Katsuki Bakugou took his time staring each of the villains before him down. Some of them shot nervous glances towards their hand-covered leader, but most of them didn't even bother to return his gaze. Said leader, for his part, didn't look fazed at all. Instead, his attention was focused on someone else in the room. More specifically, the green-haired idiot sitting right beside Bakugou.

Deku had, in his infinite wisdom, decided that the best course of action to save him from his kidnappers was to latch his broken fingers onto Bakugou's arm and not let go. As a result, the villains received a buy-one-get-one free hostage deal. If Todoroki and Shoji had followed Deku's example, they might have been able to stand a chance against the numerous unfriendly faces waiting on the other side. Hell, Bakugou and Todoroki alone would've been able to torch the place in seconds. But with Bakugou being disoriented from that stupid magician's quirk and Deku having two broken arms, they weren't able to put up much of a fight. So now here they were, stuck in this shitty situation together.

"I told you not to come, Deku," Bakugou growled in a hushed tone. "Now look where we are."

"I couldn't just leave you to face them alone."

Bakugou grit his teeth. Why did shitty Deku always think that he needed to be saved? Just how weak did Deku think he was? It was like this since even before U.A., even before Deku "received" his quirk. He was always following Bakugou around like a lost puppy, except he would always act as if Bakugou was the one who needed to be rescued. It should've been the other way around. Bakugou had always been the stronger one. His quirk was superior, and no matter how many times he reminded Deku of that, his demeanor never changed. Now, his annoying habit of following him around led him straight into the lion's den, and if anything happened to him, it would be Bakugou's fault. He didn't need this unnecessary burden to weigh him down. In fact, it would be harder to escape now. Bakugou cursed under his breath.

"It seems you have trouble listening to others, Midoriya," the hand-clad leader spoke up. "I believe I warned you to be more cautious the last time we met."

Confused, Bakugou shifted his glance away from the villains to look at Deku, who was now glaring at the approaching figure.

"Shigara—"

Whatever Deku was about to say was cut off when Shigaraki placed his right hand over the boy's throat, leaving his pinky finger hovering just over his skin. The entire bar seemed to tense up all at once. Even the villains seemed unsure of what their boss was about to do.

"Didn't I say I'd kill you the next time we see each other? Maybe I should, after what you did to Muscular..."

Deku paled, eyes going wide as the gravity of the situation began to sink in. The chains wrapped around Bakugou's hands rattled as he pulled at them, but they wouldn't budge.

"Sh-Shigaraki-san…" began the lizard-like villain, who up until now had remained quiet for the most part. "You can't. He was saved by Stain. Killing him now would make his sacrifice for nothing."

"All the more reason, then," Shigaraki spat, his grip on Deku's throat tightening at the mention of his villainous rival. After a few tense seconds, he released his grip, allowing Deku a few seconds to regain his breath. "But you are right. I can't kill him. That would make us bad hosts. Wouldn't you agree, Kurogiri?"

The hazy figure standing behind the bar nodded his head. "I'd prefer not to clean up any blood tonight. I just mopped the place this morning."

A vein in Bakugou's temple began to pulse. Their ridiculous banter was beginning to irritate him, like insects in his ear. Having heard enough, he slammed his shackles into the chair, gaining everyone's attention.

"Cut the shit-chat! You villains need to learn how to get to the point. Why the hell did you kidnap us?!" he demanded.

Some of the villains took a small step back at his sudden outburst, but once again, Shigaraki looked unfazed. Slowly, he reached up and pulled the fake hand that was covering his face away. Bakugou took in Shigaraki's sunken eyes and numerous scars lining his repulsive face. Suits his weaselly voice, he thought. Noticing his staring, Shigaraki grinned at Bakugou, and he decided it was the creepiest thing he'd ever seen.

"Well, we only meant to take you, Katsuki Bakugou. We hadn't planned on having another guest."

"Then why target me?" he growled.

