"You know..." Mineta cooed, "I've never had a girl at my house, before..."

"HUH?!"

Killua almost knocked the little grape freak unconscious. Almost, but he really, really wanted to.

"I know! I don't know why it took this long, but now that you're here—"

"I'm not a fucking girl!"

"YOU'RE NOT?!"

It had barely been three hours since Killua had met him and it somehow got to the point where he'd rather stay with Aizawa again. Even worse, he wondered if living with Recovery Girl would be better than hanging around this... this...

THE FIRST HOUR.

Killua had to ride on the back of Mineta's bike. He was the only one to pick him up, which was odd enough considering he was expecting a whole family to show up. He actually recognized him as the beat up weird head-balls kid who had asked Aizawa to see Recovery Girl during combat training, but that was barely enough information to know what exactly he was getting into before he climbed onto the back seat.

The first time he noticed that something was definitely off was when Mineta, in some of his first ever words directed to him, said something as they rode down the block.

He turned around to face Killua, putting on the oddest expression. "It's okay, you can put your arms around me so you don't fall off."

"Yeah, I'm not doing that," Killua scoffed.

"Oh, so you're tough, hm? I don't mind that. Actually, I might just enjoy it, heh."

...

...What the hell?

To that, Killua made no reply because he didn't want to risk getting another creepy sentence out of him. Still, that didn't stop the way his face scrunched up in disgust, scooting at the opposite edge of the seat. The random thought of simply just standing on top of the bike to get even further away popped in his mind, but he pushed it aside.

When they finally reached the house, Mineta stopped Killua from going through the front door, instead pointing to the fence.

"We have to jump over it," he said.

That was another red flag.

"...Huh? Why can't we just go through the front door?"

"W-Well... um... I—uh," he mumbled, twiddling his fingers. Then, it seemed he had gained a random boost of confidence as he twirled around to look Killua in the eye, a bold grin on his face. "The front door is a trap!"

A single eyebrow raised on his face. "You just made that up."

Furiously waving his arms in denial, he said, "No, no! I'm being completely honest. Strangers who try to come through the front door will be attacked by our secret security measure that... only... activates if a Mineta doesn't come through... yeah. So, if we go through the back, it won't be activated, and you'll be safe!"

He slapped a palm to his face, frowning in annoyance. "Where's your parents?"

"Oh, so forward already, are we? Well, I... I don't... know."

He wondered how much trouble he'd get in if he straight up just beat the kid to a pulp.

Trying to control the blood pressure building in his head, he followed Mineta as he clumsily climbed over his own fence into the backyard.

THE SECOND HOUR.

Mineta led him to his room and told him to stay there until he came back, which really reminded him an awful lot of what he's already had to go through ever since he woke up in that infirmary. Only, it was worse because he was stuck inside a tiny room with a bunch of... posters of... women. Actual butt-naked women. Not even just posters, but also figurines and magazines and probably a bunch of other things he didn't want to learn about made up about 90% of the room.

Not only did he want to find the kid's parents, but he had a lot of questions for them, too.

The door cracked open, revealing the tiny Mineta holding a plate of food. He neared Killua, setting it down on top of a pile of magazines.

"You should eat," he said.

"Thanks," Killua said through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the fact that it was a clear glass plate and he'd be able to see what gross magazine cover was directly under it. What a great way to ruin his appetite even more, and that wasn't even mentioning the fact that all that was on his plate was a scoop of rice and a single gyoza. Picking at his food, he said, "Hey, I got a question."

"Hm? What is it?"

"Is your whole house this disgusting, or is it just your room?"

"It's not disgusting," he exclaimed, "it's a culture."

"Yeah, of bacteria."

Honestly, how did this kid get into a hero school, anyway? Out of everything he'd seen from him, he was clearly a pervert who needed a restraining order against the entire human race. What was so "heroic" about that? The only good thing he'd done so far was give him something to eat, but he wasn't going to set the bar so low as to say that automatically made him a good person.

"Well, we all have different interests," he said, and proceeded to sit down on his bed. Right next to where Killua was eating.

