A few days later~

Katsuki tore a corner of his toast with his teeth, chomping noisily at the dining room table. Katsuki's mother sat across from him, working on her laptop, and he could hear the TV in the living room where his father was. He had been sulking all weekend, refusing to speak to or see anyone unless it was for meals.

After Katsuki's... episode, Mr. Aizawa had contacted his parents and he'd been forced to go home for the weekend to take a 'much needed break' in their words. Katsuki was furious at the whole situation, but instead of fighting or screaming, he decided to take the silent approach. It had worked well enough that his parents had decided to leave him alone for the time being, which left a lot of time for Katsuki to think. And there was only one thing Katsuki thought about.

Or rather, one person.

Now that he was back home, Katsuki had taken to looking at old photos from childhood. There were many pictures of himself as a precocious kid, some with figurines of his favorite heroes, or toys he'd gotten for various birthdays and holidays. But as of yet, he hadn't found any pictures of a certain round-faced, green-haired child with him. Somehow, he felt a compulsion to find at least one photo of the kid version of Izuku Midoriya. If not to reassure himself that such a person existed, it was to remind him of what could have been.

Katsuki had become suspicious after the fourth photo album had turned up empty. He thought maybe his parents had done something with those photos, but he didn't want to ask them. At least not unless he had no other choice. Unfortunately, it was already evening on Sunday night, and he would have to go back to school the following day. If he wanted to get those photos out of his parents, it might have been the time to ask them point blank.

He glared at his mother from across the table, munching on his toast without bothering to close his mouth. He could see a small twitch at the corner of his mother's mouth, which told him that although she seemed to ignore him, she wasn't as impervious to his noise. Honestly, Katsuki had been surprised by her reaction when he was forced to go home for the weekend. He had expected her to explode at him, to ask a million questions, to drill him until he was forced to tell her everything, but she hadn't done any of those things. She'd given him space and had barely spoken a word, as if she were scared of any kind of reaction from him.

It was a jarring contrast from how their relationship normally was.

Katsuki was determined to get a reaction from his mother, which is why he'd been chewing so loudly, hoping the sound would drive her to shout at him. He could tell he was nearly there, he just needed to add something extra annoying that would put her over the top. He grabbed his glass of water and slurped loudly, letting some of the water spill down his chin and onto his shirt. He saw his mother's eyes flash and he knew he'd won.

"Will you be civilized for once, Katsuki?" Mitsuki burst out, slamming her laptop shut. "I can barely hear myself think, let alone work properly!"

"Maybe you shouldn't be working while I'm eating then!" Katsuki barked, slamming the cup back down on the table so some of the water sloshed out onto the tablecloth. Mitsuki's nostrils flared and she brandished a finger in Katsuki's face.

"Don't you talk to me like that! You know perfectly well why I need to..." She trailed off and Katsuki felt a pang of indignation.

"Why you need to what? Keep an eye on me? Make sure I don't explode or lose control?" Mitsuki flinched at his words, clearly uncomfortable.

"Katsuki... please, you know we're just trying to help–"

"Did I ask for your help? Did I ask for any of this to fucking happen?"

"I know you didn't, but–"

"Is that why there are some pictures missing from our photo albums?"

There was a beat of silence. Mitsuki pursed her lips and Katsuki knew he'd gotten her.

"Katsuki... listen, I was just worried that you might be thinking about some painful memories. I didn't want you to have to be reminded of anything that could cause you more stress."

"I don't need your fucking protection." Katsuki growled, feeling his throat start to constrict. "I had one... bad dream. That's all. It's not a reason to get rid of all the pictures we have of Deku–I mean... Izuku."

"Well... I gave all the photos we had of Izuku back to Inko after his funeral. I thought it would be nice for her to have." Mitsuki said quietly. It was clear she had no idea how to talk to her son, how to support him or comfort him. After all, Katsuki had never needed it before.

"Whatever. I'm going to bed, so you can do your shitty typing in peace."

That night, Katsuki stared at the ceiling, his hands tucked behind his head. He had heard his parents go into their room nearly an hour ago, and was just waiting until he was sure they had fallen asleep. In the meantime, he thought about Deku and how much different he had been.

