39 These Four Walls

'To question what is just and what is right is the luxury of the powerful. It is the luxury of the strong and of the wealthy to look back on history, and through the court of public opinion, pass judgement. A hero must never consider whether their actions are just, only that they are within the bounds of the law. To ask this question assumes that the law is wrong. I propose a counter-question: by which definition is a lawless action right? If a loved one turns to villainy, will you then permit their escape, and thus aid in whatever subsequent crimes? It is the right thing to do, is it not? After all, is personal loyalty not right in all cases? If we abide by the rule of the right, then we will descend into a lawless society. The letter of the law supersedes all personal beliefs.'

—Excerpt from 'The Laws of Heroes' by Hinata Ononoki.

Shouta Aizawa enters Nezu's office, feet dragging on the floor. He's tired and overworked and the only times he's slept in the last two weeks have been when he's collapsed from overwork.

"Shouta, do you know what your student has done?" Nezu asks before Shouta can even sit down. The rat-bear-thing is twirling an unlit cigar, his claws tapping a simple pattern on the chess set on the desk.

He's talking about Midoriya. There's no one else who causes as much trouble. Shouta takes a seat, groaning in frustration.

"Insulted heroics as a whole," he answers, glancing at the chess board on the principal's table.

"That, but the method in which he did it is the true issue. He defeated the Hero-killer. Do you remember who killed the original Herokiller?"

Of course, he does. Every child of Japanese birth knows.

"Hawkmoon."

"There's a certain parallelism there," Nezu says. "But no, the issue is that his words can be used by anyone. He called everyone out: the heroics industry, the government, the Imperial family, and the military. I knew he was charismatic, just not to this extent."

"Yes, I'm aware this is an issue. Did you just call me here to treat me like a child?"

His words are harsher than he intends but it is a rebuke. Despite Nezu's assumptions, he isn't a complete idiot.

Nezu inclines his head, accepting the reprimand for what it is.

"With a few words, your student is destabilising a tenuous peace. I've had an endless stream of emails from parents from Shikoku and Hokkaido threatening to pull their students. Edgeshot and Best Jeanist had a screaming match in public. In public, Shouta. Two top ten heroes calling each other out and behaving like brats."

Shouta winces. "He means well."

It's the main reason he still lets Izuku attend despite his numerous issues. The boy just wants to help people, and Shouta will see that happen.

It has nothing to do with Izuku being his favourite student.

"There was an incident involving Fumikage and a few second years a few months back. It was a stroke of luck more than anything that the altercation didn't turn violent."

"And you didn't tell me why?"

"Because it was faster to tell them they were on probation until they graduate then to call you over. Anyway, those same students got into a fight with students from Ketsubutsu during their internship. Apparently, UA is now an institute that harbours and actively encourages Stain supporters."

"He doesn't support Stain."

Nezu shakes his head. "It doesn't matter what he personally believes. He didn't take control of his own story, so everyone else is taking a piece of it for their benefit. This behaviour is why I dislike you humans. You're irrational, predisposed to believing fake news and taking other opinions without thinking them through."

"Not everyone's like that."

"You certainly are, though you claim cold rationality as your modus operandi."

"It is."

Nezu rolls his eyes petulantly. Shouta decides against calling him out.

"You need to understand why the battle lines are being drawn because of one child. It's time I teach you the about the world," Nezu says politely, as though they weren't about to have an argument. "It's time for you to learn the players in this Great Game we play."

Shouta taps the board. "I thought you didn't like chess."

"I don't like chess analogies," Nezu says. "It's too limiting. Too simplistic. Doesn't account well for other variables like socioeconomic influences and political agitators like your student."

"He's not," he begins, but pauses, considering his words more carefully. "Fine. He is. But that's just because he cares about people."

"Let's start with the government and the heroics industry."

Nezu opens a drawer.

He reaches in and pulls out a piece that resembles the National Diet building, placing it on the edge closest to Shouta. Then he pulls out a piece that represents Hawks and Edgeshot alongside a few faceless pieces.

"Not All Might?" Shouta asks.

Nezu shakes his head. "He's a UA alumnus. Those are my pieces." He taps the National Diet building. "The government ostensibly runs the country. They control the body that makes the laws, they control the police and organise public works. And they supposedly have control of the military."

"I take it that's not true in the slightest."

Nezu reaches in and removes a tank. He places it on the right side of the board. Soon after, faceless soldiers join the tank.

"The army which is based in Shikoku. The government has, functionally, no control of that region in the slightest. By technicality, the army reports to the Minister of Defence who is subordinate to the Prime Minister. In truth, the Minister of Defence is a pawn of the army and a member of the military junta they're looking to create."

He doesn't let his fear or hesitation show. "Military juntas are never successful."

"Considering Australia's been under one successfully for the past century, the military would say you're wrong. Stormwind's Europe was another and even after her death, the entire region is unified under her laws. No governmental structure is inherently unstable. Humans are what cause even the most well thought out democracies to be cesspools of corruption."

Nezu removes four pieces, boats that he places at each corner of the board. "The Navy. Allied to the military and the Imperial family, they're usually the first line of defence against invasion. They're also the most likely at any given time to defect and start a pirate fleet if they feel slighted."

"Like Rokuro Okajima and his crew," Shouta says, remembering the ship and its crew that lasted a year on the run before being sunk.

