… I just want to ask why. Why did you attack me? I have these scars on my face and chest and stomach and arms, and I have to live my entire life… I just wanna know why…"

Himiko had felt like a deer in the headlights. Years ago, she'd had some reason. Something about love and blood and wanting to be him… Now? She didn't feel any of those things. She had no idea why she'd done that.

The judge called for a lunch break. It'd been kinda sudden- there was only one person left to speak, and Himiko was positive that the judge would just want to listen to whoever it was, make his decision and leave. Instead, he quickly got up and walked out of the courtroom, giving some of the audience time to get some lunch. Others chose to use the half hour to talk and mumble and glare at Himiko. She could tell most of the people in the crowd still wanted her dead, but a few of them seemed to be less angry. As if they'd changed their minds just listening to Deku. It probably wouldn't be enough- the judge still had to be convinced, after all, but it was nice that Izuku-kun's words had reached at least a few people.

That left Himiko wondering who'd be the final speaker on her behalf. The fact that they'd let Spinner-kun and Mr. Compress speak already seemed unbelievable. The fact that Izuku-kun had wanted to speak on her behalf was… touching. But who was last? Who did Higuruma and Shirakawa think would really seal the deal on getting Himiko a lesser sentence? Himiko looked at each person sitting on the defense's side of the crowd. Definitely not Dynamight. She doubted Tsu-chan or Ryukyu would speak for her. That left… All Might? He would definitely be a strong voice speaking on her behalf. But… he didn't know her. It couldn't be Lady Nagant. Or Hawks. Or any of the few faces she didn't immediately recognize. That only left…

No…

The thought of Ochako speaking for her… it was impossible. Not after the trial. Not after how devastated she'd looked…

Some members of the crowd had already been shouting in anger and frustration as the next witness had taken the witness stand. From the moment Himiko had heard his name she'd been creeped out all over again, exactly the way she'd been when she'd first met him. He didn't have the same contingent of heroes that Spinner or Mr. Compress had had- just a single officer- but that didn't make him any less creepy or dangerous.

The judge had to bang his gavel to get everyone to quiet down.

"Proceed, Watanabe-san," the judge had demanded.

"Thank you, Your Honor. Please, explain what happened that day," Watanabe had started before glaring over her shoulder as Shirakawa stood up in her seat.

"Are we seriously doing this? Objection! This witness isn't credible in the slightest. Hanabata Koku has already been convicted of being one of the lead lieutenants of the Meta Liberation Army, as well as the Paranormal Liberation Front!" Shirakawa's voice had been loud and clear as it resounded through the courtroom, and for the first time she'd even had the crowd on her side. Everyone had already seemed angry and frustrated at seeing Hanabata brought to the witness stand. Maybe they could get any testimony he might give thrown out completely. Maybe they could even turn any testimony he might give away from Himiko and onto him instead?

"And I've already been serving out my sentence, Shirakawa-sama. I've no incentive to lie in my testimony concerning Toga Himiko's actions," Hanabata had said with a smug smirk on his greasy, slimy face. Himiko got the ick from nearly every politician she'd ever met- a bunch of liars, yet, somehow not even good at it. They made her skin crawl.

"As the witness has stated, he's already been tried, convicted, and sentenced for his own crimes," Watanabe had explained, glaring at Hanabata for having interrupted her. Clearly she hadn't been particularly happy about having the man as a witness, but she had to put up with it. "There is no plea bargain or possibility of a reduced sentence in exchange for whatever testimony he gives today. And having a Paranormal Liberation Front insider speak might shed some light on the actions of our defendant. "

"I'll allow it," the judge had said with a shrug.

Shirakawa looked at Higuruma expectantly, but the man stayed quiet. His eyes had narrowed at Watanabe as he'd examined her for a few moments. He'd given Himiko the odd impression that he'd figured something out. Like a lightbulb had flickered above his head. Whatever it was, he wasn't giving it away.

"Thank you, Your Honor. I do believe that this courtroom deserves to hear about one of the lesser known instances of Toga Himiko-"

"Hanabata, just answer my questions," Watanabe had hissed. She clearly had far less tolerance for this witness than any of the others she'd talked to previously. Himiko had wondered why she'd even agreed to this in the first place.

"Of course, of course," Hanabata had said apologetically, putting his hands up with that same weasley grin that could never be wiped off his face for long.

"What happened in Deika City?"

"You see, it was Yotsubashi-san's idea. After Chisaki's Hassaikai fell and the Yakuza boss was incarcerated, Yotsubashi believed it'd be a good idea to reach out to Shigaraki's League for some sort of a partnership. We weren't Yakuza thugs. We were a movement with pride, and an ideal to live in a world where Quirks could be used freely, without the need for licensing." His tone had been large and grandiose, but it was falling on deaf ears. Most people in the crowd were strongly for the current society where people were only allowed to use Quirks if they were licensed to do so. The horror stories of how society had nearly collapsed before were still told to frighten naughty children. No one in the crowd was willing to hear any debate on the issue, especially not from one of the men that'd led the Paranormal Liberation Front and their attack against modern Japan.

