The Past and the Present
By LilacLilyFlower
Disclaimer: I don't own Boku no Hero Academia.
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Chapter 2: Instigation
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NOTE: I decided to go with "Kurogiri" instead of "Black Mist", because in the anime, they say "Kurogiri". Just like they call All Might "All Might" instead of some translation that means "all the power", if it was "Black Mist", I'm sure they would've said as such, like "Blacku Mistu".
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The Unforeseen Simulation Joint. A large dome encompassing several arenas for disaster zones, with realistic effects and dangers. Used to train heroes and U.A. students. Almost a rite of passage.
And they were going to ambush it.
"The League of Villains is larger than I expected," Mirai murmured to Kurogiri. They were standing on the rooftop of a skyscraper, dressed in their villain gear and waiting for the army's full arrival. Those who had already arrived were spread on the rooftops of nearby buildings.
"I suspect many of them owe favors to Sensei," Kurogiri speculated. "That, or they were attracted to Shigaraki's particular brand of evil."
"Simple, you mean?" Mirai asked with a humorous quirk of her eyebrow. "Childlike? Selfish?"
He cleared his throat. "Well, there's no need for me to say anything else, because you already covered the characteristics," he said. Then, the atmosphere turned more somber. He gestured to her wrist, the bruises. "Are you sure that it's an intelligent idea to pursue that path?" he asked.
Mirai's smirk dropped. "You're a good man, Kurogiri," she said. "It's strange that you're a villain, yet here we are." Then, she ran her thumb over her bruises. "This thing with Shigaraki…it's worth it," she decided. To him, it probably sounded like the pinings of a foolish girl. But she knew better.
It has to be worth it. It will be.
Because it would pay off eventually. When she had more influence, more control over him, it would pay off.
"Besides, you're the one tasked with tearing All Might apart," she added. "Worry over yourself."
She tugged her mask over her lower face and ran through a mental checklist of her tools. She'd prepared them the day before, restocking on various items and recharging on energy, although there was always energy.
Shigaraki ambled over. "Noumu is ready," he said, voice taking on the sadistic glee of a child disassembling an insect. "It's time. Kurogiri."
Kurogiri nodded, and a warp gate grew before their eyes. He turned to call the villain masses, but Mirai was focused on the pinpoint of light within the warp that was growing. The USJ. The freshman class. All Might. They were all beyond that prick of light.
"Mirai," Shigaraki rasped, trembling with excitement. "Invisibility. Now." She nodded and created the illusion. He stepped into the warp, reaching his hand through the growing point of light.
And then they were there.
The USJ spread around them, wide and expansive. Mirai scoped her surroundings, noting structures and terrain. Then, she looked at the group of students huddled uphill from them, near the entrance. She blinked.
"All Might isn't here," she breathed, the voice distorter in the cloth of her mask changing her whisper.
Kurogiri surged up. "Eraserhead and Thirteen… according to the curriculum we procured yesterday, All Might was supposed to be here."
Eraserhead glared at them and shifted his goggles over his eyes. Mirai ducked behind Kurogiri. "Kurogiri," she said in a quiet voice to avoid detection. "Do you suppose my quirk can be cancelled if Eraserhead can't see me?"
"Err on the side of caution," he replied. "Stay hidden." Then, he spread his warp mist out, rising to a new height.
"I wonder," Shigaraki said with a sibilant cackle. "Will All Might show up if we kill the kids?"
And Eraserhead leapt down at them. "Thirteen! Protect the students!"
"That's too bad," Kurogiri murmured as he began to fade away. "For it will be too late when I reach them."
Mirai shook her head. Poor kids, but she really didn't care. She hurled an energy bolt at Eraserhead, who was making short work of the first horde of villains that had rushed him. He dodged and look around, but she was already running to another direction.
"Reaper. Stop. Stay by me," Shigaraki ordered. She sidled up to him, coughing to let him know she was there. "You're our trump card," he said. "Our element of surprise."
