"Deku..." A voice reached out from the cold unnerving darkness. Izuku ran aimlessly through the shadow. Clutching his face over his eye, hiding his scar. "Deku...." It came again, growing louder with every step he took.

"Stop it...." He whimpered as shielded himself. A darkened image of him when he was younger entered his vision. A bloody red "X" over the face of a second person beside him. The only detail in view of them was their long green hair.

"Failure" The voice said to him, a maniacal laugh starting to echo as he tried to keep running. "YOU FAILED!" The voice yelled at him, a new image popping into view. One of him and a girl his age. Both were smiling happily as her eyes were masked by a cover of shadows.

Slowly, puddles of red formed, glowing in the darkness. More images flowing into his mind. The girl that made him smile. Gone. The woman who helped him throughout his childhood. Gone. Red. It was all red. Blood red stained pictures of the people he loved. The people he failed most.

He was shaking. He was struggling to even stand. He couldn't block them out. He couldn't breathe. He just kept seeing them. They were gone. Surrounded by shadowed figures. Nothing but amorphous blobs skulking around him. Forcing him to see them. Their bodies were beaten and battered. The ground dyed a dark red. Three gleaming eyes staring down at him.

Tears stained his face as pieces of stained white cloth crawled out of the darkness. Slowly slithering up his form and wrapping around him. Soon reaching his head and covering his eyes. He remembered that day clearly, no matter how many times he wanted to forget it. The pain of his flesh being seared. The screams echoing in his ears. The cold taste of metal in his mouth as he did it.....

They all smiled down at him with sickening grins. The monsters smiled as he crumbled beneath them. It was too heavy. He could feel them clawing into him. Trying to tear him to bloody shreds. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He was scared. He....He was......

"You are so weak!" "You're pathetic!" "Die you waste of space!" "Worthless!" " Loser!" "Failure!" "Deku!" "DEKU!!!" "DEKU!!!!!!"

"Izuku!" His eyes jutted away as he heard her voice. Tsubaki shook him by his shoulders to awaken him from his nightmare. A moist feeling on his face as his tear soaked scarves clung to his skin.

He quickly fell from the bed, landing on his knees with a heavy thud. He clawed away at the scarves over his face, scratching his burning scar. The cool air hitting his freed face, his heavy erratic breathing, desperately trying to fill his lungs. He sank down to the floor. It was so heavy.

"I-I'm sorry.....I'm sorry......I'm sorry....." He kept muttering. Slowly sinking deeper. Holding his head to shield himself from anything. He needed to hide. He was scared they'd find him. He didn't want to be found.

"Izuku." He was called out too. The voice was soft and warm, it was caring and sweet. It reminded him of someone. Someone close. "It's okay. It's okay." She told him, wrapping her arms around him.

He continued to cry, burying himself in her warmth. Not even daring to open his eye to look in fear that this was yet another dream. He simply listened to her heartbeat, realizing she was real. A faint glow resonated in his mind. He could see it. Her genuine care radiating off her very soul. It was so strange yet so familiar to him. It reminded him of....

"M-mom...O-Ochako....." He stuttered out. His tone is low and his mind racing. Heart pounding in his ears. "I-I'm s-sorry....I'm so sorry..." He cried, shaking like a leaf.

"Shush. It's okay. I'm right here, Izuku." Tsubaki spoke softly into his ear. Gently petting his hair in their embrace. "Just focus on me. You're safe here. I won't leave you." She said, noticing the subtle steps of the hat wearing cat stepping closer to them.

"Nya." The cat meowed, carefully rubbing her head to him in a comforting manner. Purring softly as they slowly inched their way into the embrace. Softly kissing at his tear stained cheeks.

"See? Blair right by your side too." Tsubaki smiled with a quiet giggle. "You aren't alone. We'll be right here. Just breathe and focus on us. Deep breaths."

Slowly but surely he began to calm down. His sense slowed down, allowing him to take in the situation he was in. Sitting on the floor of his bedroom, barely illuminated by moonlight, while his cat Blair sat on his lap and Tsubaki held him tight. His body loosened up, raising his head to stare at the two. Feeling warmth at the sight of their gentle smiles.

