The world after the battle felt surreal. 

It felt like everything should be different like there should be people either cheering or sobbing in the streets, or doing both in turn. but there wasn't.

Despite the massive shockwaves that had spread through both villain and hero society alike, everything felt... surprisingly normal. People were mourning the retirement of All Might, and for most, the battle had seemed like nothing more than a big cinematic event. Few people truly grasped what had just happened, and even fewer understood the potential ramifications that could come from it.

Those who did understand were afraid.

Unless, of course, they were villains, in which case, they were ecstatic. 

All for One, the biggest bad guy who had ruled the criminal world from the shadows for decades was finally gone, and with him gone, it left open an opportunity that hadn't been seen before, the opportunity for others to rise up and grab power. This was the beginning of a power vacuum, which had the potential to be both deadly and exhilarating.

It was a new era when anyone could rise up and take the mantle that All for One had left behind. Sure, the League of Villains seemed to be the most obvious candidates at the moment, but for the moment, the position was still open.

And that meant that many eyes were peering in, already starting the preparations needed to take the throne.

One set of eyes, in particular, gleamed brightly, his mask hiding the glee he felt. This was better than he could've hoped for. Not only was the criminal underground's boss gone, but he was also dead. Killed by a young girl who had been a well known aspiring hero. 

Yes, things really couldn't be going any better.

Shigaraki, on the other hand, was furious. He could feel his eyes twitching as he scratched at his neck. 

How dare she?

How dare that brat kill his mentor? What right did she have? She didn't even fight him. It made no sense. No sense, no sense, no sense.

He hated her. She cheated. 

She cheated... She cheated, she cheated.

Fujimura Naoko. The girl he once thought could become a great villain.

She would die by his hands.

***

Naoko hated the police.

No, that wasn't right. She didn't hate all police. She honestly had a better opinion of police than she did of heroes at this point, but that didn't change the fact.

She may not hate the police, but by golly did she hate certain police members. Namely the overbearing one who was standing in front of her, glaring in a most disapproving way with his dog face.

There was another man standing in her hospital room, the curious look he was shooting her completely undercutting the serious attire he wore. His long tan trench coat and gloves showed signs of wear, but he was neat, and Naoko chose to inspect him rather than wasting her time looking at Tsuragamae.

"I've never met you before." She said quickly, probably cutting off one of her current least favorite people.

Oh, she could practically see the steam rising from his floppy ears as she ignored him, which made this all the sweeter as she focused all her attention on the new guy.

The poor man looked between Naoko and the chief of police rather nervously before tilting his head, "I guess not. I tend to be assigned to All Might's cases, so we must've not crossed paths. The name's Naomasa. It's good to meet you, Fujimura."

Ah, that made sense. Naoko killed All Might's long time rival, so it made sense that he would be here. She nodded, not even bothering to confirm her thoughts. If she was wrong, it probably wasn't her business to know anyways.

A snide smirk crept up her face as she looked at Tsuragamae, who was the picture of irritation. His arms were folded and he was tapping his foot.

Whatever. 

He should know better than to bother her so soon after the attack. She had woken up only thirty minutes ago, completely disoriented and exhausted with both Rei and Hasame standing over her, ready to hug her to death, and in came the dog, ushering out her moms just to question her.

"See Tsuragamae, he knows how to be polite, you should try to learn from him." She said casually, wincing as her face throbbed. The painkillers they pumped her full of had started to wear off precisely three minutes ago.

Basically, Naoko was irritated, in pain, and just on the right side of being traumatized. She wasn't about to put up with any of these guys' shit.

The dog in question was baring his teeth, but Naoko didn't care. 

She knew how they wanted this to go, and all she wanted was to go back to sleep.

Tsuragamae stepped forward with intent, but Naoko held up a hand, "Listen, I know you have paperwork to fill out and you need answers, but I won't be giving you any right now. Am I understood?"

Oh, Tsuragamae looked furious and Naoko was living for it.

Naomasa, who already had points in Naoko's book, put his arm in front of the dog-man, barring him from getting any closer, "I understand," The man said slowly, making Naoko desperately want to roll her eyes, "You went through a lot yesterday, I just wanted to come in here with someone you knew to introduce myself."

"I'm in charge of this case, so I'll be seeing you in a day or so to ask questions. Is that okay?"

Wow, he really was polite, this was a stark contrast from when Tsuragamae tried to question her... or lecture her at this worst possible moments, it made her want to rub it in the dog's face all the more, but she held herself back.

