Different Shades of Heroism

Hawks wasn't your typical hero. Things about him weren't hero like. He did things most would think unheroic for heroic reasons. And his thoughts on his actions were always split.

His thoughts on the situation presented before him was the same as other times. Hatake Kakashi. Dark grey eye and one red eye. Hair: Gray. Age: 13. Height: 5"3. Weight:105 lbs. Quirk: Lightning, Fire, Earth, and Water. Guardian: Ryuko Tatsuma.

The file laid before him, read by him multiple times. Given to him by the the President personally. It matched what he'd seen from the kid. What everyone saw from the kid. He was raw, unfiltered, and unfolding. Even in severe pain, he was fighting. Most wouldn't see it, most didn't, but he did. He saw Kakashi use Midoriya's raw power to his advantage upon realizing he could be damaged. Intelligence like that as well as his uncaring attitude for doing it was a dangerous combination. It didn't look like he hesitated at all.

Flashback

Bowing down on his fist and knee, he looked directly at his superiors. He'd already seen the news. Who hadn't? It was everywhere. On every news channel. On every website. And on every social media platform.

But he knew why. This was serious. Especially for the Commission. A child willingly killing a villain. A crime so blatant that actions had to be taken immediately. He knew he would be called, in some fashion. He just didn't know what for.

"I'm sure you've heard the about the news already. So I'd like to get down to business." The president said, her gaze focused and professionally calm. Befitting her stature. "We've calculated that Hatake is a threat to the entire world at large, not just Japan. But we'd like to see if he is a controllable threat. Can he be controlled? That's what we are looking for and want you to find out."

"What will have me do?" He asked dutifully, preparing himself. He hoped he didn't have to kill a child.

"Gather information on him first. We have files about him that have been updated to accommodate the knowledge we've just gained. But we don't have enough to tell if he can be controlled or not."

They wanted to try and control him? He honestly didn't know why they wanted to do that instead of just flat out trying to sabotage him. They had already estimated his recovery time to be a maximum of four weeks to a minimum of three weeks. More than enough time to sabotage. But one couldn't be too careful.

She continued. "Edgeshot has yet to be found during the 24 hour search for him in regards to the investigation. I would like your investigation to start there. Find him and bring him in so he can be questioned. Be casual, and find out everything you can about Kakashi. I'm sure his disappearance has something to do with it."

"Yes, President."

X

He closed the file and stuffed it inside his many jacket pockets. The city from above was a dazzling view, as always. His wings spread out wide and he took off in the night sky. His mission to find anything he could about Kakashi had officially begun. And it started with finding the missing No.5 Hero.

XxX

Pakkun weaved his way carefully through the shadows, eyes on high alert for anyone that spots him while also using his nose to track his owner's scent. It's heavy in the entire place by now, but he can still tell what direction the scent is going. Following it backwards will lead him to the strongest source.

'I know this is a fight club or whatever, but I'm smelling more blood than I think I should...' his gaze snapped to a boulder in the middle of the entire maze-like arena. 'There! Kakashi's scent peaks here!'

His eyes scanned the walking crowd. It was thinning slowly, an anticipated match was beginning after all. He was lucky. Most likely, a crowd always usually occupied the entire thing. Something must've happened to make them want to stick closer together. It only made sense to him.

Finally, after ten long minutes, the crowd was gone, off to see the fighting. He took a glance on both sides before walking to the road like ground that was used for a bridge between the different fighting arenas.

His ears twitched when the sound of a human heartbeat reached them. He looked around and saw no humans around him at all. The heartbeat persisted. His eyes scanned the large boulder.

'Wait...that's not a boulder. It's...some sort of wall? Is something in there?' He began to pace around it. 'I can fell Kakashi's chakra laced into it. It's weak. It's about to break from how weak the signal is.'

He'd give it about another minute or two before it did break. It was a heartbeat coming from it, so he guessed a person. Perhaps this was a person who had information on his whereabouts. He needed information like that sorely, it wasn't everyday his owner got caught up in something he couldn't get himself out of.

