Author's note: xd
" Speaking out loud "
' Thinking '
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Titles and Techniques
The door was punched out of the way, knocking down three guards that were standing next to it. People started shouting, but they didn't keep shouting for long. Yaoyorozu ran through the hall, delivering punches and kicks all around, knocking out guards and civilians that were gambling. Midoriya stood in a shadow next to the entrance and analyzed how she held back her strength when she was about to strike someone who wasn't really a threat. Although it was the right thing to do, he couldn't stop thinking about how she was willingly hurting "innocent" people. Midoriya just observed as she danced around, her loose hair floating as she went on with her rampage, her eyes, showing only determination, not a single trace of remorse. All of those details about her, made him feel strange, for some odd reason. When Yaoyorozu finally stopped, they heard people coming from a hidden room in the back, an old woman looking around, surrounded by bodyguards.
"WHAT IS THIS?! WHO ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY ESTABLISHMENT?"
Midoriya remained in the shadows while observing Yaoyorozu's reaction:
"You mean this casino that serves as a front to your prostitution business?" She hissed towards the elder lady, who looked around before giving a nasty smile in response.
"Who do you work for, girl?"
"What?!"
"For you to be doing this, you must work for someone. Whatever they're paying you, I'll double it- No, I'll even triple it, if you give me their names."
"..."
Midoriya could feel her anger in the air around her body, the One for All reacting to her emotions, and that made the boy wonder.
'Wait... The One For All- Did I just make the One for All's user stray from the path? Oh, my god. I didn't think about that part. That is All Might's power- I mean, that was his power, and now it's hers, but that power is being used to hurt people instead of saving them. Did I just help corrupt the One for All?'
Yaoyorozu's flying figure made him snap out of his speculations, seeing her smashing the woman's bodyguards. He saw one of them using a hardening quirk, his skin becoming diamond-like, and wondered about that applicability when a second guard spat acid on her direction, but she wasn't paying attention to her back. Midoriya instantly felt the pressure on his left eye and moved his fingers, appearing right where the girl stood, bringing out his Susanoo, which appeared at the right time to stop the green substance. Yaoyorozu looked around, confused for a few seconds, but quickly understood, seeing Midoriya's gaze towards her direction. She then thought about one thing she saw in one of her mangas, this very situation struck her mind like a déjà vu. She entered a stance and started a movement as if she was preparing a scratch and Midoriya frowned to that, but right before she attacked, he also understood her intentions, moving his fingers again, hearing her soft voice from afar as their traded places one more time:
"Lioness Strike"
She teleported, already making the movement with her hand, and Midoriya looked over his shoulder to understand what that technique was, trying to fight the dizziness. She was going to attack with her palm open, but to his surprise, she twisted her fingers in a way they reassembled claws, finishing the movement, but striking only air. Midoriya's Blood Moon allowed him to analyze the entire scene in slow-motion, which was good because he wouldn't be able to understand if he hadn't been using it. The air pressure from her movement came in the shape of her fingers, guiding the air, slashing the diamond man away, and obliterating the wall behind him. Midoriya instantly thought:
'Holy shit! How did she- Of course. All Might only used punches... Even when he used wind pressure alone, it still was wind pressure coming from a closed fist, but she altered the shape... To manipulate that brute strength... Amazing.'
He turned to the man and saw superficial cuts on his chest and arms, enough to put him out of commission, but not enough to be life-threatening. The old woman was alone now, trying to walk backward, ending up falling on her butt. Yaoyorozu approached, hissing:
"Where is the house?"
"Wha- What are you talking about?!"
"The place where you keep them locked up... Where is it?"
While Yaoyorozu was interrogating the woman, Midoriya saw a few girls trying to escape from the ruckus, but one just stood still, hearing their conversation from afar.
"You're crazy!"
Yaoyorozu felt frustration mixed with anger and wondered what she should do, but Midoriya was right there, crouching next to the woman, whispering with a soothing voice:
"You really going to keep up with this stupid act? I would advise you to answer her questions, otherwise, I'll be forced to persuade you, and by persuade, I mean break all the bones in your body." The woman glared at him, not intimidated by his intensity, and answered while smirking:
"Go ahead, you stupid kid... Do you think you're the first ones to threaten me?"
"Oh, I'm sure we are not the first, but I'm also sure we will be the last." He activated the Blood Moon, energizing his arms, while looking straight into her eyes, making the woman gasp.
"You... You're the Raijin! Why are you doing this?! I didn't break any rule-"
"There are new rules."
"Huh?! Said who?!"
"Her." Midoriya pointed at Yaoyorozu, who kept staring the woman down.
"HUH?! WHO THE HELL IS SHE? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! JIN-SAMA WILL HEAR ABOUT THIS AND-"
"Jin is the kind of monster that rules using fear, so you can't earn respect from the likes of him unless you can do the same thing he does."
"..."
"I guess you already understood what I'm telling you, but just to make myself clear: Jin doesn't frighten me... Jin is still breathing because I allow him to, and he is aware of that. Why do you think I have a blank check?"
"..."
"Now, will you answer her question or should I start breaking things?"
"I can't- You know what will happen if I tell you where it is! They'll kill me!" Midoriya was about to give an ultimatum when Yaoyorozu spoke, catching him off guard.
"That's really unfortunate, but you should've thought about this before you kidnapped girls to force them into this life."
"Look, young girl... This is way bigger than you imagine-"
Yaoyorozu's face became enraged as she leaned forward, almost touching the woman's face with her own.
"Don't call me a young girl... You monster! How dare you do this to them? How dare you do this to other women?! THEY ARE CHILDREN!"
"This has nothing to do with being a woman or age... This is all business."
"You disgusting- Well, your business is over. You're going to tell me where they are, and then you're going to jail."
"Jail?! HAHAHAHAHA! What is this? Don't make me laugh. Are you really this naïve?"
"Fine... Then we'll just kill you."
Midoriya's head instantly turned towards her, as he tried to find a hint of a lie, but her expression told him she was being serious. The woman stopped her words, also worried about what Yaoyorozu just said, and the girl that was watching from afar walked towards them. Midoriya turned and faced her, noticing she could be 14 or 15, wearing a provocative dress and too much makeup. Yaoyorozu followed Midoriya's gaze, and her expression softened when she saw the girl. She had short black hair and strange expressive eyes. She was the first to break the silence.
"I know where it is." She said in a childlike voice and Yaoyorozu turned, but the old woman shouted:
"Oy, what are you doing?"
"Don't talk to me... You're evil."
"IF YOU SAY ANOTHER WORD, I'LL PERSONALLY HANDLE YOUR PUNISHMENT, ALICIA! IF YOU TELL THEM-"
Her shouts were interrupted by a Yaoyorozu, who energized her body before dashing to deliver a blow, destroying the ground, making the whole hall shake, sending dust everywhere. The girl named Alicia took a few steps back, worried about the flying debris while Midoriya just waited. After the dust settled, they saw the woman on the ground, covering her head and face while Yaoyorozu's fist was stuck on the floor next to her. The woman had peed herself. Midoriya noticed that even though Yaoyorozu was shaking with anger, she chose not to hurt this woman she despised so much.
'Heh... Maybe she is stronger than me.'
"Another word and it will be you last." Yaoyorozu hissed.
The woman just kept protecting her head and didn't make another sound. Yaoyorozu tried to pat the dust from her clothes, but they hear sirens coming from afar.
"We should leave, Momo-san."
"Not yet."
She turned to glare at Midoriya, who felt a new wave of fascination over the girl when she imposed her will like that.
'What the hell is wrong with me? I'm not an M... Why is she making me feel like this?'
'Because you are not attracted to the female Yaoyorozu Momo, you are attracted to the powerful Yaoyorozu Momo.'
'Huh?'
'What you find appealing is how mentally strong she is right now, mixed with the physical attraction, of course.'
'I know that, Raiju... I meant why I have this urge... I'm not like this.'
'Isn't this normal? I already spotted this same pattern in people who often believe they're experiencing love at first sight.'
'So you're saying I'm falling in love with Momo-san? No way. She betrayed us-'
'Did she?'
'...'
'I showed you her memories from the night she told them about your affiliation to the league. She didn't have any intention of harming you whatsoever. You saw that she only wanted to set you free from whatever it was-'
'Still, I can't even trust her anymore... I can't go down this road with her... This can't be lust.'
