The Black Phoenix
Chapter 2: The Shie Hassaikai
She shouldn't be here.
Izumi didn't know where she was, or why those men had brought her here, but she immediately felt out of place. The room was thickly scented with chemicals and blood. Even in sleep, Izumi wanted to wretch from the stench of it. She could hear voices, but due to her weakened state couldn't quite make out what they were saying.
Her head pounded, after effects from the chloroform they'd drugged her with. It also didn't help that she was still wounded, and it was only a matter of time before she bled out from her ripped stitches.
She tried to speak, tried to force herself out of the dark, but her body wouldn't respond. She then felt a presence beside her, and could smell the smallest hints of a man's natural cologne. Materials shifted, and she felt the slightest brush of fingers across her ribcage before pain exploded through her.
She choked on a scream. Fire seemed to course through her veins as her temperature rose to dangerous levels. She could hear the sickening crack of her own bones as they shifted and distorted. Her skin felt like it was peeling off piece by piece, and the pounding in her head got more intense.
She'd never felt such agony before.
"St-STOP!" She sputtered out the words, saliva drooling from her mouth that spread wide open and seemed to come unhinged. She tried opening her eyes, but the world around her distorted, and blurred before shifting grey. She didn't quite black out, but for a moment she couldn't breathe, nor concentrate on anything but the pain.
Was she dying? If so then just end it already! She couldn't take it anymore.
"MAKE...IT...STOP!" Her distorted voice pleaded with a gurgle… and she waited for the relief of death to come.
Then, as suddenly as it started, it all stopped. As if nothing had occurred, Izumi shot straight up from the metal table and looked around in horrified shock. Sweat pooled down her skin, her limbs shaking uncontrollably. Had all that just been a dream?
She glanced down, her hospital gown was clean and fresh as if straight from the wash. The pain from her treatement was gone, the blood was gone, the fever was gone.
What the hell happened just now?
Had the hospital brought her in for some special kind of treatment? Was the kidnapping, the talking bear, and all that just the results of some kind of dream from the anesthesia?
"What?" She lifted her hands up into view, turning them over and around. All her scars, and bruises… they were all gone. She lifted her gown, checking every inch of skin that she could see. Gone… like it had never happened. "What the fuck?"
She ran fingers through her hair, and jerked a bit as the length of it surprised her. She tipped her head forward, letting it slip from her shoulders and in front of her. She took firm hold, gave it a tug. It was all real. The length and familiar green color was something she hadn't seen in over a year. She couldn't resist coiling it around her fingers.
"What in the fuck happened to me?"
"Ah, you're awake, I apologize for the rude awakening, your highness." Overhaul spoke from behind her, his sleeves rolled up and he patted his hands dry with a towel. "You were bleeding out, and I needed to tend to your wounds first and foremost before you died."
"Am I still in the hospital? What kind of treatment was that?" She looked the man up and down. He was young, and familiar looking to her. Had she seen him when they brought her in? "Are you a doctor?"
"No, I'm not a doctor. If anything I'm more of a scientist." He answered her then tossed the towel in the hamper.
"Scien-" The thought of All for One's doctor, and Nomu experiments suddenly came to mind. She stumbled to her feet and snagged a scalpel from the small table. She held it out defensively. "Who are you? What do you plan to do with me?"
"Settled down… I'm not gonna hurt, nor damage you after I took the time and effort to fix you up." He replaced his gloves. "So long as you don't give me cause to, anyway." He stepped further into the light, and his face caught Izumi's attention again.
"I know you from somewhere..." She lowered her guard some as the picture formed more clearly in her head. "Yes, now I remember. I've seen pictures of you. You're part of the Yakuza, right?"
"That's right. My name is Kai Chisaki, but you can call me Overhaul." He circled around her and folded his arms. "I sent my men to the hospital to rescue you from hero custody. I figured you could use the help."
"Help? Rescue me?" she gave a short pithy laugh and tossed the scalpel back on the tray. "That's a joke, right?"
"Hardly." He rounded the table and picked up a pile of clothes and handed them to her. "Get dressed. There's a lot to discuss."
"About?" She took the items and followed his movements to the door. He opened it and gave a single glance back, smiling from under his mask.
"A proposition for the former Queen of Villains." He closed the door behind him, giving her the privacy to change.
~Meanwhile~
The media was in an uproar over the disappearance of Karma, and the resulting destruction that killed two people, and left many more in critical condition.
