33

Chapter Text

From two buildings away, in the shadow of a skyscraper, Edgeshot couldn't help but smile.

They were moving into position. Whatever device that was held within the young Spider-Man's suit was making quick work of what would've been rather dangerous scouting.

Even now, they confirmed the footage, hammering out a workable plan.

Izuku was a bright boy, and from what he was able to gather from the files released after the Sports Festival, Parker was smart in his own right.

He tapped his communicator, running through the list of names before he entered a particular frequency. For most that had this frequency, they would've been sent to voicemail.

Thankfully, being in the Top Ten had its perks.

"Edgeshot," came the tired, irate voice of Mirko, "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Twelve thirty-seven," The ninja answered with far too much cheer in his tone.

"Oh for the love of-If you don't tell me what the fuck you called me for, I'm blocking your number Kamihara!"

"But you love me too much to hang up on me, Usagiyama-chan!" He teased, and decided, rather quickly, to push through to the point before she did hang up on him. She wouldn't pick up again once she did. "You happen to be overseeing the student with the Hero name of Spider-Man, right?"

"Yeah?" Mirko answered, suddenly more alert and awake, "What about him?"

"He's currently in Akuto," Edgeshot made sure that his voice sounded extra peppy. Like a far too happy stewardess on a flight. "Swinging around the edge of a hospital about to attack the Hero Killer. With my student too no less. Ahhh, youth these days..."

Stone silence answered him.

For a second, Edgeshot wondered if she even heard him. Then, something cracked on the other end of the line.

"I'm sorry, I think my ear infection is kicking in. Could you repeat that?"

Ohhhh. He knew that tone of voice.

Glad it wasn't him.

"He's in Akuto" he repeated, completely unrepentant. "-going after the Hero Killer. If you follow my transponder, you should-"

"Bullshit!" He heard the sound of movement on the other end, walking and then one door being opened. Then another.

There was a sudden, very primal, very loud howl at the other end of the line that drilled straight into his ear.

He hung up. Quickly.

Message delivered. Edgeshot smiled to himself, before quietly continuing his efforts in trailing the two lawbreakers.

In the distance, Izuku set up right outside an open window, entering the derelict hospital.

Hmmm, the boys called the police but best to add a little to that urgency.

"This is Edgeshot, I'm calling in a villain sighting for the police of Akuto. Converge on my signal."

(X)

The sound of the alarm shocked him awake, and despite the disorientation, Katsuki surged out of bed as fast as he could, turning on the light in his room. He had his tank-top and workout shorts on for PJs as he opened the door. Across from him, Tsunotori was in her American-themed trousers and long shirt, eyes so wide that she looked like she'd been slapped.

"Up and at'em you two!" A sidekick said while running past. "Got a fire close by. We're the closest so move move move!"

He turned back, seeing that Tsunotori had already closed the door. Gritting his teeth, the ash blonde turned around and closed his own door, rushing to get dressed.

His pajamas were shed, slipping into his custom pants, then his skin-tight vest. His combat trousers, his boots, and finally his armguards and Grenade Gauntlets followed suit. Putting on the domino mask, Katsuki stepped back out, seeing Tsunotori running down the hall in her skin-tight orange and padded costume. He ran out, exiting the living quarters and eventually entering the garage where he could see Sidekicks and Technicians at work. He stopped by the blonde girl's side, ready for action.

Orca barked out orders, guiding everyone by a custom transport with a black and white color palette.

"Let's move it. Tsunotori, Bakugo." He said, eyeing the two youngsters. "Sit in the back with me." He gestured, and Katsuki followed the girl who moved on instinct. He got in, buckling up as did Tsunotori, the other intern having what could be described as her 'game face' on.

(X)

One last bandage draped over his wounds, Stain cinched it tight. That would be all that he needed for now. Picking up the makeshift bag of supplies, he rolled his shoulders.

"Alright…" He uttered to himself, his only source of light from the candles he'd lit and from the moon's light coming in from the planked-up windows. He inspected the map, tapping on the spot. Mt. Fuji would be a good spot to heal for a while. From there, a new hunting ground could be chosen. He walked over, grabbing his backup katana as he unsheathed it.

It was custom, not possessing the jagged cuts his older one had. Nevertheless, it had served him well before.

Stain felt a twinge of sentimentality upon placing his hand on the tattered and decaying bed. Akuto was his home after all, and this was the maternity ward…

He shouldered his pack when for a moment, all the light from the window went out.

What came next was a crash, and Stain's katana broke under a high speed kick. The sheathed blade shielded him from the impact as he yelled, his body flying through the plaster and walls, finally slamming into the hallway floor outside.

He coughed out blood, feeling a cut from his sword from where it broke through its sheath as he lifted his head up. There in his room, hand on the floor was an individual in blue and red, eyes glowing in the dark in a narrowed blue hue.

Stain roared, pulling his broken sword from the sheath as he prepared to charge-

"SMAAASH!"

Only for a fist to collide with his face, with all the force of a sledgehammer as Stain would been sent flying had it not been for something latching onto his boot, and was instead tugged violently the other way. With a strangled yell, the Hero Killer was flung down the other end back to his assailants as he was slammed downwards. He recovered, gargling as he swung his sword, his eyes tracking some figure making distance in the dark hallway.

He could see him, a kid shrouded in emerald lightning!

Only for his sword to be yanked away. On instinct, he went for his combat knife as he turned towards the charging blue-eyed attacker. The Hero Killer roared like an animal, swiping and slashing with blinding speed.

Yet each time, Blue Eyes dodged like an expert boxer, almost as if he knew what was coming.

And like a boxer, the counter punch came and knocked the wind out of him, a hand lashing out and latching around his wrist. He yelled in agony, dropping the knife as he heard bones creak.

Then he felt a kick to his leg as he fell to his knees. A white string quickly glued his boot to the floor.

He caught a flash, Emerald Lightning leaping from the second attacker's body as he rushed in. Fast, almost as fast as Stain himself.

Blue Eyes was closer, so Stain grabbed at the ground, grasping a bedpan in his hand before swinging. Blue Eyes battered it aside, and Stain saw the pan buckle and cave in. Obviously a strength Quirk.

He was open; he moved his arm to block Green, only for Blue to grab at his wrist, pulling it and his whole arm out of the way. Green's fist came in with a straight kidney shot, the full weight of his blow sending bolts of pain across Stain's whole body.