"I think Noumu takes care of that," she muttered, side-eyeing the experimental organism that was standing rather stupidly by them. Mirai looked up as an explosion sounded and parts of their small army began disappearing in warps. "Kurogiri scattered the students. I think the explosion was from the student I mentioned before."
"That won't help us against Eraserhead," Shigaraki said. "He has commendable hand-to-hand combat skills. We can't be sure of whose quirks he temporarily erased, because of his goggles. That's why that group of our alliance is having trouble against him right now."
He reached up to his neck. "God, pro heroes are such a pain. If we'd been just any group of villains, we wouldn't stand a chance."
"Shigaraki," Mirai said quietly. "Don't scratch."
He paused, then lowered his hand. Then, he grinned from underneath the hand on his face. "I found it," he mumbled. Then, louder, "I found his weakness."
Mirai looked back over the ensuing conflict between Eraserhead and their thugs. Because, really, they were thugs. "He's losing stamina," she said, gauging his energy levels. Then, she saw the state of the thugs. "But we're still losing."
"Look carefully," Shigaraki said. "He's slowly being overwhelmed."
"That doesn't change the fact that we're still losing." She began to have doubts in their ability to kill All Might.
He rolled his shoulder and flexed his hands. "I suppose," he said, voice growing louder with mounting excitement, "it's time for me to step in then. Noumu."
Noumu showed signs of life for the first time, turning its head towards Shigaraki. Mirai regarded it apathetically, blinking once. "Watch for a sign, Noumu." It merely stared at him.
But she remembered its raw strength, its role in All Might's capture. And her doubts disappeared.
Shigaraki lunged into the fray, right at Eraserhead. The thugs scattered, knowing better than to stay near Shigaraki and his hands. "Aizawa Shouta," he said, grabbing at Eraserhead's face. He missed. "Age thirty. Homeroom teacher of Class 1-A. Quirk: Erasure. Twenty-four."
"Did your research, didn't you?" Eraserhead—Aizawa asked. He leapt back, snapping his scarf around and snagging Shigaraki's ankle and pulling. "You the crowd favorite?"
Shigaraki stumbled forwards, leaving his stomach open. "Twenty," he said before Aizawa punched him in the stomach. Mirai made a move forward, but stopped as she saw Shigaraki grab Aizawa's elbow. "Seventeen," he said, leaning close. "We keep jumping around so it's hard to tell," he said, "but there are moments when your hair falls over your eyes."
His grip tightened. Mirai watched as Aizawa's sleeve, skin, then flesh began to dust away. The distinctive sound of bone cracking split the air. "It happens when you complete an action," Shigaraki positively laughed. "And the time interval…it keeps getting shorter and shorter."
His elbow joint began to crumble. "Don't bite off more than you can chew, Eraserhead," Shigaraki said, all traces of humor disappearing from his voice. Aizawa swung his other fist at him, pushing him away and down to the ground. Shigaraki hit the ground with a thud.
Mirai made her move. She raced over to the thugs and hissed, "Kill him!" They converged on Aizawa, drawing him away from Shigaraki, which was her original goal, but Aizawa still. Beat. Them. Down.
Shigaraki pushed himself up. "That quirk of yours… isn't it unsuited for fighting masses for long periods?" He shook his head, stretching his arms in front of him. "Isn't this far removed from your typical work?" His feet shifted, distributing his balance more evenly. "Isn't your specialty short-length sneak attacks? Did you attack just to give your students some measure of peace of mind? You're so cool!"
Then, he linked his fingers together, looking at Noumu and jerking his head at Aizawa. "But one thing, hero. I'm not the crowd favorite."
Noumu loomed.
Mirai watched dispassionately as Noumu broke Aizawa's limbs like a twig. She kept a stone face as Shigaraki gloated, "Tell All Might that he's wanted by artificial human Noumu." She tightened her ponytail as Noumu smashed Aizawa's face into the ground, repeatedly.
But she whirled around, still invisible, when she sensed the energy of three, small humans. She glanced at the water and saw three U.A. first-years, watching their teacher's curbstomping with wide, shaken eyes.
"Midoriya," the shortest one whispered, panicked and looking at the other boy. "Midoriya, you're having second thoughts now, right?"
