" The Lotus rises from unclean water to form a beautiful picture. It defies both life and death - it signifies rebirth, regained hope. It simply defies logic."

~~~

"The Garden is an underground assassin organization," Denki said, "They train and abuse kids, basically." Truth.

"That's all you know?" Aizawa asked. Denki's sure he's never heard his teacher so aggressive, and definitely not towards him. It was a voice only reserved for villains. A voice Denki naively never thought he'd hear. "Kaminari, we need more information than this. And you know that."

"Yaoyorozu pointed a finger towards you earlier," Tsukauchi said, "Do you know why?"

Of course she'd pin it on me! "Yes."

Truth. "Tell us why then."

"She's the traitor."

"That's ironic," Aizawa's tone was dry, "She said the same thing about you."

"Me??" Denki sighed, "I can tell you with certainty that I'm not the traitor."

"What's your evidence?"

"What's the evidence that I'm the traitor? I can debunk that all right here."

"Bring Yaoyorozu in," The Principal said, "We'll talk this out."

Aizawa went to get Yaoyorozu.

The tension in the room was thick, the atmosphere gloomy. Denki was thinking of how to debunk any cases thrown his way. If he said anything shady, there's no doubt they're going to think he's the traitor - or no, they probably already think that. Yaoyorozu's a model student, she most likely holds more weight. Although UA is fair, Denki can't deny that he's been acting weird these past weeks. And with this kidnapping - it's nearly timed perfectly. It painted Denki in a bad light, and he knows that if he fails to get out he's fucked.

Yaoyorozu strutted in, her confidence showing and making Denki want to shrivel up and die on the spot. Yaoyorozu was confident - and he wasn't. Not helping his image at all. "Kaminari - or should I say Marigold."

The way his name was emphasized made him wince, Yaoyorozu wasn't playing, and it showed. "Yes, Yaoyorozu?"

"Why do you call him Marigold?" Tsukauchi questioned.

"His friends call him that," Yaoyorozu said, "Probably a tradition of the Garden." Truth.

"And how did you make that inference?"

"He was looking for a friend by a flower name too, Hyacinth, I believe," Yaoyorozu's tone was steel. Denki held his breath for the next statement, "I don't think he ever found Hyacinth though." Truth.

Denki held in his relieved sigh. Good, she doesn't know who Hyacinth is. She must think it's a competition between Izuku and Hyacinth - which is good and bad. Izuku shouldn't be involved in any of this.

"Kaminari, can you confirm the information Yaoyorozu presented?"

Denki thought through his next words carefully. He's not in a good position, literally anything he can say might be taken out of context or catastrophic. He can't afford to not think. I can confirm this - but it puts me in a bad light, unless I turn it around with how I escaped from the Garden and have no connection to them now. "Yes, I can confirm." Truth.

"And by default, you can confirm that you have a connection to 'The Garden'?"

"I can't confirm that," Denki said, "I have a former connection to the Garden." Truth.

"Former?" Tsukauchi questioned, "Elaborate."

Aizawa's piercing glares were making him fidget uncontrollably. "I was raised and trained in the Garden, but 3 years ago or so, I cut my ties and escaped." He tried to make his voice as confident as Yaoyorozu's but failed. He simply doesn't possess the same prose Yaoyorozu does; after all; that was her specialty. Aster was trained for infiltration, Marigold was trained for assassination. He might possess a few skills of infiltration, but we all know his skills don't lie in the same territory.

He saw Yaoyorozu perk up, a calculating glint in her eye. And that warned Denki, he prepared for her next words-

"That's weird, that's my story."

Denki's hearing fell flat. "Excuse me, can you just uh - repeat that?"

