Yu braced as the van screeched around the corner before skidding to a complete stop. "Who the hell is that?" asked Ichimoku. Midoriya and Yu looked through the windshield at the shuttered agency building, and the man in front of it. The man had turned away from the glowing red circles of heated metal, shouting something they couldn't make out.

"Nobody good," Yu muttered, opening her door. "Midoriya, get Ichimoku into that building, leave the back doors open." He nodded and turned, exiting out the back of the van. "Ichimoku… We're losing the van."

Ichimoku blinked, "What?" He frowned at the steering wheel. "Aw… well…" He sighed before shrugging, "We brought it 'used', anyway."

Midoriya pulled open the driver's side door before unbuckling the man's belt and grabbing his blazer's lapel. "We're leaving."

"Ah! You don't have to drag me!"

Yu threw her door shut before stepping forward. She spared a glance to Midoriya and Ichimoku, ensuring they were far away, before she grew. Once her head rose above the nearby buildings, she glared at the villain below, stepping forward and causing the ground to shake. "Lay down on the ground with your hands on your head now."

The villain laughed before blue flames erupted towards her legs. She frowned before lifting her leg and bringing it behind the van. Then, with a swift motion, she swung her foot forward, picking up the van like an armored boot. Cutting her momentum short, the van lurched off her foot – its tires skidded across the asphalt before its weight threw it onto its side, screeching towards the villain.

The man dove out of the way as the van scraped across the sidewalk and crashed against the far building. As the villain laid on the ground, she dropped to one knee, cracking the concrete underneath it, before swiping at him.

Fire splashed against her palm, slipping in between her fingers. She instinctively winced, yanking her arm back. However, when she looked at her palm, she noticed how little damage the flames had done, superficial singes – only barely peeling the first layer away.

She smirked, waving her hand to put out the remaining flames. As she looked down and the man scowled at her, they heard a banging against metal. "Oi! What's taking so damn long!?" Their heads swiveled towards the shuttered building, both spotted the suited man and the sidekick knocking upon the shutters.

Ichimoku slowly turned before quickly turning back around. "He knows we're here! LET US IN!"

Midoriya yelled at the shutters. "Shinso! What's going on in there!?"

The villain reared his arm back before throwing it out to them and sending out a wave of fire. After that, she quickly threw her body and arm out, placing the length of her arm between the flames and the agency. The weight of her body further cracked the asphalt as she fell upon it. The fire splashed and rolled over her forearm before her eyes shifted. She spotted the villain who had leveled his other hand towards her head.

Yu sucked in a breath before she shrunk to her normal size as a torrent of blue flames roared through the air where her head was. "Of course, you'd be able to do that," growled the villain. Then, before he was able to throw more fire at her, she reared an arm back before reaching forward as she grew to her giantess size.

At the size of a truck, her palm flew at him, swiping him up into her clenched fist. She gritted her teeth. "Finally got you! You little shit!"

The villain chuckled, "S-Sure, this was… a good idea?", as he ripped an arm free of her fingers, and as she rose to her feet.

Blue flames erupted from between her fingers as the villain burned. "F-Fuck…!" Her other hand came around to tighten over her burning fingers. "S-Snuff him out…! Choke the air out of him…!" She gritted her teeth as the fire began to burn the first layer of fabric away. "Without enough oxygen, he'll pass out…!" Her eyes widened when she heard sirens in the distance. "H-Hold out…! Just a little–little bit… l-longer…"

Her eyes squinted as she looked into the flames in her hands. The villain's pale skin began to burn and darken as he laughed and laughed. The heat began to pierce her gloves, growing hotter and hotter. The material upon her palms began to melt into her skin as the fabric burned.

"D-Damn… it–it…!" She could feel her grip weaken as she felt her skin sizzle. "N-No…" As another burst of flames roared from between her fingers, she cried out in pain before flinging the villain away. "F-Fuck…!"

The man's body clipped the agency's rooftop, folding atop it in a heap.

Yu blinked spots out of her vision before looking at her gloves. She saw hints of her skin between singed holes across her fingers and palms. What was there was reddened from the heat and the once smooth skin held an almost melted appearance. Bile threatened to spill from her lips at the sight… and the smell.

"You okay!?" shouted Midoriya from below.

Ichimoku kicked the shutters. "Goddamn, fuckers! Fat lot of good you idiots were!"

