Chapter Forty: Running Out of Time

THE CAGED BIRD: HAWKS'S YEAR-LONG DISAPPEARANCE FINALLY SOLVED

One year and four months ago, the Winged Hero Hawks vanished while in pursuit of a Villain. After a year of absence, he reappeared, saving Ingenium in Hosu. News of his heroic reemergence spread throughout Japan along with the burning question: Where had Hawks been?
After four months of speculation and silence from both Hawks and the Hero Public Safety Commission, we finally have our answer: Hawks was kidnapped by a stalker.
Hawks has adoring fans of all ages from across all walks of life, but some adoration is less benign than others. In this particular case, investigators theorize a mind control-type Quirk may be involved. Psychological studies have shown a correlation between certain types of Quirks and an increased predisposition towards violence, obsession, and aggression. Adoration becomes a desire to own and control, and when they realize they cannot have the Hero, some Villains lash out.
The Hero Commission has confided in MNN news that this is the case Hawks's kidnappings, both of which were at the hands of the same Villain. That's right: Investigators have confirmed that not only was the Villain responsible for Hawks's latest kidnapping and the attack on him inside his home, he was the one holding our beloved Winged Hero captive all last year.
"Hawks told us of his captivity when he returned." a Hero Public Safety Commission representative told MNN. "Due to the sensitive nature of the case, we opened a quiet investigation but the Villain eluded us."
When questioned for details on Hawks's captivity and how he was captured, the Commission representative declined to comment. "The details of the case must remain confidential until the Villain is arrested and brought to court."
Although the Commission refused to give us details, there are some which we can see for ourselves. Most notably, Hawks's missing wings.
"The Villain did amputate most of Hawks's wings, yes." the Commission representative admitted. "Rest assured, they will regenerate in due time as they always have. Hawks will be flying again soon."
Until then, Hawks will trade soaring through the sky for teaching the next generation of Pro Heroes at UA. For those of you who balk at the idea of not seeing Hawks on his daily patrol, fear not! Sources at UA have confirmed that Hawks will be working full time at the school during his recovery period, but will be reduced to a part-time teaching position once he is healed.
"We wish Hawks the best at his temporary position and encourage him to enjoy his time off." the Commission representative said. "After what he went through, he deserves the break. That kind of ordeal leaves scars. People see ghosts where there are none. Hopefully his time at UA will help him heal—""

"What a load of bullshit." Orange spat. "What is this crap? They might as well be saying 'We're covering our asses and you're fucking dead once you're out of UA.'"

Hawks lowered his phone and turned off the screen, hiding the article from sight. Why are you surprised?

"I'm not surprised. I'm pissed."

"Did you know the sky is blue?" Yellow asked rhetorically.

"Technically it is grey right now." Silver corrected.

Hawks looked out the window of his room at the hospital and saw the sky was indeed grey. He watched the clouds drift along far above, tracing random patterns in them as he ignored the plate of food that lay untouched on the table beside his bed. He knew a nurse would come in soon. She would notice the food and try to encourage him to eat it.

When Miruko or Toshinori or Aizawa showed up— likely with more flowers and gifts from well-wishers that had to go through layers of security before reaching Hawks— they would join in on trying to get Hawks to at least eat a few bites.

Sometimes he would.

Other times, he wouldn't.

It was becoming a familiar pattern but Hawks just didn't really feel like eating. Again.

He didn't have to wonder why.

Hawks's wings still weren't growing back. Recovery Girl had explained malnutrition and trauma— though she did not use that word— could be responsible. She said it was common for people to repress their Quirks due to upheaval and disturbing events in their lives. She reassured him that things would get better. She encouraged him to take care of himself and that all the blame was on Kaetsu.

Despite her obvious efforts, all Hawks heard was 'Your wings aren't growing back because of you. You messed up and now you're repressing your own Quirk because you're scared of being hurt again. You're that damn pathetic.'

Hawks opened the article and scrolled down to the comments. There were more get-well wishes than he expected, about as many comments about whether he was single that he expected, and just the amount of people wondering if he was secretly dying as he expected.

Then there were those making caged bird jokes, 'Guess he's the Wingless Hero now' jabs, and a couple users saying it must be easier for Hawks to walk around without people noticing since he 'looked normal now' and how much simpler it must be for him to sit in high-backed chairs and sleep 'like normal people'.

Most people would stop then and there but Hawks kept on scrolling because he loved punishing himself that much. He soon came across a commentator that said they would have kidnapped Hawks to keep him too. The replies were split between those admonishing the original poster for being insensitive and those agreeing and saying Hawks would look sexy tied up. Hawks immediately shut the article again.

"Are we sure we want to save the world?" Yellow asked.

There was a heavy pause.

"That's a joke by the way."

