The Villain born from Shattered Dreams

A Moments Peace

Among the blood-stained flowers, Deku stood there taking in the ocean breeze. As his eyes wandered across the island as he glanced over to the island he came from, the destruction caused could be seen from here. Deku's thoughts were interrupted as his eye caught someone's shadow.

Hawks has been following reports of the quirk stealer's movements. His lead had him arrive not long after Deku killed Nine. Hawks notices Deku on the island nearby as a bead of cold sweat trickles down his back. His mind starts to wonder why Deku was there; could it be an extremely rare coincidence, or was Deku there to intercept him? Hawks never knew why Deku wasn't at Liberation headquarters, and Deku didn't know what events took place in his absence.

A week before Deku's mission, the captured Nomu known as Kurogiri gave up a single word during the interrogation, 'hospital,' that word alone couldn't accomplish much. With how many hospitals were in Japan, searching them all would be pointless. The more important piece of information was something Twice let slip. On the day Deku left, Twice was having another friendly conversation with Hawks.

"Your such a great guy Hawks, I'm sure Shigaraki will love you. He's powering up in some mountain in Kyoto he'll gladly meet you after."

Kyoto Mountain and hospital, these two words, allowed the heroes to pinpoint Shigaraki's exact location. With the excuse of a quirk-stealing villain, Hawks has been secretly delivering the information he discovered.

Knowing he couldn't avoid it, Hawks landed in front of Deku. The blood-stained flowers and the destroyed mountain in the distance brought up a lot of questions. None of these questions were as important as the one running through his mind. Does Deku know?

Deku figured Hawks arrived to assist the students on the island. He knew a pro hero would come today but didn't know who. The situation put Hawks in an awkward position. If he acts defensively, Deku might discover somethings up and will act accordingly. If Deku already knows, then acting casual will get him killed.

"Something the matter?" Deku asked.

"No, just wondering what connection you have to quirk stealer, so I know which points to cover up in my report," Hawks replied.

"There's nothing I have to say, but thanks for the help anyway," Deku stretched out his hand.

A simple gesture asking to shame someone's hand but has more meaning than simple words could convey. With Deku's quirk, a single touch could kill someone. He wasn't asking to shake hands but asking if Hawks trusts him.

Without hesitation, Hawks grabbed Deku's hand and shook it. "Sure, anything you need, let me know," Hawks gave his usual smile before slowly pulling his arm away. Hawks took to the skies again as he headed towards the destroyed mountain.

Deku didn't notice anything different with Hawks and contacted the doctor. Unfortunately, even if Deku killed Hawks, the plan would still commence. Hawks took the option with long-term success since Deku wouldn't know if he contacted anyone beforehand.

With Hawks gone, Deku got the doctor to teleport him. "It's done?" Ujiko asked as Deku stepped out of the black sludge.

"Nine is dead, and the quirk bullets were a success," Deku replied, his gaze falling upon Shigaraki's tank.

"There's nothing to worry about since my skills are perfect. Shigaraki is healthy and growing stronger by the day," Ujiko stated happily.

"I don't doubt that it's something else."

"Hmm, a desire for more power perhaps?"

"Bakugo, the one I wrote as Kacchan in my book. We fought on the island, and I could tell when he masters One For All, I'll stand no chance against him," Deku tried to gather his thoughts as he looked at the user of All For One, Shigaraki.

"Is being stronger than him still that important to you?" Ujiko had a rough understanding of Deku's relationship with Bakugo.

"Still? Ah, I guess I had memories of him before the operation. Even if I can't remember, knowing I won't be able to beat him is nauseating. I had a similar feeling the last time I met him. My body seems to remember even if I can't."

"You saw my success at giving Nine multiple quirks; would the risk be worth it for you?" Ujiko asked.

Deku starred at Shigaraki's tank and considered his options, "ask me when Shigaraki is awake since I wouldn't feel comfortable if we're both incapacitated."

"I understand. Here, I'll send you back to your comrades. It won't be long until Shigaraki awakens."

"Yea," Another teleportation later, and Deku arrives back at Liberation headquarters.

Stepping into the room, he claimed as a member of the Meta Liberation Army, Deku quickly went to the meeting room to see if anything happened over the past few days. Skeptic was the main person Deku needed to see. If anything happened over the few days he was gone, Skeptic would know.

"Nothing suspicious," Skeptic answered. "I've been keeping a close eye on Hawks, and nothing is out of the ordinary."

"You're finally back, so quit worrying about Hawks and spend time with me," Toga said. She was barely awake during the meeting, but when Deku arrived, she was wide awake.

"Toga, what about the meeting," Skeptic said as She started to drag Deku out of the room.

"Leave them, she wasn't contributing much to the conversation anyway," Dabi said.

Toga stuck out her tongue and giggled. "We can see Eri after we have a date. She's been with Twice when Twice isn't busy."

While the Meta Liberation Army felt at peace, the Heroes were slowly making their move. Within a little over a month, the heroes would destroy the happiness Deku found with his friends.