"Yes. Imagine that, but it is the entirety of the navy that goes rogue. I suppose, given that a large portion of the navy was slaughtered by unreasonable orders during the Dark Age, I can see why they may still bear a grudge."

Nezu places a piece that Shouta fails to recognise. It is only after he places the piece on the edge opposite to the government and heroes that he understands.

"Villains," Nezu explains. "I haven't had enough time to carve a piece for them. But they're one of the last groups. Diametrically opposed to heroics, and by extension the government, they possess a lot of power. You saw what they did to the Sports Festival."

He grits his teeth in frustration. "Yes."

Nezu takes a Chrysanthemum and places it on the left side of the board.

"The Royal Family," Nezu says. "Incredibly powerful but not publicly active. At least, not since Taiwan sank and their heir committed seppuku. Allies of convenience with the navy though they're opposed to the army and the government. The Royal Guard is their major means of force projection."

He takes six pieces and arrays them protectively in front of the Chrysanthemum piece.

"I don't know what exactly the Royal Family's done to secure the loyalty of the Guard but it must be powerful. No one's ever defected or attempted a coup like a Royal Guard usually does throughout history. Four of them are foreigners but they're all loyal. It bothers me some nights. Especially since they have this unfortunate proclivity to stealing my students on occasion.

"The last time every group was involved led to an incredible loss of life. The Imperial heir who killed twenty million Taiwanese people. The anti-quirk riots that followed soon after: police against civilians against their own neighbours; one-third of heroics students getting slaughtered by extremists and incompetent leaders. And then the Purge of Shikoku where the streets ran red with blood and black with fire. There's a balance of power, a precarious one that's maintained by agreements that are centuries old. And when that balance is destroyed, the loss of life is devastating. Do you understand now why I don't simply use my influence like a bludgeon? Why I don't try to fight out of the agreements that bind me?"

Shouta remembers that time well. His childhood is defined by those events. He lost his mother to black flames during that time and saw more violence, chaos, and bloodshed than anyone should be subjected to. He's over it, mostly, enough so that he isn't automatically trying to drown Fumikage for the way his quirk changed.

He may be disquieted and sickened by the black flames, but he is more than willing to give Fumikage the benefit of the doubt. The boy will come clean eventually and admit to everything. And when that happens, Shouta can help him.

Fumikage will have no choice but to accept his help, even if Shouta needs to drag him kicking and screaming towards heroics.

"You lack the power," Shouta says.

"No, you idiot. I do it because I want peace. A tense peace is better in every case than a war, no matter how short."

"Where do you go then."

He places UA's symbol right in the middle of the board. The school looks so small and insignificant against those forces.

"One needs perspective. Do you see how we are surrounded by enemies on all sides?"

He takes pieces that resemble All Might, Endeavour and a few other heroes, all larger than in stature than the school, and places them around the school in a defensive triangle.

"This is my power. My alumni and the influence they possess."

Nezu places them around UA before taking a faceless piece, turning the triangle into a square.

"The alumni from the other courses. They take positions that, whilst less prestigious, advance my ideals. A diligent accountant in public works makes sure money is allocated correctly and that people get the resources they need."

"This is insane. How do people not—"

"Notice? Because people are willfully ignorant. I don't claim they're stupid, just busy with their lives." Nezu shrugs. "You see it time and time again. No matter how great a country looks, there are always regions filled with poverty and violence. It might be along lines of race or ethnicity or even religion, but it's always been like that through history. The impoverished suffer in every nation. It's a simple fact.

"You can tell how progressive a country is in how they treat their lowest denominator. It doesn't matter how technologically advanced a nation is if they have no interest in extending a shred of human dignity to the poor." Nezu huffs. "Look at me, talking about human dignity. It's such an interesting concept. How ironic that a non-human tries to instil that value in other humans. Well, whatever good mood I had just vanished."

There is a bitterness to Nezu's words that runs deep, as old as the rodent-bear-thing has lived, and that's significantly longer that Shouto's been on this earth. It surprises him that he is Nezu's confidant, someone Nezu shares his fears and hopes and secrets with.

And there's little Shouta has given back other than loyalty.

"Do more good than bad on balance," Shouta says. "I think you've done that in your own way. I may not always agree with you and when you finally croak, I'm probably going to tear down a lot of what you've built."

Nezu laughs. "Yes, you will. When you grow old, it becomes easier to forget how important human life is. Eighty years for me is like three centuries for you."

"How are my students?" he asks after a beat.

They are a constant source of worry. Every night they keep him awake.

"We're localising them," Nezu says gently. "I promise you. We have Toji going through medicals and psych evaluations. There will be scars but he made it. Ryoji's in prison for selling drugs and whilst I would like to get him out, some judges are putting up a fuss. Some of the alumni have conveniently taken up activism for prisoner reform so he'll be out in a few weeks, months at most. With All Might's attack on the Yakuza, we managed to pull Kensuke out."

That's three. With Nagisa in custody and Rei in the facility, that makes five.

"That still leaves fifteen."

"They're harder to find. About five are working with the Imperial Family now."

"Fuck."

"My sentiments exactly. I dislike them greatly, but I can't help but admire their methods of control. Cracking their indoctrination is impossible given more than three weeks and I've certainly tried."

Shouta frowns. "There's a lot to be said for admiring your enemies, but not to the point we take after them."