'I do believe you're experiencing a form of love-'
'I said lust, Raiju.'
'You're telling yourself it's only physical, but you have more than desire over this new version of Yaoyorozu Momo. I guess I could call this: Your type of woman. Perhaps your type is strong women that like to take charge.'
Midoriya blocked Raiju after that and forced himself to go back to reality, trying to pick up on their conversation.
"No, they were all forced to do this... They picked up girls from families in debt, forcing them to handle their documents and giving them fresh ones. My name is not really Alicia, my name is Ai."
"And how do you know where they hid the girls?"
"I tried to escape once, and I ran a few streets before they caught me."
"When was that?"
"A couple of years ago."
"A couple- But you said you're fourteen."
"Yes, I was eleven when they-" She looked down and didn't see Yaoyorozu going towards her to lock her into a hug. The girl felt confused at first, but grabbed the front of her costume with an inexpressive face, while Yaoyorozu tried to comfort her, her eyes tearing.
"It's okay... You're going to be okay... All of you will be okay now... Don't worry... You'll never go back to them... I promise you."
She chanted, looking over her shoulder at Midoriya. Her expression changed as if she was saying that they didn't deserve such cruelty and that she couldn't take that anymore.
"What are you going to do about it?" Midoriya asked.
"I'll save them all."
"This will prove to be harder than you think."
"Not it won't."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because you're going to help me."
"My plan is not ready for this part yet, so I can't get involved with-"
"I don't care about your plans, Midoriya-kun, I care about these kids being forced to-"
"I do too, that's why when I make my move, all the pieces have to be in place... Otherwise, we'll be taking down these, but others will start doing the same thing again and again."
"Midoriya-kun, I-"
"I know how angry you are, Momo-san, but think about the others. The others you still don't know. They are also trapped inside their own nightmares, and I made my plan to free all of them at once."
"Midoriya-kun... The others are not in my arms right now... I don't care about the ones I don't know yet... I'll get to them soon enough, but neither you nor anyone else in this world will make me stand back and let this continue for another second. You promised to make everything I wanted to do, happen, didn't you? I want to save them!"
Midoriya respected that. When he was in her place, he didn't care about anything in the world, he would've murdered all of those who'd dare to stand in his way. He looked away, hearing the sirens really close now.
"Fine, I'll adapt my plan, but we need to leave now."
"Come with us, Ai-chan."
Yaoyorozu grabbed the girl's hand and ran her towards the exit, but Midoriya stayed behind. When she was about to leave the hall, she looked around and didn't find the boy, looking back, seeing him standing next to the woman. He turned and faced Yaoyorozu, who saw from afar, the red of his eyes shining when he turned it towards the woman, who screamed. Yaoyorozu turned and left, hearing the screams for a few more seconds, until they came to an abrupt end, making her press her lips. Yaoyorozu exited the building and looked to the two sides of the alley she was in, seeing the red and blue lights on both ends, just around the corner.
"Ai-chan, hold on." She took the girl on her arms and while activating the One for All, jumped on the fire stairs of the opposite building, repeating the process a few times, until they were on the roof. She didn't wait for Midoriya, jumping away from the scene they made. She heard the girl sobbing and stopped before jumping again:
"What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
"No... I'm scared of heights."
"Oh... I'm sorry... I just have to get us as far as possible. Close your eyes and I'll let you know when it's over."
"Okay."
After a few minutes of intense jumping, she finally jumped down and said:
"You can open them down."
The girl looked around and found herself in front of a mansion. They were in a wide garden, next to a fountain.
"Where are we?"
"My home."
The girl just raised her eyebrows, looking around in awe. Yaoyorozu went to one bench near the fountain, bringing the girl with her by her hand. They both sat, and the girl asked:
"What about that man? Isn't he going to be in trouble?"
"Don't worry about him, he won't be in trouble... He is the trouble." She answered with an angry expression and slightly jumped on her seat when she heard Midoriya's voice:
"Ouch, but I guess it's well deserving. Of all places to go, you came back to your own home? Momo-san, you suck as a vigilante."
Ai left a tiny smile and Yaoyorozu closed her expression.
"Thank god for that." She turned to the girl, but Midoriya asked:
"Not going to ask how I am? I'm kind of hurt by your insensitivity, Momo-chan."
"Stop that. You don't get hurt anymore... Neither psychologically nor physically, so there's nothing for me to worry about."
"Half-true, but we should discuss this later, first we need to talk about your decision of letting me kill that woman."
"..."
"Yes, I know that you know what I did... And you didn't stop me. For all that matters, you didn't even care."
"She... She-"
"She deserved that?"
"..."
"Since we're on the clock, I'll postpone this. We still have a few places to go, and please, don't come back to your house after we're done."
"Ok."
Midoriya sat on the ledge of the fountain, at least 5 meters apart from the two, and waited. Yaoyorozu turned to the girl and asked:
"I was wondering, Ai-chan, how do you know where is the place if you saw years ago?"
"Ummm, I have photographic memory... When I see something and understand it, it gets stuck inside my head, you know? So every time I remember, it comes back to me as if I was seeing again."
"You have a photographic memory? Amazing."
"Yes."
"I see. So, how many girls are in there, and where is this hideout?"
"35. They have a lot of cameras, so it's impossible to escape. I don't know where it is, because I never saw anything other than the nearby streets... I thought that I could point it out if you show me a map or something."
"Oh." Yaoyorozu wondered about that and Midoriya said:
"You have the streets inside your mind, right? Think about them."
"What?"
"Think about the time you saw it, he's going to learn where it is by reading your mind." Yaoyorozu answered.
"Eh? Really? Ok." The girl seemed nervous but concentrated, and Midoriya asked Raiju:
'Is she lying? She seemed a little nervous when Momo said I was going to read her mind.'
'It doesn't look like she is lying, she's trying not to remember her... Past.'
'Show me.'
'Are you sure?'
Midoriya stared at the wolf on his side and he transferred the girl's memories she just thought about hiding, making Midoriya revive her despair and her pain for a brief moment. The feeling was so overwhelming that Midoriya felt an urge to scream, to release some of those caged feelings. He looked at the girl who was facing him with a worried expression, afraid that he was going to see the things they forced her to do. Midoriya closed his eyes and pressed his lips, trying to bury another feeling, wondering how much did that girl suffered until she accepted her fate. If you were to look at her face, you wouldn't believe what was beneath the surface. He also saw the memory of when she was running away, looking at street names, and then she was caught, a bag over her head.
"Momo-san, can you create a map of Shinjuku... To be more specific, a map of the Kabuchiko district."
"Give me a second." She grabbed her phone and searched for maps, finally finding what she was looking for, and started creating the map from her arm.
"Whoa..." Ai just stared at her quirk with her mouth open and Yaoyorozu gave her a warm smile before asking:
"You like it? I bet you also have a wonderful quirk."
"..."
"What's wrong?"
"When they... When they bring a new girl, they give her a shot... And this shot makes... Makes your quirk... Disappear."
"What... What did you say?" Midoriya got up, walking right next to the girl.
"Katarina-san- The manager of the brothel, was the one who bought the shots... She used to say they were too expensive, but it was a good investment."
"So you're saying these shots made your quirk disappear?"
"Yes... They did that to all of us, so we couldn't use our quirks to escape or ask for help. I used to control birds with my quirk... I was able to see through their eyes."
She stopped talking and grabbed the front of her dress as if remembering that was too painful, and Midoriya quickly understood.
"And you miss the feeling of freedom when you flew through a bird, right?" She just nodded, unable to answer. Midoriya partially knew how she was feeling because he also missed the wind powers that made him able to fly.
"Midoriya-kun?" Yaoyorozu called him as if she was asking if he didn't know about that.
"No... This is my first time hearing this as well. DAMN IT!"
"What is it?"
"I can't ask that monster where she took this drug from."
"Oh."
"Every night that she came with the shots, she was coming from a meeting with someone important... I don't know if this will help... Sorry."
"Don't worry, Ai, I have enough to start... I'm just mad because I destroyed my easiest lead."
"Destroyed?"
"Never mind that, Momo-san, the map?"
