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Chapter Text

It was the first day of his new school and Itachi was early. He used the extra time to map out the layout with his Sharingan. He was going to spend the majority of the next three years here, better get know this place now than be surprised later.

He still couldn't quite believe, that he was going to be a Hero. Somewhere out there the fates must be cackling at the irony.

He hadn't want to be a Hero for a long time, but it was the only path, that would allow him to protect Nanako's life legally. (He couldn't stand thinking of her as his mother, he had killed his mother).

And, even though he loathed to admit it, he missed the thrill of a challenging fight. (What was wrong with him? He was a pacifist.)

At least he didn't have any siblings, he was not to be trusted with them. (An Uchiha's love was always absolute. He was not an Uchiha now. Did that change something?)

Chapter Text

Takeshi had just seen the mother of the little brat give him her handbag and now the kid went to investigate something in the backyard of the tea-shop. What a convenient situation.

He swept down from the roof, his hand already closing around the handbag, when the child turned his head towards him looking him directly in the eyes. And what strange eyes they were. A blood-red iris with black dots in them spinning hypnotically.

Blood was seeping out of the child's eyes, streaming down to his mouth which opened too wide with too many teeth. The thing lunged at him and all he did was stand there frozen. Its tongue licked at his throat and he screamed like he had never before.

After the attempted theft Yugasa Nanako was at the Quirk-doctor's with her son Itachi. His quirk was quite the revelation as she was quirkless and all the father had was the ability to shine light from his mouth. Somehow her little raven had won the genetic lottery and had gotten an eye-based quirk.

"So what you say is, when you activate it, you can see better and it allows you to cast illusions on whoever looks in your eyes?"

"Yes."

"Okay, then I will note that down. What would you say, is its name?"

"Sharingan."

"Sharingan you say? Does this name have a special meaning?" The doctor looked at her, too, but she just shook her head. She never heard of it before.

"It's the name of the eyes." Her son stated as a matter of fact.

"And how do you know that, Itachi-kun?"

"I just know it." He was such a cute kid when he pouted.

"Okay, then I will note the name down as Sharingan."

The doctor turned back to her. "When people awake their quirk they often get a innate understanding of it, but please visit again if you get any quirk-related difficulties. Here are a number of other sources, which may help you." The doctor gave her a number of flyers and left the office.

Chapter Text

The threat of expulsion sounded familiar to Itachi. Kakashi had been fond of them, too. He wondered whether Eraserhead really would go through with it or was just motivating them.

While his Sharingan was not going to help him at all, his overall fitness should give him a comfortable position in the middle.

His flexibility did shock everybody but Aizawa-sensei. He probably already knew from the entrance exam.

Bakugo reminded him forcefully of Deidara and Hidan. He was relieved, that that much destructive power was on the "good" side. (But Deidara had once been loyal, too. Then Itachi had forced him to be a terrorist.) At least Bakugo wasn't able to form somewhat independent beings out of his sweat or was religious. He shuddered at the image and quickly thought of something different.

There was Tokoyami-san and his "Dark Shadow". Their relationship was similar to that of a jiinchuriki to their Bijuu. (He hoped, it wasn't as strong as a Bijuu. That would be problematic.)

Overall the class had a fascinating mix of quirks. His mind went overdrive with all the possible strategies any combination of them could result in. Itachi dearly hoped their teachers were going to utilize that potential.

(But the Heroes were oddly insistent on being in the spotlight alone. The rest of the team was relegated to the title "sidekick". Even in an international terrorist organisation they had known about the value of teamwork.)

When Eraserhead at the end revealed he wouldn't expel anyone, Itachi only smiled. He felt the calculating gaze of him all the way back to the changing rooms.

Chapter Text

Something had changed in Itachi, his mother concluded. She didn't know what happened, but he suddenly got a lot more solemn and was training like a maniac.

He had started with martial arts when he was 5, but it wasn't only martial arts anymore. She had seen him trying to wield a plethora of weapons until he settled on a staff and throwing-needles. (She had asked once and he called them Senbon.)

When his obsession with training didn't go away after a few months, she questioned him. His answer terrified her a bit.

"I realised that, if I don't want my and your life dependent on the competence of the "Heroes", I have to become stronger and need a license to use my Sharingan in public. The easiest way to such a license is to become a "Hero" myself."

It was said with finality.

She never had been extremely close to her son, so the protectiveness surprised her. What didn't surprise her, was him being invited to the Yuuei Entrance Exams only a year later. He was a genius after all.

(Though sometimes his intellect scared her. What kind of eleven-year old boy was able to see through the identities of Underground Heroes and Villains alike and then did nothing about it?).

Chapter Text

Tenya had first been irritated when their resident prodigy Yugasa had asked him to talk after class, but he reminded himself that just because he was angry at the bastard Stain, he shouldn't take it out on a convenient target.

That resolution was thrown out of the window as soon as Yugasa opened his mouth.

"You want to avenge your brother." It was not even formulated as a question.

Tenya flinched violently and denied everything. "I don't!"

Yugasa just stared back unbelieving with his dark and emotionless eyes. How was this relatively small and delicate looking boy so much more intimidating than the Villains they fought in the USJ?

"Do you think you are stronger than your brother?" What was that even for a question?

"Of course not! He is a Pro-Hero!" He was a Pro-Hero, a traitorous voice in his mind whispered.

"So how do think, you can kill Stain, when your brother couldn't even scratch him?"

"It isn't like that! I just ... " He just needed to kill Stain, to hurt him, to have him pay, for what he did to his brother.

Tenya had the distinct feeling Yugasa thought him foolish even though his face didn't move at all.

"If you die, your brother would not only be crippled but also alone." There was no emotion whatsoever in his voice.

"Whatever you decide, I won't stop you." With that Yugasa started to leave the classroom.

Tenya was confused. "Yugasa-san, wait!" His classmate halted in his tracks and turned back to look him in the eyes.

"Why are you telling me that? Why do you even care?"

For once Yugasa looked like he really did have to think about something. He cocked his head to the side.

"Please call me Itachi, Iida-san. You are a comrade and I don't want to loose a comrade. But I also won't make decisions for you. So, please stay alive."

The last statement was accompanied by a small smile, which was still in Tenya's mind when the boy had turned around and left.

Tenya only regained his bearings long after Itachi's footsteps had faded. What a confusing encounter.

Chapter Text

In the U.A. Itachi had to fight against his biggest enemy once again: Fangirls.

He didn't have a ponytail this time around but it didn't seem to matter.

Everywhere he went he heard the whispers of "Look how cute he is!". (If they'd know what he had done, what he would be willing to do, they would be running as far away as possible.)

In the eyes of the admirerers he was "So polite!", "A real gentleman!" or "So mysterious!". The more forward girls were practically throwing themselves at him and he had to use minor illusions to escape their grasp. Not to talk about the incident with the umbrella and the duck. His compartmentalization skills from his last life never had been more useful.

How was he going to live through this for several years?

Maybe he should gruesomely murder a cute bunny to bring his point across. That would deter them, wouldn't it?

In this world it should work at least. He was pretty sure there weren't any Ankos, Hidans, Orochimarus or Deidaras among his fans, who would only take it as an encouragement. But it would probably get him a mandatory session with the counsellor. Better not risk it.

His popularity with the female half of the school also had the effect of bringing the wrath of Mineta with it. He just ignored the mostly harmless pranks of the pervert, though he was cautious. Jiraiya and Kakashi had proven that perverseness was a good way to get underestimated after all.

Maybe that was an idea. Itachi could start reading armourous literature in public. It would destroy his image as a "shy and innocent gentleman" and simultaneously give him an excellent way to avoid a lot of social interaction. On the other hand he'd have to learn how to read such texts without batting an eyelash.

Walking to his death? Killing children? Torturing the only person he loved? All things he could do with a straight face. Reading explicit sex-scenes however was not possible. He didn't even get two lines in before shutting the book out of embarrassement. How could people read something like that and even enjoy it?

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Chapter Text

"You wanted to speak with me, Aizawa-sensei?"

"You held back at the Sports festival.", Eraserhead accused his problem-pupil. To give him credit, Yugasa did his best to not appear as a problem-child but Shouta knew better. After all he had done something similar as a student.

Yugasa didn't even refute his statement and looked at him with blank eyes.

"You could at least deny it." Yugasa just stared at him. Well, it had been worth the try.

"Do you already know where you are going to do your internship?" If Shouta squinted hard and crossed his eyes, he could almost see a reaction on Yugasa's face. How was this teenager so hard to read? (And why had he learned to be this blank in the first place?)

"No." There was no inflection in the answer, no invitation to further conversation but also no rejection of it. It was just as empty as the face.

"I would like for you to do the internship at the U.A. under me. You don't have to, of course. Whether you accept or deny won't have any impact on the classes." This time Shouta was sure to have seen a hint of something in the eyes.

Yugasa didn't say anything for quite some time and when he responded it was only one word. "Why?"

It was the question Shouta had feared. His answer would probably make or break Yugasa's decision. The boy had an uncanny ability to read between the lines and see beneath the obvious, so he had to tread carefully.

"I can help you with staying out of the spotlight and introduce you to others in the community." Yugasa just stared unblinkingly. Why had Shouta even expected something different?

"Our Quirks also have some similarities, so I thought you could benefit from my advice." Yugasa blinked.

"Why do you want that?"

Because you probably saved my life in the USJ and I want to repay you at least a bit.
Because I am not sure of your moral code and want to observe you.
Because you show signs of trauma and I'd like to help you.

Shouta said none of those thoughts.

"Because you have tremendous potential and I like to see it realized. Shinsou Hitoshi from the General Studies course will also be doing his internship here. I think you could help each other."

People like Yugasa reacted better to kindness when there was (seemingly) an ulterior motive for it.

Another blink. "Thank you for your offer Aizawa-sensei. When do you want an answer?" Yugasa bowed a little.

The contrast between the emptiness and the politeness was just as jarring as it had been the first day.

"Just tell me by the end of the week, if that is okay for you?"

Yugasa nodded once and left after wishing him a nice day. What a strange child.

Chapter Text

All Might didn't know what to think of Yugasa Itachi. The boy was unfailingly polite and very talented but something about him made his insides squirm.

Maybe it was the empty look in his eyes or the way he didn't seem at all effected by the violence displayed between Katsuki-san and Izuku.

He had read the description of the Sharingan and the potential, that that Quirk had was enormous. Good illusions were extremely hard to fight off, because you didn't know they were there in the first place. Of course they required an intimate understanding of the way humans perceived the world and themselves but the limit was the sky.

When it was time for their battle trial Yugasa and Minoru-kun only conferred for a short time before Minoru-kun made four sets of bola out of his sticky balls and the capture tape. Then Yugasa took out a small something out of the depths of his black cloak and Minoru-kun stayed with the objective, while Yugasa hid himself further into the hallway, two of the improvised bolas by his side.

Jiro-san and Ojiro-kun didn't need long to find the "villains", because Jiro-san could hear them breathing with her Quirk.

As soon as they turned the corner into the hallway where Yugasa was hiding himself, said boy activated the small device in his hands which produced a small flash of red light. It immediately drew the attention of the "Heroes" and they looked into the bloodred eyes of Yugasa because of it.

He definitely got points for creativity and resourcefulness from All Might for that. The small red flash automatically drew the attention of the eyes to the nearest source of red, which were his eyes and allowed him to use his Quirk.

All Might didn't know what exactly Yugasa showed his opponents, but it made sure that they didn't dodge the bolas and were neatly entangled in the capture tape only seconds after they had engaged.

The contact with the tape seemed to jerk them from the illusion, but it also could have been Yugasa who lifted it.

All Might made a mental note to talk with Aizawa-san on the subject of Yugasa's Quirk. It couldn't be, that they had only the barest information on such a dangerous ability.

Chapter Text

Kouji and Itachi were having a small picnic in the forest on the U.A.'s training grounds. They had deftly evaded Itachi's fanclub and were now enjoying the nature among the small flock of crows Itachi could call his own.

(Those before had been Shisui's, but here they were all his.)

Kouji seemed to be mulling about something, but far was it from Itachi to guess. He only ever had one real friend before and he committed suicide when Itachi was 13, so he he had no reference on what to expect from their friendship.

(Maybe Kisame and him could have been friends, but they never trusted each other enough to be anything other than comrades.)

The fact, that Kouji didn't remind him of anyone of his former life was mercy on his soul. He wasn't disappointed when he didn't fulfil unrealistic expectations or stabbed by guilt, when he reminded him of his victims. Adding to that Kouji was gentle and non-judgemental. It was easy to enjoy his company.

"Itachi?"

"Mh?"

"I ... I don't know, whether I want to be a Hero anymore." Itachi blinked and cocked his head.

"Why is that?" Kouji was twisting his big hands in a nervous manner.

"Do you remember my spar with Denki today?" Itachi nodded.

"I hit him really hard with my fist in the face. Recovery Girl healed him, but I still feel bad." Kouji looked anywhere but Itachi for a bit.

"I don't want to hurt people. It was only a spar. What is, when it is a real battle and the injury is more permanent? I don't want to cripple people."

"Mother?"

"Yes, my dear?"

"I can talk to you about anything, right?"

"Of course."

"And you won't tell father?"

"I won't tell. So what do you want to talk about?"

"I don't want to be a shinobi anymore."

"Oh. Why is that?"

"I don't like killing people"

"That is quite normal, Itachi. Almost nobody likes to kill."

"But why are there so many shinobi then? They don't all like killing do they?"

"No they don't. I don't like killing and I am still a shinobi."

"Why?"

"Because I want to be able to protect my family. I would kill every single person in this village, if it meant, that you and your brother would be safe. You don't have to like killing, just be willing to do it in order to protect the village."

"Why did you want to become a Hero, Kouji?" Call him selfish, but Itachi didn't want to loose his only friend in this life.

Kouji frowned. "I always wanted to be a Hero."

Itachi cocked his head to the side. "But why did you want to be a Hero?"

Kouji looked thoughtful. "Because I wanted to protect people, I guess."

"But in order to protect them you have to be able to hurt some."

"I understand that now. But I am not sure, if I can do that."

"Do you think, you would feel regret if there was an attack and you wouldn't be able to help?"

"Remember, kouhai: If you don't want to know how it feels to loose a member of your team, be strong enough to protect them."

"Yes? I think." Kouji's whole face was scrunched in thought. He subconsciously wrung his hands and his words were only just audible.

Itachi remained silent. There was no use in interrupting the thought-process. He fed his crows and relished in the sense of home the forests brought.

After some time Kouji seemed to have come to a conclusion. "I will still try to become a Hero."

Itachi smiled. He had been sure, that that would be his friend's decision, but it was still nice to hear. "I'm glad."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

One of his crows brought them a little pack of dried fruits. Itachi shared it with Kouji and the rest of the flock. It was a nice day.

Chapter Text

The school in this world was interesting in a sense. There was a lot less emphasis on physical education and a lot more on the education of the mind. Where he had to puzzle most knowledge together from various observations before, it was presented on a silver platter here.

There were no expectations from home this time around. (He had a home again.)

Nanako (not his mother) only wanted him to have a somewhat happy life. It was a disconcerting experience. There was no pressure from outside, no set path.

But who knew how long this held, so he learned and learned. Gathering as much useful information before the world came crushing down on him. (Again.)

While he was not really able to connect with his classmates, he was content to just observe their natural progress.

This peaceful environment left them a lot less burdened, but also a lot more naive and carefree. Itachi didn't know what he liked better. (It should be the peace. He had worked so hard for it.)

His school had a martial arts club. He ignored it for two years. He didn't want to fight. (Again.)

He watched them train. It was prudent to be knowledgable about how people fought in this world. Just in case.

It wasn't because his body itched to be trained again or he missed the exhilaration of a good fight.

(He could help those children with their stances. They all were a bit off.)

He didn't want to fight. He was a pacifist, he reminded himself.

When he took up physical training again, it was only because a healthy spirit was dependent on a healthy body.

Of course Nanako had to see him doing a kata and decided going to the martial arts club would be an opportunity for him to get friends. He couldn't really argue against it. She already expected almost nothing of him, the least he could do was respect the few wishes she had.

He stayed in the club to not disappoint Nakano. When he smiled more often and even talked to some of his classmates, there was no proven causation. (He always had been a good liar.)

Chapter Text

After All Might had introduced himself to the class, Itachi despaired. There were too many Gais and Narutos in this world to leave his (questionable) sanity intact.

At least the Battle Trial sounded interesting. (He was a pacifist, he reminded himself.)

But before that could commence there was the matter of their "Hero-Costumes".

Itachi had provided the support-team with a very detailed description of his weapons and clothing. (It wasn't a costume. That would imply the fights would only be a play, not a life or death situation.)

He decided to emulate the Akatsuki cloak because it had been made for fighting and he already knew how to use it. It obscured small movements, could conceal a multitude of weapons and didn't restrict the motion range.

The only problem had been that it was easily damaged and needed to be replaced a lot. He hoped to avoid that this time. (He couldn't use fire anymore.)

He would have loved to use a mask, however it would make it harder for his enemies to look into his eyes. He still could weave illusions without eye-contact, but that wasn't an ability he wanted to be known.

No one but Kisame had known that he cast most genjutsus with his left hand not his eyes. It had taken their enemies more than once by surprise. (Not that it meant much in the end.)

He was brought out of his musings by Bakugo and Midoriya who were fighting a lot more serious than neccessary.

What was interesting was All Might's response. Instead of breaking the fight up before someone got seriously injured, he cheered Midoriya on.

Maybe it had to do with the fact that their Quirks seem similar. Something to ponder on later. (He didn't want to get involved again.)

Chapter Text

Itachi only just evaded the kick from Eraserhead, flipped while throwing a smoke grenade and landed on his feet, Sharingan blazing again after breaking the line of sight between them. Before the senbon he had thrown found their target, Eraserhead called the spar to a stop.

The needles were expertly plucked out of the air with his capture weapon and he motioned to for his pupil to join him on the sidelines. Itachi couldn't for the life of him figure out what the point was, but did so readily.

In the last weak his homeroom teacher had shown why exactly he was qualified to teach the next generations of Heroes. He understood the value of subterfuge and "dirty" tricks, of concealing your abilities and waiting for the right moment. He also showed remarkable social capabilities regarding Shinsou-san.

Itachi would even go as far and say he had come to respect this man during his internship. So there had to be a good reason for the abrupt end to their spar.

Eraserhead made eye-contact with him, a troubled look on his face. (Sometimes it still spooked him, that people weren't afraid of his eyes.)

"You are still holding back. I could understand it when you did at the Festival, even when you fought in front of Shinsou-kun, but why are you still doing it?"

Itachi was taken back not that it showed on his face. He didn't realise it had been that obvious. Ideas on how to remedy the situation were created and discarded. The fact that he was reluctant to harm his teacher was the biggest problem in finding a solution.

He didn't want to disappoint his mentor. (Again.) Wasn't that a terrifying thought? When had Aizawa-sensei become his mentor? Why was he hesitating? Hesitation had never been a problem before. He should just put him in Tsukuyomi, modify his memory and be done with it.

(But this time there were no orders to hide behind. It would be his guilt alone. And he was so tired of feeling guilty.)

His inner turmoil must have taken up more time than he thought, because Aizawa-senpai was speaking again.

"Look, kid. I understand, that you don't trust me and that is okay. But you have to trust someone. You have to be able to train at your maximum or you won't be able to pull it off in a real fight. And then you'll be stuck with the knowledge of not having been able to save someone, because you made an avoidable mistake." He had a far away look in his eyes. "I would know."

That was not, what Itachi had been expecting. There was no accusation in his posture or words, no demand to reveal the full extent of his abilities, no threat if he didn't. It could all be an elaborate scheme to gain Itachi's secrets. But if he had learnt one thing, it was the fact that this world was alarmingly straight forward.

There were Villains and Heroes and while it wasn't always clear cut, there was no plan behind the plan behind the plan. Humans were still humans, but the currency wasn't secrets as it had been in the Elemental Nations. The biggest secret of the whole nation was that their idol was injured for Kami's sake.

Itachi had now been living for more than 16 years in this world and still thought as a shinobi. It would be funny, if it weren't so sad. Itachi still laughed.

He had wasted years of his life being afraid of the other shoe to drop and only now realized that it wasn't even there. It was hilarious.

For the first time in years (decades) he couldn't hold his laughter in anymore. The sound that escaped his lips was completely unfamiliar to him. It felt like all the weight on his shoulders was flowing off of him. Maybe he could just float away. The image elicited another round of laughter. Aizawa must think him insane, but even that didn't stop him from doubling up with laughter. (He didn't want to stop.)

Chapter Text

English was taught by Present Mic (self-proclaimed best friend of Eraserhead).

"That green abomination there is Maito Gai, my self-proclaimed Eternal Rival. You'll get used to him."

Every time he was emphasising the word „You”, Itachi was expecting „YOUTH!”. Even their smiles had a similar shining quality. It was unnerving.

Ultimately the class was a waste of his time. He had mastered English years prior and the boisterous nature of the others was grinding on his nerves. (He could survive weeks with only Hidan and Deidara as company before. He had gotten complacent, it seemed.)

At least his seatneighbour was tolerable. They communicated a lot via sign language and Itachi liked them more and more. (He also had liked Kisame. What did that say about him?)

Kouji-san was a friendly but reserved individual. He could command animals and they bonded over their shared fondness of birds and sweets.

Itachi hadn't thought it possible but Mathematics was even more boring than English. It had always come easily to him and he already knew everything, which was going to be taught to them. He had taken a shine to stochastics and statistics a few years prior because there had been nothing similar in the Elemental Nations as far as he knew. It had been freeing to have an interest which was not laden by his past life.

Kaminari-san looked almost as bored as Itachi felt, though he doubted it was because his classmate already knew the material, but rather because hewas just not interested in it which was a shame. One could never learn enough.

The sheer possibilities Kaminari-san's Quirk provided were endless. He could interrupt, overload or activate security systems. Not to talk about all the ways Kaminari-san could kill without a trace. If he had the control he could even let people act as his puppets.

Maybe Itachi should be grateful, that he obviously wasn't as smart as Sasori had been. He shuddered at the reminder of the puppeteer's and Orochimaru's conversation topics. Nobody needed that. (But they had at least been interesting.)

Chapter Text

"Aizawa-senpai?"

"I told you to quit calling me senpai.", replied the person in question despite knowing the futility of it.

Since Itachi had broken down in front of him the student called him senpai and nothing Shouta said could deter him from it. He was somewhat flattered to be trusted to such an extent, but his instincts were telling him this trust was more dangerous than the Nomu. They were rarely wrong.

"What do you think about the freedom of choice?"

That was the other thing about Itachi's new found trust. Apparently Shouta was now his go-to advisor in all things moral and philosophical. He tried to not think to hard about the reasons behind most of the questions, it was bound to be Trouble. (Even in his mind he could hear the capital.)

"How do you mean that?"

Itachi stilled for a moment. His face didn't change in the slightest, but Shouta still had the impression an important decision was being made.

"I could have prevented Iida-kun's injury." Shouta blinked. That was unexpected.

"I didn't peg you for someone, who feels guilty for the mistakes of other people."

Itachi frowned. "I don't."

"Then why bring it up?"

"Should I have prevented it?"

Shouta had to think a moment to connect all those questions in his mind. Sometimes he thought his problem-pupil was having a secondary intelligence-quirk. Shouta was by no means stupid, but it was not easy to follow the leaps of Itachi's mind. His rather silent personality and the tendency to layer meanings were not helping at all.

"So you want to know at what point it is okay to meddle in someone's life against their will?"

He didn't ask how he could have prevented the whole debacle. Itachi's illusions worked by manipulating the senses of his victims. Which was the manipulation of neurons. The brain was made of neurons. The Sharingan was making being under Hitoshi's "Brainwash"-ability look like free will.

Shouta just hoped he was enough to keep Itachi on the Heroes' side. Not that anybody could do anything against it, if he decided to become a Villain or Vigilante. He shook himself. There was no point in dwelling on that at the moment.

Itachi nodded.

Shouta closed his eyes for a moment. That was not an easy to answer question. Normally he advocated to utilise one's full potential, but this was not possible in Itachi's case without getting in conflict with the Human Rights Declaration. This was a serious moral dilemma his student and subsequently Shouta had found themselves in.

"I don't know. And I don't think there is a good answer to this question. My advice would be to not do it outside of life-threatening situations. I think everybody has the right to make choices. Even bad ones as long as they don't endanger the lives others with it. Of course it is often not as simple as that but as I said, there is no clear answer."

If one were to follow those lines of thought, it wouldn't take long to arrive at the point where one would weigh one life against another. And that was a point which Shouta tried to visit as seldom as possible.

He would definitely ask Nemuri to go drinking with him tonight or tomorrow night. He needed to ban those thoughts back to the pits they came from.

"Thank you, Aizawa-senpai. I will take it into consideration. Have a good day."

"No problem, Itachi-san."

Chapter Text

Itachi stepped out of the bus as one of the last people, Aizawa-senpai's eyes on his back. He took a deep breath. The air here was much cleaner than he was used to. The smell of fertile soil and green leaves triggered a sudden bout of nostalgia of the times when Shisui and him had chased one another through the forests of Konoha, but it was a mercifully short impression.

Kouji sidled up to his left. "There is something afoot again, isn't there?"

Itachi smiled at the question. "How did you know?"

Kouji grumbled. "You took your coat with you. And there are two other people near us, but neither you nor Aizawa-sensei are concerned about their presence."

"You are getting better. Our destination is a few miles into that direction at the base of the mountain. I think we will have to reach it as our first mission objective."

Kouji shook his head a bit in exasperation and gave Itachi one of his sweet buns. "How do you know that anyway?" But as always his friend just smiled enigmatically and said, "I have my ways."

To nobodies surprise Itachi's "predictions" came true and one landslide later they both stood inside the "Beast's Forest" seperated from the rest of the class.

Itachi almost expected monstrous insects and deadly flora, but had to remind himself that something as lethal as the Forest of Death would not be an appropriate training ground in this world. It, of course, didn't stop him from being reasonably cautious (or extremely paranoid as Aizawa-senpai called it) while navigating through the greenery.

Kouji used his control over the animals for scouting ahead and Itachi his vast experience to determine the most efficient path.

(Kisame hadn't for the life of him been able to run in the trees. There had two Incidents, Which Were To Be Never Mentioned Again or I will feed your eyeballs to Samehada, I swear Itachi, after which they had decided to travel on the ground or water exclusively.)

They were almost at the halfway point when Itachi noticed an anomaly. He signed Kouji, who fell back immediately and Itachi congratulated himself for teaching Kouji and Aizawa-senpai the Konohan Anbu-signs. Why the Heroes hadn't already invented something like it, was beyond him.

He snuck silently forward and discovered the source of the sludgy sounds. A misshapen humanoid made out of mud trudged through the undergrowth towards their location. Itachi immediately activated his Sharingan to see that the thing definitely wasn't human. It took him longer than it should have to realize that it probably was a construct of the earth-manipulating Heroine, who had sent them down with the landslide.

As beings made of earth, they or their creator probably oriented themselves by the vibrations in the earth. This theory was proven to be correct when the creature failed to locate them in the trees, but lunged for a small explosive Itachi had thrown for distraction.

On his command Kouji and him both sprinted away from it while their running was obstructed with another set of explosives. After they had cleared enough distance Itachi stopped them again.

"Those were made by Pixie-Bob, the woman who also made the landslide. They orient themselves by the vibrations in the ground. The best course of action should be walking as silent as we can and deflect their attention by climbing on the trees. Standing still should also help, if there aren't any trees nearby. Fighting them is not advisable. They are most likely are resistant to physical damage and the resulting ruckus would inform others of its kind of our location."

Only when Kouji looked at him with big eyes and hesitantly signed "Affirmative", Itachi realised that he had slipped back into old habits and had signed "Understood?" after giving his assessment and commands. Well, that was something to ponder on when they had reached their goal. He signed Kouji to follow silently and took the lead again.

They successfully evaded three other mud-beasts and were the first ones to reach the camp in the early afternoon. Shouta and Pixie-Bob looked suitably impressed at their early arrival, but that quickly changed to annoyance in Shouta's case, when Itachi held his hand out.

After a short staring contest, Eraserhead caved in and handed over the bag of dango. Itachi smiled a bit smugly, thanked his mentor and shared his loot with Kouji.

The peaceful moment was broken shortly after when Pixie-Bob loudly demanded to know, what that had been all about. Shouta just grinned maliciously at Itachi and commented rather gleefully, that this question would be better answered by the "prodigious student" himself.

Itachi vowed revenge as soon as he found a way to extract himself from this adult fangirl.

Chapter Text

"What do you think you would do, if you weren't going to be a Hero?" Hagakure-san asked their cafeteria-table.

"I always thought I'd go into modelling, myself." She giggled. "But jokes aside, what do you think you would be doing?" She seemed to look at each of them, but it was hard to tell with her invisibility.

Kouji was the first one to answer. "I always thought about being a veterinarian. With my Quirk and all that." He shyly ducked his head.

"I guess being able to command the animals would make that a lot easier.", Tokoyami-san pondered. "For me it had to be something, where I am always in the light..."

He wouldn't have to do that, if he at least tried to communicate with Dark Shadow and find an accord, but to Itachi's consternation Tokoyami-san was anything but receptive to "such foolish ideas".

"You could work as an interior designer for lighting.", Hagakure-san suggested slightly chuckling.

"Or just any job at a hospital or in most laboratories. They even have emergency power supplies." Itachi contributed his own two cents in a dry voice. They nodded their heads in approval, having all just taken a bite.

"That are some good ideas, Itachi-san. What about you?"

Of course she had to ask him, too. Not for the first time he wished to have learned to respond to such queries without resorting to violence or silence.

"I ... " He had promised Aizawa-senpai to try and be honest (to a certain degree) with his classmates. "I don't know."

"Well, what are you particularly good at?", Hagakure-san asked.

Killing, manipulating, ruining lives

There was a pregnant pause at the table, where everybody thought about the question. "Let me rephrase that question. Is there anything you are not good at?"

Being a brother, a son, a friend

Tokoyami-san came to his rescue. "Is there truly nothing you could think of? You always think of everything, Yugasa-san."

He was not wrong. "I had thought about becoming a doctor before."

Kouji looked very intently at his plate. Itachi had already told him about it.

"You definitely have the brains for it, but that does sound like there is a "but".", Hagakure-san trailed off.

Itachi took a breath. "You are not wrong. I just think it too fascinating."

"What do you mean with that?", she asked confused. Tokoyami-san only had a slightly calculating look in his eyes.

Itachi smirked cruelly. "I mean that I rather would experiment on my patients than heal them."

(He was an innately curious person and the years of acquaintance with minds like Sasori and Orochimaru had done nothing for his ethical integrity.)

He looked her directly in the eyes (at least from her perspective). She said nothing for a while presumably too shocked to gather any words. That should make her think about trying to flirt with him in the future.

Tokoyami-san instead just nodded. "It would be like me being a cave explorer. Just to much opportunities to lose control."

That was not what Itachi had expected. Maybe there was something to Aizawa-senpai's idea with trust and truth after all.

Chapter Text

There were villains. There were Villains attacking His students in the U.S.J.. Eraserhead needed to get them out of here. This was not a battle they could win. He charged ahead and let Thirteen handle the evacuation. The more time he could buy them, the better.

It was soon after that he heard the screams of his students, but he didn't have the time to look back. If the villains were only even a bit more coordinated, they would have already incapacitated him. But as it stood some of them were even hurting their allies in their attempts to fight him.

Blood splattered against Eraserhead's chest as a Villain with a massive sword decapitated another. He wasn't allowed to lose focus, the lives of his students were on the line.

He could taste the blood on his lips.

Another villain slipped on the bloodpuddle and stabbed himself with spikes that were protruding from his hands.

A woman with sharp claws instead of feet was running over her fallen comrades to reach him, leaving shredded bodies in her wake.

Someone who could shoot and control steel-cables pierced another man with reptilian features. Eraserhead easily could wind himself out of the cables' hold because of their slickness.

It smelled of iron and dust.

The leader of the villains was screaming at his underlings about fighting the Heroes and not each other, but soon ignored them for monologuing about All Might.

Eraserhead finally had cleared the field enough to have a look around. Thirteen was engaged with the warp-quirk person-thing, there was more fighting going on in the individual rescue-zones (his students!) and not far from him Yugasa was engaged with a Villain with suction hoses for arms.

Before Eraserhead could intervene, there suddenly was a hulking shadow behind him. He dodged as fast as he could, but the gigantic fist of this grotesque thing still clipped his left leg and he was hurled back. It moved faster than a being with its size had any right to and Eraserhead could only dodge. He tried to get to the leader who seemed to be in command of that thing, but it didn't let him.

Around them the situation had devolved. Most Villains were fighting each other with no mercy. There were cries about crows and demons.

The whole floor was glistening red.

It took a bit of careful manoeuvring but for all its strength this "Nomu" wasn't particularly smart, and Eraserhead managed to get near the leader. His plan wasn't really thought out but there wasn't any time for something more elaborate.

He came to a halt, took aim, threw his knife towards the leader and braced himself for the impact.

As planned the leader instinctively tried to use his quirk on the knife, which Eraserhead had disabled. It looked like the knife cleanly cut into the hand, but then the Nomu had caught up and the only thing that registered in Eraserhead's mind was pain as his body was flung towards the leader from the force of the hit.

It now tasted like blood inside his mouth, too.

Despite the pain he managed to maintain his line of sight with the leader. The problem was that he now was in melee range of a clearly deranged man, who now also had a knife. Eraserhead had hoped that the cut was going to be more debilitating, but it had been a desperate gambit anyway. He struggled as hard as he could but the leader soon had him down on the ground with few well aimed stabs.

He saw out of the corner of his eyes how his blood mixed with the one already on the ground.

He couldn't even taste it anymore. It flowed down his nostril and pooled in his mouth.

The leader talked about how Eraserhead would now be executed in before his students' eyes by the Nomu and there was nothing Shouta could do.

Every time his hands tried to grip anything, they slipped off, every time he tried to open his mouth there came nothing but blood out of it. Even his vision was tinted red by splatters on his goggles.

The Nomu reared back for the final hit and Shouta asked himself if that was how Oboro had felt in his last moments.

The fist came down, but instead of ending Shouta there was a sickening crunch and the leader was screaming.

At this point Shouta's mind was strongly affected by the loss of blood. The Nomu turned into dust and at some point there was All Might. He was sure that the warp-quirk Villain was also involved somehow.

The last thing he saw were two bloodred eyes looking into his own.

"From what you are telling me, Aizawa-sensei, it does sound like there was something inducing this violence. Most Villains, while violent and brutal, do not massacre people without a reason. Especially not their own. And it was a pre-planned attack from an organised group. There really should have been no reason for this in-fighting. Of course I am thankful that you are still alive, but I don't like it."

Nezu ran the railing of Shouta's hospital-bed up and down, clearly agitated.

"Maybe one of the Villains had a quirk which produces a violent haze? Or just amplifies violent emotions? Some of them got away, didn't they?", Shouta offered as an explanation. His body still hurt and he was tired.

"But that doesn't explain why this "Nomu" suddenly hit their alleged master and not you."

Shouta grunted in response. He really didn't want to think about it at the moment. If the headmaster wanted to discuss this in earnest, he had to wait until Shouta was not high on painkillers. He slept.

Chapter Text

"Most of you probably have already thought about, what your Hero-Names are going to be, but do keep in mind that the Hero-Name reflects on the Hero as much as the Hero reflects on their name. You have 15 minutes."

Itachi stared at blank canvas before him. It was not like he hadn't thought about the name under which he was going to be known, but it still was surreal.

In the Hidden Nations your moniker was earned. It was given by your enemies after proving yourself worth of their attention. Not that Itachi had any intentions of earning "Clan-Killer Itachi" once again. His mo-, Nanako was still alive after all.

(But with the U.S.J. Incident he already had at least one massacre under his belt. Again.)

He had briefly thought about naming himself Uchiha. But that was just inviting trouble in. This cursed name had brought him and everybody who wore it only misery. They had been powerful, but at what cost. They had loved too fiercely and hated too much. They had been all seeing and blind at the same time. They had prided themselves in their strong bonds, but those had been their downfall.

(And their arrogance. Itachi would have never been able to slaughter them like cattle if they hadn't thought themselves infallible. )

The time was already up. Itachi quickly wrote his name down and waited for the others. At least this wasn't as boring as the classes normally were.

Hadn't he trained himself out of it a long time ago, he would have startled badly at Tokoyami's chosen name. Tsukuyomi was the name of a god and Itachi doubted Tokoyami knew what that meant.

(Itachi could show him. Show him, what it meant to use a gods power.)

Such a name was not invoked lightly. (Power came always with a price.)

He would keep an eye on Tokoyami. (The Sharingan had been able to control a Bijuu. It should be able to control Dark Shadow.)

He smiled at Kouji's presentation. The "Petting Hero: Anima" didn't reveal anything about Kouji's identity or abilities, but still brought out his gentle nature.

Then it was his time. He revealed his name and was met with clueless stares, not that he had expected anything different.

"An interesting choice. Munin was one of the two ravens of Odin, the Norse god, if I remember correctly. The others name was Hugin. One of them meant memory and the other thought. Which one was Munin?", Midnight-sensei explained to the class.

"The memory one, sensei." A reminder of another life in another world and all the mistakes, he hopefully was going to avoid.

"Ahh well. That is acceptable, I guess. Mineta-san, you are next."

Chapter Text

"Hagakure-san.", Yugasa said. There was no discernible emotion in his voice, but Nezu didn't expect anything different. Everyone of his teachers had attested to Yugasa's control over his emotions.

"Itachi-san.", the invisible girl answered.

"Yes, of course.", she said not shortly after. Nezu cursed Yugasa-kun. There went his idea to spy on their preparations for their upcoming confrontation. Aizawa-sensei had warned him about the boys paranoia. Still he had not expected him to put his partner under an illusion to keep their plans a secret.

While he couldn't glean much more information from their now onesided conversation, it seemed like Yugasa had assumed the role of the leader and strategist. Hagakure-san mainly nodded or asked for clarification.

At the ten minute mark of their 15 minutes of preparation time, Yugasa handed a few of his gadgets over to Hagakure-san. Nezu could make out some small grenades and their pair of handcuffs, which she stored in her gloves. So Yugasa wanted to be the distraction while Hagakure-san snuck up on him. Not the worst strategy, but they had to do a lot more to bring him down.

Reluctantly Nezu left them to make the last preparations for his side of the test. He already had gained enough information from them. Especially considering, that he wasn't supposed to spy on them at all. He laughed maliciously. This was going to be fun.

The exam had started and his two victims made a beeline to the exit of this urban maze. Nezu had not expected anything less. It was the most forcing move and Yugasa was quite the strategist if Yagi-san was to be believed.

Nezu manoeuvred his wrecking ball into position and collapsed their escape route. A flock of crows was startled by the noise and began circling overhead.

They both didn't have physical quirks, so he was excited to see how Yugasa was going to solve this problem. Of course all the dust would also make Hagakure-san's invisibility quite useless. He laughed again.

His laughter ended abruptly, when something whizzed near his cabin. He only just dove out of the way of the rain of shards as a flashbang exploded not far away. How had they known his location that fast and how had they gotten the flashbang to him? The distance should have been too far to throw it.

Well, if they wanted a direct confrontation, he was happy to indulge them. He only had to make sure not to look in Yugasa's eyes, so he closed his. They would regret the day they had started a fight with him.

Only a short time later he was, where he had last seen the students. The trail was easy to pick up for someone with a good nose.

The startled murder of crows had now settled on the ruins, sometimes cawing. He didn't like crows. They always triggered some primitive part of his brain, that wanted to hide in the next hole. He ignored them and made haste to catch up with his prey before they reached the next exit.

They had immediately moved after disturbing him. It didn't take long until he and those blasted birds had caught up to them.

He mercilessly fell upon Hagakure-san trying to get her gloves and consequently the handcuffs. Instead of fighting back she backed up and used one of the grenades. It was a smoke grenade, which now that he thought about it, was ingenious.

It made his sense of smell useless and he already knew from All Might and Eraserhead, that both were too stealthy to be heard over the hissing of the grenade. So Nezu had to rely on his sight once again. Of course you couldn't see a lot inside the smoke, so the first order of business was getting out.

He chose one direction and cautiously advanced. Suddenly there was a caw right above his head. He turned around, before he thought better of it and stared into the red eyes of a gigantic crow.

Fear seized his heart and he ran away as quickly as he could. Two blocks later his brain finally registered the impossibility of this situation and he bit himself rather harshly. The pain cleared his senses. The gigantic crow vanished and he discovered, that he never left the smokescreen.

Two gloves suddenly tried to restrain him, but they had to do better than this to best him. He went on the offensive again, still trying to pry the handcuffs from Hagakure-san. They traded a few blows, both of them limited by low visibility.

Nezu saw his opportunity. He hopped onto Hagakure-san's arm and jumped to the other one biting into the hand that held the target.

It tasted like feathers in his mouth and his opponent burst into crows. He was petrified for a moment and it was enough to feel, how the steel tightly closed around his paws.

In front of him stood Yugasa, eyes still red and the hands on the cuffs belonged to Hagakure-san. The smoke had mostly been blown away by now. Above them the crows perched on the ledges of the building.

"Congratulations. You passed the exam." If it wasn't said with as much enthusiasm as normal and his small heart was still trying to leap out of his chest, no one needed to know.

Back in the observation room Nezu's first point of order was to drink a cup of tea until his paws weren't shaking anymore.

To nobody's surprise Yugasa and Hagakure-san had been the first ones to pass the exam and had almost no injuries.

While they all silently observed the other matches, Nezu mulled over the fight. There was something he was missing. How had they known where to find him in the beginning?

He let his eyes wander to Yugasa. The boy went outside and cawed loudly. If he hadn't just seen it with his own eyes, Nezu would have never believed the sound to be made by a human. Immediately the murder came down to greet him and eat out of his hand.

Of course. The boy was best friends with the one who could command animals. Between the two of them the crows would do his bidding anytime. His Hero-Name was a legendary raven. Nezu chuckled.

Now that he was thinking about it, at the U.S.J. Incident (it should have been named Massacre) Aizawa had reported, that some of the villains had cried about ravens or crows. It could be a coincidence, but Nezu didn't believe in them.

He would have to interrogate Aizawa-san more thoroughly on Yugasa's abilities the next time and he would keep an eye on the student. There was a seriously brilliant mind in that head. Nezu didn't want it to be used by Villains.

(Though a small part of him was delighted by the idea of him and Yugasa on the different sides of a war. He has itched for a good challenge since he had argued himself into legally being a human.)

Chapter Text

Shouta looked at where his two mentees were having a stand-off. Well Hitoshi was having a onesided stand-off and Itachi was unflappable as (almost) always.

His original plan had been to introduce them as soon as possible, but he then had had reservations about it. Itachi was not really, what one could describe as sociable. His distant and polite manner could be seen as arrogant and his advice, while helpful, was very honest.

Hitoshi on the other hand was hotheaded, bitter and rather set in his ways.

One didn't need to be a genius to see that that clash of characters was going to be volatile, so he delayed their meeting until he had a better feeling about it.

"So what do you think of Shinsou-san?" Shouta asked his problem-pupil after their first jont training session.

It had been, as far as he could discern, amicable on Itachi's part and tense on Hitoshi's, not that he had expected anything different. Itachi was after all everything Hitoshi wished to be. (At least on the surface. Shouta was pretty sure Hitoshi didn't want to have that much trauma.)

Itachi cocked his head to the side. "He is easy to manipulate."

He groaned internally. How could he have forgotten Itachi's screwed priorities?

"You could give him the acknowledgement he craves and direct his anger to a different target and he would burn the world down for you."

Shouta blinked. He didn't even know what to think about this, never mind say.

"On the other hand he would be a prime target for any political group, if he isn't going to be encouraged in his dreams here."

Shouta could see it before his eyes.

An (at the beginning) innocent correspondence filled with flattery and vague enough to be intriguing. A small gift, then asking for a favour in return. Commenting off-handely about how they can empathise with quirk-related bullying. Asking for another favour. Steering the next conversation about the deficiencies in the current Hero-system. Another gift.

Lamenting about the waste of potential in Hitoshi, but also saying that they would never intervene as long as Hitoshi doesn't tell them to. Laying back, waiting for a few new incidents, in which Hitoshi is treated unfairly. Always lending an ear to his complaints. Hitoshi asking on his own accord soon enough and offering his talents for compensation, because of his pride.

A bit of induced emotional dependency to complete the scheme and they would have Hitoshi's undying loyalty.

Shouta frowned and activated his quirk. The visuals disappeared, but it didn't make the thought process less logical. He cursed his past-self for the idea to volunteer for Itachi's quirk-training.

Said demon spawn gave him a small smile. "What gave it away?"

"I wouldn't have known enough about psychological manipulation to envision that scenario."

He closed his eyes in consideration. "Though it is a valid point. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. " He was rewarded with another small smile.

Should he ask for an assessment of the students in his class?

It would help him to keep them save from the Villains aiming for All-Might. (But there hadn't been a lot of the League left, after the U.S.J. Incident.)

On the other hand it would make him even more susceptible to any manipulation from Itachi.

What would Hitoshi say, if the only reason why Shouta wasn't wary of his Quirk was because Itachi's was much more frightening?

What was it with this years students anyway?

There was All Might's successor, the son of Endeavour (and boy was that another emotional mess), the walking anger-management-issue, the brother-complex with engine-legs and the "free will is a consideration for other people" killer.

What did Shouta do in his last life to deserve this? Murder babies in their sleep?

He needed a drink or two. Maybe more like five. He texted Hizashi and Nemuri.

Not that he could talk to them about Itachi, but he could drown those thoughts in their presence. (Or at least attempt to.)

Chapter Text

There was a knock on the door to Itachi's dorm. He recognized it; he had been waiting for Aizawa-senpai's visit ever since they had been back at the U.A.-campus after the disastrous training camp. He opened the door.

"Hello, Aizawa-senpai."

The man had even deeper rings under the eyes than normal and the beginnings of stress-lines. (Itachi was intimately acquainted with those.)

"Itachi." The lack of honorific and the fact, that he didn't even protest Itachi's use of it, were another testament to his exhaustion.

"Tea?" His mentor blinked.

"I rather thought we go eat somewhere. I'm starved." So he wanted to talk about something sensitive and not appear like a creep doing it in Itachi's room.

(There were some rules about teachers and students and bedrooms, but it never had been his concern. It was not his mental health which would be in jeopardy, should a teacher try something like that.)

He nodded. "Dango?"

Aizawa-senpai huffed. "You are impossible. There is a restaurant a few streets down, which offers a whole range of different foods."

"Sounds good."

The walk towards the restaurant was quiet. Aizawa-senpai seemed to be lost in his thoughts and Itachi never had been a talkative person. His murder followed them at a safe distance.

They chose a rather secluded table. Aizawa-senpai spoke up only after they were halfway through their meals.

"Muscular still hasn't woken up."

Interestingly enough there wasn't any judgement in his eyes, only curiosity. It looked like Aizawa-senpai was a lot less moral than most people thought him to be.

He shrugged. "He most likely won't for a fortnight." And when he does, he would realise that he was crippled and would commit suicide after about half a year.

"The doctors say they can't find anything wrong with him." Of course not. Sharingan-induced genjutsu were insidious.

"The relationship between the mind and the body is still not fully understood."

Aizawa gave him a sly look. "Isn't it? Ahh well, the police had rather hoped to be able to interrogate him."

Itachi took another bite of his delicious dango. "I heard, that Mustard already spilled everything there was to spill."

His mentor snorted. "I'm not going to ask how you even know that. You would just sit there in smug silence until I change the topic."

Itachi had to smile at that. He wasn't wrong.

"But to the more pressing point. Why Bakugou?"

So that was the reason for their little outing. Aizawa-senpai really was a smart man. He hoped it wasn't going to become a liability later on. He wanted to have someone he could trust in. So far it had been a very enjoyable experience.

"They don't have the time to increase their fortitude the nice way. Loss facilitates development. There even is a chance, that it isn't permanent, which is the least damaging but still serious loss one can face."

There was understanding and disgust in equal measure on his teacher's face. Itachi couldn't really judge him for it. He knew it wasn't nice, but necessary. (And he had never shied away from doing what was necessary.)

Aizawa-senpai frowned. "But why Bakugou?"

"In the case, that he doesn't join, it is a wakeup-call for him to change his behaviour. In case he does join, it is a wakeup-call for the rest of the class and we will have one volatile factor less to worry about."

"You think there is a chance he will switch sides?"

"Our opponents did not make the choice without reason. He is a very self-centered person with a destructive personality only limited by his pride and rather simple ideas of what a Hero is. If they can find the right method, he will join them readily. But then, everybody can be coerced to do almost everything as long as you find the right leverage."

Aizawa-senpai was looking relieved at his admission that the kidnapping had been the Villains' idea and not his. (A small part of him wanted to be offended his teacher would think Itachi capable of doing so, but then he was right to be suspicious. Itachi was capable of committing atrocities in the name of helping others.)

His mentor suddenly looked a lot older than he was. (He had seen it often enough in the mirror.)

"I fear I can't fault you for that logic, but I admit, that it doesn't sit easy with me."

"I can understand." (And he could. Killing his clan also had never sat easy with him, even though he had seen the reason for it.)

They sat in silence for some time, enjoying the atmosphere around them.

"Some of my classmates plan on a covert operation to free Bakugou."

A light lit in Aizawa-senpai's eyes at that comment. It had been the right choice to tell him.

"Do they? Tell me more."

Chapter Text

Nezu made himself a pot of tea. This evening was dedicated to research and he didn't want to have to interrupt it at a later point because his cup was empty.

He made himself comfortable on his desk and delved into the matter; the subject being one Yugasa Itachi. The boy had managed to capture his interest with his last exam and everyone knew that Nezu's interest was thing of obsession.

There was astoundingly little information on Yugasa's childhood before he went to middle-school. Since he was born, he only ever had lived with his quirkless mother. His father was unknown. When he was four years old there had been an attempted theft which had led to the awakening of his quirk. Ever since that day the entry in the Quirk-Registry had not been edited.

Nezu noted "Sharingan" down. He didn't know why Yugasa had wanted to call his quirk "Copy-Wheel-Eyes", but it surely was some piece of the puzzle.

As soon as Yugasa entered school, his intellect stood out. He attracted a lot of attention because of it, but declined every offer for sponsoring his talents. His teachers noted that while he didn't have any problems with the other kids, he was unable to connect with them.

All in all the reports painted a picture of a very intelligent and lonely child, who was curious and peaceful.

He joined a Martial Arts Club when he was twelve, but refused to partake in tournaments though he was said to be "a prodigy". Before Yugasa decided to become a Hero, he had wanted to be a doctor. There were sadly no accounts on why he had decided to change his career-path.

Nezu took out his application for the U.A. next. Of course they had invited him to their entrance exams, looking at his grades and the glowing recommendations of his martial arts instructor only skimming his letter of motivation. So it was this letter that he paid attention to.

It was a thing of beauty. There was nothing wasted; every word had a purpose. It showed his intelligence, his dedication in protecting others and even shed some light on his weakness in socialising. It was not perfect enough to appear unnatural, which made it perfect in Nezu's eyes. He doubted even he would have suspected anything, if he had not looked for it specifically. Ironically enough, the letter was a testament of Yugasa's understanding of the human mind, though it stated the exact opposite.

Nezu poured himself another cup. Next was the entrance exam. The written portion didn't reveal anything new. Yugasa had a perfect score but that was hardly a surprise.

The practical part was a lot more interesting. Yugasa had taken a long metal staff as his weapon of choice and used it expertly to incapacitate the robots. His movements were clean and clinical. While he didn't rack up a lot of saving points in the initial evaluation, Nezu could now see how he always made sure that the robots he fell never endangered another person when collapsing.

The principal also assured himself that none of the other participants near Yugasa were behaving like they were under an illusion, but he couldn't find any evidence of tampering. And why should Yugasa even try it? He was smart enough to know that he had at least a near perfect score in his written part and only needed a passable score in the practical portion to get admitted into the Hero-Courses. There was no need to risk it with the use of his rather ominous quirk.

But there was something that was bugging Nezu about the practical exam. Maybe it was in the way he moved? He compared Yugasa's performance to that of a few other students with non-combative quirks. There was a distinct difference between them and it wasn't only the speed and the skill-level. It reminded him a bit of Edgeshot and Eraserhead. The efficiency they moved with was eerily similar.

Ahh! That was it. He let out a manic laugh which spilled some of his tea. Yugasa fought like he had experience in real fights. He was efficient, decisive and hyper-alert to any potential danger. There was no showing off, no theoretically cool but impractical move, no excessive motion.

But where did he get that experience? It clearly wasn't in school. He even had refused to fight in the tournaments. Was it because other people would notice his style? Or did he just dislike the attention? Questions upon questions.

Nezu made a note to go over the police-reports of Yugasa's general neighbourhood in his childhood years. Maybe there had been an unidentified vigilante or villain at the time, which would explain his findings.

The next items on his list were the reports and statements of the U.S.J. Incident. All the cameras had been deactivated curtsey of the League of Villains, so there were only the accounts of the eye-witnesses to go off.

The police had already done an admirable job of reconstructing the fights. There even was a rudimentary simulation of the location of any given person and their status at any point during the attack. It was the most accurate for the students and the Villains in the individual rescue-zones; the central dome, where most of the fighting happened, sadly lacked a lot on that front. And of course that was the bit, which Yugasa had been in. It never could have been easy now, could it?

According to Yugasa's own statement he had managed to evade the warp-portal and then had proceeded to cut any Villains off from either going after Iida-san or Thirteen. It was a tactically sound decision. Alarming the authorities or, in this case, the other Heroes was the first step in minimizing the casualties, especially as they already had been split up. Preventing the Villains from preventing Iida-san to alert the Heroes was a good idea and well in the abilities of someone, who could produce very real feeling illusions.

It still was without a doubt a risky move and Yugasa didn't seem like a person, who took many risks so he had to had some reassurances. The most obvious would be, if he was secretly working with the League but this theory had so many holes, Nezu refused to contemplate it any further.

The other option was, that Yugasa was so confident in his abilities he wouldn't consider the fight a risk. Under normal circumstances Nezu would have discarded that hypothesis as well, but this were anything but normal circumstances. He noted the thought down.

The boy further stated in his report that he was ignored by most of the Villains in favour of Eraserhead or themselves, which was supported by Eraserhead's account and the fact that he only had a small scratch to show for his troubles.

"Coincidentally" every opponent Yugasa (allegedly) fought died in the massacre. Their wounds were clearly inflicted by some other Villain, but it still was interesting. Neither the police nor Nezu himself had even thought about the possibility that it could have been the result of Yugasa's quirk at the time.

The "illusions" Yugasa was capable of, were not just visual projections. They were anchored in the perception of the victim. He remembered the giant crow that had chased him. His eyes, his ears, his sense of direction and his sense of touch had been fooled. It was quite possible, that his nose and his sense of taste had been fooled too, but he couldn't recall it. Not to think about the fact that there had been another illusion layered under it, which hadn't been dispelled by the self-inflicted pain.

The sheer understanding Yugasa must have of the (human) mind to create such intricate and believable scenarios had to be enormous. Combining that with the prior observation of his experience in dangerous situations, there was a high chance that Yugasa was responsible for at least a few deaths in the massacre.

Nezu checked the report again. The statements of the aspiring Heroes had not been taken by Tsukauchi, the man with the lie-detecting quirk, but one of his subordinates. So there was no guarantee that his report was correct and there was no world in which Yugasa wasn't good at lying.

