Chapter 51 - A Mask of Pain!? Top Hero Arrives!?
Tokoyami was quite the morning person. He enjoyed waking up early before the sun had risen, and was, for like of a better term, an early bird. He had a rather off-putting habit of waking up before any sane human being would, so when the clock on the wall struck six, his eyes fluttered open thanks to the ticking of his internal clock, and he was wide awake a few minutes later.
Glancing around the shared hotel room, he could see Shouji still bundled under his own covers, sleeping soundly. They were told they didn't need to be up until around seven-thirty, so Tokoyami wasn't about to wake the other boy up if he could help it. Resigning himself to the fate of not being able to sleep, he grabbed his nearby phone from his bedside and decided to flip through the news.
Checking up on the postings of his classmates, he was glad to see that everyone was enjoying their internships to some extent, though it seemed Yaoyorozu was having less than stellar thoughts about her internship. Apparently, the Hero she had chosen was a commercial star and he knew Momo was more invested in actually helping people, as opposed to boosting her popularity. Everyone else seemed pretty pleased, though he noted Midoriya hadn't left a message yet.
"You worried about Midoriya," Dark Shadow whispered teasingly, quiet enough so that they wouldn't awaken the sleeping boy next to them.
"What happened to calling him Izuku?" Tokoyami rolled his eyes, resting his head against the pillow that was propped up behind him.
"You're not answering my question." Dark Shadow coiled himself around Tokoyami's neck to lazily stare at the phone screen, letting out a stifled yawn in the process.
"I'll admit, I'm curious about who he's interning for. He never mentioned it to us." Despite knowing one of the deepest secrets in Midoriya's life, it was true that neither he nor Shouji was aware of their friend's whereabouts this week. He knew that Midoriya was drafted by a single Hero, but no other info at all.
He hoped his friend would be alright.
Thinking about the internships naturally caused his mind to snap back to his own problems, those problems being Airdriver and his opinions on the style of Heroism that Tokoyami wished to pursue. The patrol the day before had petered into a tense awkward silence, with the sense of disapproval hanging in the air between himself and his mentor.
The last thing Tokoyami wanted was to cause a rift between himself and Airdriver. There was so much respect that he held for the Pro Hero and up until this point, that respect had been mutual. This was the first time in the many years that he knew his teacher, that somehow that respect was frayed.
And Shouji had to bear with it as well. The atmosphere the day before was frosty and he couldn't imagine how Shouji must have felt, just having to watch this whole silent disagreement while being fairly uninvolved and unable to help either party. It wasn't Shouji's problem in the first place, yet his experience on the internship was certainly affected.
In a way, Tokoyami was holding Shouji back from a good experience.
Shaking his head to remove those thoughts, he clicked his beak and decided to try hiding those dark thoughts behind the local news. A new shopping centre was being opened, nice weather was forecasted though it seemed like there'd be rain closer to the end of the week. Everything seemed normal, that was until Tokoyami noticed a rather large article that had popped up on his feed.
And his blood ran cold.
Fukuoka Penitentiary broke into! Inmate murdered by Crimson Thief!
"I thought the Crimson Thief was just that, a thief," Tokoyami hissed aloud, his hands trembling as he swiped down to read the article.
"At 2 AM last night, Fukuoka Penitentiary was accosted by the Crimson Thief. She was able to sneak into the cell block containing the toughest criminals known to our city. While no criminals escaped, one was found in his cell, murdered by the Crimson Thief," Dark Shadow read quietly, though his voice hitched at the next words, Tokoyami reading ahead to see what had gotten Dark Shadow so spooked.
His hands turned a pale white and his feathers seemed to recede ever so slightly in morbid horror.
"Damien Rogers, a high-profile American prisoner who was known for his attacks that cost the life of the Hero, The Raven, was the Crimson Thief's target..." Tokoyami's voice trailed off as that information processed in his head, setting his phone down gently as he looked at his Quirk, wide-eyed.
The silence between the pair was tangible, but Tokoyami's mind had already begun racing. How did the media find out so soon about this? Why was Damien targeted and none of the other high-profile prisoners? Why did the Crimson Thief not choose to free any of the other prisoners to cause chaos? What was their goal?
But more importantly than any of those questions, his mind was stuck on one in particular. How was Hayate coping with this news? There was no way that he wasn't aware given Heroes tended to get information before the media in most cases, as they were the ones called in to assist in most situations. After yesterday's conversation at The Raven's statue, he didn't want to think about it...
"How long have you been up?" He heard a voice say, glancing to his side to see Shouji rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Turning to the wall clock, it was already past seven.