A cold chill went up his spine, making him shiver on the spot. "Hey! Are you trying to be this creepy, or is that how you naturally are?"

"No, I'm just making sure you're eating well."

"You don't need to—"

"Yes, I do," he interrupted. "How else am I supposed to know if you're being filled in all the right places?!"

Killua paused. He tried to process what the grape boy just said, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was a baffled, "...What?"

Then he had the nerve to give him a concerned look, as if he was the one being weird. "It's just that you're so... skinny," he said.

Killua stood up and pounced away at the speed of light. Trying to keep his eye from twitching (he failed,) he scowled, "What do you care, you creep?"

"Geez, I'm just trying to help you out! Don't blame me if you keep getting jealous of other girls."

And with that, he exited the room without another word, leaving Killua alone with the more than inappropriate room decor and plate of "food".

Other girls?

THE THIRD HOUR.

"YOU'RE NOT?!"

...Was his brain as smooth as the balls on his head?

"Are you that stupid?! Of course I'm not!"

The both of them stood in the backyard after Killua told him he wanted to get some "fresh air" (partly true, because he was also planning on slipping out of sight and finding where his parents were so he could make sense of everything.) Unfortunately, Mineta tagged along and decided that this was the moment he'd make his move... which ultimately led to the big reveal before him.

"So I brought you here myself for nothing?!"

"You actual degenerate," he shot, then registered in his mind the words Mineta just spoke. "Wait, what do you mean by, 'brought you here myself?'"

He fumbled over his speech, looked in every direction except Killua's face, and finally sputtered a quick, "Um."

Then it all clicked. The reason he hadn't seen his parents, AKA the people who were supposed to be his caregivers? They probably didn't even know Killua was here, which was why Mineta restricted him from open areas in his house. He most likely answered Nezu's call before his parents could, accepted it, and then biked over to the school because this pathetic three-foot tall idiot wanted the chance for a girl to get in his bedroom that badly.

Upon telling grape boy his theory, he hesitantly confirmed his suspicions.

So, he gave him a good roundhouse kick to the jaw, cleanly knocking him out from the impact.

Taking a good look at the unconscious boy lying on the grass, he silently celebrated his work. "I've been wanting to do that for ages," he said out loud, grudgingly leaving the Mineta residence to find a better place to stay (but really, any place would be better than having to live with someone like that.)

A few hours passed, and instead of finding shelter for the night, he was basically parkouring all across town, exploring all the different areas he had never been able to before. He didn't know exactly what compelled him so much to start jumping across the roofs of buildings instead of walking normally, but he did know to trust his instincts because it was all he really had.

And his instincts had made it worth it. The feeling of the cool wind brushing past his skin as he hopped from building to building was exhilarating. Earlier, he had come across a little pond where both birds and people gathered to rest on benches. Then, as night fell, both the neon signs from shops and stars in the sky complemented each other in the darkness. And every once in a while, he'd hear soothing classical music through the speakers of a store, signaling to shoppers that it was closing time. Even as he earned some annoyed glances from onlookers, he ignored them. He didn't want to let anything take away his feeling of finally being free—no teachers, no students, and absolutely no Pro Heroes.

But as he read closer, he was once again was reminded of the fact that things were just a little off: namely, the writing system here was completely different from what he was expecting. He first saw it in the school when he snooped over Aizawa's files, and now he's seeing it in street signs and shops. Because even if he was able to read and recognize it, it felt... wrong. Maybe that meant he wasn't from Japan. That made sense, considering he was also completely unfamiliar with the currency system they had in place. While he knew that asking himself how he ended up here in the first place was a clear dead end, he could at least take the time to appreciate his surroundings.

Killua stopped on the roof of one building and sat against an HVAC unit. Unfortunately, even as he tried to rest his body, his mind just wouldn't do the same as it annoyingly replayed the angry teen's voice from earlier.

'You don't belong here.'

He grunted. So what? It's not like he wanted to be here. It's not like he wanted to wake up to two unfamiliar faces in an infirmary, wondering why he couldn't remember anything leading up to that moment at all. Hell, he couldn't even recognize his own face.