Shigaraki dragged one of the vacant barstools closer to the two prisoners and took a seat, his lanky figure looming over them. "We've been keeping an eye on you for a while now," he began. "Every one of us in here has been shackled down by this "hero" society. From the moment we are born, we are not equal. Those lucky enough to be gifted with a heroic quirk are revered by the masses, while those with malicious or lackluster quirks, or even no quirks at all, are neglected, spat on, and shunned. My merry band of misfits are on the run because many of us simply cannot fit into a world where we are constantly compared to each other based on what is decided at birth. This society simply isn't just. We want to change that. And from what we've seen from you, you aren't happy with the way things are either. Consider this an invitation to join our ranks."

Bakugou was speechless. Of all the things they could have wanted from him, whether it be his quirk, or his death, the last thing he was expecting them to be after was his cooperation.

"What makes you think Kacchan isn't happy with the way things are?" Deku asked, his voice sounding a bit shaken. He nudged Bakugou's leg with his own, and Bakugou understood. Try to get as much information out of these guys as possible.

Shigaraki scoffed at Deku. "Aren't you two classmates? I could tell something was off about your friend just from watching the footage of him at the sports festival. Are you telling me that no one else could see it?"

This guy is delusional, Bakugou thought. Did he seriously believe that he could judge Bakugou's character better than his classmates and teachers just from watching him perform for an hour? He could think of dozens of insults to throw at him, but for now he'd follow Deku's lead and play along.

"Even if I did agree that society needs a change, your methods for fixing it suck! You surround yourself with cutthroats and murderers, and repeatedly attack us students. What the hell does that accomplish?!"

"I'm glad you asked," Shigaraki responded calmly. "There are two reasons. First of all, in order to create our new social norms, we have to tear down the institutions that are perpetuating the current ones. U.A. is the top hero school in Japan, responsible for drilling these senseless ideals into the impressionable minds of young men and women such as yourselves, who then go on to become the pseudo-celebrities we call 'pro heroes'." Shigaraki's mouth curled downward as he said this, as if he'd just tasted something sour.

"And secondly, there is one man who is largely to blame for the way things stand today, and I'm sure both of you know who I mean. Sure, heroism has been a career choice for well over the last century, but heroes weren't really popularized until All Might showed up. The 'Pillar of Justice'. What a joke. The taller this pillar gets, the less grounded our society becomes. Once we topple him, this hero-worshipping culture he built will come crashing down as well. Now that he works at U.A., doing his part to corrupt the minds of our youth, well… Our target is clear."

Bakugou was seething. He tried to keep a steady expression as he held eye contact with the deranged villain, but he could feel the smoke literally pouring from his ears. Deku spared him a worried look. His childhood friend had never made it a secret that he was a fan of All Might (understatement of the century), but what people often forgot was that All Might was also the hero Bakugou admired most. Asking him to betray the number one hero was like asking Harry Potter to kill Dumbledore.

Shigaraki stood and stepped away from the bar stool, raising his arms out to his sides. "What do you think, Bakugou?" he asked. "I say you kill your heroes and fly."

The room was so silent he could feel the blood rushing past his ears. Though he didn't show it, Bakugou loved the tension he could feel emanating from the room. He loved how he could make even the most notorious villains in Japan nervous just by giving them the evil eye. He gazed up at the man who had insulted him by asking him to turn traitor and kill the only person he'd ever respected, and he laughed.

It began as a quiet, breathless laugh and ended with Bakugou hunched over in his seat, gasping for air. For the first time that night, the villains could sense the confident poise exuding from their leader starting to crumble away. His fingers scratched at his neck a bit too hard. It was a nervous tic Bakugou had noticed back when they had last seen each other at the USJ. He had clearly been expecting a different response from Bakugou. Nevertheless, he remained silent, apparently committed to getting an answer. If that was what he wanted, Bakugou would give him one. He used his shoulder to wipe away the remaining tears from his fit of laughter and returned his gaze to the man in front of him.

