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     "Ough!" Iguchi was thrown out into a darkened back alley. His body hit the wall and slid down it into a pile of trash. Before he could even pull himself up, a swarm of fighters hounded him. This wasn't like the ring fights at all, or like anything from hero training. There was no back and forth. No time to analyze opponents or consider their moves. No, it was a swarm of punching, kicking, grabbing, and incomprehensible sounds. One hand had his foot, another had his hair, a foot kicked his ribs, nails scratched his scales, punches berated his face. There was nothing the teen could do but swipe at the dark shapes and try his very best to defend his vital points from any further blows.

Tsch!

     One body dropped.

     "Woah! What was that?!"
        "Gokio!"

     Another knife flew from the darkness, stabbing a man through the arm. He shrieked and wailed in pain. That sealed the threat. Unsure of who this knife thrower was, the fighters retreated into the same door they spilled from. The door slammed shut, cutting off the orange light from the dark alley. Pale blue streetlight shined dimly instead.

     Iguchi was covered in bruises and scrapes. He was bleeding, scales torn off in several places. He didn't even move after being rescued. He lied there in the trash, his head spinning and body aching. His limbs twitched occasionally, breathing still unright and rapid.

     A man draped in what appeared to be rags; tan, black, and crimson, stepped into the faint light and crouched beside the fallen body. He felt for the attacker's pulse. It was faint, but still there. The masked stranger turned his stern eyes to the boy laying among the trash. "What's this man's story?"

     "...Uh... Ugh...?" Iguchi was no help. He was still in the middle of processing whether or not he was actually safe. The stranger sighed and stood. He kicked around in the trash until he found a half used roll of duct tape. He tore off a piece, removed the knife from the fallen one's neck and sloppily threw some tape over it.

     "Eh. He'll survive if that's fate's wish." He muttered. It would take a miracle for that to happen. The stranger crouched in front of Iguchi and touched him with bloodied hands. The teen flinched away. He rolled onto his stomach and tried to push himself up. But his arms gave out halfway. And he fell again into the trash. Chuckling in amusement, "What did you do to get such a beating?"

     "Hmwwf..." The teen whined. He tried again, but fell a second time. The stranger huffed and grabbed the boy under the arms, hauling him out of the trash and into a seated upright position. Iguchi's whole world spun as a terrible migraine gripped his skull. But his arms were too sore to grab his temples. "M'...fine.." He uttered.

     The stranger shrugged off his backpack and got down on one knee to rummage through it. He pulled out and tore off a piece of clean cloth. Grabbing a water bottle as well, the guy dampened the cloth with some water and started dabbing at the bleeding wound in Iguchi's arm. The kid hissed in pain and tightened his jaw. He let the man tend to his wounds, though. Once the wounds were cleaned up, the stranger used dry cloth and duct tape to patch them up. After a few minutes, when the teen had started to calm down, the stranger asked again. "So what happened here?"

     "Mmm.. they were talkin' s### about Animorphs an' I couldn't stand it... S' I picked up a fight with 'm."

     "Ah... And what was a kid like you doing at a fight club?"

     "Hero training.."

     The man froze. For a moment, Iguchi worried he had said something wrong. ... Wait...oh CRAP! He'd been beaten so senseless he actually spilled information about being a hero in training! Craaaaaaaap~!!

     "It'd be better to kill yourself now, kid, than to stand in the place of a god with blood on your hands." The stranger gruffed, so terrifyingly hostile all of a sudden.

     Iguchi gasped, swinging his gaze the man's way. "Wh- what do you mean?! I don't want to be a god or anything!"

    Standing up, "That doesn't matter. To be a hero in this world means to stand before millions and be worshiped. Worshiped for a title you don't even deserve. 'Hero,' seriously?? Anyone can save people. Anyone can stop villains if they want. But that right is being gatekept by the law. And for it, crime thrives in the pits while money hungry organizations put up their hero idols to be worshiped and greedily hoard all the money, fame, and power they earn. Unless you intend to live a virtuous, sacrificial life to the very end like All Might, which you are already failing at, it would be better to cut your life short here before you have the chance to further stain what it means to be a hero!"