"Too far?" Shouta nods. "Well, there is a reason I keep you around."

"You're certain it can't be broken."

"Not after two or so weeks. Surprising since I don't know any drugs or hallucinogen compounds that can provide the same effect. Not even in conjunction with more physical means of coercion. One day I'll crack it, but I've failed the last three times."

"And the rest?"

"Snipe's meeting with a broker gave him the location of three of them. He's currently traipsing through the rainforests of Malaysia."

"Isn't that a conflict zone?"

Nezu waves away that concern. "Snipe thrives in conflict zones. He gets restless in peace. So long as they're alive, he'll have them back in a week. And if someone's harmed them, he'll deal with them."

Shouta refuses to ask how. There are things he's fine with being willfully ignorant about. This happens to be one of those things.

A sharp knock pulls him from his thought. They both look to the door as it opens.

Nemuri peeks her head past, waving broadly. "Hey."

Nezu smiles. "You're here to steal him away."

"I didn't even say anything."

"I know you well." Nezu shoos Shouta. "Go have fun. I don't think the school will burn down in the next few hours."

Shouta shrugs. It's a welcome distraction considering what he's heard.

"We've come to a decision," Nemuri says, throwing an arm around Shouta. "You've been too busy and we're going drinking."

She drags him out of the office, waving goodbye to the principal.

He rolls his eyes, looking to Hizashi who is outside in the hallway. Shouta is not surprised to see him with Nemuri. If anything, he's just glad his friend is up and walking.

"Why are you forcing me to do this?"

His friend pokes him in the side.

"Cause we like you," Hizashi says, voice raspy and thin, nothing like the rich and booming voice he had before the Sports festival.

It makes Shouta sad. Hizashi may never be a hero again. But he can still be a teacher.

He doesn't smile for Nemuri or Hizashi. They know him too well to need that. Before he can argue, they're dragging him away.

-TDB-

Tartarus prison is an island unto itself, a vast complex holding some of the most dangerous villains of Japan. Connected to the mainland only by a long bridge, a bridge with multiple checkpoints and security stations, it is near impossible to escape. Escape via the sea is unfeasible due to the very visible patrol boats, and even should one escape, for a mile in every direction, there is monitoring equipment beneath the water and along the barren shore.

There are few prisons in the world as impenetrable as Tartarus. It was designed centuries ago to hold Warlords in check, and though it never weathered that test, it is still a formidable location.

He is here only because of a request from an inmate, one his mother and All Might had vehemently argued against.

Izuku, however, refuses to reject this offer. He needs to see this man and learn who he truly is. Why he is who he is.

There are so many security measures it leaves him dizzy: biometric scans, pressure sensors to compare his weight against his most recent medical records; two separate lie-detector tests; a comparison of his quirk against a portion of his quirk assessment unsealed for this test; and a final check to remove any sort of device capable of emitting an electronic signal.

Finally, after every possible check he can imagine, he is given permission to enter a viewing room. And strongly reminded that there are no less than four gunmen trained on him at all times, not counting the turrets that will spring up should he try something.

The room is sterile, white tile floor on white tile ceiling. A barrier divides the room, the bottom-half thick steel and the upper half clear ballistic glass.

He slides into a seat across from the man. It isn't a comfortable chair nor is it painful. No, it, like everything else in this prison, is designed to fulfil a singular function and fulfil it well.

"Stain."

The name is heavy with expectation and possibility. It isn't one to say lightly. No, saying his name is to carry the weight of revolution, even if only for a moment.

The hero-killer bares his teeth in a parody of a smile. Not that Stain has the capability of moving more than his face. The man is stuck in a straight-jacket and his body strapped down to the wheelchair.

It looks inhumane and makes Izuku sick to see. This isn't what he wants to fight for. He's fighting for a world where prisoners leave their jails better than they entered, not one where they're treated callously.

"Kid," the villain greets with a small amount of respect. "Know why I called you?"

Don't be afraid, Mikumo says. He is a test that you must pass.

"To talk. You want to take my measure. I want to do the same."

"Let's skip the bullshit and dive into it."

Izuku forces a grin and lets slip a hint of violence and madness. A thrill of pleasure runs up his spine when Stain's eyes widen slightly, the tiniest hint of fear. Already, he has won the first round.

"Bring it."

"Quirks and heroes halted progress," Stain says rapidly, strongly, attempting to recover ground. "Villains regressed it."

"Saruhiko Ando," Izuku says in acknowledgement. "The emergence of quirks brought violence and instability. Without the New Age Heroes, Warlords would still roam the earth and leave havoc in their wake. That's not a conducive environment for advancement."

"Haven't you heard, necessity and struggle are the great foundation of all advancement," Stain says tauntingly. "Peace only allows linear advancement along already known technological lines. Breakthroughs aren't common during times of peace."

Izuku rolls his eyes. "Right. That's why people went from landlines to touch-screen devices with incredible processing power in about twenty-five years of relative peace."

"And in the centuries since, we have slightly better cameras."

Izuku inclines his head, conceding that point to stain if only for a moment. The rate of advancement is something he knows all too well.

"There has been no significant scientific advancement ever since the advent of quirks. We see as much advancement in a decade as our predecessors before quirks saw in a year."

