Disclaimer: I do not own BNHA (MHA).

Zero to Hero

Chapter 25: Five new steps

When the same, familiar view of a wide, open space revealed itself to my eyes, I instinctively knew where I was.

"Hey! You're back!" The same cheerful voice greeted me. I pushed myself up from the cracked ground, some of my pale hair falling into my eyes as I shifted my gaze to meet hers.

"You look horrible," Shadow commented, the same, white smile stretching across her face. "But I guess that makes two of us!"

I stood up slowly, straightening my back to meet her height. She was still far away, but as I looked closer, I could cracks in the space. It was as if there was a glass barrier between us, but it was breaking down, piece by piece.

I walked towards her, feeling as if my feet were made out of lead.

"So, the angry Pomeranian, huh?" She mused, tapping her foot in thought. "Never expected him to be the trigger. The second one anyway. Damn, we owe him big time, don't we?"

I stopped in front of her. The cracks were becoming more and more obvious; I could see that they stretched up all the way to the endless, brown sky above us. I stared at the shadow, who was slowly shifting, wavering, as if she could not maintain her form any longer.

No, not she. Us, we, me.

"It has been quite a while, hasn't it?" I whispered, feeling the wind caress my hair.

"Naw, I've always been in you," Shadow laughed loudly, her voice shaking. "It's just time."

"Will I disappear?" I tilted my head, asking her softly. "Will you?"

"We'll be one," Shadow smiled, her twinkling brown eyes making themselves clear. "Just more badass and awesome. I mean, I have an amazing sense of humor, and you're the hard-ass assassin. We'll go great together!"

"We will make it work," I reached out a hand, as did she. "We always do."

"We will," she said with certainty, her fingers touching the glass, the exact moment mine did. "Because we're-"

"Uraraka Ochako," we chorused softly, closing our eyes. "The most fantastically awesome fifteen year old in the universe."

Crack.

A bright light consumed my sight.

XXX

A faint light flickered on top of me.

I blinked, groggily opening my eyes as my senses slowly woke up. I felt the familiar, yet, strange fabric of my blanket draped over my sleeping body. The ceiling melted into a view that was recognizable, yet also, unfamiliar. It was something that I- no, Zero-had seen many times, and I knew that I was back at the lair, in Zero's room.

Damn, this is confusing. Zero, Ochako? Should I mix it up and turn my name into Zechako or something?

"So, you're awake?" The sound of shuffling cloth caught my attention. I tilted my head to the side to see dark purple skin that was as wrinkly as an old bat, and bored eyes that shone like ice.

Dabi. Or, well, Blister, you get the idea.

"Hey, there," I croaked, my voice sounding as if I was put through a grater. "You got any water? I'm practically dying over here."

He blinked, surprise taking over his features, finally getting rid of that sunken look on his face. I felt my lips tug up slightly, feeling slightly smug that I had managed to shift his expression in the ten seconds that I had woken up.

He got from the chair he was sitting on, walking over to me. He grabbed the glass of water on the small table there, and practically shoved it in my face. Clearly, he had no idea how to take care of a used to be amnesiac who was dying of a massive headache.

I pushed my body up as much as I could, and let out small grunts as my brain throbbed. Grabbing the cold glass, I peered at it, before looking up at him once more.

"This isn't poisoned right? You're not trying to assassinate me or something?"

He blinked once more, looking more taken aback the more I spoke. "No. Not that you can trust me, especially now."

I shrugged, saying, "Eh, I trusted you before," and drank it slowly, carefully as not to choke.

He observed me as I did, finally speaking up after I put the empty cup back on the table. "You're different. You got your memories back then, huh."

I furrowed my eyebrows, crossing my arms. "Different? Memories? And who told you that, the asshole that did this to me in the first place, or the shitty misty guy who was just pretending to care for me the entire time?"

My voice was still raspy, and my head still pounded, but I was recalling more and more as my mind cleared slowly. I kept my emotions down; rage, sadness, all of the vulnerability I felt just by remembering, and shoved them into a box in the back of my mind. I would not break down in front of Dabi, even if he was Blister before.

He raised an eyebrow, a flicker of amusement entering his gaze. "Neither. I snooped around and found out myself. Uraraka Ochako, currently fifteen years old, and was taken away from all the people she loved at the young age of ten. How tragic."

I scowled. "And you're an asshole, so-called Blister. That's the first thing you say that's remotely memorable to a former amnesiac, and it's the worst wakeup call ever. Why were you even watching me as I slept? Are you a pedophile?"

He blinked once more, a strange emotion entering his stare as he did. He seemed surprised, lost, and yet intrigued at the same time. "You're chatty. Nothing like Zero. If I had met you like this, I would've burned you to the ground."