Katsuki could picture his face like it had been burned into his brain: the was his face had thinned out, accentuating his jaw and cheekbones, those wide green eyes that had been subdued with dark bags underneath, and the scars on his mouth and his arms that were evidence of something sinister from his past. Katsuki thought about how Deku had become like this, how he had changed so drastically from the curious, enthusiastic little boy that used to follow him around in the neighborhood.

Katsuki hadn't truly disliked Deku, at least not at first. He was one of Katsuki's first friends after moving into the neighborhood and he liked having him around, if not for anything except an ego boost. Even at that age, Deku hadn't been very good at anything athletic. Katsuki had always been better than him in everything they tried, whether it be when they were learning to read, kicking a ball around, or even just running fast. Then, when Katsuki's quirk had come in and Deku's hadn't, their relationship only worsened. Katsuki couldn't remember how many times he'd laid into little Deku. He'd left him behind on countless occasions, insulted him to the point of tears, but even through all the abuse, the little boy still followed him around earnestly.

Why? Why had little Deku continued to take the abuse, to take everything Katsuki threw at him, when all he had to do to make it stop was to leave him alone?

Are you alright? Are you hurt? I was worried you might have hit your head or something.

Katsuki felt a surge of loathing fill him and he gritted his teeth, forcing his breathing to remain even. He never asked for Deku to follow him. He never wanted any of this. Deku had been a glutton for punishment. He'd brought the abuse on himself.

Before Katsuki realized it, he'd dozed off. He woke up several hours later, sitting bolt upright. He looked out the window to see the soft orange mist from the sun that had begun to rise over the city. Katsuki jumped out of bed, annoyed that he'd let himself fall asleep, and pulled his shoes on before creeping out of the room and descending the stairs.

Luckily, his parents were still asleep, so he had no problem sneaking out the front door. The walk to his destination was fairly short; he kept his hands firmly stuffed in his pockets and the hood of his sweatshirt up over his head. He had the distinct impression that he was being watched, but that suited him just fine. If he was in fact being watched by who he thought he was, then hopefully they would show themselves once he reached his destination.

Katsuki arrived at an old run-down temple a few blocks from his neighborhood. The walkway was overgrown with vegetation and weeds and the paint had begun to fall off the walls and windows. It was clear this temple had been neglected for a long time. Katsuki walked along the side of the building, turning around the back where a tall gate separated the regular street with the cemetery behind the temple. Katsuki pushed the gate open with surprising ease, as there was no padlock or anything. He made his way through the cemetery, passing different sizes of gravestones, some faded with age and others still polished and new. He walked to the back of the cemetery, his eyes on one gravestone in particular.

He reached the gravestone, which was made of a polished granite that still shone as it was one of the relatively newer headstones in the cemetery. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw something move in between two tall tombstones, large enough for someone to hide behind, but he kept his eyes facing forward. The fists in the pockets of his sweatshirt flexed and he had to force himself to pretend not to have noticed. Instead, he busied himself by reading the engraving on the stone:

Izuku Midoriya

Born July 15, 21XX. Died April 28, 21XX

Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure.

Katsuki sucked in a sharp breath as his eyes landed on the date. He hadn't realized it, but it was coming up on the fourth anniversary of Deku's untimely demise, or at least the one that was recorded. Katsuki had forgotten, despite everything that had happened to him over the past few days. But seeing it laid out in front of him like this, the realization hit him like a sucker punch. It had been four years since that day, the day that his parents held him and sobbed, when he'd gone to a funeral with barely any guests, when he'd watched the coffin being lowered into the ground while his mother wept beside him.

Four years since Deku had abandoned life and chosen something Katsuki never saw coming.

Katsuki gritted his teeth as he glared at the name on the gravestone. Why had he done it? Why had he decided to abandon his own mother, the only person in the world, Katsuki was sure, who loved Deku with her whole being? How could he have left his mother behind while he went galavanting off to lead a life of crime? It was completely unfathomable to Katsuki.

Suddenly, Katsuki heard a snap of a twig behind him and he was yanked from his thoughts. He tensed, but tried not to make it obvious as he waited for another sound that would tell him where his stalker was. He knew he would only have one shot at catching them, if he was late or made even the slightest miscalculation, then they would just disappear, of this he was certain.

He waited for a few moments until he was sure they must be behind the tombstone on his left. He took a deep breath.