He was lifted off the ground, the white goop snapping where it clung to his boot, tiles shattering under them.

However, Blue still had a hold of his arm.

He was stopped, Blue yanking him back and the freshly dislocated arm dislocated again with fire spreading across his joint. Blue let him go, spinning in midair to kick Stain across the stomach before he could hit the ground.

The Hero Killer's body was airborne once again, slamming into the wall but he rallied, fighting through the pain, with gritted teeth and rage fueling him as he fumbled for a weapon.

Something caught the light as it sailed through the air, a food tray. By the time his brain even consciously recognized the item it was too late, the metal tray cracking across the ridge of his eye socket, roaring in agony before Green was on top of him again.

He threw out his shuriken, but no hits as Green Lightning punched him, kicking him as Stain did his best not to fall. He tried to call upon another knife on his holster, only for some white string to latch onto it and rip it from his hand!

"Why y-" Stain was cut off with a punch to the face when he tried to stand.

Blue joined the fray, and the situation devolved into a blur of pain.

Blow after blow rocked his body, with punches and kicks landing in alternating turns.

The world swam, and for a moment, caught between the fugue of consciousness and the dark of oblivion, Akaguro Chizome wondered if he was going to die.

Then, it was over. One of them punched him, he wasn't sure which, smashing him clear through old drywall at his back and Stain fell into the hallway further still-

He crashed against the guard railing, going through it as he was sent tumbling down onto the central rotunda, landing in the empty fountain with a crash.

He didn't get back up.

(X)

The inferno was bright as Katsuki exited the transport, walking out and seeing the fire.

It was monstrous, consuming the apartment complex as firefighters were hard at work firing their hoses at it.

"What do we do?" Tsunotori asked as the sidekicks spread out and Orca stepped out, glaring at the conflagration.

"Secure the perimeter."

Katsuki looked around, seeing some ambulances and people coughing, crying. Some stared out into space, numb and cold.

"Is there anyone else inside?!" Orca yelled.

Someone came up, a bulky Rhino looking woman. "Third and fourth floors couldn't get out!"

"Rescuman!" Orca called.

"Already on it!" A fireman screamed.

Behind him, almost like clockwork a group of three firefighters charged forward, three of them in an almost tripod formation with a ladder between them. Two of them put it into position, while the third climbed the steps of the ladder even as the metal structure leaned forward against the edge of a window. Without hesitation, the fireman secured the clamps on the windowsill.

"Bakugo!" Orca barked, snapping the bomber out of his stupor, "Support the fireman, get the water up there!"

"On it!" Katsuki called with more confidence than he felt.

He rushed forwards, and a fireman, an older man with a look of hardened intensity that only came from years of experience looked him over for almost a second before coming to a decision. Experienced hands strapped the end of a hose to a nearby hydrant, while the other held it out to Katsuki.

"Take the end, feed it up the ladder and when I call go, hold on for dear life!" the firefighter ordered.

Katsuki nodded once, taking the offered hose and moving as fast as his legs could take him. Even from where he was, the heat was making him sweat buckets. On any other day, he would've loved this situation. All he needed was a twitch, and he could blow the entire building sky-high.

But that wasn't what was needed. He needed to move, to carry, to hand off the hose, which was exactly what he did. As instructed, the second that the firefighter took the end, he helped the one man that wasn't helping secure the ladder and fed the hose up. In the corner of his eye, Katsuki was vaguely aware of Orca standing next to some of the workers. They were overlooking a map, a blueprint to the building maybe?

Another group of men, with the help of Tsunotori, beat down a door with her horns and axes. The second it was broken down, two men rushed in. The fire drowned out the sound of their screams for help, but a few moments later, the men came out while holding civilians. A few others running out behind them were pulled along by Tsunotori's horns which they were holding onto for dear life as they coughed and choked on the smoke.

"Water incoming!" the older man screamed, and Katsuki felt the rush of water run through the hose. Above him, the fireman buckled slightly before unleashing the stream into the open flames, no doubt giving some of the men a way in should they need it.

Sure enough, the man on top stepped in, hose at the ready and letting the other firefighters follow. There was a distant sound of screaming. The older fireman tapped Katsuki's shoulder.

"Get ready to help them down," he ordered, taking Katsuki's place on the hose.

The young intern's head nodded robotically. When the firefighter returned, he was carrying a woman. Gently as he could, he shifted her to another fireman who in turn handed her off to Katsuki. When he got her, he shifted his stance as best he could to compensate for the weight.

He needn't have bothered, as Tsunotori was right there, ready with a team of responders and a stretcher. Quickly, but gently as he could, Katsuki laid the woman down on the cot. The Texan girl gave him the barest of looks before helping the responder wheel the woman to the nearest ambulance.

Katsuki wiped off his brow, sweat forming due to him being this close to the fire. It only increased as he turned around to find yet another person in need of carrying, a boy this time. He repeated the same motions for the woman, and Tsunotori was there.

After that, time started to blur. Katsuki might have gotten maybe thirty seconds, a minute tops between each delivery. And every time that he turned around, Tsunotori was there, tiredness forming on her as she kept going back and forth.

Grab, hand off, take a breath, grab, hand off, take a breath, repeat.

It happened a dozen, two dozen, fuck Katsuki didn't know how many times. He moved purely via muscle memory at some point, his body only remaining functional because of its natural resistance to heat.

Then suddenly, the stream of people stopped.

Katsuki blinked, and was suddenly aware of how numb his arms felt. The fireman above him tapped him on the shoulder and the ash-blonde took that as his cue to come down.

Every fibre of muscle in his arms felt like razor blades. His ribs and chest felt like they were on fire and his throat scratched and itched.

When he coughed he didn't stop, eyes watering at the sudden rush of colder air as he clutched at his chest.

One of the firemen approached, water bottle in hand. Katsuki moved to take it from him only for the guy to force his hand away, making Katsuki cup it before placing just the smallest bit of water in his hand.

He drank.

And was grateful immediately that the guy had kept the water from him. His coughing was renewed tenfold, relief warring with pain across his throat and voice box.

His legs were shaking.

When the fuck did that happen?

Finally, he had enough presence of mind to look up, noticing that the ambulances and flashing lights were everywhere. He Tsunotori Pony laying flat on her back on the asphalt, covered in soot and breathing hard. Gang Orca was kneeling further away, near their truck, where some of the sidekicks hosed him down with all the water they could spare, even from here he could see that the man's skin was dry and beginning to blister.

