My Hero Academia: Dynamite And A Laserbeam (Definitive Edition)

by DeathlyJazzHands55

Musutafu. The place where it all began. The place where Japan's greatest hero was born, and where his backstory took place. This was the place where the future number-one pro hero was born. But this isn't about him. This is about someone who just wanted to live a normal life and got dragged into this mess. That is Yoshihara Kira's story. (Definitive Edition of MHA: DLB)

6. Ch 5: Meet The Midoriya's (2)

Izuku struggled against the Stand's hold over his mouth, it's grip ironclad as he frivolously attempted to get it off of him despite him knowing that, in the back of his mind, he stood no chance of freeing himself. What made it worse was that he had no idea if what he was doing had been working or not namely because he couldn't see the Stand that was holding him.

The only thing that he knew for sure of was that it was smothering his mouth with either its arm or its hand and that one of its other hands had a grip on the back of his neck which prevented him from struggling even more, almost as if it was pressing down on his pressure points. The only reason he hadn't gone unconscious was because the pressure wasn't enough to knock him out and stop the circulation of his blood.

Another thing that he noticed was that, out of the corner of his eye, a bundle of rope was making its way straight for him. Izuku wondered where the rope had come from, though it wasn't important. The important part was that he was about to be tied up by an entity he couldn't see so it could do god knows what to him. He tried to fight against it, knowing full well it was impossible.

Izuku might have been weak. Izuku might have lacked a Quirk. Those things were true, and they had been drilled into his head by everyone around him, except his mother and All Might. But, there was another thing that he was that not many people noticed.

He was determined.

And because of that, even if something seemed impossible, even if it was seen as hopeless, Izuku Midoriya would never give up. He'd soon rather die than give up. Because at least then he knew he'd die trying to do the right thing.

Unfortunately for him, no amount of trying or struggling would get him anywhere, as the rope wrapped around his upper body, his arms snapped tightly to his sides as he gasped. The tightness of the rope made it hard for him to breathe, but, luckily for him, it wasn't tight enough to restrict him completely. He was breathing enough so that he would remain conscious, but it still left him lightheaded.

Not a second after The Stand had finished tying him up, it dragged him back into the apartment and threw him onto the couch with an unceremonious thud. For the brief second that he was free from its grasp, his mouth no longer feeling covered, he tried to scream out for help, only for The Stand to punch him in the stomach, winding him completely, and forcing him to focus on his breathing yet again.

After that, it tied up his hands, preventing him from grabbing onto anything. Effectively making him even more useless than he already was before Kira-san… had fallen to her death. When the Stand had bound his arms and wrists, it propped him up against the couch, forcing him to sit. He looked down at the floor, completely and totally demotivated. He didn't have the energy to scream again, to call for help, or even curse the Stand out for what it did. And neither did he have the ability to fight back, not that he had the ability to fight back in the first place.

Kira-san was dead, and it was all because of him. All because of his in-action. The terrified look on her face as she fell, the way how her eyes widened and her mouth opened to scream. The sound of the fridge crashing onto the ground with Kira-san supposedly underneath…. He didn't see a body, but even he knew that no one could survive a fall that high up, so even if she avoided being crushed to death, she most certainly died on the way down.

All of it had been burned into his memory. Like a slide show, it played in his mind on a loop.

His first friend he had made in years ever since Kacchan was now dead. That thought stuck in his mind as a bruise would linger after being punched.

Kacchan was right… Useless, Quirkless nerds like him never got to have friends. This was the world's way of confirming that. The first friend he had made in years was now dead, all because of his lack of a Quirk.

If only All Might had given him One For All earlier. Even if his body broke, he didn't care. He could've saved Kira's life. He could've prevented her death. But no… he was Quirkless.

He was completely and totally useless….

"I'm sorry, Kira-san, I'm really, truly sorry. I wish I could've helped… But I'm just a useless Deku…, just like Kacchan said I was…" Izuku thought, choking back tears as he sobbed. But then, almost as if it were a miracle, Izuku felt a surge of… courage. Like he had been zapped back to life in that one moment. His eyes narrowed as he stopped sobbing, tears staining his cheeks as he grimaced.

No… no he couldn't give up. He couldn't just accept this. Screw that! Heroes never gave up! And if he wanted to be a hero, why the hell would he just give up?! A true hero would move past the pain, ignored it, and move on with their life. It was a failure, sure, but it was one that he could use. A failure that he could look back and remember that he wasn't strong enough to save the person he cared for.

Plus… he didn't want Kira-san's death to be in vain. No, not that he didn't want it to be in vain… it couldn't be in vain.

"No! I can't just give up because she died. That's not what she would've wanted… I might not have known her for that long, but no one wants to have their death be in vain. She would want me to find a way to stop the Stand and defeat the user," Izuku thought defiantly. "First things first, though… I have to find a way to get out of this situation…" Izuku thought as he looked around the area closest available to him right now, that being the ground.

He saw his feet and realized that, somehow, his legs had been tied up. Had he been so focused on sulking that he never noticed The Stand tie up his legs and ankles? That… was possible. Izuku had always been the kind of person to get lost in his thoughts. Still, though, that was freaky. It was also smart on the enemy's part.

That… wasn't a good thing. It essentially killed the idea that he had before it could even begin. Then again, he would've been kind of disappointed if the villain hadn't tied up his legs. That was just kidnapping 101. Again, not a good thing, and it hindered him, but he couldn't help but not comment on how stupid that would've been.

So, now he had to find another way of making sure he could move. Just how could he do that? It wasn't like he could hop around or wriggle about like a worm. Besides, what was he supposed to do after he got off the couch? Lay there and wait for The Stand to pick him back up and place him back on the couch, or worse?

That was when he got an idea. If he could just tip over the couch, then maybe just maybe he could get himself free. Now, this would've been a problem had he been thin-stick boy Izuku. But current him was a little more bulkier, thus he was stronger. All Might's training hadn't and wouldn't go to waste.

So, with all of his might, he began to swing his body back and forth, trying to make the couch tip over. For the next two minutes, the couch didn't so much as budge. But, after a little while, it started to rock back and forth. Inch by inch, second by second, he was able to build up enough momentum to where the couch was now thumping against the ground, but still not enough to fully knock it over.

Whilst he did this, he kept an ear open for The Stand. Sure, he couldn't see it, but he could hear it. It was something he noticed when Kira and The Stand had been fighting. He could hear it shift its body and thud into walls. He wasn't completely dull to its existence. He could also feel it, which was obvious when it had subdued him.

So, if he could hear and feel it, that meant that at least two of his four senses that revolved around other things that he didn't put in his mouth would work and aid him in his escape. But if it caught him, he was screwed. If he didn't get caught, though, he could call for someone, anyone to get him out of here so that then he could track down the enemy.

Of course, that was if he could get out.

Finally, after a long tedious process, with one final swing, the couch tipped over and landed rear-first on the ground, causing Izuku to bump his head against the back cushions. He groaned, narrowing his eyes in pain. "Good… part one of the plan is now done. Now onto phase two!" Izuku thought as he reorientated himself, the dizziness and the headache that had been caused by the rough landing petering out.

Now, he had to get off of the sofa and get the rope off him. Once he did that, he would then get to phase three, where he called a hero, the police, or both. He hadn't quite decided yet which one he would call. But that wasn't important right now. Right now, he needed to get this stupid rope off of his body.

And so, he wormed his way off the sofa and dragged himself to the nearest of the wall corners which was just by the door. Once he got there, he tried with all of his might to stand up using his lower body. Unfortunately, he failed, causing him to curse under his breath. But, just because he had failed once did not he couldn't try again. So, that was exactly what he did. He tried a few more times, scooting up the wall, only to unceremoniously fall with each attempt, again and again.

"Damn you, body! Move!" Izuku swore in his mind as he pushed with all of his might. Finally, he was able to get his feet underneath him. A wide smile came across his face as he silently cheered in his mind. Now, he needed to cut the ropes. He had seen this work in movies, and while he knew it was probably just movie magic, he had to at least try.

He was going to cut the rope using the edge of the wall.

He knew it was stupid, but he had to do something. And thusly, he began to rub his back against the wall, pushing with all of his strength as he did so to try and make a dent in the thick rope. With each squat he did, his legs continued to get more and more tired, but he pushed through, all the while keeping an ear open for The Stand which was probably watching his every movement.

For all he knew, this whole thing was hopeless, and the Stand was merely watching him try and fail to escape. But, even then, he had to be sure. He couldn't just not do anything. That would go against what a hero stood for.

After what felt like an hour of rubbing the rope that bound his arms and wrists against the wall, he could hear the sound of the rope breaking. His eyes widened with excitement! He was so freaking close right now! "Come on, just a few more strokes and I should be golden!" Izuku thought as, just like he had predicted, the ropes snapped, falling to the ground as he smiled.

After that, he sat down, his legs giving out on him from doing so many squats after being dragged around like a ragdoll. Now all he had to do was untie his legs and ankles. Luckily for him, this was way easier than doing an ungodly amount of squats. It only took him a minute to untie himself, and with that done, he sighed.

"Okay, I'm free, now I just gotta get to the phone…." Izuku muttered, glancing over to the phone on the wall near the kitchen as the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the apartment. The Stand was on the move, and it was most likely coming to investigate. He had to be quick. He had to dial 119, and after that, he'd make a break for it.