No one here knew who he was. No one knew what his life was like, where he lived, what kind of childhood he had, anything. Even Killua himself was part of that group, and without anything to remember himself by, without an actual identity, he really was just no one.

Suddenly, the small hairs on his skin stood upright. There was something coming this way...

"What're you doing here?"

Looking up to the source of the voice, he noticed a silhouette on the other side of the building. He stood up, keeping his eyes glued onto the mysterious figure. Letting out a dry laugh, he replied, "Sitting. Duh."

"You know it's illegal to trespass."

"Trespass?" he questioned. "What am I trespassing? The sky?"

The figure sighed, stepping forward. Light slowly cascaded down on him, and Killua's eyes widened as he recognized who it was.

"Zoldyck," Aizawa said, "don't act smart with me."

Killua took a couple steps forward so he could clearly see his teacher in his full hero getup. It was basically the same thing he'd worn every time he met up with him, except he had a pair of yellow goggles on.

"Okay, I broke the law. Wow, I'm such a threat. Are you gonna arrest me now?" he snorted.

He paused, glaring at his student. "Not if you give me a real answer. What are you doing here?"

Killua really didn't want to recall the events leading up to this. He had just been on his own little joyride, and now one of the biggest things he'd wanted to run away from was standing right in front of him.

Sucking in a short breath, he answered, "I just needed to get away."

"From?"

"You know," he mumbled, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Can you be a little more specific?"

He kicked a pebble and watched as it fell off the roof. He hoped that didn't hit anyone on the way down. "From him."

"...Who?"

His brows furrowed in frustration. "From that... that damn pervert, Hisoka!"

Hisoka?

"I mean... Mineta," he corrected.

...Who the hell was Hisoka?

None of them said anything for a moment. In a second, all Killua could hear was his own breathing, the quiet murmurs from people walking the streets, and the sound of an orchestra playing from one of the shops below them.

"It's been a long day, kid," Aizawa sighed, pushing away his goggles. "You still need a place to stay?"

He nodded. Then, Aizawa started pulling something out from his utility belt.

"Here," he said, handing something over.

"This is..." Killua trailed off, eyes widening, "your phone?"

"If you drop it, I'm not letting you touch it ever again."

He couldn't believe it. Staring at the entrusted object in his hand, he... realized he actually didn't know how to properly work it. Its software design looked totally futuristic.

"You coming?"

Killua looked up and noticed he had gone ahead and jumped to the next building, waiting for him to follow suit.

"I'll race you there," he grinned, tightly clutching the smooth, rectangular black phone in his hand.

A small laugh escaped his lips. "You don't even know where the apartment is from here."

"No, but I'll figure it out."

"Yeah, alright, kid."

And from then on, Killua thought that maybe living with Homeless-sensei wouldn't be so bad, after all.

He'd been standing in front of the entire class for what should have been five minutes, but it felt like hours. Everyone's eyes were glued onto him as if they were trying to solve the ever-perplexing puzzle that was the amnesiac, Killua Zoldyck, and, needless to say, he was a little bit annoyed by it.

"Does everyone understand?" Aizawa said.

The whole class gave a simultaneous, "Yes, Aizawa-sensei."

Their teacher chose to dedicate class time to explain Killua's situation. It was probably so no further questions would pop up and interrupt the "learning process," but it was still a nice gesture. Although, all that Killua was really happy about was the fact that the grape freak was officially gone.

...Okay, not actually gone. He'd only been put on an indefinite suspension since his actions (that he may or may not have reported) were being reviewed by the school. He could only hope that the reviewing process was indefinite, too.

That good news was even greater because it meant that, instead of having to awkwardly jam another desk into one of the rows or rearrange the entire classroom, an empty seat was already waiting for him, welcoming him. It also was right behind Midoriya, which was nice since he was one of the first people he'd met at the school... but it meant he had to walk past Bakugou every day, too. Oh well, what was he gonna do? Get mad? Big deal.

Killua stepped down from the front and began walking to his new seat, making sure he definitely did not make eye contact with Bakugou... and it seemed he was doing the same. Huh.

