Fumikage was tensed as the mist dissipated, and he was right to be. Surrounding himself and Jesse was the members of the vanguard and the league of villains. Jesse was covering his back in case something happened. The man who named himself Mr. Compress was on the farthest wall from the heroes as he clutched his left shoulder. The raven-faced student remembered that his therapist had put the most pressure on the man's limb, and her current size seemed to boast a large mass. Nearest to the bar was Tomura. What shocked the student was that he had seemed to replace the arm he lost to his classmate with one that was black as the void.
"Compress…" Tomura stated with a dead voice. "You said you had two targets around you; this is only one, and an NPC." Fumikage prevented the ash-haired teen's words to affect him. If he was seen as insignificant, then he was underestimated; that, as Anima put it, was one of the best advantages a hero could have.
"It appears that she pushed Bakugo away before Kurogiri could warp us." the stage magician remarked. "This may still work, as the boy we accidentally collected has shown a remarkable talent for violence. Moonfish's battered form can attest to that, not to mention the destruction of many of Sir Archibald's golems." And there went the advantage of anonymity.
"You are NOT touching my student!" Jesse growled, making Compress move a step farther away. He'd already been injured twice via ambush, and he was relatively certain she was the one responsible for the first instance as well.
"I don't think you can stop them, Mia Tempesta." Fumikage whipped his head around at the familiar voice.
In the room was Anima.
No, that wasn't the martial arts instructor he knew. His skin tone was slightly off, and he was a few inches shorter, not to mention his eyes were a violet instead of the real Anima's yellow eyes. He looked very close, but not exact. The voice, however, was the same in every aspect; timber, pitch, tone, the only thing that was off was the smug undertone that he never heard the werewolf use before.
"Dear?" Jesse questioned in fear before shaking her head at the thought. "No, you're not him." Anima's twin smiled.
"What are you talking about mia tempesta?" his voice was mocking, and it set the she-wolf's nerves on edge.
"Don't you DARE use his voice!" the air was becoming heavy, and Fumikage felt like he was in a den of wolves. He did feel a tap on his side from the trusted adult as she pointed to the door. No words were spoken, but the plan was heard.
"And if I do? I'm merely my master's puppet. He could make me in a year, so he'd just replace me, mia-" the room exploded as Jesse launched herself at her spouse's fake before he sullied her pet name further. Fumikage used the atmosphere and diverted attention as cover while he ran to the exit. The Anima look-alike put his hand forward before intoning a spell.
"Dorimo." with her mind clouded by confusion and rage, Jesse wasn't as resistant as she would be normally. As the Latin phrase told her, the she-wolf collapsed into Morpheus's embrace.
"That was an amazing bloodlust! It felt like I was going to die!" Toga squealed, being the first person to snap out of their fight-or-flight response.
"And that is just a taste of why werewolves can be some of the most terrifying monsters on this plane of existence, topped only by dragons, spirit kings, and a select few vampires." the puppet looked around in curiosity before asking something completely off topic.
"Wasn't there a UA student here not too long ago?" this caused everyone to frantically search the area before realizing that he slipped away in the fight.
"FUCK!" Tomura shouted. "Kurogiri, find him!" the man in the mist nodded before disappearing. With only one of his three targets, neither he nor Sensei got what they came for in the raid. He was willing to try and make do with the raven-headed teen, but even he got away. Kurogiri came back after a few minutes shaking his head.
"You know what? Fine, fucking fine… seems werewolves are 'that one boss' in this game. With the NPC running off, we gotta prep for a counter attack. Puppet, get the bitch outta here." the Anima look alike bowed before turning to Toga.
"Himiko-hime, would you care to assist me in strapping the subject to the table in the workshop?" the middle schooler in question was nearly bouncing in place while nodding.
"Yay!"
Izuku was in the hospital for his injuries like almost every other freshman in UA's hero course. His wrist had been reset and his lacerations had been cleaned and wrapped. With a large part of his injuries relatively minor, he'd be out of the hospital by tomorrow at the earliest, or the day after at the latest. He grabbed the room phone to call home.
"M-Midoriya residence, how may I help you?" Inko's voice came over the device in a small panic. The caller ID was a hospital after all, and her son was a hero-in-training.
"Hey mom, It's me. I just called in to let you know I'm fine." there was a small pause before the teen's mother started crying.
