Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Akaguro breathed in deeply, his fingers drumming on the countertop as he listened in to this lunatic's sales pitch. The lowly lit bar was no place for the likes of him, a communal ground for the worst of the worst, it was ironic, he supposed.

"-simple, is it not?" a man with an embalmed hand over his face grinned as he spoke his sermon, the vigilante suppressed his urges to give out a condescending scoff at his attempts to recruit him.

"All we need... is for you to find a small little hero brat, and bring him here. That's all we're asking for." Akaguro cracked an eye open, glancing at the photograph the man slid his way, he looked.

What.

He'd say that he's been in this situation many times before, given by many different types of people. But it really was strange.

"The boy from the U.A Sports festival?" Akaguro asked, taking the photo and eyeing it, it was strange.

"The one and only." Shigaraki grinned, his hands clasped together as his leg bounced up and down in anticipation.

The fluorescent lights hummed, Stain took one last look at the photo before sliding it back to the villain.

It was strange that he was using a Family photo of the kid; an innocent little green-haired boy, clutching onto a notebook on his left hand, and an All Might plushie on his right, smiling, perched onto a swingset.

"Sensei says that no harm is to come across Midoriya, understand?" Stain looked back at the villain, taking a short moment to glance at the others around him.

His... followers. Rabid dogs, he'd more appropriately name.

"And why do you think I'd accept such a request, hmm?" his right hand was itching to grab his blades, his fingers toying at the idea by briefly brushing up against the steel. The villain cackled.

"Aren't you curious, Stain?" Shigaraki spoke, his word thick and gravely. "Aren't you curious about All Might's successor?"

Stain tilted his head to the villain, fully looking towards him and gauging up what he had to say next. The silence was palpable, the smell of alcohol burned against his nostrils waiting for his next words.

"The zeal, the values, the spirit. Aren't you curious? Whether or not All Might's disciple has-"

Enough.

Stain slammed a knife towards the countertop, he growled at Shigaraki, the other villains stood up in attention, their hands raised in hostility.

"He is worthy, no matter what poison you so spit, he is worthy. The mere fact that All Might has chosen him personally already gives him the right to walk alongside the true heroes." Stain sneered, the audacity of this no name criminal. The mere utterance of All Might's name was a disservice to his career.

Shigaraki grinned, raising a hand to quell the other villains in the vicinity. They lowered their hands and weapons, the heat of quirks dissipating.

"Then all the more reason for you to see him yourself then." Stain scoffed, he grabbed the knife off the countertop and took the photo once more, giving a quick glance before stashing it in his pocket. "So, is it a deal?"

Stain growled, he gave the outstretched hand a scathing look before turning his back towards the door.

"I do not associate with worthless scum such as yourself."

He left.

The wind was cold on his skin, Stain took a deep breath as he strode through the rooftops of Hosu. He shouldn't have even thought of conversing with such disgusting vermin. It was his mistake.

He perched on a rooftop, the soft glow of the moon keeping the city alight. He took a breath. Quiet moments like this are rare, especially with people in his... demeanor.

He took a deep breath, feeling the cold night breeze. It was strange.

Akaguro took the photo out, giving it a long hard stare. A regular villain with a grudge wouldn't have something like this, a family photograph, the boy's family is in tact from the way the villain spoke. With all his bombast and arrogance, he would've mentioned if they had taken a hit out on the poor boys' family. But there was nothing.

So how deep did the blood between the villain and heroling truly have?

Certainly it wasn't Shigaraki who was this invested in All Might's little disciple. Stain grimaced.

There was a backer.

That Sensei, for sure. He was only mentioned in passing, he would've completely missed it if he wasn't paying close attention to Shigaraki's words.

All Might's disciple, huh? There was something more to the boy, it was strange. Revenge wasn't too strange for lowlives like Shigaraki, but Sensei wanted him unharmed.

The U.A Sports Festival was the first sign. The winner of the Festival, Stain saw that he was a kid with more than just strength to back him up. The kid was barely scathed the moment he went up the podium to receive that gold medal. With the new information that he was All Might's successor, it made sense now that he was looked on such a favourable light.

Stain grunted as he stood up, the winds changed. The soft breeze of the night was missing, the cold stagnant air replaced it.

Shrieks, screams, wails of pain and unimaginable horror reached his ears as he twisted his body to look up at the sky.

About a dozen winged creatures littered the night sky, he growled, landing on the cold pavement as he made his way to intercept those landing. Not in his city.

They were fast, violent, mindless as he would interpret. Their movements were based purely on instinct, they lunged at him mindlessly, they were no match for his blade.

He heard a scream, glass shattering as the fires around Hosu started to burn.

"You..." Stain growled, his mouth quivering on a sadistic sneer.

"The hero killer..." Native, a small time sinner whimpered out.

Stain drove a sword through the heads of one of the creatures, using the cloth on his bicep to wipe the blood off. He trailed his way towards the sinner, he was already injured, his leg bleeding below the ankle.

Usually he'd hunt these false prophets himself, but the opportunity presented itself. The opportunity to prune off the rot.

"St-stay away!" an axe flew by his head, one which he easily caught with his free hand as he stalked the hero.

He narrowed his eyes.

"Nineteen." Stain began, crouching down towards the hero as they met eye to eye.

"Nineteen civilians died that day, December Fourth, 20XX. And what did you do, child?" a knife found its way pierced onto Natives' hand, pinning it to the alley wall.

The hero shrieked.