And so, with that in mind, and with the knowledge that he was only seconds away from being jumped by the invisible force that he stood no reasonable chance against, he stood up and began to sprint toward the phone. It might've only been a few steps away, but in his mind, it felt like it was a literal mile from where he had been sitting.

Unfortunately for him, The Stand seemed to be two steps ahead of him, as once he so much as grazed the phone's head, a force, unlike anything he had felt before, and twice as strong as one of Kacchan's explosions, slammed into his stomach making him cough up specks of blood. They littered the floor among droplets of saliva as his body twitched. Breathing became a struggle as he fell to his knees, unable to move.

If The Stand was mocking him, he couldn't hear it. All he could hear was his own wheezed gasps as he struggled to stay conscious.

"So close…" the boy had thought. "I was just inches away from freedom… I was so… close…" Izuku thought as his vision became blurred.

"You're such a fucking loser, Deku! You can't even do one thing right with your pathetic excuse of a life! Fucking moron!" Kacchan's voice rang out through his head as Izuku chided himself. Of course… he knew this would happen.

"Kacchan was right about me… I'm nothing but a failure… I'm so… sorry… Kira-san…"

The last thing Izuku saw was his room, as he drifted off into the land of the unconscious.

[XXXX]

Yoshihara felt the wind behind her back as she fell from the twelfth floor of the apartment complex. A sense of Deja'vu washed over her as she fell, and if one were to ask her what was going through her mind, it would be panic. If she had a 100 yen coin for every time she had started to fall to her death, she'd have two, which was weird that it had now happened twice, and in the same week, no less.

It felt like she had been falling for hours, even though Yoshihara knew that hadn't been the case. She looked up, and her eyes widened. The fridge, the item that pushed her off the railing, was falling towards her and lightning speeds. She looked down and saw a car that had been just underneath her.

If she didn't do something, she'd become a stain on the floor…

"KILLER QUEEN!" Yoshihara cried out as it reached out to grab onto one of the lower floor guard rails, specifically, the one belonging to the fourth floor. Its right hand reached out and grabbed the railing with all of her might, parts of it falling off as it gripped the metal railing. She dangled there, panting as the part that had broken off, and fell to on top of the car, and just as she kept herself as close to the edge as she could, the fridge zoomed past her and slammed into the car below, crushing it like a pancake.

"Holy shit…" Yoshihara muttered, a shiver clawing down her spine. Unlike the last time she found herself falling to her death, she actually had the chance of dying this time around. Not only because she was falling but because she would've been crushed had she not moved out of the way. Her heart beat in her chest as her breathing slowly returned to normal.

If she were to add another thing to the list of things that she refused to go through again, it would be falling from great heights under the threat of being turned into a human pancake.

"Thank god for Killer Queen. Otherwise, I would be dead," Yoshihara muttered as, with the help of her Stand, she pulled herself up. Some of the wounds that had been caused by the utensils dripped blood, which stained the floor that she stood on. Cursing to herself, she stared out into the distance, narrowing her eyes.

"Why? Why would she do this? Does she not realize that Midoriya-kun is in danger with her doing this? Or, perhaps, she knows and doesn't care?" Yoshihara thought, frowning. If that were the case, she would be more than pissed off at her.

That was when something struck her, and a realization bore its way into her mind.

Midoriya was still trapped in that apartment with that Stand, with no way of defending himself!

"Shit!" Yoshihara cursed under her breath. She had completely forgotten about that little fact. Someone other than herself was in real danger, not just her this time! And so, with a determined expression, her heart beating and her blood pumping, she made her way back up to the twelfth floor of the apartment complex.

As she climbed, a million and one thoughts rushed through her head. Was Midoriya alright? Was he going to be able to hold it off until she got there? Scratch that, was he even still alive? The Stand seemed hellbent on killing both of them, not just her. Or perhaps it was just that inaccurate with its attacks? That would be possible, but she didn't have the time to test that theory. All she had the time for was to get back to Midoriya as fast as humanly possible.

The Stand didn't seem to have a weight limit when it came to its ability. Although it did seem to have a limit to only inanimate objects. Otherwise, The Stand would've sent her out a window rather than throwing objects at them. That was the only good thing she learned about getting thrown off the side of the building.

As she ran up the stairs, Yoshihara slipped on the fifth step on the way up to the tenth floor. Killer Queen prevented her from falling as she sighed. This thing was going to save her a bunch from falling face first or ass-backwards, wasn't it? She never really was all that good at keeping her balance…

Clearing her mind, Yoshihara got herself back on route, just as she heard something thump. She cringed. Who did that? What happened? Was Midoriya okay? He was practically defenceless right now, although she wasn't doubting him. It more had to do with the fact that he couldn't see The Stand, so ergo, what was he going to do to protect himself?

Kujo made it very clear that only Stand Users can harm other Stand Users with their own Stand. Anything that wasn't directly connected to a Stand couldn't harm a Stand, much less deter it. So the question was… was that Midoriya trying to defend himself, or was it the Stand hurting and or potentially killing Midoriya….

And if it was the latter…

Then someone was going to die. If there was one thing that she couldn't stand… it was the loss of an innocent life.

Oh, don't get her wrong, she has killed other people before. But they were far from innocent. Case in point, the person who had tried to get… frisky with her back all those months ago outside of the setting where she allowed that to happen. That person wasn't innocent. In fact, if she had to harbour a guess he was a scum fuck just like all the others she let do horrible things to her for money.

He, much like those she let do those things to her, was probably a pedophile. Teenager or not, she was still a kid in the eyes of the law. There was no excuse for it. The only reason she was allowed at her former place of work was because it made her money. Outside of that, it was inexcusable.

Tangent aside, she finally made it to the twelfth floor of the complex. She ran to the very end, which was where the Midoriya Household was. The door was closed, and when she went to twist the handle, it didn't budge.

"Shit, it's locked," Yoshihara cursed. She narrowed her eyes, summoning Killer Queen as it touched the door handle. The handle gleamed as she took a step back. "Sorry, Midoriya, but I'm destroying your lock. I'll pay to get it replaced later…" Yoshihara muttered as Killer Queen formed its hand into the charade of a detonator, its bandaged thumb pressing down on the rest of its hand mimicking a charge. A click reverberated around her as the door handle blew up in a small cloud of smoke before disappearing completely, the door slowly opening due to gravity.

Once the door was open, Yoshihara stepped inside, careful to not make any noise. When she got in, the first thing she noticed was how eerily quiet it had gotten. Nary a peep was made, and it set her on high alert.

As silently as she could, she stepped into the living room and saw that the couch was tipped over. Over to her right, she saw that a bundle of severed rope was on the floor, and over by the phone, there were small droplets of blood and spit on the wood.

A struggle had happened. But, for the most part, considering there wasn't a lot of blood, she assumed that Midoriya was still alive. For that, she breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted was for her first friend to be dead because of her. That wouldn't have helped her sleep at night. Not even in the slightest.

"So… Midoriya's alive. The question is… where is he? He might be in his room. So, that means all I have to do is get to his room and get him out of here. Then, I just have to find her. And once I do… I'm gonna punch the leaving shit out of her."

As soon as that thought left her mind, The Stand reappeared, its presence looming and its body language that of someone who was extremely pissed off. It had no mouth, so it couldn't communicate, and even if it did, it probably wouldn't.

[KURRSHA…!]

The Stand growled at her, and as soon as it did, it began to rapidly touch random things around the area in no particular order. That meant it had to re-touch everything that it threw at someone. It was weird, but not nearly as weird as what happened next. Its arms broke apart into thin strands of what its arms looked like, almost appearing to look like whips as they flailed about, hitting anything that it could.

The tendrils were silver in colour, with green ends matching the fingers. The speed at which the thin protrusions moved was faster than Yoshihara could even see, and as it flicked about, everything that was on the floor started to gather a green aura and float upward. It touched some of the scattered utensils on the floor, a painting, and even the couch! And with a mighty war cry, the Stand launched them at her.

[KURRSHA!]

The objects came flying toward Yoshihara. Killer Queen appeared to her side and began to throw punch after punch at blinding speed. It appeared to her as if its fists had turned into a blur, which was mesmerizing in its own right. One of the fists hit the couch, and as soon as it did, a bubble formed in the couch cushion that had been punched, and in a puff of smoke and a loud boom, the couch was gone.

With an opening now presenting itself, Yoshihara and Killer Queen charged the Stand, swinging at The Stand with jabs and hooks, all of which The Stand dodged. The humanoid figure then levitated a knife and set it flying at Yoshiahra, the sharp blade covered in a green aura as it zoomed right toward her throat.

If it wasn't obvious before, The Stand was actively trying to kill her.

Instead of ducking in fear, Yoshihara smirked, having Killer Queen grab the knife by the blade, spinning around in a blur of motion, before chucking the knife back at the enemy Stand. The knife lodged itself into the Stand's inner elbow, making it flinch, as then, Killer Queen detonated the bomb it had planted in the knife.

The result was an explosion strong enough to sever the arm from the upper arm down. Of course, she could've just caused the bomb to blow up the entire Stand, but she knew that once a Stand was damaged, so was the user thanks to her witnessing it herself when Kujo's Soft & Wet grabbed her wrist.

In other words, she didn't want to kill her.

