Midoriya practically threw Ichimoku's door off its hinges as he stepped out of the room. "Something's happened." he said at the same time as Ichimoku who was pulling an office phone away from his ear. Yu turned to Midoriya first, who said, "Ashido and Shinso shouted about something before she dropped her phone. They didn't say what was happening, but–"

"Nakai just did," said Ichimoku. "In front of Woods' Agency, there was a giant blue fireball. I think Shinoda checked the security cameras and started screaming. I think Woods just got attacked."

"A Fire Quirk against a Wood one?" murmured Midoriya.

Ichimoku brought the phone back up. "Nakai–" His face then contorted, "Nakai?!" He put the phone down, shaking his head. "Fuck… Line just went dead."

Yu brought her hands to her head, pressing against her temples. "What the hell is…" She took a breath before shaking her head. Then, turning to Ichimoku, she said, "We're getting the van ready." She directed, "Kaguya, call Musutafu PD and get a response on the way. Then, get Death-Arms on the line to back me up. We're leaving."

Ichimoku started towards the elevator, soon followed by Yu herself. Then she heard a hiss over her shoulder. She looked to find Midoriya pulling his helmet onto his head before picking up Orpheus from the desk it was leaning on.

Once the orbs came to life, they narrowed. "You can't expect me to just stay here."

Yu cautioned, "Your Mom."

"I…" The orbs shrunk before disappearing completely. Then, they opened before he shook his head. "I'll beg for her forgiveness after…" The orbs furrowed, almost looking angry. "Right now, my friends are in trouble, and… someone has to help." He took a breath. "We have to."

Yu thought for a moment before pushing her finger towards his visor. "You focus on Woods and your friends. You leave the villain to me, clear?"

He hesitated before firmly nodding, "You're the boss."

"Yes, I am." She pointed towards the open elevator. "Let's go."

With that, Ichimoku, Mount-Lady, and Agent Midoriya descended.

-XXX-

"What's happening…?" thought Nishiya Shinji, Kamui Woods as he stumbled across the sidewalk. His shoulder clipped the corner of a building – his agency, but before he nearly crashed onto the concrete. However, before gravity dragged him down, he caught the building's edge. "I can't… fall…" He forced himself to stay on his feet. "Why… did… Why did…" He couldn't quite… think… The pain was just too much. It didn't just stop at the initial burst of flames. Heat lingered and seeped throughout the bark of his costume and flesh, winding its way inwards.

His head rose, "Shinso… Ashido… are they…" He pushed himself off the wall, stumbling around and trying to find the train station. "Are they safe…?" However, as he turned, all he could see was the man in the hood and coat, and his outstretched hand.

Shinji raised his arms to cover his head; bark grew from his arms and back to envelop his upper body. He felt the roar of flame spit and growl against his wood. He felt it sizzle and char as he stumbled back.

His heel caught the edge of the building and he fell back into the mouth of an alleyway. He tried to force himself into a crouch, but he caught a glimpse of the villain's fingertips duck into his view. So, he threw his head and arms back, using his Quirk to extend the connection between himself and his shield.

The villain's azure-flamed hand threw itself upward, wilting the wood away into crumbling ash and soot. "You should be paying more attention, Hero." The villain's voice was gravelly, and when his head rose, knocking the hood from his head, his burned face, blue eyes, and dark hair was unveiled. "What would've happened if I wanted an autograph?" The dark scars across his face highlighted his pale skin against the dark of the night. In Shinji's hazy vision, it looked akin to a jawless skull floating in shadow.

Shinji crashed against the concrete; numbness crawled up his arms from his elbows. "W-Who are you?" He looked down upon himself, noticing the red embers burrowing their way into his body.

The villain chuckled as he crouched before the collapsed man. "Just a bad match…" He snapped his fingers, setting the tip of his index finger alight with a blue flame.

Shinji hacked and coughed, causing bursts of smoke from his chest and mouth. His hand reached up and ripped the mask from his face. He tried to breathe, but the flow of air in and out of his body only brightened the embers within.

