MHA: Dark Matter (EvilPen)

[ThierryScott]

Chapter 51: Echoes of the Past (Part 1)

"Thank you."

I glanced back at Jiro, who was running slightly behind me. I put on a smile. My emotions were conflicted. I did not like doing anything that resembled playing the hero. It reminded me too much of my childhood dream.

"Anyone here would have done the same."

"The same? I did not even realize what was happening right away. That villain went 'whoosh,' and you jumped, 'bang,' and then you started choking him out like Aizawa sensei."

One of the "waiter" duo accompanied his words with pantomime. I waved my hand in feigned embarrassment.

"I just had a good teacher. Besides, we do not have time for talking right now."

"You are right, Ken san. We need to focus completely on the mission."

The "robot" got fired up. Damn. Where were those "nightstand" robots?

And as if on cue, behind the next door, we saw dozens of security robots. Though, I had my doubts about whether our "train" could handle all of them.

"My turn! TWO MILLION VOLTS!"

The "waiter" decided to short circuit all the mobs. Cool, epic, not particularly useful, since they rebooted after a few seconds and immobilized the guy, whose IQ had dropped to near zero after such intensive use of his Quirk.

"Full Cowl: Thirty Five Percent."

And Midoriya took them all out. I looked at the boy intently with my "Gaze." His power, shimmering with nine colors, blazed brightly. The realization of how much power it could grant took my breath away. The level of power that allows you to set your own rules for the world itself. The power of the Symbol of Peace.

I want…

I shook my head and focused on the path. The floors flew by, but without robots or closed partitions. This only heightened my sense of foreboding. I glanced at Melissa and frowned. Covered in scratches, tired, and running barefoot because her shoes would not let her keep pace with the others, she was making me anxious.

Damn. Why was I so emotional today?

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[Kyoka Jiro's Pov]

The girl with short purple hair glanced at the friend of Midoriya who was running next to Shield. The black haired boy in a classic suit ran calmly with everyone else, clearly having no trouble breathing during their current sprint. He evoked mixed feelings in Jiro.

She had only learned his name today, but she had seen him before. Which was why, when she met him today, a question had occurred to her.

"What is that stalker doing here? He did not fly all the way here to spy on me, did he?"

And she had good reason for such thoughts. She had spotted that black haired head more than once when it was following her father. And, as the girl had recently realized, she had only noticed him because the stalker, in his excessive enthusiasm, had forgotten to mask his attention at all. His gaze in those moments sent chills down her spine.

After she had caught him for the tenth time, she had decided to tell her father everything. So the next time, Kyotoku Jiro himself decided to talk to the boy. From the look of their conversation, the girl firmly identified the status of the nosy observer: a fan of her father. This Ken, at the start of the conversation, looked as if he had just met his idol and had somehow produced her father's albums from somewhere. Why had he been carrying them around? Had he wanted to ask for an autograph but been too shy?

After that conversation, she never saw him again. But the occasional feeling of being watched sent a chill down the girl's spine. The memory of his crimson eyes caused her unease.

Today's events had made her see Ken Hoshino in a new light. They had also reminded her that everything around them was not just another U.A. heroics lesson. The girl smiled bitterly.

"It did not work out, Midoriya."

She saw the concern in her friends' eyes. As they joked and cheered each other on, they occasionally threw worried glances back. And the girl herself had not fully recovered. The feeling of death passing close by made everything inside her clench. Which made the reaction of Hoshino all the more surprising. He seemed just as worried as the others, trying to hide it with jokes. That was normal. What was abnormal was what he had done.

In less than a minute, in close combat, he had defeated a villain who had easily shattered Todoroki's ice, one of her strongest classmates. Defeated him using only bandages. That was abnormal. Any mistake on his part could have ended with broken bones or death at the villain's hands. He had not even hesitated. Or…

The girl's eyes widened in surprise.

…he had assessed the risk and found it acceptable.

"Koeti… ko…"

Pain in her ears interrupted her thoughts as they ran past one of the doors.

"Stop."

"What is it, Kyoka?"

Frowning at the strange sound and wincing from the pain in her ears, the girl pointed at the door.

"There is someone in there. But the sound is strange."

Frowning, Iida approached the door and reached for the panel to open it. Ken, standing next to him, twitched his nose in a funny way, then his eyes widened, and he stepped in front of Melissa.

Iida opened the door.

The girl gagged. Then again.

What the students of U.A.'s hero course saw would haunt their nightmares for years to come. The heavy smell of blood and something else made her lunch rise in her throat. In the middle of a room full of corpses sat a heroine. Slowly rocking back and forth, she howled softly.

"Koeti… Koeti… Koeti… Koeti… Koeti… my love… Koeti…"

Covered in blood, the heroine stared at…

"CLOSE THE DOOR, FOR KAMI'S SAKE!"

Ken's sharp voice cut through the horrible keening. Startled, Iida quickly pressed the panel. The doors closed. Silence fell over the corridor. Jiro, doubled over, noticed how the black haired boy had removed his hands from the eyes of the confused Melissa.

At that moment, Kyoka Jiro was overcome with the strongest jealousy of her life. Because she had not seen that.

Swallowing loudly, Midoriya lowered his head and said, stammering:

"W-we need to get her out of there."

His words made terror seize her insides. Because that would mean going in there.

"Koeti… my love…"

"I will take her to another room, then catch up with you. She is not in danger right now, and we need to save everyone."

The black haired boy's voice was calm. Midoriya and Iida, who had been about to say something, gritted their teeth and nodded.

Five minutes later, Ken Hoshino caught up with them. The boy's face was thoughtful. Jiro, however, felt ashamed. One of the two civilians in their group had taken on a task that they, the future heroes, had not dared to do.