"You heard me, didn't you?" Yaoyorozu's tone was accusatory, "That's my story."

"You're lying," Denki looked towards Tsukauchi, for something - anything - that supports his claim.

Tsukauchi didn't react.

Denki's eyes widened, his heart was all he heard in his ears. "You're lying, you're lying. That's my story. "

"Prove it."

"I escaped with two other people -"

"People you can't find," Yaoyorozu spat. "Don't use my story to further your goals, traitor!"

"Traitor? Me? " Denki couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Not to mention, you added that fact right now, didn't you? You changed the story!"

"I didn't!" Denki exclaimed, "If you escaped three years ago, then who are your parents, huh? You should know that, shouldn't you?" No one in the Garden knew who their parents were unless they looked in the Archives - and even then, no one knew where they lived. That's only something that can be found in missions, or searching on your own time. And the only ones who leave the base are assassins.

Yaoyorozu merely smirked, something Denki didn't expect, "Daichi and Nagisa Yaoyorozu."

Denki's reality crashed around him. It was clear that Yaoyorozu prepared for this moment. They had this all planned out, didn't they? I should've known... "Okay, where do they live?"

"So what? You can attack them?"

"N- no!"

"We will not be inquiring about one's living positions here," Nedzu interrupted, "Keep it professional , Kaminari."

Denki had forgotten they were in the room, being too focused on proving his point. "Okay." His heart was getting faster and faster by the minute, if it weren't for the stuff he had been put through while at the Garden, he was sure he would've passed out by now.

"Anything else, Kaminari?" Yaoyorozu challenged, "I bet you don't know your family."

That's something Denki could defend himself with. "Of course I know my family! I know their names and everything - hell I can call them right now if you want."

Yaoyorozu faltered, and Denki took this chance. "You can't call yours, can you? You don't know who they actually are."

"Bold of you to assume that, Kaminari!" Yaoyorozu spat back, "They're just too busy!"

"Then name their jobs! Do anything , prove to me you actually know those people." Denki said, "You said you escaped right? So you probably live with your family now. Don't you?"

Yaoyorozu 'tch'ed. And Denki grinned, knowing he proved his point, "You can search up on my records. I was found exactly 3 years ago. I live with Lei Kaminari, Deshi Kaminari, my mom Haruno and my dad, Kousuke. Deshi goes to Shiketsu and Lei owns lizards. I know who I am perfectly. Maybe you shouldn't be using my story, traitor!"

"You still can't prove that I'm the traitor!"

"Why don't Tsukauchi ask you if you have a connection to the Garden then? That's only fair!"

Tsukauchi took the cue, and asked Yaoyorozu the damning question. The question that Denki was sure he'd win with.

I just need this... and I proved myself innocent.

"Do you have a connection with The Garden?"

"No."

Denki was waiting on the edge of his seat. The silence was deafening, if it weren't for the fact that he was paying apt attention, he wouldn't have caught the words.

"-ruth."

"What?" Denki couldn't believe it. Impossible... It's obvious that she has connections to the Garden. There's - there's no way. She did something. She did something. What did she do? I don't know -

"Truth," Tsukauchi sighed.

"Clearly, we aren't getting anywhere with this," Aizawa interjected, "Let's ask a few questions ourselves. Kaminari, why were you acting weirdly this past week?"

"What? What do you mean weirdly?"

"I've heard some rumours of you not hanging out as often with your group of friends, as well as you spacing out more than usual during class. Why?"

"I had a family emergency happen and -"

"You never exited campus for said emergency," The Principal pointed out, "If you had one, you would visit them, would you not?"