"That's only partly true," Izuku says. "The Tanegashima Space Centre recently proved manned flights to Mars are possible away from the Equator with advanced technology. They built entirely new rocket technologies, pioneered new material science research streams, and advanced the field of controlled environments."

"Manned missions to Mars were already planned in the twenty-first century. We're behind them and it's centuries later. That isn't advancement. That's why our view of heroes needs to change. We're complacent, believing our great heroes will save us from everything. And the villains themselves push us back even further."

Izuku holds back a glare, and perhaps a smile. It isn't often that he speaks with someone who knows as much about quirk matters and fewer still he genuinely respects.

"Sure, but you're ignoring the biological constraints. People are still leery about space travel, especially after the Tanegashima team's first long term trip. The entire team experienced rampant mutation. Of the five manned missions since then, sixty percent of the crew showed aberrant mutations. The Tanegashima team may not have sent another manned mission yet, but they're getting there. One underfunded team that made equivalent strides to the periods of advancement you're talking about. It's not that technology isn't advancing, but we've reached a level of mastery that incrementing the body of knowledge even the tiniest bit requires an advanced multidisciplinary team. And besides, you're completely ignoring quirk-based research."

Stain scoffs. "Which Japan is lagging behind in. And do you know why we're failing to reach the same heights as Zimbabwe or Spain?"

"Because we have more stringent laws regarding quirk testing."

"No, because people are afraid. Fear of the unknown makes us hesitant to accept change. It's why Japan is filled with villains and corrupt heroes that support an unjust government."

"And your solution was working with the League of Villains. Even though you hate villains?"

"Know your enemy. Only then can you truly defeat them. I dismantled their Hokkaido branch. Working with them to defeat a common enemy would have accelerated my plan for destroying their organisation."

"And who the hell was your common enemy?"

Stain's gaze is dark and cruel. "All Might."

Izuku feels ice creep down his spine. No, that isn't fear or dread, but cold rage. Slowly, he unclenches his jaw before his teeth shatter.

"I would have expected All Might to be someone you respect."

"He's no different from the rest. Him and Endeavour and Hawks are all the same." Stain clicks his teeth. "I did some research about you. Do you know how easily he could have stopped your classmate from hurting you?"

"Fuck you," he snaps, mouth clicking shut loudly at the end.

"And he chose not to. Maybe out of arrogance. Maybe indifference. But it proved he is the same as them."

Izuku feels his canine shatter in his mouth. He swallows the blood and bone and crystal. It can grow back.

"You don't know him as I do," Izuku says, a moment away from punching through the ballistic glass and strangling Stain.

He focuses on the odd sensation of a new tooth pushing through, slightly larger and perhaps sharper than the last canine. It takes a good minute, but it is a minute he uses to regain his composure.

"You never received a trial," Izuku says, changing the subject. "Criminal trials aren't processed in a day. All Tartarus prisoners need judicial permission."

Stain has a smile on his face, one-part satisfaction at making Izuku lose his composure, and one-part genuine amusement.

"Why would you believe I would get one?"

"Because that's how the law works. Society crumbles when we don't follow the law."

"Trials are only for people they consider human. But a villain can never be human. To call a villain human implies humane treatment."

"And what's wrong with that?"

Stain pauses, his eyes narrowing. "I don't know if you're naïve or just have that much compassion. Humane treatment comes with costs. It represents an expenditure of time, money, and talent. But if you dehumanise a villain, then you can throw in a hole and forget about them until they inevitably die due to malnutrition or inmate violence."

"That's…"

"The society you will fight for. That All Might, Endeavour and Hawks fight for. That your school teaches you to fight and protect. Am I villain for wishing us to go back to the standard set by our predecessors, by Hawkmoon and Hero? They fought for freedom whilst your heroes battle for wealth. How different are they from the Warlords of old? They may not hold territory and are government sanctioned, but they fight for the same reasons as the warlords."

He swallows, gripping his trousers tightly. "That doesn't justify what you did."

"And yet now you know. The one true hero knows of society's ills. You fought me not just because you wanted to protect your idiot friend. You fought because I represented a world you would not abide by."

"You're wrong," he whispers.

"Am I? You quoted Hawkmoon. Any place can be a paradise. Is this your paradise?"

"You're taking that out of context."

"No, I'm not and you know that. Ando and Hawkmoon were both clear about one thing: we can only achieve a brighter future by battling for it. Were your ideals simply words to impress yourself?"

Stop retreating, Mikumo says sternly. You know the truth. Face it. No matter how much it hurts.

With a deep breath, he speaks the truth.

"No."

Stain shakes his head. "By beating me publicly you can't ever back down. You do that and you'll lose your legitimacy. The world watches you now. In time, they will label you as a villain for standing against their society."

"Calling for reform doesn't make a person a villain."

"That's the story of history and change. Get a history book and see what happened to anyone who protested a king's decision, who campaigned against the government. Most revolutions end in failure and vilification of the revolutionaries." Stain nods, almost to signify himself. "The people in here. Do you know what unites them?"

"No."

"Most of them are villains, but some of them fought for societal change or tried to keep their communities safe. There are kids in here, some as young as sixteen. Haven't killed anyone. But they were more than just people who fought heroes. No, they were the kind of people with ideologies that went against the government. People who made peace in lawless cities."

"That's just the side of the story you want to hear. People don't get put in here if they're harmless."

Stain's eyes narrow as a hawk would on seeing a mouse.

