Whew, it's been a hot minute y'all. I hope everyone is faring well with everything going on right now. I was preparing for a con when I last updated this fic then got slammed with college followed by the coronavirus quarantine. It's been tough for me but I hope everyone is hanging in there. Also to my fellow black readers that are here, you matter a ton. I support you all 3
I hope to update this more as I do have the next two chapters done. This has been a rough five months but I'm determined to get this story done. I have yet to decide if I'll be keeping this a one-story or turning it into a series. Regardless, when I am done with the Overhaul arc, I will announce it.
Anywho, enough rambling, I don't own BNHA, I only own my OCs
Over the last couple of days, Overhaul had been given the scope of where they had found the corpse. They had found that the body had been dead for about three months, according to the autopsy that Chronostatisis had performed. No wonder the entire room had smelled disgusting. He still couldn't get the smell out of his nostrils. It wasn't like that it had been the first dead body he had seen, but he was quick to get rid of corpses. He always loathed the smell of the dead bodies that would make him feel like his skin was peeling off.
Despite the unsanitary feeling, Overhaul was anything but happy. His first instinct was that the League was trying to stab them in the back, but they didn't have the equipment to hide the smell of a dead body like this one. Nor did they have the skills to change the corpse's appearance. The skill to pull all of this was quite impressive. He knew no normal person who had been new to the underground could've ever pulled something off like this. It had to be an organization that did it and through his research and through the chatter of the underground, he had come to the conclusion who exactly had the audacity to pull something like this.
The Takato agency had always had a hand in screwing with the plans of the underground. It's no surprise that they had been the ones to do it, and in such a precise time. He's actually impressed and shocked at the same time. No one has been able to come close to outsmarting and outwitting him before. It's aggravating how much this agency was able to do. He's not sure how much or what information they might have gotten out. If it was this plan, then he knows that they had obtained the information. Judging from the report though, of when this particular expendable was recruited, it was before he ran into those two children, so it wasn't them behind it.
So there had to have been a reason. Was the Takato agency the only one getting this information? Were they working with someone else? They had to be.
Perhaps, then he would have to make things tighter in security than he anticipated. He needed to make sure they're prepared for a full-scale assault now. However, if he caught the eye of this recruit that dared to infiltrate, then he would kill her with his hands himself.
He did know Chrono had killed one of their own. Was it out of revenge? Was it to find out what they planned? Is that why they had infiltrated? No, it came days before the man was murdered. He needed to keep a tight leash on Eri, and he needed to speed up her sessions with Himari. He also made a mental note to keep Himari in the base now without a single chance of coming out. He's certain she wouldn't risk anything, but just in case the heroes came into contact with her, he wouldn't risk it anymore.
Hanato Machiko was the leader after all, and having Himari here was an advantage he had. He uses her to make sure they couldn't get any farther.
As for Himari, a word would have to be spoken to her. As he's not entirely sure if the girl has been involved in this. Only a test of loyalty to ensure she understood what they talked about when she arrived here.
He knew just the way to do it.
XXXX
Machiko stepped into the Takato Agency the next day, covered in bandages in certain places, mostly from her head. Hitomi was supposed to heal the rest today. Since she was back though, she wanted to make sure they know about what happened. Know about everything.
There's still guilt eating her alive about Himari. She should've brought her back with her. Even though she might've had no chance against the Yakuza, she wished she would have done something. To leave Himari in the hands of those people…
"Oh, Takato-san, you're back."
Hitomi stood before her, giving a small smile before realizing she was all bandaged up, "Are you okay? Did the mission…"
"No, it went well. This is from something else." She scratched the back of her head, sighing, "It's been a long last couple of weeks."
"I can see that." Hitomi let out a heavy sigh, "Come on, I'll get you patched up."
"Whoa! Takato is back everyone!" Youto was jogging with a bunch of the new recruits, turning to wave at Machiko, "Let's say hello to our fearless leader!"