"Oh, here." She handed it over and Midoriya used his Blood Moon, his eyes moving too fast over the piece of paper.
"Here. This is the area where she saw the street signs... And here's the crossroad where she got caught, so she came from... Here. These two blocks are our search area. Tell me, Ai, could you identify the house if you were to see it from the outside?"
"Yes, I looked behind me when I was running... I can tell which one it is."
"Good. Momo-san?"
Yaoyorozu was lost in thoughts but got up, wearing her mask again with a strange look towards Midoriya.
"Let's go."
"There... That one. They're inside that one." She pointed, and Midoriya noticed that her hand was shaking, so he grabbed it and held it for a few seconds while whispering to her:
"I want you to understand one thing, Ai."
"Huh?" The girl looked to their hands together and blushed... She wasn't used to that.
"When we stop them and save these girls, I want you to remember that this was your doing, not ours. You are the one responsible for saving their lives, not us. If it weren't for you, they would still be inside hell, but thanks to your courage, tonight, they will be freed." He pressed her hand before letting go and energized his feet, disappearing from their view in the blink of an eye, messing the girl's hair, who looked at Yaoyorozu.
"Are you sure you and your boyfriend will be ok?"
"My boyfrien- No, we're not boyfriend and girlfriend."
"Oh... I'm so sorry... It's just that-"
"What?"
"You two kind of fit together."
"..."
"Sorry, I wasn't trying to-"
"Don't worry, Ai-chan." Yaoyorozu got up.
"Are you two going to be okay?"
"The man with me will definitely never let you down. When he promises you something, you can be sure that he'll fulfill his promise. Stay here." She energized her body and also dashed away, leaving the girl touching her hand while smiling.
"How many?"
"Too many. We can't repeat the Yaoyorozu's invasion strategy... Too risky."
"Yaoyorozu's invasion?"
"Don't like it?"
"Sigh... So what do we do? And why is it too risky?"
"There's too many of them in a very tight space."
"Then we may need more people-"
"I already got it covered."
Yaoyorozu looked above them to see something flying by, something dark and big, something resembling a giant bird. The boy landed right next to Midoriya, his face already concealed by a strange mask.
"Good evening."
"Tokoyami-kun?! What are you doing-" She then looked him in the eyes and there was no need to explain. He was the same as Midoriya. The boy was probably put through the same things she was today.
"Good to see you've joined us, Yaoyorozu-san. What do we have, Midoriya?"
"Three-story house, cameras all around, 16 guards inside, and 32 civilians... I guess there are a few still working tonight."
"Working?"
"Underage prostitution network."
Tokoyami sighed and Dark Shadow appeared, at least twice his usual size.
"Tokoyami-kun, there's no sun... What if Dark Shadow goes berserker?"
"Yami?" Midoriya smirked.
"Momo-san, do you know what Dark Shadow wants?"
"What you mean?"
"Dark Shadow is the embodiment of my own bad feelings, and those feelings only want one thing: To be free. That's why I've found a way to conciliate."
"How?!"
"By allowing him to express his desire. He lends me his power, and I give him what he craves."
"And what would that be?"
"Violence."
"..."
"We don't have much time, explain the details later, Yami."
"Understood. Where are the civilians?"
"They are lying down on the third floor, a big room. One guard on the door."
"Do you have a plan? I have one but-"
"I do, but that's not why we're here."
He faced Yaoyorozu, who was absorbed in their conversation.
"Vanguard, assassin, or support?"
"Are you really using video-games analogies?"
"They're easier to understand."
"Sigh."
"So?"
"Vanguard."
"Yami, could you support her while a hold position in front of the hostages' room?"
"Yes."
He positioned himself to run and said to Yaoyorozu:
"Go in after me and don't wait long. I'll run upstairs and stand guard while you clean the ground, and the first floor."
"All right."
"And remember... No Russian."
"Huh?!" Yaoyorozu frowned.
Tokoyami snorted, trying to hold in a chuckle, and Yaoyorozu just kept frowning at Midoriya, who was trying to hold a smirk.
"Let's go."
Midoriya stormed the place, instantly hearing voices, proceeding to run upstairs, finding the man guarding the girl's dorm with ease. He saw the man raising a submachine gun, but he didn't do it in time. Midoriya kicked his hand with his feet coat by lightning, spinning in place, delivering a rounded kick to the side of his head, instantly knocking him out. He turned and opened the door, instantly regretting it. Why were a few of them sleeping naked? He turned his back on them, and said out loud because a few of them were screaming:
"DON'T WORRY! I WON'T HURT YOU! I'M HERE TO SET YOU FREE."
"Huh?!"
"Eh? What did he say?"
"Did you say set us free? Who are you? Are you with the police?"
"I'm not with the police, that's why I'm here... I am... I am the leader of a different organization... My organization specializes in... Dismantling criminal activities. Could you please put some clothes on so I can speak directly to you?"
After a few seconds they said he could turn. They were all startled, and a few scared of the noises coming from downstairs.
"Don't worry, my... Associates are cleaning this place. Ai sent us to help you."
A blond girl took a step back while covering her mouth.
"Did you say Ai? Ai sent you here?"
"Yes... Why?"
A loud noise came from downstairs, making Midoriya wonder that something must have exploded because of how the house shook. Midoriya turned to face the blonde girl, already knowing what she was going to say:
"We're all dead."
"Huh?"
"Ai... Ai is the one responsible for recruiting... She's the one responsible for kidnapping new girls... She's one of the leaders."
On the outside, the girl was on the phone, already surrounded by henchmen, speaking with a totally different voice and accent:
"Yes, they got our hideout... What did you expect? I had to tell them something or the would suspect me... Are you joking? I have all of them caged in here... Yes, by Jugo. They're locked up... Ugh... You know I hate that kid... Fine, I'll make sure they are dead... Don't worry, I already told you that I'll make sure... Understood."
She hanged up and threw the cellphone at the nearby henchmen, speaking to a man that was pointing his hands towards the house:
"You'll have to hold them for a little longer, Jugo."
"Huh? Why?"
"They're sending Mustard to finish the job, he'll be here in 10."
On the inside, Midoriya felt this was a crisis.
"You're safe in here, I'll go downstairs to see what's happening."
"Don't bother... We are already dead."
"Why do you say that?"
"She fooled you, didn't she? She did that to all of us. She probably has a plan to dispose of all of us at once... It's too late... We're all doomed."
"Let's see about that."
He ran downstairs and saw all the thugs on the floor, but Yaoyorozu and Tokoyami were not there.
"YAMI!? MOMO!?"
"IN HERE!"
He heard Yaoyorozu's voice and walked into a room where he saw both of them trapped inside metal cages. He also saw the same metallic bars outside the windows, but went to try to set his friends free first.
"What happened?!" Tokoyami asked astonished.
"Ai betrayed us. She's one of the leaders."
"Who's Ai?"
"I'll explain later, Yami. Quick version? We go backstabbed."
"Wha-"
"The others told me, Momo-san. She lured us to a trap... I wasn't careful enough. I should've pressed her for more details about her identity."
"No way... She couldn't have done this."
"How do you explain this?" Nobody knew we were coming. She probably found a way to warn them... What is this thing?!"
"We don't know... We just saw a bright light and when it was over, we were inside these cages. I can't get it open either."
Midoriya took his Kusanagi and aimed a swing at the edge of the cage, but a voice stopped him.
'Do not do it.'
'Orochi?'
'Your wolf called me.'
'What you mean by don't do it?'
'This is not a usual cage... This is a higher power.'
'High power? What you mean?'
'How oblivious can you be? Just as you possess a higher power, you will eventually find individuals who possess other high powers, like this one. This is a higher power.'
'All right... How do I break this... High power?'
'You cannot. Only the bearer of this high power or a higher god would be able to destroy this.'
'No way, you have to be joking.'
'Please, be my guest and try to break them free, just do not use my vessel... I do not wish for it to be broken into pieces.'
Midoriya coated his hand in lightning and struck the cage. It was sturdy, in a way he never saw before. He used his magnetic healing to heal his now broken fingers and called out his Susanoo.
'Ah, how unsightly.' Orochi said, her voice showing only disgust before she vanished again.
He grabbed both bars and started to pull them apart, but it didn't move, not even with the Susanoo.