Had he gone into that building?

"There's a family on the upper floor!" someone suddenly shouted.

And suddenly, the urgency was back. The firefighters were moving again, rushing forward as several of them put their fireproof gear back on and threw themselves back into the inferno.

Katsuki turned, staring up at the flames where there was indeed someone still at the topmost floor.

The building creaked dangerously, a blast from a ruptured gas line throwing him back and the firemen were forced out as the inferno surged.

There was a cacophony of voices, shouted orders, demands he could barely make sense of.

"I need a ladder over here!" The Fire chief yelled.

"It's not gonna hold!"

Then, there was a rush of air above him and his eyes shifted in time to see Pony rush straight into the air, riding her two horns upwards.

"Tsunotori!" Gang Orca shouted.

She either didn't hear him or she ignored him. The red eyed boy could see her struggling to get close through the heat of the flames, probing for an opening. Katsuki saw her perk up… and she dove right in!

"Fucking Moron!"

It wasn't until he was halfway up the damn building himself, blasts surging out of his palms that he recognized the shout as being his, red eyes peering into the flames, scanning for her. Then she was flying right out, two people in her arms as she floated down with a wobble. Her landing was less than graceful and the kid that hit the ground with her couldn't be more than three or four years their junior.

He impacted the ground next to her with a crash as the paramedics rushed forward. She tried to get her feet back under her, but she was on her last legs. Her eyes were dizzy, her vision swimming.

"Stay down." He grunted. "You got him out!"

She shook her head. And between her hacking coughs she managed to speak again. "His sister's still up there!"

Katsuki felt his eyes trail back to the building.

He heard her coughing and he almost missed her trying to rise again on her horns.

"Bakugo! Tsunotori! That's enough! Get over here!" Yelled a voice. It was Orca…

"Fuckin-" He almost punched her.

He settled for breaking the horns under her feet instead.

She hit the ground with a scream.

"Bakugo!!" Orca added.

"STAY THE FUCK HERE!!!"

The blasts that rushed him up the side of the building made his bones ache, the muscles in his shoulders cramping. He could feel the blood pumping through his ears with the roar and crackling of the fire.

He saw where she entered before and rushed straight in.

The heat hit him like an iron sledgehammer.

It was overpowering, all-consuming, and he swore that he was going to black out instantly before he grit his teeth and pushed through.

The apartment was small, and the paper-thin walls were an immense help.

The girl was crying.

He heard her long before he saw her, following the sound of her voice.

The door was burning by the time he reached it.

"Get away from the door!" He shouted as loud as he could before raising both arms straight up.

The blast rocked him back on his heels and he felt like his bones were breaking. The door was blasted to a million splinters as he heard the girl scream.

Good, if she was screaming then it meant she was alive.

He moved in, and there she was huddled under her bed. She was whimpering and crying, soot marked tear streaks trailing down her face.

She looked at him with open fear, but the second she registered who he was, she rushed out from under her bed, bare feet pounding against the floor before she jumped right on him.

Katsuki grabbed onto her, teeth clenched as he turned around again, only to see his exit area be swallowed by flames.

He sucked down a breath and the memory of the cold sip of water he'd drank just a minute ago hit him, making him want to cough again.

He needed his arms free.

"Get on my back!" He demanded, the girl clinging to him for dear life, not seeming to register the request.

He reached behind him, forcing her arms apart as she cried before he pulled her away, bodily manhandling her until she was riding him on piggyback.

From there she got the message, arms wrapping around his neck and hugging him tight.

The flames continued to crackle and surge.

He knew how fire worked. It was something you had to know with a quirk like his.

He needed something.

Needed... something.

His eyes found the bed.

That would do.

He marched over, leaning down and flipping the mattress clear and out, propping it up. He was grateful that it was a bed for a kid and not anything bigger. It was awkward enough as it was.

He propped the bed up with one arm, his back to the wall, bed between him and the flames.

East side, nothing but empty street on the other side.

"Hang on!"

He held out his remaining free arm, and unleashed a shout and a blast that left his ears ringing. The wall, like the door before it, was blasted wide open.

The firesurge was immediate, the flames rushing towards the fresh oxygen, devouring it and the blast of heat slammed straight into the mattress. The concussive force made his arm buckle, slamming straight into him and shoving him out of the building into the open night air.

He heard the girl whimper, hugging him tighter.

He grit his teeth.

"It's fine." He snarled, and he wondered if she could even hear him past the rushing flames and wind.

"You're gonna be fine. I'm right here."

His fingers twitched.

The blast that escaped him was powerful enough to arrest his movement completely, car alarms going off far beneath him and his scream was half pain and half defiance as he hovered above the city streets, taking flight under the night sky as Katsuki roared.

(X)

"You sure that's enough to hold him?" Izuku asked.

"Oh yeah," Parker said, letting an empty web cartridge fall to the ground from his wrists. "Unless he's got something like, All Might super strength, he's got no leverage in there. By the way, I saw that Cap'n America move with the tray. Classy."

Izuku turned, confused, but after a moment he realized that he was being complimented. "Uhhh... Thank you?" Who or what was Captain America?

He got the feeling that Parker was smiling behind his mask.

The eyes kinda gave him away.

Izuku nodded, only to frown slightly at what was going to serve as the Hero Killer's transport for now. To put it bluntly, Parker was going a little bit too deep into the spider theme for his tastes. With the exception of the villain's head, everything was covered in the white, web-like substance that Parker had been using up until this point. He hung from a single string, while the rest of his body was covered in so much webbing that the villain's body didn't have any definition.

All and all, he looked like a huge white egg with an angry face at the top.

"Also I really, really don't want him to get the chance to swing one of these anymore," Parker said, picking up one of the broken blades, "Like, they're so cool but I really don't want anyone using them."

Izuku nodded in agreement, glancing down at all the different implements of deadly force that they'd found on the Hero Killer. Knives, shuriken, and a dozen different variants on a combat knife. It was frankly ridiculous to hold all these tools on one's person.

"Y-you think we should break them?" Izuku asked.

He got the sense that Parker's features scrunched together behind his mask.

"I mean, sure? Not like we're going to use them, but aren't they like, evidence or something?"