"It was a family friend," Denki explained, "They told me not to leave. And I did exit campus once."

" Once. "

"Okay now explain why you already knew about Midoriya mom's accident," Aizawa said.

"I don't get what you mean by that," Denki replied, "I didn't know."

"Lie." Tsukauchi said.

Denki's palms were sweating up a storm as Aizawa once again demanded an explanation. "I didn't know she was in a car crash."

"Truth."

He let out a relieved sigh. But he knew he couldn't let his guard down when Aizawa wasn't convinced and Yaoyorozu was literally out for his ass on a silver platter.

"Why did the other wording register as a lie?" Aizawa asked, "Kaminari, whatever you're hiding, we need to know."

"I already told you all I can-" Denki prayed that the statement registered as true, "I don't know why the wording registered as a lie."

Everyone awaited Tsukauchi's next words.

"Truth."

Denki relaxed a bit. He saw Aizawa back off a bit, and Yaoyorozu faltered. It was such a wonderful moment for him.

"So!" The Principal said, "I think we can all agree on who the fake is. On three everyone."

"One, two, three-"

"Kaminari."

"Yaoyorozu."

"Yaoyorozu."

"Kaminari."

Denki's heart broke at the fact that All Might and Aizawa still thought he was the traitor.

The Principal clearly didn't expect that, "Why don't we call a compromise?"

"I won't accept Kaminari in my class," Aizawa said, "There's no official way of knowing that he wasn't the one to let Ashido get kidnapped."

"I think you're overlooking the fact that Yaoyorozu was literally with Ashido when Ashido was taken!" Denki said.

"Kaminari," All Might's voice was something he hadn't heard since coming into the room, "I think that you need to calm down."

" Calm down?"

"Now, now," The Principal said, "Kaminari will still be in the Hero course-"

"Class B," Aizawa interjected, "He's not staying with the rest of the class."

"Aizawa-sensei! Are you serious?" Denki asked. He was desperate to the point where it leaked into his voice, "You know it's Yaoyorozu, please!"

"I don't know Kaminari," Yaoyorozu said, "The fact that you pretended to be dumber than you are is weird."

" What?" Denki was confused. Is this Among Us? What's with the nonsensical arguments? "What does that have to do with the current topic - not to mention that you're falsely accusing me!"

"Enough!" The Principal said, "Kaminari, I'm afraid you'll have to stay in Class 2B until we get this sorted out."

"I don't think he should be in the hero course," All Might said, "It'd be unwise to leave a traitor in the hero course."

"I just proved that I wasn't the traitor?!"

The Principal sighed, "General Education, then."

"Gen Ed...?"

The Principal looked at Denki with something akin to pity- "It's until we get this sorted out. Until then, I'm afraid no one will accept you back in the hero course."

If Denki hadn't been taught how to control his emotions, he would've cried on the spot. He could barely move. He was paralyzed - and he didn't know why. "Wh...at? I'm in Gen Ed..?" His ears were ringing, the Principal's words just echoing repeatedly.

"Until then, I'm afraid no one will accept you back in the hero course."

"Until then, I'm afraid no one will accept you back in the hero course."

"Until then, I'm afraid no one will accept you back in the hero course."

"Un til then, I'm afr aid no one wil l accept you back in the hero cours e."

" Un til th en, I'm af raid no o ne will a c c ept you b ac k in the h e ro cou rse ."

"Until then, I'm afraid no one will accept you back in the hero course. "

"Kaminari! Kaminari!" The Principal snapped him out of it.

Denki looked around, to see the room completely empty, "Sorry."

"It's okay," The Principal merely smiled, "I'm Nedzu. And I believe you. You're not the traitor, that much is obvious."

Denki doesn't know why the Principal was telling him this.

"You just have to convince the others."

