| Week 18 : Day 4 |

.                    .                   .

     "I just want to say on behalf of everyone here that we apologize for the mistake." The warden said while on their way to the gate. So formal. His uniform was so perfect he looked like a figurine. His hair so slick to his skull it looked plastic.

     The man he escorted off of prison grounds was the complete opposite. Though taller, all the slouching made him out to be shorter than the warden. His bushy purple hair was long, untamed, greasy, and dirty -- clearly having been neglected for quite some time. His face was in an even worse shape somehow. The bags under his eyes may as well be chasms. He looked though he'd seen Hell itself, reflecting a portion of its merciless depths in his sunken eyes. He wore a simple shirt and pants, since wearing the orange uniform he'd grown accustomed to would be humiliating.

     The warden watched the man's beaten down exterior. A soft look of regret clung to him. He slowed and patted the other's back. "I'm sure adjusting to life out here will be easier than you think. You'll get to live happily with your wife and daughter again, I'm sure of it."

     "Mh." The now free man sped to avoid the caring touch. He, with the Warden's help, finally exited the gates which held him here for so long.

     As the free man and warden reached the road, a black and yellow sports car pulled out in front of them. The engine roared, it's driver purposefully showing off. The purple haired man rolled his eyes, already knowing who this was.

     The windows of the car rolled down to reveal another young man with bright yellow hair, a single streak of black in it. He grinned brightly and honked his horn, which made a funny sound. "Yo, Shinso! Dig the new ride!?"

     The other rolled his eyes. "How much money did you waste on that?"

     The blond made a great deal about scoffing. "What do you mean WASTE?! This is a perfectly valid purchase!! Now hop in!" He laughed, "Or I'm driving off without ya!"

     Though he didn't take the threat seriously, Shinso did as told and sat in the passenger seat. He stared down at his lap quietly while the driver waved a goodbye to the warden.

     Once the windows were rolled up and the two were on the move, the newly freed man received a playful slap to his arm. "You're so quiet! We need to get you to Kara pronto!"

     "Ugh, no, I can't let her see me like this..."

     The blond laughed. "Awh, come on! What about your little girl?!"

     "Especially her." Shinso folded his arms. His friend turned, face full of concern. "I don't want her first memories of me to be so.. so..."

     Rubbing his friend's shoulder, "I get it... It's okay.."

     "How about we stop for a drink? Maybe I'll be able to figure out what to do from there..."

     "Oh.... Alright.. But I'll be watching your intake."

     "That's fair."

----------

     His mouth half full, the Stun Gun hero: Chargebolt, began explaining a few things. "So I was there with Invisible Girl in the hospital raid, yeah?" Shinso was too busy downing a drink to respond. "You heard about that, right?" Shinso nodded. "Well ever since then I've been partnering with this one guy to track down who all those experiments were. It's honestly been the toughest job of my life! You have no idea how hard it is to tell folks the child they've been looking for for five years has been turned into some frog monster."

     "Yeah, that sounds rough."

     "I can imagine you might have an easier time with it than me. On top of finding out who the experiments are, we're also tracking down the criminals who sold them to the doctor. We've caught a couple already! And I know we'll catch even more with your help!"

     "That's..." Shinso stared at the reflection on the surface of his drink. He sighed. "Sorry, Denki, I'm going to need some time to adjust before I can hop back into hero work."

     "That's right, I guess you have been in prison for three years." Denki rubbed the stubble on his chin. He then groaned and flopped over the back of his chair. "Daaang it! I was so excited to get back in the groove with you! Forgot you might need a moment." The blond frowned as he watched his friend pour himself another drink. "..You should probably start by giving up on drinking."

     After downing that, the purple haired man cracked a smile. "Great idea. I'll do that when you finally propose to Kyoka." He watched with a grin as the other's face turned a bright red.

     "Hey-hey-hey she's the one who said she wanted to take it slow!"

     "You were spewing the same crap three years ago."

     "Okay-okay! But do you realize how hard it is to propose!? I gotta worry about what ring she'll like, where we're supposed to go, wh-what kind of excuse to come up with to take her there! And you know I can't lie to her! She sees right through me!"

     "For an idiot, you sure are overthinking things.."

     "H-HEY! Kara literally got on her knees and begged your lucky a** to marry her! You have no place to judge me for having cold feet!"

     Shinso hissed a laugh, "I guess you're right.." and took another sip of his drink. "Let's make a deal. The day you propose to Kyoka will be the day I give up on drinking." He offered his hand for the other to shake.

     Denki grinned deviously. "Alright, you have yourself a deal!" He slapped and held his friend's hand firmly.

| Week 19 : Day 7 |

     Blood was in the snow. The purple, ice-cold hand of Denki's dropped into the red stained powder, dead.

     The sound of a gunshot still echoed through the empty streets. Shinso gagged on breath, falling back. He held onto his right wrist, the hand which had touched the corpse vibrating, burning, stinging. Not from a quirk.

     The villain got away that day. All thanks to a little interference.

     Shinso was numb.

     That bullet was meant for him.

.                    .                    .

| Week 21 : Day 5 |

.                    .                    .

     "Since you're new to this, how about we start by introducing ourselves? Hello, my name is Tsuyu Asui. I am a former hero, now hero counselor and therapist. And you are..?" ...The man sitting across from her hung his head low, twiddling his thumbs... The green haired woman sighed. "Unfortunately, I can't heal you with my presence alone. I am glad you took the initiative to seek help. I know that can be a really hard thing for a lot of heroes, but you need to push yourself just a little further. Communication is very important to make progress. Ribbit."

     "..." The man looked up, nervous by how intensely the woman was staring at him. Not in a scary way, but in a very genuine, kind manner. Her gaze was so warm. He was a stranger to it. Still, he was so used to prison.  "I'm...Hitoshi Shinso... Ma'am."

     "That is a nice name. Do you have a family?"

     "Yeah... Parents, a sister.. a wife... and a daughter." The woman should already know the answers to these questions. Maybe he was just used to interrogations, but this conversation felt so forced already. So fake. He looked up. "Can you cut all the questions to stuff you know already? I don't want to be here forever."

     "This isn't an interrogation, Shinso.. I am trying to get to know you."

     Holding his hands nervously, "Sorry..."

     "Here. I'll tell you about my family. Ribbit." Placing her hand on her chest, "My dad died a few years ago, but I still have a loving mother, sister, and brother. I have an amazing husband as well. Together, we have two girls and two boys. The boys are twins... Now didn't it sound kind of weird telling you about my parents and siblings first? Especially at my age?"

     Shinso shrugged. "I guess?"

     "It sounds more like a newly-wed. Not someone who's been married for five years with a three year old child... So, how would you describe your relationship to them right now?"

     "..." Shinso leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands caging loosely over his mouth.

     "Have you even seen them since getting out of prison?"

     "No."

     "I know your wife must miss you. It isn't my intention to guilt-trip, but don't you think she feels bad that you haven't returned home yet?"

     "She'd feel even worse if she saw me as I am." He said so matter-a-factly. His eyes started to sting a little, still holding the bottom half of his face. "...I developed a drinking problem in prison... It got so bad that one time I had to be rushed to the hospital to have my stomach pumped, putting me on that Doctor Midoriya's list..."

     "I'm sorry to hear about that.. One of my classmates, Mineta -- he was a weird kid, but I still don't think he deserved to die as tragically as he did by that Midoriya guy. I'm lucky I never obtained any serious injuries in my time as a hero, so I'm less at risk of the doctor coming after me."

   Shinso dropped his hands. "No injuries, huh? Mind me asking why you changed from a hero to a therapist?"

     "It's no problem at all. Ribbit." The lady smiled. "It's very simple, actually. The more kids I had, the more I worried about what would happen to them if I died. So, I chose another profession where my experience as a hero would still be useful, but overall the job is a lot safer."

     "Ah. That's pretty smart, actually. I can imagine it must have been hard being a hero, raising kids, and studying for a sociology major!"

      "You have no idea! Ribbit!" The two laughed quietly together. But it couldn't be all fun and chatter for long. "Point is, I care a lot about my family. And I know how important sticking close to the people you love can be for your emotional and even physical wellbeing... You aren't violent while drunk, are you?"

