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Had you asked anyone whether the Hero Killer could possibly have a partner, they’d probably have laughed in your face. There wasn’t much known about the villain but what was known was this: He used knives and blades to kill heroes that he deemed unworthy.
And he worked alone.
Hostility the vigilante had no visible ties to the killer, besides maybe a similar aesthetic and the penchant for blades.
The Hero Killer killed. That was what he did.
Hostility however, was known to roam the streets and alleys, stopping petty thieves and muggers, and warning them to turn their lives around for he and his mentor would not spare them if they broke the law again.
He seemed kind, walking the would-be victims home if the streets were quiet enough to allow him to.
He was about as far from the Hero Killer as a person could be.
Which is why the events that took place in the background of UA’s sports festival were so incredibly shocking.
***
“...here live, outside the festival grounds where Mount Lady and Kamui Woods were attacked by what appeared to be a boy wielding long blades reminiscent of the Hero Killer. The heroes were on duty patrolling the perimeter of UA during its annual sports festival, following the brutal attack on its USJ Training Ground a few weeks ago. The suspect is said to be a boy in a black sweatshirt that has an iron-on of the word ‘Die’ on it in all caps. The suspect had a hood on that was pulled low so there are no descriptions of his face, but judging by the knives and the ruthless slicing attacks authorities say he may be the vigilante previously known as Hostility- though with this devastating attack on the pro heroes mentioned, his status has now been elevated to Villain.
Sources on scene say that while Kamui Woods and Mount Lady were brutally attacked with no prior warning, the villain seemed more interested in escaping capture after his successful strikes on the heroes and immediately fled the scene before reinforcements could arrive. Though it is clear that words were exchanged during the frankly one-sided fight, it is not at this time known what the boy had said.
The heroes received treatment on sight by UA’s resident nurse Recovery Girl and are both expected to make a full recovery. Any information on the villain Hostility should be-“
The tv turns off and Stain raises an eyebrow at his apprentice. “You wanna tell me what happened? A year now, you’re shadowing me, sneaking off to kick the crap out of my targets before I can arrive to kill them, warning them to shape up before I can come for them. And I allowed it because your conviction was admirable.”
The boy says nothing, merely continues twirling his knife in his fingers, a small slip of paper clenched in his other hand.
Stain sighs. “When you offered to shadow Endeavour on his way home today to find out where he lives, I honestly thought it was because you wanted to see the Festival.”
“I did.”
The voice is hoarse and Stain runs a hand down his face to hide another sigh. Figures the boy had been off crying this whole time. Makes him feel almost guilty for going after Ingenium instead of being here for his… student.
Yeah.
Student.
Stain leans back against the wall and crosses his arms in a forced show of casualness. “So... what happened then?”
The boy’s hood is still on and there’s what looks to be blood soaked into the sleeves of his sweatshirt.
Judging by the footage going around the news stations though, it's pretty clear that it’s not his, but the blood of the heroes.
Stain has a fleeting thought to test the boy’s theory on whether blood freshness and distance have any bearing on his quirks effectiveness and has to literally stop the words from leaving his mouth.
Priorities.
Sad apprentice first.
Quirk experiments later.
The boy breathes out a long sigh and leans back to stare at the ceiling. “I just… lost control for a second there.” He forces a laugh. “My own hostility caught me off guard and before I knew it… my body just moved on its own to attack them…”
Stain frowns. “That happen to you often?”
The boy huffs and runs a hand threw his short green hair, finally dislodging the hood he'd been wearing. “Just once before...” He gingerly puts his knife down so he can smooth out the crumpled piece of paper he had been holding. “Before...” He places the paper flat on the counter, revealing an old newspaper clipping. “You still going after Endeavor next?”
Stain sees the diversion for what it is but decides to let it slide for now. He moves off the wall and heads towards his board of pinned hero listings. “Got one more planned for Hosu first. Knowing Endeavor he’ll make sure to be around the city in hopes of catching me and I'll be able to get them both at once.”
The boy nods. “Alright. If you follow the regular pattern that leaves me a bit of time still to track and warn Native first, right?”
Stain grimaces. “I don’t get you boy. You claim they have a chance to change yet you have no more trust or faith in heroes than I do. Today was proof enough of that-“
SLAM
The boy’s fists clench atop the table and the air around him turns dark and menacing.
It feels downright Hostile.
His namesake.
“Those ones are no heroes!” he spits, dark green eyes locking onto Stain’s red ones. “Those ones are mere slaves to the masses and the media. Even the innocent are reduced to necessary sacrifices on the altar of their popularity. Scum of the earth!” His hand grasps his knife and plunges it through what Stain can now see is a clipping of an old article, an accompanying picture of four posing heroes on top. The knife slams down, buried to the hilt in the wood table and Stain wonders if he’ll ever manage to pry the thing free again.
“What is the point of being a hero” the boy hisses “if saving your image is more important than the people you are sworn to protect.”
Silence falls, save for the boy’s harsh rapid breaths and before Stain can say another word, his apprentice is standing up straight and brushing himself off.
“I’m going out,” he says, voice calm and smooth once again. “Don’t wait up.”
The door slams shut and Stain growls under his breath. An emotional Izuku is a reckless Izuku and a reckless Izuku is liable to wind up injured or worse.
Not that injuries ever slow him down. Hostility would bleed for the people and already has, and now he’s been labeled a villain for attacking a pair of false heroes at UA. It's enough to make Stain’s blood boil. This boy that could’ve been a true hero, if he weren't cast out by the society he would die to protect.
Had Stain not found him when he had- had he denied him a place to stay, well... Izuku had fallen into his lap quite literally and Stain had no delusions about what exactly the boy had been doing up on that roof.
Stain heads for the door but pauses as his gaze catches on the still stabbed article.
The knife had sliced through what was clearly Kamui Woods. Death Arms, Mount Lady and Backdraft stand beside him, all in heroic poses.
There is a massive headline in all caps
'Heroes End Triumphant Over Killer Sludge Villain.'
And underneath that is a smaller headline.
‘Quirkless Boy Runs In. Causes Classmate’s Death.’
‘Yes’ Stain thinks to himself as he goes to save his student’s ass. ‘They really are the scum of the earth.’