"What in the-"
"Yahoo, Raijin-san." They heard a voice coming from the outside and Midoriya walked to the window.
"Hi... So, before you die, may I ask you why did you attack us? We paid our fees and never broke any rules... What was your goal?"
Midoriya looked around and noticed a man next to the girl, aiming his arms towards the house, metallic bars coming out of his palms, and understood. He took a deep breath and said in an audible voice:
"Ai, if that is your real name, you'll regret what you did. I want you to take a moment to imagine what I'll do to you when I'm out of here."
"You'll never get out of there... Not even All Might would be able to escape Jugo's imprisonment."
"You may have the upper hand right now, but I want you to ask yourself this: Do I really have the upper hand against the Raijin? Did I really push him into a corner where he can't get out? Or am I messing with something way over my head? What will this cost me if he manages to get free? Is he really under my mercy, or am I dancing by his music? I want you to ask yourself these questions before you continue."
"I don't need to, because you'll be dead in a moment."
"Would you be willing to bet your life on that?"
"..."
"It will be fun to watch you suffer, Ai. Enjoy the rest of your life, because when I get to you, you will experience hell for eternity."
"..."
The girl couldn't answer back, slightly shaking after the threat. She knew what the Raijin was capable of.
"Midoriya-kun, what will we do?"
"I don't know yet, give me some time to think."
"We may not have much time." Tokoyami said, looking through the window to an arriving car.
Midoriya looked over the window again and saw someone getting out of the car. Midoriya noticed a highschool uniform and identify the person as a young boy, who walked past by the man named Jugo and raising his hands, started creating pink smoke towards the house. Midoriya needed only a few seconds to understand that wasn't smoke, it was gas.
"Oh no."
"Not so talkative right now, huh? You shouldn't have gone against Jin, Raijin. Do you really believe he wasn't aware of your plans? All the people you blackmailed and threatened went to him shortly after... He knows everything you've done."
Midoriya ran out of the room, going downstairs to the ground floor just to see gas coming from every door and window. He returned to the room and thought for a second.
"Of course... I'm so stupid." He looked around and grabbed two boxes, placing them in front of him, looking to his two caged friends while saying:
"Switch"
The boxes appeared inside the cage, and they were freed.
'Not so mighty now.' He thought towards the high power and Orochi whispered, her voice distant:
'You did not free them, you traded imprisoned objects.'
'...'
"Thank you."
"Appreciate it."
"Let's move upstairs, there's gas coming from the ground floor."
"Gas?"
"Yes... And I don't believe it to be of the sleeping type."
"Oh, my god."
They quickly went upstairs, seeing how the gas had already filled the ground floor, making its way to the second floor. They arrived at the room where the girls were and noticed that most of them were crying, others praying. The blonde girl said with a defeated look:
"I told you. She always has the upper hand. It doesn't matter how smart you think you are, she's always a step ahead of you."
"Midoriya-kun, what are we going to do?!" Yaoyorozu asked and Midoriya had an answer, but unfortunately, his wind powers were long gone.
"I... I- I don't know. Give me time to think-"
"We don't have time, Midoriya. It's coming upstairs." Tokoyami said while looking at the corridor, closing the door and moving everyone to the far side of the room.
Midoriya was out of options, his powers were not good enough to break them out of that situation, so he asked Raiju:
'Can you hear me?'
'Yes, I'm also aware of the situation and I've prepared everything you need.'
'What you mean by everything I need?'
"Midoriya?! It's getting inside... Midoriya?! MIDORIYA!" Tokoyami shouted and the last thing Midoriya saw before touching the side of his head with his fingers, was the pink gas coming from below the door towards them.
"Release"
Midoriya appeared on the ravine and breathed in the fresh air, thinking he had about 5 minutes in this reality to finish things. 5 minutes in here were the equivalent to 1 minute in the real world.
Midoriya saw Raiju materializing next to him and wondered what he was doing there.
"Raiju? What are you-"
"I'm simply following orders."
"Orders from who?"
"From you."
Midoriya was hit by red electricity for a few seconds and grabbed both sides of his head, his eyes showing only confusion until it ended. He got up and faced Raiju again, smirking.
"I'm back, Raiju... Thanks."
"You're welcome."
"Fuujin. Suijin."
He called out loud and both gods materialized, looking directly at him while Raiju faded away. They all remained in silence until Suijin spoke:
"So the time has finally come."
"..."
"Tch. I never thought I would give my existence to a human... But I guess it's a better ending. It's better to vanish for your sake than-" Fuujin started, but a voice interrupted him.
"For mine?" The venomous voice said and the two gods looked over Midoriya's shoulder.
Yamata no Orochi was in front of them, assuming her original form. An eight-headed giant red serpent. She had small horns shining in gold, just like her eyes and a few scales on her body.
"I knew you were hiding them, Raijin. Even without reading your mind, I was able to tell. Why would you trust me anyway? It was only obvious."
"..."
Midoriya looked over his shoulder and glared at whatever she was. He sighed and faced Fuujin and Suijin, biting his lip, before unsheathing the Kusanagi.
"Oy, brat... Don't let that thing crave her fangs into you. She's a wicked beast and she will betray you the first chance she has."
"I know, Fuu."
"And don't use my power recklessly, I still have a reputation to maintain, buwahahaha."
"I'll try to keep that in mind."
"Then, this is farewell. Goodbye, my brothers... Suu, it was an honor to fight alongside you... I will look forward to the time we can meet again in the underworld."
"Likewise, my brother."
"I'm ready, Raijin."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be... You're the Fuujin now... And the Fuujin is never sorry." He said with a big smile, looking directly at Midoriya's face.
Midoriya positioned the Kusanagi and didn't wait, thrusting it in once, opening a wound on Fuujin's chest. The wound started to progressively grow as if it was corroding his body, becoming a giant hole on his chest, until he started to disappear.
"Heh... This isn't so bad... It doesn't hurt at all... I'll wait for you... Brothers... And then... We can drink together one more time-" And in the blink of an eye, his body vanished, just like his essence. Midoriya looked over his shoulder again and the serpent was just staring at them, so he faced Suijin who was looking down and asked.
"I don't know how-"
"Feel it."
"Huh?"
"Feel the element. Feel the power, the weight of the words. The weight of the responsibility. Feel everything and you will realize what you have to say."
Midoriya closed his eyes for a few seconds, breathing slowly, remembering Fuujin's laugh, slightly smiling himself before raising his hand, saying:
"I claim your name, Fuujin, to control the winds that carry destiny over the land." As if his words were a switch, the wind started to blow around the ravine, making the leaves from the giant three scatter around. Midoriya waited and felt the wind gathering in the same place, until it finally came towards him, entering his body. He felt like his lungs were being burned, his whole body shook and he felt short on air. He fell down and after a few seconds, saw a hand helping him get up. He turned and saw a girl, a red-haired girl.
"Orochi?"
"Yes?"
"How are you like this?"
"Let us say I borrowed some of your new power to create this form. You have to agree with me... Seeing your own face was not very good for your mental health."
Midoriya got up and faced Suijin, who was staring at both of them. The boy asked towards Orochi:
"Why didn't you try to take Fuujin's powers?"
"So this was your real concern?"
"..."
"Why would I?"
"I thought you-"
"Ah, Midoriya Izuku- Raijin. I do have plans to destroy you when you are no longer useful to me, but I most certainly do not need a god's power to do it so. I have my own powers, and I will use them to kill you when the time has arisen, until then, I made myself very clear: I will aid you in your quest."
"..."
"Now, I believe your real body is in imminent danger?"
Midoriya remembered what was happening outside and prepared to return, but remembered Suijin, who was staring at the place where his brother was just slain.
"Suijin-"
"I understand, Raijin. I understand that was necessary and inevitable, just as my demise is necessary. I am ready."
"Suu... I'm not going to- I did this because I needed the wind back."
"If the wind was your goal, you could have asked him."
"She-"
"I assure you that I would never allow that to happen." Orochi answered first.
"Why does this matter to you, Serpent?"
"As long as I am here, sharing his body and soul, he will not bow to a god ever again."
"..."
"I wanted to borrow his powers again, but I knew that if I were to come here, she would never allow me to do that."
"And does she have this much control over you already?"
"No."