"Good morning, Takato-sensei!" They all exclaimed with pure joy.
"Good morning everyone! I trust you all were okay while I was away?" She asked.
"Certainly!" A fist was punched into the palm of one of their work-study students that they took on, "It's been such an honor to be working here! Youto is quite the escort in this establishment."
"Well, I expect no less from our fourth in command over here." She gestured, sending a smile to him.
Youto chuckled, rubbing the back of his head, "Don't embarrass me now." He noticed the bandages around her face, "It looks like you had a rough time."
"Nothing serious, I've survived far worse." Machiko brushed herself off, "Just a run in with a thug."
"That doesn't seem right. You getting the drop on some thug." Youto sighed, "I'm guessing it's more to it now, but I know you gotta head to that meeting with Nighteye so hope it goes well."
"It should." Machiko smiled, "Don't worry about that. You know I'm always out here defying the odds." She clenched a fist, "We can talk more after the meeting."
Youto hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Okay, do your best. For now, I should keep up with my schedule." Youto turned to the recruits, "Let's say goodbye to Takato-San now."
"Bye!" The kids all cheer as they and Youto left, leaving Hitomi and Machiko to head to the infirmary.
XXXX
"So," Hitomi began, "What exactly happened down there?"
They sat in Hitomi's office where she did all of her healing skills. She saw the granite that was stuck in Machiko's neck along with a handmark around her neck. It looked a lot stronger than an average thug. This guy knew what he was doing.
"Did you get the information you needed?" Hitomi asked, charging a yellow aura from her hands, touching them on Machiko's neck.
"I got a bit more than I bargained for." Machiko sighed heavily, "The situation was a lot worse than I expected it to be. My first theory was that Overhaul was using his own quirk to cleanse other people. However, I found myself wishing that was the only case." She winced in pain at Hitomi's healing abilities.
Hitomi examined the damage to her head, "Overhaul couldn't have done this to you. Did he find out?"
"I'm not sure if he found out, but he's not the one who did this to me. If he wanted me dead, he would've made that happen if he suspected me." Machiko's eyes closed the moment she said this, remembering she had left Himari in there. It was eating her up. If Overhaul found out, he could kill Himari or interrogate her for information, or even destroy Himari and Yuuei's reputation. Guilt hit the pit of her stomach hard. She knows that it wasn't the best idea to get Himari involved but she couldn't ignore her plea to want to help. She didn't know anything they were planning other than getting her and Eri away from Overhaul. She was supposed to help Eri, but if Overhaul uses Nemoto…
There was no way Himari had a chance. Nemoto knew the brain as well as she did. Himari couldn't even lie to her. She wasn't as strong and tolerant to pain as Machiko was. She couldn't handle the torment of losing a limb or something even worse. Overhaul also had leverage over Machiko if he found out about their connection. He would also have power over some of the pros and some of the students too. Having said that, Himari wasn't probably going to die, but Overhaul would make certain she wished she would've died instead.
Her ties to Shigaraki were also dangerous, but with the skills she had to pull the fake death of her alias, Overhaul would know that the League didn't have the resources for that.
She was so frustrated that she had to leave Himari with that fucking bastard.
"Something you didn't know happened, didn't it?" Hitomi sighed, moving her hands upwards to heal Machiko's head next, "You need to stop going on these dangerous missions on your own, Takato. We're more capable of handling the situation to assist you."
"You wouldn't have been able to see a girl with bandages getting experimented on." Machiko told her coldly, "You wouldn't like the fury I had when I figured out what happened to Aiden."
Hitomi's eyes narrowed in sadness, "You have to understand that we're always willing to risk our own lives to help you. This is more than just about the mission. It's about your own well being, and I know just by looking at your wounds. You didn't treat them properly." Hitomi continued to heal Machiko's body, "You need to talk to us."