     Iguchi choked on his own shock. "Wh- what?? No! I don't want to be a corrupt hero like some of the other guys! I'm doing this so I can get better at fighting villains! My quirk isn't very powerful, so I need the extra training! And you're generalizing too much! Not all the heroes out there are sick in the head!"

     "Then tell me. Who out there is fighting for what really matters?.. You're an animorph, right? So, you know better than most what it's like to have society turn a blind eye on matters."

     "True, but that's just because there aren't enough of us yet! Once I become a hero, I'll-"

     "-You'll be shipped to a foreign town full of foreign people who you don't give a crap about. For a decade, you'll live and work there with nothing to do but chase the occasional thief down and stop random fires. In that town which you never gave a f### about to begin with, your only goal will be to get promoted to work as a hero with more respect, and power. After all, you need those things in order to make a difference in the world. But, in that decade, you'll either become such a trash hero that you're never promoted, or you'll be pushed to resort to unfavorable means in order to get that recognition and promotion you need. Say you frame a few incidents, or perhaps assist in the local crime syndicates until it builds into something you'll actually get recognition for taking down. Either way, by the time you finally reach the status you're going for, you would be no different than the villains you're trying to take down. Having traded your morals for fame and your virtues for power and forgotten why you became a hero to begin with!.. I'm not just speaking out of my a## here. I've seen countless heroes who've fallen down that same path! I've lived my life tracking the secret lives of heroes, and it's the likes of you, the ones so full of ambition but lacking in power, that always end up the worst..." Standing over Iguchi, the man unsheathed what looked like a katana and held the teen's jaw with it. "Again, I'll warn you. Give up now, or watch helplessly as your future self goes on to commit unspeakable acts, all for the sake of power and recognition." He lowered his blade again. The teen gasped in relief. He was scared, but... This man was so much wiser than he expected... He seemed to house a wisdom no other hero had. Iguchi always struggled to relate with heroes. He never had a favorite. And he never understood the hype in routing for them like characters in a TV show or anime. This man's view of the world felt a whole lot more real.

     Iguchi always felt a little out of place. Like something was wrong with him for not having the same rosy colored view of the world as everyone else. Where he saw problems, everyone else just shrugged it off. Whenever he brought up potential issues, everyone turned the other way.

     He couldn't believe he was really thinking this, but he actually related a whole lot more with this random stranger than anyone else in his life. Especially Tenko. Half the time, he wondered if Tenko was just faking his bright outlook on society, or if he truly was just an idiot.

     Iguchi bowed his head to the stranger. The man was turning away, getting ready to leave when, "wait.." the teen stopped him. The stranger turned back around, sheathing his katana. "...To be frank... I agree with you... I have been thinking similar things for years now, but nobody seems to believe me! This whole world is f###ed, and the heroes aren't separate from that. But... I want to be different. I want to make a change. Please, if you'll teach me what not to become, I'll do my best to avoid that path! A-and if you have tips for how I can be better, I promise I will follow them! I'm tired of living in a world where the light is so bright it blinds people from seeing the true darkness! I'm tired of people ignoring the real problems! But I'M different! I've seen the world for what it really is! That is what I want to change! I don't care about being a hero! Heck, I'm fine with being a vigilante! As long as it means I can one day look back and see I've done something good with my life!"

     The masked man's mouth fell open a little. Iguchi really poured his heart out there.. and the pureness of it struck through his calloused heart.

     Iguchi was wiping away the snot from his nose when the elder crouched down in front of him and placed his hand on the kid's shoulder. Iguchi's eyes shot up. He was shocked by- not a smile, but a very warm, caring look. The stranger rubbed the teen's shoulder. "That's the spirit of a hero..." He spoke softly. "If you're really asking for my help, then fine. I'll take you on as my apprentice."

     The teen's eyes flew wide open. "Wait, what!? Apprentice?! What do you do exactly??"

     "I'm a vigilante... And I go by 'Stain' out here on the streets."

     "Stain?..." He thought he recognized that name, though he couldn't remember from where. "Hmh, sounds pretty sweet. Wait, so you mean you want me to be a vigilante too??"

     "You can choose for yourself what you want to become. But, the best way to tutor you would be through you helping me in my daily work as a vigilante. So, I guess you'd be one for a time at least. Until you're ready to move on."

