Chapter 66: Facing Death

Tenya walked right by Manual as the pro hero explained the basics of daily hero work as they patrolled. To Tenya's great shame, he had not been really listening for a while. He wanted to respect the pro and learn as much as possible, but he could not concentrate on the teaching, not now, not here. Even back at school his thoughts would constantly descend to worrying over his brother, or even darker places.

As far as he knew Stain could have been just around the corner or in the alley they just passed, even on the nearest roof that Tenya diligently checked as his head turned around, looking for any sign of villains. Perhaps he was getting paranoid, but he had already thought he had seen someone on the roof several times and since starting the internship sometimes had the feeling that someone was watching him. That wasn't something he usually experienced, perhaps once or twice after Stain attacked Tensei as Izuku refused to leave Tenya alone and his eyes followed Tenya everywhere whenever he wasn't at home.

The way he had taken to worrying about those he accepted around himself was most likely not healthy, but it was much better than the isolated bitter boy Tenya had met a year ago. Nowadays he even smiled regularly.

"We'll patrol Kyoto today too. Sorry this is so monotonous," Manual said, having finished his latest explanation. Tenya felt he needed to respond in some way, but it was difficult to speak calmly right now. There was some small relief in the fact he had chosen a costume with a face-covering helmet. He still tilted his head to not look at Manual while speaking.

"No, it is better this way."

They kept walking in silence for a few more seconds and Tenya was only waiting for the next explanation to begin.

"Hey, this is kinda hard to ask, but you're after the hero killer, aren't you?"

Tenya stopped, finally facing the man.

"How did you…" he blurted out before stopping himself. Manual held the back of his head looking… embarrassed?

"I couldn't think of any other reason why you'd come to my agency," Manual suddenly jolted like in realization and started speaking more defensively. "I mean don't get me wrong. I'm really glad you did."

He paused after the surprising concern and when he raised his head again the look in his eyes was as serious as Tenya had ever seen on the man.

"You shouldn't be pursuing personal grudges. We heroes don't have the authority to arrest people or punish them. The only reason we are allowed to use our quirks is because of the regulations put on them. That's why, no matter how noble the reason might be, a hero must not use their quirk for themselves.

For some reason Tenya could hear Izuku's voice in the back of his head sarcastically commenting along the lines of how sure, that was the official line, but how many really followed it or were really made to?

"If a pro used their power for their selfish desires, it would be a very serious crime."

Would it, in practice? Why would Manual be giving this lecture for Tenya wanting to catch a serial killer? Why would it matter why he wanted to do so?

Suddenly Manual switched back to an incredibly unconfident and defensive tone, waving his hands in front of him.

"I'm not saying the hero killer isn't super guilty or anything. You just seem like the really earnest type, you know. I'd hate for you to focus on a single goal and ignore everything else."

Izuku's voice in Tenya's head added that he couldn't defeat Stain alone so it should not even be his goal. Tenya pushed the voice aside.

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

"Oh, it's fine as long as you get what I am saying," he turned to continue walking. "So we good?"

'No,' Tenya thought. 'What am I supposed to do, with this burning hatred, if I can't act?'

He had never felt like this. Usually he had always wanted to do things right and follow the rules people with more experience had come up with. Maybe he had sometimes been a bit naïve in that. It was hard to keep trusting in the rules with everything wrong that had been piled in front of him in the past months.

Yet, he wasn't acting because he thought something was right despite being against the rules. He simply couldn't not act. He could not simply shrug and keep going normally, leaving Tensei behind. There had to be justice. He could not live without it.

He was now regretting all the criticism he had given to Izuku in the past about his attitudes. Could barely look him to the eyes now. Tensei wasn't even dead like Izuku's mother and here Tenya was unable to even think straight. He fingered his phone again, thinking he should say something, a message might be easier. Izuku and Hitoshi had basically admitted to being as close as they could be.

