No Manga chapter today. It's a sad sad sunday. I hope this will help against the withdrawal symptoms. Currently I'm surprisingly creative. If it continues lie this I may be able to finish writing this arc in it's entirety by the end of the week. I hope you'll like what's still to come.
Oh and also... this is chapter 70... holy moly that's more than I ever expected.
Thank you all for everybody who's kept reading all this time and those who come in later, reading their way through 70 chapters of my ramblings :D
I know my last estimation of how long this story will ge was 80 chapters... and it's really embarrassing now, but no way will I make that. However! At least now we're nearing the end. I won't make a new estimation though
A Surprise Meeting
"…we were lucky this time. The attack missed the city center."
Enji stopped. His breath was fast, exhaling clouds of white fog. His daily jogging route hadn't changed much in the last few weeks; though today he had to make a detour. The police had closed off part of his regular route along the river. Apparently, they had pulled a body out of the water— and this different path led him past a café that was busy with people on this freezing February morning.
It was a small establishment. Outside, the owner advertised the 'original italian espresso experience', and it was always well-frequented whenever he passed it. Normally, the buzz of conversations would reach out on the street. Now, however, it was eerily quiet, and the only voice Enji could hear was from the TV. Somebody must have turned the volume up, if Enji was able to hear it from all the way outside— and it wasn't like the place was empty. He could see people through the window. They were just… silent.
"We're here, just outside Kyouto's city center. As you can see behind me, the heroes are currently trying to establish a broader evacuation parameter. As of yet, we have no information on how this situation came to be." The reporter's voice was hurried and clearly agitated, but she seemed just calm enough for her sentences to still be cohesive and understandable.
Curious, Enji pushed the door open and snuck into the back of the café to catch a glimpse of the TV. There, he could see the young reporter. A woman with a tightly knotted bun of straight black hair, a pointy nose, and surprisingly blue eyes. Repeatedly, she looked back over her shoulders with comically wide eyes, where the remains of an industrial area were only barely visible behind her.
"When did this happen?" Enji asked one of the men standing close to him. A cup of coffee was pressed tightly in his hand, and the contents were spilling out onto the floor.
"The broadcast started just five minutes ago." The man didn't even look at Enji as he spoke, his eyes tightly glued to the TV.
"It must be in retaliation to that raid, yesterday," one of the other patrons said to the man. "You heard?"
The first man didn't seem to know what the other was talking about. He shrugged.
"The raid," the second man continued. "They raided some hideout in Kyouto. Didn't find anything, I think, but it's gotta be the reaction to that." No one responded. It became quite obvious that nobody knew of the raid in Kyouto. Enji hadn't known of it either, but that wasn't too surprising. The police and Hero Association didn't make their raids public before they happened. "The League can't let that go unanswered. Like last time, when they attacked Sapporo, just 'cause somebody there leaked that this Dabi-guy was Endeavor's son."
At the mention of his old hero name, Enji took a few steps away from the two men to not draw any attention to himself. The last thing he heard was a whispered, "Yeah, you might be right," from the first guy.
Meanwhile on TV, a hero Enji didn't know ushered the reporter and her camera team across the street and further away from the battlefield. The video was shaking strongly as they moved. However, not long after, they had to evacuate again— and then the footage switched from the reporter on the ground to the bird's eye view from a helicopter.
From here, it was easier to gage the destruction of the buildings. It seemed that one big building – maybe a warehouse or factory building – had been completely reduced to rubble, but an enormous dust cloud over the entire battlefield made it difficult to see much more than that.
Several of the people in the café started complaining about not being able to see anything, and asked if anybody could make out any details in the dust. Their voices ranged from fearful to worried to annoyed. A woman upfront gave the TV a weak nudge, as if she thought that the quality of the transmission was the problem and not the huge dust cloud.
Of what little Enji could make out from here and considering that this was in Kyouto, he assumed that Crust had engaged the villain. Through the dust, he saw a few small structures glinting in the sun every now and then, which reminded him of the small hexagonal shapes of Crust's shield quirk. Enji figured that the villain Crust was fighting had to either be another Noumu, or a lesser known member of the League. Maybe a new recruit. He couldn't see the villain, but at least there was no sign of Dabi's fire or Shigaraki's disintegrating destruction anywhere.
A male reporter confirmed Enji's prior assumptions. "We have just been informed that the first heroes have arrived from nearby cities. Additionally, heroes from Shiga, Nara, and Hyougo prefectures were asked to send reinforcements. They are expected to arrive in 30 minutes at the earliest. We have to hope that Crust can hold the Noumu back long enough."