Kakashi was a prodigy among prodigy, talent stacked atop other talents. Kakashi was an enigma to most, someone hard to figure out. He was aloof, cold, and distant to anyone that wasn't in the pack. It only took him full day spending it alongside Kakashi in the Konoha to know that. Kakashi never tried to hide it. He liked being alone. Ever since the day he died. Or maybe perhaps even before then.

But Pakkun had the pleasure of seeing his good side. His soft side. Everyone had one. Even a cold, traumatized Hatake. He just hid them from the world, like he didn't want to seem vulnerable. Like he couldn't.

Even through his cold exterior usually made it hard for him to read, no one could truly hide their emotions. Humans and emotions were linked like star-crossed lovers. Unimaginable without the other. Kakashi had emotions. He could smell them. If he was happy, his face didn't change, but the tone of his scent did. It was an easy indicator of how Kakashi felt.

These days, all Kakashi felt was rage, guilt, and a feeling of being lost. His emotions were no longer clear cut. Little by little, he was becoming more emotional than ever. But it wasn't the good kind of emotions. It wasn't what he needed. Those emotions were negative, filling his heart and head with unsavory thoughts. Thoughts that could get someone discharged.

Maybe that was why he did it. Hid his emotions. Maybe he was so bad at controlling them after his father's death that he just decided to forgone what he felt altogether. The mind of a child seeing his dead father, killed by the village he had to swear to protect, could come up with a number of things. With such an undeveloped understanding it was bound to be an awful thought process.

Following the rules to the letter just to differentiate himself and put distance between his father was just one of the extremes he chose. It was a blessing in disguise that he didn't just follow after his father and kill himself. It'd be much easier probably. He didn't have to deal with the angry eyes of the villagers he had to protect, or the blades of enemies he had to cut down.

In that way, Kakashi was stronger than his father. Mentally, anyways. Physically, it would take a while to reach his level of strength. Kakashi dealt with the ridicule of others. Their judging, untrusting stares before his father died. Their fake sympathies after he died. And their admiration when he became a ninja at the ripe age of 5. And their surprise and praise when he became a Chunin a year later. Pakkun knew Kakashi didn't become stronger for the sake of others. It was for him. To distract himself from how his father's death truly made him feel. He just happened to be blessed with good genes that he soon had opponents to unleash his rage and anguish upon to.

His sensitive ear picked up the sound of something cracking. Earth, nearby. He turned to the lump of dirt in the ground and found spider-like cracks running along it. Any second, it would break. He supposed he should get himself ready in the event it was an actual enemy. While not a combat type, he certainly should have enough skill to deal with someone who could break out of a weakening barrier.

Maybe he was so worried that he wasn't thinking. Or perhaps his nonstop search for his master made him tire and his senses dulled. He didn't hear someone materializing slowly behind him. It wasn't fun til he noticed the smell had shifted. He turned to look behind him and found the hero that Kakashi had meet up with.

His stare showed he recognized him, but also it was filled with anger and weariness.

Pakkun raised his eyebrows, unsure of where that look was coming from. "Um, are you ok?"

His eyes moved, rather they searched. But they looked past him. Was he looking to see if Kakashi were around?

"Kakashi, where is he?" His body language screamed of desperation. It wasn't from fear, but rather urgency. His eyes scanned the man with caution as he inched forward.

Now that he thought to look about him more, he was disheveled. He looked nothing like he did when Pakkun first saw him, despite having on the same attire. His hair was dulled and dirt filled, probably being surrounded by dirt and his costume wasn't much better. Even the gold on it looked a bit scratched.

"I don't know." He took his time answering that. He didn't know if he should answer it but it wasn't like it would reveal anything. He didn't know where Kakashi was. It was the truth.

"He killed people. I heard him do it." He was looking slightly unhinged when he said this. Pakkun could now probably tell what happened based on that information alone. Kakashi trapped him inside the earth prison before killing a bunch of people, escaping to the surface and all those other shenanigans in Hosu. Now it was the question of why he did it.