     Shinso shook his head. "No ma'am. I just get really tired."

     "Then even if you aren't perfect right now, I want you to know it is okay, good even to return to your family. They may just be the only thing that can help you right now."

     "..."

----------

     "Well that was pointless..." Shinso exited the building, tossing the crumpled up information slip into the trash. Shoving his hands into his coat pockets, he grumbled. "Everyone says the same thing. 'Go see your family' this. 'Go see your family' that. Is there anyone out there who realizes I can't do that without fixing the problems?!"

     Just then, someone with bushy black hair bumped into him. He didn't even see the little guy coming. Guess he was too big to really take in the force of the impact, because the littler guy fell over while he just kinda stood there.

     "Oh, man, I'm sorry. You okay?" Shinso turned around and offered his hand. The bushy haired man flipped over onto his back in a hurry.

     "No no, it's okay, I'm so sorry for bumping into you!" He accepted Shinso's hand and the hero pulled him to his feet in a snap. The awkward stranger brushed off his clothes. "Th-thank you! Well! I better be going then! Come on, Sho!"

     A little boy with straight black hair ran out from around the corner and grabbed the shorter man's hand. Together, they walked down the sidewalk, away from the purple haired hero.

     He smirked after a moment. "Now that's a good dad..."

-----

     "Is he still staring at us, Sho?" Midoriya asked. Shoto glanced back, then nodded.

     "Yep, he's still watching us."

     "Agh, I hope he doesn't find the tracker I put in his shoe." The young man whispered. "That thing cost a looooot of money..."

     "I'm sure it will be okay." Shoto soothed. 

     "Yeah, yeah.. hopefully."

     "...Hey, Han Soro-.. Soyo-.. Sodo... So...ro.."

     "It's okay. Just call me Han."

     "Okay. Han, why does your shirt say 'innocent civilian shirt'?"

     "You can read??"

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

     "Alright, everyone, listen up." Bakugo gathered all his staff together in the offices where they packed into one big circle. A mix of sidekicks and office workers alike. "We're going to go in a slightly different direction for a little while until I've caught that Deku freak. Nameless extra sidekicks, I'm going to give each of you a team of cleanup and paperwork extras since you're going to be focusing on patrol while I'm gone. If there's anything big just let me know and I'll handle it." His employees glanced at each other and nodded along, impressed by their boss' sudden trust in them. One of the office men rose his hand. "Yes."

     "I hope you don't mind me asking, but how do you intend to track down the doctor if your own research team came up empty handed?"

     Bakugo folded his arms. "Um, actually-"

     "Erm. Akshually~" Tomo stood behind, a little off to the side of him, so it was like hearing the voice of a gremlin resting on his shoulder.

     Snapping around, head emitting steam, the hero lunged closer and stood intimidatingly in front of the woman. "That's it! You wanna fight, rats-nest!?!"

     Tomo's unfazed eyes lingered on his chest for a moment before rising to meet his eyes. It was insulting how little she cared. "Sir... I'm 5'1. You're 6'1.. You would squish me like a bug... And I would die happily.. knowing my final moments were spent being crushed under the bulging muscles...of a really attractive man."

     "Ew, what the?!" Stepping back. He made a cartoonishly disgusted face at her.

     Turning to others, Tomo pointed with her thumb at the blond. "Take notes, everyone. This is how you repel people like him."

     Dynamight's face turned a bright red, head snapping back and forth between the woman and the crowd. "Wait, you weren't being serious, were you?!"

     Tomo knew then was her best time to leave and continue cleaning. Broom in hand, "You'll never know~"

     "Well once you're done with that, YOU'RE FIRED!"

     "Great idea. Too bad you're not my boss."

. . .

     Bakugo flustered to see everyone was still staring at him. "WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT?! GET BACK TO WORK!"

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

     In the library, Midoriya slept in the kids' section on a pile of beans-bags while Shoto roamed around reading story books.

     When he was getting tired, he moseyed over to the sleeping man and tapped his forehead over and over again until he stirred. "Mghh... What is it?"

     "Can we switch now? I'm getting sleepy." Midoriya looked at the nearest clock and did some math. He had one hour of sleep.

     "....Sure." He sat up, letting Shoto slide in his place where it was still warm. What woke the man fully was spotting a box wrapped in cloth and lying on a kiddie table. "Sho... When did that get there?"

     Shoto was put on alert by the man's sudden fear. His big eyes landed on the box. "Oh. I went to the bathroom and when I came back it was there. Why? Is it a bomb?"

     "No..." Midoriya crawled to it and carefully opened the box. Steam bellowed out from it, followed by a tantalizing smell. "Hhhh. Not again.."

     "Food?!" Shoto ran to it, ready to grab whatever was in there with his hands. But Midoriya quickly stopped him.

     "No, wait!" He gave the boy a wary look. "Ever since I left Aizawa's place, every time I fall asleep, these things appear. No matter where I am or what time it is, they appear."

     The young one gasped. "Is it your quirk?!"

     "NO! No no no no! I- pff- I wish it was! But no!.. That's why I think.. it could be from the bad guys~"

     Shoto's right brow rose suspiciously. "But why would the bad guys give you free food?"

     "It must be some kind of trick." He, on his feet, crouched so low he was basically sitting, hugging his knees to keep upright. Midoriya chewed his nails as temptation set in. "I don't know what could be in that food."

...

     "Well I'll try it for you!" Shoto's hand dove into the box.

     "SHOTO, NO!" The boy and man fought over the chicken nugget. When Shoto had had enough, he froze the man's body in an ice crystal and consumed the chicken in a flash. Midoriya was crying quietly, big bulging eyes a sopping wet mess.

     After a while of chewing, Shoto stuck out a thumbs-up. "Tasty!" He grabbed the box and started snacking on the rest of the chicken. "And what are these pills for?" He pulled out a baggie that had been wrapped with the box.

     "Last time I checked at least, they were vitamins and minerals. The same kind I'd usually prescribe to my malnourished patients... But still! Don't eat them just in case!"

     "Ew. Why would I eat pills?" Shoto tossed the baggie away. He stuffed his face with more rice and chicken. Midoriya watched with clear concern. Eventually, when Shoto had finished, he melted the ice away. "Sorry about that. I was really hungry." Patting his belly, the boy was now satisfied.

     Midoriya went pensive. "It's alright. I'm sorry I haven't been able to feed you like I should. I can hardly get around to feeding myself as it is.."

     Shoto pat the seated man's head. "It's okay. I'll just keep eating the boxes the mysterious person gives us."

     "Mh... Do you have an itchy throat, by the way?"

     "No?"

     "Any stomach pain, dizziness, headaches, chills, nausea?" He asked while checking the child for an abnormal amount of sweat and or discoloration. "Anything at all??"

     "No." Shoto shook his head. "I'm fine."

     Midoriya bit his lip. Crap, had he been starving himself for no reason? "...You get some rest, then. You're going to need lots of sleep so you can stay awake for tonight's voyage... And let me know if you start to feel funny, okay?"

     "Okay." Shoto pounced the pile of beanbags and curled into a ball. Midoriya sat down beside him with a book titled "The Criminal Mind" and started reading. After about thirty minutes, he had no idea when, the boy crawled onto his lap and snuggled into his warmth. ..There were so many words. So..many..words. The young man didn't even finish chapter three. He too fell asleep. And the librarian was too taken by their cuteness to dare wake them.

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

     As Shinso approached his agency, one of the sidekicks ran out to meet him. "Shinso, sir!"

     "What is it?"

     "Dynamight is inside! He's demanding he meet with you!"

     "What??"

----------

     Well this was weird. Hearing that Dynamight was visiting another hero was like hearing pigs could fly. And yet, here he was, sitting alone in the waiting room, arms strictly crossed.

     Shinso squinted, not amused one bit by the new arrival. "What do you want?"

     The guest was on his feet at once, glaring at the other in his usual Bakugo fashion. "I need information on that evil doctor guy you've been investigating."

     "Which evil doctor guy?"

     "Tubata!.. Tuboatuh!.. Uh. Hold on.. Tsuyokomi! Wait, no..."

     "Tsubasa?"

     "Yeah! The four-eyed freak!"