After that, the reporter was clearly out of things to say. Repeatedly, he reminded people to heed the evacuation orders and other instructions by police and heroes, and every few minutes he updated them on when to expect reinforcements. Two emergency numbers flashed on screen.
Crust held up well, Enji thought. The Noumu was obviously one of the High End variants, similar to the one Endeavor and Hawks had fought in Fukuoka. Luckily for Crust, though, this Noumu seemed a lot slower than the other one. Initially, Enji was worried that Crust wouldn't be able to hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive— but the Noumu wasn't moving around much, which made it easier for Crust to do his job. Anyhow. Crust was quite the sturdy hero, and he once again proved that this morning by holding strong. Ultimately, it was Mirko who arrived with the reinforcement, who dealt the final blow.
Enji quickly continued his way home, before anybody could recognize him.
It was only the next day when a surprising call came in. Being called by his former sidekick wasn't a rare thing these days – both Silent Tracker and Nakamura were trying relentlessly to talk to him about the possibility of a psychological evaluation and getting his license back. No, the surprising part was that Silent Tracker called from her private phone to arrange a secret meeting.
Enji was apprehensive. Since he'd lost his license, whatever Silent Tracker wanted to talk to him about likely didn't concern him anymore. Enji didn't want to get dragged into something that had nothing to do with him. On top of that, he was worried that Silent Tracker was overstepping her boundaries, potentially breaking the law by involving him in whatever this was. Mostly, however, he was curious, when he drove to the address she had given him.
It was an unassuming apartment building in Aldera, just across Aledra Junior High. The boring concrete architecture dated about thirty years back. A bookstore had rented out the ground level, leaving the upper stories for small apartments. What he was doing here, he didn't know. They could have met in the agency, or at either of their houses, but Silent Tracker had chosen to be secretive instead.
"What apartment is this?" He asked the second she ushered him inside.
"It belonged to my aunt. This, and two others on the third floor. We're normally renting it out, but this one is empty now until we fix the windows." She pointed at one of the windows, where there was a big, moldy spot where the window's insulation was damaged. "I thought it'd be a safe meeting spot."
Enji nodded. "For what, though? Why am I here?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she led him past the moldy window into the next room. It was only a small apartment, so he expected the last room to be the kitchen. Even before she opened the door, he could hear noises from inside.
At first, he thought that maybe one of the other sidekicks was here with her. Then, he absurdly wondered if she had brought her wife. He quickly discarded that thought, however. Whoever he had expected, it wasn't the young hero with big red wings on a slender back. Yet, there he was in the kitchen, leaning over the counter and looking into the cupboards.
"Hawks," he couldn't avoid his tone turning icy as he saw his former colleague.
The young hero turned around immediately. He glanced at Enji, then at Silent Tracker. The way he sheepishly ducked his head between his shoulders didn't fit the careless bravado Enji was normally used to seeing from Hawks. He looked uncharacteristically worried, uncertain…
Guilty, Enji's brain supplied.
At that realization, Enji's impression softened– if only a little bit.
"What are you doing here?"
The young hero closed the cupboard he was inspecting earlier. From what Enji had seen, it was empty. When he turned around, Hawks first glanced at Silent Tracker, who had snuck into the room behind Enji, before he focused on the former number one.
"We should talk," he looked back at Enji.
Enji nodded complacently and sat on one of the empty chairs in the kitchen. "Okay. About what?"
"Silent Tracker," Hawks nodded at the woman, "and your other sidekicks, need to stop investigating me."
Silent Tracker snorted loudly as Hawks mentioned her. "Not likely." She shot back. She sounded clearly annoyed. "You betrayed him. We combed our entire agency to find the traitor 'cause Todoroki didn't think you would just sell him out, but guess what?" She glared at Hawks.
"You're not making my job easier," Hawks said uncharacteristically heatedly.
"As if I care!" Silent Tracker huffed. She sat next to Enji with a heavy thud. "Do you have any idea what you did?"
"And what about what you're doing?" Hawks sounded angry. "I have a foothold in the League, and your investigation could ruin everything. Do you have any idea what I've sacrificed for—"
"Yes, I know exactly what you sacrificed. Our agency bore the brunt of it, if you don't remember!" Silent Tracker roared. She had always been fiercely loyal, but it was unlike her to get so loud so quickly. "First Fukuoka, and then the diary!"
Enji stood up at that. "You can make this out between yourselves," he declared, annoyed. None of this was his responsibility anymore.
"No, we can't." Hawks glared at him. "Sit down!"
Not used to the young hero's commanding tone, Enji sat back down.
"I've tried speaking sense into her skull, as has the Hero Association. She clearly hasn't listened. So now, you try! You know she's doing this for you." Hawks glared between the two.