The Stand groaned in pain as it was knocked into the wall to its right, holding its arm as it glared at her. Or, at least it tried glaring at her. In response to that, Yoshihara smirked. "Not so smart as you think yourself to be, are you? Now, I don't want to fight… there's too much at stake here, and I think you know that. So, how about you come back here, and we talk this out, yeah?" Yoshihara said as the Stand growled again.

[KURRSHA…]

Then, without warning, the Stand charged at Yoshihara as Killer Queen put up its arms to block the attack. the Stand reared back its remaining arm and clashed its fist into the defence made by Killer Queen, only to rapidly punch it at blistering speeds after the first failed to break the barrier.

[KURRSHAAAAAAAAAA!]

The blows dealt to Killer Queen's arms were weak, but the abundance caused Yoshihara's Stand to drop its guard, lowering its arms, and leaving it open. However, before the enemy Stand could deliver another blow, Killer Queen retaliated with a left punch straight to the enemy Stand's gut, followed by a right hook to the jaw to the face, knocking it into the wall, causing it to slide down against it, slumping over.

Yoshihara was breathing quickly, sweat dripping from her forehead as she walked up to the Stand. It seemed immobile, but she assumed it wouldn't be for long. "Damn, that was super annoying…" Yoshihara said, walking up to it. "You really are a piece of work, aren't you? No, that's too nice. You're a pain in the ass, good riddance," Yoshihara spat as she looked down at its remaining.

The one thing that she didn't understand was the fact that both of the hands had different arrows on them, one blue one and one red one. The blue one, before it had been blown away by Killer Queen, had been pointed outward as if to jettison something away from the Stand, while the red one pointed toward the Stand. But why?

Unbeknownst to Yoshihara, some of the knives that had been deflected began to levitate behind her, a green aura surrounding them. Then, just when she realized what exactly that red arrow meant, the hand with the red arrow closed, causing Yoshihara to go wide-eyed as she felt a sharp, searing pain in her back.

Slowly, Yoshihara looked over her shoulder as several knives stabbed into her back, blood spurting from the wounds. But they didn't just stab after the initial piercing, no… they continued to go further as the blades kept digging deeper and deeper into her skin as the Stand looked up at her. Its cold, dead, purple eyes struck fear into Yoshihara as she sucked in a breath of air.

Not thinking about it for longer than a second, Killer Queen punched the knives out of Yoshihara's back as she gasped in pain, the blades of the knives shattering with each punch as Yoshihara fell forward, hands and knees on the floor as she clenched her teeth, blood running down her back as the enemy Stand stood up, walking close to her as she looked up. Its eyes narrowed at her, before it then kneed her in the face, knocking her on her back as she screamed in pain.

"Gahhh!" Yoshihara cried out as blood dripped from her nose and mouth, the wounds on her back still bleeding as she tried to get up, a daze coming over her as the Stand growled again.

[KURRSHA…]

Killer Queen attempted to punch the Stand but it dodged, grabbing Killer Queen's hand before driving its fist directly into Killer Queen's stomach, the same pain going through Yoshihara as she coughed up a glob of blood, it staining the wooden floor as Yoshihara wheezed. the enemy Stand shoved Killer Queen back as it punched it in the face again, then again, all of which Yoshihara felt. The blows weren't that powerful, at least not as powerful as Yoshihara's Killer Queen, but they still felt stronger than your average person, and with each blow, the pain just kept getting worse and worse.

The Enemy Stand attempted to hit her again, only for Killer Queen to grab the fist with narrowed eyes. Try as the Stand might to free itself, it couldn't move as Killer Queen snarled. The purple aura that surrounded Yoshihara was replaced by a black, smokey aura. It was pure malice given form, and for a split second, the enemy Stand's eyes widened, as if it wasn't expecting that.

And then, with a crushing grip, Killer Queen crushed the leftover hand the enemy Stand had to work with. But that wasn't where the pain ended. Killer Queen then roundhouse kicked the Stand in the face, knocking it back. And when the distance was put between them, Killer Queen turned its hand into the charade of a detonator, and without any kind of remorse, Killer Queen set off the bomb it had placed in the enemy Stand's remaining hand.

The bubble expanded within the skin of the Stand before it burst, blowing up the remaining arm up to the shoulder, making the Stand scream in pain much like Yoshihara did when it had kneed her in the face.

[KURRSHA!]

Yoshihara got up with the help of Killer Queen as The Enemy Stand was now missing both of its arms. It now looked terrified, as if it knew what was about to happen, but heedless of that fear, Yoshihara glared at the Stand, pure unrivalled hatred burning deep within her eyes as she snarled.

"You know, I was content with just leaving you there, knocked out, but you pushed me to my breaking point. I'm no longer going to give mercy to you or your user. I'm going to do the complete opposite," Yoshihara spat as The Stand attempted to get up, only for Killer Queen to kick it back down, the wall cracking under the strength of the kick.

"No. You're not getting up. This is it. I'm done with this…" Yoshihara said, her fist clenched as Killer Queen did the same action. "AND SO ARE YOU!" Yoshihara shouted as Killer Queen picked up The Stand and began to rush it with punches, all the while it shouted its battle cry.

[SHIBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBOBO!SHIBO!]

With the final punch, The Stand was covered in bubble-like holes, and the moment Killer Queen was done punching, the Stand turned its hand into the same charade as before, pressed down, and just like that they all detonated at once, completely annihilating the Stand in the process. The explosion was controlled, barely damaging the walls around it, only leaving small singe marks from where the Stand had been eviscerated.

Yoshihara's breathing was heavy, her body ached and she was shaking like a leaf. The adrenaline was slowly leaving her body as the pain became renewed. She had defeated the Stand, but now she still had to find Her, assuming she wasn't dead because of the destruction of her Stand. If she was alive, though, the problem now became that Yoshihara was too injured to do much of anything.

That aside, she still had to do something. She couldn't just fall backward and die. She had to call for help, and now that The Stand was gone, she could do just that.

Using the wall for help with walking, she inched her way to the phone by the kitchen. As she got closer to the phone, she reached out to it and grabbed it off its base. Yoshihara dialled 119, as, immediately after she put it to her ear, she was blessed by a speedy pick-up, and thusly, the first responder spoke.

"Hello, Emergency hotline speaking. How may I forward your call?" The woman asked as Yoshihara began to speak.

"Help… Villain attack in… small apartment building on Tatooine Street… The villain left, I'm hurt badly… and there may or may not be a… hostage… send an ambulance and police… please," Yoshihara said as the operator began to type on the keyboard.

"Okay, help is on the way. What's the address you're at?" The receptionist asked as Yoshihara coughed, some blood hitting her hand as she spoke.

"1967 Tatoonie Street, the twelfth floor of the apartment complex… l-last apartment on the right, please, send help now," Yoshihara said as the sound of footsteps behind her made Yoshihara go stiff. She looked over her shoulder, and immediately, the phone dropped from her hand, shock and disbelief painted on her face.

"How?! I… I destroyed the Stand! She should be—"

Before her thought could finish, and before she could do anything, a green, blue arrow-embroidered hand slammed into Yoshihara's stomach, stealing away all of the air in her lungs as she flung backward into the kitchen and right into the cupboards beneath the sink, a loud thud reverberating throughout the apartment.

"Hello, ma'am? Is everything alright? Hello?!" The operator on the phone called out as a human hand grabbed the phone and pulled it off the cord, breaking the line. Yoshihara growled, coughing as she slowly stood up, using the counter for balance. Emerald green eyes stared harshly into Yoshihara's sky-blue eyes as Inko Midoriya sneered.

"You…" Yoshihara bit out, contempt rolling off of her in waves as she stared at Inko. "I fucking knew… I wasn't seeing things… my question is why…?" Yoshihara ground out heavy breaths as Inko scoffed, a nearly offended look on her face.

"Oh, really? You're going to ask me that question? You should already know why. It's because of Izuku," Inko spat as her Stand floated behind her, retaining both of its arms as if it had never been destroyed. Yoshihara really wanted to know how that was possible, and how it was possible for Inko to be alive.

From what Kujo had told her, if a Stand was damaged, then its user would take the same damage in turn. So, when she destroyed the Stand, then in turn it would make sense for Inko to have been killed—something that would have weighed heavy on her conscious for sure, but it was needed for her to survive.

Unless she was missing something? However, there was a more pressing issue at hand. And it had to do with what Inko had just said. Something that royally pissed Yoshihara off to a degree she had not felt in a very, very long time.

"Midoriya-kun…? This was… about him?! But you hurt him! How the fuck could this be about Midoriya-kun if you actively tried to hurt him?!" Her adrenaline was spiking again as fury flowed throughout her body. In response, Inko sighed, an almost disappointed look on her face, as if her reasoning had been obvious—not that it was, and, the more that she thought about it, the more the look on her face stopped being disappointing and looked more condescending.

"Accidents happen when you try to protect the ones you love. I never meant harm to my boy, but there are just times when he's too pigheaded to realize he needs to sit down and accept the facts in life. He's far too timid, and it's now come to my attention that I'll have to protect him, both as his mother and as someone who made a vow to ensure the innocent were never taken advantage of. And you, Kira Yoshihara, strike me as the type of person who would use my son," Inko drawled.

"Use him…? What are you—" Yoshihara interrupted herself, as she coughed up blood, the red crimson liquid scattering on the floor. She wiped her mouth, before glaring back up at Inko. She didn't have a lot of time left until she passed out. She had to do something, anything.