"About an hour," Tokoyami replied tersely. "I'm an early riser."
"You look troubled," Shouji stated, propping himself up on his elbow to look over at his friend. "Something wrong?"
Tokoyami nodded. "The Penitentiary was broken into last night, it's all over the news. The Crimson Thief killed an inmate."
Shouji's face paled. "W-What?!"
"Yeah, seems like there's a lot more going on in this city than we first thought," Tokoyami bitterly chuckled. "I didn't tell you last night but it's important you know..." His voice trailed off, trying to find the words to explain everything he'd found out.
"Toko?"
"The inmate killed was a man called Damien Rogers, an American who came to Japan many years ago. He was responsible for the attack that killed The Raven," Tokoyami explained, realization dawning on Shouji's face at the statement. "Even worse, I found that Airdri- I mean, Hayate, was hospitalized after that attack. I don't know how he's going to take this incident."
Shouji lay there silently for a moment, finally letting an, "Oh god..."
"You guys should be getting ready soon. Even though stuff's going down, Hayate will still be pissed off we're late," Dark Shadow explained, bringing the pair back to some semblance of reality.
The pair quickly changed into their civilian clothes and made their way down towards the lobby of the Hotel, not sure what to expect. Airdriver had said he'd be meeting them here last night, though whether the plans had changed or not, the pair weren't sure. So Tokoyami had to admit he wasn't surprised in the slightest when he saw Beni waiting for them instead, the perky woman giving them a wave and a large grin.
"Hey you two, Hayate asked me to pick you up today since he's at a meeting," She explained as the two students approached. "We've got a guest coming to the agency today and Hayate was adamant that you guys needed to meet this guy."
"Is he alright?" Tokoyami asked quickly, concern clear in his tone.
Beni seemed to hesitate for a moment, a flash of worry crossing her eyes as she pushed her glasses up to the bridge of her nose. "H-He's fine, I'm sure. He's handled a lot as a Hero." She gave the pair of them a sympathetic look, before motioning for them to get moving. "You guys sure picked a week to intern here, I've gotta say."
"Is it always this active in Fukuoka?" Shouji asked casually.
Beni shook her head. "Normally it's quite quiet here. We've got a great group of local Heroes who help keep the peace. Airdriver is one of them, but you've also got Morning Crow, though he's usually quite laidback most of the time. Then there's Chargevolt, he's a pretty serious Hero with a lot of flashy moves. We've got our fair share of odd Heroes too, Ice Scream is probably the most popular. She has a dual Quirk that lets her amplify her voice and also create ice cream. Pretty cool."
"Sounds like this city is well protected," Tokoyami noted. "So how come the Crimson Thief has been so elusive?"
Beni frowned, fiddling with the microphone on her headset as they turned the corner towards the agency. "We think she has a shadow-manipulation Quirk," She explained. "But we're not sure how it works. Just that once she's in shadow, she basically can melt away."
"I see how that could make for a tough chase," Shouji muttered.
"That's where our guest today comes in. After what happened last night, we decided to invite a Top Hero to come and give us some support." Beni's voice seemed to lift as she talked about this, a small excited squeal added to the end of her sentence, much to the pair's amusement.
"So we'll be meeting a Top Hero?" Tokoyami asked.
"Well, you're already taught by the Number One Hero in Japan, but yeah," Beni confirmed with a smile.
They quickly arrived at the Agency building, following the familiar path through the lobby to the elevator and up to the Airdriver Agency floor. Stepping out, Beni quickly rushed over to her desk, presumably to check on whatever she had left behind when collecting the two students. "You guys wait in the break room, okay. I'd also change into your gear since Hayate will probably be taking you out on patrol again."
"Thank you, Beni," Tokoyami muttered humbly, bowing politely, though Beni laughably waved his gesture off.
"No need for all the formalities. We're all friends here after all," She smiled, settling in at her workstation. "We still need to chat about Japanese mythology, by the way. Don't forget it."
"I won't, do not worry," Tokoyami chuckled, Shouji rolling his eyes at his friend.
The pair quickly changed into their Hero Costumes, heading to the changing room, though Tokoyami noticed Shouji fiddling with his costume's face mask ever so slightly, handling it with tentative care. He didn't want to pry as Shouji's face mask had been a point of contention for the taller boy since they had met, but he had to wonder if Airdriver's comments in this very break room the day before were rearing their head in Shouji's mind.
Finally, unable to bear the silence, he asked, "Is everything alright, Shouji?"
