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starsfadingbutilingeron · 8 years

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Chapter Seven: Out of Hand

Fic Title: Secondhand Hero Author: @starsfadingbutilingeron Summary: What if All Might had been able to save Shimura Tenko? Read this free fic to find out the results!! Rating: General Audiences Read On AO3: x —-

It was easy for Tenko to lure Izuku into doing whatever he said. Too easy. Easy to the degree that Tenko was considering calling Izuku’s mother and telling her that she’d raised her son to be too trusting of pro heroes. Once he’d finally gotten ahold of Izuku, Tenko only had to give the vaguest information about ‘needing Izuku’s input on a new project’ and the young hero-in-training had jumped at the opportunity.

As they strode down the city sidewalks, Izuku was babbling away about the upcoming Sports Festival; completely carefree and oblivious to the potential danger he was walking into.

“Are you alright, Mister Shimura?” Izuku asked, blinking his round green eyes up at the pro hero in concern. “You haven’t said much.”

“Ah, I-I’ve just been listening to you, kid,” Tenko stammered unsmoothly, shifting his hands uncomfortably in the pocket of his hoodie. He’d retrieved his gloves and hero gear from home and felt a little more secure now that he didn’t have to worry about his quirk accidentally hurting someone; but he still felt a keen thrum of anxiety as he carried out his first act of villainy, and Izuku’s concerned earnest gaze wasn’t making anything easier.

“Hmm,” Izuku looked away from Tenko’s face then, but his concerned expression remained in place. “So, uh, did you ever compete in the Sports Festival?”

“Oh yeah,” Tenko nodded, a touch of a smile returned to his mouth. “All three years. I only placed my third time competing though, I got-”

“Second place,” Izuku finished without thinking, then blushed when Tenko raised his eyebrows and started to smile knowingly down at him. “I, uh…” Izuku rubbed at his messy hair. “I already knew the answer to my own question…”

“Eh, can’t say I’m surprised,” Tenko shrugged. “I was actually more surprised that you seemed to not know the answer.”

“Haha, yeah…” Izuku’s blush deepened, rubbing the back of his neck. The look of embarrassment faded from Izuku face and was quickly replaced with a look of confusion as he took in the unfamiliar change in his surroundings. “Uh...Where did you say we were going?”

Tenko bit his lip hard enough he was sure he was going to tear through and give himself another scar. “It’s a, uh- It’s in kind of a rough neighborhood,” he dodged the question, avoiding eye contact with Izuku. “Don’t worry though, I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

“O-Okay,” Izuku nodded, letting the topic drop. But the further they went from the familiar layout of the city, the more anxious Izuku seemed to become. By the time twilight was creeping into the sky and any hope of spying a landmark had been lost, Izuku could feel his heart hammering in his chest; reaching out without looking, Izuku wrapped his own arm around Tenko’s and squeezed tightly to the pro hero’s side.

Tenko felt his footsteps grow leaden in his sneakers at the frightened press of the child on his arm. They’d gone far enough off the grid that even if Izuku did have second thoughts, Tenko could easily drag him the rest of the way and no one would so much as raise an eyebrow.

Pondering that reality, Tenko continued forward; letting one hand rest atop Izuku’s that was clutching to the sleeve of his hoodie. The skin of Tenko’s lip could have been a new urban legend for as much of it was left to see after a straight half hour of him gnawing on it; and as he drew closer to where All for One was expecting him to arrive with Izuku, Tenko suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and pulled Izuku to a halt with the motion.

In a lightning strike of winding arms and reaching hands, Tenko had spun around to face Izuku with his hands on the young boy’s shoulders. He had to crouch to speak face-to-face with Izuku and as he did, Tenko realized just how young the boy in his care was.

“Is...something wrong, Mister Shimura?” Izuku looked around nervously.

“Yes - I mean, no - I mean,” Tenko squeezed his eyes shut and let out a careful sigh before opening his eyes again to meet Izuku’s gaze. “You need to turn around and go home.”

“Huh!?” Izuku’s eyebrows furrowed in hurt outrage. “Why? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, kid, you didn’t do anything,” Tenko retracted one hand from Izuku’s shoulders to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Just...Please, go home, alright?”

Izuku shook his head. “But why? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine!” Tenko said a little too quickly, flashing a smile he knew probably looked closer to tears than anything else. “I just, um, I kind of jumped the gun on this one. It’s too soon for you to be working on this project with me. So, just go home.”

“But…” Izuku looked around again, drawing his jacket up around his face. “Aren’t you at least gonna come with me?”