But they would stop him if they could. They were surprisingly honest about it. Even Izuku, the one person who should understand Tenya's feelings, would try to stop him. He cared about Tenya, not Tensei.

Tenya let go of the phone. He'd make this up to them later, somehow. He would have to. This was something he could not give up, not even for them.

He could only hope they would forgive him as he followed Manual, still not focusing on the man's words. He scratched the new exhaust pipes on his arms as they walked. They started itching every time he thought about why he had them.

The patrol continued in peace as the sun descended. This seemed to be another quiet evening. It was good of course, but did not give Tenya what he wanted or even proper training.

The sun was already almost down when an explosion rang out across the city and soon thick smoke rose over the buildings ahead. Manual was immediately on a call about the situation.

"What did you say? Villains appeared? Don't worry I can head there right now," Manual half turned to face Tenya. "Stay with me." He started running as he spoke. "We're running."

Tenya followed. He easily kept up with Manual even without his engines. He had time to think. Fights between heroes and villains and sometimes flashy villain attacks had become such a part of life people rarely considered why they happened, but all people's actions had reasons.

Villains didn't attack just for no reason, usually. In the past he might have just passed the question, thinking they were just villains being evil, but Izuku had challenged him for thinking like that.

So why?

The glow of fire and giant pillar of smoke ahead were not something you'd cause to commit simple theft and Manual had said there were multiple villains, so it wasn't someone just going off the rails for whatever reason. Only an extremely powerful person could cause something like this anyway.

There was only one powerful person that was considered a real threat that he knew to be present in Hosu, Stain. Even Tenya's thoughts were dripping venom as he thought of the name.

Couldn't be. This was different. That murderer wouldn't be so flashy, right? At least not with his actual attack, but if all the heroes responded to the explosion…

Tenya stopped right next to a dark alley. Manual kept running ahead, not even noticing. Tenya stared at the alley. Some heroes should be patrolling further that way. If Stain was going to strike now it would be away from the battle and out of sight.

Tenya's eyes widened and he…

He broke the rules and his orders by running into the alley, leaving Manual completely.

As he ran, he pulled out his phone. If others were close, they should at least know what was going on. Maybe they would have information too

"Explosions and fire in Hosu, some kind of villain attack, multiple villains."

Tenya thought for a moment after sending the message.

"Where are your heroes?" He sent another before putting the phone away and looking around. The street at the nearest end of the alley seemed familiar. They had come past here earlier in the evening, but it was pretty quiet area. They had only met one hero patrolling there, the hero Native. If he was heading for the explosion he should come through somewhere around here. If Stain was on the move, he'd need to find a hero alone.

The phone beeped. Izuku was asking his location. Tenya hesitated, knowing exactly what he was going to use that information for, but now wasn't the time to be a difficult friend. If Tenya was going to find the killer Izuku probably would not get there soon enough to stop him and if he didn't they would be safer together. At least it would spare Izuku some worrying.

Tenya responded and kept running away from the fire. He turned a corner…

And found Native.

The hero was pinned against the wall, held up by a hand pressing his head against the wall. Native was already bleeding from a wound but there had to be something more wrong with him since he wasn't doing anything to fight back.

He was held by a creepy looking muscular man with a mask around his eyes and bandages tied around his arms, one of which was holding a sword that he was just raising. He was about to…

He was Stain, had to be!

Tenya revved his engines and charged. The killer was distracted, thinking he had already won. Even if Tenya was still a student, if he only got one good attack in, it might be enough. Izuku had not let him forget how much damage his kicks could do, especially any time Tenya trained against Hitoshi or really anyone that wasn't Kirishima or Izuku himself.

When the killer noticed and turned to see Tenya, Tenya's feet had already left the ground and he was twisting for a kick that would break the killer's skull in a single strike.

The sword swung up impossibly fast. It was coming for Tenya's head. It was going to hit.

In the past Tenya might not have even registered the strike before it was too late let alone had any chance of avoid it. Changing directions quickly had always been his weakness whether he realized it or not.

