Getting Tsubasa alone proved to be a real problem. Izuku hadn't really thought that part through at all. Because everyone clung to Kacchan like moths to a flame and not a lot of kids in their class gave quirkless little Izuku the time of day, let alone follow him for a private conversation. Being ignored was better than being bullied, though, and he had to thank Kacchan for influencing them into doing so. Still, if they couldn't get Tsubasa separated from the others, they couldn't execute their plan.

Kacchan was right when he said the boy would be traumatized after being turned into a monster by his grandfather, so Izuku expected him to react badly to the memories. That was the main reason they wanted to get him alone. Another was that they needed to plan out their next step with him. They already had an idea on how to proceed, but Tsubasa held all the concrete information. He knew where the lab was and how to get in, he just didn't know it yet.

"I'll invite him over for a playdate," Katsuki suggested.

"Won't your other friends get jealous, Kacchan?" Izuku asked.

"I play with you after school all the time," Katsuki pointed out. And yeah, okay, Kacchan did spend a lot of time with Izuku apart from all the other kids. Like right now, when they were practicing ball tricks in the Bakugou's backyard.

"That's different, though," Izuku frowned.

"How is it any different, Deku?"

"Because I'm a charity case," Izuku said, continuing before Katsuki could protest. "I'm the sad quirkless kid and Kacchan is good enough to play with me because he's awesome like that. Also, our moms are friends, so it's normal we see each other more often."

"Okay, one, you're not a charity case, not to me," Katsuki started. "Also, fuck the other extras. I'm having Tsubasa over and you better make sure to be there."

"That's not exactly my choice, now is it?" Izuku snorted, earning a slap on his arm.

"Katsuki! Play nice with Izuku!" Mitsuki yelled from the other side of the garden.

"It's okay auntie Mitsuki!" Izuku called back with a bright smile before turning to Kacchan. "I know you care about your friends, Kacchan. I don't want this to cause a fight."

"They're little brats, Deku. They forget and move on," Katsuki stated. "I'm having him over and that's that."

Izuku frowned, not liking being overruled by Kacchan, definitely not when someone's life was on the line. Because it was, right? If they didn't do this, Tsubasa would die. Hundreds would die. They'd all be turned into Nomu by the doctor's hand, some more successful than others. They had to make sure to do things right. And maybe inviting him over really was the only way they'd be able to get Tsubasa alone. Maybe Kacchan was right about this. Still, that didn't mean Izuku had to like it, thoughts of consequences swirling through his mind a million miles an hour.

Having Tsubasa remember and interfering with the timeline in such a crucial way had to have serious consequences, didn't it? Izuku hadn't stopped to think about it when he suggested this plan to Kacchan, he didn't truly, deeply consider it. All he had wanted to do was make Kacchan happy. To give him his friend back, to give Tsubasa a second chance at life, or, well third, technically. Yeah, Izuku had been so focussed on all the good it could bring that he didn't stand still to think about what sort of punishment would be attached to it all.

"You okay?" Katsuki asked, poking him in his side, making Izuku squirm and jump up.

"Yeah! Fine!" Izuku squeaked. "It's uh, it's a good idea. Invite him over."

Katsuki squinted at him for a second before focussing back on the ball. Izuku would talk to him when he felt ready to talk to him. And if he didn't, Katsuki would just have to pry the answers out of him, after they dealt with Tsubasa.

//\\
\\//

He didn't take the news well. Of course, who would? Anyone would freak out if they found out they'd been tortured and killed by their grandfather in a previous life. With those kinds of memories rushing through his head, it was really no wonder he had a full blown panic attack. It was a good thing they did this upstairs, in Kacchan's room, far away from the prying eyes of his parents. Another plus was that both Izuku and Katsuki were experienced in dealing with victims and panic attacks, which meant they could help him get through it.

"It's okay, you're okay, you're safe," Izuku whispered as he rubbed his back. "You're not where you think you are. Just breathe."

"Hey, Tsubasa, focus on me, 'kay? In... and out... In..," Katsuki said, sitting down in front of him as he pressed one of Tsubasa's hands on his chest, trying to make him focus on his breathing, on the rhythm of his heartbeat. It took a while, but eventually they managed to calm him down enough in order to tell him what was going on and how he'd gotten into this situation.

"I know it's not nice to think about, but we need you to remember as much as possible," Izuku told him. "That way, Kacchan and I can make sure it never happens again. Not to you or anyone else."

"Yeah... Yeah, okay, I..." Tsubasa forced out, still breathing heavily.

