Disclaimer: Boku no Hero Academia does not belong to me, nor will it ever belong to me.

Warning: Rated T, though it might go up.

A/N: It took far longer for me to write this chapter than I anticipated. But it's finally done!

Thanks for all the cookies I've received, they were delicious and made me extremely happy!

I hope you enjoy this~

Chapter 9

As weeks continued to pass by in the League of Villain's lair, Izuku's control over his quirk only became better as he grew more in tune with the emotions Shadow Life invoked inside of him. He no longer stopped himself from feeling anger, hate or spite and sometimes embraced even sadness as his quirk cradled him in his own mind. Shigaraki's words, as well as Shadow Life's whispers, helped him to come to terms that he no longer needed to feel compassionate and understanding to everything and everyone, that it was alright to grow hateful of those who had wronged him.

All Might was no longer Izuku's idol. As much as it had pained him to let go of the figure he had worshipped since childhood, he no longer respected nor looked up to the Pillar of Peace. However, even though he would love nothing more than to hate the man, much like Shigaraki did, he wasn't able to. At least, not yet. But even if hate had yet to blossom in Izuku's heart, he still felt dislike for All Might for the way he had brushed him off so easily when he so obviously was in need of emotional support. He often discussed in talk shows about how important it was to him that he saved everyone without fault, that his presence should give the population peace, hope, strength, that his saving wasn't just superficial but emotional too.

It was when All Might spoke of those words that Izuku felt loathing spark briefly in his chest, immediately latching onto that hate so that it could fester and infect him, much like Shigaraki and Shadow Life wished it to.

It was a slow process. He couldn't simply turn such unyielding love into hate over one mistake his idol had made with him. The memories of the man's heroics still haunted him in his dreams and in his wake, his admiration for All Might flaring back to life only for the feeling to be crushed swiftly by Shadow Life as he kept him grounded with resentful whispers.

However, it wasn't just All Might Izuku was learning to despise. A certain blond would often cross his mind as well, his red eyes glaring at him hatefully as his palms sparked with explosions, threatening to hurt him over superficial things.

The last conversation he had had with Kacchan lingered at the forefront of his mind, how easily he had told him to simply kill himself, mercilessly and thoughtlessly of the consequences those words may bring. He wondered what would have happened if he had truly decided to commit suicide instead of choosing the path Shigaraki had made possible for him. What would have his last note entailed? Would he have stated that it was Kacchan which had pushed him to the edge? No. Knowing himself, he wouldn't have mentioned Katsuki at all as to not ruin his hero career. He had been selfless like that.

But not anymore.

He had admired Katsuki's will and determination to become a hero, the hard work he no doubts put into his body and quirk so that he could be the best. And he still respected that aspect of his ex-friend. But he no longer excused his behavior and foul personality just because he was determined to become a hero. He no longer saw Katsuki as the bright beacon of light which had once motivated him to strive further, just like the blond boy tried to do each passing day.

The years of bullying, the beatings, and cruel words Katsuki had told him again and again since he turned out to be quirkless were no longer pushed to the back of his mind. Instead, they were a prime reminder as to why exactly he should and would come to resent Bakugou Katsuki. He was undeserving to be a hero and Izuku would see to it that Kacchan's path of heroics would be full of struggles and hardships. Hopefully, at some point, that path would crumble to ruins by the work of his hands, much like Uwabami's popularity was sinking to the depths since his involvement weeks prior.

"Umbra: The Sinister Savior," Shigaraki read out loud as he scrolled through the article from his smartphone. "That's what they're calling you now, Izuku-kun." He gently scratched his neck as he thought of the title his newest recruit had obtained by the media. Shigaraki hadn't expected for Izuku to become public so soon after he joined the League of Villain, hadn't wanted to make him public at all. But it happened nonetheless.

