"Regular speech,"

"Flashback speech,"

'Inner dialogue,'

'Phone Text Chat'

During Izuku's Week of Unconsciousness

All Might was seething. Not only had Young Midoriya and Young Toga been taken, but it had been under his nose and when he had been assured that the League's biggest target was himself. That was the whole reason he had been excluded from the trip altogether, but it seemed history had repeated itself. The League of Villains had attacked the training camp, multiple students were harmed, one pro hero was missing, and two students were taken.

He really should have known better; the pair had been told by that bastard Shigaraki to watch their backs. How could he be so stupid? But then, how could they have known there was a mole somewhere in U.A.? Either way he shook it though, he had failed those two, and now he could only try to help find them and atone for it.

He grimaced, 'yet another thing on the long list of things to atone for.'

The first day after everything had happed was spent having students carted to the hospital. Some had damage to their lungs due to smoke inhalation, others had been knocked out by some sort of poison gas quirk, and a few had been injured directly by villains.

Young Shoji had been injured by a rampaging villain who seemed to have blades for teeth, but luckily, he had only lost one of his duplicated appendages, so there was no lasting damage there. A good number of class B and a few of class A were affected by the poison gas quirk, but it seemed the majority of them were at least in stable condition and would be waking up any day. Young Yaoyorozu and Young Awade had both been attacked by a Nomu, but luckily, they were both fairly unharmed, and to top it off, they managed to attach a tracker to the foul creature.

But it wasn't just the heroes and students who had been incapacitated or, in one case, killed. Two villains, one of whom went by the name Moonfish and another called Mustard, later revealed to be a teenage boy named Kiri Doku, were captured after being subdued by students. But what had really made All Might's blood run cold was the state the last villain had been found in.

He was a man who was on the run for killing multiple heroes, Goto Imasuji. He had a powerful muscle fiber enhancement quirk that allowed him to fight with tremendous force and speed, and yet someone had managed to kill him. Not only that, they had done it in a very gruesome and stomach-turning way.

The gore had reminded All Might very vividly of the wound he had inflicted on All for One, and he knew all too well what using One for All on a human with the intent to kill looked like. The testimony from Kota confirmed All Might's fears that Young Midoriya was the one to kill the villain, and another testimony from Bakugo only confirmed it.

All Might grimaced as he thought about the boy. He had been hesitant to say what had happened on that hill where Izuku and Himiko had been taken, but Young Kirishima had been there to catch the tail end of it. Bakugo had turned away from Izuku when he could have pulled them away from the villain. But he didn't, and he seemed to have no good reason for why.

He wasn't in the business of judging someone for their decisions, at least not usually, but this was different. It was one thing not to be fast enough; All Might himself had experienced not being fast enough to save people countless times, but this was far different. Young Kirishima had seen the boy reach out to Young Midoriya, had seen their hands practically meet, and then seen Bakugo pull away.

His foot tapped incessantly on the ground, his mind racing in the aftermath of everything he'd learned. It had just been a day, but they already had a lead. Not just the tracker Young Yaoyorozu had planted but a sighting of a villain matching Aizawa's description of one of the League members with a flame quirk.

He had been spotted leaving a fairly secluded bar in Kamino Ward, and while the tracker Young Yaoyorozu had planted was in the same city, it was a considerable distance. There would need to be two raid teams, and All Might would be the one to spearhead one of them.

It was just a matter of which, and the meeting he would attend tomorrow was exactly to determine just that. And then they would launch their assault in time with the news broadcast Aizawa and Nedzu would be having.

Katsuki hated this shit. He hated that stupid glare raccoon eyes kept giving him; he hated Shitty Hair's disappointed looks he kept sending, that god damn cold stare from icy hot, the glares from everyone were just pissing him off. Even that fucking mute who could talk to animals had been shooting him glares the past two days.

It wasn't his fault that fucking nerd got himself captured, and it wasn't his fault he hesitated. It was that fucking nerd and the stupid look he'd given him. It was just like those goddamn looks he'd had when Katsuki had first started showing that nerd his place like he was some kicked fucking puppy.

