Disclaimer: I do not own Boku no Hero academia, nor do I own any other factual/fictional recognizable franchise or enterprise/company/real website/ etc. mentioned in the story...I own nothing but the OCs.
RATING: M - For high violence - swearing - graphic scenes of varying natures (yes, eventually sex) - Continuous darkening of the tone of the story...And some weird psychological drama...
[Main categories:] Friendship/Drama/Romance/Psychological Drama.,.,.,[Secondary: Action/Bit of everything]
Edit fair warning:
Contains potential polyamory elements (that are Not mindlessly put together) (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH TRADITIONAL ARABIC 'HAREMS' where it's like one guy with a kazillion women, that's mindless aimless harem crap that misses the point of 'poly' and misses the point of human relationships, there is a well defined limit here and while significant in some regards, is not the central basis of the story.)
So if you're not comfortable with polyamory/polygamy at all, (Which, face it, at this rate it's the future of relationships alongside gay marriage IRL) I heavily suggest clicking away now, if you're fine with it, please do proceed ;)
..Author's notes at the end. Deviant art' for title pics: Flayne12...So without a do, this my very first Fanfic. I hope you enjoy...
Cosmic Resonance
...
'If you're reading this old friend...Old partner in justice...Then the likelihood is...I'm dead...And it's too late...
This wasn't meant to happen...This wasn't meant to be...But the wheels of fate have chosen...And they were impossible to slow down no matter how hard I tried...
I can't believe that one change...One anomaly...Led to this...
I tried.
I really did use all of my resources to rectify this...Old friend...But it seems I've failed...
Maybe we were wrong...
Maybe we've upset the scales of balance...
Maybe the goddess: Nemesis, herself deigned it be so and to protect her agents, interfered in every corner...And in an act of retribution against those prideful that abused their inordinate good fortune, has decided to bring things back into equilibrium...Even at the cost of such impending discord...
Whatever it may be...Beware old friend...For the future is uncertain...Now that this seemingly inevitable change has been brought about...I'm so sorry...
I'm sorry I couldn't do more...Please take care...You're the only one that can stand against them now...If you can't stop them...Then no one can...And so be it...For fate has chosen...'
...
Chapter 1:
Selflessness
'Be careful what you wish for...Because there is always a price...And the Universe loves irony more than futility...'
...
He neared the trio of thugs, his raven hair soaked, steeling his nerves as he closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself, feeling the thousands of impacts from the droplets of rain and the powerful rumbling of the thunder reverberating in the skies miles away...
He then opened his eyes.
…
Here we go…
"NOW, YO!"
The teenager yelled while he rushed at the three thugs as he clawed his hand and 'Cracked' the air with his fingertips which he then raised in a powerful swipe.
A sound akin to the violent shattering of glass could be heard as the street environment was momentarily distorted like that of a fragmented reflection.
Then a huge 'pulse' reverberated with loops of warped air being released as pressure waves from the movement, spraying the falling rainwater in all directions as the thugs were abruptly sent flying twisting and flipping through the air yelling obscenities.
All in just mere seconds…
As his cousin bolted passed the temporarily downed thugs to safety, he noticed that people were peeking from their windows at the commotion, some having been cracked from the sudden force.
Witnesses…
He was the one that started the street brawl, and with his quirk no less…
Fuck.
He was an aimless, pessimist who at this point genuinely believed the universe was constantly screwing with him…At least his cousin was safe though.
The 'other' trio of thugs behind him were all shocked at what had occurred, but then refocused and rushed him while the first trio in front of him were slowly starting to get up albeit in a temporary daze, sporting some injuries of varying degrees.
In that moment he knew for certain, that he was screwed either way.
If he survived this…
...
Then he was going to jail…
…
85 minutes earlier …
He groggily awoke from his slumber, hearing the pitter-patter of the constant raindrops on the aluminium roof as he instinctively checked the time on the clock-face that looked back at him on his nightstand; but he couldn't see it, which meant it was still night time.
In a distant past, he would certainly have been overjoyed by the relaxing sensation of rain repetitively striking the rooftop, now however, due to the nature of his quirk since manifesting, it was a matter of his current mood, since he was more prone to the sensory over stimulation that he would experience with thousands upon thousands of mini impacts caused by the descending minuscule bodies of water.