His eyes widened in something akin to recognition before he turned his gaze to look all around. He was looking for the bodies, Pakkun thought, and the fact that they weren't there seemed to dawn on him as well. Exactly where could they have gone? He still smelled the lingering smell of death and a bunch of blood. But nothing was in sight to be the cause of this.

"Someone must've moved the bodies..."

"The bodies aren't far." He cut in, sniffing the ground. "The smell is too strong for the bodies to have been moved away."

Still, they were in an open area. There really wasn't any way for them to be hidden at all. His gaze went down to the ground, along with a long sniff before he realized where exactly the bodies were. They were simply underground. Smart. Kakashi buried them underground, probably to avoid trouble.

Perhaps he should've thought of that as well in Hosu. It honestly amazed how someone so smart could act so careless and yet be careful. A real wreck, that's for sure.

"But," he started, glancing at the ninja hero. "Perhaps the smell is lingering because they were moved recently."

His gaze would be enough to whither a flower.

"You didn't move them?"

"I've got no reason or time to feign ignorance."

His summoner's life was at stake.

His facial expression hadn't changed. "So, you were telling the truth when you said that you didn't know where he was?"

"I'm not one for much lying." Mostly. "And when it comes to my owner I'll do anything to get him back. Kakashi was with you. What happened here?" Though he could already make a very good guess, having even more knowledge wouldn't hurt.

A loud cheer erupted in the background, followed by a ring announcer announcing the winning fighter rather dramatically.

Finally, Edgeshot turned away, perhaps because of the noise, or perhaps because of what he'd said. "Follow me. Staying here any longer is dangerous."

Least he wasn't glaring anymore. He felt relieved, knowing that he'd been able to keep Kakashi's kills a secret. Who knows what would happen if someone were to find out about it. He nodded and followed along as the hero began to walk between the cracks of small buildings and binding with the shadows as if he were apart of it.

He didn't realize the eyes on him as people began to pass by and fill the empty street.

XxX

Dabi was more impressed than he thought he was going to be. His expectations in regard to others were never high. Someone made sure of that. But, he could honestly say this surprised him. The place may have not been big, but it certainly was packed. Seems that he wasn't the only one ready to come out of the shadows and shake up the status quo.

He gotten offers to join the League of Villains before, and of course he turned them down. They seemed like some radical faction that would wither away quickly. Idiots with no real plan. But he was wrong. These people proved themselves, despite not having a whole bunch of members to their group.

They attack the USJ, and while they weren't successful, that was just the first tremor in what he believed to be an approaching earthquake. They went from that, to nearly destroying Hosu City and killing a cities worth of heroes in only a couple of hours.

While that was impressive, he knew that one of their members was the reason for that. Blade. He heard that name before. An quick upcoming name that was just beginning to hold weight. Now it was nothing more than a title for a dead man, and yet that name still echoed through the villain society. He went out of his way and nearly destroyed an entire city. He pushed civilians to lose faith in heroes in only a single night.

He only wished he could've met that man.

Sadly, a kid, a hero in training took his life. It was something that had surprised him at first. Then he knew that something would change with it. That was going to be the turning point. A true change that would ripple throughout Japan, perhaps even the world.

And that's when he knew where he had to be.

Most of the people in the bar didn't look that impressive, they certainly could be used better than any of the villains that they had gone and scrapped up at the USJ. It could be even possible that they were stronger overall, but that would have to wait to be seen.

"It's crowed as hell in here." He grumbled, pushing past a man with an animal quirk and suppressing the urge to burn the man alive when he glared at him.

"Many have come to our cause. Many more are on the way." Kurogiri told him, ushering him along. "But we will go ahead and begin. The mains are already here."

He stepped past the crowd and moved behind the bar where he saw five others standing. They looked at him, but he had nothing to say back, only going to stand beside them. Off to the side, he noticed a man he's seen before. Giran, if he's correct.

Seconds later, a man covered in hands stands upon the bar, almost obscuring his view of the other villains. Immediately, he can tell that this is the leader. The man who put this all together.

Tomura Shiguraki.

His eyes narrow, and he makes sure to watch every move he makes. He will see if he's worth the hype currently surrounding him.