"Don't take it personally, Gold. The internet is just being the internet." Pink said. There was another, tense pause. "That goes for you as well, White. You're… smoking."

"I know." White sighed, sounding just a bit too calm. "I'm just disappointed no one has noticed the discrepancies in the Commission's story. They do realize the media will want to interview Hawks about his 'kidnappings'—one of which didn't happen and the other of which was likely done on their orders— correct?"

"They're probably counting on those discrepancies." Purple said darkly. "If Hawks messes up, he will be seen as the liar."

Hawks knew he was right. The Commission was not doing anything new. They pretended to support Hawks while planting small seeds to show he was 'traumatized' so his word 'couldn't be trusted' while also leaving it open for Hawks to have 'lied' to them about where he was for a year. Only time would tell if any sprouted. And they very well could considering Hawks himself was doubting his own memory.

Because he just could not get enough when it came to torturing himself, Hawks flipped the screen to Kaetsu's autopsy report. His handler's body had been badly burned in a fire caused by 'faulty wiring' at Shiho Asylum but in a world of Quirks and modern technology, burning a corpse was not the most effective way to hide the real cause of death. Besides, Hawks was sure hiding the evidence had not been Mockingjay's motive. If it was, they never would have found the body.

Hawks had not been told who compiled the report and covered up the death and his questions about the subject were politely ignored. He tried to tell himself it was because he was not part of the investigation team— if one existed— but had the sinking feeling it was because they were trying to shield him since they saw him as 'mentally fragile'. The latter part was less of a feeling and more of a fact since he had seen those exact words on one of his doctor's clipboards.

Hawks had attempted to tell them— the police, the other Heroes, the doctors— about his final encounter with Kaetsu but knew his word had been dismissed as a near-death-experience based hallucination at best. He should have known he would not be believed. He never was, and there was even less evidence than usual to back him up this time. After all, the autopsy clearly stated that Kaetsu's only injury pre-burning was from the 'thin weapon'— the arrow— that killed him.

"We know you're telling the truth."

Hawks tried not to wince at White's gentle and undeserved support. Maybe you shouldn't. Maybe I hallucinated it all and 'fantasized having a victory over my abuser in order to deal with my trauma'.

"That doctor deserves an explosion to his smug, condescending face." Orange hissed.

"That or more empathy training." Silver added coldly, notably not chastising Orange. "Although a punch or two may suffice."

"You should have more faith in yourself, Gold." Purple stated. "Something is definitely off about the reports on Kaetsu's death. It reeks of a cover up, and not one that is meant to protect us."

"It is concerning that they dismissed your account of the encounter so quickly." Red murmured.

"Gold definitely didn't hallucinate considering the wounds we were brought in with and the aftereff— um... other factors." Green muttered to himself. "So why would someone heal Kaetsu and leave him for Mockingjay to kill? To incriminate her? A personal grudge? To make Gold's word seem less reliable…?"

Hawks shuddered and shut his eyes. Can we stop talking about this?

"Okay." Green agreed easily.

Hawks's phone buzzed and he saw it was a message from Mockingjay telling him she was about to get on her plane. Hawks sent an okay back and told her to enjoy her trip even though he suspected she wasn't traveling for fun. Mockingjay had always told him she could not bear to return to America, and yet that was where she was going. He did not know what she had found at the Asylum but something had set her off. He could only pray it was not some type of Commission trap to get her out of the country or make her seem guilty after killing Kaetsu.

While she was gone, Shatterpoint would be in charge of Hawks's Agency in his absence. Hawks had put him in charge over the phone. He had wanted to go there to tell Shatterpoint the news and at least do paperwork only to be unofficially barred from anything to do with Hero work outside of UA while he quote-unquote 'recovered'. Hawks could only hope that was not a sign of things to come. He would not put it past the Commission to revoke his Hero license if his Quirk did not return quickly enough.

"We have our other skills. Investigation, martial arts training, strategics, swordsmanship, speed. And even if that fails to be enough for them, we can still be Ennea." Green reminded him.

"Plus we still have access to my Quirk." Yellow added.

Hawks knew that. He knew he should not wallow and complain because Lemillion had lost his Quirk in the other timeline and kept fighting and smiling, and Orange had lost his arm and kept fighting and smiling. Why should Hawks let himself mope? Why should he feel so tired he did not want to eat?

"It's called being human." Red said with far more patience than Hawks deserved. "You're allowed to be upset."

Hawks couldn't think of anything he wanted to say— to agree or disagree with her sentiments— so he changed the subject. Should we try to track down the League as Ennea?

The voices noticed his blatant diversion tactics but did not comment on it.

He almost wished they would so they'd finally yell at him.

"We can try." Green said hesitantly. Hawks picked up on the reluctance in his voice.

"I will be the one to say it." Silver declared abruptly. "We are all shocked that Twice and Dabi helped us."