"W-we have the Hero Killer," Izuku pointed out.

"... fair point, dibs on the katana."

He reached out, only for his fingers to freeze at a sound, like a crack in the air.

Then came a clap.

The two students turned as one, and Izuku felt his entire life flash before his eyes as Edgeshot walked out from the darkness, clapping his hands. The Hero's single eye was dead set on the two boys, but he looked like he was… smiling?

What?

"Hello and good evening my cute little intern," Edgeshot sang, "I knew that you enjoyed a jog at the end of the night, but this seems rather excessive, don't you think? Or would it be morning instead? It is after midnight, after all."

Izuku blinked and Parker's head snapped around, flashing between looking at a pale Izuku and the hero.

"I'm sorry, but does this mean that we just took the Hero Killer down in front of a ninja?"

"I prefer the term Shinobi," Edgeshot corrected, "But essentially, yes. You indeed went after a villain without the supervision of either of your mentors, and engaged your quirks without having your provisional licenses."

Izuku paled till he looked more like a ghost, and from the way that Parker seemed to freeze as well, he had come to the same conclusion as him. They had been caught breaking the law, in front of one of the top ten heroes no less.

Oh no...

All Might was going to kill him.

His mother was going to kill him!

The green-haired boy gulped, steeling himself.

"W-we did the right thing," Izuku said, surprising himself as much as the two others.

Parker's snapped back to look at him so fast that Izuku wouldn't have been surprised if the guy had whiplash. Edgeshot on the other hand, simply raised his single visible eye and crossed his arms.

"We knew that Stain was here and he was going to leave for another safehouse somewhere to hide immediately," Izuku continued before his nerves could get the better of him, "We had the chance to take him in and prevent any more attacks, so we took it. The consequences don't matter, not after we've confirmed that he won't be able to hurt anyone anymore."

"And we gave justice to everyone that this guy hurt and killed," Parker added, nodding his support to Izuku as he stood beside him.

Izuku was grateful for the acceptance, but that feeling was soon overtaken by worry as Edgeshot stepped forwards. The shinobi hero walked straight by them, and next to the cocooned form of Stain. He tapped the white substance with a gloved finger before stroking his chin.

"How long will this… webbing last?" Edgeshot asked, turning towards the red and blue costumed American.

"Uh," Parker said, caught off guard slightly, "About… couple hours or so."

Edgeshot stared at him and Izuku, his single visible eye clouded with a thousand thoughts that Izuku couldn't read.

Then it closed, and he clapped.

"Well then, I'd say that you two accomplished quite the feat."

...what?

"So… we're not in trouble?" Izuku asked.

Edgeshot scoffed. "Ohhh no. You're definitely still in trouble. If it were anyone else standing here this conversation wouldn't be happening. You'd be on your way to a jail cell next to angry emoji here. A certain canine Chief I know in Hosu would love to have you two crucified and behind bars for sure." Then he stopped and smiled. "Since it's me though, I think things will turn out a bit differently."

"So… we're good, right?" Parker asked, fidgeting.

"For a given value of 'good', yes you are."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, I was shadowing Izuku here to see how he would respond to tracking down the Hero Killer when he's faced with obstacles before him. I never imagined that he would have help." He said, turning towards Parker.

"Well… The data came from your agency, in regards to Stain's location. I found it. And took it."

"Yes, but… if I recall, you're under her supervision yes? Did Mirko-san approooooove~?" He asked, dragging out the last word as he leaned forward, his arms crossed and eye quirked in amusement.

As if on cue, the door at the other end of the hall burst open, the door disintegrating into splinters as planks and pieces splattered across the ground, Parker letting out a shriek of surprise. A second passed before the tanned skin and folded rabbit ears of an enraged Mirko stepped through!

Holy crap, another Top Ten hero-Wait, was Parker shaking?

She looked down the hallway, and Izuku swore that he saw her eyes widen and glow red. And her eyes were already red!

"Oh no." Parker wheezed in English.

Her expression was thunderous. If looks could kill, and some could, everything in a ten mile radius would likely be dead. It made Kacchan's murderous glare look cute and cuddly.

"Oh dear, she's far angrier than I thought." Edgeshot's voice seemed to finally lose it's mostly amused inflection.

Mirko started forward, and halfway through the distance Edgeshot stepped between her and Parker in what Izuku could only take as one of the bravest things he'd ever seen. A hurricane wouldn't have wanted to get in front of that woman.

"Move, Kamihara." She snarled, baring her teeth. Parker seemed to be shrinking on the spot, paralyzed in fear.

Edgeshot shook his head. "Nope. I know that look, Usagiyama."

She moved to step around him only for her way to be blocked again, his speed matching her's, dust being scattered from their blink-of-an-eye movements.

Izuku very well thought he was about to see two Top Ten Heroes fight, and not in a friendly way. Should he speak? He tried to find words, but couldn't get them out of his throat.

"You're about to do something that you're gonna end up regretting, Mirko-san." Edgeshot warned. He jerked his head. "Go for a walk. Cool your head."

She didn't look inclined to accept.

When the flash and blaring of police sirens pierced the gloom much to Izuku's gratitude, some clarity seemed to pierce through the haze of anger and she turned, marching out of the rotunda grounds to do as Edgeshot asked. She paused, shooting a harsh glare at the boy behind the Ninja Hero before she kicked a statue, sending it flying out of the hospital. The very act made Parker jump as she stomped away.

Izuku saw the Shinobi Hero relax minutely.

When he turned back to them he was smiling again.

"I'm rather impressed, I don't think I've ever seen her this mad before. Nice work!" He added with a thumbs up.

Parker shuffled from foot to foot, eyes fixed on the floor.

The sirens were drawing closer.

"Alright kids." The Hero drawled as the sound of car doors opening and closing reached their ears. His playfulness was gone, and there was the calm and collected Shinobi who was a Top Ten Pro in the country. "If you would like to keep that 'given value of good' status, follow my lead."

(X)

Peter followed the group out of the hospital, dragging the webbed-up serial killer behind him. Izuku was by his side.

He took a deep breath, standing up straight as he saw Akuto police officers approach. The head of the group was a small looking toad man of sorts. He had a similar badge and beige coat that Mr. Fukuda wore too… their police chief?

"Chief Akiyama, glad to see you made it." Edgeshot said with a pep in his step as he shook the dwarf's hand.