"Take your time," Izuku added, trying his best to comfort him. But could he really? He had no idea what he'd been through or how it must've felt to be turned into a Nomu. It must've been awful, to carry those memories with you at such a young age... Izuku couldn't imagine what it felt like, didn't want to try, either. Comparing things, being quirkless didn't seem all that bad.

"We need to know where his lab is," Katsuki said. "Is he using the one in Jaku? The one under the general hospital?"

"No, uhm, I didn't-" Tsubasa choked out, taking a shaky breath. "The basement. He's... He's using his basement."

Ugh, that just made this whole thing worse, didn't it? For Garaki to fall into the typical mad scientist cliche that is 'lab in the basement'. But it was convenient, Izuku guessed. Having your test subjects so close, being able to keep an eye on your research at all times. It was more fucked up than it was practical though, because which bastard even thinks of torturing humans in his basement?! It reminded Izuku of old stories of kidnappings, where men would keep girls in their basements to use as they pleased. It wasn't as easy to kidnap a child in the age of quirks, something Izuku was grateful for.

"Does he lock the door?" Katsuki asked, and Tsubasa nodded. "You know where he keeps the key?"

"On his person."

"Fuck," Katsuki cursed, sounding annoyed and frustrated.

"What are you thinking about, Kacchan?" Izuku asked.

"Uh, breaking in, obviously?" Katsuki said as if it was the most logical course of action.

"Kacchan, we're four," Izuku deadpanned. They were kids. They couldn't just break into someone's home! They didn't even know where the guy lived, what kind of security he had, nothing! They didn't have any of the abilities, resources or support they had when they were older. "There's no way we can break into that lab."

"Then what the hell are we supposed to do?"

"...We could send Tsubasa in," Izuku suggested, but that didn't seem to be the right answer here.

"What?! Are you fucking mental, Deku?!" Katsuki hissed. "We're not asking him to go snoop around in that shithole after everything he's been through! What the fuck, Deku?!"

"Stop yelling! You're gonna make auntie think something is wrong!" Izuku hissed.

"Something is wrong," Katsuki growled. "Tsubasa is not like us, Izuku. He's a normal person who just got fucking traumatized and we're not using him any more than we absolutely have to."

Normally these arguments would be turned around. Normally Izuku was the over concerned one and Katsuki the more action orientated, just do it kinda guy. So what the hell was wrong with the green head? Katsuki didn't understand why he was so willing to throw Tsubasa under the bus for this when all they wanted to do was save him.

"What did he ever do to you for you to treat him this way?"

Izuku's eyes widened. Was Kacchan serious right now? Seems like it. Oh my god, he couldn't actually mean that! What had Tsubasa ever done to him?!

"I don't know, Kacchan. Does bullying ring a bell to you?" Izuku laughed. "Listen, I wanna help him, okay? I want to make sure the doctor gets caught and punished. But he's gonna have to pull his weight too."

"You're being fucking ridiculous-"

"Uhm, guys?"

Izuku froze up, turning to face the boy in question. He almost forgot Tsubasa was here, listening in on this argument.

"It's... It's okay. I wanna help," he said.

"Tsubasa, you have absolutely no obligation to-" Katsuki started, only to be interrupted.

"No, it's uh, it's fine, I..." Tsubasa stammered. "I can get you two inside."

"...How?" Izuku asked.

"My parents are out of town this weekend so I'm staying with grandpa," Tsubasa explained. "I could ask him if you two could come over..? A-and I don't really wanna be alone with him, so, uhm, I would really like it if you guys could, you know, stay over, or something? You don't have to-"

"No, that sounds good," Katsuki said, instantly flipping his script. "We stay over, steal the key and sneak into the lab at night to get the evidence we need."

"Yeah, that could work," Izuku nodded, glad they finally came to an agreement. "We'll need to plan it out, but it could work."

//\\
\\//

Izuku didn't remember their parents being this chill about a last minute sleepover at a random house with a stranger they didn't know. Then again, they were allowed to explore the 'Keep Out' area of the forest behind the park when they were, like, five, so it really shouldn't surprise him as much as it did. His mom had even allowed him to bring his dad's camera to the sleepover. They didn't have a lot of his father's things left, which Izuku was happy about. Inko liked to hold onto these things, though. At least, she did for now. Izuku knew for a fact that would change in the future.

"You boys ready to go?" Masaru asked as he carried their overnight bags outside. They had agreed he'd drive them since their families lived in the same neighborhood. Izuku nodded, trying to look excited about it, even if he was anxious about how this night was gonna go. Katsuki, on the other hand, loudly voiced his enthusiasm, making his father laugh.