"Spinner as well." Pink reminded him.

"Correction: they helped Hawks." Yellow stated. "Big distinction there because Hawks is one person who they decided to go 'Hey, let's rescue him' for some unknown reason. Well, technically Gold is nine people but they didn't know that. Or would it be ten people rescued since they helped Tokoyami too— Oh, I'm doing a Green."

"Understandable." Green acknowledged, and Hawks sensed another incoming ramble session. "Though is it you or are we becoming less stable since—?"

"Anyway," Yellow interrupted loudly. "I doubt Dabi's going to give up on vengeance and Twice and Spinner will magically reintegrate into the society that still rejects them."

"Which is why we're going to change things." Purple stated. "Right, Gold?"

Hawks wished he could pretend that Purple was not prodding and judging his reaction. He shifted uncomfortably, stomach twisting into knots, but nodded. He wasn't about to go back on his belief that Hero Society needed to change because of his trai—… his conditioning, and the Commission's threats, and his lost wings, and—

We should find Twice anyway, Hawks thought before he could keep spiraling down. For you guys.

The voices' excitement— and unease— was undeniable. They had received flickers of some of the memories from Purple— Hawks was sure he would never forget seeing himself from outside his body— and he had filled them all in on what happened when Twice cloned Hawks. It was far from the solution they needed but it was a step in the right direction. Getting the voices out of Hawks's head was not some distant, fantastical dream anymore, one so impossible they could not bear to think about it for long. Now, getting them out might be a possibility.

Hawks touched his forehead with his fingertips and felt a ghost of a smile on his lips. We're going to get you out of here. You're going to be okay.

Green chuckled. It sounded watery. Hawks felt him suppress himself like he was trying to physically hold back tears.

Hawks's brow furrowed. Why are you crying?

"Oh, you know me." Green choked. "I have to cry about everything."

"Shitty crybaby nerd." Orange muttered.

Hawks's phone buzzed again and he saw it was a cat video from Toshinori. Accompanying it was a text asking it he was okay with visitors. Hawks wondered if he was talking about his former interns— Tokoyami had been released from the hospital long before Hawks had woken— and felt a chaotic mess of emotions he could not decipher.

They're going to see me like this anyway.

Hawks sent an okay and spent the next half hour picking at his food and pushing it around his plate. The nurse came in and glanced at his untouched meal. Hawks pointedly ignored the way she looked at him with a perfect mix of exasperation, pity, sorrow, and disappointment.

"You should eat, sweetie." she said gently as she took the plate.

Hawks looked at her and shrugged, not feeling like explaining himself. She tried to start a conversation but eventually gave up and left him alone again. It was rude of him not to talk to her but he just… couldn't find the energy. His body was lighter than it should be because of his missing wings, but somehow it felt too heavy, like it was dragging him down.

But that was unconnected to his bout of quietness. He just didn't feel like speaking out loud at the moment. That was all.

"You can always talk to us." Pink encouraged, but even she sounded exhausted.

Not willing to be that rude, Hawks sent a vague confirmation that he heard her and turned back to the window. The light outside had shifted, allowing him to see a bit of his reflection. He looked thin and tired and pale with dull eyes and unkempt hair. Heroes were supposed to be unmovable mountains but he looked like the softest breeze would make him shatter. Hawks dropped his gaze with a sigh. He really hoped it wasn't his interns coming. He did not want them to see him like this.

Someone tapped softly on his door. He looked at it and caught a glimpse of two of his latest Pro Hero guards— Fatgum and Rock Lock— before Toshinori's tall, thin frame filled the doorway. His gaunt face was paler than it had been before Hawks vanished. Hawks felt another swell of guilt. He hadn't even considered how Toshinori must have felt after Hawks stupidly called him for help. What had he been thinking, calling a civilian— a Hero Agency secretary but still a civilian— for assistance?

Did I really think All Might would save me? How stupid can I be?

Hawks did not see anyone else come in with Toshinori. He dropped his gaze back to his lap and waved in Toshinori's general direction.

"Hello, Hawks." Toshinori said. His voice sounded as warm and patient as it always did, like Hawks wasn't a screw up who made him stress out and probably blame himself for weeks.

Stop being self-pitying, you stupid bitch. It's your fault things ended like this.

"No it's not." Green denied sternly. "And don't call yourself that."

Hawks yanked himself out of his head before he could spiral into more self-pity and focused on Toshinori. And the person beside him, who had been hidden by Toshinori's much taller stature.

Principal Nedzu's tail twitched. "Greetings, Hawks. I apologize for interrupting your rest but there are urgent matters I must discuss with you."

Hawks could only be relieved that his skin could not pale any further. He opened his mouth and coughed as his dry throat constricted.

"You do not need to speak if you do not want to right now." Nedzu said smoothly.