Katsuki tapped his foot anxiously, his arms crossed as he sat in the teacher's room next to the old hag. Something was off; she wasn't yelling or smacking the back of his head like she usually did. She was just sitting there looking like she had a fucking stick up her ass. Her hands were balled into fists in her lap, and she looked really anxious. It wasn't like the hag at all; it was fucking unsettling.

Katsuki looked away from her, his stomach was starting to turn at that look on her goddamn face, and it was making him want to kick something. What the fuck was this?

Aizawa opened the door and stepped through. He looked down at them tiredly and sighed, "Are you both ready?"

Katsuki stared up at him, glaring, "Ready for what?"

"Your disciplinary hearing."

Katsuki shot up to his feet, his fists clenched and his eyes glaring even harder, "what're you talking about? What disciplinary hearing?!"

The hag put a hand on his head and pushed him down to bow, "Of course, we're right behind you."

He wanted to yell at her, but the look Aizawa shot him was filled with warning and disgust, so he shut his mouth and just followed.

They walked for a few minutes until they got to a conference room. All of the teachers were arrayed around the center table, with the principal at the head of the table. All of them looked pensive, save for the principal, whose face never seemed to fall out of that creepy smile.

Katsuki walked in but froze when he caught sight of Auntie Inko. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her lip trembled, and she smiled sadly down at a little girl with white hair and red eyes who was gripping her shirt and crying.

He frowned at them but said nothing as he and his mother stood in front of the large conference table.

The principal cleared his throat. "Well, I wish I could say it's nice to see you both, but given the current circumstances, you'll have to understand why I can."

The hag nodded silently.

"Well, I suppose it's time to start this hearing regarding the punishment that Mr. Bakugo will be receiving due to his blatant disregard of his teacher's orders during the incident during the summer training camp and the alleged… interaction he had with one of his fellow students before they were taken by the villains who attacked."

The principal shuffled a few papers on the desk in front of him and looked at Katsuki directly. "Would you say that it is accurate that your homeroom teacher, Shota Aizawa, gave you orders to stay in the training camp lodge where you would be safest and that you disregarded that to fight the villains that had invaded the camp?"

Katsuki grit his teeth, but nodded, "Yeah."

Aizawa glared at Katsuki, "Say 'yes, sir' when you're addressing the principal, Bakugo."

"… yes, sir."

The little rodent nodded, "And when you left the lodge, mister," he looked down at his notes and then back up. "Kirishima says that the two of you heard a loud crash from the woods, and upon the scene of Mr. Midoriya and Ms. Toga being taken by a villain, whereupon you decided to follow them. Is that correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"And when you followed them, you were able to find the location that the enemies were using to escape from the area where you came face to face with the enemy leader?"

"Yes, sir."

The principal tapped his pawed finger against the table, his little black eyes sharpening as he spoke, "and you brought it upon yourself to rush toward the enemy leader, using your quirk on the villain that had taken Mr. Midoriya and Ms. Toga, releasing them from the effects of his quirk, yes?"

Katsuki nodded.

"I'm sure you know what I'm going to ask you next, but I'm going to ask anyway for the sake of current company." He shot Auntie Inko an apologetic look, but she just sat up straight and stared hard at Katsuki with quavering eyes, "you encountered Mr. Midoriya and Ms. Toga as they were being dragged through the mist villain's warp quirk, and according to Mr. Kirishima's statement you would have been able to pull out one, or both of them before they would have been taken. Is that right?"

Katsuki hesitated. His eyes flicked over to Auntie Inko and then back to the principal. He hung his head, looked away to the side, and nodded.

The principal cleared his throat, "Now, let me preface this by saying this. You directly disobeyed orders from your teacher in a crisis situation, willingly endangered yourself and another student who followed after you, and most likely psychologically scarred two students who are most likely already being severely traumatized as we speak. I cannot punish you for not acting when you were not supposed to act in the first place; however, I can punish you for disobeying orders and endangering not only yourself but another student as well. I may not be able to punish you for the psychological harm you most likely inflicted on the two students who were taken, but Mrs. Midoriya is well within her right to ask that you be removed from the hero course, if not outright expelled altogether for the harm you have caused her son. And frankly, this institution is inclined to acquiesce to that request if it is made. I may even ask that you be blacklisted from all hero institutions altogether." He shuffled a few more papers on the table and looked over at Auntie Inko, "that being said, what are your thoughts on the matter, ma'am?"

