| Week 2 : Day 1 |

.                    .                    .

     When the doctor woke, he was laying sprawled over the back row of car seats. The scent of crusty leather, which his cheek stuck to, invaded his nose. The constant, subtle vibrations were soothing, but his crammed positioning sure wasn't.

     "-Ghhh..." Midoriya turned over, happy to note he was no longer tied up like when he went to sleep. Oh yeah, he'd been tied up and thrown into the trunk of a car earlier. Forgot about that.

     "It was 3 AM when I woke you up last night. It's 10 AM currently. We've been driving around for a while now." The driver spoke. Yep, still sounded like Eraserhead. Though he couldn't see the outside of the vehicle from here, by staring at the ceiling, Midoriya guessed this was a different car than earlier.

     The young man sat up and rubbed the soreness in his shoulders, neck, and arms. He stared out the windows. All brown. The forest that surrounded them, that is. There wasn't a manmade structure in sight. Nothing but the old road they drove on. Midoriya yawned, then leaned closer to check out the driver. "Oh wow, you really are Eraserhead!" Poking the man's scruffy cheek, excitement grew, rejuvenating his energy. "Is your quirk affected by the eye patch?? What causes your hair to float when you activate it? Does it have anything to do with your scarf floating sometimes?? How did you lose your foot? Why is your prosthetic foot made up of so many individual parts? Won't that make it extra heavy and harder to manage? Hey! When your quirk is active and an object flies between you and your target, does your quirk deactivate or is it only if you blink that it deactivates?"

     "So many questions, huh?" Sounding completely uninterested. The older man had long-ish black -- and occasionally gray -- hair and a stubble beard, his long bangs covering the eye patch over his left eye. The one remaining eye was a charcoal gray. His clothes were a mix of dark gray and black. Very casual, baggy, and warm.

     Midoriya's cheeks pinkened a little. "Sorry! It's just that, since you're an underground hero, there is so little I know about you!"

     "Uh'yeah? And I plan to keep it that way... Dr. Hero Stalker..."

     "Ah-m..." Midoriya sat and stared down at his lap. "...So why did you save me?"

     "I dunno, but there was something off about the whole thing surrounding you." Eraserhead adjusted the rearview mirror to better see the other. "Now I may not know you personally, but I've been in the hero business most of my life. I've gotten pretty good at telling villains and citizens apart. So when I saw your case on the news and did a little research of my own, I noticed a lot of small things that just weren't adding up."

     "Mh... Thank you."

     "'Thank you?' What do you think I'm doing? Charity work?? No." The older man glared back at his passenger. "If information from your creepy journals is really out there spreading like a virus in the underworld, then who better to fix it than the author himself?" He turned to face the road again. "I'm not saving you. I'm going to train you before throwing you into the front lines... And while I'm doing that, I'm going to find out just how guilty you really are. Might just hand you over to the police myself if turns out I was wrong and you really are the conniving b****** everyone says you are."

     "That's...fair." The young man fidgeted with his hands for a bit. Then his head popped up. "Wait, training?? Like the same kind of hero training you did while you were teaching at UA?!" His excitement bubbled up again.

     The older man rolled his eye. "Something like that. Zero budget UA, yeah. And I'm going to need to make a lot of adjustments for a quirkless student. Expect Hell, since I want you in and out as quickly as possible."

     Midoriya sat up stiff and straight. "I won't let you down, sir! I aim to train really hard! Even harder than I studied for being a doctor!"

     "You're...excited about this..?" The man turned an squinted.

     Midoriya nodded enthusiastically. "Kachan and I applied for UA the same year, but since I didn't have a quirk, Iiiiii...didn't pass..."

     "...Kachan?"

     "Katsuki Bakugo, o-or now known as Dynamight!"

     "Ah... That kid... Sheesh. You were friends with him?"

Vbkkhrmrr!

     Eraserhead smacked the dashboard a couple times like a grumpy cat. "...Hasn't made that noise in a while."

     Midoriya waited a moment before responding to the previous question. "He.. um.. he was a lot nicer before his quirk activated.." The young man rubbed a hand through his scruffy hair.

     "Mh... Well tough luck I guess."

     "Yeahh..." Tough luck indeed, on all fronts.

----------

     The old red car left the road in favor of a half grown-over gravel one. After driving a while longer through twigs, which scraped at the car's chipping paint, it was revealed to be a driveway. For, settled in a small clearing in the woods, was a simple Western style cottage, smoke rising from the chimney.

     The newly retired hero parked the car by the house and grabbed his key. Midoriya was outside faster than him, already stretching his legs. The young man rubbed his arms as the cold air hugged him. "Brrr, so where am I staying?"

     "That depends." Eraserhead slouched with his hands in his pockets toward the house. He stopped at the front patio and grabbed a rolled up jumping rope. He tossed it to Midoriya. The doctor caught it a tad too late and was entangled in the wiery mess. "If you had listened to me last night, you would have changed into something warmer." The elder stepped up a couple wooden stairs until he was on the patio. "Every hour you spend training outside earns you an hour inside. Any breaks over five minutes won't count. So if you want to sleep some place warm tonight, I recommend you start jumping."

     Midoriya frowned as he stared down at the rope he'd just finished rolling. "Can I at least have some warm clothes?"

     "When you can afford the time to come inside and change into them, yes." The elder turned around and unlocked the front door to the house. "I programmed a system that'll do all the calculations for me. Make sure you're standing in the view of one of the security cameras or it won't count."

     "Okay, thank you." Midoriya tried to smile, but it was hard. He looked up at the first of the cameras attached to the roof. Staring at it, he unrolled the rope and started jumping.

. . .

     "One-hundred fifty-two. One-hundred fifty-three. One-hundred fifty-four." Maybe counting out loud was a bad idea. He was low on breath already and starting to feel a little light headed. His hands and feet were numb from the cold, though sweat dampened his clothes.

     The front door opened again. "That's an hour."

     "Already??" Midoriya dropped the rope, almost falling with it on the ground. He laughed excitedly.

     "Yeah. You're freaking slow. Come on. Eri wanted you to eat lunch with us."

     "Eri?" Did the man have a wife he never knew about?? Guess that would be a fitting twist for a hero like him. The young man wobbled gratefully toward the door.

     As soon as Midoriya entered, he was handed new, warm clothes. Obviously Eraserhead's. "These were he smallest ones I could find. Bathroom's that way."

     Midoriya bowed a thanks before accepting them. He rubbed his face on the warm cloth, since his skin was burning up in this warm air. It smelled nice in here too. The scent of beef had him almost drooling. The furnishing was rather humble and cozy too.

     After changing in the bathroom, the young man followed the scent of delicious food until he was in the dining room where Eraserhead and a little girl sat across from one another. Midoriya took his seat at the end of the table where he could observe them both. The small girl had long, silver hair and a small horn growing out of the right side of her forehead. She only glanced at the newcomer briefly before staring down at her food, eating slowly. Eraserhead rest an arm on the table as he ate at a slowish pace too. It was beef and potato stew, by the way.

     Midoriya slid his bowl over the table toward himself and picked up the fork already in it. It had been so long since he had a home-cooked meal like this. He was actually pretty excited! He clapped his hands together. "Thank you for the meal!" And immediately after starting, "ow!" burnt his tongue.

     "You need to eat slower." Eraserhead mumbled.

     "How much time do I have?"

     Checking the screen on his watch, "Forty-four minutes. You're fine."

     The young man relaxed his shoulders and started blowing on each bite before consuming. The room was deafeningly quiet. Only the scraping of dishes and quiet chewing could be heard. Midoriya was used to eating while watching something, so this was definitely an awkward change. "Hey, Eraser-?"

     "-'Aizawa' while you're here."

     "Sorry. Aizawa... Who is this?" Referring to the girl.

     "None of your concern." The retired hero took another bite.

     "Is she your daughter?.. or maybe granddaughter?"

     "I said it isn't your place to know."

     "Alright alright sorry!" Midoriya ducked his head.

     "Psh. Granddaughter. I'm only forty..." The old man gested. Eri was completely silent through all of this, not even lifting her head. "I'll give you this much at least. You wanted to know why I disappeared so suddenly? This is why." Gesturing to the girl. "I'm keeping the bad guys at bay. Which is why I can't allow you to leave here on your own. Either you leave with me, following my rules, or we risk leading those bad guys back here. Understood?"

     Midoriya nodded while looking at both of them. "Yes sir." What could a group of villains possibly want the little girl for? Was it related to her quirk??

     "Good. Now keep eating before your food gets cold. You'll need all the warmth you can get."

     Shivering, the young man cracked a smile. "You're right, I will."

| Week 2 : Day 2 |

     "Get up." Aizawa yanked the thick, warm blankets off of Midoriya, subjecting him to the cold. The young man sputtered for a moment before curling up and hugging himself. "Your allotted time is up."

     "Ughh.. I feel like I barely slept..." Begrudgingly, Midoriya followed Aizawa outside.

     The older man stopped on the patio and pointed to the car. "If you want to continue sleeping, there is a sleeping bag in the car. If you want to come inside again, you know what to do."

     "Jump... Right..." The poor young man looked like a zombie from the hit kids television series: Z.O.M.B.I.E.S. He trudged down the steps and opened the car door. By the time he looked back, Aizawa was inside staring at him through the window. Creepy. Midoriya sighed and entered the car. It was four am. He couldn't be bothered with exercising this late.

     Good thing the sleeping bag was a quality one. Didn't take long before he was warm again... But finding a comfortable position to lay in was a whole nother problem. He hardly got any sleep; too busy rolling around trying to get comfortable.

     After the sun rose, Midoriya started on jump-ropes again, occasionally breaking it up with pushups and situps or plain old jumping-jacks. And after a couple hours of that, he had a long break. Outside of course. Didn't want to deduct any time from tomorrow night's sleep.

     "Here." Aizawa sat on the porch steps beside the greenette and handed him a burrito wrapped in tin foil.

     "Th- ...thanks?" He was expecting a bowl of soup or something.

     "They come cheap in the market closest here."

     "Right..." After one sniff, Midoriya's stomach decided it wasn't hungry. Not because the smell was bad, though.

     "Too tired to eat?"

     "Is that even possible??" He chuckled.

     "Yeah. It is. Hhh. It's going to take your body a while to get acclimated to all the physical labor. But, a necessary change."

     Midoriya folded the foil and handed the burrito back. "Mind keeping this warm for later?"

     Instead, Aizawa placed it on his head. "Not a chance." The burrito nestled into the young one's curls, almost completely vanishing. "You're going to have to force yourself to eat that. At least a little."

     "Mhh.."

     "Think of your body like a car repair shop. It may seem like those places always have all the tools and parts they need, but that's only because they're constantly being shipped new equipment. That way, whenever a car is dragged in that needs repairs, everything is already there."

     "..car metaphor, huh?"

     "A telltale sign I'm getting old." The elder followed that up by taking a big bite of his own burrito.

     "Is Eri up yet?" He received a stern side-eye for that.

     After swallowing, "I don't intend to answer anymore questions about her, so don't get in the habit of asking them."

     "I'm-- sorry. ?"