     "Oh..." The kid's eyes trailed to the ground. "..I'm cool with that I guess. As long as no one finds out."

     "Hmh.. they won't. Oh- and one more thing before you officially join me."

     "Yeah?"

     "Quit all the underground club fights. Even for vigilantes, it's a disgusting look."

     "Oh.. um, okay, yessir!"

     "Tch. No need to be so formal. It's just Stain to you."

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

     "Do you know where you are right now?" A man with a noticably average voice asked.

     "Um... In a car?" You were seated in the back, arm leaning against the window sill. Your birthday was only just yesterday, and still you had a terrible headache. So, you'd decided not to use your sight quirk as little as possible today to give yourself some time to recover. From your experience being in cars, you could tell you were going pretty fast. Maybe 60-70 MPH on a highway. Likely on a bridge judging by the faint arches in the road and slightly higher pitch sounds. "On a bridge?" You added, just in case this was some bizarre test of sorts. "In case you're wondering, my sight quirk is off."

     "Ah... Thought so. We are on a bridge, though." Suddenly, the road noises lowered in pitch. "Not anymore." Snickering. You sighed and leaned again against the door. There was another man seated directly in front of you and a woman at your left. Together, they were your escorts. You didn't recognize any of their voices, so if they were heroes, they were very lame ones.

     Some time passed. You huffed. "Was there a reason for asking me that?"

     "Just gaging how much you know about the situation you're in."

     Scoffing, "Like I'd know what's going on when a bunch of people show up and tell me to come with them for 'government business.' I'm guessing this has something to do with heroes, but that's about it."

     "The HPSC's president called you for a private meeting with her. We ask that you be on your upmost behavior. No.. funny business..." You rolled your eyes. And by that, he meant no assassination attempts.

     "I won't try anything." That being said, it was rather odd for the president to ask for a private meeting with you. You had no idea what her quirk was, or if she even had one. Either way, she was undoubtedly physically weak in comparison to yourself. And to put herself in such a vulnerable position alone with you.

     ...What did she have planned?

----------

     People gasped and murmured left and right as you were brought into the bees' nest. You activated your sight quirk only for seconds at a time, like reverse blinking, to help distinguish the setting. Yes, this was the real place. The main HPSC building. And there were a lot of people here to witness... Wish you'd worn nicer clothes...

     You wobbled a little once the elevator picked you up. After stabilizing, you waited nervously to reach the top floor. Being blind in a situation like this was unnerving.

     The doors finally opened. You looked just for a second at the large office room beyond. A corner office perfect and fitting for a president.

     Your footsteps were heavy and unsure. Your hand remained on the woman escort's shoulder. The poor lady was shaking. Even promising you wouldn't hurt her wasn't enough. In the center of her room, standing from her desk, was the President herself. Wait. Hold up. You did the reverse blink thing again... This.. This wasn't the same President as the one in the show. Heck, it wasn't even the same President last time you checked!

     She was short and lean with a boyish sort of haircut. She had many empty piercing holes in her ears, kind of like Kai, and her canines were noticably sharp. Other than that, she wore a pretty standard suit fitting for her figure. (This woman has short silvery hair and dark red eyes. But you can't see color quite yet.)

     "You came blind? Rather bold." The woman pointed out. She was in her mid thirties by the looks and sounds of it. Younger than the canon President, but not by much. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like for us to have our little chat over here." Talking to your guides now. She started walking toward a rug, couple of couches and coffee table. A relaxation station of sorts. "I've already heated the water. Would you like some English style tea?"

     You nodded, a tad sheepishly. "Sure."

     You sat down and had one last look at your surroundings while getting comfortable. The escorts left the room. This new President certainly was a confusing mix of masculine and feminine. She wore pants with the suit, which oddly enough somehow made the rest of her appear more feminine?... How??

     As the woman poured you some steaming water, you cleared your throat. "Pardon if this sounds rude, but are you new to this position..? I don't recognize you."

     "Hm. Good ears." The lady smiled. "I certainly did seem to appear out of nowhere, didn't I?. The name is Zeyale Taylor. I know. It's hard to pronounce here in Japan, so I often just go by Ms. Zeya." She handed you a warm cup of tea. You held the small thing gently and blew on the drink.

