All Might had a bad feeling about this. His instincts, which led him to win countless fights in the past, were screaming at him that something was wrong. He tried calling Aizawa to apologize for his absence but the man didn't pick up. The call didn't even go through. He was probably just overreacting but he had to be sure. He was on his way to the USJ when he ran into young Iida.

The boy was hysterical. Iida was drenched in sweat, he was panting, his breathing ragged as if he'd run all the way here. He kept rambling about a villain attack and mentioned a warp gate and escaping and it finally clicked in All Might's mind, The USJ, his students and colleagues were under attack.

Despite his time limit being up, he ran as fast as he could. Telling Iida to inform the principle of the incident before taking off in what seemed to be the fastest distance he'd run in his life.

He arrived at the USJ at lightning speed, slamming into the entrance door and creating a huge cloud of dust and rubble in his wake. Once the dust cleared, he could finally see what was happening around him.

A couple of feet away, laid the injured and motionless body of Thirteen. The rescue hero was in bad shape but was thankfully still breathing. He rushed to their side, informing the students gathered there that everything would be alright.

He then proceeded to look for the rest of the students. His worry spiked at the thought of his successor. He hoped the boy was okay. Iida had mentioned that the students were scattered. He wondered where Izuku ended up.

He didn't have to wonder for long though as he looked down to the central area. To his horror, Izuku was being lifted up by a massive creature. The abomination's brain was exposed, its skin was dark and covered in scars. Its body was huge and muscular and its mouth was in the shape of a bird's beak that had large teeth. Its overall appearance was terrifying, to say the least.

Seeing his successor, the boy he'd come to love like a son, being lifted in the air, hanging by a purple, bruised and broken arm by this creature made his blood boil. His signature smile was wiped off his face. In its place a scowl that was known to intimidate the deadliest of villains.

He didn't have much time left in his hero form. He needed to get this over with, fast. He glanced around and found some of his students- Asui Tsuyu and Mineta- struggling to hold up an unconscious Aizawa. He quickly ran towards them, lifting them up in the gentlest way possible and depositing them at a safe distance. Knocking many smalltime villains on his way, he quickly made his way back to save Izuku.

The boy looked up at him, the relief in his eyes clear as day. Running as fast as he could, he snatched the boy from the monster's grip, quickly placing him next to the others he rescued.

He looked back at the creature, the guy that seemed to be made out of mist and the blue haired man standing next to them, he assumed he was the ringleader. He needed to take care of them. Nobody hurts his students and gets away with it.

Aizawa swore internally when the problem child tackled the villain to the ground. His vision was getting darker by the second but he could still make out what was happening around him. The self-sacrificing idiot was fighting the villain and actually winning. Nevertheless, Aizawa would have to reprimand him later. Later. Aizawa sure as hell hoped there would be a later. He tried to move but the hulking body and suffocating weight of the Nomu was keeping him pinned to the ground. Both his arms were useless. Shigaraki had disintegrated his left elbow, Nomu had snapped his right hand and he was sure he had a concussion from one of his previous fights with the villains. Still, he had to do something. What kind of Teacher, what kind of Hero would he be if he let his students fight for their lives on their own. He needed to do something. ANYTHING.

Midoriya seemed to be talking to the villain now, Stalling, his mind provided. Smart but reckless. His train of thought was cut off by the sudden absence of the weight pinning him down. His relief was quickly turned to horror when he realized the reason. The Nomu was heading for Midoriya.

Dark spots were forming in his vision as he tried to hang onto consciousness, desperately trying to keep himself grounded and urging his body to move. He could only watch helplessly as the Nomu strangled his student, lifting him off the ground in the process.

It didn't end there though, Life wasn't so kind. The Nomu then proceeded to crush Midoriya's arm, the hand villain exchanging words with his reckless student. Midoriya for the life of him was adamant on giving him a heart attack. Not only did he taunt the villain and insult him, but he also began to straight up laugh at his face.

The USJ entrance exploded and relief flooded his system as he saw who had arrived. Darkness enveloped him as he finally let the void overcome him.

At the USJ's entrance, from the billowing dust and smoke, stepped All Might in all his glory.
Izuku could have cried in relief. All Might's timing was just...impeccable. There was no better moment for the hero to arrive than this.
He didn't know how he'd stayed calm this whole time. His time spent in the dark box made him developed a coping mechanism of the sort. He'd disassociate with himself, he'd close himself off, suppressing the unwanted emotions that made him feel miserable, scared and lonely and learned to stay strong in the face of fear. In hindsight, it was probably the most useful thing he learned from his mother's punishments.

He tried to form some kind of plan in order to escape the Nomu's death grip. To his surprise, he didn't have to since he was suddenly being carried at breakneck speed towards the entrance. All Might wasn't the number one hero for nothing.