"Only days after your retirement speech and already the world thinks we're doomed." Tsukauchi sighed, an ice pack on his head from where he'd received a huge bump. "We weren't able to collect any footage from the kidnapping, because someone had destroyed the security center. They knew exactly what they were doing and had planned this out thoroughly."
"They were also patient enough to wait for the changing of the guard, and the security on Karma would be at its lowest." All Might sighed. "You think it was the league."
"No, not according to witnesses. The people they're describing are using quirks that none of the known league members possess. Time manipulation and possession are rare quirks though, we should be able to search through the database and find some possible matches."
"Providing they're in the system." Aizawa pointed out and handed out two cups of coffee. "The question is, is when did Karma have the opportunity to give the order?"
"This may come as a surprise, but I don't think Karma planned this. I think she was kidnapped." Tsukauchi handed Aizawa a file. "From the evidence we collected in her room, we found trace amounts of Chloroform, probably used to knock her out. Also according to karma's lab results, the reason her fever was spiking was the activation of the new quirk All for One had shoved into her during the battle. My guess is the fire started while she was struggling to stop her kidnapper."
"So perhaps it was someone from the league… someone we haven't seen in video feed." All Might puzzled over it. "She was preparing to rat them all out. It would only make sense they would need to cover their tracks by eliminating her."
"Then why keep her alive? Why not just kill her at the hospital, rig it to make it look suicidal." Tsukauchi questioned. "No, I think we're looking at an opportunist. Someone who's seen Karma's capabilities and wants them for himself. With All for One behind bars, Karma and Tomura are the prime candidates for the underground takeover."
"I see what you're getting at." Aizawa nodded his head in agreement. "Now that Karma no longer has ties with the league, her loyalties are now up in the air. Given proper motivation, she could become a key player in any villain organization."
"So the question is…" Tsukauchi pressed his hands to his lips as he mulled over his thoughts. "Which organization made their move?"
~Back with Karma~
"The Shie Hassaikai…" Izumi strolled down the corridor with Overhaul, the clothes provided to her loose and baggy, but did their purpose. She'd yanked the hood of the sweatshirt up, tucking her hair inside so it would stay out of her face. "Most Yakuza gangs are inactive players… a lot of them deal in trade and drug crimes. I'm amazed you guys haven't been shut down yet."
"On the surface, our group are all law abiding citizens, handling legal merchandise with overseas players. Due to the Yakuza's past involvements with crime, we're kept high on the hero radar, making it difficult to act."
"I find it really hard to believe that you guys are legit." She fisted her hands inside the pockets of her hoodie. "What's the catch?"
"The catch, my friend, is to not get caught." He pointed out. "I'm second in command here, but the master is gravely ill and is unable to perform his duties. I've taken lead now, and have expanded our enterprise to bring us into a new age." He motioned around with a finger. "These halls that we're walking in now, are just a few of the many changes I've made."
"I see… and your purpose for bringing me here is?"
"You're gonna be involved in what I like to call the solution to society's sickness." He explained and earned a raised brow.
"Sickness?"
"Hero Syndrome… Over 80% of the population have it. It's a terrible illness that gives people, particularly children, delusions of grandeur." He opened a door and ushered her inside. Izumi stepped in, eyeing the small white meeting room. "I brought you here in order to cure you of it, and to have you help me cure others of that same sickness."
"I'm a villain, not a hero. What makes you think I have Hero Syndrome?"
"Your circumstances may be different then most, but you're still riddled with the disease." He sat down on the couch and motioned for her to sit across from him. Once she obliged he folded his hands and leaned in to divulge his reasonings.
"Says the man who's only known me a few minutes. Just what kind of tests did you run on me while I was knocked out cold to make you so sure of your assumption?"
"They're not assumptions, they're facts." He held out a finger and tapped it in the air as he went over his findings. "You're obsessed with helping others, and you became Karma in order to help those that hero society can't… One man in particular whom you claimed to be in love with, and justified that love by letting him take his anger and aggression out on you rather than the rest of the world. You then tried to paint him the victim, by shifting the blame onto All for One and hero society."
Izumi stare at him stunned for a moment.
"How the fuck-"
"Your entire life story has been exploited, Karma." He pulled out a laptop and tapped the keys to bring up a particular website. "Ever since your capture, your popularity has skyrocketed across social media. Fanboys, researchers, and villain enthusiasts dug deep into your past, and created a makeshift biography for all to read."