X

Toga admittedly had a small bit of butterflies in her stomach. She was surrounded by people. Some maybe stronger than her. Still she would be ready to escape this rowdy crowd. The man with the black and grey mask moved and her hand nearly clutched the knife on her thigh.

She was perhaps a bit more on edge than usual. But he was moving too much for her liking. Her hyper awareness was on overdrive. Still, she sighed to relieve some of the tension and relaxed her muscles. She couldn't look intimidating in front of all these people.

Flashback

She ignored the stares on her back as she dug up the ground where she'd seen that talking dog and pro hero look at. She saw the dog sniffing, then a surprising look of recognition. She knew that that's where the bodies had went.

She'd seen him do it. Kill all those people, but couldn't remember what he had done with the bodies. Now that she had a good grasp on his abilities since she'd watched the viral video of the fight almost sixty times and downloaded it for further viewing, she knew that he could move the earth around at will. Her hubby was strong. It made all sorts of feelings bubble up in her. She couldn't wait to see him bleed in person. On screen just couldn't satisfy her. She had to be there, causing it.

"What the hell? Dead bodies?"

"The fuck?"

She giggled, standing up. She turned around, full fangs in view. "Well, isn't this a sight. I only wished I could've cut them up myself."

A small giggle escaped her lips, her cheeks turning red and she nearly salivated at the mouth. Some sent her weird looks, not that she was paying any attention.

Her attention came back to the present, and her view of the other villains in front of her was nearly obscured by a man she immediately felt the presence of in the room. She felt the same presence from him that the others beside her were giving off. Immediately, she could tell he was different than the others in the crowd.

The whole room drew silent at his presence.

"My name is Shiguraki. Some of you have received offers to join us by me personally. Most of you came to join from the simple flyers, but that doesn't change the fact of why we are here." His voice was scratchy, but filled with glee, like a child. Part of her didn't like it. "We are here to get rid of these so called heroes. They think they are the main characters, but they aren't. We are the ones who matter. We are the final bosses. The ones who'll put an end to this hypocritical system and expose the cowards they really are. And with us now, I believe that this has gone down in difficulty level. We've leveled up."

"Didn't you lose one of your strongest members?" That came from near her. The whole roomed turned toward who had spoken. It came from a boy who would definitely be cute without all the burned skin. Still, he had this air of coolness around him. She liked to see him bleed.

The man didn't move at first, then slowly took the hand off his face to show a smirking face, shivered up and dry. Too dry for her liking.

"We've lost him body wise, for now."

"For now?"

"That's what I was getting to. Our plan to both run UA into the ground and retrieve what belongs to us." He slowly turned back to the majority of the room. His words held her interest. "I have information in regards to where they are keeping Blade's body. Kurogiri, explain it to them."

"Of course." The response was immediate and she watched as a man with a black cloud for a face stepped in front of the bar, in front of Shiguraki but lower than him, perfectly showing how the standings were. "Please pay attention to the television before you." As soon as he said that, the giant above the bar lit up, and she saw a diagram upon it. She recognized her name.

"As you can see, there are some names up here. Dabi, Himiko Toga, Twice, Mr. Compress, Muscular, and Magne. These will be the lieutenants of all of you here, though Dabi will be the supreme Lieutenant and third in command after Shiguraki and myself. Any questions?"

Toga glanced at the others beside her. So, she was going to be co-lieutenants alongside four others while this Dabi stood over her. They seemed well organized, not that it wasn't expected. They were planning to run the heroes into the ground, they had to have some level of organization.

"Yes! I have a question! No I doooooon't!" She blinked, thinking she heard two people talk. Then realized that it was the one with the mask that had said that. She totally thought he would be the serious type, but now she was just confused.

Multiple people were staring at him.

"Eh, what? Did I scare everyone?"

The guy with the burned skin raised his hand. "I have one. When was this all decided, and how?"

"This was decided the moment you accepted our invitation. As Shiguraki stated, some of you were called her personally. Most of those people were directed to where the six of you are standing. Your positions were decided upon your quirk and the strength and versatility of them." He turned back to the group of villains at large, wanting everyone to know who he was addressing; all of them. "All of you are important to our goal, however. And it is thanks to you that the next phase in our plan can be accomplished."

