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Chapter Text

Izuku double-checked his pack and made sure he had everything he would need for his work studies. He had contacted Shade, and she informed him that the original party had happened sooner than she thought but that it was okay because they had something new planned. She also told him he would be working several nights and may need to sleep there, much to Izuku's partner's annoyance.

"Got everything?"

Izuku looked up to see his mom in the doorway of his dorm room. "Yeah. What's up?"

Nemuri rolled her eyes and walked over to ruffle Izuku's hair as she said. "What can I not come to see my son off?"

Izuku smiled as he grabbed his stuff. "I guess you can."

As the two headed for the stairs, Nemuri said. "I also wanted to tell you that Hirooki and I decided to just go get the papers signed. We both have some free time at the start of May so try to keep your schedule open since I'd like for you to be there."

Izuku nodded. "Will do."

After Izuku said bye to everyone, Nemuri walked with him to the front gate. The mother and son chatted idly, and once they arrived, Nemuri hugged Izuku and said. "Be careful and make sure to text sometimes if it's safe to."

Izuku chuckled and hugged his mother. "Will do."

Once the two separated, Nemuri watched Izuku head down the street towards the station. She pushed aside any worry she had and turned around to go find Hirooki. They had time before classes, and she really wanted to kiss her partner.

_____________________________________________________________________

Izuku stepped off the train and looked around. It took a moment, but he spotted the red eyes and black hair of Shade. The petite woman smiled and waved as she said. "Hey, Izu~ how's it going? Any problems getting here?"

Izuku shook his head. "No problems getting here, Nishi. Sorry I couldn't come to help you sooner."

"Pft, it's fine, man, don't worry about it. We still have work to do." Nishi said as she started walking. "So, as you know, the first party got pushed up way quicker than we thought, but it's all good cause we got another rave coming. We just need to pick a local, but we can talk that over once we're at my place."

Izuku nodded along as he followed the woman from the station to the bar he had gone to for his internship. Once they were downstairs, Shade dropped her false persona and said. "Look at that; you've improved. I didn't even have to kidnap you this time."

Izuku chuckled as they walked down the short hallway. "Thank you, ma'am."

Shade knocked on the door before opening it. "Is everyone here?"

Izuku noticed Mr.Brave from the Shie Hissakai raid as he turned. "Yeah, we're all here. Oh, Hypno, right? Good to see you again."

Izuku nodded. "Good to see you again too, sir."

Shade hummed and walked off. "Alright, I'll set up the intel; give me a minute."

"Hypno."

Izuku turned and grinned as he saw his friend. Hitoshi was dressed in a similar outfit to Eraserhead but instead of a yellow pair of goggles tucked away in his capture scarf Hitoshi had a black metallic face mask beneath his capture scarf. "Mockingbird."

"What you're doing underground work? Mocking called you Hypno, right?" Camie said as she suddenly appeared behind Hitoshi and leaned on him.

Izuku nodded. "Yeah, and your name is..."

"Glamour. I see Mocking doesn't talk about me as much as I wish he would." Camie said as she pressed herself against Hitoshi's back.

 Hitoshi blushed a bit, and he cleared his throat as he saw Shade come back. "How about we focus? I think the meeting is about to start."

The other two turned their attention to Shade as she stood before the small assembly of heroes. Izuku spotted a camera and guessed she was broadcasting through the hero net to some others who couldn't make it. "Alright, first things first, those who aren't in this room are limelight heroes who will be assisting us during the day while those in this room will cover the night."

Shade grabbed a small folder and said. "Over the past month across five cities, there have been sightings of something or someone skulking around near the prisons. We don't know much, but the government is getting antsy, especially since several members of the League of Villains are imprisoned there, and we never did find the source of their nomu."

"We'll be splitting up into several small teams in an attempt to track down and capture whoever is doing this. If you run into a nomu, do not worry about capturing it alive. With how delicate things have been since All Might retired, we don't have the luxury of possible collateral."

Shade's eyes hardened as she said. "Nomu are beast, so put them down quickly and keep damage to a minimum."

Shade went on to say who was going to each city and how each team would be structured. Camie pouted, seeing that she wasn't going to be on the same team as her boyfriend, and after a short quiet conversation, she waved and walked off with her hero mentor. Izuku looked at Hitoshi, who watched her leave. "Who are you working under?"