He poured himself another cup. What was backed up by other witnesses, was the fact that as soon as the Nomu had hit the League's proclaimed leader, Yugasa had sprinted towards Eraserhead and tended to his wounds. It supported Nezu's theory that he had been the one to confuse the Nomu about its target.

Now that he thought about it, it was likely that Aizawa had come to the conclusion himself. It would explain why he suddenly had been so interested in the boy. He also most likely knew about the gigantic potential of Yugasa's quirk at some point.

It was possibly one of the reasons why he had been rather cagey with his answers to Nezu's questions. He hadn't wanted to betray the boy's trust. Though it was a wonder that he had managed to earn it in the first place. The student's paranoia was truly something else.

The principal still had to keep an eye on Aizawa-sensei, if possible. Yugasa was an expert manipulator and while Aizawa was somewhat trained to resist them, the boy was on another level.

In the mandatory counselling session after the Incident Hound Dog also noted that Yugasa Hadn't seemed disturbed by the gruesome sights he had witnessed. That could be true or it could be, that he had the poor counsellor under an illusion all the time.

This quirk really made his investigations difficult. Maybe Nezu could convince Yugasa to have his next internship with him. That would be fascinating. He cackled at the prospect.

He went to pour himself another cup, but the pot was empty. And it was not like he would get any more answers tonight. There were a few avenues to pursue, but nothing that could be done today.

In conclusion he know was sure, that Yugasa had somehow already experienced enough dangerous situations to fight in them, was more than capable of manipulating other people and was rather ruthless when his teacher was on the line.

As long as the boy's loyalties stayed with Aizawa-sensei there were more pressing matters. First on the list was the location of the upcoming training camp. He sighed and made himself another pot of tea.

Chapter Text

Itachi was observing his classmates in the shadows (they still hadn't noticed him), when the pressure appeared. For but a millisecond he even froze. It had been so very long since he last felt a killing intent on that magnitude.

(It must have been Kisame on one of their missions. For all that Sasuke wanted to kill him, he also didn't want to do it. It was the same for Kakashi and Kabuto's goal had never been their death.)

He contemplated his options for a moment. His classmates were understandably petrified in their fear. Aizawa-senpai still was about half a minute away. He could shake them out of their shock, but then they would undoubtedly plan something foolish, which would give their positions away, and they would never learn how to withstand Killing Intent on their own.

He waited and relished the adrenalin-rush. It deafened the irrevelant sounds, condensed the noise to the necessary. (He had accepted by now, that he was a creature of battle.)

By the time the enemy (most likely All For One) pulled Bakugou and the other members of the League to his side, Eraserhead had finally caught up with them. Itachi was the only one, who heard the quiet footsteps approaching.

"You were not going to do something foolish, were you?"

Tenya, Izuku, Todoroki, Yaoyorozu and Kishirima turned to their teacher's voice in unison, the surprise clear on their faces.

Itachi watched with increasing mirth as his classmates dug their grave deeper and deeper in their attempts to explain their presence here.

"But we even made sure to be stealthy!"

Itachi's taste for overly dramatic behaviour had mellowed out in his second life, but he couldn't walk away from this opportunity.

He silently stepped out of the darkness behind them. "You wouldn't know what stealthy meant, if it bit you."

It was hilarious to see all their surprised faces, when they turned around again to face him. (And all looked directly into the Sharingan. It would be so easy to kill them all.)

"Wha- where did you come from?", Tenya exclaimed loudly. They were lucky that the entrance of All Might overshadowed the noise he just made. Rookies. (It was a mistake a shinobi would have made only once.)

"I was here the whole time, you just didn't notice me."

"The whole time? But that would mean..."

"That he followed you all the way on my orders. You didn't think your little plan would go unnoticed noticed, did you? Especially after the Stain-Debacle." Eraserhead steered the attention back to him after giving Itachi a slightly reprimanding look.

It was quickly agreed, that their teacher would go and rescue Bakugou, while Itachi was keeping his classmates from doing something dumb.

In the meantime the fight between All Might and All For One had escalated and wrought heavy destruction all around. People were screaming and the concrete was crying under the strain.

(The fear and panic anchored him in reality. There was nothing but peaceful silence in his mind.)

"If you want to make yourselves useful, help with the evacuation of the civilians. Don't come to close or you are going to be a target." He enforced his command with a small genjutsu, which amplified their willingness to go along with it.

"What about you?", Todoroki asked. He must have been set on joining the fray himself.

Itachi smirked "I know how to not be seen."

Chapter Text

All For one geared up for his final hit against the One For All, but before he could annihilate his nemesis, he first had to get the other Heroes out of the way, so they wouldn't intercept him.

The Air Cannon truly was a beautiful Quirk. There was only one insignificant Hero left. They had snuck around the battlefield for quite some time now, always safely out of his immediate reach. All Might didn't even seem to notice him. Pathetic.

He locked onto the signature preparing another blast, when he opened his eyes?

He stood in an endless plane with a red sky. Opposite of him was a young man with a long black coat, black hair and red eyes.

This couldn't be real. He had not been able to see for the last six years.

"This is indeed not real.", the person said.

"Who are you?" He was sure he had not met this man before.

"My name is Itachi and we are in Tsukuyomi. Pleasure to meet you." The man bowed politely.

There was a memory itching to be remembered; his successor reporting about the backfired attack on the U.S.J..

There was this kid. Itachi or something. Who names their child "weasel" anyway? He was fighting alongside the bastard Eraserhead. They couldn't even get a scratch on him. These kids are not supposed to be this strong! They had to have a cheatcode!

"You are the illusionist of the U.J.S. Incident, are you not?" That meant that this world was an illusion. It was a wonder this kid was able to capture him in the first place. His will usually was strong enough to discard any mental attacks.

The boy nodded. (He should be a boy at least. This man opposite of him looked older.)

All For One got irritated. "Why am I here? What is this illusion?"

"I just have a few questions. Would you care for tea?"

Suddenly they sat on a little table, steaming tea in front of them. Impressive. He longed to take the Quirk.

"This is all in your head, but under my control here. Even the time. Outside not even a millisecond has passed."

This wasn't what he had expected, when he was first caught in the illusion. The Hero seemed astonishingly reasonable and genuinely not interested in his defeat despite him being the Symbol of Evil. Maybe he even could be converted to his side. He would play along for now.

"Impressive. You are certainly are more skillful than the rest of your classmates."

Itachi shyly hid his smile behind the cup of tea in his hands. "Thank you."

So he was receptive to praise. That was good.

"What do you think of a question for a question? You are a very interesting young man and I'd like to know more about you."

"Acceptable."

That should lay a base of trust between them. All For One smiled on the inside.

The spinning, red eyes made it hard to read his face, but the body language spoke of openness and curiosity, though not fear. Interesting.

"You do not seem to fear me. Why is that?"

"You do not seem very fearsome to me."

It wasn't said as a boast, but a fact. All For One didn't know whether to be offended or impressed. He settled for bit of both.

"A lot of people would disagree with you."

Itachi just stared at him in blank silence for a while. Were he any less dignified he would have huffed. "Alright. Ask your question then."

"Did you ever came across a proven reincarnation-quirk in your life?"

That was an oddly specific question. There were not many motives All For One could think of. Most likely the boy was hoping to have a deceased loved one reincarnated. A few years ago he would have lied and promised him to find a way to bring the person back, but now he hadn't a need to. His legacy was already secured with Tomura and he already had enough loyal followers.

"No, I can't say I have. There had been a few, who claimed to have such Quirks, but they all have been frauds. Of course that doesn't mean it is impossible."

The other didn't even blink in response. It was not often that All For One didn't know what effect his words had on the receiver. The more they talked, the more intrigued he got. So many questions he wanted to ask.

"What is your reason for becoming a Hero?"

"I wanted to be able to protect the people dear to me and I like fighting." He smiled internally, those reasons were easy to redirect for his goals. He gestured for Itachi to ask his question.

"Have you ever come across information regarding "Sharingan" or "Mangekyou"?"

Copy-Wheel-Eye? His mother's or his father's Quirk? His eyes certainly had a spinning wheel in them. Maybe it was the Quirk of the deceased person.

"I'm sad to say, that I haven't. Though there are people under my employment, that would know more about these things." He smiled winningly. Still no visible reaction.

"How does your Quirk work?"

"It allows me to put people, who look into my eyes, under illusions."

"I didn't look into your eyes."

"But you made me the centre of your perception. It was all I needed."

This boy's Quirk got better and better.

"Who made the Nomus?"

He was really determined to bring this mysterious person back, wasn't he? Going all the way and "interrogating" the Symbol of Evil. That wasn't very heroic, was it now?

"A loyal doctor of mine. He is quite ingenious, I have to say."

The boy nodded.

"So, what is the drawback of your Quirk? So much power always comes with a price."

Itachi smiled self-deprecatingly. "It becomes more powerful, the more trauma you have lived through and your sight deteriorates with usage."

Why couldn't he have stumbled upon this gem a few years back? The boy wouldn't have been a Hero already and maybe even thanked him for taking the Quirk. Ahh well. He still could persuade him to switch sides. (After the battle, of course. This was no time to make convincing speeches.)

"How can I get in contact with the doctor?"

If All For One strained his ears, he could hear a slight edge of desperation in his voice. He clearly was willing to cast his ideals to the side for getting this person back.

He estimated the chances, that Itachi would betray him in the one percent range. He had been too calm, too honest for someone, who just wanted revenge. And he had had a lot of opportunities with that Quirk of his to harm him. Even, if he did betray them, he doubted it would do a lot. The doctor knew how to defend himself.

He told the boy.

For the first time since he got here, there was a sincere smile on the other's face. All For One felt trepidation. Itachi and his tea dissolved into crows, the red sky faded. There was a quiet "Thank You." in his head.

All Might readied his last punch.

Chapter Text

Eraserhead observed the battlefield for a moment. It smelled like dust. The pressure All Might and All For One were exuding was tremendous. His hands wanted to tremble and his knees tried to shake. He ignored it. There wasn't any time for it. The life of his student was on the line.

Said student was currently further antagonising the other villains. Sometimes Eraserhead hated his life. His chances to convince Bakugou to just leave were almost zero, so he reordered his priorities.

First he had to get the warp-quirk-Nomu out of the equation, so continued kidnapping wasn't a possibility. Of course it was in this moment, that All For One decided to forcefully activate the warp-quirk and it even bypassed his own quirk-erasure.

(He could have erased All For One's Quirks, but it would have been the equivalent of holding a gun to his head. He couldn't save Bakugou if he was dead.)

Mr. Compress took the fire-user Dabi and directly tailed out of there. Two people less to worry about.

The leader (his executioner) was arguing with All For One on something. Eraserhead didn't know what about, but he wasn't going to look a gifted horse in the mouth.

He advanced towards the unconscious body of his target. There had to be some way to destroy the metal container. (It wasn't killing. The Nomus were already dead.)

He was now near enough for his capture-weapon to reach the Nomu, though it was arguable whether it would do anything other than bring attention to his person. The air smelled like dry mist and smoke.

The leader was still talking with All For One and All Might. (Itachi had called them amateurs for monologuing.) Bakugou was entertaining the other villains by himself. Now was the opportunity, but he didn't have a plan.

There was a small shadow. A crow flew overhead a let something fall. He caught it between his hands. It was a vial of Ashido-san's full strength acid.

"Where are you going, Itachi?"

"I had an idea about the warp-quirk-user. I just need to procure some things for it."

"Why would you even concern yourself with him?"

"It is better to be prepared."

Though he would deny it under torture, in this moment he was thankful for the paranoid nature of his problem pupil.

It was simply a matter of hauling the container to him and pouring the acid over it. The gaseous man (not man, Nomu) didn't even react. Its body just dissolved in the wind. The acid stung in his nose.

He refocused on the scene. All For One had noticed the Nomu's ending unlife and was trying to let the rest of the League escape by hauling them to the rapidly closing portal with his black tendrils.

The leader was screaming in rage at the loss of his companion.

(He still could feel the hands in his nightmares.)

Bakugou was being hauled, too.

His student was being pulled to the portal.

No. He was pulled towards the the crazy girl with the knife.

Bakugou was going to die and Eraserhead was going to be too late to safe him. (Again.)

His scarf raced, but he already knew it was too late.

The face of the girl lit up in unholy glee. She angled the knife to hit the heart.

The smell of despair was overwhelming.

Bakugou slammed into the villain the moment his scarf reached him. There were explosions.

Eraserhead pulled his student back to him. There was so much blood. (He could hear the leader laughing.)

Before he could even register anything else, they were thrown away. Air slammed into them with the force of a truck and stole his breath. They came to stop on a heap of rubble.

The blood had seeped into his clothes.

The wound was on the shoulder. (His student was alive! It was not his fault.)

He bandaged it in a frenzy.

(He never wanted to smell nitroglycerine in combination with blood ever again.)

Their landing had knocked Bakugou out. (He was just unconscious. Not dead.)

Eraserhead didn't move them. They were out of the line of fire and there was no need to attract any attention.

The Villains were still here. So the portal had closed too fast for them to escape. Gran Torino had all of them but the leader knocked out. Good.

Eraserhead took a deep breath. Dust, blood and anticipation.

All Might and All For One were gearing up for their final punches. Endeavour of all people was restraining the Leader. (He still could see the hands in his dreams.)

The giants clashed a final time. The shockwave sent dust and debris their way.

Eraserhead hoped his other students were safe.

The Symbol of Peace and the Symbol of Evil collapsed.

A small black flame flickered in the monstrosity that once had been All For One's arm. It got bigger.

The Villain tried to contain it, but it was no use. The black flames spread to his torso. The arm burned to nothing.

The leader had freed himself from Endeavour, and threw himself on his mentor in a desperate attempt to stop the fire. It only gave it more fuel.

Eraserhead could only watch as the greatest Villain and his successor were consumed by this unstoppable black fire.

There was nothing left. Not even a hand. It was as if they had only been a bad dream.

The air didn't even had the decency to smell of ash.

He was pulled out of his reverie by the sound of steps. Itachi came up next to him and Bakugou with a smile.

"The others are still alive and mostly unharmed."

A weight lifted of Shouta's shoulders. The wind picked up and blew away the dust.

His brain finally registered, what he had seen.

"Why are you bleeding from your eyes?"

Chapter Text

Itachi waited for Kouji to make himself comfortable on the couch. They had tried to prove some hypotheses they had about Kouji's quirk this afternoon, but only had gotten inconclusive results. Now his friend had made them hot chocolates to warm themselves up after spending hours outside. It tasted delicious.

"I am not a good person." Kouji looked a bit confused at that statement.

"You should know it, if we are friends." Kouji still just stared at him.

Itachi said nothing more. He didn't want to influence Kouji's reaction to it any further. (He already had spend an enjoyable day with him and got him into a space, where he felt comfortable. That was enough manipulation in Itachi's favour.)

His friend frowned. "What do you mean by "not a good person"?"

At least he hadn't directly dismissed his statement out of hand.

"I do not really adhere to the standard ethical principles."

Kouji smiled at that. "I already knew that."

Itachi just raised one eyebrow questioningly.

"Your first solution to the problem with Bakugou was letting him be killed by Villains."

Huh. He had thought that Kouji had seen it as a joke.

"And you taught me how to tie people up with wire, so every move they make only cuts deeper into their flesh."

Those were basic skills and not particularly evil.

"I meant some things a bit more drastic."

His friends smile got melancholic.

"I know that, too. You were not even fazed by the carnage at U.S.J. even though you were in the midst of it. Did you know, you were smiling through most of the fight?"

He shook his head. No, he hadn't known that.

But it wasn't very surprising in hindsight. It had been the first moment he had felt alive again since he had ... since the illness had been bad enough make him feel like he was permanently suffocating. (As much as he wanted to claim, that he had not felt alive since Shisui committed suicide, it just wasn't true.)

"I don't believe anybody other than me saw it.", Kouji assured him.

Itachi didn't know, what to think.

"Why are you still friends with me then?"

His friend (?) sighed. "Because you are trying to be a good person."

Itachi's disbelief must have shown on his face, because Kouji immediately reinforced his argument.

"You are trying to be a Hero. You could have easily enough become a Villain with your skills and nobody could have done anything against it. Yet you sit in the classes, where you are learning nothing, and humour the students, when they ask you for help. You are trying to give us the tools to survive everything the world throws at us, though it gets you nothing."

Kouji's had gotten more and more determined the longer he spoke. With every word Itachi wanted to be the person his friend spoke of more and more. He wondered for a short moment, whether that was how Nagato had felt, when Naruto talked him into abandoning his plan.

"Maybe you are not being a Hero for the "right" reasons, maybe you like fighting and are able to kill someone without feeling bad for it, but you clearly would do anything for the people, that are precious to you, and you don't harm innocents. That is enough for me."

There was silence. Itachi was overwhelmed. Kouji seemed a bit ashamed for his emotional outburst and tried to hide behind his hot chocolate.

After a while Itachi had finally found his words again. "Thank you. For being a good friend to me."

He felt compelled to say more. "I hope, I also have been a good friend. I don't really know much about friendship."

When Kouji still said nothing, Itachi elaborated, "I only ever had one friend and that was a very long time ago. It didn't have a good end."

Even now his insides squirmed, when he thought about Shisui. There had been a time, when he had blamed his cousin for leaving him alone to slaughter their family. He didn't anymore. They both had made bad choices in their too short (too long) lives, but it was still not a pleasant topic to think about.

"Sometimes you talk like an old man." There was a hesitant smile on his friends face. Itachi wanted to keep it there.

"Maybe I am an old man in disguise.", he quipped back. Just like that the strange, emotional tension seeped out of them.

"That wouldn't even surprise even anymore. It would explain a lot of things."

They shared a laugh. Maybe one day he would tell him. When he was strong enough to withstand the enemies, that would torture to get the information out of him.

Chapter Text

It was Katsuki's second day in the hospital, when Aizawa-sensei visited. His arm was still hurting like a bitch and he was not allowed to leave the bed yet. Needless to say, he was not in a very good mood. He had been questioned by the police for hours upon hours yesterday and today his mother had already visited him. So it was with a slight sneer, that he greeted his homeroom teacher. The man didn't even bat an eye at it, but just sat by his bed looking very tired.

"What do you want?" Katsuki definitely was not in the mood for another lengthy visit.

His teacher just sighed and looked at him with almost dead eyes. Holy shit, were that dark rings under the eyes. It almost put the featherbrain Fumikage to shame.

"I have brought you the video of the whole showdown and a bit of the media coverage for your later perusal."

"Thanks." He ignored his teacher. Why was he even here? It was bad enough, that his mother had seen him in this state.

"Why are you still here?"

Aizawa-sensei blinked, like he had just been far away with his thoughts. "You lost a lot of blood."

Katsuki wanted to shrug that comment off, but his shoulder screamed at the movement. He gritted his teeth. He would not show any more weakness.

"What of it?!"

"I just wanted to see, whether you are okay." Katsuki was not the most observant man and he knew it, but the nonchalance seemed very forced. Weird.

"Well I am fine. Was there something else?" Why couldn't he just have his peace and quiet for once?

Aizawa-sensei sighed again. "What are you going to do to not let something like this happen again?"

What kind of question was that? "I am going to get stronger, of course! I almost had that bitch! If that fucker All For One hadn't interfered, I would have had her!"

Aizawa just looked at him. It was a very meaningful look, though its contents eluded Katsuki.

"What about the person who rescued you?"

"I didn't need any rescuing! I almost had her, I told you!"

"That certainly didn't look like it to me."

"So? What is it to you?" There was some part of him, that was aware that he was just making a very big mistake, but he repressed it viciously. He was to angry for doubt.

Aizawa sighed yet again. Why was he always sighing?! Katsuki had done nothing wrong!

His teacher sat up.

"I came here to see one of my students alive, since the last time I had see him, he was bleeding all over me" The tone of Aizawa had never been more menacing. "after I had just pulled his Limp Body out of the air, because he had foolishly taunted multiple Villains a lot stronger than him into a fight."

"I came here in the hope, that the student, who had been so dismissive of the heroic values, that he had been kidnapped by the Villains as a prospective turncoat, would finally realize that his behaviour was not heroic, but rather got a lot of people injured. But here he lays not even able to lift his arm after he almost died, had another classmate not intervened, and still thinks himself above reproach."

"Tell me Bakugou Katsuki, why I shouldn't expel you in this instant. Tell me why I risked my and Your Classmates lives to rescue you, when you spit on the sacrifices we made!"

Katsuki couldn't breathe. He was choking. He saw the bloodthirsty smile of Toga as he was pulled towards her. He could feel the fear, when he realized that this was his last breath. The many, many regrets he had, but never allowed himself to think about were drowning him. He saw his dream shatter before his eyes all over again.

He broke. There had been nothing but anger and spite fuelling him for a long, long time.

When he awakened the next day, there was a not on his bedside.

"Give me a good answer to how you would prevent such happenings the next time and I might decide not to expel you."

Katsuki drew a shaky breath. He was going to give it his best and he was going to be Number One.

Chapter Text

There was a hesitant knock on the door of his dorm. Itachi opened it. On the other side stood Midoriya-san looking shyly at anything but Itachi.

"Ehm. Hi?" He was clearly nervous.

"Good evening Midoriya-san."

"Please call me Izuku."

"Then call me Itachi."

Itachi just looked.

"Ehmm. Well... Do you have a moment?"

"What for?" His face was blank.

"I have a few questions and Kouji said, that I should ask you about it. I'm sorry, if you are busy at the moment. I can come back at a later time or not, if you don't want to answer those, that would be okay as well. You are not obligated -" Kami, how could someone with such conviction on the battlefield be so insecure?

Izuku's eyes darted to his for a short moment.

"Please come in, Izuku-san."

Kouji had never before sent someone to him, but Izuku was clearly not proficient enough at lying for it to be anything other than the truth. This was interesting.

"Tea?"

"Ahh no, thank you."

Izuku "subtly" took a look around. Itachi saw the disappointment in his face, when he didn't find anything interesting. He guided them to the small table and made a glass of water for himself.

It didn't take long of Itachi's cultivated brand of patient silence to make Izuku talk.

"Uhm, well. Kouji and I were talking about the Villains, that took Kacchan, and he said that they weren't normal Villains, but you could explain it better."

Ahh well, that certainly made sense. Of course Izuku's innate curiosity couldn't let such a statement just stand alone. He had wanted to talk to him about that topic anyway.

(His idea of not getting involved died the day, that he accepted Aizawa's offer to an internship.)

"He was right. This League of Villains isn't just a normal criminal organisation."

Izuku's eyebrows scrunched in thought. "But why do you say that?"

"What do you think is the goal of a standard criminal organisation?"

"To earn money? To get more influence? At least, that is what I think most of them want."

Itachi nodded in affirmation. Izuku smiled.

"It is mostly about money and power. They are trying to get more of it even to the detriment of the society. What is the goal of the League of Villains?"

"They want to kill All Might and reform the Hero-society. I think that was, what they said."

Itachi nodded again. (Izuku was terribly susceptible to positive reinforcement.) "They have a political goal. It makes them revolutionists or terrorists, depending on whose side you are on. Either you are a peacekeeper and they are terrorists or they are the revolutionaries and you are the oppressor."

Cue the shocked face of someone, whose worldview was just challenged.

Itachi didn't wait for Izuku to regain his bearings, but barrelled on. He didn't want to engage in a discussion about the morals of revolutions.

"When fighting a revolutionary organisation there is of course always the question, whether they are just an isolated group of idealists without significant backing or a sufficiently big association with enough support to sustain themselves for a significant amount of time. Seeing how they managed to rebound after they lost most of their members at the U.S.J. Incident, it would be save to to say, that the League of Villains is in the latter category."

"When you are calling them "revolutionary", does that mean you are on their side?"

So Izuku caught that hook. He looked into Izuku's eyes.

"No, I am not. What I want is peace. But in order to achieve that, I need to never forget, why my enemies are fighting. Because as long as the cause, they are fighting for, still exists, it doesn't matter how many of them you defeat, there will always be another one to take their place."

He pauses for a moment to let his words sink in.

"The only thing defeating the League of Villains would grant us now, would be time and the hope for a less crazy leader. The time to address the misgivings, that led to the formation of a revolutionary force in the first place and hopefully a figurehead, who isn't hellbent on starting a civil war."

Izuku looked like a deer in the headlights. (Itachi liked that figure of speech. A shame it hadn't existed in in the Elemental Nations, it would have been hilarious with the Naras. Though Kisame had always rather looked like fish on land, when surprised.)

"Was there anything else you wanted to know? I still have a few things to do this evening."

He of course hadn't, but this way Izuku had to think about what Itachi said and could not just refute his claims out of an impulse. Considering Izuku's strong sense of justice and morals, there was a high probability, that Izuku would take this as a suggestion to learn about the grievances the society had and make an effort to change it. As All Might's successor he would have enough influence to even achieve some of it.

It would most likely need a few weeks, but then most of this class would be in on it. (Izuku's charisma was almost as fearsome as Naruto's had been.)

If now the leader and his puppeteer (because there was no way, that someone as immature and young as Shigaraki was orchestrating all this by himself) would die in the near future, it would likely spur Izuku into action.

That sounded like a good start of a plan, but first he had to observe, whether this seed of an idea would find fertile ground in Izuku's mind. Hopefully it did. It would make keeping the peace a lot easier.

Itachi allowed himself a small smile after Izuku had left his dorm deep in thought. He hadn't even used any genjutsu.

Chapter Text

Itachi rounded another corner in the base of the Shie Hassaikai looking for their laboratories to secure or destroy their research. He only barely evaded the other person running (away?) around said corner. They were very small and uncoordinated. A child, not a threat. (At least in this world.) As soon as the little girl saw him, she latched onto him and begged him to take her away from here.

Itachi ...

Itachi was 12 years old and in Anbu. The young boy ran into his arms, begging his uncle, which Itachi was henged into, for help, because there were bad men looking for him. Itachi crouched down, placing one hand on his shoulder and looking the boy in the eyes. "You will be safe with me, I promise."

He transferred his hand from the shoulder to the jaw in a bruising grip, that prevented the boy from screaming and messily slit his throat.

Itachi was 13 years old and still in Anbu. His little brother was clinging to him, begging him to spend time training together. Itachi looked him in the eyes and poked his forehead. "Next time, I promise."

He stood above the corpses of their parents the next day and tortured his little brother near the brink of insanity.

Itachi was 17 years old and a member of the most powerful terrorist organisation of the known world. A child ran into him, as he was wandering their base. It begged him to get it out of there away from the snake-man. Itachi put his hand under the its chin, raising it until he was looking into its eyes. "Just follow me. I will get you out of here, I promise."

He put the child under a disorienting genjutsu and led it back to the man it escaped from.

Itachi was 16 years old again and an aspiring Hero this time. (What a joke.) There was a small girl with familiar looking markings (The time spent with Orochimaru and Sasori had been educational.) clinging to him, begging him to rescue her. Itachi crouched down and looked into her eyes. "I won't promise anything, but I will try."

Chapter Text

Shouta watched Hitoshi with trepidation. They had just finished another training session with Itachi and the jealousy and contempt was clear on Hitoshi's face. It certainly didn't look like Itachi was going to do anything about it (and he didn't want to think, why that was) so it fell to him to do something about it.

(He could let it fester, but that was not agreeable with either his principles as a teacher or as a Hero. Sometimes he wished he could just turn his eyes away and be okay with it. It would have spared him a lot of trouble.)

He waited until Itachi had said his goodbyes and gestured Hitoshi to join him.

"Sit."

He sat, a stubborn expression on his face. Shouta could guess, that he probably expected to be scolded for his antagonistic behaviour during the training. (The more he tried to decipher Itachi's faces, the better he got at interpreting the easier ones.)

"The world is inherently unfair." The statement had the desired effect of putting his student out of his no doubt self-righteous thought-cycle.

(He really needed to spend more time with normal people. He apparently started to analyse his own behaviour for "hidden" motives.)

"That is just is the way it is, but that doesn't mean we have to treat each other unfairly, too."

"I didn't treat him unfairly!" And Hitoshi just admitted to having treated Itachi unfairly. Was it really just this easy all the time? No wonder Itachi and the principal were running circles around the rest of them.

"I never said you did. But you obviously have grievances with him. It impacts your performance during training heavily. Not being able to put your emotions to the side is a liability during a real fight and often leads to avoidable injuries or death. And I don't want to see you die an avoidable death, Hitoshi. So please talk to me about your problems with Itachi. I am not able to speak for him, but maybe I can shed new light on the situation."

Hitoshi still looked hesitant.

"Nothing you will say, will change our relationship. You will still be my protégé, no matter what. Understood?" (Considering his other mentee was a murderer, there really was not much Hitoshi could say, that would change Shouta's opinion of him.)

He waited. Hitoshi squirmed a bit in his seat, but ultimately decided to speak. Thank the gods for that. Shouta already had enough students, who didn't.

"He is just frustrating. He always does everything perfect and criticises me every time, no matter what I'm doing."

Shouta nodded understandingly.

"And if I finally also do something good, he only smiles condescendingly." There was a lot of venom in that voice.

He hummed. That was about, what he had expected, just without the jealousy, but Shinsou probably didn't want him to know about that.

"Has he done anything other than the smiles to indicate, that he thinks less of you?"

Shouta would say by now he knew, how Itachi ticked (mostly). He was dedicated to the people he liked to a fault, was at least as intelligent as Nezu and very, very observant. He never thought himself above others (something about, how after so many mistakes he had made, it would be foolish) and was a complete mess regarding friendly and honest interactions. So he had a pretty good idea, what happened here.

Hitoshi frowned. "No, but I just know it."

Shouta kept his face and voice completely neutral. It was paramount for the trust Hitoshi had in him as a mentor.

"Has he ever said anything derogatory about you or engaged you with malicious intent?"

Hitoshi showed no hint of recognition or remembrance. Good. As much as he liked Itachi, that would not have been something he tolerated. (As opposed to murder. His priorities were a bit skewed, weren't they?)

"I don't think so." Hitoshi know looked angry again, but it was a directionless anger.

"Have you ever considered, that his smiles are genuine and you think them condescending, because that is, what you would be expecting from a hero-course student?"

His student looked appalled and indignant at the mere suggestion. "I wouldn't -"

Shouta interrupted him, "Don't lie to me. I thought the exact same thing, when I was in the G.E. Course." Hitoshi gulped.

"Just consider it. And, if there are any other instances of Itachi putting you down, tell me. I am not tolerating such behaviour, no matter how talented the student is. And if the smiles are still a problem in two weeks, you also tell me or Itachi himself. Understood?"

He looked Hitoshi in the eyes to convey his sincerity. He hoped it worked.

"I said in the beginning of this conversation, that this world is inherently unfair and I stand by this statement. Some people are born to rich households, some to influential, some to loving. Others are born to poor or cruel parents. Some have chronic maladies they can do nothing about, others never have to go to the doctor in their life.

"Just as we shouldn't think a person less worth, because of their unfortunate circumstances, we shouldn't begrudge a person for their more fortunate life. They had just about as much hand in it, as you had in yours." Comprehension dawned on his student.

"Of course it feels unfair, that Itachi is more intelligent than I ever will be, but it is not his fault. Nor is it his fault, that his quirk-doctor just wrote down illusions and yours wrote down brainwashing, even though his quirk would be much more suited for that action. Brainwashing means warping one's ideals by repeatedly exposing them to the same dogma over and over again, while simultaneously preventing contrary information from reaching them, idiots. A better name for your quirk would have been "command" or something like that."

Shouta shook his head. He was going on tangents.

"What I wanted to say is: The world is unfair and the least we can do to combat this is treating the people in it fairly. I hope you manage to learn that lesson soon, but I can't and won't force you. It certainly would have spared me a lot of trouble during my school-years."

Hitoshi looked at him with a curious mix of shock, awe and a bit of shame. Hopefully the lesson stuck.

How did Hound Dog do this all day? Shouta was emotionally drained and he hadn't even talked that much.

He bid Hitoshi farewell and took some calming breaths. Everything he had said was true. Sometimes he wondered, what would have been, if he had managed to get into class 1-A from the start and not just because of the Sports Festival. He liked to think, that Oboro still would have tried to befriend him, if he hadn't been the "new kid", but there was no use in dreaming about the impossible.

It was going to be fascinating to see, what Itachi and Hitoshi would be doing with the fortunes given to them in the future. There was so much potential and Shouta would do his best to see it realised (in a good way).

Chapter Text

All Might or, well, Yagi Toshinori, since he didn't have his Quirk anymore, was letting a contended smile slipping on his face. It was a lot smaller, than his All Might Smiles had been, but not any less sincere. Since that bastard All For One had finally bitten the dust (at the hands of his own quirk no less), this time for real, Toshinori's life had gotten a lot less stressful. He now had the time to dedicate himself to teaching the next generation full-time.

He had to concede, that it was a more demanding job, than he had previously thought. He had to give Eraserhead-sensei a lot of credit for somehow keeping up with 20 strong and hormonal teenagers. No wonder the man slept at every opportunity he got.

His eyes wondered back to the stack of essays he still had to grade. Truly the teachers of the U.A. had to be commended for not setting anything on fire. What wouldn't Toshinori give for a convenient explosion or fire now? He sighed. Best get to it.

He had assigned Young Midoriya's class their first Villain analysis and they had thrown themselves into it with gusto. All Might had given them the material to one of the Villains he had captured years before in form of two short videos and a police report. Young Midoriya had written ten (Ten!) pages and while All Mi-, Toshinori loved his successor and student very much, he still had to read and grade it all.

Three hours later Toshinori had come to the unhappy conclusion, that most of his students apparently had no idea, what to look for in the first place, or even, if they found the patterns, how they were going to exploit it. (Maybe there was something to the (over)reliance on the "flashy" Quirks over common sense and intelligence, that Eraserhead always bemoaned.)

The glaring exceptions were Yugasa, Yaoyorozu-san and Young Midoriya (Toshinori's chest swelled with pride). His successor had dissected the Villain's Quirk and fighting style masterfully and developed multiple strategies to combat him. (If there were any teardrops on the essay now, nobody but Toshinori knew about it.) Yaoyorozu-san had written everything he wanted and more. It was a complete and concise analysis of the Villain himself, his fighting, the circumstances of the videos completed with various practical strategies for different encounters.

Yugasa .... Well Yugasa had submitted a profile. There was no other word for it. Toshinori had read many professionally made profiles of many Villains due to his career and that was another one. And as far as he could remember everything Yugasa predicted about the Villains behaviour had been true. He had not only managed to analyse the Villains strengths and weaknesses in body and mind, but also deduced their MO and the fact, that he had had an ally in his attacks. Yugasa had recommended different strategies for different situations. There were diplomatic and non-diplomatic solutions ranked by their chances for success. He even had devised, what kind of team would be best apprehend the Villain. It was all written in a very sober and neutral style, which hid his real thoughts.

Not for the first time Toshinori wondered, what kind of person Yugasa was. The boy was a lot more mature than any of his peers and had at times a dead look on his face. He was easily the most talented student in the whole class, if not the whole school, but was also a social recluse. His only contacts, as far a Toshinori knew, were Kouda-san and Eraserhead, who somehow had taken a shine the the antisocial boy. Birds of a feather, Toshinori presumed. Yugasa had even managed to impress Nezu, who had suffered his first true defeat in a long while at the student's hands.

To his shame All Might had to admit, that he had treated and mistrusted the boy unfairly in the beginning. He had been rather spooked by his Quirk and its implications, not to talk about the boy's complete lack of reaction to the U.S.J. Massacre. (That had been a very enlightening (and shameful) discussion with Hound Dog about the different ways of coping with trauma.)

He still had had his reservations about Yugasa until the Fight of the Century at Kamino. The young man had not only done the sensible thing and alerted his teacher to the foolish (but admirable) plan to rescue Bakugou, but also was the main factor in keeping Young Midoriya and his friends out of harms way. He even risked his own life, to save Bakugou's.

Toshinori had been ashamed beyond measure to have ever doubted the young man in the first place, but Yugasa had just waved his apology away, claiming he would have found himself suspicious, too. How could someone be so okay with such mistrust under comrades? It was heartbreaking, but ultimately not Toshinori's problem. He had already made enough mistakes with the young man, any further meddling by him would not be appreciated. (Eraserhead had made that clear enough.)

Now, how to make the rest of the class understand, what analysing your opponents is about without sowing jealousy. Teacher really was an exhausting job.

Chapter Text

Eraserhead sat together with Emi, known to most as Ms. Joke, in the stands of the stadium waiting for the starting signal. He was confident in the ability of his class to survive the first stage of the exam.

Emi side-eyed him mischievously "Did you tell them about the tradition?"

Shouta just raised his eyebrows unimpressed. Emi smiled at him.

"Of course you didn't. You really are one mean teacher." She winked. He sighed.

"But I wouldn't be surprised, if they knew it anyway."

"Oh?"

Damn. He shouldn't have said anything. Now Emi was looking like a cat that got the canary.

"Would that have to do with the rumour, that you apprenticed a student?"

He grunted. He was not going to hear the end of it, but one could try.

"Ohh, you did! How did that happen? Who is the unlucky person?"

He refused to say anything.

"Come on. You can't just drop this bombshell and then ignore me." He ignored her.

"Shoutaa!", she wined. He sighed, but smiled one the inside. With all the commotion in the past year, they had had almost no contact and it was nice seeing her again, even if he wouldn't admit it under torture.

"Do you see the one with the black hair and the black cloak?"

Emi just snorted. "Of course you would make a mini-you."

He smirked. The true mini-him was Hitoshi and not Itachi, but he wouldn't tell that Emi.

"He was that way, before I got to him."

She just levelled him with a disbelieving look, but turned back to the field soon enough.

"What are you teaching him, Shouta? He just put one of the targets on his face! Does he want to get pummelled into the next century?"

He couldn't help but snort. "His Quirk works by looking him into the eyes"

That was only somewhat the truth. Itachi could weave his Illusions without you looking into them, but they were not half as strong that way.

"Okay, I take it back. That guy is a genius."

Shouta could only smile at that. Calling him a genius didn't do justice to Itachi. He had yet to find a thing, that Itachi couldn't do perfectly with a bit of practice. Friendly social interactions excluded.

"You smiled! I can't believe it. The always grumpy and antisocial Eraserhead smiled!"

He scowled. She beamed.

"Don't look at me like that, I know you. It looks like he has a good influence on you." Her tone was unbearably tender.

"I wouldn't be here without him." He would be six feet under to be precise.

"What do you mean by that?"

Shouta kept silent. It was a technique he had copied from Itachi without any remorse. Making cryptic statements and then not elaborating them was extremely entertaining. His students hated him for it and it made teaching that much sweeter.

"Arrghh! I hate you!" He chuckled.

"So, do you think your class will pass the exam?"

"Yes." It wouldn't do for a teacher to not believe in his students.

"Me, too." She beamed at him again.

Finally the first phase started. Everybody had three targets attached to their bodies at visible places and six balls. Who had all of their targets hit, was eliminated and, who managed to eliminate two other people, passed to the second stage. A simple, but elegant concept with a lot of opportunities to showcase your strengths. Eraserhead approved of the idea.

At least none of his students managed to get eliminated during the initial barrage. Shouta would have been severely disappointed in them.

He tried to keep an eye on Itachi, but it was impossible. The chaos at the beginning was long enough, that he lost sight of him and once you lost him, there was no way to find him again. Shouta knew from experience.

He observed the rest of the class instead. Midoriya was on the defensive with six of the others. Yaoyorozu had also surrounded herself with a few classmates, but they were taking a more aggressive route, looking for opponents in one of the buildings. Todoroki was looking for victims on his own, which could be a potential problem, if he also showed no cooperativeness in the second phase. They were not only measured by power and ingenuity alone.

Bakugou was interestingly enough working together with Kouda and Mineta. That didn't seem at all like the explosive blond, but he had changed drastically since he got kidnapped. Eraserhead had seen him regularly interacting with Itachi without screaming. He even took advise without claiming he wouldn't need it. Of course he was still easy to irritate and would scream profanities at every opportunity, but there was a lot less venom behind it now. Shouta hoped it wasn't just Bakugou being grateful for Itachi saving his life, but a permanent change.

Shortly after the three had managed to incapacitate their opponents and passed, Itachi surfaced and neatly took down his two victims. Shouta had to go over the footage later. He was sure, that Itachi had done some meddling in between.

It didn't take long after that for the rest of the class to pass. He had a few ideas about that. Itachi could influence minds for more than an hour after they had looked him in the eyes as long as he concentrated and had his quirk was active. It was not like there were any obvious indicators for, if someone was in an illusion. (At least not, when Itachi did it.)

Shouta shot a triumphant look at Emi.

"Yes, yes. Your students are all the very best. No need to look so smug." He chuckled.

The second phase was bound to be interesting. The task was to safely evacuate all people out of the ruinous environment, that was the arena after the first task. After some time Heroes playing Villains were going to try and interrupt the efforts. There were many of the aspects of real hero work going to get tested. Shouta wished Itachi the best of luck. His strength certainly didn't lie in rescuing civilians.

As it turned out Itachi also didn't need to interact a lot with the proctors, they had to rescue. He took to the position of coordinator, like he was born to do it. His and Kouji's murders acted as not only messengers (it had been a terrifying day, when Itachi had learned, that crows could imitate almost every sound), but also as search-units to alert the other participants to the locations of the victims.

As soon as Gang Orca and his Sidekicks made their entrance as the Villains, Kouda and Bakugou assumed command. One acting as the strategist, the other making sure that the advise was heeded. Eraserhead was almost bursting with pride for his students.

At least until Todoroki decided, that he didn't need to listen to Bakugou. Shouta could only grimace at that. The top student of the Shiketsu High School immediately followed and soon enough there was a three way shouting match in the middle of an emergency zone. He sighed.

In the meantime Itachi had managed to incapacitate and bind most of the sidekicks with the help of a few other participants and was harassing Gang Orca with his crows, so he couldn't advance to the medical camp.

After being chastised by Gang Orca the three hotheads got their shit together again and managed to disorient and trap the Hero. Though Shouta had the distinct feeling, that Itachi was the reason Gang Orca was docile enough to let the attempt succeed in the first place.

"I have to say, that I am impressed, Shouta. Your batch of students clearly is one notch above the rest. My congratulations."

"That is no thanks to me. It is just, that they already have witnessed life-threatening situations. The exams are not that big of a deal in comparison."

"Still, they clearly show a lot of potential."

He grunted. "Yours, too, Emi."

"Aww, thanks for the compliment, Shouta."

He sighed. He shouldn't have said anything.

Eraserhead gazed at the results. Everybody but Todoroki had passed, though Bakugou only had just scraped by. Not bad.

Chapter Text

"My eye!"

"It is nothing personal, doctor. I just really don't like people, meddling with corpses."

"No, no, no. Please don't kill me. I would do everything you want me to."

"Everything?"

"Everything, I promise. There are no ties holding me back with Sensei dead."

"Then, tell me. Where is the copy?"

"The copy?"

"Yes, the copy. You are able to copy quirks, are you not?"

"Yes?"

"So where is the copy of All for One?"

"I don't know, what you are talking about."

"Don't you? Somehow I don't believe that, doctor. What happened to "everything"?"

"Th- The c-copy got destroyed."

"You seem to be truthful. Good."

"I aim to serve."

"Is that so? Then you will surely tell me about the original, won't you?"

"..."

"Just as I thought. Still loyal after all .... It was planned for Shigaraki, was it not?"

"Y- Yes."

"Then tell me, where it is and how it is transferred and I'll let you live. I won't even tell anybody about you. How does that sound for a deal?"

"Wha- What are you going to do with it?"

"Find a suitable vessel for it, of course. It would be a shame to destroy such power, don't you think?"

"What kind -"

"You are not in the position to ask any more questions. Answer mine, and maybe I will indulge you. You are a smart man after all."

"W- Well ..."

Itachi left the burning ruins of the laboratory behind, the container of the most powerful quirk in existence in his hands.

It almost had been too easy. The doctor had eaten out of his hands, when he had shown a similar personality to his master. It hadn't spared his life, but Itachi had refrained from torturing him into insanity. (He really didn't like people meddling with the dead. As someone, who got pulled back out of death's grasp twice, he knew, what he was talking about.)

Now he only needed to destroy any notes on the Nomus and make sure, that the government wouldn't try to reverse engineer them. He already had enough of undead people for a lifetime (or two).

Chapter Text

Shouta was a light sleeper. So it was no wonder, when he woke up at the sound of one of his cats meowing at his closed window. He sleepily wandered to the window to open it.

He did a double take. There was not a cat, but a crow in the window.

He looked at it.

It stared back and opened its beak. "Meow"

Shouta blinked.

The crow meowed again.

He activated his quirk.

The crow still sounded like a cat.

Shouta had to be dreaming. He tried to wake himself up, but to no avail. The crow still made distinctive not-crow-sounds.

It must be Itachi's fault. Though shouldn't he have snapped out of the illusion, when he had pinched himself? It was too early in the morning to contemplate that.

He let the crow sit on the windowsill and made himself a cup of coffee. When he looked back at the bird with a fresh coffee in his hands, it opened the beak again, only this time it sounded like his coffee maker. It even incorporated the screech it had since Hizashi had screamed at it one morning.

"Meow."

"What do you want?"

It only made the coffee-maker-noise back at him. Shouta groaned. What did he do in his last life to deserve this?

"Mornin', Shouta. What are you doing so early?", Midnight had to ask.

He just grunted back. The crow meowed.

"Did that crow just meow?"

So it wasn't an illusion by Itachi. He grunted again.

"Do you think that has to do with the special moves, the students are developing at the moment?" It was too early for idle conversation, why couldn't Nemuri just see that? In lieu of an answer the crow made the coffee maker noise again.

Nemuri laughed delighted. It imitated her laugh.

"Ohh, this is just fabulous. Do you think it would also try and mimic moans?" He could already see her preparing a particularly scandalous one.

"And that is the reason, I'm normally not up so early.", Shouta said and fled. Luckily the crow followed him. He really didn't want to explain a moaning crow to Nezu.

The principal just looked at the bird a bit traumatised, when Shouta presented it to him.

"I really didn't think, crows could be made any more unnerving, than they already were, but your student managed even that. Congratulations."

Eraserhead raised his eyebrows at his superior. He hadn't thought, Nezu found anything unnerving.

"When they attack mammals, they always go for the eyes. I have seen one riding a badger, while it plucked out one of its eyes."

That made sense. Even, if nobody knew, what exact kind of animal Nezu was, it was undisputed, that he was a small mammal.

Eraserhead eyed the crow suspiciously. It looked curious at the principal and imitated Shouta's squeaking front door.

"I suggest you talk to the student in question. It sure will be enlightening."

He sighed. That was, what he had dreaded.

Itachi already waited in the common room of the dorms for him. Shouta immediately activated his quirk, but nothing changed.

"I have to thank you for this, I guess?" He pointed to the crow, which followed him the whole way and now laughed like Midnight.

His problem pupil smiled at him.

"Why?"

"Did you know, they can imitate almost every sound?" The crow underlined that statement by meowing at them.

He only glowered at Itachi. That was not a reason for waking him up so early.

"I wonder, why nobody has utilised it until now. The possibilities are endless."

Shouta knew that tone. It promised nightmare-fuel and revelations he didn't want to think too long about.

"They can be used as simple messengers" The crow spoke a few words. "or as a momentary distraction." Eraserhead reflexively dodged out of the way of an incoming projectile only to realize, that it hadn't been a projectile, but another crow, who had made the sound of a flying arrow.

Shouta's glare would have send any other student of his scrambling.

"They even can spy that way." The original meowing crow repeated Shouta's "What do you want?" back at him.

"But the most effective use of this would be against the Heroes."

The bird started to cry like a small child and Eraserhead blanched as he realised the implications. In sync with his thoughts, the crow imitated a woman crying for help next and a fire-alarm after.

"We can only hope, that none of our enemies will think of that."

What could Shouta do, but nod? There was not much more to be said about the matter.

He was just very thankful, that Itachi was on his side and not the other. He would make for a terrifying enemy.

On the upside however ... "Itachi, do you think your crows could do a good impression of an alarmclock?"

His problem pupil frowned at him. "Yes, why?"

"I just think it would be good moment for a morning drill. Heroes must be able to react no matter the time after all."

There was an unholy smile of unfiltered glee on his face. If he had to suffer at this ungodly hour, his class had to, too.

"And could you send one of those alarm-crows to Present-Mic's window? I still have to pay him back for last weekend, when he almost shattered my favourite mug. "

"Please don't drag me into your feuds, senpai." Itachi looked like a wet dog, but it had nothing on Midoriya's puppy-eyes.

"It's too late for that, my dear student. You should have thought about that, before you send a meowing crow to my apartment." Eraserhead grinned at the defeated look on his mentee's face.

A few houses down Yamada Hizashi, also known as the Pro-Hero Present Mic, shivered in his sleep.

Chapter Text

It was late at night and Itachi sat in the common room, reading an encyclopedia on animals with his Sharingan. There were so many Quirks out there, which gave people animal traits, it was common sense to educate oneself about the potential advantages and drawbacks. Kouji readily had lend him his books.

He was at the moment going through the different species of snakes, when he heard another person entering the room. It was not unusual. Especially Izuku and Ashido-san often had problems sleeping, too. (Only because he had trained himself out of the habit of physically reacting to his nightmares, didn't mean, he didn't have them.)

But it wasn't one of the two this time. Bakugou Katsuki stood there an unreadable expression on his face, his eyes locked onto Itachi.

He just stared back. It was not like Bakugou to just stand there quietly. The boy was loud, vulgar and impulsive. But contrary to Itachi's expectations the boy stayed silent and cautiously came closer. It was atypical to say the least. Itachi palmed a few Senbon in his hands.

Bakugou came to a halt. He visibly worked himself up to say something.

"You saved me that day in Kamino."

"Aizawa-sensei did." He had been the one to risk his life and bandage the otherwise lethal wound.

There was the familiar anger in the other's eyes.

"I'm not that stupid, Creepy-Eyes. That crazy bitch would have stabbed my heart, if she hadn't changed the angle at the last moment. Sensei saw that, too."

Ah. So he had noticed that. Itachi stayed silent. Bakugou hadn't asked a question.

Against everything, that he had expected, Bakugou bowed deeply.

"Thank you." It was sincere.

Would Itachi have been a more expressive person, the shock would have been clear on his face.

"There is no need to thank me."

"I told you, I am not stupid. I know, that you don't like me. So, why did you do it?"

Well, it was not, that Itachi disliked Bakugou, he just didn't care for him. The boy reminded him too much of Deidara with his misplaced pride and arrogance to allow himself to develop any emotions for him. People like that died young. (He had died young, too.)

"Sensei wouldn't have forgiven himself, if he let you die."

"Hmpf. I guess that is true."

Bakugou had crossed his arms before his chest and had a thoughtful look on his face. That didn't bode well.
"Why does he trust you, anyway?" It was not the question, Itachi had expected.

"He knows I don't die that easily." It was a lot more complicated than that, but Itachi wouldn't explain the intricacies of his relationship with Aizawa-senpai to Bakugou, just because he asked.

The boy started to launch into a retort, when he shut his mouth abruptly.

"Teach me!"

This time even Itachi showed a minute widening of his eyes in surprise.

"I don't understand."

"What is there to not understand, Creepy-Eyes? Sensei trusts you and I don't want to be a liability again."

"I don't think my style would be applicable to you."

"Of course not. Your style is lame. But you are smart enough to think of something for me."

Itachi was still reeling from the whiplash, but he hadn't gotten this far by letting others have the advantage.

"And why would I do that?"

Bakugou squirmed a bit at that. Itachi smirked inwardly. He had already decided to agree to the proposal. He had never taught before (showing his brother a few tricks didn't count) and it would at the very least be an interesting experiment to see, whether he could form an effective frontline fighter out of his impulsive classmate. He had potential after all.

"Argh! I don't know, what you'd want. Just name the price."

"Ask nicely."

"What?"

"I just want you to ask politely."

"You better be honest or I am going to murder your smug ass!"

Bakugou visibly steeled himself, determination in his eyes.

"Would you please agree to train me, Yugasa-san?"

"It would be my pleasure. And please call me Itachi." He smiled.

"This was lesson number one. Swallow your pride. It does nothing, but get yourself and others killed."

At the end it was pride, that had been the downfall of the Uchiha. It also was pride, which had led Deidara into a life as a terrorist and it had been the reason, that his brother had rejected Naruto's help, when he had needed it the most.

"I will talk to you about the details tomorrow."

Chapter Text

Nezu was at the agreed location two hours before the time of the meeting. He had to be sure, that there won't be any bugs, cameras, traps etc.. If it would have been up to him, their exchange of information would have been without any personal contact but this informant had been insistent on meeting face to face.

They had gone through a lot of iterations of the same arguments until they finally had agreed on this meeting. He didn't doubt that the other also had a lot of assurances to make Nezu's life a living hell should something happen. Mutually assured destruction was not a new strategy but still an effective one. It was the sole reason their world was not war-ridden. Quirks meant, that not only the powers with nuclear weapons were to be feared, but every single community now had the chance to bring untold destruction.

Nezu's thoughts were getting away from him again. He needed to stay focused on his task of scouting.

His hunch had been right about the "Sharingan" being a key to unravel the mystery that was Yugasa Itachi. It had taken a lot of effort but he had found out that he wasn't the first person to look for any information regarding the quirk. Getting ahold of the first investigator had been even more complicated but Nezu managed. His hyper-intelligence was not only useful for analysing and strategising.

The other leads the principal had pursued had amounted to nothing. There had been no vigilante or villain near Yugasa's home which could even be considered to have been Yugasa himself. He also hadn't found any proof for his theory that Yugasa must have been mentored by another hero or villain in his youth.

Finding anything out of the ordinary about the boy had been like looking for a needle in a haystack while blind. There were no reports about any misuse of his quirk in school, not even an accidental activation, which could be seen as abnormal but really wasn't if one considered Yugasa's very calm and collected personality.

Even his investigation into the student's father had yielded no results. The man had a quirk which illuminated his mouth on the inside and had fled the city as soon as he knew he had a son. Nezu had contemplated the idea that Yugasa's father was another person but their similarities in appearance were a compelling argument against it.

So the principal dearly hoped to get somewhere with this informant. It was his last lead.

A squirrel ran up a tree and a pigeon cooed at the world. Nezu shook himself. He had to focus.

It was five minutes before the agreed time, that Nezu was alerted to the presence of another person. They came alone. That was good. It would have gotten messy if they weren't.

The other figure advanced on Nezu's position despite him being well disguised. So they probably had a quirk which enhanced their eyesight or something of similar effect.

He knew their smell but couldn't pinpoint it. It reminded him of birds though that also could just be because of the pigeons nesting nearby.

When they were about two meters away, they came to a halt. There was a small second in which nothing happened and then they removed the hood.

"Long time no see, headmaster."

Yugasa Itachi smiled in all his red-eyed glory at Nezu.

That didn't make any sense but it was unmistakably Yugasa who stood there.

Why would he research "Sharingan" if he had named it that in the first place?

Had he been looking for any relatives with a similar quirk? But then he wouldn't have looked for the word "Sharingan" but rather a description of the quirk. It also would have been easier to hunt down his father and go from there. It couldn't be that.

So was this a trap to be catch anybody who showed interest in Yugasa's quirk? It would certainly fit with the boy's paranoia but the effort, through which Nezu had had to go, was disproportional. He doubted that anybody other than he (or maybe the recently deceased All For One) could have even managed to contact Yugasa through this method. A trap would have been easier to find.