She panted, "I… I'm…" Her eyes rose as she saw a blue light flicker. The villain was on his feet and standing before the roof access door. "Oh, shit!" She rushed over to the building, crushing asphalt as heat consumed the metal door. She leapt forward; swiped her arm across the rooftop, cleaving its air-conditioning unit and the roof access from its surface. "No, no, no, no!" Debris crashed upon the roads below as she looked across the rooftop. "Dammit!" There was now a collapsed hole in the roof that once led to a descending staircase. "Fuck…!" She shrunk down to normal, rushing to the shutters. "He's in the building!" She could barely move her fingers as the pain tightened their ligaments. "W-We need to get everyone outta there now!"

She stomped forward. "Do you HEAR ME!?" She fought through the pain, slamming her fist against the metal. "HE'S IN THE BUILDING!" There was a hiss before the shutters retracted upwards, locking in place with a thunk. Then, a woman, stomping on glass, sprinted out of the front doors; soon followed by a screaming man.

"FUCKING COWARDS!" shouted Nakai from within. "DON'T YOU EVER COME BACK HERE!"

Ichimoku stepped into the building. "Nakai!" He, alongside Midoriya and Yu, were greeted with three limp bodies in the lobby of Woods' agency. "Oh my god…"

Midoriya shook his friend's shoulder. "Shinso?" He stepped over him and rushed to the other. "Ashido!?"

"I'm sorry…" Nakai shook his head. "I've done all I can for both of them. We need to get them all out of here."

Midoriya pulled things from one of Ashido's gauntlets. "How long will it take him to get down here?"

Nakai paused, "A couple of minutes. There's a few maintenance doors he'll have to burn through."

"Where's your sprinkler system?" questioned Midoriya.

"Midoriya," said Yu.

"The maintenance closet near the back door," answered Nakai.

"Midoriya!"

Midoriya held Orpheus in one hand and in the other, he held a clear bulb and a canister of some kind. "I won't be near the villain!" He gestured, "And we won't get far with three unconscious people!" He started bouncing on the balls of his feet, moving away from the group. "I'll buy you all some time!" He then turned on his heel, sprinting deep into the building. "Go, go!"

"MIDORIYA!" she cried.

Ichimoku pulled Ashido into his arms. "He's right, Yu!" He shook his head. "That villain will run us down before the police show up." He turned towards the open door. "We'll need the help!"

Nakai directed her. "Take Woods. I'll help Shinso."

Her eyes fell upon the burned Hero, the lesser embers within his body withering and smoke escaping from holes throughout his torso. Her face contorted as she slowly shook her head. "Fuck!" She stomped her foot before rushing over to Woods' side, pulling an arm onto her shoulders. "FUCK!"

-XXX-

Izuku's shoulder slammed against the wooden door, snapping the lock, and stood before the fire sprinkler system. He sped over to use the master valve to shut off the water. He then rushed to a green valve, switching the system from using the external groundwater to an internal tank. He sidestepped over to that tank and struggled to turn the bolt blocking the inlet port. Gritting his teeth, he twisted the bolt free before shoving the non-acid bulb in. He then turned, finding an abandoned mop before snapping its brush off with a kick. Next, he took the handle, used it to awkwardly stir the water in the tank, and then, after discarding the handle, twisted the bolt back into place.

After that, Izuku took up Orpheus and rushed out the door of the maintenance room, down the hall. Though, he found himself slowing to a stop as the villain stepped down the main staircase and into his path ahead of him. "Is it just you?" the villain asked.

Izuku fought the urge to look past the villain, at the main entrance to the building. "At the moment…"

"Where's Woods?" The villain stepped forward and Izuku stepped back, glancing above for a sprinkler.

Izuku shook his head with a shrug. "Long gone…"

"They left you all alone?" he questioned.

Another step back before another glance up. "Why're you doing this?"

"None of your business."

Izuku's eye fell to the once pale skin of the villain's palm. "Your own Quirk is burning you…" Patches of scars began to cross the surface, each in varying degrees of char. "If you keep using it, you could do irreparable damage to your body." He shook his head. "You don't have to-"

The villain pointed at him. "And that is definitely not any of your business." He sighed, looking off to the side and rubbing the back of his neck. "He said Woods, but… I guess you'll have to do."