[End Pov Kyoka Jiro]

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*Pov from the sidelines*

"Wait! I will do whatever you want!"

The retreating man in festive clothing instantly disappeared at the touch of a small hand. Dressed in something like a white cassock with a white mask resembling a burqa on her face, the short representative of Haijima took out her smartphone and began typing a message.

| All scientists have been sent to the rendezvous point. |

A minute later, a reply came.

| Excellent, My Love J. Everything is fine with my part as well. And my soul sings with happiness! |

| I am not your love. Proceeding to the next phase? |

| As soon as Mr. Wolfram gets his hands on the prototype, My Love. |

Staring at the last message, the figure in white typed a new one.

| I am not your love. |

*End Pov from the sidelines*

****A/N***

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[ThierryScott]

Chapter 52: Echoes of the Past (Part 2)

Following the others, I mentally reviewed my options. The corpses of the board of directors and their hero bodyguards completely changed the risk assessment for our group. What had I known before? There was a group of villains who had taken the entire island's population hostage but had not issued any demands. Among the hostages, they had taken some prominent scientists, not the rich moneybags from whom they could extort more money. Of course, that meant nothing; they could do that later.

These villains either had an incredibly competent and cunning leader who had pulled off this whole scheme unnoticed, while also taking All Might himself hostage, and most likely no one outside the tower even suspected what was happening. Or they had received help from a presumed traitor within I Island's administration. I thought both options were plausible.

And what could be their goal for taking such a risky, almost insane, coup?

The first thing that came to mind were the words of the Englishman Joseph Dunning:

"…at three hundred percent profit, there is no crime he would not risk, even under threat of the gallows…"

Profit from stolen technologies and developments could be a worthy reward for such a risk. Those who act for profit prefer to act rationally. Unprofitable deaths and even stronger public hatred are not in their interest. In that case, everything that was happening could be described as a one time operation to obtain research, kidnap some scientists, and give a little slap on the wrist to the figures responsible for I Island.

The brutal, public murder of the board of directors?

That was effectively declaring war on all the corporations and countries that had invested funds and efforts into I Island. That was madness, similar to the League of Villains' attempt to kill All Might. Those who would go that far no longer cared about public opinion, the pursuit of intelligence services or heroes, the deaths of civilians or heroes. They were either complete madmen, or… or they were those who had set out to change the world itself.

And I could not decide what to do. Tell our suicide squad "time out" and wait out the storm? They would not agree, not after what they had seen. Idealists, future damn heroes, representatives of the Light Side of the Force. And it was not certain that the villains themselves would leave us alone after we had been discovered.

Break away from the squad and use my Quirk to reach the control center, slaughtering every villain in my path before rebooting the security system?

First of all, I wasn't exactly a hacker. I'd probably destroy the entire system instead of fixing it.

Second, doing that would basically be me screaming to everyone involved: "Look! A mysterious third party was here! Admire his unmatched brilliance!"

And they would look. Then they'd compare the evidence with the list of suspects, a list that would definitely include me, considering I'd already joined this suicidal "save everyone" squad as an honorary member.

Sooner or later, someone would probably come knocking and politely ask, "And who exactly are you, sir?"

So what was I supposed to do? Abandon everyone just to avoid exposing my abilities… or worse, revealing my identity as Ticci Micc?

** "…I'm glad I have a friend like you."

The green haired boy said, smiling brightly.

"Hehe. I didn't even expect to have such a loyal fan as you. Your enthusiasm even scared my daughter. She's cute, isn't she?"

The blond man grinned foolishly, showing a picture on his phone of him and a little girl trying to push her father's face away from her, embarrassed.

"My name is Melissa, as you already figured out. I really did not want to talk to those guys. You probably aren't very happy about being pulled away from the exhibition, are you?"

The blonde girl in glasses asked, guiltily shrugging her shoulders. **

No.

That left only going with the flow, hoping for "Plus Ultra" and the "Power of Friendship". Of course, there was a high probability that the villains would be too high level, and I would have to carry the raid myself, since there were no extra lives here. The game developers were all about hardcore. And after such exposure, our "rat dog bear mouse principal" would sooner hang himself from a perch with threads from a sewing kit than ignore someone as handsome as me. He would take an interest in me anyway, since I was an honorary member of the "save everyone" suicide squad. Damn.

"Guys, the server room is ahead. We cannot break anything in there, otherwise we will not be able to reboot the security system."

Melissa shouted, pointing at the doors ahead. I saturated a knife I had picked up from one of the dead heroes with Dark Matter for "Hardening," preparing for a possible fight. Just as I was about to run through the doorway into the room where massive, two meter tall black servers stood against the walls, I noticed some strange movement of either energy or a mechanism with my passive "Gaze." Sometimes I myself did not understand what I was sensing with my Quirk.

The next moment, the doorway was blocked by a DAMN DEFLECTOR SHIELD FROM STAR WARS, which almost cut me in half. I struck the blue, transparent field in front of me with my knife. A ring wave spread across it, like a pebble thrown into water. That was it. Great. But seriously?

How could such a breakthrough invention be used against those who wanted to save its creators? I was itching to beat up I Island's head of security, who had screwed up so badly.

"Damn it."

I turned my head and watched Jiro try to pierce the field with her earphone jacks. Next to her, Melissa was starting to panic. On the other side of the shield, the Class 1A students were looking tensely at the security robots that were appearing and at the doorway, which was blocked by another deflector shield.

"Guys, step back. Detroit Smash at forty percent."

A wave passed through the trembling blue field, and then everything returned to normal. Midoriya stepped back, grimacing in pain, and judging by the gleam in his eyes, he was about to strike "until his bones crunched." But the approaching "nightstand" robots decided to remind the successor of All Might of their presence by attempting to play some BDSM with him using black capture cables.