So maybe Yugasa was looking just for more information on his own quirk. But as far as Nezu knew, the boy had about perfect control over his eyes. Not to talk about his creative ways to use them. What kind of information could he even be looking for? He knew about everything there was to know about his quirk.

Why even risk a meeting with a stranger if there was nothing to gain?

It could have been that the presumed and elusive mentor had named the quirk and now Itachi was looking to find him again through this means. But that was conjecture at best. Nezu hadn't even found any proof of this theoretical person existing.

"Yugasa-san. I can't say I expected to meet you here."

"I can say the same, Mr. Principal.", his student said with a wry smile. Nezu made sure to avoid his eyes at all cost. He didn't want to know what happened if he didn't.

"Oh, who were you expecting then?"

The question gained Nezu nothing but a slightly condescending look, not that he had expected an answer.

There were a lot of angles from which Nezu could try and gain an advantage now. He could threaten expulsion but they both knew that Itachi was not bound to be a hero by his morals. The only thing an expulsion would achieve, would be taking the only mellowing influence out of his life.

"I am sure you have a lot of questions an I am going to answer a few of them, but I would like to do it in a more comfortable space."

Nezu took the statement for what it was: an olive branch.

"I guess, there would be better places to this. What would you suggest?"

He could make concessions too.

"What about your office? Or are those walls are too light?"

They agreed upon one of the small meeting rooms of the U.A without any electronic surveillance and the presence of one Aizawa Shouta. He was there to suppress Yugasa's quirk, so Nezu was sure to not be influenced by it.

The man was bewildered to be cited to the meeting room in the middle of the night but only looked resigned as soon as he saw Yugasa.

"What have you done now, Itachi?"

The student lit quietly up at the arrival of his mentor. As far as Nezu could see, he truly was attached to Eraserhead.

"I just would like to clear a few things up, before the principal's deductions get out of hand. You should hear them too, Aizawa-senpai."

After they had arranged themselves and Eraserhead's quirk was activated, Itachi spoke.

"This is not my first life."

With that one sentence all the contradictions that Nezu had noticed, weren't contradictions anymore. It perfectly explained Yugasa's maturity, his experience in fighting and his near perfect control over his quirk. It also gave a reason as to why he researched "Sharingan" and agreed to a meeting. He was looking for clues about his old life.

Though one had to wonder what kind of life he had led that he hadn't been bothered by the massacre at the U.S.J..

"What was your occupation?"

"I would like to know that as well.", Eraserhead chimed in. Going by his narrowed eyes, the man had a few guesses and didn't like any of them.

Yugasa closed his eyes. "I was an undercover agent in a terrorist organisation for most of it."

Nezu frowned. It certainly explained the observed skill set, though all of that could also be explained by him being a former terrorist without the undercover agent part. They just had to rely on his words.

Whatever may have been the truth, Yugasa surely had destroyed any evidence of it by now. If he even had needed to. There was a high probability that his employer (on whichever side of the conflict they may had been) had already done his job for him. The best agents after all were those which are never found out.

Were Nezu prone to headaches, he surely would have one by now. There were so many questions and problems with this scenario. Eraserhead did look like he had gotten his weekly Itachi-migraine again. (The name had been Present Mic's idea and it quickly became popular with the staff, though they almost never knew what exactly Yugasa had done to trigger it.)

This was going to be a long night.

Chapter Text

Shouta took a deep breath and sighed. He had just been witness to one of the most confusing negotiations he had ever seen. His problem-pupil and the principal had just stared at each other a lot and made concessions. Since Shouta knew his employer to be a cutthroat negotiator, they must have made their arguments and refuted them all by themselves in their heads. He already knew of Itachi's tendency to not speak "obvious"conclusions out loud. It was only logical that Nezu was the same if given the chance, now that he thought about it.

Thinking of thinking, he hadn't thought that Itachi could still shock him to that extent anymore, but he was once again proven wrong. His favourite problem-pupil was apparently at his second go at life. It would sound completely ridiculous if it didn't make so much sense.

"So your second life, huh ?"

The student in question only inclined his head in confirmation.

"Then you're technically older than me." And wasn't that a mind-boggling concept?

Where was the alcohol, when you needed it?

"If you discount my second time as a toddler, only by a bit."

"Wait, you're 16 years old, right?" Itachi nodded.

Shouta was 30. Itachi was maximum 34, if he was to be believed. His brain refused to calculate for a moment, screaming at him that he wouldn't like the result.

It was right. It meant Itachi had died, when he was about 21 years old. Considering he claimed to have been an under-cover agent for most of that life, something wasn't adding up.

Shouta frowned. "I know the principal trusts that your past won't cause any problems for some inexplicable reason, but if you were speaking the truth before, I sincerely doubt that."

That earned him one of Itachi's rare, genuine smiles.

Alcohol. He needed lots and lots of alcohol.

"The principal is very much interested in solving the puzzle and not so much in keeping the students safe. But my past will never become a risk to the students here. At least not in the way you think."

He raised his eyebrows. That statement needed a bit more explanation.

"My first life was not lived in this world."

What?

His disbelief must have shown on his face, because Itachi addressed it immediately.

"You live in a world, where people can create something out of nothing, where someone has a speech bubble for a head and yet can still somehow eat and breathe. Is it really so unbelievable to have lived in another world?"

It did sound unreasonable when Itachi said it like this. But that was the problem. Itachi always could make himself sound logical. Shouta hated it.

"I guess you have a point there." There was also the fact that Itachi sometimes was expecting a completely different set of values and norms of the people around him. He knew martial art styles that even Ojiro had never seen before.

Shouta took a deep breath. "So what you are saying is, that your past can't catch up with you here because it didn't happen here to begin with?"

Itachi nodded.

"But you are somehow here. Doesn't that mean, that other people could also get here?" Shouta had the feeling his student would have shrugged if he were the type to.

"I have been looking for any signs of others for years and didn't find any. I do not know how or why I am here. I have just accepted by now, that I got granted a second chance."

Itachi's voice had gone toneless again. By now Shouta knew it to be a defensive reaction to emotions.

"And now you got Nezu looking for them as well. Was that the reason you revealed that secret?" It would have been a genius move.

"No, though it is a nice benefit. I just didn't want to let him run away with troublesome conclusions about me. He has been digging thouroughly through my life in hope of finding something suspicious recently."

He couldn't help but snort at that. It did sound like the principal.

"So what were the words you said? Uchiha, Akatsuki and ... "

"Jashin. Uchiha had been my old family name, Akatsuki the name of the terrorist organisation and Jashin the name of a deity. If you should ever stumble over someone worshipping them, never let them draw your blood. "

Once again Eraserhead was rendered speechless by his student. It happened all too often for his tastes.

"Do you have any more questions?"

There were too many questions to count, so he just picked the first one that came to mind.

"Why didn't you tell the principal about the other world?"

"It would be funny to see how long he takes to work it out himself, don't you think?"

Well, Shouta couldn't say he didn't.

"Do you miss it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you miss your old world?"

He had the feeling like he had completely blindsided Itachi with that question.

"I am not really sure." Itachi paused for a while, deep in contemplation.

"I miss the nature. There were a lot more undisturbed patches of earth. Forests with gigantic trees, barren mountainsides full of unexplored caves, islands amidst untameable whirlpools. There is not much else I miss. I was born in a war-ridden time and it was said to be better than the generations before. My family and I had a complicated relationship and my only friend died too young. Sometimes I miss the comradery I had with some, but that is about it. If I had the choice between going back and staying here, I would stay."

That was a lot more than he had expected, to be honest. Itachi was normally rather sparse with information about himself. Maybe now was the time to get one of the questions Shouta had for a long time answered.

"Why become a Hero?" The job didn't really resonate with Itachi, if one would ask him.

"I missed the fighting."

"But why become a Hero? We both know that you could have easily been a vigilante or a villain."

"I just didn't want to be the villain of the story again, I guess. And I didn't want to disappoint Nanako." His eyes were unseeing.

With the new revelations about this being his second life, it suddenly made a lot more sense that he refused to call his mother his mother.

There were a lot more questions flying in Shouta's head, none of them important. He was curious, but not to a fault like Nezu. Maybe Itachi would at one point trust him with the full story, but even if he didn't it wasn't going to be the end of the world. Shouta was a teacher first, and a Hero second. The welfare of his students had first priority and Itachi was first and foremost a student of his.

"I do not care for what you have done in your past life and I won't judge you by it. I am proud to be your mentor, even if our moral codes don't always align with each other. I hope you know that."

Itachi didn't answer, but he already had expected it. They sat together in silence until the sun rose and if his student had at some point dozed off, nobody had to know. (Pride filled his chest when he realised Itachi trusted him enough to do so.)

He still was going to get roaringly drunk at the next best opportunity though.

Chapter Text

Togata Mirio stood before the entirety of Class 1-A in the gym and looked at everyone of the students. He was only a little bit nervous. Objectively he knew that with his intangibility-quirk there was a next to nothing chance of getting defeated by these first-years, but it would be very embarrassing if he got defeated after calling them "small fry".

"The fight is class 1-A versus Togata Mirio. The last person standing wins. For the rules: No birds, no traumatising, no serious maiming and no support items. The stage is yours.", Eraserhead said in his tired and lazy voice.

Mirio found it strange that the Pro-Hero had insisted on those rules. Villains didn't conform to any rules in combat after all but the Hero had just looked him in the eyes with a very tired and dead stare and countered that Villains also ended up seriously maimed or worse.

It did make sense when he said it like that, though he still wondered what birds had to do with it. Well, now was not the time to think about it.

His opponents had used his short moment of inattention and about half were already storming his position.

He took a good look and activated his quirk. One would think that after years of training the sudden darkness and the inability to breathe weren't disconcerting anymore but there was still the short moment of panic Mirio had every time.

He let himself sink into the ground by gravity and shot outwards behind the group of attackers sot that they were between him and the long-range fighters of the class.

None of them knew apparently about his quirk, so it was easy to just let their attacks fade through his body and knock a few out with some strong punches.

Next were the ranged opponents. He couldn't have them surprising him. He shot to them in a zigzag motion making it hard to tell where he was going to appear next.

The tactic worked like a charm on soon enough all of them were incapacitated. He still had to be careful with the acid that was now coating a good chunk of the ground.

Left were only a few stragglers including the successor of All Might, Midoriya Izuku, who was rallying the others for a joined attack trying to exploit Mirio's quirk. He didn't let them.

Even if Midoriya was smart enough to anticipate his sudden appearance behind him, he wasn't (yet) strong or fast enough to pose a challenge to Mirio.

After the kid was down the others seemed to lose their confidence and were easy pickings. A sense accomplishment flowed through Mirio when he looked at the defeated class. It had taken him not all that much effort but the class still had shown some potential. They had just needed a reality check. He had gone through one after obtaining his provisional Hero-License too and it had helped him tremendously with controlling his quirk.

Mirio looked towards Eraserhead as the supervisor of the whole battle, but instead of looking at Togata he was intently watching some point behind him.

Only his strongly honed reflexes saved him from a mean chop towards his neck. When he had turned around he could see Yugasa Itachi, the other student that All might had mentioned.

Mirio had been disappointed when Yugasa had gone down in his attack on the long-ranged fighters but there had been more important things to contemplate at the time.

It certainly seemed like Yugasa had deceived him thoroughly. There was no visible bruise where Mirio allegedly hit him and the boy moved like he didn't have any injuries.

He knew from All Might, whom he had told about his plan to fight the whole class at once, that Yugasa had some kind of eye-based-quirk but he had foolishly thought to not be affected by it when he attacked the junior.

He wouldn't make the same mistake twice though and wisely avoided looking into the bloodred eyes during their altercation.

If it weren't for his intangibility, he would have clearly lost. Yugasa always knew where Mirio was going to hit next and could track him no matter how fast he was phasing in and out of the ground and walls.

But as it stood, while he was unable to hit the junior, Yugasa was also unable to hit him due to his quirk and Yugasa was going to tire eventually. His quirk on the other hand would still be functional then.

Of course it was at this moment that it all went wrong. Their dance had led them towards another part of the gym. Suddenly Yugasa lept away instead of staying in melee-range and Mirio could only just phase out of reality before a big explosion hit him.
The blast had cut of his sight and now he didn't know where exactly Yugasa was. He let himself sink into the floor and blindly launched himself at the opposite direction he thought Yugasa would be. As soon as he got tangible again he tried to take a breath only to have to phase into the ground yet again because of an explosion. That was not good.

He launched himself in yet another direction only to be almost caught by yet another explosion and he didn't even had the time to see where Yugasa and the kid with the explosion-quirk were.

Another launch and another explosion. The oxygen in his lungs was getting low.

He was throwing himself high in the air this time. They couldn't have trapped the air, too. He couldn't breathe.

He was wrong. The was a rather large and dense swarm of aggressive wasps hovering under the ceiling which prevented him from breathing. It stung in his chest.

He hastily plummeted to the ground only to have to get intangible once again to avoid yet another explosion. His lungs strained.

His next launch was not completely accurate anymore. His lungs were burning and panic crept into his mind. He hadn't had a good view of the battlefield for quite some time now. Yugasa could be anywhere. If he would be able to see, his vision would surely be getting dark around the edges.

Mirio chained another three launches after another to hopefully confuse his opponents and got tangible again, prepared to take a deep breath. He let the light hit his eyes again and looked directly into the smiling, bloodred eyes of Yugasa.

His mouth opened but there was nothing happening. It was like the air had become solid. He couldn't even exhale. The slowly creeping panic rammed into his awareness with force.

He tried to breathe again and again, but there was still nothing happening. His vision was getting dark.

He needed air!

He tried to lift his hands to ask for help but they were too heavy.

He tried to scream but the air wouldn't move.

He tried to breathe but nothing would happened.

Oblivion embraced him.

Mirio regained consciousness rather abruptly. The first thing he saw was Yugasa Itachi standing next to his prone form. Why was that?

"The winner is Class 1-A. Congratulations.", Eraserhead offered in a very dry tone.

Ahh, yes. He had challenged the juniors to a fight, which had been going very good for him until it didn't anymore. Mirio had passed out from the lack of oxygen.

He looked around. Most of the students were still laying on the ground . How long had he been out?

"About half a minute.", answered Eraserhead.

He had spoken that out loud apparently.

"Every single one of you but Yugasa and Togata here is going to go to Recovery Girl. If any of you aren't going, they are volunteering to clean the restrooms of the dorms. And I will check in with her. Togata will be here tomorrow again to discuss the battle with you. Dismissed."

That was the reason Eraserhead had asked for two days of his time. He had somehow foreseen such an outcome. Mirio was impressed. Being able to correctly assess combatants was invaluable in the field.

Eraserhead was now squatting besides him. "Everything okay, Togata? He didn't use any horrific illusions on you?" One of his hands was gesturing towards Yugasa, who was now waiting at the entrance of the gym.
Mirio shook his head.

So he was able to use illusions. That explained why he hadn't noticed the deception in the beginning and the solid air at the end of their fight. "He just made me think I wasn't able to breathe anymore."

"That's good. Do you feel traumatised?" What a strange question.

"No? At least I don't think so. It was not the first time something like this happened. I had similar problems with my quirk in the beginning."

The teacher just nodded and stood up again.

"I'm sure if you would want to know, what really happened Yugasa would be happy to tell you."

Togata stood up still feeling drained. Thinking you had almost suffocated tended to do that to you.

Yugasa waited for him at the entrance, his eyes still red. For a moment Mirio believed he couldn't breathe again but the sensation went away just as fast as it had come.

"My sincere congratulations for your win. I was too arrogant and paid for it. But even in defeat I learn."

He grinned at Yugasa, who needed a few seconds but then smiled back at him.

"Thank you very much. You were a good opponent."

Mirio couldn't help it but he smiled even harder. Yugasa truly had a heroic spirit.

"I'd like to spar with you someday if you'd be available. By the way, how did you know about me being unable to breathe while intangible?"

The junior inclined his head to the his request of a spar but answered his question.

"You always exhale when you get tangible again and take a deep breath before going into a series of launches."

That was true but none of the enemies, Mirio had faced in his still young career as Hero, had ever seen that. Yugasa must be pretty observant to see that in such a short period of time.

"You must be quite good at spotting weaknesses. Nobody else has ever seen it."

The other didn't deign to answer but that was okay. Mirio was used to the rather stoic and silent types.

"So how come you didn't get into the final round of the Sports Festival? With the fighting style you showed you would have easily made third place."

"I didn't want to."

"But it would have surely made it easier for you to get a better placement for your internships." It was such a shame so many students never fully realised the growth a well chosen internship could gift them.

Yugasa said nothing again. Maybe he was just shy. Mirio knew his outgoing personality was a bit too much for some people.

"Don't worry, I will put in a good word for you." It was the least he could do for a first year, who managed to beat him.

"You won't." The voice was cold and uncaring. Some part of Mirio was reminded of the fact, that Eraserhead-sensei had asked whether Yugasa had traumatised him. He had seen it as some morbid joke at the time.

"Why shouldn't I? You very much deserve it from what I could see in the fight."

"I'm not looking for any kind of fame and I already have a place for my internship. Thank you for the offer."

The tone was still without any emotion.

"But I want to help you. It is what a Hero is all about after all!" Mirio was not going to back down. Yugasa clearly didn't want to accept any help, but people rarely wanted to be helped.

"You would only do me a disservice with it."

There was a weight on his chest. He couldn't breathe or speak.

It only went away after the other had left.

"Yugasa-san! Please wait."

But only silence answered him.

Chapter Text

"Eyy, Shouta. What are you doing here?"

Shouta looked up from his glass to see the unmistakable owner of that loud voice: Yamada Hizashi.

He had come here to drown his sorrows, not to interact with people.

"What does is look like?" He sneered for emphasis.

"It looks like you could use someone listening." And suddenly before him did not stand the Pro-Hero Present Mic, but the unbearably empathetic friend he had since he was in middle school. But he was not giving in that fast.

"I'd rather prefer the company of my glass."

"But that glass can't talk back to you."

"Exactly."

"Come on, Shouta. I know I haven't given you as much attention in the last few months as I should have, but I still am your friend and you can talk to me about everything."

Just because Shouta could identify the guilt-tripping, it wasn't any less effective. It wasn't even Hizashi's fault that they hadn't been talking as much. Shouta had very much isolated himself as much as possible after the U.S.J. Incident.

"I'm going home for a coffee."

"But it is already almost midnight! You should go try and sleep and not drink coffee.", his friend replied indignant but was already following him.

"Make me." Hizashi was not going to get any more of an invitation than that.

Shouta took the time they needed to get to his apartment to order his confusing thoughts. It didn't worked very well. They were still a complete mess when he opened and disarmed his front door.

"You want one too?", he asked Hizashi when he made himself a rather alcoholic coffee. The buzz made it easier to speak of thoughts he would ordinarily ban to the deepest pits of his mind.

Hizashi declined the offer as expected.

They sat on his couch. It was more comfortable than he remembered. It wasn't often that he sat here. One of his cats had settled on Hizashi's lap. Now he couldn't even kick the man out without feeling guilty.

"So what are you brooding about that you need to spike even your coffee?"

"I am going to resign as a teacher."

"Whaaat!?!" Shouta thankfully managed to erase Hizashi's quirk before he could wake the neighbours. His friend looked at least sheepish.

"Sorry. I mean, why?"

Shouta took a sip. It tasted horrendous.

"Because I am a terrible teacher and they deserve better." He smiled a self-deprecating smile. It was just the truth.

His friend frowned at him.

"Has this to do with the kidnapping?"

"In some form, I guess."

He took another sip. Still tasted like the sewers smelled.

"But it wasn't your fault he got kidnapped and you even rescued him yourself." Hizashi looked puzzled. Probably because normally he was the one with a guilty conscience.

Shouta scoffed. "I didn't."

"You did. It even got recorded on camera."

"I didn't. He would have been dead by the time I got to him if it weren't for Itachi."

"What do you mean?"

"The blood-sucking bitch with the knife would have killed Bakugou if Itachi had not forced her to change the angle of her knife in the last moment."

"But that is not a reason to retire. Heroes often only manage to save people because they work together."

"You're right, that is not the reason." He took another sip. Disgusting.

"So why do you want to quit?" Hizashi already sounded a bit annoyed, maybe he could make him go away in frustration.

"Because I am a shit teacher and they deserve better."

"Yes, you said that already. You also mentioned that the kidnapping had something to do with it. So why exactly do you think you are a terrible teacher?" How could Hizashi be so patient with him? He was already annoyed at himself.

"You know, that Bakugou is in the hospital?" Of course Hizashi knew, but that was not the question. Shouta just needed a bit more time to formulate what he was going to say next.

His friend nodded.

"I went there yesterday to see him alive, you know?" Hizashi did know. It was the same reason he always visited Shouta in the hospital after all.

"So I went there and what did I do? I told him it is his fault that he got kidnapped." He barked out a harsh laugh and took another sip.

"Instead of properly apologizing for letting him be kidnapped and beg on my knees for forgiveness, I accused him. Isn't that great?" Another sip.

He couldn't see Hizashi's reaction. There was something making everything blurry.

"I'm such a great fucking teacher. I let Midoriya destroy himself again and again, never even go against Bakugou's obvious abusive behaviour and fail to instil a moral compass." into Itachi went unsaid. He didn't know whether Hizashi heard it anyway.

The world was spinning. Maybe Hizashi was speaking. He couldn't hear anything but the blood rushing in his ears.

"I tell them to always ask for help, to trust one's friends, but the second something happens to me, I'm avoiding an interaction with you. To hypocrites!" He emptied the rest of his coffee in one large gulp and immediately had to cough. It tasted like shit.

Shouta woke up with a headache the size of the All Might Tower. He was still in his normal hero-gear and lying on his couch.

What happened last night? He remembered going home with Hizashi and making himself another drink. He must have drunk a lot more than he thought in the bar if the size of his headache was any indication.

Half an hour later he was inspecting himself in the bathroom mirror. His eyes were bloodshot and even his pathetic, unshaven "beard" was looking worse than normal. Now he really looked like the hobo Bakugou always accused him of being.

Well, shit. He had told Hizashi about that, hadn't he? Thinking of Hizashi, where was the man?

As it turned out Hizashi was just making himself a coffee and screamed at the machine in shock when Shouta addressed him with a very harmless "Good morning."

Since he hadn't activated his quirk at the time and Hizashi was prone to using his in emotional moments, the coffee-maker stopped for a second. Only the fact that it resumed its duties afterwards rescued Hizashi from Shouta's wrath.

He managed to preserve the silence for another 15 minutes but he knew that Hizashi would start talking if he didn't do it right about now. He still couldn't bring himself to say the first word.

His best friend took a deep breath. That was never a good sign.

"Aizawa Shouta, I have been your best friend for more than a decade and I have heard you spout a lot of bullshit" Shouta winced at that. He only cursed when the situation was really dire. "but what you said yesterday night may be taking the first spot and that includes the time you were convinced you were responsible for Oboro's death."

Shouta winced again. Oboro was still a sensitive topic for him.

"The only thing you would do by quitting now, would be running from your responsibility."

Shouta hated it when Hizashi made so much sense. He was the logical one in their friendship. Had he really tried to run away like a coward instead of facing his mistakes? Yes, he had. What an epiphany to have completely hung over.

"Yes, you fucked up." Still cursing and rightly so. "But I know you. You could never forgive yourself if you didn't at least try and correct your mistakes. So you are now going to sit down down on your arse and make a plan on how to correct your mistakes and prevent something similar in the future."

That was why Hizashi was his best friend. He could set him straight again after he jumped the track.

"I'm totally gonna do this, but could you please turn down your volume again? I'm feeling like my brain is trying to eat itself."

This were going to be long and arduous few days. But he already felt better than the whole last week. At least emotionally. Physically he felt like a freighttrain had run over him.

Chapter Text

The blanket of the night had fallen over the Beast's Forest and Itachi relished in the clear air. This forest would never compare to the untamed green of Konoha but it still made him feel a bit nostalgic. His murder alerted him to a presence at one of the cliff sides. He would investigate that. It was not like he was getting sleep anytime soon anyway.

The reported presence was that of the small child, which had relations to Mandalay; Kouta if he remembered correctly. (He remembered correctly, he always did. Even without the Sharingan his memory was exceptional.)

Itachi made sure to announce his presence by stepping on a few twigs. It wouldn't do for the boy to fall down the cliff because he was startled. (He was not thinking about another person falling down a cliff, horror etched on their face.)

Kouta's head immediately swivelled towards his location.

"I know you are there! I'm not afraid of you!" Itachi almost chuckled. Children were precious. (He was not thinking about the last times he interacted with some.)

"Hello there. I mean no harm."

Kouta visibly recoiled when he finally spotted him. It probably were the spinning red eyes. They seemed to be unnerving even if there wasn't the same legend associated with it. (Beware of the red-eyed fire-demons for they steal your soul if you look them in the eyes.)

"What are you doing here? I won't go back!" Such a demanding and angry child. (He was not thinking of another dark-haired child; always demanding, always angry.)

"A little bird told me that someone would be here and I was just curious. Nobody sent me to retrieve you." He smiled a little, hoping to ease the tension.

"Good! I don't need any saving." Kouta sounded more embittered than any child of his age had the right to sound.

"I never said you did." His acquiescence caught the boy wrong-footed. Itachi used the short moment of unawareness to sit down on one of the rocks and enjoy the view. (Izumi had been the first to drag him onto the Hokage Mountain to watch the village at night.)

The boy just looked confused at his actions.

"What are you doing?" Still angry. (Always angry. It had broken his heart to see the hatred in his eyes but had made him feel proud at the same time.)

"Enjoying the view."

"But it is still dark. How can you see anything?" So he finally had confused him enough to forget his anger for a moment. Such a young child should never be allowed to drown in his grief. (Sasuke should have never - It wasn't the time for such thoughts.)

"My eyes allow me to see at night."

Kouta grumbled in response and kicked a few loose rocks around. It took a few minutes for him to talk again but that was okay. Itachi was good at waiting.

"Why are you even trying to be a Hero? Heroes are stupid, they just die!" They were slowly getting to the root of the problem. (As long as it wasn't going to be the ROOT.) He almost snorted at his own joke.

"Most of them are stupid and some of them do die." The face of shock at his admission was quite funny. It was clear that nobody had ever agreed with that particular opinion before.

Kouta stuttered for a bit before he found his footing again. "Y- Yeah, right! So why do you want to be a Hero, if you die anyway?" There was creeping a slightly desperate edge into his voice.

"I want to be legally able to protect the people I care about."

The boy scrunched his nose in thought. "Le-gel-le?"

"If I wouldn't have my Hero-license and would use my Quirk to save my best friend for example, I could go to prison for that and I don't want that to happen."

"But you cannot protect them, if you are dead!" By now the child was almost screaming in his frustration and bottled up emotions. (He remebered another child screaming in desperation at him.)

"That is not entirely correct, but why would I die?"

"Because you are a Hero and Heroes die!" (But Villains died too, Itachi knew.)

"Life is a tragedy." He paused for a moment. His life had been a tragedy no matter from what perspective you looked at. "But if my death would protect those I love, I would gladly die for them." (Again.)

"B- But why?" The distress of the child was almost tangible.

"Because I could never forgive myself if I didn't. That is just who I am." (A soldier, a villain, a martyr. A son, a friend, a brother.)

"If I love someone, I would give everything for them." (It didn't matter whether he was an Uchiha.)

"At the end it is a similar choice to the one your parents made." Kouta held back a sob. "Whether to give their lives for others."

"It don't care whether you think their job as Heroes silly or their decision to sacrifice themselves stupid, because everybody has the right to think other people stupid. But as the same time everybody has the right to choose and they made their choice. Being angry about it gets you nowhere."

The boy was now openly crying. (He really had a way with children, hadn't he?)

What did one do in such a situation? He sincerely doubted that the shinobi-customs would be acceptable here. ("Shinobi don't cry, son. Again.")

He let his eyes wander over the forest again. A swarm of bats were feasting on a swarm of some insects. It was peaceful. That gave him an idea.

"Do you want to see, what I am seeing?"

The question startled Kouta enough to stop his crying.

"Wh- What?", he snuffled.

"I could make you see what I am seeing. Do you want that? It really is a beautiful view."

Maybe he used a little genjutsu to make the boy accept his proposal.

"Yes?"

"You just have to look me in the eyes." (How many times had he said the same and destroyed their mind?)

"O- Okay."

Itachi didn't use the opportunity to root around in the child's head. (This time.)

"Whoa! You can see how the bats flap their wings! And the single leaves! Your eyes must be really good."

And voilà the boy was distracted and not crying anymore.

"They are." He smiled.

The two of them sat there for a while. Itachi reminiscing about when he had sat on the Hokage mountain with Sasuke. But Sasuke had thought it too boring and had demanded to be shown another cool jutsu. Itachi had jumped down the cliff only to disperse into crows. He had laughed at the shell-shocked face his brother had made, though nowadays he wouldn't anymore. Seeing one's best friend falling to his death would do that to you.

He let the genjutsu fade. So much detail over a longer time was headache inducing even for Uchiha and Kouta was a child without any genetic perks. (He had always admired Kakashi for being able to stay sane. Or at least as sane as one could with over a decade in Anbu and the epithet Friend-Killer.)

The boy yawned. Itachi better get him to go back to bed before anybody would miss him.

"Are you ready to go to bed now?"

Kouta glared at him.

"You can not see in the dark and there are wolves in this forest. Don't you hear them?"

There weren't any wolves but a small illusion did the trick for him. It also made any subsequent nightly escapades of the child less likely to occur.

"I a- am n- n- not afraid!"

"Of course you are not." Itachi went to the edge of Kouta's vision. "Aren't you going to come?"

It worked like a charm. (As it had decades before. Some things never changed.)

Chapter Text

"What do you think about the idea, Itachi?", Kouji asked after the others had all left the common room. Iida had long since given up lecturing Itachi about breaking the curfew.

Itachi looked at his friend. "I don't really care about the performance as long as I don't have to dance."

"Oh, so have we finally found something you are not good at?", said friend stated bemused.

"That is not it." He could dance. It was easy enough to copy the movements with the Sharingan, not to talk about the fact that his fighting style was not unlike a dance. "I just don't like to present myself to crowds." Too many potential threats, too many unknown variables.

His friend cocked his head to the side. It was a mannerism he had unconsciously copied from Itachi, who didn't know, what to think about it. On the one hand it was kind of cute, but on the other hand Kouji shouldn't even start to imitate him. He had a lot of habits one shouldn't try to simulate.

"Why is that?"

"I don't like the attention."

"But suggesting to use the crows for dramatic effect and enhancing the performance.", Kouji added with a shake of his head.

"It got me out of being considered for the dance-troupe and you were already planned for the stage. And most of the spectators will think the birds to be your contribution, not mine. If they ask, I'll tell them that I'm responsible for the dramaturgy." It was sound reasoning and he had always had a flair for the dramatics. He blamed the Uchiha blood.

"Do you ever do something without an ulterior motive?", Kouji asked with exasperation in his voice.

"You already know the answer to that.", Itachi retorted. Kouji had informed him two months into their friendship, that informing his conversation partner, that it he had asked an unnecessary question, was more comfortable than just silent staring. He had taken this advice to heart when dealing with friends. (Not that he had friends outside of Kouji.)

Kouji signed < True. > at him. They sat together in companionable silence for a while.

"Why did you start a friendship with me then?"

"You made a good first impression. You were the only one, who wasn't trying to garner the attention of our peers at all costs."

"No ulterior motive?" He sounded disbelieving.

"Not in the traditional sense. I told you I had only really one friend before and he died. I just wanted to try it out again and you didn't remind me of anybody I knew beforehand. It made you the ideal candidate, but I wouldn't have proceeded, if I hadn't genuinely liked you."

"I suppose I'll take that as a compliment rather than be offended." He snorted. "I was just happy to meet someone who understood my silence, though I am wondering, whether you understand it or just have no idea what to fill it with."

"I understand it. I had a companion of sorts for some years, who talked enough to me that I have an adequate idea." While Kisame hadn't been the most talkative person, he was leagues above Itachi in that regard.

"There you go sounding like an old man again."

Itachi had to smile. He would only be in his late thirties, if one would count both his lives.

They stayed in silence again for a few minutes.

"Itachi?" Kouji sounded hesitant. Whatever he wanted to ask was most likely of sensitive nature then. Itachi hummed.

"You mentioned your late friend now and then. Would you like to talk about him?"

That was unexpected, but shouldn't have come as a surprise. It was only natural for Kouji to be curious about the few scraps of personal information Itachi offered.

Did he want to talk about Shisui? He certainly had never before. He could try a heavily edited version.

"I can't tell you a lot, but there are a few things. We met, when I was a small child and quickly became friends even though he was a few years older. He was very intelligent and fast to smile, always a quick joke on his lips. As we became older it soon became clear that we even shared similar idealogical perspectives. When I was thirteen, he was 'assaulted' for lack of a better word. It shattered his will completely and he gave me one last gift before committing suicide in front of my eyes. He had been the person to first introduce me to crows." A smile flitted over his face. It had been a funny evening.

Kouji was visibly shocked and reverted to sign language. < No wonder you have problems with making friends. >

"It is in the past and I have made my peace with it."

< If you think so. >

He nodded. It had taken him a lot longer than the three years he was claiming now, but Shisui was not one of the ghosts that haunted him anymore.

"Dango?" He pulled one bag out of his coat.

< How? Why? Where? >

"Yes or no?"

< Yes, please. Thank you. >

He did feel a little bit lighter, telling someone about Shisui. Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea.

Chapter Text

Officer Shijikan had the thankless job of taking oral reports after the Shie Hassaikai Raid. Not only had he not been allowed to participate in the raid, not he also had to do all the paperwork. He knew the reports directly after were taken for redundancy and to monitor the Heroes, but it didn't make the task any more joyful.

He was already on his sixth cup of coffee and someone had allowed not one, not two, but five children with only provisional Hero-licenses to partake in the raid. Three of which were still only in their first year of school. They did not yet know, what a concise report was. The green one and the red one had already chewed his ear off with descriptions of different attacks and other inane details.

So it was with trepidation that he eyed the last one. At least this one didn't grin at him like a lunatic. Small mercies.

"I am Officer Shijikan. Please state your name and Hero-name."

"Yugasa Itachi, Hero-Name: Munnin, member of the infiltration unit and currently intern of Nezu, also known as Mr. Principal."

That sounded promising. No, "How are you?" or, god forbid, "Remember my name, it will be legendary!".

"Then please report your actions of today's raid."

"The infiltration unit, consisting of Pro Heroes Eraserhead, Kesagiri Men and myself, moved according to plan shortly after the storming of the gate into the base. Primary mission objective being the retrieval of the person, codename Eri, secondary objective securing or destroying the experimental data regarding the quirk-destroying bullets.

"After evading the main defensive force the unit split up into three. Eraserhead sweeping section C1, Kesagiri Man C2 and I C3."

The young Hero still talked, but nothing of it registered in the officer's mind. He was staring transfixed at a point above the kid's head.

That shouldn't be possible. Shijikan's Quirk let him see the last words a person spoke before their death, you see. But only after the person had already died. It was useful for investigation purposes, after a murder happened.

Now here stood a living person having words above their head.

It shouldn't be possible.

He knew that even having been dead for a few seconds and then brought back didn't count for his quirk to work. So how had this man already spoken last words?

"Forgive me Sasuke, but there won't be a next time." even sounded like he had known that he had been dying.

So how was this guy now standing before him?

"After neutralising Overhaul, we focused back on extracting Eri. There were no further significant encounters and we arrived at the extraction point at 02:26."

"Thank you very much for your report, we'll expect the written one in two days." The words were almost spoken like in a trance.

He had to talk with Detective Tsukauchi about this impossibility.

Chapter Text

"You are avoiding Eri."

Like always, Itachi just stayed silent instead of answering. Shouta sighed. "Why is that?"

He slowly blinked. "I am not good with children."

Itachi wasn't really good with any kind of social interaction, but that hadn't been a deciding factor before.

"You somehow went through primary school. It can't be that bad." If Shouta didn't know better, he would say, Itachi was afraid of Eri.

"That was different." Voice devoid emotion.

"How was that any different?" By now Shouta knew, that you had to ask questions to get Itachi to answer. Statements were just met with silence.

"They didn't see me as a hero." Now even his sparse body-language had ceased to exist. It really must be a sensitive topic, but Shouta was too exasperated to care. He preferred working with an irate Itachi over a heartbroken Eri 100 % of the time.

"So?"

"I am not a hero." So there was something like a conscience still living in there. Even if it reared its head at the most inopportune time.

"You may not be a Hero in the traditional sense, but you are her hero and she wants to thank you."

"I don't need thanks." Shouta hadn't known Itachi could be that difficult.

"It is not about whether you need them, only about that she wants to give them."

"She shouldn't feel the need to thank me." It was the first time Itachi acted even remotely like a child. Shouta didn't know whether to be happy about it or cry, because of the situation it was in.

"But she does."

Itachi said nothing. Of course.

"What is the problem? You can't have possibly developed any remorse about lying in this short amount of time."

"She reminds me." That much was obvious and he apparently really didn't want to talk about it, if he now stated obvious facts.

"May I remind you, that this isn't your past life?" Silence again.

Shouta took a deep breath. "You will never be free of it, if you let yourself be constrained by your past."

He pointedly did not think about any reasons Itachi would be wary of admiring children in the first place.

Itachi still said nothing, but that was better than running away at least.

"Just ten minutes and I'd go with you." Still silence, but it had a different quality now.

"It would mean the world to her.", Shouta said in a soft and pleading tone. They both knew, it was emotional manipulation, but that didn't matter.

Itachi gave a jerky nod and Shouta couldn't help but smile. Eri would be ecstatic.

"Well, the principal would have her come over tomorrow. I'll collect you for lunch then."

Another nod, this time smoother. Progress.

Shouta went to dismiss himself, but was halted by Itachi's voice.

"I ... My brother. I had one. He was about her age." The words came strangely strangled out of his problem-pupil's mouth. It was atypical of the seemingly always unruffled student.

"Thank you for telling me." Shouta had closed his eyes to convey his sincerity and when he opened them again Itachi had vanished. He couldn't blame him. They both weren't people for emotional conversations.

So he had had a younger brother, who probably had worshipped him, if the aversion against being seen as a Hero was any indication. He had also mentioned, that his relationship to his family had been complicated, which likely was Itachi-speak for completely fucked up. Had the brother died and Itachi blamed himself for it?

Shouta wasn't going to pry, but it was interesting nonetheless.

Chapter Text

Monoma Neito was angry. His task had been simple: Copy all of class 1-A's Quirks at least once and get a feeling for them. But instead of simply cooperating those arrogant arseholes had to always question him about his Quirk. Talk about trust.

Two days later only the worst offender was left. Yugasa Itachi. Neito didn't know how, but the boy had evaded him at every turn and not even deigned to look at him while doing it. Arrogant bastard.

But now was his chance. Yugasa had just talked with Aizawa-sensei (he seemed to be his favourite) and made his way back to the barracks. There was no possible way he could avoid talking to Neito now.

"Yugasa-san, please wait." How it grated on his nerves, that he had to say "please" to the arrogant brown noser.

Yugasa stopped his stride and looked Neito in the eyes. He really wasn't that intimidating. Why was he seen as the most dangerous student of class 1-A? Neito didn't understand those idiots. The guy didn't even make into the second round of the Sports Festival.

"Monoma-san. What can I do for you?" Neito fumed on the inside. Yugasa had the gall to sound like he hadn't avoided him at every available opportunity until now.

"May I copy your quirk? Aizawa-sensei gave me the assignment to copy every one of your Quirks to increase my understanding of them." Better to give the information upfront, before the annoying questioning could start again.

Yugasa stared at him without saying a word for a few breaths. Creep.

"I think it would be best to go, where we aren't disturbed for that."

Neito couldn't help but wonder. What he had heard was, that Yugasa could make illusions with his eyes. He didn't know, why they would need privacy for that, but who knew what was going through the creeps mind.

"What do you know about my Quirk?"

"It allows you to project illusions into someone's mind." The other combatants certainly were not able to see them.

"That is somewhat correct. But is much more a mutation kind of Quirk, than an emitter one. It comes not only with mutated eyes, but also an adapted brain and optic nerve. There are also special conditions for the Quirk to be initially activated. So how does your quirk work? Does your body change according to the quirk you copied? Because I wouldn't let you copy my quirk, if there is a chance it affects your brain and possibly renders you mentally unstable."

As much as Neito begrudged admitting it, that was a well thought out argument, not that it would have been necessary.

"My Quirk only copies the emitter aspects of the Quirks and the superficial mutations, like Bakugou's sweat glands. It shouldn't be a problem with your Quirk."

"Interesting." Neito didn't like the way Yugasa said that word at all. It made an involuntary shiver go down his spine.

"I wonder ... When you copy a Quirk, that alters your perception, how does your brain compute that? What about an energy requirement? Do you get exhausted faster than the original holder? Do you also get an instinctive manual of the Quirk you copy or is it trial by error? Such a fascinating Quirk.", Yugasa pondered.

Well, that didn't sound ominous at all, but Neito wouldn't get intimidated by a member of class 1-A. That would never happen.

Before he could think of an excuse to not answer all these questions, Yugasa raised his hand and spoke again. "Copy it. I am interested to see what happens."

Neito was not about to look a gifted horse in the mouth and took Yugasa's hand. As far as he could feel it, nothing changed.

Yugasa heavily scrutinised him. It was a bit unnerving.

"Try and flip a switch in your eyes.", he commanded. What a pretentious prick. Neito still tried. The quirk sounded very powerful, if he could get it to work.

"Nothing, but that was to be expected. When you look in my eyes, do you fell a connection forming?"

Yugasa had his Quirk activated and man were those bloodred eyes creepy with those black commas spinning in them.

"No."

The other hummed contemplatively.

"Do you have ever been in a emotionally traumatising situation?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"The quirk was initially activated in such a situation and got stronger, when I lived through more of them. Maybe it would work, if you'd remember something like that."

What kind of psychotic Quirk was that? No wonder Yugasa seemed maladjusted at best.

"I don't think I have lived through something like that."

"What about near-death experiences?"

"Also no." This conversation was getting more and more bizarre.

"I could give you one. It may activate the Quirk. The only disadvantage would be, that the memory would be permanently etched into your brain with no hope of forgetting it."

This Quirk was getting weirder and weirder. The singularity-theory probably had some merit to it.

But the bigger problem was, that Yugasa looked like he wanted Neito to agree. Like he would enjoy it. He could readily imagine Yugasa towering above him with a bloodied knife in his hands, those creepy eyes spinning madly. A crow cawed nearby.

"No, thanks." If Neito's voice wavered, nobody was there to notice.

"Pity." That smirk was going to haunt his nightmares in the future, he was sure of it. Sadistic bastard.

"Contact me, if you ever change your mind." With that, Yugasa Itachi finally left Neito alone.

He was never going to change his mind on that. No, thanks. At least the "no serious maiming, no traumatisaing"-rule Aizawa-sensei was insisting on in their spars finally made sense. Creepy bastard.

It took minutes to calm his racing heart. At least Yugasa inteded to be an Underground Hero. He doubted he would be wildly popular as a public one. What a creep.

Chapter Text

Nezu observed the other two people in the room carefully. It was the biweekly strategy meeting between Detective Naomasa and himself, which now was also attended by one Yugasa Itachi by virtue of being Nezu's intern.

The man in the body of a child was much more of a mystery than he had originally anticipated. He had yet to find even any mention of the the terrorist organisation he claimed to have been a part of, not to talk about any hints to Itachi's former nationality. It was a tad frustrating to say the least, but also the most interesting thing since getting out of the laboratories.

Yugasa clearly had some background in military intelligence and was used to leading units. One only had to read through one of his reports to see that. He also was very good at revealing information, without actually revealing anything useful.

Nezu had learned almost nothing new, even after spending afternoon after afternoon with Yugasa. That was not completely true. Yugasa was a vicious opponent in shogi and chess, not afraid to sacrifice pieces. But it was hard to evaluate whether that mindset also applied in the real world, since it was well in the realm of possibilities for Yugasa to only play the part.

Other than that, there was also the thing with the little girl, Eri. Yugasa was interestingly enough afraid of her, though whether that was because of her quirk or because of a connection to his past life, Nezu could not deduce.

Interestingly enough Naomasa was also scrutinising Yugasa. That was clearly a deviation from his last visit. The last time Naomasa had been curious to see what had caught Nezu's interest in the young Hero, but not suspicious. Now there was the telltale crease between his eyes. But what could possibly have happened during those two weeks, that would have aroused the detective's suspicion?

As far as Nezu knew, Yugasa had acted nothing but exemplary during the raid. So what happened?

The thing was, that, if Nezu could see the the difference in the detective's behaviour, Yugasa was certainly able to. Whatever advantage Naomasa had hoped to glean from observing first and asking second was rendered void. Of course nothing in Yugasa's body language gave away, that he was on to the detective. Everything else would have been preposterous.

Finally the meeting concluded.

"Detective? May I keep you for a moment longer?"

As always Yugasa got the hint and made himself scarce. (Not that it meant a lot. He had ears everywhere and it had become a game between them to hide or find information respectively.)

"Of course. Principal, what can I do for you?"

"Let's cut right to the matter. What is it with my intern? You seemed quite suspicious of him in the meeting."

"Ahh, well, I had hoped to conceal that from you, to be honest." Naomasa chuckled lightly. So it wasn't anything too serious. Good to know.

"That didn't quite happen."

"That is true. It is just, that the quirk of one of my officers had a curious reaction towards him. Nothing too serious."

"Did he register as dead?" Nezu said it like a joke, knowing that it probably was something like it. It was Yugasa's second life after all.

"Something like that, yes. How did you know?" It was not often that someone managed to surprise such an experienced detective like Naomasa and Nezu relished every second of it.

How to answer? Letting the detective in on the secret would be beneficial for the future, but doing it without Yugasa's consent was dangerous at best and deadly at worst. The very fragile trust between Yugasa and him would be forfeit.

Better not risk it. The lie-detecting quirk of the detective was easy enough to circumvent.

"I didn't." It was not a lie. He didn't know, he just had a very educated guess. "It just made sense, that someone with a death-related quirk would work in the police-force."

"I guess it does for someone like you.", the detective begrudgingly admitted.

"Apropos someone like me. I am quite sure, that the subject in question also noticed your "inconspicuous" observation."

Naomasa sighed. "I really should've known better, shouldn't I? What would you recommend doing now?"

That was a good question with no good answer.

"Ask directly and hope he'll answer truthfully. You won't find anything incriminating, that isn't a red herring. Yugasa is paranoid and better than anybody else I have encountered at the game of lies and deceit. Just be careful not to drive him away. It would be a shame to loose such a promising student."

Naomasa looked long and hard at Nezu, probably deciphering all the hidden meanings and things Nezu didn't say.

"I'll take your advise under consideration. Good day, principal. "

"You too, detective."

This was going to be fascinating. Nezu cackled.

Chapter Text

"Why did you let me lie about them?", Izuku asked.

Itachi cocked his head to the side questioningly.

"About The Gentle Criminal and La Brava. You had to know, that I was lying with your crows."

"Did you want me to contradict you?"

"No, of course not. I just don't understand. You told Aizawa-sensei about our plan to rescue Kacchan and now you cover for two Villains."

"You covered for those villains. I didn't do anything."

Izuku was getting rather frustrated.

"That is not, what I wanted to know. Why did you let me do this, when you snitched on us before?"

Itachi looked like he was thinking for a moment.

"You weren't putting yourself in danger this time."

Izuku opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off before he could make a sound.

"What do you think would have happened, if All For One had gotten the opportunity to kill One for All once and for all?"

He choked. Itachi wasn't supposed to know about that.

It just earned him a condescending look. "Yagi-sensei is not really the epitome of subtle now, is he? He even wore the same clothes and talked too loud to not overhear when excited. You are also an atrocious liar. It was not hard to figure out."

Izuku wanted to defend All Might, wanted to refute Itachi's words, but - as always - couldn't. His classmate was maddening.

He had everything Izuku hadn't. He had the trust of Aizawa-sensei, was easily leading in academics and had a strong friendship inside the class. He had earned Bakugou's respect in less than a year, had managed to be popular despite his poor social habits and had been the one to not only defeat Overhaul, but also rescue Eri.

All Might could say Izuku had been the best choice for a successor as often as he liked, but how could he believe it, if he saw a better candidate every day.

But ... Izuku could rectify that mistake. He could give the Quirk to Itachi. He could just give it to him and be responsible for possibly making the greatest Hero to ever live. He only had to give some of his DNA to Itachi. It would be easy.

But would he really be able to give up on his dream? Of becoming a Hero?

The thought scared him. Being a Hero was all he had ever dreamed of. Then he remembered how Eri had smiled at Itachi, when he brought her Dango and his mind was made up.

"I want to give it to you.", he blurted out.

Great job, Izuku, great job. Way to make this conversation even more awkward.

Itachi only blinked slowly.

"You should have had in the first place. You are more talented and more intelligent than me. You managed to save Bakugou and made Eri smile. The people look to you in guidance and I bet you wouldn't have the problem with the breaking bones. I shouldn't have been a Hero in the first place and only All Might' pity made it possible for me to attend this school. Take it. You deserve it more than I. You even have a quirk to go with it."

It was impossible to decipher Itachi's face.

In his mind Izuku begged him to react. He couldn't hold his tears back for much longer. He was willing to give up his dream for the greater good, couldn't Itachi see that?

Just as his tears threatened to spill, Itachi finally reacted. His face was strangely contorted and there was a hacking sound coming out of his mouth.

It took Izuku a few seconds to realise that this was Itachi laughing. How had he never heard it before?

Between the laughs there was a strangled "No.".

Izuku's brows furrowed. "Why? You are obviously the better candidate."

It took less than a second for Itachi to compose himself again.

"No, I am not and there are many reasons for it. One of them the initial topic of this conversation. Why did you cover for La Brava and The Gentle Criminal?"

Izuku stared transfixed into those black eyes. "Because they didn't really were Villains. They just didn't see another option."

"And that is one of the reasons One for All is better off with you. You believe in people. You have conviction. You care for every life, no matter whose it is. I don't."

"B- But - "
"If I had One for All and decided to become a Villain, who would be able to stop me?"

Nobody. With his perception-altering abilities, they would be hard-pressed to find someone, who could do it even now. It was one of the realisations Izuku had been repressing for quite some time.

But if Itachi had not only his Quirk, but also One for All there would be no stopping him.

Izuku liked to think and believe that Itachi would never go and become a Villain, but he had told Izuku himself, that the blood spilled at the U.S.J. had been partially his fault. It was all too easy to imagine the blood-coated figure on the other side of the battlefield.

"You are someone who can give hope, someone who struggled and overcome it, someone who people believe in. That should be One for All's legacy, not a secretive cynic."

And - as always - Izuku couldn't say anything against it. Relief flooded his system. The tears were flowing freely by now. Itachi mercifully ignored them.

"Those emotions are, what connects people to you. Don't ever lose them." Izuku sobbed.

" If you ever try to give this quirk to me again ..." He let the threat unspoken, but Izuku still understood. He smiled a snotty smile and nodded.

All this excitement had been very draining and Izuku could feel himself slipping to sleep almost immediately.

Chapter Text

Shouta just looked at his problem-pupil. "Would you care to repeat that?"

"I'd like to drink alcohol and want you to be there."

Yep, that was what he feared he heard. What had possessed Itachi to ask his teacher that?

"Just why?" Shouta was going to have grey hairs at the end of the school year at this rate.

"I don't know, how I react to it and liked to have someone nearby who could stop me, if necessary."

While that made sense at first glance, there were three main problems to this plan.

One: Shouta could not stop Itachi and he didn't know how Itachi ever came to the conclusion he could.

Two: Shouta was this boy's (man's?) teacher. He was supposed to prevent his students from drinking alcohol, not encourage them. He even was allowed to temporarily suspend them from school for catching them in the act.

Three: Itachi was still under the legal drinking age, at least in this body.

His scepticism must have shown, because Itachi didn't let him speak.

"You also already know my most important secret. It would be rather inconvenient if I blurted it out in other company."

Ahh, yes. Emotional blackmail. What kind of life did Shouta live, that he had almost been expecting it?

He just shot Itachi a disbelieving look. That was one of his weaker attempts.

"I am your teacher, Itachi. I can't just let you drink alcohol in my presence."

His protests, of course, were quickly dismissed and now he was sitting opposite of his student and a bottle of sake between them.

Itachi already had drunken a few cups, but had shown no outward reaction other than a slight blushing. (Shouta could already hear the fangirls screeching, if such a photo of Itachi should ever be released.)

"So you never had alcohol before?" It was a bit unbelievable. Sure, some people didn't drink, but if there was no physical ailment preventing it, most at least tried it once in their life.

Itachi just nodded amicably. So the alcohol didn't make him chattier than normal. One could hope.

"Why?" Itachi shrugged.

Shouta revised his opinion on the alcohol having no influence. Itachi never shrugged, he just projected his indifference outwards.

"There never was a safe environment to try it in. I knew information worth killing for since I was five." Oh, dear. Shouta should've gotten himself a bottle too. He underestimated Itachi's ability to reveal horrifying information in innocuous situations yet again.

"Are there any questions I could ask, that won't be answered with nightmarish statements?"

Itachi thought for while. "I don't know. My past life was rather upsetting from this worlds point of view, I guess. But I think I am more willing to answer anything on the more sensitive topics, while buzzed, I think. The pain of the memories is a bit dulled."

Shouta closed his eyes for a moment. Somehow Itachi had managed to answer even that question with horrifying implications.

But he wasn't going to get a better opportunity anytime soon, so Shouta asked.

"How did you die?" The question had been nagging on the back of his mind for weeks now. From what Shouta could guess, it must have been a truly fearsome opponent, if they managed to defeat Itachi in battle. He couldn't really associate any other type of death with him. It just didn't fit.

For some reason, Shouta didn't want to contemplate, his student smiled at the question. "A disease."

Itachi laughed at Shouta's shocked face. It was a beautiful laugh and Shouta wished Itachi would feel safe enough to do it more often.

"I had an incurable condition for about five years, before the blood in my lungs and my steadily weakening body killed me. Though my kind of life certainly didn't help."

"That is why your illusions about drowning are so much more terrifying." It was not a nice realisation. What other illusions were pulled from his experiences? Shouta didn't dare to contemplate.

"I guess so.", Itachi mused.

A change of subject was sorely needed.

"Why did you decide to accept my offer for internship?" It surely wasn't because of the arguments Shouta had made at the time.

"You were ready to die for us at the U.S.J.." He paused for a moment. Shouta readied himself for another terrifying comment. "That and your logical ruses reminded me of someone I knew." That was deceptively mild.

"I don't know whether that is a compliment or not."

Itachi smiled again. He really needed to relax more often.

"It is one. He was very smart and always placed the life of his comrades before his own. He had lost his best friend, named Obito funnily enough, early in his life and tried to make it up to him for the rest of it. He worked in the shadows for years before he pursued a career in teaching."

That did sound remarkably similar to Shouta's life, but, "How do you know about Oboro?"

There was a high chance that Itachi wouldn't answer, but he could try.

"You called me that, when I stopped you from bleeding out. I investigated."

That sounded like a perfectly reasonable explanation, but this was Itachi. There were no perfectly reasonable explanations, only mildly (or greatly) horrifying ones. He regarded Itachi suspiciously, but if he had any tells, the alcohol didn't made them easier to spot.

Before he could think any further on the subject, Itachi asked him, "Do you want to see the world?"

"What?"

"I could show it to you."

