A den of thieves. A den of sinners. A den of wrongdoers. Be that as it may, they were monsters due to their upbringing. A discriminative society could only bring you so far. Years of hiding in a remote area had done everything to improve them in every aspect: their mental fortitude, strength, resilience, agility, and so on.
They were the deadliest of the deadly. A group so formidable, no sane person would come within their radius.
And yet..
This facetious, impudent manchild seemed to not get the message.
Shigaraki Tomura, the new heir to All For One's empire, had taken his time to step his filthy feet upon the sacred ground. His empire was so flourishing, that it had established itself as the greatest among the myriad of multi-billionaire corporations. As he passed through the rock-coated gates, Shigaraki spoke with a clear and loud voice, "The League of Assassins."
A man with black cloak slung over his shoulder took a step forward, saying, "If I may be so bold to ask, what brings the likes of you here?" there was a rumble as he finished his sentence.
"It seems that I might need your help once again," Shigaraki replied. "Two of my most invaluable subjects have escaped from my grasp."
"And you think this concerns us because...?" The cloaked man asked again.
"Because you need me just as much as I need you," Shigaraki spoke with a malignant smile.
"I am aware of our relationship," The cloaked man clenched his fists. "But fetching a couple of unruly dogs that you couldn't keep on a short leash is below us. Is the mighty Shigaraki, heir to All For One's empire, not capable of doing this job by himself?"
"Wow, there's that pride of yours," Shigaraki chuckled. "I must admit, it is quite tricky."
"And what would that mean for the reputation that you've made for yourself?" The cloaked man chuckled tauntingly.
"They're skilled," Shigaraki said. "And most importantly, they're no doubt powerful enough to stave off some of our most capable high-end fighters, which is where you and your assassins come into play."
The cloaked man was silent for a moment. He ran his fingers through the fabric of his clothes, his feet pacing.
"What's it going to be, Tokoyami-san?" Shigaraki asked once more.
The man removed his cloak, revealing his ghastly raven-like head nestling inside. A shadow creature looms over his head, accompanying Tokoyami. "We will comply. For a nifty price, of course." Tokoyami said as an ominous smile crept upon his face.
...
The scent of blood. The blemished atmosphere. The revolting sight of corpses stacked on top of each other like cast out rabbles. The sight was nauseating.
Standing at the center of it all was a man. A man so grief-stricken, he couldn't even open his mouth to speak.
How could he not? He'd left them all to die. Left them to their own devices so he could finally be liberated from his guilt. A selfish and rash decision that cost him everything.
The man looked at the villains who'd done it. They weren't the main perpetrators, for they'd left. But these people still contributed to his teammates deaths.
They'd pay.
He started killing.
He couldn't stop.
He didn't want to stop.
Although their blood was smeared on his face, he relished in it. Their screams didn't sway him from following through with his bloodlust.
The terror on their faces were seared into his very mind.
And it was...oddly stimulating.
But it was not just the bad ones.
Innocents were his prey too.
After all was said and done, what stood among the ruins...
Was the farthest thing from a hero.
...
Bakugo's eyes jolted up from the abrupt nightmare that he'd just experienced. His claws sprung up, and he found himself stabbing the nearest living thing that he could find.
Unfortunate enough, that same living being that was resting besides him was Midoriya Izuku.
"Hey!" Izuku shot up from the seat, startled by the sudden pain reeling in his chest. "What's the big idea?!"
Bakugo's eyes widened as he realised what he'd just done. He pulled the claws off of Izuku, recoiling back as he took in the sunlight entering through the windows. "Wha- how long have we been out?"
"You stabbed me in the chest," Izuku deadpanned. "And the first thing that came into your mind is-"
"I know what I just did, you dumb fuck," Bakugo cut him off. "And frankly, I don't give a shit. You'll heal."
Izuku stretched his arms out, sitting straight and taking in the area that they were in. "You couldn't have woken me up first before sleeping? At least I would've had the time to scout the area."
"I was drowsy. Can't blame me for that," Bakugo replied.