As he contemplated this, his eyes fell on the distinct purple mini light slowly pulsing on the top corner of his smartphone next to the silent alarm clock, indicating that he had recently received a message or a call.
He picked it up and unlocked the phone screen pressing his index fingerprint to its back, now comprehending the true reason to the disturbance of his rest, releasing a frustrated sigh to the current time, to the missed call and messages from his auntie.
1:46 AM, Saturday
Jesus, so late…
'1 Missed call from, Aunt Kuki'
1:44 [Aunt Kuki: Zayu-kun, please call me as soon as you get this, I'm so sorry for the time but it's VERY urgent and my sister never picks up the phone once she falls asleep]
That was true, mum was a chain smoker and the drowsiness from the cigs and mild snoring as a long-term side effect from the inhaled chemical compound, didn't help her sleep awareness, you'd be lucky to get her to answer after about ten or more calls and that's IF the phone was even remotely close to her head.
1:45 [Aunt Kuki: Please Zankyou it's serious, I need your help and I can't leave my husband alone since he's having coughing fits and I need to be here]
To shift from 'Zayu' to his true name even through text messaging, it must've been really serious, also due to the obviously late hour and the fact that they don't call him that often.
But if that was the case, what about Yo? Couldn't he help his own mother? Something wasn't right here. To his better judgement he decided to call and press the contact name on his relatively short contact list.
It starts ringing on the other end, mentally preparing himself for whatever the hell was going on to cause this unexpected situation.
Not more than a few seconds later he notices the abrupt stop of the ringing as the other line connected.
"Hello? Zayu-kun?" came the voice of his aunt on the other end.
"Yeah…Auntie it's me, is everything ok? I missed a call from you, I hope Uncle and Yo are ok"
He somewhat groggily answered as he dragged his hand down along his face, tugging at his tired eye-bags in a small effort to pry open his eyes.
"Your Uncle will be fine dear but he can't be left alone in his state but…Umm…Oh goddammit, I'm just so torn right now that I feel hopeless…Which leads me to the emergency."
She made a short angry sigh of frustration.
Ah Shit. Of course it was his cousin that had her in that state…
"Tell me auntie, what's going on?"
"It's your cousin..."
Not surprising…
"I'm not sure exactly what the hell he's gotten into but this time, it's landed him in a freaking police station–"
Oh my Goood…You've gotta be fucking kidding me man…
"–Luckily I've already spoken to one of the officers on the phone, convinced them somehow to not lock him up in a cell for the night on the condition that I promise to arrange someone to pick him up as soon as possible since they can't let him go on his own"
Zankyou internally groaned.
"And I'm assuming from your text Uncle Furu is the reason you can't go, damn what's he got?"
She sighed again in confirmation.
"Yeah Furu suddenly acted up again with his advanced pneumonia, leaving him a coughing fit and I can't leave him alone, and Yo was supposed to have come back by 12 but apparently little shit's done more than just a simple supposed 'Cram school', homework session' at his friend's place–"
Ugh…Sounds about right…Though cram school does suck ass...
He and Yo hadn't gotten the 'best' grades per say... Ok they were shit...Barely passing the last midschool year, so their mothers made them do cram school during the holidays to prepare for their upcoming highschool exams...
"–To get him into this mess and at this hour, they wouldn't have put him into custody for simple youth curfew infringement, so my idiot son has probably done something to land him there… I'm so sorry to put this on you Zayu-kun but I really need your help on this"
He took a few seconds to think about the situation and what he was asked. Tokyo was a large city and given the business hours of certain franchises and 'cram schools', the youth curfew wasn't strictly enforced per say, but if it turned out that a particularly over-zealous officer/hero patrol or one that was in a bad enough mood had spotted a minor past youth curfew, they'd pull them in for guidance against 'Shinya haikai' (Late night loitering) and give them and their parents a good lecture, maybe coupled with a fine, after arranging to take them to their homes.
But to land in a police station being a minor of fifteen years of age, not having turned sixteen yet this year, without an ID card, possibly indicates a more serious offence has been committed.
He just seriously hoped that it had nothing to do with illegal quirk usage, that would really complicate things for Yo.
Sigh.