"Ribbit," the girl in between the boys said, sinking down into the water until only her eyes were visible. Mirai remembered her. The one with the frog quirk from the entrance exams.
And the third boy, the one staring at Aizawa with stricken yet determined eyes. Plain looking. Unassuming. Midoriya, she assumed. All three were alive, which meant they beat the group in the League with water-based quirks, and the other two students were looking to him as their leader.
She took a step towards them. And another. She reached for her scythe. The frog girl shifted, eyes darting about, clearly sensing something wrong. It didn't matter to Mirai. Mirai always completed her objective, and her objective was to clear all potential obstacles for Shigaraki.
But she never got to decide whether the kids were obstacles or not, because Kurogiri's voice rang out. "Shigaraki. Thirteen is incapacitated," he said, his mist settling around him. "However, one of the students was able to escape."
Mirai froze. Then very slowly, she lowered her hand and turned to look at Shigaraki.
"Huh?" Shigaraki stood still. "What?" His hand reached up to his neck. But when his fingers touched the bandages that Mirai had wrapped, he stopped, putting his hand down. He began to crack his knuckles continuously instead. "Kurogiri, what?"
The pointer finger. Crack. "Kurogiri, if you can't be a proper warp gate…" The third finger. Pop. "If you can't, then our plans have crumbled." The ring finger. Crrk. "They'll send dozens of pros after us. We can't win." The pinky. Pkrk.
"It's game over, game over. Game over… for now." He ran a hand through his hair. "Shall we hop back?" He glanced behind himself surreptitiously at the students.
Mirai backed away from the students. They were whispering furiously to each other. She shook her head. They had no idea what was in store for them.
"Before we head back, though," Shigaraki said, halting Kurogiri and Noumu, "why don't we use this opportunity to take the Symbol of Peace's pride down a notch?"
And he was suddenly there, right in front of the children. His hand shot forth, grasping the girl's face, and—
Nothing happened.
Mirai chanced a glance at Aizawa. Her suspicions were correct. He was erasing Shigaraki's quirk.
Noumu smashed Aizawa's head down again, cancelling the erasure. "No," the boy, Midoriya, whispered. "No, no, no no no no nonono!"
A surge of energy in his arm alarmed her. It was too sudden. Too much at once, out of nowhere. But she didn't move, because it was no match for Noumu.
And sure enough, Noumu took the blow meant for Shigaraki. "Nice punch there," Shigaraki sneered. "You called it a smash. Are you a follower of All Might? Well, whatever, kid." He moved forward, reaching out for both the girl and the smaller boy, while Noumu grabbed Midoriya's arm.
And then Mirai felt it.
A well of energy so wide, so deep, approaching the USJ at top speed.
It could only be one person.
The doors crashed in, raising dust and shaking the ground in the Central Plaza that Mirai stood in. The overhead lights glinted off of a flash of blond, a shine of red and blue.
All Might.
"Looks like," Shigaraki said, pausing in his movements, "we get a continue."
All Might reached up and ripped off his tie. "Have no fear, my students," he boomed. "For I am here!"
Anxiety began to pool in Mirai's stomach. It was, after all, All Might. He was strength. Mettle. Power. A symbol that rose up during the Golden Age of Heroes and carried himself strongly into the next generation. Selfless, courageous, the definition of a hero.
Mirai detested him. Not to the extent that Shigaraki did, but she still hated him enough to want to kill him.
"We were waiting for you, hero scum," Shigaraki spat. "Don't you have manners? You showed up so late."
All Might didn't reply and pushed off from the ground. In a blink, he downed the remaining thugs and collected Aizawa. In another blink, he had the children safe in his arms. And Shigaraki, pushed, was on the ground.
Barefaced.
Mirai rushed forward but halted. This is bad, she thought. This is very bad. But she couldn't do anything, because she was supposed to stay quiet and invisible and undetectable.