After Izuku's shopping trip and unexpected involvement in the hero-villain fight, the dark-haired boy had saved three other villains from getting captured whenever he happened to stumble upon the scene. It's not like Izuku sought out to save villains and if he was aware of a fight taking place but was too far from his location he did not change his course just so he could go save a villain from their own stupid actions, yet… it still bothered Shigaraki to some degree.

He wasn't against Izuku making a name for himself as a villain and knew that the outing of the League was not threatened since they had yet to make their group public. Of course, there was the option that Izuku could get captured but knew the chances were close to none as the boy had gotten extremely skillful with his quirk for the short amount of time, his attention to detail and logical conclusion helping him immensely in his mastery. He also had Kurogiri on speed dial at the off chance that something went wrong, the misted man no longer accompanying Izuku in his trips to the city. However, despite all the progress in turning Izuku into a proper villain, he was unsure how to feel about the fact that Izuku was saving people, even if those people were villains.

It was an act far too similar to that of a hero. And yet, he could not deny the dent Izuku was slowly causing to hero society simply by denying heroes the capture of villains as well as shaming them in the eyes of the public.

"Umbra? As in the innermost and darkest part of a shadow?" Izuku's eyes were wide in wonder, certainly not having expected to be recognized by the media. He thought of asking Shigaraki if the media wasn't talking about another villain with a similar disposition as himself but soon realized that they were certainly talking about him and no other.

The Sinister Savior…. Sinister was an interesting word, as it contained multiple meanings, the most well-known being evil and harmful. It was meant to represent the villains in society, the ones he had saved, and maybe that's all it was meant to represent. But sinister could very well be a pun to his quirk as well. The original meaning of the word, before it took the meaning which is represented nowadays, was left-handed.

To take the left-hand path.

To take a route benefitting yourself rather than society. He could not deny that the villain name the media had given him fit him to T. Maybe he was overthinking things… But, there was one question which bothered him quite a bit. Why would society show interest in him now? Was the rescue of four measly and rather harmless villains truly noteworthy for him to already gain recognition?

Shigaraki listened as Izuku mumbled his thoughts away, his words straying from one subject to the other at incredible speeds. It was hard to distinguish any of the words the boy was murmuring, his tone soft, barely above a whisper. In the end, Shigaraki decided to answer the boy's most coherent question, if only to stop the boy's train of thought and give him something concrete to latch on.

"It appears that this time you've rescued quite the infamous villain, Izuku-kun. She's been wanted by the police for quite a while now but has escaped capture multiple times. It was the first time she made a mistake in one of her heists. This was their chance to properly capture her once and for all, but you, of course, ruined that chance."

Shigaraki disliked Izuku's heroic-like actions, the way he readily stepped in to save some nobody villain out of compassion. It reminded him of what Izuku was like at the beginning when he joined the League of Villains. Hesitant and so full of morals but far too desperate to turn them down. However, the news he kept receiving of Izuku's results were far too pleasing. How the heroes failed to do their job, how the public shunned them for their failure and the fear it ingrained in them for another villain to be let loose.

He had wished to crush Izuku's desire for any heroic actions but was slowly realizing that that task was near, if not, impossible. It was ingrained far too deeply into the dark-haired boy. He would have to be satisfied with the way Izuku was developing now and reap the benefits of his actions. The important part was that Izuku's morals were decreasing with each day he spent in his clutches so that when the day came to reintroduce Izuku to All Might, the hero would realize what monster he had created with his own two hands. In that regard, it helped that Izuku was already becoming so infamous.

"The villain calls herself Phantom Lady, an international thief whose quirk is still unknown to the public. Her last loot was called Pandora, a diamond rumored to shine red if held under the moonlight. It's supposed to cry tears of immortality. Of course, the last part is simply a myth." Kurogiri further explained, handing Izuku a nonalcoholic drink. The misty villain was surprisingly strict about underage drinking and had forbidden Izuku from drinking any alcoholic beverages until he reached the age of sixteen.