The woman shuddered as she breathed in; her lips trembled, and her fingers tangled comfortingly in the little girl's hair. She didn't look up at Katsuki, and her head didn't even twitch slightly until she shook her head. "I don't know. My son and Katsuki have known each other for years, but they haven't always been on friendly terms. Honestly, I think they most likely hate each other, if not just have a bad relationship that they can't resolve. I don't want my son to suffer when he comes back, but I don't want to make that decision for him."

She looked up at the principal, her eyes filled with tears but hard and resolute. "Could I ask my son what his thoughts are when he's brought back? I don't want to make such a decision without his input. He deserves that, and so does Himiko. I may not be her guardian, but if she requests Katsuki be removed, too, I want her to be taken seriously as if she were my own child."

Nedzu nodded and turned his beady little eyes on Katsuki, "In the meantime, until Mr. Midoriya is returned, your current punishment is six months in-school suspension and removal from all hero training courses in place of regular anger management courses taken with Hound Dog, the school's guidance counselor."

Katsuki grit his teeth. His leg bounced in place, and his eyes shot over to Auntie Inko again.

He might not be able to stand the damn nerd, but having her not able to look at him was even worse. He had never seen her look so distraught, not even when the nerd had been diagnosed quirkless, and this made his chest tight and painful.

Even he could admit what he had done was shitty; if he wasn't going to help the fucking nerd, he shouldn't have even bothered to extend a hand. But to pull it away after he had? Katsuki knew he was a giant piece of shit, and that made him all the more angry.

Not at Auntie Inko, the nerd, the principal, or his punishment, but at himself.

'Fuck.'

The Following Day

Shota Aizawa hated a lot of things. He hated loud places, overly energetic people, pointless small talk, getting up in the morning, getting up in the middle of the day, and barely liked getting up at night. But what he hated most was wearing a suit, tying his hair back, and having to give a statement for the vultures that called themselves reporters.

Cameras flashed, bodies pressed forward in the packed conference room, and people shouted over one another to get his attention.

Nedzu pointed at a young reporter in a neat black suit and light blue tie. "You, sir, from NHA. What is your question?"

The reporter stood and addressed Shota, "This isn't the first time students of U.A. have been forced to face villains, and not the first time the students who were taken have been confronted by these ones in particular, is that correct?"

Shota leaned forward, breathed through his nose, and exhaled, "That is correct."

"Then, given the fact that they were taken and that many students have been hurt, what explanations have been given to their families regarding how U.A. is handling the situation? And what does U.A. plan to do in the future to prevent incidents like these from happening again?"

"The families of every student, both affected and not, have been contacted. The situation has been explained thoroughly, and restitutions have been made. The matter of what those restitutions are is strictly a matter between U.A. and the affected families."

Nedzu leaned forward to answer the other half of Shota's question, his black eyes observing the crowd thoughtfully. "Regarding measures taken to ensure our students' safety in the future, we have increased surveillance of the surrounding areas around campus and revamped our schools' security systems."

The next few reporters just annoyed Shota by asking variations of the exact same questions as the first. This was exactly why he hated these vultures. They were trying to get a reaction out of him by doing this, and he was starting to get very annoyed. But finally, someone else had something new to ask.

A reporter raised his hand. This one was older and seemed more seasoned than many of the others gathered here. Nedzu called on him to speak.

"Mr. Eraserhead, I have a question regarding your decision to allow the students in the training camp to engage with the villains. Did you think it was a wise decision to allow students to fight at that moment?"

Shota sat forward and looked directly at the reporter. "At the time, I was using the levelest judgment I could. I wanted to avoid the worst-case scenario."

The reporter raised an eyebrow, "worst case scenario? What is your scale for that? What do you call twenty-six students injured and two kidnapped then?"

Shota didn't even flinch. "I feared that if the students were allowed to fight back, they may die. The worst-case scenario was that all of the students engaging with the villains would have died."