Shouta thought for a moment. It seemed like alcohol didn't make his pupil any less cryptic.

"You mean your old world. And you want to show me some of your memories?"

Itachi nodded.

That was an interesting proposition. Like every offer Itachi made, it probably had an ulterior motive but Shouta had long since given up on finding those out. He was not under any delusions. If Itachi decided to outplay him, he would and there would be nothing Shouta could do about it.

"I guess, so." He looked into those red eyes.

If he had any doubts about the story of another life in another world, they were destroyed now. The environment was too detailed, too big and too vivid to be anything other than a memory. There even was a distinct scent to it.

The two of them were standing on a small mountain cliff overseeing a small, bustling city. "This was Konohagakure. My hometown."

Shouta needed a long time, before he could process, what he was seeing. "It is very green."

"The country was famous for their forests."

Suddenly they were standing in a different location. Trees, bigger than Shouta had ever seen, surrounded them. A giant centipede crawled its way up one trunk.

"This is the Forest Of Death or Training Ground 44. It was often used for exams and the like."

It was only the second of many awe-inspiring sceneries, Shouta would be shown this evening. It definitely made up for going against the school-directives.

Chapter Text

Eraserhead met up with Munin at the junction of the two sectors. Ita- Munin had the girl on his back as reported. His heart almost broke at seeing how young she was, but this wasn't the place and time for it.

"I have verified her identity and put her into a sleep-like state. As long as I am conscious and no harm comes to her, she won't be waking up. In the case, that she still will, please repress her quirk. She can't control it and it's very volatile."

"Understood. Kesagiriman has been held up and we are to continue without him."

Munin affirmed. They made their way to the exit of the base again, but only after a few meters the walls shifted. Eraserhead cursed internally, but it had been going to smooth anyway.

It seemed like they weren't the only people affected by the change in layout. Two minor grunts just ran into them, when they were looking for another room. They didn't even manage to exclaim their shock before they were slumping to the ground unconscious.

Eraserhead tied them up quickly with steel-enforced rope, while Munin disarmed them. (Shouta had been no slouch in his knowledge of the various ways of immobilising people with a piece of rope or wire, but the knots that Itachi showed him were mean.)

They continued on. Suddenly Munin yanked Eraserhead backwards, just before a wall shooting out of the ground could separate them.

"There is an enemy inside the walls", he heard Munin's voice in his head say.

Eraserhead tried to use his quirk, but to no avail.

"I am going to try something. Be prepared to use your quirk as soon as they show themselves."

The black tomoes started spinning rapidly and Eraserhead readied himself for the confrontation.

"Now!"

There was an enraged head coming out of the ground. Eraserhead didn't hesitate, his own eyes becoming red. The shift of their surroundings back to their original state was immediate.

The man was directly ejected out of the stone and the momentum led to his head getting smashed into the ceiling. It didn't knock him out directly, but the moment of disorientation was long enough for Munin's creepy needles to find their target. How he managed to throw them that accurately while piggybacking a young girl was beyond Eraserhead, but he wasn't going to complain.

"His quirk makes him tying him up just a waste of time since he could get out of it immediately. The same goes for incapacitating him by breaking his limbs. Because of the drug in his system I am not confident in my illusions keeping him out and I don't want to tire myself out yet."

His student took out more of his needles and put them in the enemy's neck. He looked like a porcupine now. "This should hold him unconscious until they are pulled out, but they should be careful while transporting him. It could damage his spine irreparably."

Eraserhead was proud to what lengths Munin now went to let his opponents live, even if it was a lot more effort than killing them.

Further down the line and in between them and the exit they found the main battlefield. Lemillion was doing his best against Overhaul and one of his lackeys. No side seemed to have the advantage, Lemillion's intangibility rescuing him again and again from Overhaul's transformations of the environment.

It would be almost impossible hard to traverse without getting impaled. They needed a distraction.

It was then that their luck ran out and Overhaul spotted them.

"How nice that you brought my little girl back to me, isn't it, Eri?"

Eri, of course, couldn't answer in her catatonic state and the mafia-boss grew enraged. "What did you do to her?!"

Eraserhead activated his quirk to prevent Overhaul from attacking them, but was directly blocked by the lackey jumping in his line of sight and drawing a gun.

"Don't! We need him alive and his quirk intact.", Overhaul ordered. It sent shivers down Eraserhead's spine. He didn't want to get experimented on.

"I am going to use a smoke-grenade. Just run towards the exit as loud as you can, when I do it." Munin's voice again. It seemed idiotic in the first moment, but he trusted his mentee to have a good reason.

"Why don't you give her up? You can't evade me forever with her slowing you down.", Overhaul crowed maliciously.

Contrary to everything Eraserhead knew about his student, Munin reacted to the taunt by planting both feet firmly on the ground and squaring his shoulders. "Never."

There really had to be a good reason, because that was not how Itachi acted normally.

"Foolish Hero."

Eraserhead couldn't actually see, what was happening with his opponent trying to obscure his vision at every turn, but the ever-shifting ground sounded brutal.

"When your opponent tries his uppercut again, dodge to the right." Munin had a plan and he would follow it. They tended to work.

The next time his opponent dodged low, Eraserhead prepared himself. Like the times before they came out of the crouch with a left uppercut. As planned he evaded to the right and Itachi stepped into his place, flashing a red light.

It confused the lackey enough to look into Munin's red eyes for a short moment, before he tried to block out Eraserhead again.

Like he had said, Munin's plans tended to work.

It was not shortly after, that he heard the telltale hissing of the smoke-grenade.

"No! You are not escaping me! Shoot them!", Overhaul roared.

Shouta's heart froze in his chest. "Run!" he heard Itachi say and Lemillion scream.

He obeyed. With the smokescreen active, there was not much he could do. Why did Itachi still have Eri? He wasn't going to be fast enough with her.

He heard the shot but the expected pain never came. Instead an ear-splitting scream he couldn't place echoed through the halls.

He prayed to all the gods he knew, that it wasn't Itachi.

The relief he felt, when the boy's silhouette came out of the smoke with the girl still on his back, could not be described with words.

"Overhaul and his subordinate are neutralised. That was a quirk-destroying bullet. Lemillion is looking after them."

The voice was still in his head, reassuring. Eraserhead breathed out.

"Let's get out of here."

Munin nodded. He had probably read his lips, since the shot and the scream afterwards made them both pretty much deaf at the moment.

They made it out without further complications. The medical staff fussing over them the minute they stepped out of the compound. Itachi's silent presence was strangely comforting, though Eraserhead didn't dare to relax until the raid had officially been declared over.

It had been an overwhelming success. All of his students were still alive, the third-years included. Kesagiriman had managed to secure most of their files and Overhaul had tasted his won medicine. The only casualty was Rock Lock, who got shot in the head.
Shouta took a deep breath and mourned. Such was their occupation.

Chapter Text

Itachi looked around him. The class had come far in only under a year. There still were points of conflict, but for the most part they acted as a cohesive unit. (There were comrades.) Even Bakugou had mellowed out after the kidnapping.

It was going to be interesting to see, how they were going to handle the next big challenge, which undoubtedly was already coming their way. All for One and his successor may be dead, but they left an enormous power-vacuum behind. The Shie Hassaikai had tried to fill that, but had fallen short because of the inexperience of their leader. Whoever was next in line wouldn't be so careless.

"What about you, Itachi?", Kaminari asked.

Itachi cocked his head to the side. He had filtered the surrounding conversation out after deeming its contents unimportant.

"Is there any girl you have your eye on?"

It took longer than he was comfortable with to understand the question. It had been a long, long time since he was last asked something similar.

He shook his head.

"Truly?", was the disbelieving answer. He didn't dignify that with a response.

"The girls are falling over themselves at your feet and you don't even bat an eyelash at them. Why did I even expect something different?" Itachi couldn't help but hear the jealousy and bitterness in Kaminari's voice.

"Hey, don't be like that. He didn't ask for the attention.", Sero came to his defence.

For a moment Kaminari looked like he wanted to argue but then he tension left him and he sighed. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry, Itachi. It is just such a shame. You could have all the hot chicks, but don't even look at them twice."

Itachi settled for a non-committal hum.

"So if the girls aren't doing it for you, who is? Are you playing for the other side?"

He guessed the conversation had been inevitable being surrounded by hormonal teenagers.

He just shook his head again.

"You are just not interested?", Sero asked.

Not a bad question. Itachi didn't really know the answer himself.

"I don't know."

"How can you not know?"

"Never really thought about it." The people interested in him were all too young, too immature. It wasn't even a consideration.

"You are what? 16 and never have liked somebody? Even a little bit?" Kaminari seemed scandalised.

Itachi decided to go with a half-truth. "There was a girl once. I don't know, what it was that I felt for her."

He had been barely 13 years old, Shisui's death still fresh and Father as well as Danzou had been breathing down his neck. Izumi had been the only ally in an ocean of enemies. There was no telling what kind of attraction he had felt in retrospect. There had been more important problems at the time and no reason to think about missed possibilities.

"Hmm. That sounds a bit unfortunate. What happened? You scared her off?" Kaminari still sounded a bit more aggressive than necessary.

I killed her after letting her dream about a life by my side. She even thanked me for it. "She died."

Sero cringed hard and looked like he wanted to be anywhere else.

"Oh, shit. I'm sorry. I didn't want to bring up bad memories, I swear." The regret and shame was kind of satisfying to see. He liked it when his manipulations succeeded. That should give him a one-year-pass on this conversation topic.

"It is okay. I have come to terms with it by now. Just be careful with such flippant words. Not everybody will be as forgiving."

Which was a very ironic statement, considering Itachi had only ever forgiven Shisui and that only years after his death. (He didn't think he could ever forgive himself or anybody else involved in that mess.)

"Yes, of course. Sorry again. I will just go and ... do some homework." Kaminari vanished faster than Itachi when there was free Dango. It was a bit amusing.

Sero went not soon after stating a similar excuse to flee the awkward silence between them.

"What did you just do? I never saw Kaminari move so fast even in battle."

At least Kouji found it funny, too.

"He just managed to put his foot in his mouth rather spectacularly and fled the scene."

Kouji just shook his head and sat down next to him. They sat in comfortable silence for a short while.

"So what kind of topic should I avoid to not make the same mistake?"

He smiled at his friend. "I highly doubt that would happen. You are not nearly as rude and insensitive."

Itachi sighed. "They asked me about former love-interests."

Kouji questioningly cocked his head to the side. (It still was kind of strange to see his mannerisms on other people.)

"I maybe had one some years ago, but she died before I could even be sure of my feelings."

Kouji mulled a bit about that information before responding.

"Is that one of the reasons you said, you didn't want a relationship anytime soon?"

Itachi was thankful his friend didn't try to sympathise. He had learned quickly, that Itachi didn't like it. (Because he had been the mastermind behind his own pain most of the time.)

"No. That is a different problem." His love was destructive. For all he loved Sasuke with every bit of his existence, it wasn't something he wished to live through again. (He ignored that Aizawa and Kouji were on their best way of growing too close for comfort.)

His friend didn't press.

"Have you ever tried Dango with cinnamon flavour? I have seen the place in the mall offer them at the moment."

Kouji smiled a bit exasperated. Itachi was happy.

Chapter Text

Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi sighed. What had begun as a small look into a curious behaviour of an officer's quirk had somehow transformed to a complicated investigation which had the potential to spectacularly blow up in their faces.

The last time that happened he had managed to stumble upon All for One's base of operations. As the megalomaniac Villain was now finally dead, it at least couldn't happen again on this scale. Still, the leaps and hoops through which Tsukauchi had to go through did remind him of that stressful time.

The creeping, foreboding feeling wasn't made any better by the fact, that Nezu had alluded to all of it just being a distraction from the real thing. Normally Naomasa was inclined to follow the principal's lead, but whatever he had managed to unearth here, it couldn't just be a distraction. There were too many people involved.

Somehow Yugasa seemed to be connected to multiple people, who had gotten jobs outside of Japan just to be never heard or seen again. Further investigation had shown that those companies, whose employees sometimes just vanished into nothing, were connected to each other and the whole thing had been going on for years and years. It was troublesome to say the least.

Technically Tsukauchi should report his findings to his higher-ups, but when he had been doing it before with his investigation into All for One's businesses, those inquiries were quickly shut down by some untraceable politician. He had no doubt, that it would end like that with this investigation too, if he were to bring it to his superior's attention.

Sometimes Naomasa hated how this system worked, but it still was better than the alternative.

So he confided in Yagi Toshinori who, besides having been the greatest Hero of Japan since the rising of the quirks, had an excellent instinct and serious experiences in dealing with conspiracies. He found the systematic disappearances concerning too and vowed to help to the best of his diminished abilities.

His friend also had some interesting things to say about Yugasa. Apparently the boy's quirk was a lot more versatile than Tsukauchi had initially thought. It was able to influence all the senses, if wielded expertly. That included the sense of balance, time, one's self. Yugasa could also activate his quirk up to one hour after he had looked someone in the eyes. The destructive potential of this quirk was unimaginable great, if All Might's praises of Yugasa's prowess with his illusions were anywhere near the reality.

There was a list by the government, on which every volatile mind-influencing quirk and their owner were, but Yugasa was not on it, because at the time, nobody had thought about his quirk in that way. Adding him now, would only get the boy into the clutches of the Hero Public Safety Commission and Tsukauchi wasn't sure, which was scarier: A mind-influencing Hero loyal to the Commission or the Commission under the influence of Yugasa.

It appeared Nezu and Yagi had thought along similar lines, because none of them had added him to the list despite being aware of the potential.

Another unpleasant fact was that Yugasa was in the possession of a murder of crows, who were not only fiercely loyal, but also could do deliveries, act as messengers or spy for him. It made proper surveillance outside of a confined and isolated area completely ineffective.

So the sensible courses of action left were either a direct confrontation, for which Tsukauchi would need green light from his superior, or a deeper dive into the things they already had unearthed. Since the former path could result in Yugasa easily vanishing, he decided upon the latter.

He would file it as a follow-up investigation into the Nomus. There were enough overlaps to justify the classification and redirect anybody trying to snoop. Maybe there even was a connection to All for One. Who knew what his team was going to find?

In conclusion it meant Yugasa got to play(?) Hero a bit longer. Like Nezu had warned, there was no hard evidence for anything only unproven conjecture. Tsukauchi could only hope to find something further down the line.

What a mess.

Chapter Text

Shouta couldn't help but smile, when Eri visibly perked up. She didn't smile, but her whole demeanour changed as soon as she saw Itachi entering the room. There was a moment of awkward silence and then she reached towards his student, relief clear on her face.

"You came."

Itachi carefully didn't show any reaction on his face. Shouta could not even begin to fathom what was going on in his head.

"I did. Aizawa-senpai said, you wanted to see me." At least the boy (not a boy he reminded himself, a man) didn't tell her immediately, that he hadn't want to visit her. It would have destroyed all the progress they had made with her self-confidence.

She nodded. In a surprisingly sneaky manoeuvre she hugged Itachi before he could protest. "Thank you for saving me!"

Shouta dearly wished for a camera in that moment. He had never seen his student so wrong-footed. Said student gave him a murderous glare as if he could read his thoughts while he slowly petted Eri's head. Shouta raised his hands in surrender. He wouldn't dare mock Itachi with a situation, that he was obviously uncomfortable with.

"Here is your lunch. We thought, we might eat together, if you like.", Shouta interrupted the awkward moment.

Eri ducked her head shyly. "I'd like that."

Itachi somehow had not forgotten all of his tact and smiled at her. "Me too."

She positively beamed in response and Itachi's smile became a bit more sincere.

They ate their food in silence, not that Shouta had expected anything different. All three of them were not known for their conversational skills. When the silence after lunch threatened to become awkward once more, he intervened.

"So Eri, what do you want to do now?"

The girl shyly ducked her head again and looked steadfastly at the ground. "I don't know."

Overhaul deserved his sentence in Tartarus and so much more.

To Shouta's complete surprise Itachi took initiative. Maybe because he was reminded of his brother. "Do you want to hear a story?"

"You would tell one to me?" There were stars in her eyes. Of course Overhaul would have never bothered with such "trivialities". Once again Shouta felt gratitude for the manner in which Itachi had neutralised the crime-lord.

His student nodded to Eri, who was ecstatic at the idea of getting a story from her most favourite person. (Togata may be her Hero, but she was utterly enamoured with Itachi, who had not only not made promises he couldn't keep, but also had defeated Overhaul all while carrying her to safety.)

"What kind of story?" As soon as the words left her mouth, she flinched. "Sorry. I didn't want to ..."

Shouta wanted to go down into Tartarus to break every one of Kai Chisaki's fingers separately, rip out his nails and then dunk those still bleeding hands in a bucket of salt. (Maybe repeatedly being the victim of Itachi's more traumatising illusions had more of an effect on him than previously thought.)

"It is okay to ask questions. Don't worry. I am afraid I don't know many stories, but I would like to tell you one that my mother always told me."

His mother? That was the first time Itachi ever used those words.

"Like the fairytales Mirio sometimes reads to me?"

"You can think of it like a fairytale, yes." Shouta could only detect the slightly wistful note because he had a lot of practice in interpreting his mentee.

Itachi caught his gaze before he could avert his eyes and there was a momentary spike of fear, but it was only fleeting. (Gods knew only why, but he trusted his murderous apprentice.) His eyes had looked black, but that meant nothing. His quirk played with the perception. It was a simple task for him to let his eyes seem inactive.

"Once upon a time in a world far, far away, there were two big families."

So it was a story from his other life. Shouta leaned forward interested. Since he had gotten his first glimpses of that world, he had been hungering for more.

"They were dragons and nymphs respectively. The dragons all had dark scales, white teeth, sharp claws and could breath fire that burned everything in their way too ash. But they were also talented blacksmiths and could create the most beautiful fireworks."

Shouta could basically see those creatures living in the world Itachi had shown him. Ah, that had been the reason for the eye contact. What an ingenious way of using his quirk. Now every story told by another person would pale in comparison, but Eri would love him all the more.

"The nymphs on the other hand were able to heal the wounded and grow their own food. But they could also use their ability to manipulate plants and water to drown their opponents and impale them on the trees they raised."

If that had been the kind of stories Itachi had been raised with the first time, it was no wonder that his relationship to violence was so odd. Shouta looked at Eri, but if she were disturbed by what kind of images Itachi was evoking in her brain, she didn't show.

"The dragons and the nymphs had been at war so long, even their elders couldn't remember the reason for it."

Eri scrunched her brow in displeasure, clearly thinking them stupid. It was unbearably cute.

"But with every dragon or nymph that died in the battles they had a knew reason to hate each other and so the war continued.

"One day a dragon, the son of the current head of the clan but still only a small hatchling, went to a hidden part of the river that separated their lands to take a bath and maybe play in the water, when there already was someone."

Shouta could hear the water flowing, the leaves rustling in the wind and the small steps in the wet grass. If Itachi's Hero-career wouldn't pan out, he could always make living by doing live-readings. This was breathtaking. Eri also was completely engrossed. Poor Togata; his fairytales could never keep up with this.

"A young nymph, also still a sprout and the clan-head's son, had discovered this secret glade too and was skipping rocks on the water.

"Since the dragon had never before seen a nymph and the nymph had never before seen a dragon, they met as strangers, not as arch-enemies. The dragon was curious as to what the young nymph was doing with the rocks and soon the nymph showed him, how to skip the rocks not one, not two, but three times on the water. They talked and talked, both happy to finally meet someone with whom they could just be themselves. When the sun began to set, they agreed to meet at this place at the same time next week.

"Next week they met again and it was just as enjoyable, if not even more so than the week before. And so they continued meeting week after week, moth after month, becoming best friends in the process. At some point they realised that the other was a dragon and nymph respectively, but at that time they already knew each other so well that they didn't listen to the vitriol their families spread about the other.

"Both of them were exceptionally gifted in the art of battle and were groomed to be the next leader, when their fathers would inevitably fall victim to the war.

"It rankled both, that they were forced to fight a pointless war for a reason nobody could even remember, when they were the living examples that at least cohabitation, if not friendship between their families was very much possible.

"Sometimes they sat together at the riverbank, fantasising about a village where they could live together, an army in which they would fight side by side. A hospital, where the dragons could get healed and a blacksmith, where the nymphs could request their personalised weapons. But for this dream to become true, there first had to be peace and that hadn't happened for the last centuries. It seemed impossible.

"It got even farther out of reach, when on day the dragon's little brother followed him to the clearing and saw him consorting with the nymph. Thinking his brother to be in danger he rushed to their father, who severely punished his son when he found out about the nymph. His son was a fool to let himself be so obviously manipulated by a nymph, when everybody knew that nymphs were heartless monsters. So he forbid any further contact between the two.

"The young dragon was heartbroken. Not only had he just lost his best friend, but he also seen as a traitor by his family. In his grief he trained harder than ever before, soon becoming the best warrior his clan had to offer. Feeling betrayed by the abrupt vanishing of his best friend the young nymph also trained until he was the undisputed number one of his clan.

"Their reputations as fearsome warriors quickly grew and it didn't take long for them to meet on the battlefield. The war had gained momentum after the youngest children had been cowardly slain by the other party before. Both the nymph and the dragon were unforgiving in their rage and grief at the loss of their younger brothers and so they clashed on the battlefield; dreams of the peaceful village quickly forgotten in their bottomless fury.

"Both of their fathers had long since passed and they had risen to be their peoples' leaders, but the war raged on in their mindless wrath, more devastating than ever before."

Shouta could feel the unfathomable rage, the despair, the grief. He could smell the death, the ash, the blood. Could see the all-consuming fires, the grotesque trees, the unspeakable destruction. His body was wrought with tension, his mind fervently hoping for a good ending. (But this was Itachi he was talking about.)

"Then it happened: The nymph's sole still living brother landed a fatal blow on the only brother the dragon had still left. The cry of anguish and despair finally shook both the dragon and the nymph out of their rage, but it was already too late to save the dragons brother."

Shouta handed Eri a tissue for her tears. Not that he was faring too much better. The only reason he wasn't openly sobbing was that his eyes were chronically rather dry.

"At the profound loss the dragon and nymph finally decided to bury the hatchet and remember their dreams of a peaceful village and fighting side by side, not against each other. This time not even the other family-members could protest their decision, for they had long since proven themselves to be worthy leaders.

"So the dragon and the nymph made their dream of peace come true years after they had first imagined it. And even if they had to live through terrible losses to achieve it, they laid the foundations for a world, in which their children and grandchildren would never have to fight in a war, which no one could even remember the reason for."

Shouta released a breath he didn't even know, he had been holding. That had been beautiful. The interaction between Itachi's voice and the impressions had been stunning. He was still reeling from the emotional whiplash.

Eri was hugging Itachi with all her might and thanking him over and over again. He could only smile at the sight. Itachi seemed to be torn between joy and profound sadness, probably thinking of a brother he would never see again.

Shouta couldn't help but think of another brother, who had to die in a senseless war for there to be peace. Maybe there was a connection? Something to ponder on later.

"Yugasa-san?", came the muffled voice of Eri.

Itachi hummed encouragingly. (Before he met Itachi, Shouta hadn't known how much one could express with one hum.)

"What is the lesson of this story?"

"The lesson?"

"Mirio said that every fairytale had a lesson to learn."

"Hmm. Why don't you think about that question and tell me the next time?" Shouta saw his student's hand twitch at the words "next time". Interesting. He wasn't normally one to fidget.

Eri's smile was blinding. It was the first time, Shouta had seen her laugh so openly. (He wanted to burn Overhaul to death slowly.)

"Next time? You are coming back?"

Itachi gave her an answering smile. It was honest.

"I won't promise, but I will try."

Somehow her smile got even brighter.

Chapter Text

Shouta lay awake in bed and thought about his plans for the next week. The traditional Joint Training between classes A and B was going to be preponed this year, because of the high tension that came with living on the campus.

It would be a good opportunity to let Hitoshi be evaluated for the Hero courses. On the other hand it would result in a uneven number of participants.

There was also the problem with Itachi. Whoever would be pitied against his group would surely lose and whoever was paired with him would certainly win. It would be similar to having a teacher on their team with his expertise. It was not like the class still had to learn to listen to Itachi. Since he had managed to defeat Togata, nobody questioned his competence anymore. The bigger challenge would be, if they couldn't rely on Itachi.

That was an idea. He could just swap Itachi with Hitoshi and the problem would be solved. But he couldn't just let his student stay on the side doing nothing. Class B would feel insulted and it would only set unwanted precedence for future battle simulations.

So, what to do? How could he incorporate Itachi without making it unfair for the others?

He would have to be put in a position, where he would not be actively working against any of the parties, but was still involved. Some kind of hostage situation maybe. He had to commune with Kan about it the next day. Somehow his problem-pupil managed to create problems without even doing anything.

Thinking about Itachi, Shouta couldn't help but be reminded of the story he had told Eri. Something was niggling his mind about the pictures he had seen. The village at the end had been quite familiar, though he could not remember for the life of him, where he had seen it before. Maybe Itachi had drawn from a picture he had seen in the news?

No, that wasn't it. The architecture of the buildings had been completely different. It must have been a village of Itachi's old world. It would explain the lack of glass and steel. But why would it be familiar to Shouta then?

Because it was the village, Itachi had claimed to be his home town, just from a different perspective. How clever. Did that mean the story Itachi told, was connected to his home or did he just use the image because it was convenient?

Why couldn't Itachi ever just answer questions without causing new ones to appear?

Shouta sighed. He really needed to sleep. He already was chronically tired, no need to make it worse.

But the sweet oblivion of sleep wouldn't come.

His brain was stuck on the all the impressions he had gotten of Itachi over the last few months. The illusions, where tentacles had writhed under his own skin, where he had gotten skewered by a spear, where his lungs had caught fire. When he had been awake at night, thinking about the casual disregard with which his student had treated human life. All the times Itachi had shown how easy it would be to get people to do his bidding without anyone even noticing.

Not for the first time Shouta hoped with all his might that this story would have a happy end; that there was a hero in Itachi somewhere; that Shouta hadn't made a terrible mistake by getting attached.

His biggest fear wasn't Itachi being a Villain after all anymore, but Shouta not even caring about it.

It had not gone unnoticed by him, how his own morals had degraded; how his own priorities had shifted from the individuals to the bigger picture, how he thought purposeful maiming acceptable now.

Itachi had told him there were no heroes and no villains in the world, only humans enforcing a law made by humans and humans going against it. A truly peaceful world could never be achieved, for violence of any kind was in the nature of humankind. We could only hope to keep it in check.

Shouta dreamed that night of a dragon with red, red eyes burning the world to ash.

Chapter Text

Nezu made the first move as white. Whenever Yugasa had the possibility to play as black, he took it.

"Say, Yugasa-kun, what is your take on the matter of the traitor inside these walls?"

If the question had surprised his intern, he didn't show it.

"There are several possibilities. The most unlikely would be a student."

So they were thinking along the same lines. Though it would be interesting to hear Yugasa's explanation.

"Children don't make for good spies, especially in an environment, where they are encouraged to form emotional ties to other children. Their impulsiveness and lacking expertise also make it unnecessary risky. But they do make for extraordinary accidental informants since their inquisitiveness is often overseen or even encouraged.

"However the information, that the traitor had managed to obtain, was not easily obtainable by accidental means."

Nezu noted, that there was no "should" or "would" in the sentence. Not that it surprised him. Yugasa had had his hands in all sorts of pies without anybody knowing at the time.

"That would leave deliberate espionage and a child most likely would have shown a change in behaviour as soon as All for One and his legacy had been dead."

That had been Nezu's conclusion, too.

"Next on the list is the low ranking staff. They would most likely be properly trained as a spy and just resign in a year or two with none the wiser. The only necessary skill would be expertise in hacking, but is very hard to find proof of that. The whole scenario is also unlikely, because the redundant security systems of the U.A. do make it difficult for one person."

Again no subjunctive.

"Which brings us to the next point: multiple traitors. It is the most likely scenario, in my opinion. There could be two trained operatives or just one main agent and a second involuntary one, who is getting extorted by the first. The former scenario would guarantee the needed information, even if one of them would be captured, but also costs more resources. The latter scenario would cost a lot less and provide a convenient scapegoat if necessary, but is more risky. Of course a properly trained agent would pick a low-risk victim, but the possibility of treason is always there."

Two traitors. Why had nobody thought of that before? What kind of genius Nezu could claim to be, if such a simple solution had gone completely unnoticed by him?

"Those are just the basic concepts. There also could have been a sleeper agent activated at the right time, quirks that allow for an avenue of attack you didn't consider or just a stupid habit that got exploited by the enemy. The possibilities are endless."

They always were, but now Nezu at least had a new lead. How could they have been so stupid? He marvelled at their collective blindness.

Yugasa moved his bishop and suddenly Nezu was a piece down. Damn it. In his anger he had overseen this fairly simple trap. But he would not give up yet.

"Those are some interesting suggestions."

The look Yugasa gave him in response clearly said, "I know you are kicking yourself for not thinking of it on your own."

"What methods would you use to track the traitor or traitors down?"

"I never was trained beyond the mere basics of counter-intelligence and the methods I learned are not fit for use anymore."

Nezu could translate that into "I only was trained in torturing people for information." without any problems.

In what kind of environment did he first grew up in? At the moment Nezu was leaning towards a family already entrenched in the upper echelons of the underworld. He didn't seem like he had ever done a lot of grunt work and it would explain curious holes in his knowledge like these.

Nezu managed to win a pawn back, but the endgame was lost. With that their score was now 15-16 in favour of his intern.

Chapter Text

Dabi was laying in wait. Someone had been destroying all the Nomu-laboratories and Dabi couldn't let them destroy this one, too. He needed the fire-resistant Nomu to kill Endeavour. So, he waited.

The perpetrator only struck at weekends. Most likely they had a real job on the side. Dabi scoffed. A swarm of birds flew overhead.

This laboratory only had one entrance and it was easy to overlook from his place on the roof.

Two of the birds landed on one of the chimneys. They were large, black and regarded him with interest. His fingers itched to burn them to crisp, but that could alarm his target to his position if they were near. So he stayed still and endured the avian stares.

After some time they finally left the roof cawing loudly. Probably to try and stare somebody else to death. Bastards.

Dabi took a deep breath. and concentrated on the entrance once more and carefully stretched his arms and legs. He was stiff from lying here the whole day already.

Hopefully his adversary would show themselves today. Dabi really wasn't in the mood for doing this another weekend.

Suddenly he tensed, his battle-honed instincts screaming at him. He lunged to the side, but still felt something impacting his shoulders from behind.

He threw a ball of flames towards his attacker, ignoring the burning of his skin with practised ease.

Another volley of projectiles came at him. So he had missed his target. What a pity.

"To scared to show yourself?", he mocked them throwing out another fireball towards their vague direction.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you.", a distinctly male voice answered from the other side of the roof. "You are melting the needles in your back."

Dabi only just suppressed the urge to try ad look at what was lodged in his shoulders.

"I am not falling for that."

"But you will." It was said with such absolute certainty, that Dabi himself believed it for a moment.

Then another volley of needles came flying towards him and he had to dodge again. He could incinerate them with his quirk, but it would also obstruct his own filed of view.

"No, I won't."

An amused snort was the answer and with it he could finally pinpoint the assailant's location. An especially hot stream of fire not only consumed the chimney in the way but also burned his opponent to crisp.

"Pathetic.", he said. That had been the guy, who managed to destroy all the laboratories? Those scientists must have been even less impressing.

"Indeed.", a voice came from his left side. Before he could unleash another blast of fire a staff hit him in the chest and was free-falling to the ground, his eyes fixed on the black-cloaked figure with red eyes standing on the ledge above him.

In a last ditch effort he tried once again to incinerate his opponent, but he dissolved into birds, before his blue flames could reach him.

When he finally impacted the ground, the pain took his breath away and darkened his vision. Still he tried to get up again, but his arms would not obey his wishes. His fingers would twitch a bit, his forearm flex a bit, but his shoulders and upper arms were not doing anything.

He heard his opponent before he could see him.

"I told you, you would fall for it." The smug satisfaction practically oozed from his voice.

Dabi seethed. "Is this just a joke for you?" He still sounded breathless.

"Who knows." Dabi could hear the amused smile.

"You are not one of the usual guards or scientists. So why are you here?"

"I'm not telling you shit!" His declaration would have been a bit more convincing, if he weren't laying unmoving on the ground and not had to cough in between words.

"I guess you are quite pain resistant or you would have blacked out the moment those needles pierced through you shoulders."

This time Dabi couldn't resist the urge and bent his head only to see small metal tips coming out at the front of his shoulders.

That was why he couldn't move his arms. He had metal spikes sticking through his back.

Funny how he didn't even noticed until now.

"Fuck you!" Dabi put all his remaining spite into the words. If he died, he would die like he lived: Cursing his existence.

"That is quite rude of you. After all you were planning on ambushing me."

Dabi stubbornly stayed silent.

"What do you have to lose by answering me? It is not like you are working for someone, that would kill you for telling."

Dabi gritted his teeth in pain. The adrenaline was slowly wearing of and now he was quite aware of the needles stuck inside of him. He wanted to rip them out, but his hands still would not follow his commands. They itched worse that his failing skin-grafts.

"So you are working alone. Protecting the laboratory for personal reasons.", the man mused, not at all bothered by Dabi's attempts to catch him with his (admittedly weak) fire. Each time he just stepped aside.

"What might those personal reasons be, Touya?"

Despite the skin-blistering heat, Dabi felt like someone had emptied a bucket of ice over his head. Nobody should know this. Todoroki Touya had died years ago. Dabi wasn't that person anymore.

"Why the fuck do you even care?!"

"Let's say I found it interesting, why the first born son of one of the most prestigious men in Japan would fake his death and try his hand at villainy."

"The fuck are you talking about?" But even to his own ears the denial sounded rather weak.

The stranger just regarded him with a condescending look.

"Well then, I am just going to do my thing, yes? Maybe you will be a bit more cooperative, when I am back." With that the man turned and went towards the lab.

The bastard just turned his back to Dabi, as if he wasn't even a threat to him. "Wait!"

The guy waited.

"There is a Nomu in there that I need."

He hummed.

"The one with the fire-resistance." That bastard of a human being cocked his head to the side. How would it fill Dabi with joy to hear him screaming as he burned to death.

"I can't kill Endeavour without it." The sentence tasted like bitter ash on his tongue.

"But you don't want to kill Endeavour."

"The fuck? Of course I want to kill that flaming arsehole." How dare he claim Dabi didn't want to kill his- Endeavour! It was all he had been working towards for the last few years.

"No, you don't want to kill him. You want to get revenge on him for what he did to you. If you just wanted to kill him, you would've just used poison. After all you were in the prime position for it, weren't you? Or you would have learned how to use a sniper and got your hands on a good one. "

The man turned fully back to Dabi and looked him in the eyes. "And while I don't have a problem with patricide, I don't condone revenge at all costs."

White, hot pain seared through Dabi and he blacked out.

When he came back to consciousness the laboratory was burning and he could already hear the sirens. With monumental effort, driven by sheer desperation he managed to stand up and limp away, before the police could see him, the words of that bastard still clear in his mind.

Chapter Text

Itachi knocked at his classmate's door. He could hear the vaguely panicked scrambling before a dishevelled looking Izuku opened the door.

"Oh, Itachi. I didn't expect you. Sorry."

"There is no need to be sorry, I didn't notify you beforehand after all"

He smiled and Izuku invited him in. The kid would do almost anything to please his new friends. He reminded Itachi a bit of Naruto in that aspect. Both had led a lonely life, the only light spot a temperamental "friend", which had done more harm than good. (Itachi wasn't so stupid as to not see Sasuke's bad sides. He just hadn't cared.)

"Thank you. I only have a few questions.", he ducked his head slightly, seemingly nervous. It was a lie, but it helped his classmate relax in his presence. He was one of the most affected by Itachi's stoic nature.

"No problem. I was just working a bit on my notebooks, sorry for the mess."

Izuku on the other hand was a nervous wreck in most social interactions, when his excitability and stubbornness didn't get the better of him.

"You still have nothing to be sorry about. Actually, one of the questions I have, is about the journals you write."

"What do you want to know?" His eyes were so hopeful at the minimal attention Itachi gave him, it was almost painful. (Sasuke's eyes had once looked at him like that, too.)

"I'm curious to see, what you have found out so far."

He had challenged Izuku, to compile as much information about him as he could, to see what he came up with. The Sharingan didn't really follow the rules of this world. It would be classified as at least different Quirks, not counting the abilities of the Mangekyou. So he was curious, how Izuku's theory would accommodate for all the seemingly paradoxical information.

Predictably his classmate lit up at the expressed interested in his research.

"Well, the name of your Quirk is Sharingan, which means "Copy Wheel Eye". I don't really know, why it is named that, but I have a few ideas. Where the "eye" part comes from, is obvious. The tomoe in your eyes, when you activate it, are spinning at different speeds at different times. If they are particularly fast, it could look a bit like wheel, I guess.

"But the "copy" part is the one, which is the most fascinating. I mean, it enables you to mess with the victims perception, there shouldn't be any copying involved. But then I started to think about all the katas you can perform to perfection and how you can perfectly mimic every hand-to-hand combat-style, which doesn't rely on quirks, like extra appendages.

"So when you can copy someone's movement, how does this connect with your illusions? Technically those things shouldn't have to do with anything with each other. But if you could kind of copy their nervous systems or at least their in- and outputs to your system and gave it possibly changed back, it would explain both.

"But there has to be some kind of mutation, which makes that easier for you, because else you wouldn't be able to hold multiple people simultaneously in your illusions. You would get confused as to which "perceptions" would be your and which are those of other people.

"It also would mean, that you would be able to basically puppeteer some as long as you don't get interrupted. Is that, what you are doing with your crows?

"How does that even work? Birds should have a very different perception to humans and for you to manipulate them like that, you would have done either a lot of trial and error or have been a bird yourself. I mean there are people whose quirk would be able to do that. What about fishes and reptiles? Is there a big difference to birds? And why birds? Mammals should be easier. But I guess they can't fly ... "

Itachi allowed himself an indulgent smile. Izuku was very easily distracted by new questions. The theory wasn't even half bad. Itachi would have no problem letting it be the official explanation for his Quirk. It would, at the moment, fool everybody but Aizawa-senpai and the principal. They knew he could see through smoke and mist and that wasn't explained by this idea.

" ... and what about blind people? They do have a nervous system as everybody else, just -"

"Thank you. Your analysis is very impressive."

Izuku squeaked and went beet red. Itachi had to smother laugh threatening to show.

"Oh, I was rambling again, wasn't I? Sorry." He ducked his head again as if he were expecting Itachi to cuff him over the head for it.

"No need to apologise. Your ramblings are quite fascinating, though it would be unpleasant for you, if a Villain were to overhear them in battle."

Izuku immediately was completely mortified. and began to stutter. His lack of confidence truly was something to marvel at. In the shinobi-world people that insecure were not making it further than chunin and died early into their career. Yet another jarring difference between the two societies. Itachi mentally shook his head. He could think about that, when he was back in his room.

"You don't have to apologise to me. It did not yet have consequences. Just something to think of in the future."

Another duck of the head. Itachi resisted the urge to sigh. Was that what Aizawa-senpai was feeling like with Itachi's habits?

"Okay. Thank you."

"Speaking of the future, do you intend to pass One for All on to another successor after your Hero-career?"

He had successfully blindsided Izuku with that question and riled him up enough beforehand for his first reactions to be genuine, so he activated his Sharingan and observed every little micro-expression.

It seemed like his classmate had never thought about the question before, but still had had his fantasy of training the next generation, most likely similar to what All Might had done with him.

"Why are you asking?", Izuku frowned.

At least he wasn't completely trusting. Small mercies.

"I just thought it interesting. After all with All for One dead, its purpose is fulfilled."

And the second sentence distracted his classmate effectively from Itachi's lacking explanation. He missed the verbal sparrings he had had in another life. Nobody here seemed to hold a candle to him, when it came to the clever use of words. Though maybe the original, undamaged All For One could've.

"I never really thought about it, to be honest. It still is relatively new for me after all." Another duck of the head. Itachi even was doing his best to appear non-threatening.

"Understandable. Your retirement is hopefully still far away. Did the meditative exercises help you in any way with the bone-breaking?"

With that he should have linked the rather problematic points of the quirk with the his former question. It shouldn't take Izuku long to come to the conclusion, that any successor of his would most likely kill himself with the quirk.

Then Itachi could just set All for One to be destroyed when Izuku died and not worry about finding a successor. After all All for One was also the only Quirk able to fight against One for All.

He let Izuku ramble for some time, drunk some tea and then excused himself. It had been a productive afternoon. That warranted some dango as a reward.

Chapter Text

Itachi stood in front of the gravestone. It was unremarkable. Just some granite cut into a simple shape.

The funeral had just been as simple. There had only been a few people. No grand speeches, no pyre to honour the dead.

He stared at it a bit more.

Yugasa Nanako

A part of him was still in denial. He had been so careful.

"I am sorry, mother." The words sounded broken, raw. Almost a whisper.

"I regret being so distant. I wanted to protect you with it, but I guess in the end I only caused you more pain and you still died." Every syllable burned.

"This is the first time I managed to call you my mother. I am sorry I never could before. It never was your fault, though you probably thought otherwise." The pitiful remnants of his heart clenched painfully.

But once he got going, the words wouldn't stop.

"You were a good mother and I a terrible son. It seems some things don't change.

"I killed my other mother with my own hands. I never could bring myself to call you mother, because I feared I would condemn you to death with it. It seems fitting I can only bring myself to say it now, that you are nothing but an urn of ashes.

"I don't even know, what to talk about with you. We both weren't the most talkative people and my attempt at creating distance only made it worse.

"I am sorry I stole your sons place. You should have had a child which could appreciate you as a mother.

"But I guess you still loved me. And I still loved you. That is the curse of family, isn't it?

"I don't have any family now. I think I still haven't realised it. It certainly is a new situation for me. Before there still had been my brother.

"I am thankful for you not giving me sibling. I don't think I could have managed that a second time. Though you probably would have loved having a husband and a normal child. But I guess I always have been that kind of selfish. Putting others through pain and misery, because I couldn't bear to feel the pain myself. I can't even say, I regret it.

"I regret surprisingly few things and definitely not the things I should. By this society's standards I should be incarcerated in the deepest cells of Tartarus. I wonder if you ever knew, that you had a murderer as a son and whether you would have loved me less for it.

"But I guess, murder was one of my lesser sins. We never talked about morality outside of you teaching me the essentials when I was four."

He stood in silence for a while. A part of him now understood, how Kakashi could stand at the memorial stone for hours on end.

"I never had the opportunity to truly grief before. I hope this is somewhat adequate. I didn't even know what kind of funeral you wanted. I let you be cremated so you could enjoy the afterlife in peace, not worrying about getting hauled back.

"At the weekends, when I wasn't at home, I was working on destroying every single bit of information on the necromantic experiments, so nobody would have to get resurrected. It really isn't what people make it out to be."

Itachi took a few deep breaths. For the first time since the night he had massacred his family there were watery tears in his eyes.

"I foolishly thought, that if I wouldn't kill you, you would live. I know of the mortality of humans, better than most, but it somehow never occurred to me that it includes you. When you would die, it would be because of me and not because you fell from a ladder trying to get something from the top of the cupboards. As I said, foolish.

"I think you are the first death in a long time, that isn't my fault and I don't know how to handle it. I got used to it being my fault. It is kind of terrifying, if you think about it.

"In a way it is easier talking to you like this, because I don't have to fear you answering my questions. I can talk about all the sordid details, I hid from you in the past without you caring about it."

A sardonic smile crossed his face.

"I made you a small trinket. Those are Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi. They have been watching over me for a long time and I hope they'll watch over you, too.

He took the little carving out of his pocket and placed it on the stone.

"Goodbye, mother. I hope you are happy wherever you are now."

He bowed and turned away, not looking back once.

Chapter Text

Shouto Todoroki was not sure how to approach Yugasa. They rarely interacted with each other outside of teamwork related exercises and Shouto had been completely fine with it. His father however wasn't.

He had put Shouto through hellish training after realising, he was not on top of his class. Not that it made any difference. Yugasa was just as unreachable for Shouto as All Might had been for Endeavour.

His father hadn't appreciated the comparison at all and had retaliated with a set of spars, which had left another permanent impression on his body. Of course Shouto's insistence, that Yugasa had no intentions to become a public Hero, fell on deaf ears.

Then the whole Kamino Incident happened and All Might retired. His father suddenly became the No. 1 Hero and didn't have the time to care about Shouto's schooling anymore. It also prompted a truly wondrous metamorphosis of his father's character.

Not only did his temper even out, but he began to care for Shouto as a son. It was bewildering to say the least. But naturally Endeavour was still Endeavour, no matter how hard he tried to be Todoroki Enji when off duty.

So Shouto was extend a hand to Yugasa Itachi and ask him to consider the Endeavour agency for the next internship. His father wanted to see for himself, why 'his masterpiece' failed to overcome one by all other means unremarkable boy.

Shouto snorted at the thought. There was nothing unremarkable about Yugasa. He may not have been born into a known family, but history had shown again and again that great people could come from low places.

But it still didn't give him any clue as to how to approach his classmate, but it couldn't be helped. He bit down his anxiety and walked up to him.

"Yugasa-san."

"Todoroki-san:" The first time he had heard Yugasa's rather soft voice, he immediately discarded him as a potential rival. All strong people he had met up until that point, had had strong and loud voices. He was not going to make that mistake ever again.

There was an awkward pause in which Shouto thought about his next sentence. Yugasa thankfully showed no indication he noticed the awkwardness.

"I am to invite you to spend your next internship at the Endeavour agency."

Yugasa showed no reaction. This time Shouto was not grateful for it. They stood in silence for what felt like an eternity.

"Tell your father", there was an interesting inflection behind the word Shouto didn't know how to interpret. "that I am honoured by the invitation, but I must decline. I do not wish to pursue a career in the spotlight of society, but in its shadows."

Shouto nodded stoically. That was what he had thought. Not that his father listened to him.

"If he wants you to convince me to take up his offer, tell him to talk to me himself."

There was the sharp edge of intelligence, which made it impossible for Shouto to defeat him. It was clear to him, that Yugasa not only had figured out the true motive behind the offer, but also made his counter-move. It took Shouto out of the crossfire (and for that he was thankful) and simultaneously would placate Endeavour, since he'd still got to observe Yugasa.

Nonetheless wave of resentment hit him. It was that brilliance, that had been the reason for so much pain in the last year. And now, after it had finally gotten better, Yugasa dared to presume he needed protection.

Shouto bit the feeling down.

"Thank you." Even to his own ears it sounded stilted.

"You're welcome." There was a hint of a melancholic smile on his unmarred and beautiful face.

Shouto clenched his jaw and turned away before the anger overtook him. It was not Yugasa's fault, that Shouto was not good enough to defeat him. Still, the interaction left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Chapter Text

Shouta sighed. It seemed he did that a lot in the last few weeks. Between worrying about his problem-pupil, mentoring Hitoshi, supervising Eri, being a Hero part-time and a teacher full-time he didn't really get to sleep a lot and it wearing his mental and physical reserves slowly but surely down.

Now Nezu had called him to a meeting for the gods only knew what. It was not like already had a mountain of paperwork that needed his attention.

"Ahh Aizawa-sensei. How good of you to come. Would you like a cup of tea? This is a very flavourful kind of Darjeeling. An acquaintance of mine recently gifted it to me and I must say, I have grown increasingly fond of it."

"Principal. Why is it that you have cited me here?" Shouta was not in the mood for pleasantries.

"Right to the point, I see. Well, it concerns a particular problem-pupil of yours."

Shouta's stomach plummeted. Any pretence of nonchalance had vanished from Nezu demeanour and he sounded as grave as a rodent could.

"As you are aware the student's mother recently passed on."

Shouta was very much aware of that, since he had been the one to deliver those news. He had been there, when any trace of emotion had vanished from Itachi as if they had never been there in the first place.

The scariest part was, that nothing changed. Only one day later everything had gone back to normal. The had been no discernible difference in Itachi's behaviour. If Shouta hadn't witnessed his immediate reaction, he would have thought Itachi hadn't cared at all. Now he just was wondering, what his student had lived through in his last life, that he could just go on like nothing happened.

"As it turned out, she was also the only legal guardian, he had. His father never had been in the picture to begin with and there is no other living family left."

Shouta waited the ensuing silence out. Sometimes he indulged the principal in his little games, but today was not one of those times.

"That makes him a ward of the state at the moment."

Oh. That was what Nezu wanted to get at.

"You say it, like it is a problem." And when Nezu saw it as a problem, it probably was; Shouta's brain just wasn't fast enough to immediately see it.

"I'm afraid so. Yugasa is someone who values his independence and I doubt the Commission would do so."

Of course that damned Hero Public Safety Commission. Shouta only had slipped their grasped, because he had stayed under their radar and while Itachi tried to do the same, his accomplishments were too great for it.

"And while we both know that Yugasa would have no problems defying them, it would put him in a legally precarious position."

Shouta had to congratulate the principal on finding those words. It sounded a lot better than, "He would have no regrets puppeteering or slaughtering them." (Not that Shouta could be holding that reaction against Itachi. The Commission was a real piece of work.)

"So what do you plan to do about the situation?" Nezu wouldn't have wanted to speak with him without having any plan.

"He will be able to, most likely successfully, apply for emancipation, when he reaches 18 years. Until then he will be in high contention for not only the Commission, but also every other influential family, which would like to have the star-pupil of the U.A. under their thumb."

Nezu did have another good point, but still, "Could you get to the point? I have a literal mountain of paperwork waiting in my office for me."

"Well, he already looks up to you and you already do care for him, no matter how ill-advised that notion is."

While Shouta did know the words to be true, he did not appreciate it being said to his face.

"What exactly are you trying to say here, principal?"

"I merely wanted to point out, that you would be a good candidate for his legal guardian for the next few years."

"What?" He couldn't have heard correctly.

"You heard what I said, Aizawa-sensei."

He hated when Nezu did that.

"You would not infringe upon his independence or try to force him into the spotlight. Just think about it. I know it isn't a decision to make lightly. "

Shouta was at a loss for words and could only gape as he got ushered out of the office.

That was not even worth contemplating. He was Itachi's teacher and maybe mentor, not parent. The boy, man, whatever definitely didn't need someone trying to become his parent again. And Shouta's heart couldn't take horrifying realisations every day.

There, thought about it. Nezu had to contend with the answer. Blasted rodent. What a ridiculous idea.

He forwarded any parental complaints from the last week to the principal. Shouta was not above petty revenge if need be.

The principal's retaliation swiftly came the next day in form of informative brochures about fostering, the foster-family system and the like. The string of curses Shouta let loose at the sight did rival Bakugou's on a bad day.

Chapter Text

Endeavour eyed the teenager before him. He looked even less impressive in person. The boy was small, had delicate features and practically hid inside of his coat. And while Endeavour was used to such reactions to his presence, it disappointed him to see it in one of the upcoming Heroes, especially in the one beating his masterpiece. At least Yugasa was unfailingly polite.

Still Endeavour proceeded cautiously. He didn't get this far, by judging his opponents on the first impression alone.

"Thank you for taking the time to speak with me personally. I understand you are a busy man."

"Indeed, I am. So what are your reasons for rejecting the offer my agency made you?"

The boy didn't even flinch despite Endeavour's rather accusing tone. At least he had a bit of a spine.

"As I already told your son, I wish to have a Hero-career in the shadows and I don't feel like your agency could provide me that during the internship."

He had to correct his assessment. The boy had balls of steel to say it like that to his face and not show any sign of discomfort.

"Is that so?"

"I wouldn't have spent time in the part of your agency, which handles the infiltration and intelligence gathering, but rather would have done the battle and rescue operations together with Bakugou-san or did I interpret the offer incorrectly?"

Endeavour was impressed. Not many people knew about that part of his agency and he tried to keep it that way. It was work in the shadows and it was made easier by not shining any light on it.

The question at the end had only been there to be polite and they both knew it. So Endeavour elected to ignore it.

"So you think you are already good enough at the battle and rescue part to pass up the offer. Some would call that arrogance."

The boy stared at him without blinking for a long time. Endeavour couldn't see any emotion in those eyes.

"Some would also call it arrogance to expect any offer, they made, to be accepted, just because they were the one who made it." There was no inflection in Yugasa's voice.

Rage boiled to the surface. Who was this child to accuse him of arrogance? He, who had sacrificed years of time to reach the position he now was in; who had earned that confidence with blood, sweat and tears.

But he reigned himself in. They still were one the school-grounds and wouldn't do for the No. 1 Hero to lose his temper to a student of all people.

Interestingly enough Yugasa had not reacted at all to his bout of rage, though the violent aura must have been noticeable.

They stared at each other for a bit longer, but Yugasa seemed comfortable in the silence. Enji was impressed despite himself.

"Would you accept the offer, if your internship would mostly take place in the intelligence department of my agency?"

It still would be worth it. Yugasa was dangerous, but would make an invaluable ally in the future. His arrogance was born of confidence and Endeavour would bet his monthly income on the confidence having its origins in competence. There were not many people like that in the industry and they desperately needed more with the retirement of All Might.

Yugasa still didn't show any outward sign of his thought-process. He wouldn't make a popular Hero anyway with such emotionless behaviour.

"I would think about it, but would have to decline in the end." So he even admitted to not taking the first offer seriously.

"I would not wish to hurt your son any more than I already have."

At first there was another wave of anger at the confession to have hurt Shouto.

Then there was a small pause in which Enji thought about the context of that statement.

Next came the sinking feeling of a horrifying realisation. There was a flash of the burn scar Shouto had gotten during a particularly hard training, which had been punishment for failing to defeat Yugasa once again. Behind the emptiness of his eyes Yugasa looked all too knowing.

Enji had to hold back from showing any of his thoughts. He had severely underestimated Yugasa and now could pay dearly for it. He had never let himself be extorted and he would stand by this.

But Yugasa also was too smart to demand anything. Just the implicated suggestion to treat his son better. (And wasn't that a bitter realisation? That he had to be blackmailed into doing it?)

Yugasa didn't even say anything incriminating, so if Endeavour were to retaliate he would be the only one losing.

Yugasa would never be stupid enough to actually instigate the slander. He would maybe give some anonymous tips to some private investigators, who then would do their job. If he even decided to do anything with the information at all. Sometimes the threat was greater that the execution.

Still, Enji could do nothing and it was not a feeling he particularly liked. It was not dissimilar to the despair he had felt, when he realised he would never surpass All Might.

He had to tip his metaphorical hat to Yugasa. If that was the way his son always had felt fighting against him on the battlefield - and with Yugasa's Quirk there was a good chance it did - he could very much understand Shouto's continued failure. He had raised him to defeat an overpowered buffoon, not a master tactician.

At least Yugasa truly did not seem to have any ambitions to steal the generation's spotlight and work in the shadows. He would make an excellent support for Shouto. Something to ponder on later.

"I understand."

"Then I won't take up your time any longer. It was an honour meeting you, Endeavour." Yugasa politely bowed and left.

What a remarkable man. Endeavour could not remember ever feeling so outplayed before.

Chapter Text

Detective Tsukauchi looked at the other two occupants of the room. Principal Nezu sat on his shair with his customary cup of tea between his paws all the while his beady eyes gave nothing away. One would think Yugasa would be easier to read, solely for the reason of being human, but they had never met the boy.

Now, that Naomasa actively searched for any telling reactions, the child's blankness was even more unnerving than before. Not a single muscle seemed to twitch involuntarily and every statement was worded in a way, which rendered Naomasa's lie-detecting Quirk useless. It was maddening.