A laugh followed, "Whoa! That's a hell of a face…"

As Shinji struggled to prop his arm up underneath him, as, in spite of everything, he felt shame. "Like a nonexistent face you'd see in the trunk of a tree… A face stories are made from… But, with eyes… human eyes…"

He chuckled, "But…" He scratched his cheek, taking a charred flake off. "I guess I'm not one to talk…"

"HEY!"

The villain's head snapped towards the street, beyond Shinji's vision. The man moved to stand, but two metal cases slammed into his head and shoulders, knocking the loose costumes free. He stumbled back and onto his feet as Ashido slid into view, pooling viscous acid underneath herself to assist. As she crouched in the mouth of the alleyway, she pressed her fingers against the ground. The villain threw the case off of him, raising his flame-covered hand at the girl as a masked Shinso ran into view with his electrified batons in hand.

As the blue flames roared towards her, she threw her entire body into the air – arms outstretched into the sky, bringing a wall of acid in between herself and the street. Then, with the click of her gauntlets, a burst of cold hissed from underneath her palms, freezing her acid into ice. The fire crashed against it, spreading upwards. Vapors hissed into the air as the crystalized slime began to melt

"S-Shinso!" Shinji coughed.

Ashido turned to him – her eyes wide. "Oh god…" Her jaw tightened before vehemently shaking her head. "We… We need to get you into the agency…" He was too weak to struggle away from her arms as she pulled his arm onto her shoulders. "We can call for help there."

Shinji winced as she lifted him onto her shoulder. "U-Use… your Quirks… Protect y-yourselves…" A bellow of smoke came from his mouth as he coughed, "T-Tell him… y-you need to tell him…"

"Shinso! Use your Quirk!" cried Ashido. She lifted the Hero up. "Come on, we can get you inside through the side entrance."

-XXX-

Mina's fist slammed against the glass door. "COME ON!" She tried to look inside, but the glass was too opaque for her to see. "Somebody, please!" She had half a mind to melt her way through. "Open the door!"

It finally swung open and she was met with Nakai. "Ashido!" His eyes shifted to the man on her shoulder. "Oh, god, Woods."

Yukimura, a muscle-bound, pin-needle-haired woman, vaulted over a desk, waving the three of them by. "Come on! Come on! Get them inside!" She slammed the door shut behind them before grabbing a nearby cabinet and pulling down to block it.

Shinoda was frozen, behind a distant corner. His tears floated off his face as bubbles, popping after a few seconds.

Mina lifted the Woods off her shoulders. "Take him, take him!" Nakai took him off her shoulder, laying him on the ground. "I need to get out there!" she said, walking around them and towards the lobby.

"W-What are you crazy!?" cried Shinoda. "You can't go out there!"

"Shinso's out there!" she countered. "I can't just leave him alone!"

"Ashido, wait!" cried Nakai as she sprinted down the hall and into the lobby. Her shoulder crashed into the front doors, stepping out into the street. Her head turned on a swivel to find and see Shinso leaping out of the way of a torrent of fire.

Mina secreted acid from her forearms, flowing into her gauntlets and then into the bulbs attached to them. After that, she ripped one free from her right arm before pitching the non-acidic concoction at the villain's back. It shattered on impact, coating him in the thick liquid.

The villain flicked his hand, knocking some of the slime from his arm. "Ugh… What is this? Snot?" He spun to her as she charged at him. As his other hand rose, burning with flame, she threw her hands forward, sending a path of non-acidic slime ahead of her. Then, as blue fire roared towards her, she leapt onto the path, sliding across the asphalt and just past the bellowing flame.

Before her momentum died, she lifted her arms, aiming the nozzles underneath her wrists at the villain and firing a burst of cold. Once that cold gas met the liquid, it instantly crystallized, traveling up his back and down his arms. His right arm froze stiff as he shivered, growling. "The hell!?"

Shinso leapt into the villain's space, striking him across the jaw with one of his batons. The stranger stumbled before Shinso's batons drummed against the man's body. After that, Shinso went lower, delivering blows to the villain's knees and weakening his stance. A punch was thrown into the villain's crotch, causing him to crumble, before Shinso braced a baton behind the villain's neck. Next, Shinso dropped to the ground, slammed his soles against the villain's stomach, and kicked the villain's whole body overhead, using the man's neck as a pivot point. The villain crashed onto his back, scraping across the asphalt. Shinso spun onto his hands and feet, lunging to stab the villain with the electrified prongs of his batons. However, fire poked through the ice on his arms, and so, Mina yanked Shinso back by his shirt as the villain erupted in flames.

