The aftertaste of our fight lingered like ash in my mouth. Katsuki hadn't changed. Still the same arrogant, explosive Kacchan, the boy who saw me as Deku, the weak, quirkless nobody. Now, he was a hero, a symbol. And symbols had to be taken down. I scoffed, the thought darker than I intended.
My mansion, a stark contrast to the cramped apartment I'd grown up in, felt sterile and empty. Stepping inside didn't feel like coming home. It felt like entering a fortress, a solitary confinement cell built of marble and steel.
My phone buzzed. It was Stars and Stripes. She'd been more than just a mentor, more like a mother in a way. "Hey, kiddo, how's Japan treating you?" Her voice was warm, laced with a concern I didn't deserve.
"It's…fine," I hedged, not wanting to worry her. "Just settling in."
"Heard you ran into Bakugo." Her tone sharpened, just a hair. "He give you any trouble?"
I sighed. "Nothing I couldn't handle. Don't worry, Cathleen, I'm not going to let him get to me."
We talked for a while longer, about mundane things, about the shifting political landscape of the US, about her goddamn dog. Her worry was a weight, a reminder of the life I was trying to leave behind, the life I was now choosing to start over.
After I hung up, I headed to my office. The movers had done a decent job; everything was in its place, organized and efficient. My eyes scanned the room.
I needed a distraction. Or maybe I needed a purpose. I pulled up the data on recent criminal activity in the area. It was…grim. A rise in kidnappings, whispers of human trafficking, and, worst of all, rumors of drug trafficking. The last one made my stomach churn. I hadn't touched that business since…well, since I'd been a cat.
It was stupid really. A low-level villain, a quirk that temporarily turned people into animals. One wrong hit, and I'd spent a week chasing mice and coughing up hairballs. The humiliation was a constant, gnawing at me.
Being quirkless was a raw nerve, but it was my raw nerve. It was my identity and I wouldn't have it any other way. As ironic as it sounds, being quirkless was my quirk.
Besides, I hated heroes, their blatant displays of power, their thirst for glory. They were blind, consumed by their own righteousness. I sympathized with Tomura. He understood something they didn't; the system was broken.
My thoughts drifted back to the war, that brutal, bloody mess. Why had I saved them? Dabi, a walking inferno, Toga, a whirlwind of bloodlust, Shigaraki, a decaying monster. The rest of the League, broken, desperate.
(Warning: My AU of the war)
Flashback
The battlefield was a hellscape. Buildings crumbled, flames roared, and the air reeked of desperation and death. Bakugo, Todoroki, and the other heroes fought with a ferocity born of desperation. They were losing. Dabi's flames were consuming everything, Shigaraki was a force of nature, Toga was delirious, and the rest of the League fought with the hollow-eyed resignation of the damned. Kurogiri and Compress were barely holding on.
I watched from the shadows, weighing my options. Then, an idea sparked. I signaled to Kuroko, a member of my team with a powerful smoke quirk. She blanketed the battlefield in a thick, disorienting fog, and under its cover, my team moved in, using tranquilizer darts to subdue the villains.
We took them to one of my hidden bases, a network of safe houses and labs scattered across the globe. My medical team worked tirelessly to stabilize Dabi and Kurogiri, undoing the damage that had turned them into warped versions of themselves. Meanwhile, I spoke with Shigaraki. I listened to his story, the pain, the anger, the despair that had driven him to villainy.
I understood. Society had rejected them, demonized them. I wouldn't. I offered them a place with me, a chance to build something new, something better. After days of arguing and threatening by Shigaraki, he finally agreed.
From that day on, we were a team. I was their boss, their leader, their protector. Dabi, Toga, Shigaraki, they eventually accepted my way of thinking and what I stood for. The world thought they were dead, forgotten. That was exactly what I wanted. They lived in the shadows, preparing, waiting. The heroes wouldn't see it coming.
End Flashback
The weight of my choices pressed down on me. Was I a savior or a monster? I didn't know. All I knew was that I couldn't turn back.
I looked back down at the crime reports, focusing on the present. I needed to know more. I texted Mia, my most trusted hacker. "Look into the recent kidnappings and human trafficking cases. I want names, dates, locations. Find out everything you can."
Then, a more personal request: "And Mia, see if you can find any information about Inko Midoriya. She was reported missing 7 years ago."
The thought of her, my mother, still out there, a thin lifeline in the darkness, both terrified and motivated me.
Mia responded quickly. "On it, boss. I'll let you know what I find."
I showered, the hot water washing away the grime of the day but not the memories. I ate a bland dinner, watched a mindless action movie. It didn't help.
In bed, sleep evaded me. Tomorrow would bring chaos, I knew it. I could feel it in my bones. A collision course with the past and the present. A confrontation with the hero I used to admire and the villain I was becoming.
As I lay in the darkness, another horrible thought came into my mind. What if Kacchan found out about my new life. What would he do? Would he try to imprison me again, would he hand me over to All Might like a trophy. If he did find out, then I would have to kill him for the safety of my new family.
Would he kill me if I didn't.