"That would be me." a female voice said to Izuku's right, but as he turned to the source, he felt a presence on his left and quickly changed the direction he was looking.

The tall, dark-haired man standing next to Izuku smiled as he said in a masculine voice. "Good senses. I guess Eraserhead is still teaching spatial awareness."

Izuku looked back to the right as he asked. "How did you do that?"

The man chuckled. "Names Ventriloquist."

"I wonder if your quirk lets you throw your voice or if it lets you change it. Maybe both?" Izuku said, hoping he was right. Undergrounds were so cagey for good reason when it came to their quirks.

The man shrugged and adjusted his gloves. "Who knows, maybe it's neither. Anyways, Mockingbird, we gotta get moving."

Hitoshi nodded before turning to Izuku. "Good luck."

Izuku grinned. "Same to you."

Once Hitoshi headed out, Izuku joined up with Shade as she gathered the other three members of their team. "Alright, all of you, this is Hypno. Hypno, this is our team Rail, Silence, and Shatter."

Izuku nodded to the assembled underground heroes who regarded him with varying looks. Rail, a tall, lithe woman with deep blue hair and shining sky blue eyes, crossed her arms as she said. "I've seen your face in the news a few times."

Rail turned to Shade as she asked. "Can he handle underground work?"

Shade nodded. "Yes, he can. I ran with him after his first sports festival. Hypno won't slow us down."

Izuku stamped down his annoyance towards Rail because he knew she was being cautious. If they messed up, things could get ugly fast. A voice next to Izuku nearly made him jump as the person who Shade said was called Silence appeared to have moved to stand next to him. "If Shade says he can keep up, then I trust him. We should get moving soon, though."

Silence's eyes reminded Izuku of red currants, and they quickly scanned Izuku before turning away and making their blonde hair that was tied up in a tight bun bounce a bit as they started walking towards the door.

Shatter chuckled as he patted Izuku on the back and said. "Don't mind Silence; they're a bit shy when it comes to new people, but I'm sure you'll get along."

Izuku nodded and thanked the pro as they started walking. Shatter was built similarly to Izuku, being tall and lean. Shatter's bright pink eyes were full of joy as he chatted with Izuku while tying his black hair back. As they walked, Izuku noted that Shatter wore gloves similar to Ochako in that they only covered a single finger. If he had to guess, Izuku would say Shatter's quirk was a five-point contact quirk, but then again, he was underground, so the gloves could be a misdirect.

Izuku shook the thoughts away and followed the pros as they donned various personas and slipped out of the bar and into the night.

_____________________________________________________________________

Hound Dog huffed as he sat down. "Good morning, Toga; how did you sleep?"

Himiko shrugged and adjusted the blanket over her lap. "Fine, I guess. Woke up and needed to get water in the middle of the night. Should probably get a water bottle or something."

Hound Dog hummed and nodded. "Since you can't leave the school grounds, perhaps you can ask one of your friends to get one for you."

"I don't have money. I can't pay them back." Himiko said as she huffed. "I'll just use a glass."

The pro looked at her for a moment before moving on. "Who brought you today?"

"Momo. Izuku left for his work studies yesterday. Mina and Toru are both getting ready to go to theirs."

"Does Yaoyorozu not have one?" Hound Dog asked. He took note of the slight shift in her posture.

"She does. She'll be heading out tomorrow..."

"You get along quite well with her."

Himiko stared at him for a moment before looking away. "Yeah, I do. She's nice, and despite... well everything I've done, she still hangs around and treats me like a person."

"That's good. You have a good circle of friends, Toga." Hound Dog gave his best attempt at a smile. "Be sure to cherish them."

Himiko hummed but felt her stomach tighten as Hound Dog said. "Could I ask why you have your friends come with you whenever you leave the dorms?"

Hound Dog watched as Himiko tensed, and a brief flash of fear crossed her face before she regained control and showed the blank expression she had entered with. "I'm new to UA. I just don't wanna get lost and stuff. I haven't been to school in a long time, so all these extra classes are frying my brain. Super not cute, but it's the truth."

Hound Dog hummed and said. "Hawks told me how he brought you into the UHD."

Anger flared, and Hound Dog felt a moment of panic rise in himself at the sense of danger Himiko gave off, but it faded quickly as she crossed her arms and huffed. "Why did he tell you that? He didn't have a right-"

"He's a patient of mine. He told me and said I should let you know that he told me how you ended up in the UHD. Though I do not know what happened to you while you were there."

