The Hero & The Demon

Chapter Thirty

Earlier that day, Naomasa Tsukauchi had a conversation with the child he had living under his roof. Kage had seemed disturbed by something, though exactly what it was, he had no idea. It was enough to keep him talking to himself early in the morning, however, so he felt it warranted some kind of attention.

"Kage?" Tsukauchi knocked on the boy's door. "Are you alright?" He could practically hear Kage jolt in surprise, though he didn't scramble away like Tsukauchi had expected. Instead, he opened the door and looked at the man. He was clearly tired, but he seemed somewhat more content than he had been when he returned home that day.

Perhaps he had figured something out by talking things over with himself. That said, it had sounded like there was someone else present. Tsukauchi didn't see anyone else, but it wasn't impossible that Kage had.

"Hey, Tsukauchi." He said, yawning. It seemed he had only just realised his own exhaustion was a thing. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I'm fine, I just...I have a lot on my mind, I guess." He seemed hesitant to go into any detail. Ordinarily, Tsukauchi might have been willing to let that go. Given recent events, however, he was inclined to press a little further.

Kage had just endured a villain attack. He had reason to be concerned for his wellbeing.

"I was already up." Tsukauchi admitted. He had been going through some case notes when he overheard noise from the other room. The name 'Gin Dangan' had come up when he was able to get a statement from Sora Kinzoku about the villain attack, so he had been trying to see if it was one they had record of. Thus far, very little had turned up. "Is...is there anything you want to talk about?"

"N-" He could see Kage's face shift as he almost instinctively went to decline, then had a moment of realisation. "Actually, yeah. A little. I don't wanna bother you too much, but I think it might help me relax if I went over some stuff with you. Is that okay?"

"Of course." Tsukauchi nodded with a small smile. "You don't need to worry about bothering me, by the way. I'm your caretaker right now, which means that part of my job is helping you take care of any needs you might have. If that means listening when you need to talk to someone, then I'm all ears." Kage frowned. It was clear he felt that Tsukauchi was overextending himself here in showing any concern for the boy.

Yet more examples of Kage not seeming to care about his own wellbeing. If he was lucky, Tsukauchi would see if the conversation could be steered to that.

"Mind if we go sit down?" Kage asked. Tsukauchi nodded and stepped back, allowing Kage to step out of his bedroom and onto the couch in the living room. Tsukauchi watched him get comfortable before sitting down himself next to him.

"I...I'm worried about the villain attack." Kage said, leaning forward. It seemed just admitting that much was hard for him. "I get the feeling that they're not going to stop after today. For all I know, they could come after the school tomorrow with even more enemies. Plus, they can warp people wherever they want. UA probably has some kind of security for that, but it's still a terrifying thought. Something about those portals just sticks in my head, you know? I don't know anything for sure, but I can't help but feel like something big is coming." Tsukauchi listened carefully. It seemed like a very reasonable thing to be afraid of, though there was something more direct about his tone beyond just the words he was saying.

Kage was sure there would be some kind of attack tomorrow. He didn't want to admit it, but he wasn't simply speculating here. As far as he knew, it was a definite thing. Something in his emphasis on the word made it clear.

"They were only able to bypass the security of school through luck and a big diversion." Tsukauchi explained, hoping to reassure him. "They've got very little chance of being able to sneak in, and UA is extremely fortified against a full-on assault. They would have to be completely insane to even consider something like that. There's no chance they'll move again so quickly."

"I feel like they're pretty insane." Kage said sceptically. "Plus, they were after a school schedule. That means they'll want a plan of attack that will have people be outside of the school so they can make their move. If they're trying to steal something from UA, they'll want the most amount of people away as possible, but I don't think that's what they want. I think the villains have specific targets they want to take down. If I'm right, I can already guess where they'll go from here."