"Hi, Zoldyck!" Midoriya half-whispered to him once he sat down, a smile on his face. "I... hope you'll enjoy what U.A. has to offer!"

"Me too," he easily replied.

This whole learning aspect was definitely going to be new for him, but he supposed it was for the best. Learning about his surroundings was going to be useful information, so he mentally prepared himself for what was to come.

Last night, with Aizawa's phone, he looked up everything he could about quirks, heroes, and villains. Unfortunately, he couldn't dig too deep into it since he was forced to hand it back over at 2 AM so his teacher could set an alarm for school. But from the short time he accessed the internet, he did learn a little more about what being quirkless meant. Only 20% of the entire world population didn't have a quirk in this superpowered society of "good" versus "evil." It was actually some sort of... taboo, which he couldn't wrap his head around. He was quirkless himself, but he could confidently say his strength and skills went far above average. Still, people held this sort of superiority complex over them, labeling them as weak and helpless (to which, if he were described that way, he'd have a good laugh about it.)

"Alright," Aizawa continued, "onto more important things,"—that was humbling—"I'll remind everyone that the sports festival is in a week, but—"

"Aizawa-sensei..." a student with blonde hair interrupted.

Their teacher glared at him before saying, "What?"

"You've been saying the sports festival is in a week for the past three days, I'm just a little confused..."

"Kaminari, it's on May 5th. Sunday," a student with black sclera said. Ashido, he remembered.

"Sunday?!"

Wait, Killua recognized that name from somewhere...

"Kaminari..." he mumbled to himself.

It apparently wasn't quiet enough because he heard the student in question say, "Huh?"

Oh. He remembered now.

"Kaminari Denki," he recalled. "Don't you have a D in some class?"

It was like all the energy instantly drained from him as he hunched over in his seat, staring at his lap. "You don't have to rub it in," he weakly muttered.

"Anyway," Aizawa said, bringing all attention back to himself. "I'm not making you do anything today. However, I won't speak for your other classes."

On that note, he zipped up his yellow sleeping bag and proceeded to take a nap on the ground, leaving the class to their own devices.

And that meant everyone was going to be asking Killua all kinds of questions.

Strangely, they hadn't all bombarded him at once. That probably indicated they learned from all those times Iida scolded them for it... he was going to thank him for that, eventually.

"So," the bubbly girl he recognized as Uraraka said, "you'll finally get to eat lunch with us, today, huh?"

"Yup. Beats eating in the teacher's lounge by a long shot."

"Zoldyck!" a new voice exclaimed, coming from a spiky redhead. "You think you could teach me that move you pulled off yesterday? Ah, I couldn't stop thinking about it—you just flew, and then... chop!" He made the motion with his hand, pairing it with a sharp-toothed grin.

This guy, Killua thought, looks like a mellow Bakugou.

The whole period went on just like that; he'd talk to one student, then another, then another. It was actually quite pleasant, talking and laughing with kids around his age.

Lunch came sooner than he thought. He found himself sitting with Midoriya, Uraraka, and Iida, eating out of an again delicious bento (thank you, Lunch Rush!) The cafeteria was as loud as ever, students from all grades blended together in one room. He could spend all day looking around the school to learn more about where he was going to be for six days a week, but, for now, he chose to focus on getting to know the three people next to him.

"So," he said mid-chew, "Iida."

"Yes?" he said, looking up to meet Killua's gaze.

Swallowing his food, he continued, "You're class rep?"

A proud smile lit up his face. "Yes, I am!" he beamed. "And Yaoyorozu Momo is vice president, as well. The voting process, however—"

"Oh! Deku got voted as class rep at first, but Iida was so heroic when he assured us everything was fine after the alarms went off! So he gave up his position to Iida, and it's been that way ever since!" Uraraka chimed in, face puffed up with excitement.

Killua raised an eyebrow. "Deku?" he said.

"Oh, that's me..." Midoriya blushed, scatching at his cheek. "Just a nickname..."

Uraraka pumped her fist in the air and said, "Yeah, meaning he can do anything!"

That was an interesting way to interpret it. It was like calling someone "stupid" as a nickname, but having it actually mean "stupendous."