"I'm fine." Machiko told her, but in hindsight, she was not okay at all. She had to swallow everything down. She didn't have time to grieve just yet. She had a mission to take on. That mission was to save Himari and Eri. Her emotions couldn't get the best of her right now, "In fact, I've never been so ready to fight in a long time. I'm gonna make sure that bird brain isn't able to hurt another person again." Her fists clenched, "I'm not gonna let him kill anyone else ever again. I can grieve about Aiden later. He wouldn't want us to dread his death anyways."
"You're right, but I can tell there's something else wrong too. You said in your message to the agency that you found your childhood best friend got mixed up in all of this. You must be worried about her."
"Worrying isn't going to solve the situation." Machiko remembered that Hitomi was smarter than she looked, "It won't be enough to save her."
"I know that. I just worry about you. You're not all that powerful, Machiko." Hitomi used her real name this time, finally moving down to her back, "You're not superhuman. You're going to eventually break down.."
"How insightful." Machiko heavily sighed, "If I don't get her out of there soon, it won't matter how much I worry. We need to focus with the situation at hand."
Hitomi frowned, nodding, "Then you better get going then. I got you healed so you should be ready to go."
"Good, with my intel, we won't have to worry about waiting to find Eri or Himari." Just a little longer, and they'll be safe.
There was something she was forgetting though. She pulled out the disk in her hands from when she got into the Yakuza's files, the CD that had things on there that the others needed to not know. At least, for right now.
"Here, take this and put it in my office. Make sure to put it out of sight." Machiko told Hitomi, showing her the CD.
Hitomi's eyes wavered at the CD, taking it, "What is it?"
"Some intel that I found when I breached the Yakuza files." Machiko replied, "It's got some top secret information from the black market. It's got nothing to do with the Yakuza though so it's another time. I still need to investigate everything on it, but that can come after I'm done with this particular mission."
XXXX
A couple of days had passed since Himari had last seen Machiko. It was kind of nerve-racking, not having her around. She was still training and working hard though. She hoped that whatever they were planning to do to save Eri that it would actually work. Because, in all honesty, as much as she wants to believe everything will go back to normal, she's accepted that it won't. It's okay, some things weren't going to work out.
She was fearful at the thought of going back honestly. Sure, she missed everyone, but being involved with a Yakuza group meant she was probably never going back to Yuuei again. She was never going to have her life back. She was probably gonna have to serve some jail time too. It was her fault getting involved in this, after all.
At least Eri wouldn't have to suffer anymore. She doesn't know how she would react to leaving. She's heard Eri's nightmares when she shows up to see her and they aren't pretty at all.
It was long though. Right when she thought Machiko might be around in her disguise again, she wasn't there. It made it certain in her head that the pro heroes were going to make a move on the Hassakai. She wasn't dead of course, but she might be if she ends up joining the fight.
She was just getting back from the mission she was on today. This one came around much easier than any of the other ones. Just a casual trade. It was literally the only thing they had to do today. It wasn't long, probably about twenty minutes. So she had time before she had to hand off her work to Overhaul and meet up with Eri again.
Himari continued walking towards her room before she felt someone touch her shoulder. Her eyes widened at the girly, high pitched, familiar voice.
"I know you, you're that girl from the summer camp! That one Dabi tried to recruit"
A familiar high school girl appeared along with the man that she had seen two seconds before she was knocked out when the villains attacked. When she didn't want to go with Dabi…
At first, Himari stood there, puzzled. Tenko must've sent them to work with the Yakuza. She really didn't know what to say to the two. They weren't in really good circumstances with her, especially after what they pulled.
"Y-Yeah, I-I didn't expect to see you two around here…" Himari giggled nervously, scratching the back of her head nervously.
"Well, we weren't expecting you either." Twice replied with a snort, "but you certainly don't look like you wanna be here." He didn't recognize her at first but the moment Toga ran over to her and he got a better look, he was able to remember who she was. That girl who actually face down Dabi without having some crazy quirk. Or perhaps, he stopped her before she used it. Still, he was sort of interested in what she was doing here as well as what Dabi saw in her. She looks really timid. Not what he expected Dabi to go for.