The hero set him down with gentle and calculated movements, mindful of his injuries. He couldn't help but feel grateful towards his mentor. The throbbing pain in his arm was overwhelming, his whole limb was crushed, skin turning purple and blood pouring out of multiple gashes. Not to mention the aching soreness in his throat, Nomu's grip on him was suffocating.

His vision was dimming, the exhaustion and pain beginning to overtake him. he was grounded by Tsuyu's voice as she appeared in his line of vision.

"Midoriya-chan are you okay?" Her voice was tinged with worry as she looked him over, taking in the severity of his injuries.

He straightened up and with strengths he didn't know he had, he lifted himself off the ground. It wasn't over yet, he had to be strong.

"I- 'm fine, don't worry about me Tsuyu." His voice was hoarse, the pain in his throat making it hard to speak. He looked at the unconscious form of his teacher laying on the ground next to them. "How's Aizawa-sensei? Weren't you able to wake him up?"

She gave him a look, her eyes scanning him, probably detecting his obvious lie. Her hands were reaching towards him as though she was bracing herself to catch him if he fell. She glanced at their teacher and spoke firmly. "Sensei should be okay, his breathing is labored but I think it's because of the blood loss, his arms were seriously injured."

"MIDORIYA! ARE YOU CRAZY? WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? DO YOU HAVE A DEATHWISH?!" Izuku suddenly noticed the purple haired boy's presence. Mineta was shouting at him, tears streaming down his face.

"I- I wasn't... I just had to do something, I couldn't let you guys get hurt. They were about to kill Aizawa, I couldn't just stand there when I could have done something." His voice was laced with shame and guilt but his eyes were shining in determination. Mineta's mouth clicked shut at his words.

"Your actions were stupid Midoriya." Tsuyu stated bluntly. "But brave nonetheless. Thank you for saving us." The sincerity in her voice made his eyes tear up.

They looked back to the central area, Nomu and All Might were engrossed in a heated battle, the Symbol of peace was holding his own against the creature, for every hit he retaliated with the same amount of fierceness and power. He seemed to be winning... but for how long? Izuku knew his mentor wouldn't last long. His time limit was sure to be over and the Nomu seemed to have been created specifically to counter his power at its strongest. He needed to help him should the need arise. For now, the hero seemed to be doing fine.

"We- we need to get Aizawa-sensei to the main entrance; the heroes should be arriving soon. I heard the mist villain talk about a student that managed to escape." His throat protested at the use but he had to get his point across. "I'll take his legs and you guys help me lift his arms."

"But your arm is all messed up!" Mineta shouted, his hands gesturing wildly in disbelief.

"I'll be fine. If I get tired I'll let you know."

They were making their way towards the stairs when a shockwave coming from the central area got their attention. All Might had defeated the Nomu, sending him flying right through the USJ dome and into the stratosphere. His shout of the school's motto "PLUS ULTRA" resounding through the whole place. It wasn't over though. All Might was standing in front of Shigaraki and the mist villain, smoke was pouring out of him. A clear sign that his time limit was up. However, the villains were still here and he couldn't transform back to his normal form, he couldn't reveal his secret.

If he didn't act now his mentor was going to die. His body moved on autopilot as he slowly handed Aizawa's legs to Mineta and ran at full speed towards his hero. Every footfall sent a spike of pain is his arm, but he didn't care. He needed to do this. He needed to save him.

He passed Todoroki, Kirishima, and Kacchan on his way, he could hear their gasps as they saw his injuries and their shouts urging him to come back. He couldn't- he wouldn't. All Might needs him and he'd be damned if he just stood by as his hero died to save them.

He rushed towards the villains, hand clenched into a fist, despite the soaring pain erupting from the appendage. He leaped off the ground, power surging through his whole body as he aimed for Shigaraki.
Shigaraki and All Might noticed him. Izuku heard the hero and his friends shout his name, saw the Villain flinch back in surprise. And then, purple and black swirled in front of Izuku.
Izuku's eyed widened in realization. The Mist-Villain. It was the Mist-Villain. The Warp-Gate. How could he forget? Shigaraki's hand appeared through the Warp-Gate, inches away from Izuku's face. He closed his eyes in anticipation of the inevitable pain.

Suddenly a bullet came of nowhere, embedding itself in Shigaraki's outstretched hand, making the villain recoil in pain. The Warp-Gate disappeared from in front of Izuku; more bullets flew, hitting Shigaraki's legs, arms and shoulders. Quickly the villains retreated, the warp gate teleporting them away. Shigaraki threatening that this wouldn't be the last they heard of them.