Now he twisted more and forced one of Tensei's engines to start. His upper body jolted backwards. Stain's sword narrowly missed his head but even though his upper body got pulled back, overall he kept moving forward as his legs swung further ahead, although with less force.

His feet hit Stain's torso kicking the killer backwards. They both fell on their backs opposite to each other. Native collapsed on the ground next to Tenya like he was completely paralyzed.

There were no breaks during fights, Tenya remembered one of the Izuku-quotes Hitoshi had written down from their training sessions. He bounced as soon as he touched the ground. Tensei's engines pushed him up faster than all of the crunches in the world, which he had done in the past few months.

Still, Stain was faster and getting up from the ground was essentially only the start of a new attack. His sword swung at Tenya again before Tenya could balance properly back on his feet. Despite moving back Tenya could not avoid the attack completely.

A close-up view of the blade got seared into his memory as steel slashed his helmet right across his vision. There was enough force to partially pull up the helmet and block Tenya's vision.

He gave up his balance as his foot swung up, boosted by his engine. It at least brushed the villain, but Tenya fell again. He reached back with his hands, used both of his engines and tried to do a flip. Kirishima wasn't the only one that had gotten chewed out for lack of agility and worked on it.

Unfortunately Tenya had not listened well enough before getting his costume done. It was not designed with maximum flexibility in mind. He couldn't quite reach far enough and the ornamental exhaust pipes in his costume scratched the ground. Stabbing pain hit his lower torso on the right side as his flip collapsed. He tried to correct his position, to at least turn so he would face his opponent.

Somehow Stain didn't instantly stab him again so he was on his knees and was getting up as he finally had the chance to pull his helmet all the way off so he could see.

He might have regretted that decision for the rest of his life as he witnessed the deranged grin and stare of the serial killer holding the bloodied sword in front of his face. An inhuman tongue reached out of the mouth and…

… Licked the Blood.

That was when Tenya's body stopped working. He collapsed on the ground, hitting his chin on the asphalt. Now he could only stare at the killer's feet. He could barely move his eyes and mouth, but the rest of his body refused to do anything.

"A child wearing a suit," the killer said in surprise. "They are sending kids after me now? You should have run away from here. This is no place for children."

"You are carrying blades all over your body and you are wearing a blood-red scarf. You must be the hero killer Stain. I came on my own," Tenya struggled to speak. "I… my name is Ingenium. I have come to stop you. "

"Ingenium. Are you related to that fake? Yes, you have the same quirk."

"I am the brother of an incredible hero that you attacked. He is the best older brother that anyone could hope for. You will pay for what you have done."

He still couldn't move. Stain huffed.

"Does not look like it, and you do not look like a hero. You have no right to be called that. Both of you are nothing but fakes."

"Shut up. You damaged his spine and paralyzed him from the waist down. He's never going to be able to work as a pro hero again. My brother was incredible. A caring person who saved many lives. Someone people looked up to. You had no right to take that all away from him."

Tenya remembered many good moments with his brother as he spoke without even thinking.

"He was my hero. My older brother inspired my dream that one day I could be a pro too. I won't forgive you. I'll kill you!"

There was a whiz of air as the sword swung through it. Tenya tensed, or would have if his body had been able to, but the pain never came.

"Shouldn't you be worried about saving that guy. Here is a man about to be killed, who you think is a hero, and all you can think of is some petty revenge for another who is not even here? You focused on attacking me with no concern for him or anyone else. So busy with your grudge you forgot about him. You plan on using your quirk only for yourself, completely blinded by a selfish desire for revenge."

Why did this killer's words sting so much? Someone like him could never be right.

"Fame, wealth, even revenge, these are selfish desires that have tainted the word hero. You may be young, but you are no better than any of these other fakes. And yet you would claim to be a hero? You are nothing more than a fake like the others, even if some of the righteous ones might be soft enough to accept your kind."