"Fair point."
"Can you get the fuck out of the car? I'm getting tired of seeing your face," Bakugo suddenly said.
"Aw c'mon, don't be like that. I thought we were going places last night," Izuku said in a sing-song voice.
Bakugo drawled, "Yes. We were going somewhere."
"See? We're a match made in heav-"
"We were on a five hour drive to fucking Shizuoka," Bakugo bursted his bubble.
Izuku threw his hands in the air. "Seriously?"
"Alright asshole, you've got what you wanted. We're in front of Sir Nighteye's agency building. What now?" Bakugo cut to the chase.
"Now we go inside," Izuku simply said.
"Just like that?"
"Just like that," Izuku said. He looked at Bakugo's incredulous expression then barked a laugh. "What, you're surprised? In case you haven't noticed, I don't like taking things slowly. I like it upfront and straightforward, in and out, just like you and me," he winked.
Bakugo looked at him as if he had just said something stupid. He then shook his head, ignoring the obvious innuendo that the asshole just spewed. He opened the car door and said, "Fine. Upfront. Straightforward. Whatever. You talk to him, I'll wait outside."
"Hey, c'mon, you're not coming?" Izuku asked.
"I'd sooner die than to have myself being seen near a jabbering idiot much like yourself," Bakugo bluntly stated.
"C'mon, pretty please? With twinky dinky lil trinkets on top?" Izuku opened his mask, doing one of those- wait, what the fuck was he doing? Specifically, what the fuck was he doing with his eyes?
"Please?"
Bakugo didn't respond.
"Pleaaaase?"
Bakugo was starting to question his decision to tag along with this idiot of all people.
"Pweaaaaasseee-?"
"ALRIGHT FINE!" Bakugo yelled mostly at himself for being weak enough to resist those-
What were they called again? Puppy fucking eyes?
"Get the fuck out, we're going in," Bakugo demanded.
Izuku put his mask back on-thank fuck-and decided to follow suit with Bakugo leading the way.
Bakugo took in the sight of the building. It seemed familiar. "Gettin' a strange sensation of deja vu for some reason," Bakugo said mostly to himself.
Well Izuku was within an earshot to chime in anyways, "Remembering something else?"
"Yep," Bakugo said.
"What's it?"
"That you're an unbearable, nosy piece of shit," Bakugo harshly said.
"Point taken," Izuku huffed.
As they entered the agency building, they were greeted by a very outgoing, blue-skinned girl. "Good morning. I'm Bubble Girl, Sir Nighteye's sidekick. What brings you two here today? I sure hope you didn't come here to ask for an autograph.."
"You're right on the money, I did," Izuku bluntly said, earning a glare from Bakugo.
"Uh, well, you do know that you can't just ask for an audience with him on a whim, right? He's a very, very busy man..unless you're here for an internship," Bubble Girl said in a lower tone than before.
"Yes, I am here for an internship," Izuku changed his stance very quickly.
Bubble Girl, for one, was incredibly perplexed. "What? Which one was it then? Internship or autographs?"
Bakugo quickly stepped in and said, "Please excuse my friend's stupidity-"
"Hey!" Izuku protested.
"-but we didn't come here on a whim. You see, Sir Nighteye and I, we have business to discuss," Bakugo spoke calmly, a contrast to his usual abrasive attitude.
Bubble Girl looked at Bakugo, unconvinced. "I don't mean to sound like an insensitive jerk, but your appearance isn't doing a lot to help your case in this one."
Bakugo's eyes twitched as he said, "I'm Dynamight, the Number One Hero. Is that enough to convince you?"
"He's dead," Bubble Girl deadpanned. "And you two seem to have changed your stories a lot. So is it internship, autograph, or an attempt to infiltrate-"
"Bubble Girl," came a stern voice from behind her. "What are you doing here? I thought I told you to look into the Hassaikai files."
"Sorry, it's just these two.." Bubble Girl pointed at the two idiots in front of him. "They're quite suspicious."