"And I would have kicked your ass, but that's not important right now," I sighed, bringing up my hands to rub at my temple. "I have a killer headache that's not getting better, and your voice isn't exactly helping me, no matter how raspy and edgy you try to make it. Could you leave me alone?"

"Bakugou Katsuki is tied up and gagged," Blister said, completely ignoring me. He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned back slightly, staring at me with those mocking, yet interested eyes. "He's waiting for you in the bar room. The entire gang's there, waiting for you, Zero."

"Don't call me Zero, or I'll call you number Uno," I stressed, glaring at him. "Just…move your ass, I'll be there after I've…sorted out everything in my head. Or the majority of it, or until I don't feel like throwing myself into a shredder."

He tilted his head in a mocking salute, turning on his heels and shutting the door with a small click. Damn he was an asshole. Was he always like that or I was just too dense as Zero to understand it?

I plopped back onto the bed, closing my eyes. The thoughts and memories churned in my head, giving me no time to rest as vision after vision flashed on the back of my eyelids. I was stabbed, taken away from all the people I loved, brainwashed into thinking that that shitty ass crow was my Boss and…

All for One as my father. Wow, I was seriously deranged. Did that creep even have a family? Probably not, I mean, look at his face! He didn't even have a nose-

I slapped my cheeks, puffing out air. Okay, okay, focus, I could do it before, it shouldn't be a problem now.

I recruited Dabi, Toga Himiko and Twice, that was a lot faster than canon and I couldn't recall even meeting Giran yet, before finding out about…the Hibikis.

My eyes popped open as the shock slowly numbed my senses.

Hibiki. Hibiki Fuyuka. Assassin family. Family of killers.

Holy….shit.

Shouto was a yakuza baby? Okay, maybe not yakuza, but he had assassin blood in him?

As I pondered more on the thought, surprisingly, I could totally see him with numerous tattoos engraved on his body as he smoked a pipe with sunglasses on, a katana in his hand. I slapped my hands over my eyes again and breathed.

Process. Come on, you can do it. Process, think, sort it all out. Calm down, calm down.

A few minutes ticked by. My breathing slowed down, my chest stopped heaving, but my forehead was glistening with sweat. I felt as if my body was sleeping on needles one moment, then everything around me disappeared into a void. My mind was racing one moment, then absolutely silent in the next.

I needed time. I needed more time. I couldn't do all of this right now, not when there was a storm brewing in the room next to me.

I sucked in a deep breath and let it out, slowly waking up and throwing the blankets off me. Pushing myself to stand up, I got down from my rickety bed and got onto my shaking feet. I paddled to the broken mirror that hung loosely from the wall across me and peered into it. I ran a hand through my shoulder length hair, feeling the uneven cuts and dryness, seeing the whiteness on the cracked surface. Eyes that were pale, no longer a deep brown reflected back, disfigured.

Uraraka Ochako was a girl who was cheerful and bright like the sun. She never gave up even in the face of adversity. She kicked ass with her G.M.A and quirk. She loved heroes and her family and friends with all her heart. She was a good girl who was beautiful on the outside and inside.

I was an ordinary woman taking her place in this messed up world. I was spirited, passionate, but I never thought things through and I wanted to believe that I could do anything if I tried. I wanted to save everyone, but I left Izuku and Shouto and everyone behind. I took on a new identity and betrayed so many of my precious people by killing, stealing, having no trace of the person I used to be.

But not anymore. Because no matter what, I was Uraraka Ochako now, and this wacked up course the world decided to take? Only I had the slightest inkling of what was coming, only I could do something that the damned crow and the villain wouldn't expect.

Do I? What if this world was too messed up for me to anticipate anything? Why did that crow even come after me in the first place? Did he know about me? Everything?

I pulled my hair back, the uneven bangs falling everywhere in my face. Grabbing a random rubber band that was lying around, I tied it up into a messy ponytail, showing my face even better than before. I blew some of the strands out of my eyes, mustering the widest smile I could possible do, teeth all shown.

"Well, at least I don't look like a gremlin anymore," I mused, straightening my back.

All right. I breathed once more, turning around and walking towards the door. As my fingers gripped the handle, I gave myself a moment, recalling angry, lost eyes as desperate fingers grabbed my arm. I looked down, seeing bandages wrapped around the burnt area.

I flung open the door, opening my mouth.

"HEY, ANYONE GOT ANY OREOS IN HERE?!"

XXX

Katsuki honestly could not believe his eyes.

That - that irritating idiot was sitting on the table in front of him, cross-legged, munching on beef jerky as she stared at him with those stupidly pale eyes. The cronies around her were staring at her as well, as if they had no idea how to react to the scene in front of them. The tall, dark bastard was looking at her like he wasn't sure whether to bust a nut laughing or hit her upside the head. The blond bitch looked frozen, the knife that she was fiddling around with on the ground for the past ten minutes. The masked joker was also staring at her with his posture completely down, his shoulders were sagged as were his mouth.