Almost too smoothly, like he had predicted Hawks would act this way. It was not a soothing notion. Hawks could not help but eye the Principal of UA warily. This was his new owne— boss, after all. Nedzu climbed into one of the empty chairs while Toshinori sat in the other. The difference in their heights was almost funny but Hawks could not find the energy to laugh.

"Be careful in how you react." Silver cautioned. "Nedzu is very intelligent."

"Huge understatement." Yellow muttered.

Nedzu settled on the plastic hospital chair with delicate poise, paws placed serenely on his knees. "I came here to inform you that the Commission sent me your medical files. I know what Kaetsu did. All of it."

The last of Hawks's fragile sense of control in this situation died. He stared at Nedzu uncomprehendingly and wished the floor would open up and swallow him.

Toshinori looked away from him, covering his eyes with a large, bony hand, and Hawks's growing sense of horror doubled. Was Toshinori disgusted? Was that why he was shaking? Hawks jerked his gaze away from him and towards the window. Jumping out of it was becoming rather appealing.

"You don't have your wings." Green reminded him hesitantly.

Hawks was not sure he cared. Actually, scratch that. Thinking more on it, he did care. If it was humiliation that drove him towards that initial bout of apathy, he might not be concerned. But it wasn't humiliation. Just a bone-weary exhaustion with life in general. He reminded himself that the voices needed him and clung to that notion. He needed to stop being overdramatic. He knew what the end of the world was and losing his wings wasn't it.

...Temporarily losing his wings wasn't it.

That was what he meant.

Nedzu delicately pressed his paws together, eyes narrowed to slits. "They seemed to be under the impression that it would discourage me to bring you onto my staff. However, I find that information irrelevant to your ability to teach."

Hawks could not believe he had heard that right. Surely Nedzu was joking. Why would he think Hawks could protect his students after his repeated failures to protect even himself?

"Why?" he whispered. His voice was low and hoarse.

Nedzu cocked his head to the side. Any cute effect that could be embellished from the move was smothered by the calculating look in his eyes. "Why what?"

Hawks swallowed roughly. "Why do you still want me?"

"Unless your loss of wings has somehow affected your ability to use your mind—"

Toshinori cleared his throat. "Nedzu, remember our earlier conversation?"

Nedzu blinked innocently at him and inclined his head. "I apologize for my uncouth comment, Hawks."

"It's fine." Hawks croaked. How he wished his voice didn't sound so awful. "Um. I'll have you know my brain cells aren't in my f-feathers. Might have lost a few from the head injuries though."

The joke might have worked if he did not sound so choked up.

Why was he like this? Why couldn't he be strong and laugh about his amputation to lift the spirits of others like Heroes were supposed to? He'd like to blame his misery on some external factor but he knew it had to be all him. The voices were so quiet behind their walls, so it wasn't like it could be them infecting him with their own grief.

Nedzu smiled slightly, just a twitch of his lips. "As I was saying, you are still an asset to UA. You were supposed to work part time to begin with but considering… recent developments, we've increased your hours."

"I saw." Hawks mumbled. "In an article."

Nedzu's nose wrinkled in distaste. "Ah yes. The lovely media is certainly full of vultures."

"Which is why we think it best that you move to UA as soon as you're released." Toshinori interjected. He smiled. "The students will be our neighbors soon as well, so there will be plenty to do."

Something about his words nagged at Hawks but he could not put his finger on what it was. "What will I need to pay for?"

"Miruko has already moved your belongings to your new apartment." Toshinori informed him. "You will only need to purchase food and the like. Everything else is covered."

"Including medical expenses." Nedzu added.

Hawks recognized that tone. It was the tone of someone who expected something from the person they were talking to. Hawks ignored the voices' insistence that Nedzu didn't because he knew he was right about this.

Nedzu proved him to be correct. "Those paid-for benefits include therapy."

Hawks wondered if he could fall any lower. He knew the answer and forced himself to remember that and be grateful for what he had. Things could always be worse.

Toshinori gritted his teeth and put his hand over his face again. "Nedzu."

Nedzu ignored him. "Tokoyami has already agreed to visit Hound Dog, who has offered to be there for you as well. You may want to speak with someone who is not your coworker but I encourage you to see a therapist."

He seemed friendly enough but it did not sound like a request. If Hawks said no would UA refuse to hire him? That might not be so bad if not for UA being the center of many possible world-changing events in the future. With that in mind, Hawks reluctantly nodded.

Nedzu seemed to read his thoughts. "We will not cast you out onto the street but we are not a charity."

Hawks nodded again.

Nedzu blinked at him with those beady, knowing eyes and sighed. "You are not leaving one master for another, Keigo."

There was no sensation of fluffed feathers at Hawks's back. The absence of that expected feeling slowly consumed his mind until it was almost all he could think about. He clung to the defensiveness that would have shown in his wings and let his teeth bare.