"You watched me on TV, and now you think you know me. Well, let me tell you something. I'm going to be the number one hero in the world some day, even surpassing All Might. He always wins, no matter what. So I can't afford to be hanging out with a buncha losers like you. It would ruin my image. So you can take your invitation and shove it."

If all Shigaraki knew about him came from the footage of the sports festival, then he would have seen him trying to lash out at All Might like a rabid dog on a chain during the medal ceremony. So it made a bit of sense for him to assume Bakugou was holding a grudge against the hero. But everyone knows what happens when one assumes things. If the villain had taken the time to really understand him, he would've known that his anger was directed towards the guy who half-assed the championship fight and gave Bakugou a hollow victory. A win not earned was as good as a loss to him.

Shigaraki wasn't pleased, to say the least. "Y-your… image? Didn't you listen to a single thing I just said?" he asked in astonishment.

Both of them let the question hang. Bakugou smirked in satisfaction as the villain scratched away at his neck, knowing full well that he was literally getting under the man's skin.

"Shigaraki-kun, if I may interrupt," a calm voice sounded from the back of the room. Suddenly, Bakugou realized that there was someone else who wasn't in the room listening in on their conversation. Deku's head tilted toward the sound as well, just as interested to learn who this newcomer was.

"Sensei?"

Sensei? Wait, did that mean the man-child in front of him was not the boss here? Was this sensei person even more dangerous? The villains who had been standing between the disembodied voice and Shigaraki made way, revealing a computer screen indicating that they were on call with someone.

"It seems you are starting to realize that you may have misjudged Katsuki Bakugou here. Swaying him to our side may prove more difficult then you thought. But I'd like to remind you that you are not without options. Take, for instance, Izuku Midoriya here. We hadn't planned on being able to capture him, and yet here he is. Would you let an opportunity like this pass?"

Shigaraki seemed just as confused as Bakugou felt. If this Sensei believed Deku of all people would turn traitor, he had another thing coming. Before he could tell the man behind the screen off, Shigaraki beat him to the punch.

"Midoriya, Sensei? I'm afraid I'm not following. I have faced him before, and he's firmly resolved to be a hero. To the point where even the Hero Killer acknowledged him. I doubt convincing him to join our cause is even possible."

"Who said anything about 'convincing'?"

Whoever was on the other side of the call let the point stand, as if it cleared everything up. Bakugou turned to Deku, shooting him a confused look to which the green-haired boy just shook his head, obviously as perplexed as he was. In contrast, Shigaraki reacted almost instantly. His body froze and his eyes widened.

"Are you suggesting…? B-but why him?" he stuttered. "His quirk is similar to the one we already tried, isn't it?

Bakugou waited with bated breath for someone, anyone, to reveal what was going on. He was going to actually explode if these villains kept talking in riddles.

"Tomura, who is Izuku Midoriya to All Might?" the mysterious voice pressed on.

Beside him, Deku went rigid against the chair he was tied to, and Shigaraki turned to stare at him, contemplating. Something felt off to Bakugou about the way Deku had reacted to the question. He had suspected for a while now that there was something more to his and All Might's relationship, but he didn't know what exactly. And he wasn't the only one who had figured it out either. After listening in on their private conversation at the sports festival, he knew Todoroki suspected as much about Deku as well.

"They are pupil and student, aren't they? Do you think there is something more?" Shigaraki asked.

"Yes, it appears to me that young Midoriya here is very special to All Might. I believe he is being groomed to be his successor."

Silence engulfed the room as the speaker's words sank in. Bakugou found himself staring at Deku. And the more he did, the more he knew that what they were saying could not be true. How could this small kid, whose quirk literally destroys his body when he uses it, who Bakugou was fairly certain couldn't even beat him in a fight, become All Might's successor? But then he remembered what Deku had told him about his quirk, how he had borrowed it from someone. The pieces began to fall into place like a puzzle for Bakugou. Even though he didn't want them to.

"Well, this just got interesting. I'm bored!" a masked villain leaning on the bar exclaimed.