"How does the process work?" He asked.
His auntie had explained that since Zankyou was turning seventeen on April, she assumed correctly that he had an ID card, since at the age of sixteen and above you were obligated to obtain and have an ID card on you at all times. He was a year older than Yo, who having already had his birthday this year, which meant it was allowed for the police to release their custody of a minor to an elder family member whom had an ID card despite still being a minor himself.
This was given that they return to their respective homes immediately.
"I see, I've got no problem with going auntie, but wouldn't it be better if I went over to yours and looked after Uncle while you went to pick up Yo? Also don't there have to be certain documents signed and stuff?"
"Yes sweety' that would have been the case but in the same call I've already done a telephonic procedure due to having my husband sick in bed, and I wouldn't want you to get infected, all you have to do is present your ID card and pick him up, also it saves time and you live much closer to the local police station…And…"
She clearly hesitated on the last part.
Zankyou just waited patiently, sensing her distress on the other line.
"He just doesn't listen, he's stubborn and a liar and honestly given your history with each other, you're still family, you're classmates and are roughly the same age range, I thought that maybe…You could put some sense into him. I wish he were more responsible and less…devious…like you Zayu-kun, honestly."
That says a lot…
"If it isn't too much…I was wondering if you could give the little shit a good 'talk' if you know what I mean, don't be soft on him…you've got my full permission if that concerns you." She said lowly so that her husband couldn't hear.
Right, responsible…
Sure Yo was a little devious troublemaker but Zankyou knew better to 'overly' judge his cousin, since he himself wasn't really a little angel either, he would get into fights, mostly out of contempt for bullies and people that attempted to take advantage of him or others if he saw it.
Ironically however, unlike Yo, he was smart enough to almost never be caught in the act, and when he did get caught, he would never wholly receive the blame since he always abused technicalities and worded his way out of blame, which was why he was mostly seen as 'responsible' by his auntie, though he knew his mother didn't buy much of it, as she had decades of street smarts over his own.
Of course, he knew that she respected the fact that he never did get into serious trouble beyond that, if at all intentionally…'Most' of the time…At least not enough to ever have stained papers.
Ignoring the praise he was given, he contemplated that last part from his auntie, understanding her words, though curious, he didn't want to pry, she must've been embarrassed enough as it is on top of having to rely on him to actually go and pick the little shit up.
He felt furious that his cousin was giving his kind auntie such a hard time. He really was gonna' give Yo a good 'talk'.
He clenched his fist at the last part of his thought.
"I totally get it Auntie, don't worry I'll slip on some clothes and I'll get going yeah?"
She exhaled in relief.
"Thank you so much Zayu-kun, again, I'm so sorry for putting you up to this but there's just no one else I could count on, if Furu wasn't sick this would have been so much eas–"
"Seriously its ok auntie no need to say anything else, you get some rest, I'll be there as soon as possible."
"Ok, I so owe you one, please take care on the way, make sure you rug up its probably freezing outside with the rain, speak soon and please call me in case of anything ok?, bye Zayu-kun"
…
As soon as he hung up he immediately face palmed and dragged his hand down is face again, audibly sighing irritably.
"For God's sake Yo! What the hell man? Ugh…you're sooo gonna' get it from me you little shit…"
He growled to himself as he got up, slipped on a thin black hoodie and a red leather jacket on top, black jeans, and blue joggers. He left his room to go to the bathroom which was just in front of his room as the house was small in general, complimented with rickety floorboards.
He could hear the soft snoring of his mother from the room next door as he entered the bathroom and flicked on the dim lights.
A pair of dark honey brown eyes with long eyelashes looked back at his olive-skinned face, slightly wincing at the lights. He washed his face, straightening the thin chin strip goatee leading from under his bottom lip to the end of his chin. He rubbed his face with water, dragging his index fingers along his eyebrows, his left one having an obvious gap of missing hair in between, courtesy of a scarred cut from years ago.
Then he quickly brushed his medium length shiny raven hair all the way back with his hands, working the old gel he already had on from yesterday and he left the bathroom, quickly passing by the kitchen for a glass of water.
