Himiko didn't know what to feel at the moment. Blood had sprayed out, covering her from head to toe in the crimson liquid and it came from a rather attractive boy, but as the life flowed out from his body and mortal fear gathered in his eyes, pleading with the universe for just another day of life, no joy came to her.
She didn't love this man or even hate him as she recently found that feeling out for what it really was, she was indifferent. Yet that wasn't quite correct either. In her mind she could see his family sobbing over his grave, if he had any at all and all the potential in this person gone to waste in the split second it took to plunge her knife into his jugular. She supposed that she should enjoy the rush of the kill like she used to, and to an extent she did, except it was more for the success of the act rather the end results.
It wasn't boring, but rather...it was empty. A hollow ghost of an experience that was missing something and she knew exactly what it was. Dabi had ordered her to take this man down for financially supporting their enemies and so she did, in a single afternoon even. And that was the problem, she was by herself.
For a moment a genuine smile crossed her lips as she wiped her soiled hands on her skirt and remembered how Izu-kun would always, without fail make some speech about how degenerate and horrible their mark was before the kill, how much the particular bastard had harmed innocent good people for their own selfish ends and it would always be different depending on the mark.
A rush of excitement came back in earnest as she recalled the look in his eyes when he would bring that pipe down on their heads over and over again until he was satisfied. Those were some of the best moments when he'd look at her that way, having the worst parts of himself bared to her without shame, without regret or doubt.
He was just like her, and she wanted to be like him, only he didn't want that, Izuku wanted her as she was. They were born for each other, soulmates and the past proved that, all she had to do was get better and one day, she would have him again.
Himiko stared down at the lifeless corpse of the man, a sense of loneliness growing in her chest the longer she looked. This wasn't meant to be hers alone, this kill belonged to the both of them, to her Izu-kun and-
No, that's wrong, this thing used to be a person who had hopes, dreams, fears and people who cared about him. Uraraka told her as much and she knew it. But she did what she had to do, it was her duty to kill people like this who deserved it because nobody else would keep these monsters in check, just like Izu-kun told them all.
She did nothing wrong, she kept her promise to Uraraka and was doing what Izu-kun would want her to do. Himiko looked at the wet tanto knife in her hand, the edge dripping with blood and grinned as another memory came back, one that had gotten her into so much conflict with the others back when the worst thing that could happen between them all was an argument or a fist fight.
Izu-kun had such an interesting idea about killing, what it meant and what it said to the world while she and the others talked about this constantly with him, at times to simply get him into that passion filled frenzy that was astonishing to watch if you pressed the right buttons. He had a way with words that gripped people by the heart to where something as barbaric as bludging someone to death sounded virtuous and righteous, or someone utterly despicable like themselves starting to believe that they were the ones fighting for what was right and just, even if the world said otherwise.
You could see it in someone's eyes when he spoke like that, how he gave them hope and shattered their self doubt completely because he wholeheartedly believed in what he said.
"It's easy to cut someone because it parts flesh, makes blood flow outwards and people instinctively fear blades. They're a personal tool when used right and say a lot when they come into play. Firearms are the same, but even worse in the meaning behind them when used. A life taken in a split second with minimal effort or forethought, reducing the person's meaning to nothing but a victim of overwhelming force, something to be forgotten most of the time due to how little you have to give in order to take. But something like a hammer or a pipe? That's different, that's something most don't fear because it's much harder to use, it takes so much more effort but then it says you used all your power to end them, that they perished in a way more painful than getting stabbed or shot, that you made it hurt in ways nothing else can as their bones break under the impact."
Himiko felt her eyes go glassy at the last bit she remembered.
"It sends a message to those that think they're untouchable that they aren't, that something so seemingly powerless can end them in one of the most painful ways possible. That even those that many see as useless can become mighty enough to bring down the corrupt and reinvent themselves."
A shudder went down her spine as she saw the look in his eyes. He was perfect, as perfect as a person can be in that moment. Yet no one is perfect, not Izu-kun, Uraraka, herself or anyone and she'd have to accept that if she wanted things to change for the better. Out of habit she sampled the blood on her knife and found herself...disappointed. It didn't taste the same, it didn't feel the same, it wasn't his.