Himiko wondered what it was. How were they going to further shake up the world?

"This is the plan to find Kakashi Hatake; the boy responsible for taking away our biggest asset, and turn him against those heroes."

XxX

Hair slicked back away from his face made the view of the flashes brighter, at least to him. He would rather be anywhere but here. Anywhere. But this was a time of urgency. The public needed quick assurance that these security issues would be dealt with and the matter of Kakashi would be too. He did wonder what exactly was going to be said about the boy. Nezu didn't tell him.

He should've heckled him more about it.

The cameras began rolling, glowing a small red, and the rat spoke. As confident as ever.

"Firstly, I'd like to thank you all for the opportunity to be here." Nice start, probably something he couldn't stomach to say. He is glad someone like Nezu, as annoying and scary as he can be, is here. "I know this has been a stressful week for all, and so I'd like to start by formally apologizing for UA's ineptitude in keeping children 100% safe from any and all threats."

Aizawa guessed this would be the appropriate time to bow his head, and does so at the same time as Nezu, as if this were planned.

When they pick their heads back up, Nezu leans closer to the mic. "We are prepared to answer any and all questions any of you may have."

Aizawa really wished he hadn't said we. More like him, he wasn't going to answer a damned thing. Being up here dressed like some sort of doll was enough to do on its own.

The proverbial shit hit the fan as almost everyone in the room raised their hand, nearly screaming in an attempt to get their questions answered. Aizawa seriously wanted to slink into the shadows and just forget this ever happened. Something rolled down his neck—he hoped it wasn't sweat.

"Ah, yes, you." Nezu said, pointing at a woman who was near the front. The room grew silent as she asked her question.

"What are the plans for Hatake Kakashi; the student responsible for killing a villain?"

Nezu handled the question with grace, something Aizawa probably wouldn't be able to do without it coming off as sarcastic or smart.

"I've yet to receive news from the Hero Commission pertaining to his status as a UA student. But I assure you, if he remains a student, strict probation and 24 hour watch will be implemented. Next question."

The room grows loud once more, grating his nerves.

The next hour is both of them, constantly apologizing, well Nezu—he doesn't say a word when he doesn't have to and no one is asking him directly any questions, and giving explanations.

While wondering when exactly this will end, Nezu picks a reporter, who looks straight at him instantly.

"Eraserhead, you've yet to actually answer any of the questions. Is there something wrong?"

He tries his best not to glare. "I'm fine, thank you."

"Then this next question goes to you. Four of your students suffered injuries after going after and fighting two dangerous villains, resulting in one with several broken limbs and a coma, another one with several different fractures in his hand broken as well as injuries to the shoulder area, another one severely injured all around including extreme exhaustion, concussion, broken ribs, several stab wounds, and a broken hand. If you would see these students, what would you say to them?"

Many things come to mind—scaring them is the main thought. Those idiots. They had no idea the full extent of what trouble their actions could cause. He should've kept Kakashi a little more closer, and watched after Tenya a bit more. He would've seen this coming. He would've known that he would've tried to go after someone who had nearly killed his brother. He should've know the act was fake. He should've done better as their teacher and role model. He failed. Miserably. He allowed this to happen. He knew Kakashi was a threat, and he allowed him to leave his sight. He knew Kakashi hadn't showed his full hand, and it resulted in him killing someone, like it was nothing.

Something in him made him stand straighter.

"I'd tell Izuku Midoriya that his actions saved lives, but ultimately he should've went to a pro hero for help and prioritized rescue. I'd tell Todoroki that he did well in defending his classmates, but should've brought more heroes with them and prioritize escape rather than attacking. I'd tell Ida that everything he did in the situation was the opposite of what he's been taught at UA and that he should never do it again."

The silver-haired brat popped into his head, unwillingly but it fit. Every action committed. Every look. Every weapon. Every quirk.

"I'd tell Kakashi...