"Father," Shigaraki gasped, stumbling as he got onto his feet and staggered towards the fallen hand. "Father, I'm sorry!" He picked up the hand gingerly, handling it with care and delicacy that Mirai had never seen until now, and placed it over his face. "He hit you while he was saving them, he was too fast for my eyes to follow. But. He," he laughed, grinning maliciously, "he wasn't as fast as I expected. It's true then, isn't it? Our intel was right. About how he's weakening."
"All Might, stay back!" the boy—Midoriya—shouted, desperation in his eyes. "That villain with the brain matter, he wasn't affected by One Fo—"
Mirai's interest was piqued. One For All. He'd been about to say One For All. That meant… he was the successor. The one wild card in all of Sensei's plans.
"I mean," Midoriya continued, stuttering, "I mean, when I punched him, he didn't budge! At all! He—"
All Might cut him off, grinning confidently. "Midoriya, my boy," he said. "Have no fear." He lunged at Shigaraki.
"Noumu."
"Carolina Smash!"
Noumu didn't budge. "I can't believe it!" All Might exclaimed. "None of my blows work!"
"That's because he has a Shock Absorption ability," Shigaraki sneered, watching as All Might punched. And punched. And punched. "It would be more effective if you tore him apart, limb by limb."
All Might grinned. "Thanks for telling me! If that's all it takes, it'll be a cinch!" He grabbed Noumu around the chest and heaved, throwing his weight backwards.
Mirai moved.
She reached out, felt, grasped the energy of his movements, and pulled. The energy settled in her veins, buzzing, raging for a way to get out. She fell to her knees, gasping as her limbs jerked. The resulting explosion from All Might's backdrop slam faded to a dull thud as her blood pounded in her ears. All she was aware of was the roar of her heartbeat, the sting of sweat in her eyes. The coolness of dirt beneath her fingers, crushed into clumps as she fisted her hands. The metallic scent and taste of blood as she coughed.
And the energy, shrieking and biting, rearing its head and tearing into her with claws.
"Mirai," Shigaraki muttered. His voice was sharp with alarm. "Mirai." He stretched a hand out, searching for her through the invisibility.
She paid no attention to him, struggling to soundlessly harness the wildness inside her. Movement, it howled, assailing her mind with images and dizzying feelings of the swiftness of the wind and the current of the oceans. I was meant for movement!
She stopped moving, fluttering her eyes shut and falling limp against the cool, cool ground, denying the energy the movement it wanted. "No," she whispered to it. No. You're mine now. Mine to command.
It tore at her, relentless, climbing. But she remained steadfast, yanking it back down, pulling, molding, pushing it into her cells.
She opened her eyes.
"I'm fine," she rasped. "Kinetic energy is just a bitch to handle." Especially his. Especially All Might's. How, she thought. How does he have that much? Strength hummed in her veins, in her blood. Mirai could feel it dancing around her hand, weaving through her fingers, wisping through her hair.
Scientists thought that energy was just power, just something that allowed movement and heat and light. But Mirai knew they were wrong. Energy was alive. It was alive in the drifting of the clouds, the rustle of tree leaves. It was alive in the soil, the magma that smoldered beneath. It was alive in the rocks, the rivers, the earthquakes and the typhoons. It was alive in the history of the universe, so ancient that its language was just whispers, fleeting thoughts, feelings, images.
And she could command it.
She stood, surveying the situation that she'd returned to. All Might, bent backwards from his slam. Noumu, upper body in a warphole that opened up beneath All Might, digging his fingers into his sides. They had him. Trapped. Ready to die.
Kurogiri glided up to him. "My task is to eviscerate you," he proclaimed. "It was Noumu's duty to restrain your dizzying speed. It is mine to close the warp gate, with you halfway in it." The warp began to close.
But. Whispers from her quirk reached her mind. Four, it hissed. Four energy signatures. Coming this way. Closing the distance quickly.
Mirai grabbed Shigaraki and jumped back. An explosion ripped through the air, colliding with Kurogiri. "OUTTA THE FUCKING WAY, DEKU!" a voice cackled. The smoke cleared, and Mirai smiled.
"That's him," she whispered to Shigaraki. "The explosion quirk." Then, she yanked him out of the way again as a boy with red hair and a—hardening quirk?—lobbed a fist right where they'd been standing.