"Yeah! Let's go!"

Izuku wished he'd be as excited for this mission as Kacchan was... He just had this bad feeling, you know? Feeling like something was gonna go wrong.

"Talk to me, Izuku," Katsuki demanded as they sat in the back of the car. Masaru had the radio playing, so he wouldn't be able to understand what they were talking about if they kept quiet enough.

"...Are we doing the right thing here, Kacchan?"

"This was your idea," Katsuki reminded him.

"I know," Izuku whined. "I just... I'm just nervous, okay?"

"Don't be," Katsuki simply shrugged. "I'm serious, Deku. You're stressing yourself out and it's not worth it. Things are gonna be fine, you'll see."

Izuku frowned. He knew he was an overthinker and he also knew Kacchan tried his best to be comforting, in his own way, but this wasn't helping him at all. It didn't take long to arrive at Garaki's home, which didn't make Izuku feel any more at ease. Masaru and the doctor exchanged greetings as they entered, smiling and saying goodbye to both Izuku and Katsuki before he left. Now it was just them and the doctor...

"Let's go play upstairs!" Tsubasa suggested. "Is that okay grandpa?"

"Yes, of course," Garaki laughed. "You younglings have fun!"

With that, they ran off, having one last strategy meeting before putting their plan into action. They would wait until Garaki was asleep and then take the key from his desk drawer, the place where he kept it when he didn't keep it on his person according to Tsubasa. After that they would go down to the basement and take pictures with Izuku's camera, which had time and coordinate settings so they could prove the pictures were taken here. After that, they'd deliver it to the police by an anonymous mail or message via their website.

Now all they had to do was not get caught.

Easy, right?

And yeah, it was easy. Surprisingly so. They got the key without much trouble, got into the lab as quietly as possible, only flicking on the lights when the door was closed behind them. The lab itself was what Izuku was expecting it to be. Small vials and machines on desks with scattered papers and research notes. Dissected animals, organs in glass pots, the smell of death. This is where it all started. This is what the doctor could accomplish with the little funding he had. Izuku knew he was already in contact with his father, that he had caught his eye with his quirk singularity theory.

Izuku wondered if he had a lab somewhere else, a place funded by All For One. Maybe this was just a side project? A hobby? Messing with quirks for fun, seeing how far he could push the human body. Or maybe he tried out things on his own before showing it to All For One. Maybe he needed some kind of approval. Izuku had never analyzed their business relationship, never had the urge to dig deeper into the post mortem human experimentation that created the Nomu.

"Oi, make sure to take a picture of this," Katsuki said, noticing Izuku was spacing out.

"On it, Kacchan," Izuku whispered, documenting the way the lab looked, the vials, the experiments, the notes, everything. "Okay, I think I got eve-"

Izuku tensed up when he turned around, only to see his childhood friend in a headlock, his mouth blocked by the doctor's hand as he injected some kind of substance into his neck. Kacchan's eyes got droopy, his body stopped struggling as he fell completely numb. Sedative. It had to be a sedative. Izuku took a step back as the man stepped closer, shaking on his legs. No... No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no-

"Kids shouldn't put their noses where they don't belong," he said, dropping Kacchan's body on the floor with a loud thud. "Certainly not quirkless kids like you, Izuku Midoriya."

"Don't come any closer!" Izuku yelled, quickly scrambling to grab a knife, a scalpel really, not taking his eyes off the man for a second.

"Or what? You'll stab me?" he chuckled. "Don't be ridiculous."

Izuku wasn't bluffing, though. He plunged the scalpel into the doctor's leg with all his might, making him scream in pain. He used that moment of distraction to rush past him towards Katsuki.

"Kacchan! Wake up!" he yelled, shaking the boy. "Kacchan! Come on Kacchan! Wake up!"

Tears blurred his vision as his body trembled in fear. Izuku needed to get them out of here and fast, but all strength had left him as he tried to drag Katsuki's body to the door. Stumbling and struggling, crying, panicking. He knew this had been a bad idea! Why did he have to suggest such a reckless plan to Kacchan?!

"Come back here you rascal!" Garaki hissed, grabbing him by the helm of his shirt, making Izuku yelp and squirm as he tried to get out of his hold. It was no use, though. No, because he had another one of those injection needles at hand, the same one he used on Kacchan. "This'll teach you."

Izuku felt the needle pierce his skin, felt the sting as the liquid entered his bloodstream. It was a strong sedative, like he expected, because in seconds he lost all feeling in his body. His eyes felt heavy, his breathing labored. He was tired. So...tired... That's the last thing he remembered before falling asleep.