"Wow! Who knew he'd be so important, too?" the creepy teenager next to him added, her eyes seemingly never having left Deku the entire night.

"Is that true, Midoriya?" Shigaraki approached Deku once more, leaning down so that their faces, or rather Deku's face and Shigaraki's weird hand, were only inches apart. He leaned on the arms of Deku's chair, leaving him little room to move. "Are you All Might's successor?"

Deku didn't budge and kept a steady glare pointed at Shigaraki. His eyebrows knitted in irritation. "No, I'm not," he said. "Even if All Might did need a successor, why would he choose me? My quirk is volatile. There are plenty of better candidates at U.A." Deku's words restored some of Bakugou's faith in his childhood friend, as they were exactly the same as the thoughts he was having.

"All Might's health is rapidly declining," the voice said over the speaker. "I know this because I was the one who wounded him a few years back. He became a teacher to scout out students with potential to take his place as the Symbol of Peace. And as for why he chose you, well, it's as Stain said. You have the makings of a true hero."

All Might? Wounded? Why did Bakugou feel like he was being left way out of the loop? He wanted to ask Deku what these nutcases were talking about, but stopped when he saw the color drain from his face.

"You - You're the one who wounded All Might?" Deku asked, stunned.

"Yes, and the fact that you know about his injury tells me everything I need to know. At the very least, All Might has confided in you."

"And if that's true, then you'll make an excellent hostage," Shigaraki finished for him. "Master, what do you want me to do?"

"Prep him for the operation just like we did with the others. I'll take care of the rest."

"O-operation?" Deku squeaked.

Bakugou noticed a few grimaces coming from the various villains in the room, indicating they knew what the two of them were talking about and had seen it before. The lizard-like man opened his mouth in protest. "This is not what Stain would have wanted. If you do this, I'm out."

Shigaraki regarded the man for a moment, and sighed. "Stain wanted to reform society by killing heroes. We want to reform society by killing one hero, and this is the quickest way to get to him. Stick with us or don't, I don't care. I just don't want to hear anything more about Stain from now on."

The man said nothing as he stared at the ground in deliberation. He sent a passing glance to several of the villains in the room, and lastly to Shigaraki. Shaking his head, he picked up the broken remains of his massive weapon and hefted them over his shoulder before crossing the room and taking his leave.

Unconcerned, Shigaraki turned to face the two prisoners once more. "So be it. Now then – "

"Shigaraki," the warp villain interrupted. "Is this really necessary? Sensei may not have any qualms about doing this to kids, but this is your decision."

"I know," was all their leader said.

Slowly, Shigaraki moved his hand so that it was hovering over Deku's head. No, was all Bakugou could think as he remembered what their homeroom teacher's elbow looked like after facing him at the USJ. No, no, no. The chains rattled again, this time harder than before as Bakugou tried with all his might to pull them from their fixtures.

"Don't touch him!" he yelled.

The villain hesitated for a moment, as if unsure he wanted to continue. Soon enough, however, he began lowering his hand, and to Bakugou's horror, Deku's hair began to disintegrate, some of it falling in clumps down his body while the rest turned to dust. Deku attempted to sit lower in his seat but found himself unable to shrink any lower.

"Cut it out, you ugly bastard!" Bakugou was hysterical now. "I'll kill you!"

A shrill cry pierced the room as Shigaraki's hand made contact with the top of Deku's head. Within seconds, the skin on Deku's scalp was crumbling away. Blood trickled down his forehead as he struggled to free himself, putting even more strain on his broken arms.

"Hold still," Shigaraki commanded. "This will only take a minute."

Over Deku's cries and the rattling of his chains, Bakugou heard the sound of a door opening and closing. With a glance, he noticed several of the villains walking out, looking sickened at the display. A few seconds later the only villains left in the room were Shigaraki and the teenager, who was now leaning over the bar, head propped up by both of her hands, looking on in fascination. Bakugou called out to her in desperation, tears beginning to form in his eyes.