"Iz-Izuku… Thank god you're safe. When I heard of the attack from the news, I feared the worse. Are you seriously injured? Do Anima and Toshinori-san know where you are? When are you coming home? do you need me to pick you up?" Inko rambled on like her son would often do.
"I've only got a couple of scratches and bruises, I'll call them in the morning, I'll be released either tomorrow or the day after, and I'll use the train." Izuku answered every high-speed question in order.
"Alright dear. Just make sure you don't push yourself too hard."
"I'll try my best." Izuku promised. "Goodnight mom."
"Goodnight dear." Izuku hung up just as Eijiro walked in the door. The redhead's face was filled with determination.
"We have a plan to get Cacciatore and Tokoyami back. You-" he didn't finish.
"I'm in. what's the plan?" he didn't even need to think about it.
It was an old building, maybe thirty years old. Fiara was taking the lead while Frostbite and Silvermane were behind him. The three charged into the old warehouse only to find a scene stripped straight out of a horror movie. Blood caked the walls and swathes of flesh were laying on the floor. In the middle of this, chained from the rafters, was their friend and fellow hero Cross-Stitch. He looked like hell, with his regeneration working overtime to keep him from dying and taking nutrients from other places in the body. The werewolf quickly cut his albino friend down, wishing that he could call Starhealer.
"I didn't... tell them about the group." were the first words that came from Cross-Stitch's mouth.
"No, you didn't. Rest up, and we'll get you to a hospital." Silvermane consoled.
"I… did good?" it was wrong; this person was always a hyperactive bomb of chaos, not the weak and croaking skeleton he is now.
"Yeah, you did good." Fiara congratulated. Cross-Stitch smiled as best he could with his emancipated form.
"I'm glad to be... an outlier. I have a family now. If I pass, can I see… the heroes before me?" Fiara's heart clenched at the albino's morbid question. Thankfully, Frostbite answered for him.
"Yeah, it's a grand cathedral, with every hero owning their own throne. They watch over the living as sentries, as their names inspire others to follow in their footsteps." she elaborated, always good at storytelling. Tears fell from the tortured hero's eyes.
"I… I guess I'll see you at the throne… my family." his body's little strength left him, as he passed in Fiara's arms.
"Cross-Stitch, Cross-Stitch! Nononono, Emil stay with us. EMIL!" the werewolf's shouts fell on deaf ears as the albino hero breathed his last.
"GODDAMMIT!" it wasn't right. He had more to live for. His life was just starting to pick up after hitting rock bottom. But it was taken away by those with no morals. He was fifteen.
Anima woke up finding tears in his eyes. He reached for the place his wife always slept at, only to grasp at air. Her absence made his heart race in worry.
'Where is she, and why the hell did I dream of that. It happened over a century ago.' his thoughts were interrupted by his phone ringing. He picked it up as the flood of memories from last night returned with a sense of dread.
"Anima Cacciatore speaking." He hears his disciple on the other line, calming him down a considerable amount.
"Sensei, I just called to-"
"Hospital name." Anima interrupted. He knew his student was fine, but he wanted to see him in person.
"-I'm… uh, Corellia Hospital."
"I'm coming over. I'll be there in twelve minutes." it would normally take ten, but hospital food sucked, and he was stopping for pastries.
"Could you come in fifteen? I need to call All Might-sensei, and could you get me something better than the food they have here. Like dog food?"
"I'll have you know dog food's amazing." the two laughed over their horrid joke. "Yeah, I'll get you something. Anpan good?"
"Sound's great. I'll talk to you in a few." the line disconnected as Izuku hung up.
"I'd be damned if he didn't want to help in the rescue. I've got fifteen minutes to think of a compromise. Why the hell can't good heroes be acquiescent to authorities?" he mused to himself as he got dressed. "Oh right, we don't know how to give up, and sentient lives are more important than dead rules."
All Might was not in the best of moods, but he knew he could be worse off. Despite the league attacking the students when they should've been hidden, only one student was called missing. Fumikage even managed to escape and contact the heroes. They now knew where their headquarters was, and thanks to Momo, the facility that contained the nomu's was also known. When the haggard hero turned to ask a nurse where Izuku was, his phone went off. After checking the caller ID, a hospital door opened to reveal the man of the hour.
"Toshinori-sensei…" Izuku pressed the end button on the hospital phone and Toshinori's phone ceased ringing. There was a long, awkward pause before Toshinori coughed.