     "Mm, how did you become President?" Something was seriously wrong! The HPSC's president is supposed to be a blond lady with a more cold demeanor about her. Though you couldn't remember much from the show about her other than she sent kids out like child soldiers and eventually died, there was no doubt she was a key player in a lot of canon events. That lady was easier to predict. You already knew what her general plans were. Where her morals lye. But this woman?! She was a complete wild card!

     Ms. Zeyale sat down across from you, stirring some honey into her tea. "Well, um, let me see.. It really is quite complicated. I've been working as vice president for almost a decade now. Guess I just got lucky. The former president died not long after I took office here, and the president who followed was put under some serious fire after your little outing with Hawks a few years back~" She teased. You paled. "Madam President was practically walking on eggshells after that. Didn't help any when I found all the security footage of you on your little excursion with our Hero. By the time our poor baby came back to us so low on blood that other time, informing us about most of our secrets being leaked, the poor old woman was the first to go." Ms. Zeyale shrugged nonchalantly.

     You opened your eyes again, watching the woman curiously. "Wait.. You said you found footage of me?"

     The other smirked. "Well, yeah, technically we've had enough incriminating evidence to put you behind bars years ago. You see, I have a knack for having eyes just about everywhere.. I was really hoping you'd show us something promising, but, you just stumbled around in the dark for a bit... Rather disappointing." She wove her fingers together and set her chin on them. Her eyes fixed on you in a very relaxed, catlike way. You sat uncomfortably, unsure of what this meant.

     You sat a little straighter. "..Is this meant to be a threat of some kind?"

     "Psh, oh no!" The woman playfully swat her hand out. "No, I don't need to threaten you one bit. You see, you've already done all of that for me." You stopped mid sip. The woman leaned back, arms stretching over that back of her couch. "Don't forget that you've put yourself in a very precarious position right now. One minor incident and all I have to do is say the magic words and off to prison you go~ Heck, I could even have you executed if I wanted." This was when her canines shown.

     You scowled. "I can't die."

     Leaning forward to point at you, "You can, and I know it." She spoke with such confidence it frightened you. Even if she was bluffing, what would give her this kind of boldness?! How much does she know?!.. The woman leaned back again and sat as before. "...Does the name Punching Bag ring a bell?" You flinched. "Thought so. And what about Izuku Midoriya.. hm?.. And how about Eri Huromi?. Hm? Should I keep going~?"

     "Why do you keep listing random names?" May as well at least try.

     "Because these are the names of your every contact and your every secret identity. You may think you're sneaky, but you seem to forget who manages all the security cameras, the fact that spies exist, and on top of all that how useful the internet can be. You're a shabby mastermind wannabe is what you are. Nothing you do, say, or think will be outside of our line of sight. And don't forget that." She was sitting forward again, this time with her fingers interwoven on her poorly postured lap. "I, specifically, have been keeping an eye on you for quite some time now~"

     You sank a little in your seat, a tad too disturbed to drink anymore tea. "So... Why are you telling me all of this?"

     "You want to redeem yourself, correct?"

     "Yeh.."

     "I'm here to help."

     "Huh?"

     "Listen, while I'm a firm believer that 'whatever's raised on the streets, stays on the streets,' I've stepped out of my way in order to offer you another chance. In fact, you simply being out and about is all thanks to my persuasiveness. What I mean to say is, you'd be rotting away in prison right now if it weren't for me." Your eyes widened as the woman fixed you with a very stern, intensive stare. So, this was why, then. Why your sentence felt so light despite the crimes being so heavy. It was all thanks to this, highly suspicious woman.

     "What's... What's your offer?" It was clear. This mysterious President had her own motives beyond just being nice.