Nighteye looked at the two standing near the entrance door. His eyes quickly widened as he realised something. "I know you."
"Thank fuck, someone already-" Bakugo was interrupted.
"No, not you," Nighteye pointed at Izuku. "You."
"Oh," Bakugo mouthed.
"Oh indeed," Izuku snorted, looking at Bakugo. "Aw come on, wipe that frown off your face."
Bakugo ignored him.
God damn, was he really that unrecognisable?
'I suppose I should look further into how I used to dress before this whole memory loss shit happened,' Bakugo thought.
"I believe an introduction is in order, so shall we walk into my office?" Sir Nighteye requested.
...
Izuku walked into the office. It wasn't as big as he thought it'd be; it was just your standard, everyday traditional office. "You may be seated, gentlemen," Sir Nighteye said, gesturing towards the two seats.
Izuku sat on the opposite direction, while Bakugo was more than inclined to remain where he was.
"Aren't you going to sit?" Sir Nighteye asked.
"Nope. Standing is fine," Bakugo declined.
Izuku shook his head as he leaned forward to whisper, "He's just a little grumpy. He'll come around."
Sir Nighteye simply shrugged as he began, "Let's not waste time with the pleasantries, shall we?"
"Right. So I wanted to-"
"Not so fast," Sir Nighteye stood up as he continued, "If you want something from me, then you'll have to earn it."
"Shoot," Izuku said.
Sir Nighteye leaned forward as he began, "I could arrest you right now. As it stands, you're a dirty mercenary who has committed several counts of despicable crimes in your exploits."
"That's my charm," Izuku curtly said.
"However," Sir Nighteye crossed his arms as he said. "From my observation, one of the nicknames they gave to you was 'The Merc With the Mouth', wasn't it?"
Izuku raised his brow. "Yeah? What about it?"
Sir Nighteye readjusted his glasses as he said again, "Tell me something funny, and I'll consider hearing you out. You see, I have a habit of determining a person's worth by how crisp their humour is."
"...what?" Izuku's mind trailed off in confusion.
"Do I make myself clear? Go ahead. The floor is yours," Sir Nighteye gestured for Izuku to say something.
He stared at Izuku uncomfortably longer than he should.
Izuku was silent for a few seconds. Then his head was lifted, glaring at Sir Nighteye intensely. He cleared his throat, before saying, "Sorry. Went through a state of ecstasy for a sec there."
"What?" Sir Nighteye blurted out.
"I don't know if it's those pretty lashes in your eyes, or the way your glasses twinkle, but it goes both ways. I mean the way you're staring at me right now, It's gotten me to question my own sexual orientation," Izuku elaborated, earning a look of uneasiness from both Bakugo and Sir Nighteye.
"What the fuck.." Bakugo mouthed off in slight disgust.
"That's not a joke," Sir Nighteye deadpanned.
"Alright, fuck this," Bakugo sat down as he adjusted the seat closer to the desk. "I'm taking the lead in this conversation."
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Sir Nighteye blatantly asked.
Bakugo shook his head. "Have no fuckin' clue."
"I beg your pardon?" Sir Nighteye raised his brow.
"Believe it or not, I'm the Number One Hero, Dynamight. Or was, anyway. I haven't the faintest clue about what happened, but I somehow disappeared for years and wound up having my memories...gone, just like that," Bakugo explained.
Sir Nighteye's expression remained neutral as he listened.
"And now I'm trying to make sense of what's happening around me, but I'm stuck with this asshole," Bakugo pointed at Izuku.
Sir Nighteye hummed, clasping his hands, seemingly in deep thought. Then, he said, "How do I know that you're telling the truth? What proof do you have?"
Bakugo reached for something beneath his collar. A necklace of some sort. He lifted up, before placing it on the desk. "This."
The necklace read, 'Wolverine', and on the back, it read, 'Bakugo Katsuki'.
Sir Nighteye squinted his eyes, scrutinising the words scribed on the pendant. Then, his expression began to shift in a grim manner, his gaze landing back on Bakugo. "You're him."