The principal shifted forward again. "The gas quirk user's ability had a soporific effect, and Ms. Kendo and Mr. Tetsutetsu's actions due to Aizawa-san's order directly led to the incapacitation of the villain that had harmed the most students with the gas. That being said, all students who were either harmed by or had engaged with the villains have received psychological evaluations, and none of them have suffered adversely."

The reporter looked at him dryly, "Is that supposed to be a good thing?"

Nedzu leaned toward the mic, his paws gripping the sides of the table as he spoke, "We believe the worst has been avoided, so long as the students can still have their futures."

"Can you say the same for Izuku Midoriya and Himiko Toga, the two students who were abducted? They both did exceptionally well at the Sports Festival, but they both exhibited troubling tendencies. During the obstacle race, the boy got into an altercation with another student, Katsuki Bakugo. He destroyed his own body and destroyed most of the ring during his fight with Shoto Todoroki. He even had a very brutal fight with the girl during the semi-final and another with the Bakugo boy during the final match."

The reporter was handed a folder that he flipped through, "the girl was less obviously inclined to violence, but during her match with Tenya Iida, she pulled a real knife on him. Not many people had noticed at the time that the blade was real because she had used training weapons until that point, but she attacked him with a deadly weapon, and she showed a willingness to do so that can only be called alarming. That isn't even considering her altercation with Izuku Midoriya, and the fact that they are involved with one another doesn't paint much of a pretty picture either. Especially with all the events surrounding those two."

The crowd shifted, people whispered harshly, and it seemed the entire room's atmosphere had grown heavy.

"I have found significant police reports regarding the two, and a few regarding the girl that go back to when she was fifteen years old. Strangely enough, though, the records around her extending from that time up until she was admitted to U.A. were sealed, except for one, and it involved Izuku Midoriya as well. The report states that the pair had been out on a date when they came face to face with a villain who had kidnapped a girl; the boy engaged the villain without any sort of sanction, permission, or even the slightest attempt to call for help. That would be classified as vigilantism and, therefore, a punishable offense of up to at least a year in juvenile detention, and yet nothing ever came of it. Then they were found at the scene where the number two hero, Endeavor, captured the Hero Killer with extensive wounds."

He looked through more notes in the folder, "the Hero Killer was reportedly found with burns all over his body, which would be synonymous with the hero Endeavor's methods… except for a few inconsistencies. Broken bones, laceration, and even more than a few stab wounds, all of which would be consistent with wounds that could be inflicted by both Izuku Midoriya and Himiko Toga."

Shota was both irritated and impressed by this man's information-collecting capabilities. But none of this was anything Shota hadn't heard before; in fact, he knew about most of it, even the information about Midoriya and Toga engaging with a villain to save the girl that had been with Inko Midoriya during Bakugo's hearing.

"During an incident at the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall, Izuku Midoriya was confronted by the League of Villain's leader, Tomura Shigaraki. Nothing was made public about this, but it can't be insignificant due to this week's past events. And then there is the matter of the villain that was killed. Reports say that it was Izuku Midoriya who killed the man. Was this before or after you gave the order for the students to fight back against the villains?"

This entire tirade had really pissed Shota off. He wanted to tell the reporter to shove it and ask what he would have done if he had been put in even one of the events he was describing. But he had to control himself. This wouldn't just affect himself; it would affect the image of U.A., but more importantly, if he said the wrong thing, it would reflect terribly on Midoriya and Toga.

"I'm told it happened before I gave the order, but if Katsuki Bakugo, Eijiro Kirishima, and Kota Izumi's testimonies are anything to go on, then he was severely wounded by the villain he fatally wounded." Shota gathered his thoughts as he looked at the surface of the desk in front of him, "Kota Izumi's testimony stated that, throughout Midoriya's entire interaction with the villain, he took every chance he could to try and get Kota away and to safety, but the villain would not allow it. The villain, who went by the name Muscular, was a wanted criminal who had killed several heroes, including Kota Izumi's parents, and intended to kill Kota himself. Midoriya used extreme force, yes, but the testimonies from the three people who had seen him before he was taken all stated that he looked to be in critical condition. So with his life on the line, he was well within his right to defend himself using deadly force."