"Kizuki-san… the poor woman… She'd taken a liking to Toga-chan's story long before they'd had the chance to meet. The whole country had heard about her attack on poor Saito-kun, but Kizuki-san knew there must be more behind such a story. She was a reporter at heart, you understand?" Again, no one had really seemed interested in the sensationalization of his story. Himiko doubted he'd catch on.

"She was passionate, and perhaps a little desperate to hear about how Toga-chan's Quirk Counseling hadn't predicted such a severe mental break in their patient- maybe they'd even caused it? You all must understand, Kizuki-san truly did believe that poor Toga-chan was worth the story. Worth the questions. Worth so much to our movement. She was the living embodiment of the horrors of our current system. Of what happens when that system chews up a young, wayward soul and spits them out without regard for their own mental wellbeing." Himiko had glared at the man, trying to understand why he was saying any of this. How could he possibly be trying to make that woman sound sympathetic? She'd been a crazy-

"And what happened to Chizuki-san," Watanabe had asked, her voice wavering for a moment before she caught herself. That'd rang in Himiko's ears, but she was too focused on Hanabata and his slimy, greasy, weasley face.

"Oh… well, I suppose it might be preferable to the court for you all to watch what happened next. Words alone can't express how… awful the monster before you all truly is," he'd said with a small chuckle. He wasn't even good at hiding how remorseless he was.

"How did you come into possession of this piece of evidence, Hanabata," Watanabe had asked, trying to keep him focused on her questions.

"Kizuki-san's closest ally was Miyami Hana- a woman with a Quirk that had blessed her with incredibly steady hands. She could've been an amazing surgeon if she'd ever been allowed to use her Quirk without the licensing that's gatekept behind money and privilege. In fact, she had been training to be a surgeon in secret in Deika City." He'd still been trying to sell his politics. The worst part about it? It was exactly how Himiko felt. She'd always wished she'd lived in a world that didn't hate her. It was why she'd joined the League. She just knew that that sales pitch coming from Hanabata would only sink the chances of the entire cause.

"She had a passion for photography and film, so she worked alongside Kizuki-san to cover any story worth telling… She… well, she was recording until her final moments," he'd sighed, sitting back in his seat with his arms crossed over his chest. Again, not even good at pretending to appear sad about the deaths of Hana or Kizuki.

"The evidence uncovered in Deika City will be disturbing to most viewers. However I encourage you all to watch closely," Watanabe had warned, pointing the remote and everyone's attention towards the television screen in the courtroom.

The footage had started with an explosion, recorded from a few feet behind Chitose Kizuki- the woman better known as Curious. The explosion barely seemed powerful enough to harm, but the blue-skinned woman was instantly blasted high into the sky, as if some other force had propelled her like a baseball.

Then the camera panned to Himiko, except-

"No…" Ochako's voice had barely been a whisper, but it'd still been audible over the hush that'd taken the crowd. Everyone watched as the brown haired, brown eyed, Uraraka Ochako rushed through dozens of stunned people, lifting them all up and into the air with a flick of her wrist. The camera was incredibly steady as it followed Ochako's path, a testament to Miyami's Quirk. The final person to be touched by the rogue hero student was the camerawoman herself, who began to flail and panic as she cleared the rooftops of the nearest buildings.

Ochako's eyes were full of tears as she watched over a dozen people float high in the sky with the use of her Quirk. The camera quickly focused on the Ochako on the street down below. Half of her face had melted off, revealing half of Himiko's feral smile underneath. Her lips were moving, but it was impossible to hear exactly what she'd said from over a hundred feet in the air.

Then… Then Himiko-Ochako pressed her fingertips together.

Ochako watched just long enough to notice that Hana never took the camera's focus away from Chitose as they fell. Instead, the younger woman had desperately reached out to her as they plummeted. It was over in a second, with the cracked camera lens focused on Chitose's broken body on the ground below.

Ochako ran. She'd gotten up from her seat and had run out of the courtroom as quickly as she could, unable to watch any further. She felt horrible. Violated. As if it'd been her fault that all of those people had died. It'd been her Quirk, after all. She'd never meant to use it to hurt others, but Himiko had used it… Perverted it… Used it to take lives instead of save them.

Himiko had told her once that she'd done this, but Ochako hadn't believed her. At the time she'd chalked it up to the crazy rambling of a villain. Surely Himiko had just been trying to goad some kind of reaction out of her? To make her falter during their fight? The murders had never even been reported. No bodies had ever been found at Deika City. But seeing it now… It was undeniable.

For a moment, Ochako had wished she'd never learned about the Deika City homicides. Then a wave of guilt had washed over her for feeling that way- not knowing about the homicides didn't absolve her of her part in them. Whatever part she had played… She ran out of the courtroom as fast as she could without even casting a glance over her shoulder back at either Izuku or Himiko. Maybe if she had she'd have noticed that she hadn't been the only one crying. Izuku's bright green eyes were already filled with tears, but… for the first time since the proceedings had started… So were Himiko's.

There wasn't a chance in hell Ochako would speak for Himiko… Not after that…