A Tarnished Hero

"Well, here we are, my humble abode." Izuku turned around and stretched his arms wide open, both Patches and Blaidd looking at him like some kind of street performer. Midnight and Eraserhead has opted to go their own way once his house came into view, so that just left him, the bald man, and the halfwolf to their own devices.

Not that they would do anything untoward, what with how the walls had eyes and ears everywhere. If there was one thing Izuku respected of the rat, it was that he valued security.

"Strange design for a house, eh?" Patches was the first to move forward, greedy eyes roaming all across the property in an attempt to find anything worth of value.

"A difference in culture and technology." Izuku replied while sticking close to the man, making sure that his grubby mitts didn't grab anything to sell it back to him later in the Lands Between. And, the funny thing is, if Patches did manage to grab something from his house he liked, such as soap, and he ran out in the Lands Between, Izuku would be willing to cough up runes like no tomorrow just to buy it back. "Also, keep your hands to yourself, Patches."

"What? I wasn't doing anything, I swear on my good name." Patches grinned and held his hands behind his back. If there ever was a poorly disguised liar, Patches would be it. He'd have to ask Melina to keep an eye on the bald man, just to make sure he doesn't incur the wrath of the rat running the entire school. Thieves aren't respected in this world.

"I'd listen to him if I were you." Blaidd stepped in, his height towering over the two as he held his snout up high. His eyes roamed the property for a scant few seconds, before letting how a low hum. "Looks decent enough."

"You should check the inside." Izuku chuckled as he moved towards the front door. Laying his hand upon the knob, he twisted it, only to realize that it was locked. Scratching the back of his head, he tried to recall where he left the keys, only to be reminded by the spectral girl whispering into his ear.

"You left it underneath the door mat." Giving his mental thanks to Melina, because he sure as hell didn't want the two to know that he had someone following him, and by extension, them while fully invisible.

Taking the key from under the floor mat, he inserted it into the doorknob and twisted it open. A normal person would think that with the technology advancements, security would also advance, but no, physical locks still did the job splendidly, sometimes even surpassing those of digital origins.

Entering the house, Izuku was followed by both Blaidd and Patches, their eyes once again roaming the insides of his humble abode. No doubt, they were confused the moment they laid eyes on the giant screen hanging upon one of the walls.

"Izuku, what is that?" Blaidd pointed towards the TV screen and Izuku smirked. Silently picking up the remote that laid on the couch — he'd have to teach his spectral companion to learn to leave the remote on the table instead of the couch — he pressed on the power button and waited for the TV to boot up.

Blaidd's eyes widened when it lit up, showing live video feed about another hero duking it out with a villain within Musutafu. Curious, he approached the screen, Patches doing the same as his eyes remained glued on the ensuing fight.

Giving a knowing smirk, Izuku tapped both of their shoulders and pointed towards the couch. His intentions known, the half wolf and the bald man took their seats and watched intently as the ensuing controlled chaos continued.

"Downtown Musutafu in turmoil today as Kamui Woods tries to contain a budding villain that is on the run." The scene portrayed the hero, Kamui Woods, using his quirk to immobilize the villain, one that had an appearance quite similar to that of the Beastmen from Farum Azula.

"Huh, that villain looks eerily similar to the one I fought in a cave." Izuku muttered, a hand reaching to cup his chin. The air around him swirled for a tiny bit, just enough for him to only notice it and leave the others inside clueless.

"Fret not, Izuku. That villain is nowhere near a beastman from Farum Azula." Melina whispered into his ear once more, her silky tone reassuring him that she would never leave his side until their deal was done. "You don't have to worry about inhabitants from the Lands Between seeping into your homeworld."

"… But what if it does happen?" Izuku glanced to the side to where Melina was standing, her form still unseen to the naked eyes. "It happened to me… Happened to these two… What if… What if I didn't kill the dragon in the lake and it was somehow sent here?"

"…" Melina was silent, the spectral girl pursing her lips as her lone eye closed. It took a few more seconds before it opened, her sole eye piercing deep within Izuku's soul. "If that does come to pass, then trust in your homeworld's protectors…"

"That's the thing, I don't." Izuku admitted quite bluntly. "The heroes here… They're used to peaceful lives. I don't know if you've seen it, I'm sure you already do, but they aren't used to wanton violence and mass death."