There was a strange sound in his voice, like he was huffing, annoyed at something, or trying to be.

"You have no right to talk about righteousness, you murderer," Tenya gasped. Metal whizzed through the air.

"GAAH!" He screamed as a sword sunk into his shoulder.

"I may be a killer but at least I do not pretend otherwise. Some people must die for a better world. You came here hoping to kill me because you believe the same, but you pretend to be different. You are even more fake than the others. You deserve death even more than your brother. Your kind are what most needs to be purged."

His voice rose with the last words.

"Goodbye child. May your death bring about a better world."

This was it. Tenya had done his best, but he could not take revenge for his brother. He had been too weak. Had been too stupid and rushed in alone when he wasn't ready. He should have listened. If he had talked more Izuku and Hitoshi would probably have helped him find Stain eventually, in some way where he could be caught without them dying. Now he was going to leave everyone forever.

Tenya squeezed his eyes shut with tears leaking out to his chin.

"Say whatever you want about me! You are still just a criminal who hurt my brother!"

…

A different swish cut the silence, one sounding much more familiar. Pain never came but Tenya's paralyzed body was shook to the core as the entire alley was shaken by an explosion bright enough to shine through his eyelids.

As Tenya opened his eyes, they were still facing the ground and he could only see the rubble of a broken wall on the ground and Stain's feet that had moved several meters away, avoiding whatever caused the explosion further down the alley.

Quick steps approached from behind Tenya, soon joined by a voice that was the most relieving sound he had never heard, but also colder and more full of venom than he had ever heard from anyone, enough to send shivers through even Tenya despite who was talking.

"Stay away from him," Izuku said with a promise of death in his words that Tenya, even in the deepest need for vengeance, could not have managed.

His feet appeared in Tenya's field of view and stopped between him and the killer, illuminated by the bright blueish, nearly white, glow of Izuku's Dragon Blades. Despite the distance Tenya could feel the near burning heat on his face. It had to be unbearable for Izuku, but he did not even flinch.

As he spoke again the voice was calmer and lacked some of the venom, but the coldness was there like it had completely overtaken the caring person who was ready to overhaul his house just to be more welcoming for friends visiting.

"Don't worry Tenya. I am going to save you."

Just a while earlier Izuku had been sitting in a comfortable train looking out the window while Gran Torino explained instructions on what they were going to do, or tried at least. Izuku leaned his head against the window, deep in thoughts that did not involve the old man. He had exchanged a few more words with the elder about Shoto's situation since they got out of the taxi, but now the train was arriving in Hosu region and Izuku started wondering about Tenya again.

He hadn't gotten any messages during the trip, but interns were supposed to stick with their pro and Stain's victims had generally been alone when they were attacked.

"Are you even listening," Gran Torino grumbled.

"No," Izuku responded. He still didn't trust the man, but Gran Torino had been decent enough that Izuku didn't feel like lying needlessly and he was already pretending in too many ways to ad pretending he was paying attention to the pile.

He blinked and leaned more against the window to better see ahead in the direction the train was going. The glow of the city seemed strange. Was that fire?

His phone beeped and he pulled it out as fast as Snipe would his gun. The message was from Tenya.

"Explosions and fire in Hosu, some kind of villain attack, multiple villains."

"Hey!" Izuku turned suddenly, very interested in talking to the elder hero. He saved time by simply showing the message as another came through.

"Where are your heroes?"

Gran Torino frowned reading the messages. In the background other passengers started noticing something was going on outside.

"It's like a building exploded," someone commented. He was followed by an announcement from the train.

"Passengers please hold onto your seats!"

The announcement was barely over when the train started braking violently. Then the wall of the cart collapsed inward as someone was violently pushed through it. The train was full of screams before the dust cleared around the hero with an all white costume and hair and animal-like claws.

A large light-blue arm struck through the hole in the train, slamming the hero's head to the floor as another expanded the hole for the creature to step inside.

