\\ I was never there //
\\ The Weeknd //
~•~•~•~•~•~•~
Unbeknownst to anyone, Bakugo, Shoto, Kirishima, Ojiro, Hagakure, Shinso, and Monoma were walking through the first floor of the main UA building, where they hoped to reach the old Class 1A dormitory.
After passing the lobby, which was filled to the brim with sacks of cement laced with barbed wire - likely used during the fall as a means to hold off any stragglers breaking through the front doors - the exit came into view, along with the UA dorms in the background of the windows.
"Finally... I can take a proper shower," Kirishima sighed in relief.
"You're telling me," Monoma joked.
Bakugo smirked at the interaction and felt Hagakure nudge his arm before walking ahead with Ojiro and Shoto. To see them alive and well, joking together, brought back memories he didn't even know he had.
Oddly enough, he thought about Snipe in that moment and realized why he gave his life in the first place. It was for moments such as this. When everyone was together.
It reminded him of what he was fighting for. And when he and Deku met again, he would make damn sure it didn't end the same way it did in Kamino.
That was a promise.
"Mr. Bakugo!" Mandalay suddenly called out and waved him over to his surprise.
Curious about her motive, he told Shinso he would be a minute and went to her.
"What does she want?" Hagakure curiously asked after noticing Mandalay. Meanwhile, Kirishima and Monoma stepped outside.
"Beats me," Shinso shrugged.
As Bakugo and Mandalay whispered to each other, she gestured to something on Bakugo's finger and awkwardly blushed. Hagakure couldn't tell what it was until he took it off and handed it to her. Only then did she realize it was Snipe's ring.
"What does she want with that?" She whispered under her breath.
Although she couldn't hear what Mandalay was saying, she could make out Bakugo's words and knew he insisted on giving it to her. She seemed to refuse, but he forcibly grabbed her palm and dropped it there.
He closed her palm, squeezed it tight, and whispered, "It's in your hands now..."
"What?" Hagakure quirked her brow while Ojiro and Shinso shared a skeptical glance.
Before long, Mandalay thanked Bakugo with a nod and walked away. He hastily strutted to their circle and shrugged.
"What? Let's go," he maneuvered around them like nothing happened.
"You heard him," Shoto followed suit, followed by Shinso.
"W-What? No one is curious in the slightest about their conversation?!"
"Yep," Ojiro joked.
"And you! Isn't that ring a reminder to never repeat the mistakes of the past? Why did you give her Snipe's ring?!" She asked, begging for an explanation.
Bakugo forced a smile before continuing to exit the building. "Trust me, Invisible Chick... It's in good hands now. This is for the best..."
"I hope so, Katsuki... I sure hope so..." She sighed, closing the door behind her.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~
8:00 pm.
Sparks dispersed into the air as Spinner welded metal plates across the windows, as Mark the gamer suggested. He wore a face mask with rubber black gloves, courtesy of Yaoyorozu, and had his red scarf wrapped around his neck.
As for Hatsume, she was under the bus, changing the oil. Before long, she rolled from under the bus and grabbed her water bottle, oil stained on her white tanktop, and drank to her heart's content. Simultaneously, Yaoyorozu installed the hatch door inside the bus.
It didn't take long for her to install the hatch. Coupled with the fact that Hatsume was giving her new ideas to combine different creations, Yaoyorozu was on a roll. However, unbeknownst to her, Dabi snuck his way onto the bus.
"Are you Shoto's girlfriend?" He asked, scaring the daylight out of her.
"Dabi...?! What are you doing here?" She suspiciously asked, looking out the windows toward Fat Gum and Rock Lock in case Dabi tried anything.
"Relax! I'm not a rapist. Besides, you're way too young. I have standards..." He tensed his face in disgust.
"Jeez, thanks..." She screwed up her face.
"All I want to know is who you are to little Shoto..." He added with his hands in his pockets.
"What's it to you...?" She gulped, wondering why he would ask that.
"Frankly, nothing. I just know the kid is here to put his good-for-nothing father, Endeavor, in the ground. And between you and me... Our goals might be aligned..." He mysteriously added.
"Aligned?" She whispered as he turned around to leave.
"Forget what I asked. Come tomorrow... It might be short-lived... Then again..." He shrugged with a sinister grin, hiding his hysterical chuckle under his breath.
Dabi stepped off the bus, unbothered by the suspicious eyes Yaoyorozu was observing him with. She had no idea what the heck he was talking about. Let alone why he wanted to know about her relationship with Todoroki.
Regardless, what she did know was that Dabi had plans for Shoto and his father.
Her question was:
Why?
As Twice was making funny faces at Overhaul and Giran was looking for cigarettes in the locker room, Toga was watching Stain from afar. Ever since the tunnel, she's been waiting for the right moment to talk to him.