     Ms. Zeyale smiled and crossed her legs. "You want to be a hero, yes? Well, by all means, go on ahead! I won't stop you; no one will! In fact~ I'm here to give you an offer you simply cannot refuse." So.. a demand, then. "I'd like for you to partner with the HPSC. You know your buddy Hawks? Yeah, something like him. But, unlike that pretty little sunflower, you'll work more as an underground hero.. Ya catch my drift?" You nodded, noting her sudden casual tone toward you. "You mentioned something along the lines of Hawks committing secret, bloody missions once? You were wrong, but not far off. Those jobs went to his predecessor. Lady Nagant. I don't know how you could have known about her secret records, but quite frankly, I don't care. But you know. You've somehow found out enough at least to know how she spiraled into the villain she now is. ..." Giggling, "Sorry, am I rambling again? My point is~ That is our biggest problem. We can't clean up the filth of the underworld without an enforcer who's willing to get their hands dirty."

     You gulped nervously.

     "...You see~ I find you to be in a rather interesting spot right about now... Our biggest concern has been in the likely chance that our next enforcer will break. Just like Nagant. However~ you're already broken~ You're only seventeen, and already you've survived under more pressure, in the presence of more dead bodies, than anyone could conjure up in their most despicable nightmares. Most of those lives, you've taken yourself... And yet..." Again, the woman stared up at you with that lazy look of amusement. "you're so easy to control."

     You stared at the ground, Sight on but aimless, fidgeting with your shaky hands as your face went numb from paleness. You hated that you already knew what she wanted. Woulda preferred it if this all came as a surprise!

    That's when you noticed it. In her jacket pocket. There was a familiar veil of... Was that Trigger?! The drug?!

     The woman calmly stood and walked around the small table. She then sat on the table across from you, so close that her knees were intertwined with yours. She stared up into your useless eyes, reading your every emotion. You scooched back. Your attention remained firmly on that small canister and what it was doing in the President's pocket of all places!

     Ms. Zeyale placed her hand on your knee. You flinched. She spoke so softly. Suddenly, she had the kind, warm eyes of a mother. "You'll become a hero, I promise. You'll be a great one, too... But, sometimes, it's necessary to act outside the law in order to preserve it. Otherwise, we'll be limited in so many areas and criminals will continue to have the advantage. You understand where I'm coming from, don't you?.. I know you do, because this mindset is what traped you in the first place... But, working for us, you'll be free from all of that. You won't have to worry about getting arrested for simply wanting to help... Isn't that.. Isn't that exactly what you want?"

     You stared at the woman's hand resting on your knee. She gave you the time you needed to think.

...

     "...Yeah.. That is kind of what I want..." Why did it feel like such a crime when she proposed it, though?

     The woman smiled. Her hand slipped off of you. "That's good to hear... Get everything sorted out as soon as you can. We'll be sending you back to UA so you can build a reputation and graduate officially. We'll do our best here to keep your true identity a secret."

     You blinked in surprise. "Wait, what??"

     Giggling, "You heard me~ You won't be joining us as Shigaraki, but as (H/n)."

     So this is when it really gets crazy.

.

     After you had left, Ms. Zeyale touched her ear, bearing a straight face. "Thanks for the assist."

     Hawks, who was presently standing atop the very same building, spoke into his device as well. "Uhhhh, I didn't really do anything.."

     "Trust me, you were plenty help. Thanks to you, I can say with certainty that our little (Y/n) here won't kill you even in the most desperate of circumstances."

     "Wh-oa, how'd you figure that one out?!"

     Sighing as she smirked, the woman walked toward the wall of glass and stared out at the city all around. She idly touched at the vile safely tucked away in her pocket, ensuring it was still there and full. "Ohhh, kid, you should know by now I'm a master at reading people." To the sunshine, her devilish fangs shown.

     It also helped that she had the ability to interrogate people without them ever knowing.

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

     You wrapped your eyes in cloth and wore it like a mask. Same as your limbs, it was more comforting to simply cover up your weaknesses in fine, stretchy silks. It was like a hug which now also encompassed your cranium. And, well, it didn't look half bad with the shorter style of hair. As long as you remembered to fluff it up, it actually looked kind of cute!

     It also covered up that dry skin around your eyes. It was an issue you'd all but given up trying to cure. You were hideous. People were sure to look at it and instantly think 'villain.' You just had to accept that and move on. Hiding it was your easiest fix.