The heroes had finally arrived, snipe's bullets had saved him. The rest of the heroes quickly taking out the remaining villains and tending to the wounded.

Izuku hit the ground with a thud, hissing as pain erupted from his arm. The adrenaline and energy from the battle quickly seeping out of him. Fear, pain, and terror finally setting in. He'd been suppressing these feelings long enough. His vision dimmed as the darkness finally overtook him.

Consciousness slowly came back to him. He opened his eyes and blinked sluggishly, trying to get rid of the haze. He'd been here enough times to know exactly where he was. He'd spent more time in UA's infirmary than his own classroom. Light was coming from the windows, telling him it was still mid-afternoon. He felt a weight on his chest, looking down he realized his arm was pinned to his chest by a cast. Probably to prevent him from moving and aggravating his wounds.

He heard a small cough and let his gaze follow the sound. The source was none other than his mentor. All Might was sitting in the armchair next to his bed.

"My boy! you're awake! How are you feeling? You were injured quite badly there!" The hero's booming voice making his headache sting even more.

The memories of the previous hours seemed to suddenly flood his thoughts. He shot upright. The panic he'd been suppressing finally setting in as the events he'd been through finally caught up to him.

He felt two firm hands grip his shoulders, not too hard to hurt but firm enough to ground him back to reality and out of his own panicked state.

He sucked in a deep breath and asked the question he's been yearning to ask since he woke up.

"A-Are o- okay? Ai- za- wa-? The- o- others?" his voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper. The pain preventing him from formulating a proper sentence. He could feel the thick bandages wrapping his neck.

"Yes, my boy, the only ones seriously injured were you, Aizawa and thirteen and they are both okay and on their way to a full recovery. Please, my boy, refrain from speaking, your throat suffered severe trauma." He replied with a smile, handing Izuku a small notebook and a pen. Thankfully the hand the Nomu broke wasn't his dominant hand.

All Might smiled softly at the visible relief his successor was showing. Of course, the first thing his protégé would ask was if the others were okay. He just woke up after being attacked for god's sake and the first thing he's worried about is his friend's wellbeing. Pride blossomed in his chest, he'd chosen the right successor.

He was interrupted from his musing by the infirmary's door opening, Recovery girl stepped in, quickly fussing over Izuku once she noticed he was awake.

It was now that Izuku realized he wasn't wearing his gym shirt anymore. His new shirt is a white long-sleeved top. That means Recovery girl probably saw his scars. he looked down and found comfort in finding he was still wearing his gym pants, that means she'd seen him shirtless. His heart skipped a beat. She'd probably seen the ones on his back and arms, he had gathered many scars over the years. Although the most prominent one was on his torso, a long and jagged scar sat across his chest. He didn't like to think about how he got that one. He swallowed his panic and decided to deal with it later. She hadn't called him out on them, that was probably a good sign.

He hadn't realized that someone else had walked in until he heard All Might's voice call out to him, snapping him back to reality.

"This is detective Tsukauchi Naomosa" The hero gestured at the tall dark-haired man standing next to him. The latter waved at Izuku, a small smile adorning his features. "He wants to ask you a couple questions."

"I'm sorry to bother you while you're recovering Midoriya-kun, we can always do it another time."

Midoriya shook his head, allowing the man to proceed in his questioning.

"So, I got most of the witness reports from the rest of your teachers and classmates. Your two classmates, Asui and Mineta, told me about the events in the flood zone and Aizawa recounted your encounter with the ringleader from what he remembered but we still don't have the full story. Can you disclose your interactions with the villains? It would be a great help."

Izuku took the notebook he'd been handed and wrote everything he could recall. He wrote about Shigaraki, their conversation, his attempts at stalling and everything that had happened from their fight to the Nomu's attack. His hands were shaking and tears threatened to spill by the time he was done.
The detective took the notebook, nodding at the event's he'd mentioned. Quickly thanking him for his cooperation as he handed him back the notebook and exited the infirmary.

To say Izuku was exhausted would be an understatement. As soon as the detective walked out, recovery girl approached him.

"I'd like you to stay here overnight. The swelling in your throat might increase and I'd like to monitor your healing." She informed him, her eyes never leaving his as she continued." We tried contacting your mother but there was no response."

She's out of town, supposed to come back the day after tomorrow. He wrote down and handed her the notebook.

"Well, I guess we'll talk to her when she gets back. Anyways, we have everything you need here for one night and tomorrow, the principal decided to close the school, to give the student's time to recover. You can go home then." Her voice held no room for argument, as small and short as she was, the elderly woman had an aura of pure authority flowing off, of her. Izuku could only nod in response.