"Nomu," Izuku gasped soon turning to an angry frown.

What the hell was Tomura doing?

Izuku squeezed his fist, the one not holding his phone. He could not order the Nomu to leave in front of everyone and letting it rampage wasn't much better. Whatever Tomura was doing he'd have to manage it with one less Nomu.

"I want you to stay back, you hear me!" Gran Torino moved and bounced across the carriage with his quirk, ending his path with his foot on the Nomu's head with enough force for it to let go of the other hero. He quickly bounced from the opposite wall and crashed against the Nomu with his entire body pushing it out and away from the train.

Izuku had to admit it was well done from the man, especially considering his age. He glanced around. People in the train were safe and the hero on the floor was the only one injured. Izuku stepped to the hole in the wall, looking outside, seeing the glow of fires ahead better than before. He still did not understand what Tomura was seeking to do.

Well that wasn't completely true. Tomura had been bitter for long time, for the USJ failure, for father giving Izuku attention, for Stain being talked about more than him. This all might just be a tantrum to put himself and his league in focus, and that meant he was going for nothing but indiscriminate destruction.

That was the most dangerous thing he could be doing and the most dangerous person to be doing it. Everyone in the whole region was in danger.

Izuku glanced at his phone again, typing quickly, ignoring typos in a hurry.

"T wher ar eyou?"

He was afraid of not getting a response, especially if Tenya was doing something stupid or Izuku-esque. A bit of weight dropped from his shoulders as a response with location and direction came back.

Shirokuro had accumulated enough familiarity with the area that it did not take long for Izuku to realize Tenya was running away from the main area of the battle. Manual might have told him to stay away, but Tenya would not run away from people in need even then. He couldn't face Tensei if he did. New dread squeezed Izuku's heart.

The jets in his back flared, launching him off the train, leaving behind only a dust cloud. His first landing was rough due to the height of the railway and poorly timed adjustment of his jets but after a few seconds for his ankle to recover he began zooming across Hosu from roof to roof like Shirokuro never could or needed to. He even sent a message about coming and asking Tenya to update his location, but this time there was no response.

Soon Izuku landed on a rooftop around where Tenya had reported his initial location and after not finding him by looking from above, he slid down a drainpipe into an alley.

"Okay, Tenya was here and said he moved that way," he muttered. "If he still wants to find Stain… Stain would stay away from such a flashy fight…"

Izuku stopped.

"But the heroes wouldn't, and in the rush they might be vulnerable. Who would patrol this way?"

Izuku realized he wasn't too far from where Shirokuro had first seen Native harassing people. He was running again, this time using the jets to boost his running speed thanks to practice with Tenya. What if it wasn't enough? Even while running he kept an eye on his messages and eventually took the risk of messaging his suspicions, minus parts that Izuku Midoriya wouldn't know.

Despite the narrow space he stuck to different alleys where Stain would make his move. He just passed one crossing of two when he noticed three forms in the other alley, three human forms, two laying on the ground and a sword raised over one of them.

He twisted, sliding against the ground as the jets slowed him down. Dragon Blades lit the narrow alley with heat that twisted Izuku's gloves and hurt the hands below despite the fireproof material. A fraction of a second later an intense Hellfire Arrow launched towards the killer with a whistle and enough force that even Eijiro would crack from a hit.

But Stain was too fast and jumped away. Instead of the red mist Izuku hoped to create, the Hellfire Arrow blew a hole in the wall which collapsed around the impact point. Izuku could feel the shockwave even where he was walking towards it, but that did not matter.

Tenya was down, paralyzed by Stain's quirk and he was bleeding. Izuku hissed out of pure protective bloodthirst.

"Stay away from him."

Stain shifted his weight and held his sword a little more defensively as Izuku assumed a position between him and Tenya.

"Don't worry Tenya. I am going to save you."

Even if it meant they would be the only two to leave that alley alive.