"All-Might teaches UA's hero course." Kage continued. "And our hero classes usually don't take place in the school building. In fact, the map of the school we were all e-mailed lists a few off-campus facilities that could potentially make for good positions to isolate the classes, like the fake cityscapes or this 'USJ' place. That one looked the furthest away from the main building, so I bet that's where they'll want to go."

"You think they're targeting All-Might?" Tsukauchi asked. Kage nodded his head.

"Is that so crazy? The press were all there because of All-Might, and he's the only recent addition to UA's faculty." He explained. Tsukauchi had to admit that it was a sensible conclusion to draw. "And class schedules suggests they're either looking for a student or a teacher they can separate from the class. All-Might is the most obvious target for them to go after." Tsukauchi nodded, though a frown formed on his face. Kage was ignoring something.

"They could also be after you." He said. Kage flinched, but didn't object. "You said that the villain recognised you, and your friend mentioned that the villain had apparently been looking for you before you arrived. A student is almost certainly a less dangerous target for the villains than the Symbol of Peace. I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear, but..."

"No, it's fine." Kage brushed him off. "It makes sense to take that into account. Maybe...maybe they could be aiming for both? All-Might is the hero teacher of my class. If they want to get me separated from the school for some reason, then waiting for one of his classes would be their best call, right? That means that if they have another attack planned, we're waiting for a day where both me and All-Might are outside school grounds. I think Aizawa mentioned a special hero lesson taking place tomorrow. Or, well, today technically" Kage shrugged, acknowledging the time.

"I see." Tsukauchi said. "No wonder you're so worried. How sure are you that they'll mount an attack of some kind today?"

"I can't say anything for certain." Kage said. He wasn't lying exactly, but Tsukauchi could tell he was deliberately playing just a little more ignorant than he really was. He was more certain than he wanted Tsukauchi to think he was. "If I'm lucky, then I'm just being paranoid and nothing bad will happen. But if I'm not, then things could get bad. Really bad."

Tsukauchi nodded slowly. All things considered; Kage was approaching this in a much more reasonable way than he expected. There was definitely a sense of worry throughout him, but it hadn't reached a state of actual fear just yet. He was looking at things through a shockingly logical perspective.

"Were you trying to come up with a plan before I knocked on your door?" Tsukauchi asked. "You seem to have been thinking about this for a while." Kage placed a hand on his chin thoughtfully.

"I think I have some ideas." He said after a moment's pause. "I don't want to risk the villains becoming aware that we know their next moves, though. If it's too obvious, they might change their plans and move in ways we're not prepared for. Plus, there's still a chance I'm wrong about all of this. I don't want to waste resources if it's nothing."

"Keeping you and the students of UA safe isn't nothing, Kage." Tsukauchi insisted. Kage looked at him strangely, but he nodded in understanding.

"I know, but being too obvious here risks making things worse. It's a butterfly effect thing, I guess." Kage explained. "Anything we do to prepare will cause them to react differently than they would have if nothing happened, right? So we need them to think nothing's changed for long enough that we can catch them."

"Hm." Tsukauchi hummed. He wasn't totally sure if he agreed with that logic, but he was willing to hear Kage out before dismissing his line of thought. "What do you have in mind?"

"My phone has a location app, right?" Kage asked. Tsukauchi had to think about this for a moment, but he nodded. It was an old phone his sister used to have before she got it replaced, so was only somewhat aware of anything it was capable of. He had given it to Kage because it was more convenient than getting a new one, especially since he still had its number saved.

"I can send you my location whenever I leave the school building tomorrow." Kage offered. "If at any point you lose me, that will mean that villains have intercepted my location and that you should get as many officers as you can to the area, as fast as possible. If I'm right about how the villains are planning this, they'll probably do whatever they can to cut off communications outside. But they won't know that we're expecting that ourselves. It should allow us to move quickly without alerting the villains that we're onto them."

