"Ah, Midoirya!"

Izuku started when he suddenly found his path blocked by the overly exuberant Aoyama. Ahsoka raised an eyebrow at seeing him pop up in front of them; it was like looking at a weird distortion in the Force that caused one to see two opposites that never belonged together suddenly come together. Izuku with his wild green hair that never seemed to be able to be tamed vs. Aoyama who would take the longest coming to Heroics Class because he needed to put just the right amount of gels in it. Izuku who when away from class loved simple t-shirts with odd words printed on them vs. Aoyama who was always talking about the latest fashions with Ashido. Izuku who buckled down and studied hard and gave it his all and Aoyama who seemed to treat class as something to simply shrug his shoulders at. Izuku who was always so open and honest about his joys and miseries vs Aoyama who…

Who…

Ahsoka frowned.

'He's lying,' she realized. 'About everything. I can feel it in the Force. Everything… is a lie.'

"Uh… hi Aoyama," Izuku said, startled by his sudden appearance. "What can I… do for you?"

"I was hoping you could give me some information, mon ami," he said with what Ahsoka was sure was supposed to be a charming smile. But all it did was remind her of the preening Senators that would ask to have their pictures taken with her and her master, wanting a chance to appear on the holonet with 'The Hero Without Fear' but then would say they were honored to meet 'Anakin Skywalker and Assboka Tampo'.

She swore some of them did it on purpose.

"Uh… sure," Izuku said. "I noticed you had some trouble on that assignment Present Mic gave us-"

"Non non non," Aoyama said quickly, waving his hand about. "Nothing about such trivial things."

"That assignment is a quarter of our semester grade…" Izuku muttered but Aoyama just kept talking.

"I just met with Prof. Kenobi and he suggested to me a certain hero you are familiar with for my internship."

"Oh!" Izuku said, eyes going wide. "Of course! Uh… so who did he suggest?"

Aoyama let out a tittering laugh. "Why, the hero that you've been mentoring with! Dualshot!"

Ahsoka called upon every ounce of Force Training she had not to react to that.

Izuku swallowed. "R-Rex?" he got out.

"Oh, is that his name?" Aoyama said and Ahsoka felt herself bristle at that.

Ever since they'd arrived on Earth Ahsoka had been watching Rex and she'd come to see how poorly they'd all treated him… and the clones in general. The fact that not a single jedi had ever thought about giving them names and instead forced the Clones to come up with their own was… wrong. While she had no problem with them doing that if they wanted to, as it seemed like a lovely cultural thing, to earn a name for yourself from your brothers, it shouldn't have needed to come into existence in the first place. They were Jedi, dedicated to protecting all life… and they had treated the clones like droids. Giving them serial numbers and pointing them at the next threat. Even Ahsoka, Obi Wan, and Anakin, who had been far better than many when it came to actually connecting with their clone troopers, had fallen into the trap of forgetting that they were people.

'Recovery Girl was horrified that we never did anything about the accelerated aging,' she thought as Aoyama prattled on about the selection process and the heroes he had thought would want to select him but apparently weren't looking for hero interns this year… or at least not from UA. 'As soon as she found out Rex's physical age she was poking and prodding him so she could figure out how to fix whatever the Kaminoians had done to him.' And more shocking had been the fact that she'd figured out how to fix it rather quickly. Just a few nutrients and chemicals triggered a reaction that caused the genes that were causing the accelerated aging to shut off and allow Rex to age normally. He would live a long full life and not be a wrinkled husk within 20 years.

It had been so simple.

'So why didn't we think of that?' Ahsoka thought bitterly.

There was so much they hadn't considered when it came to the troopers. What life was actually like for them, being born and bred and raised purely to fight a war they hadn't started. What life was like where all they knew was battle. And what life would be like after the battle was done. What would happen to them? Would they be able to have lives outside of the Army? Be able to have families? Children? Hobbies and interests? She looked at Rex now, who was apparently dating Izuku's mom (though izuku always got tongue-tied when that got brought up so she could never confirm it) and had been learning how to cook and spent just as much time exploring the world as he did being a hero for it…

…and Aoyama couldn't even learn his name.

Ahsoka didn't scream. Didn't rage. Those weren't the Jedi way ('You are a Jedi. You are still a Jedi. Even if you are becoming a hero and you touched the Dark Side to defeat Bakugo… you are a Jedi…') so she didn't resort to that.