There were plenty of thoughts swirling around that she had to deal with, and none of them had anything to do with grumpy chiefs of police.

"Fine," Naoko was glad that her bed allowed her to sit up, but even still, she was ready to let it collapse and pass out again for a week, because the sleep earlier had been the best sleep she had in several weeks, if not months, and that wasn't even technically resting, it was pure unconsciousness, "Though if you really want to help me, you'll convince the hospital to let me keep these beautiful miracle workers."

She held up her wrist- with more effort than she cared to admit- to show off the quirk canceling bracelets that she got every time she was admitted to a hospital.

The staff realized quickly that the bracelets were necessary if they wanted to not come in to a hole in the floor and melted lab equipment every morning, so they gave her the bracelets. The times she was in a hospital was some of the only times she was able to sleep on a bed.

Both her and Hasame had begged the staff to let them take the miracle workers home, but they were turned down at every opportunity... And why, you may ask?

"We've been over this before, Fujimura," The translator for the dog stepped forward, drawing Naoko's attention to him, "They are government property, which would make it illegal for the hospitals to gift them to you."

It was actually Hasame who got more riled up on this topic. 

Get the lady going, and she could out-argue anyone based on spite and frustration alone. Naoko was just arguing because she knew they wouldn't leave and this could possibly get them out of her room faster, "Yeah? Well, these cuffs cost 250,000 yen, which is ridiculous. Hasame shouldn't have to pay that just so I can sleep in a bed."

Honestly, Naoko really had gotten used to sleeping in her little pits. She almost found them comforting, if she was being honest with herself, but Hasame fretted over it and it was fun to argue.

The dog sniffed before saying something that obviously had the translator shocked, but the poor young man did his duty and began to sign with an apology hidden in his eyes.

"Perhaps if you could get that quirk of your under control, none of this would be happening. Wasn't that what you were supposed to be learning at that hero school of yours? Fat lot of good that's done you."

Oof... Even Naomasa winced at that one.

First Crusty McFuck and now the dog? Did no one know how to keep their invasive thoughts to themselves? Naoko glared at the dog fiercely, her green eyes shimmering as her quirk fought against the suppressors. "Oh?" 

Naoko's monotonous voice had never been more appropriate than it was in this moment as she tried not to roll her eyes, "And what would have happened at UA to help that?" Sure, her voice was bland, but her eyes were razor-sharp. Even when she had been held captive by the League of Villains, she hadn't looked this mad, "Perhaps it was the time I killed people at the USJ... Or maybe when I faced the Hero Killer with my classmates... Or... could it possibly be when our whole class was attacked in the woods?"

Yeah. This was an emotional landmine that Tsuragamae really shouldn't have pulled the pin on.

One teacher had nearly been killed by the League; another had been put out of commission trying to rescue her.

The UA class of 1-A had so many reasons to be traumatized at this point. If Tsuragamae really wanted a chance to beat Naoko at any argument, he needed to A) Not continually try and argue with her while she was high off pain and a desperate need for sleep, and B) think his arguments through.

As it was, it took both Naomasa and the translator to pull Tsugaramae out of the room. 

Perhaps Naoko should've been a bit more repentant for her actions, but that just wasn't the case. As she passed back out, a small grin played at her mouth. She was more than pleased with herself.

***

Levi and Chris were pissed... 

And not in the normal way either. They were currently being held at the police station for suspicion of corrupting society. If that wasn't some trumped-up bullshit, then they didn't know what was.

Apparently, the police were desperately grasping as straws to explain why a hero course student at UA, one that had been the class representative at the Sports Festival, would go and murder the biggest bad guy that society had seen in many a year. It made some amount of sense to Levi and Chris, to be sure, but the police didn't have the perspective they did. 

The public was confused right now, they needed explanations and assurance that the future generation of heroes wouldn't be a bunch of murderers.

There was a lot of uncertainty, so sure, Levi and Chris tolerated the questions.

There may have been a few points when Chris had to physically restrain Levi to stop him from beating police officers to a pulp when they asked overly invasive questions. And sure, Chirs may have cried once or twice when the police refused to let sleep in the same room as his husband, but they understood, so they remained docile.

However, a mere 24 hours after the big attack, Police were starting to tread into territory that would be better left alone.

"According to all our records, you and pro hero Sonar have spent arguably the most time with the student, code-named Hodoreo." Chris sat at the metal table, memories assaulting him were less than welcome. 