Tsukauchi was impressed. It was a relatively simple plan that took advantage of entirely mundane resources and wouldn't draw any attention, whilst also providing a clear signal for any danger that might emerge. For something Kage seemed to have come up with on short notice, it was a brilliant idea.

"I can manage that." Tsukauchi nodded. "I'll see if I can arrange patrols close to the school, too. It'll make it faster to reach you if anything goes wrong, and given yesterday's events with the press, it shouldn't arouse any suspicion. Anything else?"

"If they do end up attacking, make sure to pass that on to UA as soon as you can." Kage said. "They'll be able to give us even more back up, and it'll save anyone the trouble of having to reach the school if their communications aren't working. Do you think you could talk to Nezu and have someone stationed nearby to act as a warning?" Tsukauchi nodded.

"That shouldn't be too hard. Principal Nezu's been very cooperative with us in the past." He said. Nezu had been a useful ally in many an investigation thanks to his ties to the heroic community and his genius intellect. He also took great care to ensure the safety of his students, so there was no chance he would ever object to Tsukauchi positioning someone nearby for immediate security.

He would make sure to pass things along to the principal in the morning. He'd likely be able to get things set up by the afternoon, if not sooner. Nezu might also be able to offer some insight into both the villain's plans and their intentions with Kage specifically.

Kage himself seemed reluctant to acknowledge it. He brushed off the villains recognising him, and remained focused on All-Might as their primary target. He was only able to consider himself in being a secondary objective the villains might also be after. It was unclear if he had even properly registered that the villain from the day prior had been seeking Kage by name. He was worryingly eager to dismiss the whole idea from his mind.

Perhaps he was simply afraid to confront the idea. It was possible that it related to something he was subconsciously repressing, which would explain his amnesia. Whatever the case, it meant that Tsukauchi would have to keep it in mind much more than the boy himself.

"So, that's the plan." Kage clapped his hands together. He leaned back and breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad we could figure something out. Sora was worried..." Kage trailed off, tiredness seeming to catch up to him before he could finish his thought.

Sora was worried? Tsukauchi supposed that made sense, given that she had been a major victim of the attack. She had seemed more disturbed when he had taken her statement, seeming reluctant to say much about the encounter at all. She had also elected not to explain why she had run off in the opposite direction of the evacuation of the school.

By her account, she had simply run into the villain, been attacked and held hostage, then saved by Kage at the last moment. The villain had retreated right after that, whereupon she fell unconscious. She didn't go into any more detail regarding the nature of the attack. The only additional point she had mentioned was that the villain was apparently looking for Kage, something she seemed deeply unsettled by.

As Kage fell to sleep upon the couch, Tsukauchi found himself with plenty of questions still left to answer. Still, at least had a plan of action. He just hoped he wouldn't have to use it.

Alas, fate had other plans.

Izuku Midoriya had barely managed to scramble back out of the USJ facility in the hopes of finding aid for his friends when he saw the place surrounded by police and almost the entirety of the UA faculty. Or at least everyone that he was aware of. All-Might was in the centre of the group, who seemed to be waiting just outside the doors. The rest of the class seemed to have been moved back.

"Ah, young Midoriya!" All-Might said, and the sheer relief at hearing his voice was overwhelming. Tears fell from Izuku's eyes as a smile broke across his face. "It's good to see you well. We have the area surrounded, and we've been waiting for the last of the students to finish evacuating before moving in. Are you the last one?" Izuku quickly shook his head.

"S-Sora and Kage are still in there!" He cried. "They're both injured and won't be able to get out on their own, a-and the villains are trying to take Kage for some reason. I-if we don't do something now-"

"We'll take it from here, young man." A stern-faced detective interrupted Izuku. His expression was firm and harsh, though not quite hostile. He seemed tense as he turned to the other assembled heroes. "Remember to keep your eyes peeled and move carefully, everyone! We don't know what the villains are capable of, and I know you all saw the explosion." Explosion? They must have meant when the roof of the building was blasted by Kage's transformation.