"What am I talking about? Are you stupid on purpose?" Inko said, crossing her arms as her Stand mimicked her stance. "You're a teenager, and so is my son. I'm not stupid enough to believe that hormones won't kick in. But that's not the only thing you did wrong. The other thing you did wrong should be obvious, even to a novice like you. So tell me, what do you think you did to warrant this?"

"What I did…?" Yoshihara thought, glaring at Inko, genuinely puzzled at what it was she was saying. "Last I checked, I haven't so much as laid a finger on him. What do you mean What I did."

Inko scoffed, eyes narrowing. "Oh, please, do I really have to explain that, or are you that dense? Do you realize how much danger you put him in when you met him? You're a Stand user, so you should know the issues that come with that, as do I. The difference is that I'm his mother, and you're just some random he met." The more Inko spoke, the more venom dripped from her voice as malice oozed off of her, mixed with killing intent.

And that's when Yoshihara saw it. She saw the mask slip. No more was she staring at Inko Midoriya, the kindly housewife and devoted mother. The Inko she was looking at was a cold-blooded, stone-faced, tactical killer. The kind of person who would kill you for looking at her wrong. The kind of person who would do whatever it took to put their enemy in the ground.

This was the real Inko Midoriya. She knew that the Inko that she had met earlier unnerved her for a reason, and that was it. Because the Inko she had met was not Inko. It was a façade, a play, a trick. All to lure her into a false sense of security.

Inko never planned to be friendly from the start. She had set up this entire house as a boobytrap to kill Yoshihara. However, there was just one thing that she couldn't wrap her head around. And that was why? It made no sense. The only thing that Yoshihara could fully come up with as an answer to her question was that…

"You're insane…" Yoshihara glowered, finally standing up fully as Inko glared at her, watching her like a hawk would its prey.

"Maybe, but at least I'm in the right. You, on the other hand, are not. The fact that you even attempted to be friends with my son… angers me. My son is fine as he is. He is safe as is. As a matter of fact, I think after this is said and done, I'm going to forbid him from going to U.A., so that way he can be protected by me forever, until I die, or until he dies. Whichever comes first," Inko said, smirking.

"Besides, he doesn't need any friends aside from Bakugo. Sure, things need to be ironed out with him and Bakugo, but it can be done. Now the only thing that needs to happen is for you to be out of the picture. Once that's done, not only will my son be so dejected that he can't bother to get out of bed and rely on me, but you won't be able to taint him."

Yoshihara went to say something, only for her to cough up more blood. This time, it damn near came out like a fountain in an uncontrollable coughing fit. It only stopped when Yoshihara felt as if she was on the verge of passing out. Her stomach felt like it was on fire, as did her throat. Was that what it was like? To be so close to death?

If that was what it was like, then it sucked. Whoever came up with the term "the sweet embrace of death" was a filthy, petulant, lying sack of shit.

The two Stand Users stayed silent for a few seconds as Yoshihara looked down at the floor. Blood dripped from her wounds, staining the wooden floor as she heard Inko walk towards her, her footsteps heavy as Yoshihara glanced back up to look at her, nothing but hate and malice in her eyes.

"Oh, don't look so mad. I hope you understand where I'm coming from. I'm only doing this to protect my son. I'm sure your parents would have done the same, wouldn't they? He cannot have you as a friend due to your status as a Stand user. Call me a hypocrite if you want, but the saying goes, "Momma knows best," and all that," Inko said, tapping her chin in thought. "Although I have to ask, you're a fairly competent Stand User. Not many people have survived this long against Fly, Fly Away. That either speaks to your learning skills, or, you're naturally talented."

"Although, I'm sure you're confused," Inko continued, gesturing to herself. "I'm sure you know that when a Stand is destroyed, its user dies as well. But that only applies to Stands like yours. Mine is an automatic Stand. And so, the only reason why I didn't die due to the damage you did to Fly, Fly Away was because of that. The most it ever felt like was like a pin stabbing into the spots where your Stand hit it and destroyed that part of it, though the closer I am to my Stand, the more I feel its pain," Inko said as Fly, Fly Away reached out to grab Yoshihara, Inko continued talking, closing her eyes as she shrugged.

"Well, I believe that's enough chitchat. It's time for you to die, Kira-chan. Maybe in another universe, we could have been friends. But, as it stands right now, I need you to—"

Before Inko could finish her sentence, and before Fly, Fly Away could grab by the throat, Yoshihara to presumably choke the life out of her, Killer Queen beat it to the punch, grabbing Fly, Fly Away by the throat, causing Inko to choke mid-sentence, the same markings of Killer Queen's fingers appearing on her throat as Fly, Fly Away was lifted into the air, a few inches off the ground.

"H-Huh?! B-But you—"

"Rule number one… about fighting…" Yoshihara began, her eyes gleaming with a resolve so fierce, so bright, that it looked as if there was a flame flickering behind her eyes. "Never let your guard down… for someone as experienced as you… or so you claim, you should know that…" As Yoshihara said that, Killer Queen reared back its fist, its knuckles tightening as it glared, its typically emotionless expression twisting into one of pure rage, its mouth downturned in a snarl, revealing two rows of pointed, carnivorous teeth.

"A-Are you going to k-kill me!? W-What would Izuku think of you?! K-Killing me w-will only—"

"Shut up," Yoshihara growled, her posture changing from a weakened, scared victim to someone who was in full control of the situation. Her shoulders were brought up high, her stance was perfectly straight, and her head was pointed straight ahead, staring at Inko, whose face was starting to turn red. "I won't kill you… But I'll make you wish I had!"

And as soon as those words left Yoshihara's mouth, Killer Queen unleashed a series of single-handed punches, jabs, and hooks that knocked Fly, Fly Away's head around in various directions, the impacts mimicking on Inko's face, but not the force nor directions of the blows, just the damage and pain, all the while Killer Queen screamed out a warcry not to dissimilar to its usual one.

[SHI-NNNEEEEEE!]

Blood exploded from Inko's mouth and nose, a tooth flying out of her mouth as several others chipped in the process. With one final strike, Killer Queen sent both Fly, Fly Away and Inko into the wall next to the apartment entrance, causing the whole apartment to shake. Inko slumped against the wall, her Stand disappearing as Yoshihara stood victorious, her eyes heavy with drowsiness as all of the adrenaline in her system promptly died.

"I… did it…"

Just as Yoshihara collapsed to the floor, losing consciousness from blood loss, a pro hero dressed up like a Nurse with bright pink hair, alongside an older-looking nurse-like hero using a giant needle to walk came into the apartment, followed by several other paramedics.

!Stand Information Corner!

Stand User: Inko Midoriya

Stand Name: Fly, Fly Away

Localized Name: Soar Away

Stand Appearance: Fly, Fly Away is a green and gray humanoid Stand with a genderless appearance. It's a foot taller than its user, Inko Midoriya, and it is slimmer and more muscular than its user. A majority of its body is gray, the exceptions being its legs and arms, which are emerald in colour. Its eyes are solid purple ovals, and it has no other facial features. Atop its head is a helmet, with a pair of designer wings on either side of its head where the ears would typically be. On its right and left hands, on the backs of its palms, there is a red and blue arrow respectively, the red arrow pointing away from it, and the blue arrow pointing toward it.

Stand Ability:

Repulsion and Attraction: Fly, Fly Away's signature ability allows it to repulse objects or attract objects depending on what is needed at the moment and time, usually signalled by the arrow that corresponds to each hand glowing. If the red arrow is glowing, then the objects will be repulsed. If the blue arrow is glowing, then the objects will be attracted toward the user. The ability only works on non-sentient beings, i.e., nothing living. So long as the object is within five metres of Fly, Fly Away, the Stand can control it freely. However, regarding repulsion, as soon as the objects leave their range, the objects that are being repulsed will continue to go in that direction until the object is disturbed.

Stand Stats:

Destructive Power: Grade D (As strong as a regular human)

Effective Range: [Controlling the objects it touches] Grade D (5 meters) [Repulsing Objects] Grade A (Until disturbed by other objects or it hits its target)

General Speed: Grade C (As fast as a bullet)

Persistent use of ability: Grade D (Touch-based)

Precision: Grade C (Misses semi-infrequently)

Overall Potential: Grade C

[Status: Retired]

When Toshinori Yagi heard that a Villain attacked the Midoriya household, he panicked. He would've rushed there to help had it not been for the fact that he had used up his time limit as All Might an hour after he caught wind of the incident. After all, that was his pupil who needed saving, and he wasn't going to let anything stop him.

Anything except Gran Torino, who happened to be visiting at that particular moment. His former sensei advised him not to since he would have been able to do nothing if the villain targeted him, seeing as his limit had indeed been up. And in that weakened state, he would've more likely than not died, and All Might would've been no more.

And so, reluctantly, he stayed back. It made him feel awful for not rushing to his student's side, but it wasn't as if he could argue with Gran Torino. He was, usually, always right about things. The only thing he wasn't right about was his taste in food, but that was a conversation for another time.

Toshinori was currently wearing a yellow pinstripe suit, the top having been unbuttoned due to his rushing out of the door. He had slapped the suit on the moment he had heard that his pupil was in the nearby hospital so he could pay him a visit. After all, he wasn't about to go see him in an undershirt and boxer briefs, which was what he was wearing underneath.