"At this hour, the villain you've gotten better be worth it." He grumbled, his voice gravely.

"Would the Hero Killer Stain suffice?" He said, stepping aside as the groaning black-haired man in webbing was dumped at his feet. The chief's eyes rose up in surprise as other officers came to collect the murderer. Behind the cars, Peter could make out some sleepy-eyed people with their cameras and shouting for an interview. The media? At this hour?

"How did you find him?" He asked, before noticing the youths behind him.

"Well, suffice to say, but I am proud to announce that our capturing of Stain here was a collaboration between the Edgeshot and Mirko Hero Agencies. For you see, we have been hard at work over these last few days aiming to track Stain down." Edgeshot explained.

The chief raised an eyebrow as another officer got out a special phone. Must have a recorder or audio logger.

"Care to explain?" He asked. "This does seem rather sudden. And where is Mirko?"

"Checking the area," Edgeshot answered easily, smiling, "Still has a bit of excess energy after the fight." Peter bit his lip, forcing a lump down his throat.

The two cops shared a look, and shrugged.

"I'll have to say, Mirko-san and her intern Spider-Man here," Edgeshot gestured to Peter and Mirko. "Have been patrolling all over Tokyo as I'm sure you are aware. In fact, what they have been doing has been scouting for potential safehouses where Stain could hide away after his attacks. Isn't that right? Spider-Man?" His eyes were on him.

Peter stiffened, "Uh… Y-Yeah, we were."

Smooth.

"Many of the precincts in the Wards figured that as well in how Stain has been eludin' us, but we couldn't come up with anythin'. How did you find him now?" Akiyama inquired with crossed arms.

"Hosu largely." Edgeshot continued. "After Stain killed Native, it offered us a clue on how he got around. How would anyone escape the likes of the Number Two Hero Endeavor anyway? He is a known bloodhound for crime and an expert detective when it comes to deduction and reasoning. Deku here..." He gestured to Midoriya who peaked up. "Came up with the beautiful assumption that Stain had been using the sewers to move about, utilizing the refineries here in Tokyo," He pointed behind him, to where the domed refinery was. "He was using the tunnels, employing these buildings as essentially checkpoints." Midoriya was blushing, smiling awkwardly.

The chief made a face, looking irritated, "The Public Works Committee is not gonna like this…" Akiyama mused.

"Well, it can't be helped. They'll just have to use more of their budget to install cameras or security drones in the sewers. Our tax money hard at work." The Ninja Hero jested. "Anyway, we were able to confirm Stain's location when we came here, as it was the most reasonable refinery to reach from Hosu. Just in case, I called in Mirko-san for backup, and she and her intern answered and did the bulk of the fighting. And so, here we are."

"Hmmm, it's good enough I suppose. I'll need you to confirm it down at the station with us." Akiyama shrugged. "Gotta make a report, regardless."

"Damn… you all…" came a weak voice as everyone turned to the source, and saw a panting, gap-toothed bloody-nosed Stain hanging his head out the car window. "My… crusade… it wasn't supposed to end like… this!" The playful air the Ninja Hero had vanished in an instant.

"Save your breath." Edgeshot spoke, his tone low.

"Get them out of here!" Akiyama roared, pointing at the few night owls of the Media as some officers aimed to push them away.

No seriously, the two journalists were owl people.

"Silence, you fraud!" Stain roared, his red eyes blazing, saliva spitting. "The only one who was supposed to defeat me was All Might and he alone! He is the one true hero! You… all of you! Are nothing but greedy fakes! Only in it for glory and profit! Not for true altruism!"

Peter narrowed his eyes.

"I will seek vengeance! I will break these chains you imposed upon me, I will make this world blue and righteous from the stain you all have wrou-Agh!" He was cut off, a web blob over his mouth as he muffled out screams, struggling in his web cocoon.

Peter had his arm raised, and eyes meeting the killer's after he fired. "Shut up."

"Ahhh, blessed silence, thank you, Spider-Man." Edgeshot said with a smile.

"Okay, lock him up boys." Akiyama gestured as the cops rolled up the windows despite a struggling and furious Stain writhing in the car.

"Let's go get that report filed, and we can get some much needed sleep." Akiyama grumbled. Peter saw Izuku walk with Edgeshot to the cop cars to head over to the station.

(X)

The fire was finally dying away.

The flames had raged almost the whole night, swallowing the building whole. They'd managed to prevent its spread to adjacent buildings but nothing would salvage this one.

Gang Orca turned, eyeing Bakugo and Tsunotori where the two sat with their paramedics, breathing deeply from their oxygen masks. He can see the girl being reunited with her parents, being loaded into the last ambulance as they cried together.

Kuga wasn't sure if he should applaud their bravery or berate them for their recklessness.

He took a breath.

No doubt other agencies didn't have nearly as much trouble with their interns.

(X)

Peter didn't so much 'wake' the following morning, but rather he decided that this was a good enough time to keep his eyes open.

He hadn't slept last night, body still thrumming with energy and the impending... argument with Mirko looming over him.

The Rabbit Heroine hadn't been angry last night, she'd been absolutely furious.

He doubted the handful of hours between last night and now had been enough to calm her down.

He contemplated staying in bed a while longer, but decided against it; delaying things might just piss her off more and the sooner it was over with... well, the sooner it would be over.

Pulling himself out of bed, he moved to the nearby bathroom to brush his teeth and change out of his sleep clothes. The sun was up and the day was bright and shiny and beautiful.

The total opposite of the storm brewing in his chest.

Finally, willing himself to not find any more excuses he took a breath and opened up the door to the hallway.

The door to Mirko's room was open, it was empty and he wondered if she was still out patrolling, or venting might be more accurate.

He started to walk down the hallway, not daring to make a sound.

He saw the light from the theater room glowing.

Peering into the slightly open door he found the stark white of her hair just peeking over the edge of the couch.

He took a deep breath, no doubt she'd heard him a long time ago and already knew he was there.

He stepped forward into the room. She didn't say anything and he wasn't sure how exactly to start the conversation without sticking his foot in his mouth.

So he sat down on the other side of the couch and waited.

Seconds felt like minutes with this much tension, or maybe minutes felt like seconds but either way it felt like a long time before she spoke and not nearly long enough.

"People always ask why I hate having teammates." Mirko said. She didn't shout or yell, she didn't breathe it like a whisper. Her voice was bandied steel, with fire in the undertone.

