( "Marigold, you're quite impressive for your age," The Overseer spoke to Denki.

Small Denki looked up, his eyes lit up at the praise, "Really? Is my rank high?"

"It's amazingly high, but you can do better."

"Of course, Overseer!")

Denki remembers all his conversations with the Overseer. Having a conversation with the Overseer was rare, only appearing once in a while, and those whiles were most memorable. It's hard to forget anything about that place, although Denki is losing some of the more boring days, he knows that these memories aren't ever going to leave him.

( Iris punched Denki playfully, "We get it, Mr. I-Got-Number-One.")

And he doesn't know if he wants to forget.

No, he doesn't.

~~~

It happened quickly - and the news was devastating. Izuku was abruptly pulled out of class, and returned in a wreck. That basically already told Denki all he needed to.

Inko was no more, and neither was her husband.

Izuku was the last Midoriya, and their only memory.

Denki vowed to protect him and Denki will. Although it's difficult protecting someone from themselves, Denki will still try. Izuku needs to survive long enough to become number 1 hero, and Denki's going to make sure of that.

The class was as clueless as always until Izuku told them that his parents had been in a 'car crash.' But Denki knew what the cause was - and so did Izuku.

They vowed not to say anything.

It was a secret kept between them, only a few select people.

~~~

The more and more he thought about it, the more and more he noticed. There were signs everywhere when Midnight grades his work, the endless flowers,

And what those flowers are.

It's a quick sketch, and to anyone else, it seems like Midnight got bored of grading the work midway through, but clearly, it isn't like that.

Denki's only wondering why it took him so long to notice.

Apparently, the same thing happens to Hyacinth.

"I don't get why she does this, is she bored or something?" Hyacinth said as he looked at the paper, "Or is she actually..."

"But the timeline still doesn't line up," Denki replied, "It doesn't line up at all! There's no way UA would bend the rules for one person. It just doesn't make sense, especially when you'd think that UA would want to expose them instead."

They were at lunch, but like always, Hyacinth and Denki didn't eat. They didn't have to eat often, so they normally ditched lunch. They weren't in the cafeteria, they found it far too crowded, they were in the hallways.

"Unless there's more," Hyacinth suggested.

Denki paused, "But that doesn't make sense. How many could there possibly be? UA has no ties to the Garden - or, they're not supposed to."

"It's just a suggestion, what if there were more than just Midnight? Wouldn't it make sense now? UA doesn't bend the rules for one person, but are they willing to do it for multiple?"

"What counts as multiple?" Denki asked, "Only Lavender escaped at that time."

That's when Hyacinth made Denki realize something, "Do we really know though? The sectors don't communicate with each other. Think about it, half of the Forest could've escaped and we wouldn't know a thing. The Garden has everyone separated for reasons, and those reasons might not just be for specializations."

Denki hadn't thought of it that way. Admittedly, he'd been thinking of the Garden like a whole community - everyone follows the rules and certain customs, he just didn't realize how separated they truly were. The sectors, the rankings, practically everything . Everything was built off of separation and distrust, which is why the customs sprouted up in the first place. The name one? Trust issues. The signals that only certain people know? Trust issues. The constant looking around when you're around someone of the Garden? Trust issues. It's true, they don't know what actually happened.

The Garden was a tightly kept secret, even from those inside it.

So what is fact from fiction in the Garden? At this point, Denki's questioning his knowledge.

"That's true..." Denki drifted off, not knowing what else to say. Hyacinth's words made sense, there was no way he could refute them, "So if that's what happened, what can we conclude?"

"There might not just be three of us in UA,"

"There's more, and how many there are,"