Katsuki jumped into action, punching behind the tombstone and blasting the spot before he had a chance to see who it was. He dropped into a fighter stance, ready to block any responding attack. The smoke from his explosion started to clear to reveal no one behind the stone. Katsuki grunted in frustration and spun around, scanning the area surrounding him. Had they somehow slipped away before he'd moved to attack?

He started weaving through the headstones again, holding his hands up, ready to blast anything out of place, but after a full sweep of the cemetery, he had to finally admit that there was no one there. Katsuki growled and pulled his hood over his head again, stomping on the ground in anger. He whirled around and stormed back to the gate, furious at his fruitless decision to come here at all.

~~

As Katsuki Bakugo stomped out of the cemetery and back onto the street of the small neighborhood, a figure emerged from behind a large maple tree behind the temple. Himiko Toga smirked to herself as she watched the figure slowly fade into the early morning, the air of frustration etched into his gait. Himiko pulled the mask down from her face as she glanced back at the spot she'd been hiding behind a tombstone.

He'd almost gotten her.

Himiko had to admit, he was much faster than she'd given him credit for. She'd barely managed to dive out of the way and slip out of the cemetery and behind the tree when he had jumped into action. Perhaps it was her own fault for trying to get so close. She just wanted to see his expression as he looked down at her darling Izuku's gravestone. She wanted to read all his emotions and take them back to her Izuku so he could relish in the pain from his enemy.

If it were up to Himiko, she would have killed him right then. Would have carved up his horridly handsome face and served his head to Izuku on a silver platter. Oh, how she dreamed of sharing his blood with her beloved.

But it hadn't been up to her. Izuku had been very clear in his instructions. Don't kill him. Follow him and report back.

Himiko pouted and pulled out her phone as it started to buzz against her thigh.

"Hello? She purred in a sing-song voice.

"Toga. Are you still in pursuit of the target?"

"I've gotten everything I need. I think Deku will be very happy."

"Good. Send me your location and I'll extract you."

~~

Himiko bounced into the meeting room when Twice opened the door for her. Her friends were all sitting around a long conference table, Mr. Compress and Kurogiri on one side, and Twice and Giran on the other. There was a plate of pastries sitting at the center of the table and Mr. Compress was already helping himself to a donut. Deku sat at the head of the table and he glanced up at her when she walked in. He was shuffling some papers or something in his hands, but tucked them into his front pocket before Himiko could see what they were. She beamed lovingly when his vivid green eyes settled on hers.

"How did it go?" Deku asked, leaning back. Himiko bounded over to his side and flounced into the seat beside him.

"Great!" She exclaimed happily.

"Did you find out if he told anyone besides the police?"

"No."

"Did you see if he wanted to investigate us?"

"No."

"Well then, does he think it was just a dream or it was all in his head?"

"I don't know."

Deku stared as Himiko reached out and snatched a danish from the plate and chomped on it.

"So... what part about it was great?"

"He visited your grave."

Deku's eyes glinted and the annoyed expression lifted from his handsome features. Himiko grinned as a small smirk tilted the corner of his mouth. She knew this news would make him the happiest.

"Did he now?"

"Yep, he left his house at the crack of dawn and stood in front of your grave for like... twenty minutes. And then he totally attacked me but I managed to hide before he could catch me." Himiko giggled as Deku's smirk froze on his face.

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah, honestly I wasn't expecting it. He was faster than I thought he'd be, but nothing I couldn't handle. I just jumped out of the way and then he–"

"He attacked you. He knew you were there?"

"No, I don't think so. I think he was just paranoid. Or maybe I was breathing too loudly or something."

Deku grunted and turned away. Himiko returned to her pastry, not noticing how everyone else at the table straightened up, clearly tense about something. She glanced at Deku, whose jaw was locked tight, eyes burning and lips pursed into a thin line. His hands, which were placed precariously on the edge of the table, had started to twitch, flexing and contracting into fists. Himiko felt a pang of unease as she peered into Deku's molten gaze.