“No, I can’t,” Tenko shook his head, standing to his full height and yanking his hood up so it shaded his eyes. He tried another smile, and this one looked a bit more genuine since Izuku couldn’t really see his eyes. “I’ve got people expecting me so I’m afraid I can’t escort you home. But, uh, I’ll call a cab for you if you want? If you’ll feel safer, it’s not a problem.”

“No, I’ll be fine on my own. I just…” Izuku shuffled his feet against the craggy sidewalk before looking back up to Tenko. “Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”

“Aw, c’mon,” Tenko laughed a little, clapping an arm around Izuku’s shoulders and spinning him in the opposite direction. “It’s real sweet you’re worried about me, kid; but I’m a pro, remember? Even if something were wrong - which it’s not - I can take care of myself, ya dig?”

“Yeah, I...I dig,” Izuku huffed a single laugh, sticking his hands in his coat pockets.

“Great,” Tenko smiled, feeling the raw peeling skin of his lips crack with the motion. “Now, run along home, Midoriya,” he gave Izuku’s back a little shove so the kid stumbled forward on the sidewalk. “And text me when you get home safe. You still have my number?”

“Yeah,” Izuku nodded, glancing back over his shoulder. “See you later, Tenko.”

“See ya, kid,” Tenko waved, keeping the breezy smile plastered on his face until Izuku’s back was turned and he started down the sidewalk. Tenko stood watching Izuku’s back recede into the horizon until he was no longer visible amidst the orange glow of the setting sun. Once the kid was no longer visible, Tenko spun on his heel and made his way to the League of Villains alone.

Further back on the sidewalk, Izuku followed the turns he’d made mental notes of on his walk with Tenko. Once back in familiar territory, Izuku ducked into the nearest empty restroom and took his phone out. Making sure the door was locked, Izuku dialed Toshinori’s number and held the receiver to his ear.

The Number One Hero picked up after the second ring, voice ragged from a recent coughing fit as he greeted the unexpected call from his successor.

“Hi, All Might,” Izuku said, his voice low and fingernails picking anxiously at his earlobe. “I really really need to talk to you,” he took a deep breath, looking around as if there might be someone hidden listening in on him. “It’s about Mister Shimura. I think he’s in trouble.”

----

“I still don’t understand how you’ve come back empty handed,” All for One’s voice dripped with treacherous calm from the other side of the computer screen. “You said the boy trusts you, I fail to see what caused him to turn and run away.”

“He’s not a moron,” Tenko said in a bored voice; eyes downcast to look at his phone where it sat in his lap, a message from Izuku that he’d gotten home safe glowing on the screen before Tenko clicked the device off. “You don’t take a fifteen year old kid for a nice stroll in the shadiest part of town at dusk. That’s just not normal. Honestly, I’d be more concerned if he had fallen for it.”

All for One’s audio hummed quietly for a moment as the villain thought over what the next move should be. “.....I suppose we’ll have to be more covert to pull this off then.”

“I suppose so,” Tenko nodded, standing to leave the call.

“Assuming the boy hasn’t told anyone of his suspicions,” All for One added, almost as an afterthought.

“I doubt it,” Tenko scoffed, tucking a lock of hair behind his ear. “He’s the type to keep information to himself in the interest of getting a leg up on saving the day.”

“Is that so?” All for One asked coolly.

“At least as I’ve known him,” Tenko shrugged, raising an eyebrow to the camera. “Was there anything else?”

“Yes…” All for One spoke slowly, and Tenko could almost hear him narrow his eyes in judgement. “Where on earth did you get that atrocious hairclip?”

Tenko felt his face screw up into a tight-lipped scowl before turning and exiting the room, heading up the stairs to the main bar.

----

Toshinori was at his wit’s end. Tenko hadn’t been home in at least a week; or at least, not that Toshinori knew anyways. Some days when they were both busy with hero work they’d go long periods of time without seeing each other, but this time was different. Everything in the house remained exactly how Toshinori left it whenever he’d go off somewhere. Usually, Tenko would straighten everything up just so whenever Toshinori was out, never hiding his blatant disgust at how Toshinori organized his life.

And if that weren’t enough, Toshinori had the added stress of Izuku having been nominated for Field Training by non other than Gran Torino himself. While Gran Torino had been good company for a young traumatized boy who’d needed someone to relax around, Toshinori shuddered to think what kind of perverse training exercises Izuku was being put through at that very moment.

“Are you sure you’ve sent patrols out everywhere?” Toshinori spoke into his cell phone. He was on call with Naomasa; after about three hours of Tenko not coming home that first night he’d stormed out of the house, Toshinori had been in near constant contact with Naomasa about any possible sign or sighting of his son.

“Yes, Toshinori, I’m sure,” Naomasa said, the sound of a pen scribbling on paper a quiet interlude between spoken word. “We just- We can’t seem to find him.”