"Please," he begged. "Stop him."

She lifted her head up from her hands, looking to her left and right as if making sure she was being spoken to, before smiling and giving him a ditzy little wave. An intense hatred formed inside his chest and he swore that she would be the next to die right after Shigaraki.

Soon enough, the screams died down, and Deku was left gasping for breath beside him. He had been only three feet away and Bakugou hadn't been able to do a damn thing to help him.

"Heeyyy! I like the makeover, Shigaraki-san! He looks so badass now," the girl gushed. She skipped around the bar to get a closer look.

"Don't touch him, Toga," Shigaraki warned. He began making his way towards the other side of the room where the computer screen was. The girl, Toga, stuck her tongue out at him as he passed. She walked up to Deku and grinned ear to ear.

"Wooow! Is that what a brain really looks like? I've never cut someone's head open before," she enthused.

Deku's head and face were now horribly misshapen. The son of a bitch had scalped him and disintegrated the top and front half of his skull. Somehow his eyes were spared, but everything else down to his nose had been stripped away and exposed to the still air inside the bar. His head lolled, and he seemed to be fading in and out of consciousness.

"Get away from him," Bakugou seethed.

"But this is so cool! How often do you get the chance to find out what a brain feels like?"

"Toga! I said not to touch him," Shigaraki called from the other side of the bar. Toga hmphed.

"Lame."

Deku suddenly broke out of his trance-like state and began gagging. Confused, Bakugou looked at Toga for an explanation, but she just shrugged. What was happening? Was he choking?

"Deku?" he asked.

To both Bakugou's and Toga's surprise, a dark substance began flowing out of Deku's mouth and swirling around him like an ominous smoke. Toga took a step back, perplexed at the sight. The strange material expanded until it completely obscured the green-haired boy from view, and when the it finally faded, Deku was gone. Bakugou blinked, gaze lingering on the empty chair beside him.

"Awww, where'd he go?" the girl pouted, echoing the thoughts racing through Bakugou's own head.

"He's with Sensei now," Shigaraki replied as he approached them.

"Darn it. I liked him. Will I get to see him again?"

"Maybe, if he survives the procedure," the hand-clad villain said ominously.

The voices became more distant as the two of them began filing out of the room the room. "Is he really going to be turned into one of those things? I hate them! They don't react at all when I cut them. They're soooo boring."

"This one won't be, trust me."

The bar door slammed shut, leaving Bakugou alone, dazed, not really processing anything he'd just witnessed. The image of Deku's half-dead form slowly began to fade into his memory like a polaroid picture being exposed to the air. It was a familiar image that he recognized well. How could he not? He'd seen it himself at the USJ, and it was all over the news during the Hosu incident. They were going to turn Deku into a Nomu.

It wasn't until several hours later that the fires were put out. With the hero Ragdoll missing, finding all of the victims of the gas attack proved to be difficult and time-consuming. Eventually, all the students except for Katsuki Bakugou and Izuku Midoriya were found, and the injured were transported to a nearby hospital. Search and rescue efforts for Ragdoll extended into the night and part of the next morning as well, but they proved to be fruitless. Three villains were found unconscious and arrested by the police. Statements were taken from the students who were conscious and uninjured, who were then sent home to be with their families.

Once everyone was safe and sound, the remaining pro heroes immediately met with the police to give them information about the villains that got away. Names, appearances, quirks, anything that a random passerby could use to identify one of them and notify the police. Finding the kidnapped students became the police's new number one priority.

Alerts were sent out to the general public to watch out for any of the named villains and to contact the police immediately if they were spotted. The number and size of police patrols doubled in the surrounding wards. If the perpetrators of this attack were hiding anywhere near the camp or the school, they would be found within days. Midoriya and Bakugou would be brought home safely.

However, there was another pressing issue plaguing the mind of Class 1-A's homeroom teacher as he wrapped up things at the camp. He had been observing his students carefully as he rounded them up, making sure they were all accounted for. None of them showed any of the signs he was looking for which brought him some relief. But that still didn't change the fact that the villains had known the location of their camp, and the only people who were privy to that information were the students and teachers of the U.A. hero course.