"As if I'll stop just because he asks me to. I'm not after you as a favor to him." Silent Tracker was clearly angry. "None of you understand it. You have no idea what loyalty means. You're all sellouts!"
Hawks visibly flinched at the accusation. "Well, what do you want me to do?" His voice was meek. "I had no choice. You know it was a job! I know you've found that out by now."
"Yes, and congratulations," Silent Tracker laughed in a vile and hissing way, "I hope when you get the intel you're hoping for, which you sold Endeavor out for, you'll find some other fool to fight the villains for you!"
Gods, she was being way too loud for this supposedly secretive meeting.
Hawks' eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Some other fool?" he repeated.
"I don't have my license anymore," Enji said ruefully, before Silent Tracker could yell the insults he could already see forming on her lips. He wasn't particularly fond of being called 'some fool'.
Miffed that he had cut her off, Silent Tracker crossed her arms. "Thanks to you, in no small part," she added.
Enji thought she was being unfair.
Hawks looked taken aback. "You'll have it back," he said with a certainty and sincerity that baffled Enji. "They'll give it back to you in March, won't they? It's just suspended."
At that, Enji felt Silent Tracker's searing eyes in his side. Hawks too, noticed the way she looked at him, and his expression quickly changed from confusion to worry.
"I don't know," Enji admitted.
"No, you do know," Silent Tracker corrected him, "you're just not willing to take the necessary steps."
"I won't pass." He was frustrated that he had to defend his decision like that. It was a truth he hadn't dared speak out loud yet. Now that he did, though, it rang true in his ears. He had never done a psychological evaluation— but he knew that whatever they would test him for, he wouldn't pass. He couldn't sleep. Just thinking about Touya made his hands tremble. Sometimes, he still heard him laughing in his head. Sometimes, he sensed him just behind himself. And he still felt the cold metal against his forehead.
"Bullshit!"
"Pass what?" Hawks interrupted.
"Psych evaluation," Silent Tracker muttered. She was quick to answer, without even looking at Hawks. "What do you mean you won't pass? Of course you will. It's just pro forma anyway; they'll push you through if that's what you want."
"What if I don't want to?"
He wished he hadn't said it. The moment the words left his lips, there was a deafening silence that seemed to stretch into eternity. It made his ears ring and his fingers tremble just the tiniest bit, until he curled his hands into fists on the table.
Hawks leaned forward, bracing his weight against the table. "If you don't want to?" he repeated, in a voice quiet with disbelief. "You don't… want to? We need you!"
Enji snorted. "You have a great way of showing that." He jumped up from his chair, and started pacing the room. "They took my license, Hawks. The entire country hates me! What do you want me to do? I'm tired of it!"
Contrary to Enji's pacing, Hawks sank into one of the empty chairs in a tired slump. "We need you…"
"Maybe you should've thought about that sooner," Silent Tracker hissed, but her eyes kept following Enji instead of glaring at Hawks. She looked worried.
"You can't just give up like that." He sounded seriously distraught as he said it.
"Why not!?" Enji roared, suddenly angry. Why was everybody allowed to give up but him? Fuyumi, Azumi, Silent Tracker, Nakamura and now Hawks… What were they expecting of him? Why couldn't they give him a break!? He was tired and hurting and sick of it all. And yet, they just would not let him rest. "Crust and Mirko were doing just fine yesterday." He countered.
Silent Tracker shook her head, her brown curls bobbing wildly on her head. "Crust is expected to need the rest of the month to recover."
Enji had read about this, though the newspaper had been very vague about his injuries. It didn't bother him much, though. They seemed certain that he would make a full recovery, and it was not uncommon to be hospitalized after a major attack like that. If Recovery Girl came to help him the way she had helped Enji after Fukuoka. Crust might even be out of the hospital in a few days.
"It's not you," Hawks mumbled.
Enji stopped his pacing at that, and glared down at Hawks from where he came to a sudden halt. What did this kid think he knew? Wasn't his stubbornness the root of all this evil? If he hadn't been so obsessed with reaching his goals, his family might've been all the better for it. Rei would be healthy, Shoto wouldn't be traumatized, Natsuo wouldn't hate him, Touya wouldn't be a murderer, and Fuyumi would have the family she deserved.
"You know nothing about me," Enji grunted, now thoroughly frustrated with the conversation.
Hawks blinked as if Enji had just punched him in the face. "I watched you," he started explaining, "for years." There was a certainty in his voice that was sickening.
Enji snorted dismissively. "So, what did you see? Did you know about how I treated my wife, hm? Or my sons? Did you know about Touya?"
The lack of response was answer enough.
"As I said, you know nothing about me." He was just about done with this conversation.