The villain growled as he wobbled onto his feet. "Fucking brats…" The pale skin on his face, once untouched by the segmented scarring across his body, began to sizzle in response to the flame growing around him. "I'm not here for you…"

"Why're you attacking Woods?!" cried Mina.

Shinso shook his head, "What did he ever do to you!?"

He growled, stomping forward, and shaking his head. "Just get the fuck out of–" Then, he froze: his blue eyes vacated and his flames faded away into wisps. The villain was paralyzed – brainwashed to be so.

Mina took a few breaths before standing up straight. "Woods!"

She heard Shinso command the villain behind her. "You lay face down on the sidewalk with your hands on your head!"

She yanked the doors open and stepped inside. Nakai was in the lobby; crouched beside Woods, lifting a bowl of water to the Hero's mouth. Shinoda was running into the lobby with another bowl of water, spilling and splashing. Yukimura was standing behind the receptionist's desk, meddling with the computer.

Mina rushed over to Nakai and Woods. "Is he okay?"

"As okay as he can be…" Nakai sighed. "What about the villain?"

"He'll be like that for a while," assured Shinso as he stood in the doorway.

"Good."

Shinso asked Yukimura. "What're you doing?"

"We installed emergency shutters after the last monsoon season." She only spared a glance away from the screen. "They're not for security, but it should keep us safe from that asshole." She looked out the window and at the villain. "I'm still gonna get the screen up for it, just in case."

"That's good." Shinso propped open the door. "I'm gonna keep an eye on him."

Shinoda looked up from Woods. "Is–Is he gonna get up? Or-Or… Or wake up?"

"No, he shouldn't," assured Shinso.

"T-Thank god…"

Mina asked Nakai. "What's happening to him?"

"Kamui's Quirk is more than just growing lumber from his skin," he explained. "He's skin and muscle like you and me, but he also shares properties with actual wood." He shook his head. "The attack was so fast… He doesn't burn like this, usually… He's saved people from fires!" He picked up the next bowl and offered it to the Hero. "Whatever Fire Quirk that villain has… it burns hotter than anything this agency's ever seen." With each gulp, the once bright embers within Woods began to die.

Mina then went to reach for her phone, only to not find it. She shook her head before asking, "Have any of you called for help?"

"Our office phones went dead. We can't be sure why, right now," said Nakai.

Yukimura directed, "Shinoda, get your cell phone."

"I-I…"

She spat, "I know you have it at your desk! Go!"

"O-Okay!" Shinoda stumbled onto his feet before sprinting away.

Shinso checked his own pockets. "Fuck…" He looked outside. "It must've fallen out of my pocket."

Before he turned to check the street, Mina called out, "Shinso!"

He assured, "I'll be fine," before leaving the agency's doorway.

Mina shook her head, turning to Nakai. "You have him?"

"Once he has enough water, he should be better," he replied.

"Okay," she said before pushing herself onto her feet. She then jogged over to the doorway, standing in it as Shinso retrieved his phone from the street.

"Hey," he said when he saw her. "Found it." As he walked back towards the agency, he tapped on his phone's screen before bringing it to his right ear.

Mina blinked, and for a second, she thought she spotted something fly by. Something that glinted in the streetlamp's light before quickly disappearing. She was going to look for it, but something else caught her attention.

"DABI! IF YOU WANT YOUR PRIZE!?" cried a man. "YOU'LL HAVE TO RISE HIGHER THAN THIS!"

Mina and Shinso looked at the building across from the agency. Upon its rooftop, there stood a man clad in tattered gear and bellowing red and white cloths. In his hand, there was a chipped, ragged katana that barely caught the glint of the streetlamps below.

Two hands slammed against the concrete. 'Dabi' was rising to his feet before throwing his arm out. The blue flames stretched out from the villain's palm, hurtling towards Shinso.

