Villain Deku - Broken

Chapter 9: The League's Proposal

A few days later...

Stain and Deku were returning from a hunt. They had gone after the Pro Heroine "Freeze-Dry", and though her powers of condensation could have caused problems, they had managed to defeat her easily. As they jumped over the rooftops, Deku reminisced about how far he had come, letting his emotions in for a moment; it helped him stay sane when there was so much death around him. A few months ago, he had been a weak, pathetic child whom everyone laughed at. Now, he was a cold-blooded killer, who wouldn't think twice about killing anyone as long as it furthered his cause. He smiled. This felt right. He looked down at the streets, his streets. He looked at the people walking by. His people. A sense of hysterical pride grew within Deku, building up into laughter unlike any Stain had ever heard. It was a laugh of joy. The joy of death. The joy of control. The joy of vengeance. Stain called out, "Hey kid, what're you playing at? Are you trying to get spotted?" Stain landed on a rooftop and turned around, ready to lecture Deku, but his face was already blank, and devoid of any positivity. What was that, Stain thought to himself before continuing the trek home.

When they arrived, Stain returned his sword to the armory before heading to bed. The sun was going to rise soon, and he needed as much sleep as possible. Deku stayed up, watching the moon move across the sky, and the lights of the city. It's almost beautiful, Deku thought, when a purple portal materialized behind him. He was immediately on guard, knife in hand and low to the ground. A man walked through, if he could be called that. He had the figure of a man, yet where skin and bone should have been, purple mist was in its place. Not only that, but where its neck should have been, there was a metal collar. "I am here to speak with Hero Killer Stain. Who are you", said the mist, its yellow floodlight eyes narrowing towards the unknown person. "I am Deku, Stains assistant. What do you want with him?" Those words seemed to have put the.. thing at ease, as it seemed to relax before continuing. "The League of Villains has offered to help Stain with his crusade in return for his services. We require an answer soon." "I'll tell him you dropped by", Deku said, still on edge. The mist turned back towards the portal, but before going through, said, "You know Deku, from what I've heard you're pretty skilled yourself. The League could use your skills. Think about it," the mist finished before going through the portal. Shortly after, the portal closed.

The next day, Deku questioned Stain about the events of the previous night. Stain sighed, then proceeded to answer the questions. "A few days ago, Kirogiri, that purple guy, showed up. He was with a man named Shigaraki, who seemed really anxious about something. They asked me to accompany them to their hideout and hear their proposition. I agreed. When we arrived, Shigiraki asked me to join the League. I asked what his endgame was. He told me that he wanted to see All Might dead and this society crumble. He was nothing more than a child. I declined his offer, but he was rather persistent. Eventually I threatened him with one of my daggers, saying he didn't stand a chance against me. Shigaraki used his quirk and, well, let's just say there is one less knife in the armoury. They gave me 3 days to consider the offer. Tomorrow is the day of the decision."
Deku took all of this in. Stain wanted to bring down this hero-loving society at any cost. On the other hand, he wasn't easily bought by promises of chaos and carnage. He was so busy thinking he almost didn't notice Stain say, "You should go kid."
Deku was confused. "It's a chance to grow." Stain explained. "I've taught you everything I know, but the League could teach you so much more. I won't join them. They're common criminals and nothing more. They aren't going to like that, but if you went I think we would both dodge the bullet of Shigaraki's wrath." Stain was right. Deku was going on each of Stain's missions and their training sessions had come to a stop. It was time to move on.
The next day, Deku stood on the roof of their building, awaiting Kirogiri. Stain lingered in the stairwell, ready to fight if the League didn't accept the compromise. Deku wanted to say goodbye to his soon-to-be former mentor, but his training had dampened his emotions extremely well, to the point of seeming fake even if they were genuine. Eventually, the black portal appeared and out stepped Kirogiri and a man Deku assumed to be Shigiraki. He wore multiple hands on his arms and face, leaving his face a mystery. Other than that, his clothes were relatively casual, wearing black jeans and shirt.
"The three days are up, Deku. What is Stains response?" Kirogiri asked. "Stain politely declines your offer," Deku said. "Oh great," Shigaraki said, his voice high and raspy," we're trying to bring down a government, and the one man who could help us says no. Wonderful". He began scratching at his neck, as if he had a really bad itch he couldn't scratch. The irony of the thought almost brought a smile to Deku's face. Almost. "I on the other hand, would like to take you up on your offer", Deku continued. "What?", Shigaraki asked, turning to look Deku in the eyes. "Why should we let you join the League?" "Because I was trained by Stain. Everything he knows, I know. Since he said no, I'm your next best option," Deku finished, his gaze never wavering from Shigaraki's cold, unfeeling eyes.
Shigaraki examined him for a moment, before slumping over and saying, "Fine, you can come. Don't make me regret this, Deku, or else...". Shigaraki let the sentence fade off grabbing at a nearby brick. When he grabbed the brick, it turned to dust in his hands. "Well, you get the idea," Shigaraki finished, a slightly sadistic smile on his face. As Shigaraki wet through the portal, Kirogiri turned to Deku and said, "I'm relieved to hear you'll be taking up our offer, Deku. Without Stain, we would be severely lacking in strength." Deku nodded. From what he'd seen, the League was powerful, just not physically. Deku turned to see his mentor one last time, a sliver of sorrow leaking out, but he was gone. Deku couldn't sense him even if he pushed himself to his limits. He smiled. Same old Stain, Deku thought, always has to be the best in the room. And with that, Deku turned and walked through the portal, officially starting the next chapter of his life with the League of Villains.

As the portal closed, Stain smiled. That kid was going to become strong, powerful, nay indestructible. It would be quiet around here without him sure, but Stain wouldn't miss him. He would grow to become the strongest person in Japan because of it. And besides, Stain thought, smiling at his blades, he was more than enough for the heroes on his own.