"We didn't expect to see you either. I knew the moment I saw you on Dabi's shoulder that we had to be friends! I'm Toga and this is my friend Twice!" Toga rested her fists on her chin, practically glowing that this place finally had some redeeming quality. Like that girl Dabi tried to nab for the League, "You just had the same look as me, even if you were unconscious when I saw you, you were so cute! I just knew you were in love."
Himari blinked, trying to process this girl's words, "What?" She didn't even know what was going on here. She didn't know what Toga was even talking about. She could say she wouldn't be friends with a villain but that would be highly hypocritical of her considering her status here and her...relationships? Were they even friendships at this point?
"I think you're making her uncomfortable, Toga." Twice sighed before taking a step towards Himari, "No need to worry. She's just curious considering what went down at the summer camp. First, you're playing goody two shoes and was a possible candidate to the League and then, you end up here?" Twice could tell this wasn't adding up right at all. With this, Twice clenched his head, "Ah, this is so complicated." Then, he relaxed again, looking at Himari, "You must've been put here non willingly then, like us."
Himari squinted at that, raising an eyebrow at them. She's so confused that he figured that out so quickly, "I had a feeling you two were here because of Ten-I mean your leader."
"Wait, what did you say? Our boss's name doesn't sound like that! And how does a low ranking Shie Hassaikai member know about what happened?" He was holding his head again. Almost as if he had some kind of split personality.
Oh shit. That slipped.
"Ah, I-I was there." She confessed, "I walked into them talking about negotiations." She cleared her throat, trying to make sure the masked man couldn't comment or question anything else, "I also slipped on his name. Sorry I didn't mean to disrespect your leader." She bowed, "Please forgive me."
"Ah, shit, didn't mean to upset you, girly." Twice shifted upwards, in more of a happy voice, "No worries. We're just curious about you since Dabi had you unconscious that one time in the summer 's not the kind of guy to just up and grab someone without a reason."
She hadn't really thought of the summer camp incident in so long. It felt like it was-
"You know Tomura then?" Toga smiled, getting close to Himari's face as she stumbled backward, startled, "Wow, Dabi AND Tomura. You must live a crazy love life there and with two villains, no less. What forbidden love!"
"Ah-Ah, I don't know Tomura." It was kind of true. Considering she really didn't know the person he was now. She only knew him by Tenko. Nothing more. But what is with this girl? It's like she's obsessed with some kind of love. Or maybe she had no attachment to other people growing up? "I wouldn't call the relationship I had with Dabi 'love'." Knowing she couldn't really get out of that one. Considering, well, what happened. Dabi probably doesn't want anything to do with her anymore.
"Seems like he was soft for you. Said you had more potential to be in the League than that kid we snatched." Suddenly, a softer voice came through, "Nah, I don't know. This girl looks too cute to cause damage. Much less being in the Yakuza." Suddenly, Twice clenched his head again, "Nah she looks stronger than before, but she definitely needs some better sleep."
"Nonsense, if Dabi wanted to whisk you away from the heroes then he totally was into you." Toga chimes in, "Oh where are my matters, I'm Toga and this is my buddy Twice. A cute girl like you should run to the League when you get the chance."
"Yeah, Dabi would surely be pissed if you choose their side over ours." Twice pointed out, "That shitbag doesn't even deserve you. Damn Yakuza."
Himari felt really awkward considering everything in all seriousness. And she didn't know why Toga was so convinced Dabi was in love with her. They were friends. She wasn't sure if they would be friends at all ever considering she was so deep in the Yakuza now. There wasn't really a way out.
At least, that's what she wanted to believe. Machiko had other stories, "I-I can't really bring any of it up." She told them and that was the truth. She was ready to walk past them, "So if you excuse me, I really need to go meet with Overhaul. Orders are orders." She sighed.