"The villains are mostly all down." Izuku informed them. "Kage... something happened to him, I-I don't know what exactly, but he managed to stop almost all of them. They need medical attention, but that's all."

"Medical attention?" The detective repeated, confused. Izuku didn't know how exactly to describe the injuries he had seen on the USJ floor, so he simply nodded to confirm. The detective shook his head slightly, dispelling his apparent surprise. "Duly noted. Everyone, move in!"

As one would expect, All-Might made the first move. He gently pushed Izuku aside before turning to the door of the facility and, with no fanfare or dramatic flair typical of his usual moves, casually ripped the large chunks of metal off and tossed them aside. Heroes and police began flocking into the facility.

The police all had guns at the ready, whilst the heroes were all ready for combat. Despite knowing he should have stepped back at this point, Izuku allowed his curiosity and concern to get the better of him and slipped in at the back of the group.

Only two villains remained upright – Tomura Shigaraki, the man with many hands, and his mist-covered accomplice were pushed to near the back of the area. Bodies surrounded them, as did piles and piles of blood. None of the other villains seemed to be actively bleeding anymore, however. In fact, from what Izuku could see, most of them had their wounds somehow cauterised.

He recalled that a red flame-like glow had erupted out from Kage and Sora moments earlier. Was that energy responsible for, to put it generously, treating the wounds of those present?

"You...you cheaters!" Shigaraki yelled. "All of you damn heroes, breaking the rules and striking out with violence as though you have any right to judge us! Look at all you've done and try to tell me we're any different. This carnage is on your-!" The man was cut off from his insane speech as Snipe stepped forward and began shooting him. First in his still dislocated arm, then the one that was free, then a leg. It took that long before the mist villain was able to conceal him.

"Shigaraki, there is nothing more we can do. We must flee!" The mist villain pleaded. His power was the only reason the other heroes hadn't swarmed the two immediately. Cementoss began raising walls of concrete in an attempt to box them in, with Midnight trying to rush forward so she could force them to sleep with her Quirk before they could move. All-Might stood and observed, standing more as an intimidating presence than a direct force of the attack. If he were to unleash a large strike when surrounded by so many who were grievously injured, death was a possible risk. As much as these villains were detestable, that was something Izuku knew All-Might would not abide.

"Fine. Kurogiri, quick. Grab the kid. We're leaving." Shigaraki said, though Izuku wasn't sure if any of the others picked up on it. The seconds felt impossibly slow, stretching out into an eternity where Izuku watched a portal begin to open up beneath Kage and Sora.

Both of them were unconscious, their bodies wrought with burns. The other heroes didn't seem like they could tell the two apart from the other villains, and were not rushing to move. Kage's body was beyond recognition, and Sora's was coated in blood.

There was a very strong possibility that, even after everything that had happened, the villains would still win.

Izuku was moving before the thought had even fully registered in his head.

Both his legs screamed with pain as he leapt forwards, skipping past the cops and heroes surrounding the front and shooting forth at speeds he couldn't comprehend. Amazingly, despite the pain, his legs did not break as he had expected them to. He had no doubt he would need Recovery Girl to look at them when this was over, but they hadn't shattered.

Good. He would probably need them.

He reached Sora and Kage's bodies, quickly grabbing them with his arms and pulling them away from what would have been a deadly fall into the villain's lair, wherever that was. He held them close as he rolled and landed in a crouched position. Shigaraki was still blocked from moving by an ever-shrinking box of concrete, but he still had room to glare at Izuku.

Izuku glared back.

"You're not taking them." He swore. "You've lost." The villain seemed like he wanted to try and get some attempt of a last word in, but the mist consumed him before he was able to. Other heroes at this point had started moving in, now aware that the villains were still ready to act even in their current circumstances. But it was too late. The villains were swallowed by darkness and vanished.