It was now or never.
"Compress! Pst! Hey!" Toga poked at his sleeping figure. His mask sat on the bleacher's floor under him while his hat covered his identity.
"Eh?" He grunted.
"Now is my chance to talk to Mr. Stainy! Wish me luck!" She whispered excitedly while shaking joyfully.
"Good luck, I guess..." He tiredly sighed.
Toga sneakily approached Stain, who was swinging his sword around. When his back was turned, she tapped his shoulder, triggering him to swing around. He barely grazed her neck.
"Himiko Toga. I could've killed you!"
Hiding her blush, Toga gently brushed the sword away. "Now, why would I have a problem with that?" She flirted.
"I take it you're here for an autograph," he placed the sword into its holder.
"On the contrary. . . I wanted to know my idol. Would that be a problem?" She twirled a hair strand.
Stain scoffed under his breath, disgusted by the obvious feelings she had for him, but he had to admit there was something different about her.
Even Spinner.
Someone who clearly admired him.
"Come. Sit with me. . ." He accepted, departing up a flight of bleachers.
He sat down and placed his sword to the side while Toga swayed side to side, ecstatic about the chance to talk to him.
"So! Just how exactly was the Hero Killer born?" She asked excitedly.
"It's not something I take pride in. . . My father was a retired hero... I dropped out of school when my mother died... Finally, I put a fork in his eye after I decided his abuse was no longer justified. . ." He confessed.
"Whoa..." She whispered in disbelief.
So, they were alike, she thought.
"SO. . . How did a girl like you end up with them?" He scowled at the League from afar.
"Well, it was Giran who introduced me. We hated each other at first, but we grew to understand one another. That's more than what my parents ever did..." she replied while walking down a row and balancing herself.
"I see... Your parents rejected you, whereas Shigaraki accepted you. Saving him is your way to repay him..."
"Of course! Tomura is our leader. We can't reach our goal without him..."
"What is your goal...?"
"Honestly... A year ago, I would say to destroy everything that oppressed us... The HPSC... The heroes that supported it... Even the civilians who turned a blind eye. Though now... I'm not quite sure of that anymore..." She frowned, fiddling with her thumbs.
"And why is that?" Stain curiously pressed, clasping his hands together and situating them in front of his face.
Taking a moment to think, the first thought that popped into her head was the people she pitied in the cafeteria. For some reason, she related to them, even though they likely hated her. She didn't understand these strange feelings and wanted them to go away. In addition, these were the same feelings she had when she learned about Deku and Uraraka's deaths.
She hated this feeling.
"I don't know..." She lied, pretending not to know.
"I think you do..." He called her out.
"Ugh! I don't know?" She whined, throwing up her hands in defeat.
"All I did was pity people in the cafeteria! Maybe I'm getting soft... Or maybe those heroes are rubbing off on me!" She pouted, trying to understand why she felt bad for people now.
"No... That's not it. I would know because it's happened to me before..." He stood up.
". . . You're torn because you've believed in a lie your whole life; only now, that lie is shattering before your eyes in the wake of this catastrophe. . ."
"And what's that?" She genuinely asked, hoping he could discern her feelings.
"That heroes and villains aren't alike..."
Taking a deep breath, she quirked her brow confusingly. "Go on?"
"You've believed all your life that heroes are good and villains are evil. That you weren't normal... So, when you pitied people who likely hated you, it felt unnatural. Because what kind of a villain would give a damn about civilians who supported Hero Society?" He finished with a rhetorical question.
"I guess that makes sense, but... I don't know what to think, Mr. Stainy... Am I even a villain? Because if not... What am I? Definitely not a hero..." She almost laughed at the thought.
"Not every hero is an angel, Toga... It's the same way every villain is not a devil. What matters is a person's intentions."
"Tsk! Funny you said angel, because I know an angel who's definitely not a hero..." She grumbled.
"Hawks isn't a hero. You're right to think that. But that doesn't mean he isn't a good man... Believe me, I would know..."
"Tell that to Twice's arm..." She whispered begrudgingly, glancing at Twice as he and his clones were talking.
"That being said... If you want to know what a true hero is... Look toward the bandits... What I can say for certainty is that the bandits... They're the true heroes... Saving those who need it the most, regardless of the lack of reward, is the essence of a hero. That's something even All Might has forgotten..." He closed his eyes sadly.
"All Might..." She scoffed.
"I hate to burst your bubble, Mr. Stainy, but All Might isn't the hero he used to be..." She explained with a darkness looming over her eyes.
"Elaborate?" He pressed.
"Remember Izuku? The boy you saved from a Nomu in Hosu?" She began.