     "Well sorry, but the only one who could maybe help you was my partner, who died a couple weeks ago." Shinso pulled a chair from the row and sat in it. "I'm just here to hold everything together in his absence... Even if he was still here, he was only focusing on the experiments themselves. Tsubasa's case went to Ingenium, I think, after Invisible Girl died last week."

     Bakugo clicked his tongue. ".. Is there anything you could give me? You guys have been tracking down the guys who sold kids to the doctor, right?! Well, why can't you find more information on the buyer too?!"

     "The only reason we even know some of the sellers is because the doctor in his haste couldn't delete everything from his computer before fleeing capture... That computer's been inspected again and again. There's nothing useful to you on there."

     "Let ME see-"

     "I don't have access to it. Chargebolt had to bargain long and hard for even a few scraps of information. And now that it's in Ingenium's hands, I doubt anyone's getting any more intel outta that thing unless it's through him."

     Bakugo cursed under his breath. Shinso's endlessly tired eyes communicated clearly how done he was with this conversation.

     "What about those monsters having multiple quirks? Did you guys find at least that out??"

     Shinso turned slowly to check no one was within hearing distance. "...It seems you've done your research.." He growled.

     "What?! You think I'm stupid or sumthn'!? I had higher grades than you, dimwit!"

     "You were also voted 'most likely to fall for a villain's trap' in our second year class."

     "YEAH AND OUT OF ALL OF US I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO DIDN'T FALL FOR THE VILLAIN DEKU'S TRAP! IRONIC, HUH?!"

     "It wasn't their fault they needed medical attention."

     "Let's get back to the point! Do you know why those monster-things had multiple quirks or not?"

     "No. I don't."

     Bakugo dropped into the chair he sat in before. "D***it!" He grabbed his head.

     "But I do know they weren't born that way." Holding his hands together on his lap, the purple haired hero stared at his feet. "Eighty years ago there was a mad scientist, self proclaimed: Dr. Garaki, who conducted similar, albeit far less advanced experiments. He would sew two or more people together to see if it was possible to combine their quirks or force the quirk of one into another... His biggest struggle was keeping his subjects alive. His longest recorded success lasted only about three days. When one body died, their quirk would follow. Even when their blood was mixed, none of the others could use it... From that, he concluded someone's quirk must be strongly connected to their soul. Not just their body.

     I was present for one of the autopsies last week, and it seems Tsubasa was heavily inspired by Garaki's work, because there are traces of multiple individuals' DNA in one entity, however, now they have been combined on a molecular level, to the point that it would be impossible to ever separate one body from another. Even their quirks had been combined into one." Bakugo stared intently at the other's lowered head of hair. Fingers interwoven, not even he could hide his disgust. "While that might explain some of it, there were also quirks found with no DNA attached. The most bizarre thing of all. It was like the doctor found a way to separate a quirk from its host entirely." That's when Bakugo's face paled a little. Shinso lifted his head. "No technology, not even of this advanced age, is able to do something like that. So either Tsubasa developed some miracle machine no other scientist could dream of.. or there is another quirk at play here. Perhaps even Tsubasa's."

     "One that can create quirks?"

     "Or move them easily from one person to another. Who knows?"

     Bakugo scratched his chin. "D***it, if Tsubasa had a secret quirk like that this whole time, then he's gotta be a much bigger problem than I thought... It'd also explain why that idiot Deku would be so close to him. The guy was always obsessed with quirks. No doubt he'd get along with someone who could hold other people's quirks in the palm of his hand."

     "Since that is all the information I have," Shinso stood back up "I have work."

     Jutting out of his chair, "Wait, seriously?! You can't show me the autopsies or tell me how to find the guy Thumbs-up was working with-!?"

     "It's CHARGEBOLT! Not Thumbs-up!" Shinso spun around. That set him off. "You can disrespect me all you want, I'm used to it! Growing up, I was always told I had a villain's quirk and that I couldn't become a hero! I had to crawl my way into the hero course because I failed the entrance exam. As the one who scored the highest in that test, I can see why you would look down on me. I can see why you would look down on me for never standing a chance in combat against you, but I draw the line at Kaminari. You will NOT disrespect my deceased partner; my best friend; the man who gave his LIFE to save mine!!"

     Bakugo took a step back, bumping into his chair. He had sudden flashbacks back to when he so rudely threatened to spit on Deku's mom's grave. He knew he'd overstepped.

     He didn't exactly apologize. He straightened himself and stared ahead with decreased aggression. "Old habit." He uttered.

     Shinso breathed to calm himself down. He brushed some of the hair out of his eyes and turned around with his hands in his pockets. "I'll forgive you only because I know he would..."

     "-How are you out of prison already?"

     Shinso stopped. He just about had it. Though not nearly as short as Bakugo's, his fuze was short when pestered like this. He glared over his shoulder. "Excuse me?"

     Bakugo easily copied his glare. "You were supposed to be in jail for fifteen years, but you got out after only three."

     "The witness finally admitted he was lying in his suicide note."

     "After three years of being quiet about it??"

     "What? Are you going to threaten to throw me back in there because we don't get along? That man was a villain, wasn't he? You should know by now how petty they can be. Listen, if you're suggesting I had any part to play, every phone call I made was heavily monitored. Ask the warden himself. There is no way I could have used my quirk on anyone."

     "Fine." Bakugo backed off the issue. "But just know that if you are lying about anything, it won't take long before someone finds out." He made his way toward the exit.

     Shinso nodded. "I know." He walked further into the building as Bakugo left, both men in a terribly sour mood.

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

     That night, Midoriya got off the bus at a dark and secluded location, Shoto in hand. The scent of salt and sea-life blew over the tall bushes to greet them. The night air howled as it passed through street signs and an abandoned playground. The moon was bright enough that it bathed the nearby beach and humble town in a pale blue light.

     Shoto tugged the young man's hand. "Can I go on the swings??"

     Letting go, "Sure. Knock yourself out, buddy." Shoto ran off to do just that. The swing-set was old and rusty. It creaked with every swing, making the young man question whether he should let the boy play on it or not.

     After standing around for a while, Midoriya pulled out his phone and texted Aoyama.

Mr. M:
Uhhhh
You coming?

✨:
...

Mr. M:
Can you please stop sending "..."?
You're the only one who knows where that boat is.
Are you coming or not?

✨:
😒

Mr. M:
Hhhhh
What is it now?

✨:
Ugh ok fine I'll show myself 🙄

     Before Midoriya could type his response, rustling came from the bushes a ways behind him. He gasped and spun around, jaw dropping at the sight of Aoyama prying out from all the entangling twigs. "W-wh?!"

     Aoyama crossed his arms and made a great deal of pouting as he approached the doctor. While passing, he flipped his hair in the other's face. "I'll show you the boat, but I'm not talking to you today."

     "Hehh?? What happened?!"

     "You stood me up, yesterday!" He twisted around with his hands on his hips. "I waited at that dingy old bar for two hours. I repeat. Two hours!"

     Waving his hands in front of himself, the doctor shrunk back. "Alright, alright! You're right, I'm sorry." He stood on his toes to peer over the bushes. "Hey, Sho, it's time to go!" Shoto hopped off the swings and ran to the men. He was wary of the sparkly man, clinging to Midoriya. "Do you... mind watching Sho for me..?" Midoriya winced like he knew it was going to be an immediate no. "I don't want him to follow me where I'm going."

     The moment Aoyama and Shoto met eye to eye, they knew that was not going to happen. Both protested at once.

     "No! I want to stay with you, Han!"
     "I really don't get along well with children. . Wait, what did you just call him?"

     The three had a full-on conversation with their faces. Midoriya had to pull out the strict mom look to get the two to relent.

     "Ugh, fiiiiine. I suppose a couple hours wouldn't hurt."
     "Hhhhh... Yes sir..."

     "Thank you, boys." Midoriya pat them both on the head. "Now, Aoyama, lead the way please!"

     Aoyama turned around all droopy-like. "I'm not a boy. I'm 24..."

----------

     Aoyama led them via scooter further down the beach until they reached a port full of shipping containers. "Ah! Right on time!" Aoyama cried. He held his arms out in a grandiose gesture toward the massive container ship.