The specific hospital that Izuku was transferred to was Musutafu General Hospital, which from where Might Tower was stationed in Tokyo would have been an hour's drive. On his way there, he couldn't help but wonder just what the damage might have been. He didn't probe for details, only that he was in the standard medical wing, alongside his mother and another patient who had been the one to report the crime in the first place, meaning that they weren't the person who had caused his pupils pain and suffering.

He wondered, then, who could have done it. According to Recovery Girl, who had been on sight, the villain was gone when they showed up, meaning they were still at large. It put Toshinori on edge, but not enough to go digging into it himself. Though, he would have to do a few patrols primarily in the area of the Midoriya Household just to dissuade the criminal from trying something like that again.

When he got to the hospital, he quickly found where Midoriya was being kept, and upon getting there, he was already wide awake, sitting upright in bed with a mix of confusion and relief on his face. The two emotions most likely came from the person opposite of him.

They were asleep, an IV was plunged into their wrist as they wore a medical gown. They had chin-length blonde hair and tanned-peach skin and had been lying down semi-sitting up, their head lolled to the side. Banadages peeked out from their collar, signifying they had heavy wounds underneath, along with bandages wrapped around their forehead.

When Toshinori entered the room, Midoriya immediately noticed him, flinching slightly at his sudden appearance. "All—I mean, Yagi-san, I wasn't e-expecting you," Midoriya said, a timid edge to his voice as Toshinori approached, dragging out a chair to sit next to him, concern both in his voice and his face.

"Midoriya, my boy, why didn't you call the heroes when the villains started to attack?!" Toshinori asked, a mix of scorn and confusion in his voice as Midoriya flinched again, rubbing the back of his head, and glancing to the side.

"Well, you see, they, uh…" Midoriya began, putting his hand back where it had been at his side, looking back at Toshinori with a half-hearted smile. "My friend dealt with it already… or, tried to. S-she also recommended n-not calling a hero because of their Q-Quirk. A-And, um…. Yeah…"

"And I take it your friend is the person opposite of us?" Toshinori asked, pointing to the unconscious patient. Midoriya nodded, a look of relief on his face.

"Yeah…. Kira-san's strong, and wants to be a hero like me, and she took care of the villain," Midoriya said, his stuttering all but disappearing as soon as he started talking about his friend. He most likely didn't notice it, but he had a smile on his face. Toshinori wasn't blind nor was he dense enough to not notice the early signs of someone having a crush on another person.

In the past, there were several times when he found himself in a similar position, all before he had become Nana's successor to One For All. Though he had all but given up on love after becoming All Might, he never did forget his first moments with that same smile and gaze. He wouldn't comment on it for his sake, but it was still something that he had noticed.

On the other hand… "So, you allowed your friend to commit a crime by way of vigilantism?" Toshinori questioned as Midoriya froze on the spot, his cheeks red with embarrassment as his eyes shot open.

"I-I-I-I—"

"Relax, Midoriya," Toshinori assured, placing a hand on his shoulder as the boy did as he was told, his shoulders drooping as he exhaled. "I'm going to let you two off with a warning. But, if I catch it happening again, I'm going to have to have the police chief talk to your friend, alright?"

"Yes, sir," Midoriya replied, his tone a tad on the solemn side. And just as he was about to say something to change the topic…

"Where is she?! What room is she in!? I need to see her right now!" A loud, angry, and panicked voice called out from the hallway, the sound of fast-approaching footsteps echoing throughout the floor that Toshinori was on caused him to look toward the entrance. The voice was familiar, having recognized it at this afternoon's meeting with Nedzu and the other staff members at U.A.

"Ma'am, go back to the waiting room. She isn't—"

Before the poor assistant could get a word out, the door flung open, revealing it to be none other than Nemuri, standing in the doorway, a panicked look on her face, She was wearing a dark brown trenchcoat, underneath which was a white and black striped shirt and black form-fitting yoga pants, along with red high heels.

The two Pro Heroes stared at one another, both confused at seeing one another. For Toshinori, considering the words that had come out of Nemuri's mouth, he assumed that she was here to see the person who had been asleep on the opposite side of the room.

For Nemuri's part, she was a little confused as to why Toshinori was sitting beside a green-haired boy, though considering he had mentioned something during the meeting about looking for a student to potentially recommend to the recommendation exam, she assumed that the boy was who he was talking about.

"Yagi-kun, I didn't expect to see you here," Nemuri said as Toshinori greeted her with a gentle smile, the kind only a man of his age could pull off without making it look creepy.

"Kayama-san, hello. The same could be said for you. I'm just visiting the person who I spoke of at the meeting. Midoriya, this is Kayama, or as you might know her, Midnight. Kayama, this is Midoriya, a boy who I was scouting," Toshinori said, leaving Midoriya momentarily confused, though he quickly caught that Kayama might have been aware of his physical state, though not about how One For All worked.

"H-Hello, M-Midnight-san…" Midoriya shakily greeted, timidness and trepidation in his voice as Nemuri smiled, putting a hand on her hip as she walked through the entranceway and into the room proper.

"It's nice to meet you, Midoriya. Yagi-kun has said plenty of good things about you. It makes me wonder if you'll actually take up his offer to do the recommendation test. He told me you were Quirkless, and while I was skeptical at first, after seeing you in person, I don't think that quite matters anymore," Nemuri said as Midoriya's eyes widened.

"Is she being serious?" Before Midoriya could say anything, Toshinori cleared his throat, catching the pair's attention. The two looked at him, as he adjusted himself in his seat.

"I hate to interrupt this conversation, but, what exactly are you doing here, Kayama-san?" Toshinori asked as Nemuri perked up as if remembering something that she had forgotten. She looked over to the person lying in the bed across from Midoriya and walked over to her, worry on her face as she pulled out the chair to sit next to her. She clasped her hand, before breathing out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, dear god thank you…" Nemuri said, before glancing up at the person in question, then back to Midoriya. "The receptionist said that you, your mother, and Yoshihara were all emitted at the same time. What happened?" the tone her voice took, gaining a serious edge to it, was similar to a parent grilling a boyfriend about what happened to their daughter.

That, coupled with the fact that Nemuri referred to the person by their first name, allowed Toshinori to assume that the person across from them was someone close to Nemuri, if not her child. Now giving it a further look, the clipboard sitting in front of the medical bed had read "Kira Yoshihara" in bold characters.

Last Toshinori checked Nemuri's name was Kayama Nemuri, not Kira Nemuri, unless she recently got married. Though considering there was no ring on her finger he doubted that. That begged the question, just who was this girl to Nemuri?

"Can I ask how you know Kira over there?" Toshinori asked as Nemuri spared him a glance, before sighing. She let go of the Kira person's hand, sitting up straight with her back against the chair and hands in her lap.

"I adopted Yoshihara nine months ago. I won't go into the full reason as to why, mostly because it isn't my story to tell. All you have to know is that at the time it was the right thing to do. The poor girl was lost, without direction. I gave her direction, something she lacked. That's all there is to it," Nemuri said as Midoriya stared in disbelief.

This entire time, his friend was the adopted daughter of the Pro Heroine Midnight?! That was insane! "I-I—Huh!?" In response to Midoriya's befuddlement, all Nemuri did was giggle to herself.

"What? Are you shocked that I, the R-rated heroine, would adopt a child?" Nemuri asked Midoriya, who blushed at her tone of voice. It was a teasing tone. The type of tone one would hear in R-rated material, of which Midoriya was not a complete dunce about. He was a teenager after all.

"Leave the poor kid alone, Nem," A rough-sounding voice spoke out from the doorway, as once again, every conscious individual turned to look in that direction. The person who the voice belonged to was…. Rather intimidating to say the very least, though not to Nemuri. And while they hadn't seen one another since June of last year, and Yoshihara was still fifteen years old, they were still friendly with one another.

The man in question was tall, standing around six foot one inch, with ear-length brown hair. The last time they had seen one another, he was clean-shaven, but now he sported a beard that covered his bare chin. It made him look more rugged in Nemuri's eyes, the same having gone with the handlebar mustache he now sported.

He was dressed in a white button-down shirt with golden and brown mixed buttons, and a pair of black jeans held up by a pair of suspenders. Over his shoulders was a black, undone parka with a fluffed hood. If Nemuri had to guess why that was, it was because it had been a little chilly out. While it was March and closer to spring than to winter, the wind was still chilly, and there had been a strong breeze outside.

Midoriya stared at the man. Whereas Nemuri did not feel intimidated by his presence, Midoriya certainly did. He gave off the vibe of someone who had a hardened exterior and an even harder interior. The kind of person you didn't make angry. At least, that was what Midoriya got out of him.

The man glanced at Midoriya, his face devoid of an expression as he spoke. "Hope she didn't bother you too much. My sister-in-law can be a little troublesome at times," the man said as Nemuri brushed him off.

"Oh, please, Akira, there's no need to be like that. I was just teasing him," Nemuri replied as the man, Akira, grunted.

"My point exactly," Akira said, shoving his hands into his parka's pockets. His eyes shifted over to Kira, his expression melting into one of pure concern. "Dear God, what the hell happened? I've seen her beat up before but this is a little much."

"I was actually asking the young man sitting across from her," Nemuri said as Akira turned to stare at Midoriya, his eyes narrowing with a scathing glare, Midoriya flinched away, his back hitting against the beds headrest as Akira glowered at him.

"If you so much as laid a finger on her I swear not even All Might can save you from what I'll—"

"Akira, no, that's not what I meant," Nemuri interrupted him as he blinked, sheepishly chuckling as he scratched the back of his neck.