"Why are you making it sound like that's a bad thing?" Izuku raised his brow.
"Are you so blissfully ignorant to the things this man has done?" Sir Nighteye glared at Izuku. "This madman let down the entire world."
Izuku shrugged. "I already know that part. He supposedly let his entire team die, what's the big fuckin deal? It's not like it's his damn fault."
"You speak of things that you don't know about, Deadpool," Sir Nighteye clenched his fists. "That night, he ran off doing god knows what, leaving his team vulnerable. I don't know what prompted him to do that. Nobody knows. They were supposed to be gathered in their HQ. But he wasn't present. He walked away, and in doing that, doomed us all. It cost us everything. It cost us One For All."
"One For- what?" Izuku was confused. "This is the first time that I'm hearing about it."
"I've got no fuckin clue either," Bakugo said, none-the-wiser.
"You're not welcome here, Bakugo Katsuki," Sir Nighteye leaned forward, his tone laced with resentment. "My best friend chose you for nothing. He died thinking that you'd take his place as the new Symbol of Peace. But you know what? You've been nothing more than a Symbol of Disappointment. Get out!"
Fuck it, this guy was going too damn far. He needed to put his foot down and stand up for Bakugo.
"Woah, woah, woah!" Izuku stood up. "He doesn't even remember anything! Could you just calm down?"
"He left behind a world of desolation after he lost his memories. His ignorance does not erase the things that he'd done," Sir Nighteye countered in a cold voice.
"Well maybe give him the fucking chance to make amends for his mistake by helping him get back his memory!" Izuku yelled back.
"Why should it matter? What can you do anyway? He has already acquired the quirk. One For All and All For One, finally together as one. And now, I'm doing everything I can to at least minimise the damages that will come in the future," Sir Nighteye replied.
"Who is 'he'?" Izuku asked.
Sir Nighteye looked like he was shuddered at the thought of mentioning who it was alone.
"You know what, that doesn't matter. We're going back to square one. Back to the reason why we're here," Izuku said in a slightly demanding tone. "You're gonna help us, or so God help me, I'm going to butcher every living thing in this fucking building."
"You're welcome to try," Sir Nighteye's lips curled to a challenging smile.
"Wanna bet on that, you piece of shit?"
'Snikt!'
Izuku heard the claws lunging up Bakugo's knuckles. He looked at him, only to see that he was seething with rage. And probably sorrow. His eyes were crimson. "Shut the fuck up. You two. Before I lose it."
"Kacchan..." Izuku muttered, his expression softening.
"What is that?" Sir Nighteye asked, referring to the claws.
The claws retracted back. Bakugo stood up, his eyes getting redder by the minute. "I'm gonna go back to the car."
Izuku didn't dare to stop him as he stormed out of the room.
Silence reigned the room for a few minutes as Izuku sat back down. After a while, Izuku broke the silence, "Listen, I need your help."
"With what?" Sir Nighteye curtly asked. "There's nothing that you or that pitiful mess of a buffoon you call 'a hero' can do."
"Maybe he can," Izuku said in a serious tone. "Maybe if he gets his memories back, he'll help with whatever it is that you were talking about. I know it. He can fix things. He's Dynamight, for crying out loud!"
"He failed once," Sir Nighteye rebuked the mercenary. "Who's to say that he wouldn't fail again?"
Izuku was silenced by that.
"Now if you're done disrupting my work, I suggest you take the leave," Sir Nighteye gestured towards the exit door. "I have more pressing matters to tend to."
Izuku then spoke, "I know. It's why I'm here in the first place, but you wouldn't let me speak."
"What does that mean?" Sir Nighteye inquired
Izuku then replied, "It means I have something on the Shie Hassaikai."
Sir Nighteye's eyes perked up, intrigued. "Do go on."
"They have their eyes set on a drug named 'Quirk Exterminator'. It's a drug manufactured by LifeForAll, if you've heard of them already," Izuku replied.
Sir Nighteye's brow raised. "And you don't have the proof to this?"