     Midoriya stepped up beside him, unimpressed. "This is where the covid breakout happened? Don't those require...people?"

     Aoyama slapped his chest. "Hey, don't que- Oh, wow, you actually have some muscle there.. -Anyway! No! I- I mean yes!.. What was I angry at you about?"

     "No people?"

     "Oh, right! Well~ if you simply take a closer look~" He grabbed the back of Midoriya's head and shoved him forward. "You'll see there are people boarding and leaving the ship right now~"

     Midoriya had to squint and adjust some more to the night's darkness, but the sparkly one was right! There were multiple, smaller passenger-boarding bridges hidden under the shadow of the ship, purposefully unlit. There, the dangerous type could walk freely in and out. "H- huh??"

     "We call them Floating Cities. Out on the water, no one really has to abide by any one land's rules. And disguised as container ships, they get around with ease. And in the rare case that one has been found out, the ship simply sinks itself, killing everyone on board to prevent witnesses... It's why boarding one of these things can be such a gamble. Makes it kind of fun, doesn't it~?"

     "N-- NO?!?!"

     "Awh, where's your sense of adventure?" Lightly pushing both Midoriya and Shoto toward the ship, "Come on. We better board before it takes off unannounced."

     "Wait-wait-wait, hold up! We can't just take a child on there!" Midoriya protested. Even Shoto was a bit nervous.

     Aoyama stared sternly into the doctor's eyes. "It was you who decided to bring a kid with you."

     "A-a-actually.."

     "It'll be fine!" Grabbing both their hands, Aoyama urged they get a move-on. "I know the ship's crew like old friends! They'll keep an eye out for him!. Oh, and I have so many people I want you to meet! You know if you wanted you could set up a shop in here like so many underground doctors do~!"

     "I...think I'll pass..."

----------

     Once they got through the dark, cramped halls, the interior of the ship opened up into a bright and colorful shopping center.

     A shopping center fit for Hell I suppose. Right away, there were slave sellers, prostitutes walking around nude, illegal weapon's and dealers, illegal drug dealers, and even a restaurant advertising the once in a lifetime chance to taste human flesh "served right."

     Midoriya gasped and covered both his and Shoto's eyes. He expected it to be a dicy place, but not so extreme and so sudden.

     Aoyama sighed, watching the two innocent ones cowering with his hands on his hips. "Hhhh, you two..." He looked one of the prostitutes in the eyes and lifted his hand, signaling her toward him.

     "What can I do for you~?"

     He smiled politely at the woman, not even caring to look any further down than her face. "No services for me, Dazzling, but how much for that beautiful ribbon of yours?"

     The lady poked at the red bow in her hair. "This old thing? Only a hundred yen."

     "Thank you." Aoyama pulled out his wallet and handed her the cash. She untied her hair to complete the exchange. After waving a goodbye to the woman, Aoyama pried Midoriya's hands off of Shoto's eyes and tied the ribbon around the little one's head. He stood the two of them up.

     "Wait, you don't have one for me??" Midoriya sad.

     "Oh, come now. You're a big boy! It's just a couple naked women! You saw your mother naked as a child, didn't you??"

     "I- I- I- I--" Midoriya picked up Shoto. It was a lot more than the nude he found unsightly.

     "This way to the dentist friend of mine. From there, I'll let you wander to your heart's content!"

     Midoriya wasn't sure he really wanted to wander around, now that he was here...

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

     Bakugo was in his jammies headed toward the bathroom. He arrived at the same time Tomo did, also in her jammies... Where was she even sleeping??

     Both barely awake, bleary eyed hermits squinted at each other. The open bathroom door was the only thing that provided any light.

     "You look like a witch." Bakugo dully reported.

     "And you look like a clown."

     "I'm sending you back to Kirishima's."

     "Yay, finally.."

...

     After a moment of standing there staring at each other stupidly, both realized the other had to go to the bathroom as well.

     As if plotting this telepathically, they immediately started playing rock-paper-scissors over who got to go first.

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

     "Alright.. Now here's some icecream." Midoriya handed the blinded Shoto a bowl and spoon. "It has nothing weird in it, I think??" He stepped back warily, leaving the boy in the actually pretty clean dentist's office with Aoyama and his friend. "I'll be back soon, okay??"

     "Okay." Shoto felt around the bowl for his first scoop of ice cream and munched on the treat. Midoriya ran out.

     Outside of the makeshift room -- made from metal crates -- was another bustling market street. The young man wove his way through the crowd of people, adjusting to all the colors and smells so he could start investigating.

     There were three stories to this thing. Each one with a city-like street going in a big rectangle shape. The first and busiest ring of markets was within the ship itself. The second story, the one Midoriya was currently on, was not quite as busy, and the third was the emptiest of them. The second and third floors were made entirely from hollowed out, reshaped shipping crates. It gave a very scrappy look to the atmosphere, but the shops here made up for it by laying their own floorboards or carpets out in front of and around their shops. The decorations helped a lot too in stealing your eyes away from all the rust.

     Midoriya chewed on his lip as he looked around, knowing he would have to interact with these shady people if he wanted this trip to be meaningful.

. . .

     "The covid breakout?? Eh, I suppose a few people got sick..." The self proclaimed "butcher" shrugged. "I'umno, I was perfectly fine through the whole thing. Couldn't tell ya who started it. Probably one of the slaves Deisley dragged in. Gah, I hate their business, always bringing in these half-dead stow-aways to sell like hogs... Sorry, what were we talking about?"

     "I know everyone 'round here's blaming me for bringing that virus in, but I promise you I had each and every one of my wares tested for any infectious diseases before bringing them aboard! See, I even have the testing kits right here in this barrel?! Do you realize how much money I'd lose if one of my products was infected with some kind of virus?! I'd be out of business! Now if you had to ask me, I'd say it was probably from that pour soul I saw dragging himself onto the ship a few months back. Don't think he's left yet. Could be dead. I wouldn't know." "What'd he look like!? Well, uhh..."

     "A young man with long white hair tied in a ponytail, you say?.. Hmmm?" She twirled her hair with her really long, knife-like nails. "The really weak one, right? Yeah, yeah, I guess I saw someone like that... He had a whole group with him. The only one who really stood out to me was this really buff dragon-wolf thing. A handsome devil, but he just growled at me when I said hi... The pour souls, I wonder where they went off to. I never saw them leave."

     "Yeah, I remember a chimera!" Spitting into a platoon. "The b****** kept stealing food from everyone on the second floor, then retreating to the third. His whole crew ruled the third story for a while...until there was some kind of commotion up there. No one's had their places robbed by that chimera since."

. . .

     This, finally, led Midoriya to the third and quietest floor of the ship. It was up here that true poverty shown. The prostitutes weren't lavish and bold, but poor, desperate beggars. The store owners resold an assortment of things obviously just stolen from shops below and resold at a much cheaper price. And not to mention the customers were no better. There were drunkards and crack addicts alike twitching and fainting from overdose. There were desperate, depressed, lonely men with no hope for the future. And there were young people, children even, huddled and starving together. When Midoriya watched a young girl suck the burgers out of her little brother's nose just so he could breathe, he knew he had seen it all. Correction: he didn't want to see anymore.

     How could there be so many people in one place without a hero...? Why didn't they leave? Were they really stuck here?

     A line of people standing outside one of the closed shops caught his attention. Midoriya walked around to the front of the line to inquire. "What's this line for?"

     "The doctor." The old lady at the front answered bluntly. She stood and glared at the young man. "Don't cut in front of me. I've been waiting too long already."

     "So-sorry, ma'am. That wasn't my intention." Midoriya timidly rose his hands. But now knowing it was a doctor only made him even more curious. "Mind if I have a peak inside? I'm actually a doctor as well and would like to-"

     "Get in line!"

     "Yes ma'am!" Midoriya fell to the back of the line. Most people waiting were seated with their backs against the wall. It was clear they had been here for a long, long time... None able to move for fear of losing their spots?

Tunk!

     The old lady at the front of the line suddenly collapsed, banging her head on the hard metal floor. There was a ripple of gasps. Many stood or sat frozen, not believing their eyes.