"But I didn't even get your name." Toga pouted, watching the pink-haired girl walk swiftly.
Himari turned around, "My name isn't important." She spoke before quickly turning back, "Can't stop now. I gotta be somewhere soon!"
XXXX
Toga giggled softly, watching the girl leave so abruptly. She grinned ear to ear. Even if she didn't get her name, that was totally fine. That pink-haired girl seemed like she could be friends with Toga. She liked the drama she realized today. Not only was Dabi after her, but Tomura-kun was as well. How forbidden it was for them to go for a hero. She didn't think they were the kind to go for such a sweet and cute girl but it made things interesting. Maybe she should try to get this new love in too while she works on her love for Deku?
"We shouldn't make any recruits vocal, Toga. Besides, that's Dabi's job." Twice sighed, walking around the halls of Shie Hassakai.
"Oh come on, she could be a great selection."
"I doubt if she's here by force that will work. Overhaul has gotta have some plan with her if she's here." Twice didn't need her to blow the mission off, "Remember, we gotta stick to our guns here."
"I wasn't doubting that. We just gotta play our role here. I gotta play the big, bad Yakuza. Then I can go back to doing what I want." Toga grinned happily, "Then we can get that pink haired girl on our side. That would be exciting."
"Just be careful of what you say down here." Twice told her, before he shifted, "Ah, no don't give a damn."
"Well, we'll just have to see how things go. I'm sure Tomura would be happy if we got her on our side." Toga giggled, skipping down the halls. This would be interesting to see.
XXXX
Himari had been walking down the cold hallways that reached Overhaul's office. The well-detailed notes rested in her hands. She clenched them a little tighter. Toga was talking about earlier that she was in love. Yeah, she loved her friends. She hadn't seen Dabi in forever, and they really didn't have good footing. She did miss talking to him, being around him though. She wished things didn't end bad with the two of them. Perhaps she was naive for missing him, but everyone had something good in them. Even Dabi, and even Tenko. She did care for them. That's why it was so hard for her to end ties and move on. They weren't entirely bad people. Sure, they did some bad things, but…
She knew from personal experience everyone wasn't all bad. She knew, and yet, there was one person out here that borderline on her hatred meter…
Overhaul, the one responsible for Aiden's death. The reason why she was here, the reason why Eri had suffered so much. Machiko, who had to walk in here in disguise to get information on Overhaul's group who had to risk her life to make sure there was a chance to save her and Eri.
Her fists clenched, crinkling the piece of paper that rested in her hands. She knew she needed to be strong. No matter how much it hurts, no matter how much her heartaches, she has to keep going. She needed to. She had too many people that needed her. She's tired, she's tired of fighting. She wants to live. She wants to see the kids again, she wants her life back, she wants to see Dabi again one day. She wants to try to resolve the situation with Tenko. She couldn't keep beating herself up and being depressed. Machiko and so many other people needed her.
Why was she being such an idiot? Damn, she's not supposed to say that. There was no more beating herself up. There was only so much time before she was gonna be able to break out of here. She and Eri could make it out together. They just needed to wait a bit longer.
She reached the door, letting out a deep breath quietly before knocking on it, hearing the occasional, "Come in" before she opened the door.
"Overhaul-san, good afternoon." She gave him a bow of respect, walking into the room.
Himari noticed Overhaul's demur was different than usual. He seemed more agitated. It didn't seem like it was necessarily at her, but it was definitely at someone else. He always seemed detached, but his emotions felt colder than usual.
"I heard you didn't have much trouble in your exchange. That's good. Come have a seat." He gestured at the seat across from him.
Himari nodded, walking over slowly, sitting down, glancing at the tea that was on her side, "Oh you didn't have to do that."
"It's needed. Sometimes you need a destresser. You've been working hard and adjusting well. I've heard you've been taking advantage of the training grounds here."