Another glance before Izuku put a hand on his belt. "He, huh?" Then, a wire shot from his belt towards the ceiling and he yanked on it, altering its trajectory and causing it to wrap around a sprinkler head above the villain. He then twisted his body, bracing the wire against his shoulder, before yanking himself forward. The metal head snapped free, causing water to rain from the exposed nozzle.

The villain gave Izuku a flat stare as his clothing began to soak. "Really?" Steam began to rise from certain patches of moisture. "You think just water'll work?"

Izuku held up the canister in one hand as he readied Orpheus in the other. He tossed the canister up before rearing Orpheus back, cracking it against the metal, and sending it at the villain in a burst of nitrogen gas. The diluted, non-acidic concoction froze instantaneously, locking the villain's limbs and body in frosty crystalline.

Instead of waiting to see how long the ice would last, Izuku spun on his heel and bolted for the back exit of the building. There was a growl and a shout behind him before a burst of heat roared. A peek over his shoulder let him see the villain scowling at him before his eyes lowered further for the lingering gas at the villain's feet.

His head swiveled forward, noticing the red and white switch of a fire alarm. He fired a wire at it, and after impact, he wrapped the wire around his fist before yanking it downward. The switch flipped and the fire alarm sounded throughout the building. Soon, each sprinkler began to set off, soaking the ground in water, and any liquid that made contact with the nitrogen gas froze. He could hear the villain rip his shoes free of the ice crawling across its surface.

Izuku's shoulder crashed against the glass door, throwing himself through it. He stumbled only for a moment before he dashed around the corner and into the alley beside the agency building. He dashed out of the mouth of the alleyway and leapt across the sidewalk. His metal soles skidded across the asphalt before he turned to Takeyama, who was rushing towards him.

"Midoriya!" They linked one of their arms as she looked him up and down. "Are you okay?"

He panted, shaking his head. "I'm–I'm fine." He took in their surroundings. "Where're the others?"

"We loaded them into Nakai's truck," she said as she pulled him across the street, nearing a building's edge. "They're going to meet the wave of first responders. You're going with them."

"What about you?"

"This is my job, not yours." She turned to him. "Your job is to get home to your Mom."

"I…" His eyes shifted past her and towards the street behind her. "Oh, no…"

She followed his gaze. "What–Fuck!" In small numbers, random civilians had begun to leave their buildings. It was guessable that most were curious as they aimed their cameras towards Woods' agency. "Get back! Into your buildings and lock the doors!" she directed, waving her arm as she stepped away.

Izuku turned his head and found much of the same. "Get back inside!" He stepped towards them. "All of you, get back inside now!"

There was a scream as blue flames erupted from the open doors of the agency building. Smoke began to billow out from its rooftop as crashes could be heard from within. Then, another voice cried out, "H-Hey, there's a guy in there!"

In the maw of the burning building, there stood the villain – his blackened coat waving behind as his bare feet met the concrete. "Midoriya, go!" cried Takeyama as she rushed towards the villain. "EVERYONE INSIDE, NOW!"

As Izuku hesitated, the villain's soles spat fire against the concrete with enough force to lift him into the air. He rocketed towards the street and Takeyama responded by leaping forward, growing gigantic and slinging her hand at the villain. However, to Takeyama's and Izuku's surprise, the villain deftly weaved between her fingers, flying over her body – straight past her and towards–

"MIDORIYA!" cried Takeyama as she shrunk and her shoulder skidded across the road.

The villain's hand wrapped around Izuku's throat. The force of his flight knocked Izuku off his feet, sending him onto his back. Izuku felt the air get choked from his mouth as he was dragged across the ground. He then gritted his teeth, taking a firm grasp of Orpheus in his hand before slamming it against the villain's side. The villain's flight was sent into a spiral, loosening his grip from Izuku's neck. After the villain crashed against the ground, he and Izuku rolled and bounced across the asphalt.

Izuku pushed himself onto his feet, taking Orpheus into his hands. The villain didn't bother to rise from his hands and knees – only raising a single hand. Flames washed over Izuku, heating the metal and eating at the fabric he wore. "It hurts…" Izuku's head dipped; his chin shielding his neck from the fire. "It burns…" He brought Orpheus high. "FIGHT THROUGH IT…!" He gritted his teeth before slamming it across the villain's jaw. "FIGHT…!"