"What is Stormwind to you?" Stain asks without preface, a sudden change to the flow of their conversation.

No matter. This is an answer engraved in Izuku's soul right down to the bone. It is the cornerstone of his existence, as certain as the law of gravity in the real world.

"She was a villain and a tyrant," he answers simply. "She was the one who kept us in the Dark Age. When she surrendered, the New Age began."

Stain laughs. "How naïve. Tell me, do you respect Master Railroad?"

"Everyone does."

"If you ask any single person from Europe, they'll tell you he was, at best, a puppet of a corrupt UN. At worst, he was the vilest of villains."

Izuku recoils, eyes wide. "He was a hero."

"Not to Europe. The day of his disappearance is a continent-wide holiday. Stormwind unified the fractured states and restored order. Because of her, there was clean water, food, and construction. Because of her power, no one challenged Europe. That's why they're at the forefront of development. Anyone who does that is a hero."

"She killed tens of thousands of her own people. A few million more across the world. You can't justify that."

"Then why was one of the three largest hero institutes built in the city she lived out the rest of her long life? Toledo Research Institute stands beside UA as one of the great hero institutes, and it was built in honour of her. You call her a villain, and yet, Europe hails her as a visionary and peacemaker scorned by foreign enemies. Go to Dublin or Athens or Helsinki or Berlin and you'll find monuments to her."

"Next you'll try and tell me Titan was a good man."

"No. He was a monster and a despot. Even his own soldiers feared him more than they loved him. It's why people around the world love Hawkmoon. Even Europeans do because she destroyed the Empire that rose up in the wake of Stormwind's surrender and took over Germany."

Izuku grits his teeth. "She was a tyrant."

"She was a Great Tyrant and wore that title proudly," Stain says, his smile sickening. "But she wasn't a villain, not by any stretch. Her hands might have been stained red, but she brought peace. And she never killed anywhere near as much as our Royal Family did. She killed her enemies and made examples out of dissenters. You live in a country where one of your highest bodies killed twenty million people. The last Taiwanese people hate Japan and consider us all villains."

"The man who committed that crime died."

"And you think that will reassure a kid who lost her entire family when one man sunk an island. Ninety percent of the population was killed."

"We never forgave him for that. No can forgive that. Just like no one should forgive Stormwind for those she killed."

"To the people of Europe, she can be forgiven. You know of the Warlords of the past."

"Hawkmoon and the other heroes fought against them."

"Yes, but not in Europe. They were too bogged down everywhere else. Europe had seven Warlords, some monsters and some simply because no one else would lead. Stormwind fought them all: the Don Quixote Family and their leader Doflamingo fell in Seville; the undying armies of Gecko Moria in Belarus; the Snake Empress in Rome who became part of her government; the strongest swordsman who cleaved the Carpathian Mountains in half during their duel; the Sand Crocodile whose schemes to subvert her people failed against her might; the First Son of the Sea who would be her Admiral, and later a minister of her government."

Izuku knows those names but European history was never his interest. The tales of Hakwmoon and Master Railroad and Graviton Lance, the New Age Heroes, and the lands they visited have always held his attention. Just like most people, he can name the two Great Tyrants and even many of the Warlords around the world.

But there are too many to know them all. Warlords were common and villains capable of destroying cities were the norm. The Dark Age had been a time of near constant bloodshed and conflict, a time where petty kings found power and were dethroned daily. Every country in the world shows the scars of the era, from mountains cut in half to dried seas and giant trenches through capital cities.

"They traded seven dictators for one tyrant," Izuku says after a beat. "Doesn't seem like a great deal to me."

"It was one of the best deals ever brokered. The petty wars between Warlords stopped. The citizens you would protect could walk outside with looking over their shoulder. They weren't subject to the cruel whims of a Warlord or their indifference to villains."

Izuku glares. "On a whim, she sacked Minsk and tore down the Swiss Alps to make an example out of her dissenters. Stop trying to say she was good. A monster can do something good and they'll still be a monster at the end of the day."

"Regardless of how she did it, her influence was beneficial to the people of Europe. The war against Titan, the same war that Hawkmoon and her allies led, freed Brazil from a despot, but tens of millions died in the process. Being a hero is easy because of what people like Stormwind and Hawkmoon and Hero herself did. None of us here would have survived that era. Hesitation meant death. Only the strongest could make a future."

"Might doesn't make right."

"It did back then. Back then, people as strong as All Might were a dime a dozen. Back then, people with All Might's power helped those who couldn't help themselves. Strength is the privilege to help the weak. When was the last time you really helped people, kid? Not that bullshit hero stuff. When was the last time you helped someone who needed it?"

From anyone else, he may resent the accusation. But an insidious part of him genuinely likes Stain. Smart, charismatic and captivating, Izuku knows that in another time and under different circumstances, they may have been friends.

This man, this supposed villain, is someone Izuku can't help but like.

"There was a girl once that I couldn't save," he says, unbidden, knowing this man will understand. "I don't think she was older than eight. That sunflower dress was a bit too big, but she'd grow into it, I think. I was just walking back from school. Maybe I was going to it. I don't know since it's been so long. Her quirk activated, and she killed people by mistake. I watched the police do their job and bring a villain down. She was begging to be saved and I fucking sat back and did nothing."

Stain watches him carefully but with a genuine sense of empathy that Izuku can feel easily. There isn't any pity or something so crass, just understanding."