Naomasa was sure that the boy wasn't just the prodigious wanna-be-Hero, he pretended to be, but there was no hard evidence to back that feeling up. So, for now, Naomasa would continue to play the game. But at some point Yugasa would slip up and Naomasa would be there to capitalise on the moment.

"With the retirement of All Might, there has been a strong influx of Villain-activity. Especially the organised crime has made resurgence. The Shie Hassaikai was only the tip of the iceberg.

"Similar organisations all over the country are getting bolder in their dealings and often the local Heroes are not equipped to deal with them.

"Even here in Musutafu there has been a surge of criminal activity. It seems with All Might out of the picture the fear of retaliation has dramatically sunken. "

Their Society was in for a troubling time. All For One my be finally dead, but that certainly didn't reduce the acts of villainy.

Yugasa slowly blinked. Those eyes held all the knowledge in the world and nothing at the same time. It was a disconcerting gaze.

"No."

The clanking of the cup indicated, that Naomasa was not the only one surprised at Yugasa's interruption.

The enigma's posture straightened out. Whatever he had to say seemed of importance for him.

"The retirement of All Might is merely a small factor for the current rise of organised crime.

"Those are too many criminals to be purely inspired by the fall of the Symbol of Hope. That is too much money invested just for some speck of hope that they will be the one's to follow in All for One's footsteps."

Naomasa only barely managed to not choke on air. He still wasn't used to the name of the possibly greatest criminal to ever live being tossed around so casually.

"Most of those "organisations" don't even have any prospects to rise to such notoriety. So there has to be another reason."

This was bound to be interesting. For all that Tsukauchi didn't trust Yugasa, he also knew that his mind was not to be underestimated. The boy's offhand comments had already lead him to few good arrests.

"I suspect that there is another party, which is invested in the destabilising of the society. It would explain, why there suddenly is so much money being fuelled into organised crime, when before only All For One had been a substantial investor. And it is not his money that is being thrown around. So there has to be another party."

Sound reasoning so far. Naomasa already had come to the same conclusion.

"If this third party would solely be invested in creating their great underground empire, they wouldn't finance rivalling gangs, but focus on a few promising ones. Thus their goal is not the power but the chaos. They are opportunists, if the timing of those investments is any indication. They saw the crack in the foundations, that All For One's and All Might's fall brought and now try to expand those cracks."

It was an interesting hypothesis and not one Naomasa had entertained until now.

"I would imagine their ultimate goal is to overturn the government. Public discontent and unrest are practically requirements for a successful revolution. Or you could just have overwhelming military power, but then there would be a very high risk of failure with so many powerful fighters alive, who are mostly loyal to their own ideals. So they are trying to build a bigger base of support for themselves before taking it to the battlefield. Most likely by portraying them and their ideals as the solution for the growing problems."

That sounded distinctly like an incoming migraine of epic proportions.

Tsukauchi looked at Nezu. "What are you thinking about that theory, principal?"

He was getting a second opinion, be fore he tried to untangle that web of assumptions himself. Nezu would find any obvious problems with the theory faster than him anyway.

"It is an interesting idea. It definitely fits with the discrepancies I had detected regarding the resources of those gangs and Yakuza factions as well as the sudden viciousness of the press. Sowing unrest and capitalising on it to revolutionise the government definitely is a tried and true tactic.

"It also would explain why "Stain's Army" can now afford to play on the big stage, when they had been trying to rob banks only months prior. They simply got an investor. Such a third party could have had years of time to lay their foundation, while most of us were occupied with All For One." There was a small pause at the table.

"While I am not yet convinced of the theory's correctness, it does seem plausible on the first glance."

That was what Tsukauchi feared. Not to talk about the surety with which Yugasa had told his tale. He had to know more than he let on. What a headache.

"Speaking of Stain's Army, they are the main suspects for burning down scientific facilities connected to All For One. Traces of one of their members have recently been found at the scene of crime. Any thoughts on their motives?"

Naomasa had the distinct feeling Yugasa would have shrugged if he would deign to show such mundane gestures. "They could feel betrayed. I'm sure Shigaraki promised them great things when they had been under his employ."

"Or they are looking for some specific and burn those facilities down to cover their tracks. There are many possibilities.", Nezu gave his two Yen.

Naomasa noted those suggestions down. They seemed worthy of a follow-up. He was deliberately not thinking of Yugasa's little speech from before. That topic seemed like a bottomless pit of migraines and despair.

There were so many question and not enough answers. Why would Yugasa tell him about possible revolutionary forces, when he was connected to them somehow? Where did the money come from? Who would make monetary profit from creating chaos? How deep did the rabbit hole go?

He sighed. "Well, thank you for your input, Principal, Yugasa. I hope we won't see each other until the next biweekly meeting. Have a good day." His won't be good anymore. That much was clear.

Chapter Text

"You are sick, Itachi. I am going to get you something to eat. Lay. Down."

"It isn't that bad." Somehow Itachi sounded like he truly believed, what he said.

"You are having fever and need your Quirk to even see properly. How is this not that bad?"

It was shocking how Itachi, normally the paragon of rational and logical thinking, could be this bad when it came to his own health.

"I still can go to the classes."

Kouji typically was not a person, who was confrontational, but Itachi sure was pushing it today.

"You can't. You have fever. You should rest." He felt like a broken toy, repeating the same lines over and over again.

Suddenly there was pressure in the room, which makes it hard to breath. All of Kouji's muscles locked up and he wanted nothing to do more than fall to his knees and beg for mercy. But all the training his friend had subjected him to again and again was not for naught and so he stood his ground.

"You are in no position to order me."

There was the pressure of authority, of seniority behind those words. Still, Kouji withstood it.

"I am not. That is true. But I am your friend and that means my duty is to stop you from destroying yourself. You said those exact same words to me, when I wanted you to trigger the next stage of my Quirk. I am merely doing my duty." He heroically ignored the wavering of his voice and wobbling of his knees.

For quite some time there was nothing said and then slowly the pressure eased up. Kouji took deep breaths, finally being able to breathe properly again.

"You are right. I apologise. I am just not used having people care about me." Kouji's heart clenched in pain.

"What did your parents do, when you were sick?"

"My father" That was an odd inflection Kouji couldn't interpret despite getting more an more fluent in Itachi-speak in the last months. "did not approve of such a show of weakness and my mother" Another odd tone, but he still had no idea of the reason behind it. "tried to care for me, but could only go so far against my father."

Well, that explained quite a bit. "What of Nanako?" From what Itachi had told him, his foster-mother?, adoptive mother?, warden? was a lot kinder than his original parents. (Kouji was still very much confused about the timeline of all the events and Itachi's vague responses to his questions made it only worse.)

"She probably would have cared very much like you, I just never let her see it." That sounded like Itachi alright. The guy probably was already secretive, when he was still in the womb.

"Wait. Did you just say "would have"?" Hopefully that was the fever speaking.

"She died last week."

There went that hope. Together with Kouji's ability to speak or even think.

"I ... "

"Don't say you are sorry. You never knew her."

Kouji frowned. He wanted to use hand signs, but Itachi wouldn't be able to see them from this angle. "But I still am sorry for you having to go through this."

"Don't be."

He knew from experience that it was not worth arguing whenever Itachi used that tone. And the least thing Kouji wanted to do right know is aggravate his friend even more.

So he took a deep breath and tried to relax himself. He only had come here to lend himself a book and now his best friend mother figure had died a week ago and Kouji hadn't even noticed anything. Who was even his legal guardian at the moment? Did Eraserhead already know? Why hadn't Itachi said anything?

He was working on a tactful next topic, when Itachi decided to speak up once more.

"You know that I care for you, right?"

And Kouji's thoughts were derailed again.

"Yes?"

"Good."

He stood there once more in stunned silence.

"Don't die or I might decide to burn the world down." It didn't sound like a joke.

"I'll try?"

"Good." There was a self-satisfied smile on his friend's face. Kouji couldn't wait for him to be healthy again. An ill Itachi was a terrifying one.

"Uhmm. I'm just going to get you some broth now. Please don't destroy the world in the meantime."

The small laugh in response made his jittery nerves well worth it.

Now he only needed a bit of time and a lot of tissues to process all the heartclenching revelations. But first the food. Itachi deserved someone to take care of him for once.

Chapter Text

Shouta stared disbelieving at the mugger. They were growing some kind of spikes out of their chest and threatened to impale them, if they weren't giving the idiot all their money and valuables.

Itachi interrupted the raving madman first. "I can't even begin to comprehend your stupidity."

That was a very valid argument as Itachi was currently coated in human blood and had his Sharingan active. (Their enemy had been a serial killer with a mosquito-like quirk.) That together with the bound and unmoving body at their feet should deter any would be muggers from trying to engage them. Not to talk about Eraserhead's own face, which was also dripping with blood courtsey of the arsehole on the ground.

Shouta watched Itachi who looked just as lost as Shouta felt. The "mugger" seemed to be even further enraged by their inaction.

"I am going to kill you, you hear me? Just give me all your money and I won't have to."

Normally Eraserhead would have captured the Villain by now, but somehow the absurdity of the situation prevented him from doing so.

"Do you think the police will want to have my coat for evidence?"

Yugasa seemed to just ignore the mugger and Shouta was inclined to agree. The person clearly did not want to hurt them and, if his target-selection was any indication, was also not smart enough to evade the Heroes for much longer. If they were trying to bring him in now, it would only result in more paperwork and maybe the serial killer could use it to their advantage in their trial.

"I'm afraid they will want your coat. There is too much blood on it."

Itachi sighed. "That is my third coat this month. I really had hoped, that this will make the two weeks mark. The support department is already annoyed at my constant ideas."

"Don't ignore me! I am going to hurt you!"

Shouta took a deep breath and made a decision. "Listen. I really don't want to have even more paperwork than I already have to and if you continue threatening us, I fear you would leave me with no other option."

Itachi took a step to the side so that the pin-cushioned body of the serial killer was in direct line of sight of the mugger.

"What are you talking about?" At least they now had a basis of interaction. That would make things easier.

Itachi leaked a bit of killing intent (as he called it) making the mugger freeze up. "I think just killing him would reduce the amount of paperwork, if I remember correctly."

So they were doing the good cop, bad cop thing now. Or was it bad cop, worse cop?

"That does sound very much promising. But killing is always so messy. And to be frank I already had enough blood on me for today." Eraserhead gestured at his and Itachi's faces.

It was kind of satisfying to see the realisation slowly creep its way into the moron's brain.

They slowly tried to shuffle backwards out of the alley, but Itachi stopped them in their tracks with merely a raised hand.

"Not so fast. How do we know, you won't tattle on us?"

"I- I would never." They shivered in fear and Shouta could not judge them for it. He knew Itachi was on his side, but the boy really made a believable Villain. The tone of voice, the haughty posture and the blood soaked appearance were on point.

Itachi took a deliberate step forward into the range of the mugger's spikes, demonstrating how little he had to fear from the poor mugger. Shouta would bet his scarf, that there was one of his bone-chilling smiles on his comrade's face.

"Look into my eyes and tell me you will never even think about this encounter and we may let you live."

That was just mean. Looking into the Sharingan during the plant and saying the planted suggestion out loud would make it impossible to ever go against it. (Shouta had witnessed the series of tests Hitoshi and Itachi had developed concerning their powers of suggestion first hand. It had been terrifying to know, that they could mould anybody, himself included, into a sleeper-agent with a bit of undisturbed time.)

The mugger stared transfixed into the spinning eyes. "Say it."

"I will never even think about this encounter." Where their voice wobbled at the beginning of the sentence, they sounded confident and sure at the end. It was creepy.

"Good.", his student almost purred.

Shouta knew that Itachi had assisted the praise by letting the mugger feel good at the obedience. It made it even harder to resist the suggestion.

He just let his student reprogram another's mind and did nothing about it. Even supported him. A part of him was starting to panic.

"He won't remember this encounter and even if he somehow managed to, he would have met a Villain with a demonic mutation quirk and his follower.", the man beside him said as they watched the "mugger" flee.

"That is good I guess."

How could Shouta call himself even a Hero anymore? Had his morals truly degraded so far? "Your job is literally to train up child soldiers. How are you even claiming to have morals in the first place?", a viscous voice in his mind whispered. He ignored it forcefully.

"Let's alert the police to our location, so we can get cleaned up faster. The blood is starting to dry on my skin."

Itachi was right. This was not the right place to have an existential crisis. (Preferably there never was going to be the right place for that.)

"My capture-weapon will be hell to clean. Why does it always have to be blood?"

The alley looked like a bathtub of red liquid had exploded and smelled like someone had made copper and iron into a perfume and spilled another bathtub of it. It was disgusting and Shouta wouldn't be able to eat for the next twelve hours without throwing up.

"Be glad it is blood. I'd rather have blood on me than any other body fluid."

Shouta couldn't help but shudder and vehemently agree with Itachi. Blood clearly was the superior body-fluid.

Chapter Text

Itachi looked at Deika City beneath him. Thousands and thousands of people were going about their life as normal, ready to give their life for an ideology at the command. They felt safe here. Like no army could ever hurt them in their own little paradise.

They were right. An army could never hope to conquer this city. Its position inside a basin with only two viable ways in and out made it easily defendable against any offensive on the ground and they had implemented measures against aerial attacks.

But Itachi was no army. His goal wasn't to conquer. He only aimed for one thing: Keeping the people he cared about alive. And if it transpired, that they weren't alive anymore, well ... Deika City wouldn't be the first town he razed to the ground.

Dabi's flames were powerful enough to make an Uchiha proud. Building a city in a valley also meant that it would be a nightmare to evacuate, if fires were to break out and the only person whose Quirk could extinguish them was 'incapacitated'.

It was clear the Meta Liberation Army didn't have a clue who they were messing with. They thought him a Hero with all the moral values that that job entailed, not someone who would stop at nothing, not even burning thousands of innocents to death, to keep his loved ones save.

But if they were smart, he wouldn't have to do that. There still was chance for a peaceful resolution. Itachi wasn't unreasonable. They had shown to be willing to negotiate once before.

Regardless of the outcome he still had a few objectives to complete before the showdown tomorrow. Itachi let himself fall down the cliff, dissolving into birds who were mere shadows in the night.

Chapter Text

"You wanted to speak with me, senpai?"

Itachi looked as unperturbed as always but Shouta was not calmed by it the least. Never in his life before he had been this anxious about a conversation and that included the time he had to speak to the police about Oboro's death.

"Yes."

He cursed Itachi and his customary silence. This was one of the times, where he would love meaningless pleasantries to distract him from his thoughts.

The platter of food in front of him was still full while the one in front of his student was almost empty. He sighed. How did one even start speaking?

Shouta cleared his throat. "Well ... This is about the recent death of .... " Yugasa Nanako? No, that was too impersonal. Your mother? Itachi had never called her his mother. " your caretaker."

Smooth. Really smooth, Shouta. You totally didn't regress to your awkward teenager phase.

Itachi showed no reaction and Shouta didn't know, whether he should be grateful for it or not.

"As of the moment you are a ward of the state."

His mentee slowly blinked. That could mean a whole lot of things.

"And you can only apply for emancipation, when you are at least 18 years old. So what are you planning for the next two years regarding that situation?"

Shouta certainly wasn't going to spring Nezu's idea on Itachi without asking him first. That would defeat his whole argument about independence.

"I was not aware I needed to plan anything about it." That was not a sentence typically in Itachi's repertoire. The boy (not a boy) seemed to be aware of everything that happened around him.

"As an orphan you are automatically put into the foster-system and with studying at the U.A and being their best student of probably all time you would be highly sought after by every influential family there is."

Itachi's face went entirely blank. Shouta hoped it was a good sign.

He took a few bites of the nikuyaki he had ordered while his student thought, most likely overhauling every major and minor plan for his future.

How must it be living with that kind of brain? Shouta would bet it was exhausting. Always trying to cover for every possibility had to be strenuous. He already got headaches trying to adjust the curriculum to the various quirks in his class. Trying to account for such unpredictable things like reality was an exercise in futility, not that it hindered Itachi. The boy (still not a boy) just did it anyway.

He creased his brows a bit and focused his eyes back on Shouta. "You have a proposition."

Of course Itachi would pick up on that.

"Yes, I have, but I want you to know, that no matter if you choose to go with it or not, that it won't effect my position as your teacher or your mentor. There will be no repercussions from my side if you decide to reject my offer. Understood?"

"Yes."

Now to the complicated part.

"The idea doesn't come from me originally, but rather the principal, though I have since come around to his way of thinking. He thought that since your ... situation and your aversion toward the spotlight, you would appreciate a lot of independence and someone not trying to make you into a billboard-hero. So he suggested me as your foster-parent until you apply for emancipation. I believe his words were something along the lines, that I already care for you, no matter how ill-advised the notion is, so it wouldn't change a lot of things."

Every muscle in his body had tensed up during his little speech and he was getting nauseous with anxiety.

Itachi cocked his head to the side. "Why?"

"Well. There is the fact, that I am already acting in loco parentis for you since you live at the campus -"

His student furrowed his brows.

"No. I mean, why do you care about me?"

Oh. That was ... not a bad question. Why did he care about Itachi?

"You are my student, but that is only a small percentage of it by now. In the beginning I was just curious, who I had to thank for still being alive, but then ... I think I see a bit of myself in you. Someone I could have been, if I were a lot smarter and less squeamish. Other than that, there is no real reason. Why does someone care for another person? It is not something you can choose to do. It just happens."

Shouta never really thought about the reasons behind his feelings. They just were.

There was a moment of silence. "I guess that is true. Just like family we don't have a lot of control about it." He sounded wistful.

"Speaking about family, I wanted to make clear that I have no intentions whatsoever to replace any parents you ever had. I would just be your legal guardian and you wouldn't be obligated to do some kind of familial activities or things like that. "

Itachi nodded. Shouta grimaced. This whole conversation was just so awkward. Where was Hizashi when you needed him? He always knew how to break the tension and make everybody smile.

"That was everything, I think. You don't have to decide right now. There still is a bit of time. Do your research and I'm open for questions as always."

He looked at his half-eaten plate. He didn't like to waste food, but he also wasn't be able to stomach any more of it at the moment.

"Just help yourself, if you want. I'm going to be on my way."

Itachi blinked. Right. Socially inept. He blinked back. That should count as a farewell.

He felt those eyes on his back all the way back to the campus. It didn't surprise him the least when he looked up and saw three black birds in his vicinity.

He could only hope that Itachi would choose correctly, not that Shouta knew which option would be the right one.

Chapter Text

"Itachi?"

"Yes, Eri?"

"Do you think my ability is a curse?"

Mirio stopped his hand before it reached the door-handle. He shouldn't interrupt that conversation.

"Does it matter?"

What did Itachi-kun mean?

Eri seemed to have a similar reaction, because after a small pause Yugasa answered the unasked question.

"Why should it matter whether it is a curse or not? Something can be a curse in one situation and a blessing in the next."

He was not wrong.

"Take for example my quirk. Everything I live through with my eyes active is forever etched into my brain never to be forgotten. That means all the blood, all the atrocities, all the deaths of friends and foes alike I experienced can haunt my nights and will feel as fresh as they did the moment they happened. I remember the time my best friend killed himself in all its gory details. The pain of that moment will never dull, because the memory will never fade."

Mirio blanched at the implications. It was no wonder Itachi only rarely smiled and always was so serious. While Mirio still had nightmares of the first death he had witnessed, the memory had since gone blurry and he didn't live through the all-consuming panic he originally had had every time he remembered it.

Merely imagining to not be able to dull pain with time and then experiencing something such horrific like the suicide of one's best friend, made Mirio sick to his stomach and he had to lean on the wall for support.

Mirio often was accused of being an incorrigible optimist by his friends, but he didn't know if he could come back from that. Yugasa's mental strength must be even greater than he thought.

"I curse my eyes every time I live through that memory again. But on the other side without these eyes I would have never been able to save you. I would have never met Aizawa-senpai and my new best friend. And it is a blessing that I met them.

"So what do you think? Is my quirk a curse or a blessing?"

"I- I don't know ... "

Mirio's heart clenched at the tear-filled voice of Eri, but there was really nothing he could do. Should he reprimand Itachi for being honest? What was that going to achieve other than upsetting Eri further?

"You see, it is not that easy. Things can be curses and blessings at the same time. Sometimes they are neither. So I don't think it does matter what your ability is as long as you are happy. That is important to me. Do you understand?"

"I think ... "

"Do think about it. It is an important lesson to learn."

Itachi was not wrong, but maybe he could have taught that lesson a bit more gently. There wouldn't have been any need to talk about suicide in the presence of Eri and even less so to her. Mirio was so overwhelmed by the myriad of emotions and thoughts that he didn't hear their words until it was too late.

"See you next time, Eri."

"Byee!"

He only just managed to make himself intangible to not get hit by the door and cursed himself. He shouldn't have eavesdropped in the first place! What kind of example was he setting for Eri?

Itachi didn't even blink at his presence. "I would appreciate if you kept what you heard to yourself. Every bit of it." His voice and face gave nothing away.

Mirio was mortified. "Of course! I am so sorry, I didn't mean to overhear that conversation, I ... "

He trailed of as Itachi just passed by him and ignored his words entirely. The conversation probably had been taxing for him, too.

"Mirio! You came!"

Lemillion smiled for Eri as she stormed into his arms.

Chapter Text

Hawks first heard about Yugasa Itachi from his intern Tokoyami, who was in the same class. The rather dramatic boy had described his classmate as the shadow of the darkness. When he enquired how there could be a shadow in the darkness, Tokoyami answered that he had meant a shadow of the darkness not in, as that would have implied that Yugasa had been in the light at some point which he had not. To be honest he hadn't really understood Tokoyami then and any further questions only confused him more.

The second time he heard the name it was angrily muttered by his colleague Endeavour. Apparently Yugasa had bested his own son in combat again. After that the name appeared more and more around him. Most of the time it was in the headhunters' discussions at the Hero Public Safety Commission (HPSC).

Of course they would have a vested interest to bring someone, who was able to beat Endeavour's son, into their folds. Strangely enough that were all the details Hawks heard about Yugasa's combat prowess. He had somehow gotten through the Provisional Hero License Exam without showing a lot about his abilities. Even the headhunters weren't clear about his Quirk or anything else really. He was kind of impressed. It was not easy to obfuscate one's abilities so much that even the Commission wasn't sure about them.

But still the HPSC did manage to sink their claws in Yugasa somehow, because now the young man was standing before him as the intern of the intelligence division. Why the aspiring Hero was interning there and not under Hawks himself, was a conundrum, but one he could ponder on later.

"It is an honour to meet you.", Yugasa finished his introduction together with a polite bow.

Hawks had heard those same words a lot of times from very different people. Sometimes they were just protocol, many of them were said to get in his good graces and most of them were just said in mostly misguided admiration. Yugasa's words felt strangely cordial in comparison.

"The honour is mine, Yugasa-kun. Tokoyami spoke frequently of you."

Before the student could answer his handler spoke up. "Since he will be supporting the team working for you, Hawks-san, I will leave you two to acquaint yourselves with each other. Please return to my office at nine o'clock for your assignment, Yugasa-kun."

The boy was nothing but professional. There was not even a sign of nervousness at being left alone with the Number Two Hero. Hawks was reluctantly impressed and oddly delighted. It was not often that his popularity didn't define his social interactions.

"Well, then let's get to know each other. Would you care for something to drink?"

"Tea if you have some, please." And he wasn't even afraid to ask something of Hawks. He was liking Yugasa more and more with each minute.

"So why did you choose to intern here at the HPSC in the intelligence division no less? I was to understand that you were in the Heroics-Course at the U.A.."

"I feel like I have more to learn in this branch than in any other and there is no Hero in the employment of the Commission which could help me with my fighting style."

Somehow that didn't sound arrogant.

"Tokoyami did mention you were already quite proficient at battle. Though he did say it a bit more ..."

"Dramatic?", Yugasa quipped.

Hawks chuckled. "I think he mentioned that 'your darkness was strong enough to consume even Dark Shadow'."

"That does sound like him." There was a small smile playing on Yugasa's lips.

"So you guys are good friends?" Last he had spoken with Tokoyami they hadn't been.

"No. I'm afraid his alter ego rather hates me."

His respect for Yugasa rose another notch. Not only did he pass up an opportunity to try and get himself in Hawks good graces by claiming to be a friend to an associate, but also spoke truthfully about the other's dislike of him.

"How come?"

"There was an incident during the time the League of Villains kidnapped a classmate and I was forced to put Dark Shadow under my control. He doesn't like being controlled at all."

"You can put Dark Shadow under your control? What does your Quirk do? The things I heard were rather contradictory."

"It allows me to put living beings under illusions only they can see."

That was a damn useful Quirk and explained why no one here could help him with fighting. It certainly was a rather unique ability and not particularly "flashy".

"That is pretty impressive, I have to say."

"Thank you."

There was a momentary lull in the conversation and Hawks realised how comfortable he had gotten around Yugasa. It was a nice feeling.

"Were you trained for intelligence gathering?"

Hawks was momentarily stunned by that question. It certainly wasn't what he had expected to be asked though it did made sense.

"Only the basics. These wings make anything inconspicuous rather difficult."

"So accidentally getting a feather into someone's jacket and locating them through it a while later doesn't count?" There was a slight smirk on Yugasa's face.

"How do you know about that?" Hawks was intrigued. The young man had subverted almost every single expectation in a good way and proved to be enjoyable to converse with. For once in his life Hawks felt equal to someone and he found that he like it a lot.

The smirk widened. "I am interning at the intelligence department."

"Point to you." Hawks laughed and Yugasa's smirk morphed into a smile.

Maybe these next few weeks weren't going to be as daunting with the start of his undercover mission as he had feared, if he got to talk to Yugasa regularly.

There was a mischievous glint in the eyes of the man in question and Hawks' felt himself eagerly anticipating whatever Yugasa was going to say next.

"What do you think of crows, Hawks-san?"

Chapter Text

"What do you think about the whole situation, Itachi?", Izuku asked. He was always asked last in their little rounds. Most likely because his classmates saw him as their superior. It was frightening and cute at the same time.

"I think the root of the problem is a very different one. Stain's Army and Stain himself are operating under the same fallacy, which is the main cause for the problem they try to "correct"."

He got a lot of confused looks and sighed internally. Highschool was less tedious than the years before, but the lack of intelligence still was grating at times. Maybe it was time for a chat with Nezu.

"It is all in the name: Hero. The designation is misleading and the reason for a lot of the grievances with the whole system."

Incredulous stares. He smiled. It was somewhat satisfying to uproot someone's ideologies.

"What do people think Heroes are?" He looked into the eyes of each and every one of them. They still trusted him enough to not shy away. Fascinating. (Foolish)

"A Hero is someone, who has no compunctions to selflessly sacrifice himself for other people or an idea. The selfless part is the important one."

There were a few frowns but nobody dared to interrupt him yet.

"So that is the expectation to which the so-called Heroes are held by most people. But a Hero is not only somebody, who appears selfless, anymore. Hero is also the name of a paid job designation nowadays. People who are paid to enforce the law, persecute the criminals and provide disaster relief. The Professional Heroes."

They were hanging onto his every word and he didn't even use his Sharingan. He was not much of an orator but if the topic was interesting, it seemed like simple rhetoric was enough to captivate his audience.

"The thing with a paid job is that people are not only doing them out of conviction, but because of the money they earn doing it. That in on itself is not reprehensible. Why should someone be ostracised for trying to earn a living?"

So far they were still on board with his little speech, though Itachi could see Izuku brimming with untold arguments. The boy was finally learning patience.

"The problem is that the government labels what is basically military personnel "Heroes" and creates a dichotomy between the expectation of the people and the actual profession."

Itachi didn't let them realise that he just called them soldiers in a roundabout way.

"People expect Heroes to be selfless, to be motivated by conviction, to be willing to sacrifice their life. But that isn't the job description of a Professional Hero. They are to be the sword and shield between the civilians and those who seek to harm them. Nothing more, nothing less.

"But there is no requirement for us to be motivated by immaterial ideals and be self-sacrificing. We are just being trained for a job because that is, what a professional Hero is: A job."

Yaoyorozu-san nodded, most likely seeing where his argument was going. She always had been a tick smarter than their peers.

"Now, people like Stain and his supporters are following the fallacy, that a Hero and a Professional Hero are one and the same. They are enraged that some Professional Heroes do it for the fame, the money or just the thrill and not because of some moral convictions. They seek to eradicate those "pretenders", not seeing that the fault doesn't lie with the "false Heroes", but the system which called them "Heroes" in the first place."

He shot a look at Izuku who was opening his mouth.

"I am not saying that a Professional Hero can't be a Hero in the traditional sense; some of them are and some of us will be. But not every Professional Hero is a traditional one nor have they to be."

There was profound silence for a short while. Before they could break out in arguing Itachi stood up. "I am willing to argue on the issue, but not today. I have already talked more than I usually do in five days and I still need to feed the crows. Have a nice evening."

Hopefully they would discuss the topic between themselves and not involve him in the matter any further. He really wasn't the ideal person to talk politics with. His views were rather unconventional.

Chapter Text

"Okay. Before we finalise the arrangement, we should discuss some points, I think."

Itachi nodded amicably.

Shouta looked for the list his friends had made for him. The whole foster-parent-thing was still surreal for him, even more so than Itachi himself. Sometimes it just felt like the student himself was only an illusion barely anchored in reality.

He shook his head. This was not the time for such contemplations.

"Since we are both not the most knowledgable people when it comes to familial and social interactions my friends made a list for me.", Shouta explained when Itachi raised an eyebrow at the paper.

He took a deep breath.

"So. This shouldn't really change anything during school, but you would be required to live with me in the holidays. I hope that is acceptable."

Itachi just nodded.

"Good. Since we are on the topic, do you have a problem with cats?"

For some indiscernible reason his soon to be ward smiled at him.

"No. My former family was rather partial to cats, though I always preferred birds."

So Itachi was in a chatty mood and Shouta didn't know if he was happy about it. Most likely it was going to end in another sleepless night.

"That's good. I also don't have any problems with your birds when you are not using them to annoy me." He sent a reproachful look towards his mentee, who didn't even have the decency to look ashamed.

"Do you have any allergies?"

"Not that I know of."

"Me neither. Any kind of medical conditions?"

When he didn't immediately answer, Shouta's heart dropped. He hadn't forgotten that Itachi had already died of a disease once. And that at quite the young age, his inner pessimist whispered.

"My first family was prone to madness and I don't know whether my sickness was of genetic origin or not. I also don't know how much this body is like my old one in terms of DNA. As far as I know, my family here didn't have any hereditary diseases or conditions."

Not even four questions in and Shouta had the first minor crisis. This was off to a good start.

"What do you mean with 'prone to madness'?"

He almost didn't want to ask that question. Whatever the answer was going to be, Shouta would not like it.

"Pride, arrogance and strongly felt emotions mixed together with the inability to forget make for an easy path towards madness. In retrospect it was a wonder, I never lost myself."

Shouta mentally noted down "inability to forget" for later contemplation. Itachi was never careless with his words.

"Are you worried you are going to lose yourself now?"

"Worried might be the wrong word. After all I won't be myself anymore at that point. But I think it is possible. If someone decided take you and Kouji away from me, what is there left for me to hold on?"

Once again Shouta was struck speechless. It was kind of getting old at this point.

Like always Itachi just watched him while he processed (or just suppressed) the news.

"Well then, if your disease ever threatens to reappear, please tell me."

His student blinked in a way Shouta hoped was affirmative.

"Okay, I do have a mild form of insomnia. Other than that, there isn't anything relevant I can think of."

No reaction. He took another deep breath.

"Are you religious?"

Itachi cocked his head to the side and Shouta braced himself for another unpleasant answer. He didn't know how that topic could be made unpleasant, but if anybody could do it, it would be Itachi.

"Do you mean, if I believe in gods or if I worship them?"

"Both, I think."

Another thoughtful silence.

"My family had gods they worshipped. Their blessings required a sacrifice."

Itachi's face had gone utterly blank and Shouta couldn't fault him. He may not know the details, but it was obvious that the sacrifice was not a mere symbolic one.

"I took the gods with me when I left and they have not abandoned me since." His eyes were far, far away, looking at things only he could see.

"I still have their blessings." It was barely a whisper and the grief almost felt tangible for a moment.

Then the black eyes focused on Shouta once more, piercing his soul.

"I do not worship them in the traditional sense nor do they require a particular kind of life or morals of me. There are no holy days, no rituals, no more sacrifices. So it isn't really a religion."

Shouta didn't know what to say (again). Itachi had apparently stolen(?) some gods(?) from his family after sacrificing something (someone?) for their blessings and now was just carrying them along?

So gods were real? Or at least for Itachi? What the fuck?! Why hadn't Itachi just answered with no and everything would have been okay? Maybe his student had already gone mad? Where was his alcohol?

But most importantly: "Will your ..." He had a bit of difficulties with the words. "deities try to ..." This really wasn't easy. "meddle?"

"No. They don't act unless called." It was said with a certainty that calmed Shouta somewhat.

"Then maybe I should learn their names, so I won't invoke them by accident?"

This whole conversation was just so impalpable. Shouta felt like he had been abducted into one of his dreams. He couldn't really believe it was real. But when he pinched himself nothing changed. It was not even one of Itachi's illusions.

Deep breaths. It wouldn't do to break out in hysterics now. He could do that later. Hopefully when he was already drunk.

"If you wish."

Shouta closed his eyes for a moment and put himself together. He looked into Itachi's eyes.

"They seem important to you."

For a brief moment there was a flash of something on his face, but Shouta couldn't say of what.

"They are Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, gods of light and darkness, masters of the material and the spiritual one respectively. I have also received others' blessings but those two are mine."

It sounded possessive.

"Isn't Tsukuyomi Tokoyami's Hero-Name?"

Itachi was amused at the question. "There is a reason Dark Shadow doesn't like me."

Shouta could only shake his head. He desperately needed the oblivion of too much ethanol. What even was his life anymore?

Now there were gods. What was next? Aliens?

Chapter Text

Itachi didn't let himself show any reaction as he was bodily pulled into one of the small, empty offices. The man obviously didn't have the skill nor the fortitude to harm him and had telegraphed his intentions clearly. He definitely wasn't a professional.

At least his abductor had done some research beforehand because he was avoiding eye-contact, though he didn't notice the thin blades Itachi had palmed during the scuffle.

"I know exactly what you are doing!"

Itachi hadn't fallen for that trick since he had been four years old the first time. But maybe he could get some information about the young man's motives. It was not often that Itachi didn't see an attack coming beforehand.

He raised his eyebrow condescendingly. Judging by the man's mannerisms he was easily infuriated.

"Oh? And what, pray tell, do you presume I am doing?"

He was interested to see which of his operations had been compromised. It could have been his attempt to break into the archives. The security here was a lot better than he originally had thought.

The man's face twisted into an ugly grimace for a short moment, but he regained control of himself once more. Pity, he would have to try a bit harder to get under his skin then.

"You are not in the position to ask the questions here!"

"Is that so?" His voice was dripping with arrogance. He could see the flexing of the man's fists in response.

"If you don't want me to ruin your life." The anger was coating those viscous words already.

Itachi gave him a mocking smile. "Ruin my life? I don't think you can actually do that."

The eyes narrowed and any kind of common sense fled in the wake of the man's ire. There was the weakness he had been looking for.

"You think I can't do that? I'm the son of the president! One word from me and you can say goodbye to your Hero-career. Nobody in the Commission will dare to contradict me." He sneered.

Itachi only just managed to not smile. His identity at least explained why he was wearing such expensive clothes and acted like a spoilt child.

Itachi slowly raised his hands in "surrender". (He could easily direct his opponent's gaze towards his eyes that way.)

"I clearly underestimated you. I apologise." It was what the manchild wanted to hear and going by the satisfied smile he even believed Itachi.

"But I still don't know, what you want from me."

"You will immediately cease your manipulation of Hawks. He can't be distracted from his work by the likes of you."

Itachi blinked in astonishment. Was that jealousy he had heard? He wove a genjutsu which showed a thankful Hawks and planted in the man's subconsciousness. He couldn't influence emotions without eye-contact, but simple illusions were child's play.

The young man blushed and Itachi broke out in laughter. This was hilarious. Of all the things the boy could have accused Itachi of, he chose the one thing he didn't actually do.

His budding friendship with the Pro-Hero was as genuine as they came. Hawks was funny, intelligent and understood duty and loyalty more than anyone else Itachi had met in this world. For a reason he couldn't quite understand Hawks also liked Itachi's presence and he wasn't going to complain.

"What are you laughing?", came the angry demand of his "captor".

He abruptly stopped laughing and let his Killing Intent unfurl. In his shock and fear the heir to the HPSC looked into the already activated Sharingan and was promptly immobilised by some illusionary bonds.

Nobody would take his friendships from him. Not again.

He constructed a version of the scene that just happened, where Yugasa claimed to be assaulted by him instead of hearing him out. Ashamed he was going to storm off after a brief discussion and decide not to bother with Yugasa anymore. Hawks would cast this pathetic idiot aside after a while anyway.

That version was going to replace the true situation. Now to the interesting part.

He created a daydream and put himself into the role of Hawks. He had spent enough time with the Hero to emulate his mannerisms flawlessly.

"If we are going to instate you as president I need to know who is going to support you. We need to plan this carefully after all."

Judging by the dopey smile the young man had in this "daydream", he hit the bull's eye with that particular scenario. The man gladly spilled the names of all his allies and even bragged about their positions.

Itachi committed all the information to memory and let the "daydream" fade, so it seemed like it had happened yesterday.

If Itachi's experience with corrupt organisations and nepotism was worth anything, he would find the evidence of corruption, he had been looking for, with the mentioned people.

He then erased the young man's memory of the last few minutes, implanted his version in its stead and directed him to storm off before severing his hold on the mind.

He allowed himself a small smile. That truly had been a fortunate encounter.

It was nearing lunch break already. Maybe he could convince Hawks of going to the dango-stall a few houses down the street.

Chapter Text

"Hizashi?"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever really thought what being a Pro-Hero is about?", Shouta asked his best friend.

"What kind of question is that? That is my job, is it not? Of course I thought about it."

Shouta hummed in response.

"What exactly are you thinking about? It is not like you to be so philosophical."

Maybe that had been true a year ago. He had never wanted to think about those topics. But a certain student of his didn't leave him a choice. (Or at least none Shouta was willing to make.)

"What do you know about pre-quirk history?"

"About as much as you do, I think. We did go to school together, if you remember."

Shouta gave Hizashi just a deadpan look in response to the quip.

"What do you know about that time's military then?"

Hizashi wrinkled his brows in a manner, which meant that he was indulging Shouta for now, but wouldn't forget the questions he had asked.

"Every nation had a force of people, which was used to fights wars with other nations. They heavily relied on guns and remote controlled weaponry."

"And what did they do, when they weren't at war?"

"What do you mean?"

"While the world before quirks wasn't as peaceful as it is now, not every nation was at war all the time."

"I don't know. Never really thought about it."

Shouta took a short moment before he answered. "Of course it was different for every nation, but most helped fight against terrorists and insurgencies in their own country. And if they weren't doing that, they provided disaster relief on a global scale. That also included development and reconstruction aid for the less fortunate. A lot of the technological and medical advancements had their beginnings in a military research facility."

The papers had been an interesting read. In school they had learned that armies only had one purpose: fighting wars. They never talked about the infrastructure behind it. (Not unlike the team a Pro-Hero had for support.)

Hizashi frowned. "Why the sudden interest?"

Shouta sighed. "What is the difference between a Pro-Hero and a soldier other than the fact that Pro-Heroism is somewhat privatised?"

And hadn't that been a shock to Shouta, when he had asked his problem-pupil for his thoughts about the school and Itachi had answered with "At first I found the lack of discipline disturbing for a school, which prides itself to teach the best soldiers of this nation." The following talks with Itachi and the principal had been enlightening in the completely wrong way. His extended sight only made it easier to peer into the darkness surrounding them all.

"But we are Heroes, not soldiers. We wouldn't fight in a war!"

"Wouldn't we? Can you honestly tell me, that you wouldn't be out there fighting, if Japan were attacked? If foreign soldiers would destroy our cities and kill our people?"

At Hizashi's absolute misery Shouta almost felt a bit bad. But he wouldn't let his friend continue on in his ignorance. That would just be cruel.

"Drink?"

"Yes, please."

They both nursed their second glass, when Hizashi brought the topic up again.

"Not that I am not grateful for opening my eyes, but how did you even know how to look for this? It is not your typical kind of subject, to be honest."

He snorted. It hadn't been. Yugasa was just an irresistible force of change regarding Shouta and by now he was resigned to the fact.

"Yugasa made me think of it."

Hizashi sighed. "Of course he did. That boy is truly something, isn't he?"

"You don't have to tell me."

"I guess, I don't." Hizashi laughed quietly. "I don't really understand how he stands my classes. I have yet to teach him anything."

"I think he mostly uses the time to think of new ways to use those birds of his to torment me.", Shouta grumbled.

Hizashi couldn't help but laugh loudly at this and Shouta had to fight a smile. It was nice seeing him laughing again after the shock about their career-choices beforehand.

Chapter Text

"So Monoma-kun can't use Eri's Quirk.", Itachi mused.

"He said it was either because it had some absurd activation condition or because it used some kind of stored resource for it. Though I never have heard of a quirk having an activation condition."

His student gave him a mischievous smile. "That may be my fault."

Shouta sighed. "What did you do?"

"I only told him the truth."

He gave his problem-pupil a deadpan stare in response. Truth was a very malleable thing in Itachi's hands.

"What did you tell him about your Quirk?"

"That it needs trauma to be activated the first time and then burns that experience into your brain."

His student's face had gone blank again. So that piece of information was most likely somewhat true.

"Is that so?"

"In a way. I can't say whether this world's version functions the same, but it certainly did before."

Shouta needed a moment to let that sink in. Maybe one day he would learn not to ask, but it wasn't going to be anytime soon.

"Do you want to talk about what kind of trauma?"

Itachi blinked slowly, his face still utterly expressionless. "Maybe some day."

"I won't force you.", he said neutrally. His student hated pity with a passion.

They sat in silence for a while, Shouta closing his eyes and enjoying the company. There was something soothing about Itachi's presence. Maybe it was just the certainty that his life would never be as messed up, maybe it was the closeness of a kindred spirit. He was not inclined to figure it out in any case. Ignorance was bliss at times.

"Time.", Itachi suddenly uttered.

"What?" Shouta had not been aware that his student was able to read minds without eye-contact.

"Time is the resource that Eri's quirk is using."

Relief coursed through his veins. No mind-reading. That was good.

"Care to elaborate?"

"Monoma manifested the horn and it was very small, wasn't it?"

He could only nod perplexed. That was entirely accurate. By now he should be used to the frightening amount of intelligence Itachi possessed.

"We know that Eri's horn grows with time and shrinks when she uses her ability. She gives people more time when she rewinds someone. Emphasis on "time". She didn't want her father to not go away, she wanted him to have more time to spend with her. She just didn't have enough control and rewound him out of existence instead."

That made a lot of sense. It made a terrifying amount of sense.

"The only question is, is whether the people around her age faster or if her body is just able to translate the stored days into weeks or even years." Now Shouta was the one to blink slowly.

"That should also be the reason she still has such poor control. She thinks she is taking while trying to give. Possibly she is even capable of reversing her ability, but never attempted to see it as taking something back."

He audibly closed his mouth, which at some point must have fallen open.

Then he had an idea. He smiled slyly. "You know that she will forever worship you, if that theory proves to be correct?"

It was quite amusing to see Itachi changing from excited to desperate in a flash.

"You wouldn't do that to me, senpai, would you?", pleaded his problem-pupil with big eyes.

"How could I not credit the masterful mind that came up with the idea? The creator deserves to be recognised for their genius after all." His grin was wide and sinister. Itachi was going to suffer for all the headaches he had caused Shouta.

"Maybe I'll even tell Togata-kun about your heroic dedication to helping Eri be more comfortable with her quirk."

He relished in the horrified grimace of Itachi. Revenge was sweet.

Chapter Text

Hasegawa Aiko eyed the youth in front of her thoughtfully. When she had gotten his file on her desk and read through his academic achievements, she had somehow expected a more enthusiastic character than the reserved and silent one who was now standing in front of her. He didn't fidget, didn't gave her an overconfident smile, didn't try to impress her with flaunting his Quirk.

Yugasa possessed an eerie stillness, almost mechanical were it not for his grace. His movements flowed into each other smoothly but with an efficiency that bordered on ethereal. There was no flourish, no excess, no personality.

His face a mask of formal politeness, only beautiful in the way a still life could be. His words never painted a complete picture, only fractured pieces of something that seemed round and smooth but was rough and jagged when you changed your perspective.

She likened him to an iceberg. Cold, deceptive and indifferent about the obstacles in his path. If it were up to her, they would never recruit him. Whatever lurked beneath would get them before they could ever reach the top.

"Your Meta-Ability is "Expressionism", is it not?" The voice curled like liquid smoke, not yet taking a shape.

"Observing the world through the lens of expressionistic impressions." A little brook purling along.

"I would be curious to know what you would see in me." An inviting loch, no ripple disturbing the shining surface, no hint of the darkness beneath.

Aiko had always been curious herself. That was, what had led her to the Meta Liberation Army in the first place.

"Very well.", she said and plunged into the depths.

There was darkness. At the core the antithesis of a star fuelled by a fire so warm it burned the light itself. A shadow so long nobody could ever hope to step out of it, cast by an unchained monster too big for the world to contain. An eruption in the making, frozen by the tranquillity of pressure.

She surfaced again, trembling like a leaf caught in the wind. Freefalling but never touching the ground, sailing high but not in control.

"Fascinating.", the demon smiled, the blood of its victims pooling in those spiralling eyes. The air stopped, letting her sink to the ground once more.

Aiko breathed and focused. She would never let him near her comrades. There was nothing but fire and ash at the end of that path.

"I think that concludes the interview. Thank you for taking the time."

"The pleasure was mine.", the mask read.

Chapter Text

"Again.", sounded Aizawa-sensei's voice across the training ground.

Momo grounded her teeth, winced at the painful throbbing of her ribs and got up again.

This time she managed to block the first two strikes with her own staff, before she fell for a feint and got her legs hit by a brutal swipe. She staggered, brought the wooden stick up in a desperate attempt to block the strike coming for her head and ignored her screaming shoulders as their weapons clashed. But her opponent had left himself open from the side. Now was the time.

Yugasa easily danced out of the range of her counter-attack and leisurely blocked her next two strikes before going back on the offensive. Not for the first time Momo wondered how he could be that fast without a quirk to aid him.

It only took a few seconds for her to be on the ground again and tap out.

"That will be enough for today.", her teacher announced and she could only feel relief. Every fibre of her body was hurting in one or more ways. She had more bruises than she could count and every muscle was straining from exertion, but her slavedriver of a teacher didn't let her rest for long.

She had barely managed to stand up again, when he was already asking them to reflect on the spars. If they always had been working at this inhuman pace, maybe she could understood, why Yugasa was so much better than an of them.

"What are your thoughts, Yaoyorozu-san?"

She collected herself, remembered all the little things she had noticed during the one-sided beat down. "I'm too slow. I can only react to what Yugasa-san is doing. My footwork is bad and I constantly lose my balance taking hits. My own strikes are weak."

Saying those words hurt more than any of the bruises she had received. She had heard some of the the other students call her arrogant and had just thought of it as envious gossip. But seeing how outclassed she was in close-quarter-combat, how reliant on being able to outsmart the enemy she had become, she couldn't help but wonder if those students hadn't been correct in their assessment.

She swallowed. She would not cry in front of her teacher.

"What did you see, Yugasa-kun?"

He looked directly at her. "What you said is all true."

It felt like a viscous stab to her heart and she forgot how to breathe for a moment.

"But those are all things easily remedied with training. You are observant and have a natural understanding of the fight. That would've been a lot harder to teach."

She blinked. That ... Was that supposed to be a compliment?

Aizawa-sensei nodded. "You are going to need a lot of practice and some real experience, but that is about it. You are smart and dedicated, Yaoyorozu-san. It will come easily to you with a bit of time."

He smiled encouragingly at her, though Momo could tell that it wasn't a natural smile. Still, it felt like a crushing weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

She shakily smiled back. "Okay."

There was a small awkward pause, in which Yugasa and Aizawa-sensei shared meaningful looks. Some days it felt like Yugasa was more of an assistant teacher than a fellow student. He just seemed so disconnected from everybody but Kouji and their home-room teacher.

"Kouji, Bakugou and I train every morning together. You are welcome to join us.", Yugasa unexpectedly said. He looked a bit like he didn't know what face to make. It was astoundingly cute for someone, who had done his best to beat her black and blue not five minutes prior.

"I -" She was overwhelmed. "Thank you for the invitation."

"You're welcome." And Yugasa just got up and walked away. Her teacher sighed and mumbled something about being socially inept.

"Despite what you might think, the invitation was genuine. Yugasa-kun is just a walking human disaster." Aizawa-sensei just sounded exasperated. She chuckled lightly. Yugasa really was weird at times.

He closed his eyes for a moment. "I am glad you decided to act on your potential. You will be a wonderful heroine, if you decide on continuing that path. And please don't tell your classmates I said that. I have a reputation to keep."

"Your secret will be safe with me. And, thank you!" If Aizawa-sensei would be one of her classmates, she would have hugged him.

He snorted dismissively. "What for?"

"For believing in me." Not a lot of people did. Her family certainly didn't truly encouraged her. They saw it more as a passing fancy before she got serious and prepared to overtake the business.

He grunted. "I'm just doing my job. Speaking of my job, you are going to Recovery Girl without any delays. Understood?"

Gone was the exasperated herder of younglings and he looked like the merciless slavedriver once again.

Momo had the urge to stand to attention and salute. She compromised by just straightening. "Of course, sir."

Aizawa-sensei blinked at her, grumbled "Good." and swiftly went the way of Yugasa.

Momo just shook her head fondly. Yugasa was not the only socially inept person around here.

Chapter Text

"Evening."

Hawks almost flinched at the unexpected voice from his living room. But he had been trained better.

He still closed his eyes for a moment and took a moment to collect himself.

"I didn't give you key to my apartment, when I asked you to meet here, did I?" He didn't expect an answer and Itachi didn't give one. He knew it anyway.

He sighed. "You are frighteningly good at breaking in undetected, you know that?" It was not the first time Itachi had entered a building without keys. They couldn't meet in the public. There were already enough rumours, that Hawks was dating a black-haired, boyish girl from the time they went for Dango.

His friend smiled. "I could teach you."

"I'm a Hero, Itachi."

"So?"

"I am representing the law. I'm not going to learn how to successfully break into houses." He sighed. It was not the first time they had this discussion.

Itachi hummed in a way Hawks had learned to mean a shrug.

"Regardless, I am happy to see you here. How was your week?"

He stretched his wings, got an energy drink from the fridge and made himself comfortable on the couch.

"Nothing particularly interesting. We arrested the serial killer "Vampire". It turned out that he had a mosquito-quirk."

"Only you would call arresting a serial killer not interesting." Hawks chuckled. It was like nothing could faze Itachi.

"It wasn't a very hard fight." That wasn't very surprising since Itachi could hold his own against Hawks and Hawks knew about his quirk. Anybody not in the know was at a major disadvantage.

"That I believe."

"I had to give my coat up for evidence again. That was the third one this month." He sounded indignant and Hawks had to smile.

"If it makes you feel any better, my glasses were scratched in my last fight, too."

"Better your glasses than your eyes."

"I can only agree with that."

Hawks took a swig out of his can and Itachi closed his eyes, probably thinking of some kind of crazy plan. He was always scheming.

"You visit Deika City increasingly often."

The blood froze in Hawks' veins and he had to forcibly restrain himself from reacting outwardly. Luckily Itachi had his eyes still closed or he would have noticed something. His friend was frighteningly observant when it came to people.

"How do you know that?" Hopefully he didn't sound as defensive as he felt.

"The skies are my eyes, Hawks." Itachi smiled.

He could only gape. "All the way to Deika City?"

The town was quite a distance away.

Another small smile from his friend. "It is a city filled with interesting people. How could I not have an eye on it?"

Hawks cursed the mercurial nature of Itachi. Did that mean he knew about the Meta Liberation Army and Hawks 'membership' in it or did he really just find it fascinating?

"There are certainly some characters.", he cautiously agreed.

"Have you ever met Hasegawa Aiko? She is one of the headhunters for Detnerat."

He had never met her, but she was one of the presumed recruiters of the MLA, if he remembered correctly. Did that mean Itachi was a member, too?

"Not to my knowledge."

Itachi hummed in response and Hawks was stressing out.

"She conducted my interview for an internship at the company. I'm afraid she didn't like me at all."

And what exactly was that supposed to mean?

"Why is that?", he asked playfully. (Or at least he hoped it sounded playfully.)

"Her quirk is able to see the entirety of one's soul through the lens of metaphors. Apparently Tokoyami is not to far from the truth with his talks about darkness." His friend chuckled lightly.

Hawks didn't think he ever had been more confused in his life. This conversation was just so very strange.

"I told you, you should wear more colour.", he joked.

His friend tugged at his shirt. "This is already light grey."

Hawks breathed a quiet sigh of relief. That was familiar territory.

"Grey is not a colour."

Itachi pouted. "It isn't black."

"And that already makes it better than anything else I have seen you wear, but it isn't a colour."

"What do you have against black?"

"Nothing. I just think a bit of colour would look good on you." A wine-red shirt or a forest-green one would already do wonders. He knew a good tailor.

His friend narrowed his eyes. "You are not going to buy me clothes."

He fought a grin. "I didn't say anything."

"You thought it.", Itachi accused him petulantly.

He had to laugh. "Guilty as charged."

By the time Itachi left Hawks had already forgotten about the strange start to the evening. At least until Itachi recommended him an autobiography of a doubleagent, who operated during the Cold War. He still couldn't tell whether it was just a string of curious coincidences or something more and Itachi's tendency to be annoyingly cryptic didn't make it any better.

Chapter Text

"Muscular is dead.", Shouta informed his ward.

The response was a non-committal hum.

"He committed suicide in prison after reportedly being severely depressed because of the loss of his limbs."

Another hum. Shouta hadn't expected anything different but still was underwhelmed by the reaction or lack thereof.

"Do you think he deserved what you did to him?"

He didn't have a clear answer for that one himself. On the one hand Muscular had been a paradigm of a Villain. No remorse, no understandable motive, just pure sadism and murderous intent. Shouta had no problems in wishing him death, but him getting psychologically scarred enough to be in a coma for weeks, loosing both his arms and then being depressed enough to commit suicide was still not something he was comfortable with.

Itachi had cocked his head to the side, a clear sign that he had to think about his answer.

"'Deserve' is a difficult word, I think. I do not think I right to judge of anybody on their crimes considering my own. I did feel some kind of righteous justification the moment I enacted the punishment, but its severity was not determined by my judgement of him, but the most convenient outcome."

Now it was Shouta's turn to hum. This was not the first time Itachi alluded to his crimes. It was however the first time he gave any sense of scope. It was not very comforting if Shouta had to be honest. He didn't want to ask for details, but was still curious.

"Do you believe in karma, divine punishment or anything the like?" Itachi did "believe" in gods after all.

The answer was a biting laugh that cut through the amiable atmosphere with the smoothness of a rusty saw.

"No. Karma is just an illusion created by the desperate hope of people not willing to admit that the world is inherently unjust."

Itachi was uncharacteristically invested in the topic going by the tenseness of his frame.