     "Back to what I was saying before.." The man spoke while chewing. "By far your biggest opponent out there won't be a villain, but the elements themselves. Especially since you're a fugitive with so little money to live on. That's why you need to get used to living in harsh conditions now before it's too late... Don't worry. I'll teach you the basics. Starting with how to build a fire. Just let me..finish my breakfast first... Eat yours too."

     "Okay..." Midoriya pulled the burrito out of his hair and started nibbling on it. As time passed and his stomach settled, he was grateful for having done so.

----------

     That week was both the fastest and slowest one of his life. It took some time running tests on what his body could handle and what it couldn't. Which exercises to undergo at which times. And when to and when not to eat. With trial came error. He was woken many'a nights and kicked out of the house. Got stomach cramps for exercising too early, or nausea for eating too late. But, by day six, he developed a schedule. He'd start by stretching his legs and jogging around the house ten times, eat breakfast, do more stretches before pushups and other various arm focused workouts, then as the food was digested a little better, continue with jump-ropes and more running. Occasionally he'd throw in something new, but he was never the type to go the gym, so all his knowledge about working out came from movies he'd seen.

     Eri was an interesting one. She stayed indoors coloring and learning her letters at the dining table most of the time. When she did come outside, she'd wear the biggest, fluffiest coats and sit on the swing to watch Midoriya flail around, then run back inside without making a sound. Only on rare occasions would she venture from this routine to collect the few remaining bugs and bring them in because "they were cold." And it made Midoriya smile every time he overheard Aizawa trying to convince her not to bring in another bug. He never won those arguments, until they started dying in their little jars, that is. But then it was just sad seeing Eri cry over all the little bugs she tried and failed to save. Made the young man wish he could hug her so much! But Aizawa was clearly very protective of her and wouldn't let him anywhere near.

     When he wasn't working out or recovering from working out, Midoriya was listening closely to the teachings of his new sensei, Aizawa. The man taught him things like how to make a fire, what kinds of plants were edible and which ones were poisonous, how to tell directions, how to read a paper map, how to use a compass, how to check the oil in your car, and even tips on how to catch certain bugs that could be sold for quick cash. All things the doctor might potentially need to know for the quest ahead of him.

     In short, it was a montage of Midoriya actually having a father figure and learning things he probably should have a long time ago.

| Week 2 : Day 7 |

     The day Midoriya dreaded most.

     "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Wake up! Wake up!" Two little kids, a boy and girl with black hair, ran into their dad's room and crawled onto his bed, jumping around like maniacs. The middle aged man with short black hair was slow to stir. He groaned and rolled onto his back, regretting it when his little girl purposefully fell onto his belly.

     "Ough!... You guys are up early..."

     "You said you'd take us to work today if we were extra punctual!" Both children exclaimed in unison.

     "I did...didn't I?.. Huh." He wanted to go back to sleep so bad. Just then, his alarm went off. Eugh.

---------------

     "Thankfully, your uncle manages the agency on the weekends, so I can relax however much I want." The man explained to his two children as they entered the large, pristine building. Most of the walls were made up of glass. The lobby was spacious and designed for fast travel -- so no furniture scattered about -- and the color pallet was white and gray primarily, giving the place a very clean look.

     "Aw man you had to clock in on your day off??" A sidekick teased while passing.

     The man smiled and waved at him. "Don't worry, I'm just showing the kids around! You aren't running off to smoke in front of civilians are you?"

     "Ohh, no sir!" While pushing open the door to exit, "Someone decided to schedule me for two midnight patrol shifts this weekend!"

     "Ah, tough luck. Well, see ya around! And tell Josee those cookies were amazing!"

     Laughing, "I will!!"

     The little girl tugged on her dad's shirt. "You know a lot of people."

     "I do." The older man smiled at her. "It's important for any leader to know and care about those who follow them. It wouldn't be very fun to manage a bunch of people who hate you, after all."

     The boy tugged the other side of his shirt. "Hey, dad! Do you know that pretty lady?!"

     "That's Onnajoshi. She's in charge of repairing and restocking everyone's hero-support equipment."

     "Think she'll marry me?"

     Ruffling the boy's hair, "You're six. No. No she won't."

     "Awhh."

     The three rode the elevator to the very top of the building. From there, the man pulled out a special key card to enter the operations center. Clean and pristine as the rest of the building, this room differed by being filled with super computers and their massive high tech screens and holograms. All showing different parts of the city and 3d schematics of each of the sidekicks on their patrols.

     "Ah! Brother!" The second oldest Ingenium brother, who wore his white armor without the helmet, marched stiffly to the three, his eyes strictly on his brother. There was something very serious on his mind. The two were actually very similar in appearance except for the vast age gap between them. And the younger one wore rectangular glasses.

     "Uncle Tenya!" His niece and nephew got in the way, forcing the younger brother to put on a smile and crouch down to hug the two.

     "Awh! It is nice to see you two! How has school been?"

     "Great!!" Said the girl.
        "No, I hate it." Said the boy.

     The younger brother smiled fondly at them both and ruffled their hair. "Well I have business to discuss with your father real quick. Feel free to look around." Standing up, "But don't touch anything!"

     "Okay!" Said the boy.
        "Yay!" Said the girl. And together they ran off to go bother some of the people sitting at computers or shuffling from one station to the next.

     "Tensei!" The younger brother firmly grasped the elder's shoulder. They stared one another in the eyes for a moment before Tenya dropped the stern act and looked down at the floor, embarrassed. "I just got a call from the bank saying I accidentally left the paperwork in their office. I- I swear I put everything in the right folder, but- ..it wasn't in the bag when I returned here... I know this is your day off, but mind watching over headquarters for a second while I run and get it?"

     The older brother chuckled softly, patting the younger one's head. "I'll do you one better. I'll get these kids out of your hair and go grab the paperwork myself. Heh, it's not like I can jump back into doing hero work just yet in case of an emergency. Still recovering from that surgery, ya know."

     "Yeahh..." Tenya's stiff muscles relaxed a little. He glanced at his brother's waist, remembering where all the terrible scars were. "Sure you don't want to retire? --N- not that I don't need your help or anything! Just.." Tenya turned jaggedly, staring at the children running around in the offices pretending to be Star Wars rebels or something.

     Tensei shook his head while smiling. He placed his hand on the other's shoulder, looking with him at the little ones. "They're a lot more resilient than they look."

     "Yeah, but, without a mother-"

     "-We'll be fine." Tensei lightly shook his brother's shoulder until he looked at him. There was so much warmth and wisdom in the elder's kind, gentle eyes. "I know that Stain attack really scared you. But the Iida family is as strong as ever. And just like me with my injury, we'll only get stronger with time."

     Tenya paused, then nodded. "Right. I shouldn't worry. Thanks for doing this for me. I'll be sure to repay you tonight by taking you and your little ones out to dine somewhere!"

     "Hmh, don't make it too fancy." The elder then turned to look at his kids. "Tora! Kota! Come with me! We're going on a hero mission!"

     Both kids gasped and ran his way. "A hero mission?!" The brothers winked at each other before parting ways.

----------

     "Daddy, can we please stop? I have to tinkle." The little girl held her legs close together, doing little hops trying to hold it all in.

     The father and son gave each other a knowing look. Like this same thing had happened many times before. Then Tensei spoke kindly. "But we just got here." They now stood in the grand, open lobby of the central bank. "Can you try to hold it in just a little longer?"

     "No.." She whimpered. Her father sighed.

     "Well alright then." He then led the way to the nearest bathroom. After she entered the girl's room, the father and son looked at each other the same way they had before. "She's going to be in there for a while. If we hurry, we can get those papers before she comes out."

     "Good idea." The boy nodded, happily following his dad. They walked at a quick pace through the packed, massive lobby full of people going every-which way.

Journal: Ingenium
     One of the few surviving victims of Stain. Though in the attack he took some serious damage to the spine and left lung, I was able to repair it so that he should be on his feet again. It is unlikely, however, that he will continue working as a hero. Highly unlikely.

     The boy was bumped a couple times in this crammed room. He clung to his father's hand. The man slowed down so the two could walk side-by-side. "Busier than usual." He mumbled under his breath. And though he was relatively tall, it was a thick fog of people.

Journal: Ingenium
     The Iida family has a long history of eye-related disabilities. The younger brother, for example, consistently relies on his prescription lenses. Though he doesn't wear them in public, age has resulted in the eldest Iida brother relying on prescription lenses as well, except he, differing from his brother, is far-sighted. This hasn't affected his job, since as the Turbo hero he relies primarily on rushing toward distant opponents. It does, however, mean that he is vulnerable if his opponent were to be exceptionally sneaky and only make their move while within one foot of him. Like in a crowded room where he would be especially disorientated and distracted.

     While brushing by, a stranger in a black-hoodie pulled out a gun and pressed it firmly against the hero's neck.

BANG!

     Screams rang out throughout the building. The stranger simply dropped the gun and walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

     "DAD!!!"

Journal: Ingenium
     He wouldn't be able to run.

---------------

     "Come inside." Aizawa swung open the front door.

     Midoriya was laying in the grass like a sunbathing star fish. "But I-"

     "Come in NOW!"

     "Okay!"

     Midoriya was directed to sit on the couch and watch the news. He gasped and covered his mouth when, again, the death of yet another of his patients was reported. This time, the news reporters had no hesitation when it came to blaming a suspect.

     ""Dr. Izuku Midoriya strikes again with yet another brutal hero assassination.""

     "But I-!"

     "I know..." Aizawa pat him on the shoulder, sitting down beside him. "I was right to suspect you were being framed."

     ""Over one hundred people bore witness to the incident, including his six year old son, who was holding his hand at the time of his father's death.""

        ""How could a man be so heartless?""
           ""I know, right?""

     ""All witness accounts, as well as the security footage recorded, agree that the suspect was around 5'7, wore a black hoodie, and had dark green, unruly hair. All signs point to this, again, being the work of the mad doctor who is currently on a rampage killing his past patients. The reason for this is still unknown, though we can only assume it has something to do with finishing what Stain started.""

        ""There's more.""
     ""There is??"" There were three women at the reporting desk, where they would share the news in a semi-casual talkshow-like manner.

        ""Yes."" The second host held her papers with the latest reports. ""A message was written on the gun. And I quote: 'see how fragile the heroes are'.""

     ""That is quite scary..""
        ""Indeed it is.""
           ""I wonder if that explains his reason for doing this. Maybe he is trying to prove even somebody quirkless can-""

     "Turn it off." Midoriya clutched his head, curling over his lap and holding his eyes shut. When the reporters' speculating didn't cease immediately, "I said TURN IT OFF!"

     Aizawa shut the TV off. Midoriya was shaking, breaths frantic. He hugged himself tightly, but that wasn't enough. Only the weight of a car on him would-! "You know what's going on more than I do." Aizawa rest his elbows on his knees, staring intently at the young man to his left. He was the calm in this storm Midoriya was in, unwavering both emotionally and physically. An unexpected source of comfort to have around. "So tell me. If it isn't you, then who is it?"

