Eighth Sighting
Bakugo just.
Slipped away.
Had been taken right out from under them, and he didn't do a damn thing to stop it. His best friend, and he didn't even…
Kirishima scoffs and shakes his head.
He crosses his arms, bows his head as he drops into the stool.
They'd come to see Momo.
Well. He'd come because he couldn't sit still. Todoroki came to see Momo. And everyone else…
He shakes his head again, pursing his lips.
Useless.
That's a feeling that he can't, and won't, ever get used to. It's something that he hates, so desperately because it goes against everything he wants to stand for.
"We have to do something."
He blinks, swallows the lump in his throat and looks up. And everyone is looking at him. And it takes him a moment, a half-second where his brain short circuits and restarts before he realizes why.
He said that.
Those words had come out of his mouth.
He swallows, looks up at his classmates and cringes.
It's Iida that responds, tentative and hesitant. "Yaoyorozu has already given the Pro's the receiver for the tracking device she made." And it's.
Weak.
Hesitant.
Whispered through gritted teeth and suppressed feelings.
And-
He can't.
He can't let it slip through his fingers. He can't loose the chance to rescue a friend just because he's too scared of what might happen to himself.
He stands, rises on legs he has to force to be steady.
"We can't just leave Bakugo to the villains." And his voice is-
Not strong.
It's tender and a whisper, fragil and afraid- just like his resolve.
But he hardens him, grits his teeth as he curls his fingers into a fist. "We have to!" His voice rises. "If we're not going to stand up and be heroes now- for one of our friends, then what kind of heroes are we?"
And.
He feels like his skin is on fire. It's hot, and he's so scared. For himself. For his life. For his friends. For Bakugo.
But.
A hero risks his life. Not because he's told to. But because something inside of him needs him to. To save others.
To protect those that need protecting.
"So if you- if you want to help save him." He says. "Then… then please…" He hesitates now, unsure how to continue. Unsure what to say.
"All-Might…" Iida speaks up, hesitant and slow. "He said… he said it's the Pro's job now." He swallows, and it's audible and thick. "What if what we do gets Bakugo hurt? Really hurt?"
And the thick feeling in Kirishima's throat drops into his stomp like a stone in the sea.
"We could just be putting him in more danger."
"What if we ruin the Pro's plans?"
"What if we get hurt? We almost didn't make it out last night either…"
"We can't keep doing this. We're just students…"
"We can't leave him be." Todoroki's voice is determined, sure and calm. And Kirishima expects him to say more, but the boy just nods, looks back at Momo like everything is plain as day.
"I can make another receiver." Momo replies slowly. "That should lead us to Bakugo."
He smiles. He can't help it.
They're going to help!
"Who's willing to give us a hand!" He shouts, fist pumping as he turns to the class.
And.
It all fell apart.
A pair walked out, the excuse of "It's in the Pro's hands. If we get involved we'll only put them all at risk." And then more. And a few more.
And suddenly it was only him, Todoroki, Iida and Momo in the room. He gritted his teeth, shaking his head as he put one foot in front of the other to pace.
It was.
Hard.
Hard to believe that his classmates, his friends would leave Bakugo out to dry.
Hard to believe that they weren't willing to put their life on the line to save him.
One of their own.
"Blood in your lungs
Agony burning in your veins
But there is fire in your eyes."
He freezes at the voice, low and careful as it drifts in from the doorway. He looks up, not sure what he's expecting, but what's sure is that he's not expecting the short green haired boy in the doorway.
Iida flinches, engines firing, and Todoroki and Momo shuffle, Todoroki moving closer to Momo, shielding her as a spark of flames tickles at his cheek.
"Your legs refuse to steady.
Your hands shake and tremble
You know this is your limit." The boy continues, humming softly as he examines a blue notebook in his hand. He's leaning against the doorway, blocking the entrance as he props his back against one side and his feet against the other.
"The odds are insurmountable
The deck not in your favor
And you have no cards left to play."
"What do you want." Todoroki hisses, and the flame on his cheek flares and catches, trailing down his arm to pool in his palm.