“What do you mean you can’t find him? You found him when he was eight, what’s the difference now!?” Toshinori could hear his own voice crack and fought against the worried sobs he could feel climbing his throat. Taking a shuddering breath, Toshinori closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

When he spoke next, Toshinori made an extra effort not to let his voice break tone again. “I am about to lose my mind,” he said, taking another deep breath. “And you’re telling me he just up and disappeared?”

“He may not want to be found,” Naomasa said quietly. “He may have just left without a word because he didn’t want to see you again.”

Toshinori felt the blood draw from his face and his heart stutter a beat. Pressing a hand to his chest, Toshinori struggled to maintain his calm. “How could you say that to me?”

Naomasa was silent for a moment on the other end, mulling over what he’d said. Letting go of a deep sigh, he found that he did in fact regret what he’d suggested to his old friend.

“You’re right,” Naomasa said. “Th-That was awful of me to say, I’m sorry.”

“I just…” Toshinori sighed, pressing a hand to the throbbing pain in his forehead. “I just can’t hear things like that. I don’t want to even entertain that possibility.”

“I know, I didn’t think,” Naomasa said, then tried to lighten the mood with a breathy laugh. “Hey, I mean, it’s Tenko, right? He’ll probably come wandering back sooner or later. And if not, we’ll- I promise I’ll find him, Toshinori. Nothing bad’s gonna happen to your boy, alright?”

“Yeah,” Toshinori nodded. “Thanks, Naomasa.”

“No problem.”

Hanging up with Naomasa, Toshinori turned back to the empty house behind him. Well, almost empty. When he turned around he saw Mii rubbing her soft black cheek up against the doorframe; locking her yellow eyes on Toshinori, she trotted over to where he sat at the living room table and hopped up on his lap. Giving a yowl of disapproval, she ultimately settled for curling up on Toshinori’s bony joints instead of Tenko’s decidedly more comfortable lap. Looking up at Toshinori, the cat gave a soft meow as she stared up at the hero.

“I know,” Toshinori replied, stroking the cat behind the ears. “I miss him too.”

----

Even though it had only been about two weeks he’d been with the League of Villains, Tenko felt the piercing difference of being on the other side of the law. No one cared if he slept or washed his hair; there was no one pestering him to brush his teeth or eat a decent meal. Tenko had always complained about feeling smothered by Toshinori near-obsessive concern over his well-being but, being with the League, Tenko was beginning to miss being harangued about the importance of taking care of himself.

There was something else being with the League made him feel that he couldn’t quite pin down, like an itch on his back he couldn’t reach. Being a hero had never been safe work, Toshinori’s current state was proof enough of that; but it wasn’t until Tenko had spent the past couple of days just existing in the same mindset as the villains he’d always fought that he’d actually started to fear for his life.

Those feelings of unease and insecurity stuck with Tenko, especially when he opened the door to the bar and found Kurogiri leaned against the counter in a posture too casual to be a choice of his own volition. More than that, Tenko could see that there was a gaping hole in one of Kurogiri’s sleeves, which would have been suspicious enough on its own; the fact that Kurogiri would never let himself appear that unkept only added to Tenko’s skepticism of the unusual scene unfolding before him.

He was hardly surprised then when, as soon as the door closed behind him fully, a hulking tangle of wiry limbs dropped down from the ceiling and pinned Tenko on his back in one swift movement. The impact of his head colliding against the hardwood floors had knocked his glasses askew, and his vision was cut between blurry and clear as he stared up at who had pinned him.

Reaching a hand up in an attempt to straighten his glasses, his attacker whipped out a glinting dagger and thrust it through Tenko’s shoulder near his collarbone. Tenko slammed his hand back to the ground, suppressing his pain as he’d done in countless villain attacks. The trick was to never let on how much you were hurt, even if you felt a breath away from death.

Tenko could only lay in petrified anticipation, wishing he had a way to discreetly remove his gloves without chancing another blade to the shoulder. As if reading his thoughts, the masked villain drew out another dagger, holding this one close to Tenko’s throat; so close that Tenko could feel his own pulse thrumming against the metal in traitorous honesty of how scared he actually was.

“A pro hero turned villain at the drop of a hat,” the villain rasped from where he sat atop Tenko’s chest. “What kind of creed do you live by that allows you such a quick change of mind?”

Drawing in a deep breath through his nose, Tenko began to place a name to the half-blurred face looming above him. The daggers, the old shaggy bandages, the lack of a nasal appendage...all pointed to one villain.

“Hero Killer,” Tenko bit out, trying to wrestle down the pain in his shoulder. “Stain, I recognize you from your criminal profile.”