     Midoriya cupped a hand over his mouth. "I don't know..." Specifically, he didn't know how someone so similar to him in appearance could be swayed to do such a thing. How did Patient X find such a person? How did he find the woman who killed Mineta? How many connections did the guy truly have, and how was he able to oversee it all without any eyes..? "M- my patient." He mumbled. "...Patient X. The one in a coma without a name. He's the one behind all of this... He said he would.." the more he thought about it, the more he started to cry. He held his face again, gripped by the agony of it all. "H-he said he would kill one of my previous patients every week...until I join his side..." His heart ached. "I d-don't know what would be better at this point. Letting someone die every week, or risk being responsible for even more deaths later on. I don't know what he has planned for me! Definitely don't want to be forced to experiment on humans with my last sensei, Tsub-basa!" And here came the bulk of the waterworks. As the feeling of betrayal really set in. To think a man he whole-heartedly trusted and cared about was such a despicable monster behind closed doors. Was that the only reason Tsubasa was ever nice to him?! Because he wanted an assistant to help him make even MORE grotesque beasts?! Digging his fingers through his hair, "I don't want to experiment on people. I don't want to be a villain! I always dreamed of being a HERO as a kid, not--!" ...He dropped his arms, torso folding over his lap. "Please tell me this is a nightmare. Because I really want to go home..."

...

     "Psst. Hey." Aizawa whispered harshly as the little girl approached. But Eri ignored him, creeping closer. "I told you to stay in your room." The eldest was clearly annoyed. She'd never outright disobeyed him like this before.

     Midoriya was still looking down and wiping his eyes when the gentle touch of string landed on his head. Eri strung a crown of bright autumn leaves over his hair. The young man waited until she was done. Then, he looked up. Her eyes were full of tears too. Midoriya had never noticed how beautifully her crimson eyes sparkled until now. She was always so far away. For her kindness, he offered a smile. "Thank you, Eri."

     The girl took that as her cue to back away and scamper out of the living room. Aizawa sighed. "That's the first time she's cried in front of me." After making his observation, he pat Midoriya's back and stood up. "Follow me." He led the doctor outside of the house and into the woods.

     After they had been walking along the thin trail through the forest for a while, Midoriya started to get nervous. "Um... Is this okay? Shouldn't I get back to-?"

     "-This counts as your training." Aizawa pushed aside another dangling twig. "It seems your situation is a whole lot messier than I anticipated. That doesn't change the plan. Just means a slight change of plans."

     "Hm..?" Just then, they stepped into another clearing. A small, lone canopy stood before a field. In the field were several targets. Under the canopy was a large, locked cabinet. Aizawa unlocked the low-budget safe, revealing an arsenal of guns inside. All of various shapes and sizes. Under all the hanging guns were rolls of paper, from which Aizawa grabbed a sheet, a simple handgun, and some bullets.

     "I honestly should have trained with these more in my youth." Aizawa took everything with him out to the field. Midoriya followed of course. "But there are a lot more rules and regulations for guns than support gear, so I decided it wasn't worth the effort." Using some nails already in the wooden targets, he attached the paper with the brighter, clearer targets on them. "However, after today, I'm sure you know how lethal these can really be." Walking back, the nervous Midoriya in tow. "Guns haven't been called 'the equalizer' for generations  f'r no reason, after all."

     "Y-yeah b't I-don't want to kill anyone!"

     Aizawa stopped under the canopy. "You're a well-trained doctor, right?"

     "I-- ...yeah?"

     "And your speciality has been treating heroes with battle injuries, including gun wounds?"

     "...Yeah."

     "Then you should know the least lethal spots to shoot someone. Aim for those."

     "Wh??" Stepping onto the old concrete platform with the older man, "It doesn't matter where you shoot them! An untreated gun wound can still kill someone!"

     "Then treat their wounds. Shoot 'em til they shut up, then treat their wounds and drag 'em to the hospital."

     "I--"

     "The gun is your quirk." Forcibly handing the weapon over. "There are many heroes out there with gun related or gun-like quirks, and they get the job done just fine without any casualties."

     "Bu-bu-bu-but I-!"

     "Listen, I get it." Standing so close to him without slouching, it was obvious the older man was taller. Leagues more intimidating. "Your world for years now has been the hospital: a place where everybody is trying to save each other. Well, now you're stepping into my world, where everyone is trying to kill each other. If you aren't prepared to defend yourself or your allies, you won't survive; you won't be of use to anyone, and you will fail."

     Midoriya shrunk to give himself some space. He mulled over Eraserhead's words slowly, considering them with care. His grip tightened around the weapon in his hands. "...Okay." Looking up at the hero. "I...think I get it now." Closing his eyes, Midoriya inhaled a deep breath. "This gun...is my quirk."

     Aizawa slouched again to his usual, hermit-self. "Alright then. Now hand the gun over. I'll demonstrate." Aizawa showed the young man how to properly prep, load, and hold a gun. He used the same technique the police use. So, very strict and formulaic. "And remember, only aim the gun at someone if they are an active threat. Don't walk around with your gun up like they do in movies. That could get you or an innocent civilian killed."

     "Okay, understood." Midoriya was in sponge mode, meaning his speaking and problem-solving abilities were limited, but that was just because his brain was too busy recording and taking mental notes of every minor detail. It was one of the nifty little tricks that led him to becoming a doctor so early-on in life.

     Aizawa didn't have to close one eye -- because eye patch -- as he aimed the gun at his target.

Bang! Bang!

     Midoriya held his ears as the sound echoed across the field.

     "Shooting two at a time will double your chances of hitting." Aizawa brought the weapon down. "Can you see where it hit?"

     He squinted. "Yeah.. Yeah! I can!" One bullet landed just outside the bullseye and the other several inches away from it. "Good job!"

     "You can't leave here until you're better than me."

     "What? Why??"

     "You know why!!" Aizawa shouted over his shoulder. However he calmed after seeing just how much Midoriya jumped at that. "...Hhhh. I know I said I was sending you into the front lines like I didn't care, but the truth is I've lost a lot of friends out there. A lot of students out there. And truth is, you never reach a point where it stops hurting." This time, Aizawa crouched enough so Midoriya could continue staring down while still keeping eye contact. "I can't assure you that you'll be safe, that you'll make it out alive, or that you'll even save anybody. But, I will do what I can to prepare you. I could tell from the start you were ready to jump into the fight, quirkless or not, armed or not. So, listen to me now: don't be stupid. Trust me, and train here until you're ready to fight back... Got it?"

     The young man nodded and wiped away the thin layer of tears in his eyes. "Yes sir."

     "Good." Aizawa pat him on the shoulder and stood straighter. "Now it's your turn. Let's see how a skilled surgeon shoots a gun."

     Midoriya took the gun and followed through with all the steps, not even needing a reminder from his teacher. He followed protocol so perfectly, Aizawa was impressed. And as the young man aimed his gun at the target, he was impressed again. That unwavering determination in his eyes was something else entirely. Would have given anyone staring down the barrel chills.

     The doctor imagined, at the very center of that target, was the mangled face of Patient X.

Bang! Bang!

.                    .                    .

| Week 12 : Day 1 |

.                    .                    .

     "Beep... Beep... Beep."

     "You can stop now."

     "Ohh, let her make beeping noises. I'm used to it."

     "I'm not."

     The three stood in the snow around the old red car, which had its hood up. Midoriya was leaning over the motor. Eri held a toolbox for him and Aizawa held his phone with a tutorial about mechanics and stuff.

     "Medium size wrench." Keeping his eyes on the patient, Midoriya held out his hand. Eri giggled and handed him the wrench. The young man got to work loosening the bolts and removing a part of the engine. Grease started leaking out of some of the holes. "Oh no. We need to stop the bleeding. Paper towels, pronto!" Eri set down the tool box and ran into the house. Aizawa leaned in closer.

     "What even is that?"

     "I have no idea, but if an engine works anything like a human body, I assume it's probably important."

     The elder shrugged. "Fair guess."

     Eri ran back outside with a whole roll of paper towels. "Thank you, Nurse Eri." Midoriya grabbed a handful and started cleaning up the mess. Afterword, he looked to the screen in Aizawa's hand and the elder pressed play on the video. After a few seconds of watching, he got right back to examining the mechanical parts. "Ahah! One of these tubes has a small slit in it. Must be leaking oil."

     Aizawa dragged a hand down his face. "Hhhh, so I have to buy a new part after all."

     "Hey, at least it's an easy fix. I can tape it up for now. Nurse Eri! I need the emergency electrical tape!"

     "On it!" She dug through the box until she found the tape, then hopped happily and handed it to him. Midoriya wrapped the tube expertly and set and screwed everything into place. He rubbed the back of his hand on his forehead, still managing to get grime everywhere.

     "Whew... Your car may have a lot of problems, but at least that won't be one of them anymore."

     "Thank you." Aizawa exhaled a large, visible cloud of air and headed toward the house. "That can count as an hour of training."

     "Yess!"

     "Remember. Chopping firewood also counts, so get to it."

     "Yessir, Eraser, sir!"

     "You can also stop calling me Eraser..."

----------

     Midoriya came inside hauling wood under each arm and set them against the wall by the fireplace. Aizawa was in the kitchen finishing up lunch, Eri dancing around him. It was weird occasionally catching glimpses of the man's mechanical foot, since it was so easy to forget about. He still wondered how the hero lost that foot in the first place. Leg, actually, he found out about a month ago. From the knee down. Whatever the cause, it must have been quite brutal.

     Everyone sat at the dining table when lunch was ready and ate together. "Slow down." Aizawa reminded the young man. Now, Aizawa sat at the end of the table, with Eri and Midoriya seated across from each other.

     Midoriya was one bite away from choking on his food. "Sorry." He managed through a full mouth. "Still used to eating in front of a TV."

     "You're also eating a lot more too. Seriously, it's like I'm making meals for four people now."

     Eri lightly tugged the elder's sleeve. "I've been eating a lot more too, right?"

     Aizawa switched from scolding Midoriya to rubbing the girl's head and smiling. "Yes, good job. It's important for a young girl to eat her fill so she grows up big and strong." Midoriya held his hands out like a 'wtf??' kinda way. "You want praise? Do the dishes." Midoriya dipped his head in sadness and defeat.

     Eri stared out the window, full of contemplation. Before anyone could ask what was on her mind, she made it apparent. "How will the trick-or-treaters reach our house on Christmas day? Won't all the snow get in the way?"

     Aizawa and Midoriya side-eyed each other nervously. Had they failed that badly at teachering? "Uh-hm." Midoriya started. "First of all, Christmas is the day when Santa-"

     "-Some Jewish kid was born of a virgin and a bunch of angels danced before an audience of sheep."

     "...Huh?" M.

     "...Was that not in your generation's history books?"

     "...?" M.

     "Darn, okay then. Continue."

     Midoriya continued. "So Christmas is the day Santa travels around the world delivering presents to good kids like yourself!"

     "He's fake."

     "He-hey!"

     "Hey, I'm not letting her praise some corporatized deity for something out of my bank account."

     "Hhhh..." The young man rest his forehead on the table. "Christmas is fun, alright..? Everyone gets to give each other gifts and celebrate community..." Aizawa agreed enough to at least nod along to that.

     Eri paused for a moment, really letting the information set in. "Oh! I need to make you guys presents quickly!" The girl shoveled the last bites into her mouth and hopped onto the floor.