"Horse, you closed the trap too early."

"Who cares. The boss ordered us to catch Shield's daughter. These two kids won't get in our way."

"Can't argue with that. Hey, kids, you heard everything. So, no sudden moves."

Two mercenaries appeared behind us, aiming their assault rifles at us. The noise of the battle behind the deflector shield continued to grow. I glanced out of the corner of my eye at the frightened Melissa and the gloomy Jiro.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

I raised my hands.

"I surrender!"

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[Melissa Shield's Pov]

"I surrender!"

Ken said loudly, throwing his knife to the floor and raising his hands. Looking at the weapons aimed at them, the girl did not blame him. Shield felt regret and guilt for giving her new friends hope by saying they could reboot the security system, for agreeing to this venture that could get them killed.

"You, kid, have some sense. Girls, learn from this guy. He understands that going against men with assault rifles is sheer stupidity."

One of the mercenaries said. Midoriya's classmate standing nearby clenched her fists in frustration.

"I agree, the members of my suicide squad have no survival instincts, no logic, and no common sense at all."

At Ken's sudden words, the young Shield lost her ability to speak. Somewhere inside, resentment and sadness began to appear. Jiro, standing next to her, stared gloomily at the black-haired boy who had started walking toward the wall.

"Exactly, kid. They have no sense of self preservation at all."

One of the mercenaries said cheerfully, following Ken's figure with his rifle. The second mercenary continued to watch them.

"Kami, how tired I am of these idiots today. They have no brakes at all, constantly shouting 'Save everyone.'"

The black haired boy continued to speak, slowly gesticulating. Melissa lowered her head. The sound of teeth grinding came from beside her.

"Stop right there."

The second mercenary said sharply, still not taking his eyes off them. Hoshino obediently stopped but continued to speak.

"I was especially annoyed by their class representative, who looks like a cheap cosplay of a Star Wars character and constantly lectures me about manners, etiquette, and heroic truths. And her!"

He suddenly pointed at Jiro. The girl, slowly boiling with anger, shouted at the sudden accusation.

"YOU!"

A shot rang out.

For Melissa, everything blurred into fragmented frames, as if part of the film had been cut. Here was the barrel of an assault rifle, previously aimed at them, now pointing to the side, and a mercenary cried out in pain. Ken, who had been standing as if he were about to lie down on the floor, was now charging at the second mercenary.

Another shot.

The mercenary who had cried out in pain fell to the floor with a dull thud, while the mercenary aiming at Ken doubled over and fell to his knees. The assault rifle, previously held firmly in his hands, fell to the floor.

"E-e-e-e-e-e!"

Wiping blood from his cheek, Ken kicked the kneeling, groaning mercenary.

"That is, of course, unsportsmanlike and a very dirty blow. But men who unhesitatingly aim their guns at beautiful women do not really need their genitals."

Hoshino said, looking at the frozen girls. Shield could not take her eyes off his slightly smiling face. Kyoka did not have that problem.

"So, what were you saying about me?"

Hoshino sighed.

[End Pov Melissa Shield]



****A/N****

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[ThierryScott]

Chapter 53: Echoes of the Past (Part 3)

"So, what were you saying about me?"

I sighed and crouched down. I began searching through the mercenaries' gear and pockets, not forgetting to stash several knives in my sleeves and suit. These mercenaries had relaxed too much the moment I threw my knife on the floor. They didn't know that I actually had three of them. And, surprisingly, all of them had been taken from the same hero's corpse. That hero in the Native American costume must have really loved bladed weapons, since he carried them in addition to his sword. Not that I was one to talk.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?"

"It was a distraction maneuver to close the distance."

"You still haven't answered the question."

"Everything I said was unfounded nonsense, meant only to manipulate the enemy's mood and attention."

"But you said it with such conviction. And you still haven't answered the question."

"A good actor is one who believes their own lies."

"So it really was your opinion after all."

"That is merely your delusion."

"You don't sound very convincing right now."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

I answered with a deadpan expression, stuffing a flashbang grenade into my pocket. I wasn't about to tell her that I had been trying to distract the mercenary aiming at them with my words, and that I had been planning to go on about how her constant stares in my direction and her "possible designs on my innocence" bothered me. That kind of nonsense could have confused those guys for a moment, which would have been enough for me. But Jiro's outburst had made the mercenaries flinch and momentarily take their attention off me.

Then came the knife throw at the wrist holding the rifle of the quieter mercenary, and another throw, this time with the blunt side, at the groin of the talkative one. The first reacted as expected, but the knife near the second just stopped in mid air and fell to the floor. Because of that, I had to close the distance, dodging a shot in the process, and deliver a "forbidden" blow. This time, the mercenary's Quirk didn't work. From this, I concluded that his Quirk needed time to recharge or certain conditions to activate. Not that it mattered. I had found what I was looking for. If these idiots had said that one of them had activated the deflector shields…

An electronic tablet appeared in my hands.

"Melissa, is this a mobile terminal for controlling the security system?"

The girl, who had been staring at me strangely until then, finally snapped out of it.

"Not the whole system. Security uses such tablets for on site control of security robots and the defense system, but they are divided by priority and access level. They can also be disconnected from the central control room."

"Well, let's see if their lumberjack is a complete idiot or not."

I quickly found the tabs and switched a few intuitively understandable parameters. The deflector shield disappeared, and all the "nightstand" security robots froze. The Class 1A students even paused at this turn of events. I understood. They had been psyching themselves up for overcoming adversity and drama, and now the enemies were gone.

"I can authoritatively state that their lumberjack is a complete idiot."

I walked over to Midoriya, who was looking at me questioningly, waving the tablet. At that moment, the screen with the still open tabs went dark. I pressed the start button. No response.