"Going back to what Uraraka said earlier," Iida reminded, "I truly have Midoriya to thank for my position!"

"N-no, Iida," he stuttered, "you were the one who moved me! And you helped all of the students who were rushing out, that... that's inspiring!"

"I wasn't alone, though. Uraraka helped me get up above the crowd in the first place."

"Eh? It was all your idea, though!"

And at that point, Killua tuned out, looking down and picking at his food instead. It wasn't that he didn't like them, because of course he did. Something about them just felt so foreign to him...

Was it their boundless positivity? Maybe.

It almost shocked him that he'd be so put off by something as simple as that, but considering what conclusions he'd made about himself yesterday, it was barely even surprising anymore. At this point, he was probably going to stumble upon someone being literally murdered, and his first thought wasn't going to be how messed up it was. Maybe because the murderer was going to be him...

...

"Zoldyck?" Uraraka said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "You looked zoned out. Are you alright?"

As he turned his head to face her, he noticed the worry on all three tablemates' faces as their attention was now on him.

"...Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" he said.

"Ah, then have you remembered something?" Iida asked.

Remember? He was thinking about murdering people, and if he was remembering that, he really wasn't sure if he actually wanted his memories back.

No, he told himself, of course he wanted them back. Regaining them was what he'd been trying to do for the last three days, and most likely for the rest of his life until he did. No matter what, he was going to find himself again.

Killua sighed. He opened his mouth, but it took a few seconds before he finally said, "Hey, you three all want to be heroes, right?"

They all nodded in determination.

"What's a hero's purpose?"

Looking up, he watched as the three of them exchanged looks among each other.

"Well," Uraraka began, "I want to give my family better lives. So, for me, it's money."

"That's altruistic of you."

"No," she shook her head, "They deserve better. It's what I have to do!"

Being so selfless towards family, huh? Killua bit the inside of his cheek, looking towards Iida for what the next interpretation would be.

He pushed up his glasses and said, "Hm... a hero's purpose is to rescue civilians, defeat the villain, and save the day!"

"Okay, kinda generic answer, there."

"What?" he exclaimed, 90 degree arms synchronizingly flying. "It is the truth! Well, if you wanted a personal answer, I will give you one. Simply, I will uphold the Iida family's honor!"

So... this guy just wanted make his family proud. Fair enough. Killua nodded to his answer, then expectantly turned his attention to Midoriya.

"O-oh, me?" he stammered.

"Duh, who else am I looking at?"

Midoriya hesitated a bit, looking off into the distance and... mumbling. Well, at least that meant he really wanted to be sure of his answer... but that didn't make it any less annoying.

Both Uraraka and Iida's reasons for being a hero were directly related to their family. And, it didn't seem like they were forced to become heroes, they just genuinely cared about them. It wouldn't surprise Killua if Midoriya's reason was similar; after all, the three soon-to-be-heroes bonded through constant appraisal of each other (at least, from what he's seen, so far,) so who's to say they didn't all get that from their parents?

Still, the boy kept mumbling and mumbling and mumbling...

"Hey," Killua half-whispered, half-yelled. It got his attention though, as his eyes widened before saying a quick apology.

Straightening his back, he looked right into his eyes and diligently answered with, "A hero should give their all."

He raised an eyebrow. "Their all?"

"Yeah. Being dependable... giving help that's not asked for... being a beacon of hope. That's what makes a true hero."

If he had never known Midoriya before he'd asked that question, he never would've guessed he'd normally be a mumbling, stuttering, shy kid. Because, just from watching the fire burn behind his eyes and the way he spoke those words from the bottom of his heart, he looked like he was ready to take on absolutely anything at that moment.

Maybe Killua was wrong about him. There was something hidden behind his steadfast determination, but he couldn't tell what it exactly was, or whether it was even a bad thing or not. What he did know was that this guy... he was special.

"What do you think, Zoldyck?" Uraraka asked.

"Huh?" he said, surprised by the sudden reversal.

"You have asked all of us what we think. But now, we are just as curious as to what your thoughts are!"

"I don't know."

"Eh? You gotta have at least an idea."