He rested his head on Tsubaki's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around them. Feeling Blair crawl out from his lap and onto his shoulder where she continued to rub against him. Purring softly into his ears as Tsubaki continued to hold him tight.

"Everything will be alright, Izuku. Okay?" She felt him nod into her shoulder. "I'll make sure the nightmares don't come back. So rest up, you need your strength." She felt his grip get tighter around her.

"P-please...C-can we s-stay like this?" He stuttered, begging with tears leaking from his eye. "Just for a bit longer. Please."

"For as long as you like. I'm not going anywhere." Tsubaki said, feeling relieved as he relaxed in her grasp. 'This is the second time he's had these nightmares while I was here. Does he have them that often?'

"T-Tsubaki..." His voice caught her attention. "Th-Thank you....Thank you so much.........Thank you for caring about me....." His voice shrank in whispers. Filled with pain that made her heart ache.

She couldn't find any words to say to him. All she could do was continue to comfort him as best she could. Gently placing a kiss to his forehead as settle down. Slowly relaxing enough to where he could finally fall back asleep in her arms. Soon following his lead for the rest of the night.

~Time-Skip~

The afternoon sun shines brightly in the city of Death or Death City, Nevada, of the USA. The sun laughed boisterously as it stared down at the puny citizens simply trying to go about their daily lives. Meanwhile, the temporary duo of Izuku and Tsubaki awaited the arrival of their friends to begin their training.

"I guess Maka wasn't kidding when she said they'd be a tad late, huh?" Tsubaki chuckled, looking over to her partner who simply nodded in response. "She said that they had some last minute prep work that needed to be done but it's been almost thirty minutes."

'Well we did get here like ten minutes before the time we agreed upon.' Izuku thought with a shrug as they continued to wait.

"I guess you're still not used to talking in public." She sighed a bit but smiled. "Hopefully we can help you get a bit comfortable around people." She said this with a smile, noticing he was starting to shake.

"Hey, don't worry. If you get too uncomfortable just let me know, okay?" He nodded in response. Tsubaki smiled as she patted his head. "Though I guess it's a good thing you brought Blair with you."

She could've sworn she heard the sound of faint chuckling coming from him when she said that. Which is something she was happy about after last night's events. Though that could've been just because the cat was currently squirming around in his shirt. Poking her head out from right beneath his chin with a smile on her face. One could say it almost looked really smug.

"Tsubaki!" Someone yelled out to them, interrupting some crucial shipping time. They turned to see Maka, Liz and Patty running up to them. "Sorry we're late. Had to deal with an...um....."

"Patty started a fire." Liz said with a heavy sigh, making her little sister squirm shyly.

"You promised you wouldn't say anything, Sis." She grimaced, clutching at a small bag in her hands.

"Just...How?" Tusbaki seemed flabbergasted at the mention of it.

"She wanted to make cookies and decided she needed to harness the power of the sun." Maka groaned while slapping her forehead. "Needless to say we need a new stove and counter......and wall paper......and dishes......... .and....."

"Okay! Okay! I get it! I'm sorry!" Patty screamed, visibly upset as she held the bag close to her chest. "I just wanted to apologize." She muttered, stealing a glance over at Izuku who stood there petting his cat.

"So what's with the cat?" Liz asked, eyeing the masked teen petting the hat wearing companion who quickly climbed out of his shirt and onto his shoulder. "And why is it wearing a hat?"

"This is Blair, she's Izuku's support animal of sorts." Tsubaki explained, letting out an amused chuckle as Blair rubbed her head against his clothed face. "I figured being around people he doesn't know too much could be a bit stressful for him so I thought bringing her along could help."

The two sisters hummed in understanding, slightly getting lost as they watched the admitted cute, while also sort of odd, display of the hidden boy playing with his pet. Smiling as they heard small giggles escaping from his normal silence. Maka, however, was not amused. Well maybe she was but she decided she needed to focus more on the fact that the magical cat she and Soul fought a few weeks back because they thought she was a witch, who then decided to regularly break into their house. The same one that dishonored her as a top student and mysteriously vanished, was now apparently living with her new classmate as a support animal.