It wasn't given. There was too much fear and desperation in it instead of that loving desire to see her healthy. That was when blood tasted the sweetest, in those gentle moments at night when she'd sit next to him with a chessy Hammer film on the TV, her head on his shoulders and a bag of his blood in her hands while he held her close, smiling and laughing with her or in those moments later on when she'd feel him bare into her while her tongue licked deep inside the cuts her nails made in that muscled body of his.
Her hands balled into fists as the disappointment and emptiness turned into anger. Not a murderous type of rage that she knew at a glance or even one born of guilt. For once she was angry at the people around her, at the League, at UA, at All Might and All For One and everyone in between.
If only they hadn't gotten in her damn way! Then she'd have that life forever with him, all she needed was just that one night and then it would have worked! She would have had her Izuku and a new family, but that stupid bastard stopped her! All For One took him away that night so she lost her nerve and threw the damn condom away and Izuku would notice if there were too many with holes poked into them, so she had to wait and never got the chance because the old man would steal Izuku away for hours upon weeks at a time and when he got back, he flat out refuse to let her take the lead which meant she never got to use her ace in the hole.
Then Tomura tattled on her for doing what he TOLD her to do! It was his idea to drug him with the quirk suppressors, not her's!
And then those stupid heroes had to bust in and ruin everything even more by trying to take him away from them, from his home and the people who actually loved him, they tried to take him away from her!
A growl escaped her lungs as the faces of each person appeared in her mind. She hated what they did to her, to her Izuku. Kneeling down on the corpse with her legs on either side of the body, she stabbed down at the still warm chest over and over again. Her knife rose and fell in an animalistic frenzy of attacks, further disfiguring the now long dead person beneath her as bloody holes formed one after the other.
Eventually she stood up from the grizzly work, her rage far from satisfied as a booted foot kicked the body of the yakuza in the ribs.
"Give him back! I want him back! Fucking give him back to me!"
Her insane demands went unanswered as she continued to kick the corpse over and over again, breaking the skin under the sharkskin suit it wore until a loud crack was heard as a number of ribs broke. Even this didn't Himiko feel better, so she stepped to the man's face and stomped as hard as she could with all her bodyweight behind her on his face.
The first flattened the nose, sinking the features in slightly, then she did it again and again and again. Tears were streaming down her face now as memories of times she'll never have again played back in HD quality. Her Izuku was gone and he wasn't coming back unless she changed. A moment later she was back in reality with tears and snot staining her face while blood and grey matter stained the carpet and her shoes.
Looking down, half of the corpse's head was gone, reduced to mush under her strikes. Strangely it only made her feel more lonely as she noticed how similar it looked to Izuku's handiwork. How utterly destroyed the cranium was and how bits of the skull floated it what was left. How he would have loved this. He'd be so proud of her, she could hear him now say she did the right thing with that look in his eyes he reserved for her alone.
More tears teased at the edges of her eyelids, but it was at this point, covered in blood and guts that she realized she had to report in. Wiping her sorrow away, Himiko reached into her shirt pocket and dialed for Kurogiri to warp her away. Moments in pure darkness later, she walked back into the rundown apartment complex that served as their current base.
Dabi was lounging on a couch a few feet away, his face buried in a novel by the name of "Fahrenheit 451" for some reason while Kurogiri was likewise sitting in a recliner with a look of such discomfort and anxiety that his ghostly form couldn't fully hide it. Dabi looked up from his novel, flinching at the mess of gore on the girl but quickly got over it.
"Do I even want to ask?"
Himiko didn't say much of anything, her emotions being locked under a stoic reserve of numbness.
"I got the job done, the guy is dead, isn't that what you needed from me?"
The eldest Todoroki touched the sides of his repaired face with a single hand and sighed.
"Yes, but...ah never fuckin' mind."
Himiko stepped forward, her blood rising as a desire for a fight became clearer in her head.
"What? You wanna say something else, Scarface?"
He shook his head in clear disappointment as he picked up his book.
"No, thank you Toga, you did well."
The blonde was about to open her mouth when she thought better of it. Walking past the pair of men, she headed to the stairs in order to reach her room, but that was halted when she saw the barrel of a gun.
"One side Vampire, we got a job to do."
Mustard came marching down the steps right as she was about to ascend them with Spinner directly behind him. The guy looked ready for war and that was literal in meaning as he seemed equipped to take on an entire army.