Peter cringed. He would have preferred roaring anger.

"Leeches taking the glory for the hard work of others. Anchors weighing others down from getting things done…" She took a deep, slow breath. "But shit like this?" She turned, her ruby eyes like spearheads as she pierced Peter with her gaze. "Is why I fucking hate teammates."

That... stung.

"I'm... I'm sorry."

She snorted. "That makes it all better now? You say that you're sorry and all's forgiven?"

"I-No?" He ran his hands through his hair, a frustrated helplessness stirring in his gut.

He wanted to make this right, like he always tried to make things right but he wasn't sure how in this case.

He saw her shake her head. Her ears were folded behind her head as she turned away from him. "You ain't fuckin' sorry for shit."

"Yes I-"

She cut him off, a single finger rising and held up between them to demand his silence. "Tell me straight up, right now, no bullshit and all's forgiven if you say no. Rewind back to last night, would you still go to that hospital?"

His protest died on his tongue.

Her sneer was an ugly thing, her ruby eyes like daggers as she bared her teeth. "You're fuckin' sorry you got caught. You're not sorry for what you fucking did!"

Now his anger simmered, stoked. "What I did was make sure a murderer isn't out there to keep on killing people. You were willing to ignore it!"

Her eyebrows rose, head bobbing in a mockery of a nod. "Ohhhhhhhh. Is that what you did? My mistake then. Shoulda figured having your head so far up your own high and mighty ass makes it so easy to ignore everythin' else in the world than the shit you choose to smell."

"The hell is your problem!?" He growled. "He killed people! He would have kept on killing people! If you didn't stop him and you could you may as-"

"Oh, come the fuck off your high horse!" Mirko roared, eyes bulging in anger. "What you did last night wasn't for anyone other than yourself! To make you feel better. To jack off your little ego! You think I don't fucking see it? Huh!"

She reached for the control beside her pressing the button and there he was, facing down a stunned Bakugo, his face a rictus of animalistic rage as All Might was paused, just entering frame, about to intercept.

He was sick and tired of looking at this goddamn video...

"He insults 'them', you fly off the handle. Classmate gets hurt and if you don't do something you are responsible for what comes after, right?" Her voice was a growl. "To hell with everything else. Nevermind the consequences, gotta go and make the world right again or whatever. Move or I make you move or whatever bullshit."

"Sitting around doing nothing doesn't help anyone!" He insisted. Why couldn't she understand that!

She looked to him, red eyes gleaming like blood rubies in the darkened room.

Slowly, she shook her head. "And that's why I hate fucking teammates. Their actions and results bring the whole down when things go south."" She breathed as she stood, glaring down at him, ears still folded as she crossed her arms over her large chest. "Because guess who that's on when you get killed?"

Like a blade slicing through the canvas, all the wind was taken right out of his sails. Suddenly Peter felt cold, feeling a phantom pain in his arms before finding the disappointed eyes of Mr. Stark reflected in Mirko's red ones.

She looked at him, turning to face him completely and the little ember of anger that had been his sole defense wilted under her stare.

"We would have lost everything," She said, and for a moment, it confused him. "Everything I've built: my life, my reputation, my good name, Shizune's job, the security of this district. I would have plummeted out of the Top Ten. We would have lost everything, all while I was sleeping in my bed thinking everything was fine. Because you did the one thing I told you not to do."

"I-I didn't die." Peter retorted weakly. It seemed like a very feeble excuse. "I… I would have come back to bed, nothing else after." It was.

"No." She answered, her tone softer but firm. "But the thought never even crossed your mind, did it? Because somewhere deep inside you stopped giving a shit if you actually do die, and if it doesn't matter to you, it shouldn't matter to anyone else, right?"

That wasn't true...

He remembered dying. He remembered the fear, the desperation, the confusion. He remembered his body slipping away, everything going dark.

He remembered and he suddenly felt sick as a thought came unbidden, flickering through his mind with a nauseating calm.

It'd just been like going to sleep...

He felt a tingle at the back of his mouth, like he wanted to throw up.

"I-I don't wanna die." He affirmed weakly in English, even as he looked down to the ground.

"I did not say you wanted to. I said you do not care." She countered in accented English.

There was a silence between them, heavy with unspoken words.

"We did the right thing." He insisted in Japanese.

She nodded. "Yeah. For all the wrong reasons." Mirko straightened as she stood up. "Those wrong reasons, sooner or later are gonna get you or those close to you killed, and I ain't gonna be responsible for that."

He looked at her, her features were still hard, disapproval in her eyes but there was also a naked concern beneath the layers. A hint of sadness. She let out a sigh sad, the anger disipating out of her as she walked back to her side of the couch, sitting down.

"Your internship is over." She said softly what they'd both figured before he'd even walked into the room. "Thanks to Edgeshot's story, spin it as a reward, for taking down the Hero Killer. I can't say any different any more than you can. But I hope that you remember this as an intervention or a lesson, not a win, weak as it might be. Pack up your stuff, go home."

"I-I don't want to leave you on a bad note." He half-stated, half-pleaded.

It was true. Behind the brusqueness, behind the anger and the dismissiveness... he did respect her.

He even liked her to some degree.

Her head tilted, her red eyes hard… but he could see the sadness there.

"Neither did I."

The soft admission cut him down to the bone.

What came next was worse.

"But like you said. If you can do something and don't, what comes after is on you." She turned away, turning on the film in the theater to a news report as her ears remained folded, not even giving him a second glance.

Peter left the theater, and he was out of the Agency within two minutes, dressed and bags in hand.

(X)

Izuku sighed quietly. The afternoon sun was hot and for some reason, Edgeshot was choosing to walk down the sidewalk, as opposed to the rooftops. People gawked and waved, some were brave enough to ask for autographs, even Izuku himself had been asked to take a picture or two with news about the Hero Killer's capture and his involvement in it much to his complete embarrassment.

He followed as obediently and as quietly as he could, but he was relieved when they lost the crowds and marched into a nearby park.

Edgeshot smiled, letting out a happy sigh as he sat down on a park bench, patting the spot beside him.

Izuku sat down next to him without protest.

The pro hero seemed more than content to sit back and people watch, but Izuku finally found the courage to give voice to something that had been niggling in the back of his mind since the... announcement last night.

