Once Again From Better Days

Nighteye gives them a quick rundown of the information they need to know with some help from his sidekick. The Eight Precepts of Death are an organization that should be more of a remnant of a past era than a present threat, but Nighteye suspects them of being more active than they appear. He places a photograph of their leader on the desk in front of him. He has short black hair and what can be seen of his face appears to be unremarkable. However, he has one feature that would identify him from a mile away–the large, beak-like plague mask that covers the lower half of his face.

"We are currently looking for any evidence of criminal activities," Nighteye informs them. "But you three are on patrol duty only." He glances from Togata down to the two first-year students. "I shouldn't need to remind you that you do not have combat clearance. If you run into trouble, your duty is to call reinforcements."

The sun is at the apex of its arc through the sky by the time they leave Nighteye's office. Katsuki and Izuku trail Togata as he walks down the city blocks. The cape of his hero costume flutters from his shoulders, the red shining crimson in the bright sunlight. 

The prospect of patrolling isn't too exciting, but it is their first foray into doing real hero duties. That alone brings a certain sort of anxiety, but it's not the only stress weighing on Katsuki's mind as they head out.

Togata turns to them as they reach the first corner. "This is your first time on patrol, right?"

"Yeah," Izuku replies, his gaze shifting to the side. "I'm a bit nervous."

"That's alright, but don't worry too much, I'm here with you." Togata gives him a thumbs up. "I've got a lot to teach you."

Katsuki's jaw tenses at that. He knows that Togata has a couple years of experience on them, but he still doesn't want to acknowledge how much he still has to learn. He is there to learn, though, so he pushes the thought aside and turns his attention back to Togata.

"We don't know each other's hero names yet, so I think it's time for some introductions," he says. "I'm Lemillion, because I want to save a million people."

Izuku and Katsuki give theirs– Diakto and Ares , in turn.

"Those names have a nice ring to them, and if you put them together, you get diaries –that's pretty cool," Togata says enthusiastically. After laughing for a moment, he urges them onward.

As Katsuki walks, he scans the streets around them. All of the other people on the sidewalk appear to be normal civilians going about their daily lives. Every couple of minutes, his gaze finds its way back to Izuku. His mind hasn't let go of thoughts of Izuku's nightmares, and the timing is unsettling to say the least. He only remembers Eri from after she had been saved and meeting her after hearing snatches of Izuku's conversations with his friends. 

But he knows that she was saved in the fall. It's hardly summer now. And he wonders if the timing is too different–if they're too early to save her. So many things have changed this time around, and a part of him hopes that she has already been rescued. His gut feeling tells him otherwise.

It's nearing late afternoon, and their patrol has been completely uneventful. Togata walks ahead of them, seeming as upbeat and unconcerned as always. It's only the first day of their internship, after all. The upperclassman proposes that they turn around and head back to Nighteye's office. He barely gets through his sentence when Izuku freezes. Katsuki feels it more than he sees it. The worry that has been sitting in the back of his mind since he heard Izuku talk in his sleep peaks.

They stand halted at the mouth of an alley for an instant. And for that instant, the sound of small footsteps running across the pavement is the only thing he can hear. Izuku takes a step back at the impact. For a moment, Katsuki can only watch. His eyes widen. There's something that feels wrong about this situation, and it's not the fact that he can see a man with a plague mask emerging from the shadows of the alley, though that worries him, too.

There are two children–two girls–both in similarly torn clothing. He recognizes Eri from her silver hair. She quickly glances up at Izuku, eyes wide with fright. The other girl hesitates, a step behind her, looking around frantically. Izuku kneels and gently puts Eri back on her feet, and his hand stays rested on her shoulder.

Plagueface stops, his form still half in shadow. Even with the mask covering most of his face, the expression in his eyes is enough to make Katsuki hesitate.