Katsuki didn't see the misty guy anywhere, but he was sure that that asshole was lurking around somewhere, he could feel it in his gut.

"So," the idiot finally spoke, still chewing. "How come the hideout doesn't have any Oreos? I mean, we're a buncha crooks, aren't we? Why aren't we living the thug life right?"

"Ze-ze-zero-chan…?" The blonde actually looked incredulous.

She nodded. "Yeah, if you want to be called number Dos. At least, I think you were after this asshole," she pointed a thumb at the tall dark bastard. "And mask man, I'm gonna call you Tres if you don't get a chair and sit down, you look constipated. I can totally see your expression behind your mask."

The masked dork did so numbly, his mouth opening and closing numerous times.

Tall dark and smoky finally opened his own. "So? What are you going to do with this, Leader?"

"Shut up Uno, you don't get an opinion for being a relentless ass," she wiggled her finger at him. For a moment, Katsuki could see brown hair and intense eyes that were the same, but it all flashed away as soon as it came. "And Boom-box, if I get that tape off your mouth, will you promise me that you won't shout, swear, or go blasty-blasty until I say it's okay?"

Katsuki growled, hoping that his eyes showed enough of his bloodlust.

"…I guess not," she muttered, scratching her head. "Well, anyway, I need to know what happened after I passed out. Anyone that isn't Uno can fill me in? Dos?"

Blondie bent down to pick up her sharp weapon, tucking it in somewhere in her clothes. "…Zero-chan."

"Yeah-" but before she could say anything more, a knife was thrown at her, slicing open her cheek.

The air changed immediately. White's eyes narrowed as another knife was thrown at her, tilting her head sideways to avoid it. Blonde sprinted towards her, metal glinting in her fingers as she swiped and twirled, moving fast, but Katsuki's eyes could keep up with them. She was aiming for her eyes, throat, weak points on any normal human being. White was not backing down though. She moved in sync with her attacker, pushing her arms away, dodging, flipping over furniture, as if it was a thing that happened every day.

It didn't take Katsuki long to realize that it was.

"Zero-chan, you're Zero-chan, right?" Blonde's voice seemed distorted as if she wasn't sure what to believe.

"A part of her is me," White answered, gripping the girl's wrist. "And a part of me is just a girl who loves too much for her own good. I'm both of them. I'm Uraraka Ochako. And you?"

Her gaze flittered to everyone in the room, roaming, searching. "Who are you?"

There was a lull. Katsuki felt his fists tighten, the coil in his heart growing thicker, choking him, suffocating his life.

She had no right to say that name. Not her, never her.

He spent countless nights seeing her crying, bleeding, breaking apart. The more he saw her face, the more he couldn't help remembering. Why was it him? Why couldn't it have been someone else? He would have been able to forget about her, someone like her-

A clap in front of his face jolted him back to reality. He brought his head up, immediately staring into her faintly colored eyes. She reached out a hand and promptly tore the piece of silver tape off his mouth.

The reaction was instant.

"THE FUCCCKKKKK!?" Katsuki yelled, his lips literally feeling like they were on fire. "You damn bitch, I'll kill you! Die! Die! Die! Die-"

She covered his mouth, pressing both of her palms to it. Katsuki tried to bite her fingers, but she was careful, and surprisingly strong as well. Katsuki wished he had a bomb in his mouth, or that his quirk worked with his saliva.

"I mean, I really didn't expect anything less, but man, you're a piece of work, aren't you?" She spoke monotonously, an eyebrow raised. Although she acted like she didn't give a fuck, Katsuki could see the emotions whirling in her eyes, and for some reason, that sight managed to make him pause. She wasn't a robot. She wasn't that empty piece of shit that he had pinned onto the floor. She was alive. She was here.

Kacchan!

Katsuki shut his eyes tightly, breathing out. He could feel his brain pulsing, his heart thudding. He could feel her eyes searching his face, looking for any signs of struggle. He finally opened his eyes slightly, sending her what he thought was the weakest glare in his life. She stared deep into them, before slowly letting go of his mouth.

Katsuki kept his mouth half open, but he was more panting and tired than anything. He was sick of everything. He was tired. He just wanted to go back. Being surrounded with unfamiliar idiots who didn't know what the hell they wanted to do with their lives wasn't ideal. Facing a problem he didn't want to face head on wasn't as well.

Bakugou Katsuki was by no means a coward, he wasn't, but he was drained, and he was human enough to admit that. Only to himself though.