Thanks to his days as a vigilante, he was pretty used to being in a police station, but he was married now, had just been in a major attack, and was separated from his husband.

He was seriously considering making a scene just so they would put him with Levi.

No matter how close he was to the end of his rope, Chris remained strong, "I suppose that's right." He said, his arms crossed and the glare that was leveled at his interrogator was nothing short of venomous

Did he mention that he was pretty sure he had a concussion? Because yeah, he was pretty sure he had a concussion.

And he didn't even want to think about the state his hair was in.

Levi would tease him to the ends of the earth and beyond, but hair was a serious matter, and right now he could feel the debris from Kamino corrupting his hair.

"In your time during the internship... Or any other time, really, did she ever show signs of violence or instability?"

Ah, yes.

It was such a good idea to start pinning blame on the victim of the situation that the public was currently sympathetic to. Truly. The best minds in the police force must be on this challenge.

"I want you to bring Sonar to me," He said firmly. He was a rather tall man, he could be intimidating when he wanted to.

The cop just scoffed... Did... Did they not realize who they were dealing with?

"I'm afraid that isn't how this is going to go." The cop really was trying his best, and maybe Chris shouldn't be taking his frustration out on this likely low-level cop, but he was barely keeping his own temper reigned in. He couldn't imagine how close Levi was to snapping.

The pair had worked with the police as underground heroes, much like Aizawa, for so many years that being met with so much scorn felt like a slap to the face. "Oh?" Chris was done playing games, "Are you sure? Cause I'm pretty sure that is how this it's going to go. You'll go get my husband and you can question us together, or one of us will snap. Did you really forget that we're both pro heroes?"

He leaned forward in his seat, "Let's not play stupid. You know who I am. You know my quirk. If my husband isn't here in the next three minutes, every electrical circuit in this building will go boom. That includes the secured computers you have two rooms over that probably have all kinds of confidential information on them. The security cameras, your radios, you name it. Are you sure you want to test me?"

For a moment, the young man sat there, processing Chris's threat, but it was easy to see the moment it all clicked. His face drained of any color as he stared at the hero before him, whose eyes were glowing more like a devil.

"You wouldn't."

Aw, if only Chris had the terrifying grin that Levi had, this young boy would be quivering on the ground in fear. Unfortunately, Chris really wasn't that scary. "Yes, well, Naoko was just rescued after being kidnapped by the League of Villains, and yet here you are, trying to pin some blame on her, so I wouldn't assume anything right now."

Before Chris could even blink, the man was gone, the door clicking softly as it shut, easily showing it had been locked.

Was this really how he was going to be spending his day?

***

"Remind me again why you thought it would be a good idea to try and rescue Naoko with nothing more than a few hero students again?" 

Rei sat at the window of her hospital room, her hand pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to keep breathing. It really had been one hell of a few days, which was something Todoroki Rei was normally hesitant to say, but right now, that was the only thing Rei could think that fit the situation.

Hasame was sitting across from her, looking at her lap- or, more accurately, glaring at her hands folded loosely in her lap as though they had personally offended her-as she listened to the older woman rant.

It had taken Hasame two hours to get the nurses to release her to walk around, and Rei's room was the first place she came. 

Hasame hadn't even been involved that deeply in the attack, she almost got caught and then was carried away, that was the extent of her involvement, and yet the police were determined to keep her in the hospital until they could get to her.

No doubt a hellish interrogation awaited her, but for now, she simply enjoyed Rei's calming presence... And tried to not blow up over the fact that they had been kicked out of Naoko's room so that dog-faced menace could interrogate Naoko. The man was probably an okay cop, but that didn't change the fact that he kicked Hasame- Naoko's only family and legal guardian- out of the room to ask questions. It had her hackles rising.

The only one who could get away with interrogating either of the Fujimura's was Rei, pure and simple.

... And Maybe Levi or Chris, but that's only because she liked them.

"I don't know, Rei," Hasame said, sounding far too done with the situation for her age, "Naoko was gone, and then I heard those kids were planning to go get her, and I just jumped into the plan before I could stop myself. Not that I really wanted to stop myself, but that's beside the point."

No one had to tell Hasame that going to Kamino had been a dumbass idea, she knew it. She was well aware of how stupid she had been, but she knew she'd do it again in a heartbeat.

And if that made her more like her niece than she would normally want to be, then so be it.