'What are you up to?' She mentally pondered as she eyed the small animal.

'Oh crap! Maka?! Why did it have to her?!' Blair thought, her thought scrambling like mad at the sight of the petite blonde. 'Quick act dumb!' "Nya?" She mentally slapped herself. 'Not that dumb! Death dammit!'

"Anyway, how are we gonna do this?" Liz asked, trying to refocus the situation.

"Ah, yes. Being compatible with a new partner can be very confusing if you're used to the same person for so long." Tsubaki began to explain. "For starters starters it helps when you get to know the person. Izuku is a bit of a special case since he has a fairly flexible soul, but Maka here got a good read on your souls the other day so adjusting is her main issue to work with." 'Thank Death Izuku gave me those notes this morning. I guess it was a good decision to let me do the talking.'

"That makes a lot of sense. Being able to see souls and read the characters does help with getting along for compatibility."

"As for Liz and Patty, right now it would be a bit hard for Maka to fight with both of you so I suppose only one of you can work with her right now." Tusbaki surmised, looking over to Izuku who simply nodded in response. Pointing a finger to Liz, who raised a confused eyebrow.

"I think that means he thinks me and you will probably work best together, Liz." Maka spoke, getting a nod and a thumbs up for the quiet teen.

"Okay that makes sense, but what about Patty?" Liz looked over to her sister, who looked somewhat disappointed.

"Well, she can sit this one out for now and can...um..." Tsubaki paused a bit, being brought out of the conversation when Izuku placed a hand to her shoulder. He nodded as they shared a look for a few seconds. "You can work with Izuku and practice with him." She said, making the downtrodden girl surprised.

"Really?!" She asked with her excited cheer returning in gusto, nearly crushing the small bag in her hands. Izuku nodded along in silence, seemingly extra calm when compared to the other day. "Yay!"

"Okay with that settled, we can focus on our tasks." Tsubaki said as she brought out a small notebook. "Izuku and I had brainstormed a bit yesterday and we figured that the best place to start is simple. We'll begin with getting to know one another and form a bond of understanding that will hopefully lead to trust."

"Okay. So where do we start that? Cause I ain't too keen on showing off my autobiography to people."

"Just start small. Likes and dislikes. Hobbies and such. Just to get the ball rolling." Tsubaki glanced over to her partner who gave a quick thumbs up. "So what better way to get to know each other is by having a picnic and games!" She yelled as she pulled out a basket while Izuku held out a big box filled with outdoor games.

"Say what now?"

"That sounds so cool!" Patty giggled giddily as she practically danced with joy.

"Then we'll start with a simple one vs one match of badminton. Maka, Liz, help me set up the net. Izuku and Patty can set up the picnic. Sounds fair?"

"Okay!" Patty said as she took the basket and began walking over to a nice clear spot by a tree. Izuku followed behind her, giving Tsuabki a thumbs up before joining her.

"If you guys were here earlier than us, why didn't you just set things up?" Liz groaned, clearly not wanting to do this.

"It's all a part of the team building experience. So hush up and help." Tsubaki ordered as she took out the ropes for the net. Maka assisted her untangling it as the elder Thompson simply sighed in defeat.

"So where are we setting up?" Patty questioned as she and Izuku picked up the rest of the supplies.

Izuku says nothing, not like she was expecting him to, and points off to a clear spot under the shade of a tree. She nods gingerly as she follows his lead. Ignoring the slight miffed expression the cat was giving her while it peaked over his shoulder. Sighing, she looked at the bag she still held in her hand with a small smile. Hoping she could get it over with soon.

Soon, they reached their chosen spot where Izuku quickly took out and unfolded the stereotypical picnic blanket. Smoothing it over the soft grass before placing the basket on it and taking a seat. Patty followed suit and began helping him set places for the others when they returned. Laughing slightly when she saw little Blair chase after a butterfly that hand landed on his head.