"So," she started, clapping her hands together. "We're going to start over, okay? My name is Uraraka Ochako. I'm the most fantastically awesome fifteen-year-old in the universe, and my goal is to stop a crazy shitshow from happening in the near future while getting us all out of this dumpster. Uno, you go."

Smoky looked at her like she was crazy. Round face rolled her eyes. "Come on. You don't have to reveal your real name or anything, just go with the name you want us to call you."

"Why are we doing this?" Mask started, his voice almost sounding as tired as Katsuki was. "I…We, you… I thought, we knew each other, strangers?"

"No," Round face sat down, facing the four of them head on, her eyes darting between all of them. "We don't. The past me never cared enough to know all of you properly. She cared for you enough that she wanted you guys alive. But I'm not only her. I already told you, I care too much for my own good. You guys were her family. It's only the same that I treat you guys the way I used to treat my own."

Her eyes stopped at his. They were a lot of things. Coldness, warmth, lost, yearning; so many things were trapped in her gaze and Katsuki felt the blood in him rush.

No one answered. They were cold blooded killers, assassins without a heart, they were beings that didn't know warmth. They were villains, the bad guys, the ones that Katsuki was supposed to blow out of existence, so why did this moment feel more vulnerable than anything else?

"…Toga, Himiko," Blonde started, her voice shaking. Her eyes were hooded, her hands were shaking, so it was hard for Katsuki to see her real expression.

"…Bubaigawara Jin," Mask muttered in a voice so small.

"…Blister," Smoky pushed himself off the wall he was leaning on. He approached her, his gaze never leaving hers. "Just Blister."

She stared back. The two just stood there for a moment, their focus never breaking.

But then it did, not a moment later. Because her face had just exploded in a wide-ass smile as she reached up to ruffle the taller man's hair.

Katsuki saw Mask fall off his chair. He also heard blonde's shriek of…something. But when Smoky's eyes widened almost comically to the point where his droopy eyelids were straining, Katsuki couldn't help but let out a real snort of laughter.

"Okay, we got this going down!" She released him and then swaggered over to Katsuki, bending down to match his eye level. "Now, boom-box, it's your turn!"

Katsuki instinctively bared his teeth at her. "Go die in a ditch, bleached ass."

"I'm afraid bleach can't come to the phone now, it seems like your sass is too strong to tone down," she fired back immediately, rolling her eyes. "Come on, you might want to. Because there's a high chance we can't just let you go soon."

Katsuki froze. The lightness in her tone faded away, the smile doing the same as well.

"Blister," she raised her voice. "Was Ku…Haze here when I came back?"

"Yeah," Smoky finally got his voice back.

"But he's not here now. There's a high chance that he went to HQ to report to the damn crow, which means, they know that boom is here," she flopped down, now looking at him from below. "But he doesn't know that I got my memories back, right? So that means, if I let you go back to U.A, everyone's gonna assume that Zero let you go. And Zero doesn't just let her victims go. They're going to be suspicious, and that's gonna make it even harder for us to get out of here."

"Get out?" Mask questioned, inching closer to them. "We're breaking out? I love it here, not!"

From the corner of his eye, Katsuki could see Blonde trotting closer. Smoky walked until he was standing beside the chair Katsuki was tied to, leaning on the frame. Katsuki resisted the urge to blast his hands, willing himself to listen to whatever horrifying shit she was going to say.

"You guys, you only joined because of the past me, right?" Round face averted her gaze to Smoky. "You said you were curious to see what was going to happen. Himiko, you said you wanted to become my friend. Jin, you never said anything to me, but you wanted a place to belong, a place that belonged to only you, right?"

There was a pause before she started talking again. "None of us are loyal to the mafia anymore. The only thing that was shackling you guys down was me. And I sure as hell don't want to stay here anymore. Especially now that boom is here, the situation just got a lot more complicated. But I need all of you for this plan." She sucked in a breath.

"So, let me explain how the hell we're going to do this."

XXX

Thunk.

Thunk.

Thunk.

"Would you please stop throwing shurikens at my target?" The smaller Hibiki said in a blank tone, tapping away at his computer.

"Aww, come on, lil' ice cube," the scythe wielder complained, twirling the deadly stars between his fingers. "It's been what, a few hours after U.S.J? And you're still on your pc? What's so important?"

"It's been a few days, half-brother," Kogori muttered dully.

"Ehh, details, details," Reito threw another black star, hitting the bull's eye on hanging on the wall. "So, anything new?"

Kogori's typing ceased for a moment. "Her memory's back. The sport's festival. Be prepared. Hurry and introduce yourself before I puncture you."

Thunk.

"Fine, fine," Reito stood up, stretching before pulling up his hood. A small vibration in his pocket grabbed his attention. "Ooh, a notice. Maybe there's a new one to hunt? Ehh, never mind, just get going!"