“Hero Killer,” Stain repeated, his voice almost mocking. “As if the people I cut down even deserved the title ‘hero’ at all. The word ‘hero’ has lost all meaning in this society overrun by fakes. You being the perfect example. ‘Pro hero’ Shimura Tenko…” Stain grinned, wide and dry like a shattered bone left in the hot sun. “Even being raised by All Might you couldn’t seem to shake that selfish single-mindedness that plagues all others of your kind who would forsake their ideals in a quest for revenge.”

“You sure do like to preach, don’t ya?” Tenko smiled. While Stain had been talking, he’d curled his four bare fingers against the fabric of the glove on his right hand so all five fingertips were touching and the black material furled away. Reaching up his now bare hand, Tenko gripped the blade held to his throat; the sharp blade sliced his palm where the thumb met the forefinger, but Tenko couldn’t deny the satisfaction he felt when Stain’s face went from triumphant to shocked as his dagger disintegrated before his eyes.

Stain jumped away from Tenko, yanking out the blade that had been implanted in Tenko’s shoulder with him. Giving a sharp cry of pain, Tenko staggered to his feet and pressed two fingers to either side of the wound. He was irritated at being out one glove, but figured he should just start wearing his gauntlets full time while with the League anyways.

“You want to change what society values; want to protect what it means to actually be a hero,” Tenko regarded stain with a critical eye. “A just world, is that it?” Tenko raised his eyebrows, smug grin playing on his face. “Well, I think you and I might have more in common than you think.”

That bone dry grin slowly curled back up onto Stain’s face as he holstered his dagger. “So that’s what you’re about,” he rattled, addressing something unspoken between them. “Those at death’s door always show their true colors,” he continued, regarding Tenko with a smirk of his own. “It seems you’ve got a crooked creed of your own growing inside of you. I’m interested to see what kind of twisted fruits those sprouts will bear. There’s value in keeping you alive, ha, if for nothing else than my own amusement.”

Tenko sneered at Stain, confused by what he meant. Looking to Kurogiri, Tenko found the black mist villain able to move again and regarded him with a quickly deepening sense of camaraderie. “Not so sure I want someone who seems so interested in killing me as a party member…”

“If we add him to our ranks, our battle power will magnify. Which is entirely the reason I recruited him,” Kurogiri said. “The negotiations have come through!”

“Yes, yes, that order of business is settled,” Stain nodded, eyes flashing darkly out at Kurogiri. “Now, return me to Hosu. I still have work to do there.”

----

Tenko didn’t care for the noumus. Or rather, he didn’t care for how he was expected to use the noumus like weapons. Going along with Stain on his quest to shank more pros was bad enough; but before leaving for Hosu, All for One had all but insisted Tenko take three noumu with him and wreak some havoc. All for One had said he hoped it would be ‘a learning experience’ for Tenko, whatever that was supposed to mean. Tenko only knew that having three gigantic body-modded superhumans bent to his will wasn’t exactly what he’d signed up for when he’d shaken All for One’s hand, but that sensation was becoming more and more commonplace the further he fell into the League of Villains.

It was strange for Tenko to be in his hero gear in any context other than hero work, but going into a situation like this without gear was just plain stupid. Even though for the time being Tenko was just sitting on top of a reservoir with his goggles zoomed in on where he’d reluctantly delegated his noumus, he knew from experience that even the dullest patrol could turn deadly at the tick of a clock.

“They don’t seem to be causing many casualties,” Kurogiri’s voice drifted over from a few feet back. He was speaking in reference to the noumus who were, at Tenko’s command, basically just trashing the train station without actually hurting anyone.

“I didn’t realize you could see that far,” Tenko said, an edge of annoyed snark in his tone. Standing up, he stretched his arms out in front of his chest and let go of a bored sigh as he dropped his hands to his sides. “You don’t need to kill to be an intimidating villain. Just need to show that you have the power within you to kill if you wanted.”

Kurogiri didn’t have an argument for that statement, just stood quietly in his place while Tenko kept a trained eye on the noumus. Tenko wondered vaguely how long it would take the police and pros to take down these overpowered mindless creatures. His mind was drifting off into the logistics of what all went into creating one of the noumus, when a light buzz in his pocket snapped him from his reverie.

Flipping the GPS screen in his goggles off, Tenko opened the message and squinted down at the screen as it was obscured by the glare of sunlight. When he finally made the message out, he saw that it was from Izuku and that it was nothing but a coordinate in Hosu.

Furrowing his brow, Tenko switched the GPS in his goggles back on and entered the coordinates on the control pad that was attached to his belt. Following the the directional arrows on the screen, Tenko found the coordinates in no time.