"How old are you?"

"Fifteen, no, I think I'm sixteen."

With all the time he's spent in the abyss, Izuku has lost track of his age. Without the tiny growth spurt he's experienced, Izuku wouldn't be certain if time affects him any longer.

"Same difference," Stain says. "What were you gonna do? Fight the police and go to prison? Refuse and become a villain? Keep on fighting till you're another Warlord?"

"I'd never go that far."

"But you'd do something." Stain sighs. "Look, it was a shitty hand but that's the kind of shit your heroes protect. I never got a trial and I never will. And if you keep on trying to be a hero you won't be able to help the next kid."

"Then what the fuck am I supposed to do."

"Stop trying to save people. You hate this system as much as I do, and people who want to save others let it exist. Go help everyone that's been forgotten. Go to Hokkaido and Shikoku and help people there."

The light in the room flashes from green to red then back to white. It is the signal that their time is coming to an end.

"You're young," Stain says, sighing heavily. "I can't fault you much for that. Be a kid as long as you can. One day, that childish view you've built up will come crashing down. When that happens, you'll have to start making hard choices. You'll have to find your own justice in a brave, new world. And a lot of people will hate it, hate you. I hope you'll be ready because I'm trusting you with changing things."

"Against my better judgement, I think I don't dislike you."

"My name is Chizome Akaguro. If anyone deserves to use it, it's you."

He can't help the tiny smile that graces his lips.

"Izuku Midoriya."

"Break me out and I'll give you your first beer."

"I don't drink."

Izuku stands and leaves the prison. He leaves behind someone he wishes he knew better and under kinder circumstance. It doesn't feel fair that this is how it must be. He'll never forgive Stain for his actions, never forget the bloodshed he caused, but he does regret any of this had to happen.

In the quiet of his room, hidden away from everyone, he looks at his hero memorabilia. Dozens upon dozens of figurines and posters and card packs and clothes. With a heavy heart, he pulls it all down and packs it in boxes. When that's done, he carries those boxes to the spare room and stores them there.

His room feels barren with only a single poster of All Might on the wall. This is something he can't part with. All Might is his hero, his friend, and mentor. But maybe, just maybe, there are lessons he needs to learn that Toshinori can't teach.

Izuku closes his eyes, remembering that girl he failed to save. Alone, in his barren room, no one is there to see him mourn a little girl that the world has forgotten, alone somewhere in a prison.

"I wish we met under better circumstances, Chizome."

-TDB-

This is the last official day of his internship. After this, Fumikage Tokoyami will have a short break before school. A long weekend, really, before returning to his classmates. His classmates who include Asui. The anger remains and perhaps will never go. The possible confrontation leaves him nervous.

He wonders how Izuku is doing with media attention. He's never been one for the spotlight, preferring to hide like a skittish mouse despite being a predator. It is part of what Fumikage finds endearing about him, that duality between civility and violent madness.

"We're gonna see someone before I drop you off." Maya doesn't look at him when she says that, too busy watching the view outside.

Fumikage looks at Maya and shrugs. He has other things significantly more important to do. Like research how swords are forged and their various designs. If there is any good to come out of this internship, it's that he will have a sword one way or another to replace the fake in his room.

His only comfort from a week of bloodshed and abyssal monsters will be a weapon of war. There's an implication there that Fumikage doesn't want to think about.

Have you considered something?

What?

That you have essentially sold-out to the imperial family.

Fumikage frowns. You told me this was necessary.

It is. But think. She showed you something you could not abide by and bought your sense of honour. She grants you her affection easily. She taught you, clothed you, and paid you. It makes you her creature through and through.

The same way you're my creature, he snaps snidely.

Dark Shadow laughs in his mind. Oh, my dear prince of crows, we all have chains. You're just too blind to see the one she has around your throat.

"You gonna keep frowning like that all day?" Maya watches him out the corner of her eye. "Because it's ruining the mood."

"If I wanted to quit right now, would you let me?"

"Yes," she answers without hesitation.

"Why?"

She sighs and shifts to face him fully, patient as any teacher. "Because I'm not here to coerce you. Leave and just keep our secrets to yourself and I'll leave you be. It's that simple. Work with us and you're an asset like the person we're visiting. Walk away and you're a non-entity. Betray me and you're a liability I'll eliminate. It's simple calculus."

"It's ruthless calculus."

The helicopter sets down.

"To survive and conquer you need to be ruthless and willing to sacrifice. Is this where we part ways?"

He considers it. To leave is to step away from this path that has already driven away Asui and may drive away others. Izuku would never agree with sacrificing one life to save a thousand. For Izuku, the only life allowed to be sacrificed is his own.

"Ignorance isn't bliss and knowledge is no curse. The true curse is to have the power to act on that knowledge. To have both is to bind yourself to the chains of duty."

"I'm not even going to pretend I know what's going on with you."

"It means I am stuck with your presence."

"Cool." She opens the door and steps out of the helicopter. "I don't particularly care about how edgy you want to be or any of that teenage angst."

Fumikage leaves as well, glad that he can't blush and sees the pilot, the same older man from Nakajima.

The pilot bows to Fumikage. "Inquisitor."

"Thank you," he says, uncertain of what else to offer after that.

The pilot smiles.

Fumikage rushes after Maya.