"So how has your day been?" Patty asked, trying to smooth over the slight awkwardness of the situation. She felt a bit more at ease when Izuku gave her a thumbs up in response. "That's great, I think. Um....I made these for you." She said, handing him the small bag she had been holding for a while.

Izuku was hesitant at first but the look she was giving him made it hard for him to deny it. Despite how it isn't really explained how he can see through the clothes but let's not focus on that. Instead, let's focus on Izuku's confusion once he opened the bag and saw the small cookies inside.

"They're chocolate chip cookies. I didn't know what you liked so I thought why not something simple." She gave a small laugh as he took one out of the bag. "I just...I want to apologize for the other day. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry."

The girl before him looked away with a sad expression, nearly to tears. Izuku didn't say anything as he examined the little thing in his hand. This was what caused them to be late? This small brown circle with spots of darker brown somehow cause so much damage?

"It's okay if you don't want them, I can make some other kind for you if you'd like." She said, trying not to look him in the eye. But then she heard the faint sound of crunching.

Wide-eyed, she turned to him and nearly gasped in shock. The scarves around the lower half of his face were loosened, allowing him to snack on one of the treats. She swore she saw a small smile on his face but she wasn't sure.

'They're a bit burnt, but they're still pretty good.' He thought to himself, trying to keep his composure as he finished his quick snack. He quickly wrapped his scarves back up once he saw her staring at him though.

"You like them? You really like them?!" She gasped happily. Giggling as he nodded his head, clapping in delight. "Thank you!"

As she was celebrating her triumph she felt something settle on her head. Finding that Izuku was gently patting her head, similarly to how her big sis would do on occasion. An act of which caused her to blush lightly in embarrassment. This continued for a few seconds before he removed his hand. Noticing which, she watched him pull out a pen and notebook from the basket.

"So what have you been up to?" He wrote, showing her the pad.

"Well, making a mess obviously." She chuckled. "I was worried you wouldn't like me too much after yesterday. Sorry."

"It's alright. I probably shouldn't have been sleeping anyway."

"You were asleep? Makes sense since we were pretty late after all."

"What were you guys doing anyway?"

"Kid went on another one of his symmetry episodes again. Made us measure the entire house!"

"He didn't get a partner for the project though. What's he up to?"

"He said something about working with Lord Death, something about learning how to use the Death Room."

"I wonder how that's working out."

"He's probably fine."

~With Death The Kid~

"Ah!" A man with short blue hair and orange colored eyes appeared before Death the Kid in the Death Room. "Where am I?"

"Okay let's see here, you must be Jeremiah Gott-"

"I am Jeremiah Gottwald!" The man yelled, rudely interrupting the reaper child. "What is going on here?"

"Let me be the first to welcome you to Death City. Basically you're here because you died and it's our job to send you to your proper afterlife."

"There must be some mistake. Jeremiah Gottwald does not die!"

"Well according to this you were killed by, not surprised to see this, my cousin." He said while looking at one particular name on the sheet of paper. Lelouch L. Lamperouge. "Where apparently he made you explode. That is actually what is said on this piece of paper."

"Check it again."

"Okay. Um..." He said, taking a look at the page. "Yeah. You're still dead."

"Check it again."

"Still dead." Kid says blankly, not noticing a small portal opening in the background with a person falling out of it.

"Check it again!" He demanded once again, not caring for the black haired straw hat wearing person that appeared next to him.

"Still dead!"

"Check it again." The straw hat man said, with a voice that sounded oddly similar to Sean Connery. Gottwald stared at him for a moment before looking back at Kid.

"You, yellow eyed one! What is your name?"

"Death the Kid."

"Well then, Death the Kid, prepare yourself to feel the pain of a thousand." He stated, staring blankly in silence for a few seconds.

"A thousand what?" Kid asked, getting no response from either individual. Grunting in annoyance as a light shined over them, taking them away. Allowing him to gather his thoughts before the portal opened up again with another person falling out of it.

~To Be Continued~