     You teleported to where Kurogiri used to take you, grazing your hand on the wall to be sure this was the spot. You blinked on your sight momentarily. Your head no longer hurt, but it was still taking a while for your mind to adjust to all this excess information. As it was now, you could last 3-5 hours without suffering headaches. To save yourself the migraine, you went blind whenever you had a clear enough layout of the scene already.

     You had, after all, passed through this gate many times before. So you knew your way around. You strode through with stiff limbs. For some reason, you felt so out of place now. You didn't feel as though you deserved even standing on these grounds. But, you faked your confidence, resulting in a very stoic stride.

     Your mind paid close attention to every bit of cloth which rubbed against your skin, agitating your flesh. Your fingers twitched to every foreign footstep. As you entered the building, the tapping of shoes filled it. You weren't the only one here, but all the echoing in these halls made it hard to correctly predict how many stood around you.

     You sweat so much, you worried it'd make a slipping hazard out of the smooth floor.

   "Is that Diforester?"
    "What's that on her face?"
     "Is she blind now?"
      "Can't be..."
       "What happened to her??"

     You bit the inside of your lip and marched past the familiar voices of your former classmates. They walked in a clump past you down the hall. Your cheeks turned pink. First days were always the worst.. You hated the thought of being at the center of everyone's attention! Maybe wrapping your eyes was a bad idea.

     "Hey, (Y/n)!" Kobayashi skipped to you from behind. "Nice haircut!" You held your breath as she hopped up beside you and gasped at the sight of your face. "Oh no, what happened to your eyes?! Can you see!?"

     Mumbling, "No, but I get around fine."

     "Do you want my help?" Gasp. "I can read our textbooks for you!" Crap, you forgot about your inability to read. Things like screens were slowly fading in, so there was a chance your sight quirk would continue to adjust and evolve as your brain grew accustomed to it, making life more bearable, but that would take time. "We're in the same class! I think we even sit next to each other! Class 2B, right?!"

     "Hm.. Guess so." You didn't care to hear who would be in which class when it was first announced. Too nerve wracking. There were only two classes per grade along the hero course, so chances were high that you'd end up in a class with either Tenko or Iguchi again. And there was a part of you that wanted to avoid both of them right now. "...Hm.. Yeah, that might actually be helpful." You agreed to the kind girl's offer. You didn't remember much of her from last year, but she seemed trustworthy enough. And something like trust was rarer and more precious than gold in this life.

     Kobayashi hopped again. "I hope I'm not coming across as clingy! Even though I already know half of the kids in our new class, I'm still so nervous!" The girl clung to your arm suddenly. You reflexively tore it free. She didn't seem offended by it. On the contrary. "Oh! Sorry if I startled you!"

     "No, it's fine.. really." You'd forgotten how fluffy she was to the touch. She had a very course kind of hair, like a wild wolf's.

     "Oh.. Hey, (Y/n)!" A rather un-enthusiastic but still kind greeting. Recognizing the voice coming down the hall on course to pass you, you smiled and activated your sight quirk at once.

     "Hey, Tenny!" You waved. Your smile instantly wavered. Following Tenko were Iguchi and.. a few feet behind, Hoku. A rage you didn't even know was still within you was suddenly at its boiling point as you fixed your attention on him. Was he seriously in the same class as Tenko while you weren't?!

     You stopped before your groups could pass each other. Tenko stopped as well. His eyes were fixed on you, but, their brightness was gone. He still smiled, but, it wasn't the same as before. He was broken. Hurting simply from being in your presence again. Clearly overcome with competing emotions, all centered around you.

     "So I take it the three of you are gunna be in class 2A?" You stood confidently, hand on your hip. Your strong posture was mostly just a feeble  attempt to ward off Mr. 6-foot back there. The kid didn't take the hint. Or rather, he took it in the wrong way, placing both hands on his hips and tilting up his nose to silently scoff your way. Iguchi stood off to the side, glaring between the two y'all hotheads, readying himself to step in should another tussle start up.

     The long haired meek one, who had no idea what was going on, stared down at the floor while dragging a hand through his hair. "Yeahhh... It's.. a shame, but... Probably better this way." Your shock tore your attention from even the haughty and silently boastful Hoku.