Melina went silent again. No doubt she'd already have a thought like this during her observations of his world. Sighing, Izuku left the two to their watching, both the half wolf and bald man entranced with the television screen.

A smile floated up his face. They were just like Melina when she first saw the TV. Entering the kitchen, he decided to make some snacks for the two. Might as well give them a taste of Japan cuisine, a stark contrast from the grub that could be found everywhere in the Lands Between…

He just had to make sure that he didn't include any chocolate. Blaidd may be half wolf, but he was still wolf enough that Izuku was scared he might accidentally poison the man.

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Nezu propped up his snout, eyes glaring at the screen in front of him. Engrossed as he was at the scene, he didn't notice the knock on his door until after the fifth time.

"Ah, apologies. Come in." Nezu shut the laptop closed and waited for his visitor to come in. The door opened, and in came Eraserhead, his sleep-deprived look still present on his face, even if Nezu had already given him enough time to sleep during the day for his nightly operations.

"Principal Nezu." Eraserhead closed the door and locked it shut, eliciting a raised eyebrow from the rat. "It's about those two with Midoriya."

"… Ah, your distrust is warranted." Nezu nodded and unfolded his laptop open. Changing the feed from the news showing Kamui Woods' opponent and into Midoriya's living room, where the two were also watching said feed with Kamui Woods, Nezu turned his laptop around to show Eraserhead what the two were up to. "As you can see here, as of right now, they aren't a threat to our daily operations."

"What about tomorrow? Or next week?" Eraserhead narrowed his eyes, his distaste for the two roiling off him like a fountain. "Midoriya was a gamble, and so far, it has turned out relatively well, save for his influence amongst the students, but these two… They're hiding something."

"Oh, for sure." Nezu's eyes trailed towards the half wolf, his curiosity about the man piqued to no ends. "Blaidd here is a given, seeing as how he refused to share something about how they, and by extension, Midoriya, came here. Patches, I believe, is just a shady businessman."

"… Ignoring the bald one for the moment, what are we going to do with the half wolf?" Eraserhead took a seat, his fingers rapping across the glass table right in front of him.

"As of now, nothing." Nezu shrugged, his eyes not leaving the figure on the screen. "We can't risk alienating them. They have information about the anomaly that brought them here, and something tells me that you, nor the others would be able to take them down if it came to it. I'd also wager that Midoriya would take their side instead of ours when it came down to the wire."

"… Why? Why would Midoriya turn traitor?" Eraserhead furrowed his brows.

"From what I have observed these past few weeks, Midoriya still has unfinished business from where his two acquaintances came from, as such, he would follow them just to be able to return to that place." Nezu sighed and folded the laptop close, seeing as there wasn't anything interesting going on at the moment. "I doubt he'd cause major damage, but he would make it hard for us to capture them. To be honest, though, I'd fully support him leaving and going back to wherever he came from. His existence is just too much of a risk for us."

"Why take him in then?" At the question, Nezu sighed and pawed his face.

"Would you rather the man who managed to fend off All Might move about Japan without restrictions?" Nezu asked a question back. "Plus, even with his liability, his methods teaching the students prove invaluable, even with how harsh it is. He could also be of help if ever more villains decide that my school is a prime target for their games."

"… I can see why." Eraserhead sighed, head bowed as his eyes closed. A few seconds of silence passed by before he turned his gaze back on the principal propping his snout up with both of his paws. "Alright. I'll trust you on this for now. Hopefully, it wouldn't backfire on us."

Standing up, Eraserhead moved to exit the room, his stride not breaking even as he opened and closed the door on the way out.

"As do I, Eraserhead. As do I." Nezu muttered to himself, digits playing with each other as he extended and retracted his short, sharp claws.

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Shinji was normally a levelheaded man. Between villain takedowns and contraband shakedowns, he would always stay calm and collected, never letting his decision-making prowess suffer from outside factors.

So, the fact that his teeth were grit underneath his mask as he tried to dodge the villain's bladed weapon hurtling towards him was making him question whether he really was a calm man.

Ducking underneath, he used his quirk, wooden branches extending from his fingers, to snare the villain's legs, only for him to jump forward with a snarl, his roots missing his legs entirely. Gasping, Shinji rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the sharp claws and talons the villain had, the natural weapon carving through asphalt like they were paper.