"Shit," the kid cursed. "I had him!"
She released Shigaraki, taking in the new development. The explosion kid, on top of Kurogiri. The redhead with hardening. Midoriya, the successor. And a child with half white, half red hair, with a trail of ice that led from his right foot to Noumu. Mirai narrowed her eyes.
Endeavor's son. Todoroki Shouto.
"The Symbol of Peace won't go down as easily as you scum," Todoroki said as All Might ripped himself from Noumu's grasp.
Shigaraki cocked his head to the side, silent. Then, he spoke.
"You pinned down our revolving door," he said. "Well. This is quite the pinch."
The explosion kid grinned, pushing Kurogiri's face further into the ground. "Just as I thought, this prick wasn't all that sharp! That bit on your body you use to get all misty and warp-gatey just got sealed, motherfucker!" Mirai crossed her arms, amused and without worry. "You gonna tell me that you don't use that warp to hide your true body? Huh?"
"Urgh," Kurogiri shifted, narrowing his eyes.
"Don't move," the kid warned, a manic grin lighting up his face. "The second you so much as twitch, I'll load you with a nice little explosion."
"Not a very heroic line there, buddy," the redhead muttered.
Mirai smiled.
Beside her, Shigaraki wasn't as pleased. "We've been cornered, and what's more, you're all nearly unscathed." He clasped his hands together. "Man, I have to hand it to kids these days. At this rate, the Villain Alliance will be a laughingstock." Then, his demeanor changed. "We'll have to rescue our revolving door. Noumu, come over here."
Mirai stiffened as Noumu pulled itself out of the warp, breaking its frozen limbs off. Because if Noumu was returning, that meant…
"Stand back!" All Might barked at the students. "Wasn't his quirk a Shock Absorption quirk?"
"I never said that was the full extent of his abilities, you see," Shigaraki gloated. "He also has Super Regeneration. He can withstand your one hundred percent. But enough about him. We'll need Kurogiri back."
If Noumu was returning, that meant it was her turn.
"Reaper."
Mirai shattered her invisibility and flew towards the explosion kid with a burst of light, unsheathing her scythe. She saw his eyes widen. Energy pumped through her, coating her blade.
She swung.
Her scythe hit a body. It flew backwards, hitting a nearby building. She reversed her momentum and landed in a crouch by Shigaraki, fully visible.
"All Might will do anything to protect his students," she said as the dust cleared, voice mechanical from the distorter on her mask. "Confirmed."
"Good work, Reaper," Shigaraki said. She nodded, once.
"Kacchan!" Midoriya exclaimed. "You dodged him? Her?"
"No, you fucking idiot," the explosion kid—Kacchan—grit out. The dust finally settled, revealing All Might bracing his arms against each other. He coughed.
"Do you know not mercy?"
Mirai stood up, ambling closer to him. From the corner of her eye, she saw Todoroki Shouto flinch. She glanced at him, and he froze. "Mercy," she said, laughing. She moved closer to All Might, swinging her scythe lazily. Then, she looked down and frowned. The blade was broken.
She clicked her tongue and threw it to the side. It was time that she'd gotten a new one.
"Mercy is weakness," she said, raising a hand to eye level and watching as light flickered beneath her fingers. She could almost feel Kurogiri rolling his eyes. No matter. Dramatics mattered when dealing with heroes. Mirai lifted her eyes to meet All Might's. "Do you know what I speak of, hero? Mercy is weakness, and weakness is death."
"Your name," All Might said, eyeing her. "He called you Reaper."
Mirai smiled, pleased. "You may not have heard of me, but you surely know of my work." She grinned beneath her mask. "The Takashi's. A family of four, the youngest being a mere two-year old. Tragic, how they perished from a mysterious gas leak. Coincidentally, they were also loud critics of a famous politician."
All Might stilled, face darkening with fury. "You? It was you that killed them?"
"The Hiwazaki's," she continued. "A couple in their forty's. Married two decades ago. Found with their bodies as dried husks. Did you know that the wife had been stolen away from another man? Jealousy is a strong motive."