     Midoriya tore past the shock and ran to the front of the line. "I- I need water!!" What he quickly found out was how few of these people understood him. "Uhh! (English: Water)! Shui! Wassser! Agua! Uhh.." Thankfully, his extremely limited knowledge of foreign languages was enough to snap some of the civilians out of their shock. Three different people brought him their half empty water bottles. This would have to do. Someone else brought a box of clean napkins, much to the man's delight. Midoriya started to soak a couple napkins in water and dab the old woman's face with it. He knew what was going on already. She was dehydrated and overheated. Her head was leaking blood. She was awake, but not exactly conscious. Another young man tried to help by creating a nest of paper towels around the old woman's head. It was a kind, though useless gesture. Midoriya dabbed the wet napkins around the woman's arms, neck, and ankles. Then he tended to the injury itself. "I need inside!" He yelled at the door! "Hello?! I don't have my equipment with me, and it's too dirty to perform a surgery out here!"

     A young woman finally poked her head out the door. She looked stressed, overworked, and about to faint herself. "I just finished in here. Bring her in." With the help of the other young man, Midoriya carried the old lady inside.

     To his dismay, it wasn't much cleaner in here. The whole third story was dark, but this room especially so. Only a couple lamps were on, which swayed to the ship's every move. The young woman, who had her thick black hair tied back in a ponytail, scooted the patient and stretcher he laid on to the back of the room and readied a new makeshift bed to set the old woman on. It was just a stretcher propped up on some stools. Once the old lady was laid down, the girl stumbled from the influence of the rocking ship and leaned over her next patient tiredly.

     "Hit her head?.. I need you.. to..." Midoriya caught the girl before she could fall on top of the old woman.

     "Not trying to be disrespectful, but how old are you?"

     "Eighteen. Please... Leave me to my work..." With another rock of the ship tossing her so easily, Midoriya knew better than to listen to that. The young man caught the girl again and held her closer this time. He frowned while studying the absolute mess of this place... He knew not to blame her for it, though. She wasn't wearing anything professional. It was likely she was just a kind hearted person trying to help.

     "It's going to be okay..." Midoriya assured her. He picked the girl up and set her down on one of the empty mats. He stopped her from getting up, crossed the room, and grabbed a bottle. "I'm a professionally trained doctor." Handing her the water. "Get as much sleep as you need. I've got it from here."

     Though there was clear protest in her eyes, there wasn't much the young woman could do in the state she was in but drink as much water as possible and lay down.

     Midoriya tended to her patients, starting with the old lady, who unfortunately died mid surgery. He just didn't have all the tools he needed. All the equipment, clean water, clean cloth, and medical staff. He was working alone, using whatever few things he had around him. It was a painful process, especially while thinking about that eighteen year old girl.

     Judging by the reports from some of her patients, the girl had been working as a doctor here ever since she was sixteen, maybe even fifteen. And in that time, though she got better at her craft over time, she had to cope with more patients dying on her than anyone ever should.

     Her dad was a doctor, apparently. Trying to sneak aboard this ship with his family to escape their home country, he couldn't leave simply because there were too many people on board to save. And his family was too stubborn to leave him. He worked hard saving as many as he could until he collapsed and died. This girl, Renen, immediately took her father's place, forcing her mother and little brother to abandon her and save themselves. She was just like her father. Too stubborn to leave. It was clear from the stories: she knew she was going to die here. And soon at that.

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

     It was late by the time he finally left work. Too late. The bar signs along the streets were bright at this hour. The drunken men cheery and laughing. Shinso kept to himself, hands in his pockets, eyes on the ground. He listened to their laughter, their forgotten troubles. It all came at the cost of a drink. Just one drink.

     The man stopped and stared through the door of an old, familiar bar. He visited there with Denki, Kyoka, and Kara a few times back when they used to go on double dates together. Just being a bunch of kids messing around...

     Denki would always do something stupid, like getting his finger stuck in a bottle. Kyoka would laugh at him. Kara would instantly panic and try to find a solution. And Shinso... He'd just stare. With a faint smile on his lips, he'd appreciate the company.

     It sure was nice not being alone.

     The bittersweet fragrance caught his nose. Filled his thoughts. Tantalized his tongue. Watching strangers drink and be merry, it made him thirsty too.

     He really..
                 really...
                     wanted-

     He tore himself away just in time. Shinso continued with his head down, arms drawn close to give himself a little hug.

     The man pulled out his phone and immediately started scrolling through pictures. Hundreds and hundreds of downloaded photos, sent to him by his wife. All of them of their sweet little girl. Her hair grew in, a dark purple like her dad's, her eyes a bright green like her mom's. He distracted himself by scrolling through the photos, watching his little girl grow from a tiny infant into a waddling toddler. There didn't exist in the world a picture of her that wasn't adorable. Even through these photos, getting to see his little girl's face brought warmth to his heart like none other. A great combatant for these dark, chilly nights.

     Next thing he knew, he was seated at a bar, three drinks in, still scrolling through photos of his wife and daughter. His head jolted up, genuinely having forgotten how he got here. He wiped his face onto his sleeve, paid for the drinks, and left at once.

     The ground wasn't quite as stable as it usually was. He stumbled down the sidewalks. Felt like he was on a boat. Like he was trapped on one big, Hellish ship.. which wouldn't let him go.

     He stumbled up to the apartment door. Denki's apartment door. His friend had let him stay for the time-being, and now Shinso was just house sitting. In one hand, he held his phone with all the pictures. In the other, he held the customized lightning bolt key to the apartment. He fumbled with it terribly. Again and again he tried, but, he couldn't get the key anywhere near the key-hole. His hand kept missing. And the longer he tried, the worse his coordination got. The worse his vision got as his eyes were filled with tears.

     Shinso dropped onto his knees, accidentally scratching the door with the key, and hugged both the keys and his phone close. He leaned his forehead against the door, at last letting out a loud, pitiful cry.

     Why couldn't he do something as simple as open the door?

     Why couldn't he do something as simple as not drink?

     Why couldn't he do something as simple as be someone worthy of love?

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

     After Midoriya was finished and the line of people had reached its end -- for the time-being -- Midoriya sat against the wall and exhaled loudly. It had been four to five hours since he started. It passed in a blur, he was already forgetting how many people he treated.

     "Thank you..." The young woman murmured from her bed across the room. She was just like the others: sickly, thin, and frail. He wondered how long it'd been since she saw any sunlight. 

     The doctor was tired now. With his head leaned against the wall, he asked, "Why are you people still on this ship?"

     She responded, her voice still raspy and tired. "You know nothing about this place, do you?... Hmh, I can't blame you. That's how these Hell-ships really stay afloat."

     Just then, the horn of the ship bellowed across the sea. In retaliation, the waves crashed against its sides, jostling the mighty, floating city.

     Renen pushed herself up to sit in bed. She downed what was left of the water bottle and continued. "I heard you talking to my patients about who I am. They're right. I'm the eldest daughter of an immigrant family. We were in a desperate situation, since our village had just been raided and most of us were killed. My family was spared only because my dad was a doctor with a healing quirk, but he couldn't live with us becoming the new lord's pets..." She reached out her hand in a showy manner, making her palm glow a faint pink. "...I inherited his gift, which is why I felt responsibile to take over after he died. All these people are refugees like me. They wanted nothing more than to find a better home. I can't just leave them here to suffer." 

     Midoriya lowered his head, face cast in shadow. "Why not just get all these suffering people off the boat? At least out there, access to food, water, and clean supplies won't be so limited."

     "You're missing the point." Groaning, the girl rubbed her head as a jabbing headache entered. "...Ghh, nobody's told that it takes money to get out until they're already in the boat. That means most people who spent all their money to get on are STUCK! This ship traps people! Whether they're villains who splurged all their money onboard, store keepers who had all their belongings stolen, or fugitives seeking refuge, these floating cities were designed to trap the unfortunate. Then drain us of everything until not even our lives remain... Then, they collect our bodies and sell them to mad-men around the world..." Chuckling, "I've seen it again and again. I've been stuck on this ship for six years. ... And just like everyone else.." She laid back down, rubbing her aching head. "..I'm going to die here. Not because I can't get off. I could easily sell one of my patients' bodies, steal from someone and sell their stuff, or sell myself... But, because I don't want to do those things. I can't... I'm a healer... It wouldn't sit right with me if I hurt another person." Her tough exterior was starting to crack. She forced herself to stare at the criling to keep from crying.