"Hey, my boy. How are you holding up?" it was a stupid question, but the adult didn't know how else to start the conversation.
"I'm fine, they'll even release me today. What about finding Tokoyami and Jesse-san?" Toshinori couldn't help but smile as his inheritor worried about others before himself, despite the worry it gave him.
"We know where the villains base of operations are, and young Tokoyami had managed to escape and is now getting checked over downstairs." Izuku looked shocked, making the tall hero elaborate. "Jesse seemed to give him an opening to escape the building, and he hid until he could get to the police. They took him here for a checkup to make sure he was physically okay." the relief on Izuku's face was telling just how much his classmate's kidnapping was weighing on his mind. He wasn't even four feet away when Fumikage was captured, but there was absolutely nothing he could do. Just when he was about to collapse against the wall in relief, something occurred to him.
"What about Jesse?" after saying she had helped Fumikage run away from the League, she wasn't mentioned at all. Toshinori looking down in shame said everything; she was still captured. The next words escaped the teen's mouth before he could stop himself.
"I want to help." there was no hesitation or doubt. By his unexpected firmness in tone, it may have well been a declaration.
"Young Midoriya, I can't do anything about that. If you get into a fight with All for One, or anyone for that instance, it'd be seen as an act of vigilantism." the haggard hero was torn; here was someone who had both the drive and abilities to help, but couldn't because of legal reasons. Izuku shook his head, not once looking dejected.
"Then I won't fight. If you think All for One is there, the fallout of you two fighting needs an evacuation in order. I can help protect the citizens from the rubble and falling buildings while you deal with him. If you ask any freshman hero, I bet my life that I'm not alone in the thought, and they'll agree to help." Toshinori froze. It made sense, and If Izuku was right, then there'd be up to thirty-five capable extra hands. He sighed before speaking.
"I'll have to bring it up during the meeting at UA, but I'll see what I can do." it was the best he could do in his limited power, but if the other heroes agreed to it, they could take volunteers to make sure collateral was kept to a minimum. Toshinori left to talk to Tsukauchi before the meeting, but if he stayed a little longer then he would have caught his fellow teacher.
When Izuku brought his idea to Anima, he decided to bring as many of class 1-A together. With a couple calls and a few minutes passing, almost everyone in the class found their way in the room the hero 'commandeered'. Again the basic idea was given, and almost everyone approved. Almost.
"What happens if the other heroes don't agree with it?" Tenya questioned. "We've already been in dangerous situations before, what makes you sure they won't say no?" it was a valid question, and Momo added her two cents.
"I agree. They may make a rule that tells us not to intervene."
"If it means someone will get hurt, fuck the rules." everyone turned their heads in shock at Izuku's words.
"You don't understand the severity, Midoriya-san. If they so choose, we can be expelled, or even arrested!" Tenya pressed, but it didn't phase the green-haired teen.
"And?" there were no words to describe the confusement in the room; Izuku, the second shyest person in the room only topped by Koji, was saying that he was risking federal charges to be a hero.
"If they expel me for trying to save a life, then I don't think I want to be at UA. getting arrested doesn't matter to me either; I always wanted to save people, I don't care about the consequences."
"You sure?" Anima asked. "You could be in the wrong for doing this." he already knew the answer before the first word escaped his student.
"It's never wrong to save someone. My path is the Bahou de Lujing, and to not follow it is impossible for me." the teen's conviction flooded the room with his belief, even without chi. This was the power of someone carrying 'the Will of Heroes'. There was little that would shake their faith, and that conviction would easily turn infectious, making almost anyone stand up with them. It even empowered Anima.
"Good answer. I'll notify you where and when we act. I can't officially ask you to join, but if you 'just so happen' to be there, nothing can be done, and if I or another hero actually asks for help, then you can jump in. also, Izuku," Anima looked to his disciple. "You're right; no matter the laws, It's never wrong to save someone." no one in the room disagreed at the moment, and everyone was willing to be true heroes right at that moment.
This was a hell of a chapter to write, and I hope I did the characters justice to you guys. The hardest part was actually the Toshinori and Izuku scene, oddly enough. I'm finding more and more in the manga that I missed my first time reading them because I have to read and re-read the chapter insanely carefully to make sure I don't misjudge the characters. If you think I'm doing awesome, or if there are many holes in my thinking, let me know! You guys have no clue how much I love hearing from you guys' reviews. Till next time!