Click.

XXX

Life without Bakugou was strange.

Although the blonde had disappeared at least two weeks ago, Izuku felt as if he would just suddenly appear in class without any warning. He would be there, sitting with his feet up the table, staring at the view outside with his hooded eyes and blank face. Then, when the teacher came in, he would snap back into reality, the wrinkles in between his eyes increasing with his scowl.

Izuku then realized what he was thinking about, shaking his head. The seat in front of him was still empty.

"Izuku," Shouto interrupted his musing, putting a hand on his shoulder. "The lesson's over."

"Huh?" Izuku blinked, turning around to see Tenya and Shouto waiting for him. The taller teen seemed concerned for his friend's wellbeing, his eyebrows slightly mushed together.

"Midoriya-kun, are you okay? You seem to space out more often than usual."

"After USJ," Shouto added, his own wrinkles appearing on his forehead. "Izuku, do you still feel guilty over that?"

Izuku jerked slightly. He mustered a smile and tried to laugh. "No, don't worry, I think I just haven't been getting enough sleep, I guess? The news really keeps me up these days."

Shouto and Tenya proceeded to stare at him. Izuku felt a drop of sweat roll down his back.

"I think Todoroki-chan and Iida-chan are right, ribbit," a new voice chimed in.

Izuku let out a shriek and nearly fell backwards, but Tenya reacted fast enough to steady his chair before he could. Even Shouto let out a small sound of surprise at the sudden interruption. The three of them then looked forward to see a girl with big eyes that seemed almost…frog-like?

"Forgive me for interrupting," she tilted her head, her soft green bangs swaying to the side. "But I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. My name is Asui Tsuyu, please call me Tsuyu-chan."

If Izuku remembered correctly, she was one of the more active learners in class 1-A. She struck Izuku as a girl who spoke her mind; she always asked the teacher questions that helped Izuku in lessons as well, so he was quite grateful for her, but he never thought that she would come up to him and engage in a conversation.

"A-asui-san, you surprised me…" Izuku let out a small breath of relief.

"Tsuyu-chan, ribbit," she said once more.

"Tsuyu-chan-kun!" Tenya let go of Izuku's chair once he had steadied himself. "We're sorry for not noticing you, however, there was no need to sneak up on us like that!"

"I think we were just too distracted to notice her walk up to us," Shouto briefly nodded at the smaller girl.

She nodded back, before turning her attention to Izuku once more. "Midoriya-chan, I realized that you didn't ask Aizawa-sensei as many questions as you used to. I quite enjoyed listening to the answers, so I was wondering if you were okay, ribbit."

Izuku blinked once more, feeling a warmth build in his chest. He felt a genuine smile appear on his lips this time. "Sorry, Asui-san, I was just…wondering. It's quiet without Ka…Bakugou, isn't it?"

"Izu-"

"Why do you always cut yourself off, Midoriya-chan?" Tsuyu asked. Izuku looked at her questionably. She put a finger to her cheek, a habit, Izuku realized. "You tend to start with Ka, when you mention Bakugou-chan's name first. I'm sorry if that was too intrusive, I can't help but ask about the things I'm curious about."

Izuku's fist tightened slightly. His green eyes darted towards where Shouto was, who narrowed his own in return. Shouto's gaze shifted to Asui, and then back to Izuku, still as ever. Izuku let out a small sigh, scratching his cheek.

"Well, it's a…past thing," Izuku slowly said, looking up at Tenya as well, who was facing him with seriousness. "I spent most of my early childhood with Bakugou, and I used to call him by a nickname. A lot of things happened, so we're not on good terms though. I guess old habits die hard?"

Asui nodded. "I see. Thank you for telling me, Midoriya-chan. Although this may seem a little too much, I don't think that you should feel like you're responsible for what happened to Bakugou-chan. Even though I was on the sidelines, it seemed to me that Bakugou-chan jumped into the portal of his own will. He didn't even look back."

"I agree with Asui on this one," Shouto spoke. "Izuku, what happened wasn't your fault. It was his. The press makes it seem like he was taken away, but we were there. We knew what happened."

But that was the problem, Izuku couldn't help but feel something was wrong. The Kacchan he knew wouldn't just jump into a villain's lair without thinking. He was cruel, yes, but he was smart, he should have known that pursuing the enemy in that situation wasn't the best choice of action, and yet, he did.

There must have been something that made him do that. But what? Why was Izuku so hung up on that? Why?

"But, I cannot help but wonder," Tenya murmured, putting a hand to his chin. "If Bakugou-kun really followed them of his own will, what made him do that? It doesn't make any sense."

"Who knows," Shouto looked away, his voice a little strained. "We don't understand anything about him."

