there will always be a reason why you met people:

either you need them to change your life,

or you're the one who will change theirs."

-Unknown

"Gray, would you mind telling them that real quick? The main reason security for me was so weak was because they detected that the electric energy that I did have wasn't sufficient to break myself out. And unfortunately, they have something that scans you in the front lobby; I'll unavoidably have to be scanned by it on the way out. All hospitals are incredibly paranoid, and it's only furthered here because it's a criminal hospital. So you're going to have to-"

{You want me to get out of here without you? Got it. Just get out of here as soon as possible, alright?}

He smiled and waved, all pleasant and friendly—

"Thank you, Gray. But I'll be fine. I'll make sure to get out of here as quickly as possible."

(but unseen was the hand was crossed behind him.)

'Gray, you're indeed very smart. But you can't seem to sense deception to save your life. Without the advantage of knowing everything that I am thinking at all times, your senses are blinded by sudden inconvenience. Or maybe it's a pitfall of trust... It's not all that bad of a trait, Gray. You just happen to have a bad host, really. A bad host that just so happens to need you to not know what he's doing.'

The so-called detector didn't exist. Why would it? There was a distinct lack of research in quirks because that simply wasn't the "trend" these days and because they were simply incomprehensible in nature; there was no logical explanation of why it occurred. Needless to say, there were no specific sensors either. There wasn't a point to it with the sheer variety emitter quirks had. Tough luck if you were a mutant type, as everyone would pretty much know onsight, though. If he had given Gray more time to think before shooing her away, she most likely would have realized that having a specific type when there were thousands was nonsensical, but it worked and that was all that mattered.

(He didn't feel anything in particular from the lie he uttered, but he hadn't felt anything for it in a long time, so he supposed it wasn't all that surprising. Even if it was uttered to, objectively, the person he was closest with in the world. The one "person" who had stuck with him the whole time, although as a quirk, she didn't have that much of a choice.)

His languid limbs rose and stretched, with a yawn on the tip of his lips, as he left the premises of the hospital room that he had been living in for the past few days, feet clinking against the floor as they drew ever nearer to the front office of the hospital. He wasn't lying when he said that he was able to get out of here, after all. He didn't know if it was the case in the past, but right now, the law system in Japan certainly didn't permit the prosecution of someone with only one eye-witness (that wasn't even an eye witness, now that he thought about it. He had been in disguise and there was nothing that linked his villain persona with his true identity besides the words of All for One. Which was bonafide heresy! Haha, this situation was even funnier than he had previously thought) and no evidence to the case. Keeping him here was beyond their legal rights.

What he was lying about was the 'immediately' part.

He needed to make a phone call, after all.

A phone call to a very specific person that could and would ensure the death of All for One. Despite what Ieyasu had said about it all, he didn't doubt that the person in question would jump at the chance. A man with eyes like that didn't just stop. That man, Zero, was a true cold-blooded killer. Maybe the version that she knew of him in the past was like that, a paragon of justice and truth, but wasn't he the best example that people could change? That people could be twisted beyond recognition, twisted and twisted and twisted until there was no way to twist them back to how they used to be—

Well, in any case, he had confidence that he would accept his offer.

(He would have to thank that person that slipped him the note later if he could. Preferably without ever setting foot in that cafe again.)

He cradled the phone that he had snagged back from his belongings in his hand, and slowly punched in the digits that he still remembered so clearly.

"Oh? What is this? Someone managed to get this number? How intriguing. And who would you be, mister mysterious man? Or perhaps madam?"

"Mister works perfectly fine, Zero-san."

"Huh. Interesting. So, then, what might you be calling me for, Deku?"

He paused slightly in his response, but there wasn't much surprise in it. A little, but he had also anticipated this as a possible response as well.

"I'm surprised you remember me, Zero-san."

"You were pretty memorable, Deku. Rather naïve, but also not. You are a walking contradiction, both then and now. There's a hint of anger in your words, but you treat me with respect regardless."

A chilled, humourous laugh escaped his mouth before he could stop it.

He sighed, before a hint of ironic amusement coated his voice.

"You're one of the first to have pegged me so accurately. A walking contradiction, was it? That may very well be true. In any case, I digress. I called you for a reason; I want you to do a job for me."

"A job, huh?... Sure, let's hear it. I'll just have you know that I won't work for free or pennies."

"Why, of course. You'll be compensated accordingly. I just want you to do one thing, Zero—"

His eyes sharpened dangerously, although Zero couldn't see it.

"I want you to kill All for One."

"Bakugo, has something been going on lately..? You leave the school the moment the bell rings, you look as pale as a ghost, and you fall asleep constantly in class. What's up, seriously?"

The teen in question had fallen asleep half-way through the questioning, body slumping all over the desk. His droopy eyes had fluttered slowly and painfully naught but a few seconds ago, doing their best to stay awake, but alas, it wasn't enough as he was sent into dreamland. Even a little bit of drool had begun to pool at the edge of his lips. It was clear to see that he hadn't been sleeping all that well, and as Bakugo's self-assigned best friend (it wasn't self-assigned and they both knew it, but Bakugo was just shy sometimes), it was his duty to make his friend fess up. Hopefully without getting punched in the face by Sleepy-kugo.

Sleepy-kugo was quite a fearsome opponent to face, after all. (Not that Normal-kugo wasn't, but Normal-kugo usually didn't try to seriously punch him. Sleepy-kugo always did. Usually with explosives on top.)

The best strategy, he had found, was to do a 'hit & run'.

"BA! KU! GO!~"

He fled.

"WHO THE FUCKING HELL IS YELLING, HUH?!"

(Sure enough, a random fist charged with dynamite flew out, although it only hit air because Kaminari knew to stay the fuck away.)

Kaminari made sure to hide behind a pillar as he responded to the blonde-haired explosive expert.

"Bakugo, what's going on? You're so tired, pale, and have dark circles yay wide," His thumb and index finger curved in an exaggerated 'C' of empty space for emphasis. "I'm just worried about you, Baku-Bro."

Bakugo's body slumped, not in physical exhaustion, but the kind of slump you did when someone just pointed out what was supposed to be a secret and you didn't have anything to say.

It was the kind of scenario that usually demanded answers, but in the end, the only response that Kaminari received was silence.

And that was that.

...

Well, that would have been all that it was, if Kaminari wasn't Kaminari.

And Kaminari just so happened to take pride, of all things, in being stubborn.

So when the bell rang on late afternoon day, and Bakugo rushed like a man possessed out of the classroom, Kaminari did the only rational thing— follow him. It was easy enough to wait a split second for Bakugo to rush out of the door, and thereby follow him a second later, keeping a fast but far away tail on the guy. Of course, it just kept getting more and more complicated as his fellow classmates, upon seeing him, seemingly couldn't reign in their curiosity either. Thus, a most bizarre indeed congo line of skittish students took to following one blonde haired teen in their newest misadventure.

Really, they had to thank the fact that Bakugo was utterly exhausted, or else they would have long been discovered. Although, it might have been better if Bakugo was more awake and aware, because if he had, he would have stopped them from coming. Or maybe it was a merit after all. It really was a matter of perspective. For when they walked into the hospital...

They ran into none other than Deku himself.