Himari nodded, blowing on the tea, taking a drink of it, "Yes, I can't say that I haven't been paranoid about working in such an area. Seeing how this place ran made me want to take advantage of the training I can get here." She held the cup of tea in both hands, looking up at Overhaul, "You seem like you've been a little irritated yourself. Is that why you brought this kind of tea?"
"You can say that, yes. We believe we might've had some kind of breach, and we're dealing with the situation as best as we can. We might have to flee base depending upon such. Which is why I wanted to talk with you. With your trial with Eri moving up slowly but surely, I want to make sure you're one of the ones that go with us. Your power is useful for Eri. It's also useful to keep someone like you with me. We'll be planning more. I just wanted to give you a heads up." Overhaul explained to her, not noticing any tremble nor shaking from her. The Shie Hassakai has given her quite the backbone. It's only been a month, but he's noticed that her demur is much different than when she was brought here for the first time.
Himari hesitated for a moment, swallowing the tea down her throat, "Are you leaving others? Wouldn't it be best if you saved up the others if you're trying to make it bigger?"
"Yes, you could say that's true, but if there's been a breach, then I might have to cut some of my losses and have my own slow them down. You heard Shigaraki and I talk about the bullets so I don't think I have to go into further detail about that." Overhaul explained, "I expect you to also be prepared for battle if needed. You only got your weapon back since I had Chrono and Mimic analyze to see if there was a tracker. You can never be too careful, after all."
"Are you saying you expect this situation to get that dirty?" Himari asked, taking a sip of tea again.
"Unfortunately, some kids might've ratted about Eri. The same can be explained with our recent breach. We can't be too careful about what will happen. I trust you'll be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Call it a final test of loyalty. You've already passed the last one."
She cut her thoughts off immediately when he brought up the last one, "The last one? What are you talking about?"
"That encounter you had with Shigaraki, I tested you both to see if you would do anything rash." Overhaul replied, looking through the notes and the paperwork, "And you both passed."
Himari blinked, realizing she had no idea he was testing her. She didn't put it past him to do that, but the fact that she got confirmation…
"I had a feeling." She nodded slowly.
She needed to remember to focus, keep calm. She needed to. Especially if this was a test of loyalty. If she went a step out of line, she might die here. She needed to not be tense, not show a single form of anything that he may think she might be worried. If he sniffs that out, even for a second, he will get the upper hand on her.
She knows she's capable of handling this. Even if she didn't want to kill someone, she knew that surviving here was absolutely vital. She knew what she meant when she realized she wanted to stop wallowing. She wanted to stop beating herself. She wanted to survive.
There was no questioning this then. If she wanted to play the act and play it well, she needed to act like this in the long run. She didn't know if they could successfully save her, but Eri was an absolute must.
So if she was going to do this, she was going to give it everything she got.
She slid her detailed notes over to him, taking a sip of tea, "As for your orders, I understand that drastic times call for desperate measures." She nodded firmly.
Overhaul took a hold of the notes, nodding, "Good to hear. I hope you don't fail your final test of loyalty down then." He took a sip of his tea, "As for you. I'd prepare for yourself to move to a room closer to us so we can move out much quicker. Eri's also been moved down there. You can head there tonight. You're dismissed."
XXXX
Overhaul watched Himari leave before he didn't hear footsteps anymore. She looked determined to follow his orders. Such progress in such a short time. He hardly thought of her as a person capable of murder, but this should prove if she had been involved with their little traitor in their midst.
He had to admit, he underestimated her. If she's truly feeling determined to prove herself, she's hit heights that he never expected her to do. She's come to accept her fate as bleak and much as she wanted to deny it.
Only time will tell if she will truly follow up on such efforts.
Whew, that's done. So sorry about the wait again everyone but I'm back in business. I'll be busy in a few weeks starting my last year in college but I'm excited to write more of this story. Please leave a review and tell me what you think! Also feel free to follow/fave. Stay safe out there!