The door to the classroom slammed open, and a voice rang out. "Any brats still loitering around should be gone! Class's over and I have to clean up all your messes, so scram!"

Izuku perked up, seeing a familiar figure at the front of the classroom, a broom in hand with the other pushing a cart. Shimura Tenko let out a small sigh of recognition when he saw them, drooping his head.

"Of all the brats it had to be you two…"

Shouto tilted his head downwards slightly. "Hello, Tenko-san."

"Tenko-san," Izuku followed, smiling briefly as well.

Asui bowed as did Tenya, although the latter's movements were a lot more square.

"Hello, Shimura-sensei. My name is Asui Tsuyu, ribbit."

"Pleased to meet you again, Shimura-san! My name is Iida Tenya!"

"Pleased to- who says that anymore?" Tenko face palmed himself, covering his eyes. "Whatever. I ain't gonna remember any of you anyway so I'll just call you froggo and square. And froggo, cut with the sensei shit, it ain't me."

During the USJ incident, Tenko was cleaning the area before their class and got mixed up with the mess that had occurred. Due to that, it seemed like most of his classmates had remembered the shaggy man, much to Izuku's amusement.

"Now get going, green bean squad. The gates are gonna close soon," Tenko made a shooing motion with his hands. As he said that, all of them had turned their heads to look outside, and sun setting in the orange sky entered their vision.

"Oh, we must hurry!" Tenya quickly grabbed his bag as did Asui. Shouto did the same, but Izuku hesitated for a moment. When the two made their way to the door, Shouto stood back to look at Izuku, raising an eyebrow.

Izuku smiled briefly and tilted his head towards the sweeping janitor, and although there was slight hesitance in his movements, the taller teen nodded and made his way to the door.

Izuku shouldered his yellow bag, approaching the janitor. "Tenko-san?"

"Huh?" The older man stopped in his movements, looking down at him. "What?"

"I just remembered that I never had a chance to thank you, so," Izuku bowed deeply, his eyes closed. "Thank you, for that rainy day."

"…Rainy day?" He heard the man muse. "You mean, that time when I found both of you drenched to the bone at that shitty bus stop? That day?"

Izuku opened his eyes and straightened. "Yes."

"Brat, that happened like, six? Five? Years ago and you thank me now?" He scoffed, blowing away a piece of stray hair. "Don't mention it. Seriously."

"Ah, I see…" Izuku trailed off, suddenly not knowing what to say. There was an awkward pause as Izuku couldn't seem to look up, but he could feel the gaze settling on him. There was a scratching sound that caught his attention though, so Izuku lifted his gaze slightly to see the gray-haired man idly scratching at his neck. If Izuku looked closer, he could see small cuts on the skin that seemed like they were formed with nails.

"Did you, always do that?" Izuku asked, making the man stop. He gestured to his own neck, curling his fingers. "Scratch your neck like that."

"Huh?" Surprise was detected from his tone, before he looked down at his own hand. "Damn it. I was doing it again, huh. Fucking old habits. Don't worry about it shrimp, it's just something I do when I'm stressed. It's not gonna kill me."

"But your neck…"

"I'm fine. It just, increased after she died," Tenko shrugged, averting his gaze. Izuku felt guilt strike him, making him quiet again as he looked away.

There was another pause of silence before Tenko let out another heavy sigh. Izuku turned his head back, seeing how the wrinkles between his eyes seemed to increase.

"Hey, shrimp," the man started, leaning slightly on his broom. "Why don't you ever go to her grave?"

Izuku jerked, feeling a cold shiver down his spine. He bit his lip, not sure whether to speak or not.

"I saw that half and half brat a lot of times over the years," Tenko's red eyes seemed to pierce through Izuku's thoughts. "But never you. And considering the amount of times I go, it's weird if I hadn't. Why?"

Izuku's hand wandered to his pocket, trying to remember the feeling of his treasure in there, trying to recall her warmth, her smile. "I can't…I don't think I have the strength to face her yet."

Tenko didn't say anything. Izuku continued, "I see her, in my dreams. I see that moment replaying in front of me, when I was too weak to save her. But then when I wake up, I keep feeling that sense of helplessness, Tenko-san." Izuku turned away. "I'm sorry."

The warm light of the sun seeped into the classroom. Soft winds blew, making the curtains waver in the air. The scene was peaceful, but Izuku's heart felt like it was reflecting the exact opposite.

A hand pushed the younger boy's back. Izuku, not expecting that, yelped as he stuck out a foot, stumbling a little as he caught himself. He flipped his head back, eyes widened and his breath catching when he saw the look in Tenko's eyes.

"Get going, shrimp," his tone was gruff but soft, his eyes were deep, filled with sorrow but understanding, and it just made the clench in Izuku's heart tighter. "The school's gonna close soon. Your crew's waiting for you at the gates."