"I can see you're a bit protective of young Kira, then," Toshinori finally spoke up, having finished watching from the sidelines. Akira glanced at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Who're you?" Akira asked as Toshinori placed a hand on the left side of his chest in greeting, bowing his head slightly as he spoke.

"Yagi Toshinori. I'm All Might's personal advisor, and I've been scouting this young man for All Might as someone to recommend to U.A.'s recommendation exam," Toshinori lied through his teeth, Nemuri nodding along with what he was saying. It was the cover-up story that he was going with if he had ever been seen in public by someone and they asked why he was with Midoriya.

The only people who knew about his secret regarding One For All were Midoriya, Sir Nighteye, Mirio Togata—a second year at U.A. going into his third year once exams were over—Gran Torino, and Nedzu. The less important part of his secret, the part of him only having a limited time to be All Might, everyone in U.A.'s teaching staff knew about.

"Ah, gotcha," Akira said, before giving Midoriya a once over. "Sorry about that, kiddo. I'm a little protective over Yoshihara as your blond friend suggested. I see her as my daughter, took her in when no one else would. Name's Tomodachi Akira, a pleasure to meet you. I take it you're Yoshihara's friend?"

"U-Uh, yeah," Midoriya responded as his mind raced with questions he wanted to ask him. Was he the same Akira that Yoshihara worked for? If so, he wanted to know why he continued to let her do what she was doing. Why did he let her do… that for a job rather than something less, well, illegal?

But, for the sake of Yoshihara's privacy, knowing full well that it wasn't his place to ask questions that he really didn't need answers to despite his curiosity, he let it go. However, he did have a different, less invasive question to ask. One that he hoped that Tomodachi-san would answer.

"S-So, you… you were K-Kira-san's first guardian?" As soon as those words left Midoriya's mouth, Tomodachi frowned, crossing his arms, a look of regret on his face.

"Yeah, I was. I… wasn't very good at it. Never tried to build a real connection to her that wasn't strictly business. I blame my father for that. You know what they say "like father like son" and all that noise. I kept a roof over her head and gave her a bed to sleep in and food to eat. Then one day she walked out and decided to live on her own while still working for me. Shit happened, and now Nemuri's her Guardian."

The way Akira spoke told Midoriya that it was a sore spot. Something that he didn't want to talk about. Like he had failed Kira-san in some way. But… what exactly did he do that would make him feel like he had failed her? He knew that tone of voice. The tone of complete dejection and remorse.

Before Midoriya could ask any further, Toshinori spoke up. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly did she do for you? What exactly was her job?"

Just like that, Akira's regret-filled face steeled immediately, his gaze becoming pointed as his frown drew into a neutral line. "I'm not at liberty to divulge my former employee's position of employment at my place of work under the recently passed Minor Workers Privacy bill under Article 12 Section 3 Paragraph 4. All you gotta know was that it wasn't pretty, and she didn't like it. Despite that, she forced herself to do it, against my wishes."

While Toshinori was more than a little suspicious at the sudden switch-up of tone, he wasn't going to press further. Much like Midoriya, he could tell that it was a sore spot for Tomodachi. And so, to avoid any conflict, Toshinori nodded in understanding, Akira's features softening as a result.

"Well, seeing as she's not waking up for the time being, how about we all go waste some time at the local coffee shop until we get a call back from the hospital? Technically we aren't supposed to be in here," Nemuri said, pointing at the nurse who had originally tried to stop Nemuri from barging into the room, arms crossed with narrowed eyes.

"Then I suppose we should head out, then?" Akira said as Toshinori stood up from his seat, adjusting his suit top.

"I have to get going as well. All Might wanted me at Might Tower before 7 pm so that he could have word on whether or not Midoriya is fit for doing the recommendation exam," Toshinori said before shooting Midoriya a glance. Obviously, that wasn't what it was, he just needed to head home, and Midoriya already had declined the offer to do the recommendation exam two months into their training. "Rest up, Midoriya. I'll contact you as soon as possible."

With that, the adults began to filter out of the room, leaving Izuku, his mother, and Yoshihara all by themselves, with Izuku being the only conscious one of the three. His eyes fell on his mother, who had a bandaged lower jaw and forehead, only exposing her eyes. It made him wonder what had happened. Had the villain gotten her, too? If so, then what became of the villain?

He knew that Kira had said that she would try not to kill them if she could, but would if they refused to cooperate. Did that mean Kira killed the villain when they hurt his mother? If that was the case, then he could fully understand why she did that. After all, if someone had hurt his mother in front of him, and he had the power to make sure they paid for that sin, he would make sure they felt his wrath.

No one hurt his mom without getting hurt back. It was something that Auntie Mitsuki had taught him. No matter what, he had the responsibility to protect Mom seeing as his Dad was far too busy working overseas to maintain a living for them back home. Although, that made Izuku wonder just what it was that his Dad did for a living.

Truth be told he never was able to figure that out. His Mom was very hush-hush about it. As if she was embarrassed on his behalf for what line of work his father was a part of. Was it something bad? Was his father secretly a villain? No! Obviously not! His Mom had said as such when he first asked her about it, and she would never lie to him about that kind of thing.

Izuku looked over to Yoshihara, his heart soothed with relief over the fact that she was alive. When he saw her plummet from that high up along with his fridge, he for sure thought that she had died. But, to see her here, alive, and having been the one responsible for defeating the villain, he couldn't have been happier.

He wouldn't be lying if he said that he had felt as if he had lost something dear to him when he watched Kira fall to what he believed to be her death. While he had only just met her a few days ago, he may or may not have gotten super attached right off the bat. She was the first person in a long time, excluding his mother, who had shown him any fraction of kindness or belief in him.

She looked past the fact that he was Quirkless, and saw someone who needed help. She stepped in and stopped Bakugo from hurting him when no one else would because no one stood up to him. But Kira-san did. Kira did the one thing no one else did and proved to everyone that Bakugo could be knocked down a peg or two.

He appreciated that, and was glad that they were friends. And he was even more glad that she was alive. Hurt, but alive. He honestly wouldn't know what he'd do if he had lost someone he had already grown so attached to.

Izuku yawned, feeling tired. After what happened today, he was more than a little tuckered out. Especially after being knocked around by an invisible ghost person thing. That was something that bugged him, the whole Stand thing that Kira-san had brought up. Though he'd ask questions later. Right now, what he needed was some good old-fashioned sleep.

And so, without so much as a hint of hesitation, Izuku laid his head onto the pillow behind him, closed his eyes, and took a nap.

[XXXX]

Yoshihara stirred, her head pounding as if someone had slammed a tonne of bricks on her all at once. Every inch of her body ached, and though she knew that she was somewhere that wasn't in the middle of the Midoriya Household's living room, she was more than a little cautious when opening her eyes.

The moment her eyes opened, she was greeted with a flurry of whites and monotone greys, mixed with hints of blue and a sterial smell typical of that of hospitals. Adjusting to the light of the room, Yoshihara sat up, looking from left to right, trying to figure out what was going on. Then, it all came back to her like a freight train stopping at a station to drop off unwanted products.

Fly, Fly Away attacking her and Midoriya. Her falling from the twelfth floor and only surviving because Killer Queen was fast enough to hook onto a ledge and avoiding being crushed by a fridge. Her second encounter with Fly, Fly Away, defeating the Stand, then knocking Inko out with Killer Queen, only not killing her to respect Midoriya and to not drive a wedge between their friendship.

And now, here she was, in a Hospital, with Midoriya lying down and sleeping in across from her, and to her immediate right having been Inko, who herself was stirring. A pile of bandages was next to her table, meaning that they had recently been taken off. Her teeth were repaired, meaning someone with a healing Quirk had come along to fix the damage.

Staring at Inko, all Yoshihara could think about was just how stupid the woman was. Although, she couldn't blame her for her actions. She wanted to protect Midoriya. But, her "protecting" him was only going to ruin his life and his chances, all because she was afraid of him experiencing the world outside of being a child. It was sad and pathetic, and the fact that she believed that he needed to be coddled was sickening.

Though, considering her own experience with her parents, she would've preferred being coddled to whatever poor excuse of a family that she had. At least then she could claim that she had someone who cared about her that at least shared her blood. Even if it was in a twisted kind of sense.

As Inko sat up, rubbing her jaw as she scanned the room, her eyes briefly scanned over Yoshihara, before she froze, and then looked over at her. Immediately, a mix of frustration and anger washed over her face, offence gleaming in her eyes as she glared at her. She wasn't even trying to hide it anymore. Now that the mask had come off, Yoshihara doubted it was ever going back on.

"You…" Inko spat, glaring at Yoshihara. For a split second, an emerald aura washed over her, moments away from summoning her Stand only for her to stop once she saw Midoriya, sleeping in the bed across from them. Her expression softened immediately, the aura dying down as Yoshihara crossed her arms.

It was probably only now that she realized the kind of harm she had inflicted on him. There was an x-ray chart next to his bed, most likely after they had just finished doing one, showing several broken ribs and a cracked collarbone, alongside a slight skull fracture. Yoshihara narrowed her eyes at the x-ray chart, before looking back at Inko, who was still staring at it.

"Well, so much for protecting him. Instead, you hurt him. Badly," Yoshihara said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, causing Inko to turn back to glare at her, not that Yoshihara was paying attention. "You're lucky he's asleep. If he had seen you look at me like that, I'm pretty sure he would be smart enough to figure out you were the one behind the attack."