Well, maybe not a complete idiot.

I thought, tossing the tablet aside and starting to run toward the other exit.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Applause from the villains for being such good kids?"

Our "save everyone" suicide squad finally snapped out of it. I had the feeling that I had already exceeded my heroism quota for today by three times. God forbid Nezu considers this a reason to transfer me to the hero course for such results. I would not survive that kind of absurdity and broken expectations.

Well, for now, I needed to do something else. And also ask Melissa something.

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[Engel Wilfried'S Pov ]

Watching the profusely sweating "lumberjack" rapidly pressing keys, Engel considered his next move. Shield and Abraham were about to open the prototype storage chamber, and two helicopters were already waiting for him and his men, as was a cargo ship not far from the island. No one outside the tower yet knew what was happening. All Might and all the other heroes were still in the banquet hall.

In this situation, only two variables remained for Wolfram: Haijima and the U.A. students. The actions of the former were not entirely clear, but he did not intend to interfere in their affairs. The U.A. students, however, had proven to be surprisingly tenacious and lucky. For Engel Wilfried, the fact that a handful of teenagers had defeated several of his subordinates was an extremely unpleasant surprise. As if they were not experienced mercenaries who had fought alongside him in many battles, but some kind of second rate villains from an adventure film.

Well, it's time to show them that luck won't always be on their side.

"Remove all the partitions leading to the hall near the elevator on the 198th floor. Also, stop sending security drones to them."

"Yes, Boss."

His white haired subordinate looked at him in surprise, then carried out the order.

"Pawn, Rook, take your men. We're going to the 198th floor."

A wide smile spread across the yellow eyed man's face.

[End Pov Engel Wilfried]

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[Melissa Shield's Pov]

Following the others, the girl tried not to fall behind. Feeling the pain in her bare feet and the numerous cuts on her body, earned during the entire journey that had begun on the first floor, she felt more useless than ever. While everyone else fought, sometimes forced to protect her, she just watched. Weak, worthless, Quirkless. Even Ken, who was not training to be a hero and was a civilian, fought the villains. And won.

She stubbornly pressed her lips together and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Just because they are giving their all, I will also do everything I can, no matter how little it might be compared to them.

The higher they climbed, the more anxious she became at the thought that they might soon save her father and the others. Soon, however, she froze, along with the rest of the U.A. students. In the hall in front of the elevator to the 198th floor stood a man in a white coat with an iron mask on his face, holding a pistol. But he wasn't aiming at them. He was aiming at a guard on his knees.

"The adventure is over, kids."

The villain said with a bored expression. Armed mercenaries began to appear from the other corridors leading into the hall. The teenagers, who had been about to move, froze at the villain's shot.

"Move again, and the next bullet will be in his head."

He said weightily, aiming again at the trembling guard. Then he raised his hand to his ear and said something quietly. Soon, blue capture ribbons shot out from openings in the floor, wrapping around her. Quiet curses from the Class 1A students, who were trying to pull the ribbons off themselves, echoed around her.

"You should not have gotten involved in these adult games. But this might still be useful to us. I wonder, young Yaoyorozu, how much are your parents willing to pay for the safe return of their healthy, whole daughter? The Yaoyorozu conglomerate's shares have risen quite nicely after breaking into the European market."

The villain smiled broadly at the pale brunette with the mature body. At that moment, the sound of the arriving elevator rang out. The metal doors slid open, and out stepped…

"We're done. We need to leave soon."

David Shield said gloomily, holding a metal briefcase by the handle. Next to him stood Samuel Abraham, who kept his eyes fixed on the floor.

"Dad?"

The girl stared at her father in shock, unable to understand what was happening. Straightening up and taking a small step toward him, despite the blue capture ribbon squeezing her, she did not take her eyes off him.

"What are you… did they force you to help them?"

The man with the curly hair averted his eyes.

"I needed to get something."

Melissa looked at the metal briefcase in his hand.

"For what? FOR WHAT DID YOU DO ALL THIS?"

Instead of David Shield, Uncle Abraham answered her.

"It's something your father and I worked on a few years ago. A Quirk amplifier that, ignoring the body's physical endurance, can increase the power of a Quirk tenfold. It's our greatest invention, which the board of directors banned, citing the danger to society."

"For this…"

"This is for All Might."

David Shield said firmly, looking her straight in the eye.

"All Might is weakening. Already, the average number of crimes worldwide this year is the highest in the past five years and is steadily increasing. That is why I must give my invention to All Might, so that he can remain the invincible Symbol of Peace."

"DAD, PEOPLE DIED BECAUSE OF THIS!"

Her father's previously serious face became confused. He shifted his gaze to the smiling man in the white coat, then to his old friend.

"Samuel? What does this mean?"

He snatched the briefcase from his hand and walked over to the villain. Then he said, gripping the briefcase tightly:

"David, we've been working together for years. You, more than anyone, should know a confirmed bachelor like me. So why don't you understand? Why don't you know how much I HATE this island?"

The previously good natured face of the light haired man twisted in anger. A furious stare was directed at the flinching David Shield.

"This isn't the first time our inventions have been banned. When our projects have stopped being funded due to 'threats to public safety' or 'economic infeasibility.' You remember how we groveled before the board of directors to get even one percent of the profits from OUR invention. That bastard board of directors only thought about how to make more money for their companies. Anything that didn't bring them big profits was unnecessary."

Shield clenched his fists.

"So you did it for the money…"

"Yes! And also so I could do what I love without having to look over my shoulder at greedy marketers who ban anything that gets in the way of their money. I couldn't leave I Island before, because they put pressure on scientists in other countries. But now I have a chance. With this, someone is ready to give me the opportunity to live the way I want."