The flames ceased for a moment as Izuku turned the momentum of his swing back around. Orpheus cracked across the villain's jaw for the second time. The hit rattled the villain, sending him stumbling off before collapsing onto his back. Izuku turned to him as the villain's hand barely left his side before fire roared at Izuku.

He brought Orpheus overhead before bringing it down, through the flames, and onto the villain's chest. "FUCK YOU!" There was a crack and a cry of pain from the villain's mouth. The fire faded into dying wisps and embers as the pain began to set in.

It felt cold, at first, like he had dunked himself in arctic water; followed by numbness. Then, in an instant, he became acutely aware of the flesh of his arms and legs. The metal covering his chest, forearms, calves, and feet had been super-heated, sizzling against his jumpsuit – gnawing towards his skin. The elastic material that criss-crossed upon his body had melted into place and the fabric bore singed holes where his exposed skin tightened against the cold air.

He sagged. The pain began to overwhelm his senses, overriding his hearing and thankfully his sense of smell. His eyes shifted up and saw people pointing at him with their phone cameras, slowly filling the street with their bodies. He saw distant ambulances, police cars, and even a fire truck approaching from far away. He saw Takeyama running over to him, waving her arms – shouting at everybody. He felt his grip loosen from Orpheus, and then, he felt it shift from his fingers.

His eyes widened as he tried to wrestle Orpheus back into his hands. However, the villain's hands tightened on the weapon's neck before fire shot from his soles. The force sent the villain across the ground and eventually, into the air while that same force knocked Izuku's legs out from under him.

Izuku slammed against the ground; pain exploded throughout his body. The scream from his throat was involuntary as tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. That radiation flooded his mind, aligning whatever affected his hearing back into place. He heard people crying and screaming, running away.

He heard Takeyama shout, "Clear the way! EVERYONE OUT OF THE WAY!"

"She can't grow with so many people around…" He tried to push himself back up as every part of body cried out. "Dammit… MOVE…" His fingers switched as his knees buckled. "Get… CLEAR!" He pushed himself onto his feet, centimeter by centimeter. "I need to… I need…" He stumbled forward, waving an arm at the crowd. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

He lifted his head and saw Orpheus before it crashed against his skull. The metal of his helmet caved and cracked while his visor shattered into pieces. His body spun, crashing against the ground as his ears rang. Orpheus thunked against the ground beside him as the villain stepped over his body.

"Thought I'd… return the favor," he chuckled.

The villain grabbed the collar of his vest.

"Let–Let me go!" spat Izuku as one hand grasped one of the man's forearms. He balled his other hand into a fist before launching it square into the villain's face. There was a crack before the villain growled as blood spilled from his nostrils, digging his fingers underneath Izuku's vest. Fire roared between metal and fabric, shredding the flesh beneath. As the flames faded, Izuku's body was barely listening to him anymore as the villain pulled him up before harshly yanking him onto feet. "Y-You… fucker!"

-XXX-

Yu sprinted through the crowd and into the clearing as people ran away. The fire truck had stopped before Woods' agency while the police cars and ambulances had to park further away, down the road, to avoid the panicking crowd. The villain stood between two buildings – in the mouth of an alley. He had a hand on the back of his neck while the other grasped the younger's chin. "You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

Another set of police cars and an ambulance screeched to a stop on the other side of the road. Officers rushed out of their vehicles, propping themselves up against them while aiming their firearms towards the villain. She looked past those cars and saw Nakai's truck pull over to the ambulance, opening its doors. Then her gaze shifted to an officer, a Lieutenant, who nodded to her and so, she stepped forward.

"Let him go!" she shouted. "You're surrounded!" She stepped forward, shaking her head. "You're not walking away from this!"

Midoriya wobbled on his feet as he was dragged in front of the villain's body. "Where's Woods?"

Her hands balled into fists. "Out of reach."

The villain's head tilted, "Really?", as he wrapped his fingers around Midoriya's neck. "I guess you'll have to do."

"WAIT!" shouted Yu. "You want to kill a Hero, right?" She stepped forward. "Kill me."

"No," growled Midoriya, "Don't give him what he wants!", before the villain held his hand before the boy's face. It erupted into flames as it neared, but just before contact, the flames were extinguished. The hand slipped through the jagged maw of glass, grasping the face within. Heated flesh sizzled against Midoriya's face amongst bubbling blood.