Shouta waited in silence. Just when it looked like there wouldn't be another word spoken about the matter, Itachi smiled a bittersweet smile. "I am the living proof that such a thing doesn't exist."

Shouta cautiously raised his eyebrows to ask for his ward to elaborate. He wouldn't demand answers Itachi didn't want to give.

"There are so many more people more deserving of a second chance at live than me, People who would have been able to adapt to a peaceful society, people who didn't have the blood of countless innocents on their hands. And yet here I am being granted this boon I don't even know how utilise properly. I've failed my mother a second time, jumped at the chance to create bloodshed and try to orchestrate other peoples lives again."

The expression on his student's face was a twisted mockery of a smile.

Shouta was speechless. He had not expected that amount of self-loathing.

"Maybe there was a little part of me, which still believed in something like divine judgement or karma, when I died, hoping that the punishment would absolve me of my sins. But that never happened. Instead I am now here and rather than getting a penalty I even get an unfair advantage over the rest of the population. There is no such thing as divine justice or if there is, it doesn't operate by human standards."

Shouta still didn't know what to say. There were no words that could offer comfort or insight.

"The only thing I can do is to live and try to not repeat my mistakes."

Itachi had his eyes closed and looked like his mental age for the first time since Shouta had known him.

"My therapist once said the only people, who can take our guilt from our shoulders are ourselves." People could tell you that it wasn't your fault all day long, it wouldn't change anything as long as you didn't accept it yourself.

Itachi didn't react for some time and Shouta was in no hurry. Patience was a virtue. When working with Itachi even more so.

"It took me years to understand that forgiveness does not only grant absolution but also means to let go." There was a small pause. "I don't think I will be able to forgive myself anytime soon."

There had been a lot of interesting admissions in all those words, but now was not the time to contemplate them.

"Maybe one day you will, but until that just try to not to add to the pile?" Itachi looked directly at him, searching for something Shouta didn't know he had.

Whatever Itachi saw, it led to him slowly relaxing and giving the first real smile of the evening. "I won't promise, but I'll try."

Shouta smiled back. Hopefully he would be there that day with Itachi. It was a goal worth pursuing.

Chapter Text

If anybody were to ask Bakugou, he would vehemently deny being nervous. It didn't matter that tomorrow was the first day as an intern at the Number Oner Hero's agency. It mattered even less, that Deku was going there with him.

"You are nervous, kouhai." Of course Creepy-Eyes didn't ask.

Katsuki wanted to deny, wanted to rage and tell him he would never be nervous because of such a minor thing, but he knew better by now. Every time he had given in to the impulse he was only met with a sceptical brow and the silent face of disappointment, before his outburst got ignored. It was infuriating.

But when he restrained himself, he was sometimes met with a small smile and approval in Yugasa's eyes. Katsuki wasn't dumb, he knew what Creepy-Eyes was doing. It still worked though and Bakugou felt proud of himself every time he could elicit this look. It was no different now. Bastard.

"Any wise words for me before I go off on my own?", he snarked in an attempt to change the topic.

There was a bit of a pause and Katsuki began to panic. The last time Yugasa had done that, meditation ended up on the lesson plan and before that balance training while using his Quirk. He really should stop asking questions as a taunt. Though it only ever backfired with Yugasa.

Said bastard hummed in his typical way. "I guess there is one advice I could give you."

Suddenly he looked right at Bakugou with an intensity which was only seen very rarely. His instincts screamed at him to pay attention.

"It is about priorities."

Katsuki frowned. He didn't need some cryptic shit right know.

"Always know your priorities."

At his most likely confused look, his classmate/mentor elaborated. "If you are not clear on them beforehand you hesitate and hesitation kills. So know, how your priorities are ordered."

"What kind of priorities do you even fucking mean?" Cryptic bastard.

"What is more important to you? Your life, the life of the little child you want to rescue? The choice between saving Endeavour or defeating the Villain? Kill the enemy or let them escape? What about Izuku or a random stranger?"

Katsuki bristled at the assumption the useless Deku could mean anything to him, but didn't say anything as he was already pinned by the sceptical eyebrow. Arsehole.

"Priorities like that. Always be honest to yourself about them too or you're going to regret it for the rest of your life."

"That's not very cheerful advice.", he commented for lack of anything other to say. He never thought of things like that before and he didn't want to start now.

"The person, who gave it to me, was speaking from experience. ", was the flat response.

Katsuki didn't know how to answer to that.

"He had lost his best friend and comrade because he hesitated."

He swallowed. His brain was helpfully supplying him with pictures of Deku screaming while flames ate him alive and he was too late. He hated it.

"Be careful to not make the same mistake, kouhai. Good night."

And Yugasa just walked away leaving him here alone. Not that he had a problem with being alone in the dark with images of his dying friends before his eyes. (He could practically hear the sceptical eyebrow.) Shut up!

It was probably best to go back to his room. He would need his sleep for tomorrow anyway. (Maybe the light would be bright enough to banish those images.) He should probably also think about what Yugasa had said.

Loath he was to admit it, most of what came out of Yugasa's mouth was useful and he dreaded this time was no different. But did he really needed to tell him such things, when he already had trouble sleeping? Bastard.

Chapter Text

"I want to hear another story!" Shouta fought a smile at Eri's adoring tone.

Itachi had his eyes closed and hummed contentedly. "I have another fairy-tale for you, but it is not for the faint of heart. Think you can take it?"

"Of course!"

Shouta lost his fight and smiled unabashedly. Itachi was surprisingly good with children. Maybe it had something to do with having had a younger brother.

He made eye contact. The impressions were what made those stories truly exceptional.

"Once upon a time there was a monkey. The monkey had fought many a battle, made friends and foes alike and had learned much about the ways of the world. So he looked for students to pass his knowledge on.

"A toad with an optimistic spirit and an instinctive insight into the life surrounding them," Red markings and the echo of a deep, hearty laugh. "a slug with a strength to do what is necessary and a determination to protect," Impressions of soothing green and a sense of deep regret. "and a snake with an unsatiable curiosity and and a mind sharp enough to unravel the secrets of the world." Golden, slit eyes and the feeling of corrosive greed.

"The monkey taught the toad how to connect to the nature and the people around him, the slug how heal bodies and minds of their friends and the snake how to satisfy his curiosity with research." Itachi's tone was decidedly light.

"It was not easy in the beginning. The cheery and easy-going personality of the toad clashed with the strict discipline of the slug and the cold rational of the snake. But with time and the guiding hand of their teacher, they learned to not condemn their differences but use them to their advantage."

"Slowly but surely they became inseparable and their teamwork was revered through the nations. The toad had the hope to attempt what seemed impossible, the slug had the strength to succeed where others would falter and the snake had the intelligence to overcome every hurdle on the way."

"The monkey could not be prouder of his students. They all had become respected warriors in their own rights."

Shouta could see the proud and benevolent smile the monkey gave his students. It was the calm before the storm.

"But then war struck."

From one second to the next the joyous atmosphere changed to a violent miasma.

"Presumed friends turned out to be traitors, families were torn apart, death claimed many and those three were in the middle of it all. They were a blessing to their comrades and a curse for their enemies." The screams of pain and relief made a terrifying cacophony.

"The toad turned the nature itself to their side, never to be exhausted. The slug healed their wounded, never giving up on them. And the snake swiftly struck down opponent after opponent, never to be outwitted.

"But despite their best efforts and countless wins, the war raged on and bathed their hands in the blood of countless. They were tired of the endless fighting, tired of the neverending carnage and the death of friends and family."

"It was after the battle that elevated them to legends, that they broke. Still reeling from the fight, they saw a little godling, his angel and their prophet in between the ruins. The snake saw their famished forms and advocated to kill them now for they would never had to live the desolate and dismal lives, that were undoubtedly their future. The slug just wanted to leave them alone so they could return home to their loved ones as fast as possible.

"But the toad, the toad saw potential in these young people, so similar to how they had once been. He could see the shimmer of divinity, the possibility of a god, wholly devoted to peace and so he went to stay and teach those three how his teacher had once taught them.

"The slug and snake could not believe it. They had fought together, laughed together and bled together only for them to be tossed aside still in the middle of the war. But they still had faith in their friend and comrade to come back to them and so they went home alone.

"They continued to fight in the war, no longer side by side, their missing team still an aching wound, and slowly but surely the end of it all was within sight, though it came with heavy losses. The slug had lost every single family member along the way, unable to save a single one and at the end of it all she couldn't bare to live with her failures anymore. She packed her things and fled into the land, drowning in her grief.

"For the second time in his life the snake had not been good enough to hold the only people he ever called friends and so he buried himself in his research, hoping in vain that the cold logic of his experiments would offer comfort. The monkey could do nothing but watch as his students one by one turned their backs on him, forsaking their friendship once and for all."

Shouta flinched violently when the gong for the next lesson sounded. He had been to immersed into the story to notice the time.

Itachi gave a slight smile. "Looks like I have to tell this story to the end next time."

Eri only gave a solemn nod. It seemed like the dark themes had gotten to her.

When they were out of earshot, Shouta had to ask, "It won't get any better, will it?"

"None of my stories have a happy end.", was the bittersweet answer.

Chapter Text

"Are you sure, you want to hear the rest of the story?"

Eri nodded vigorously.

"Where did I left off the last time? Do you remember?", Itachi gently asked the grinning girl.

It was adorable how she crunched her eyebrows when thinking hard.

"The slug had left her home and the snake was doing experiments because of it."

"That's right." There was a sort pause in which Itachi activated his Sharingan.

"It was shortly thereafter, that the toad finally came back. He had taught the orphans how to fend for themselves, had tried to instil his ideals in them and had promised to aid them on their quest for widespread peace. But when he went home, there was no home to speak of anymore. His teacher had already most of his hope to ever see his three students back together, The slug, who had always anchored him back down to earth, was missing and his former best friend was distant and resentful.

"So he tried. He followed the Slug and tried to convince her to come back, but she refused. Who was he to lecture her about responsibility and not leaving people behind? He, who started it all by vanishing for half a decade without so much a word to any of them.

"He went back to the town he once called home and tried reconnect with his erstwhile best friend. But with all the bad blood between them and the without the Slug to mediate the endeavour was doomed to fail from the start.

"Disheartened by his mistakes and without something to tether him to his home, he too took to roaming the lands, though he still visited from time to time.

"The Snake only took it as evidence for his theory: Everybody he cared about would eventually leave him and the only person he could rely on was himself. To that end, he started investigating ways to achieve immortality, so he could at least never be let down by himself.

"The monkey could only watch as the only student still within his reach grew more and more distant, killing whatever morals he still had left step by step, experiment by experiment." Blood, screams and despair before an uncaring reptile.

"Ware struck again, though this time only the Snake fought at the frontlines, utterly alone and more vicious than ever. Now he was not only feared by his enemies but also his allies for his clinical and emotionless nature." Fear, apprehension and a corrosive aura.

"After having to shed his skin he had a moment of inspiration. What if he could shed bodies like his skin? It seemed the most achievable form of immortality. And so he started his research, but with the war still raging he only had so much time.

"In the meantime the Toad received word that those orphans he had trained had been killed. In his guilt for having abandoned his friends for essentially nothing, he started to visit his home less and less.

"It took years for the war to finally end and when it did, the teacher could not in good conscience appoint the Snake as his successor. The Snake had become too ruthless, too distant from the people, he was meant to protect.

"The Snake saw this as the final act of betrayal and buried any residual feelings. His test-subjects weren't only enemies anymore, but also the people who trusted him to protect them. His own students became victims of his twisted experiments. Nobody was safe, not even children or newborns."

Shouta really could do without the visuals for this part. The sterile, white environment and the countless tubes with motionless bodies sent shudder after shudder down his spine. He prayed, that Itachi didn't give Eri the same impressions. She already had enough material for her nightmares.

"In his quest for immortality he devised a parasite, which he could inject into somebody and it would prepare their body for his takeover by corroding their minds. But it was not yet perfected and a better part of the infected died before he could even try to use their bodies."

Eri looked about as ill as Shouta felt.

"It took years for his machinations to be uncovered and when they finally were, he managed to flee leaving behind a Monkey grieving for a student he had lost two wars ago.

"The Slug still tried to drown her own grief at the bottom of the bottle and the Toad still roamed the lands running from guilt and responsibility.

"The Snake took his forceful exile as an opportunity and worked on perfecting his path to immortality. He had set his eyes on the most powerful body he could obtain, a dragon. The only problem was, that there were only two dragons left. One still young and weak, but safely ensconced in his former home and the other already matured and strong enough to pose a threat to him, but also in exile.

"The Snake chose to pursue the matured dragon and joined the organisation the dragon had become part of. For years the Snake tried to get into the dragons good graces and looked for exploitable weaknesses. But the dragon never had trusted the Snake knowing of his venomous nature. So when the time came and Snake made his move, the dragon was ready and soundly defeated him. Once again he fled to live another day.

"After getting beaten so easily the Snake switched targets and began to plot. For him to get anywhere near the young dragon he would have to invade his home. Maybe he even could kill his old teacher at the opportunity, pay him back for the betrayals.

"Some time went by, the Monkey was old, tired and weary by now. His successor had died only a short time after taking up his mantle and so he had gotten reinstated, but his fire had long been extinguished. The Slug ageless in appearance but drowning in grief and guilt, the Toad permanently on the run from his own mistakes and the Snake mad on his quest for power and eternal life."

For a moment Shouta thought the tale to be finished.

"But this time, this time the snake's plan bore fruit. He infected the young dragon with whispers of power and revenge and killed his teacher. It never gave him the satisfaction he had craved so badly."

Itachi made a short pause for it to sink in, but not long enough for them to recover.

"With the death of their teacher at the hands of their former comrade no less as a proof that her absence solved nothing, the Toad could finally convince the Slug to come back and take up the Monkey's position, though he himself still wandered the world in search of absolution of his responsibilities.

"The snake in the meantime had lured to young dragon to his lair and taught him his ways so the body would be at its best when he would take control over it. For two years the dragon grew in power and size until the Snake deemed him sufficiently strong to be the perfect vessel. But once again he underestimated a dragon's power and got himself devoured by his own student. In the moment of his death he was mad, alone and only a shell of his former self.

"Shortly after the consequences of his actions caught up with the Toad as well. For the godling, now at the cusp of divinity, and the angel had survived, but they had lost their prophet and with him their humanity. They sought to cut the last ties they had to the world to ascend into the realms of deities. And cut them they did. It was a battle for the history books" Wings, a giant toad and monsters not even close to human.

"But at the end the apprentice surpassed the master and the Toad fell at his students hand just like his teacher and his best friend had before him.

"The Slug didn't share the fate of her friends but for all the healing she could do she never managed to heal her broken heart and lived the rest of her life forever mourning all those she had lost. The end."
Shouta blinked. He felt about as dejected as Eri looked. He didn't even know where to begin with cheering Eri up after that story.

"I'd like to think that if the first war never had happened, they would have never shattered and instead tried to change the world for the better. But who knows. Maybe the Snake would have always lost himself, maybe the Slug would still have tried to find oblivion in the bottle and maybe the Toad would have run no matter the circumstances.", Itachi melancholically commented.

When nobody answered him he stood up. "I'll make some tea for us."

"Tea sounds good." Shouta replied automatically. His mind was still dazed. At least the tea would help keep Eri warm when she would inevitably crash.

Chapter Text

"Just so you know, I won't be here for the next few days. There is a mission which requires me being elsewhere.", Hawks informed Itachi. They had met for lunch every other day since the start of Itachi's internship.

"You were chosen for the battle against Gigantomachia, were you not?", his (hopefully) friend mused.

"Gigantomachia? That is the first time I hear that name." The briefing had only talked about a giant humanoid.

"Erstwhile bodyguard of All For One, rumoured to have limited intelligence but unfailing loyalty. He has at least one gigantification type quirk and seems not to be able to feel pain and currently resides in a mountainside.", was the dry comment.

"That does sound right. How do you know all of this?"

Hawks wondered whether he would ever cease to be surprised by all the things Itachi seemed to know. When he had been younger and new to the Commission he was often paired with other promising children who had been very smart in the hopes of them bonding, but those kids had all crumbled under the pressure they had been subjected to. He didn't think Itachi would have given in. Maybe they would have gotten famous as a team, like All Might and Sir Nighteye.

"I'm attending biweekly meetings with the head-investigator of the All For One case.", Itachi said with nonchalance. Hawks never before had met someone, whose nonchalance sounded so honest. It seemed in no way forced or insecure.

"Of course you do.", Hawks noted amused. For such a new character in the scene he had an astounding amount of connections.

Itachi smiled enigmatically in lieu of an answer and Hawks could only shake his head at the antics.

"Any tips you can give me for the fight then master-analyst?", he teased the other. As always a slight blush rose in those pale cheeks at the compliment. It was adorable.

"His senses are good enough, that he can't be surprised, so any kind of ambush won't work. There is also no use in trying to tire him out. All For One was to smart for such an obvious weakness."

He paused and Hawks carefully paid attention.

"I strongly suspect that I would be able to trick his mind and impersonate All For One but my offer to help was rejected."

"Why?" That was a curious decision.

"The main reason would be that I am not yet trusted enough to be allowed to control such a powerful fighter." Hawks was impressed that there was no bitterness at all in Itachi's tone. He said it like he approved of the decision. It had taken Hawks years to be as level-headed as that.

"It still seems like it should be worth a try." If it did work, there was a high chance it would save a Hero's life.

"Not my decision.", was the curt comment.

Hawks took the hint and changed the topic, though he resolved to ask his superiors about it.

"You want to spar?"

A few days later, when he watched Itachi walking fearlessly into the forest and coming back out with the giant obediently at his heels he couldn't help but notice the mix of apprehension and greed Itachi was greeted with. So he made it a point of congratulating him with a big smile. Going by the slightly exasperated look he got in return Itachi knew what he was doing, but Hawks just grinned unrepentant.

Nobody was going to steal Itachi from him.

Chapter Text

"Don't you think your students are using excessive force?", Shouta was asked by his colleague Vlad King.

He had to hide the twitching of his mouth with his scarf at that. Itachi did look more like a mummy than a living person at the moment but he couldn't fault Kouda for it. His problem-pupil was extremely good at escaping all manners of bonds.

"I think they are using just the right amount of force."

"Yugasa-kun certainly won't be escaping anytime soon, that is for sure."

"Since they did gag him, it certainly does look like it."

"He has a vicious mouth, too?"

"You don't know half of it.", Eraserhead groaned.

"I admit I was surprised when you first came to me with your new version of the joint training. Mixing the the classes is not something we've done before."

"That idea came from the principal. Something about rivalry turning into prejudice if not counteracted regularly." In actuality the idea most likely came from Itachi who had told Nezu about it during one of their chess or shogi games. But his fellow teacher would have been even less accepting of that.

Vlad snorted in derision. "The rivalry is what motivates them."

"They look motivated enough to me."

In fact the fight between the team of Kouda with his animals, Bakugou with his explosion, Bondo with his glue and Shiozaki with her vines on one side against the team of Ashido with her acid, Ojiro with his tail, Kendo with her giant fists and Tsuburaba with his air prison on the other side was a sight to behold.

Kendo's team was going for the divide and conquer strategy but to everyone's surprise Bakugou had been the one to identify it and since it was his team that already had gotten hold of the quarry (namely Itachi), they tried to stay together and defend it.

When Vlad didn't immediately answer, Shouta pursued the topic. The more people would be convinced of the truly Joint Training, the easier it would be to implement for the future.

"It also teaches them how important it is to quickly decide on a command structure and develop tactics on the spot. Both of those skills are invaluable in the field and not easy to teach otherwise."

He took the answering grunt as a win.

In the arena the team around Kendo had through a bit of subterfuge managed to get a hold of Itachi and was now trying to make a strategic retreat, though the vines and the glue were making that a rather difficult endeavour.

"You have changed.", Vlad remarked suddenly.

It wasn't a question so Eraserhead didn't answer.

"One year ago you wouldn't have cared about things like that." That observation was as uncomfortable as it was true.

"Near death experiences have the habit of changing people.", he offered as an explanation. It was as good of an answer as any. He was not on good enough terms with Vlad for a better one in any case.

"I guess that is true." Vlad didn't sound convinced and Eraserhead didn't care.

Team Bakugou had managed to reclaim the objective but had gotten separated doing so. It would be interesting to see whether they could evacuate without losing as much a a single team member. If so, it would be a testament to Itachi's teachings.

"Do you still think that banning Yugasa-kun from using his quirk was the right idea? Team A did capture him without any big problems."

"And that is solely because he personally tutored both Kouda-kun and Bakugou-kun for most of this school-year. They are intimately familiar with his fighting and trapping styles, not to talk about that they knew to gag him." And the fact that Itachi wasn't allowed to use any of his more lethal traps.

His colleague still looked sceptical and Shouta got an idea. "I'll bet you three night watches that the first team not to gag him will lose because of it."

Vlad narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "You seem very confident in this silver tongue of his."

"Not so much his tongue but his ability to inflict venom with every bite."

"Your overconfidence will be your downfall. I accept that wager."

Team Bakugou did lose one of its members but Bakugou managed to knock out two from the enemy team and secured a safe extraction. Overall it was a convincing victory for his team and Eraserhead was immensely proud. Both Kouda and Bakugou had grown by leaps and bounds over the course of this year.

Shouta grinned maliciously when the next teams were announced. With Monoma, Shinsou and Todoroki on one team he would definitely win the bet.

Chapter Text

Kouji stood with Itachi and Katsuki when the Hero Mt. Lady explained them how she was going to simulate an interview with each and every one of them. Predictably Katsuki was not very keen on the idea.

"What a waste of time. We could train instead doing this stupid stuff.", he scoffed.

"Isn't your goal to be the Number One Hero?", Itachi asked deceptively mild.

Kouji knew that tone. It meant "You are stupid and I'm going to have fun at your expense." Bakugou hadn't yet learned to notice the tone and Kouji prepared himself for an explosive outburst, when he realised he was being toyed with.

"Yeah, what of it?", was the derisive answer.

"How do you think someone gets chosen to be the No. 1 Hero?" Kouji could positively feel the smug amusement oozing from his best friend.

"How should I know?" He still sounded confident, but Kouji could detect the hint of wariness in his posture. He could empathise. It was a natural reaction to being around Itachi for a prolonged time. His friend always was scheming something.

"What did I tell you about long-term missions?" That was his lecture-voice now.

Katsuki looked ready to explode at the perceived insult, but swallowed it back. He had been getting better at that.

He frowned and thought for a moment. "Always do as much reconnaissance as possible, because then you are less likely to be caught unaware and can react to unforeseen circumstances with higher accuracy."

That did sound like something Itachi would say, not that it made it any less true. His friend just had the habit of sometimes speaking like well-read people wrote.

"Correct. Reaching the No. 1 Hero-spot is your long-term goal, isn't it?"

Kouji could see the moment it clicked in Katsuki's brain. A vein popped on his forehead, but he still held himself back. Only a growl escaped between his teeth. Kouji had to congratulate him, that was considerable progress compared to the first half of the schoolyear.

"To answer the question. The rankings are determined partially by your official statistics and partially by popular vote. And the second half is the reason why you should pay attention to the lesson. As long as the people don't like you, you can be as good of Hero as you like, but you still won't get the the title of No. 1 Hero."

Bakugou just made another sound of inarticulate rage. Kouji gave an exasperated and amused sigh. Itachi just loved to rile Katsuki up.

His friend chuckled at their antics only proving Kouji's point further.

Katsuki's interview went better than Kouji had feared, but still was rather disastrous. Bakugou didn't blow up at Mt. Lady and did not give one of his infamous tirades, however he still managed to insult his audience, his fellow Heroes and Mt. Lady herself.

Growling at his smug expression Katsuki dared Itachi to do better, when he got back from the stage. Kouji could only sigh again at Itachi's almost purred "With pleasure."

Though he couldn't deny being a bit curious himself. Despite Itachi being downright strange in most social interactions, it was a completely different matter when he had a goal to accomplish. Then he mutated to a charming and confident young man, you could trust with your most guarded secrets. It was startling every single time.

Again Kouji could only watch as the normally graceful but efficient gait changed to pure elegance, when his friend climbed the steps to the small podium.

"And here we have the Raven Hero: Munin. One round of applause for our mysterious guest, please!", Mt. Lady introduced him.

Itachi smiled shyly at the class and bowed elegantly. Kouji swore he could hear Hagakure and Ashido swoon at the sight.

Katsuki just scoffed next to him.

"It is an honour and a pleasure to be here." He bowed again, this time to Mt. Lady. She was visibly delighted.

"My, aren't you a polite one."

"I'm only giving people the respect they deserve." Somehow he managed to not sound insincere.

"Well, I am glad someone does.", Mt. Lady joked in response.

"So what can you tell your fans about yourself? You are quite the private Hero as I've heard."

"That is correct. I have no interest in providing my enemies with personal information, but I will tell you, that my favourite food is dango and my favourite colour is blue." Itachi gave a roguish smirk, which made the truly unimportant information sound like something precious. It was mindboggling.

"Well, I guess a bit of information is better than nothing for your fans. Maybe you can tell us a bit more about your hero-name? Munin is connected to the Norse mythology, is it not?"

The interview continued in that fashion. Itachi gave charming but evasive answers and never revealed anything of interest while still ensnaring audience.

Bakugou went from disbelieving to annoyed to contemplative during it and the last one sent a shiver down Kouji's back. The image of a friendly and charming Bakugou was just that frightening. Though he still growled when a smug looking Itachi rejoined them in the audience.

"Words are a weapon just like any other, kouhai." By the gods could Itachi play the arrogant and pretentious arsehole well. Kouji had seen him being shit on by fledglings and still almost bought the act.

"Fuck off!", was Bakugou's predictable response.

Kouji laughed.

Chapter Text

"You are going to tell me where the secret quirk laboratories of the MLA are."

Giran froze at the voice in his ear and the blade at his throat. It was not the first time he got threatened though definitely the first time it happened in his own apartment.

But he hadn't gotten into his position by letting himself being frightened into revealing important information.

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Of course not. I would be severely disappointed if that were the case." The voice was slightly raspy, clearly belonging to a male and the breath stank of blood. Giran couldn't remember any of his clients sounding like this and he had an excellent memory.

"But I also didn't ask."

He could hear a faint bird's caw in the distance and then he was screaming. He was Giran, the broker. He wouldn't give the information up.

Something dark and sticky was crawling up his torso and he tried to remove it with his hands but the moment he touched it, it tries to crawl under his nails, digging into his flesh.

It moves beneath his skin, creeping in his veins and worming towards his face. He scratches his throat until the blood runs drips into his scarf but the thing under his skin doesn't stop and he can feel it wiggle in his throat. He gags but it won't come out, so he claws deeper and he can feel the sinews moving between his fingers as he screams again.

At the back of his head a crow promises rest if he would just speak but he is Giran, the broker. He doesn't and the things in his skin pulse and grow. He can see his leg deform and the pressure increases everywhere. He cries out in pain.

The promise of peace is more insistent, more tempting, but he is Okuta Kagero and he will - It pulses again and this time it creeps up his nose and out of it . He wants to rip it off with his hands, but his fingers are grotesque caricatures. Bending at odd angles, too long too sharp and he screams for something, for help, for an end.

Satisfaction curles in the recesses of his mind and there is brief moment of resistance left in Kagero, but then the raven in front of him plucks out his eye. The darkness of oblivion eagerly embraced the fractured pieces of what once was Giran, the broker. The hungry inferno consumed the physical leftovers shortly thereafter, leaving the ashes in the wind as the only witness.

Chapter Text

Kouji had to swallow and hide his grimace. Objectively he had known Itachi could be a ruthless bastard, but to see it with his own eyes was a different experience altogether.

"And here I thought you wanted to prove 1-B's superiority, yet you let Todoroki order you around like a common dog." Kouji couldn't see Monoma's hands, but they surely were balled into fists.

"I wonder why he doesn't want you anywhere near your opponents. It is a rather stupid tactic considering your fighting style relies on copying Quirks." Condescension was dripping off every word. Itachi even somehow managed to look down at Monoma while kneeling on the ground.

"Why are you telling me this?" His rage was only barely contained and Kouji wondered what exactly Itachi was aiming for.

"That was a truly pathetic attempt at Shinsou's Quirk. How exactly did you manage to get into the Hero-course anyway? Your copies are weak imitations and you can't throw a punch to save your life."

He could see the moment Monoma's control snapped. Something dark and ugly flashed on his face and he advanced on Itachi. "I will show you why they chose me for the Hero-course and shut your stupid mouth!"

Monoma stopped a few steps in front of the chair they had Itachi tied to, ice forming in his hands. Kouji hoped his friend knew what he was doing, because it looked like Monoma did intend to harm.

Itachi curled his mouth into a mockery of a smile. "Still scared?"

Kouji didn't know what his classmate was referencing but it certainly did its job. Monoma reared up, stalked forward and tried to punch Itachi in the face. The key word was "tried".

In a move Kouji had not seen coming, Itachi threw himself forward under the punch and against Monoma's legs. In the following scuffle he then stole Monoma's knife and freed himself of the bounds. After that it didn't take long for Monoma to get knocked out.

"I now understand why you insisted on gagging him. Thank you." Kouji had almost forgotten Shiozaki was observing here with him. He blushed a bit at the praise. "You're welcome."

In the meantime Todoroki had engaged the opposing team and they had not yet managed to overcome his defences. Shinsou and the girl who could resize objects, were providing support, but it was clear as day that they had no synergy to speak of.

So it was no wonder that Shinsou took the opportunity to fall back, when "Monoma" requested his aid. To give him credit, he did figure out it wasn't Monoma on the radio, but the trap had already been sprung.

Kouji recognised the knots. Shinsou was not going to get out of those binds anytime soon and going by his resigned posture he also knew it.

Meanwhile Todoroki had managed to defeat the opposing team at the cost of their fourth member. Normally Itachi would trick Todoroki with an illusion and win that way but he didn't have access to them this time.

Itachi's solution to the problem was leading Todoroki on a merry chase wasting as much time as possible. When there were only two minutes left, Todoroki finally lost his temper and froze the entire compound Itachi had hid in this time.

"You do remind me of your father, Todoroki-kun.", his friend said over the radio. Kouji winced. That was a low blow.

"I am nothing like him." Todoroki sounded like he had to convince himself, too.

"But you are. Or did you not assume command only on the basis that you are the strongest? Did you not just froze an entire house without a care about where you defeated enemies lie? Did you not sacrifice Kodai-san for the sake of victory?"

The sharp edges of the words stood in bright contrast to the soft and amused tone they were said in. Kouji definitely needed to talk to Itachi about what an appropriate amount of psychological inflicted harm on allies was.

With every word his friend said Todoroki looked more more like he had reached his breaking point. There was a crazed sheen to his face that sent shivers down Kouji's spine.

He was steaming by the time he reached Itachi's position. "I am not like him!"

Itachi greeted him with a cold smile. "You are and your mother clearly thought the same."

Again Kouji didn't know what Itachi was referencing but it tipped Todoroki over the edge of reason.

Multiple things happened simultaneously. Todoroki flung himself forwards with a deafening cry of inarticulate rage, a lethal inferno forming in his hand. Itachi eyes snapped open, blood red in colour. The alarm signalled the end of the "training exercise".

Kouji didn't even have the time to be scared for his friend before the situation resolved itself. Todoroki was forced to his knees by whatever illusion Itachi had forced him into, his fire extinguished by Aizawa-sensei's Erasure.

In following chaos Kouji somehow managed to be the first one reaching his classmates. He bodily restrained Todoroki who, in his rage, fought against the illusion-induced paralysis. At least until Itachi bent down, caressed a spot on his classmate's ribs and whispered in his ear. "I did not think you like your father, Todoroki-kun, but your last actions have changed my opinion on the matter. Those were purely Endeavour, don't you agree?"

Kouji felt Todoroki go slack in surrender. By the time Eraserhead arrived one could hear tiny sobs and he was shaking uncontrollably.

Later, when he asked Itachi why he had gone so far and his friend answered with a blink and "Sometimes you have to break things down to build them up again.", Kouji for the first time since the U.S.J. Massacre, could see the monster beneath the skin. He marvelled at how human it was.

Chapter Text

"Itachi?", Shouta asked with false confidence.

His ward was trying to carve something out of a small block of wood. It was a rather recent habit he had only picked up after Shouta had bullied him into having a not fighting related hobby.

Shouta took the hum as a sign he had been heard.

"What exactly did you do that day in Kamino?" There were a lot of things that didn't add up. Especially the claim, overuse of his Sharingan resulted in the bleeding eyes. Since then he had seen Itachi using his quirk for longer periods of time with greater intensity with only a headache to show for it.

The proud(?) smile and the closed eyes now were only confirming his fears.

"I wondered if you ever would ask me about that."

Shouta frowned. "Is that your way of telling me you won't answer the question?"

An almost inaudible laugh. "No. What exactly do you want to know?"

"Why were your eyes bleeding?"

"As I told you I strained them." Only the minute twitch of Itachi's mouth clued him in that he was being teased. He levelled an unimpressed stare at the teenager, who only smirked in response before getting serious again.

"I used the blessings three times. Such power was never meant to be wielded by mortals and the body has to pay the price."

This normally would have struck Shouta speechless but he had become a little more resistant to shocking revelations in the past year.

"The blessings, for which you already had to sacrifice something important to even gain access? That doesn't sound very fair to me." He had been wary of those "gods" before, but that sounded downright abusive. If one could call a relationship between a god and a worshipper that.

Itachi's mouth twisted into a smile Shouta could not yet identify. "Since one of them killed All For One I wouldn't call the trade unfair in terms of power."

His resistance to baffling news was not yet high enough for that particular titbit of information. He gaped like a fish for a moment before gathering enough braincells for a perplexed, "What?"

"But they said his own Quirk ..." Shouta had been there that day in Kamino. Nobody had even tried go near the burning Villain and it was not like there were any alive experts on his quirk. It was just the theory they had decided on because it sounded plausible. The attempt of using more than one quirk at the same time resulting in death. It felt poetic.

His thoughts must have been obvious because Itachi hummed. "It does make for a good narrative, doesn't it? A bit like a fable. Don't try to steal other peoples' powers or your hunger for power will consume you."

Itachi did look unusually smug. "You didn't coincidentally suggest this particular theory to the authorities, did you?"

His student flashed him a grin and Shouta couldn't help but laugh. He should've known. The explanation basically screamed Itachi with its symbolic and dramatic nature. It told you what you wanted to be true and so it never got investigated properly. It was a stroke of genius. Everybody had fallen for it without questioning its plausibility, because it felt logical. A fallacy if he'd ever seen one. The same principle that was behind Itachi's illusions only on a bigger scale.

He laughed even more. Nezu, the one policeman with the truth quirk and whoever else was planning contingencies for a villainous Itachi, had already fallen for his trick. They missed the forest for the trees. It was hilarious.

It took some time but Shouta managed to get himself together once more. The thing Itachi carved had begun looking like a fish in the meantime. "So, black fire?"

"It burns one thing or being to nothing. That includes soul and spirit. There are not even ashes left afterwards."

That was disgustingly powerful. He took his earlier assessment back. Maybe it was a fair trade. The power did manage to do what generations of talented and trained Heroes hadn't.

He laughed again when he realised that even if he wanted to tell the truth about what happened to All For One nobody would believe him. The people wanted "evidence" for karma or something the like. And what better "proof" than the Villain of the century succumbing to his own greed?

He cleared his head again. "You said three times. If I understood correctly, Shigaraki and All For One were each one activation."

For once Itachi answered an unasked question. "I also had a little chat with All For One. But I cannot tell you of its contents. Not yet at least."

There were so many things to unpack in there. But as always Shouta didn't press. He had gotten enough shocking revelations for at least the next two weeks.

"I won't ask, though I am interested in what you are making there. Is that a shark?"

Itachi smiled wistfully. "Yes. We were comrades for almost a decade." He hoped Itachi didn't mean a literal shark. That would be curious to say the least.

He observed his ward once again. There was a kind of serenity to him when he was carving. On the one hand Shouta was happy Itachi was trying to process his past artistically, on the other hand Shouta would end up with a collection of carvings with most likely horrifying stories behind them. The joys of "parenthood".

"Are you going to paint it?" He would have to buy a cat-secure cabinet for them. One of his loved drinking every dubious liquid she could get her paws on.

Itachi cocked his head to the side. "I think I am."

Shouta raised his eyebrows. "All black?"

"Despite what you and Hawks seem to think, I do appreciate other colours.", Itachi sniffed. The arrogant posture and the haughty tone were just perfect and Shouta broke out laughing once more. He hadn't had so much fun for a long time.

Chapter Text

Once again Shouta laid awake at night, thoughts churning in his head. In the room opposite of him Itachi should be sleeping in his bed, not that Shouta wanted to check up on it. Plausible deniability had become his best friend and ignorance was bliss.

Living with Itachi was on the one hand exactly as he had expected it and on the other hand absolutely not.

He was quiet, neat and independent. At times Shouta almost forgot he even existed and it scared him. He was practically living with one of the most powerful people in the world and it was just so ... ordinary.

He had seen Itachi slaughter his enemies and break their minds, but when he sat on their couch smiling about something funny he was reading while petting a cat, he was just normal. He looked like a regular teenager then, not at all like the person capable of killing the greatest Villain of all time.

Shouta had always told his students not to forget that Heroes and Villains were just people too, but it seemed like he had forgotten that lesson himself. For all his might and intelligence, Itachi was still a human. He had his likes and dislikes, his little habits and routines like any other person. Hell, he even had a sense of humour. It was jarring.

At some point Shouta must have classified Itachi as a monster and consequently thought him incapable of being human. When had he started to forget that monster and men were not mutually exclusive titles? He used to know it.

Itachi had never even claimed to not be "mortal" (as he would call it), rather the opposite. He once said "The day I claim to be anything other than human is the day I lose myself." and still Shouta had been blinded by his own beliefs.

It was strangely reminiscent of the story Itachi had told about All For One's death. Shouta hadn't wanted to believe Itachi was human, so he had disconnected any evidence of it from his mental image of the student.

He was starting to understand how Itachi could puppeteer people so easily. As long as they had no reason to doubt the illusions he was feeding them, they never even tried to break free. The difficulty laid in knowing what kind of narrative the person would be receptive to, not in weaving the illusions themselves, though Itachi undoubtedly was a master of both.

How must the world feel for his student, when he could manipulate everybody to his will? When nobody could hold a candle to his intelligence? Shouta couldn't imagine.

What would he have done if he could do basically whatever he wanted? Probably something stupid like trying to control the government into making the legal system just again and inciting violent protests in the meantime, because the people wouldn't have supported the decision and Shouta would've had no idea what he was doing.

Thinking about that, it was a credit to Itachi's wisdom and maturity that he didn't already do something like it. Though, going by some of the clues his student had given him, he likely had tried something in his old world and it had failed horribly.

Shouta shuddered. Itachi's former home had not been a peaceful place, if the story about the Toad the Slug and the Snake was any indication.

He couldn't imagine what it was like for Itachi to grow up in such a home. He must've been a quiet and shy child in a violent environment. He would've had to adapt or be broken.

Shouta took those thoughts and banned them into the deepest, darkest pits of his mind. That was not something he wanted to think about any further. Especially not at night when he wanted to sleep.

It took him over an hour to get some shut eye and when he finally did, he dreamed of a dragon, forged with steel under unbearable pressure until it shattered.

Chapter Text

Umehana Naoto allowed himself a satisfied smirk on the inside when Yugasa Itachi, like the many people before, grasped his hand in greeting. He had expected someone with a reputation for paranoia to be more careful with skin to skin contact, not that he was complaining.

His Quirk activated and he was pulled into the scene.

He was on a great staircase surrounded by forest. The detail was overwhelming. HE could see every single dent in the stonework, the individual leafs on the trees and it all overlapped in a bizarre fashion with itself. Naoto knew he would have a headache afterwards.

Apprehension overpowered the underlying sense on paranoia when he saw the other figure on the stairs. The person was even more weird than the rest. There were the flowing clothes and body, sharp and detailed like everything else, but on the inside there was something more. Something malleable and slippery. It churned it agitation and its movement was even more headache-inducing than all the other overlapping that happened.

The figure took a step and then another. The tension rose and he prepared for an attack. Golden eyes pierced his own and their was a connection and another layer. A desolate landscape, stakes preventing any movement. The next layer, which intercepted the first layer and the conscious mind of the enemy. And the last layer in which his opponent was to move as if nothing had happened.

In this the pale figure passed him before attacking his back with a snake, binding his body. He was not surprised the least.

He broke the second layer and the first dissolved on his own as the enemy was realising what happened. To Naoto the language was incomprehensible but they certainly weren't exchanging pleasantries.

Before the liquid inside the second man could form anything, he dashed forward cutting off the arm. A sense of contemplation, interrupted by another person also with the odd energy inside. The afterimage? beforeimage? effect was worse with him. Possibility after possibility seen and discarded as the time ticked on like before seemingly slower. A decision made and the assailant escaped with the help of the one interrupting.

Naoto opened his eyes again and was back in his office standing before Yugasa. Pain was cursing through his head and his vision was blurry. There was something liquid on his face.

At some point he must have let go of the hand. There was blood on his finger. Pressure was building inside his head. Was that nosebleed? He fainted.

Naoto woke up in a hospital. His head was still pounding.

A talk with the nurses revealed that Yugasa had called the ambulance and had not accused him of using his Quirk. Naoto certainly didn't correct the assumption. While it was technically not forbidden for him to use his Quirk on interns as a part of a performance review, it would not be good for publicity.

He slept again only to wake up to Yugasa looming over him. "Good evening, Umehana-san."

He couldn't help but notice the lack of respect. Naoto was after all still one of Commission's top managers and Yugasa only an intern. An intern they wanted desperately enough to have Naoto handle the recruitment but still just an intern.

"Yugasa-kun." His voice was a bit raspy and his mouth dry.

"You don't look completely horrified, so it couldn't have been the massacre you saw." There was a tinge of amusement in his tone, which only got more pronounced when Naoto froze in panic.

"Did you really think I would not notice? I just don't want people to ask you about it. After all the biggest regret is something very personal. Knowing it is a boon in negotiations."

As an influential character Naoto knew that tone. It was not the first time someone tried to blackmail him. "What do you want?"

If anything, Naoto was the one with the blackmail-material but if he played along long enough, Yugasa would reveal more of his cards. Beyond that Naoto was the one lying defenceless in the hospital bed and Yugasa clearly didn't have any compunctions about harming people.

Contrary to the Heroes the Commission deployed, Naoto had a fully-fledged self-preservation instinct.

"Not much. Just you telling me what you saw and then forgetting about it."

That sounded entirely too reasonable. He didn't demand a job at the Commission, no favour, no money. It was suspicious, but the file had called Yugasa a genius multiple times.

"That's it?"

"That's it." There was no hesitation, no looking away, no squirming. He seemed truthful. Though the file had also called him a natural when it came to undercover work.

"I accept." Naoto clearly needed to play along a bit further to get any valuable information.

Yugasa nodded. "Tell me then, what is my biggest regret?"

As far as regrets went, the one he had seen was one of the harder ones to interpret. Naoto hadn't been able to understand the language, the visuals had gone haywire and he had no context to go on.

"There was a man in a black cloak with red clouds." Yugasa didn't show any signs of recognition but Naoto pressed on.

"He had gold eyes and long hair. You two fought? and he escaped with the help of another person."

Yugasa smiled. That was not the typical reaction people had when confronted with their biggest regret.

"I guess that does make sense. I oftentimes wished I had killed him that day." Again, also not a typical regret. Especially not of a Hero. If he could call Yugasa a Hero anyway.

"If it hadn't been for him, my plan would have worked."

There was a dangerous pause in which Naoto didn't dare to breathe.

"Anyway, thank you. Now to the forgetting part."

Eyes, red like the blood running out of his nose and he woke up in a hospital bed. Had he collapsed? He must have. His office. A boy. He had used his Quirk and pain had been the answer. His head throbbed. Trying to remember was obviously a bad idea. He slept again.

Chapter Text

"Detective Tsukauchi." Eraserhead's greeting was curt and emotionless as always. They had worked together in the past since Eraserhead's Quirk was particularly useful for capturing strong emitter-type Villains alive, but the two of them had sometimes clashed over the battle plan. Eraserhead was used to fight alone and relied heavily on surprise and ambushes while Naomasa planned to fight head on with overwhelming strength or numbers.

"Eraserhead. Thank you for seeing me." Naomasa gestured to the seat on the other side of table. He had decided to meet on neutral ground in a private restaurant booth. The topic was rather sensitive after all.

"Don't thank me yet.", was the gruff response.

They sat in silence for about a minute until it was clear Naomasa had to break it if he wanted any answers today. "Before we start I'd like to inform you that this conversation will not be recorded and is not official in any capacity."

Eraserhead nodded and observed him with tired eyes that belied their sharpness. He had been one of the fastest figuring out Naomasa's Quirk.

"If I understand correctly, you are close to Yugasa Itachi." Most other people would have missed the minute tightening of Eraserhead's mouth but not Naomasa.

"Close is a relative term, but that is correct, yes." Careful to what he was admitting. Clever but also very much suspicious.

"Well, I'm going to be blunt: How strong is his Quirk?" After reviewing the interviews with Muscular, Overhaul and other opponents his instincts had started screaming at him that he was missing something big.

Eraserhead only blinked once at him. "What kind of strength are you asking about?"

"Every kind." The more information the better.

"And why should I tell you?" That was the question, wasn't it? Eraserhead was obviously defensive of his student.

Naomasa stayed silent a moment too long.

"He told me you would be seeking me out." The Hero looked awake all of a sudden. That and the fact it wasn't lie were sending a shiver down Naomasa's spine.

"I don't know what kind of game you two are playing and, frankly speaking, do also not give a shit. I'll answer two more of your questions and then I never want to speak to you about my student in an unofficial capacity ever again. Understood?."

The detective frowned. Eraserhead referring to it as a "game" sat uneasy with him. It implied Yugasa saw it as one and wasn't that a terrifying concept? Only Villains would call such serious matters a game.

"I apologise and I understand." Eraserhead made it clear that any further action would be met with force and since he had Yugasa and most likely Nezu on his side, that wasn't a battle Naomasa was willing to take. If he wanted to win this war, he had to be resourceful.

"Good. About the strength of his Quirk I can only say, that it is on the higher end of the scale but his mastery is, what makes it truly exceptional. I don't think there ever was or there ever will be a more powerful combination of Quirk and wielder."

Naomasa could once again not detect a single hint of a lie. "That includes All For One." It wasn't a question and Eraserhead didn't answer. The teacher seriously thought Yugasa more powerful than the greatest Villain to ever have existed. Though Naomasa had to take it with grain of salt. Eraserhead had only witnessed the bastard after his defeat at All Might's hands.

What to ask next?

"How do the illusions work?" If he ever wanted to have a shot at taking Yugasa down, it was imperative he knew how it functioned.

Eraserhead gave him a calculating look. "By manipulating neurons."

Naomasa definitely had to read up on biology. He knew neurons were a type of cell responsible for the nervous system but that was about it.

He thought about his last question for a moment. If Yugasa had been smart enough to anticipate his movements and still allow the meeting, Eraserhead didn't know anything crucial about his illegal activities so it would be of no use asking about it.

"Is Yugasa Itachi a Villain?" The answer would not only give him insight into Yugasa's school persona but also into the level of attachment Eraserhead had.

"No, but he also isn't a Hero." So Eraserhead knew Yugasa was not what he pretended to be.

"Yet you still teach him." The "as a hero" went unsaid.

"You'd rather have him go about completely unchecked?" Because they were doing such a good job.

The thought must have shown on his face and earned him a deadpan look. "I'd like to see you control someone with power of All Might and the intellect of Nezu."

Point to Eraserhead. Naomasa only ever managed to steer the force of nature that had been All Might. Just because Yugasa was more like the treacherous currents dragging you underneath and not the hurricane ripping you apart, it didn't mean he wasn't a force of nature.

And as much as Naomasa hated it, Yugasa didn't seem to do anything harmful. He taught the next generation of Heroes, had helped Naomasa with some of the investigation and had improved a lot of battle plans for the bigger operations. Not once had Yugasa had withheld crucial information that led to a Hero or civilian getting hurt. He had warned them of ambushes and traps multiple times and not even in a suspicious way.

Still, he was undoubtedly a criminal and as such should be brought to justice. It might just take Naomasa a bit longer than he had hoped.

"Thank you for the meeting, Eraserhead. I won't be taking up your time any longer."

"See to it that it won't happen again and we'll be even."

What a charming man. Naomasa sighed. This was going to be a headache.

Chapter Text

Izuku was dreaming. There was no other explanation for the endless expanse around him. The sky was a moonless red. Two figures were standing in the distance.

“You're hurting him.” That was Itachi's voice.

“It is necessary.” The voice was strange but sounded familiar. Like a memory from a long time ago you had only just recalled.

“It isn't.” There was an absolute authority behind those words. Izuku couldn't imagine them not being correct. After all Itachi was never wrong.

The wavering shadow of the second person vehemently disagreed. Why did it feel like Izuku knew them?

“Our purpose has not been fulfilled yet! We must destroy Him!” A sense of righteous fury filled Izuku. His fists clenched involuntarily.

“He is dead. The only thing still remaining is a mere shadow. Not unlike yourselves.” A ripple went through the strange figure. Izuku was torn on which side he should stand.

“It has to be destroyed too. How can you expect us to stay idle while this vile monster still roams the earth?” A Hero's work was never done. Izuku knew that to be true. But when had he learned?

“So you are not willing to negotiate.” The red of the sky bled into the plane they were standing on.

“There is no negotiating on the matter of All For One. He has to be eradicated and we won't rest until that goal is accomplished.” Izuku almost nodded along with the shadow(s), All For One was no joking matter. What?

“I see. You know, it is kind of funny.” Amusement curled around Itachi like snakes ready to strike their prey. “He said the same thing.”

Rage cursed through him. How dare he compare them to the monster?

“Even now you can't control yourself. You take away his freedom to think and feel for himself just because I offended you. It is no wonder He could defeat you all rather easily.”

There was a sweeping motion by Itachi and Izuku felt like he had been drenched in cold water. The rage, fury and righteousness disappeared at once and for the first time in what felt like years his head was clear.

“What- How?” He turned to Itachi. What was this place? Who was the other person? Why did he feel so light all of a sudden?

The boy just smiled at him. It was a sad one. “This is a place in your head I made.”

Izuku's thoughts raced all the while the shadowy figure was struggling against invisible restraints. If this was inside his own head and Itachi was here because of his own Quirk, who exactly was the other person? It certainly didn't sound like Itachi had invited them in. Who else had access to his thoughts? (And why wasn't he more disturbed by the mere idea of it?)

“You can't do this! Without us the boy is nothing! You wouldn't want to harm him now, would you?” The faces were changing rapidly all twisted in a grimace of resentment. All of them felt familiar but he couldn't put a name to one of them.

Then what the being said registered in his brain. What had they been talking about the whole time? All For One and hurting someone, overriding their thoughts and emotions … Wait.

“Were you talking about me?” Another smile from his classmate though this was more on the proud side. A nod.

“Ahh, Izuku. It is nice to finally meet you face to face.” The restrained person turned to him, a charming smile on his face.

Izuku's eyebrows scrunched in thought. He still could not recognize that voice despite it being so familiar. It began to get on his nerves.

“I don't think we've ever met.” He wasn't going to be nice to an interloper in his brain.

Suddenly he flew far above the shadows, Itachi by his side. “And you never will meet.”

The new perspective revealed a net of strange symbols on the floor with the shadow in the centre.

“For what it is worth, I am sorry to rob you of your chance of godlike greatness.” Before Izuku could process that, Itachi did something and the symbols flared to life. The space seemed to fold in on itself in a matter, which hurt his brain if he looked at it too long.

At the end where once stood a humanoid shape, know there was a red and black battery.

“They won't be able to influence you any more. Only lend some of their power. Like it should have been in the first place if they hadn't been so stubborn.”

Izuku looked incredulously at his classmate. The dots in his brain finally connected. “That was One For All? What did you do to them?”

Again Itachi only smiled but Izuku couldn't decipher this one. “Again, I am sorry.”

Izuku slowly woke up. A concerned looking Itachi hovered over him. What had happened? Itachi had shown him a different meditation technique and then …

The student in question twitched his lips a miniscule amount. “It seems like you relaxed a bit too much during meditation and napped a little.”

Red blooded shame flowed into Izuku's head immediately. Itachi had made time just for them to do these exercises and now Izuku had disrespected him by napping.

“I- I'm so sorry!.”

“No, need to be sorry. It is quite common and it is not like we have lost much time.” He gestured towards the clock on the wall. It really had only been ten minutes since they had started. Relief washed through him. “Still, I am sorry. That shouldn't have happened.”

“As long as you won't waste any more time by trying to apologise any further, you are forgiven.” Izuku had to bite back his automatic response to apologise again. Itachi's “punishment” had left him with sore muscles for a week last time.

Chapter Text

Later Mirio will talk to Eri and she will tell him about the boy that had visited her looking like Itachi and the man with papery skin in completely black eyes that left. She will speak of her inability to stop her quirk and the poke to the forehead the man gave her when he left.

But now he is desperately blinking through the ruins in hope of finding survivors underneath the mountains of corpses. The stench of charred flesh still hangs in the air.

The report that will be released when all the initial investigation are finished, will point out the basin, in which Deika laid, as main reason for the fire to be this devastating. With the main entrance being the starting point of the inferno there was nowhere to flee to. The whole city became a giant, fiery death trap for the 97,008 humans who had been in the city at the time. It was concluded that the culprits bodies could also be found inside the ruin, though the fire had made it impossible to determine who exactly they were.

Nezu knew he was staring but he couldn't help himself. The only time he had ever seen something comparable was when he had gotten his paws on some pictures of the bombed cities of World War Two. But the photos had not prepared him for the real experience.

Those images didn't convey the smell of smoke, the aura of desperation or the sheer scale of destruction.

The Heroes were frantically searching for any survivors but Nezu already knew there weren't going to be any. Yugasa had never been nothing but thorough.

He supposed this was what shock was like. He saw and he knew but he could not comprehend how a single human(?) being was able of such methodical carnage.

The only person who had known about Yugasa's capacity for insanity (was it really insanity when it was perfectly calculated and executed?), had already been dead by the time this catastrophe in human form occurred.
Eraserhead's death had been most likely the reason Yugasa had snapped in the first place.

Nezu looked at the detective. They would ask him for his assessment and how could he say the truth? Something on this scale hadn't even been possible for All For One. Telling them that a mere student was responsible for all of this would only land him in the lab once again. He laughed because he couldn't bear to do anything else.

Hawks wings turned black from soot that day and would never return to the brilliant red they had before. His name changed to Raven soon after. He thought it was an appropriate way to honour his only friend's memory.

Detective Tsukauchi retired as soon as the investigation was closed. They never found the culprits and it was said to be an inner conflict that got out of hand as to not destabilise society any further. He hated it.

In the centre of what once was a prospering city a black flame burned forever. It became the centre piece of the memorial, dubbed the Eternal Pyre. Once a year, at the anniversary of the tragedy, a murder of crows could be seen sacrificing dango to the flame.

Scientists who wanted to examine this curious behaviour quickly found themselves held a featherpoint by a calmly furious Raven and the matter was dropped quickly. Though it became tradition for people to offer dango to crows in hope of evading the Black Flame's wrath.

Chapter Text

"Good evening principal."

Yugasa was punctual as usual. Nezu had already a tea waiting for them.