"Inquisitor. Why that name? What about me makes you think of an Inquisitor?"

"We have a person whose job it is to come up with our codenames. Sometimes they make sense like our warpers being called Itinerant and Nomad. Sometimes they're very bad and obscure references. I'm pretty sure he chose Inquisitor as someone who searches for truth. It might also be a historical reference to the Spanish Inquisition or even some game. Honestly, no one really knows."

"And Agonist?"

"Can you just shut up about that. Izanami is my official title."

"Which no one seems to use." Fumikage rolls his eyes and decides not to push her. "He bowed to me. Why?"

"Because you're important now. Because you're one of us." She ruffles his feathers affectionately. "You fight the battle he cannot. And for that, he honours you. In many ways, he probably hopes you'll become a formal special asset."

"What?"

"You really should read the dossiers we send you."

"I do," he protests.

She scoffs. "Please. You barely even know how my OTA is structured."

"Your what?"

"Proving my point."

They take to the roofs as they head to their destination. Being back in Mustafu makes him smile because this is home. He hasn't spent more than two days in the city since his internship started in earnest, sleeping in hotels and boats and helicopters. He's come to love that freedom of being unattached to a single location.

Still, despite that, Mustafu smells like home and for now, that's enough to calm his restless heart.

"Asset Nomad can be odd," She says. "Don't worry, he won't hurt you."

It takes him a moment to orientate himself until he can recognise where they are. He's been here a few times, not often, but often enough he wouldn't manage to get too lost.

They're two streets away from the Midoriya household when they come across a man leaning against a solar panel array.

The man is short, only a bit taller than Fumikage. His hair is dark, peppered with white. His eyes are a green that burns with knowledge of the void. It is the horrible scars, perhaps from a giant claw, that encompass the left side of his face.

"So, you're the one," the man says. "Tell the elder tree to stop hiding."

Fumikage frowns as does Dark Shadow within his soul. Without prompting, the demon rises from his body and watches the man warily.

"It's been a long time since we spoke to each other," the man says.

You know me?

"Of course. We had many conversations under the watch of the godflame's vessel. It seems you've found yourself attached to royalty."

Yes. This is my prince of crows, Dark Shadow says affectionately. Not the most dignified, perhaps, but my favourite.

"I would hope he is. I never expected your final life-cycle to look like this. Compact, mobile, and able to survive places where the godflame exerts the most influence. How much of your memories remain, Old Bark?"

That name… I had forgotten I once held it. My memories return slowly.

The man grins. "Hopefully you'll get them all back. You're the last of your kind. They'll need your knowledge if you make a new forest."

Burnt by the heat of the flame we guarded for an eternity. A fitting pyre, and a more fitting coronation ceremony, for a king.

"I would expect you to be bitter."

Bitterness is of you humans.

Fumikage knows that to be a lie. He can feel the grief and bitterness as easily as he can feel the wind on his feathers.

A glance shows Maya completely indifferent to the man or his words. Fumikage crosses his arms.

"I'm sorry but who are you to know so much?"

"This is Special Asset Nomad," Maya says. "This is the man who would have retrieved Izuku if he hadn't been a disaster at talking to his wife and gone missing." The man shrugs. "Everyone calls him the World Walker. He's an ally, unfortunately."

"There's nothing unfortunate about me."

"You're still an ally and you're still doing our work. That makes you an asset. We keep our assets. Especially you."

The man rolls his eyes. "Fanatics," he stage-whispers before focusing on Fumikage. "My name is Hisashi."

He blinks. He knows of only one Hisashi of any importance. And he's learnt there's no such thing as coincidence.

"Atakani?"

The man leans back, surprised. "Yes. I haven't been called that in a long time. You saved my son. For that, I will always be in your debt. Thank you."

The man, Izuku's father, changes fundamentally. Where once there was an elderly looking man who had been through too many fights, now something else completely stands where he stood. Their forms are roughly the same: black hair, yes, but now it seems less like strands of hair and more wisps of shadows; the freckles remain but they are pinpricks of the light of creation, and its scars bear the weight of felled gods.

Hisashi Atakani is gone and in his place stands something his soul identifies as the World Walker. He knows instinctively that it is an infernal engine following a set of instructions. It calculates threats and devises the most expedient way to eliminate them no matter their nature.

Never fight this machine, my prince, Dark Shadow says through their private bond. The destruction is not worth it.

"I will not harm you, Elder Tree" It nods to where Fumikage imagines Dark Shadow resides in his soul. "When you are ready, this one World Walker will find you and take you to the abyss, slaveking."

The world seems to tear apart as a doorway forms. Beyond it, he can see the abyss and winged creatures riding on gusts of reverse causality.

"Wait," Maya says.

The World Walker vanishes, leaving Hisashi in its place. "What?"

"She says she wants to see you. Go visit her before she makes us kidnap her uncle."

Hisashi shakes his head. "I'm not her uncle."

"She doesn't care."

Hisashi sighs, before walking through the doorway. The rip in the fabric of spacetime vanishes with his passing.

"Who is she?" Fumikage asks after a beat.

Maya observes him for a moment. "The Emperor's daughter."

Fumikage turns his head slowly, processing those words. "The Emperor's daughter calls Hisashi uncle. What the fuck?"

She shrugs. "He's not actually her uncle but kids can be stubborn. Hisashi's worked with us a long time and we're fond of him, even if he is an unrepentant idiot."