A soft knock on the door had both women looking up, Rei was definitely torn between being a good host and smacking Hasame upside the head, but that was beside the point. Her hand dropped and she gripped her cream sweater tightly, "Come in." No, it wouldn't be good to hit Hasame now. She'd save that for later.

After the Fujimura's stopped giving her heart attacks.

The door slid open to reveal a rather familiar sight. Two tall men stood shoulder by shoulder in the doorway, the scrawny blond, now revealed to be All Might and the black-haired man in a dark jumpsuit. Naoko's teacher, Eraserhead.

Rei's memory jumped unbidden to a similar situation when Naoko was in the hospital after the USJ.

They were the ones who came and thanked Naoko for her help, weren't they? Only this time, Eraserhead wasn't the one covered in bandages. All Might stood slightly behind Eraserhead, as though he was using the shorter man for protection.

"Hello." Aizawa's eyes were rimmed with red as he stepped into the room, careful not to do anything that might piss off these two ladies. If Naoko was to continue going to UA, both of the women here would have to be convinced... And neither of them looked too terribly pleased to see him, "Could we talk?"

Rei could feel her eye twitch as she stared at the two men. So what if she had seen the news. Eraserhead and All Might both had been part of the operation to rescue Naoko, which gave what they said credence, but that didn't change the fact that it was thanks to UA that Naoko had been in the situation in the first place.

She didn't want to give them the time of day, but a single look at Hasame told her that she had to. 

Hasame was staring down at her lap again, this time guilt shining through in the way her fingers clenched at her pants, and how she was squinting, obviously trying to hold back tears. It was hard to watch, so Rei took the lead, "I suppose. Aren't you here for Naoko?"

No. She didn't want them to be in the same room as Naoko. What if the bad luck their school seemed to carry along with it finally killed the girl?

All Might stepped forward slightly, his mouth open, but nothing came out.

This was a situation the former Number 1 hero wasn't used to. These were two women, one of whom had been severely affected by his actions both in the past and in the present. Normally, he faced his challenges with a smile, but that wouldn't do this time. 

Naoko had been targeted, and of course, he blamed himself. The only reason the League had targeted Class 1-A, to begin with, was because he was there.

So he tried again, "Miss Fujimura..." 

God, what did someone say in a situation like this?!

"I'm glad you're alive."

Of course, Aizawa wasn't just going to be sitting back and do nothing while the Symbol of Peace tried to gather his thoughts, Shota had been fairly involved in the fight as it was. He would go so far as to say that he was a big reason all his students were still alive at this point. 

Hasame looked up reluctantly into Aizawa's black eyes, her own pair clashing with his for a moment before she dipped her head, "Me too... I..." She wasn't sure what to say to the man who helped rescue her daughter, but she'd give it a try, "Thanks. Things could've gone a lot worse than they did if you hadn't shown up."

It was true. She hated to admit it, but the outcome they had gotten was a damn sight better than it probably would've been if their little group had been left to their own devices.

Aizawa just nodded, "We were hoping to see Fujimura today, if that was at all possible, as well as you," He nodded, not just at Hasame, but Rei too, "We stopped by her room, but someone was... Growling?"

It had been a tense moment for both of them. All Might wasn't in the best condition, so they asked at passing Nurse if Hasame Fujimura was anywhere, and the man had just chuckled before leading them here.

Both Rei and Hasame shared a look before Hasame stood, her eyes filled with fire, "Tsuragamae!" The amount of venom in her voice shocked the teachers, but Rei simply nodded and stood, the anger present in her eyes as well, but not nearly as pronounced.

"That dog always has had a talent for getting under Naoko's skin," She nodded, "I suppose if you think we need to talk then you can come along." She stood by the teachers, watching as Hasame swept out of the room and down the hall with more flair than the older woman could ever conjure up, "But if you do anything that makes them uncomfortable, I will remove you. understood?"

 All Might nodded quickly and followed the woman out while Aizawa stared after her for a moment, evaluating... Wasn't this Todoroki's mother?

Wasn't this the long term psyche ward? Hm... Interesting.

Probably none of his business, especially since he was well aware that she cared about Naoko like a daughter, but it gave him something to think about besides the fact that he wished he was still in his apartment, drunk enough to not have to think about any of this.

They weaved their way through the halls, only half-listening to Hasame as she grumbled complaints under her breath.