"You've gotta be kidding me…" Izumi groaned. The last thing she wanted was to have people making fun of her on the internet. "As if I wasn't already feeling like a huge loser."
"A loser? On the contrary, you're a big star." He turned the laptop around so she could read the bio herself. He then unfolded newspapers and magazines and spread them across the coffee table on either side of the laptop. "All Might sympathized with you, and it brought on an unusual response. Suddenly you became a hot topic of discussion and many wanted to hear how you'd become a villain in the first place."
"Holy shit…" Izumi scanned through them all, taking in the information with utter disbelief. "So everyone knows everything about me? EVERYTHING!?"
"Just the juicy stuff anyway. The fact you were born quirkless, and because of this you were shunned from common society. You did everything you could to fit in, but were constantly brought down by those who thought themselves superior because they possessed what you didn't. In turn, you unknowingly aligned with villains who gave you a quirk and promised to make your dream come true. A tragic tale, most would say."
It was all there… Izumi thought as she scrolled the webpage with her fan made biography. While some things were stretched and exaggerated, such as the abusive father who abandoned her, the poor relationship with her tiger mom, and her becoming suicidal in junior high, they got the core of her backstory out for the world to see.
… and Izumi wasn't sure she liked it.
At first she was infuriated that they'd paint her as some kind of abused victim looking for acceptance… but the more she read on… the more intrigued she became. She could see the image she'd portrayed as a villain, was one people could relate to. A sympathetic, lonely young girl who started her life as a victim, but who grew stronger the more trials she faced. She was the voice of the outcasts, who couldn't speak out against oppression. She was the true hero who became a villain that protected those that didn't fit into hero society's mold. She was a role model that rose up against the man who tried to use her, and took over his organization in order to make a difference.
Ultimately she was the one who was betrayed by true villains, the people she'd cared for and sacrificed her life for. She was someone who should be admired for her courage, and sympathized over due to the tragedies and trials she'd had to face in her life.
Overwhelmed by her emotions, Izumi stood up and began to pace the room. Tears filled her eyes and she felt her protective shell beginning to crumble. No… she thought bitterly… she didn't like this image. She didn't like it at all.
"I don't believe this. What the hell is wrong with people? I'm not a hero, I'm a villain! I've killed people! I murdered Endeavor in cold blood, I cut off Dr. Nakara's head, and ripped Stain to pieces. Why does the world see me like I'm some kind of martyr that needs to be protected?"
"You make it all seem like it's a bad thing." Overhaul waved his hand as if to bat away the negative emotions. "This publicity is good for you. It gives you power of the majority, and with my help you can continue your plans to change society for the better."
"You've gotta be shitting me!" She scoffed and sobbed back tears. "This isn't happening. This is so stupid!" She shook her head. "No, no, I shouldn't be here. I should be back in the hospital, cuffed, and incarcerated! I lost, game over, CHECKMATE!"
"You're in a state of panic… but trust me this is for the best. Surrendering to hero society is not the right course for you." He paused a moment when he felt the couch shift under him. "Calm down, think, you need to keep your mind active, and options open. I can assure you everything will be alright so long as you-"
"No, no, no, no… It's not alright, NOTHING is alright!" Izumi muttered as she paced back and forth in front of him. "Everything I worked for, everything and everyone I believed in is gone. Dabi is dead! Tomura and the league betrayed me! The heroes all think I'm crazy and want to lock me up! I don't have anything left! I can't be that person who cares for everyone but herself anymore! I can't! It's over!"
"Take a deep breath, there's no need to get yourself so worked up." Overhaul took his time, slowly coaxing her with words he thought would bring her to his side. "You still have allies; People who share your dreams and vision. I'm one of them."
"Allies? What allies?" She whirled on him, her face contorted and her hands stringing through her hair. "No, no, no, you don't seem to understand the situation at all, Overhaul. I have no allies. In order to have allies there must be people you can trust, but there is no trust. I can't trust anyone!"
"Okay… so allies may be the incorrect term for what we are to each other." He held his hands up, the furniture already starting to shift as her quirk spiraled out of control. He had to calm her down, or things were gonna get messy. He hated when things got messy.