Your crew, he said. He said that while giving Izuku the most vulnerable look he had ever seen on the man while he turned his back to him, moving his hands as the broom swept at the floor. Izuku raised a hand to his chest, clenching the fabric as it bunched around his fist. The feeling of her brother's hand was still there, it felt like warmth, it felt like a boost of encouragement.

He closed his eyes, feeling the sunlight on his skin as he breathed. He then opened them, Tenko's back still facing Izuku. Izuku approached him, slowly, cautiously, putting his hand on his back as well.

"Tenko-san," Izuku said softly. "Thank you. For everything."

Izuku smiled at the stiffened figure of his savior's family, before turning around, his destination fixed on his friends.

XXX

I chewed on my Oreos, flipping through the reports of my past missions. Every mission I'd done was written on pieces of paper, submitted to the boss and kept another as a copy, stored in the cupboards of the bar. Kurogiri – Haze? That was confusing – hadn't come back after I woke up, which I found extremely strange, but I decided to use his absence to my advantage.

"So," I called back towards my current partner. "Made up your mind yet?"

"Shut your damn trap," the blonde growled, still stubbornly refusing to cooperate as his hands sparked. "And get me out of this fucking thing already!"

"I can't do that until you decide to work with us," I raised my gaze to Bakugou as he struggled against his restrains, still tied to the chair since day one. "You know, you're really persistent. You're probably the only one whose lived this long after facing…shit, I really sound like a villain now," I let out a sigh, rubbing my temples. "Just join us already, boomtastic."

"Shut up," he snarled. "You're not the scariest thing to exist, damn round face. I'll make my own decisions!"

"But the fact is that we don't have many options," I switched to another report, one from two years ago. "And you can't do much. If I let you go, that shitty crow and his lackeys will get suspicious. To be honest, three days is already quite pushing it. I haven't met that shit-stain once after USJ, but I can't meet him without him probably asking about you. The best course of action– "

"Is a pile of bull-crap!" He snapped, his voice growing more and more agitated. "I'm not going to become a fucking villain! I look up to the figure All Might strikes when he wins! No matter what the hell you say, that ain't gonna change!"

"I'm not telling you to give up being a hero forever," I put the papers down and hopped off the counter, facing the tied up teen. "Just for a while. Until it's safe for you to go back. Until we can save the others."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Bakugou's hands sparked once more, the scent of smoke in the air thickening. "I couldn't care less about your damn league!"

I sat down facing him, my legs crossed on the wooden chair. "Not the league. Izuku. Shouto. My original family."

He stopped, his eyebrow twitching. I stared at him, bending forward. "Listen to me, Bakugou. What I'm going to say is me being a hundred percent serious. Not that I wasn't serious before, but, you get my drift, don't you?"

I let out a small sigh, my thoughts whirling in my head as my head drooped down. "The crow went after me. Don't you think that's weird? I was just a normal citizen without any kind of record. Any stupid thing I've done never got out to the press."

Like that incident with Endeavor, I mused silently.

"So, why would he come after me? Unless his goal wasn't me," I raised my head, seeing his ruby red eyes still filled with confusion. "But my family. Or, someone bigger."

Bakugou was quiet. He didn't even move an inch. I let out another sigh.

"I know All Might. I was saved by him when I was a kid, and I even attended the Annual Hero Gala on the year I was kidnapped. Maybe one of his lackeys saw me with him then and stalked me or something. But another thing bugs me, don't you think the timing of my 'death' was weird? Why'd he pick that moment when Izuku was with me? It doesn't make any sense."

Unless he knew. Unless he knew that Izuku was going to be the reason for his downfall, so he needed to shut him down. Needed to break him through me.

Hah, sucks for that idiot, I snorted my head, recalling how Izuku stood up to that slime monster, with that pose I was all too familiar with. Recalling how brave he was standing up to the villains in front of him, even using that damn catchphrase. He's shining brighter than ever, take that shitty fucker.

"He's not after me only. He's after something bigger, something that poses as a bigger threat. I was just used as a stepping stone, and that makes me want to bash his skull in a dumpster and light a fire in his brains," I felt my anger enter my tone, making my fists shake. "If he's after All Might, are you telling me that you don't want to stand up to him? Maybe giving him a fucking hell of a beating for even attempting to mess with your hero?"

I've spent five years trying to shut my emotions down, trying to become stronger, trying to be a perfect doll for that messed up man. If he was going after my loved ones, going after All Might, I had to stop him. I had to stop Overhaul, and All for One. Those were two huge threats that maybe, just maybe, I had a chance of preventing.

I had to. Maybe this was why I came here. Maybe that was why all of this happened.