He then left through the front door, feeling the chilly late night air coupled with the falling raindrops as he breathed out vapory moisture, closing the door behind himself, walked into the grassy front yard, passed the fenced gate and onto the wet sheen of the streets of Kabukicho district, illuminated by the bright street light posts.
He flipped on his black hood to keep his hair from getting too wet, placing his hands in the front pockets of his jacket and hurriedly made his way towards the direction of the local police station in the rain.
The police station wasn't far from his house, a ten-minute power walk at most, and from there Yo's house would be a fifteen-minute walk last he remembered, since he never really went to visit on his own accord...
He never got along with his cousin. But he felt sorry for his kind auntie having to deal with her son's bullshit directly, which was admirable.
At the beginning of elementary school, Zankyou had been a shyer and warmer child, while Yo was always a little liar and troublemaker.
As he walked, his mind went to the past…
...
Despite being a year older than Yo, Zankyou had started kinder garden with his cousin due to certain...Circumstances...
Yo in the beginning would instigate nefarious schemes that would often get Zankyou in trouble, mainly because he would always try to stop him since he always had a strong sense of family, despite his father never having been present. Of course, this would lead to a very heated childhood between him and his cousin.
Even more so since Zankyou manifested his quirk…a year later 'after' Yo…
'So, what's your quirk cuz? You haven't said anything yet, is it a weak lame one?'
Asked a four year old Yo with a curious yet snide leer.
'Umm…M-Mine…h-hasn't come yet…'
…
'Oh my god! Zankyou's Quirkless!'
'No way!'
'HAHAHA'
The laughter echoed in the kinder garden classroom.
He gasped, dreading the possibility but denying it all together with desperate hope that his quirk would actually manifest some time in the future.
'What!? No! I-it just h-hasn't come yet–'
Someone shoved him from behind...
It was his cousin.
'NYAA NYAA Zankyou's quirkless!'
'NYAA NYAA, HAA HAA!'
The teasing, violent shoving, prodding, snickering…Bullying…Would continue…
Pushing him further into despair…
For a whole year…
Without cease…
From morning till afternoon…
They actually believed him to be 'quirkless' for that period and as a result, at the hands of his cousin, classmates and even some of the teachers…Even his own 'Father' who had left him and his mother in a..Less than 'ideal' manner...He suffered intense humiliation.
However, a year after that…
Pain.
They had rounded on him after school, his cousin Yo being the leader.
'Still haven't gotten your quirk yet 'Zed'?'
He fucking hated that nickname.
It was short for 'Zeddo' which literally meant the letter 'Z'.
The schooling system decided at that time to begin teaching the English alphabet as early as age 5 or in kinder garden to better prepare them for the language in the future.
To his classmates, however, the stupid nickname meant 'Last' which somehow translated to him being the 'biggest loser', for being the only 'quirkless' at the school.
'…'
He refused to answer but that was just a confirmation.
'HA he's totally quirkless'
'Maybe it's a sickness'
'Eww, let's make him leave the school!'
They ganged up on him.
'Stop…'
Despair.
'STOP!'
…
Suddenly, he could feel a flood of…Emotions and intentions…That weren't his own…
'Contempt'... 'Cruelty'... 'Sadism'... 'Satisfaction'... 'Insecurity'
Overstimulating all of his senses…
Then he felt his own…
Rage.
…
'RRHAAAAGH!'
...
He didn't know what made him do it, but he swung both his arms open outwards in a cross swipe–
His bullies including his cousin were roughly flung to the floor alongside a 'pulse' and the deafening sound of glass shattering everywhere…
For the first time…He felt this…Subtle 'tingling' sensation all over his body.
He then saw broken glass all over the school grounds, noticing that every single window was...Broken.
'Fear'...'Surprise'...'Confusion'
But they weren't his emotions...He looked at his fallen classmates who were gawking at him in shock.
He realized with a gleeful yet dark cathartic satisfaction…
That he finally got his quirk…
After that, the dynamic between the duo and his schoolmates would change dramatically, especially at the beginning of middle school. He violently confronted any who would attempt to abuse him. Changing him over time.
Of course, he would still get into trouble since he would go on to vehemently despise the concept of bullying, intervening, and getting into fights.
In the end, the tables turned, and he became Yo's 'restrainer'.