XxX

Midoriya's eyes fluttered open. His body, well, he couldn't feel it, so he couldn't move. His mind was far away from what was happening in reality, so it took him several quiet moments for the thought of him not being able to move to process in his head. He panicked, instantly, face comically distorting into wide eyes and agape mouth, but he still was unable to move.

He heard voices, distorted beyond recognition, quietly talking, one after another. At first he didn't recognize it, wondering what he was hearing. When it came to him, he was till confused, but it somehow felt better that he recognized what the sound was. If only he could hear clearly. 

He waited after that, really having no other choice because of his inability to move. His senses slowly came back. First his sight, then his smell, then his hearing, and finally his feeling in his body. Everything was coming back to him, all what had happened. Everything. Suddenly, he couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. All he could see were memories of loud explosions, groaning, and the blood dripping off Kakashi's hand, driven deep into his enemy. His chest was going up and down really fast, a machine calculating his rising heartbeat with quickened beeps.

The curtain that had been covering his bed was pushed aside, sliding, and Todoroki stepped in, looking worried. Another voice he recognized called for a nurse, as Todoroki came to his side after glancing at monitor with a slightly panicked look.

"Midoriya, breath!" He said lowly, serious. If he got all antsy, Midoriya would never calm down.

It was getting worse, his chest was getting faster, and the heart monitor's beeping was sounding more frequent as weak gasp escaped his mouth. Luckily, doctors and nurses ran into the room, and the curtain was quickly overtaken with medical personnel. He watched from the sidelines, worried to death, before being pulled away to wait in another room.

X

When Midoriya came back to earth, something itchy was on his face, but it was easier to breathe and he no longer felt any stress. It was relaxing, so he didn't try to move it, instead touching it to see what it was. It was an oxygen machine. He dropped his arm, and looked around the room.

The curtains around the bed were all pulled back, giving him a full view of the room. No one else was in the room, and the clean white room gave nothing interesting to look at. Naturally, his gaze found the only interesting thing in the room—the TV.

Surprise widened his eyes, and his gaze zeroed in on his homeroom teacher, hair slicked back and looking as stone faced as ever. It looked like some sort of conference, like one straight out of a movie.

"If you would see these students, what would you say to them?"

"I'd tell Izuku Midoriya that his actions saved lives, but ultimately he should've went to a pro hero for help and prioritized rescue. I'd tell Todoroki that he did well in defending his classmates, but should've brought more heroes with them and prioritize escape rather than attacking. I'd tell Ida that everything he did in the situation was the opposite of what he's been taught at UA and that he should never do it again."

Midoriya could tell his teacher was speaking what he truly thought. It made him realize his mistakes, his failure. He never attempted to escape once, not when he first arrived, not when Blade arrived, not when those pros were killed, and not when he was able to get back up. All he could think about was proving Blade wrong. That he didn't need to kill to be a hero that saved people. He didn't prove that. He didn't beat Blade, and on top of that, he allowed Kakashi to kill him right after. He didn't prove he was right. He couldn't—he wasn't strong enough to prove it.

The memories of that man made even his relaxed mind twitch up in a worry. He didn't know why he was so relaxed all of a sudden, from seeing the time earlier, he could tell he'd only been out for another couple hours. He remembered seeing Todoroki, the other two beds in the room probably belonged to him and maybe someone else. Tenya? Where were they now?

As if on perfect timing, the door creaked open and Tenya stepped in. He saw the glasses wearer immediately stare back at him, surprised, and then ran to him. Midoriya noticed his small limp, wrapped up hand and foot.

"Midoriya, you're ok?"

He managed a smile. He probably didn't know how bad he looked on the outside. "I'm fine... just a little sore."

His smile didn't reassure Tenya. He was frowning hard. "You're not fine, Midoriya. Not at all."

He stood in silence, his smile falling as tears threatened to escape Tenya's eyes. He clutched the bed rails so hard that Midoriya was sure he heard a creak. This was really eating him up inside, he wished he didn't have to show this to him. He'd been through enough.

"A-and it's my fault. I... was so stupid. Blind... I'm so sorry."