     Midoriya lifted his head. "Um, kids don't usually have to worry about giving presents!" But the little girl ignored him. Her feet pattered over the hard wood until she vanished completely into her room. Midoriya sighed and leaned back into his chair. "Guess that means I have to think of presents for you guys too.."

     "You don't have to get us anything."

     "You're right. I'll probably just give you money."

     "=_= ... Actually, wait, that's a great idea. I'll take cash for all the bullets you used."

     "...I'm going to be in debt forever..."

----------

     "Hey! HEYY!" Midoriya ran after the red car, waving his hands over his head. After it got over a little bump in the snow, Aizawa stopped the car. Midoriya panted and leaned against the driver window. "Supply run?!"

     "Yeah. Ya need anything?"

     "Actually, remember that guy I said might be able to help us know who Patient X is targeting next?"

     "Yeah?"

     "He said he has free time to meet with me this evening. Mind if I catch a ride? I promise I'll schedule our appointment in another town!"

     "Sure."

     "Really??"

     "Yeah, just make sure to pack an extra set of clothes."

     "Why?"

     "I'll need you to change out of everything you wear to the meeting just in case he places a tracker on you."

     "Ah! O-o-okay! Stay right there!" He turned and immediately slipped and fell in the snow.

     Aizawa cracked his window open a smidge. "And tell Eri she needs to lock the doors and stay inside while we're gone."

     "...Okay." 👍

----------

     Midoriya didn't really know what to expect this Aoyama person to look like. The name stuck in his head long after Jin said it. While at Eraser's, he started to do a little -- and by a little,I mean very intensive -- research until he eventually found the guy and got in touch with him! Judging by this mysterious stranger's many names, he had quite the reputation.

     He hid his hair in a dark purple beanie, using a fake alias Aizawa made for him. Kiboro...or something. Using this fake identity, he rode in the dining car of a near-empty train. Hardly anyone was here just because these were weird hours for travel, and also no one really wants to go to these nothing-towns.

     Midoriya's eyes were drawn to the plentiful shimmering dots reflecting onto the ceiling. He sat up after realizing this meant somebody was coming.

     He was a tall lean man with soft, luscious, shoulder-length golden hair. The tuxedo he wore was quite literally dazzling. The whole thing was white, gold inside the jacket, each shoulder adorned with crystals. Under the white jacket was a pink dress shirt not fully buttoned. Somehow, the pink pulled everything together. But, it was by far the flashiest non-hero outfit the young man had ever seen. Midoriya slid further into his chair and looked away from the eye-magnet, praying this flamboyant man wasn't the person he was supposed to have a secret meeting with.

     To his dismay, the shining young man stopped at his table. "Might you be 5641?" Midoriya nodded after considering the risk of being seen with this guy. The other gasped and plopped into the seat across the table from him, smiling so giddily. "I love the idea of meeting on a train. So inconspicuous of us!"

     "Huh.. And you're who they call 'the gateway to the underworld,' right?"

     French gasp. The fancy one crossed his legs. "I abhor those appalling nicknames. I am the sHiniNg lAmp of the underworld. The gListSning glObe in a sea of uncertainty and strife."

     "Uhuhh.." Midoriya took a sip of his water. Was this guy pulling his leg or what?

     Aoyama checked that there was no one else in the train car with them. But just to be safe, he spoke in an exceptionally quiet manner. "So, Doctor.. You mentioned a trade? One man's skills for another? Hm?"

     "Yes, actually. " Midoriya leaned forward with one arm on the table. "I heard you had connections to the man I've just been calling Patient X. Big. 7'3 and a half. Has no facial features save for his mouth."

     "Yes. I know the man you speak of. -Not personally, of course! But I know a guy who knows a gal who knows a guy who works for him."

     "And this..friend of a friend of a friend is willing to share information?"

     "For a price, of course."

     "Right..." Considering how little cash he had to his name, Midoriya wondered if he could even pay for one bite of info. "...What do you know about him?" Midoriya leaned both his arms on the table, giving the other his full attention. "What's his name? What's his quirk? Does he control people by having a lot of money or is there more to it? How many people work for him? Is he a big deal in underground or is he relatively new? How much authority does he have over..." Once he started asking questions, he couldn't stop. All the tiny bits and pieces of his confusion were at last vocalized. It felt so good to get out but it'd be even better to have them all answered.

     Aoyama leaned back, a bit overwhelmed with the other's relentless flow of questions. Eventually he had to put his hands up and stop him there. "I'm sorry, but I'm not the person to ask all those questions too!" Chuckling, "I hardly know the guy. Think I just heard his voice once. ... Well, I guess I do know this morsel of information.."

     "Oh yeah?"

     Aoyama leaned in close, shielding his mouth with his hand as he whispered. "The man you're after isn't just any villain. He's the villain."

     "Hm?" He tilted his head.

     "Where I'm from, that man is referred to as, 'The Demon of The Underworld'." Midoriya's eyes widened. "I really suggest not charging at him directly. The man's influence is unmatched. If you want to survive, it's best to stay out of his way. Because when that man wants something, he gets it. And when that man hates something, it ceases to exist." Chills. Remembering the night when that man so easily decapitated Jin, and thinking of how much power he might have on top of that... Made him shiver.

     "Okay, noted." Leaning forward again. "I just want to save some of the people he's after, but in order to do that, I need to know who his next targets are. He's been killing one every week. I was hoping your friend of a friend of a friend could maybe tell me who he'll be targeting each week ahead of time so I can prepare."

     "Mhm..." Aoyama held his hands together on the table. "Yeah, that sounds impossible to me." He stared out the window a moment. "On your end! Not mine. It won't be hard at all to get you that information you so desperately crave, but I'm afraid information is all I can offer."

     "Information is all I need." Any more involvement with the criminal underworld and he might start to feel sick in the soul.

     Turning to the greenette again, "Now how about what I receive in return? You know, there's a great need down here for underground doctors.. There are so many of us who die because we cannot risk to go to a real hospital. And working as an underground doctor pays far better than any legal position, so that would easily cover your pay to my alibi and more."

     Midoriya leaned back with an obvious look of disgust at the request. Illegal practice with medicines?? Not only did that sound morally wrong, but physically dangerous too. He'd be saving the lives of murderers and crooks instead of heroes. And for obvious reasons that idea left a sour taste in his mouth.

     Would it be worth it in the end if it meant, in return, he'd have a chance at saving heroes?

     ...The bodies were piling up. Every Sunday, he sat and waited for the news to tell him who died next. What unfortunate soul perished because he wasn't yet ready to save them... And it was eating away at his gut.

     "...I accept..." Though he sounded rather defeated as he said it. "In exchange for information, I will work as an underground doctor for you."

     The blond smiled so brightly as he clapped his hands together. "Brilliant! My web of contacts will finally be complete now that I am in touch with a doctor as well! Down here, knowing the right people is just as useful as a quirk! Maybe even moreso~" Pointing at his own skull while smirking, "And when you're quirkless, it's important to work smarter, not harder. Wouldn't you agree~ monami~?"

     The young men shared a rare look of understanding between them. Suddenly, Midoriya had a deeper understanding of this near-stranger's life.

     ...So he was quirkless too, huh?

| Week 12 : Day 5 |

     The doctor woke to being booped on the nose. His nose twitched but he quickly forgot about the real world...until his nose was poked again. "Mh..." He hid his face in his pillow and rested again. But eventually he needed to breathe. Soon after his nose was out in the open, it was booped again. Finally, the young man opened his eyes.

     Eri held her hands together in front of her chest and rocked on her heels. She bashfully looked the man in the eyes. "..It's Christmas... Want to open your presents..?"

     "Huh?" Midoriya propped himself up on an elbow and rubbed his eyes. "Already??" Now that reality was coming back to him, he remembered the hectic night prior of him hurrying to prep his gift asap so he'd still have time to sleep. "Oh. Right... You wait outside. Le-let me get dressed."

     "No." Eri grabbed his hand. "You're supposed to come out in your pajamas. Christmas tradition!"

     "Ah- okay." He chuckled, letting her guide him out of the bed and to the living room. Aizawa was curled up on the floor by their little paper Christmas tree taped to the wall, also in his pajamas. Now that Eri had done her research, aka watching Christmas movies, she was such a stickler for tradition. It was cute, but the men would have liked to sleep in a little more.

     Aizawa sat himself up as Midoriya dropped beside him. Eri stood before the tree and point at the men like the little lady in charge she was. "Okay! So I will give you your presents first!" Both men nodded. The girl turned to the paper tree and grabbed two crudely wrapped boxes. Midoriya was handed the big one and Aizawa the little one. "Now open your gifts!" Eri hopped, clearly enjoying this. Aizawa and Midoriya looked at each other before opening their presents at the same time. Midoriya's was extra durable thanks to all the duct tape, so Aizawa's was the first to open.

     "Wow..." Pulling out his little gift. "My watch.. Was wondering where that went." He looked up at Eri and smiled softly. "Thank you."

     Eri giggled. "There is more, silly!"

     "Oh?" Aizawa reached back into the box. The eldest pulled out a piece of paper and unwrapped it. On it was drawn an adorable picture of the three. "It's...really good." It was really impressive for having been drawn by a six year old. Midoriya stopped gnawing his box to have a look.

     "Woah, it's so pretty, Eri!"

     "Thank you!"

     When the young man finally had his box opened, he excitedly pulled out, "a stuffed bear with a necklace! Awwe, and the necklace is so pretty too!" The chain and medallion were silver, the circular centerpiece had a tiara carved into it. He caught Aizawa staring at it, knowing this was likely a previous gift from him. Midoriya curled his fingers around the small gift, holding the stuffed bear on his lap. "Thank you so much! I'll cherish them." His vision got a little blurry actually as he held the gifts. Eri's generosity was so sweet. Eri stood before the young man and helped put the necklace around his neck. How kind of her.

     "I'll go next." Aizawa crawled closer to the tree and grabbed what was leaning against the wall. He handed a slip of paper to Midoriya and festive bag to Eri. Eri was tearing into the bag before Midoriya could even read the card.

     "A FLUFFY BUNNY ONESIE!!" She shrieked for joy.

     "Someone's.. name and number?" M.

     "It's the contact information to the girl who made my prosthetic in case you lose a limb. She has really good deals."

     ._. "...Thanks, I guess?"

     "You're welcome." Eri was already sliding into her onesie in the background.

     "If you don't mind me asking... How did you lose your leg?" He got really serious looks for asking that. From both of them. Even Eri seemed to know.

     Aizawa pet Eri's head. "It happened while I was saving Eri. That's all you need to know."

     "Oh.." So it was a fairly recent injury, then. Impressive. He got around so well, you would think he was born an amputee. Made the few times he was without his prosthetic, like right now, all the more bizarre.

     "Are you going to reveal your present now?"

     "Oh!" Midoriya jumped to his feet. "Le-let me get it for you! It's in the fridge!" Aizawa already knew what it was. He had bought all the ingredients, after all. Midoriya returned to the living room carrying a cute little cake. "I remembered the recipe from when my mom used to make these all the time for my birthdays! It isn't much, but I thought you might like something sweet." It was a cute little cake smothered in white frosting and blue and pink sprinkles.