"Oh, I didn't know," Izuku gingerly took the offered drink, sipping shyly as his cheeks became tinted with embarrassment. He had not intended letting such a high-profile criminal escape. He usually was careful to only intervene with villains which looked harmless, nothing above petty thievery. Even so, he couldn't help but feet slightly proud of himself for having aided in the escape of the phantom thief.

However, despite the fame he gained from the media (or in this case infamy), could he continue to proceed as he had done till now? He had been careful not to be discovered, careful that his quirk did not give away his position. He was always discreet in his own escape and no one had ever gotten a whiff of who might be responsible for the villains' escapes.

But now that people were becoming aware of his existence, now that he had a name people could focus on, could he still continue to carry out his desire to save without risking capture? He didn't want to become a burden to the League of Villain and endanger their exposure nor their cause. He owed Shigaraki, Kurogiri and especially Sensei far too much to simply throw caution to the wind just so he could do something that pleased him.

"Should I stop helping villains escape, Shigaraki-san?" He voiced his thoughts aloud, looking nervously at the leader of the League. Shigaraki, in turn, simply looked at Izuku with a blank expression, the severed hand he usually kept to hide his face absent for once.

Izuku was giving Shigaraki an opportunity to crush that heroic flame by asking him to willingly give it up. It was an opportunity he should have easily grasped to sate his dislike for anything heroic in Izuku's bones. But Shigaraki was an intelligent person. He saw the benefits of the boy's actions, saw how easily society could be shaken up by denying them the capture of notorious villains. Shigaraki was aware that he often let his emotions rule his decisions, all his actions taken in regards of the sheer hatred he harbored for hero society, but at that moment… His mind was clear and logical, devoid of any intense emotions.

He had already come to terms with the fact that it would be impossible for him to truly stop Izuku from his desire to save. It was best that the boy directed that desire to something that would benefit the League of Villains, have him happy and satisfied, instead of keeping him caged and miserable doing only things he loathed. It would only push the boy away from that, and that would only be counterproductive to the bigger picture Shigaraki had in mind.

For now, Izuku was simply saving petty criminals whom even the police could possibly deal with, but with his guidance, those criminals would slowly but surely mutate into vicious villains who've stained their hands with the blood of countless innocents.

"Do you want to stop, Izuku-kun?"

It was moments like these that Izuku forgot any regret he had over joining Shigaraki's League of Villains. The choice the man gave him, the freedom he found in their grasp despite being something which didn't own the right of freedom in the eye of the law, it was these things which made Izuku eternally grateful that Shigaraki had found him that fateful day on the abandoned beach. He felt like a human whose opinions and dreams mattered, unlike when he had been but a normal schoolboy, bullied for the lack of his quirk.

A kind smile blossomed on Izuku's lips, eyes growing soft as he looked at his leader.

"I would like to continue, Shigaraki-san," he answered brightly, an occurrence which he found to rarely ever do in the last few years.

Shigaraki in turn simply nodded as he continued to set the chess pieces on the board. The room remained in silence, only the clicking of the stones hitting the wooden surface of the board breaking the quietness. Unexpectedly, as Shigaraki finished positioning the pieces, he shoved the board in the middle of the table between himself and Izuku.

"Want to play a game?"

Izuku looked at the board, once again shocked by Shigaraki's kind gestures.

"I don't know how to though…"

Shigaraki smiled.

"I'll guide you through."

A Villainous Twist

The street lights were illuminating the roads as the sun sunk lower to the horizon, swallowed by the countless buildings and skyscrapers the city possessed. It wasn't often that Izuku took a walk so late at night, preferring the daylight instead. However, his depression had been acting up again, memories of his crying mother flooding his mind, the pain he was no doubt causing her leaving breathless, his heart aching. As much as he had hated his former life, his mother had been the only thing he could truly say that he loved unconditionally, despite her lack of faith in his dream.

But in the end, that love hadn't been strong enough. He had chosen his own selfish desires over being together with his mother. He regretted… leaving her like that. But his decision had already been made. There was no turning back from this life.

He didn't know if he even wanted to go back.

