Deer

Chapter 16

Stain thought bombarding the city with a lot of Nomu was a bit overkill. But then, if he said that to Tomura's face, it'd be like the pot calling the kettle black.

After all, he killed the Fake Heroes almost every day now for the world to see. So, they'll realize this society is not rainbows and sunshine.

Today should be like any other day. Him, patrolling across the border while eliminating those he deemed unsuitable to be heroes. He didn't suspect anything. Even after the League of Villains extended their help, a kid in a hero suit tried to fight him in the name of vengeance and failed,  then his friends, a boy with red hair and another with heterochromia came to help by punching the ground till it caved in and sending a spike of ice that reached the sky, he still thought today would be just like any other.

But right at that second, dread crawled in.

The night was cold, yet somehow, it turned even more so. Something invisible pressed him down, cutting the air circulation within his body. A warning signal blared inside his mind and he was torn between fleeing and staying rooted.

As he was contemplating what kind of Quirk could make him feel so small, a feat even stronger, bigger fake Heroes he had fought previously couldn't do. The students from UA and the dying hero were long unconscious from the change in the atmosphere alone. Stain suddenly stood ramrod straight. His sharpened reflex was his only saving grace when a bunch of short knives-

No. Not knives. It was kunai. 

-Flew to him, intending to put holes in every inch of his body but failing. Stain didn't have the time to take a breather either when a bigger hurdle came once again, clashing their sword with his own, sending sparks across the darkened alleyway.

Now that they were stuck in this close proximity, Stain had ample time to observe the one who had managed to catch him so off guard. It was a boy. Judging from the height, he must be the same age as these students of UA. He wore tight-fitting black clothes and a grey flack jacket. The open-toe boots didn't make any sound, be it that the soles were created for a stealth purpose or this kid's step was just too quiet. A Deer mask with unsmiling lips covering most of his face. The only thing he could see was the blank, dead green eyes boring right into him, peeking from the eyehole of the headpiece.

Stain managed to think "That was the eye of a murderer"* before the fight continued on.

He didn't know how much time had passed. Their fight felt like an eternity because of how fast the pace was. A slash here, a thrust there. A dirty kick between the legs, a backhand across the face. Deer jumped and ran on the wall** and would have gutted his stomach with a kunai if Stain hadn't seen him shift ever so slightly and leap back at the very last second. Although that move made him stumble a bit, the boy succeeded in injuring him on the cheek with a needle for that mistake.

Stain blocked a batch of shuriken as he dashed forward, ready to indulge the boy in another close combat. But his eyesight suddenly swayed, black dots swam in the periphery of his eyes. Before his legs turned to jelly and he crumpled down, dual katanas clattered noisily to the dirty ground.

...what?

"What the hell?" Stain thought as he grunted. "What happened?" He couldn't move, he couldn't even twitch his finger. The tense air that had been clinging onto them had evaporated the moment he was down, so not the work of the child's Quirk either then.

Was it poison? The stray needle that nicked his cheek came to mind and he cursed out loud. Was that tiny needle laced with paralyzing poison? Damn, kid. Using the equivalent of Stain's own quirk on him. He never realized how scary it was not to have your limbs listening to you. Now, he understands the reason why people tend to be wary of him the moment they know how his Quirk works. Deer walked closer, stepping onto the fallen swords with enough force that it actually snapped in half. Stain gnashed his teeth in agitation at that, willing himself to stay conscious for a moment longer. Just so he could ask the kid a question that had been plaguing his mind for the past couple of hours.

"Who are you?"

Deer crouched, peering down on him and tilting his head cutely like a curious kid should be. Then he saw the blank, dead eye and it reminded him once again that this kid is not the usual wannabe. He hummed minutely, lifting up the ninjato, and said.

"Just another killer."

Stain never dreamed of losing against anyone other than All Might. He is the true Hero, after all. He should be the one who stopped the Hero killer's reign of terror.

But then he did as he stared right at the weapon swinging down onto him before his vision went black.

And Akaguro Chizome knew no more.

(A/N): Reminder. Izuku is Quirkless.

*Stain saw that kind of eyes almost every day. After all, he IS a murderer, no matter how he tried to justify his action.

**The boots have anti-gravity soles. He can walk on walls, trees, or any flat, vertical surface. Can't really walk on a cable or water, unfortunately. The boots are voice-activated. "Eternal King" gave the original author this idea, shout out to him/her/they :D

Also, Izuku was there because Todoroki tapped the choker twice and sent the recording to his phone. Todoroki meant that as an SOS to Izuku so he could ask for a competent Hero to help them restrain Stain. But he decided to come to the place himself.