" I don't know."

~~~

The rest of the week was spent researching different topics about the Garden, and essentially Denki having an identity crisis. He didn't know what was fact or fiction about his perception of the Garden, and it troubled him a lot. But Hyacinth? Hyacinth continued on unaffected, if Denki didn't know more, he'd be jealous, only to realize that Hyacinth's probably having a bad time like himself.

The only tell on Hyacinth was how much darker his eyebags grew, not that anyone else noticed.

Denki just knew more.

They didn't tell Izuku, all Izuku had said was that there was a place for refugees of the Garden, and that place was never caught.

Denki's starting to think that it's UA. How else would everything be explained? "Hey Izuku, do you know where the refugee place is?"

Izuku shrugged, "Nope, we never went there because we were too high risk, so we were never told the location." Izuku looked up from his algebra homework, "Why do you ask?"

"I just have a feeling I know where it is," Denki replied, "But I don't think they would help refugees from the Garden."

Izuku hummed, "Usually, your intuition's right, so I would trust it if I were you. But where do you think it is?"

"In a hero facility," That's what UA counts as, right? Denki doesn't really know at this point, "But like I said, I don't think they would help people from the Garden." Seeing Izuku's confused expression, he added, "I just... we're a bunch of killers, you know that, right? That it's supposed to be morally wrong."

"Did you feel remorse over those you killed?"

"Uh, not really," Denki replied, "I haven't thought about it. To me, it's normal, it's just another part of life. Everyone lives, and everyone dies." Denki fidgeted nervously, "I mean, I know why it's wrong, but it doesn't feel wrong. I don't get sick or anything, I don't mourn them or anything. But, I know I'm in the wrong. I guess I just don't feel it."

Izuku didn't know what to say after that, "So, you know you did something wrong, but you don't feel any need to seek redemption or anything?"

"I know I probably should," Denki said, "But I don't. I don't feel anything towards them. I could've lived the rest of my years in the Garden doing exactly that, killing. The only reason why I didn't is because I found out I was being a guinea pig and I didn't like it, not because it felt wrong to be there. " To be honest, Denki feels wrong to be here , in UA. The Garden is where he's supposed to be, and that, he knows. But he doesn't want to go back. "I still have morals, I think - pretty sure, yeah -" He felt awkward with Izuku staring at him, so he fell silent.

"Oh," Izuku said. There wasn't much to say in this situation anyway, and Denki knew that too. "That...makes sense."

That wasn't a reply he expected from Izuku, "It does?" He didn't expect Izuku to see things from his point of view. Izuku's morals were pretty straightened out, although in hindsight, seeing as Izuku was raised by Garden Refugees he should've expected something. "I mean, I didn't expect it to?"

"By the time my mom had me, she pretty much had straightened her morals," Izuku said, "You haven't been out of the Garden for a long time, right?"

"Three years and counting," Denki said, "So I really don't have an excuse at this point. I've been away from it for so long. "

"You're not being rushed, Denki," Izuku replied, "Take as much time as you need to heal - I know it takes people time. Don't be afraid to use that time."

The smile that Izuku ended it off with washed away all Denki's worries. "Yeah, maybe I will."

Maybe.

~~~

Denki felt the hair on his neck rise uncomfortably, a sensation he's gotten used to these past few weeks.

Someone was watching him.

Again.

Denki was getting tired of this, he didn't exactly enjoy the paranoia that came with the increase in eyes - if anything, it caused him to lowkey panic.

Maybe he should tell someone or actually look at the person that is looking at him.

But of course, Denki's too stubborn for this, until he meets up with Hyacinth anyways. "Hey, Hyacinth."

That's when Hyacinth knew something was wrong, because Denki never greets like that unless he feels off. "Hey, Goldie, you good?"

Denki shrugged, "Pretty sure. Lack of sleep, I think, my eyes are pretty dry."

The intonation on eyes didn't escape Hyacinth, and he quickly figured out the meaning, "Oh, you should get more sleep then."

"What's this about sleep?" Izuku entered the conversation.

Hyacinth and Denki looked at each other - and then realized they had no way to tell Izuku of the situation without being suspicious. "This bowzo didn't get enough sleep yesterday."

"I- Hyacinth!"

"Denki," Izuku started, "You shouldn't stay up all night on your phone."

"Seriously? Even you, Izuku??"

"He's stating the truth."

"Hyacinth, you have no say in this!"

~~~

Eventually the feeling wore off when they were near the dorms, complete relief for Denki. And that's when Izuku asked, "What was the lunch thing all about? You're not tired at all."

"I just felt something off, that's all," Denki replied, "Nothing to worry about now, but I'm pretty sure that we have to be careful from now on. Just - really careful."

"Oh," Izuku said, "Noted."

Denki hopes nothing happens.

~~~

It was pitch black in the dorms. Hyacinth chose to sleep over today with Izuku who was currently dead asleep. Hyacinth and Denki were wide awake, like normal, unable to sleep.

It was a regular thing, it's not like they talked or anything. Denki was reading and Hyacinth had his eyes glued to the phone screen, the only noise made was Izuku's near inaudible breathing. Until they both heard something.

It was a rustle.

Hyacinth and Denki both looked up and glanced at each other.

There was someone else here.

Hyacinth raised 3 fingers. 3AM, Denki translated, No one's awake at this time or those who are awake are usually only in the kitchen... we can't hear the kitchen from here. Maybe we're just being paranoid?

But with the fact that he was being watched today? Denki didn't think so.

But again, there was no way that someone could possibly sneak onto UA's secure campus.

No way.

Right?

~~~

( "A rule of 3 s's," The Overseer said, "That you must follow to be a proper hero include-"

"Being silent, sneaky, and sympathetic," The young'ins chorused as they were taught.

Denki watched on, seeing the little guys hang out with the Overseer. He smiled at Hyacinth, "Look, that used to be us!"

Hyacinth rolled his eyes, "Yeah, hanging out with the Overseer."

"You know... we still do that, right?" Iris said, "Just not as often as them."

Denki shrugged, "Apparently, only the Field gets the Overseer."

"The other factions don't have an Overseer?"

"No, an Overseer oversees everyone," Denki replied, "But only the Fields gets the Overseer for a long time."

"That must suck," Iris said, "I can't imagine life without talking to the Overseer at least once."

Hyacinth said, "Then how does he watch everything?"

"I guess he has eyes everywhere.")

"'I guess he has eyes everywhere,'" Denki whispered.

Hyacinth looked up, "You're saying it might be-"

"The Garden. I didn't think they would observe us so heavily so early but... It looks like Yaoyorozu finally started doing her job correctly."

" Shit."