"You ran, didn't you?" Native was whimpering, sweat dripping from his forehead, tears trailing his cheeks, and mucus flowing from his nose as he struggled away from the blade pointed to his neck.

"You didn't even look back at them." Stain snarled, the blade made its way through the fake's neck. The deed was done, Stain took a deep breath. He smelled smoke.

He was dead. The scum was dead, yet Stain felt no catharsis.

He closed his eyes once more, taking deep breaths as the smoke wafted around him.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

He wasn't alone.

The vigilante turned to look behind him, the fire from the neighboring buildings casting an orange glow on the intruder.

Midoriya Izuku was looking straight back at him.

Stain narrowed his eyes, his hands brushing over the blades on his body, the boy felt different.

"Forgive me, you're too late." Stain whispered, All Might's disciple, huh. He didn't like the look on the boy's eyes.

Despite all the fire and heat around them, despite the smoke and chaos.

This moment never felt so cold and quiet.

Silence, there was silence around them. Stain looked straight back at his eyes, they betrayed nothing of his emotion.

Someone wearing so much white had no reason to look that hollow. There was no emotion behind those eyes, Midoriya's face was that of a stone. Stain didn't like that, he'd seen killers more emotional than him when faced with death.

"All Might's disciple." He began, raising and pointing his sword towards the boy. "The world is rife and filled to the brim with false heroes, fakes putting on the act of valor for profit and self gain." Midoriya's face didn't move, Akaguro could barely hear the sounds around them.

"And yet someone like you has been chosen by the symbol of peace himself to succeed him. You've seen the corruption take hold of our world, our countries, our cities, our towns, down to the last person. Perversion, Corruption, Greed, Wrath." Stain scoffed, lowering his sword to its sheath. "A bastion is needed, to lead the world to the light, young one. All Might has chosen you as his champion, and here I am..."

Instead of the sword being pointed at him, stain raised his hand, open for Midoriya to grab. "Here I am before you, giving you the same offer. Midoriya, I ask of you to join me in my mission to purge. To cut off the rot that continues to poison our society."

Stain saw Midoriya flinch, a microscopic twitch on his mouth. The moment was still, the area was deafened around them.

"No." Was all that the Heroling said, barely above a whisper before power surged around him. The winds kicked up and the sound around the area filled the scene once more. Midoriya launched himself at stain without a second thought, the metal pads on his knuckles producing sparks when it collided with Akaguro's blades.

Stain grit his teeth and grunted, he didn't nearly have enough strength to even think of facing Midoriya head on. He redirected the quirked fist aimed for his head to the side, his katanas screeching against Midoriya's iron.

He used the walls of the alleyway to outmaneuver the boy, despite all that power, he wasn't nearly as fast as himself. "Good." He announced, dodging another fist. It collided with a nearby building, the bricks and cement getting pulverized as Midoriya batted the debris away from his figure.

"I would've killed you on the spot if you would've accepted." Stain gave the boy a wicked grin, Midoriya grunted, he lowered his posture. Midoriya glowered, a shockwave followed wherever Midoriya went, the white sparks of energy singing Stain's scarf as they clashed.

Midoriya was strong, he would admit it proudly.

Wonderful!

Stain was impressed, his blades flew towards the boy, he merely clapped his hands together, the wind pressure sending the knives off kilter.

"Yes! Yes! You. Are. Worthy!" Mania. Stain grinned his widest grin, he could see it! He could see the light upholding this nation in the young hero before him.

Hero.

What a word.

Only a few select heroes managed to impress stain, not only with their power but with their heads under pressure. And Midoriya didn't even look winded.

"All Might has chosen you, young Midoriya!" he screeched, a fist enough to topple a mountain barely grazed his cheek as he used the momentum of his strike to launch himself to the right. "You must show these fakes how to be a hero! To be a righteous icon for the innocent! And may those who sully the meaning of valor burn in the deepest pits of hell!" Stain used his speed to run up a building, throwing knives behind him, aiming for the boy.

"Enough." Was all that Midoriya had said, barely above a whisper once more. Power accumulated on his right leg, he raised it, before crashing it down on the asphalt.

The ground shattered.

The neighboring buildings crumbled as the street turned to ruin, stain crashed once back to the earth. Stain coughed, the smoke and dust entering his lungs.

Stain stood, narrowly dodging another punch that shattered cement. "Your crusade ends now, stain." Midoriya hissed.

Stain grinned, wiping the blood off his nose. This boy was worthy. Worthy of All Might's throne, the mantle, the title: Hero.

"People like you are the worst." Midoriya began, stain launched himself towards the boy, sword aimed for his neck. "The path to hell is paved by good intention." The white-haired boy barely caught the sword, he grabbed it with all his might, bending the metal underneath his strength. Stain abandoned the blade.

"I will not let another zealot ruin this world." Strain grit his teeth, he was getting exhausted. For all the speed he had, he couldn't amount to the raw power that Midoriya had.

It was like he was fighting All Might himself.

Stain grinned, he had caught a punch from the boy. It burned his stomach, he puked blood, the world was spinning around him.

"So be it..." he barely managed to let out, Stain collapsed on the rubble as quirked kick crashed against his ribs.

"Well Midoriya..." he chuckled, blood leaking from his mouth. "Finish what you've started." He looked towards the boy, he could barely see the little hero's face.

The orange glow around his pure white suit fit him, he supposed. Hosu was burning.

Akaguro barely managed to keep himself conscious. He was slipping in and out of the waking world.

"Watch out... for Shigaraki's backer." Was all that he said, barely a whisper before the darkness claimed him.