The boy hums, snapping the book closed. "Well. I thought you students might like some help with your problem." He replies with a smile, tucking his hands and the book behind his back. "But if you don't want to save your friend, I suppose I can always find something else productive to do with my time."
But there's something in his eyes when he says that, a semi-regret or a microsecond's pause that makes Kirishima go- "Are you helping because you care, or because it's Bakugo?"
It's silent, and the boy considers him for a moment, green eyes darting over him, taking in his hair, his stance, a dozen other things Kirishima isn't quite sure about. And then the boy replies. "I have qualms with killing students. Not so much heroes."
Todoroki hisses at that, and the fire flares, and Momo yelps.
"Balance your body heat." The boy instructs without glancing at half-and-half. "And keep your anger in check until you can regulate your daddy's flames."
Todoroki growls again, and this time the temperature in the room drops several degrees. Momo shifts sides, pressing herself up against his cold side.
"Better." The boy comments, despite his eyes never leaving Kirishima. "Now then Red Riot." He produces a secondary notebook from behind his back, this one in black. "Would you like to save your oh-so-precious friend?"
"Hell, yeah I would."
The black notebook cracks open, and he examines the contents of it. "Kamino Ward. You'll need disguises to move through the area, Creati can take care of that."
"Stop villain." Iida interrupts, throwing a handout. "How do we know we can trust you?"
"Froppy will vouch for me." The boy responds automatically. Then with a pause, and a smile, he continues. "Besides Ingenium Mrk. II. You needed my help not too long ago yourself. With the Stain incident?" He grins, emerald eyes glancing around the room. "Oops. Hope that wasn't a secret."
And it's Momo that speaks sense into the situation, diffusing the situation with a pop of confetti and a stern look at all of them. "Enough squabble." She demands, and they snap to attention, even the villain. "Rabbit." She glares at the man. "That is what they call you-right?"
He crosses his arms and shrugs. "It's the title in my file at least, so it's good enough." He nods to Momo and she continues.
"Then we need to know we can trust you, before we do anything else." And she's fixing him with a determined look and a glare.
Rabbit huffs and rolls his eyes. "That will take longer than Katsuki Bakugo has. You're going to have to take my word."
"And the word of a villain is good enough for us?" Todoroki snarls.
"It'll have to be." He replies. "Have I ever hurt any one of you?" He pushes, "Ever gone after you for anything more than a chat?" Then he turns to Iida. "Oh no. That's right. I just risk life and limb to make sure your own stupid desires don't get you killed."
Iida flinches, turns away and doesn't answer. But.
They're wasting time.
"Tell us the plan." Kirishima pushes. "We have to save him. And even…" he hesitates. "Even if we don't trust you. He's our friend, and we can't just leave him at the villain's mercy."
There's a flicker of a smile on Rabbit's lips as he considers him. But there's a sad look in his eye that matches the expression and leaves Kirishima unsure which emotion was more true.
"Cute." He remarks, before launching into it, flipping the notebook open to a blank page and rapidly sketching.
It's flat, and the drawing hazy, but Rabbit seems to understand more than he's willing to remark on as he guesses the lay out and turn of the battle.
"So this mastermind, AFO?" Kirishima asks, unsure about the acronym. "He's battling All-Might?"
"He'll be a solid match." Rabbit assures, but you needn't worry about him. They'll keep each other in check. Most of the other's aren't an issue, except maybe…" he hums. "I'll handle that." He decides suddenly. "Worry about collecting Bakugo. I'll make sure the plan runs smoothly on my end."
He snaps the notebook closed, then looks to Todoroki and Momo. He blinks, considers, then nods, standing. "Shoto, you'll have a big part to play in this. Creati, you'll be support, though. If you don't mind, I'll need something a little intricate for this." And he produces a slip of paper.
Momo furrows her eyebrow, pursing her lips. "Isn't thi-"
"Yes." Rabbit answers instantly. "But I need it in that exact dosage. I won't have time to double check your math. Can you do it?"
She hesitates, looking the man up and down. "Not for us."
?
What wasn't for them? Honestly Kirishima couldn't be more confused.
"It's the back up." Rabbit assures. And Creati concedes, giving a nervous look to Todoroki, who simply nods. Then she holds out a hand, furrows her eyes brows as a little purple pill materializes out of her fingertip.