Tenko had to look closely at the location to understand why Izuku had sent it in the first place, but once he figured it out he almost stopped and smacked himself upside the head for being so oblivious. Granted, the location was nothing but a back alley wedged between two buildings and Tenko hadn’t been able to see too well what was going on. But when he noticed the shadows on the wall of the one building that halved the alley, he immediately recognized the silhouette of Izuku’s mess of hair and - even more bone-chillingly - recognized the slash and curve of Stain’s blades.

Flipping his goggles back to their normal setting, Tenko spun around to face Kurogiri.

“Warp me down to that alley, now!” Tenko shouted, panic rising in his chest as he thought of a fifteen year old fighting someone like Stain.

Kurogiri didn’t ask any questions, simply nodded and opened up a warp gate at Tenko’s feet. Tenko dropped through and, in an instant, was coming up at the mouth of dim alley.

Tenko had only an instant to process what was going on before leaping into action. He saw Izuku struggling to pull himself to his feet, saw pro hero Native slumped uselessly against a wall, and saw the one UA student Iida Tenya, who’d been in his group at the USJ, lying prone and immobile on the ground. More than anything though, Tenko had been unfortunate enough to come in right in the middle of one of Stain’s seemingly endless pontifications.

“Folks who are all talk are a dime a dozen...” Stain was saying to Izuku, who only remained crouched on the ground as the villain stalked towards Iida. “...but with you...” he paused to throw a glance at Izuku before turning around again, his back to Tenko. “...There is worth in keeping you alive.”

Tenko began to creep forward, his skin crawling as he watched Stain draw his blade slowly, almost tenderly across Iida’s cheek. He wasn’t sure when would be a good time to make his move, he didn’t want to risk the kids or the other pro getting hurt.

“As for these two?” Stain tsked, shaking his head as Iida whimpered at the touch of the blade against his cheek. “Not so much.”

That was enough for Tenko. Throwing all principles of subtlety out the window, he swiped his thumbs across his palms and charged forward with his fingers bare.

“Hey, Hero Killer!” Tenko shouted.

“Huh!?” Stain looked up, confused expression smoothing into amused intrigue when he saw Tenko rushing towards him. “Isn’t this interesting?” he said, pressing his blade hard enough into Iida’s cheek to leave a cut before turning towards Tenko.

“Why not kill an actual hero!?” Tenko snarled, reaching out and grabbing the blade of Stain’s katana with both hands.

As the blade crumbled beneath Tenko’s fingertips, Stain reached out and clutched Tenko by the neck. Slamming him up against the wall, Stain fixed Tenko with a wild grin that looked almost hungry as his gaze bored down on Tenko’s

“What’s this? Another change of heart?” Stain asked, his voice wasn’t mocking or sarcastic; but it wasn’t sincere or touched either.

Tenko shoved Stain off of him with four fingers of each hand and fixed the Hero Killer with a vicious snarl. “These are fifteen year olds and you didn’t hold back!? What the fuck kind of creed is that, Stain?”

“Sometimes, if the situation demands it, even children are fair targets,” Stain said, all hint of a smile wiped off his face.

“No they fucking aren’t! They’re children!!” Tenko yelled, thinking back on all the times villains had targeted him to get to Toshinori and feeling a venomous hatred for Stain roiling his gut.

“Mister Shimura…” Izuku’s voice called from where he was still crouched in the position Stain had frozen him in. “You...I didn’t expect to see you here…”

“Well, I guess I’m full of surprises,” Tenko shrugged, looking away from Stain to glance at Izuku. He only took his eyes off Stain for an instant. It was enough.

Before Tenko’s head was fully turned back towards Stain, the Hero Killer had struck out and grabbed Tenko by the shoulder he’d cut open earlier. Slamming Tenko back up against the wall, Stain ripped the collar of Tenko’s costume back to reveal the still bleeding cut. With a smile, Stain pressed the edge of one of his smaller daggers against the cut and wet it with Tenko’s blood.

“Guess you just can’t fight what you truly are inside,” Stain blinked down at Tenko as he raised the blade to his lips. “Looks like there’s more worth in keeping you alive than I thought.”

Just as Stain was about to lick the blood clean off the blade, a sudden crackling snap burst out from the other end of the alley. Stain sprang off of Tenko and dodged the incoming attack. Tenko shrank in on himself, feeling heat but also cold rush past him. As the attack cleared away, a voice Tenko remembered from the USJ spoke up.

“For something like this, you should’ve texted more information, Midoriya,” Shouto said, eyes still on his phone screen as he stepped into the alley. Looking up, Shouto pocketed his phone and took in the dire scene unfolding before him. “Sorry I’m late.”