"And I need you for this, Bakugou," I leaned back, fixing my gaze on his. "Because you're an unpredictable element. You could be a key to stopping this shit show. To be honest, I don't know how I'm going to do this. There's just a part of me that knows that I have to. And, although our past together is like, equivalent to a squished grape, there's got to be a reason why you're here. That brings me to another question, why did you come here in the first place?"

Silence. Nothing came back. He wasn't even looking at me anymore, his eyes were blank, lost in his own thoughts.

But as the clock ticked on, another shiver racked my body, one that had nothing, yet, everything to do with the boy in front of me.

I stood up, turning away and walking towards my room in the back. "Think about it, Boom-box. I know you're smarter than you look, and I know as hell that your pride won't let you run away, not after hearing all of that."

I entered my bleak room, closing the door behind me. Feeling another chill rack my entire body, I fell onto my bed, covering my mouth and squeezing my eyes shut.

They were after Izuku, after All Might. All for One knew, didn't he? He told Overhaul, which led to all of this happening. All for One knew about me, how I didn't belong here, that was the only damn explanation that made sense.

But how? How did he? What was he really planning? If he knew about all of that, why hadn't he tried to kill All Might in a more straightforward way? Before I just made everything a whole lot more complicated?

…Me, fucking this up?

…Wait, what was going on in this world before I was shoved into Ochako's body? Was everything exactly the same as canon? Come to think of it, there were so many parts of this scenario that was different. Small details, small things that couldn't have possibly been just because I was here.

Think, think. There must have been a few times that struck me as odd. Go back, remember, remember, damn it!

I gritted my teeth, slamming a foot onto the floor.

In retrospect, I should have seen the next thing coming. I mean, the hideout wasn't exactly a brand-new house. It was old and smelt of burnt wood and alcohol, so really, the floorboards giving away wasn't really anything unexpected.

"Holy shit!" I yelped as my foot pierced through the floor, feeling the wood scratch my skin. "God, this place really needs a whole new makeover," I grumbled, sitting down on the floor and trying to get my foot out. However, the hole seemed to be an asshole, because it was the exact same size as my leg and so, it refused to let it through.

I growled, slamming my other leg to the space around the hole and hoping to make it bigger. But again, it seemed like the wood was as frail as hell, because I accidently made one too big.

I slipped. Yes, me, the once bad-ass assassin slipped, accidents happened after all.

I found myself falling straight through, engulfed in darkness. I immediately pressed my fingers to my body, activating my quirk as the fall slowed, softening my landing as I gently floated to what I assumed was the ground.

I recognized the strange situation immediately after I fell. The space I was in was too wide, it seemed like another room. The fall was far too long for the ground under me to be just a surface of the earth. The slight chill and the hard material under my feet, it looked like there was a hidden room under the hideout the entire time.

…How the hell did we not notice? How big was this place anyway? If it stretched all the way to under the bar room, there was no way Blister wouldn't notice. However, if it was only a small room under mine, I…guess Zero wouldn't have cared even if she noticed.

A small shuffle caught my ears. It was really quiet, miniscule even, but my ears were sensitive enough, especially since there was barely any light. The only thing that prevented this place from being pitch black was the dim light of the hole I made from above.

My hand automatically moved to my belt. Luckily, I was wearing my mission outfit just in case anything happened. I focused as I willed my eyes to adjust to the darkness, scanning my surroundings. As my eyeballs slowly got used to it, I found myself spotting a figure not too far from me. I could hear faint breathing. My instincts spiked.

It was small. It didn't seem like a threat, based on the way it wasn't moving.

I shifted carefully, opening my mouth. "I can see you. If you're not a threat, don't move."

I took out a small flashlight from my pocket. Turning it on, the small light made its way to the figure. However, as I did so, I saw something that looked like a bed. There was a blanket on it, white and blank, and pillows even.

Was someone living here?

A small leg showed itself on the light. It was small, frail, pale. I felt my stomach drop as I saw trembling limbs, small shoulders hunched into a ball as she pressed herself to the wall, her white hair fallen over her red eyes that shone with fear and emptiness.

…No fricken' way.

…Well, at least I could call off the mission trying to find her, she was under my bed the entire time after all.

"…Hey there, little princess?" I tried, going for a smile.

Ba-ba-da! New chapter! Ochako is back with a little new element, and the LoV are unsure of their future. Katsuki is in the hideout, tied up with messy restrains that wouldn't burn no matter what damn it. It was Blister's idea.

So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I will work on the next one, especially since the pure cinnamon bun has entered officially. Did you know that listening to MHA AMVs really set the mood for writing this?

Again, I love all my readers who enjoy this story! I hope you all have a fabulous May and remaining of April!

This is my twitter account! Runefairy12

See you next month!

~LunaricFairy12~