"Then why-"
"Because at this moment, we are two entities sharing a common goal. This allows us to coexist for the moment, but we still expect certain behaviors from one another." Orochi answered.
"And what would those be?"
"I shall stay away from his decisions, and in return, he does not force me to humiliate myself to useless gods such as yourself."
Midoriya closed his expression, trying to control his anger not to mess up his plan.
"If I were to go against her, I believe she could make my life really complicated... And right now, I need solutions, not problems."
"I understand. So, what are you waiting for?" Suijin asked while sitting.
"I don't... I don't have to do this... I don't need to, and I don't want to. I never wanted your powers, Suijin."
"I'm the last obstacle for you to become the true god of the storms... And I do not wish to be left here alone, so please, allow me to be with my brother and mother once again."
He bowed and Midoriya looked to the girl on his left, seeing how she was panting, her face becoming completely red, her eyes almost shining. She was completely excited by the sight of a god begging for their mercy, and Midoriya felt disgusted at her and mostly at himself. He approached and knelt next to Suijin, touching his shoulder, ignoring the waves of danger coming from behind him.
"I am your brother as well."
"..."
"Could you live for my sake? I still need your aid."
"..."
"Please, Suijin."
The god nodded once and disappeared in a puddle of water. Midoriya got up and looked over his shoulder, meeting Orochi's deadly gaze.
"Please?"
"He's someone dear to me."
"You ask nothing from them. You force them to bend to your will... You do not beg... YOU TAKE WHAT YOU WANT!"
She shouted the last part, making leaves fly all around, and Midoriya approached, standing face to face with her.
"The day when you'll try to kill me will come, Orochi, but when that day comes, I'll be ready. I'll be waiting to send you back to where you belong. Every time you speak, my hatred for you grows, and one day, I'll take Susanoo's role... And when I do, I want you to remember what happened here today."
"Do you believe you will be able to defeat me with that vermin's power? He was never able to face me... Why do you believe you would?"
"Because I'm not Susanoo. I'm a human."
"Then how can you be so full of yourself, knowing how insignificant you are compared to me?"
Midoriya smiled devilishly, and Orochi's eyes widened.
"Because above being a human... I am the cursed one."
The serpent understood too late, seeing the red of his eyes, trying to look away, but falling inside the dark nevertheless. There was nothing in there, just emptiness. She didn't try to move, laughing for some time before asking:
"So this was your scheme?"
Midoriya appeared in front of her, and she tried to attack him, but it was as if he was made of smoke.
"Yes." He said, reappearing behind the girl.
"How?! I was sure you were hiding them in here-"
"I already knew you were secretly reading my mind, Orochi. That's how I created this plan."
"What?!"
"Believing that you're one step ahead of your enemy always gives a false sense of control. I just used that against you."
"But I saw all your memories-"
Midoriya's image smirked and Orochi tried to attack him again, managing only to blow the smoke further away.
"You modified your own memories."
"I did."
"The wolf... The damn wolf."
"Yes."
She started to laugh out loud, and as Midoriya started disappearing, she started to shout:
"DO YOU THINK YOU'LL BE ABLE TO TRAP ME IN HERE? I WILL BREAK FREE SOON ENOUGH, AND WHEN I DO, YOU BETTER BE PREPARED! CAN YOU HEAR ME? YOU BETTER BE PREPARED TO DIE!"
Midoriya kept starting at the paralyzed girl in front of him, trapped inside his Moonlight. He looked behind him, to the place where Fuujin last stood, and touched his temple, leaving the ravine.
He blinked once and saw the room filled with purple smoke. The girls were screaming and Yaoyorozu was trying to dissipate the gas with the One for All, clapping her hands towards the poison, pushing the gas away with the windblast, but it wasn't good enough. Midoriya got up and exhaled. This was different from his lightning power. The lightning cracked inside his body, leaving a tingling sensation on his muscles, a feeling of continuous electricity running everywhere, tensioning, strengthening it, but what he felt now was something related to fluidity. It was like the wind was continuous, moving around his body, surrounding it from the outside. He didn't feel powerful, he felt lighter, faster. He felt the breeze outside and how he could control its course. He faced forward again and clapped his hands together, using the power he first saw in the sport's festival replays.
"Fuujin's sin - Chaos Sphere"
The girls, Yaoyorozu, and Tokoyami were pulled towards Midoriya at the same time they felt wind pressure passing by them. They got up, looking around to see they were inside some kind of enclosure, made of moving wind, the poison still lingering on the outside, trying to find a way in, but new layers were being formed, spinning along with the first ones, until the couldn't see anything on the outside anymore, just dense white steam spinning around them at high speed.
"Midoriya-kun... What is this?" Yaoyorozu asked looking around with her mouth open.
"This is the same thing he used at the festival." Tokoyami whispered to himself, also looking around.
"I didn't use it at the festival, Fuujin did." Midoriya whispered, concentrated.
"What happened? You were sitting there and now you're using wind freely again?"
"..."
"Midoriya?" Tokoyami raised one eyebrow, but Midoriya just shook his head once, and his best friend stopped asking questions.
"I need you to hold still, I'm going to break us out of here, but this is going to be a hell of a ride."
"What you mean by-"
And then, they heard.
Midoriya was somehow suppressing the sound the wind was making, but as he stopped, the noise that the sphere was creating could be heard, and it was deafening, making everyone cover their ears. They felt the wind coming to the insides of the sphere, making them all float, as their enclosure expanded. On the outside, Ai couldn't believe her eyes when Raiju materialized next to the man responsible for caging them, spinning in place once, hitting the man with such force, that he destroyed the ground below him with the impact, instantly summoning a single bolt of red lighting, sending dust everywhere.
"What the hell is going on?! Kill them, Mustard! KILL THEM RIGHT NOW!"
The boy wondered how they weren't dead yet and spotted the giant spinning globe floating out of the house, breaking the crumbling metallic bars, walls, and ceiling. He instantly stopped using his quirk, running towards his car, entering and signaling for his driver to take him away.
"COME BACK HERE! I'M GOING TO TELL JIN-SAN ABOUT THIS... YOU ARE SO DEAD." Ai shouted towards the car as they drove away. She looked up and saw the monstrous power in front of her. Her henchmen started to run, a few asking her to leave as well, but she knew there was no escaping from that. That was the power of a demon. The noise coming from the giant sphere broke lamps and windows all around, and the wind pressure pushed everyone away, flipping cars and breaking trees. Suddenly, the sphere started to slow down, decreasing the noise and coming towards the ground, and after a few more seconds, the wind vanished, revealing the girls and the trio inside. All of them had their hairs messed up, a few with scratches and cuts. Midoriya got up and walked slowly towards Ai, who was on the ground, looking down, holding her hands together. She felt his presence in front of her and started shaking in fear, her hand moving to the hidden blade she had.
"That won't help." Midoriya said while the small knife was taken away by Raiju, using his teeth.
"P-p-ple- Please... Have mercy... Please... I beg you! I was wrong! I'm sorry for disrespecting you." She got down on her knees and tried to kiss his shoes, but he took a step back.
"Before that, I want to ask you something."
"Anything- I'll answer anything... Just spare me."
"There's no way those memories were fake."
"..."
"Were those your real memories? Was that what really happened to you?"
She looked up and Midoriya saw that was her real past, that she used to trick him.
"I understand. This was the way you found to survive. Push the pain into others."
"I- I- I'm sorry... I shouldn't have done that... I just didn't want to suffer anymore."
Yes, it was never simple.
"Momo-san, we're waiting for your decision here."
Tokoyami looked over his shoulder to Yaoyorozu, who was talking to the girls, promising help, noticing when she stiffened, turned, and walked towards them. She stopped next to Midoriya and faced the girl.
"You should rot in jail, Ai... But I understand that things don't work that way." She turned her face and just stared at Midoriya, who held her gaze.
"Are you sure?" He asked after noticing her unspoken signal, wanting for verbal confirmation.
"Do it." She said, turning to face the girl on the ground, nothing but disgust on her expression.
"No... Please, Yaoyorozu-sama... This is not how a hero should act... A hero doesn't kill... You're not like this... Please, have mercy... I beg you."
"Did you have mercy on them?" She pointed to the girls behind her and Ai's expression sunk.