"That's not my—" Hawks remembered who he was talking to and went silent.

Nedzu's black eyes were piercing. "My mistake, Hawks." He slipped out of the chair to the floor. "Welcome to UA's staff."

Hawks watched him leave and looked to Toshinori, not sure what he wanted from the other man. Toshinori reached out and laid a warm hand on his shoulder, giving him a weak smile.

"I apologize for Nedzu's bluntness. It is simply his nature." He paused. "Well, maybe not his nature, but it is who he is."

"I don't mind." Hawks claimed. Toshinori still looked worried so Hawks managed a smile for his sake. "Really, I'm okay. I'm going to need thick skin."

Toshinori shook his head minutely. "You shouldn't have to." He rose from his chair and nodded towards Hawks's phone. "I expect you to watch those baby animal videos I sent you." he ordered with mock sternness.

Hawks's smile became more natural and he feigned a salute. "Mission accepted."

Toshinori's chuckle made the tightness in Hawks's chest ease, as it often did. This time, it failed to make all his bad thoughts go away. Hawks waited for Toshinori to leave before wiping hastily at his eyes as he turned inward.

Are you sure you're okay?

"We're fine." Green claimed. "We're just…" He faltered, almost as if he had been intending to say something only to stop at the last second. "…sorry. For everything."

It's not your fault, Hawks reminded them again. I'm the one who blocked you in and made us end up like this.

"You're a real hypocrite for blaming yourself while not letting us blame ourselves." Orange muttered. There was no denying the tinge of sadness buried under his frustrated growl.

Maybe. But what else is new?

The voices murmured their agreement and crowded around him, enveloping him with vague whispers of support and optimism and strength. Despite their efforts, Hawks could feel the hints of unease, sorrow, and guilt plaguing them and forced himself to not respond with his own.

He knew he screwed up.

He knew he was the reason they were more helpless than when they started out.

But they still had a chance to fix things.

Thanks to UA, they still had their freedom.

They could still save the world.

XXXXXXX

It was as if a tornado had gone straight through UA's supposedly impenetrable halls. Walls were cracked and crumbling, windows were shattered with glass strewn across the floor, and most of the furniture was overturned and covered with a layer of dust. The lights above them flickered and Midoriya winced at every period of darkness, holding his breath until he could see his hands again.

The eight time travelers sat on or around the couch in the main area, watching dust and crushed mortar trickle from the ceiling. Yel— Kaminari nudged a chunk of concrete with his foot and swore as it crumbled away and another crack split the flooring.

"I can fix it!" he said hastily and began trying to do exactly that.

But it seemed that no matter how hard he tried, the cracks did not fade. The walls kept crumbling, the lights flickered and sparked, and dust trickled from the creaking ceiling.

Midoriya watched Kaminari struggle for a while before he forced his sight away.

"When are we going to tell him?"

It was Uraraka who voiced the question they were all thinking but did not want to say. She looked to Midoriya— they all did— and the weight of being their leader had never felt so burdensome before.

"Soon." Midoriya said vaguely.

Her brown eyes hardened. "When?"

"Soon." Midoriya repeated.

"We should tell him now." Todoroki stated.

"No, we shouldn't." Purple— Crap, he meant Shinso— said, siding with Midoriya. "We can't—"

"Got it!" Yello— Kaminari whooped as the crack he had been working on vanished. He grinned at them and gave a double thumbs up before grasping Yaoyorozu's hand and pulling her towards a window. "We can fix this part next."

Midoriya continued to observe as they worked on the next crack, wishing he could feel Kaminari's optimism. But the fact was he was placing band aids over stab wounds. Healing the damage done to their conjured UA might help a tiny bit but it would not heal what was truly wrong.

"We can't tell Hawks now." Shinso continued. "You all feel how close he is to giving up."

Midoriya shuddered as he recalled the hollow despair that had gripped Hawks, so potent and numbing that the time travelers had genuinely feared he might go to the window and let himself fall. Despite those paranoid, belittling, and rather insensitive thoughts— for Hawks would never bring them to harm like that— he was not so depressed that he would go to such measures. And not just because the eight of them were there. But Midoriya knew Hawks was clinging to the edge of a cliff by his fingertips, grasping any reason he had to keep fighting as desperately as he clung to the figurative stone.

"I agree with Gre— Midoriya and Shinso." Iida stated. He pushed his cracked glasses up his nose and grimaced. "We are not his only motivation to keep fighting, but we are an undeniable factor. He needs to be in a healthier place before we cause more upheaval."

"So we're going to wait until he has some stability to ruin it again?" Bakugo demanded.

He tried to cross his arm, only to balk as he failed to move his nonexistent left one. He recovered quickly enough to glower at them as though daring them to say anything. None of them did.