The man in the white coat who had been watching the whole exchange laughed. Feeling despair rising within her, Melissa heard a whisper from behind her back.

"When you hear me shout, close your eyes."

Ken said quietly, somehow appearing behind her.

"That was quite an entertaining conversation, gentlemen. But it's time to end this performance."

Suddenly, the lights went out, only to come back on quite quickly. But the blue capture ribbons loosened.

"What…"

"PLUS ULTRA!"

Something struck the villain's iron mask. As the villain stared with wide eyes, recognizing a flashbang grenade, Melissa closed her eyes. Even through her closed lids, everything seemed bright.

[End Pov Melissa Shield]



****A/N****

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[ThierryScott]

Chapter 54: Echoes of the Past (Part 4)

I closed my eyes. For what I needed to do next, my "Gaze" would be enough. The world around me filled with various shades of darkness, against which the bright silhouettes of people stood out vividly. I quickly located the silhouettes of the mercenaries aiming at us. Their protective helmets meant their eyes would barely be affected by the flashbang, but right now they couldn't see a thing. And random gunfire? At that moment, not a single rifle was aimed at the three people who had the highest priority for me.

My body had already shed the blue capture ribbons using "Choice." Coins were clenched between my fingers. This moment would last no longer than a second on video, recorded only as a blur of white, so…

Rejection.

Eight coins flew through the air. Seven of them knocked the nearest mercenaries off their feet. The last one destroyed the camera on the ceiling.

Three seconds later, Bakugo flew into the room and immediately attacked the villains closest to him. Through my "Gaze," I could see the silhouette of the hard headed one, slightly behind him. Two Tone wasn't with them because he had been carrying out my earlier request.

Good thing they found my message near the server room. Even better that Two Tone did what was written there. Thanks to my paranoia and some professional interest as a thief, I had already studied the tower's layout. During this run up the floors, I had also questioned Melissa. I learned that not far from the server room was the power supply system that provided electricity to the upper floors. And Two Tone had an extremely destructive Quirk.

Of course, the tower's designers had planned for backup power in case of problems, but some parts of the security system would be disabled for at least five minutes.

"Damn kids."

With an electrical crackle from the man with the iron mask on his face, metal pillars flew toward us. Kicking the still dazed Class 1A students aside so they wouldn't get turned into cutlets, I threw a screaming Melissa over my shoulder and ran toward the guard who had decided to flee in the confusion. I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, giving his desperate escape attempt some direction, and ran, dragging two clearly superfluous elements for the upcoming fight, into one of the corridors that would lead to the stairs leading up after a couple of turns.

I still needed to reboot the security system before the villains made good on their threats. That was why I was dragging the guard along, to remove a restraining factor for the larval heroes. The villains clearly weren't going to kill Shield or Abraham, so I wished Midoriya and Butthurt good luck.

One of the mercenaries, trying to shoot the maneuvering Butthurt out of the air, decided to pay attention to me, attempting to put a few holes in me. Before I could act, the "robot" took him out with a horizontal kick. The noise of the battle behind me kept growing, so I sped up.

Finally, a turn. I could leave the guard behind. I ran on.

Despite the successful plan, executed in the best Plus Ultra style, meaning on the edge, which had even made me shout that stupid "battle cry" in my excitement, my mood was far from optimistic. Because despite all the chaos that could hide some of my actions, I had been exposed as someone who could hold his own in combat against hero course students.

And even though my official Quirk was "passive physical enhancement," that didn't change the fact that I was now seen as extraordinary in the eyes of others. So, after returning to Japan, I would have to prepare for possible attention from U.A.'s administration. And also for the possibility that I might be exposed.

Fortunately, the people connected to my official identity had solid alibis and protocols for such a situation. Only Mei and the Yoshiokas…

"Ken, could you put me down? We're already at the control floor."

A flustered female voice brought me back to reality. I finally noticed the pleasant feeling of a woman's body on my shoulder. Hesitating for a second, I set the blushing Melissa down on her feet. Reluctantly. Hormones. Hormones. Hormones. But her waist had been nice to touch.

Damn.

Irritated, I quickly knocked the wind out of two mercenaries who were too focused on regaining control of the security system and watching the live broadcast of the "Boss and Comrades versus U.A. Students" action movie. My friend immediately set about resetting the security system and undoing the new settings.

The action movie plot continued to unfold, but in an unpleasant direction.

"Ah, heroes are so predictable. Even threatening a sinner like you, Shield, can easily stop them."

Iron Mask had decided to use the students' weak spot, putting his gun to David Shield's head. The girl next to me froze.

I had clearly overestimated the scientist's importance to the villains.

"I AM HERE!"

Our relieved exhale was surprisingly synchronized. The villain was sent crashing into a wall with a crash, and the number one hero helped his old friend to his feet. I looked at Melissa, who was smiling happily, until my eyes widened.

Blood splattered onto the control center's touch screen.

---

*

*

*

[Izuku Midoriya'S Pov]

The green haired boy smiled happily, watching his sensei, who had once again saved them all. But at the back of his mind, a thought still smoldered. If All Might hadn't weakened, if he hadn't passed his Quirk to him, none of this would have happened, and those people wouldn't have died. David Shield wouldn't be a criminal right now, and none of them would be risking their lives, wouldn't have seen that room…

Swallowing and suppressing the urge to vomit at the memory, Izuku looked at his friends. Mineta and Kaminari, leaning on each other, were breathing heavily. Kirishima was helping the quietly cursing Kacchan bandage a wound on his shoulder. Iida and the just arrived Todoroki were gloomily staring at the unconscious villains.

A cry of pain made him look the other way. Jiro and Yaoyorozu were helping Uraraka stay on her feet. The girl was trying not to put weight on her right leg.