“It’s just one right after the other today,” Stain shook his head; seeming to have lost all interest in Tenko after Shouto had appeared on the scene, he shoved Tenko aside and made his way towards the latest kid to enter the desolate stretch of alleyway.

“Hold up, don’t fight him!” Tenko waved his hands, rushing forward and cutting Stain off from going any further.

“Todoroki, why are you here!?” Iida shouted, frustrated tears streaming down his face.

“‘Why?’” Shouto raised an eyebrow, stepping forward with his heat side brandished. “That’s my line.”

Stain grew impatient as the banter between the three boys ran on. Tenko still had his covered palms braced against the Hero Killer’s chest in an attempt to hold him off from attacking the kids. Striking out suddenly, Stain knocked Tenko to the ground and out of his way. While Tenko struggled to push himself back up, Stain raised the blood-covered blade to his tongue again.

Just as Stain was about to use his quirk on Tenko’s blood, a flash of green bolted in front of Stain and knocked the blade out of the villain’s hand.

“Midoriya!” Shouto called out as Izuku sped around the sides of the buildings.

“I don’t know why, but I can move again!” Izuku said.

“There must be a time limit,” Shouto guessed.

“It’s your blood type!” Tenko shouted, shoving himself off the ground and pushing his goggles up on his forehead to straighten his glasses. “Depending on your blood type, the strength of his quirk varies.”

“That’s right,” Stain grinned back at Tenko. “Although, it’s a shame you ruined the surprise.”

“Fuck you,” Tenko spat at Stain, lowering his goggles again and starting towards the Hero Killer.

But Shouto was quicker on the uptake, shooting out another round of frozen flames that knocked everyone back a few feet. Tenko skidded to a halt in a crouched position, revving to launch back into the fight.

“Shimura Tenko...” a tearful, frustrated voice spoke out from behind him. Tenko spun around and saw Iida looking up at him, still immobile.

“Hey kid,” Tenko said, turning his back to Stain to lean over the fallen hero-in-training. Pressing a hand to the top of Iida’s head, Tenko pushed the kid’s hair back and gave him a reassuring smile. “Everything’s gonna be okay.”

“No, I...I couldn’t…” Iida’s face screwed up as his tears began to flow heavier down his face. “I couldn’t be like my brother. I’m not a real hero.”

“No shit you’re not,” Tenko said. Iida looked up at him in shock, having expected a different response. But Tenko just offered another small smile. “You’re fifteen, Iida. No one should be holding you to pro hero standards just yet, not even yourself. You still have time to learn.”

Iida’s mouth twitched into the beginnings of a grateful smile. For a moment, the two remained there on the dirty ground, finding an odd sense of peace amidst the turmoil around them.

But the truth of that moment was that it was taking place in the middle of a great turmoil, and moments only lasted so long. That reality became all the more clear when Tenko’s smile was wiped away by a bolt of shock taking over his expression. Looking slowly down, Tenko’s gaze fell to his stomach just in time to see the blade stuck through his ribcage rip out again. With a gasp, Tenko felt himself topple on his side to the ground; his gaze level with Iida’s horrified stare.

Izuku was quick to fire another punch at Stain as he left Tenko on the ground, but not before Stain had time to finally reach his bloodied blade to his mouth and lick up Tenko’s blood.

The effect was instant, Tenko couldn’t move from where he lay huddled on his side. Not that he was sure he would’ve been able to move even if Stain hadn’t used his quirk on him; Tenko was familiar enough with shock to know he was in the midst of it right then after having been stabbed. All he could do was watch helplessly as his blood pooled around him and the UA students continued to battle a villain who was out of their league.

“Please stop…” Iida called to his friends as they continued to battle the Hero Killer. “...I-I won’t…”

“If you want us to stop, then stand up!” Shouto yelled, sweeping away the kickback from another one of his attacks. “Set your eyes on the man you want to be!”

That statement seemed to do it for Iida. Tenko watched, unable to move, as the pro hero Ingenium’s brother finally overcame the effects of Stain’s quirk and rose to join his classmates. Native tried to discourage Shouto and Izuku from fighting any further, but Shouto shot him down with the observation that Stain had broadened his intended targets from before.

Iida used his Recipro Burst but overheated the engine. Tenko remembered watching the kid’s engines get jammed with ice in the Sports Festival when he’d faced Shouto; and was about to call out the suggestion to use Shouto’s ice side to cool down Iida’s leg, when Iida reached the conclusion on his own. Just as Iida had told Shouto his plan though, Stain threw a dagger in the direction of Shouto’s face. Iida stopped the knife landing on Shouto, but got it implanted in the crook of his elbow in the effort. Another blade slammed down in Iida’s forearm and then another in his hand, but Iida just bounced right back and pushed Shouto to cool his legs down.