"You were the one who—"

"Who was invited over to your house by your son and it was you who decided to do the insane thing and attack me," Yoshihara interrupted Inko, before shooting her a glare that was filled with nothing but pure anger and frustration. "I did not provoke you. I kept to myself. All I wanted to do was hang out with my friend. That was all. But then you decided to—"

"No, I—"

"Shut your fucking mouth, and listen," Yoshihara raised her voice, Killer Queen coming to her side as it loomed behind her, its eyes glowing red with rage, its emotionless expression coupled with the glare giving off nothing but pure hostility. For a moment, Midoriya stirred, causing Yoshihara to glance in his direction, watching him turn to his other side, before looking back to Inko.

"You said you wanted to protect your son from people like me, and I assume you meant "people like me" as in being a Stand User. Well, it's hard to do that, when you yourself are a Stand User. This was bound to happen no matter what caused it. I'm just finding out I have this power, and even I know that Stand Users attract other Stand Users. A self-proclaimed veteran like yourself should already know that" Yoshihara began as Inko continued to stare, her expression unreadable as she continued.

"I can understand wanting to protect someone you care about. I might not have any personal connection to something like that, but I know that if something were to happen to my guardian or my previous guardian, I would raise hell, so I'm not completely clueless or blind to it. But what you said, what you described, that isn't protection, that's imprisonment. That's abuse. That won't help anything," Yoshihara said as Inko frowned.

"And what do you, some rich girl who dresses fancy, know about abuse?" Inko scowled, which earned her yet another glare.

"You don't know me. I wouldn't go there if I were you. You're already on thin ice as it is. Only two things are stopping me from driving my Stand's fist through your face. Midoriya being your son, and us being in a public place, being recorded by a hidden security camera," Yoshihara answered as Inko sighed.

"So what? What I do with my son doesn't nor should it matter to you. It's my job to protect him how I see fit. And yes, you're right, Stand Users do attract other Stand Users. I'm not stupid. But that doesn't matter. You're a threat beacon to my boy, and I cannot, nor will not allow you to—"

"So are you, dumbass," Yoshihara interrupted, causing Inko to blink, shock taking up her visage.

"Excuse you?"

"You heard me. So are you. I'm actually appalled you haven't clued in yet. What if I wasn't Midoriya's friend? What if I was an enemy, an actual enemy, a murderer who wanted to get their fix and chose you and your son, while also happening to be a Stand User who was proficient in the use of my ability? Do you even know what my Stand's ability is?" Yoshihara asked as Inko raised an eyebrow.

"No, I don't. I can't see through my Stand. I just assumed it was a regular close-ranged combat type Stand with no real unique ability," Inko responded as Yoshihara's expression became flat, emotionless, and cold. It spooked Inko, if only briefly.

"Killer Queen's primary ability is to turn whatever it touches into a bomb that, depending on what I want, will either detonate immediately or after I press down on my hand with my thumb like a detonator. The best part is that the bomb is transferable, so it doesn't matter if I touched an object and handed it off to you with Killer Queen overlayed on top of me. The bomb would transfer over to you regardless," Yoshihara explained, and as soon as she did, Inko paled. But Yoshihara didn't stop there. She continued.

"So, when Killer Queen touched you by way of punching your face multiple times, I could have killed you right then and there and I wouldn't have even broken a sweat, because Killer Queen's bombs atomize anything they destroy. It was why I was confused when you came through the front door. Or, if you really want to feel stupid, if I wanted to, if I really was a bad person, I would have planted a bomb on your tea mug when you offered me tea and had you killed right then and there. And it would have been no sweat off my back to do so, either."

"You… you mean to tell me that you could've killed me, and I never would've seen it coming…?"

"Not even remotely," Yoshihara answered, uncrossing her arms, and letting them rest at her sides. "You let your emotions get ahead of you. You let yourself get worked up over a non-threat, and look where it landed you. The hospital. This whole thing could have been avoided if you just talked. That was it. Hell, I would've even offered to do a friendly spare if you were so nervous about me being a Stand User! Why did you automatically try to kill me?!" Yoshihara hissed, keeping her voice low so as to not wake Midoriya.

"I—" Inko went to say something, faltering, before looking away. "When you say it like that, I… I don't really have a reason anymore, do I?" Inko said, shame covering her expression. "I just… I overreacted. It's not an excuse. As a matter of fact, I should probably turn myself in. But, if I do that, then Izuku won't have anywhere to go. Izuku's father is… absent. And our extended family lives in Hokkaido."

Inko paused for a moment, pursing her lips, guilt gleaming in her eyes as Yoshihara mentally hummed. She could actually use this to her advantage. Perhaps it was a bit manipulative on her part, but she saw a way to work this in her favour. Considering recent events, she had an idea. All she needed to do was make sure it worked. "I don't want to turn yourself in, Inko. All I want is an apology, and, something else."

"Really?" Inko asked, confusion dressing her tone. "That's it? You don't want anything else? Just an apology and what I'm assuming is a favour, correct?"

"Correct," Yoshihara replied, causing Inko to chuff out a breath of air.

"If that's it, not that it matters because I was going to do this anyway, but… I'm sorry. It won't happen again. Now, what do you want?" Inko said as Yoshihara nodded.

"You see, considering Stand Users are magnets to one another, I'm considering proposing to another ally of mine, who is also a Stand User, to form a group to act as a safety net between one another. I want you to be a part of it. I know it's weird, considering you just tried to kill me, but as the saying goes…"

"Keep your friends close, and enemies closer. I underestimated you, Kira. You're smart," Inko said, rubbing her chin in thought, mulling over the idea. After a moment, she responded. "Well, considering I don't have much of a choice, I don't mind. My only question is if I'll get to meet this other Stand User you mentioned."

"Eventually," Yoshihara responded as Inko sighed. It was the best answer she was going to get realistically speaking. "He doesn't know of this plan just yet. I'm actually hoping to get in contact with you about it so we can set up a meeting sometime this week. I'll contact Midoriya if I hear anything back from him."

Inko nodded, before reclining in the hospital bed, cupping her forehead in pain. "Ow…"

"Stop complaining, you deserve it," Yoshihara quipped, before turning over to her left side, facing away from Inko. Those wounds that she had inflicted on her were going to leave new scars, and it was going to suck. Though, at least now, whatever pain she had been in had subsided. If she were to guess the reason as to why she was no longer in the excruciating amount of pain that she was in before getting here, it most likely had something to do with those two Pro Heroes she had seen before she had passed out.

As soon as that thought ended, one of the aforementioned Pro Heroes came into the hospital room they were in, followed by a few doctors, one of whom carted away the X-ray chart. As for the Pro Hero, it was the pink-haired woman, though now that she wasn't on the verge of death, she could actually make out her appearance more.

The Pro Hero in question was dressed in a white button-up coat, undone, revealing a tactical vest underneath with the initial M.L. on the front. She had gauntlets covering her forearms up to her wrist, and a pair of metal-mesh gloves covering her hands. She had a standard nurse cap atop her head, and as for the lower part of her outfit, she wore a pair of dark blue slacks, held up by a belt with several utility pouches attached to the sides of the belt, the outfit completed by a pair of crimson red lace-up boots with steel-toes.

Her skin was a shade of white, closer to the peachier side of things, with bright pink eyes which matched her hair, said hair going down to her shoulders in a bob cut. The most noticeable part about her face, though, was a scar above her lip.

"Ah, you're awake! That's wonderful," the Pro Hero said, a smile on her face. "You can call me Medi-Lady. Recovery Girl, my mentor, would normally be the one to treat you but considering she's having a nap, I'm the one who has to take charge here," Medi-Lady explained, walking over to Yoshihara as she fished something out of her pocket. "Can you give me your wrist, please?"

Silently, Yoshihara extended her hand and exposed her wrist, as Medi-Lady brought out a needle. Inside the needle was a bright pink liquid, and before Yoshihara could ask, Medi-lady spoke. "The liquid you see inside here is a combination of my Quirk Heal Gel and Recovery Girl's Quirk, along with ground-up, liquified painkillers and healing boosters." As Medi-Lady explained, she injected the liquid into Yoshihara's wrist vein, poking her with the needle as she winced.

Once the liquid was injected, another doctor handed Medi-Lady another needle, whilst yet another doctor applied a patch to Yoshihara's wrist, taping it over top of her wrist as a means to stop the minor bleeding caused by the needle. Medi-Lady then walked over to Inko, who did the same thing as Yoshihara, extending her hand out for her to inject the liquid into her wrist.

As that happened, Medi-Lady continued her explanation. "Periodically, while you've been asleep, we've injected doses of the stuff into you, which is why you're more or less almost ready to go. However, we're going to have to keep Midoriya Izuku here overnight, as he needs more doses of the medication due to the injuries he's received. Surprisingly so, as we thought Kira would need more due to her injuries a first glance. Most of her wounds were shallow, with only a few broken bones, leading us to believe that she's a little more resilient. Not a Quirk, as she has the extra-toe joint, though sometimes humans can naturally take more of a beating."

After Medi-Lady was done injecting the liquid medicine into Inko's wrist, she pulled back, before giggling awkwardly to herself, a bit of an embarrassed look on her face. "My bad, I got a little carried away there. But I'm assuming you understand. You and Kira can leave in half an hour. Unless, Midoriya-san, you'd want to stay with your son?"