Instead… she smiled.

"So," she said in a sweet voice that would have had anyone with half a brain realize that they were in danger and needed to begin backpedaling (or fleeing) as fast as they could, "what is it you want to know?"

"Well," Aoyama said with what she was sure he thought was a charming smile, "I didn't get that many offers-"

'So most likely none,' Ahsoka thought, remembering how poorly he'd done at the Sports Festival.

"-but Prof. Kenobi suggested that Duelshot would be good for me to train with. Something about helping me with my weaknesses." He reached up and flicked his hair with the back of his fingers. "So I was curious about him… after all, I am not quite sure what weaknesses he can aid with, unless we are referring to the control I have with my Navel Laser." He turned JUST so he could look over his shoulder at Izuku. "So… what is he like? What are his interests? His hobbies? How dashing is he when he uses his special moves?"

Ahsoka inwardly cackled. The only 'special move' Rex had was to take his gun and club an idiot with the butt of it.

Izuku began to stutter at that. "Uh… well.. I m-m-mean Rex-"

Ahsoka lightly flicked her fingers, using the Force (gently… gently…) to clamp Izuku's mouth shut. "Well, you should be asking me, Aoyama… I've known him far longer than Izuku." Which was technically true… she'd known him for a few extra months.

"Oh! Of course, that is brilliant and correct!" he said in delight, clapping his hands. "Please tell me all you can! What can I expect from him?"

"Well… like you he uses armor for his hero costume." Aoyama nodded quickly at that. "And he does like to stand out in it… back home everyone that wore armor like Rex would customize it."

"Ah, of course. A way to show one's flair!"

The only 'flairs' Rex had were the 'flares' that he kept in one of his pouches to signal for people… or blind optics of droids. "Exactly," Ahsoka said smoothly. "He also likes to stand out when it comes to things like his hair."

"Wonderful!" Aoyama declared. "We can share grooming tips! I am seeing now why Kenobi selected him for me! Thank you, Tano. Thank you Midoriya!" He bowed to them both before prancing (yes… yes he actually pranced) away from them.

Izuku tugged on her arm and Ahsoka finally released him from the force grip. "What are you doing!?" he hissed, looking ready to go chasing after Aoyama. "You made him think that Rex is only concerned with his looks! He's going to chew him up and spit him out!"

"Exactly," Ochaco stated, startling the two.

"How long were you listening?" Ahsoka asked.

"For a while. I was practicing my stealth. I figured that was something else that might help me out in the field… that's why I'm debating on getting a costume that can change colors… go from bright and colorful if I need to be spotted in a disaster site to something dark and harder to see if I'm sneaking into a place still swarming with villains." Izuku looked ready to ask her more about that because, honestly, it was a good idea, but Ochaco continued on. "Look, the best thing for Aoyama is to get chewed up and spat out."

"Huh?" Izuku said, confused.

Ochaco let out a sigh. "There is no way my week with Mirko is going to be fun. She is going to put me through the paces. Insult me and mock me. I've been watching some of her interviews and I just know when I walk into her agency she's going to get on me for having no muscle at all and then probably have me run laps or do push ups and sit ups."

Izuku blinked at that. Ahsoka was impressed by how much research Ochaco had done.

"But the crazy thing is… I am looking forward to it." A smile that was just as much crazy as it was determined tugged on her mouth. "The only way for me to become a better hero is to get better and she is going to make me be better. That's why all of us were given heroes that can help us with our weaknesses. Aoyama needs to learn that heroics isn't a game. He is treating it like he's a model going to a photo shoot. From what I've seen from you, Izuku, Dualshot will have Aoyama going through bootcamp. He's going to understand he has to take this seriously." She shrugged. "Maybe it makes him want to quit and do something else. Sad but better he learn now than after a mission goes wrong and people are dying. But it might also snap some sense into him and get him to realize what is really important."

Ahsoka could only stare at her friend his shock. That was… rather mature of her, in terms of how to look at the internships. And also rather fierce.

Something of those thoughts most of have shown on Ahsoka's face because Ochaco added , "I know everyone thinls that just because I'm a rescue hero that I have will be dealing with getting people out of rubble and the like. Honestly I thought that was all I would be doing too. But I realize now that… well, that could be the case. I could make that my sole focus. But… can I truly call myself a hero if I can't save everyone?"