He was beginning to feel overwhelmed. Tenya was always so calm and collected, like nothing could truly get to him. It was like seeing a person you admired since you meet them suddenly seem so different from what made you admire them in the first place.

"P-please..."he muttered, struggling to hold back tears as his voice broke. "Don't... or I won't be able to control myself..."

Tenya inhaled sharply, tears still threatening to spill out but his eyes gaining anger alongside his sorrow. "Why? Why are you like that? What's wrong with you? I don't get it! How can you not be angry at me, even a little bit! I'm the reason things ended up like this!"

Silence followed after that. Both staring at each other. Both holding back tears. Both holding back what they truly wanted to say.

Until he spoke.

Ignoring the pain that echoed through his bones, slowly, he pushed himself up, forcing his body into a sitting position and forcefully taking off the oxygen mask, the rubber band snapping.

Immediately, his body wanted to give out. He could barely even feel his face, he was sure it was drooping, but he had something to say.

"I was trying so hard to hold it in. My anger, because I knew you didn't deserve it. Iida-San, it was my choice to come there and protect you. I choose to involve myself, it wasn't just because it was you. It was because I'm a hero, or at least I want to be. And when I saw that, I wondered what a hero would do. I did it because I wanted to. It had nothing to do with you."

"T-that may be so," Tenya muttered, a lot more quiet and subdued then before. "But you wouldn't have been in that situation had I not done something so stupid."

"I acted on my own. I moved my body, it has nothing to do with you." He sighed, leaning more into the bed as his strength started to leave his body. It wasn't surprising, he had been moving back there on pure adrenaline. "Besides, I didn't save you. I-I didn't save... anyone."

Civilians died because he left Gran Torino to fight against them to look for Tenya. The heroes died because he wasn't fast enough to save them from Blade. And he couldn't even prove Blade he was right. He didn't beat Blade, and he didn't save him. All that fighting, and he accomplished nothing. It made him see just how far he had to go to truly be a hero. To be like All Might.

Tenya couldn't find it in himself to speak, feeling just as guilty. If not, more. "That's my fault too. I-"

"Stop!" Midoriya growled out, hands tightly gripping at the soft white blanket atop him. "Stop, please. Stop taking fault for my screw up. Stop. It isn't your fault."

There was a pause, then Tenya spoke up. "It's yours, right? Is that what you were going to say? That is your fault because you came there on your own terms and didn't save a single person? I'm glad you didn't say that. I would've punched you otherwise."

"I don't think he's in any condition to take another hit."

That didn't come from Tenya, but it was familiar. His eyes roamed before landing on Todoroki as he stared back, leaning up against the door with crossed arms.

Tenya seemed to notice him at the same time, muttering, "Todoroki?"

He pushed off the door and approached both of them, but his eyes were locked on Midoriya. "Good to see you are ok. How do you feel Midoriya?"

"I feel ok." He said with a slight pause, blinking. "What about you?"

"I'm fine." He turned to Tenya. "He's not the only one who needs a good punch. I thought we went over how we would go about things and not blame it each other?"

Tenya couldn't hold eye contact, looking down at the floor.

Todoroki sighed, shifting his gaze. "None of us are at fault. We're just heroes in training, that did the best they could do." His gaze shifted to Tenya, briefly. "No matter how we got in that situation. Besides," he started and looked down directly at Midoriya. "Don't make Midoriya feel anymore down. I can tell why you're so upset."

Midoriya meet his eyes after he said that, and he never broke that contact. Midoriya could see the understanding in his eyes, unwavering.

"You failed to beat that man, right? And you couldn't save him from being killed by Kakashi, right? Is that why you're upset?" With each question, Todoroki found it harder and harder to hold back. He wanted to slam his fist into Midoriya. "But I was there too. I didn't save anyone, just like you didn't. People died. Heroes died. Because we weren't strong enough. I wasn't strong enough. But I know I still have a ways to go. I know I'm not a hero, not yet. Not until I've mastered this damned side."