Himiko glared at the table like she wanted to stab it as she said. "He shouldn't have said that. I don't wanna talk about it."

"And I won't force you, but I want to remind you that I am here to help you, and the more I know about you and what you went through, the better I can do that." Hound Dog stated as he wrote down a couple notes.

Himiko stared hard at the table for a minute before looking away and huffing again. "Fine. I... I don't like being alone. It makes me feel panicky and stuff."

"Like you're at risk of being taken?"

Himiko's flinching at the statement was answer enough. She nodded and said. "Y-yeah. It's stupid and stuff, but..."

Himiko pulled her legs up to her chest as she trailed off. After a moment, Hound Dog spoke up. "It's quite understandable to be afraid. You were taken against your will and forced to do things you didn't want to."

"Not really," Himiko said quietly. "The killing was fun. I stopped doing it because of Izu and them, but I fell back into killing and enjoying it when I couldn't see them. I got to be a lot of cute people and drink plenty of blood. Sure I didn't get to choose, and there were some really uncute people I had to play, but- but I didn't hate that part."

Hound Dog adjusted his grip on his pen as he asked. "What did you hate about the UHD?"

"I hated being told what to do," Himiko stated flatly. "I know the killing wasn't good, and I hate these thoughts I have, but... but I just didn't like how they confined me and ordered me around."

The pro hummed and made a couple notes as he thought about what to say next. He would definitely need to speak with his colleagues who had more experience with villain reform than him. For now, though. "You aren't happy with the thoughts you have? What kind of thoughts are they?"

Himiko looked to be fighting back her emotions. Trying desperately to keep the calm persona that she had been crafting since being healed. "Hurting Izu and the others. I look at my friends, and they're all so pretty and cute and wonderful, and then I imagine them covered in blood and cuts."

Himiko shuddered, whether it was from disgust or pleasure. Hound Dog couldn't tell. "I fantasize about drinking their blood and getting to be them."

Tears built up in Himiko's eye and her voice wavered a bit as she said. "I hate it, but- but I love it at the same time, and I can't stop myself from thinking about it."

"Intrusive thoughts." Hound Dog said, causing Himiko to look up at him. "Repetitive and unwanted thoughts that force themselves to the front of your mind. There are ways to help with that."

Hound Dog flipped to a clean page and scribbled down some things before tearing it out of his notes and handing it to her. "Here's some reading material. In the meantime, try to remember why you stopped killing and hurting others. Tell your friends if you feel comfortable enough doing so, and as always, the more we talk, the better job I can do helping you."

Himiko took the note and nodded. "Okay... is there anything else?"

"We still have five minutes of mandatory time left." Hound Dog scanned Himiko's face before continuing. "But let's just say my clock is running slow today. You're free to go unless you wish to talk more."

Himiko shook her head. "No... I'm good today. Thanks."

Hound Dog nodded in understanding and closed his notes as he said. "Have a wonderful day, Toga, and good luck in your studies."

Himiko nodded as she headed for the door. "Thanks."

As Himiko closed the door to Hound Dogs door, she sighed. She really wanted to hug someone, but the three that she would throw herself at and hold tight were all gone. 'Maybe I can ask Momo. Hugging her seems like it would be nice.'

Himiko looked over to where she left Momo, ready to ask her if she could hug the taller girl, but Himiko's throat tightened, and panic instantly flooded her system as she saw Momo was not where she was supposed to be. Himiko's head snapped around, and her panic increased. There was no sign of Momo in the hallway.

Himiko's hand reached for the door. She could just go back inside and pretend to want to talk. Then maybe Momo would come back 'unless she got taken.'

Himiko's hand trembled, and she flinched at the sound of footsteps. Himiko's head snapped around as her hand went for the knife in her pocket, but she stopped short when she saw Momo walking over. "Oh, you're done already-"

Momo stumbled back a bit as Himiko slammed into her and clutched Momo's shirt. "Y-y-you. Wh-where did you go?"

Momo's breath hitched, and she quickly wrapped her arms around Himiko, realizing that the blonde girl had come out and not seen her anywhere. "I'm sorry, Himiko. I thought you were still talking, so I stepped away to use the restroom."