~~~

When Denki went back to the dorms, all he was met with were glares.

A glare from Kirishima.

A glare from Bakugou.

A glare from Sero.

A glare from Todoroki.

A glare from Uraraka.

A glare from Iida.

And a smirk from Yaoyorozu.

Izuku was nowhere to be found, and Denki knew he should be concerned.

But right now? Right now he felt empty.

Isn't it funny how fast people can turn on you?

~~~

Denki knew he couldn't say Hyacinth much anymore. Now that they think he's the traitor, they have an eye on him. But saying Shinsou Hitoshi just sounds so wrong. It feels like he's exposing Hyacinth, not to mention he doesn't know how Hyacinth would take it.

So Denki settled on Hyinsoshi. A combination of both, simply because he doesn't want to say Shinsou and he can't say Hyacinth.

So when he was introduced to Class 1-C, he sat next to Hyacinth.

The classroom was currently blank, everyone had gone to lunch except the two. "Goldie? Why are you here?"

"Hyinsoshi-"

"What the fuck is with that name?"

"They think I'm the traitor."

Hyacinth's mouth dropped, "You're joking."

"I wish I was."

"Damn, Denks."

"Denks?" Denki asked.

"I'm Hitoshi Shinsou, yeah?" Hyacinth replied, "Just call me Hitoshi. At this point, we can't throw around those names anymore. They caught you, if they catch me-"

"We're dead, I know." Denki buried his face in his hands, wondering where he went wrong.

"Listen, I'm not the best with this stuff but," Hyacinth managed up a smile, "You'll be okay."

"Hitoshi, I messed up so badly and I-" Denki forced himself to calm down, to stop the tears welling up in his eyes, "I don't know what to do. Will I ever get my place back? Will I ever become a hero?"

"Denks," Hyacinth snapped to call his attention, "You'll be a hero."

" I believe in you."

Hyacinth didn't know those words meant the world to Denki.

~~~

Izuku was taken, or that's what Denki heard. He's banned from even going in the hall of Class 1-A. Something he's horribly salty about. But really, all he can think right now was how he failed. He just failed Gladiolus and Orchid. Denki let Izuku get taken.

"Yeah, I, Kaminari Denki, will protect Midoriya."

What a fucking joke.

Denki felt like laughing, he felt like crying, he felt like dying-

He failed. He failed at so many things these past few days.

He failed at saving Ashido, he failed at proving his innocence, he failed at staying in the hero course, and now, he failed at saving Izuku.

The world must have it out for Kaminari Denki, but all he wants is a fucking break.

It's at times like these where he wished that he didn't want to be a hero. Where he wishes he was back at The Garden - where things are simpler, and the rules were defined. It's at times like these he wishes he weren't a shitty person, a fucking failure.

Obviously, he's not the only one who thinks so.

"Hey, you fucking failure!" One of his classmates roared at him, "Where ya going? To the hero course? Didn't ya hear? They didn't want your sorry ass!"

The class laughed, and Hyacinth merely stared in pity. There was no way one person was going to defend him against 18 other students, and Denki understands.

"At least I got into the hero course," he muttered.

"What did ya just fucking say, shitstain?"

"You heard me," Denki was just so, so, so tired. He wants a break, he wants a nap, he wants life to pause, he wants literally anything as long as time doesn't move.

"Why don't you have fuckin' balls?!"

"You don't say," Denki snarked back. "I don't have time for this, lord..."

He doesn't have time for anything. He needs to track down the base of the Garden, he has to save Izuku, he has to get back into the hero course, he has to prove his innocence, he has to find Iris, he has to fix his fuck-ups--

Denki doesn't have time for this.

He really doesn't.

Denki's tired. So, so, so tired-

He walked away.

~~~

And that night, for the first time in 3 years, Denki cried.

He absolutely despised it. He should be stronger, he shouldn't be spending time crying because he doesn't have time for this.

Denki swallowed his tears, opened up his laptop and searched something up.

'The Garden.'

Obviously, nothing came up.

Denki bit back the disappointment he had, and continued searching.

After all, that's all he could do right now.

~~~

It was two weeks after Ashido's kidnapping, a week after being kicked out of the hero course, and 3 days after Izuku's kidnapping when they contacted him again.

UA, of course. Not The Garden.

Denki couldn't get in touch with them even if he tried.

"We were wrong, Kaminari," Aizawa sounded as tired as Denki felt, "You're not the traitor."

"And this matters, why?" Denki found himself asking. His voice was hollow, even to his own ears, "I'm not in the hero course, sensei. This isn't any of my business."

"You're in the hero course now, Kaminari-" Aizawa said, "We took Yaoyorozu out. It turns out you were right."

"Okay." He was just too tired to react.

"We also wonder if you want to help us," All Might said, "Find Ashido and Midoriya."

Denki looked up at the man, "Of course I'll help you."

Because even after everything that happened... "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I didn't."

~~~

" The Lotus rises from unclean water to form a beautiful picture. It defies both life and death - it signifies rebirth, regained hope. It simply defies logic."