"Yugasa-san. Please take a seat."

They regarded each other in silence for a while. There were no superficial changes to be observed since the man had started his internship at the Commission. But then Yugasa was too smart for any of that. He twitched with his ears.

In a surprising turn of events it was Yugasa who broke the silence.

"I found some interesting documents during my internship."

Nezu perked up. There were a lot of "interesting" documents to be found in the depths of the Commissions archives. Though he was wondering why Yugasa would bring them up with him.

"Is that so?" He sipped his tea.

Yugasa hummed. "It concerns my potential future we talked about last time."

Ahh, yes. Nezu had asked him, since he clearly wasn't cut out to be a traditional Pro-Hero, what his plans for his career were. One of the possibilities they had discussed was Yugasa acting as an corruption investigator under the principal.

"That does indeed sound interesting. I presume you wouldn't want to be implicated by the evidence you gathered."

Or else he would have already given Nezu the documents.

"See for yourself."

A bundle of papers and data-sticks were slid over the table while he took out a book to read. Yugasa's ability to hide such things in his clothes was impressive as always. Nezu skimmed the the mountain of information.

It was any journalist's wet dream. It was irrefutable proof of the systematic and widespread corruption inside and around the Hero Public Safety Commission. Nezu cackled.

"This is marvellous. I had wondered why you decided to do your internship there, but I guess this answers that."

He cackled again. The Commission wouldn't know what hit them.

"What is your plan on releasing this?"

Yugasa wouldn't have approached him without one.

"There are two good options. One is that you will be the person they can trace it back to. It would lend credibility and make for faster processing, but it would also make a target out of U.A. including me."

Which would mean he wouldn't be able to pull that stunt again.

"The other option would be the journalist Curious of the MLA. She does have enough backing behind her to not be silenced and the MLA would very much like to destabilise the Commission at the moment."

Yugasa didn't need to list the disadvantages of that course of action. Their reliance on a hostile faction was risk enough.

Nezu pondered for a moment. Those did indeed seem like the most logical ways to use this information and none of them filled him with confidence. It was just not the right time for it.

U.A. and thus Nezu himself were still under fire after the U.S.J. Incident and the subsequent kidnapping of one Bakugou Katsuki. Lashing out against the Commission now could easily be spun into an attack out of desperation. And lending a hand to the MLA was also just a bad idea as long as they didn't exactly know what they would get out of it.

"The Commission has now way of knowing you are in the possession of this, correct?" He didn't think they did, but it was always better to ask.

Yugasa inclined his head in affirmation.

"Then why don't we postpone the decision to a more suitable time."

Another shallow nod.

It seemed like Nezu would have to do most of the heavy lifting in the upcoming conversation. He poured another cup.

"Well then, what do you think about working like that in the future?"

As always there was no outward reaction.

"I think I like it. I don't need to judge something I don't have any right to judge."

Nezu's nose twitched. Translating that with the help of what he knew about Yugasa, it meant that he felt comfortable exposing corruption since he could without any doubt say that it was detrimental for society. Something he couldn't say about various Villains since he had been one (or posed as one long enough for it to not make any difference) in his last life.

"Your contribution towards a better society would be invaluable." For a reason Nezu couldn't explain a stable government and a peaceful society were important to Yugasa.

The student in question just blinked at him. He knew what Nezu was doing but that didn't mean it wouldn't work.

"I heard that Mr. Compress was caught by the MLA and Stain's Army is determined to pay them back for it." The change of topic was as abrupt as it was needed and Nezu accepted it gratefully.

"The only real threat is Dabi and he has been stunted by an injury recently. The MLA would crush them in an all-out fight."

And they were off to the races. Cup after cup of delicious tea was consumed while the two beings discussed (and decided) the immediate (and not so immediate) future. In her office the president of the Hero Public Safety Commission fought down a shiver. Strange. The window wasn't even open.

Chapter Text

Shouta stood in the illusionary fishing village and breathed in wonderful salty air.

"This was our favourite town. We once freed them from a mafia-like organisation and we got food and lodgings for free ever since."

Itachi sounded nostalgic and his smile seemed fond. Once again Shouta was fascinated how a person could be barely mortal at one moment and so utterly human the next.

"You said you were internationally wanted terrorists? How?" It shocked himself that his lack of judgement in the question was sincere.

"This village is remote enough to not be of any importance and the residents were smart."

Shouta thought for a moment and gave up. "I am at least tipsy, could you please not talk in riddles?"

Itachi smiled an honest smile at that and Shouta's heart bloomed. That had been the reason why he became a teacher and put up with all this insanity.

"They knew they were not interesting enough to be worth destroying as long as they didn't talk about our regular presence. We had a delicious safe haven and they didn't have to worry about bandits and the like. It was a symbiotic arrangement."

That did make sense considering long distance communication was just something that wasn't done in Itachi's former world.

And the village did look picturesque. The houses were weathered but not neglected and people were milling about the market in the towns centre. There were two shrines, one set on the water where the sun set and one in the mountains were the sun rose. Both were well cared for and made for absolutely beautiful sights. The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks only complimented the picture.

"I can see why you liked it here."

His ward hummed joyfully. "Kisame did go for a swim each morning. He always was a lot more relaxed afterwards."

Shouta carefully tried to not show the shock he felt. It was the first time Itachi had called someone from his former life by name. Tentatively he asked, "Kisame?"

Itachi made a noise Shouta could not yet interpret. "The shark."

It took a short moment but then his brain finally connected it to the little figure in the living room. He raised his eyebrows in a silent question.

The surroundings changed slightly and Holy Shit!

There was an absolutely massive blue man with one hell of a six-pack in front of him. The man grinned.

Correction: There was an absolutely massive blue man with one hell of a six-pack and shark's teeth in front of him.

He glared at his student who was quietly snickering at his shock. The bastard had done this on purpose.

"I can certainly see why you made him a shark.", he grumbled.

Itachi's grin stretched into a smile. "He did have that effect on everyone. It made it much easier for me to get underestimated."

That he could readily believe. Even next to All Might Kisame would look like the bigger threat. He snorted at the mental image. Itachi blinked questioningly.

"I just thought that even All Might at his prime would be hard-pressed to seem as threatening."

There was a short, thoughtful silence. "How good is All Might at swimming?"

Shouta took another gulp of his drink. That was an Itachi-typical non-sequitur if he ever heard one. "Don't know."

"If he were, he'd maybe have a chance at defeating Kisame."

Shouta blinked. Itachi looked entirely serious. "Was everybody in your world just such a monster?"

The reincarnated killer blinked back. "No. Only a select few. But your Quirks are inherently more narrow in their application than what this world has. And the company I kept was in the upper three percent."

He stared dumbly back. The alcohol made his brain a bit sluggish.

Suddenly there was a hint of a wicked smile on Itachi's face and Shouta couldn't help his small thrill of anticipation.

"Let me show you." The voice was just above a murmur and the scenery changed yet another time.

They were standing on top of a non-existent platform in the sky (don't think about it), overseeing a road on which a familiar blue figure in a red and black cloak was walking besides someone that looked like Itachi.

Shouta just turned to the "real" Itachi to ask what was going to happen when three assailants suddenly appeared out of thin air and moved to impale the shark man on their own swords, while he was caught in the earth to his knees.

It looked like they would succeed until shark man moved and, in an act of inhuman strength, broke out of the stony hold and somehow weaved with his massive stature through all of the attacks. The second Itachi had burst into crows in the meanwhile and was nowhere to be seen.

At some point in the next minute or so Shouta's mouth had fallen open. Kisame had blocked a rain of projectiles with that wrapped sword of his, had drowned one attacker in a lake he created out of nothing, ripped another one apart with his bare hands and was now feeding the last one to his sword. (Just don't think about it.)

The sheer power and lethal intent behind every single action was indescribable. He had never seen something like it before. Even the fight between All Might and All For One had lacked this brutal efficiency. And even then Kisame could afford to play with his opponents. What kind of strength did shark man possess to be able to do that?

Forget that. What kind of power did Itachi have to be the one to command such a beast?

They were now standing in the small fishing town again. He closed his mouth with a clack.

"Our fights between "Heroes" and "Villains" seem like play-pretend to you, don't they?" He was once more astounded to find he wasn't bitter about it.

It earned him a melancholic smile. "On bad days they do. But on good days I can appreciate the fact that this world is peaceful enough for the fights to be this relaxed."

Shouta snorted at that. "I would have never thought to hear those battles be described as relaxed and agree with it."

They stood in companionable silence. He took another gulp. It pleasantly burned in his throat.

Since Itachi had been in a good mood so far, Shouta dared to ask for more. "What was he like?"

There was another beat of silence and he feared to have gone to far.

"He liked fish. In any form. Once he almost choked on a living octopus he had caught with his mouth." He could hear his ward smile at the memory and he couldn't help but smile too. Itachi did have so few good memories from his past life.

"He revelled in violence, though he always preferred a challenging fight to cutting down weaklings."

Well, he was talking about an internationally wanted terrorist after all.

"But he was one of the most loyal people I ever had the pleasure working with."

Another pause. "He hated lies and had a way of seeing through them." Itachi snorted himself at the irony. "He knew I was keeping secrets, but as long as I conceded to it, he was letting me keep them."

"He even helped me conceal my disease from the leader and let me die in peace. I could have not wished for a better partner all those years."

If Shouta ignored all the implications about Itachi himself, Kisame did sound like a wonderful ally and comrade to have.

Itachi coughed a breathless laugh. "He even was patient enough to deal with my freshly traumatised self going through puberty. That must have been a nightmare."

As someone who was currently dealing with a still traumatised Itachi going through puberty a second time, Shouta could only feel sympathy for the blue man. Those moods must have been scaring him shitless. (He was not thinking about what it implicated about Itachi's age in that memory.)

"He sounds like a good comrade." Again, his words were strangely sincere.

"He was. Sometimes I wish he could be here, but he would utterly terrorise this world."

Shouta thought of what he had seen of Kisame in that short fight and could only agree. "One of you is already almost more than enough to handle."

Itachi smirked "I'll take that as a compliment."

Chapter Text

The moment Kouji sits down opposite of him, he knows. He has eyes on every interesting person and he knows Kouji has been going to the doctors frequently. He has seen the defeat in his shoulders and the sadness in his eyes. (His eyes always see too much.)

But he never said anything because that would mean knowing and he doesn't want to know. He wants to live in this little slice of paradise a bit longer. He is selfish. He knows.

He has seen the medication Kouji tried to hide from him but he knows how to hide an illness and Kouji doesn't. (Not from Itachi anyway.)

So he sits and indulges the meaningless chatter. He doesn't like it but it is better than the confirmation of his fears. (Not that he needs confirmation. He already knows.)

When Kouji finally gets to the point he can't bring himself to act surprised. He listens with stoic mien to the story about the headaches and the worsening vision. (He already knows this story intimately.)

He reads the words from the hands about visit after visit. About the scans and the findings. About the diagnosis, the estimated progression and the suggested treatment. He curses his interest in medicine because he knows how the story will end. (He always knows too much.)

He knows how it feels to become blind and Kouji neither has the Sharingan nor the will to keep fighting. He sees how the last hope in his friends eyes break when doesn't say it all will be fine. (He doesn't want make empty promises anymore.)
He knows Kouji will have to drop out of class because of the operation and following chemotherapy. He will go to support department because his quirk is to useful for the principal to allow anything different. (And the rat knows it would increase Itachi's flight-risk if Kouji were to change schools.)

He knows most of the class won't understand because they never have been in the situation of having to decide between their dream and their life. They will tell him to be strong and keep fighting and that they'll be saving him his place. When he lies on the hospital bed they will ask him when he's going to be back and he'll tell them he doesn't know because Kouji is a gentle soul and doesn't want to disappoint them.

He knows Aizawa-senpai will give them about two weeks to comprehend the situation before Shinsou will be sitting next to Itachi. They will scorn him because he won't be telling his friend meaningless platitudes and promising miracles that will never happen. They will think him heartless (and maybe he is) but he knows that whatever he says won't make it better.

He looks at his best friend who stares back.

"You knew." He nods. He didn't really know (but he did) and he is good at lying (especially to himself.)

He knows he can't do anything about it. (That is not true.) He doesn't want to resort to methods Kouji would condemn him for. (But he has always been selfish.) He wanted to use this second chance to be a better person. (But why be a better person when there is no judge except yourself?) Aizawa and Hawks would be disappointed. (But only if they knew.)

He knows he won't do anything about it as long as Kouji doesn't ask for it because his feelings have already wrought enough misfortune for his friends and family.

So he sits there in silence because he doesn't know what to say because it never happened to someone he was close to before (he himself doesn't count). He can't say what he feels because he doesn't know what those feelings are (maybe he doesn't feel anything, maybe he feels to much.)

He doesn't know how to comfort his crying friend because he doesn't know how it feels to want to stay alive. (He never knows enough.)

Chapter Text

Shouta sighed. This class seemed to be hellbent on driving him insane.

"Has anybody ever told you about the difference between the spirit and the letter of the law, Iida-kun?"

"I don't think so sensei!" What did that exclamation mark at the end even mean?

He suppressed his urge to mumble "That's what I thought." It wouldn't do him any good when dealing with someone straight laced as Iida.

"Then let me explain it to you. As you know, we have implemented a curfew at the dorms." Iida nodded eagerly. "What do you think is the reason behind this rule?"

His student frowned. "To instil order and discipline." As expected.

"That may be a result but not the reason."

The frown grew. "Then to send the students to bed?"

He suppressed another sigh. What had Iida's parents been teaching him? No wonder he was dreadfully bad at making plans. There was no initiative to think further than he was required.

"And why should the school want that?"

"Because rest is important for the body!" This time the exclamation mark was accompanied by a strong hand gesture.

"That is one of the reasons. We want the students at their best for the school days and for that they best have some undisturbed period of restful sleep. That is the spirit of the rule."

Now to the complicated part.

"When now one of your classmates had a nightmare and went to the common room to read, do they go against the reason behind the rule?"

Shouta could nearly see the gears working behind those eyes.

"They're not." It was said like he couldn't believe it himself. Shouta hid a smirk.

"One could even argue that if they would follow the latter of the rule and stay in their rooms it would impact their health negatively and go against the spirit."

Iida looked like he had swallowed a lemon and Shouta relished it. He knew Iida didn't mean any harm with his overwhelming strictness but it did make Eraserhead's job a lot more stressful.

"Every law or rule has a reason why it is in place and I, as well as most of the staff, judge by the spirit of the rules more than the letter of it, because sometimes following them exactly does the exact opposite of what it's supposed to do. Does that assuage your worries about me not taking the rules seriously?"

"Yes, thank you for the clarification! I apologise for doubting you, sensei!" More irritating hand gestures. Well, he could only tackle one problem at a time.

Chapter Text

If anyone were to ask his acquaintances they would say that Nezu was not a creature prone to panic but rather the opposite. How he would always stay cool-headed and never lose his rationale.

Nezu was extraordinarily proud of that because the truth was that his blasted instincts had him panicking quite often. It was just that he didn't have a flight-response but rather played dead which let him look like he was staying composed while his thoughts were trying to eat him alive on the inside.

So he stood calmly in front of Present Mic all the while he wanted to lay dead on his back. When he had wrestled back control of his throat he asked the question which had him panicking so strongly in the first place. "And where is Yugasa-kun?"

Momentary surprise flitted across his teachers face but was replaced by understanding quite soon. "He should in the dorms, shouldn't he?"

"He should, yes." But it was not very likely that he was. Since Kouda-kun had been admitted into hospital, Yugasa spent most of his time outside the dorms, though where exactly nobody could say.

"Walk with me." He forced his legs to cooperate through sheer strength of will. Sometimes he disliked being a rodent.

"We won't be telling the class." As predicted his teacher opened his mouth to probably shriek in protest but Nezu cut him off before it could come to that.

"They would only do something very unwise. Like they did to save Bakugou-kun, though this time there is a lot more at stake and Eraserhead isn't there to mitigate the damage."

"A lot more at stake? You already know who is behind Shouta's disappearance, don't you?" Nezu indulged in a rare smile. It looked like he chose his teachers correctly.

"That I do. And now I have a weekend to bring him back before all hell breaks loose." And he prayed to the gods he didn't believe in, that the Metahuman Liberation Army would not so stupid as to kill Eraserhead. With Kouda-kun in the hospital the threads holding together Yugasa's questionable sanity were more frayed than ever.

As expected the student in question wasn't in the dormitory. He instructed Present Mic to scour the grounds with the help of the rest of the staff and made back to his office, contingency-plans already in the making.

Yugasa's reaction was not nearly as predictable as Nezu wanted it to be. He could go off the deep end right from the beginning or just handle it like a routine extraction mission. He could ask for help from multiple legal and illegal sources or just do it all on his own. There was even a small chance he wouldn't do anything and wait for the proper authorities to resolve the situation.

In case of the first option there sadly wasn't a lot Nezu could do since his bargaining chips Kouda and Eraserhead were already removed from the equation. He could only hope to steer Yugasa's ire to another place than U.A if that were to happen.

In case of the other possibilities there would be a lot more Nezu could do but only if he managed to contact Yugasa. He could plan all he liked, it wouldn't amount to anything or even make things worse if he couldn't communicate with the genius.

His sensitive nose caught a foreign smell when entering his office. Immediately he was on high alert. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first glance but that made it even more suspicious. When no surprise attack was coming he concentrated on the strange fragrance. It took him a short moment to recognize it and when he did he had to suppress an enraged cackle.

Crows. That bastard of a human had outplayed him. Nezu had been complacent in the belief that he was the first to receive information. Now that he thought about it, he should have known Yugasa would already know of the abduction. He was aware of the birds following Eraserhead after all.

So why was it that he went to the dorms in hopes of catching Yugasa? Because of that stupid panic, that had gripped him. But that shouldn't have impaired his intellect that much. Unless Yugasa had outplayed him in more than one way. He must have known about the kidnapping of Eraserhead at least half an hour before Nezu got informed. Enough time to put Nezu under one of his more subtle illusions.

Nezu bit himself in the paw and his perception immediately got a bit less focused and his thoughts a bit less streamlined. This time he let the cackle out. What a magnificent piece of work.

Though it did beg the question of why Yugasa needed him to be out of his office. An idea came to him and he went his hidden safe, where he stored all the important documents. (Not all of them of course. He wasn't stupid.)

Just like he had thought the files on the Public Hero Safety Commission's corruption were missing. A quick search also revealed his private copies to be missing. He let out another cackle. Someone clearly didn't trust him to stay his hand until it was over.

At least he now knew not to interfere with whatever scheme Yugasa had cooked up. Well then, he would best start preparing for the inevitable damage control he would have to partake in. Better put the kettle on. This was going to require one can of tea at the minimum.

Chapter Text

Kouji woke up groggily. The medication made it hard to think straight but it was already better than it had been the days before. He opened his eyes and swallowed the disappointment. His left eye was completely blind and with his right he could only perceive vague shapes and colours. There was a small chance it would get better again with time, though it didn't seem like that would ever happen. Nerve damage was a bitch.

But even with his heavily impaired vision he could make out a figure sitting by his bedside.

"Hello Kouji." A wave of undecipherable emotion overcame him.

"Hello Itachi.", he croaked. It had been over three weeks since they had last talked to each other and they hadn't exactly parted on good terms.

"Here is a glass of water." Itachi moved slowly and guided his trembling hand to the glass.

"Thank you." He already felt a lot more awake.

"May I use my Quirk on you to alleviate the side-effects of your medication?" He snorted. Itachi's Sharingan was just ridiculous. Or maybe it was Itachi himself with his uncountable applications of that power.

"Yes." Even though he abandoned Kouji he never betrayed his trust.

It was a bit like a film of dirt and grease was washed of and the curtains were lifted. The constant pain in the background vanished as if had never been there in the first place and he could have more than one thought at a time again. It was exhilarating after the dullness of the days before. He probably smiled like an idiot on the outside.

There was a short silence before, "I have come to apologise. I was not a very good friend to you in the last two weeks."

He said nothing. It was true after all.

"I had experiences with life-threatening diseases before and I reacted poorly because of it. This is no excuse, just an explanation of my behaviour. For what it is worth, I am sorry."

Itachi once again managed to be concise and to the point while still being vague, leaving Kouji with more questions than answers.

"What do you mean when you say you have experience with things like this?" He gestured to his head, where the incision was healing slowly.

"I had a terminal respiratory illness. I never wanted for those dear to me go through something similar."

Kouji's newly functioning brain came to an abrupt stop.

"What?"

"I was selfish. I thought if I distanced myself from you, I wouldn't have to see you wither away."

Yep. His brain was still restarting.

"But someone talked some sense in me. Please forgive me."

When the shock finally wore off, he thought for a while. At the end the answer was easy. "I forgive you. It wouldn't be much of a friendship if I didn't, would it? But don't think I didn't hear you. Terminal respiratory illness?"

"Thank you. I don't deserve your kindness." Kouji could practically feel the sorrow and relief emanating from his friend.

"Yes, together with an eyesight only barely better than yours." That answered the question if he already knew. Why had that been a question in the first place? By now he should be used to the omnipotence of Itachi.

But, "Terminal? How are you still alive?"

"That is the question, isn't it?" Kouji recognised that tone. It signalled the end of that particular strain of discussion. He sighed.

"One day you will tell me."

"That I will." He could imagine the sincere and earnest expression on his friends face. Though he also had seen Itachi wear the same look when lying straight through his teeth. Not that he could see it ever again.

"I could help you with your blindness." There he went reading minds again.

"I guess, if you've been in such a situation before, you really could."

He heard a silent laugh and had the feeling to have missed something important.

"I'll be back tomorrow then with some exercises." Kouji's stomach dropped at the cheery voice (or at least as cheery as Itachi could get, which was not very cheery at all). How could he be so careless? Itachi was a more demanding instructor than Eraserhead and now their sessions would be one on one.

His friend only chuckled at his dread. It was nice to have him back.

Chapter Text

"We need to do something, Dabi.", Spinner said for the nth time this week.

"Did you get any new ideas or are you just whining?" The tense atmosphere in the headquarters of Stain's Army was stifling. Ever since Mr. Compress had been abducted by the Metahuman Liberation Army, Spinner and Dabi had been butting heads.

"You can't just brush me off like that! With every day that we do nothing the chances of him returning alive get smaller."

"So what do you want us to do? We won't get the money Giran wants for his location in a year. And their security is too tight to just storm in. We've been over this already."

"But we can't just leave him there!" Dabi had to actively calm himself as his skin already started smouldering. Spinner should just shut his mouth if he didn't have any new ideas.

Before he could make this argument known, his instincts screamed at him and he could feel the projectiles grazing his hair as he just barely ducked out of the way of the oncoming attack. He spared a glance to where they landed and promptly froze. He only knew one person which used those damn needles.

"You!"

"You got faster.", answered the devil with red eyes standing in the closed room like he had been there all along.

"Wanna see how much faster exactly I got?" This was an excellent opportunity to relief the tension of the past week. He would burn that bastard to ashes, listening to his screams and -

Spinner evidently had decided he had tolerated the intrusion long enough and charged the Needle-Man lightning fast. It still wasn't fast enough as the man pulled tanto out of the darkest depths of his cloak and proceeded to hand Spinner a devastating loss in one stroke as he not only disarmed the lizard but also only came to halt when his blade was already piercing the scaled throat.

It was at that moment that Dabi's (admittedly poor) self-preservation instinct appeared and he smothered the flames threatening to burst from his palms. It hadn't done him any good the last time.

Their mysterious visitor pulled his blade out and like a miracle there was only a small, slightly bleeding wound left behind. Dabi didn't think he had ever seen his comrade wear a more shocked face than in that moment.

"The next time it won't be such a shallow wound." Whereas All For One's aura had been filled with cruelty and all-encompassing dominance, the shadow's was clean and precise but no less threatening.

Dabi could feel the phantom pain in his shoulders where the senbon had pierced his joints last time. He still hadn't gotten his full range of motion back.

"Now that we cleared that, let's get to business." Neither Dabi nor Spinner said anything, still too shocked from everything.

"I'm going to help you to get Mr. Compress back."

The oppressive atmosphere faded like it had never been there in the first place and for the first time Dabi got a good look at the assailant. Well as good as a look he could get with the hood still up at least.

He was neither particularly big nor very strong, but appearances could be deceiving. He had after all defeated Spinner who had brought down trained Heroes in less than a second.

It was Spinner who regained his bearings first. "Why?", he croaked out, one claw still at his throat.

"Because they took something from me as well." There was the emotionless tone that haunted Dabi's nightmares, again.

"And how can we trust you?"

"You can't." In Dabi's mind the man was grinning like a lunatic though he sounded just as blank as before.

Dabi was reluctantly impressed. That damned man was good. And with that he meant Good.

After making a rough plan (more like the guy informed them of his plan and they were too afraid to contradict him) Dabi and the devil incarnate (he really needed a name for him) went to visit Giran.

How exactly the mysterious man wanted to persuade the torture-resistant information broker to give up the location of the enemy base for free, he didn't know but the ninja was able to do a lot of things that seemed impossible.

Like disarming every singly trap Giran had around his apartment and even knowing the damn code for the electronically locked door. Why did he even bring Dabi with him? It was not like he was of any use. All he could do was burn things.

They were waiting in the living room of their target when the man finally asked the question Dabi had dreaded the whole time.

"Still out for revenge against your father?"

He deliberately tried not to react but couldn't prevent the balling of his fists. "No."

"Don't lie to me." He felt like he was being mocked.

"I'm not lying." White, searing hot pain cursed through his body when it felt like his skin was pealed of his calves strip by strip. It tasted like blood in his mouth. He must've bitten his tongue.

When he could think clearly again those red eyes were burning into his. "I said don't lie to me."

"What the fuck is your problem, you bastard? Why are you even asking when you already know the answer!"

His heart was threatening to jump out of his chest and he wanted to look at legs to see what the arsehole had done with them, but he didn't dare to look away from the bastard's face.

"Why indeed. I think you just remind of someone. Seems like I'm getting sentimental in my old age." The tone was light and calm.

"You!" Dabi choked on his rage but still the voice that had let him survive so far, insisted he did Not act on it.

"Seems like we'll continue this conversation at a later point. Be quiet and take your position. He is coming." He was still simmering underneath his skin but did as he was told. There was no point in wasting his life over this when he hadn't had the opportunity to kill Endeavour yet.

As announced Giran did come home in the next two minutes and Dabi hid in the shadows, knife at the ready.

For whatever reason Giran, who was paranoid enough for even AFO to be impressed, didn't look back when he entered the living room. It was a peace of cake to sneak up behind him and put the knife at his throat. He said his lines and looked expectantly at the bastard.

Who just stood there in the middle of the room looking at the information broker in Dabi's grasp.

Nothing happened.

"What the fuck, man? Didn't you say you'd do something to him? Hurry up!"

That cloaked arsehole ignored him completely only watching the target intently. Now that he thought of it, wasn't Giran surprisingly docile?

As soon as he thought it, his former ally tensed up and started crying. And Dabi didn't mean the silent kind. He sobbed incoherently, begged for something to stop and tried to claw open his throat completely ignoring the dull blade Dabi still held there.
For every second the spell/Quirk/torture lasted the man's movement and pleas got more frantic. Spit was foaming at his mouth, tears and snot flowing uncontrollably.

At last he croaked the location of those secret labs out. Dabi was relieved. He never had a problem with violence or torture (his fa- Endeavour trained it out of him) but this psychic(?) power was just creeping him out. He had seen Giran take hits that splintered bones and not give in but whatever the bastard did, managed to break the poor man within seconds.

He let the unresponsive body fall down on the floor. It didn't look like he would ever recover from this assault.

Red eyes were staring into Dabi's. "Burn him." So that was why the bastard had wanted Dabi to go with him.

He couldn't help but laugh. His Quirk was called Cremation after all.

Chapter Text

Itachi listened to the soothing rustle of Hawks feathers while he wrote the latest homework assignement for history-class. He was just contemplating whether he should remark on the obvious attempts of politically motivated rewriting, when his friend interrupted their companionable silence.

"What is it like to be that smart?"

Itachi blinked. "I don't understand."

Hawks flapped his wings in agitation. "I mean, how does feel like being so intelligent? I'm not the densest bird in the sky but you are still leagues above me. Is your head ever quiet?"

That didn't make the question any clearer but Itachi would try to answer nonetheless.

"I can't remember having not been intelligent, so I'm not able to give a good answer." The memories he had made before the awakening of his Sharingan were dull and strangely distorted.

"But my head is never quiet. There are at least four layers of thoughts at any given time" Not to talk about when he used genjutsu. They added a whole other perception and processing layer each and often had to be managed in real-time. It was only his iron-tight control of his mental faculties that allowed him to use them so liberally.

"But I guess it makes school and the like quite easy." And tedious. There was nothing but social interaction to be gained from attending them. No that he disliked social interaction (at least not completely), sometimes the other students were just all too immature.

"Though at times it is frustrating to see the mistakes so far in advance and still not be able to do anything about them."

Hawks perked up. "What exactly do you mean?" He reminded Itachi a bit of a crow that had found a particularly interesting object. It was adorable.

"I often know beforehand if someone will make a bad decision, but that doesn't mean I am able to change their decision making process. Be it because some mistakes you have to do yourself or because they are just stubborn. It can be frustrating to see the disaster coming but still be helpless anyway."

The downfall of his family had taught him that lesson quite effectively.

"Sometimes I think it would be easier to be stupid. I would happily follow the propaganda and not worry about all that is happening behind the scenes." Maybe his father wouldn't have pushed him so if he hadn't been able to perform and ...

He mentally swatted the thought away. Dwelling on his past had never made anything better.

Hawks was rubbing his chin. "I think I kind of understand where you are coming from, but think of all the people you help with your brain. Your analysis-skills have already prevented potentially dangerous situations I could have gotten caught up in. Not to talk about all the work you do with your principal and the Detective."

Itachi had to smile at the blatant attempt of cheering him up. "And if I were to tell you, I don't care for that but merely enjoy the puzzles those profiles provide me with?"

"Then I would call you a filthy liar." There was not a single expression of doubt in Hawks demeanour. Not even his wings twitched.

Something Itachi had long thought dead, bloomed in his heart that moment. The feeling of kinship, of someone trusting not only his capabilities but also because they believed in him. It was exhilarating.

"You got me." He hoped Hawks could hear his amusement.

"You bet, I do." The grin was large and warm. His friend threw his arm around Itachi's shoulder. "By the way, what happened to the shirts I bought you for your birthday? I didn't see you wear them even once."

Itachi cursed his weakness for cute pouts. He had hoped to bury those shirts in the back of his wardrobe.

Chapter Text

"From the moment I laid my eyes on him, I knew he was a serious young man. Even though the blood was still dripping from his face, he didn't even twitch."

The words were crossed through aggressively.

"The Hero-youngster Munin has often been accused of ethereal beauty and I can only confirm those rumours. He stood there before me as the angel of death. Pale skin framed by ebony hair, blood still dripping from his blade. Cold, black, unblinking eyes, not unlike a crow's. A cruel god in human form devoid of judgement and emotion."

This one was circled.

"The young Hero was unfailingly polite despite the chaotic situation around us and I couldn't help but be curious how he could be so collected when the remains of another person were still dripping off of his clothes. His answer was, "How would panicking help?"

It was then that I realised his coldness was not merely for show, but his heart had been shackled by the chains of rationality a long time ago."

Next to this paragraph there was a little squiggle.

"The longer I conversed with the young man, the more my mind was consumed by one question. What did happen in his past that made him bury his heart?

"There was a point in my life in which I had to choose between killing my heart or forsaking my sanity. I chose to lock away my emotions" His tone was no different from the one with which he greeted me in the beginning. If I am to be honest, it sent chills down my spine. Maybe "

The sentence was left unfinished.

"Munin was a curiosity Surpassing All Mights school records by a mile, hailed as a genius from a young age and being the first protégé of the mastermind of U.A., Mr. Principal Munin met all the requirements the next big Pro-Hero would have to satisfy, yet he rather stayed in the shadows, even going so far as interning as an analyst and not a Hero.

When asked about the reasons behind his decision to avoid the limelight, he once again answered with another question. "Why would I want to be famous? There is nothing I could gain from it that I don't have already."

I couldn't refute that statement. After all he is rumoured to be friends with the current Number Two Hero Hawks and I'm sure there is no shortage of Hero-Agencies competing for him."

"Needs a bit of polishing", was scribbled on the edge of the paper.

""What is your goal for the future?", I asked him. With a resume as promising as his, all doors would be open for him and I was curious to see in which direction he would want to go. Whatever he would chose, he would definitely make his mark on history, of that I have no doubt.

For the first time since our interview had started Munin showed an emotion on his otherwise unnaturally still face. He gave a melancholic smile and I was again reminded of a divine entity only barely tethered to our reality. "All I ever wished for was for my precious people to live a happy and long life.""

There were a few more lines written after that, but they were blotted out.

"Still so many contradictions for which I hadn't found an explanation. I fear this interview has only left me with more questions than answers. This definitely won't be my last int"

The writing abruptly stopped. If Nezu looked closely there were traces of spit and tears under those ironic last words. It would be troublesome if this paper would fall into wrong hands.

But it also was the only piece of evidence Yugasa had interacted with Curious, one of the MLA's commanders, before her death at the hands of a swarm of wasps. Though it also meant it was the only evidence that could refute the perfect alibi he had made for Yugasa.

How this draft had survived the inferno in the first place, was a miracle. Nezu looked over the three pages once more and tossed them into his fireplace after short deliberation. He had chosen his side when he had started the preparation for Yugasa's alibi. There had been no going back anyway.

Chapter Text

Itachi had been teetering on the edge for some time now. He knew this just as he knew whose hands it were that killed his parents.

He sat in class, the empty seat next to him a hole large enough to swallow the school.

He heard the whispers and saw the pitying stares. At least the disgusted and fearful stares of his life as Uchiha Itachi had been deserved.

Aizawa was worried about him but didn't know how to help. Not that Itachi himself had any idea.

The calculated fear for Itachi's sanity but not him as a person by the principal was comfortable. He knew how to handle that.

These days he felt the gulf between him and the rest of the children more vividly than ever before. He heard what they said and responded, but they never reached him. How could they? He was once again lost in a maze of his own making.

And there was nobody in this godforsaken world coming even close to equal to him. The existence of people like 'Madara' and 'Pain' had been a tether to reality. A reminder that there were more than just the shackles he put himself in.

But here there was nothing to bind him as long as he did not let it. He could live free from the anguish and fear of losing yet another loved one. There were no repercussions but those he brought onto himself.

For the first time since he opened his eyes to a unfamiliar sky, the freedom scared him. How often had he wished for an unburdened life under the firmament of the Elemental Nations? Only to realise now that those constrictions also acted as a guide.

It was fascinating how he unconsciously had sought out ties similar to those he was familiar with. Not unlike a bird returning to its cage because the world outside was too frightening.

He smiled sardonically. He now had the opportunity to spread his wings and fly away, shatter the chains binding him, but did he want to? Wasn't he the same as the dog returning to its owner after escaping?

One of his crows following Aizawa knocked at the window. He gave it some nuts as a distraction and delved into the memories. The split view of a bird was disorientating no matter how often he did it.

Aizawa-senpai had been kidnapped. The need to hunt down what was his and put it back where it belonged was overwhelming. It had been a long time since he had given in to that particular instinct. But he always had been the worst kind of selfish. (Sasuke had been his. From the very beginning to the bitter end.)

It looked like he had made his choice. He was not ready to let go yet.

Chapter Text

Sasaki Mirai, to most known as Sir Nighteye, the former Sidekick to AllMight, was eyeing the detective opposite of him carefully. Tsukauchi and him had worked together a lot in the past, though especially since the break between him and All Might, they have not seen eye to eye. Still Tsukauchi had contacted him and requested a private meeting. Most likely he would be asking for a significant favour.

Mirai would hear him out at least. That much he owed Tsukauchi for having kept the stubborn fool Toshinori alive.

"Well then, why did you want to meet with me?"

The detective's face got pinched.

"I'd like you to use your Quirk on someone."

Mirai must have shown his displeasure because Tsukauchi immediately tried to assuage him. "Hear me out first, please. You know I wouldn't ask this lightly of you."

He sounded sincere and Mirai agreed reluctantly.

"This is about a U.A. student. Yugasa Itachi, if you have heard of him."

He couldn't help his raised eyebrows. This was the third time someone approached him about that particular student. He had always wanted to investigate Yugasa further but hadn't had the time until now. It was intriguing that even the stern detective knew about a mere first year student.

"I have indeed, but please continue your tale."

"To be frank, I have reason to believe he is not who he says he is and has committed various crimes." Mirai was shocked. Midoriya as well as Mirio had sung the boy's praises and quoted him as a huge inspiration.

"But I am not able to prove anything and he is being protected by people I can't do anything against."

That didn't sound ominous at all. "You need to give me more information to work with. As to what his Quirk is and how me using my Quirk on him would be helpful?" As long as the influential people still held their protecting hands over the boy, nothing Mirai could see would change anything. Though he hadn't been able to foresee the black flames eating All For One alive.

"I don't know, what you have already heard of him, but he is hailed as Nezu's intellectual rival and has considerable martial prowess as well as high proficiency in about every weapon you can think of. His Quirk is called Sharingan and it allows him to cast illusions on everybody that looks into his eyes."

Sir Nighteye's brows furrowed.. "That Quirk doesn't sound particularly strong." Of course he knew that one didn't need a strong Quirk to make it into the world of Heroes, but for a person able to defeat Mirio ... It was disappointing.

Contempt flashed over the detective's face for a short moment. He really must dislike Yugasa.

"Sasaki-san. This boy was the only other combatant in the midst of the USJ-Incident, where over 25 Villains died because of an unknown source of violent haze. He was present at Kamino, was the one to defeat Overhaul, arrested the serial killer "Vampire"and subdued Gigantomachia without a fight. Yugasa even managed to defeat your protégé while underlying heavy restrictions. What do you think does an "illusion" entail?"

Mirai had not heard Tsukauchi be this grave since All Might and him parted ways. He gave is former comrade's words some serious consideration. When presented like this, Yugasa's Quirk couldn't be just a mere parlour trick.

"The reason why I am asking you to look into his future is that I want to know which party he belongs to. As far as I can tell he is way too knowledgable about certain groups but I can't pin down to which he belongs. I know it won't change anything for the immediate future, but I could sleep a lot better if I at least knew his allegiance."

Tsukauchi Naomasa, the man that was partially responsible for the first downfall of All For One, sounded desperate. It was astounding.

To be honest, Mirai didn't know what to think of it. To suspect a student of such crimes seemed a bit farfetched, but his actions did warrant a investigation.

"I can't say, whether I will do yet, but I will think about it." Maybe he would ask Mirio to introduce Yugasa to him. It did sound like it could be worth the while.

Chapter Text

"One last thing before I can let you go, Hawks."

He suppressed the flinch. He had hoped Trumpet had forgotten it.

"Yes?"

"The documents about Yugasa, do you have them?"

He gave his "commander" a practised smile. "Of course."

Trumpet returned with one of his smiles. It was the same his handler always gave him when he had gotten no injury during an assignment.

"Wonderful. Give them to me, please?" The man practically oozed insincerity and only his training prevented Hawks from showing his disgust.

Inside the gloves his hands were coated in cold sweat as he handed over the data stick. On it were the combat and character assessments the Commission had put together during Itachi's time as an intern plus a few (hopefully) irrelevant additions by Hawks himself. He dearly hoped it was just another test of his loyalty and not that the MLA had any plans regarding Itachi.

"Thank you for your hard work." Another fake smile.

Hawks couldn't bring himself to respond with words and just smiled back.

"Just between ourselves," What an obvious lie. "How great are the chances to convert Yugasa to our side? You know him personally, don't you?"

He made a big show of "thinking" about the question while he was seething on the inside. He could not blow his cover, no matter how much he wanted to.

"Mediocre at best, I would say." Please just leave him alone. It was bad enough that Hawks had to sell his friend out like that. "He is very careful and seldom commits to anything."

He felt somewhat safe with that assessment. Anybody who knew Itachi would confirm it. The little raven had not even once mentioned his political stance even though they had been conversing about a lot of different topics.

"Still, why won't you put in a good word for us? Maybe he'll be interested." So in the case of Itachi being a plant by the MLA, he had to ask or his true loyalties would be revealed.

"I will." Another false smile from both of them an finally he could take flight.

Hawks loathed this assignment from the bottom of his heart. Why had he to be the one being the double-agent? Why had he to betray his only friend of the last decade?

He greeted one of the crows on his way back home with a heavy heart. They wouldn't be friendly for much longer. But his job came first. This was just another sacrifice.

Chapter Text

Trumpet eyed the young man on the screen carefully. He had prepared for multiple scenarios alongside his colleague, Curious, but not one of them had involved Yugasa slaughtering all their agents and then turning up for the interview, blood still dripping from his form.

Trumpet had seen his fair share of bloodshed as one of the Metahuman Liberation Army's Commanders, but seeing someone so young being so unbothered by the gore was a special kind of disturbing.

The original plan had been to let Curious conduct her interview and then he would've taken it upon himself to either persuade or 'persuade' the young Hero to their side. The agents had only been stationed nearby for emergencies and because it had been Yugasa to decide their meeting point. There had been a chance of it being a trap.

Normally Curious would've also been the person to handle the recruitment but she was known to get a bit too invested in her stories at times and Munin had made her quite curious. Additionally the young Hero was known for his intelligence, so it was prudent to be careful.

As it transpired, they were right to be cautious, since Yugasa had managed to not only locate all of their men, but also struck them down in a brutal manner, quite unbecoming of a Hero.

Of course they had immediately called for reinforcements, however Yugasa had shown no sign of further hostility.

It was peculiar. Trumpet couldn't determine whether the attack was meant as a recommendation letter, a show of strength for the upcoming negotiations or part of a more elaborate plan. What an interesting character indeed.

Curious wanted to get the interview going regardless of the circumstances and he decided to watch and reevaluate the situation based on Yugasa's answers.

As it turned out, Yugasa was both more and less cryptic than he was known to be and Trumpet relished in Curious' inability to draw out concrete answers.

Especially since Yugasa answered one of Trumpet's most burning questions. It seemed like as long as Eraserhead was in their grasp, the 'Hero's' cooperation was ensured.

But blackmail always was the last resort. He would try to get him on their side with his words first. The boy was already friends with Hawks and, going by his manner of entrance, not very heroic to begin with. Together with his absolutely marvellous Metahuman Ability, he would make for a wonderful soldier.

Even if he would not join voluntarily, they could still use him to finally get rid of those pesky members of 'Stain's Army'. Ideally the boy would die in that attempt too and the MLA could swoop in to reap the benefits.

He grinned. Not attacking Yugasa despite his provocation clearly had been the right decision.

Chapter Text

Itachi was neither a person prone to rage nor to laughter, though when Trumpet presumed to order him under the threat of ending Aizawa's life, he had the urge to do both. But it wouldn't be professional and Itachi was nothing if not professional.

It had been a long, long time since he had been in this state. Where the conditioning took charge and his brain utilised any and all pieces of information available. Where he managed ten, twenty layers of illusions while still being anchored to reality. Where he took the backseat in his mind and marvelled at his own abilities.

It was a curious phenomenon, somewhere between disassociation, compartmentalisation and being in the flow.

Of course he would accept Trumpet's proposal. It was not like he hadn't planned for the possibility. While the commander's presence had been a bit of a surprise, Itachi had never been stupid enough to have rigid plans. There were always factors outside of his purview there always would be.

So he sat there and watched Trumpet's reactions meticulously while he adjusted the genjutsus for the evacuation plan.

In a few minutes Hasegawa Aiko, the woman with the 'Expressionism' skill, which allowed her to see far deeper than a normal human, would interrupt Trumpet and inform him of the attack by Stain's Army.

Even if Trumpet were to predict Itachi's involvement in the attack, he would still feel safe enough with Aizawa as his hostage to not kill Itachi. The risk of losing Hawks would be to great if they were to harm him.

Since he had taken care of the strong ice-user the night before, they would have to evacuate all the buildings near Dabi's attack, which included the lab in which Mr. Compress and Aizawa were held. Once outside of the building he had three main contingencies on how to free them.

Spinner and the member with the wasp-controlling quirk would be the ones to handle Curious and Trumpet. Both commanders had a glaring weakness against highly manoeuvrable, small, swarmlike attackers and Itachi planned to exploit it fully. All his experimentation with Kouji came in handy when it came to finetuning his control over the guy. Insects were a lot different from mammals and birds.

He tensed his shoulders, narrowed his eyes fractionally and then slumped over minimally. Hook, line and sinker. Trumpet was not able to hide the triumph in his eyes at the perceived victory. A small part of Itachi was disappointed at the lack of challenge.

He yearned for a physical altercation, where he could set his murderous intent free and enjoy the despair of his victims, but he held back. It would not be worth losing his loved ones.

But still he took some measure of satisfaction from the look of deep dread Hasegawa Aiko shot him through the screen when she came into Trumpet's room.

Now the crucial part of the operation began. Every move he made had to be perfect or everything could fall apart. He allowed himself an internal grin. He had always worked best under pressure.

Chapter Text

Shouta waited until Itachi had taken his customary place on the couch and brewed himself some tea. He did tend to be a bit more open when resting after all.

"Why did you lie to Eri?" He was so strangely honest when speaking to the little girl normally, it truly baffled Shouta. Especially when it came to such an inconsequential matter.

"You don't make mistakes like 'getting lost'. So why did you tell her that?"

It had been quite the charming story of how he got lost and then had to be shown his way by a crow, but also utterly ridiculous if one had ever witnessed Itachi navigating.

"I want her to see me as a human, not the godlike saviour she thinks I am." That was a surprisingly sweet answer and also not horrifying.

"And the tales of the mistakes I do make are not appropriate for her ears." Ah, there was the the feeling of impending dread he had been missing.

"And your "fairy tales" are?" Either Itachi had a completely warped sense of appropriateness or his mistakes were even worse than those tragedies he called fairy tales. He sure hoped it was the first reason.

Itachi blinked in response. Of course.

Shouta took a gulp of his water (it was his turn for the nightly patrol) and waited patiently. If Itachi wanted to speak more about the topic, he would have to be the person initiating the conversation.

"I believe my most frequent mistake is overestimating people."

With how hard he pushed his disciples, Shouta could kind of see where Itachi was coming from, but still the answer had caught him unaware.

"Is that so?" In his opinion Itachi's assessments of people had never been wrong.

"My brother -" The words had a gravitas to them that made Shouta's stomach clench. It spoke of wounds to deep to heal.

"We had the same parents and people told me how similar we were. I knew he wasn't as intelligent but maybe it just was because he had been allowed to be child for much longer. Surely if he matured, he would come to open his eyes to world and see at least part of what I could see."

The bitterness was overwhelming.

"But he took the blinkers I gave him and blinded himself. One bad decision followed the other and instead of maturing he took his childishness to the next level. I couldn't even fault him because his circumstances were excruciating."

Regret and self loathing had joined the bitterness and Shouta wished his glass would contain a liquid as bitter as his ward sounded.

"I tried to steer him on the right path but only managed to get him lost even more. In the end I still managed to defeat him while I was blind and drowning on the blood in my lungs."

He was pretty sure he was shocked speechless once again.

"I had not only overestimated his mental strength and intelligence but also his talent and his ability to learn from his mistakes. And it nearly cost me the everything I lived for."

This was worse than the fairy tales. So much worse.

For once the pain was clear as day on Itachi's face and a part of Shouta cowardly wished for him to be a cold and unreadable as always. Then he could pretend it was just another horror-story.

"May I touch you?" The words came out of his mouth before his brain could catch up.

Still not in control of his facial expressions his ward widened his eyes in shock and hesitantly nodded in agreement.

Shouta hugged Itachi for the first time then and pretended not to feel the small tremors wrecking the frail feeling body in his arms. For once he could feel what those people promising nonsense like "Everything will be okay." to small children thought. Not that he would ever utter such foolish words but maybe he could understand where the impulse came from.

The next morning a little black dragon had joined the sculptures on the windowsill.

Chapter Text

Dabi clenched his fists. He couldn't believe the nerve of this bastard. Commanding them like he was their boss. But like the arsehole said, they didn't have a choice if they wanted to even have a chance at getting back Mr. Compress. Still he wanted to roast that motherfucker alive, but he remembered the feeling his legs being skinned every time he let his flames lick his hands.

"You know -" Dabi gritted his teeth. This slightly mocking and arrogant tone was the most hateful thing he heard in years. "I think if you just went to your father and explained yourself, he would even let you kill him without resisting."

What? Endeavour would never do that. He was too selfabsorbed to just hand his life over.

"But you don't want to try, because if he would agree, it would mean he loved you and still did what he did. And that'd hurt a lot more than believing he never cared for you in the first place."

"What the fuck?! What is your problem? Just leave me the fuck alone!"

Whatever the bastard was talking about didn't even make any sense.

"And here I thought we could bond over killing our fathers, but I guess that was a bit presumptuous of me. I'll leave you alone than."

"Wait! What did you say?" Dabi blurted the words out before they could catch up with his brain.

"You know what I said." This damned mocking tone was driving him crazy!

"So why the fuck do you have a problem with me wanting to kill Endeavour, when you are no better!?"

"I never had a problem with you wanting to kill him, I even told you more effective ways of doing it."

Smug bastard!

"So what? Are you telling me you don't want to kill your father of of revenge?" This conversation was just getting more absurd.

"Oh, no. I already killed him and it wasn't out of revenge. It just was necessary at the time."

What did the words even mean?

"And now what? You are doing the "don't do what I did, kid." routine?" The nerve!

"Also, no. While you do remind me a bit of myself, I never have been stupid enough to fall for the whole revenge thing."

"Are you mocking me?!" Dabi was at a loss for anything else but the burning hatred in his tightening chest.

"Of course. You must really be out of it, to not have noticed it earlier."

Dabi cremated the spot where the bastard stood without a second thought, but the chuckles fading into the opposite direction told him how effective that was.

What was the guy's problem? He couldn't have meant what he said. That was just ridiculous. Endeavour never had cared for him.

The important thing right now was to get Mr. Compress back. He could always burn the fucker later.

Chapter Text

Yotsubashi Rikiya, the Grand Commander of his Metahuman Liberation Army wanted to rip his office apart. How could it have all gone so wrong in such a short time?

It seemed like yesterday, when Curious, Trumpet, Skeptic and him were toasting each other to a future where everybody was liberated from their chains.

He was away on a business meeting overseas for one weekend and his grand plan had collapsed like a house of cards. Curious and Trumpet were dead at the hands of Stain's Army and laboratory after laboratory was being discovered by the police!

He couldn't even go and wring the necks of those damned villainous bastards, because they were in custody and he officially had nothing to do with the whole case.

He took a few calming breaths. It wouldn't do to release his stress right here. He had specially built rooms for that.

But it had looked so good for them! With All For One out of the picture and the public concerned with the controversial No. 1 Hero Endeavour they finally had the clout to take the first true steps towards a proper revolution. All the sponsored villainous groups had done their thing to destabilise the country and sow doubt inside the minds of the blinded populous and it would have not taken a lot longer for the people to support more drastic actions against the Villains.

He cursed Stain's Army to hell and back. How could those upstarts even make a dent in his perfect plan? Where had they suddenly gotten the strength from to successfully go against his commanders? They were nothing but a pathetic band of stragglers.

Rikiya took more calming breaths and crushed a paperweight in his bare hands. There was a knock. Hopefully whoever dared to disturb him had good news or they would have to bear his anger.

Hasegawa Aiko entered the room, her face stony. She had been close with Curious if he remembered correctly.

"Grand Commander." She bowed politely. At least he still had some people still left.

"What brings you here on this day?" While he had personally recruited her and had followed her rising in the ranks with interest, it was not like they had any relationship beyond that of a superior and his subordinate.

"I'm handing in my resignation."

Out of shock and the subsequent rage Rikiya forgot to speak momentarily.

"Why would you -" The desk beneath his hands cracked and his vision became tunnelled. For the sake of her accomplishments for his MLA he refrained from directly snapping her neck.

"I once told you, you were a demigod not yet ascended and I would follow you to the day you either reach divinity or succumb trying. But this is not a game of gods and mortals anymore. You have woken the godslayer from his peaceful slumber and what happened the weekend was just a warning. I do not wish to lose myself in their grasp, so I am resigning."

His desk splintered but the woman before him didn't even flinch. In a flash he had her hand around her throat. She didn't look afraid one bit.

"So what you are telling me is that you know, who was behind the attack and instead of telling me, you are changing sides."

The traitor wheezed at him in response. "I'm doing this because I don't want to be anywhere near them and the MLA can't provide that." That raspy voice sounded pathetic.

"You fear them more than betraying me?" The only reason why it had taken so long for the MLA to be investigated by the authorities was because snitched and spies awaited a long and torturous end.

"At least I will die as myself without their inescapable shadows twisting my essence."

She even had the audacity to smile in her last moments. What a waste.

Well, it didn't matter. It had taken decades to built his empire the first time, but now he had experience and ruins to build on. It wouldn't take half as long this time. He would full fill his fathers wish of a liberated society or die trying.

Chapter Text

Shouta sighed. There was yet another report of yet another self-inflicted injury of Midoriya. It had gotten better over time but at this rate he was going to render himself crippled before he even got his Hero-license.

Surprisingly enough there was a response from their little coffeetable, which had been functioning as a small workstation for Itachi painting his figurines for a while now. "You sighed for the fifth time in as many minutes."

The statement felt strangely incomplete but it was not elaborated further. Itachi probably thought the second part obvious and as such not worth mentioning. Nezu often worked the same irritating way.

But maybe he could use this way too smart brain for his advantage.

"How would you teach Midoriya to be less self-destructive?" While he almost definitely wouldn't use Itachi's exact method out of ethical concerns, he could probably use it as a basis.

Itachi blinked. "He cares more about other people than himself. So I would just physically hurt people important to him every time he injures himself. He needs to see the physical evidence of his mistakes for it to be a mirror for his actions. Most effective would be Uraraka-san. It will take some time but eventually conditioning will take over his usual disregard for himself even without the threat"

It was all said in a casual tone like he had talked about the flavour of his tea. Somehow Itachi's ruthlessness still surprised him at times. This clinical dissection of a persons mentality was only a reminder that Itachi wasn't really a student in the traditional sense.

But disregarding the obvious ethical problems with such a suggestion, it was true that Midoriya's weakness were the people around him and he probably could be persuaded into taking more care of himself using them. And especially Uraraka would be easy to be persuaded by Eraserhead to help in that matter.

Shouta hummed in what he hoped sounded like thoughtfulness before asking, "What did you say was your job again before?"

He didn't expect a useful answer but it had become something like a game for them.

"I was a Ninja." And it seemed like Itachi was in a playful mood today.

"So with smokebombs, shuriken and hiding in the shadows?" Picturing Itachi as a ninja was a disturbing mix of ridiculous and oddly fitting.

"We were sent to ninja school from a very young age and played things like ninja tag and advanced hide and seek."

Shouta couldn't tell for the life of him whether that was just made up or something real. That brat was one of the best liars he had ever met and, as he sadly had to realise, loved to mess with him.

"There was also a game where one of us had been approached by the teacher beforehand and gotten told a secret. Then the class had the whole day to find out, who the secretkeeper was."

"You know, what? That is a really good idea." It would teach some of the kids how to spot a liar and how to lie convincingly. They wouldn't like it, but lying was an essential part of being a Hero.

"I'm glad I could be of help."