Izuku lowered his head, looking at his clenched fists.

All Might said you should always smile. No matter the pain, the obstacles, the failures. But why is it so hard to smile right now?

"Koeti… Koeti… Koeti… my love…"

The blood covered figure of the heroine rocking back and forth, staring at the hanging corpse of the man.

"…and I believe in your ideals, in your dream, in you…"

All Might's blue eyes, full of confidence, stared at him.

"Self flagellation won't save anyone or live up to Toshinori sensei's expectations."

Nodding confidently to himself, Midoriya looked at All Might.

Everyone present's eyes widened in shock as the number one hero was knocked down by a metal pillar.

"Someone said recently that All Might was weakened. So I got curious…"

A tremor ran through the building. Following someone else's will, dozens of metal sheets mixed with cables flew toward the figure hidden in a cloud of dust.

A screech.

"…how long will he last against my current strength, achieved thanks to his old friend?"

The villain in the white coat, embedded waist deep in a pile of metal, grinned crookedly. His face, no longer hidden by the iron mask, allowed everyone present to see the device on his head, burning with blue fire.

A wave of his hand, and metal rods yanked David Shield toward the villain.

"RELEASE MY OLD FRIEND, VILLAIN!"

Creating a powerful gust of wind, All Might shattered the metal pillars restraining him in a fraction of a second. Midoriya watched as his teacher's lightning fast silhouette was wrapped in black cables. Straining his muscles, he tried to reach the figure in the white coat. Instead, a reddened hand squeezed his throat.

"This power…"

"Speaking of old friends. One of our mutual acquaintances sends his regards and wishes you to fully enjoy the fact that your old friend has become a criminal involved in the murder of people…"

The villain's voice, his body now more muscular and reddened, boomed across the crumbling hall.

"…because you won't be able to do anything else. Why? Because YOUR TIME IS UP."

The villain's other hand dropped sharply and squeezed the spot under the hero's left lung where his old wound was. Midoriya's ears were assaulted by All Might's scream of pain.

[End Pov Izuku Midoriya]



****A/N****

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[ThierryScott]

Chapter 55: Echoes of the Past (Part 5)

Inhale.

Exhale.

Feeling drops of my blood fall to the floor, I held Melissa in my arms and stared at the enemy. Dressed like some aristocrat from a bygone era, he looked at us with feverish eyes. A thin smile played on his lips, while his clawed hands trembled. But it wasn't his appearance that worried me.

I hadn't sensed him before the attack. I hadn't heard him. I hadn't smelled him. I hadn't even seen him with my "Gaze" until he stood right in front of me. When he was about to tear the girl's head off with his hand, I saw him. I barely had time to "harden" my arm enough to save Melissa.

"What a wonderful soul! Wonderful, simply wonderful, hmm~"

I looked at him with my "Gaze." A dark purple silhouette with crimson points of radiance. It left a taste of rot in my mouth. And that radiance grew brighter. He took a step forward.

"So much sadness and pain! So many doubts and bitterness! Wonderful. Wonderful! The melody of your soul fills me with inspiration! It is a shame you cannot be My Love. Forgive me, but I am a man of strictly traditional views."

I pushed Melissa behind me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw All Might get knocked down by a pillar on the monitor, followed by a message indicating camera damage. A tremor ran through the building. The heroes would not be coming anytime soon.

I asked a question.

"Who are you?"

His wine colored, feverish eyes stared into mine, and his thin smile twitched like a wave. He placed his right palm on his chest and tilted his head. His mouth, full of sharp teeth, opened.

"I am forbidden from telling others my name during missions. But you may call me Tristesse."

Tristesse? Was he French? It didn't matter. He was too dangerous to defeat without killing him or revealing all my power. I would have to eliminate him. But first, I needed to learn more about him. He was too different from the other villains here.

"What do you want, Tristesse? What is your mission?"

"What do I want, you ask?"

The black haired man spread his arms wide. With the first words of his question, a strange sound rang out. A familiar sound. But it shouldn't have been here.

I threw a knife at the villain's neck.

"I want suffering. Grief, misfortune, anger, disappointment, longing, envy, doubt, and more, and more, and more, and more! So that the ringing and lamentations of souls may spread throughout the world. I want to hear the song of these souls. To become the conductor of this chorus of souls, whose music the world must hear."

The clatter of a fallen knife echoed from a trembling hand.

Piano. The sound of the keys continued to play.

"Ken?"

Melissa's voice came from behind me, while the black haired man continued to speak. The sound of the keys continued to play.

I looked at my palm in confusion. Why had I dropped my knife?

A gentle female voice touched my ears.

Something wet fell on my skin. I looked up. Something wet continued to drip onto my face. A black haired woman was hugging me, pressing me to her chest. Mom? Why was she crying?

"My son, your father has gone far away. He won't be here today."

"Why?"

"He h-has business. He has a lot of work. He is a hero, after all."

Mom said, gently stroking my hair.

The woman's voice continued to sing.

A stranger held my hand, leading me to a big, white house.

"Well, here you are, boy. This is your new home. Meet Takahashi san, who will be looking after you for the next few years."

"Hello, boy. What is your name?"

The woman smiled. Why were they speaking so sickeningly sweet?

The unfamiliar, incomprehensible song continued to play.

I stared at the familiar white ceiling. There was no one behind the transparent wall. No injections or "experiments" today. And no Man with the Cold Eyes.

Drip.

That was good. It didn't hurt today.

Drip.

"Someone, please save me."

A quiet whisper echoed through the research complex's cell.

Someone's fingers continued to play the keys.

"Don't kill me!"

"Save me, save me, save me, save me!"

"Why?"