     "Let's eat it at the table then. Eri, mind getting my crutch?"

     Eri and Aizawa sat at the table with the cake between them. Aizawa was cutting the slices, arguing with Eri about how big her slice should be. This house was so warm, and the company so nice. The young man had a hard time believing he could actually be a part of it. Something so lovely. He started to cry tears of joy.

----------

     Aizawa said the whole hours thing didn't count for today, so he could finally relax and have some fun. He chose to spend his time building snowmen and igloos with Eri. Aizawa watched from the front porch, occasionally tossing a snowball at the young man to keep his guard up.

     Aizawa was satisfied more than anything. He was happy to watch. Midoriya, though he didn't notice it much himself, had grown much stronger in his time here. Hidden under his coat were muscles that certainly weren't there before. He was far away from strong enough to fight, sure, but at least it was easier to imagine him helping the heroes now. And he was as gentle as any man should be, placing Eri in the snow just as carefully as he picked her up.

     It was getting late in the day when Aizawa trudged out into the yard, grabbed a handful of snow, and shoved it down Midoriya's shirt. There. That was his fun for the day. And as the young man frantically tried getting the snow out, the eldest pointed at the house behind him. "You kids should really come inside. It's getting--" He froze, horror striking him. "...I just referred to a twenty-five year old as a kid." He flopped onto his side and curled up in the snow. "I really am getting old..." Both Eri and Midoriya crouched close and pat him gently. Careful not to break the brittle old man.

.                    .                    .

| Week 20 : Day 4 |

.                    .                    .

     "Oof!" Midoriya was thrown into the grass.

     "Come on! You're seriously going to let a disabled old man beat the crap outta you?!" Aizawa held his fists up. The disabilities made no difference; if anything they made for one heck of a weapon to kick with! "Come onn, I'm not even using my support gear!" The young man panted and wiped mud off his face. He jumped back into action, but was just as quickly swatted into the mud and grass. "If you think I'm a challenge then how do you expect to beat that demon guy?! Sixteen heroes are dead and four are critically injured now, so where's your anger!? Use its strength, take control of it, and direct it onto me!"

     "ALRIGHT!" Midoriya charged again. This time, his attention remained primarily on his opponent's posture, how much weight was on each foot, in order to predict what he had planned to do. Oh crap! He was prepping to kick with his metal leg.

     Midoriya ducked under the kick at the perfect moment and rolled. Still so low to the ground, he full-body slammed into his opponent, knocking Aizawa to the ground. Once down, Midoriya climbed on top of and restrained the elder. "Hah! I finally did it! I finally won!"

     Seeing as he was indeed the loser, looking to the side, Aizawa smirked at the young man. "You win this time, sure, but did you consider my reinforcements??"

     "What reinforc-- aA!" The doctor was sprayed in the ear by a water gun. He fell into the mud again. Aizawa sat up, clutched his stomach and laughed. It was so rare and genuine, Midoriya laughed along too as he laid there. Then little Eri joined in, giggling, happy to see the others having fun.

----------

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

     "All missed. Dang. How did you get worse?" Aizawa commented, viewing the target via binoculars. Midoriya stepped away from the makeshift table and the rifle placed on top to adjust the goggles.

     "Look a little closer." Zooming in more allowed Aizawa to see the finer lines drawn on the target in the shape of a human. Midoriya used the scope on his rifle to glance between the target and the more detailed map of the human body on his desk. "I was aiming for tissue that's hyper-seneitive to pain while steering clear of any major arteries." On the piece of paper, he copied where all the bullets hit by marking them with a pen. Then, he showed the map to Aizawa. "I shot the base of each limb. Steering clear of the bone, but destroying enough muscle so that the target shouldn't be able to move."

     "D***. Remind me not to get on your bad side."

     Midoriya chuckled shyly. "Well, I missed my mark on the left leg, so if that were actually a human he'd be almost dead right now."

     "But you know how to repair that, right?"

     "Yeah! But he'd doubtlessly need a blood transfusion... And a surgery.. and maybe even a-"

     "-I get it." Leaving, Aizawa pat the young man on the shoulder. "You've surpassed me. Good job."

     "..I.... I have??" Midoriya pulled out his earplugs, unsure if he heard that right.

     Aizawa smirked over his shoulder at him. "Yeah.. So, the next thing you need to do is get ready to leave here and tackle this mission yourself. I'm sorry, but I have my own responsibilities to tend to. I'll be sure to join you when that is no longer an issue, however. Brush up on some of the older things I taught you and come up with a better disguise."

     "Yes sir!"

----------

     Midoriya jogged around the woods. Thanks to a little watch on his wrist, it was easy to track how long he had been running. The air was still crisp like winter, but now there was a sweet scent in the air as warmth showered the ground and awakening the flower buds on the tips of tree branches. Specks of green gave life to the waking forest. Like him, it took some time and sunshine to wake the wilderness from its slumber.

     In, out. In, out. He'd gotten better at breathing, and took a LOT longer for him to get tired from exerting himself. In fact, now that he was back to wearing shorts and T-shirts again, it was a lot easier to see the physical improvements to his body. Really was amazing what a few months can do for you. Best part was he wasn't borderline anemic anymore! Turns out having food to eat is quite beneficial too.

     Midoriya slowed his jogging when he came apon the house. Voices mumbled back and forth. Thankfully, they were familiar ones, but he was curious either way. He crept closer, using the bushes for cover, wondering what the two could be talking about.

     Both Aizawa and Eri were crouched near a tiny thing on the ground. Eri placed her hands on it, her horn starting to glow. Full of intrigue, Midoriya crept even closer until he had a full picture of what was going on. Eri was receiving quirk training from none other than the hero himself. Under her hands was a little baby bird. The terrible bruising on its wing and back faded away as the girl's glowing horn shrunk, until it was fully healed.

     "Now relax and step away." Aizawa instructed.

     Being extra careful, Eri stood and took several steps back, celebrating her success with a surprised smile. The glowing in her horn faded, leaving it a little smaller than before. "I did it? I saved the birdy?"

     "Yes, you did."

     "That was incredible, Eri!!" Midoriya emerged from the shrubs, startling them both. "Is that your quirk?! Can you heal things?!"

     Aizawa's hair floated a little bit as his one remaining eye switched to a faintly glowing red. It switched back soon though. "Right. You're quirkless.."

     "Eheh, sorry for spying on you guys. It's just that I've been so curious-!"

     "Insanely rude is what you are." The elder frowned. Midoriya lowered his head like a sad puppy. "Sorry, I... I guess there's no harm in telling you about Eri. You've proven yourself a good man by his point.. It's just. Hhhh."

     While Aizawa rubbed the back of his neck and stared out into the forest, Eri picked up the baby bird and started to gently poke at it. The birdy chirped, letting her know it was alive and well. That made her feel much better. She hugged the animal delicately.

     "I was patrolling a new area, on the hunt for more clues about a Yakuza that had rumored to develope a quirk-erasing bullet. I'd just started my shift that evening and so was just walking around on the sidewalks getting a feel for the area..when suddenly a little girl, Eri, fled from one of the dark alleyways and ran into me. ... By the way she clung to me, I knew something was wrong. That's when a voice called for her from the shadows. The voice belonged to a high ranking member from the very Yakuza I was investigating. He claimed to be her dad, though I highly doubt that, as the man was a known germaphobe and wouldn't even touch other people. ... Eri later explained that that man was working for her grandpa, who was the head of the Yakuza. But, after he fell into a coma, the other guy took over and started experimenting on his own boss' granddaughter. Likely not a coincidence. ... He convinced the girl to follow him by slipping down one of his gloves, hinting that he has a very dangerous quirk." Eri was doing a good job distracting herself with the bird. But a part of her was still intently listening to the story. "But I caught it right away, erased the man's quirk, and escaped with the girl as quickly as I could. Within that same hour, before I could even pass her on to another, we were attacked by a whole squad of Yakuza members. A bullet of that quirk-erasing drug was shot into my leg. So, thinking fast, I pulled out my knife and..." Aizawa gestured down to the prosthetic. "Well, at least my quirk is in tact. ... Even though badly injured, I was able to escape with Eri. It was then that I decided this was too big of an issue to simply pass on to another person. My priority for now is to protect Eri. Not only so that she gets to live out her childhood in a safe environment, but also so that those bad guys don't have any more means of making such a dangerous drug."

     "Ah... And what was the Yakuza's name?"

     "That. I can't say. Sorry, but, there is still a part of me that doesn't trust you completely. You're a good person no doubt, but even well-meaning accidents could lead to them finding us. So you're just going to have to live without the details."

     "Oh, okay. Thank you for trusting me with that much, at least. I feel really bad for Eri now..."

     "Don't be." The man gestured to the girl, who sat in the grass playing with the little bird. "She's clearly in a much better place now. Even since you got here, her spirit has brightened so much. It's nice to see her smiling like this."

     The young man smiled down at the sight. He walked to the girl and crouched beside her. "I know what you're thinking~ Though the little birdy is cute, keeping it as a pet would be impossible. It's really hard keeping wild animals alive, you know.. Maybe we should return it to its nest! That way its momma can take care of it and-"

     "-That won't work either." Standing close to them. Aizawa dug his hands into his pockets. "The smell of human is all over it now. The parents will just abandon it, even if you return it to the right nest."

     Midoriya glared sourly at him. "You know you could be a little less harsh."

     "I'm just speaking reality. You might be able to heal it's wounds, Eri, but that bird is still going to die."

     Eri turned to Midoriya with tears in her eyes, offering him the bird. "Doctors know how to keep animals alive too, right?? Ca- can you please save him??"

     Though he hesitated, Midoriya couldn't possibly say no to that face. He let her place the small creature into his hands. "I'll do my best, Eri. I'll save this birdy!"

     He set up a cardboard box with a nice warm blanket, and set a heating pad underneath it. He and Eri hunted for bugs. And the young man even looked up tutorials on how to best care for a wild baby bird. Most tutorials repeatedly warned that the task ahead would be a challenging one, but Midoriya had no choice but to try!

     The next morning, it was alive and healthy. The morning after that, not so much, and the morning after that...

     It was barely moving. Simply breathing was a struggle. Midoriya whispered into the box. "Please... Stay alive.. for Eri's sake..?" It was an early morning. Only the young doctor was awake.

     The animal started to cry with every one of its breaths, long squeals of agony. Dread settled into the man's chest. Acceptance hitting him so suddenly, all hope went numb in an instant.

     The bird had been hand-fed, hand-watered, and even given extra vitamins said to be good for birds. It was more doted on and cherished than any other animal in the forest. But, that wouldn't save it. The small animal had given up on life. And without a soul to drive it, the little thing was but a moving husk.

     He'd had patients like this in the past. Though rarer among heroes, sometimes that fighting spirit simply dies out.

     Midoriya felt bad for the small, lonely creature. How strange it must feel to be forcibly kept alive by giants. Giants it couldn't hope to connect with on as deep of an emotional level as its own kind. Giants it couldn't understand the thoughts and opinions of. Giants that could so easily crush and kill it if they so chose. How frightening it must be to live in a position like that, especially so young.