"Seriously?" he said, throwing his arms up. "I asked you because I don't know. What, did you think I was just secretly testing your heroic-ness, or something?"

After a few more pleads and instant rejections, the topic of conversation moved on from Killua's question. Still, Midoriya's answer hadn't left his mind.

Be dependable. Give help when not asked for. Give someone hope.

That was something he actually agreed with. Something he felt like he'd done for someone else before he lost his memories...

He suppressed a shiver that threatened to crawl up his spine.

If someone had depended on him then, what were they doing now that he's gone?

"Shigaraki," Gon said.

"What?"

"Guess what?"

"I'm not doing this with you, you damn brat..."

"What? Why not?" he whined from his spot on the couch. Sadly realizing he wasn't going to budge, he turned the conversation to the friendlier man behind the bar.

"Kurogiri."

"Yes, Freecss?"

"It's my birthday in four days. I turn 16!"

"Ah, we'll be sure to celebrate it, then," he said, earning a smile from the soon-to-be birthday boy.

"Too bad we can only do it here," a dry voice interjected.

Gon shook his head. "I'm okay spending time here, with you both!"

Though it really was too bad he couldn't get to see the city outside. From what Shigaraki told him, All Might and the rest of the law enforcement were still out to arrest him for killing someone who was going to harm innocent shoppers at a grocery store. The worst part? No matter how strong he was, he couldn't escape the fact that it was All Might himself who caused his memory loss! So, if he really was dangerous enough to harm him that much, Gon concluded he needed to train more so he could finally defeat him. Then, he wouldn't have to constantly hide from the public eye.

After all, wasn't it a good thing that he stopped someone who was going to hurt others?

"Oh, and Shigaraki?"

He made no reply, just choosing to look at him with clear disdain.

A big grin graced his face. "Are you getting me another gift?"

"You little..."

"Shigaraki," Kurogiri stressed. "We have to talk about something. Freecss, could you wait on the balcony? We will knock when we're done."

"Huh? Okay..." Gon said, following his directions.

As the door closed, Shigaraki grunted. "He better be useful."

"And he will be," he assured. "This is about the sports festival."

He slowly turned himself on the bar stool so he was directly facing him. "What about it? You wanna take Gon there for his birthday?"

"...No. We cannot let Freecss watch it with us."

"Eh?" he exclaimed. "Why not?"

"There's been no news from anywhere that matches the person we've been looking for. You'd think that someone as powerful as Freecss would make headlines, but that is simply not the case."

"So what?"

"So, I have reason to believe that this second person who was supposed to drop into our universe is either too far away for us to even be concerned about, completely off the radar, or has been in the hands of U.A. High School since the beginning."

Scratching at the wooden grooves of the bar counter top, he said, "Okay, so we leave him on the balcony while it airs. Problem solved."

"No," Kurogiri said. "We cannot keep avoiding the problem, Shigaraki. If Freecss regains his memories, what do you think will happen?"

"He won't. And I'll make damn sure of it."

"I'm just doing the same. Only, if our culprit really is at U.A., I have a plan."

"Then spit it out, already."

Kurogiri lowered his voice, even if they were the only two people in the room. "We will use Freecss to kill the second interdimensional."

A/N: uh oh. killua's really struggling without his memories, and gon's being used to kill his best friend. unfortunate situations for both, but let's see what happens once the sports festival hits! anyway, thank you all so much for the kind words you have all left for this story! i can't tell you how much i appreciate everything that's been contributed by those reading. while there has been one review that's been... a point of discussion, i think i'll just let the story speak for itself, rather than me fluffing up the word count and risking bringing forth even more negativity. again, thank you a thousand times for reading. see you in the next chapter, everyone!

P.S. a fun fact i learned while doing some research: bakugou calls izuku deku because, to him, it means dekunobu. dekunobu means "one who can't do anything." but, uraraka calls him deku because, to her, it means dekiru. and dekiru means "one who CAN do anything!" i thought it was interesting enough to share for those who didn't know, lol

P.P.S i hope everyone is safe. times are especially hard right now, and i wish the best for all of you. stay strong, know you're not alone.