"Damn it!" The detective cursed with more venom than Izuku had expected him to give off. He rushed over to Izuku. For a moment, it looked like he was about to firmly reprimand him for acting, as though he had gotten in the way by trying to save his friends somehow, but the words died in his throat as he heard the two bodies in Izuku's arms give out pained groans.

"Oh my god." His eyes widened. "Kage?" Izuku nodded. The detective's professional attitude melted away in an instant, replaced with an overwhelming concern and dread. He reached his hands out as though to hold him. He didn't cry, but his eyes were shining with tears that threatened to spill out.

"Is he...?"

"He's not dead." Izuku said, gently placing Kage and Sora down on the ground. "I-I don't really know what happened exactly, but it seemed like his power was overloading somehow. It sort of...exploded out of him." He half-lied. He neglected to mention the way Kage had acted – or rather, how his possessor had handled his body. The destruction was clear enough for all to see, but without knowing more information, Izuku wouldn't risk saying anything that might get his friend charged by the police. The damages caused here seemed like they would go beyond self-defence.

"No casualties." Ectoplasm, one of the teachers Izuku hadn't really seen in classes yet, chimed in. There were several of him examining the various bodies around the main plaza whilst other heroes were scouting out the individual zones of the USJ. "With all the injuries and blood loss, that's frankly astounding. I'd hesitate to say I condone such extremes, but the boy did well, Tsukauchi." Izuku's eyes widened as he recognised the name.

No wonder he was so concerned for Kage. This man was his caretaker.

"I know." Tsukauchi nodded, wiping his eyes with one arm. He took a deep breath and steadied himself. Izuku agreed with Ectoplasm on both counts – whatever had happened to Kage might well have been the only reason everyone survived. Even Aizawa came out with minimal injuries, as far as anyone could tell. Nothing Recovery Girl couldn't fix.

"We all managed to get out because of him." Izuku reassured Tsukauchi. "He'll be okay, sir. Sora, too. They made sure everyone else was safe. Now, I can return the favour." All-Might walked over to the two of them and placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Wise words, young Midoriya." All-Might praised. "And don't discount your own intervention just now. It's thanks to all of your hard work that the villains came out of this with nothing for their efforts. Now, I think we should get these two to Recovery Girl. Once we've made sure everyone is safe, we can begin investigating in earnest."

"Damn right." Tsukauchi said, standing. "The people behind this won't get away with. I swear it." His hands were clenched tightly into fists. Izuku didn't know if he was to be inspired by the man's declaration or unnerved by his attitude, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. All-Might reached down to take Kage's body.

Black lightning shot out and forced his hand back. All-Might recoiled with a gasp as the energy began arcing off Kage's body and lashing out.

"What is this?!" Tsukauchi said, also being forced to step back. He held up his hands in a guard. The lightning wasn't nearly as strong as it had been before, but it clearly stopped anyone from getting closer. Anyone but Izuku, that was. Whilst the lightning shot around Kage and Sora's bodies, Izuku noticed that it seemed to avoid him. At first, he thought it was mere chance, but as he watched a bolt of lightning approach him before curving around him, he realised there was more to it.

For whatever reason, the lightning refused to touch him. He reached down and touched Kage's arm. There was no reaction like there had been for Tsukauchi. The lightning didn't stop entirely, but it did calm down. It grew smaller and steadier, forming more of a solid barrier around Kage and Sora. Yet again, it allowed Izuku to bypass it.

"It's some kind of involuntary defence mechanism." Izuku noted. "It obviously responded to Tsukauchi's approach as a threat, and it seems to see All-Might the same way despite the fact that neither had any hostile intentions. It's not proximity based, though; I'm closest and the Void Energy is specifically avoiding me. Could it be that it only sees a certain level of power as a threat and views me as beneath the threshold? That's possible. Given the power is sentient, it could also mean its exhibiting some kind of preference for me, but why? What differentiates me from the others? It couldn't be One-er, my Quirk, could it?" Izuku was shaken out of his thought process by All-Might, who loudly coughed to draw attention.