Fumikage takes a deep breath and looks to Dark Shadow. The demon is lost in thought, disinterested in the conversation.

"Do you remember him?" he asks, poking at his connecting to the demon.

Dark Shadow rumbles. Perhaps. There was a human skin-morph that I remember. I remember speaking under the auspices of the godflame's heat. But I cannot remember the full details. Perhaps in time. All I know is that he helped me pioneer this life-cycle, this contingency against extinction.

There is frustration in his companion's voice.

"We'll figure it out."

Dark Shadow nods once before returning to his soul. And, for some reason, shoving the dragon aside in its resting spot. It grumbles but does nothing else.

Maya stands. "Let's go."

He walks beside her as they head to his home. "Is he powerful? Like Izuku."

"The Midoriya family is… exceedingly powerful. From the Sports Festival footage we've gathered, Inko Midoriya may possess one of the most powerful telekinesis quirks we've ever observed. There's no real point of talking about Izuku. You know the extent of his power. But Hisashi is an odd case. He's physically nothing special. Fit for his age but a good blow will take him out."

"So, you could beat him in a fight?"

She laughs as though that is the funniest thing he has ever said. "Inquisitor, he's taken on the entire Royal Guard and won."

His eyes widen as he thinks of all that he has seen of her abilities. To move as fast as the light itself and brandish it as a weapon capable of burning away corruption from the abyss. If they got into a fight, it would be over before he could form a single thought. The idea of one man beating her and her allies stretches the limits of his imagination.

"But you…"

"Everyone has a counter and that's what makes Nomad so dangerous. He can counter just about anyone. With his doorways, he can deflect any attack. And, for unique cases like my own, he has made deals with creatures in the abyss that completely nullify our abilities."

"Aizawa then. His quirk nullifies other quirks."

"He's got another ability. He breathes the godflame." Fumikage shudders. "It's his final ability. I've seen him use it once after being pushed to the limit."

"That sounds broken."

"Not necessarily. As I said, he's not physically strong. He has little defence against sneak attacks or attacks from outside his perception range. If he doesn't come to a fight prepared, then he's going down. Admittedly, when we fought, it wasn't a fight so much as him throwing a tantrum. Which we deserved."

He makes a sound of confusion.

"He went missing on a job for us and spent a decade away from his family. It made him a bit upset. If I wanted to kill him, I would have stabbed him in the throat. But it was our fault he wasn't with his family for a decade. He's is smart enough to pick battles he can win, and when he finds an opponent that may be a threat, he neutralises them with diplomacy. That man balances the Emperor against certain other groups with his presence alone."

"No man should hold that much power."

"You hold potentially as much. You should read your threat report."

He stops walking. Maya only notices after a few seconds and turns, hand on her waist.

"I'm not certain if I should be worried that you have one or that you're willing to let me see it."

She shrugs. "Maybe you'll learn a bit about yourself. We've already dealt with your weakness to light with your new costume."

That is true. Fumikage catches up to her and they continue walking.

"I don't understand. He's a… special asset to you, but you seem to hold him in high regard. Is he part of the Guard? Related to the Emperor? Does that make Izuku a prince?"

"The answer to that doesn't matter. If he is, then he's abdicated his right to the throne. And if he isn't, then he'd never be able to claim the throne anyway."

"If I asked again, would you tell me the honest answer?"

She laughs humourlessly. "Yes."

"And if I asked what you consider Izuku?"

Her hand is on his head, smoothing out his feathers. Anyone else, he would have slapped away for invading his personal space. But there's a melancholy to her that makes him hesitant to do so.

Or you're thinking with your dick.

"A non-entity. It's a requirement of our agreement with Hisashi. We protect Izuku and his mother against threats. We leave them be from our machinations. It is a small price to pay to ensure he holds All For One in neutrality.

"What the hell is All For One?"

"A name you won't ever utter around another soul." He looks around and finds the street empty. "There are old agreements that keep Japan stable. That keeps any country stable, really. Our agreement with All For One, brokered and enforced by Hisashi, is one such deal."

"You fear him. This… All For One."

She ruffles his feathers, her fingers gentle. "Little Crow, never fight him. Never search for him. Never challenge him. I do not want you to die."

"But you could beat All Might. He can't be that strong."

She isn't smiling. The persistent confidence and blasé attitude to all threats are gone.

"I could beat All Might with the entirety of the Guard if he wasn't prepared and I attacked from stealth, and even then, the losses would be severe. He's the greatest hero of this era, the most Perfect Fighter in the world for a reason. And All For One is the Strongest Man Alive. The mountain between them is… don't ever pit yourself against them. I would need the full might of the Guard to save you. And even then, I doubt all of us together could survive against All For One."

She kneels, her hands gripping his shoulders tightly. There is genuine fear in her eyes. This is the first time he's ever seen her afraid. Not even monsters from the abyss inspire anything more than caution from her.

"He's killed Emperor's before," she says quietly. "He fought Japan and broke it over his knee. He has won wars alone. We don't know why he hasn't taken total control, but he can at any time he wants. Promise me you'll never go after him. Promise me you'll never try to fight him."

"I promise," he whispers.

"Good," she says. "Because if you tried to attack him, I'd kill you for the sake of everyone I love. I won't risk a war with the Strongest Man Alive."