Unfortunately this had the side effect of him becoming somewhat mostly detached from his peers, having only a select few 'acquaintances' as he'd like to call them, since he knew the two-facedness of his peers very well, his cousin coincidentally and inconveniently being the worst of them.
Not that he had to make any effort in isolating himself from them especially after he had gotten a gym membership for one of his birthdays, acquiring an athletic and very muscular build over time, on top of surpassing Yo in height, making him physically superior and seem more imposing to him and others.
Their dislike of each other was hidden and unbeknownst to their parents so as to prevent any potentially embarrassing 'forced make up sessions' that would ensue.
And to top it all off…
…
'I'm gonna become a hero! I reckon I'd be sick at it, hahaha'
Exclaimed a fifteen year old Yo with a cocky grin.
'ooo sweet, with your quirk you could totally do it Yo'
His few remaining school followers would ogle at his quirk.
'D-does G-Gingaki want to be one?'
Nervously asked one of his little cronies.
'Pfft…Nah he hates the idea for some reason, and with how much of a brutish loner he is, he would never be that popular anyway.'
A sixteen year old Zankyou rounded on them having caught them out in their little gossipy chit-chat.
'I fucking heard that you little shit! And for your information I don't want to be one because I dislike the idea of prancing around in stupid little costumes calling myself a hero when anyone can bloody well have some decency to help another. Unlike you fucking morons…'
They visibly trembled under the intense death glare he was giving them.
He discharged a soft but firm 'pulse', lifting up dust, fallen leaves, a few small stones and sending a pressure wave, snapping at their clothing and hair.
'Now, fuck off.'
'EEK!'
'Such a villain!'
They ran off in fright of his appearance and violent aura…
…
The little shit had the audacity to recently declare that he wanted to be a 'hero' and apply to 'UA high school, hero academy', probably thinking that it would be easy, glamorous and provide a financially secure future…
Pfft…
Fat chance with 'his' attitude…And now with this little fiasco the idiot has gotten himself into, with only a month before the UA exams, mostly likely his papers would be stained for a while, and Zankyou doubted that UA would damage their prestigious image by enrolling a student with a criminal record, no matter how minor the offense may be.
However, despite their differences, he wouldn't wish misfortune even for him, mainly since he was still family and it would affect his kind auntie.
If anything, he hoped that Yo would still get in after this, if he didn't, he'd at least have a better chance at a different academy for heroes in training, UA wasn't the only one as far as he'd remembered. Regardless of which Yo would end up in, it would teach him perhaps some important lessons…At least he hoped so.
…
Of course, not before he would teach the little shit a 'lesson' very much sooner than he thought as he phased out of his past–
Instinctively realizing he was now standing in front of the automatic sliding doors of the police station, hoping to get all this over and done with, somewhat feeling uncomfortable as he had never really entered a police station of his own volition especially in the middle of youth curfew.
But he was mostly calm since he knew all of the technicalities specifically for this unfortunate occasion thanks to his auntie. He mentally went through his plan as he stepped through the open doors into the station.
Explain the situation, prove the circumstances, pick the little shit up, walk with him as I give him a piece of my mind for being the reason behind my rude awakening on A FUCKING SATURDAY!…Wreck his ego with the 'talk' I promised aunt I'd give him, dump his sorry ass at his house and piss off back home to continue my sleep…
~…Little did Zankyou know however, that due to his cousin's reckless actions, things were not going to go as he expected tonight…~
...
A police secretary was at the front counter organizing some papers, sighing from the tiredness she felt due to the time it was and the fact that she was running the night shift at the moment.
There was one highlight of course to be had tonight and that would be the unusual late night visit she would receive, very soon in fact, from her friend and old co-worker Naomasa Tsukauchi coming over from his original workplace office, so there was that to look forward to.
As she contemplated this, the electric doors to the police station opened and she could see through her plexiglass on the counter, a tall young man, sporting a muscular and lean mesomorphic form beneath his red leather jacket, coming in approaching the counter flipping off his wet hoodie, clearly wet from the rain except his shiny black hair as he neatly brushed it back with his hand.
Now that she had a closer look at his revealed face, he was a minor, and at this hour! Then she squinted her eyes noticing something. Homing in on the peculiar facial features.