Himiko trembled and tried to rein in her emotions as Momo held her. Was this all it took for her to fall apart? Just being alone for a few seconds while in a place that wasn't the dorms?

"Himiko, why don't we go back to the dorms. I'll make some tea, and we can relax." Momo said as she gently started to guide Himiko towards the dorms. Himiko nodded and tightened her grip on Momo's shirt.

__________________________________________________________________

Izuku did his best not to let his mind wander as he skulked the roofs and back alleys. Things were quiet... strangely so. Sure Mizuho wasn't as bustling or lively as Kamino Ward, but still, there should be strays or rats or something scurrying around, but there wasn't. It was entirely silent.

Almost an hour ago, he and the rest of the team had woken up around sunset and gone over the daytime reports. None of the heroes reported anything out of the ordinary other than the fact that there was less crime than normal.

Something fell over below Izuku, and he looked down into the alleyway as a dark figure slipped around the corner. He tapped his comms as he descended. "Hypno contacting. Spotted a suspicious figure. Pursuing."

"Send location and ping every turn." Shade said quickly before clicking off.

Izuku pulled his phone out and pinged his location as he rushed down the alleyways. Every twist and turn he made let him only catch a glimpse of whatever he was chasing. They were fast, that was for sure. Izuku cursed as the shadow slipped around another corner quicker than before.

As he pinged his phone, Izuku stumbled to a stop as he came to a dead end. "Dead end at last ping. Target lost."

"Searching rooftops." Rail said quickly, and Izuku saw them hopping over the gap between buildings.

Izuku panted as he looked around for any signs of who he was chasing. As he searched, Silence appeared from the shadows as they said. "Rail didn't find anything. Shade wants us to get back to our routes."

Izuku nodded and watched as Silence walked off. Hopefully, they would catch whatever that was next time.

____________________________________________________________________

Momo hesitated before knocking lightly on the door to Himiko's room. It had been a couple days since Himiko's therapy session, and Momo had been told by Hawks that while she and the others were at their work studies, Himiko had skipped classes. He had tried to talk to her, but Himiko didn't seem to want to speak with him.

After a moment, Momo knocked again as she said. "Himiko, it's Momo. Can I come in?"

After another moment of silence, Momo thought maybe she was asleep. "You can come in."

Momo bit her lip and hesitated for a moment before opening the door and slipping in quietly. She spotted Himiko sitting on the bed wrapped up tightly in her blankets. Himiko glanced at Momo before looking away. "Hawks sent you."

Momo nodded. "Yeah, he said you skipped classes while we were gone."

Himiko curled in on herself and spoke quietly. "S-sorry. I-I tried but-"

Momo sat next to Himiko on the bed and gently wrapped her arms around the blonde girl. "It's okay... do you wanna talk about it?"

Himiko shook and sniffed as tears started to well up in her eye. "I-I have s-s-so much to talk about but- but I need Izu and them here."

Momo couldn't stop the pain in her chest from blooming. While she had grown close to Himiko over the months, she knew she wasn't as close as Izuku and the others. "I need all of you there."

That caught Momo off guard, and she looked at Himiko. "All of us? Even me? I know we're friends, but t-this seems like it's going to be a very personal thing."

Himiko leaned into Momo's hug and nodded. "It is. I-I wanna talk about everything with m-my friends. Y-you're one of them... right?"

Momo hugged Himiko tighter and nodded as she said. "Yeah. Yeah, I am. I'll try to get Izuku and the others back here so we can all talk."

Himiko buried her face in Momo's shoulder and sniffled. "T-thank you."

Momo stayed and comforted Himiko for a little longer before stepping away to make them both tea and to text Izuku and his girlfriends. Hopefully, the four of them could get a free moment to speak with Himiko.

Notes:

hello and yes the title of this chapter is correct. the final arc for Hypno is happening. I decided to continue this story past the cultural festival but I don't want it to drag on so yeah Idk how many chapters the last arc will be so Hypno will still be around for a while.

also, I wrote a one-shot called Visiting Mom. it's a little story about Izuku going to visit his mom and finding someone else there as well.

I have a vigilante Izuku fic idea. I don't have much for it but I want there to be a toxic Izuku/Himiko relationship and a healthy Izuku/Ochako relationship. I think it would be interesting to see Izuku being a vigilante and trying to do good but constantly having Himiko push him towards more violence and bloodshed while Ochako acts like an anchor to pull him back from that mindset.