"Fuck no you can't."

Ahsoka turned and fought a groan as she saw Bakugo walk by them. She had been doing her best to avoid him after their fight and for his part he'd been staying quiet and not engaging her… but seeing him still made her feel like she'd eaten a batch of live worms. The nervousness of what she'd done when she'd fought him, how she'd given into her anger and brushed up against the darkside, flowed through her veins.

"A hero, a true hero? They rescue everyone. Even if it isn't easy. Even if it means they themselves might get hurt. Even if it isn't an 'easy win'."

And with that… he just walked off.

"…well, yeah," Ochaco said. "Exactly that. I want to get stronger so I can rescue everyone. I want no one to ever get left behind!"

"Right…" Ahsoka said before looking at Izuku. "Did he seem off to you?"

"Thanks guys, great talk," Ochaco muttered.

Izuku's eyes went wide. "No! And I mean that to you, Ochaco because yes Ahsoka, Kaachan did seem off but-"

Ahsoka tuned out Izuku's rambling.

'What he said… that was true. All of it. A hero… a Jedi… they do what they do because they want to help others. "Adventure? Excitement? A Jedi craves not these things!". I would have thought Bakugo would be the first person to dismiss that… to care about being flashy and powerful and famous and not… saving others.'

"-understand it but kind of wish I'd gone with someone else."

Ahsoka blinked, coming out of her thoughts and glancing at Izuku. "What was that?"

"Oh. I… well, I know you knew him growing up but its just… I got Prof. Kenobi and I don't know if that's a good fit now."

"Of course it will be!" Ahsoka proclaimed. "He's one of the most gifted tactical minds in the galaxy!" She threw her arms out wide. "He doesn't like being considered that but everyone knows it! And he's so skilled at negotiating… that's why everyone calls him The Negotiator! You and him are going to get along great!"

"Maybe," Izuku said, scuffing his foot against the ground. "Its just…" he adjusted his backpack straps… they were nearing their split off point, where Ochaco would head off to the little apartment she had whileI Izuku would head to the train station while Ahsoka would turn back around and go to her place that was near campus. And Ahsoka had a feeling that the conversation they were having needed far more time than they had. "I don't know. I feel like I should be doing more."

"Obi Wan suggested it," Ahsoka reminded him. "He suggested you intern with him. That means he thinks there is something he can teach you."

"…right."

The three parted and Ahsoka began to walk back to the apartment she shared with Anakin and Padme. 'Izuku can hone his planning with Obi Wan. Mirko will help Ochaco with fighting. Rex is going to get Aoyama to take this seriously. Everyone is getting an internship designed to make them better heroes.'

She paused.

'So… what is my flaw… that Nedzu is going to help me fix?'

~MC~MC~MC~

Stain looked over the Hero Rankings carefully.

The small apartment he'd set himself up in wasn't his own. But the owner wouldn't mind because they were never coming back. They had died… not to a villain, though that would have been tragic as it meant a hero failed in their duty. A hero's holy and noble mission was to protect the innocent. Stain was hard on such heroes BUT there were ways for them to redeem themselves in his eyes. Recently a younger hero, Saberwolf, had been unable to save a bank teller that had been shot. Simply hadn't arrived in time to stop the bank robbers. Stain had watched as the hero had attended the funeral and talked with the victims mother. There are been more cameras than Stain would have preferred but… he would only keep an eye on Saberwolf, to see how they turned out. If they were going to follow the Path of the True Hero.

But the owner of the apartment that Stain was currently staying in hadn't died because a hero hadn't been notified in time or they had failed to get him medical attention. No… he had died because of the recklessness of a hero. Flamestroke had been battling some anarchists who delighted in blowing up buildings and decided that she wanted to show off a new supermove of hers, never thinking that those that liked to blow up buildings might actually keep explosives on them.

The blast had thankfully been contained by the heroine… but it had still caused a microquake that, one street over, caused a sinkhole that had swallowed up Hiramo Han's car and led the office worker to become impaled on a bit of piping.

The Hero Commission had taken a week to reveal the true cause of the sinkhole, arguing in the papers that it could be any number of factors before finally admitting it had been Flamestroke. For her part the heroine hadn't gone to any funerals or met with any loved ones. Instead she had briskly blown off attempts from reporters to get comments and only issues the standard boiler plate apology notice that appeared buried in all the local papers. No one even noticed she had been so lazy about it that it still said (INSERT NAME HERE) rather than Hiramo's name.