     Not wanting the bird to wake anyone, the young man cupped it in his warm hands and carried it outside. He sat on the front porch and leaned against the wall beside the door. Tenderly, he comforted the small thing best he could.

     He knew it was dying. And there was nothing he could do to stop that. All he could do now was, in these final moments, give whatever warmth and protection he could provide.

     It would lye still for minutes at a time, then suddenly flop around in his hands chirping loudly, then go silent again. As time went on and the sun rose, it struggled less. And it slept more until sleeping was all it could do.

     It was easy to tell when its soul finally parted. The creature got heavier as it went completely limp.

     He couldn't hold back the tears anymore. "Not you too..." He pulled his hands in close and rest his forehead on them. He didn't even want to imagine Eri's reaction to hearing the sad news. Should he burry it on his own, or wait for her to wake up?

     Today, another life would be lost. Another that would be his fault.

     And though you'd think one would grow numb to it in time -- to all this death, and feeling responsible because he couldn't help like he should -- it still stung. Every. Single. Time.

     He hated letting people down.

.                    .                    .

| Week 21 : Day 2 |

.                    .                    .

     "Hey, Aizawa. Mind taking me to town?"

     "What for?"

     Midoriya held up his phone. "My contact has another favor to ask of me. He says it's urgent. Someone's life might be at risk."

     "Understood." Aizawa stood up from the couch. As he headed outside, Midoriya returned to his room to grab his newly bought bag full of first aid equipment.

     He never told Aizawa the details of the arrangement he had made with his new alibi. Only that, on occasion, he needed to patch a person or two up. Aizawa was a smart man. He was sure he had put it together already that this was his way of paying for information.

     As the young man ran outside, his head turned to glance sadly at Eri decorating the baby bird's grave. He stopped on the steps and waved to the girl. "HEY, ERI!"

     Her head perked up as she turned to look at him. He gave her a big, cheerful smile. "I'm going into town! What would you like from the candy store!?" Now that had her smiling again.

     "Another candy apple!" Eri grinned. She used her hands for scale of size. "The biggest one at the store, so we can share it!!"

     "You got it!" Following that, Midoriya hopped into the car. Aizawa stuck his head out the window and instructed Eri to stay inside while they were gone. Then, the older man drove out of there in a hurry, knowing his rikidy old car was essentially functioning as an ambulance at the moment.

----------

     It was a thirty minutes drive to the nearest town, so Midoriya hoped his criminal patient wasn't seconds from death. He still had a fifteen minute train ride before meeting up with Aoyama. From there, who knows how long it would take to reach the patient. By far the slowest ambulance he'd ever heard of. But, for a lot of people, he was their only hope.

     "How did the last two cases go, by the way?" Aizawa grunted from the wheel as they pulled into town.

     "Decent, I suppose." Midoriya sat anxiously. It was hard to think about one thing for very long. "I'm not given the most sterile environments to work in. The first patient survived but got sick after and is still recovering from that, and I heard the second is fine but healing slower than he'd like."

     "And these are all villains you're helping, right?"

     Pouting, "I knew you'd figure it out.."

     "Everyone needs a hero, I suppose..."

. . .

     "Alright, this is as far as I'm taking you." Midoriya slid out of the car and ran through the streets to reach the train on time. A fifteen minute train-ride later and he got off on the next station where Aoyama was already waiting.

     "Ah! Oui, you finally made it!" The blond wrapped his arm around the shorter, dyed black haired one's shoulders. "Why must you live in the middle of nowhere? Keep falling behind and my people will stop hiring you!"

     "I'm.. sorry." Was all Midoriya could say. "Is the patient alright? Or did he have to call for another doctor?"

     "He so easily could have, but I'm afraid he was dead-set on having you. Something about being allergic to people with quirks."

     Midoriya's brow raised. "That's a thing?"

     Aoyama led Midoriya off of the platform. "Nah, nah, of course not! But some people are just biased like that, oui? They'll take their beliefs to the grave."

     "I suppose so." The two were speed walking through the train station, Aoyama leading the way to their next train. Though the doctor had definitely heard of people hating quirks, it was mostly something for the history books. He had never met someone in person with that kind of thinking.

     After another thirty minutes, still stuck in a train, the man was beginning to get quite nervous.

     "Are you sure there aren't any other quirkless underground doctors closer to him?"

     The blond laughed. "Oh dazzling, it's rare enough to find an underground doctor. But to find a quirkless one is a true gem! You may as well be the only one!"

     "Right..." Midoriya looked down. Maybe it was a bad idea to be known as the underworld's one and only quirkless doctor. He may as well drop the fake name and hair color altogether and just accept the heroes were going to find him.

     After they got off the train, Aoyama led Midoriya to the parking lot above it. A suspicious group that fit the bill for gang members stood around a white car. They all wore cloth masks, which was what really made them stand out.

     Aoyama slid his hand behind Midoriya's back. "Ahh, Kiboro, these kind Yakuza gentlemen are here to escort you to their injured leader."

     The tall, bulky one opened the back door to the car. "Get in."

     Aoyama squeaked quietly, stopping dead in his tracks. Midoriya froze too, but he was nudged ahead by the blond. "Good luck~"

     Midoriya spun around. "Whh-?!"

     Aoyama whispered. "They may seem intimidating, but I'm sure they wouldn't hurt the man they need most... Well." Aoyama slid a step back. "Toodaloo~"

     Midoriya whisper-shouted for the fleeing one, "Comebackhererightnow!" but Aoyama was too fast. Sighing, the doctor hugged his bag close and approached the gang meekly. "Hi.. I..." He cleared his throat, forcing the fear down. "How is the patient doing?"

     "We'll explain in the car."

----------

     There were three of them. A tall guy with long white hair as the driver, an even taller, buff bald guy in the passenger seat, and a guy with a black top-hat sitting next to the doctor. Midoriya felt kind of lost. He had no idea where he was going, why it was taking so long, and whether or not the patient would even be alive by the time they arrived.

     "So, who are you guys? Trigger smugglers, maybe?"

     "That is correct." Answered the driver.

     "What's the name?"

     "The Shie Hassaikai." Hm. Midoriya never really researched evil stuff, but he probably would have recognized the name from somewhere had he heard about them on the news. "Our leader got into a gunfight with another Yakuza and is badly injured."

     "How bad is it?"

     "We are lucky he hasn't bled out already."

     "Where was he shot?"

     "..." The driver side-eyed the guy to his right, who immediately pulled out his phone and started texting. Midoriya held his tongue. He dared not question the strange vibes coming from these guys. He dared not overthink it. He was already at their mercy.

     "The shoulder." The buff man informed after some back-and-forth texting.

     "That's...not very specific." Some of the doctor's skepticism was starting to slip.

     "You'll see it when you see it." The driver blurted. That ended all conversation for the rest of the highly uncomfortable drive. They just weren't acting as freaked out as Midoriya would imagine them to be. Or maybe he was just used to the hospital still. Hahahah, right. These guys are all villains. They probably don't care about their boss all that much...

. . .

     After a twenty minute drive from the train, they finally arrived at the Shie Hassaikai headquarters. Midoriya was led into a rather stunning mansion. Traditional Japanese style with pink cherry blossom trees blooming all around it. Midoriya was so captivated by the beauty that, while crossing a bridge to the master's quarters, almost slipped into the Koi pond. Their boss' chambers was a section of the mansion only connected to the rest via outdoor bridges and paths, equipped with its own bathroom, bedroom, and kitchenette.

     The entry room/living room was acting as the waiting room at the moment, where even more masked men lounged around. Midoriya inspected the place, impressed by how clean everything was. This might just be his safest underground gig yet.

     "Where's the patient?" The young man snapped into doctor mode. It was clear by the look in his eyes the only thing on his mind was the task ahead.

     "In his room." The white haired driver pointed. Everyone then looked and nodded at each other, equipping yet another set of masks. However these ones were a lot more ominous. Styled after European Plague Doctors. Sensing the doctor's unease, the white haired one nudged Midoriya's shoulder. "We have to wear these around him because we have quirks. You should be fine wearing a normal medical mask."

     "Oh.. really?" Dang, so this guy really DID have a thing against quirks!

     One in the gang with long-ish blond hair slid the bedroom door open. "The doctor is here, sir. ... Sir?"

     Midoriya furrowed his brows, pushing past. "You idiots! Did you seriously let him die?!" Upon entering the room, his eyes landed on the man laying on a sad looking futon in the middle of a near-empty room. This room was even cleaner than the front. Good. May just be the perfect place for a surgery... If he had any time left.

     The doctor shuffled into the room, some Yakuza members following, and dropped to his knees beside the laying man. As they reported, blood was leaking from his poorly bandaged shoulder. His left one. As for the man himself, he was surprisingly young to be the head of a Yakuza. Wouldn't shock him if they were the same age, even. He had short brown hair and wore a black cloth mask. His dress shirt and pants were black as well.

     The doctor was angrier than anything. This man was so pale he could be mistaken for dead. Though he was still breathing, barely, every breath was strained. Midoriya ran back to the bathroom to wash his arms, hands, and face. He grabbed a medical mask from his bag and put it and some gloves on before entering the room again. "Get me towels and clean water. And make sure they're clean!" He was going to take advantage of this sterile environment as much as possible by upping his own standards. Midoriya sat on his knees beside the patient again and picked at the mask on his face. "Why did no one take off his mask? He's struggling to breathe--!" A gloved hand grasped his wrist firmly, startling him.

     "Th' mask...stays.. on." The patient's eyes were still closed, but he sure sounded awake.

     "Psh. No it doesn't." The doctor was in no mood to let a delirious, dying patient decide what was better here. He fought against the man's grip to pry off the darn thing.

     The patient fought back for only a few seconds before his strength ran out. His arm dropped at his side again. "Fine then... Just make them leave..." Ah, so that was why.

     The doctor rolled his eyes and swiveled his head to the bedroom door. "You heard the man. Leave the towels and water at the door once you have it."

     "Y-yes sir." The gang members shuffled out of the room and closed the door behind them. Midoriya turned back to the man on the floor. "Will you let me take off your mask now?"

     "I don't see what that has to do with fixing me up." The leader spoke weakly.

     "You need to breathe. Why else do you think hospitals have oxygen masks?"

     "Fair... I guess." With what little strength he had left, the Yakuza lead pried off his mask. It flopped onto the floor along with his limp arm. "Do your thing..." His lips were dry and purple. A really bad sign.

     Midoriya had to fight with himself for a moment on what to do. His instincts said to give the man basic first aid before taking him to a real hospital, but he knew this guy wasn't interested in a hospital trip. So, he'd have to treat this bedroom like it was a hospital.

     "The water and towels are outside." A muffled voice said.

     "Thanks!" Midoriya slid off his gloves, ran to grab them, and resumed once on his knees again. He grabbed a small box from the bag and opened it to acquire a syringe and some antibiotics. He started by injecting the medicine into his patient's uninjured arm. "Uh, I guess we're going to have to start by taking off your shirt." Usually the nurses did that sort of thing for him, so he didn't really know where to begin. Halfway through unbuttoning the guy's shirt, the patient reached up and took over that task. "I'm surprised you haven't bled out already." The young doctor sighed in relief, taking this opportunity to soak one of the towels in the bucket of warm water provided. "It took me a long time to get here."