The fresh air helped in clearing his mind, quieting Shadow Life's whispers ever so slightly. He hadn't expected to run across a Hero vs Villain fight so late in the evening, though it was a welcome distraction. He approached the scene, the crowd far less dense than it would usually be during the day and took out his notebook before immediately starting to study the fight.

The Hero fighting was relatively unknown to Izuku, most likely new in the business. Both opponents seemed to possess quirks which physically enhanced their strength in some form or another, putting them at a stalemate as they fought mercilessly against each other. I was clear in Izuku's eyes that this fight could go on for ages without any clear result, their strength equal in every aspect. They would need another hero to step in for the fight to progress at all.

Most likely a hero from some nearby agency was already making their way to the scene, no doubt.

"You won't escape from this, Villain!" The hero yelled as he threw a punch to the Villain's face, sending him flying to a nearby vacated building. The Villain slowly rose from the rubbles, the Hero fast approaching in an attempt to knock the villain down once more but was too late as the criminal escaped the hero's punch swiftly.

He started laughing breathily, wiping the blood dripping from his lip as he took on a defensive stance. "That's what other heroes have been saying until Umbra proved them wrong!" He spat at the hero, blocking the incoming blows.

Izuku's eyes went wide at the conversation, his scribbles stopping mid page as the conversation between Hero and Villain continued.

"You believe that a scum like Umbra will come a save your ass? You think you have that much luck that he'll appear to your aid?"

The Villain let out a battle cry as he charged the Hero, enraged by the Hero's provocative words.

"I won't need him to beat you unconscious and escape!"

"But you will need him if you want to beat the both of us." A female voice interrupted. Mt. Lady had appeared on the scene.

Izuku was torn, not knowing what to do in a situation like this. He didn't know what the villain's crimes were, he didn't appear like just another thief. He didn't want to aid a killer in his escape, but the mention of his villain name was urging him to act upon those words. With Mt. Lady in the game, the villain had absolutely no chance to survive this fight. It would be over for the Villain if Izuku didn't do anything soon.

"Tch, I hate it when villains believe they have any right of salvation. They are a menace to society and think that they deserve that scum of a miracle to save them from their crimes," the man which spoke was carrying a beer bottle, swiftly taking another swing off the beverage, his cheeks reddened from obvious drunkenness. Those words really shouldn't have affected Izuku as much as they did, especially since they came from an intoxicated, illogical man.

And yet, it was enough for Izuku's anger to roar into life and spur him into action.

Rudy red eyes replaced emerald green ones, shadowed hands multiplying at his feet as he sent them to the three targets which held everyone's attention. Izuku didn't notice, however, the second pair of eyes which witnessed the change in color of his irises, before their attention was drawn, once more, back to the scene unfolding in the front.

With the city shrouded in darkness, the approaching shadow hands were invisible to the bare eye as they blended perfectly with the background. First targeting Mt. Lady before she switched to her giant form, several hands locked onto her form, caging her and rendering her useless. Izuku would have to hold tightly onto her. Her giant form would cause far too many problems and would make the Villain's escape harder than it should be.

"Wh…What?" Realization hit Mt. Lady as she caught the faint shape of a dark creepy little hand approaching the Hero which had been engaged in a stalemate battle with the Villain, ready to strike and immobilize him. She tried to shift to her titan form in hopes that it would rip the snake-like hands apart but found herself locked far too tightly, forcing her to remain in her current size lest she hurt herself.

"Behind you, it's Umbra!" Mt. Lady tried to warn him but to no avail. The hands were already crawling up the Hero's body, surrounding him in a similar manner as herself.

This was bad. This was really bad. This was the fifth villain Umbra would be aiding in their escape, they couldn't afford to continue losing like so to the damned villain whose corporal form they had yet to even see! Mt. Lady's eyes scanned her surroundings, watching the crowd of spectators for anyone suspicious, but saw no one which could be responsible for controlling the numerous hands which were already aiding the Villain's escape.