"I was following orders... I never wanted to harm them... It was just about the money-"
And that was the wrong thing to say. Midoriya saw the One for All gathering on Yaoyorozu's right arm, as she delivered a punch in the middle of the girl's face, breaking her nose, knocking her out cold. She took a step forward as if she was going to continue, but Midoriya intercepted the next punch, standing between her and the girl on the floor. She glared at him with a crazy expression and pulled her hand, hissing:
"Get out of the way."
"I can't."
"Move... Aside... Midoriya-kun!"
"No."
She powered her left arm and delivered a crossed straight into his face, making him fall to one knee, but he instantly got up with his lip bleeding. She hit him again, cutting his cheek as he didn't guard.
"MOVE!"
"I can't."
She started punching him everywhere, while he took it in, until the moment he felt her attacks were becoming weaker... Her hands shaking. He saw her face, noticing the sadness and despair in there, and that almost made him give up on his plan again, but at that moment, he just wanted to comfort her somehow, so he hugged her, as she shook her head, speaking while holding onto him.
"WHY... THIS- THIS... IS ALL HER- HER FAULT... THEY'RE- KIDS- JUST KIDS... MIDORIYA-KUN... THEY'RE CHILDREN... OH MY GOD-"
Midoriya held her for at least one minute while she cried out, but he started hearing sirens, so he turned to Tokoyami and asked:
"Yami, how many can you carry?"
"At least 6."
"Go ahead, I'll meet you there."
"Understood."
Tokoyami walked towards the girls and quickly explained, using Dark Shadow to grab six of them in one go, dashing away. Midoriya held Momo by her shoulders and said:
"Carry two of them and follow me, we need to leave before the police arrive."
"I... I-" She sounded and look lost.
"Get it together, you said you were going to help them, didn't you?! They need your help, and we need to go now." He shook her and she snapped out of it, walking to do what he asked, placing two girls on her shoulders. Midoriya approached and explained:
"You have nothing to fear, we'll get you out of here." As he spoke, the Susanoo appeared, grabbing the reluctant girls with its hands, and Midoriya moved away:
"Icarus"
Yaoyorozu jumped after him, taking off, but remembered that Ai was still alive. She was about to ask why Midoriya did nothing to her when she heard a cracking noise that made her look up to the sky. Her eyes widened when she saw the sky parting, followed by a red light that illuminated the night, as the lighting bolts destroyed everything, leaving nothing behind.
Tokoyami was already waiting, seeing both Yaoyorozu and Midoriya arriving. They wait for the girls to get safely to the ground and Midoriya asked:
"Any trouble?"
"None."
"Good, let's go inside."
Tokoyami moved and walked next to a brick wall. Yaoyorozu didn't know where they were. This was a strange part of town, filled with shrines and temples. She carefully watched Tokoyami approaching his face to the wall and suddenly, a door opened.
"Is this-"
"Our hideout." Midoriya answered, turning to everyone:
"We shall discuss the next steps inside. I believe Momo-san will be also glad to provide you with a few clothes." His eyes slightly moved to the girls who were using pajamas or only shirts over underwear. He walked in and Momo nodded, indicating they should follow him, but before they could go any further, the blonde girl from earlier said:
"What's your name?"
"What?"
"Your name. What is your name?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't give you my name. This is for your own safety. My plan has to progress in absolute secrecy, so I can't-"
"I'm asking it because I'm not sure we can trust you."
"Excuse me?"
"You helped us escape, and now you're taking us to some shady place... Who can tell you're not a competitor that is trying to use us just like they did?"
"..."
Midoriya just stared at them, feeling that they were right to be wary. He thought for a few seconds and placed his hands inside his pockets while shrugging.
"How about this, then: You are all free to go."
"What?"
"You heard me. You can turn around and leave, I won't chase you or do any harm to you. You're free to leave and go live your lives."
The girls eyed each other and the blonde girl narrowed her eyes:
"What's the catch?"
"No catch. I understand you. You can't trust anyone. And you shouldn't. Only those who suffered what you've suffered are worthy of your trust because you are bound by the pain you shared."
"..."
"I'll lay all the cards... Today was not in my plans. Your rescue was Momo's idea, and this help we're going to provide is also on her."
"So what you're saying is that you didn't really want to help us?"
"Exactly."
"If you knew-"
"How much you've suffered?" The girl stiffened and Midoriya raised one eyebrow, continuing:
"How much you had to withstand? I do know all of that and don't get me wrong, I feel for you, but I can't let what happened to you affect me to the point my emotions take control over my reasoning. What happened to you happens everywhere in our city... If I were to be disgusted, sad, angry, at every single one of them, I would go crazy."
"..."
"I apologize if I seem unsympathetic with your situation, but I act like this to benefit all of us. Now, if you want to leave, be my guest, but be wary of the rest of Jin's gang that is now after all of you. If you want your lives back, you'll have to take a risk and trust me."
All of them started whispering but in the end, they waited for the blonde girl to decide for them. She looked like the oldest.
"Fine, for a chance to get our lives back, we'll take the risk. If you are the same as them, we're just going back to the place we were in the first place."
Midoriya smiled, walking towards the girl, she was slightly taller than him and as they faced each other, Midoriya used his Blood Moon, maintaining eye contact, but the girl didn't look away, holding his stare. He stopped and turned:
"I like you, Rei-san."
"How do you know my name?"
Raiju appeared and a few girls jumped back while Rei just stared. She knew that wolf... She knew who he was. Midoriya stopped and looked over his shoulder, locking eyes with Rei again, and the girl understood that he also knew that she knew. They walked in the building, through a corridor, until they arrived at a cargo elevator, taking it and going down. It was so big that all of them could fit. After going down for a considerable amount of time, they arrived at their destination.
The first impression they had was that they were inside a giant bunker. There were boxes all around, and at the center, up a few levels, there were at least twenty monitors connected to a station where a boy with short messy white hair was sitting, surrounded by keyboards. Tokoyami was already waiting in an area to the right. They waited for everyone to arrive and Midoriya sat in one of the steps behind the monitor's area before speaking:
"I have to apologize to you." Everyone felt apprehensive after that start, but they had nowhere to go now.
"What for?"
"I lied to all of you."
Yaoyorozu looked around, trying to figure what he was talking about.
"What are you talking about, Midoriya-kun?"
"First, wonderful job revealing my identity, Momo-san." He glared at her and she covered her mouth.
"I already know who you are, Midoriya Izuku. The lightning god Raijin, student of the U.A hero academy, and one of the VIP customers in our list."
"VIP? What is she talking about?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"It's not what you're imagining, Momo-san. She means that my name was in a list of important people to the organization."
"Yes. We were supposed to serve you with our best capabilities if you were to ever request our services." She spat the words, disgusted.
"Well, now that we all know each other, I can explain why I just apologized. I lied about you not being in my plans. Ai and her organization were in my plans for at least two weeks, because I needed two things. The first was the villain called: Mustard. I needed to lure him out of his hiding place, and I knew Jin was waiting for the right opportunity to use him to kill me. I purposely left a trail back to me when I started dismantling his organization, so he would think he was a step ahead of me, but he was dancing on my palm the whole time. Now that I have mustard, it's a matter of time before I find him again."
"I didn't see you capturing anyone, Midoriya-kun."
"Raiju is keeping track of him."
"What is the second thing?" Rei asked.
"This is not related to you, Rei-san. This is meant for these two. Now, I'm interested in one thing from all of you." The girls just waited.
"Your blood."
"Huh?"
"I want to analyze this drug Ai told us about. A way to erase your quirks... I want to know more about this."
"And how is our blood going to help you? Are you a scientist?"
"No, I'm not, but he is."
Midoriya pointed to the white-haired boy that was typing at incredible speed, dividing his attention to five monitors at once.
"Who's that child, Midoriya-kun?" Yaoyorozu whispered and Midoriya smiled.
"He hates to be called a child, Momo-san, so I advise you to call him with proper respect. That is Reginald Von Schroeder, a prodigy I've found."
"You didn't find me, Midoriya, I found you. Don't lie just to look cool." The boy answered without looking away from whatever he was doing, making Midoriya chuckle.
"Two things you need to know about him: He's a genius. And he's a prick."