     "Yeah, I was wondering where you were..." Once his shirt was unbuttoned, he started sitting up. Midoriya frantically reached for him.

     "Here! Let me help!" He helped the patient sit upright and slid the shirt off his back. That revealed the wound. The shoulder sticky with blood. He pulled the large first aid kit out of his bag and opened it up to reveal a staggering amount of tools, many of which a little more specialized to be considered first aid. Immediately, he tightened a tourniquet around his patient's shoulder. With one hand, the doctor held the man upright. With the other, he used a damp towel to dab away the blood. "You're really lucky. Looks like the gunshot wound missed any major arteries. And it's a relatively small hole."

     "It took you nearly two hours to get here. And you came from the south. Do you live in the Shikoku region or something?"

     Midoriya laughed. "No! I drove thirty minutes before even reaching the train station!"

     "So you live out in the country... And the timing would place you somewhere in the Kansai region. Specifically Mai, if we consider the train you arrived on."

     Midoriya went deafly silent for a moment. Cleaning the rest of the blood from around the man's wound. "...Why are you so interested in where I live?"

     The patient chuckled dryly. "I just want to know why my doctor took so long to get here."

     "If you want a half-off deal for the tardiness, that's fine. I can understand that. Just don't go poking around in my personal life." Midoriya grabbed a pair of tweezers. "Please lay back down. And hold still."

     The patient allowed his torso to be lowered slowly until he was laying in his bloody bed again. "...Judging by your reaction, I guessed right."

     "No. You're a whole prefecture off."

     Before he could even bring the tweezers to the man's skin, the patient grabbed his wrist. "Then correct me."

     "Let go!" The doctor yanked on his arm, but the other's grip was a lot stronger than it was last time, and he didn't let go. "We can talk about where I live after I remove the bullet!"

     "..There's no bullet in there.." Was that...a smirk?? Then, before his very eyes, the bullet wound sealed itself back up. . Now that he thought about it, his patient wasn't looking pale anymore. He was rather healthy looking, actually.

     "Wh?!" Midoriya locked eyes with the man and froze. The most terrifying, inquisitive golden eyes glared back.

     Hold on. Germaphobe? Young Yakuza leader? Gloves? Motive for creating a quirk-erasing drug??

     "Dr. Izuku Midoriya... The infamous hero serial killer... I think we're going to get along swimmingly..."

     He didn't.. like the sound of that...

---------------

     Light from the car and the popping of gravel stirred Eri from her spot on the couch. She quickly unlocked and ran out the front door. "Midoriya! Aizawa!" But only Aizawa stepped out of the car. It was so late at night, Eri peered into the windows just to be sure the younger man wasn't hiding. "Is Midoriya hiding in the trunk?"

     "Hhhh, no." Aizawa approached while rubbing the back of his neck. "He didn't return as promised."

     "Oh no! Is he okay??"

     "I don't know." The older man's eyes scanned the treeline where he came from. "...I'll keep my eyes on the news... Eye."

---------------

     He didn't know where he was anymore. The past few hours were a blur. He remembered some kind of struggle taking place, followed by a lot of blood and being dragged down here. His hair dye was gone for some reason, dirtied with blood instead. And now his ankles and wrists were latched to some kind of patients chair. An uncomfortable seat, not because it wasn't designed to be such, but because it leaned a lot further back than what felt safe. The room was cold. A single, bright white light shown over him. Nobody else was in the room... How long had he been in here? He was getting thirsty. What time was it? He was really, really tired. A lot of machines were collecting dust in the back of the room. Looked like some kind of lab for experimentation. But, Midoriya was noone of interest to be dissected, so why was he here?

Click. Vvvvvv

     The door hiding in the darkness opened, allowing in a moment of external light. A singular man stepped through and closed it behind him. "Thirsty?" He stepped into the light carrying a glass of water. It was the brunette. Now, he was the one wearing a plague mask. Lined with gold, it was a little more special than the others.

     The man walked up to Midoriya and spilled the water on his forehead so it went everywhere but in his mouth. Midoriya shook his head frantically to clear his eyes. "Alright. Let's get started, then." By the time he could see again, the Yakuza leader sat in a high chair beside him, angled so that the two could still easily glare at each other.

     "Who are you?"

     "Overhaul, the man who seeks Satan's throne. And you're Izuku Midoriya, the doctor who went mad. Great. Now that we have formalities out of the way, leave the questioning to me." From his dress shirt pocket, the Yakuza leader pulled out and unwrapped a scalpel. "This looks new. Did you buy the kit recently?"

     "..."

     "Not even going to answer that, huh?" With such delicacy in his fingertips, the brunette traced the blade up the young man's skin, leaving behind a trail of pain and blood.

     Midoriya hissed through his teeth. "What do you want from me? I have nothing to do with you! I'm just a doctor."

     "Mm, no." Overhaul slid off one of his gloves and placed his hand on the other's bleeding arm. Midoriya flinched before anything happened. "You know about my quirk, huh?"

     "No?"

     "Otherwise you would assume I have some kind of healing quirk." Following that up, Midoriya's skin stitched itself back together under the command of Overhaul's quirk.

     "..Stop making crazy assumptions. I didn't know what to expect."

     "A reasonable response. Fine then." Overhaul took a step back, half of him standing in the shadows. "One of my assets' quirks is Confession. It forces a person to answer truthfully no matter what. Yet, somehow, you rendered his quirk useless by answering his questions in such convoluted and indirect ways, they didn't make any sense."

     "I don't remember that.."

     "That's why I am going to be very direct with you right now." Softly glaring the young man in the eyes. "Tell me where Eri is, or I will make all your worst nightmares come true."

     Midoriya nervously gulped. "...Eri? Who's that?" That earned him another slash on the arm. They were deep, diagonal cuts, so if not for Overhaul's healing abilities, they had the potential to kill him.

     "I know you couldn't have learned how to escape heroes and shoot a gun, because you were too busy studying and becoming a doctor by the age of twenty-three. You also wouldn't hire someone who looks similar to you. And I know Eraserhead is an intelligent man. He probably saw the likelihood of you being framed, and being the caring man he is, couldn't let you suffer alone. So he helped you evade capture and took you in. And since Aoyama was the first man you ever contacted after going missing for two months, it's safe to say you weren't taken in by any crooks either." Overhaul leaned closer. "So. Where. Is. Eri?"

     "...That sounds like a lot of stupid assumptions. -Agh!" He was cut again. Expected it. Still hurt.

     Overhaul grabbed the young man's jaw. "In your delirium, you said I could find my missing piece beside the baby bird's gravestone. I will not take anymore of your riddles, so tell me where she is!"

     "I- I don't know!" He received yet another cut down the arm. Every time, Overhaul healed the wound before it bled too much. And every time, an ugly scar was left as a reminder.

     "Yes you do!"

     "Fine, but I won't tell you!"

     "Yes.. you.. will.."

     They continued to play this game of back and forth until Midoriya went completely silent. By the end of it he had blood trickling down his arms and neck. Even his cheek had been torn open from the edge of his mouth. But all those wounds were sealed now. As were his lips. It became apparent he wouldn't utter another sound.

     Overhaul's rolled sleeves made it easier to see all the blood that was on him. He, covered in sweat, finally took a step back and set the dripping scalpel down. "...You're better at this than I expected." He breathed. Then he approached again, sliding off the one remaining, bloody glove.

     Overhaul softly stroked Midoriya's left arm. "For a quirkless doctor, I can imagine how important this must be to you." With one twitch of his finger, Midoriya's left arm exploded. He screamed. Of course. This was way worse than simply getting sliced. Walking around the chair, "How tragic. You'll have to live the rest of your life completely useless to everyone now." Overhaul did the same thing to his right arm. Then he went to the back of the room to grab a jar.

----------

     Midoriya was tossed into a large freezer and fell over several boxes of solidified Trigger -- a quirk enhancing drug. Overhaul addressed the two of his followers who'd assisted. "Hold him in the freezer for one hour." Stepping into the freezer, the brunette set the jar full of Midoriya's liquefied arms on a shelf. On his way out, "Then throw him into the steamer for an hour. Go back and forth between those two rooms, one hour each, until he confesses or is on the brink of death. I'll revive him so you can continue indefinitely."

     "Yes sir."
        "Awwh, why do I always gotta be stuck with the weird jobs?"

     Midoriya rolled onto his stomach and used his chin to get back on his knees. The floor was so cold it almost stuck him to it. By the time he was on his feet again, the door to the freezer closed. He charged at and slammed his side into the door.

     "LET ME OUT OF HERE, I WON'T TELL YOU ANYTHING! I WILL NEVER TELL YOU WHERE ERI IS, YOU HEAR ME?! JUST KILL ME NOW! BECAUSE I WON'T TELL YOU!"

     Overhaul's response was just barely audible through the door. "Tell me where Eri is and I'll restore your arms exactly as they were before. Enjoy being broken until then."

     Midoriya slid his back against the door. He found himself staring at the flesh jar and whined. There was nothing past the shoulders. And the skin covering those wounds still hurt like Hell.

     His emotions were numb. Determination filled his every vein. Even for the sake of simply being stubborn, he wouldn't let Overhaul win.

     He was tired. The young man kicked around a few boxes until they formed a decent platform off of the metsl floor. He curled up on them. Still cold, but at least he could rest.

. . .

     Back and forth, they sent him from one room to another, from extremely hot to extremely cold. By the time his body could adjust to one, he'd be yanked out of there and shoved into the other. All through the night, this was the routine. He got no sleep.

. . .

     Midoriya was tossed into the freezer again. His mind was so fuzzy that keeping track of time via how many times he'd been in here was becoming a chore. Nine.. eleven hours.. maybe? A cloud of steam bellowed off of him. He shivered, too low on energy to even move from where he fell.

     His cheek stuck to the floor. Prying it off was a painful endeavor. Midoriya rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. It was nice not boiling alive, but now his skin was burning up in the cold. None of that sleeping outside in the winter could have prepared him for this torture. He could feel himself getting sick already. His immune system was plummeting. How could that villain be so confident in his quirk to fix all of these problems? What was his quirk anyway? Could he control the cells in both himself and others on a molecular level? If so, that was one heck of a superpower. ...Why did it have to go to a villain? Just...why? If HE had been born with a quirk like that, at the very least, he would have been an even better doctor. One whom people could actually rely on. One who could have one day ran his own hospital.

     'I need to clear my head.' Midoriya determined. 'After all, it isn't just me I need to think about. There are people out there relying on my help. I need to...' "Aghh.." Midoriya forced himself to sit up. He braced his feet under the bottom shelf and started to do situps. 'I need to stay active, alert, and prepared for the fight ahead. If not, I... I...' He made the mistake of looking up again at that disgusting jar. The doctor bit his lip as tears crystalized around his eyes. '...I can't save anyone like this.' He dropped onto his back. When his phantom arms tried to clear away the tears but failed for obvious reasons, he cried even more.

     Laying curled up on the floor, the young man screamed an agonizing crying. "I'LL TELL YOU WHERE SHE IS! I'LL TELL YOU WHERE ERI IS! PLEASE, FIX ME!"