"We don't have a choice—" Midoriya began.

"There is always a choice." Uraraka said lowly.

Midoriya did his best not to flinch. A huge crack appeared in the ceiling and green smoke trickled from it like it led to Hell itself. Kaminari groaned.

"Sorry." Midoriya muttered.

Kaminari waved dismissively. "It can't be helped."

Red— Yaoyorozu looked from him to the crack before meeting Midoriya's eyes. "Should we vote?"

That was probably a bad idea considering how conflicted they already were. At least Hawks seemed to be blaming himself for how miserable and distraught he was. That was not really a good thing but to Midoriya, it was preferable to the alternative of Hawks realizing it was the voices' overwhelming grief he felt.

"Okay. Who thinks we should wait to tell Hawks?"

Midoriya raised his hand. So did Shinso, Iida, and surprisingly Bakugo. When Midoriya gave him a questioning look, he glared at the wall and refused to say anything. That was four votes, with only eight people available. Great.

"Who wants to tell Hawks now?" Midoriya asked out of necessity.

Kaminari, Todoroki, and Uraraka raised their hands.

Yaoyorozu's expression twisted but she did not move.

"Momo?" Uraraka questioned.

"I… I know he will find out eventually but..." She pressed her hands over her mouth as her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry. I don't think we should inform Hawks yet. He is already overwhelmed. This will only hurt him more."

A chunk of the ceiling crashed down beside her as Kaminari glowered.

"Oh, I'm sure it will." he snarled. The lights flickered and in the darkness, his yellow eyes almost seemed to glow. "So let's drop this on Gold later when we're all about to—"

Red smoke swirled into the room and more cracks appeared in the floor and ceiling, undoing most of the repairs Yaoyorozu and Kaminari had done. Kaminari instantly deflated. He walked over to Yaoyorozu and put an arm around her shoulder in a show of support.

"I understand." Kaminari looked away and Midoriya did not miss the grimace that flashed across his features. "Fine. So we won't say anything yet. Maybe… things will fix themselves before we have to tell him?"

"Maybe." Midoriya echoed. He highly doubted it. "But even if it doesn't…

He raised his hand in front of his face, taking in every bump and scar that marred his skin. Each mark had its own story, some that many knew, some that only he knew, and some that he hoped would never come to pass.

He clenched his fist and watched it flicker in and out of existence.

"We still have time left. We can still save the world."

XXXXXXX

A/N: Here we are, at the end of book one. (And of course this site didn't keep my formatting for the article section arrrrgggghhhh! Hopefully it's fine.)

As I always do at the end of a book, here are some answers to Frequently Asked Questions:

Why did you choose these eight characters to go back in time?

Because of plots I have in mind for each of them.

Specifically (for the most basic of the plots that have already been revealed):

Izuku (Green): coming to terms with how he's changed. He was willing to send Hawks into a suicide mission before the Eight ended up in his head, although Izuku himself did not realize it at the time. He's not the type of Hero All Might was, a Symbol of Peace. He thinks he can't be anymore. And that disturbs him.

Katsuki (Orange): facing his past (All Might's Nomu, losing his arm, his past bullying of Deku, all the missed moments with those who are gone, etc.) and learning to accept that he's been affected by it (still in the denial phase).

Shoto (White): realizing there is no 'reason' for him, his past self, or his family to have to suffer. He's also the one who most clearly sees the truth of Hawks's own past. Also-also, the Dabi-Touya thing.

Momo (Red): similar to Bakugo she is facing her guilt (over Tokoyami and Jiro's deaths, etc.) and is slowly regaining her self-confidence.

Ochaco and Denki (Pink and Yellow): their guilt for 'causing' future Hawks's death and the emotional impact that comes from learning that sometimes, you're not always right even though you think you are. Also, Miruko things. And (on Ochaco's side), parent things.

Tenya (Silver): saving his brother and seeing that Hero Society was not a perfect beacon of goodness, so sometimes rules and laws need to be changed (and broken).

Hitoshi (Purple): questioning himself as a Hero as he uses his Quirk for things that are seen as less than heroic. Being the one who will do whatever it takes to keep his last few people safe, and the burden of taking on that role so others can shine brightly.

Again, this is the most basic of the reasons because spoilers. Obviously they're all a work in progress, with each of the characters in different stages.

How old are the eight time travelers?

They are twenty-six/twenty-seven in the present day (They were twenty-five/twenty-six when they traveled back in time and landed in Hawks's head a year and four months ago).

What does 'Ennea' mean?

Nine.

Why didn't All For One save Shigaraki?

He has no need for Shigaraki anymore after he figured out the Doctor could use Overhaul (and a couple bonus Quirks) to heal him. Why have a successor now that the Symbol of Evil is at full health again? To say any more would be spoilers.