"Well, it seems it can't be helped." All-Might said. "Young Midoriya, I hate to ask this of you given what you and your class have all been through, but it seems we'll need you to carry Sora and Kage to Recovery Girl. Given how close they are, I worry that separating them might trigger a violent reaction from Kage's Quirk like we did."

"Alright." Izuku agreed. He placed his hands underneath the two and lifted them into the air. Fortunately for him, they weren't especially heavy – Sora being light made sense given that she would have to be in order to fly through the air, and Kage had a strange weightlessness to him. He was certainly lighter than he should have been.

"Thank you for your help." Tsukauchi gave Izuku a polite nod, though the subtle motions of his face conveyed a much deeper level of gratitude. It was reassuring to see that Kage was well cared for, Izuku thought. Tsukauchi turned to the crowd of heroes, who were still examining the various zones.

"I should probably stay here. I'll be needed for the investigation." His movements were stiff and tense. He had placed a layer of professionalism over any more emotional reactions, though Izuku could tell he was worried. "Make sure to tell me when he regains consciousness." Tsukauchi let out a long sigh.

"He's got a lot of explaining to do."

When Sora Kinzoku awoke, she wasn't entirely sure if she was alive. The room was all white and she was staring up at a bright light. She was lying down, and it took her far too long to register she was on a bed. She looked over to her right and saw that her arm had a needle stuck into it, connected to some kind of drip machine.

Every part of her felt slow and uncomfortable, like she had somehow managed to sleep on every single part of her body the wrong way. Still, she took that pain as a good sign. That meant she was still alive.

No one had died. It seemed Kage was right.

"KAGE!" She shot up, wincing from the sudden movement as she forced herself into a seated position. She looked around frantically. She registered that she was in the UA nurse's office, something confirmed for her when Recovery Girl appeared with a stern expression.

"Don't strain yourself!" She chided her. "Your friend is going to be fine, but he'll need more work than you do before I can heal him properly. For now, you should worry about- hey, what did I just tell you?!" Sora had stood up before she finished speaking. Recovery Girl was almost certainly correct, but that didn't matter to Sora right now.

Maybe it was the blood loss, but for once, her own safety and wellbeing was the furthest thing from her mind.

The world spun and she leaned on the drip machine she was plugged into. Fortunately, it could be moved. That meant she would be able to pull her way around the place. She gritted her teeth. Some part of her could tell where Kage was before she even looked. He was in a further off bed, concealed by a curtain. Sora grabbed it and harshly pulled it away.

She didn't scream, nor did she cry. She didn't even let out a gasp. Just a sharp intake of breath.

She had been expecting this.

Kage's power – Kuryo, or whatever it wanted to call itself – was shooting out of his body in wispy bolts that clawed around him. It seemed to almost be grabbing him possessively, refusing to allow anyone to touch the body. Recovery Girl had set up some medical equipment next to him, but it was clear she hadn't been able to approach.

"He's been like that for hours now." She said sadly. "As far as I can tell, he's not inflicting any more damage onto himself, thank God, but I can't heal him as he is. For now, all we can do is hope that his power runs out." She shook her head. Sora frowned.

No. She would not allow him to suffer any longer.

"(Kuryo!)" She didn't recognise the language that came out of her mouth, but she didn't really care. The lightning reacted, pulsing as she spoke. "(You are not suited to caring for this host. Cease and let him be healed!)"

"It is my duty! I'm only protecting-"

"(You are not protecting him!)" She replied aloud, though the response came through her head. She didn't know why it did that when she knew it could have used Kage's mouth to speak regardless of his condition. Yet again, she did not care. "(You're trying to hoard him away when the last thing he needs right now is more of you. You have to stop.)" For a moment, the lightning intensified and began to rise, but it soon subsided.