The voices of the killed echoed. I slit the throat of the blond in the leather jacket, who had been about to say something. The "Dissolver," I think his name was Yakushi. I didn't care.

"Murderer!"

"M-monster!"

"Criminal."

"I had a family!"

The police officers who were inexplicably on fire shouted something. I looked at the head of the professional hero "Snatch" in my hands. I pulled my thumbs out of his eye sockets and let the body fall.

You were in my way.

"What about me, son? I wasn't in your way. I just wanted my descendants to have a Quirk so they could stand alongside the representatives of the old families."

Streams of life energy flowed into me from my father, whose neck I was squeezing. I hate you. You abandoned us. If you had stayed, I wouldn't have become like this. I wouldn't have become a killer.

"Ken?"

I turned my head and saw Ayame Yoshioka. She was backing away in fear, along with Hana, who was hiding behind her and looking at me with her gray eyes. Glassy gray eyes.

"Ayame…"

I tried to walk toward her, but something stopped me. I looked down at the body covered in sores clinging to my legs. I kicked it away, barely recognizing the Man with the Cold Eyes, or rather what was left of him after the drug I had injected.

"Ken, how could you? How can you be a villain?"

Midoriya shouted, tears streaming down his face. Next to him stood Melissa, staring at me in disbelief. I wanted to say it was a bad joke. They couldn't have found out I was a villain. They shouldn't have found out.

But something slimy was on my hands.

Drip.

My hands were covered in blood. And not just my hands. I licked my lips. Salty.

"Get away. Do not dare come near my family. I am ashamed that a monster like you listens to my music."

A blond man shouted, trying to shield his frightened wife and daughter with his hands. But your music saved me. It gave me peace. I wanted to listen to it. I tried to approach him and explain everything. My idol would understand me. But I tripped and fell.

"Get lost. You're already dead."

I looked with hatred at the Man with the Cold Eyes, still bothering me even in death. I pushed the corpse away and looked back at Kyotoku Jiro's direction.

I saw familiar yellow eyes with those amusing, beloved crosshair pupils. I smiled. My love.

"Mei…"

I reached my hand out to her. But instead of warmth, I saw only growing terror in her familiar eyes. She spun around and ran. My love.

"Mei, wait. I can explain everything. Don't be afraid, I will protect you."

I tried to get up, but several arms grabbing me prevented it. I didn't look at them. I didn't want to lose sight of her silhouette.

"Mei, there is so much I want to tell you…"

I crawled after her, paying no attention to anything else. Only her bright, golden silhouette burned in my eyes.

"Mei, don't leave me. Don't leave me alone."

Something stung my eyes. I blinked and screamed at the top of my lungs.

"I don't want to be alone!"

I saw nothing but darkness and the white floor beneath my hands. She didn't even look back. Someone pulled at my clothes. A whisper came from above my ear.

"We are with you, son."

Kaneki Scott said, wrapping his arms around my body. Dozens of other corpses crawled toward me.

I hate you.

Dark Matter burst from my body.

"Haha"

The smell of tobacco reached my nose as a laugh came from beside me. I stopped looking at the newly killed corpses and turned to the laughing man. Kagerou Okuta, also known as the broker Giran, smiled at the bodies at his feet and puffed on a cigar.

"Ken kun, you are a real villain."

"What do you want, old man?"

I asked, feeling empty inside.

"I'm just thinking that it's not in my interest to abandon you. After all, you kill everyone who abandons you."

"What nonsense are you talking, old…"

I stopped, looking into Midoriya's empty green eyes. His body lay next to my father, his neck twisted. A tremor ran through my body.

Ayame, Hana, Melissa, Kyotoku. They were all dead, lying nearby. I quickly looked around. I saw a head with pink hair. Not her, not her, not her, not her, not her, not her, not her, not her, not her.

I moved closer. Unfamiliar, empty eye sockets stared from that oh so familiar face.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

 

[ThierryScott]

Chapter 56: Echoes of the Past (Part 6)

"Shut up already, you idiot!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Smack.

My head snapped to the side from the hit.

"Oh, God. How did it come to this that I have to call myself an idiot? Sure, he's me, and he screwed up. But since he's me, that means I screwed up too, so I'm also an idiot. Hey, say something, my stupid self!"

I stared at the flickering, smoky figure with my face. Red eyes with black sclera looked back at me. I opened my mouth.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA..."

Smack.

"You're definitely the dumb part of me. Can't even string two words together. Not words, not even letters! Ooh la la, snap out of it!"

My body started shaking. I opened my mouth.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA..."

Smack.

"Good thing this isn't your physical body. I can hit your head without risking making you even dumber. Though I can only do it in here. Too bad."

The figure with my face crouched down next to me.

"Hey, Me, you have to understand that none of this is real, none of it happened. That Tristesse, or Sorrow, or Whatever-His-Name-Is just messed with your head. You got played!"

I stared ahead into the darkness. The figure with my face became blurrier.

"Hey, hey, hey, we could actually die here. Well, I could die, because I'm you, and you're me. God, what nonsense am I even saying?"

The wildly gesticulating figure froze, lowering its arms.

"You can hear it, can't you... how she sings."

The sound of keys and a quiet female voice was still there. It was just there. Incomprehensible. I stared ahead.

"Before Dad left, she loved to sing. She'd sit down at the piano we had at home and play."

/ A boy sinks into a sweet and deep sleep,

In an instant, the flame will turn to ash within him.

Not alone, there are two of us there. /

"She used to mess up a lot, hit wrong notes, and get so adorably frustrated about it. But she kept going."

/ And in the dream, your features, so dear to me, will surface,

And in that moment, dreams will softly descend to the earth,

Dreams, dreams. /

"At times like that, she was so beautiful. She only ever got one song right, though. Heh."