Rabbit takes it, considering it for a moment. "Looks right." He concludes. "You need to head out now if you're going to make it to Kamino Ward before this blows up."
"Right!" Kirishima shouts, grabbing Iida's arm and rushing out the door. "Let's go save Bakugo!"
Rabbit laughs, and the sound follows him down the hallway.
[Addendum added to Report #13819, Report #8 in CaseFile Rabbit
[Seems to be a breach in security? This wasn't in the official report, and looks to have been added later.]
(Ha! You call that security? Pft. Can't be what you never had. Try putting passwords on something other than sticky notes.= Rabbit)
He can't help but hum as he waits on the rooftop. Maybe it's a nervous tick from middle school. Maybe it's just something that bleeds out of him in a melancholy drool.
"Eyes like stars…" he mumbles, tapping the pen against paper as he considers the lines. "Eyes like stars-eyes like stars…" He struggles with the line even as the shockwave roars over him.
Emerald eyes flicker across the rooftop to the mushroom cloud billowing out. He checks his watch, pursing his lips.
Alright so he was off by a minute. All Might was more of a slow starter than he originally thought. That's not his fault.
He snaps the notebook closed, still considering the line as he runs over the moment he met her in the back of his mind.
Eyes like starlight.
Smile like… gold? Galaxies?
He sights down the rifle. This one is nothing compared to the first. It's a cheap pellet gun he's modified to fire a special cartridge a maximum of fifty yards.
As long as those students follow his plan. He'll be well within range if there's any sort of issue. Assuming.
He shifts the scope, adjusting the zoom to peer at the fight. All-Might is flagging, and it's obvious in the way he's shifted form already, the bulk of his power gone in one mighty blow from AFO.
AFO.
He snorts. That had been an interesting thread of information to track down. And a hard pill to swallow once he figured it out.
Something like that… [Me to know and you to find out]
Eyes like stars
Smile like a supernova
But nothing in the universe could describe her heart.
That was a decent line. Right?
Well. He could say she had a heart of gold, but he didn't know her? And it was a little presumptuous to just say that. He could do something with laughter but…
He groans, banging his head into the hard rooftop before putting his chin back to the rifle stock. There's the iceberg.
A flash of fire and three bodies are soaring through the air, powered by Shoto's flames and Ingenium Mrk. II's legs. Kirishima leaning down. He can hear the shout, but not the words even from his position on the rooftop.
They're heading towards him now, sailing through the air.
There's an explosion.
A flash of heat and fire as Kacchan's quirk explodes, and in a swirl of smoke and a blast, he's flying through the air.
The scope settles on him. Crosshairs on his chest.
There's a smile on his face.
Rabbit peels his cheek off the rifle stock, glancing at the four boys as they glide through the air.
In another life. He might have been one of them. In fact. In this life, if All-Might had… he could have been. He could have gotten that privilege.
Another life.
Eyes like starlight.
Holding galaxies of potential.
Supernovas of bravery
Light of a thousand stars shining through for those that need it.
Ooo. That was better.
Maybe he's do that instead?
He shifts the scope, watching as a group of three villains' group together. But he's a moment too slow, and the distance is a hair too long for him to feel comfortable shooting.
They burst apart, one flying through the air after them. He pulls back, adjusts the firing line as he guesses the position, the intersection of where the projectile and the body would meet in the air.
Then Mount Lady's ridiculous bulk is in the way as he squeezes the trigger and he winches as the little pill hit her exposed neck.
Damn it.
She staggers, then her head snaps back as the villain smashes into her nose. He whistles, watching as the sleeping drug takes effect, making her drowsy at best given her size. But her toppling over.
Yeah that knocked her out.
He sighs, sets the pellet gun to the side as he glances across the skyline. Red Riot and Kacchan have already cleared. Using Kacchan's explosion and 'Unbreakable' to fend off the worst of the damages most likely. Police would likely find a destroyed wall somewhere in the general vicinity.
He sighs, runs a hand through his hair before picking up the notebook.
Eyes like starlight.
Holding galaxies of hope
A supernova of potential
Burning with the passion to help
To heal
To save
With a smile