That had been three weeks. Flamestroke had been given three weeks to prove that she could learn. She hadn't… and so she had died. She had cursed him the entire time, letting him know all the horrible things she was going to do to him. The heroine had portrayed herself as passionate and fiery, as was fitting someone with a fire quirk, but he wondered what people would have thought if they had realized just how filthy her mouth actually was. The disgusting things she'd suggested she'd do to him… sexually violent. She'd cursed him and taunted him and been oh so brave… until he'd pulled out his knife and her rage had turned to terror.

Stain might have paused… but the image of Hiramo's corpse, impaled on that pole, had stuck with him and he had struck true, killing her and leaving her to be found. Hiramo's death had garnered a small article, an afterthought, long after his death. Flamestroke had gotten a front page article but that was only because of Stain himself… he wasn't for sure how to feel about that.

'Of course… she was also given so much attention because of-'

He paused, looking down at the small brown tabby that was nuzzling against his leg. Stain reached over for the sandwich he was eating and ripped off a chunk, holding it out to the kitty who happily nibbled on the meal.

The cat had belonged to Hiramo. When Stain had taken over the man's apartment, using it as his latest hideout, he had found the poor thing waiting by its empty food dish. It had hissed at him and even bit his finger when he'd reached out to him but now the cat cuddled up to him whenever he could.

Stain reached over and gently scratched the cat's head, causing it to purr before it settled next to him and shut his eyes. He didn't know if he would be able to find him a new home easily… he didn't want him harmed too.

'Another victim of the decaying hero society,' he thought bitterly. 'How many cats and dogs are out there, waiting for owners that will never return home because of the failures of heroes?'

He looked back at the notebooks he'd been go through. They contained all his information on the false heroes, the ones that needed to be culled so the True Heroes, the ones that were waiting to burst through the muck that was the corrupt Hero Society, could rise up. Several different ones were currently on his radar…

His eyes paused on the one for Ida Tensei.

'A mistake,' he thought to himself. 'That… was a mistake.'

Stain was man enough to admit when he was wrong. He'd gone after Ignenium because of who his parents were, feeling that the fruit of a diseased tree would be diseased as well. But even then he had been… unsure. It had more been a matter of convenience then him being a target that Stain hungered to remove from the world. His failure to defeat him thanks to the arrival of Vader had caused him to go back, to see if he could find a different way to defeat the hero… and then begin considering his choice.

'He is not like his parents. He reaches out to Vigilantes and Criminals, offering them help. A chance to become honest members of society. And then there is his brother.' He looked at the images he'd pulled up at the library of Ida Tenya. 'The Spare created to ensure that the Ida Dynasty lived on… and yet Tensei saw him not as a rival but as a child. He raised him… as much a father to him as the man who created him…'

So Stain had decided to leave Tensei alone. A mistake brought on by his own hubris. He had managed to cull so many that it had blinded him, made him sloppy. Much like his prey, he could admit. But… Vader had shown him how wrong he was and as such had helped him realize what parts of him needed to be sharpened once more.

'He is my whetstone,' Stain thought. 'Helping me become all the more able to complete my task. I must thank him… before I challenge him again.'

He smiled at that before he looked over the notebook for Flamestroke, using his knife to slash a line through her name. He would burn the book later, to hide the evidence… not that he cared if anyone knew what he did. No… he was quite thrilled. Rather it was a matter of him not needing anyone to realize where he was and start a foolish drive to try and stop him.

It was why he would need to leave soon… his failure to kill Tensei, despite him now accepting that failure, meant that heroes would begin flooding into the city, trying to catch him. Opportunities to cull a few more of the braggarts… but also too far of a risk.

It was a balancing act.

He gently reached down and lifted the cat into his lap, stroking its fur, before looking over the notebooks.

'Flamestroke though did aid me in this. She showed me the truth I knew but was unwilling to admit out of fear. I have been removing the diseased flesh… but the infection is still there. It must be fully cut out if I am to save the limb that is this part of Hero Society. For if I allow that infection to remain… it will only cause more to become diseased.'

And with that… Stain picked up a new notebook with a single name on it. The name of Flamestroke's mentor. The one she had interned for and worked as a sidekick with until their falling out.

ENDEAVOR