"Shut up." muttered the villain.

Yu cried, "Midoriya!" She shook her head, holding out her hand. "Don't–Don't hurt him! Please!" She looked to her sidekick, meeting his eye through his broken visor. "Midoriya… it's okay…" She felt tears welling up in her eyes before she shook her head, stepping forward. "Just… please. Let me take his place."

The villain chuckled, "You?" He shook his head. "Tempting, but…" He grinned, "I'm not gonna risk it."

The villain yanked his hand free through glass, trailing blood. Then, his hands clamped around Midoriya's throat, and Yu instinctively rushed forward. Flames erupted around Midoriya's neck, scorching his skin and lapping against the underside of chin. Smoldering smoke escaped between the villain's fingers as the skin of his hands and Midoriya's neck blackened.

Yu screamed, "NO!" before the villain planted his hand on the back of Midoriya's head, shoving it downward. She dropped into his body's path, catching him in her arms, as the villain ran down the alley – into the darkness. "MIDORIYA!" She fell onto her knees before pulling his torso into her lap. "Come on… Come on, come on!" She reached around with his helmet, trying to find that button that opened his helmet. "Dammit!" When she couldn't find it, she gripped the panels of his helmet, yanking, pulling, and ripping them off. Eventually she found the band that held the helmet in place, finally loosening it from his head.

She pulled it off and found his face – one side of it, bloodied and bruised. His breathing was slow… a struggle – barely a wheeze. The skin of his neck was red and warped with a splatter of black char wrapping around it.

Then, she saw his lips move between stuttering breaths. "Don't… Don't talk." She felt her breath hitch in her throat and her vision blurred with tears. "Try and save your strength, okay?" She sniffled before forcing a smile across her face. "Everything's gonna be okay. Alright? Just… Just hold on."

Yu turned to the crowd of officers. "GET A PARAMEDIC OVER HERE!" But, they were abuzz, most of the officers were scrambling to secure the buildings and alleyways, taking their cars to surround the block. She shook her head as she looked back down.

Midoriya's body shook as his lips moved.

She shook her head. "Midoriya, please. Try not–"

His voice was barely a whisper, gravelly. "I-I'm… s-sorry…"

Her jaw tightened before shakingly saying, "Y-You don't have to apologize for anything."

"I-I'm sorry…" he repeated before air caught on the edge of his throat, causing him to fall into a fit of coughs. Each one was worse than the last and then she saw something splatter from lips.

Her eyes widened as she looked at specks of blood on her arm.

Yu shook her head, screaming, "Somebody PLEASE! Get over here!"

Ichimoku skidded to a stop beside her. "T-Takeyama! Takeyama!" His hands laid on Midoriya's shoulder. "Death-Arms is here! Go with him!"

"What!? I'm not leaving him!" she scowled.

"A paramedic's coming over. I'll ride with him to the hospital." Ichimoku put a hand on her forearm, meeting her gaze with a look of anger that matched the feeling boiling in her gut. "Go with Death-Arms, and catch this son of a bitch."

Yu considered it for a moment before taking a deep breath. "You make sure he gets there alright."

He nodded, "I'll be with him the whole way."

They cautiously switched places as a paramedic approached.

Yu rushed over to Death-Arms, and he nodded to her. "Let's get this guy." She returned it before he turned to one of his sidekicks. "Jack, go with your friends."

Jirou looked between them and the ambulances. She frowned, "B-But–"

Death-Arms stepped forward, patting her shoulder. "I know you can help, but they need you more."

She nodded, "T-Thank you." She started towards the ambulances before freezing as Midoriya was wheeled by. Then, she turned and rushed towards the one Ashido was being loaded into.

When Death-Arms turned back to Yu, she admitted, "I'm ripping him in half."

"I know. That's why I'm coming with you," he said. "Let's go."

Yu paused for a moment, watching Ichimoku join Midoriya in the back of an ambulance. Once the doors slammed and the vehicle started to move, she turned to Death-Arms and they ran down the street, joining the officers securing the block.

-\ XXX /-

"My God, do you learn." - C.S. Lewis

Thank you all for reading and criticize away!

Update Window: December 29th - January 1st

Intended Due Date: December 31st