     Just from looking at this kid and hearing his saddened breaths, you knew he was reaching his emotional threshold. You were..just another thing he had to constantly worry about. Another person to pour countless emotions into with no reward. You understood. This back and forth; this flip-flopping between sides you keep doing; it must be tiring. Just like how your dad always used to confuse and trouble you, you must be accidentally doing the same... That feeling goes both ways. Terrible as it sounds.. you were just too tired to continue to fight for a relationship with him. As was he.

     Tenko bowed to you, a polite, but clearly acquaintance-zoning gesture. "Thank you for the birthday present... But, I can't fully forgive you for everything.." And there it was. Conformation. "...I wish you the best." He stood straight again and somberly brushed past you.

     "...Birthday present..?" Hoku echoed softly as he stepped past you as well. He stared at the side of your face, which aimed ahead down the hall, your body standing stiff and stoic. "He- hey, Tenko! When was your birthday?!" As the annoying replacement left you too, your bottom lip started to curl. You exhaled quickly, forgetting you'd been holding your breath. Another short and sharp inhale followed.

     Crap! This.. pain in your chest.

     He didn't even ask about the bandages, or the sudden change of hair, or the- or the anything!

     You were struggling to breathe in again. This time your mouth was starting to pry open, your whole body preparing for a pathetic sob.

     You hugged yourself using your right hand and covered your mouth using your left. That pain wasn't going away, and it wouldn't until you started moving again.

     You pushed yourself into a speed walk, arms swinging stiffly at your sides. You fought with your mouth to stop trembling, your lungs to stop seizing, and your eyes to stop dampening the cloth around them.

     You'd expected this. You'd hoped for this. So, why did being on these terms, what you considered the best case scenario, to be so painful??

     Guess you cared a lot more about him than you thought.. A lot more.

     Sympathetically, Kobayashi touched your arm to comfort. Again, you pulled yourself away from the girl's touch, huffing lowly. "I'm fine.." It would just take some time.

----------

     The bug girl was right. You sat next to her in the back row. She helped you to seat #10, where you quickly got to setting all of your supplies into their usual places. You had a very 'organized chaos' way about preparing for the new school year.

     There were quite a few familiar voices, though you weren't paying much attention to those. The only thing that really mattered was that Tenko and Iguchi would be in the other class. And you didn't know which you preferred. Hokusei being in the same class as you or not. Either way, his existence was annoying.

     If soul-mates are supposed to bring out the best in each other, then the thing you and Hoku have is the complete opposite of that; because whatever the f### this is is not healthy!

     After sitting around, responding to others and answering some of their questions about what was up with your face, class started.

     Literally the second the starting bell chimed, the door slammed open! "HEEELLLOOOOO, CLAS! WHO IN HERE'S READY FOR A YEAR OF LEARNING!?!" Holy FRICK that was loud! Surely you weren't the only one forced to cover their ears!

     The man waltzing in didn't even need an introduction, though he gave one anyway. "HEY GUYS I'M YOUR NEW TEACHER, PRESENT MIC! YOU MIGHT KNOW ME AS A SUPER SOOL HERO OR FROM MY MEGA POPULAR RADIO SHOW~!" People still listen to the radio?!

     Your elbows planted on the desk so your fingers could comb through your aching head. Wait, what?? What was this dude doing as a homeroom teacher?! He does eventually become a teacher here -- an English one -- but never did the wiki or ANYTHING make mention about him having his own classroom!

     You panicked a little inside. Everything was going arai. It was getting harder and harder to predict the future. What had become a blanket of security for you was now being ripped away! Now, non canon things were starting to happen which you couldn't even hope to predict!

     "SO ANYWHO, HOW ABOUT WE DO ROLL CALL AND GET THIS PARTY STARTED~!!?" Kobayashi to your left was the only one who could match this man's energy. She didn't seem to care one bit about the noise. Meanwhile, you were suffering...

----------

     FINALLY! It was starting to feel like the first day of school was never going to END! Unlike first year, you second years didn't require a fancy orientation day, so your introduction to the new school year comprised of full-on lectures picking up where you had left off. How annoying... That final bell was like a song from Heaven.

     "Oi! Where do you think you're going, Diforester~?" The new teacher stopped you at the door. You turned around grinding your teeth. Reluctantly, you waited by the doorway, allowing the other students to pass until it was only you and the blond yelly hero teacher. Mr. Loud.