Shouta just hummed. He was too engrossed in all the possibilities that presented themselves. They could also do some wargames, where one of the group members got designated as a spy and the rest had to find out who it was, while simultaneously planning their attack on the other group. That would teach them constant vigilance and the importance of information.

Chapter Text

Sir Nighteye watched the interaction between Lemillion and Yugasa curiously. Despite his protégé's best efforts Yugasa was as cold and almost rude in his reaction. No wonder that ever-grumpy Eraserhead had taken a liking to him. At least to Nighteye himself the boy was impeccably polite and it didn't feel like he was doing it because he tried 'suck up' to him.

What had to be noted, was that, while Yugasa was studiously avoiding eye contact, he had no problem shaking hands with Nighteye. Which probably meant he didn't want to be accused of using his own Quirk, which also relied on eye contact and didn't know about the activation criteria of Nighteye's Foresight.

Silence descended on their small group. Yugasa didn't seem to say anything without a prompt and Lemillion was waiting for a cue from Nighteye.

"How about a spar between Lemillion and you, Yugasa-kun?"

He would finally see then why the strongest U.A. student since All Might himself was unable to win against a measly first year.

Against what he had expected, Yugasa agreed without a hint of nervousness and Lemillion got a sheepish yet determined expression.

"Alright. I'm even more motivated to finally beat you!"

Yugasa ignored Lemillion and turned to Nighteye, "What are the restrictions?"

What an arrogant boy. Lemillion only needed to avoid eye contact and that would be it.

"No maiming and nothing that would damage the arena." Students from U.A. were prone to going overboard, Midoriya was proof of that.

Both boys answered affirmative and to his surprise Yugasa promptly unloaded a whole range of things, which suspiciously looked like explosives of different sizes and ignition types. Why would a first year without an explosion type Quirk even have that on their person? Maybe the detective was on to something.

The match began and Sir Nighteye quickly realised why Yugasa had been called a genius. He made excellent use of the few weaknesses Lemillion's Quirk had. The steady stream of small but harmful projectiles made it impossible for his protégé to go only partially invincible and disturbed his concentration, while strategically placed smokescreens disoriented Lemillion enough to not be able to accurately 'blink'. But their reaction speed was about the same and that made it hard for Yugasa to land a decisive hit.

The longer the match lasted, the stronger got Nighteye's feeling of deja vu. There was something familiar about this fight, he couldn't identify.

He watched a little bit more closely. Munin's aim was impeccable. Even when Lemillion blinked to gain distance, the needles and shuriken still hit their target. It was almost like Munin could predict what his opponent would do next.

That was it. Excluding the weaponry it looked like the fights between Lemillion and Nighteye himself. The same predictive manoeuvres, the same efficient combat style. It was like watching a twisted mirror of himself.

Wasn't Yugasa's Quirk supposed to be Illusions? What was going on here?

After the spar finished with a, he had to concede, deserved victory by Munin, he asked to talk to Yugasa alone.

Again he agreed without showing any signs of uneasiness. Maybe there was even a good reason for it. That arrogance did have some ground to stand on.

They talked a bit about Lemillion's performance in the fight and -to his credit- Yugasa didn't say a false word about it. He praised what was praiseworthy and criticised what could be criticised. There were no derogatory comments, no bragging about the win. Nighteye was reluctantly impressed.

"What exactly does your Quirk do, if I may ask? The fight was curious to say the least."

"You're referring to my ability to predict Lemillion's movements, correct?" He didn't even look surprised one bit. Was that what being a genius meant?

"Yes, that is correct."

They still hadn't made eye-contact and maybe it wasn't because Yugasa wanted to avoid using his Quirk, but rather because he knew of Nighteye's own.

"Additionally to the ability to cast illusions, those eyes function like a high quality camera when activated. I can see the minute details that normally go unnoticed. Me being able to predict other people's movement is just the product of keen observation, mental extrapolation and a lot of training. It is nothing like your Foresight."

No, this was what being a genius meant. Sir Nighteye knew a few trained people, whose Quirk granted them superior vision, but none of them were able to do what Munin did. The detective had said Yugasa was a terrifying combination of Quirk and intellect and Nighteye was beginning to understand why.

"Speaking of Foresight, would you allow me to use it on you?"

It didn't seem like he could outwit the student before him anytime soon, so he chose the direct approach.

"I'd rather not." This was the first time anybody had ever declined that offer.

"Why?" Was it out of arrogance? Or maybe the detective had been right with his suspicions.

"As soon as you look me in the eyes I could let you see whatever I wish to, so there is no point in using it. You would never know, if I manipulated the results and since you believe in the inevitability of your visions, I could use them to play you like a puppet on a string. I'd like to avoid these accusations."

This was one of the most skilful warnings Sir Nighteye had ever received. There was no explicit threat, no lie, nothing that could be used in front of court, just the ominous feeling of dread crawling down his spine.

"I understand. Thank you for the consideration." He certainly wasn't going to force his Quirk on to somebody unwilling.

"But I could give you the answer to a question you have been asking yourself for almost over a year now instead."

At what point had control over the discussion switched? He couldn't remember.

"And what do you presume to know, what I don't?" Even if the arrogance was well-deserved it still was grating.

"The thing Midoriya has and Lemillion doesn't. The reason All Might chose him as a successor."

If the change in control had been like someone pulling the rug out from under his feet, he now was free-falling. How did this student know? They hadn't had any interaction until now and of what he had seen in Midoriya's future, there wasn't a big connection between the two of them either. Lemillion would never blab out something like that, so how did he now?

Tsukauchi had been right about the danger this student presented.

But the need to know was overwhelming. What had his idol seen, what Nighteye couldn't? What was the missing ingredient? "What is it?"

A small smile bloomed on that cold face. It looked astoundingly warm.

"Desperation. Midoriya knows desperation intimately and how to not give up despite it. He lived a life in despair for about a decade, where he learned to go forward, no matter how big the hurdle was, no matter that nobody was besides him, no matter how often his convictions were ridiculed. All Might saw himself in him. After all he had to learn how to go forward despite the loss of his mentor and the overwhelming strength of his enemy."

That? That was it? He almost wanted to laugh. He had worked years upon years to find the perfect candidate only to be rejected because of the missing relatability. How pitiful. All Might was a human after all.

"Is there anything else you wanted to speak to me about?"

"No, you may go."

He took one of his All Might figurines into his hands. The muscles, the costume, the smile. He had loved this man for his ability to smile the worries of the people away. He had cried tears of joy the day the great All Might had decided to work with him and cried tears of sorrow when All Might had decided to end it. He had tried to challenge fate for All Might and lost and gladly would have done it again and again. But maybe he had forgotten that All Might was Yagi Toshinori too.

"Oh, and one last thing." Mirai startled from his inner monologue. "Please tell the detective, if he wants answers, he can just ask me directly. I tire of this game."

Before Mirai could get word edgewise in, the door closed. What had just happened?

Chapter Text

Hawks was relieved. Finally the horrible assignment to infiltrate the Meta Liberation Army had ended. With the attack of Stain's Army and the resulting fire he had been ordered to priorities the lives of the victims before keeping his role as a spy. Somehow the two parties had almost completely annihilated each other and the Heroes had been free to reap the spoils.

Even if the leader of the MLA had been able to flee together with one of his commanders, they would need lots of time and resources to get back to the state they were before. As for Stain's army, they all either got caught by the Heroes or perished in the attack.

He hoped that maybe together with the death of All For One this would finally mean the beginning of a peaceful era.

The door to his living room was ajar and his positive mood vanished in an instance to be replaced by guilt.

"Hello Hawks." Itachi smiled at him. Smiled. He didn't deserve that.

"Itachi."

Another smile. How could -

"I'm glad you didn't get hurt in Deika City."

"Me too." He was choking on his words. How could he sit there and smile at Hawks, when he had as good as sold his best friend into the hands of the devil. He had seen what they had done to their prisoners. Itachi's Quirk was incredible. He would have definitely landed in one of their laboratories.

He couldn't even say he would have helped him, if that happened. How could he call himself a friend? He didn't deserve that title.

"I was worried, when I heard you had been dispatched there." Damn it! This was too much. He couldn't play this charade any longer.

"Itachi, I -"

"I know." Huh?

The little quirk of Itachi's lips let him know he said that out loud.

"I already know."

"What? What are you saying?" This - This couldn't be.

"I already know about the information you gave - Trumpet, was it?"

He needed to get out of here. He couldn't bear to hear the rest. This was what he deserved, but he didn't - he couldn't -

"I'm proud of you." There was another smile. Hawks was not given any time to recover from the whiplash.

"What?"

Itachi chuckled warmly. "You stayed loyal and true to your values."

"But I betrayed you!" This didn't make any sense.

"I knew from the beginning you were loyal to the Commission before everything else. I would never have befriended you, if I had a problem with this." Itachi still had this unbearably kind smile. and Hawks was still reeling.

"As long as you stay true to yourself, I can predict your moves. So don't worry about betraying me."

On some plane of existence it sounded logical, but it sure as hell wasn't in this reality. Hawks bit back a hysterical laugh. There were no words left in his scrambling brain. Only a hurricane of emotions.

He was shaking and his wings were rustling. At some point Itachi must have made a cup of tea because there was standing a hot one in front of him.

Itachi was looking him in the eyes. "For whatever sin you think you have committed against me, I forgive you."

And Hawks broke. The horrible guilty conscience he had been having ever since his assignment as the double agent was soothed. The fear of being caught that had been haunting his sleepless nights finally was over. The stress of his raised workload had gotten a release.

Tears of relief were flooding his eyes. Itachi was still his friend. The MLA was not a problem anymore and the Commission still stood strong. He could be weak for just a moment.

For the first time in months Hawks had a restful night with the feeling of someone running their fingers through his feathers guiding him to sleep.

Chapter Text

Shouta woke up to a lot of light and the smell of disinfectants. For a short moment he felt the panic in his chest rise, before his rationality won. Even if he still was in captivity, panicking would be of no use.

Though the clarity in his head was a strong indicator towards the fever-dream-like memories of the past day to be true. He very cautiously tested the mobility of his limbs and it didn't feel like he was restricted in any way. There were still some lingering aches, but nothing like the stinging pain of the last days.

After listening for any other occupants in the room he showed his first signs of waking up and when still nothing happened, he slowly opened his eyes. As predicted he was in some type of hospital. On his right side was one of the walls and on his left -

His heart stopped for a moment. Only that black haired bastard of a student was able to be that silent. He coughed a few times in surprise and activated his Quirk. Nothing changed. Good. The chances of his captors being able to somehow get Itachi on their side were exceedingly low.

Itachi took one of the cups beside his bed and then washed and filled it with water before giving it to him. Of course Itachi would understand his paranoia after being in captivity and being fed drugs. Not that he couldn't have put some in there with his sleight of hand skills, but the thought counted. The water tasted like nectar to his parched throat.

"What day is it?"

"The Monday after you got captured. It is eleven in the morning." That probably explained the dark rings under Itachi's eyes.

"What happened?" His own memories of most likely last day were hazy at best. Something about the colour red, the smell of smoke and birds.

"Stain's Army attacked near your location and because of the fire-user you and the other captives had to be evacuated. Hawks recognised you in the commotion and rescued you and the others." How convenient. Well, being the warden of the No. 2 Hero's best friend had to have some perks.

"Aren't you supposed to be in school right now?" It was Monday, wasn't it?

"The principal gave me some time off for family emergencies." That scheming little rat, he should have known.

Shouta sighed. "What happened to my captors?"

"The investigation is still running." Itachi blinked and gave him a cold smile. So basically, Shouta didn't want to know. He could work with that.

"How is Eri?" He had said, he would visit her this weekend. Hopefully his unplanned absence hadn't triggered a regression after all the progress they had made.

"She's okay. I visited her in your stead." This damned straight face and the unwavering tone. He could never tell, if - when Itachi lied. His suspicious squinting also didn't reveal any further information.

"Did you?" Humming and one blink were the response. This guy. Seriously.

"I'm glad you are still alive, senpai." This time it was Shouta's turn to blink. It was the first time since he woke up that there was emotion in Itachi's voice.

He telegraphed his movement and patted Itachi on his head. "Me too." It earned him one of the rascal's rare smiles.

"A nurse is coming." Itachi stood up and left. Really. Even he had better social skills than that.

"Thank you!" His ward was already at the door, but turned around and inclined his head.

So Itachi did have something to do with his rescue. Shouta didn't know whether to be elated or frightened. He was thankful for being alive, but the last time Itachi had saved him was a straight up massacre.

At least it sounded like he didn't do any of the dirty work himself this time. He would have to ask the police about the scale of this incident.

Chapter Text

Why Itachi doesn't go to therapy.

What Shouta thinks would happen:

Therapist: Could you tell me more about it?

Itachi: I could, but I would have to silence you.

Itachi: Permanently.

Therapist: I did sign the non-disclosure agreement.

Itachi: I know.

Therapist: You are not the first Hero to request my services. I am well aware, that some of the information is very sensitive.

Itachi: It's not that I don't trust your professional integrity, just the existence of your memories alone would prove problematic.

Therapist: Ah.

What Itachi thinks would happen:

Therapist: What exactly are you feeling guilty for?

Itachi: Are you sure you want to hear about that?

Therapist: Yes.

Itachi: The death of my family.

Therapist: And you feel guilty for it because ...

Itachi: I killed them all.

Therapist: ...

Therapist: Could you elaborate on that?

Itachi: I first went after my only friend, who accepted her death with a smile on her face. Then I took those out, living closest to the potential escape routes. After that I worked my way through the ranks, leaving the children and elderly for last since they weren't able to flee that easily. At the end only my parents were left, already knowing what fate awaited. I granted them a painless death.

Therapist: ...

Itachi: *wistful smile* They even told me they were proud of me in their last moments.

Therapist: *thinking* He said he was a Hero? I have to get out of here!

Years in the future, when Eri starts dating. Before the introduction dinner:

Suitor: Anything I shouldn't speak about with your 'family'?

Eri: No discussion about art. Itachi really doesn't like it. Also don't ever gift him a venus fly trap. The last one got incinerated while still being in the giver's hands.

Suitor: Does he have a fire Quirk?

Eri: No.

Suitor: *baffled* Okay... Anything else?

Eri: Also don't ask him to many questions. He likes to mess with people and has a very disturbing sense of humour.

Shouta opens the door.

Suitor: *sees a scruffy, unfriendly man*

Suitor: *thinking* That must be Itachi

Suitor: Hello, I'm -

Shouta: I'm Shouta and I already know who you are. Come in.

Suitor: *thinking* Wtf?

After dinner:

Suitor: Why did you warn me about Itachi? I just got interrogated and glared at by your guardian for hours?

Eri: *thinking* Because he is the more dangerous one.

Eri: *saying* I'm sorry. I think I just got used to Shouta's behaviour, so I didn't think it special.

Suitor: Don't worry. I got out alive.

Eri: *mumbling* And I'm thankful for that.

Suitor: What was that?

Eri: Nothing.

Chapter Text

Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa felt the unwanted sensation of being carefully scrutinised by a blindfolded person. How exactly Yugasa managed to do this while sitting completely still was beyond him, but that was the guy in a nutshell. Incomprehensible.

That he had agreed to be interrogated, though only by Naomasa himself and in a neutral place, felt like a small miracle in the first place.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Yugasa Itachi." Normally Naomasa would not think the phrasing of this answer deliberate, but this was Yugasa he was working with.

"Is this your only name?"

A smirk. "No." His heart missed a beat.

"My only other name was Uchiha Itachi." He had expected something like it.

There were a lot of questions Naomasa had regarding this topic, but he held back. His prepared list came first.

"How old are you?"

"I don't know." It wasn't exactly the answer he had expected.

"How does one not know, how old they are?"

"I do not have a fixed point of reference to correctly calculate it and even if I had, there are some questions to which parts do count."

While he didn't completely understood that, it sounded like it supported his hypothesis of Yugasa's body being occupied by another person.

"What is your Quirk?"

"My Quirk is the Sharingan." Naomasa was very relieved that at least that had been an accurate information.

"What does your Quirk do?"

Why did this question of all the ones he asked, elicit a breathless laugh?

"The easiest explanation would be, that it allows me to superimpose a different reality on the minds of the living. It also allows me to record everything I see with it activated in photographic detail."

Naomasa took a few moments to commit the words to memory. He would analyse them at a later point, but if they meant, what he thought they mean, that was one powerful Quirk, easily on par with One For All and maybe even All For One. (He was no fool, if All For One would ever have deigned to use his Quirk to its full potential instead of getting distracted by petty squabbles, All Might would have never stood a chance.)

"Is that all it can do?" Yugasa was a master of the information game and even if he wasn't telling a lie, it didn't mean he was telling the truth.

"Every other ability is just an application of those basics." Case in point. Just because those 'abilities' originated from the base functions, it didn't mean it was closely related to them. Diamonds and oil were also both based on carbon, but anybody claiming they were similar to each other, would be called a lunatic.

"What is the downside of the Sharingan?" Every Quirk had a catch and knowing it was the key to defeating the holder.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Yugasa's voice had a mocking edge to it, further driving the point home that he was the one to hold all the cards despite it looking the other way around.

"I had to try."

"Don't be disappointed. It is no that hard to figure out. Nezu and All Might's successor already know it."

Naomasa boggled at that statement. Nezu was probably the most intelligent being in the whole country and Midoriya was a genius analyst and both of them had spent significant time with Yugasa. On which planet did something only those two had been able to find out, but still had needed months for, count as 'not hard to figure out'?

"I don't know what to say about that." He was at a loss for words at the sheer audacity.

Silence. Well, Yugasa was kind of known for that.

Naomasa looked at his list. Only the more dangerous questions were left.

"Where did you learn fighting?"

Yugasa gave a small smile. "In a memory."

That was not a lie. How was that not a lie? He was starting to empathise with Eraserhead at this rate.

"Which Quirks were involved?" It was the only explanation he could think of.

The smile grew into a smirk and Naomasa already dreaded the answer. "None."

"How is this possible?"

"That is the question, isn't it?", Yugasa added unhelpfully.

"You are not going to answer it."

"Correct."

Naomasa glared at the young? man. He remembered all the statements he had gotten over time stating that every answer Yugasa gave only ever led to more questions. It seemed like they were not exaggerated.

"What happened to the original Yugasa Itachi?"

That particular topic had haunted his sleepless nights. Uchiha Itachi must have taken over Yugasa Itachi's body at a very young age.

"Nothing. I am the original Yugasa Itachi. There never was another one." It was not a lie.

That didn't make any sense. The officer, who was able to see the last words of the dead, hadn't lied either.

Maybe ...

"Who is Sasuke?"

For a sliver of a second Naomasa felt like he would die right here, right now, but the sensation vanished as soon as he felt it. Most people would have dismissed it, but Naomasa had felt the violent aura of All For One before. This had been the same effect. Though it had not been noticeable long enough for him to compare their strengths.

"How do you know that name?"

If the spike of violent intent hadn't already been enough confirmation, this question proofed without a doubt Naomasa had found a sensitive topic. He had to suppress a triumphant smile at that. It seemed like even Yugasa wasn't omniscient.

He itched to throw the other's "Wouldn't you like to know?" back into his face, but he wasn't suicidal. Yugasa had no compunctions killing people and was smart enough to get away with it.

Naomasa had put contingencies in place in case he never returned from this meeting, but there was no guarantee Nezu wouldn't lend a helping hand and against the combined might of those two no plan was fool-proof.

So, he settled for silence.

Chapter Text

Naomasa eyed Yugasa carefully. He still wore the blindfold but by now it could just as well not be there. He could still feel those eyes watching his every movement.

Being the sole focus of Yugasa's attention was unnerving to say the least, but he stood firm. There was nothing to be gained by giving in this early.

"So you are expecting me to answer your questions but are not willing to answer mine."

Naomasa stayed silent. Nothing he could say would make this situation any better for him.

"Well then, I'll just have to guess the right answer, don't I?"

Naomasa didn't like the sound of that at all. He wanted to get out of here right now, but it wouldn't do him any favour. Yugasa was very proficient at throwing weapons and he had seen his 'needle-work'. He would like to keep control over his limbs.

"Let's start with your family then, since you wouldn't clam up like a frightened rabbit, if you had found out the name all by yourself."

Naomasa's heartbeat sped up, but he steadied his breathing. Just because Yugasa couldn't see him at the moment, it didn't mean his body couldn't give him away. Inhale and exhale. Inhale and exhale.

"Your father is a bitter old man, isn't he? And yet you still visit him every second week to get insulted to your face, knowing he believes what he says. The only reason your Quirk has not turned you into a cynic yet is because you fear to end up like him, don't you?"

Naomasa did his best impression of a statue in his seat while he was feeling hot and cold at the same time. Of course he had expected for Yugasa to do his research on him, but he had not wanted his relationships to laid bare in front of him.

There always was a delicate balance between revealing information you knew about your target to unsettle them and keeping them in the dark to let them make mistakes, in an interrogation. But just because Naomasa knew what Yugasa was doing it didn't mean it didn't work.

Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.

"With your sister on the other hand you long since have cut the contact. Originally out of fear of All For One using her to pressure you. But even with All For One dead you haven't contacted her. You are scared she will hate you and the ambiguity of not knowing is better than being hated, isn't it?"

Don't let yourself be riled up. Inhale, exhale.

"Looks like it wasn't the two of them. That leaves your friends and acquaintances next."

Naomasa pretended to not feel relieved at that. Inhale and exhale.

"You don't have a lot of those because of the workload of your job, but at least your neighbours Mr. and Ms. Takashi are always there to cheer you up. Their daughter has a very unfortunate long-standing crush on you. When All For One was still at large, you excused your disinterest with the dangers of your job, but you won't be able to do that for much longer now."

Just how long had Yugasa been watching him and how had he never noticed? This was getting more and more creepy.

"And then there is also Yagi Toshinori. Formerly the worlds greatest Hero, now only a slowly withering husk of a man. Did you notice how his deterioration is increasing ever since he gave away his Quirk? How many years does he have left, I wonder. His tendency to overexert himself doesn't do him any favours."

Inhale. Exhale. Don't let yourself be goaded. Inhale, exhale. Was this what the suspects felt, when Naomasa interrogated them? The last time Naomasa had sat on the other side of the table was when he had been in academy. It looked like that had been a mistake.

"Maybe you lessened your contact with him because of that? Ahh, no. That was because of me, wasn't it? You can't say no to him, so you just avoided Yagi in the hope of dodging my influence."

Inhale, exhale. He unclenched his toes and did his best to still his hands. This was ridiculous. There should be no reason to be this tense. Why was he so afraid?

"But they weren't the ones to tell of the name either. Which leaves your colleagues."

Inhale. Exhale. Don't react. Who knew what Yugasa would do to his officer, if he found out. Any pretence of geniality had vanished like it had never existed in the first place.

"There is Officer Sansa, 'The Curious Little Cat" you like to call him and he is indeed curious, but not even close to obsessive with your cases like you are. Then there is also Officer Kawasaki. She is a recent transfer, but you like her. Likely because she reminds you of your mother. There is the same steel in her eyes, the same unbreakable spine."

He had yet to witness a single lie. It was terrifying and incredible at the same time. Inhale and exhale, don't forget breathing.

"Officer Shijikan and Officer Tanabe are new to your unit, though you can sympathise a lot more with Officer Shijikan, can't you? He has a similar predicament where he knows because of his Quirk, but it isn't admissible in front of a court. Being able to see the last words a corpse ever uttered."

His heart was trying to leap out of his chest. The blood was roaring in his ears. Inhale, Exhale. Inhale, exhale.

"Officer Tanabe on the other hand is loud and friendly. He does wonders for your PR, but you can't help to compare him to All Might and he is lacking in every aspect in comparison. Quite the interesting team you have, I would say."

Inhale, exhale. Just let him pass on to the next group of people.

"It says in the quirk-register 'Ultima Verba' allows the persons last words to be read from the deceased corpse by the holder of the Quirk. But that descriptions is not completely correct, is it?"

Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Why couldn't he just move on with his stupid interrogation?

"It seems like it only checks if the soul had died, not if the body is dead. Because Yugasa Itachi had never died, but Uchiha Itachi on the other hand -"

He left the sentence unfinished. Naomasa gradually unclenched his tense shoulders. The atmosphere seemed lighter than before, though he couldn't say why.

"As long as you came by the name just because of a Quirk, I have no problems with it, though I would advise you to not spread it around."

What? He blinked. What had just happened?

"How ..." Yugasa hadn't known in the beginning, had he?

"You started to hyperventilate the moment I got to Officer Shijikan. It was not that hard to figure out."

It wasn't a lie. Damn him and damn Yugasa. This was supposed to be him finally getting some answers and not whatever this was now. But there was no use crying over spilt milk.

"Good to know." He swallowed. He had underestimated Yugasa. Tremendously.

"I said it in the beginning, but I do not intend to harm you. This hasn't changed. I am just a bit touchy when it comes to that particular person."

For the first time since this 'interview' began, Yugasa had spoken a lie. The breath caught in Naomasa's throat.

"Let me correct myself. I am very sensitive regarding that topic." This time it wasn't a lie.

Naomasa nodded. He still had whiplash from before.

"Where were we before you asked the wrong question?", Yugasa asked in an amiable tone.

Speaking of whiplash, here he went again.

Chapter Text

Shouta: *drunk* You only ever told me about Kisame, but you had other comrades too, didn't you?

Itachi: *tipsy* There was one, who was worse than Bakugou, you wouldn't believe it.

Shouta: Worse? How is that possible?

Itachi: Imagine a temper like Bakugou's, but without the morals and instead of sweating nitroglycerin he could form his explosives into animated creatures, which he could then control remotely. And he could make them big enough for them to be comparable to a modern bomb.

Shouta: *slighty disturbed* That sounds horrifying.

Itachi: He did have the highest count of collateral barring Hidan.

Shouta: Do I want to ask?

Itachi: *frowns* Most of my torture-illusions are inspired by him.

Shouta: ...

Itachi: He somehow managed to get a favour from a god for sacrificing himself and was able to link his body with that of his enemies, so that every wound he received, the enemy also got. If one than got granted an immortal body by the god and is simultaneously an extreme sadist and masochist at the same time ...

Shouta: *extremely disturbed*

Itachi: His partner always decapitated him or ripped out his tongue when he got too annoying.

Shouta: *horrified* What?

Itachi: Well, he couldn't die.

Itachi: *snorts* Kisame used to call the the Zombie-Combo, since they both had a kind of immortality and the other one looked like Frankenstein's Monster. Threads and all.

Shouta: *shocked into silence*

Itachi: *giggles* He was basically a semi-immortal, century old tentacle monster in human form.

Shouta: That is funny?

Itachi: *grinning* He taught me how to do accounting and taxes.

Shouta: *empties his glass* A tentacle monster taught you to do taxes? In a terrorist organisation?

Itachi: *nonchalant* He was very serious about money and even terrorists need to pay taxes if they are seemingly legal.

Shouta: Ahh. Of course. *murmuring* I need another glass.

Itachi: There was this one time where he argued for four hours with the civil servant whether people, who essentially were a marionette counted as employees.

Shouta: Forget the glass I need a new bottle.

Chapter Text

Naomasa blinked blearily at Yugasa. Then he carefully took a few fortifying breathes before answering. He would have his breakdown later and he certainly wasn't going to leave another question of Yugasa unanswered. He had learned his lesson.

"I believe we had been talking about the fate of the 'original Yugasa'."

Said person looked pleased at the answer and motioned him. "Continue with your questions then."

Naomasa had to suppress a hysterical snort. It was ridiculous. Absolutely ludicrous. This should be a farce but it somehow wasn't.

"Why?", he asked. "Why do you bother? You clearly don't need to answer to me."

It just wasn't logical. Yugasa's genius was unparalleled when it came to manipulating people. Yet here he was submitting himself to an absolute unnecessary interrogation.

Yugasa gave him a melancholic smile.

"Because I admire and respect you."

Naomasa blinked. That made as much sense as anything else Yugasa said. Namely, not a lick of it. And it still wasn't a lie.

"You are uncompromising in your ideals. You believe everyone should be equal in front of the law. No matter their status, no matter their power, no matter their fame. You are hard working, pragmatic and haven't become a cynic despite the human nature being what it is. Don't you think that is admirable?"

Naomasa openly gaped.

"But unfortunately I have the motivation and power to not be held accountable by the law. I had hoped to clear your worst fears with this conversation so you could focus your efforts on a more fruitful endeavour."

Not a single lie. He was pretty sure his mouth had fallen open at some point and he didn't have the strength to close it again.

"To that end I'd like to tell you that my main motivation behind my actions for the last year was my wish for nationwide peace. There were multiple threats to it and I think I did an adequate job at containing them for the near future. Consequently I will be a lot less active and let the world adjust by itself."

Naomasa was pretty sure he was experiencing shock from all the whiplash by now.

"I know for you the ends never justify the means, but hopefully you'll find a bit of solace in knowing my goal isn't of malicious nature."

He didn't know what to say. His brain was drawing blank.

"Before everything I want to protect those I cherish. Second only to that is my wish to live in a peaceful world. Both the Meta Liberation Army, All For One and Stain's Army threatened that." Another quick, melancholic smile.

Naomasa had thought he couldn't be surprised by anything Yugasa said anymore, but the implications let his heart skip a beat.

"The black fire ..." He couldn't bring himself to end that thought. It was preposterous.

This time the smile let Yugasa look like a cat that got the canary.

"Was as real as anything else. All For One is as dead as his brother, don't you worry.", he all but confirmed Naomasa's suspicions.

It took him back to the moment he first talked to the manipulative menace. "It looks like the use of multiple Quirks finally took its toll.", had been the exact wording then. He had accepted the possible explanation as the right one without thinking too much about it. It had just felt right to have the Greatest Villain Of All Time succumbing because of his limitless greed and arrogance. The poetic justice had made for an incredible satisfying story and Naomasa had revelled in it. Even going so far as to telling the investigators and press about it without any real proof.

This time he couldn't hide the snort. They all, with the exception of Eraserhead, had it so wrong. It wasn't the Quirk that made Yugasa dangerous, though his mastery of it and its potential were not to be sneezed at, but his understanding of the human nature.
For all his genius Nezu could never hope to surpass the boy, because he was at the end of the day still an animal, who only mimicked the observed human behaviour. (The rodent had told it himself, when Naomasa had helped him adjusting to the human world.)

Naomasa would bet his right arm even without a Quirk Yugasa could still accomplish everything he had done so far. It just made it easier for him to reach his goals.

He took a deep breath. What a terrifying character.

But there was one question left. One thing he still didn't understand. "Why choose to become a Hero?" It seemed very much contradictory to everything else Naomasa knew about him.

"That is a good question and I don't have a definite answer for it. My best guess is that some part of me wanted to be acknowledged for what I do. I also missed the combat. There is nothing as thrilling as the dance of life and death. My mother supported my decision."

It somehow felt like the most honest answer Yugasa had given him all day.

There was a moment of tense silence.

"If you don't have anymore questions, I'd excuse myself."

Naomasa nodded his assent before realising the other was still blindfolded and giving an audible affirmation. He did have questions left. But he also did not think he was able to absorb any more information. It was a wonder how he was still functioning at the moment.

"I will be out of the country for a bit, so I won't be there for the next few meetings with Nezu. Do enjoy the rest of your day detective."

Naomasa couldn't bring himself to answer and just watched the possibly most dangerous, intelligent and mysterious person he ever had the privilege to speak with go.

He released his breath he hadn't been aware he had been holding. That had been ... an experience. He would need days to analyse and interpret the gained information correctly. And alcohol. Maybe he should start with that.

Chapter Text

Dabi opened his eyes to the chirping of birds. The sun had already risen above the horizon and breakfast would be waiting to him in the hall as it has been for the last few weeks. Like every morning he tried to call on his anger and hatred, but not for the first time he had to concede that it had become harder and harder without the constant pain as a reminder.

The exclusive rehabilitation centre which also doubled as a wellness resort, was disgustingly peaceful. It was located on a small, paradisical island in the Mediterranean, completely cut off from the rest of the world.

Someone had paid handsomely for Dabi to be placed here after also paying for the hours and hours of skin-grafting surgery in a renown Swiss hospital. How exactly he had gotten to Europe in the first place was a complete mystery for him and his very rusty English-skills paired with his drug-addled brain had not helped in finding it out during his stay in the clinic.

The last thing he remembered was passing out from pain inside an inferno of his making during the raid on Deika City. Someone very powerful must have pulled some strings, because not only woke he up in Switzerland, but also with a complete new identity.
Dabi only knew of two people, he would consider powerful enough and one of them should be dead.

All For One had died in that unnatural black fire and he had never shown any interest in Dabi in the first place. Which only left Endeavour.

He clenched his fists, hissing at the pull of the still healing skin. But that couldn't be possible. The bastard didn't know he was still alive and even if, he would have probably renounced him publicly before washing his hands of the whole affair. Locked him into prison to never see the light again, not unlike what he had done to his wife, most likely.

So who had done this for him and why? His mysterious benefactor had not once gotten in touch with him.

Someone knocked at his door. "Yoshio! I know you are already awake. Breakfast is waiting."

Dabi sighed. Tyler had run into him on his first day here and not let him go out of a sense of guilt since. His sarcasm and standoffish demeanour were just bouncing off of the little tyke and because they had a lot of courses together, it was not possible to evade him. Not that he wanted to, a little traitorous voice in his head whispered. He squashed the thought.

Like every morning he tested whether the Quirk-suppressors were working and of course they were.

This was a neverending nightmare. A nightmare with good food, a fresh breeze and the least pain he had in about a decade but still a nightmare.

"If you don't come out in 10 seconds I am going to sing all morning in front of your door, Yoshio!"

A nightmare where the worst thing that could happen was the disappointed stare of a ten year old and the understanding eyes of the staff.

(He had refused any and all treatment for the first days and there had been no repercussions. His benefactor had paid for years in advance and since the facility was made for the rich and famous all he got were those damn understanding eyes!)

He opened the door at the same moment Tyler wanted to make his threat a reality if the loud exhale was anything to go by.

The boy beamed at him. "Come on, let's go! Mark told me they are making poached eggs today!"

Truly, a nightmare.

Chapter Text

Shouto Todoroki watched Bakugou from the corner of his eye. It was one of the last days of their remedial course. His ... lapse of judgement during the joint training had triggered an investigation into the ethical standards and mental health practices of the school. That in turn had resulted in the compulsory remedial ethics course for Bakugou, him and some of the other students.

He also had been forced to go to therapy regarding his family-situation and it was every bit as awful as he had feared. He hated how it made him feel again.

But this was his last chance to talk to the explosive boy outside of their class he'd loathe to miss it.

Before he would have hesitated, but in comparison to talking to his therapist, this was as easy as breathing. "Bakugou-san."

Said classmate grunted and rudely asked, "What do you want?" The harshness didn't bother him. If it did, he wouldn't have lived beyond his fourth year.

"You are training with Yugasa."

It had confused him. Bakugou had never been one to accept help from anybody so why was Yugasa different?

"Yeah, so what?"

But his therapist had said, he should just ask instead of agonising over the possibilities.

"How?" The rest of the question got stuck in his throat.

Bakugou grimaced though he couldn't say why. Maybe he didn't like the question or maybe he had something in between his teeth. Other people's faces were still a mystery to him.

In his contemplation of his classmate's moods he completely missed what he had answered.

"Could you repeat that?"

Bakugou bristled like a wet cat. "I said, I just asked, Icy-Hot."

Shouto blinked. "You asked?" It seemed inconceivable. Bakugou never asked for anything.

"That's what I've been saying, you deaf shithead!"

So he had asked. It hadn't been Yugasa who offered it. He was still just standing there dazed when Bakugou left.

Maybe this 'just asking' approach would work for him, too. There were a lot of questions he had for Yugasa.

"Yugasa-san."

"Todoroki-san." He was polite as always. Like Shouto had never tried to kill him.

"May I ask you a few questions?"

"Of course."

He took a deep breath. This was it. He was finally going to get the answer he had been yearning for.

"Regarding the joint training, why ..." He lost the courage to speak it out loud at the end.

"Why did I do, what I did?" How could he just talk about it like it hadn't been the day his world had crumbled?

Shouto nodded.

"Because you would break eventually and it is less hassle if it happens in a controlled environment."

He had known Yugasa was cold-blooded and calculating, but it still was jarring to hear out of his mouth. It angered him.

"I tried to kill you!"

Yugasa blinked. "So?"

He could feel the rage and desperation in his body searing white, but he didn't give in.

"How could you?! Why? I don't understand." His nightmares weren't of his father anymore, but Yugasa's face screaming an burning under his hands.

"Would you rather have snapped in front of someone who couldn't have defended themselves? Whose death you would have carried on your shoulders for the rest of your life? Maybe one of the other students?"

With every word the cold grip of fear got tighter and tighter. Any ember of anger was snuffed out by the ice that froze his heart. He swallowed.

"For what it is worth, I am sorry for the emotional damage I caused you, but I would do it again if needed be."

Shouto blinked. That was unexpected. "Why would you even care?"

There was a bitter smile on Yugasa's face. His sister often had a similar one when talking about their mother.

"Because I know." Shouto furrowed his brows.

"I know what it is like with a father, that pushes you again and again and again, who is only ever interested in your strength and whose image is more important than your health."

Yugasa's tone got unbearably soft. "I know how it feels to realise they did all that despite loving you and you still love them despite all of it."

There was a small pause.

"But you don't have any scars ..." Shouto didn't know why he said it, but hat was all he could think of at the moment.

Yugasa pointed to his eyes and it did take a moment for Shouto to understand.

Quirks were inherited from the parents. (He knew that better than anyone.) And Yugasa could use illusions that fell under Eraserhead's 'no traumatising' clause. (Shouto had been dumb enough to request a no limits spar once.) Izuku had once told him Yugasa was capable of using his illusions for training simulation.

He gulped. He hated the look of understanding in Yugasa's eyes when he turned on his heel and just walked away. Still his chest felt a bit warm.

Chapter Text

Itachi carefully chiselled the rectangular pattern into the angel's wings. He wouldn't want to disrespect Konan. She and him had had an odd kinship during his tenure in Akatsuki. As the only two sane individuals (and even that had to be taken with a very big grain of salt) they had had a silent understanding.

Aizawa entered the room with a gait that suggested he had another question to ask this evening. It was curious. In the beginning Itachi had only answered reluctantly and because there was a lot of literature that suggested it helped with processing one's past.

By now however, he was almost eagerly awaiting the questions, always interested in how far Aizawa was going to take his curiosity this time.

"Good evening, senpai." He hid a small smile at the stumble Aizawa did. The man was still not used to the title.

"Evening Itachi.", was the grumbled response. He was obviously curious as to what exactly he was carving right now, but it was not to be the question of today going by the small headshake.

There was a moment of deliberate silence. Aizawa always gave him time to flee if he so desired. Itachi appreciated it. It was not like he couldn't just manipulate the topic away from anything unpleasant, but the consideration was welcome nonetheless.

"I was wondering about your biological father." That topic was most likely brought on by the discussion of Eri's father during the afternoon.

Itachi waited for Aizawa to formulate a question. The chances of him talking about something Aizawa was not ready for yet were too high otherwise.

"Why didn't you ever contact him? It seems strange for someone who values family, like you do."

He did value family. In theory.

In practice it was not that simple.

"I never did have a reason to contact him. I never acknowledged my mother as a mother until she died and she did her best to be one. Why should I try to initiate a relationship with my father, when he doesn't want me as a son and I don't want him as a father? Adding to the fact that it would've only hurt my mother."

There was a tense silence coming from his mentor. Against common superstition Itachi was not able to read minds and as such had not really an idea what he was thinking. It most likely had something to do with what Itachi had told him previously about his family, but the exact thoughts were a mystery to him.

"Why didn't you want to accept your mother aside from the obvious reason that you already had had one?"

Itachi blinked. It seemed Aizawa was especially brave today. Normally he shied away from the topic of his family. Not without reason considering his own volatility when it came to the tale of the Uchiha. And today he was calmer than usual because Konan was a comparatively harmless topic to be ruminating about.

For all his roughness and grumpiness Aizawa was a surprisingly tactful conversationalist.

"My parents and I didn't part amicably in my last life. I had hoped to spare Nanako that pain." And himself.

Itachi could see how Aizawa was torn by his morbid curiosity and the certainty he wouldn't like the answer.

The clash between the thirst for knowledge and the 'ignorance is bliss' attitude had been fascinating to observe since day one. He had raised his teacher's tolerance for unpleasant realisations bit by bit and Aizawa knew it. There was something to be said about someone knowing his manipulative tendencies and coming back despite it.

"What do you mean by not amicably, if I may ask?"

The politeness was not just for show. Itachi could decide to stop answering at any point and Aizawa would not push the topic. It was yet another consideration he appreciated.

"My father was in a position of power politically speaking and as the firstborn son I was to inherit said position. So when he realised I was gifted and mature beyond my years he trained me mercilessly, not caring about my wishes."

He had thought long and hard about what he would reveal about his time as an Uchiha.

"The pride of the family was more important for him than anything else. As soon as my brother was old enough he only ever was compared to me. Meanwhile my talent had not gone unnoticed by the other powers and I had become yet another piece in their game."

Aizawa looked like he had expected something like it.

"My mother didn't like how my father handled our education, but ultimately supported him before anything else. After experiencing war first hand, I craved peace more than anything, so when my family placed me into a position, where I would be forced to help them wage war, I begged my father to change his plan."

Fugaku's stubborn refusal to even consider not going through with the coup, had been the moment his already battered heart had shattered behind those walls to never be whole again.

"He refused, so when I got the option to take the easy way out, I took it."

He was a genius. He had known, there were other options to save his brother, he just repressed those ideas, because killing them all and then fleeing meant not being pressured to forsake his ideals by the clan, not being accused of killing his best friend, not being the focus of attention of those in power. It meant the clan's elders would pay for what they did to Sasuke and him and Itachi had someone to push the blame on in the form of Danzo or even the Hokage for giving him the order. It gave him the option to pay for his sins by dying at his brother's hands to restore the clan's name. Of course he would walk this path when offered.

"They never resented me for it, but the same can't be said for the reverse."

He had lied awake cursing the Uchiha's pride and arrogance countless nights: thinking about what their family could have been under different circumstances.

Aizawa looked like he desperately did want and didn't want to know what Itachi meant with 'the easy way out'. It seemed like the apprehension won out in the end. He wouldn't have told him yet anyway.

The massacre of his clan was not something Aizawa would forgive him for at the moment and Itachi was selfish. He wanted to bask in the other's presence for a bit longer.

Chapter Text

"You broke in again."

Itachi had to stifle a smile at the tone of pure exasperation in Hawks voice.

"I brought chicken wings."

"I shouldn't be accepting bribes, you know?"

Itachi grinned. "But this isn't a bribe. I just bought my friend some food."

"And Endeavour has cool temper."

Despite his grumbling Hawks still took the chicken wings and Itachi had to suppress a smile once again.

"I wanted to thank you for rescuing Aizawa-senpai." He had not gotten to say it the last time. There was a moment of hesitation in which Hawks probably remembered his break down, but it was gone as soon as it had shown.

"Don't thank me, I was just doing my job." He was visibly uncomfortable with the gratitude. Most likely because he wasn't used to that from people close to him.

"Then think of it as a bribe to continue to do your job so well."

Hawks gave him a Look in response but also didn't refute the compliment, which Itachi counted as a win.

"Your school year has ended now, hasn't it?"

He nodded.

"You still want to do another?" Hawks got some soda from the fridge with his feathers while talking to him. No matter how often he saw it, it was as impressive as the the first time. The awareness and concentration it required was very similar to upholding and managing multiple genjutsu simultaneously.

"You could just go and do the program I did at the Commission. Then we could officially work together."

It was not like it wasn't tempting. With Kouji being out of the Hero Course there was not much to hold him there, but -

"I'm sorry to say, but I won't be working for the Commission anytime soon."

"Why is that?" Hawks clearly tried to not seem offended, however his wings betrayed him.

"Because of people like you."

Before Hawks even had the time to look disappointed, he ventured on. "And the only thing I mean is your defined role in the Commission. The HPSC's purpose is the regulation and administration of the Professional Heroes. As such they are not only the one's to advise the government on the related legislation, but are also the executive force."

Going by his feathers, Hawks was now more curious than offended. It was kind of adorable to see how quickly Hawks had begun to trust him implicitly.

"Now with you and some of the up- and coming Heroes, they are additionally profiting from the same thing they are supposed to regulate. This possible accumulation for power is a breeding ground for corruption and nepotism and as long as it is practised, I don't want to be a part of it."

During his years in this world Itachi had come to appreciate the separation of powers. It prevented such disasters like Danzo.

Hawks looked at him in a way he couldn't interpret.

"I am not judging you for doing your job and I don't have any problems with it. It is just that I don't want to do it too." Better to clarify that before it came to any misunderstandings.

His friend watched him for a bit longer and Itachi fought the urge to twitch with the corners of his mouths.

"There is some merit to what you are saying, I guess."

Hawks sounded unusually serious. Itachi hadn't even considered the possibility of him truly thinking about the topic. He had assumed him as blind to the flaws of the Commission as Itachi had been to the flaws of Konoha. But then Hawks was about a decade older than he had been at the time.

"I'll have to think about this more before being able to form an opinion."

"Understandable." He bowed his head in appreciation.

The silence hung heavy between them for a short moment.

Suddenly there was a wicked gleam in his Friend's eyes."So? Do you already have any plans for the upcoming weekend?"

And just like that the strange atmosphere dissipated as if it had never been there in the first pace. Itachi smiled and answered.

Chapter Text

Hey, Shisui.

Sorry for not talking to you for so long.

I got a second chance at life. I couldn't believe it myself for a long time.

It has been very enlightening, I guess.

This world is different. Very different. You wouldn't believe it. The technology ...

Let's just say the Elemental Nations were both very lucky and very unlucky to have not seen such advancements.

Do you remember the Explosion Corps from Iwa? What they did was absolutely laughable in the face of what technology can achieve. Even a Bijudama can not really compare to the destructive power they have here.

And yet this country I have been born in has been peaceful for over fifty decades. It is strange. I always told you I was a pacifist, but I think I was lying. Or maybe I did abhor violence then and I have just changed.

I still advocate peace. The things it makes possible are endless. The general trust people have in another or the whole society is unimaginable.

They can fly here. Thousands and thousands of people developed and improved the general idea and now you can sit in a machine and read newspaper while being higher than most birds can fly. I still sometimes can't believe it.

This world has over one thousand years worth of philosophical and ethical debates. It is absolutely fascinating how narrow minded we were.

You would like it here, though you would probably have an equally hard time adapting. You know I always wanted peace, but you also probably never thought about how it would be if we truly achieved it. It always had been like a dream, never attainable in reality.

It is weird. The people are careless. There is always the thought of how easy it would be to collapse it like a house of cards. But then that is the beauty of it. The people don't need to be paranoid to live.

But it is not like I can just abandon this part of me. I tried. It left me floating above the ground of reality. I wasn't unhappy but I never let myself be real enough to experience happiness.

I have found someone who reminds me of you. He has a very similar mischievous nature and sense of duty. You would like him.

Of course we are playing pranks on the unsuspecting public.

Social media is another one of those concepts which just seem to be so very strange for people like us. To be honest, I still don't understand the appeal of it, but it is very fun to manipulate.

There is so much more I could tell you but you always complained how Kakashi-senpai would waste his time by talking to the dead people instead of the living and my new senpai is coming home soon.

Don't worry, I won't put the dead before the living, but I think talking to you sometimes will give me a bit of inner peace. I hope I'm not disturbing you.

Until next time.

Oh, I named a crow after you. The first thing he did was trying to steal my dango.

Bye.

Chapter Text

Nezu brewed the tea with great care. It was the end of the school year after all.

"All in all we couldn't have hoped for your kidnapping to be resolved in a more favourable manner, don't you think?", he asked his ever-grumpy Heroics-teacher.

"One could almost think, it wasn't just pure luck.", was the dry reply.

"But that is mere conjecture." Nezu's ears twitched in amusement.

This time Eraserhead snorted. "Mere conjecture, my arse."

The legality of it aside, Nezu was impressed. Yugasa had managed to kill two birds with one stone and even had only caused minimal collateral. It meant there still was some sanity left.

"On a completely unrelated note, how is Yugasa doing these days?"

That startled a very rough laugh out of the teacher. "On this very unrelated note, he is doing well. I think, he is using most of his energy to mess with the public these days. One could say he is bored with all the serious threats gone."

Well, Yugasa's forays into the upper echelons of Hero Society were memorable alright. His stint as Hawks' girlfriend was absolute brilliance in its boldness.

"I heard Todoroki-kun is already trying to prove the mysterious raven-princess is Yugasa's long lost sister."

Eraserhead released a painful groan. "Don't remind me."

If anyone would bother to ask Nezu what he thought of this little escapade, he would tell them it was probably something akin a trial run. A test to see how the broader masses would react to certain types of information or maybe just to know how big of a distraction something like this could be.

For what event exactly Yugasa needed to have this trial run, he didn't know, but it most likely had to do with the plan of his to make Midoriya a renown Hero by letting him defeat the still undiscovered leader of the MLA.

"Why have you called me here, principal?" When Nezu tried to seem innocent, Aizawa only gave a look.

"You are not one to invite me to chat without an ulterior motive. So please get to the point."

Nezu twitched with his ears. A year ago Eraserhead would not have dared to speak to him like that. But with Yugasa in the equation the distribution of power between them was more or less equal and even Aizawa, who hated such little power plays, was not oblivious to it.

"There is a rehabilitation facility in the States, which would give Kouda-kun a chance of regaining his sight partially."

The Hero only regaled him with another look and stayed silent. Another little change in behaviour caused by Yugasa.

"Since there are holidays for the next few weeks, maybe Yugasa would appreciate a little bit of time with his best friend visiting another country."

It would have the added benefit of letting Japan and Yugasa himself calm down a bit after the recent excitement. Having Yugasa's attention set on a whole different continent would give him, Eraserhead and everybody else a bit of breathing room. Of course the rehab centre was also located near the headquarters of one of AFO's and the MLA's richest supporters. Nezu was able to kill multiple bids with one stone, too.

"Why are you asking me?" The 'I am his warden only in name' went unvoiced but not unheard.

"Because you legally have to consent to it." This was an international matter after all.

Eraserhead blinked at him before raising his eyebrows sceptically. "And we wouldn't want to do anything illegal now, would we?"

"Indeed, we wouldn't.", he cheerfully agreed.

Chapter Text

Itachi watched how Japan got smaller and smaller when airplane went higher and higher. It was his first time leaving the country he had called home for the last 16 years. He had gotten quite attached to the idea of a home after the disaster that had been Konoha, it seemed.

It wasn't a surprise. He had wished for a home he could stay in ever since he had destroyed his first and this world had given him exactly that, even if it did take the death of his mother to realise it.

His -in hindsight- impulsive decision to go to the U.A. Highschool, had turned out to be a life changing one. Not only had he met a wonderful friend in Kouji but also a worthy mentor in Aizawa. He finally started to trust people again and learned more about himself than in the decade before that.

He found with Kouji someone, who would love him in his sincere and uncomplicated way. He never judged Itachi for his behaviour but helped him get better in the future. This outlook on life had been a novelty for him, who had always been plagued by the sins of the past.

Aizawa on the other hand had won him over with his no-nonsense attitude and undying loyalty to the students he was protecting. In the beginning it had been easy to just compare him to Kakashi but that had been unfair to the man. Aizawa was his own person with his own set of values and attachments. How exactly Itachi had slipped into that tight circle of people was still a mystery to him, but he wasn't going to complain.

Aizawa held him down when necessary and pushed him out of his comfort zone when possible. In return Itachi opened his eyes and gave him his trust. But it wasn't half as easy and comfortable as with Kouji, so Itachi couldn't resent his warden one bit for the relief he had felt, when Itachi had announced this trip. He had been putting a lot of strain on Aizawa just by the nature of his existence. The man deserved a break for once.

The same couldn't be said about the scheming rat, that called himself principal of the school but you won some and you lost some. And after the surprising show of trust in the MLA matter Nezu had earned his gratitude. Even if he probably would use the time Itachi did his dirty work in the USA to set up contingencies against Itachi. Not that he could blame the little furball at all. He would do the exact same in the principal's position.

He wondered how his loyal kouhais would cope with his absence. If he predicted it correctly Bakugou and Yaoyorozu would keep up with their established training routine out of sheer spite and determination. It was sad, he hadn't gotten to train Yaoyorozu earlier. Creativity was not something that could be taught effectively at this age.

Bakugou on the other hand had surprised him again and again. What had started as an experiment to see whether he could mould an effective soldier out of the boy, had become a quest to make him a truly good Hero and Bakugou nailed it time after time. He grumbled and protested like a cat that didn't want to be bathed, but was flourishing under Itachi's hand like a particularly nasty weed.

With the rest of his class there wasn't as much of an relationship due to his strangeness but he still was accepted as one of them. It was a bit like Anbu just without the shared trauma. Well Midoriya and Todoroki had enough trauma, it just wasn't the same as his.

The whole All For One and One For All affair had been ridiculous anyway. All Might should have never even considered giving the Quirk to another person when he thought his nemesis dead. It clearly had been the vestiges' influence that he had done so. By sealing their powers he probably had prolonged Midoriya's life by a significant number of years.

It was also good he had done away with AFO and his successor when he had, because going by all the covert operations he had unearthed after it, the conflict would have escalated to warlike levels. Not that he would have ever allowed it to happen.

It was the same with the MLA. They had tried to fill the vacuum that AFO had left in his death and had even been moderately successful. Until they decided to kidnap Itachi's mentor, but that was another story.

Stain's Army on the other hand never had been a real threat, but Dabi's relationship with Endeavour and subsequently his classmate had been problematic. It had been Itachi's first attempt at mercy and so far it hadn't backfired. But only time would tell if it stayed that way.

The detective was his second attempt, though it was mostly born out of his frustration about such a skilled man wasting his talent on an impossible task. Hopefully it would work, because he would truly regret having to take care of Naomasa. He did admire the man.

Thinking of admiration, Eri was completely enamoured with him and it didn't look like it would change anytime soon. At least she had begun to look less and less like Sasuke in his eyes. There were still flashes of long gone times at times but they had started to hurt a lot less.

Interestingly enough he didn't have the same problem with Hawks, even though the Hero reminded him plenty of Shisui. But then he had made his peace with Shisui a lifetime ago and with Sasuke - Well, it wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

His relationship with Hawks was probably the most equal out of all of them. There was just the kinship forged by a deep understanding of the other's experiences, even if Hawks didn't know the reason for it. The moment the Hero Public Safety Commission wasn't a corrupt pile of greedy politicians anymore or Hawks left them, Itachi would jump at the opportunity to work with his feathered friend.

"Itachi?", Kouji suddenly asked him, "Do you think, they really can help me there?"

It broke his heart to hear his friend being so desperately hopeful. "You shouldn't expect any miracles, but the therapy will lessen your pain at the very least."

There was a doctor, whose Quirk was able to reduce scar-tissue. And while there was no guarantee that it would be able to regenerate the destroyed optic nerves, it certainly would reduce the amount of migraines caused by the scars.

Maybe this rehab would enable Kouji to came back to school, even if only as a member of the support course. It would make Itachi's school life a lot more tolerable.

"Do you truly think so?"

The hope in Kouji's unseeing eyes was blinding.

"Yes, I do. I don't give false assurances. You know that." He smiled at Kouji and despite his blindness he smiled back.

Perhaps one of the doctors could even help with his lungs. It had been getting harder and harder to supress the coughs. In the end he was Uchiha Itachi after all.