By the time they got to Naoko's room, they had heard more than enough from Hasame to be wary of her. Rei simply smiled, knowing how intimidating the young woman could be, but the teachers were both shocked by some of the threats that Hasame was muttering under her breath.

Naoko was asleep when they got to the room, with no sign of Tsuragamae.

They stood near her bed while both Rei and Hasame took the seats nearby. Hasame stared at Aizawa for a solid minute before she sighed, "I suppose I owe you for saving her." She said, her voice more irritated than grateful, "So I'll answer one question, then the two of you have to leave until Naoko's out of the hospital."

Neither of the teachers were expecting that, but they took it, knowing just how protective the two women were... Especially Rei.

All Might tried to ask a question, but he was cut off by Aizawa, who shot a rather sour look at the man, "All right then," He moved next to Naoko bed and crouched down to look up at Hasame, "Why did you go to Kamino? Someone quirkless such as yourself, especially since you were going with a group of untrained teenagers, could hardly do much besides get in the way. SO what were you thinking?"

It sounded offensive as all hell, but Hasame didn't snap. Instead, she stood there, staring at Aizawa, her eyebrows furrowing as she considered the question.

.

.

.

"You know?" Hasame's voice was quiet, far more vulnerable than anyone had ever heard it before, "I had no idea anything was wrong on that day four years ago.  My work had a strict policy that none of the workers were allowed to have their phones on while working, so I had no clue until hours after it was over.

Reo and I had been texting before my shift, talking about going to see our parent's graves in a week or two, and he had been a butt, so the only thing I was thinking about as I powered up my phone was to send him a blistering retort... One that I had spent my whole shift trying to come up with."

Hasame laughed, but it was a wet, miserable sound. Rei had her hand gently running through Hasame's hair, but that didn't stop Hasame's story.

"Reo always had been a snarky bastard. I mean, Hodori was a big part of why we got along most days, but I loved him..."

"It's horrible, but when I first got to the hospital and found out that Naoko survived over Reo I was... Well, I was mad."

"Naoko and I never talked much. I was busy, and she was a kid. I hated kids, so I avoided her. I was so... so mad. Why did it have to be her? Even... Even Hodori would've been better. At least that's how I felt at first." 

Rei grimaced, this was a side of Hasame that Rei had never seen, but always suspected. Hasame was a  good actor, but there had been hesitation in her that made Rei wonder.

Hasame grimaced and shook her head, guilt written across her face as clear as day, "I think the hospital staff saw it and I had a CPS officer come up to me. The told me that Reo and Hodori had placed Naoko under my care in their will, but if I didn't want her, she would go into foster care. It was standard practice and they said that it shouldn't be a problem. The went over how difficult it was to raise a child, the added expenses I would have, the time I would have to put into her, especially since no one was sure how the trauma of the attack would affect her."

Naoko was as still as a doll, her pale complexion only highlighting the bruising as she slept. The pain meds pretty much guaranteed that she'd be unconscious for a while.

"They were insistent that I put some serious thought into it before I made a decision... Naoko didn't need someone who wouldn't do what it took to help her. And I almost let her go."

Aizawa and Toshinori stood frozen, listening to the story with wide eyes. As heroes, they had heard their fair share of stories from victims. It was a common thing, and both had heard and seen far worse, but this just hit differently.

Naoko was their student. Aizawa may be closer to her, but they both knew her and here Hasame was, telling them that she had nearly been sent into the foster system? Even they knew that a girl with an uncontrollable quirk and an impairment wouldn't have been treated well. 

"I wanted to just... leave. To go and grieve my family alone and in peace, but I had to see my niece. I mean, she just lost her parents, and I was her aunt. I felt obligated to, so I did."

Hasame choked slightly as she struggled to keep her tears back, "The moment I opened the door and Naoko saw me, I knew I couldn't leave her. Her eyes were so full of pain and she reached for me despite the fact that she could barely see straight. We didn't know each other very well, but I was all she had left."

"And she was all I had left."

"Sure, she's a sarcastic little shit, and she definitely keeps me on my toes, but I never would've forgiven myself for abandoning her at the hospital."

The amount of guilt and pain that filled the room was suffocating as Hasame looked up at the heroes, "And that's why I went after her. I couldn't bear staying still and just waiting while Naoko was in danger. The idea that I would get another alert telling me that my family was dead was too much for me."

"It wasn't my smartest idea ever, sure, but I don't regret it. I would die for Naoko, so of course I went after her, and I'll do it as many times as I need to."