“Dammit Stain, leave the kids alone!” Tenko shouted with what little strength he could muster.

“I don’t think that’s what they want,” Stain grinned, charging forward without so much as a glance in Tenko’s direction.

As Stain moved to strike out at the children again, Iida and Izuku coordinated a last minute double attack. Izuku channeled one-hundred percent of his One for All power into his arm and Iida followed through with a supercharged kick from his leg; leaving the Hero Killer knocked flat on his back, unconscious.

The effect of Stain’s quirk wore off as soon as he fell unconscious, but Tenko still could hardly move to stand. He ended up gathered in Native’s arms while Izuku rode on the pro hero’s back; Shouto had found some rope in an always trusty trash heap and was dragging Stain along with them as they strode out of the narrow lane.

“I’m sorry,” Native was saying as he struggled to carry the weight of both Izuku and Tenko. “I’m a pro and yet I was just a burden on you.”

“No…” Izuku said. “In a one-on-one fight with the Hero Killer’s quirk, I don’t think there’s anything you could have done. He’s just too strong.”

Tenko tuned out the conversation as it delved into the analysis of Stain’s battle techniques; instead, he focused on the injury on the right side of his ribcage. He could stick with the hero’s until he got it treated...but if Toshinori showed up at the hospital Tenko knew there would be no possibility of his guardian letting him out of his sights again until he was fully recovered. Groaning at Native’s unskilled, jostling hold, Tenko closed his eyes and tried to figure a way out of the heroes’ clutches.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, BOY!?!?”

Tenko jerked to attention, eyes flying wide at the all too familiar sound of Gran Torino’s enraged voice. Thinking the Golden Ager was yelling at him, Tenko braced to get his ear chewed off; but as Gran Torino propelled forward, his kick soared straight over Tenko and landed in Izuku’s face instead.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay put!?” Gran Torino shouted, bouncing back onto the ground with an infuriated scowl. He hadn’t even noticed Tenko yet.

Tenko froze in Native’s arms, trying to go unnoticed for as long as possible. His goggles were pushed up on top of his head, and Tenko wondered if pulling them back down would make him more or less recognizable to the senile pro.

“Well, I don’t know what happened,” Gran Torino continued, eyes averted to the narrow lane. “But for the time being I’m glad you’re alr-”

Gran Torino froze as he turned back to look at Izuku; but this time he noticed Tenko, cradled and injured a few feet above him, and his face fell.

“Tenko…” Gran Torino murmured. His face was concerned for a split second, but quickly gave way to rage. “And where the hell have you been!? Toshinori and I don’t hear from you for weeks and you show up here all bloody and battered? What the hell are you doing, boy!?”

“Would you believe me if I told you?” Tenko raised an eyebrow, cautiously lowering himself to stand on his own two feet.

“You know what!? I don’t even want to know,” Gran Torino said, jumping up and yanking Tenko’s ear so the younger hero was forced to bow to his level. “We’re going straight to the hospital, and I don’t want to hear another word about it.”

Releasing Tenko’s ear, Gran Torino straightened himself out as he waited for the other pros and police to show up with proper medical care. But as he stood in silence, barely listening to the UA students fall over themselves with emotions, something on the horizon caught Gran Torino’s eye.

“DUCK!” Gran Torino shouted as, almost out of nowhere, a winged noumu swooped down low over the gathering of heroes.

Tenko wasn’t present enough in his own mind to register what had been said to him, and just as he turned to look at where Gran Torino had pointed, a colossal pressure clenched around his ribcage and he was hauled into the air.

As he was swept off his feet, Tenko recognized a second shout or surprise sound out next to him. Moving his head around despite the wind resistance fighting his motions, Tenko saw Izuku was clutched in the noumu’s other foot. Tenko puzzled over what had caused this noumu to act, to grab out at Izuku and him when he hadn’t ordered anything of the sort. Unless, he thought. I’m not the only one ordering these guys around.

For a few terrifying seconds, the noumu dragged Izuku and Tenko higher into the air; Tenko wondered how far up the two of them would be carried, and where their final destination would be.

The answer came almost immediately, when a familiar bundle of old bandages fluttered into Tenko’s eyes. The noumu let out a dying wail and released its grip on both Tenko and Izuku. As the two young men fell from the skies, Stain caught them both in one arm during the free fall and landed with a thud next to the dead noumu.

Setting Izuku and Tenko down, Stain started to unwind one of the long bandages from his arm and reach towards Tenko again.