In short, one of the students or staff was a traitor who had leaked information to the League of Villains. Because of them and Aizawa's own negligence, the villains had been allowed to injure a dozen students and kidnap two of them. Aizawa would accept full responsibility for the outcome of this attack, of course, but he thought it wise not to mention anything about a traitor to the other teachers yet. He wouldn't want whoever the turncoat was to know he was on to them.

It would also be bad PR. As much as he despised the media and wanted nothing to do with it, Aizawa knew the media's response to this event would have a strong influence on the future of the Academy. They were sharks, and U.A. was currently treading in some very bloody water. It was only a matter of time before they were under fire from reporters and journalists about the attack. He could only imagine the headlines if word got out that a teacher could potentially be working with villains.

So, Aizawa decided he'd keep this information to himself for now. He'd investigate potential suspects surreptitiously, starting when the next semester begins in the coming weeks. It would be rather difficult, however, to keep track of his students' actions outside of school. The traitor must have been contacting the League of Villains away from the campus. It would be too risky to do so otherwise, else they run the risk of having a student or teacher stumble in on them. He'd have to talk to Principal Nezu about finding a solution for that. It would be ideal if they could turn U.A. into a boarding school. That way he could keep a more watchful eye on them, and he'd know when any of them try to leave. The pensive professor was suddenly shaken out of his thoughts by a familiar voice.

"Shota!" called Toshinori.

He was in his weakened state, running as fast as he could with his baggy clothing slowing him down. He jogged up the steps leading to the entrance to the camp. When he reached him, he placed his hands on his knees and stooped, panting. Aizawa still wasn't quite used to seeing the Number 1 hero so bent out of shape. It felt so wrong to him. He had still been a student when All Might had been in his prime. All Might was the top hero, not just in Japan, but across the entire globe. And it wasn't even a close race either. Shota and just about all of his fellow students were awed by All Might's power. He had seemed so invincible, as if he'd never die. He would never say it to him, but it stung a little every time he was reminded that the top hero was quickly losing his strength.

"I'm sorry," All Might wheezed. "I came as soon as I heard. If I had been here, none of this would have happened. Please forgive me."

"You don't have to apologize to me," Aizawa replied. "The blame for this failure lies with the entire hero course staff, myself included. For now, we need to focus on damage control."

The emaciated man raised an eyebrow. "Damage control?"

"Yes. The public won't be too pleased to find out two students were kidnapped right under the teachers' noses. We'll have to schedule a press conference- "

"Dammit, that can wait, can't it?" Toshinori insisted. "Every second we spend placating the public, Midoriya and Bakugou could be going through hell. We should be searching for them."

"Leave that to the police. They have far more resources available to them than we do. It's not like either of our quirks would help with locating them anyways."

All Might remained quiet for a few moments. He didn't look too happy to hear those words, however true they may have been. After a while, he looked up, and Aizawa was stunned at the sheer resolve in those sunken eyes of his. All Might brought a fist up to his chest and clenched it. Right before Aizawa's eyes, the fist bulked up until it resembled All Might's usual brawny self.

"You can deal with the press," he decreed. "I simply can't sit around knowing my students are in danger. I'll do whatever I can to assist the police. And I swear on my life I will bring our students back."

A/N: Here we go, my first fic ever. Thank you for reading, and I would appreciate any feedback you have for me. I'll try to respond to questions in these author notes at the end of each of my chapters. I have the first few chapters of this story mapped out in my head, but I'm not sure where it will go after that. This is an AU, so it might loosely follow the original story line but with some big changes. Who knows. +10 points to whoever can find the song lyric in this chapter.

I don't have much to do over winter break so expect a decent amount of updates, but when my break ends I'll hope to update once or twice a month. Stay tuned for Chapter 2! Also, I'm not completely sold on the title yet. It might change, it might not.