     Either it was sheer luck, or Overhaul knew exactly what would break him.

----------

     He was woken as the road suddenly dipped and the car roughly turned onto a gravel path. His eyes shot wide open. He was sitting in the back of a van, his wrists zip-tied together in front of him. Every square-inch of him was completely healed from head to toe, as though he'd never been tortured. A terrible ache in his back from sitting leaned against the van wall at such a weird angle stole his attention. There were no windows near him, but from here he could see the trees through the front screen. Even at a glance, they were familiar. Every minor turn was so terribly familiar.

     "Ss-stop the car!!"

     "Little birdy's actually awake.." Overhaul glanced back from the passenger seat. The other members seated anxiously around in the van turned their plague-masked heads toward him as well. With their creepy masks they also wore cult-like robes. The only one not wearing a robe was their boss, who just wore a fancy jacket with really fluffy purple frill around the neck. The young doctor's mind was a lot clearer now than it had been before. He cursed himself for being so weak and giving in so easily. Even Overhaul had made a comment about that being a lot quicker than he expected.

     Thinking quickly, "Stop the car! There's a trap!!"

     The van slowed at least a little. "What sort of trap?" The white haired, white robed driver asked.

     "B- behind the third tree past the stump, under the leaves is a sensor! An-and the sensor's connected to a-a-a alarm and spikes!"

     The van completely stopped. "Show us." The driver ordered. Midoriya was picked up and placed on his feet. The van doors swung open. He was placed at the front of the group. Even Overhaul got out of the vehicle to stand behind him.

     The leader turned to his followers. "We may as well go the rest on foot. Everyone, grab your strobe lights, sleeping gas, and pepper spray. Chronostasis, Mimic, and little birdy over here are coming with me. The rest of you, pan out around the perimeter and slowly close in on the target." Overhaul turned around and shoved Midoriya so harshly he almost fell over. "If it turns out this is all a lie, I'll rip off your arms and legs and burry every inch of you but your head so you can suffer a slow, miserable death."

     "Mmh..." The doctor trudged ahead. Every step felt like he was wading through mud. He knew this was the right place. That was what bothered him the most. He'd betrayed both himself and the only people he had left in his life in his moment of weakness. Felt so bad about it he wanted nothing more than to crumble away. He never would have imagined himself breaking so easily.

     With tears in his eyes, the realization settled in nice and slow. '...Even if I had a quirk.. I don't deserve to be a hero.'

     After most of the group had parted and it was just Midoriya, Overhaul, white hair, and tiny little guy, the young man's leaned into a sprint before he even realized why. "AIZAWA!!! ERI!!!... AIZAWA!!!" Pain and regret were one thing, but that wouldn't stop him from at least trying to turn things around and save them.

     White-hair lunged a step forward to stop the runaway, but Overhaul placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's too late for them anyways... I can see the house already. Let him think he has a chance.. It'll make this more fun."

     "What do we do with the brat once we have the girl?" The tiny one asked his leader.

     "Simple. Since they're close, we use him as a hostage to keep Eri from ever escaping again."

     "Ahhh, that should do the trick."

-----

     Tears swelled in his eyes. His breaths were rigid and painful. He tripped over the most embarrassing of obstacles and struggled to balance due to his tied wrists. "ERI!!! AIZAWA!!! RUN!!! AIZAWA!!! ERI!!! YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!!!" His throat was getting sore already. He couldn't recall a time in his life when he screamed this loudly, this desperately.

     Midoriya tripped over the front steps and stumbled inside. The front door was unlocked. None of the lights were on. Now that he thought about it, the car was no longer outside either. Had they escaped already?? The young man sighed in relief.

     On the dining table -- Midoriya hobbled to it -- was the picture Eri'd drawn for Aizawa on Christmas. A key held the top right corner down, as well as a small note.

     " 'Dear, Dr. Deku. Please stay safe. I have to go away to be safe too. Love, Nurse Eri.' "

     Midoriya sighed as he leaned his palms on the table. "Deku, huh? Where'd she hear that from?..." Wait. He recognized that key. Midoriya's eyes bulged as he realized what this meant. He grabbed the picture and key and shoved them into his pocket. His raggedy, bloody clothes were no good. Maybe he should change before- oh crap he nearly forgot those guys will be here any second!

     Midoriya ran into his room and tore open his underwear drawer where his knife hid. He used the knife to cut the zip-ties off him. He didn't have time to grab a bag, so he threw a clean, extra baggy set of clothes on over what he already wore and shoved all the cash he could find into his cargo-pant pockets where they couldn't escape so easily. There were noises coming from the entrance by the time he exited his room. Midoriya pressed his back against the hallway wall, hiding within the shadow of the hall door.

     "Gah, they're not here. Must have received a signal or saw us coming hours ago." Overhaul calmly-ish kicked over a chair in the living room.

     "That's Eraserhead for ya. Man's got eyes on the back of his head." The little one joined in by casually tipping over the coffee table.

     Overhaul turned to the white-robed one. "Did you see the house's records? Maybe we can track him by-"

     "-It's a rental."

     "D***. Find the doctor. I'm sure we can use him for something."

     The team of three split up. Overhaul headed toward the kitchen. The little guy checked the back deck, and white-robe headed for the hallway. He pushed the door further open, which Midoriya had just slid behind. The doctor held his breath as the masked beast crept in. All he had to do was turn around, and he'd find him.

     The small guy's distant voice broke the haunting stillness. "Hey you guys think I should use my quirk to find him, orr.." Midoriya slid the door shut, jumped white-hair, wrapped his legs around the intruder's waist, and tore down his hood. "Don't know what your quirk is, but this looks important!" Midoriya grabbed the man's long white hair in one hand and chopped it off with his knife. The arrow shaped tips dropped to the floor, completely useless.

     "Aygh! Ih- O-Overhaul, he's in here!!" The two fell into a tussle on the ground. Midoriya cut the mask off'a the villain but was pepper sprayed in the right eye for his crimes. Desperate now, he jabbed the man's hand with the knife and jumped out his bedroom window. It all happened so quickly that Overhaul arrived right as the doctor was leaving. White-robe pointed out the window while on the floor. He'd gotten some pepper spray fumes in his eyes too, so that was no fun. "H-he escaped! A-" The fallen one felt around his robes. "He stole my bullets!!"

     "WHAT?"

-----

     He hoped. He hoped, he hoped he hoped it was still out here! His legs wanted to give out. His lungs stung. His body was pleading for a break. But he couldn't stop now! He had-- he.. had...

     Midoriya stopped, arms droopy in front of him. He gasped desperate breath after desperate breath.

     Could he.. actually.. save anyone?

     He was weak, flawed, a coward, a traitor, a villain, and quirkless on top of all'a that. How was someone like HIM supposed to stand against the "Demon" of the underworld?! How was he... How was he even supposed to start? Did he even stand a chance of winning?

     "It's useless to run!" Overhaul called from the woods behind him. "You can't survive out there without Eraserhead! And you betrayed him, so he won't take you back! You have nowhere left to go! Nobody to turn to!" The man was merely walking, though briskly. He knew at a steady pace he could catch him. "May as well return as my prisoner! I'll keep you far away from any hero. You won't have to worry about getting arrested!"

Thump-thump!

     Why did that just trigger him? Like a jolt of energy rushing through his veins. His scattered mind stilled, thinking clearly again. He knew what he wanted to do now. No. He knew what he needed to do now.

     Midoriya started into another sprint. "I don't care about getting arrested! That's not the problem!" He pushed himself even more, running even faster. "I need to save whoever's left!! I can't do that if I'm trapped!!" It was a sad, fearful sort of determination. He already had so many regrets, and they just kept piling up... He couldn't live with anymore.

     That was why he needed to fight. That was why he needed to be free.

     Midoriya came upon the canopy so fast that only by ramming into the wardrobe could he stop. "I'm running out of patience." Overhaul marched over the small hill. Midoriya dug through his pockets. Crap! They're in the pockets of the pants under these pants! That required a whole lot more digging. "Hhh. You're such an idiot. Guess I'll just have to dismantle and reassemble you a few times. Maybe even leave behind your arms so you--"

Click-snap!

     Just then, Overhaul was held at gunpoint. His eyes narrowed. "So you want to play that game..?" He drew his own gun. Midoriya leapt behind the makeshift table and fired his gun. BANG! Overhaul jumped behind a stump and fired his. BANG! They were both hit. Not the best duel.

     "F***! How the Hell does he know how to shoot??" Overhaul tore off his glove and touched the ground. Yep. His quirk was temporarily inactive. "Ugh. At least he can't use his-- wait, he doesn't have a quirk..." Meanwhile, the most damage Midoriya took was a gnarly bruise. Well worth his freedom. He took this opportunity to flee in the opposite direction. These quirk erasing bullets were so rare now, Overhaul couldn't risk firing off another. Midoriya had but one magazine in his arsenal. Five specialized bullets remaining.

Remaining QE Bullets: •••••°

     Overhaul glared at the across the field at the other, who already had such a big headstart in their little race. The villain remained still, rage boiling within him. "Fly, little bird, but you never will be free."

| Week 21 : Day 4 |

     His grip tightened around the makeshift shack slung over his shoulder. He kept the bloody clothes just in case. He dyed his hair black again, just to be safe.

     The sky was gray. It had just rained, leaving everything shiny and slippery.

     The city blocks where the incident occured over a year ago were slow to heal. Many of the buildings had been repaired, but the spot where the one big impact had taken place became more or less of a memorial to the missing hero.

     Stepping into the crater, Midoriya frowned. "I should have started here." Though there wasn't much left to observe, at least now he could visualize the full scale of what he was up against.

     Because anyone who could survive a punch like this was more than a force to be reckoned with. The doctor stared at the ash colored sky, trying to visualize what that night may have looked like. The incident happened somewhere between 11:30 and 12:00 Pm... Hold on. What was All Might doing at that time? Hunting down a villain, I suppose. But who??

     Midoriya shook his head, forcing his mind not to wander. He pulled out a newly bought journal and pencil and set to writing.

Journal: The Big Questions
- who was All Might after before he disappeared? (someone important enough for the Demon of the Underworld to step in the way and risk his life defending)
- what is the "Demon's" true identity/name?
- what is his quirk?
- what are his end goals?
- how do I play into his plans?

     There were a lot of really big questions to answer, but at least now he understood.

     The heroes were too busy chasing after him to see the big picture. So not only was Midoriya the only one who could hope to save his patients, but he was the only one able to track down the true threat.

     Midoriya itched his shoulder through the fabric. It didn't get any better, so he had to pull up his sleeve to scratch at it. His fingers lingered for a moment, feeling the symbol burnt into his skin. He sighed and with a hint of embarrassment hurried to cover the injury up. ... You could say his run-in with the Shie Hassaikai had left its mark on him...literally.

     As if his other problems weren't big enough. "Hmh." He chuckled as he looked up toward the sky. "I wonder if All Might ever felt like this before... Can't imagine how many enemies he had."

     Maybe, as All Might had done for decades prior, he'd find a way.

     It wouldn't hurt to try.

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Casually drops a 18k-word chapter and leaves without saying anything.