His left arm flexed and he clenched into a fist, staring at it with an agonizing stare. "I was going to become a hero who wouldn't use my full power to save people. That even if I got pushed to the brink, I'd refuse to use my powers, even at the expense of others. Then you taught me that it was my power. You taught me that I could be more than what my father wants me to be. More than what I was born for. You gave it to me straight, Midoriya, and I respect you for that. You opened my eyes, but now it's my turn to give it to you straight."

Suddenly, Midoriya found himself being lifted up off the bed by the collar of his hospital gown, and staring directly into Todoroki's cold eyes.

"You abandoned us to prove a point. We could've died. You already speculated that Stain probably wasn't down for the count, but you just left. And told me that nothing I could do would be able to stop you." Finally, he released his grip, and Midoriya dropped back onto the bed with a thud as the springs underneath creaked. "We all are failures. My left side isn't as strong as my right. I wasn't strong enough. I wasn't a hero because I didn't save anyone. Tenya attempted to kill someone for revenge, and you, Midoriya, you abandoned us because of your believe in heroes. You forgot that a hero is supposed to protect. This isn't about what we think. It's about what we were supposed to do."

They all sat there in silence once more. Todoroki hadn't wanted to say that. But it had been one of the things gnawing at his mind for days on end. They had essentially been abandoned by Midoriya so that he could prove a point. The point he was trying to prove wasn't his problem, in fact, he believe that notion as well. But they could've died had he not been able to hold back Stain long enough for Tenya to get to his feet. And even then, Tenya had barely won. His final hit was luck at most. He left them in an unsure situation. He wasn't pointing the blame, of course, but it was just the truth.

Everyone had to face the truth, including Midoriya.

He blinked, thinking that he was hearing wrong when the sound of soft sobbing hit his ears. Slowly, Midoriya rose his head, his face reddened ears wet with fresh tears. "Y-you're right. I-I don't know what I was thinking... I just—All Might, I'm sorry—"

"Don't." Todoroki looked away, uncomfortably, and rubbed his neck. "I know what you were thinking back then as well. I'm not blaming you, Midoriya. I'm just telling you that so that you can learn, alongside us."

Midoriya uttered a gasp, not expecting that to have been said, then he smiled, fresh tears still flowing out like a river. "Yea, yea, you're right. We're still heroes in training. We have a lot to learn."

"Hey, Class Rep." Todoroki called out.

Tenya turned and found a fist pointed out toward him. Todoroki gave a blank stare. "I saw this in a movie. It's what friends do when they stick together on something."

"...you've become a lot more sociable, Todoroki-San." Tenya had been one of the first to notice his demeanor at the start of the year. Cold, aloof, and distant. Todoroki didn't care about others in the slightest, he saw that much when he teamed up with his partner during the Hero Class exercise. But now he was much different. He had grown until a person, right before his eyes. In only a short amount of time, he'd come to understand people and if he didn't understand them, he tried to understand them, even if he didn't quite know how.

Todoroki had one of his rare smiles on his face. "I'm part of a class like ours. I didn't have much choice."

At that, Tenya smiled, and pushed his fist against Todoroki's. "Well, it's all the better. As you Class Rep, I'm very happy to see it."

Todoroki gave a nod, then turned to Midoriya. "What about you, Midoriya. To better heroes?"

Midoriya smiled and lifted his arm, despite the pain. "To better heroes."

A/n: Sorry for the extended break(wrote a little extra for you guys), I've been a bit busy trying to catch up with MHA to plan future plots.

I've also decided that three surprising characters will be introduced to MHA(you guys can guess who those will be). I've also decided how the next story arc will end and how the next one will begin.

I will voice a concern of mine. I do give a warning to those who find these upcoming chapters hard to read. It's dark, and things will happen that probably will surprise you. I'm new to the fandom, so if something seems out of place then I'd like to know so I can tweak upcoming arcs.

Also, sorry, no Kakashi this chapter. I'll make sure he's included next time though. I want to build the world and give a sense that time has moved before just bringing him back into focus.

Anyways, thanks for reading and tell me what you think in the comments. Also, let me know if any characters seem out of character to you. I'm new to the fandom and not all to familiar with even main characters but I loved the setting.

Yaboyassassin, Out!