"Yes, please," Inko said as Medi-Lady nodded, before turning to look at Yoshihara.

"We got a phone call from a man named Akira Tomodachi. He said he'll drive you home, seeing as your legal guardian is, in his words, "piss drunk at Dakimo's Bar and Grill" in uptown Hosu", are you alright with that?" Medi-Lady asked as Yoshihara sighed. Of course, Kayama-san was off to get drunk. Then again, her being sloshed was better than not having to deal with her Quirk's side-effect kicking in. Besides, she was a sleepy drunk anyway, so it wasn't like Yoshihara had to deal with anything bad when she came home.

"I'm fine with that," Yoshihara replied as Medi-Lady nodded.

"Very well. We'll give you some clothes to put on since the clothing you came with was destroyed in the attack with the villain. Come with me, please." With that, and with the IV being removed from her other wrist, Yoshihara was walked out of the hospital room and taken to a changing room, where she was given a black short-sleeved T-shirt to change into, along with a pair of blue jeans and women's underwear. They didn't have any bras for her to wear, not that she was complaining all that much. She would just put one on when she got home. And hey, free clothing was free clothing.

After she finished getting changed, she was led to the lobby and sat down in the waiting room. For half an hour, Yoshihara waited in silence, keeping to herself until Akira arrived. When he did, she was shocked to see that the man who had once claimed to hate facial hair, now sported a full beard.

He stared at her for a moment, before gesturing her to follow him out the front door. There was a look in his eye. The same look in his eye that he had when he wanted to talk, though it was obviously about something important, seeing as he wasn't willing to go talk about it in the hospital waiting room.

That made Yoshihara a tad nervous, and it made her wonder if something bad had happened. It had been nine months since they had seen one another, so a lot must have happened in that time. When they got into the car, with Yoshihara sitting in the back seat on the left-hand side, Akira got into the driver's side seat before starting the engine and pulling out of the parking lot. As soon as that happened, Akira spoke up.

"How you doin' kiddo?" Akira began as Yoshihara shrugged.

"Alright. The last few days have sucked, but otherwise, everything's alright," Yoshihara replied, resting one of her arms against the car door armrest. She peered out the window, watching as cars drove past them, with people walking on the sidewalks going to and from wherever it was they were going. Most likely to home from work. She could even see a few heroes on patrol keeping an eye out for villains.

To think that one day, that would be her. Assuming she passed the recommendation exam, that was. A part of her didn't know what to think about that. Sure, she chose to live with Kayama-san because she said she would become a hero, but now she was starting to have second thoughts. She quite liked her life without strife, and to know that in just a handful of days, she was going to be upending the whole of it just for a chance to become a hero student?

"I still have to give it a shot. At the very least, if I fail, I can tell Kayama-san the truth. But, if I pass…. Then what? It's not like I care for the life of a random stranger, so why would I go out of my way to protect them? It seems like a waste of time…" Yoshihara thought, looking back over to Akira, who was focused on the road. "But, then again, I owe it to the people who helped me. I owe it to Kayama-san. I owe it to Akira-san. I owe to Otoshi-san and Sayaka-chan… Most importantly, if I can protect the people from monsters like her then…" Yoshihara sighed, closing her eyes as she rested her head against the window. "Fine then, no point in backing out now."

When Yoshihara opened her eyes and sat up straight, Akira glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "Can we talk about something?" Akira asked as Yoshihara raised an eyebrow.

"Why not? Besides, you looked like you wanted to say something anyway," Yoshihara said as Akira sighed. His hands clenched the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white as they did. It was clear he was more than a little anxious about something.

"Yeah. I was trying to think of a way to bring this up, but… I just couldn't. So, I'll just say it as it is. You remember Sayaka Takeshi, yeah?" Akira asked as Yoshihara nodded once. Sayaka was Otoshi's girlfriend, and one of the very few people that Yoshihara genuinely cared about, alongside Akira, Otoshi, and now Midoriya.

It was funny how the two had met. It was back when she first started doing private sessions with paying customers. The night had been rather slow, and she was tired, but still had a few more hours to go before the shift was over. Their meeting had been before she had blown up in popularity, and the client before her, if she had remembered correctly, wanted something simple.

She couldn't remember the specifics, but it had been the main reason why she was more than a little tired after the fact. She hadn't been ready for another customer, and then, in walked Sayaka Takeshi. The mask slipped back on, and she was ready and raring to go, dolling herself up for her and putting on the act. An act that Sayaka saw through, and as soon as she did, she then followed up with her request.

She was going to pay her 100,000 Yen. For one act, she paid her 100,000 yen, which was over twice the amount she had posted on her sign for vaginal sex. When she paid her, Yoshihara didn't know what to do, because most of her clients had been men. But, she was willing to try it, especially for that amount of money. However, that wasn't what she had asked for. No. After she paid Yoshihara the money, she asked for something absurd. Something downright stupid.

She asked her for dating advice. Got down on her hands and knees and asked her if she had any sort of dating advice. She asked a fifteen-year-old stripper for dating advice, as a 24-year-old woman.

Yoshihara could never forget that day, because she had made a wonderful friend, and had hooked her up with Otoshi, who had just broken up with his last girlfriend after she had cheated on him with someone who he thought was friends with him. So, if something bad happened to her…

"Is everything alright?" Yoshihara asked, confusion lacing her tone as Akira cleared his throat, stopping at a red light. When he did, he made eye contact with her through the rearview mirror, and as he spoke, Yoshihara's whole world turned upside down.

"She's in the hospital right now. A different one than the one you were in, specifically in Hosu, closer to Shibuya. I don't know why, Otoshi hasn't told me, but she's in critical condition right now and is going in for emergency surgery. However, my assumption is that it has to do with a recent terrorist attack that happened at the building she worked at. She was shot with some kind of bullet, and that bullet contained some kind of drug according to police reports. They don't know what that drug does, but they're looking into it."

The light turned green, and the rest of the ride of silent. Not a single word exited Yoshihara's mouth. She just stared forward, at the back of the passenger side car seat, mulling over what Akira had said.

Sayaka was in the hospital. Sayaka was shot.

Someone had hurt Sayaka.

That someone was going to pay.

That was all there was to it. No one touched anyone on her list of people she genuinely cared about without getting what was coming to them. After all, those kinds of relationships were few and far between, especially for someone like Yoshihara. Akira shot her a glance but said nothing as they pulled up to Love Deluxe. Without saying a word, Yoshihara stepped out of the car and silently thanked Akira, a few seconds after she entered the building.

The first thing she noticed was that the receptionist wasn't at the desk. Though, considering it was the afternoon, she was probably on break. It happened from time to time, and considering it was April, the business's slowest month, it made sense for her to take longer breaks. Besides, most of the clients came in at night from 9 to 12, which was during her shifts.

Yoshihara walked over to the elevator, pulling out the key that gave her access to the suite. She was lucky the staff at the Hospital returned it to her. The doors to the elevator opened, and once she entered and turned the key, she was taken up to the floor where the suite was. Maybe she could use the time she had alone to finish studying for the recommendation exam.

From what she knew, much like the public entrance exam, there was a written portion of the test. She had a feeling it would be harder than the one during the standard entrance exam, so she was going to use the time she had to study.

At least, that was what she had planned to do.

"Hello, Kira, I believe it's time we talk about something," the voice of Josefumi Kujo spoke out as she entered the suite. He sat atop the rear cushions of the couch nearest to the hot tub, keeping his balance with his hands gripping either side of the back of the couch. Now, obviously, that wasn't okay. How the hell did he get access to the suite? And while that was already cause for alarm enough, he wasn't alone. There was another person with him, a girl, who looked to be about the same age as her and Kujo.

She was of a slim build and average height. She had long, dark hair, and her bangs were styled into multiple, large curls. On her head, she wore a fish-print bandana. Her outfit consisted of a dark-coloured bralette with a zipper in the front, a long vest, and a pair of short jean shorts. Attaching her shirt and shorts was a pair of black suspenders. And finally, to finish off her outfit, she wore striped thigh-high socks with a pair of ocean-themed heels decorated with stars and seashells.

Yoshihara looked at the girl and narrowed her eyes. Why were these people in her home? They had no reason to be here, and frankly, it was pissing her off, more than she already was after finding out what had happened to Sayaka.

"For one, Kujo, who the hell is that," Yoshihara began as she pointed over to the girl she didn't recognize. "And secondly, how the hell did you two get into my suite? The only way you're allowed access is if the receptionist opened unlocked it for you, or, you have a key. And last I checked, I never gave Kujo a key to the suite."

Just as Yoshihara said that the mystery girl sat up, a smile on her face as she spoke. "Oh! We got up here because we told the receptionist lady we were close friends with you!"

Yoshihara pinched the bridge of her nose. She would have to have a word with Takime-san later. She was a new hire, so she didn't know the ins and outs of the suite and its rules, nor did she know Yoshihara that much. Hopefully, this won't happen again.

"Well, that explains a lot. Now, who is she, Kujo? Answers, now," Yoshihara demanded as Kujo hopped down from the couch, standing next to the mystery girl.

"Kira, this is my Girlfriend, Karera Sakunami. She is a Stand user. Going forth, she will be our ally," Josefumi said as Karera smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Kira-chan. I hope we can get along!"

-To Be Continued in - Let's Be Heroes - Part 1-