The Villain in turn simply laughed as he saw a dark hand climb his body, much like it had done with the previous villains it had aided, not hesitating to listen to the instructions whispered into his ears.

"Umbra is everywhere!" The villain shouted in glee at the two Villains, his laughter echoing in the dark as he ran away from the scene.

"Are you alright?" A lazy word interrupted Izuku's concertation as his eyes shifted from the battle scene to the strange boy sporting ridiculous purple hair. The question made Izuku nervous, the boy's eyes looking almost like they saw right through him.

"Y-yes…" He answered reluctantly… and noticed what a mistake that had been. In an instant, Izuku felt all his free will leave his body, his mind seemingly awaiting orders to take. He couldn't lift a finger, nor command his quirk in any way possible, the orders he had been whispering from his mind to the Villain he was aiding stopping midtrack.

Izuku was pushed in the dark mindscape he usually frequented when Shadow Life took over, only this time, he was able to see what was going on in the outside world. The dark-haired boy had absolutely no idea what was going on but was aware that his control over Shadow Life was slipping every millisecond he spent under the influence of whatever force had possessed him.

The hands holding off Mt. Lady and the unnamed Hero tightened their grasp, in a desperate feat to hold on to their master's last command before slowly, reluctantly, slipping off the heroes' bodies. Shadow Life became aware of their master's growing distress, aware that their creator was in some form of danger. It was ready to launch at whatever was causing this emotional uproar in Izuku, only to stop right where it was.

"Ah, sorry. I still haven't learned to control my quirk completely yet."

Izuku felt control return to his limbs, Shadow Life once more back under Izuku's influence. However, the light slip hadn't gone unnoticed by Mt. Lady, immediately taking the opportunity to use her quirk and grow several sizes, towering over the buildings.

Frantically, she turned her head, watching left, right, back and forwards where the villain could have escaped.

Izuku was at a loss of what to do, knowing that in that form he couldn't seize Mt. Lady again, the effort would be far too great. It would require for Izuku to be more than simply angry. He couldn't afford to activate the Berserker mode, it would immediately expose him. But he couldn't let the Villain get captured either, he had a reputation to uphold now. Not to mention, once Izuku was set on saving somebody, he would pull it through one way or another.

Thankfully, the attention of the boy had returned to Mt. Lady's the second the heroine had transformed, giving Izuku some time to transmit commands to the Villain and hopefully render him invisible to Mt. Lady's eyes by wrapping every inch of his body with shadowed hands, making it possible for the villain to blend in better with the background.

Minutes passed as Izuku held his breath, watching as Mt. Lady desperately tried to locate the Villain but to no avail. She headed to a random location, hoping that she would stumble upon the criminal but Izuku recognizes it as the wrong way, thankful that his plan had worked.

Reassured that the Villain would escape, he returned his attention to the boy whose eyes were fixated on the scene. Not wanting to appear suspicious by simply ignoring him, he did the only thing he could think of doing at that moment.

"What did you do to me just then?"

A/N: I am SURE no one can guess WHO Izuku happened to meet *wiggle's brows*

Honestly, one of the reviews I've recieved basically predicted this chapter's surprise meeting spot on... I was so shocked lol, and was honesly sweating a little ^^' I'm not THAT predictable, am I...

*cough*

Anyway! If you've enjoyed this chapter, please leave me some cookies! I do so enjoy munching on them *nom nom nom*

Edit: Ahhh, I was so rushed to post the new chapter and bc of that ending that I totes forgot... Deku hot his villain name by the media! Took me fucking ages to come up with a good one. Reddit helped me especially on that quest.

Originally I wanted for Izuku's villain name to be simply Deku: The Villain Savior. But then my fingers started writing and things made much more sense that the media would be more likely to give Deku a villain name rather than wait till USJ for him to introduce himself... So yeah... Umbra :3

Would you like for Deku to keep his current villain name or would you rather he keeps Deku as a villain name?