     "...You have a heart of gold." Midoriya put on a little, awestruck smile.

     "Tch. Yeah. I hear that a lot...." Though sarcastic at first, Renen later smiled.. faintly. "Thank you."

     He smiled for real. "You're welcome!... Being honest.." The man looked around. At the dark room. The row of recovering patients leaning against the other wall, and the dirty medical equipment and shabby furnishings. "...I didn't think a place like this could even exist in this day and age.. until now." He pulled his legs in closer, hugging his knees. "...And I've only been here for maybe seven hours." He shrugged. "I can't even begin to wrap my head around how tough it must be to endure six years..."

     "You want something or what?" Having rolled over to face him, Renen stared at the doctor with distrust.

     Midoriya rose his hands, laughing nervously. "I'm sorry! No, I don't want anything!.. Well, I guess I would like for you and everyone else here to leave this ship for good. But, no, nothing from you."

     "Why are you here anyways?"

     "I--" Oh yeah, that's right. Five hours ago, he was looking for somebody. His face turned red. "Wow, I- I actually forgot for a moment! Thanks for reminding me! I- uh!.. Have you ever seen a young man with long white hair on this floor? People were saying he looked really sick and maybe started the covid outbreak a few months back. You see, I'm actually wondering-"

     "-Wait, is he not here??" Renen sat up and turned her head. She gasped. "Wh- where did he go?!" Using the wall, she stood on unsteady legs. "He- he's not in his bed!!"

     Midoriya stood as well. "Who isn't here?! Where is he??"

     "Weren't you awake in here this whole time!?! Why didn't you STOP him!?"

     "I- I'm sorry! I must have been too busy to notice anyone leave!"

     "Ugh! Useless!" Using the wall as her guide, Renen made her way toward the door. She was angry, sure, but most of that stemmed from fear.

     Midoriya approached her calmly. "Here, let me help. Is that man a danger to anyone?" He helped by offering the young woman some support.

     "Tsk. The only danger he poses is to himself." She opened the door and looked down. Immediately, she screamed. "KENTO!" Laying on his stomach was a man who fit the description perfectly. Young man with long, white hair. But no one cared to mention his veins being such a sickly, dark purple. He was a mess. Moreso than many of the individuals on this floor. His head struggled to lift. The woman lost strength in her legs, falling onto her knees in front of him. She scooped the man into her arms best she could. "Kento, what were you doing out there?! I told you not to leave!"

     "You... Haven't eaten in so long." The stranger revealed under the many jacket layers: a box of food.

     Combing her fingers through his hair, the girl started to cry. "..You didn't have to do that..."

     "We both know I don't have long to live...no matter what you do..." Summoning all his strength, the man picked himself up enough to hug her back. Tears in his eyes. Pain pulling his lips. "..So let me do what I can...while I can still do it..." He held her tight like she was the weak, frail one. Correction: they were holding each other in such a way. Like the other was mere moments from slipping out of their grasp. Midoriya couldn't pull his eyes away as much as it hurt him.

----------

     Midoriya sat in the corner with the messy, white haired man, their backs leaned against different walls. In the opposite corner, Renen returned to caring for and using her quirk to heal her patients. The long haired stranger watched with such love in his eyes. He pointed at her after a while. "...That's true strength..." His arm dropped. Apparently, it took a lot of energy just to do that. "For years... My dream was for the strongest quirks, powers, meta abilities, whatever, to rule the world.... I was so tired of watching people -- who could easily fight back -- being taken advantage of again and again, I was convinced the world would be a much better place if the strongest ruled... But then.." He smiled tiredly and leaned his head into the corner. "I got stuck in this place, where my dreams are already a reality... except, I was at the bottom... Didn't take me long to realize how stupid that old dream was..."

     "And who are you?"

     "To her, Kento Tsubaitsu. To everyone else, I was simply known as 'Nine'."

     "Nine...? Like the number?"

     "Yes. For the amount of quirks I can have."

     "Oh... Wait, WHAT!?" Midoriya's eyes grew in shock. Nine wheezed, clutching his aching chest.

     "I was a test subject... Hence the terrible state I'm in. . I was on my way to grab a kid's quirk. Cellular Activation for type B blood. It was the only thing I could think of to regulate my unstable body."

     "Wait, grab a-?!"

     "-Let me finish. . Because I had so many quirks... Even with the enhancements, my body wasn't strong enough for the duplicated quirk of All For One.-"

     "-All For One??"

     "Hhh..." Nine rolled his eyes and stared at the doctor. Easily, he portrayed the message, 'You are going to keep interrupting me until I tell you every minor detail, aren't you?' He sighed again. "...All For One is the name of the quirk the Demon of the Underworld has.. It's also what his followers call him... It lets him steal, give, and use quirks. If you didn't know about that, I question how you've managed to survive this long down in the criminal underworld. ... What?" Midoriya stared at him with the most Autistic eyes. "I don't get it. Are you about to cry or pee yourself?"

     "HE CAN DO WHAT!?!"

     "SHH!" Renen hushed from the other side of the room. Midoriya nodded furiously, then returned to staring intently at the new guy with all the information. He was vibrating with anxiety and excitement. He didn't know where to start!

     "I'm sorry. Could you repeat that? A-about his quirk?"

     "You didn't mishear me." Tiredly, the man pushed some of the hair out of his face. A meaningless effort. "My team and I were only supposed to be in here for a day of two until the boat passed that boy's island, then hijack another ship, since it would be the perfect cover. But, we were intersected by the man himself... Even with seven quirks and the strongest, most loyal crew I've ever known, he, All For One, swatted us away like flies." The man's chin fell to rest on his chest. "He killed my team. Then, he took my quirks, labeling me a failure. Apparently, the man had higher standards for what someone with his quirk should be... And I wasn't it. ... All I could do in retaliation was spit on his ugly face. ... Probably shouldn't have, because, for it, he filled me with useless quirks that would do nothing but continue to destabilize my body.. and left me here to die."

     "I'm sorry to hear that...though you are a villain. ... Wh-what quirks did you have?"

     The man counted on his fingers. "Let's see... Hydra, Bullet Laser, Scanning, Air Wall, Cell Activation for type A blood, a duplicate of All For One, and finally the quirk I was born with: Weather Manipulation."

     "Weather Manipulation?? You weren't by any chance involved in All Might's disappearance, were you?"

     For a moment, the man sat there staring at his lap. "...I was, actually." He croaked.

     "Really?!" Midoriya leaned in close. "Tell me everything!!"

     "I'd just been recruited as an experiment when an emergency popped up. The doctor asked me to create a storm that would at the very least slow everybody down... I'm sorry. I don't know anymore than that. I went under immediately after."

     "What was the doctor's name??"

     "He never told me.."

     "What did he look like??"

     "Shorter than me... Bushy moustache?"

     "I KNEW they must be working together." This was great. Midoriya pulled out his detective journal and wrote down all these great revelations. "Did the doctor have glasses and a bald head too?"

     "Yeah, I guess."

     "Okay, thanksss!" After he had a page full of information already, the doctor flipped to the next and leaned closer again. "You said All For One stole quirks from you! Mind telling me more about them??"

     "The quirks? Why?" But Midoriya was locked-in on getting answers. Nine simply couldn't refuse.

. . .

     After half an hour of questioning the white haired man, Renen slapped the back of Midoriya's head. "Don't you see how tired he is!? Let him sleep!"

     "No, Renen, it's okay.." The man spoke softly. "...I get the feeling this man's going to get revenge for me..."

     Midoriya turned his head. "Huh??"

     "You're after All For One, aren't you?.. I don't know why, but you're determined as heck..." Smiling softly, Nine placed his hand on Midoriya's shoulder. "I don't have anything to give, but have a dying man's wish that you succeed in the end... I'm not a good person like Renen. All I can hope is that you take revenge for me.. and my fallen team."

     "Dying?! No! Not on my watch!" Renen stomped her foot.