After a moment more, it lowered itself entirely and vanished. The energy returned to its place beneath Kage's skin.

"Very well. Keep him safe."

"At least we can agree on that." Sora sighed. She turned to Recovery Girl, who was watching her with a baffled expression. "You should be able to help him now. That power isn't going to intervene anymore." One hand tightened into a fist. Kuryo better not choose to get in the way again, or she would personally rip it out of her friend with her bare hands.

"I...I see." Recovery Girl said slowly. "What exactly did you just do?" She asked. Sora shrugged casually, despite the gesture causing her shoulders to ache in pain.

"I just told them to piss off." She explained. "I'm not sure what language that was, but I heard it in a dream. Didn't expect to suddenly be fluent in gibberish, but at least it listened and understood all that."

"Impressive!" A new voice, one Sora didn't recognise, piped up. A strange mouse-like creature in a suit leapt forth from behind Recovery Girl's back, making himself known. He was probably a big hero, but Sora couldn't place a name. "Yet again, miss Kinzoku, your abilities defy my expectations! As does your compassion for your dear friend. It warms my heart to see such camaraderie among my students." Right, this guy was a teacher. He must have come to check up on the two injured students, given the situation.

"Thank you, sir." She said, bowing slightly. The mouse-like creature – who also seemed a little bit like a dog, or perhaps a small bear now that Sora was looking at him more attentively – chuckled lightly as she did so, shaking his head.

"Oh, there's no need for that. Please, you should sit. I'd ask you to lie down, but I somehow doubt I could be more convincing than Recovery Girl on that." He joked. Sora felt a bit of shame swell within her as she walked back over to the bed she was on before and sat down upon it.

"Besides, it will be easier to talk when you're not lying down." The figure's voice became more serious, steadying itself. It wasn't aggressive, but it was stern. "I don't mean to keep you too long from your much needed rest, but I'm afraid I must ask some questions about the experience you've had to endure. And, as your principal, I feel it only right to extend my apologies for not reaching you all sooner."

"O-oh!" Sora said, startled. More by the fact that this strange man was the principal than by what he was saying. As far as she was concerned, an apology was the least he could offer after what had happened. It wasn't like he had intentionally held off or anything, but she couldn't help but feel a little bitter. "Sure, I guess. But if you need a formal statement, I think Deku – I mean, Izuku – could tell you everything that went down. He was with me the whole time and wasn't hurt."

"Besides the broken finger, you mean." Recovery Girl crossed her arms.

"Sorry, I meant that none of the villains injured him." She apologised. "He only...he only got himself hurt trying to save the rest of us. Me and Tsu, I mean. While I was cowering on the boat in the flood zone, he helped us all form a plan and moved to get us all out of there."

"Admirable behaviour." The principal nodded. "Though you shouldn't be so hard on yourself, miss Kinzoku-"

"Sora, please."

"My apologies." The principal said, allowing her interruption. "Miss Sora, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. I've already gotten Izuku Midoriya's account of the situation, and both he and Tsuyu Asui spoke quite highly of your actions. Particularly how you managed to successfully trap all of the villains in the water with your powers! Truly incredible."

"Ah. That." Sora scratched the back of her head. She should have known that this was what she would be asked about. She hated the fact that she would have to answer questions now, have to think about it more. Bit it was unavoidable. "You want to know more about my Quirk, I take it?"

"Among other things." The principal said in a tone that Sora was sure wasn't intended to be as ominous as it was. "I suppose we can wait until mister Sekai is awake and ready before I get to my questions concerning him. Unless you have anything you wish to say?" He prompted her. Sora narrowed her eyes.

"He's the reason we're all okay and all the bad guys are down." She insisted. "He can tell his story better than I can, so all I've got to say is that he was a real hero when we needed someone's help. I don't think he did anything wrong, if that's what you're asking." The principal held up his hands defensively.