He was dressed in kevlar, steel mesh plate that fitted over him like black armor which covered every centimeter of skin while still having tiny holes drilled in near the shoulders to let his quirk still come into use if needed. On his belt hung two 1911 pistols to either side, along with a combat knife and a tactical tomahawk which still had bits of dried blood on it.
In his hands was a refurbished AK-47 that clearly had seen it's fair share of use, four magazines of ammunition had been stuffed into the pockets on his armor. The only thing which remained consistent was his helmet, which now lacked the bulky oxygen tank on his back and now looked fairly modern with the air filters screwed into the sides.
She stepped out of their way as Kurogiri opened up another portal for them to walk through. Spinner looked back apologetically as he readied his blade for whatever was on the other side. Then at once, they both were gone.
Himiko didn't have it in her to care, so she simply kept walking robotically until she reached her apartment. When she reached for her key, she realized her hands were shaking. Biting the emotions down, she unlocked the door and threw herself inside, not really caring if anyone could hear her at the time.
Throwing her dirty clothes off, she marched into her bathroom, turning on the shower and washing the filth from her body. The blood came off instantly, but as she stood there with that warm slice of heaven that soothed her muscles it felt strange to be alone. She expected in some part of her brain to feel his hands on her hip, tapping her slowly on the leg so he could get his turn to rinse.
It wasn't strange to her that they showered together, it wasn't even for more debase reasons, there was only a single shower in their old room and they always had things to do, people to kill.
Get up at five A.M, eat breakfast, shower, change, clean weapons, train (if the job allows time for that day), go to work, preferably come back before midnight, check on Moonfish, relax, sleep.
That was their routine, the thing which made up her life with him and now? Now she was alone. Goddamn, how she missed the little things. His clothes being thrown on the floor, or his notebooks taking up half the shelving in the room or the sound of him muttering while he took notes. Himiko exited the bathroom, her hair a long, tangled mess that hit against her back as she walked to her bed.
It had a strangling comfort to it that made it harder to let go of the emotions bubbling inside her like a coldren. She didn't want to be sad, but it didn't feel right to be happy without him around. Slowly she sat up on her mattress and reached for her phone, scrolling through her contacts until she found the right number.
A few dials later it connected. The other person on the line sounded unbelievably tired.
"Hello?"
Himiko perked up at hearing that, a small grin masking her emotions from herself.
"Hey Cheeky, how've you been? I haven't heard much from you lately."
Nothing came from over the phone for a solid thirty seconds then a sharp exhale answered.
"Fine Himiko, how's your day been going?"
She kicked her feet up in the air to get some of the building excitement out of her system.
"Oh, I've had a pretty normal day."
Another pause came from the heroine.
"Knowing you, that can mean a lot of things and I'm not really in the mood to discuss your definition of normal."
Himiko shrugged, trying to put today's outburst in the back of her mind.
"Fair enough I suppose, anyway how's your life going?"
"There's been ten more murders lately, all of them smile related and nobody wants to touch the case for obvious reasons. Gunhead is hesitant to do more than patrol at this point, but the civilians are none the wiser. You mind if I ask a professional question?"
Himiko paused at that, measuring her words carefully.
"Depends on the question."
"With people in your...profession, are there any knock on effects with the whole smile issue? You know, lack of business, less risk taking or resignation from the field?"
Again Himiko shrugged.
"People everywhere are keeping their heads down since the danger is pretty much everywhere. Nobody really knows who the hell's behind all this, so it's like fighting an army of ghosts."
Uraraka sounded almost hesitant to speak when she responded.
"Really? Not even those people we...know of are behind this?"
The villainess chuckled.
"That's the thing about chaos Cheeky, you can't predict it and I know my baby isn't behind this, otherwise things would be a whole lot worse. But as for that shadow guy, my bet is that he has something to do with part of this."
Himiko could practically feel Uraraka's eyes go wide over the phone.
"I know that tone Himiko, we are not-"
The smile grew more as she interrupted.
"But I thought you wanted to figure this out, don't ya know rules need breaking if you wanna know the truth?"
Uraraka tried to answer back, but her voice cut off as she sighed in defeat.
"Fine, I'll meet you there, alright?"
She stood up, gathering her new change of clothes with a grin a mile wide.
"Sweet, I'll be there in a few, talk to ya later, Cheeky."