     "You know better than anyone that I could die any minute now, Renen... Your quirk can't fix me... And it's too late to find that boy." Nine grabbed the doctor's hand and held his attention. "After I die, please, take Renen with you. She doesn't deserve to be in a place like this. Help her to see reason-"

     "-You know I won't abandon the people on this boat! I won't abandon you, or them, or anyone!!" In her yelling and fury, the young woman started to get a little light headed. Midoriya lunged forward in time to catch her from falling. Since Nine insisted, Midoriya guided her to him. The weak man who could barely move held Renen in his arms. As she started to cry, he started to cry. This time, the doctor could bring himself to look away as tears filled his own eyes.

     What would All Might do if he was here...? What would he think about these boats?!.. What would he do about them? If he so much as showed his face on one of them, no doubt the thing would sink itself, killing everyone on board. Everyone he should save... Was there a chance that he, or any other heroes, knew about these things, but were powerless to do anything about them? The refugees sort of act as hostages, now that he thinks about it. So maybe there are several heroes who already know such wretched places exist.. and have to live with knowing they can do nothing about it.

     This whole thing's a tricky situation no matter what angle you look at it from. Was there even anything he could do about it?

     Yes. Though small, yes, yes there was.

     After he'd made his mind up, Midoriya touched the hugging pair's shoulders. "I have enough to pay for two extra people to leave with me. So, I'm getting both of you guys out of here. No. You can't argue."

     Renen argued anyway. "But my patients!! I- I can't leave them to suffer and die!" She pleaded. The long haired man pleaded with his eyes for the doctor to convince her otherwise.

     Midoriya took a deep breath and placed both his hands firmly on her shoulders. Staring Renen directly in the eyes, he conveyed business. "You are one of the people suffering and dying on this ship. I know you feel responsible because you have a healing quirk, but think about it from your dad's perspective. Did he stay onboard this ship with the hope that you would stay here too? Did he die on this ship hoping you would die here too?? No. Your father fought for his family's freedom. Now imagine if you were him. Don't you think he would want the little girl he fought so hard to save to live a better life?? Free??" He argued the fight out of her. Renen leaned back, slowly setting her head on Nine's chest. She stared at nothing. That fight, that fire in her eyes died a slow, depressing death.

     Closing her eyes, Renen hugged Nine tighter and whispered. "Fine... But promise me that as soon as we get off this d***ed ship.. you'll take him to a real hospital. And once I'm feeling better...you'll let me go back."

     "...I promise."

     Midoriya had an arm from both of the people he was escorting slung over his shoulders. Though the journey was slow and tiring for all three of them, they finally left that miserable third floor.

----------

Ch! Ch! Ch! Ch!

     As Midoriya entered the dentistry, he frowned.

     "Finally! He's back!. Good timing too. The ship is about to dock for the last time at Japan." Aoyama's leg was trapped in ice. It was clear the dentist had spent a while clearing all the ice off his other leg.

     "Where's Sho?" Just from this, he already knew what happened.

     "Who are those miserable people?" Aoyama scoffed. "You don't have the budget to be picking up strays willie-nillie." Midoriya entered the room and set the couple down gently. His anger didn't lighten up from that comment. He stomped toward Aoyama and grabbed the scruff of his frilly shirt, yanking the blond's pompous head down to his level. "You said you knew the ship's crew like old friends, right??"

     "Yes! Yes! They're looking for the boy as we speak!"

     "That's NOT what I'm worried about!" He kicked and cracked the ice pillar around the younger man's leg, making him shriek. "What kind of monster are you to boast about being friends with the people who run this Hell Ship!? How could you even associate yourself with them!!?"

     Aoyama went from holding his hands up defensively with clear fear in his eyes to staring with a new distain at the doctor. "This world is full of horrible.. rotten.. disgusting people... Being their friend is better than being their enemy... Wouldn't you agree?"

     Midoriya kicked a chunk of ice off Aoyama's leg and stomped out the room, not saying a word.

----------

     "HELP!.. HEELLLP!" Midoriya ran around the corner to assist however he could, but frowned to see it was a large man frozen in a mound of ice. Shoto was cornered in the empty booth, using an excessive amount of ice as his means of defense.

     Shoto's right arm was shaking as frost grew over his skin. It was clear in the boy's eyes he intended for this man to die.

     Midoriya got down on one knee and held his arms out. "Sho.. Sho, it's okay. Come over here, please." The gentle way in which he talked stole Shoto from his rage. He ran to Midoriya and fell into his embrace.

     "That man said he was going to sell me to my dad!" He cried. Midoriya hugged the boy and rubbed his back.

     "I swear, I won't! Th-th- m-my skin is burning! Please! I don't want to die here! Ouch!" The man pleaded over his shoulder. Judging by the agony in his voice, he had to be telling the truth. And, well, Midoriya knew personally how torturous it was being trapped in a frozen cage. How easily it could kill you.

     Midoriya's hug loosened. "Shoto... Can you please melt the ice?"

     "M--mh!" Shoto buried his face in the young man's shirt.

     "P-please! I'll do anything!" Dang, what a wimp. Sure didn't look the type to give in so quickly.

     The doctor stood on his feet. "Give me one million yen and I'll convince him to let you go."

     "WHAT!?"

     "Surely your life is worth that much at least."

     "You really think I'd be walking around with that much money!?"

     "You look like a shopper. Unless you're stupid, I can't imagine you'd come here without the money to buy from such expensive stores, plus a buffer to afford any accidents or random purchases so you don't end up stuck here."

     "Ugh! Fine! I- I only have pesos and dollars! Will those do!?"

     "Hhhh, I suppose so, yeah." Midoriya knelt and whispered into Shoto's ear. "Did you like the ice cream you had earlier?" Shoto nodded. Midoriya smiled. "I'll give you a whole, really big carton of it if you melt the ice. And I promise you.." showing off the gun hidden under his jacket, "that man won't lay a finger on you." His skin grazed the kid's frozen arm, making him flinch. He started rubbing frost off the child's trembling arm. "..Why don't you use fire to warm yourself off?"

     "...I dunno.." Shoto lowered his head. "Just don't like to..."

     Midoriya forced a soft smile and ruffled the kid's hair. "That's okay. Sometimes quirks are confusing like that... Just know it's okay to use fire for the right reasons." Shoto nodded. "..Now, can you melt the ice?" Begrudgingly, Shoto turned around to do just that. A few minutes later, after Midoriya and the stranger put away their calculators/phones and made the exchange, the young man smiled big to see so much money in his hands. His eyes sparkled. "With this much money, I'll be able to take sixty-two to sixty-three people off this ship with me!" He grabbed Shoto's hand. "We need to hurry and give Renen the good news!"

----------

     Something was wrong. Renen was crying as Midoriya and Shoto entered the dentistry. Her torso draped over Nine's laying body, clinging onto him desperately. Everyone else stood around nervously, unsure of what to do. Midoriya grabbed Aoyama and shoved him out the door to accompany Shoto, then slammed the door on them both. The dentist saw himself out while the doctor ran to the fallen man.

     He felt for a pulse. Nothing. "Renen, please.." He pried the woman off of Nine and began performing CPR chest compressions on the man. The girl clung to and rubbed her teary cheeks on the man's limp hand. She could hardly breathe between sobs.

     "Pleasepleasepleaseplease don't go! Kento, I need you to live, please!!"

     Fueled by the girl's desperate pleas, Midoriya did about everything he could think of to revive the man. He even gave mouth-to-mouth CPR a try, though it was an old and uncalled for practice. But nothing worked. With tears in his eyes, Midoriya forced himself to back away and accept Nine wasn't going to move on his own again. Renen had fallen onto her side and curled into a ball in her grief. Midoriya offered his own hand in place of the dead one, which she did eventually snatch and cry into. The young man continued to fight back the urge to cry. He had the feeling this girl needed someone strong to hold onto right now. And if strength was the only thing that would help her, he'd try his best.

----------

     "Midoriya's later than promised..." Aoyama commented at the ship's door. Early light from the rising sun lit the concrete port. He stared into the dark passageway.. before shrugging and turning up his nose. "Oh well. If he's going to be like that, I'm not going to risk getting stuck on this ship for a month straight. I'm far too busy for that... Come along now." He tugged Shoto's wrist, which indirectly tugged Renen too, since she was holding the boy's hand.