She'd been taken with Deku the instant she had laid eyes on him over three years ago when he'd walked into the only arena that she used to frequent. She'd thought he was adorable, but when she'd seen him after the fight, bloodied and bandaged with a swollen eye and a gash on his cheek, it had sealed the deal, she was gone. She followed him for weeks after her first sighting and only introduced herself when he had finally caught her stalking him. She had expected him to be angry with him, to call the police, or perhaps even try to kill her himself, but he'd done none of that. Instead, he had taken an interest in her, in her ability to follow someone for so long without detection.

Himiko had rarely seen Deku angry. In fact, for most of the time she'd known him, he rarely ever showed any emotion. At least not until that boy with the spiky blonde hair had shown up in the Midnight Sun. Deku could be cruel, merciless, and completely sadistic, but he usually committed these crimes with barely a glance. Himiko had never seen so many emotions in his eyes as she had right now. For some reason, it completely unsettled her.

"He knows." Deku growled. The others exchanged nervous glances as Deku reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. "He knows it was real."

There was a beat of silence and Himiko slowly placed her half-eaten danish back on the table. No one knew what to say or do. Deku was always the one with the answers and the plan, and people only made suggestions if he asked for them. If there was one thing that made him so incredibly terrifying, it was his intelligence. No one dared to question him when he made a decision. But right now... it felt like he was grasping at wisps.

Deku let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. After another couple of moments of dead silence, he opened his eyes and there was a calm determination in them that lifted Himiko's spirits a bit.

"That's fine. It's good, actually. It'll help drive the uncertainty deeper into the people around him if he keeps insisting on what he thinks he knows."

Deku pulled the stack of paper out of his pocket and Himiko saw that they weren't pieces of paper, but laminated photos that would normally be in a photo album. He started to sift through them and Himiko saw that they were images of Deku himself as a child, most with the spiky haired boy in various poses. He paused at one of them, a picture of a group of little kids, surrounding the spiky-haired boy who was wearing a birthday hat and grinning from ear to ear.

"It looks like things are in motion." He smiled to himself as the others straightened. "The plan will resume as usual." He looked up. "I hope you all don't mind, but I'm going to put our long-term goals on hold for a little while. This will be a bit of a personal project of mine. I'm hoping you all will continue your support." He looked over to Twice and Himiko. "I'll need both of you for this. Are you up for it?"

"Nah, that's so boring! All the way boss!" Twice exclaimed, shooting up a thumbs up. Himiko grinned and nuzzled up against Deku's arm.

"Of course, Izuku, I'm ready to make your enemies bleed."

Deku smiled deliberately, then looked to the other end of the table. "Giran, Kurogiri, I'll need you both to keep up the Midnight Sun operations for the time being. I might be a bit... distracted in the coming weeks."

"Don't worry, boss, we're on it."

Deku's smile widened, his eyes darkening with a ominous excitement that sent a thrill through Himiko. He glanced at her and a flash of something soft passed through his eyes. "Are you sure you'll be able to handle everything? You still have to keep up the life of that... pathetic little sidekick. At least for the time being."

"Not a problem." Himiko waved her hand dismissively. "It's so easy, no one even cares about him. Some hero agency, honestly. There were barely any questions and they took my word for it completely. They're all such idiots." She giggled and snuggled close to Deku again, who was quiet for a moment, scrutinizing her.

"Alright. If you need to be pulled, you tell me. This operation only works if we're all at top capacity." He looked around the table, his eyes falling on each person in turn.

Mr. Compress leaned forward, twirling his villain mask on one hand with a grin. "We got this boss."

"Good." Deku glanced down at his phone on the table and Himiko only just noticed then that the entire time they'd been talking, there had been someone on the other line listening to their conversation. Deku tapped the phone and addressed the person on the other line.

"I'll need your help the most, you know that, right? You're the one in the best position to carry this out."

"Don't worry, Deku. I've got this under control. I promise, when we're finished with him, Katsuki Bakugo will have no idea what hit him."

Deku grinned, removing something else from his pocket. He flicked it open and the small flame from the lighter illuminated his face into a sinister expression that sent shivers down Himiko's spine. She licked her lips hungrily, trying to resist the urge to jump his bones at the exact moment. Deku raised one of the laminated photos over the flame and watched as it caught fire and began to burn up in front of his eyes.

"Oh, Kacchan..." He murmured, more to himself than anyone else. "I hope you're ready. I'm going to shatter your reality until you're begging me for a mercy that will never come."