"Oh no, of course not!" He said. "Whilst the extreme nature of the violence mister Sekai inflicted is certainly questionable, I have no doubts about his character or his intentions, nor do I intend to punish him for acting in the defence of the other students. It would be the height of hypocrisy for me to condemn that when I run a hero school, no? I promise you, all of my concerns are for the benefit of my students, not their detriment."

Sora allowed herself to relax. She was probably being paranoid in assuming the worst of the principal, but she couldn't help it. She knew Kage was bound to face a lot of scepticism given all that had been seen and heard, and she didn't want him to have to deal with it if she could help it.

"Fair enough." Sora said. "So, you wanted to ask about my Quirk? I...inherited it. From my mom. I've never really used it for anything that impressive. Or really for anything besides the wings since I was a kid. It...she..." Sora took a deep breath and exhaled. The principal listened patiently, not making any move to stop her.

That was good. If she stopped, she didn't think she would be able to start again.

"She put me under a lot of pressure." Sora finally said as she landed on the right words. "Said this Quirk came with responsibilities, obligations for how I was supposed to use it. How I was supposed to be used, more like. I couldn't take it, so...I ran away." The principal tilted his head at that, so Sora tried to explain.

"My mom and me moved away somewhere after I got my powers." She said. She neglected to mention where they had moved to – it was taboo to mention the underground to agents of the law, not to mention how she didn't want to think about those tunnels any longer than absolutely necessary. "After a while, I ran away and moved back in with my dad. Then, a little before UA started, I got my own place. I've been on my own ever since." She didn't look anyone in the eye as she finished.

"I see." The principal nodded. "Your Quirk is listed only as 'Sharp Wing', which I gather is only one facet of its use. Did you keep the truth hidden to avoid these 'responsibilities' your mother told you about, or was it fear of her recognising you? I don't intend ton judge you, I merely hope to gain a better understanding." He added that last part after no doubt seeing Sora's near-nauseous expression.

"It...was a little bit of both." She said honestly. "My Quirk shares the same name as me. Kinzoku. By using the iron in my bloodstream, I can generate these...these antennas, and use them to control the metal in and around me. I don't really know if there's a limit on the range or amount I can control. I'm not really sure I want to find out." She finished quietly.

"I see." The principal said. "I can't say I would blame you for your hesitance. It certainly sounds like you have your reasons, and your wings are a fine ability on their own. That said, I'm sure you know by now that being a hero will require you to take risks and make sacrifices. It is vitally important than UA is aware of your capabilities, and where possible, that we improve them. I understand if you don't wish to train further in your abilities, but I have to ask one question. Do you wish to become a hero?"

Mere hours ago, Sora would have been unsure of how to answer that question. It had lingered in her mind for days now, taunting her and berating her for her uncertainty. But that was gone now. She looked over at Kage. He was safe and alive because of her.

She didn't want that to change. Not for him or any of her friends. She couldn't live with herself if she didn't help them. It wasn't altruistic – it was all about how they made her feel. But those feelings were worth fighting for. She turned back to the principal.

"Yes." She said. "Yes, I do." He smiled at her.

"Excellent. I look forward to seeing where you go next!"

AN: Aaaand that's a wrap! The first full arc of Hero & Demon is complete. We'll obviously be coming back to explore much of what's happened in the story to come, but I'm SO happy to have reached this far. This is by far the longest story I've ever written thus far, and we're nowhere close to done. I hope everyone's been enjoying the ride! That said, I will be taking a break from this story for a little while after this chapter. Rest assured that it WILL continue – Kage and Sora's journeys are only just beginning, after all.

If you have any questions or comments, please lemme hear 'em! Though, one last thing before I go – several people have messaged me about wanting me to commission them to make art of this story. I'm very flattered, but I'm going to issue a blanket statement now that I'm not interested, and request people don't come to ask me for that in the future.

I think that's about all for now. I can't say when it will come, but I'll see you all next time!