The call ended before Uraraka could answer and left the villainess to get ready. It was good to have another task, a goal. Suddenly there was something other than the bad feelings eating away at her, now she was going to help her best friend save the day and crack the case like in those buddy cop movies. This was her second good deed of the day and then there was more fun to be had with Uraraka before tonight is over.
Maybe they could go shopping for new costume parts, or they could go roof jumping like how she and Izu-kun used to, or maybe they could-
Himiko was stopped in her tracks when she saw two eyes that were as black as pitch standing on the other side of her doorway right as she opened her front door. Clad in his blackened leather suit Moonfish stared at her silently, his face as rigid and unemotional as paper. His ghastly pale skin shined in the hallway lighting with how the mask portion of the outfit dangled down the backside of his neck like a hood. His dirty blond hair was unkempt and frazzled as he stood like a monolith.
The girl went cold with fear, looking like a deer in headlights as the two murderers studied each other. Then the cannibal spoke.
"I take it you're not in the best of moods today?"
Himiko breathed a little easier when Moonfish started to talk, he wasn't here to hurt her...she hoped.
"I was pretty in a sour mood, but there's no sense just crying about it all day and night. I've gotta get on with things."
The man said nothing for a while before he shook his head.
"You're in the manic stages of grief, which isn't a pretty thing."
She raised an eyebrow at the villain.
"Say again?"
"You've yet to come to terms with your loss so you avoid the emotion by latching onto distractions. Anything that will keep the thought of what happened from your mind, my guess is that you'll maybe have another three months of this at most."
Himiko glared at the gimp, the ingrained fear dying slowly.
"So what? When is anything I do a concern of yours?"
"Because once that delusion fades away you'll be far more likely to do something drastic to escape the reality of things. And that does include trying to die."
Her teeth became bared at the monster, anger boiling more in her veins and even that felt good as it burned away the coldness.
"I'm not you, so stop trying to frame all your hangups onto me. I'm doing better now."
Moonfish sighed, his crooked teeth poking out of his lips as they expanded and then retracted back to normal.
"I'm not framing anything onto you, I am simply stating the facts. When my family died, I allowed my illness to take over to kill the pain of their absence. I ceased to care about anything other than the next empty high, the next bite of meat because I had nothing left other than to die and I lived like that for six years before things got better."
Himiko shrank away from the killer, guilt filling her belly at what the man went through.
"Look, I'm sorry about what happened to your loved ones and I appreciate the concern, but Izu-kun isn't dead, I still have a chance and-"
She stopped when someone approached the two of them. Big Sis Magne stood a few feet from the dengerates, her massive tower of a magnet slung over her broad back. Her sunglasses concealed her eyes but Toga knew that she was looking directly at her in that worried way only she could make. Moonfish became emotionless again like a switch had been flipped, erasing the parental sorrow he had so vividly held seconds before.
"Everything alright over here?"
Magne asked cautiously as her focus went to Moonfish, watching for his reaction to her intrusion. Himiko perked up again, this time the expression was seamlessly forced to such a degree that she knew only Izuku or some who had her issues could see it.
"Yeah, it's just ol' Jaws here giving me a talking to, nothing to worry about."
That did nothing to ease the tension in the other villainess, yet no outward aggression was made from either of the older parties. Moonfish's eyes moved in their sockets, shifting the view away from Magne and towards Toga. He knelt down until they were at eye level and he said in a way that wasn't unkindly, but it was too alien to the situation for it to not be seen as odd.
"Your days with this high are numbered Himiko, I know what will happen sooner or later and when it does, I want you to know I'm still here if you need help."
The drop out grinned at the gimp, skipping over to Magne as she tried to continue on her way.
"I hear ya loud and clear Mr. Toothfairy."
Moonfish smiled at that, but later there was a malicious light in his black eyes that caused his expression to shift from almost fatherly to something far more fitting of a monster like him.
"The Tooth Fairy...I like that name, I think I'll keep it."
With that the cannibal turned back to the way towards his room, the heavy boots he wore not so much as disturbing the carpet as he walked away. Toga had to suppress a shudder of disgust as her mind began to create images that made even her stomach heave at. Magne shared her sentiment in full as she gripped the side of her magnet for comfort. Once Moonfish was out of sight and they heard his door click shut, the older of the remaining two looked at the younger girl.
"I will never understand what Izuku saw in that freak."
Himiko stared ahead, the question honestly bringing back a bit of happy memories.