The villain wasn't done, however, as the moment he landed, his arm reached for the weapon lodged inside the asphalt and began swinging it around like a madman.

Not in a position to try and evade the blade, Shinji immediately made a barrier with his quirk to protect himself from the oncoming onslaught. Blade met wood and branches went flying, but Shinji just made more as he struggled to his feet.

The villain was damned persistent, that was for sure, but nobody has infinite stamina, and as the onslaught slowed, he took a risk and used his other hand for a counter-offensive. Branches extending out, the wood snared the villain's legs.

For a brief moment the attacks ceased, and Shinji took the opportunity to wrap up the fight. His second hand freed from defending himself, branches extended itself from his fingers and bound the villain's wrists. He didn't let go of his weapon, however, the bladed edge still a threat if he ever got close. Thankfully, his quirk didn't require him to get close.

As he rose to his feet, Shinji could hear the screams and shouts from his fans cordoned off by the police. As much as he loved the attention, this was one of the times that he wished they didn't stay and watch. It was hard trying to keep the villain from advancing too close to them, but at least he was fixated on him.

Making sure that the villain was wrapped tightly with his quirk, he called for the police to come and detain the maniacal villain, who at this point seemed like he was all but feral. Releasing a breath of relief, he turned towards the media broadcasting his feat, as well as the cheering fans and gave them a wave. No point in showing them just how exhausted he was with the fight.

Once he was done giving his attention to the bystanders, he approached the house where this villain came from. They got a report saying that they heard strange noises coming from this house in particular during the night, but they chalked it up to their neighbors doing something inappropriate for minors. The next night, however, the noise was back and louder than ever. They also hadn't seen their neighbors in a full day.

It was during this day that Shinji got the memo to investigate, seeing as how the police were currently up their necks trying to help coordinate the U.A. Sports Festival, as well as look for clues about the League of Villains that had attacked said school a few weeks prior.

Entering the house, all seemed fine… until the smell hit him, at least. He cringed underneath his mask, hand coming up to his face to try and dampen the smell. Entering the building, the stench grew even worse, eyes tearing at just how awful it was.

The house was a two story-building, owned by one Kurihara Aki, married to Kurihara Ran, formerly Tashiro Ran, with a twelve-year-old daughter, Kurihara Mai. They also had a reputation within the neighborhood for being… kinky, save for their daughter who they made sure stayed away from any of their fetishes.

The appearance of the villain was the first thing he knew something was wrong, the second was the smell. The third were the toppled and destroyed furniture that littered the kitchen, unseen by those in the living room.

As Shinji continued searching for clues, he heard shuffling coming from the front door. Looking over, he saw some of the police begin their investigation as well, prompting Shinji to continue his search.

The fridge laid open, food and beverages scattered amongst the ground and within. Vegetables and the sort were untouched, if thrown away, but meat was all but missing. Leaving the kitchen, he headed for the second floor, and it seemed that the police beat him to it. The stench was also stronger here, and a pit formed in his stomach.

It didn't take long to find the source. Inside one of the bedrooms, a trio of bodies could be seen. Blood scattered across the area, innards spilled across the ground like some kind of morbid art, their faces twisted into utter horror and pain... And their flesh… Their flesh looked as if they were chomped on, gorged upon like they were fresh meat.

Bile rose from his throat and Shinji had to force himself to swallow it down. The same couldn't be said for some of the policemen, who immediately stormed out to empty their stomachs.

As he looked at the trio of bodies, one of which was smaller than the other two, Shinji knew that the villain he caught was going to have an incredibly bad time.

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A/N: Just got back from another trip and I'm hella tired. (Never gonna run for this youth council seat again.) Had to wake up at 5 am, ready myself, then travel for an hour, attend the seminar that lasted from 8 - 5pm, travel an hour back to my home and sometimes arrive at 7 pm because of waiting for the rides. At that point, my body was all kinds of tired and I just called the day then and there. It lasted for four days, by the way. Day four was hella bullshit because I contracted diarrhea from something I ate. Suffice to say, me and the public comfort room got intimate for the better half of the day. My ass still burns from the ordeal.

On the bright side, I now have a certificate of training which I can use to help me find a job once I graduate.

Shameless Plugs:

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