What inspired you to have Miruko infiltrate the Meta Liberation Army?

Simply the thought of how a character like Miruko might do as a spy in such an environment. She's so outspoken, bold, and "kick things first, ask questions later". It will be interesting to see her have to infiltrate such a dangerous group, especially since she doesn't agree with a majority of her targets' more horrid ideals (and saying so could get her killed).

Why is Katniss Everdeen in this (and characters from other media)?

Because I needed someone to work at Hawks's Agency, didn't feel like using an OC, saw Hunger Games again, and realized Katniss would work perfectly for what I wanted: as someone who has played the games of public manipulation and political subterfuge, who is willing to burn Hero Society down if it won't change. I also wanted someone in the know about the Eight who would unrepentantly stand between Hawks and those (albeit accidentally) using him and go "Enough." I considered using Miruko for that but wanted her to do her own infiltration plot, so keeping the time traveling from her seemed like a good idea. There are a couple minor OCs but many named characters are characters from other media. I just got into the habit of filling in roles with them. It's fun.

Is Retiarius/the other Ennea Katniss's old partner Finnick/Poseidon?

If you've read any of my other fics you should know I have a habit of sparing characters that die in the canon source material. ;)

And yes, I suppose I did pull a Shirakumo-Vigilantes. Fun fact, I considered removing the Finnick-Retiarius plot because I was worried people wouldn't buy a quote-unquote "resurrected" character (if you can even consider it that) but then canon did it with Kurogiri. So I went "Yay!" and kept it in. XD

What does 'Retiarius' mean?

'Retiarius' were gladiators who used a trident and net to fight, much like Finnick did in his canon Hunger Games. So yes, that name is a hint at his identity. And maybe some other things...

Why haven't you written Izuku's internship in Hosu/*insert ship here*/Uraraka's crush on Deku/the Final Exam arc/something with *insert character here*/more at UA/Endeavor's atonement arc/Hawks's infiltration arc/*insert other manga thing here*?

I admit, I'm a bit bewildered by questions like this that ask why I'm "not" doing something in the fic like it's done in canon or not writing out things exactly like what happened in the manga. It's like asking "Why aren't you writing a romance fic?" or "Why aren't you writing a novelization of the manga?" Because I'm not, simple as that. Just because a canon story has a romance plot doesn't mean I need to write romance in my friendship fic. I'm just playing in the sandbox and writing things I feel like writing. That's what fanfic is for. Plus following canon and writing out its scenes in fanfic format isn't my cup of tea. I like to write my own things and I'm simply not interested in writing certain things.

What is *insert character here's* Quirk called?

Tsukauchi: Lie Detector. Amplifier: Torment. Pathfinder: Strands of Narrative. Shatterpoint: Force Breach. Poseidon (Finnick): Hydrokinesis. Galeforce (Gale): Twister. Primrose Everdeen: Green Gene. Mrs. Everdeen: Greenspeech. Mr. Everdeen: Target. Ricochet (Haymitch): Deflection. Rue: Wish Summoning. Snow: Pleasant Mask. Coin: Detraction. Heartbreak: Emotive Spheres. Kaetsu: Fearful Fantasy.

How does *insert character here's* Quirk work?

Here are the non-spoiler ones:

Mockingjay: Origin

Finnick: Hydrokinesis. He can manipulate water. Any more info would be spoilers.

Haymitch: Deflection. He can deflect things like attacks back at people with double the force.

Rue: Wish Summoning. She senses what people want most and (as long as it's a non-living/non-organic object) can summon them to her. Her range wasn't very far though she could have extended it if she survived.

Gale: Twister. Basically air manipulation like MHA's Galeforce can do. Sidenote, "Galeforce" was too perfect of a name for me not to use it as Gale's Hero name too, haha.

I had plans to include mentions of Snow and Coin's Quirks in Mockingjay: Origin but they were so minor they didn't make the cut.

Snow: Pleasant Mask. A minor perception filter that made him seem more affable and less sinister than he is. Think of it as a minor charisma boost.

Coin: Detraction. It gave her a vague sense if someone felt negatively towards her. It was very faint, a bit like a sixth sense that tingled in warning. It helped alert her to assassination and betrayal attempts, basically. There was going to be a minor point in Origin that since Katniss always felt negatively towards her, it didn't warn Coin about the arrow coming for her but I cut it.

In short, Snow's Quirk made people see him as likable while Coin's alerted her when others didn't like her.

For Their Sakes

Tsukauchi: Lie Detector. He can tell if someone is lying or telling the truth by listening to their voice. However, if the person believes a lie is the truth (or is brainwashed into believing that lie), they will give a fake truth reading.

Heartbreak: Emotive Spheres. It lets them influence other people's emotions by touching them with a color-coded sphere of light. Green is envy, red is anger, etc. What colors they can produce depends on Heartbreak's emotions at the time.