"..nope. Not a conventional one, no," Izuku said. "I'd say that we're living proofs, but no, I don't think the judicial system will take that as anything but hearsay."
"Without substantial evidence, I will not be able to take action against the Yakuza," Sir Nighteye exclaimed.
"I figured," Izuku sighed as he stood up. "Then I guess I came here for nothing."
"That, you did," Sir Nighteye agreed. "Although you've confirmed my deduction on the reason why their activities have fluctuated recently."
Izuku raised his brow. "How?"
"Let's just say that you're not the only one who's in the know, Deadpool," Sir Nighteye elaborated. He then gestured towards the exit door. "You may go now."
Izuku sighed as he walked out of the office.
Fuck, what was he going to do?
...
Izuku returned to the car. Bakugo didn't so much as make eye contact. He only stared at the steering wheel with an empty gaze.
As Izuku closed the door, he began, "Hey. How're you holding up?"
Bakugo didn't answer.
"Kacchan-"
"I'm really that fuckin bad, huh?" Bakugo spoke, mostly to himself.
Izuku didn't say a word to that. Truth to be told, he didn't know what to say to convince Bakugo that he wasn't as bad as everyone said he was. A little rough around the edges? Sure. But an outright, fucking terrible person? Fuck no. Bakugo was anything but that.
"I wish I knew what the fuck is going on," Bakugo ran his hands through his temple. "Maybe then, I'll be able to fix things."
Izuku sighed as he said, "It wasn't your fault."
"How do you know?" Bakugo challenged. "Maybe I did deliberately leave them to their deaths. Maybe I was that fucking horrible to just abandon them like that. My team. Whoever they were. Whatever they meant to me."
"Or maybe you didn't," Izuku offered an alternative. "Maybe people just like being a bunch of assholes and blow things out of proportion."
"I don't fucking know anymore!" Bakugo slammed the steering wheel. "I don't know."
"Why are you so adamant on defending me anyway?" Bakugo inquired, looking at Izuku. "I bullied you. I fucked your life up."
Then, it was silence all over again.
Well that is, before Izuku decided to speak again, "You saved me once, you know."
"What?"
"You don't remember it of course, but you did save me," Izuku reiterated. "That was after you told me to take a swan dive."
"That isn't at all convincing. Especially that last part," Bakugo remarked. "But tell me about it anyway."
Izuku took a deep breath as he began telling the story.
...
Izuku's lips quivered as he braced himself to ask the man in front of him the ultimate question. The question that would alter the trajectory of his life from this day to the next. Opening his mouth, Izuku asked with an expectant gaze, "All Might.."
The scrawny blond man turned over to look at the kid earnestly. Although in a hurry, All Might may have thought that leaving a kid all stranded in a secluded rooftop would be a dumb move on his part.
Izuku blew the air from his mouth as he finally asked, "Do you think I could be a hero even without a quirk?"
All Might stood there, idle, not answering the question that Izuku'd been itching to know for all his life. A confirmation that yes, he wasn't as meritless as society had deemed him to be. All Might was the foundation of the hero society, and his words would be the ultimate push that Izuku needed to become a hero.
But all that..
Fell apart quickly after the next thing he said.
"A hero without a quirk.." All Might looked at the scar on his abdomen. He then sighed. "Listen, young man, pro-heroes risk their lives everyday, and I am not exempt from this fact. This line of work, it kills you, both figuratively and literally. I've seen many aspiring young heroes die while trying to do their job. Unrightfully so. It's unfair, but that's just how it is, and even I, the Symbol of Peace, will never be able to prevent something like that from happeneing. Pro-heroes knew what they were signing up for. And that is why..."
Izuku's eyes widened in anticipation.
"In good faith," All Might paused for a moment. He seemed reluctant. Then, he dropped the harsh truth, "I cannot say that you can become a hero without a quirk."
Izuku's world turned upside down as he heard those words came out of his idol's mouth. His knees buckled, but he tried his darndest to keep himself standing. Izuku didn't want to make it apparent that he was weak. That he was pathetic. Least of all in front of the Number One Hero.