     "I know I come off as childish to most, but can you at least try to respect me as your teacher?" The man pouted. You activated your sight quirk. The man was leaning against his desk and crossing his arms. His thin eyebrows were tense, a rare glare shot at you. You corrected your posture and demeaning face at once.

     Bowing, "M' sorry, Sir."

     "Is it true what you said about Sho? That you can fix his eyes?"

     "Well, I mean, I may have to practice with the quirk myself a little, but yeah. My only problem is I don't know where to find him." You leaned against the doorway. You were still excited to leave, but, if this was about helping out your past Sensei, it was worth waiting a tad longer.

     Mic squeezed his eyes shut, scrunched his nose, and rubbed his chin all at once. "Well that's good at least.." He mumbled, then stretched his face and returned it to normal again. "Listen kid, only I know where the guy is hiding right now. To protect him, not even big organizations like the HPSC have your answers! So! If you really want to help him as you say, we're going to need you to cooperate.

     Your brows scrunched, then relaxed again. "Hm.. Alright. But for how long? And what exactly does 'cooperating' mean?"

     "Let's shoot for another year without any incidents, okay? No fighting any of your classmates this time. I've also been instructed by the man himself to tell you that stealing quirks on this campus is prohibited too. You did a good job last year from what I heard, but there will be absolutely NO stealing quirks from heroes!"

     You nodded. "Yessir."

     "Oh and one more thing."

     "Yes?"

     Somehow, the man's stern expression grew even more alarmed. Sickly, even. "Where have you been keeping Oboro's body and why?" A pit formed in your stomach. Eraser's glare was scary, sure... but his paled in comparison to this! Maybe it helped that you never expected such a man to even be capable of such a deathly stare.

     You slowly rose a hand and used it to cover up parts of your face as it aimed down and off to the side a little.

     ...How were you supposed to respond? Tell the truth?? That he'd been used as an evil scientist's little doll and a great villain's puppet.. for years?! That truth was unlikely to help anyone.

     "It.. was an illusion I conjured."

     "Prove it, then."

     "I- I can't!"

     "WHY NOT?" Mic stood, slapping the desk at his side. He fell a step forward. "IF YOU WERE ABLE TO STOOP SO LOW TO HURT MY BEST FRIEND LIKE THAT, THEN WHY NOT DO IT TO ME?!" Tears filled his eyes now. His entire face twisted with anguish. "SHOW ME THE PROJECTION! I CAN TAKE IT!"

     "THAT'S NOT WHAT I MENAT!" Forced to raise your voice to his level, you breathed intensely. Though it was useless, as if you had eyes, your face shifted as if to look in all directions except for where the hero stood. "Listen, I never meant to hurt you. I was scared, and outmatched, and I really, REALLY needed to help you guys stop my father! I didn't want him to KILL any of you, okay?! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to use such a dirty trick! And I promise I won't do it again!" Mic's hands clenched, in this case to calm himself down. He dipped his chin, an arm raising to swipe some of the tears away onto his sleeve. He sniffed, hardly able to see anymore through his foggy, shaded glasses.

     "...I still don't get why they let you go..." The blond mumbled. Such a pitiful sight. "..Sho said the vision or whatever that he saw... It looked like an adult... So.. tell me, how is that possible? Is he alive or not?!"

     You lowered your head solemnly. "...He's dead. Has been for nearly a decade... I just.. got good at guessing..."

     "Still need you to prove it."

     Chin jumping above your shoulders, "Th-thing is, that quirk only functions by bending light! And.." pulling at the wraps around your head, "I'm blind, in case you haven't noticed. So... I can't use it until I've fixed that."

     Crossing his arms again, "That can come later then. Your first priority should be fixing Sho.. as an apology for starters... We can work out the rest after that."

     Feeling the conversation was coming to an end, you politely bowed again. "I agree.. I'll keep you updated from now on about the quirk meant to restore him. ... Mind if I leave?"

     "Hhhh... Sure."

     "Thanksss." You spun and fled. An emergency meeting with Kai was in order! Change of plans! Change of plans!!

     One thing's for certain! You do not like being on Present Mic's bad side!!