She wasn't thinking; she was sprinting. She secreted non-acidic slime from every part of her skin, seeping out of her clothes and covering herself entirely. She threw herself onto Shinso, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. The force of her impact turned his body as she curled around him.

The thick liquid boiled around her as the flames clawed their way into her shield. Once they collided with her back, they lurched and splashed, crawling down her spine and up her neck. The heat seared her skin, and it didn't stop. In spite of the fact it only struck her back, the pain spread beyond, causing her arms and legs to curl. It hazed her brain, blurred her vision, and all she could do was scream.

-XXX-

Hitoshi twisted his upper body to catch Ashido as they both collapsed upon the asphalt. "ASHIDO!?" He was sure how loud he was being – her scream was still ringing in her ears. Her back… the skin was… it was charred at the point of impact… He shook his head and turned her body, looking at her face. Her eyelids were barely open, fluttering for moments before nearly shutting.

A footstep…

Hitoshi's head rose, spotting the approaching Dabi. "How…?" The villain's hand was covered in flame, and the pale flesh of his palm sizzled in response. "How did you break out…?" Hitoshi's eyes fell from the villain's hand to the other that pulled a dagger free from the back of his thigh. "Someone threw a dagger at him…? The man on the roof…"

His eyes dropped further to Ashido's gauntlet, quickly yanking a bulb free and throwing it at Dabi. The villain cursed and cried as he stumbled back. The acid burned through his clothes and nipped at his flesh.

Hitoshi wrapped his arms around her, pulling her up as he stood. "Ashido–Ashido! We have to go!" She wasn't entirely limp, struggling to put weight onto her legs. "Come on! Come on!"

"Don't shut it yet!" shouted Nakai as he moved towards the front doors.

"The villain got up!" screamed Shinoda.

Yukimura shouted, "He's gonna fucking kill us!"

"Those are KIDS!" spat Nakai. His finger pointed at Yukimura, "You keep those fucking shutters up!", before stepping through the open door. "Get in here!" As Hitoshi passed, Nakai took Ashido's arm and helped her inside. "CLOSE IT!" Because Hitoshi's foot caught the edge of the carpet and the uneven weight of Ashido's fading consciousness, he fell into the lobby. "CLOSE IT NOW!"

Hitoshi turned as a giant, bright torrent of fire roared at the front door. His eyes widened as it nearly consumed the entire face of the agency. However, before it clashed against the building, an alarm sounded before thick, metal shutters slammed downward, crushing the open glass door into debris and powder.

They all started to breathe sighs of relief… until Dabi's voice, muffled, echoed from outside the wall of metal. "Hello~?" His knuckles knocked against the wall. "That was pretty mean of you… Burning me with acid…" He lowered his voice, almost whispering, "Don't worry… I'll return the favor." Then, there was a noise none of them could describe, but they eventually started to see it. Two circles of reddening heat began to grow and glow across the shutters' metal surfaces.

Shinoda fell, covering his head. "NO! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

"We need to get deeper into the building," muttered Nakai.

Yukimura huffed, "He'll just burn it all down with us in it!"

Hitoshi turned to his friend, avoiding touching her back. "Ashido?" He shook his head as something twisted in his stomach. "Hey, hey…" He saw she was breathing and felt a pulse along her neck. "We're gonna get out of here, okay?"

"And how're we gonna do that?" questioned Yukimura. "All the exits are sealed because of the shutters," she spat.

Hitoshi ignored her. "She needs first aid."

"Bring her over," said Nakai, picking up a clasped pack.

As Hitoshi began to do so, Yukimura wiped her face. "What're we going to do!?" She threw her arms out. "Just sit around like cakes in an oven!?" She growled, "Quit your fucking crying, Shinoda!"

"Who's this!?" shouted Dabi. "A friend of yours, Woods!?"

As Nakai started to examine Ashido, everyone froze at those words. Then, the ground rumbled as a voice bellowed, "Lay down on the ground with your hands on your head now."

"Mount-Lady…" murmured Hitoshi.

Shinoda exclaimed, "It's Mount-Lady!"

"What good is she gonna do?" questioned Yukimura. The ground began to rumble and the building began to shake as the giant woman began to move. "She's gonna collapse the building on us!"

Hitoshi glared at her. "Would you–"

Then something knocked against the door. "Nakai! It's Ichimoku!"