"He saw someone who needed help, that's all he needed to see in order to do the right thing."
Magne stared at her with the sort of confusion and mild pity very few ever receive from the massive criminal.
"But you are ok, right? That weirdo hasn't been doing anything to you?"
The blonde haired youth shrugged.
"Nothing more than talking me out of my own issues."
A beep came from her wrist as the watch she had began to go off, causing her eyes to bulge out of her head as she excused herself as she rushed down the stairs, asked Kurogiri to create a portal for her which took even more time and emerged in the cold winter afternoon alone on the same street she had agreed to meet at.
Her duffle coat kept the biting wind chill at bay, concealing the knives she had attached to her hip well enough to make the slasher feel much more secure, but that feeling died when she saw the pink cheeked anti-gravity heroine glare at her annoyingly once she walked a few blocks to the west.
"Took your time today, haven't you Himiko?"
Uraraka asked as sweetly as she could while her words possessed more cutting power than the blades on the villainess' hips. Himiko rolled her eyes at her friend.
"Sorry, but the gimp wanted to give me life advice for almost a half hour."
The brunette raised an eyebrow at her.
'You mean the same guy that ate people...wanted to give you advice?"
A hand was waved dismissively at her concerns.
"My family is freakin weird ok? Now I thought you wanted to get answers about those murders?"
Uraraka pursed her lips and turned to the direction they needed to take, silently muttering under her breath as the two of them began the march to their destination.
"Family isn't what I'd call those people."
Himiko leaned in closer to the heroine, her eyes narrowing in the annoyed way that anyone who had lived long enough to know her personally understood that it wasn't quite a threat of violence like one would think.
"What was that Cheeky?"
Uraraka shot her a look that matched the ire sent her way before she stopped walking and took a deep breath, halting the journey as the heroine turned back around to face the villain.
"Ok I'm sorry, but I need to ask, what kind of relationship did Izuku have with that...guy? Katsuki said they acted like they were close and...well, when everyone heard that our minds drifted to the absolute worst scenarios, so can you please clear that up?"
Himiko laughed lightly at her friend, as if she had just discovered an inside joke that few knew of.
"Izu-kun was his caretaker back when he first got enlisted. He'd spend hours down in the basement just making sure the gimp was ok and it was thanks to him that Moonfish got back on his meds. It was pretty cute in a messed up way. Heck, one time I saw Izu-kun threaten to beat the shit out of Dabi for suggesting we throw Moonfish at this gang and it was a pretty dang descriptive threat too."
She allowed another warm smile to overcome her features.
"The best way I can describe it is like a broken boy caring for a big pitbull that everyone wanted to put down. The boy got a friend and someone to protect him and the pitbull got better and stopped biting everyone, if that makes sense."
Uraraka mused on the idea and rather quickly accepted it to Himiko's surprise.
"Yeah that does sound like something Deku would do now that you put it like that."
The two girls continued their conversation as it drifted towards menial things like hero merch and the like as they walked the remaining stretch of road, before they could reach the alleyway however both of them stopped on a dime and turned, ready to fight whatever they sensed coming up behind them.
Two red eyes reflected back at them from on high, enwrapped in a ghoulishly pale face that smiled down at them from a nearby rooftop. The man leapt down from the two-story tall building without hesitation, the patched up trench coat he wore opening up like a kite in the wind as he did so.
Himiko was still on guard when she recognized the man from the first encounter they had with the cults, but outwardly she relaxed, faking a warm smile as the fanatic's green dyed mohawk swayed in the freezing cold.
A familiarity came from him that Himiko could almost relate to how Dabi acted towards some people, a sort of "I could kill you at any time, but I kinda-sorta like/ reluctantly need your emotional support and help" but nowhere as dire or as blindingly obvious from her perspective.
The ghoul continued to smile mischievously at the two girls and allowed a few bones in his back to pop before spreading his arms out wide in a sweeping gesture.
"Well, if it ain't the lost girls. What brings you two back? Still looking for that missing guy like before?"
Uraraka stepped up to the cultist, her face lacking politeness and tact as a police like sternness colored her.
"Yes, but right now we have bigger issues at hand. Ten people have been murdered in the Hosu area, all of which had smiles carved into their bodies and no one knows who did it."
The ghoul smiled back at the heroine, his teeth making it seem almost predatory.