The taller man took a moment to look at Tokoyami, as if coming out of his only little stupour. "Huh, yeah, everything's fine," Shouji muttered with about as much enthusiasm as a mime.
Tokoyami crossed his arms under his cloak, raising a brow, or in his case, a feather at Shouji's reply. "You seem distant all of a sudden."
"S-Sorry, it's just what Hayate said yesterday... I didn't have time to think about it last night because of the whole, him hating Midoriya, thing..." Shouji muttered sheepishly.
"What about what he said?" Tokoyami asked casually, trying to hide the personal interest that he clearly had.
Shouji let out a small sigh, looking his friend carefully in the eye for a few moments before muttering, "I haven't thought about my mask in a long time. About why I wear it... Yesterday was sudden, I wasn't expecting it to be brought up." He bitterly chuckled, "In hindsight, I should have seen it coming."
Tokoyami wasn't sure how to reply or even if he should reply, but Shouji's silence seemed to imply it was his turn to speak.
"They bad memories that come with the mask?" Dark Shadow asked abrasively, fluttering out from underneath Fumikage's cloak to stare at the taller boy, who looked the other way.
"Dark Shadow, you can't just as-"
"Yes."
Tokoyami blinked, caught completely off guard at the interruption. Shouji's fists were clenched, knuckles white and trembling. His eyes were downcast and his entire posture seemed to be mixed between a slouch and a cold paralysis. Whatever it was weighing on him, it was weighing down on the boy hard all of a sudden.
"The story behind this mask isn't kind..." He muttered quietly. "I know that the memories hold me back, keep me from being as outgoing as Beni or as confident as Hayate..." He looked to Tokoyami for a moment, hesitating before stating almost in a whisper, "As strong as you Toko..."
Without thinking, Fumikage lurched forwards, Shouji freezing up when Tokoyami's hands reached out from his cloak to rest on Shouji's own, clasping them tightly. Shouji's eyes widened at the gesture,"T-Toko, why?"
The bird-headed boy glanced up at the taller, Fumikage's expression radiating that he thought the answer was obvious. He looked down to their hands, lifting them ever so slightly before muttering, "You were trembling."
In that moment, Shouji was grateful that his mask was pulled up extra high, as the pink flush of his cheeks would probably have made things very awkward, had Tokoyami been able to see them.
Dark Shadow had, thankfully, remained completely silent, bright yellow eyes watching the pair with a thoughtful gaze.
"You shouldn't tremble," Tokoyami muttered, looking down at their hands, the realization that he was technically holding hands with Shouji beginning to dawn on him. "Y-You're just as powerful as I, in fact moreso in your own way." And there was the stammer.
Shouji didn't reply, instead looking down at their hands, then to his friend, a slight glimmer of that familiar confidence in his eyes. "T-Thank you Toko, really..."
It seemed that in that singular moment, more words had been said than ever before. It was as if, for a brief moment, the pair had really come to connect in a way that they hadn't before. Tokoyami had never thought to comfort someone as he had with Shouji and he was sure, judging by the taller boy's reaction, that it was a similar story for Shouji.
But his mind couldn't help but be drawn to that mask. Just what was the big secret behind it? How traumatizing were the memories attributed to the piece of fabric and what part of Shouji's past was so terrifying that it caused him to completely lose his cool?
"You're still holding hands you know."
Dark Shadow's voice shattered the moment around them, Tokoyami suddenly realizing in an instant what was happening, feeling his feathers flush and his face heat up as he removed his hands and retreated them back under his cloak.
Shouji didn't have that luxury of hiding his hands, instead awkwardly fidgeting with his six arms until he finally found a comfortable crossed arm position, eyes staring at a rather interesting spot on the ceiling.
"We should..."
"Yep..."
"I've said it before and I'll say it again, you two are hopeless!"
When the pair emerged back into the break room, a familiar voice drifted his way through the doorway, the pair quickly pushing aside the awkwardness of their last encounter as they power-walked over to the lobby where they could see Airdriver having a hushed discussion with Beni. Though when the pair got to the break room door, Airdriver glanced over at them, giving them a small wave.
Tokoyami could instantly see something was wrong. His piercing blue eyes looked ever so slightly bloodshot and his face seemed sunken, almost gaunt, in the light of the office lamps. Though the man put on a smile, thoughts from the day before began to cloud Tokoyami's mind. Was Hayate still angry or upset with the pair, was this smile a fake? And what of that strange feeling that something was being hidden from him? He'd been getting it ever since reuniting with his teacher, that something was off.