"Ahh, Edgeshot-san?"

"Hmmm?" The Ninja's head tilted towards him, making a show of leaning his ear slightly closer.

"Ahh... well... I just want to ask errr... Why aren't you angry?"

"Would you prefer I be?"

"Eh? Oh uhhh, no. No no. Nononono." Izuku rapidly answered before he realized that he was being teased... again. "It's just-" He continued. "Mirko-san was furious and I'd understand if you were too. I mean... well-"

Edgeshot took a deep, slow breath. "To be honest little intern, there are two trains of thought here. Yes, you would have commited a rather egregious breach of the trust I placed in you, but that's somewhat mitigated because I rather expected what you did. It doesn't really help your intent but at the very least it doesn't catch me off guard, which I think helped fuel Mirko's anger." He shook his head. "Back on track, yes you did something wrong, but I'm choosing to overlook it, because I think you did it for the right reasons."

"But it was still something that could have hurt your agency, and you if something-"

Edgeshot nodded. "Yes. That's all true, but the underlying fact is you chose Midori-no, Deku." His single visible eye turned to the boy. "You chose the kind of hero you wanted to be."

The green-haired youth remembered the words from Edgeshot's earlier lessons.

"You decided that you needed to stand up when you felt no one else would. You decided to do what no one else could, and you did it without a single concern or thought for your personal gain or glory. But to do good because it was good... and that... reminds me of… something we grow closer to losing every day." He said somberly, looking up and away, as if to a far away place. "And this first step you took, and I don't think it should be rewarded with a punishment."

Izuku looked down. "I'm not sure everyone would agree with you."

"They won't." He smiled. "But let me ask you something, if I'd have turned right back around last night and thrown you and Parker under the bus, no glory, no recognition, no rewards, just punishment and expulsion from my agency and recommendation of it to U.A.... What choice would you have made? Go to the hospital or stay at the hotel?"

Izuku was ashamed that he had to think about it.

But he didn't want to lie.

"I-It'd be harder." He admitted, and the admission itself hurt. "But I'd like to think I'd still try to do the right thing."

"And that's enough for me." The Shinobi nodded.

Then, the man took another deep breath and stood, looking at his smartwatch. "Ahh well, I need to get some water."

Izuku moved to stand when Edgeshot's hand gently pressed him back down into the seat.

"Ahh-Ahh." He wagged his finger. "I'll come back to get you when it's time to leave, I think it's still necessary for you to stay in the park a little longer. Get some fresh air. We are going to be training hard tomorrow in our stuffy little dojo after all."

Izuku blinked at his strange, possibly insane sensei. "Ummm... Okay?"

Edgeshot smiled. "Be back soon."

Then he was gone, body folding in on itself and firing off into the sky.

Just where the hell was he getting water? Kyushu? Hokkaido?

Izuku sat on the bench for a moment, confused towards his sensei's latest antics when he noticed someone to his right marching closer.

He looked up, and found the unmistakable eyes of Yagi Toshinori looking down at him, with hollowed cheeks and sunken eyes.

Izuku felt the beginnings of guilt welling up from his gut at the look in those dark blue orbs.

(X)

Peter sighed through his nostrils, staring at the mess of security cones and caution tape that surrounded the train station's entrance.

Apparently, several Noumu rampaging in Hosu tended to mess up rail lines in quite a few places outside of Hosu.

There was a sign plastered in front that indicated the next station down the line was open.

Bag slung over his shoulder, the 'Ace' of Class 1-A didn't feel like anything of the sort right now. His eyes were glued to the floor. Karen was silent in his ear.

Mirko's words kept bouncing around in his skull. By and large, while a big part of him didn't, he couldn't think that he'd done the wrong thing. He recognized at the very least that he'd done it the wrong way.

Stain had to be taken down, but Mirko was right, if something had happened to him… he would have hurt both her and Nakiri-san. And he hadn't thought to call backup, or even phone the police, not until Izuku was there. He was going to go in there, beat him up, web him up and place him on a busy sidewalk. Just like back home in Queens.

He knew why he went after Stain, and he knew it was the right thing to do. But his… recklessness… his disregard for taking almost any precautions…

Why did he do that?

He wasn't suicidal… and he remembered enough of the USJ and Shigaraki to know that he was afraid of dying, at least at that moment and… well…

No need to think further back than that.

Was he trying to prove something? Did he just get caught up in the moment? Maybe Karen's voice in his ear made him think he wasn't as alone as he had been.

'Because somewhere deep inside you stopped giving a shit if you actually do die, and if it doesn't matter to you, it shouldn't matter to anyone else, right?'

He cringed, stopping mid-step, his shadow stretched long ahead of him as some people marched around and past him.

He forced his mind to grab hold of the statement, pick it apart, measure and weigh her words, think on how true they were.

He did care…

But he didn't think about it. About the possibility of it. Not any more.

It was easier that way.

He kept moving, crossing the street into the park ahead. Cut through here, to get to the next station.

As he walked his thoughts kept turning, moving. Replaying the conversation over and over again in his head.

Somewhere, long before this, maybe during the first year since he'd arrived in this world, he recognized deep in an untouched, unexplored shoved aside part of his brain… that he wasn't exactly dealing with the whole… thing that happened well. That he was less processing and more burying it. Keeping busy. Keeping his brain occupied. Learning Japanese. Learning the land. The culture. Trying to make friends.

He still flinched at the snap of fingers, his night terrors had receded but weren't gone, sometimes he passed by the hallway in the middle of the night to get a drink and he'd see Aunt May in Yu's pictures, or Mr. Stark in a business suit down the street before he shook his head and reality reasserted itself. He would see some overweight mixed kid as Ned. Or a slim tan Gyaru or punk girl as MJ.

Somewhere along the way he found himself leaning against a bench.

…

He wasn't crazy.

He wasn't.

But this thing… all the mistakes he'd made in handling Stain…

Stain was a two-bit ambush murderer… what if next time it wasn't? What if next time he went after someone significantly better? Made all the same mistakes, and cost all the people around him everything because he acted stupid. Because he had… issues?

He closed his eyes.

'I'm not crazy.' A part of him hissed, rebelled, insisted. 'I'm not crazy.'

He'd done the right thing.

…

"-hat were you thinking!?"

"We just wanted to do the right thing!"

Peter perked up.

He recognized that voice.