The reporter narrowed his eyes, "and you don't find his willingness to do so troubling? Do you really think a boy who can kill and a girl whose past is shrouded in mystery can be heroes?"

Shota sat up straight in his chair, "without a doubt. Those two may be problem children, but at the end of the day, they are exceptional. Izuku Midoriya has a willingness to help others, and he goes so far as to be willing to throw away his moral code to keep a boy he barely knew alive. And while Himiko Toge may be rough around the edges, she has integrated seamlessly into the daily life of school at U.A. She has made friends, shown real progress with her interpersonal connections with others, and has shown an aptitude for academia I would have never expected. They may not both be perfect, but I believe they are two of my best students. And above all else, I believe that when they are together, they cannot be swayed by villains using petty tricks and tactics. They will not join these villains, and they will be rescued. That, I'm sure of."

At the same time, Kamino Ward

All Might fidgeted; he had never been so nervous about a raid in his life. But then, wasn't that normal? His ward, his protégé, was in danger, and despite her dislike for him, he was worried about Young Toga just as much. They were both suffering, and he would save them.

He had never been so enraged in his life. Not since his master had been killed by All for One, and he could barely suppress his need to hit something. To make things worse, his pupil was forced to do the one thing that went against his very nature. The villains had forced his hand and made him kill.

All Might wasn't a fool; he knew Young Midoriya was more than capable of it when Young Toga was involved, and while that wasn't healthy, he could understand the sentiment. He had thought he'd killed All for One, and he had done it with the intention of avenging his master, the woman he had seen as a mother. It hadn't been out of a sense of justice but vengeance.

But the thing that must make this all worse for Young Midoriya was that he'd done it when protecting an almost complete stranger. It was one thing to protect the person you love, but another when you were protecting a stranger. It ate away at you in a different way, and All Might knew that feeling, too.

"Toshinori."

All Might looked down to his teacher's old friend. Gran Torino looked disheveled and tired; he had spent the better part of the last two nights helping Detective Tsukauchi look for the missing teens. Despite claiming he found them to be too much trouble, it seemed they had wormed their way under the old veteran's skin.

"Calm down. I know how you feel, but losing your head won't help anyone. Take a deep breath and focus. We'll have the little brats back and causing more trouble for you and me again."

All Might nodded and hung his head, "Yes, of course."

Despite understanding what Gran Torino meant, he still couldn't quite calm the tremor going through his hands. He didn't know if he could suppress himself to feel detached enough for that, but he also didn't think Gran Torino minded much if the way his own fists were shaking was any indicator.

He looked at Detective Tsukauchi as he briefed the assembled heroes on the operation, "All right, everyone. By now, the broadcast with Eraserhead's statement about the current situation is live, and there is no doubt that the League of Villains is being lulled into a false sense of security. As far as they know, we're still searching for them, so we'll be using this opportunity to launch a surprise counterattack. This team is gathered to assault the bar just a few blocks down, and the other team is attacking a warehouse that one of the creatures we call Nomu is known to be. These teams are kilometers apart, but we have one common goal. Save Izuku Midoriya and Himiko Toga, and take these villains down once and for all."

All of the assembled heroes nodded solemnly except Endeavor.

"Why am I even here? I have much better things to do than rescue some mouthy brat and his psychotic girlfriend."

All Might's eye twitched, his fists clenched, and he had to suppress the urge to punch the man in his face.

"Because this is about more than just that, Todoroki." Gran Torino stared up at the man hard, garnering his attention, "These villains took Midoriya and Toga, intending to turn them to their side, and if they succeed, that would be a devastating blow to the very moral fabric of our society. Whether you think it does or not, it has to do with all of us, Todoroki."

Endeavor crossed his arms and turned away, "Tch, whatever, old timer. I don't need to be told things I already know."

Gran Torino sighed, shook his head, and turned to All Might, "Don't mind him, Toshinori. He's got a chip on his shoulder as big as his head. But that aside, bringing me along for this must mean you think he's involved somehow. Right?"