She kissed him on the forehead once more, advising him to get some sleep, her quirk's effect rendering him even more exhausted then he initially was. The relief from the nagging pain in his arm and throat were worth it.

He woke up a couple of hours later, light wasn't seeping through the window anymore, instead, the source was a small lamp placed near his bedside.
He straightened himself, planning on going to the bathroom to relieve himself. Feeling a little light-headed he wobbled on his feet but quickly steadied himself. Taking small steps at a time, he made his way through the school's corridors. It was weird being here at night, the silence was both jarring and peaceful. The halls that were usually bursting with motion and noise were now dark and silent.

He found the bathroom and quickly finished his business, struggling a few moments with his cast but he managed at the end. He exited the bathroom, heading back to the infirmary.

He turned the next corner and unexpectedly knocked into another figure, he flailed on his feet but managed to right himself at the last second.

Izuku looked up to find none other than his homeroom teacher. His shoulders dropped in relief. A weight he hadn't realized he was lifting finally leaving him. His teacher was really okay. Aizawa looked worse for sure, the bags under his eyes seemed more prominent and his arms were both held in casts but he was here and He was okay.

Aizawa's usual stoic and neutral expression looked back at him. In his eyes, multiple emotions passed, too quick for Izuku to decipher.

"A- Aiz- a- w- a S- en- "He tried to get out, hid throat quickly protesting.

"Don't talk problem child. Why are you even up- Never mind don't answer that, come with me!"

They walked in silence until they reached Recovery girl's office. Aizawa stepped in, Izuku trailing behind him. Recovery girl scolded him for leaving without informing her first or asking for help.
Once she left, Aizawa waited for Izuku to settle himself back on the bed before speaking. His next action leaving Izuku speechless in mild shock.

As soon as he looked up Aizawa was bowing, his back arched as much as the casts on his arms allowed him.

"I apologize Midoriya. My shortcomings as both a pro-hero and your teacher lead you to be injured." Izuku's eye widened as he realized what was happening.

Did Aizawa feel like it was his fault? Before he could voice his objection, his teacher continued.

"Nonetheless, your actions at the USJ, while brave; and although you saved both my life and your classmates, were reckless and stupid. You cannot go on like this. Your self-sacrificing behavior is going to get you killed." His voice was stern but tinged with sincere and intense worry, his eyes focused on Izuku as he continued his lecture. "Mido- Izuku, you need to learn that your life isn't something you can just throw away, your life is worth protecting Izuku. You are worth protecting."

Izuku couldn't help the tears that pooled from his eyes as he heard his teacher's words. Worth protecting? Him? No one had ever given his life any worth. No one had ever cared about him until he'd come to UA. Then and there, Izuku let the walls he'd build up crumble as he let all the emotions he'd suppressed for so long take over him. He barely noticed when the bed dipped next to him and he was suddenly clutching at his teacher's shirt, his forehead resting on the man's shoulder. Sobbing and sniveling, Izuku cried himself to sleep.

Aizawa settled his student back on the bed, his shirt was wet with tears but he didn't care. Izuku needed someone and he'd be damned if he let his student down again.

Aizawa quietly walked out of the infirmary, Recovery girl seemed to be waiting for him outside.

"Aizawa, I'm afraid something is happening to the boy." She stated, her tone serious and unwavering.

"Are you talking about the other day? When you called me? I've already talked to him about taking care of himself- "

"No, I believe that this incident wasn't from the lack of taking care of himself Aizawa." She interrupted him.

"What do you mean?" he asked warily, mind already making connections.

"When I healed him today, I saw his body Aizawa. His arms and back are littered with scars, all severe and ranging from burn to knife wounds and other injuries. Some are whip marks Shouta. Whip marks." She insisted. "Some are older than ten years too. Who would do this to a child? Not to mention the massive scar on his Torso. A wound like that was meant to kill him Aizawa, it was the same as his wound the other day. It was caused by the use of a quirk. I'm afraid of what this could mean." She urged, her worry obvious on her expression.

Aizawa cursed himself internally. The nervous attitude, the long sleeves, the flinching at every sound and sudden movement and the recklessness. It all added up. How couldn't he have noticed before?

How was he supposed to go about this? If his student was in trouble he needed proof. A circumstantial accusation like that would never hold in court. They needed to be smart about this. They wouldn't talk to Midoriya about it just now but he would watch and investigate for any proof and maybe get the boy to open up. However, he'd be damned if he let anything else happen to him.
The question still stood. How did Izuku get all those scars, and who would do that to a child. If the boy was in an abusive home they needed to get him out of there as soon as possible. Although as far as he knew, the boy was being raised by his mother. A mother wouldn't do that to her own son. So, who?
That night Aizawa swore he'd protect his problem child with his life.