"If you're wanting to learn who did it, that depends on a lot of factors. It coulda been one of us, another group in the following or just some random disciple of His ways that started acting alone. There's so many of us that you may as well be trying to find a particular grain of sand in a desert, hell even the higher ups don't really know how many followers there are."
Himiko hurriedly got between the two with an apologetic mask on her face, trying her best to ease the bear Uraraka had been so eagerly poking, but it wasn't needed evidently as the man gestured to a spot further down the street.
"I can understand your stress and if you're dying to learn something then walk on in, the boss decided to pay us a visit today, my guess is he's your best bet."
The blonde villainess immediately stood ramrod straight, her expression turning into something akin to a drowning woman.
"This guy, is he...the Smile Man?"
The cultist chuckled at her question as they all strolled towards the alleyway.
"Unfortunately no, nobody's seen the man himself in a long, long time. It's Tojo who's paying us his respects. Oddly enough he's been asking about you two, said something about a job."
Himiko allowed the sorrow to wash over her once more, clinging to Uraraka emotionally as moved closer to hold her hand while the heroine took the speaking role.
"What kind of job would he need us for?"
The Outcast shrugged.
"The kind that need people like you I suppose, ask him yourselves once we're inside."
Uraraka said nothing back to him while Himiko interlocked her arm around hers, the nails digging into the heroine's skin as they arrived at the apartment building and entered. Yellowing lights glowed overhead of the three, bringing the decrepit interior to the center of their attention, yet Uraraka couldn't focus on her surroundings that much with Himiko still clinging to her. The nails dug in even deeper, drawing a bead of blood that made her wince in pain. Thoughts of pushing the villain off her came to her, but there was a part of her, a more heroic and logical side of herself that allowed the blonde to continue with her self coping.
Moments later the ghoul led them to the lobby of the complex where an organized crowd of people had gathered in chairs, couches and more around a single person sat with a cup of tea in his hand. The apparent ringleader of the wave of terror that swept across the heroic and villainous world was in casual conversation with the spike covered foreman of this place, his body was relaxed, seemingly happy to be amongst the people who he helped. Then his demoner shifted when the hero and the villain walked into view.
He placed the tea to the side of a nearby coffee table, adjusting his posture to address the three that just entered.
"Gin, good to see you back so soon, with guests no less. I take it things have been slow lately?"
The ghoul moved to a wall to the right of the entrance, leaning his back up against it while the girls remained in the spotlight of the entire mob.
"Fortunately you'd be right in that, seems like the scum is starting to learn who's been hunting 'em."
Tojo nodded, pleased at what he heard.
"Well, the less we're needed the better I say, after all, His message is supposed to make our more unsightly actions necessary one day."
The red eyed cultist nodded in kind.
"The day when we can all smile."
Tojo reclined into the couch, his eyes moving to the girls as he did so.
"Indeed, now as for our sisters I assume everything is well?"
Uraraka flinched at being directly addressed, but kept her cool in face it all while Himiko continued to lean on her for support. The villainess' eyes coming more alive yet still holding the heroine tight to herself.
"Yes we're doing fine, but unfortunately we need to-"
Tojo cut her off with a raised hand as he turned to the mutant to his left.
"Brother Hitosi, I apologize, but I need to speak about something in private with these two so if you wouldn't mind putting this conversation of ours on hold for now, I'll be leaving with them."
The spiked mutant waved a dismissive hand at the fanatic as the man moved to approach the pair.
"Not at all, it's been good seeing you again Tojo."
"Likewise, I'll try to pop back in when I'm able. Now if you two wouldn't mind, we have something to discuss."
Uraraka wanted to interject but Himiko took the chance to do it for her.
"We'd be delighted."
Then like that, the world turned black as they both fell into the floor, feeling the strange mass of the darkness as it swallowed them. The blindness only lasted a few horrifying seconds before a hand pulled them up into a new location, one that stunk of tobacco and piss. Tojo was sitting in an overly cushioned chair behind a gnarled looking desk, his expression turning serious and business like instantly. The girls stared at him measuring, their respective danger and authority showing at last.
However Tojo loosened his posture once more, relaxing as he reached into a compartment in the desk and pulled out a single folder and laid it out in front of them, gesturing to two chairs that rested by him.
"Sorry for pulling you both out like that, but recently I've found something that may interest you both and provided that a certain worry of mine is put to rest, I'll look further into it. Now if you would."