/ At night, my eyes shine, the color of silver

Their gentle, warm light guides me through that darkness. /

"It felt so good to fall asleep to it."

I looked at him. He was crying. Or was I?

/ Now I will not give up

And through a hundred years, I will go forward, I will keep

The ray of faith bestowed upon me. /

"We wanted to hear it again for so long. Too bad she never made any recordings. No audio, no sheet music, not even the lyrics. That's why we're so grateful to Tristesse. He helped us remember her completely..."

/ You and I swore to keep going,

To protect the bonds so dear to us.

A kiss will forever seal the vow. /

( Wada Kaoru – tsunaida te ni kiss wo / song 14, D. Gray-man /)

"And because of her, we'll kill him..."

"And because of her, we'll kill him..."

The smoke from my dissolving second self drifted toward me.

"He dared to threaten the bonds that are so dear to us."

"He dared to threaten the bonds that are so dear to us."

Surrounded by darkness, I was now alone, but I no longer felt lonely. Time to wake up.

---

[Melissa Shield's POV ]

"Ken, wake up. Please… come back to yourself."

The girl shook the black-haired boy's shoulders, staring worriedly into his vacant eyes.

"How wonderful the song of your souls is. I am trembling with delight."

Melissa stared with rage at the man conducting with his hands.

"What did you do to him?!"

He looked at her with condescension. A surprisingly soft smile was on his lips.

"I merely let him hear what I hear. The sorrowful romance of his soul."

"What nonsense are you talking about?! Just bring my Ken back to his senses!"

She didn't notice the increasingly feverish gleam in the man's eyes.

"Oh, young lady, I cannot do that. The song that has been heard merely brings to the surface all the sorrows and nightmares that were in life. What was, what wasn't, what could have been, what couldn't have been. Fears become nightmares, nightmares become despair, despair becomes everything. It cannot be stopped."

Tears began to flow from Ken's indifferent eyes.

"Mmmm~ Soon he will reach his limit. Of course, it's a shame he didn't get to see you die, that could have added new notes to his melody of suffering. But I wouldn't mind…"

The villain moved quickly toward the girl. Melissa tried to hit him, but found herself on the ground, feeling the weight of the man on top of her. Sharp claws gently turned the girl's head toward Ken, who stood motionless.

"... listening to your song of tragic love. Unrequited love of girls always has such a wonderful sound. So, just watch as your beloved breaks, My Love. Later, I will let you hear your own song."

Her face flushed red at his words, the girl clenched her fists.

'Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why is this happening?'

Feeling pain throughout her body, the girl felt apathy creeping in. The determination and adrenaline that had carried her from the very beginning of this long tower gave way to exhaustion.

'Why does it have to end like this? On the very day I found new friends. On the day I realized I lov...'

"My Love, you're early. Couldn't you have waited a few more minutes?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Melissa saw a short white figure appear out of thin air. The indifferent voice of a little girl shocked the girl.

"We need to leave while Wolfram is fighting the heroes. The prototype is with Wolfram."

"How sad. How sad. This is truly sad, My Love, that I must interrupt this young man's suffering so early, which brought me so much inspiration."

"I am not your love."

"Heh heh heh. You always say that."

Crack.

A weight fell upon the shoulders of those present.

Crack.

Something made their insides clench. The stale air became hard to breathe.

Crack.

"Tristesse, what makes you think you have the right to hurt my friend?"

A calm voice echoed through the room.

Melissa stared with wide eyes at the crackling air around her once very close friend, who was now...

"For this, you will be punished."

The frozen villains stared at the black-haired boy whose skin was rapidly turning gray.

Crack.

He frowned and touched his forehead with his palm. Bloodshot eyes with black sclera stared at the black blood on his palm, while stigmata in the form of crosses opened on his forehead.

"Ken..."

Melissa whispered softly, before her consciousness faded.

[End POV Melissa Shield]

--

*

*

*

"Ken."

Melissa's voice snapped me out of examining my suddenly black blood. I'll deal with that later.

"What did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO? Why can't I hear your song anymore? ANSWER ME!"

The parasite, who drew power from the suffering of others, began to scream, spraying saliva.

I walked toward him.

He lunged at me. A mental command, and a ribbon of Dark Matter emerging from my palm sliced off his clawed fingers in one swift stroke. My hand landed on the villain's chest. I pushed him away and down. Tristesse spat a fountain of blood as the metal floor dented under him.

A white figure appeared nearby, trying to touch me. I hate white. A wave of air from a lazy wave of my hand sent it flying to the side.

I shifted my gaze back to the parasite, whose half-mask had flown off, revealing a rather hideous scar on his head.

"You said you need more suffering? I'll provide it."

But the small figure in white distracted me again, moving toward Melissa. She wanted to use her against me. Annoying.

I raised my right hand, from which several ribbons of Dark Matter shot out. The white figure didn't even have time to react before she was wrapped in dark ribbons. I pulled her toward me. My hand closed around the white figure's neck. She grabbed my hand and tried to do something. Most likely use her Quirk. She didn't know that my Dark Matter, in such quantity and at such close contact, was suppressing her Quirk.

I could have killed her already. She was the parasite's ally. But…

"And what is a child like you doing next to this freak?"

I don't want to kill children, and holding her in my hand, I could tell she was just a little girl. Besides, her silhouette as seen by my "Gaze" seemed familiar to me. Frowning, I tore the annoyingly white fabric mask off her head.

Red eyes with black sclera stared back at me.

Just like my father's.

"Agnes?"

I let her go in surprise. The girl fell to the floor, quickly rolled to the side toward her partner, and vanished with him. I grabbed only empty air where they'd been.

My skin began returning to its normal color.

What the hell was my father's daughter doing here?

****A/N****

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