"True and very true. May I ask why would you bring semi-naked females to your hideout where your teenage associate is working? Are you trying to boycott my job?"
"I'm sure a genius like you can manage to sneak glances at them while concentrating in your work, so shut up... I'm talking. Also, it's very rude to them when you-"
"I know they were being forced to sell their bodies. And I know they don't like being objectified. That doesn't change the fact that they are all beautiful, especially the blonde one."
Rei raised one eyebrow, but her expression seemed off.
"You know you're speaking out loud right? You know they can hear you. Also, her name is R-"
"Sato Rei, 21 years old, the sign of the dragon, blood type O-, 88-69-87, allergic to peanuts, kidnapped at the age of 15 from Kyoto. I do know her, just like I know all the others." He spoke as if he was reading the information from a book.
"As I said, you were in our plans for some time... And as I said, he's a prick. Just shut up, Reginald."
"Oy oy... Nobody told me this was going to be a tyranny. I want my right to expression... Freedom now!"
"Just zip it, Regi."
The boy chuckled and finally became quiet, so Midoriya continued:
"He's going to analyze your blood and try to isolate the component responsible for your quirk's erasure. Do you think you can provide us with samples?"
"Erasure?" Reginal asked.
"Yea, I'm pretty sure they have some kind of drug or quirk that allows them to erase quirks, or at least suppress them somehow."
"Interesting."
"Is this really what you want to do with it?" Rei interrupted the two.
Midoriya shrugged and was about to ask why would he lie when Reginald spoke:
"What would we want to do with it? Drink it? Aw, all right, all right... I'll just shut up, but there are limits to stupidity." He whispered the last part, but Rei heard him, walking up the steps towards the boy. Tokoyami faced Midoriya, who raised both eyebrows and turned to watch, his expression saying shit was about to go down. The girl turned the boy's chair and his eyes became unfocused for a few seconds until they focused on her face after he blinked a few times.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"So you think I'm pretty, huh?"
"What?! Ah... Yes, your facial proportions are optimal-"
And then the girl leaned over and kissed him hard, grabbing his hair, not letting go for at least ten seconds, when she finally set him free. Midoriya turned to Tokoyami, who just shook his head, wondering what the hell just happened. After she set him free, he couldn't say a word, just stare at her with a blank face.
"..."
"I know the look you were giving us when we walked in."
"..."
"I'm used to see the same look all around. You were thinking we are tainted. You were thinking we are not worthy, because we have been under degrading situations, so you just saw us as pieces of meat, didn't you? Now, I know you were keeping your first kiss to some unreal version of yourself, some genius, witty, pure, pretty girl, but now... I took that away from you, so tell me, how does it feel?! When you find the special person you're looking for, you won't be able to share your first experience with her. Every time you kiss someone, you'll remember me and the feeling of violation you just suffered. So tell me, are your less worthy now?" She closed her expression, her eyes becoming cold, as she turned and left, going back to the girls, leaving Reginald astonished.
"Well, in almost a month, this is the first time I see him without words." Midoriya said while tilting his head, worried about the boy's expression.
He got up and walked away from his workstation, vanishing deeper inside the bunker.
"Where were we?" Midoriya continued, a little worried about Regi, but not enough to chase after him.
"Your apology." Rei said.
"Rei-san, you're really a savage. Hahahaha. Yami, do you remember where we put it?"
Tokoyami used Dark Shadow to bring one box, and when Midoriya opened it, they all saw clothes and documents.
"These are-"
"The clothes you were wearing and the documents they took from you. They kept all hidden for some reason. All these boxes here contain documents and information related to other people in similar situations."
They started recognizing the clothes they were using when they were taken, years ago, a few taking it into their hands, crying as they remembered the life that was robbed from them.
"You're all listed as missing people in the police database, so your lives are there for the taking, but first, I need to destroy Jin's organization, so you can be truly free."
"And what are you gaining from this?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Is someone aiding you? Someone, maybe, waiting to take control over the underworld after you destroy Jin's operation?"
Midoriya smirked and told the truth:
"You're right, there is someone waiting to take control after Jin is gone."
"I knew it. Who is it? Who's behind the curtains pulling the strings?"
"I am."
"You- So this is all a plan to give you control over the underworld?"
"Yes."
"You're just like them... We shouldn't have come here... We shouldn't have trusted you."
Rei gave the impression she was looking for an exit, but Yaoyorozu said:
"There is a reason for him to say that."
"What? He just admitted that he's aiming to take Jin's place."
"No, there's more. I know there is. He would never do something like this to someone. What are your real plans, Midoriya-kun?"
Yaoyorozu's face caused the same reaction from earlier on Midoriya, so he turned his face away from her oddly alluring expression.
"We are going to take over the underworld so we can destroy the underworld." Tokoyami answered and Midoriya's face snapped towards him.
"Yami!"
"It is the truth, why should we keep a secret from them?"
"..."
"Take over the underworld... To destroy the underworld? Why?" Rei asked, looking to their faces to find any trace of a lie.
"Take a few seconds to think about. If you are a part of the underworld, and you start taking down competitors, gaining territory, everyone becomes your adversary, but they will all be individual adversaries. Once you insert yourself in their world, they will be wary of you, while a few will ask you for a partnership. In the end, if we were to attack all of them at once, the odds are they were going to team up against us, making our life exponentially harder, so we decided to take them bit by bit. Patience turns mulberry leaves into silk... Through the silkworm."
"Thank you for the explanation, Yami." Midoriya glared at him, who shrugged.
"That doesn't explain why were you trying to keep this a secret from us." Yaoyorozu wondered and Rei answered in a whisper, looking straight into Midoriya's eyes.
"Because you don't us trying to help, right?" Midoriya sighed, not meeting her gaze, and she continued:
"You knew that if we found out that you were going to destroy everything, we would want to help. You knew we would jump at the first opportunity for revenge. Are you perhaps worried about us, Mr. I don't get emotionally involved?"
Midoriya turned to face her, irritated.
"Perhaps I misjudged you, Rei. You're prickier than Regi."
"Well, you were right. I do want revenge, but I'll do it alone."
A few girls started protesting, but Rei turned and smiled at them, assuring she was going to be ok. Midoriya then saw the look on her face and understood. It was a mother's look towards her children. She turned and noticed Midoriya's stare, changing back to her cold expression, wearing it like a mask, like a shield. This was going way out of Midoriya's plans for the night, so he looked at his watch and got up.
"As for today, you can stay here. Momo-san and I still have unfinished business to attend, and after we're done, we'll come back to decide how to move forward. This is my friend, Tokoyami Fumikage, and he'll provide you with whatever you need until we return."
"What about your secret identities?"
"I know we can trust you."
"..."
They faced each other for a few seconds, as some kind of mutual admiration born between the two.
"Let's go, Momo-san."
The girl didn't wait, following Midoriya to the elevator. The doors closed and they started going up. Midoriya sighed while looking up, his eyes closed.
"So this is what you've been doing all these weeks?" Yaoyorozu asked, looking straight forward. He answered the same way, not looking at her.
"Yes. It wasn't easy to set up this place, but I needed a starting place."
"Is Bakugou-kun involved too?"
"No, just Yami and Regi."
Midoriya opened his eyes and looked forward, but before he could control himself, he snuck a glance at her and saw that she was staring at him. For ten seconds, they couldn't look away from each other, and then a noise indicating they were arriving made them break eye contact. Midoriya's hands were tingling, and he instantly said:
"Since this last maneuver cost us 50 years, we can handle just one more situation tonight. Who do you want to help?"
Yaoyorozu thought for some time before putting her mask on, running away without a word. Midoriya chuckled and coated his legs with wind, following her.
They looked around and finally found who they were looking for. Yaoyorozu dropped above the man, taking him down in one go while Midoriya stayed behind, providing cover. The guy turned to see who that was and shouted:
"YOU FUCKING GUYS AGAIN?! GET OFF ME YOU CRAZY BITCH!"
Midoriya knelt next to him and approached, whispering:
"Call her bitch one more time." His voice was so full of danger that the man became quiet.
"Where is she?"
"Where's who?!"
"The girl from earlier, where is she?"
"Who knows where she is... What the fuck is wrong with you? This is harassment!"
Midoriya pulled Yaoyorozu's arm to make her get off the man. He then made him sit, looking him in the eyes.