     The young woman looked absolutely miserable. The life had drained out of her eyes. She hadn't spoken a single word the past hour. Sometimes, it was a question whether or not she could understand what was going on. The only reason she ended up moving toward the exit in the first place was because Shoto was a very cute and convincing little lad. Simply seeing such a rounded and healthy young face drew what was left of her attention.

     Shoto fought against Aoyama's urging. "No! We're waiting for Han!"

     "Gh! Why do you keep calling him that?!"

     "Because it's his name!"

     "No it isn't!"

     "-Sorry for keeping you waiting." Midoriya's voice came from the darkness. It drew everyone's eyes. Even Renen's. "I..know.. how little time we have.."

     Struggling step after struggling step, Midoriya emerged before them. Assisting two and carrying a third person on his back, it made sense why he would be walking so slowly. Behind him followed dozens and dozens more footsteps. Aoyama, without even thinking, started to record the young man on his phone. Sweat dropped from the doctor's chin. 'Almost there. Almost there. Almost there. Almost there.' He told himself again and again. He grinned at the lot, happy to see sunshine for the first time in what felt to him like days. "Ahah!" His grin grew even more. "I-is that the sun?? It's so bright!" Indeed it was. Though early in the morning, it sparkled so powerfully.

     A guard stepped in Midoriya's way, cutting his celebration short. "Do you have enough to pay for all of these people's leave?"

     "Yes sir!" The doctor said confidently. "Please check my right pocket." As instructed, the guard dug into and grabbed every last paper bill. Without need for a calculator, the guard expertly counted it all up. "This is enough for sixty-four people."

     "Which is exactly how many people I've got, including myself!"

     "That's... No one has done this before. I... I'm not even sure if I can allow it."

     "You will." The doctor glared. There it was again. Though he may be small and quirkless, his determination was another beast entirely. The guard shivered.

     "I... Yes. I don't see why not." The guard stepped back and waved them to pass him. Midoriya continued onward, leading a parade of weary souls behind him. First on his priority list were all the children, then women, and finally the men. All refugees, making sure to exclude any villains simply down on their luck. As it turns out, he cleared nearly the entire third story with this haul alone. And by parading them all out of the ship through the busy shopping center, there wasn't a man or woman who could look away from such a feature.

     Once close, he nudged Renen toward the exit with his forehead, who stood there in shock.

     Aoyama led Shoto and Renen off the ship. Midoriya led the sixty-plus refugees. His heart stung, knowing he couldn't save everyone onboard. He could do nothing to arrest the villains. He could do nothing to stop these Hell Ships from sailing. But he could do this. He could save these refugees.

...

     Renen would never forget the moment she stepped into the sunlight. At first, it was painful. The brightness bit her eyes and she had to close them. And the sensation of warmth on her skin was uncomfortable at best, frightening to her uneasy nerves. The air blew onto her skin. Oh yeah. She had forgotten about the wind. It had this amazing ability to push aside the stench of her clothes and replace it with the scent of the ocean... She wobbled on the thin boarding bridge. Shoto broke free from Aoyama's hold in time to save her from falling off and into the sloshing sea. Salty water droplets splashed the girl, reminding her that she was indeed alive. And then...the most beautiful thing. The warmth of the sun fully embraced her, and her skin finally recognized it like an old friend. When Renen took her first steps on solid ground, her balance was thrown off yet again. She was so unused to an unwavering, solid surface that her every cell started to panic. Renen fell onto her knees, landing on concrete for perhaps the first time in six years. She placed her hands on the ground to stabilize her as her whole world spun. The warmth of the rock soothed her. She'd forgotten how warm the sun can be. She'd forgotten that it tends to warm everything its light touches as well. When she thought about these things, it forced her memories far back into an ancient, forgotten life of hers. One where she was young, happy, and alive. One where the thought of death never even crossed her mind. Oh, how things had changed. Oh, how they changed soo drastically. Renen laid her forehead on the warm concrete, kissed the ground, and cried.

     Every other refugee taken off the ship had similar reactions. From collapsing on solid ground to running so fast they tripped over themselves. The children especially were lively. Even the ones close to death were rejuvenated with new life. Some dared to walk.

     Once he'd set the three he'd been carrying down safely and ensured all sixty-three refugees were off the ship, Midoriya made a phone call. Using a fake woman's voice, he played the role of a jogger who happened upon a group of refugees who all need instant medical attention. Then, when he'd done all he could do here, he watched the ship depart from the port. It blew its Hellish horn and set off with its remaining Demonic passengers into the untamed sea once more. After it was gone, and he knew the ambulances, heroes, and police would be showing up any minute, Midoriya found Renen.

     The young woman was staring at the beautiful sunrise, watching the sky and clouds dancing within a glowing array of the most vibrant colors. Midoriya sat down cross-legged beside her. He patted her knee. "Feeling a little better?"

     The young woman wiped more tears away. "...Yeah.."

     "Well, I unfortunately have to go soon."

     "Wh??" Her eyes landed on him in an instant. Not just sad, but even a little scared and betrayed by the news.

     "I'm sorry... I've been framed for a lot of terrible crimes, so I can't risk letting any heroes near me. Not while I still need to save so many more people." He explained. Renen's chin dropped. But, overall, she understood the situation and didn't get all emotional about it. The doctor grabbed the girl's hand and held it reassuringly. "You're a great doctor. Continue to take care of these people ..and yourself. Then.. I really recommend you work toward a real medical degree. Not only will you be taken more seriously in the field, but through it you'll meet many more people, who think just like you... You can decide what you want to do from there. Whether you want to hop aboard another ship...or take them down entirely. I believe you are the best person to make that call. Just, please, never forget to take care of yourself... Both your father and Nine wanted you to, not just survive, but live."

     Renen gave in, letting a few more tears slide down her cheeks. Fighting the urge to cry again, she laid her forehead and nose atop the young man's shoulder. "...Thank you..." She said with sincerity she could never express the true extent of. "Thank you for everything..."

     With a faint smile, the man rubbed the girl's back and watched the sunrise. He decided to wait, to stay, just a little longer.

     ...He really had to go.

-----

     Aoyama watched from atop the hill as he waited by the road. At long last, a shiny, black car drove up and stopped beside the young man. The blond stared for a moment longer at Midoriya and that refugee girl, before flipping his hair one last time and climbing into the back of the car.

     "What took you so long?" He huffed at the dark and wispy driver known as Kurogiri.

     "Don't talk to me like that. Picking you up from work is rather low on my priorities list."

     Aoyama pouted some more, crossed his arms, and sunk into his chair. He stared out the window, again at Midoriya. Kurogiri started to drive.

     Venting to driver, "...That idiotic brute. How can he blame me for simply knowing terrible people? I'm the only one helping him and he isn't even grateful for it. You can't be a villain for knowing every villain, can you??.. Hhh, I mean I don't even kill people, or steal. Haven't stolen a thing in my life... And yet he lumps me in with the rest of them... Ghh. Why does he grate me so?.. Hmh. No wonder he has so many enemies. Even to a person who gets along with everyone like me, he can be so frustrating."

     "You done?"

     "I was talking to myself. Shut up."

     The car turned so Aoyama had to turn to the back window if he wanted to keep staring at the dot that was the green haired man. Which he did. He glared like a child would at the little man on the little doc with the little boy he adopted and the little group of refugees he saved. The longer he stared, the sadder his features turned...

     He pulled out his phone and held it just barely in view. His most recent video was easy to access. It was only a minute long, but the power of his actions stuck in his mind. The young man glanced between the dot and the video. Half a smirk crawled onto his lips. He uploaded the video to a blank account of his, before sliding the phone away. Thought that maybe, just maybe, that would make Midoriya's situation a little more interesting.

     When view of the dock was finally cut out by the trees, all emotion left him completely. He turned around in his seat, an unsettlingly blank expression.

     "...You can open the portal now. No one is watching."

     "I was just about to do that."

     A gate of darkness opened in the middle of the road. After the car drove through it, both vanished.

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Ok FIIINE! I'll split the arc into two chapters. 🙄