"I know it's a lot to take in, young man, and I mean nothing by it. Being a pro is a dangerous line of work, even for those who has a powerful quirk," All Might said.
Izuku's body trembled, tears threatening to escape from his eyes. "B- but..I need it..I need to become a hero..I need to make use of myself..to help people like you always do.."
"That's the thing, young man," All Might said in a much softer tone than before. "Pro-heroes do their job not because they need it, but because people need them. Even if you have a quirk, a mindset like that won't do any good for the people that you're trying to save. It asserts self-importance, which is a trait that any hero shouldn't have."
Izuku looked at All Might with a despondent look.
"I know you have a good heart, I believe what you're saying, but this line of work isn't for you," All Might then turned around to walk down the stairs. "It's good to dream, but make sure your dreams are realistic. Attainable."
Without further words, All Might left Izuku on the rooftop.
From that, Izuku could deduce one thing.
He didn't matter.
He never mattered.
With tears blurring his vision, he went down the stairs. As he exited the building that he was in, he took a strode across the streets, uncaring about where he was going.
Maybe it'd be better if he was dead instead.
After a long while, suddenly, he could feel something soft wrapping itself around him.
"You're not escaping me that easily, brat!" a bone-chilling laugh escaped from the villain's lips as he said that.
Izuku didn't even bother to try to break free.
The world would be a better place with him dead.
A quirkless, meritless, worthless Deku like he was.
As the world around him began to grow dark, he felt something tug at him.
And an explosion followed afterwards.
After a few round of explosions, the villain began to lose his grip on the unfortunate green-haired boy. The villain crawled it's way out of the situation, slipping through the gaps of a lid leading to a sewer.
Once Izuku got a clear view of who his saviour was, it was safe to say that he was beyond shocked.
"K- Kacchan?"
Katsuki didn't bother to respond. He simply turned away.
"Wha- how did you find me?"
"I tracked your phone number, idiot," Katsuki grumbled. "And you've been missing for the whole day. After I told you to...you know what, forget it. I'm going home."
"You saved me!" Izuku exclaimed.
Katsuki didn't even so much as say a word to that. He simply walked away.
"W- why?!" Izuku tried to reach for his former best friend, grabbing him by his shoulder. "Why did you-"
Katsuki turned his head around quick for Izuku to freeze on where he stood.
"I- I'm useless, like you said. Why would you-" Izuku hiccuped, struggling to finish his sentence. "Why would you save a useless, quirkless idiot like me?"
Katsuki only stared at Izuku.
"Why?" Izuku pushed again. "I- I thought-"
Katsuki cut him off. "You're not fucking useless."
...
"What?" Izuku uttered the word in disbelief. "What did you just-"
"Go home, Deku," Katsuki simply said before walking away. Izuku was left to his own devices, still shocked at what his former best friend just said.
He wasn't...
Useless..?
...
Once Bakugo was finished listening to the story Izuku was telling him, he said, "So, I saved your ass for some inexplicable reason."
"That, you did," Izuku nodded. "Still wondering why you did what you did to this day. Welp, I'll save that curiosity until you get your memory back."
Bakugo sighed as he replied, "Why are you telling me this though?"
"Because, peanut, you're not as bad as everyone made you out to be," Izuku said in a solemn tone. "I've seen that first-hand. You're a hero. Always has been. And no four-eyed asshole is going to tell you otherwise, got that?"
Bakugo seemed to consider that. Though he was as stubborn as always. "I still fucked up, apparently."
"Then we'll fix it," Izuku said with a sturdy voice. "Together."
Bakugo looked at Izuku intently.
Before they could converse even further, an alarm was sounded throughout the entire city.
'A villain attack is happening as we speak! Please remain in your homes until further notice!'
Izuku and Bakugo looked at each other, knowing what they have to do at the moment.
"Let's fucking go," Izuku said.
Bakugo's lips curled up a little as he said, "Yeah. Let's fucking go."