Another voice followed, "Shinso, Ashido!" Midoriya asked, "Is everyone okay in there?"

Hitoshi stood, "Midoriya!" He stood before the shutter. "Y-Yeah, we're in here…" His head lowered, rubbing his temple. "Ashido, she's… Ashido got hurt."

The ground shook as there was a sound of tires screeching before there was a sound of metal crunching against concrete.

"Is she okay?!" shouted Midoriya as the rumbling grew more powerful and often.

"Nakai's working on it!"

Another knock rolled before Ichimoku said, "Alright, open up, and shut the door behind us, okay?"

Hitoshi nodded, "Okay!" However, as he turned to the receptionist's desk, he found Yukimura standing in his path. "What?"

"Are you insane?" she questioned. She stepped between the desk and lobby, shaking her head. "We can't open the shutters."

Nakai looked up from Ashido. "What're you talking about? That's Ichimoku outside!"

"The villain is still running around out there!" The ground shook and the building shuddered. "If the shutters go up, then he could get inside and kill us all!"

Nakai shook his head. "Mount-Lady is out there."

"What good is she against someone our size!?" Concrete shattered, echoing through the air, shaking the foundations, and causing the lights to flicker. "Do you hear that?! Sounds like he's giving her a run for her money!"

Nakai stood, "That's Midoriya Izuku out there. He's a fifteen-year-old kid."

"I know…" she muttered.

Hitoshi stepped forward. "Please, he's my friend."

"I…"

"She's right," muttered Shinoda. "If we open the shutter, we could… we could be killed." He stepped over to the fallen. "We–We already have Woods and–and the girl. Is–Isn't that enough?"

Hitoshi's face contorted, "Enough?"

"Don't look at me like that!" Shinoda stepped away, wiping his face, before falling into a chair. "I… I just want to go home…"

Yukimura let out a breath. "Me too…"

Nakai outstretched his hand, shaking his head. "Don't."

"No, I…" She took a deep breath, gritting her teeth. "I signed up to be an office clerk. To answer the phone! Not to get killed trying to save someone else. That is not my responsibility."

"It is now," said Nakai.

Yukimura stomped her foot. "No, it isn't!"

A fist pounded against the shutter. "Oi! What's taking so damn long!?" asked Ichimoku. "He knows we're here! LET US IN!" Another round of knocks came, more desperate than before.

Midoriya's voice followed, "Shinso! What's going on in there!?"

Hitoshi turned to Yukimura, begging, "Please!"

Her face contorted, considering for a moment, but she still shook her head. "I…" Then, she froze; eyes vacated.

Hitoshi straightened, frowning, "Stand aside, by the wall."

Yukimura moved away from the receptionist's desk with her back against the wall.

"Shinso," scolded Nakai.

"W-What did you do!?" cried Shinoda, springing up from his chair. He pointed between Yukimura and Hitoshi. "What–What did you do to her!?"

"Shinoda, calm down," said Nakai, stepping towards him.

Shinoda stepped back, shaking his head. "God, you're both going to get us killed!" After Hitoshi stepped behind the desk, Shinoda cried, "Stop! Stay away from that!" Hitoshi persisted, but Shinoda snatched a decorative vase from a side table. "St–STAY AWAY!"

Hitoshi yanked his head back as it shattered against the wall.

"Shinoda, ENOUGH!" shouted Nakai.

Then, Hitoshi heard something ceramic scrape across the ground. "Dagger…" He spun, trying to raise his arms in time, but he was too late.

Yukimura cracked Hitoshi across the side of his head, shattering the plant's pot in the process. Darkness invaded the corners of Hitoshi's vision before he smacked against the tiled floor. His vision… blurred as the ground rumbled and… as the knocking on the shutters grew louder. Though… the sounds he heard grew further and further away… His consciousness… slipping… "Ashido… Midoriya…"

The last thing Shinso Hitoshi would remember was Nakai's voice, "What have you done!?"

-\ XXX /-

"Experience is a brutal teacher, but you learn." - C.S. Lewis

Thank you all for reading and criticize away!

Update Window: December 12th - 18th

Intended Due Date: December 17th