"You're both here, brilliant," Airdriver announced, his voice as jovial as ever. He was doing a good job of hiding whatever pain he was in, Tokoyami was sure about that. If it wasn't for the eyes, he'd be convinced his teacher was perfectly okay. "We have a guest arriving shortly. I'd like you to meet him!"
"A Top Hero, right?" Tokoyami asked casually.
Hayate nodded, "I assume Beni already told you then, very good," He smiled, relief washing over his face. "That should make introductions easier."
"She didn't mention a name though," Shouji added.
Beni gave them all a sheepish smile, "It must have slipped my mind. I just sort of assumed I'd said it, but I guess I didn't." Rubbing the pack of her head awkwardly, she gave a nervous laugh, glad when Airdriver joined in with his own chuckle.
"It's all perfectly fine, it's not a problem Beni. Thank you for bringing the boys here as requested. I was busy..."
"With the Penitentiary break-in?" Tokoyami blurted out before he could stop himself.
Airdriver froze for a moment, before answering with a confident, "Yes, yes. It's all over the news, I'm guessing?"
The students nodded. "It was online when I woke up," Tokoyami explained.
"Of course it was, the biggest scandal since everyone in the country discovered All Might was going into teaching of all things," Airdriver muttered to himself, a dreadfully tired tone to his voice. "Well anyway, it's not for you two to worry about. You're here to learn and after I've briefed our Top Hero, we'll go on a patrol down to Canal City."
Shouji's eyes seemed to light up at the mention of the famous shopping complex, the taller boy turning to Tokoyami with a gleeful look in his eyes. "You'll love Canal City, Toko! When I was a kid, my parents and I would go there to shop."
"Right, I keep forgetting you're a Fukuoka local," Airdriver stated aloud. "I'll give you the last day of your internship off to go and explore the city if you wish."
Tokoyami was about to reply with a negative on that one, but Shouji and Dark Shadow both interrupted him with a joined, "Thank you very much, Hayate!"
"You are not talking yourself out of a day to see the sights," Dark Shadow hissed in their mind, much to Tokoyami's chagrin, though when his eyes landed on his friend who looked surprisingly excited at the prospect of a day to explore, his inhibitions melted away. This was their internship together after all.
"Now then, our friend should be arriving any minute. Follow me boys." Airdriver turned sharply away from Beni, pointing back towards the stairwell and the elevator. Wordlessly, the pair followed, Beni shuffling along behind excitedly.
They found themselves heading up to the roof, much to the confusion of the two boys. The rooftop itself was rather generic, all things considered. There were iron bars that gated off the building, though there was a raised platform that was just high enough so that someone with a flying or floating Quirk could leap into the skies without a problem.
"So why are we on the rooftop?" Tokoyami asked, the morning sun beating down on the group as they looked out to the city.
"You'll see," Airdriver explained, a pep in his step as he walked over towards the raised platform. "Ah, here he comes."
Airdriver raised a hand and waved, looking up into the sky. Beni gasped excitedly behind them, so the two boys followed Airdriver's eyes until they saw it.
In the clouds, soaring towards them at rapid speeds, was a man. He was too far away to make out, but what stood out were the massive wings that sprouted from his back. They were a dark colour, flapping ferociously as the man sped towards them, diving down to land on the raised platform with extreme grace and precision.
And up close, Tokoyami's eyes widened as he realized just who they were witnessing the arrival of. A messy bundle of light coloured hair, a large visor and a large pair of headphones and a rather well-trimmed goatee were enough to give away his identity. Though his dark shirt with a pretty cool wavy pattern, light white jacket and trousers, with a rather stylish belt, really sealed the deal.
The Number Three ranked Hero, the Wing Hero Hawks, was standing before them.
Hawks just got introduced in the manga and we just found out he's the Hero Fumikage interns with post-liscence exam, so naturally, I decided to bring him in as a character myself. He's had exactly one line in the manga, but judging from the way he looks and the way he didn't seem to like the attention much in the manga, I think I can get a read on his character.
I'm also hyped because if he's getting focus in some way, Tokoyami could also be getting his own focus in the Manga in the next arc. Fingers crossed because any content for my bird boi in canon helps me to flesh out my story even more. I keep most of my plot fairly flexible to account for new content as it comes!
Also, I hope you guys enjoyed the ShouToko moment in this chapter. Because I enjoyed writing it! Anyway, look forward to next chapter (Though it may not be written until after the next manga chapter drops on the off chance we see Hawks again, so I can get an idea for how his character speaks in sentences).
Also, we just hit over 20K views on this fic on this site! Combine that with my 8K views on AO3, that's 28K views on my fic! That's insane! Thank you so much everyone!