All Might nodded, and his fists clenched, "That's right. This has his stink all over it, All for One."

The assembled crowd of heroes seemed to swell and congest at the garage door they would be exiting through. Detective Tsukauchi hit the door button, and they all filtered out and down the street in mass.

The streets were eerily clear; not a single person was in sight, but that was most likely the work of local police. All Might walked in silence at the head of the procession; he wouldn't have it any other way when Young Midoriya and Young Toga's lives were on the line. His boots thudded powerfully against the pavement; every step felt heavier than the last, and he wasn't sure the next would shatter the concrete.

Once they finally stopped in front of the building, All Might shook his head and blew out a breath, 'who would've guessed such an unassuming building would've been the main base for the League of Villains?'

Tsukauchi stepped up beside All Might and patted him on the back before turning to the assembled heroes as police started to silently surround the building, "Alright, the team advancing into the building from the front will be All Might, Gran Torino, and Kamui Woods. Those three will be able to handle the villains the fastest and subdue them, and Edgeshot will be coming in through the side entrance to make sure nobody escapes that way."

He turned and addressed the number two hero. "Endeavor will be outside, ready to catch any stragglers trying to escape, and if worst comes to worst, help support All Might with his firepower. Is everyone ready?" They all nodded, and the detective faced the building. Then the operation was a go."

All Might, Gran Torino, and Kamui Woods entered the building. The owner had been the one to tip them off about seeing one of the wanted villains here and had even been the one to tell them about the secret bar in the basement. All in all, the building's insides were fairly nondescript, but the stairs leading down to the basement were ominous and creaked under All Might's considerable weight.

"You just gonna bust in Toshi—" Gran Torino trailed off, looking at Kamui Woods, "I mean, All Might?"

He nodded, "I had some lame joke about a pizza delivery, but I am too thoroughly mad at this moment to make a crude joke."

All Might reared his fist back, felt One for All's embers fill him with a crackling power, and then he blew the door off its hinges… along with shattering most of the concrete wall around it. The door bent inwards at his punch, but it slammed into the ground with the angle of his blow so that it wouldn't fly across the room, potentially hurting or killing anyone.

They all rushed in, Kamui Woods releasing a rush of twisting branches that he would typically use to restrain enemies, but instead, it just caught air.

There was no one here. No villains. No Izuku. And no, Himiko.

"Whaaaaaaaat!?!" All Might yelled loudly, shaking the very building around them and sending debris scattered around them flying away. "WHERE ARE YOU, YOUNG MIDORIYA?! YOUNG TOGA?!"

He barreled through the bar, flipping tables, smashing the countertop, and looking for any signs of some sort of trap doors they could've used to escape. But his frantic search turned up nothing, and he nearly slammed a fist into another wall.

"Toshinori! Calm down!"

All Might rounded on the old man, "How can I—"

He was stopped when he saw that Gran Torino had found a note with a picture attached to it on one of the pieces of the countertop All Might had smashed. Gran Torino looked grim. He took the note in trembling fingers and read it

Dear All Might,

I bet you thought you'd found us, huh? Well, I assumed you would find this place, so I had Tomura clear out a few days ago. After all, you wouldn't put in any less than your best to find your little protégé, would you?

In the meantime, I'll be taking good care of him and the young lady with him.

With hate,

All for One

All Might nearly demolished the building then and there, his hands crumpling the note and shaking with rage, but he held off for a moment. He hesitantly flipped the picture over and froze.

Izuku was pale and covered in blood; his arms were twisted and mangled, tubes were sticking in his mouth and down his throat, and an IV was in his arm.

This time, All Might did smash more of the room apart.

A/N: This chapter is a bit out of order, but I think it's a nice break from the current situation with Izuku and Himiko.

We've got some rare P.O.V.'s here with All Might, Mr. Aizawa, and Katsuki. And speaking of which Katsuki is about to hit his guilt phase… like hard. Just might be to little to late for that though.

Hopefully, it makes sense why All for One would have Tomura switch locations. I mean, he figured that if they were going to put a lot of effort into finding someone, it would be Izuku, All Might's successor and the current holder of One for All.

I hope you enjoyed!!!