The hero and the villain shared a look, taking the seats offered to them. Uraraka was the first to find her tongue, not daring to reach for the folder just yet.
"And what might this issue be exactly?"
A frown came over the man as he scanned their dress wear, ignoring the lethal glares thrown his way.
"Something that should fit both of your skill sets nicely, though I had honestly thought that His message would have stuck with the both of you."
The pair raised an eyebrow at him, causing Tojo to point at the smiley face pin on his trench coat. Shaking his head, he continued his explanation.
"Anyway, the gist of it is that a secondary force has be assumed to be infiltrating one of the more...let's just say public branches of our cause and the thing is that we can't call on our sister groups because this branch in question is purely humanitarian in nature to where the more radical parts of our creed is left unnoticed by most. Meaning that if we were to go in guns blazing, more innocent people would get hurt then our morals would allow, now add that to the fact that there is no definitive proof of infiltration and you have what could potentially be something that could be nothing or the onset of corruption which would cripple us in the long run."
Himiko kept glaring at the fanatic, her fingers rubbing against the chair she was in.
"So you want us to go in and find out if there's a bad apple in your little charity?"
Tojo nodded.
"Exactly, they'll be a public festival held by the organization at that time, granting you both enough cover to arrive without suspicion, scope out anything unusual and provided you find it, subdue the person in question and bring them to me. If there isn't anything, then just enjoy the festivities and I'll pay you anyway."
Uraraka shot him a look as her arms became crossed.
"And who might this group that you fear is misusing your people is called?"
Tojo pulled a binder out from a row on his desk and handed it to the heroine, a visible disgust arising on his face.
"The Shie Hassaikai, a bunch of drug peddlers and traffickers posing as yakuza. We've had run ins with them time and again. Bastards act like animals, trapping people in debt through loansharking or "Insurance" policies. So far they've learned to stay away, but the issue is that this branch isn't visibly backed by our larger forces and like I said, we prefer to keep it that way. I swear the only scum worse than them is the Meta Liberation Army, but at least they're wise enough to not act stupid by acting out in the open."
Uraraka flipped through the documents, finding pages and pages of financial reports, photo graphs, addresses, personal files and more of people who wore strange plague doctor type masks, the leader of which was named "Overhaul". She stopped momentarially when she found a page that had the words "Quirk Canceling Bullets" underlined. Tojo saw her reaction, but waved her worry away.
"I wouldn't worry about that, the bastards think they found some drug that cancels out quirks, but at most it only lasts a couple days. A couple of our guys got blasted with them a few times and we've learned the limits that stuff can do. Our larger worry at the moment is the Trigger they've been pushing into our neighbourhoods. It causes too much destruction for the government to ignore and well I don't think I need to spell it out for you how that's bad for us."
Himiko was quickly growing skeptical of the man as her eyes narrowed somewhat.
"So you expect us to go into some random ass ghetto, find some creep in a bird mask and bring him to you, assuming there even is one?"
Tojo raised a thumb to the villainess.
"Bingo, you two are pros at what you do, you more than her at the moment when it comes to blending in and nobody will be expecting either one. Now I feel the need to stress that I don't want a killing done, but if you need to defend yourselves then, do what you have to."
Himiko rolled her eyes at that.
"And what makes you think we'll be willing to do that for you?"
He handed her the envelope on the desk and leaned back into his chair.
"I decided to look further into that person you asked about and one of my connections found something. Now normally I would have given the info over for free and again, I'm willing to help if you find something or not, but assuming your reports help my cause...well, I may just be willing to pay extra attention to this and maybe find out more info."
Opening the yellow container Himiko was greeted with a polaroid photo no larger than her palm and within the white frame, looking off to the side as he passed out food to a crowd of people, was her Izu-kun.
She looked back up at the man, who smiled greedily at her as he overlapped his hands on his desk. Her voice was thin and filled with desperation that only one who had lost everything can possess.
"Whatever you need, we'll do it."
Tojo grinned at her in an almost evil way.
"Good, now the organization in question is called the Smiling Saints and they'll have their winter festival tomorrow at noon to midnight, I trust you both can handle that?"
Uraraka stared at the picture as Himiko's arms fell to the desk, a determination filling her in kind as Himiko gazed pleadingly at her.
"You have our word that it'll be done."