Turning his head, he could just see through the divider brambles and bushes. A familiar mop of green hair, sitting on a bench. There was a skinny, blonde guy in front of Midoriya, with his back to Peter, dressed in loose-fitting clothes. The guy looked downright skeletal!

"The right thing would have been informing the police, it would have been calling Endeavor, or even me for that matter, not going there yourself! You could have trailed Stain when he was leaving and signaled the authorities! Instead you rushed in and you could have gotten killed!"

Peter recognized Izuku's wince as his own and the Arachnid Hero-in-training felt a twinge of guilt that he'd dragged Midoriya into this kind of trouble. He did confirm Stain's location… and him preparing to leave made them jump the gun.

One part of him reminded him, rather firmly, that he was eavesdropping, and it was rude. He certainly wouldn't have wanted anyone to spy on himself and Mirko earlier. This was… private.

Another part wondered if this guy would say anything different. Have a perspective Mirko lacked.

Was he Izuku's family? An uncle or something?

"H-He had to be stopped A-"

"Not at that kind of risk!" Skeleton Dude retorted on the spot.

"I only tried to do what you would've-

"You're not me!"

The man's shout could have woken the dead and Midoriya looked like he'd been stabbed, eyes wide and face pale.

The tears Midoriya tried to hold back made Peter's gut twist.

"You're not me." The man repeated, panting. "You can't be me!"

Every word seemed to dig the knife in deeper and Peter was momentarily torn between leaving this clearly private moment and actually revealing himself and interfering to support Midori somehow. Whoever this guy was, Midori held him in high regard and his words were hurting him.

His friend.

Then, the blonde man knelt in front of him, hands that seemed far too large on his skeletal frame rising to place themselves on Izuku's shoulders.

"You need to be better than me, Young Midoriya."

For far too many times in a single day, Peter felt his heart stop and the disappointed face of Mr. Stark flashed before his eyes.

"I wanted you to be better."

"You need to be better, but you won't make it if you get yourself killed before you've come into your power. Stain was dangerous, he's killed multiple Heroes and even if you got the drop on him he could have killed you after a single cut."

Izuku choked down a sob.

"You are a Hero, right down to your core and that's why I chose you as my successor. And sometimes wanting to do something that seems so right and so obvious can lead people like you and I down the wrong path. It's happened to me many times… I know. " The Man's solemn voice carried through the air, heavy and sure with the weight of experience, his hand going to his side. "They can lead our own stubbornness and sense of justice to make the wrong choices. They can lead us to hurting those closest to us. Or losing them..."

Izuku wiped at his eyes.

"You need to be better." He repeated. "And part of that is not repeating my mistakes. Take what's good in me if anything, not the bad, Young Midoriya."

For a moment, Izuku looked like he might protest, his chin shaking up and down as he fought back the tears.

Then he nodded.

"Promise me, you won't do something so reckless agan," even if he looked creepy and skeletal, his voice was warm as it sounded like he smiled. "Alright?"

Another shaky nod.

The blonde man pulled Izuku close for a hug, and that seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back as Izuku opened the waterworks, wailing and sobbing.

Peter slipped away. He'd intruded enough.

Later, his thoughts would return to Izuku, and he would start to wonder who the blonde man was.

(X)

Takeyama Yu allowed herself to yawn as the elevator to her apartment floor pinged, high heels dangling from her fingers as she tried not to stumble too badly, stepping off the metal box and into the hall.

Her date tonight had been a total bore. Guy couldn't find an interesting conversation with a map.

Though, if she were being perfectly honest she had been a little distracted by the news going around that Edgeshot and Mirko caught the Hero Killer and Peter had helped.

But that was beside the point. An interesting date would have held her interest!

Fumbling for her keys inside her tiny purse, Yu mumbled and tried to organize her swimming thoughts into a vague 'To do' list for tomorrow.

She got through three failed attempts to find the right key and had just managed to get past 'brush teeth' when the door opened.

Even in the fugue of one too many drinks, it took her a second to recognize that there was someone in her living room, sitting on the couch.

A familiar someone.

Peter smiled and waved. "Hey Yu."

And that was all she needed, letting out a squeal of happiness and surprise she moved across the room, leaving the door wide open behind her as Peter stood up to meet her, offering a hug. "You're home!" She laughed, delighted. "I thought you weren't due back for another few days… more than a couple of days actually!"

"Mirko-san… gave me the rest of the time off."

"Oh! For helping with Stain, right?" She half-asked, half-stated, smiling as she turned to close the door. "Your internship was a lot more exciting than mine when I was your age! Man the office was just abuzz when they found out this morning! We gotta celebrate! I know the perfect-"

"I'd… rather not. Celebrate that is."

She stopped, fingers on the door handle.

She'd heard that same kinda tone of voice a few times before, on other people, even on herself when she had a particularly… bad day.

She really didn't want to hear it coming from Peter. Not after what he'd been through...

She turned, closing the door at long last, more quietly than she would have, and took a moment to look at him.

There was nothing wrong by outward appearances… but there was still something wrong now that she cared to pay attention.

She walked across the room again, worry making her heart stutter as she saw the look on his face. Worry for him, and for herself in a sense, knowing how limited her experience was in things like this. He looked distraught.

She reached for and grabbed his hands, moving him back until he was sitting on the couch again.

Yu sat beside him.

"What's wrong? Talk to me."

Peter took a breath, staring at a spot on the wall.

"I've been sitting here… trying to decide how messed up in the head I might be."

Her stomach flopped in her gut.

"Are your night terrors returning?" She asked, blood going cold. Peter shook his head.

"No… but they might be a part of it." He said. "I'm… not really sure of a whole lot right now."

Blunt was always the best approach.

"What happened Peter?" She shuffled in her seat, giving him her full attention. "What happened with Stain?"

He took a deep breath through his nose, leaning back in his seat. "I wouldn't know where to start… or how to. Or even if I should, Yu."

Whatever it was, she could see it eating at his insides, and all thoughts of sleep, alcohol or a 'to-do' list were firmly shoved from her mind as she made a decision.

"Talk to me. I'll sit here all night with you if that's what you need. So you can start from the very beginning." She took his hand, clasping it warmly and tightly.

Her voice was firm, and when his eyes turned to her she could see through the faint glimmer of unshed tears an apology…

And gratitude.

"I lived with my aunt… and my uncle in New York- before I got my powers."