She heard whispering behind her. "It's four versus five," Todoroki said.
"And Kacchan exposed the shadow guy's weakness," Midoriya added.
"These guys are outrageous, but if we give All Might some support, we can send them packing!"
"No!" All Might exclaimed, thrusting his arm out. "Please escape!"
"This Reaper chick," Kacchan said. "She was here the whole time, but she didn't attack. Isn't that mercy? Isn't that a weakness?"
"Noumu, Kurogiri," Shigaraki said. "Do your thing. Reaper and I will deal with the kids."
Mirai consented and leapt back. It was a smart decision on Shigaraki's part. She was strong. She didn't have as much brute strength as Noumu, but with her quirk, she was still strong. But she wasn't going to have any delusions. She couldn't kill All Might.
"Let's clear the game," Shigaraki began, rushing forward. "And return victorious!"
"He's coming! Brace yourselves!" the redhead shouted. Mirai caught his eye and waved.
And she disappeared.
Fear pervaded the determined expression on his face. He looked about wildly, searching for her. She tutted silently to herself. Too much fear wasn't fun. So she created another illusion. One of herself. A slip of her boots. A flutter of her hair. He turned each time, accurately pinpointing the movements of her illusion. And she stalked closer.
A burst of wind distracted her. She turned and braced herself as All Might punched Noumu.
They matched, blow for blow. Each thrown fist met an equal, each kick met a block. Fast. Quick. Unyielding. Their forms blurred, speeding up with each millisecond. Mirai lifted an arm. Protected her eyes from the dust being thrown in the air.
Until. All Might got in a hit.
He flung Noumu into the air with a kick to the jaw. "Shock absorption isn't shock nullification!" he proclaimed. "It has a limit! I'll just give it more than my hundred percent!" He crouched, gathering tension to his muscles, and leaped.
"A hero is someone who smashes though every obstacle life puts in his way!" All Might shouted. He raised his leg and brought it down on Noumu. Noumu shot back towards the ground. "Do you know what I speak of, villain?" he said, echoing Mirai's earlier words.
She narrowed her eyes.
"PLUS ULTRA!" he roared, rearing back and punching Noumu, sending him flying. Mirai watched impassively, breaking her invisibility in preparation for the oncoming fight. She walked back to Shigaraki, watching All Might heave with exertion.
"You're not weaker," Shigaraki said, trembling with anger. "It was a lie! You dared lay a hand on my Noumu. You used cheats! There's no way you're weaker! He lied! He lied to me!" His hand shot to his neck, scratching furiously through the bandages.
"What's the matter? What happened to clearing the game?" All Might asked, standing tall. Mirai ignored him, turning her attention to Shigaraki.
"He lied, he lied, he lied," Shigaraki mumbled, increasing the frequency of his scratching. "How could he? Why did he lie?"
Mirai placed her hands on his. "Shigaraki."
The scratching stopped.
"Calm down. He didn't lie to you," she said. She let go of a hand and pushed the hair out of his eyes, making direct eye contact. "Do you hear me? He didn't lie to you. All Might is weakening. His energy levels are fading rapidly."
"If we act now, we can win," Kurogiri added. "Reinforcements are on their way, but we still have a chance with the three of us."
Shigaraki stood still, staring into Mirai's eyes. She held the gaze. "You're right," he breathed out. "We can't just leave after all this trouble. We need to take out the final boss."
Mirai allowed herself a sly smile under her mask.
"Go."
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A/N: Hey all!
I've been hit with inspiration for this fic, so expect pretty regular updates! Until I catch up to the manga, at least.
But seriously, I haven't written a fic like this one yet. This one is going to be pretty dark in the future, more so than my Naruto fic. Because in Naruto, all the villains have some sort of redeeming backstory or true motive to fight for (even if it doesn't excuse their actions). But this story. It'll just be about pure evil and selfishness. The only motivation will be twisted.
So, with that said, look forward to the next few chapters. There will be good moments. Eventually. I hope.
See you next time!