“Wait,” Izuku called, voice shaking in fear but audible amongst the murmuring pros nonetheless. He held his unbroken arm out to stop Stain. “D-Don’t touch him.”

“You want him to bleed out then?” Stain asked Izuku quietly. The green-haired boy blinked, uncomprehending. Stain pushed past Izuku and lifted Tenko’s torso enough that he could wrap the long cloth bandage around the semiconscious young man.

“Thought you-” Tenko winced as the bandages were wound tightly around his ribcage. “Thought you wanted me dead. Isn’t that...the whole reason you stabbed me?”

Stain shook his head, eyes ravenous and crazed as he finished wrapping Tenko’s wound. “I just needed you out of the way and was in a pinch,” he panted, chest heaving with desperate breaths. “The phonies that have overrun society, and the criminals who aimlessly throw around their ‘power’...Those are the targets of my purge,” he said as he settled Tenko back down, letting Izuku rush forward to hold his head protectively in his lap.

“All of this…” Stain rasped as he straightened out. “...is for the sake of a just world!”

“Why are you all just standing around!?” A sudden harsh, arrogant voice cut through the uncertain quiet that had fallen over the pros. “He must have fled over there by now!”

Stain’s eyes glinted with murderous intent as he saw the Flame Hero step into view. “Endeavor...” he growled, low and feral as if he were a lion spotting his prey.

“The Hero Killer!” Endeavor growled, match-for-match in ferocity as he stormed forward.

“Another phony…” Stain snarled, the bandage that served as his mask falling away to reveal the distorted face beneath. “The fake must be rectified,” he spoke out in a hollow, haunting voice; taking a daring step towards Endeavor. “Someone- Someone must stain himself in his blood!” he called, eyes half filmed over with malicious intent. “The word ‘hero’ must be restored!”

The other pros, the students, even Endeavor took pause as the Hero Killer’s manic eyes pulled into better view. But Stain only seemed to relish in the apprehension, letting a challenging cackle fall from his lips.

“Come on!” Stain urged. “Just try it, you pretenders!!”

Tenko stared wide-eyed at Stain’s hunched form; Izuku still had a grip around the back of his neck, supporting his head so it wouldn’t knock against the ground.

“The only one who’s allowed to do me in…” Stain shouted, voice ragged from the expelling of his own charisma. “...is All Might!!”

The heroes and students waited for Stain’s next move, but the Hero Killer had fallen still. Endeavor was the first to move forward, flaming eyebrows knitting together in confusion as he stepped towards Stain’s unmoving form.

“He…” Endeavor started. “He’s lost consciousness.”

While the heroes milled about the now stagnant crime scene, Tenko took his phone from his pocket and sent a text to Kurogiri to open a gate for him. Forcing himself out of Izuku’s hold and onto his feet, Tenko staggered towards the ripple of black mist opening a few feet away from him.

“Mister Shimura, wait!” Izuku called, doing a double take as he saw the warp gate open. Shooting his uninjured arm out, he caught Tenko by the wrist and forced him to meet his gaze. “Please, don’t go! I-I don’t know what you’re doing or who you’re with now but...please, just come with us…”

Tenko ripped his arm from Izuku’s grasp and staggered back towards the gate. “I can’t,” he shook his head. “You’ll understand soon, Midoriya. But I can’t be with you heroes anymore.”

“No!” Izuku shouted, clambering to his feet and taking a step towards Tenko. “I’m not letting you run away. If you’re gonna leave...I’m-I’m...I’ll...I’m coming with you!”

A surge of panic jumped through Tenko’s spine and, setting his jaw in a hard snarl, turned a glare towards Izuku.

“You don’t know how out of your depth you are,” Tenko warned the young hero-in-training in front of him. Raising a bloodied hand to point at Izuku, Tenko made his voice as tough and as stern as possible. “Don’t you dare try and follow me, Midoriya,” he said, voice edging dangerously close to threatening. “I mean it, you stay here.”

Something in Tenko’s voice, it had gotten close to threatening, but Izuku knew that wasn’t what he’d heard that made him pause. Mingled beneath the anger and stern caution, Izuku could hear another emotion. If he were hard pressed to put a name to what he’d heard, Izuku would have said that Tenko was...afraid. But it wasn’t fear for himself that Tenko had expressed, it was fear for Izuku. He didn’t understand but, hearing that fear intermittent in Tenko’s voice, Izuku let the injured body of one of his mentors vanish away into the black mist.

And just like that, the pro hero Shimura Tenko was gone; off to an unknown location for a reason that not even the scores of pros surrounding Izuku could discern.

#bnha fanfiction #mha fanfiction #bnha fic #mha fic #bnha #beth writes #secondhand hero #long post #oh baby i'm on fire

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