"Yes. I remember him. He was a true hero..." He respectfully acknowledged.
"Well... I was eavesdropping on a conversation between him and Bakugo, and what they said, I couldn't believe it..." She paused for dramatic effect.
"It's because of All Might that two people I loved dearly died!" She furiously exclaimed, squeezing her fists. All the while, Stain remained suspiciously quiet.
"Izuku and Ochaco-Chan... Those were their names... And because of his twisted way of thinking, he sent them to that death trap! That's why I despise heroes; why I despise him!"
Ironically, now Stain was pitying her. He felt bad that she learned the truth this way. As if her conscience wasn't already torn apart. Then again, maybe this was for the best.
"I know..." He regrettably sighed.
"Wait... What?"
"Ojiro told me after he learned the truth a month back..." He confessed.
How could this be, she thought?
Stain knew?!
"Then why didn't you punish him?! You're the Hero Killer! You bring false heroes to justice!"
"I am well aware of my calling, girl! . . . But not everything is black and white, as we previously discussed. Besides... The fact he's here tells me he's seeking redemption. . . If he succeeds, it only proves what I've always believed..."
"Which is what?"
"That All Might is worthy to kill me!" Stain passionately stated, licking his lips at the very idea. His words were enough to send chills down her spine, which answered most of her concerns.
"I can't stop you from despising heroes, Toga... But if you want to know where you fit into all of this... You ought to understand your intentions. Are they to mindlessly destroy? Or to free the oppressed? It may lead you to the answers you're seeking..." He finished.
Having nothing to add, Stain turned and departed. All Toga could do was stand there and reflect on his words.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~
All Might stood in front of the window of his old office, looking at the stars as he reflected on the mistakes he made. He thought about Nana Shimura and wondered if she would be proud of the man he had become.
No doubt, he didn't believe that.
Before long, he sat on his old sofa, feeling its deteriorated fabric, only to be shocked when it still felt brand new. He chuckled at the revelation.
"At least some things hadn't changed," he said.
"I'll say..."
All Might quickly looked over his shoulder and smiled at the sight of Recovery Girl.
"I thought I might find you here..." She said, closing the door to his office. She proceeded to approach him with her cane.
"How is Todoroki doing?" He asked with a slight grin.
"He's doing fine! These young ones don't know how reckless they are, believe me," she scolded while sitting across from him.
Silence loomed between the two briefly before Recovery Girl broke that silence.
"So... You told the others about One For All. How did that go?" She smirked.
"As good as you'd expect," he deeply sighed, pressing his forehead as he held back a sob.
"What's wrong?" She sincerely asked, prompting him to sniffle.
"I failed, Chiyo... I failed Bakugo...! Young Midoriya...! Sir Nighteye! I even failed Nana..." He silently wept.
"Toshi! What's all this about? You didn't fail them," she confidently said.
"Of course I did! Bakugo hates me! Young Midoriya's a zombie! Aizawa despises me! Tch! I barely even had enough time to defend myself in Kamino! I lost my gun to Sero! I'm utterly helpless!!!" He finished, panting for air.
Recovery Girl didn't say a word.
She couldn't. Not when he was this stressed. If she hoped to get through to him, she needed to wait for him to have clarity. Otherwise, she might as well talk to the wall.
"Toshi..." She began once he calmed down.
"Yes..." He sighed in defeat.
"Why are you here?" She asked.
"I don't know..."
"Of course you know... You're here to right your wrongs..." She assured.
"Pfft! I thought the same thing... But so far... All I've done is get in everybody's way. Just like Aizawa said I would..."
"Maybe so... But at least you gave clarity to Bakugo..." She pointed out.
"I suppose..." He shrugged.
"Besides... If you feel you're getting in the way... It's not too late to step aside..." She looked on the bright side.
"Huh! Yeah... I guess you're right... But how can I sit by and watch them get hurt?"
"I mean, Torino and I did the same thing when you were their age... So did Nana..." She said, sparking a flame in his eyes.
"Hmm... That's true..." He lightly smiled, remembering how they scolded him for being reckless the same way he scolded Young Bakugo and Midoriya.
"You wanted them to become stronger... So, you sent them to a dark place and suffered for it. Now, they're striving to become stronger, and you're standing in their way... And their suffering for it..." Her words made him realize he never saw it that way. It almost came full circle.
"The question is, Toshi... Will you continue to hold them back? Or will you let them spread their wings and carry the torch of peace?" She finished, rubbing his back.
Nodding at her words, All Might and Recovery Girl stayed glued to the sofa, reflecting on the interchange of words. And since she didn't expect him to respond right away, she left him alone with his thoughts and a picture frame of Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo on the wall.
A picture that brought tears of joy.