"What we are, are players, Overhaul." She sent him a crazed smile. "We're rivals playing the same game, hoping to come out on top. Right now, my game should be over! I've lost all my key players. Any strategies and tactics I had for the future have been shut down. I am now a single solitary piece on an intimidatingly large game board, and I'm completely surrounded by my enemies!"
"So you're just gonna give up? I thought you were a smarter player than that." He soothed the words, his heart already beating faster as the panic in her voice rose his blood pressure. "I know the situation looks dire, but you don't have to be afraid-"
"Afraid?" She laughed and shook her head. "You truly are an idiot. I am not afraid, Overhaul." She held her sides as the laughter increased. "It's the world that should be afraid of me!" She pointed to her hysterical face as the laughter continued. "I have NOTHING! Therefore, I have nothing to lose!"
"Now just hold- SHIT!" He ducked his head as Izumi sent furniture tumbling. Glass shattered as the coffee mugs he'd prepared dropped to the floor and the wood of his table splintered when she sent it careening into the wall. The door flung open, Chronos and Mimic coming into help but both were knocked back and out the door again by a flying chair. Overhaul got up as he felt the couch he sat on move and he ducked out of the way before it came crashing down on him.
"Oh god this feels amazing!" Izumi laughed and spun in a slow circle. "Do you know how long i've been dying to just let it all out?" her eyes shifted to him, and she moved fast to catch him off guard. Her hand snatched the mask from his face and tossed it across the room like she had the furniture. His fear and panic rose up and he removed his glove.
"The hell do you think you're-" he choked on his insult. Izumi grabbed him by both his wrists and kicked his feet under him. She straddled him, sentient aura covering her body preventing him from activating his quirk against her.
"Shh, shh, shh… easy now, Overhaul." She found the pressure points on his wrists making his arms go numb and he jerked under her. "You brought this on yourself, and the rest of the world." She shifted, sitting tall atop him as if he were her throne. "You see, I had all but thrown in the towel. Games are boring when you know the outcome, after all." She tilted her head to the side, admiring him. It was a shame that his handsome face was marred by the hives on his skin. "You, however… just made the game interesting again."
"You're fucking crazy." He sneered at her.
"How kind of you to notice." She shifted, putting his hands over his head as she lay on top of him now. Her hair curtained their faces as she leaned in close. "I'm not sure why you brought me here, or what you'd planned to do with me… but I don't have much room to complain." She placed one slow, intimate kiss on his lips. He jerked underneath her, and when he opened his mouth to retort her tongue dipped in and deepened it. Something triggered inside Overhaul… urges and pleasures he'd denied himself, told himself that he didn't need nor want.
"Mmmph…" he muffled a slight groan, his body unsure of how to react to this invasion of personal space. Her tongue was hot and slick against his, and her petite form soft and malleable. If he could just get his hands free, he could either yank her off of him, or pull her closer and indulge himself in those hidden pleasures.
"Mmmm…" Izumi responded to his moan with one of her own, and pulled back. She caught the look in his eyes and knew she had him. She wasn't sure what had possessed her to try and seduce the man when he clearly had reservations about such things. Perhaps it was the grief from losing Dabi… or maybe it was the inner need to dominate a man after Tomura had made a fool of her. Whatever the case may be... the sheer fact that she broke his sensibilities so easily, just made her feel so incredibly empowered. She wanted to play with him even more.
"Whatever your game is, Overhaul, I'm in. You've got yourself a new piece to play with."
Overhaul looked up at her stunned. The look in her eyes was nothing like the frightened child he'd anticipated having to work with. Instead what he'd found was a crazed, yet confident woman who was ready to unleash chaos. His smile came quick and almost demented.
"Get off me, woman… and then I'll tell you all about the rules of my new game."
"Good, I look forward to playing with you." Izumi giggled and she climbed off him. She held out her hand for his, and he took it with his gloved one. He stood up, and the two remained hand in hand, studying each other.
"Rule number one…" He yanked her to him, testing this new urge by molding her petite body to his. He found it both unpleasantly intrusive, and dangerously intriguing. "If you ever touch me without permission again, I swear I'll kill you."
"Noted…" she whispered, and levitated his mask back up to him. "From now on, I'll let you make the moves."
~Ask Briry~
Bri: Considering that Midori the Queen was primarily Izumi's involvement with Overhaul, I decided to switch things up for the true arc. Things are about to get bat shit crazy. Guaranteed.
Next Chapter: The Plan