"I'm going to ask you once: What did you give her, and where she went? And before you say you don't know, think about who you're lying to."
His eyes became red, and the man looked around, desperate.
"I gave her a fix, ok? Just that, I swear! She helped us so I had to give her a reward. I don't know where she went, I swear."
Midoriya was about to use the Moonlight, just to be sure, when he heard the same voice from earlier:
"I thought we had an understanding, Raijin-san. What are you doing?" The hero appeared, a boomerang in hand. Midoriya got straight and slowly faced Yaoyorozu, who couldn't take her eyes off the man. He then took a step aside, pressing his back against the wall, placing both hands inside his pockets while the dealer ran away from them. The hero frowned while looking at Yaoyorozu and back to Midoriya, raising one eyebrow.
"Really?"
"Her choice."
"Are you sure about letting your girlfriend face me?"
"I'm not letting her do anything."
"Since you're putting yourself aside, I believe I have a green light to mess her up?"
Midoriya just stood silent and the man smirked.
"Don't complain if I sent her back to you with a few broken bones."
Midoriya chuckled after seeing the murderous expression on her face.
"Kuk... Don't worry, I won't complain about that."
He heard the overheating sound coming from the One for All, seeing the girl advancing without a warning but noticing she was full of openings.
'I think I should teach her how to fight when she's mad.'
She tried a direct jab at the man's central mass, but he stepped aside, using the boomerang on his hand to attack her. When the weapon was about to make contact, it exploded, sending smoke everywhere. Midoriya could see him clear as day, walking around the girl, taking something out of his vest, and creating another boomerang.
'I see... So this is how his quirk works.'
Yaoyorozu couldn't see anything, her right arm hurting due to the blow she took. She kept looking around, trying to find the man, but all of sudden, she felt the kick on her back, sending her sliding. Midoriya took his hands off his pockets, questioning his decision of allowing this fight. Maybe she had too much tonight, and her psyche couldn't keep up with this situation. He looked at Yaoyorozu, who kept looking around, until she met his eyes, glowing through the smoke. She then remembered, as if it was yesterday, the words he said: Think objectively and precisely. She took a deeper breath and created a net from her arm. She stopped moving and started listening, concentrating, until she heard the step to her right, throwing the net, switching a remote, energizing it. She heard the man screaming while falling to the ground and thought everything was over, and then she saw, a boomerang coming from above, passing by the man that was down, hitting her right arm before exploding. Midoriya tried to switch places with her, but he was too slow, now seeing her being exploded away. That explosion could be compared to Bakugou's quirk and Midoriya was truly scared when he saw her on the floor, her right side completely burned. The man got up, removing the net and threw a boomerang on the floor, creating some kind of windblast, sending the remaining smoke away.
"Aw, she took the whole blast... That's too bad. She was really cute, but now she's going to have some ugly scars."
Midoriya wasn't paying attention to the man, he was looking at her face. Her eyes were open, her breathing parting, her expression showing pain, but she still was conscious. Midoriya approached and whispered into her ear:
"The ones who get to decide are the ones that are strong. Those who are weak can only be at their mercy, but you're not weak... You're the One for All's bearer. This is not a sport's festival fight, this is real life. He is going to kill you, Momo... If you don't fight for your life, he's going to end it right here, right now."
She blinked and moved. He helped her get up, analyzing her burn marks, spotting some second-degree burns on her arm. He wanted to stop this, but this was the most important part for her to learn. He let go of her arm and said:
"You can do it."
She could barely stand, but started creating something from her left thigh. The hero took out a flask, filled with a green substance, and a boomerang was created out of thin air, covering the flask. His quirk could create boomerangs, but he was the one filling them with other objects.
"Stubborn, aren't you? I don't know what your boyfriend told you but look at yourself... Tsc, tsc, what a waste."
"One for All-"
"Huh? What?! Speak louder, honey-"
"Lioness... Strike"
He saw the girl raising her left arm, bringing it down at the same time a slash pattern was created. He dashed away, dodging the slash by an inch, understanding that the girl was still dangerous, so he went on the offensive again, but she had already made her move. At least five metal balls were on the floor, starting to sparkle before emitting a high-pitched noise, making the man cover his ears. Those were very effective, but they ended too soon. He looked ahead again and saw the girl getting more of those, but she was too slow, weakened by her injuries. He dashed forward, creating a big boomerang to hit her in the head, seeing that she couldn't even move. He began the movement, aware of Midoriya's position, wondering if now would be the time he would intervene, but he didn't move a finger, so he saw as his boomerang made its way towards the girl's skull. Before it hit, he thought to himself that he overdid with this swing, wondering how he was going to explain her death, but the swing missed, as it passed right through her, making her figure distort for a second, before becoming whole again.
"Wha-" He looked at the ground and saw a metal ball, projecting the image he was seeing, and felt before he finished hearing:
"Lioness Strike"
The slash caught his back wide, cutting through his clothes and skin, throwing him against the end of the alley, destroying the wall. Midoriya took a sidestep to avoid the incoming slashes, feeling the wind pass by both of his sides, and the man's body flying away. Yaoyorozu sighed and her legs gave up, but she didn't fall. Midoriya was there, holding her before whispering:
"Lazarus"
He felt the lightning involving her and waited. While waiting, he saw the man ahead. He wasn't dead, but he wasn't going to eat solid food for some time either. A quick evaluation of his injuries told him that he would at least need immediate medical attention, so Midoriya started debating with himself.
'If I let him die, this will be on her. She's not ready to carry something this heavy yet... Maybe in the future, but this is too much right now. The thing is that I don't want to save him either... He deserves to die, but allowing him to die while I have the power to save him, would be the same as before... And I promised him that I would find my balance.'
Midoriya raised his hand towards the hero and started his Magnetic Healing, stabilizing his vitals before he could call an ambulance. He felt the drain of energy from the Lazarus and wondered how to proceed from now on.
Yaoyorozu opened her eyes and blinked a few times before realizing she wasn't alone. She sat, looking around, and faced Midoriya who was sitting, reading something on his cellphone while she was out. She then noticed that she had been lying on his lap, just like she once did to him, and he smirked.
"Embarrassing, isn't it?"
"What- What happened?"
"You won."
"Is he... Did you-"
"No, he's alive. I called him an ambulance."
"Why?"
"Did you just ask why?"
"Yes... You shouldn't have done that."
"Do you have any idea what you're talking about? If I weren't to do something, he was going to die... You were going to be the one responsible for his death."
"I know." She said that and looked away, making Midoriya's eyes narrow.
"Look at me."
She didn't turn.
"Momo-san, look at me, goddamnit." He pulled her arm and she glared at him, her expression becoming a mix of rage, sadness, and disgust. Midoriya felt the impact of his choices on that look.
'No... I pushed her too hard.'
"You can either kill or be killed, isn't that right?" She started asking him with a crazy expression.
"This is the world you wanted to show me, right? You want an answer as well, right? Yes... You love it when you're right... Then here you go: YOU WERE RIGHT, MIDORIYA-KUN, I COULDN'T HANDLE IT! LOOK HOW WEEK I AM... LOOK HOW SHALLOW MY RESOLVE IS... LOOK AT ME! I'M NOT SUITED TO BE THE ONE FOR ALL'S HOLDER... MAYBE I'M NOT EVEN SUITED TO BE HERO... I'M JUST A PATHETIC-" She stopped shouting when she saw his pity look. She shook her head a few times and asked:
"Why didn't you stop me... Why-" She whispered, almost inaudible.
"Because you wanted this."
She closed her eyes and just shook her head again, turning her face away from him.
The sun started rising and Midoriya got up, giving his hand to help her get up as well. She stared at it for some time before taking it, standing next to him, never meeting his gaze.
"What should I do with you now, Momo-san." He saw a soot mark on her neck and used his hand to brush it off, but when he was going to pull it back, her hand trapped his in there.
"Momo-san?!"
She met his gaze, and what Midoriya saw in there made him think that this was a bigger crisis than any of the ones he faced tonight. That wasn't Yaoyorozu's usual analytical, friendly and slight arrogant look, that was a look he never saw on her face before, a look that reflected only one thing: Lust.
Author's note: Review? Nah? All right ):