Amplifier: Torment. He amplified pain through touch (though unlike what Hawks thought, he did not need skin to skin contact). He could make it as minor as a static shock, as excruciating as a torn off limb, and beyond.

Pathfinder: Strands of Narrative. She uses tendrils that come from her fingertips to track responses and spot discrepancies in her target's story by attaching said tendrils up their spine.

Kaetsu: Fearful Fantasy. He could, quite simply, identify a target's worse fear through smell and bring that fear to life. This could vary from taking control of Hawks because he feared losing control to giving Red's fear of Future Jiro's Nomu (and the failure/loss she represents) a physical form. He was normally more limited but took Trigger and other Quirk-enhancing drugs to boost his Quirk's abilities.

Throughout the fic Kaetsu manifested:

Red's fear of failure and fear of losing loved ones (via Nomu Jiro).

Hawks's fears of losing control (via being Kaetsu's puppet for almost a year), being confined/trapped (his bouts of paranoia of being trapped in his office which led to his capture/the room with no doors), failing when others need him (giving up all his feathers/giving up in general when Kaetsu caught him), not being believed or helped (the couple) and being alone (locking away the Eight).

Endeavor's fear of losing everything he's worked for and being confronted by— and through that being forced to acknowledge— what he's done in his past and what he's become for his goals (via the visage of young Touya Todoroki as a representation).

Ai's fear of losing a protectorate (Yes, with the implication she's lost one before).

The voices' fear of being discovered in general (which is why Kaetsu knew Momo's name and identity, though he genuinely believed she and the others were fakes created by the League).

Tokoyami's fear of losing control of Dark Shadow and accidentally hurting/killing someone (the fight with Nomu Jiro).

Twice's fear that he is not himself (the endless clones).

Dabi's fear that he is as bad as or worse than his father/will become like him, and that he abandoned his family for selfish reasons (again represented by young Touya Todoroki).

Why hasn't AFO used that dream-invading Quirk again?

He doesn't need to yet.

He already got what he needed.

Will you follow the manga for who the UA traitor is?

As I'm writing this last chapter (Additional note from future Sky: And as I'm ten-plus chapters and counting into the sequel...), the canon traitor has yet to be revealed and it seems like the reveal is still a-ways off. Could be a couple weeks, could be another year. So unless the canon traitor just happens to be who the traitor is in this series, nope. Not unless the canon traitor's reveal packs such a punch that I decide to add them in along with this series' traitor. Basically, the traitor in this series isn't who I expect the traitor to be in canon and I find the chance of them being the canon traitor to be extremely low. Take from that what you will.

Will the sequel be a direct continuation of "For Their Sakes"?

Yep. I simply decided here was the best place to end this book since it's the end of "part one". Hawks and the Eight are moving into the next stage of their mission/lives.

Why did you choose Hawks to be the Eight's host?

In part because I feel like he is the one most exposed to the darker side of Hero Society. With him, the Eight could not avoid the flaws in the system they came back to protect. They're being exposed to a side of their world they barely knew about/considered.

But also because…

What was the inspiration for this story?

Now I can finally say the (almost) full version of what inspired this story.

I had a dream where students from Class 1-A were locked in a room. It was somehow inside Hawks's mind, and he was speaking to them through his thoughts as his memories flashed by outside of the windows. In the real world, Hawks was fighting an enemy, a bad one. He was struggling, and 1-A wanted to lend him their Quirks. He told them not to because if they helped, they would die.

Despite his wishes, they forced him to use their Quirks to fight the enemy and one by one, they collapsed in the mindscape and vanished, fading out of existence.

As this was happening, Hawks was being controlled like a puppet. 1-A used him as their avatar like he was some video game character and used their Quirks through him no matter how he protested and cried for them to stop. People and other Heroes cheered for Hawks or smiled at him while saying he was doing a good job even as he begged for help because "They're dying!" The people just smiled more (I remember their eyes being white and empty like Nomu) and they cheered louder.

Eventually, Deku was the last one left.

He smiled at Hawks and apologized before vanishing in golden light.

Hawks's wings vanished with Deku.

When I woke up, I was really disoriented and freaked out, thinking all that had somehow happened in the manga. My head eventually cleared enough that I realized it wasn't real so I wrote down some notes about my dream.

So yeah. That's the initial inspiration for this story.

The next book will be called "For Our Sakes".

Summary: They went back in time to save the future, but doing it is much more complicated than they thought. With the Commission seeking to kill Hawks and crush any who want to change Hero Society, All For One lurking in the shadows as he plans to make his next move, and Miruko starting her mission, enemies surround them on all sides. But there might just be allies there, too...

The first chapter of "For Our Sakes" will be uploaded in one month between the 29th and 30th-ish. Hopefully.

See you there.

~Skyleaf