"What do you want me to do, then?" Hawks asked helplessly. "If you had any idea what was happening right now… Without All Might, we already are on the backfoot. We'll lose!"
"I don't care," Enji muttered. It didn't sound quite right, but he continued anyway, crossing his arms. "It doesn't matter anyway. I can't help you." Not just because he had lost his license, but there was also the matter of his quirk. Whenever this anticipated attack by the League happened, if Enji was there, he wouldn't survive it as he was now. He didn't explain this to the other two however, even though their lack of understanding was palpable on their faces.
"What about Touya, then?" Hawks' despair was clear in his voice. "Your son? Don't you want to stop him?"
Enji's arms tightened around himself. He leaned forward a little, as if needing support to stand. "I can't," he admitted. It was maybe the first time he'd spoken the full truth in this case. "I can't… face him…as a hero… I can't fight him." The last time they had met, this had become awfully apparent. Enji had frozen like a rookie right on the battlefield. If Yoroi Musha hadn't saved him…
No, he couldn't fight Dabi, he couldn't face him… He was afraid of him.
The disappointment and desperation in Hawks' eyes as he shook his head in resignation almost hurt Enji, but he didn't take his words back.
"Neither Jeanist nor I can handle the strongest Noumu," Hawks tried, "never mind Shigaraki or Gigantomachia by ourselves." Hawks sounded certain, and Enji could only agree.
He had never seen the giant villain. Gran Torino and Tsukauchi had met him a few months ago when they apprehended Kurugiri. Gran Torino's story had been frightening. Something else caught his attention, however. "Jeanist? You know where he is?"
"I thought he vanished." Silent Tracker sounded equally surprised.
"He's in hiding. I had to prove myself to the League, so… I faked his death. He's preparing for battle." Hawks sighed. Whatever good mood Enji was usually used to from him, was long gone and replaced by a dour fatalistic hopelessness. "Don't tell anybody." Hawks stood up and shuffled towards the kitchen. His shoulders were slumped tiredly. "Thanks for hearing me out."
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry," Enji said to his back. Part of him wished he could have given Hawks a more satisfying response, but what was the point? He couldn't even utilize the full power of his quirk. The way he was now, he would only be a hindrance on the battlefield. Never mind that – Hawks aside – he still wasn't convinced anybody even wanted him there.
"I'm sorry, too," Hawks said, only half turning. The guilt was back in his eyes. "I had no choice when I published the diary… and about Fukuoka." Enji felt Hawks' gaze on the grizzly scar across his face. "I've regretted it ever since. Both…"
Subconsciously, Enji touched the scarred tissue on his forehead. "I'm not angry," he said. It was only half-true. He had never really been angry about the Fukuoka situation. After all, he had quickly understood that Hawks was likely working for the Hero Association… However, publishing Natsuo's diary was a different matter. Dragging his family into this mess… Well, truth be told, Enji had done that himself.
But it wouldn't help Hawks to discuss this now.
Hawks quickly left after that. From the kitchen, he heard one of the windows bang shut after Hawks.
"Cut him some slack." He turned to Silent Tracker, who was still sitting at the table. Her brows were furrowed in deep thought. He didn't expect her to answer or react to him at all, but then she stood up, and meticulously pushed the chair back under the table.
"Did you ever talk to his wife?"
He didn't know who she was talking about.
"Fujiwara… Inari's wife?" Her frown shifted into open curiosity. "After he died, did you ever talk to her?"
"I sent my condolences," he answered evasively.
"In person?" She looked at him for a long while. Then, she sighed when he didn't respond. "You should visit her. If nothing else, you owe him that much."
Honestly, I'm a little bit annoyed at myself that I didn't publish this chater sooner. Preferably, weeks ago before Best Jeanist's survival was first hinted at in the Manga... Many of the things that happen after Enji lost his license ere somewhat loose in the timeline. Like I knew that Enji would find out about Fuyumi's bisexuality and meet her girlfriend, or that Shoto would come to be the hero or the scene wih Natsuo on the roof, the brother's brithday, that I wanted to meet Irina or his steady decline from 'wanting to help during catastrophe's to just watching' or well... this meeting and what is still to come. When I started this arc I had all these scenes more or less planned out, but I hadn't placed them in a timeline and actually when I first started to write this arc, deciding in what order they would happen was the most difficult thing. Now, I kind of regret I didn't write the meeting with Hawks before the chapters with Fuyumi and the brother's birthday...
well, what can you do. And I still think the order of events I followed probably makes the most sense.
As a teaser for what is to come in the next few chapters... apparently I really really really like to write Endeavor interacting with random OC's and especially random kids. So expect Endeavor awkwardly trying to talk to children before the end of the year :D