Hold on a second, he seems sort of familiar…But…Where have I seen him before?…Hmm…
Her thoughts were interrupted when the boy gave a low bow and began speaking, handing her his ID card through the bottom slit of the plexiglass.
"Greetings officer, I apologize for the hour and my uncalled for presence during youth curfew, my name is Zankyou Gingaki, and I am here on behalf of my auntie, Kuki Shindo to pick up her son whom is my cousin Yo Shindo. I'm sure you'll notice our familial relation on her profile since she took her husband's surname upon marriage."
"I see, please allow me to confirm the information you've given me, it will take a few minutes or so, you may take a seat in the waiting corner Mr. Gingaki"
She replied as she received his ID card, still trying to figure out this sense of familiarity she got from him.
The boy nodded and proceeded to do so as she began inputting the data onto the computer confirming the familial relation and then begun dialing the landline phone to contact Mrs. Shindo.
After confirming the arranged pick up with the mother of the boy in custody, she beckoned Zankyou to come back to the desk, noticing that he seemed a bit uncomfortable, no doubt wondering if he was breaching some kind of rule simply by being here. She decided to attempt to put him at ease giving a small kind smile at the boy.
"Mr. Gingaki, everything you've said checks out and you have no reason to feel nervous, as I am sure there must be a reason that your mother couldn't come either, you're doing the right thing given the unusual circumstances"
The tall boy's shoulders loosened up a little, clearly glad that he hadn't done anything wrong, though there was still a tinge of thoughtfulness on his face, no doubt regarding his cousin.
"Ah officer about my mother–" he begun
She lifted a hand to stop him mid speech.
"No need to explain young man, it's quite alright, we don't need to know the full details, you seem responsible enough. This isn't an interrogation after all~."
She smiled at him again as he awkwardly released a small chuckle at that last part.
"We would offer to take you two back to your respective homes in one of our cruisers but they're all busy at the moment, our last one we keep for emergencies or special needs left just now in order to make a pick up, they'll be back in around twenty minutes or so, if you'd like you two can wait here until then"
The boy shook his head lightly.
"That's ok officer, coincidentally we live relatively close to the police station, about a fifteen-minute brisk walk or so as you may have noticed on the profile, and the rain seems to have become lighter. Also, in all honesty I need to have a 'talk' with my cousin in private on the way, for obvious reasons. Thank you for your kind offer"
She nodded in understanding, she took a pink slip from a little pile on the desk and quickly filled it out.
"Understood, in that case, keep this on you just in case you get stopped on the way by another authority figure whether it be a hero on patrol or one of ours"
She handed it to the boy and he took it in appreciation, immediately pocketing the slip securely.
She then picked up a radio. Switched to a certain frequency and spoke to her co-worker.
"Hey Ichu-kun, our pickup for our little troublemaker has arrived. I'll explain later but he checks out, could you bring Yo Shindo to the front please, thanks"
Zankyou gave a low bow to her once again.
"Thank you for understanding and I apologize for all this inconvenience officer, I can only hope he doesn't screw up again"
She waved a hand dismissing the apology
"It's fine Mr. Gingaki, you have nothing to apologize for, I'm sure you wouldn't have any more control over him than his parents."
The young man nodded in agreement.
"However, I would consider that your cousin is lucky that this is only his first offence and that he is a minor which means he won't be charged with a trial this time around"
"Ah, that's…Good"
"Though I'm afraid it will still most likely be in his records since it is an illegal substance related offence. I hope he doesn't make a second offence anytime soon"
His eyes widened slightly at the last part of the statement. The boy became visually distraught in a new flurry of thoughts.
She noticed his surprise, immediately regretting her slip up and mentally berating herself. She had assumed that he was told by his auntie what he had done. Oh well…Nothing she could do about it now but not let any more information leek out.
There was an uncomfortable silence as they both waited for the arrival of the troublemaker.
Soon enough she saw her co-worker coming around a corner, by his side, a familiar bunch of messy dark brown hair appearing around the corner to reveal Yo Shindo, with his head stooped low in shame. She noticed the boy named Zankyou turned his body to face the on-comers, slightly wrinkling his face into an annoyed expression as he saw his cousin.
Now they were in full view, her male co-worker sporting the same police uniform standard with young Shindo in tow who had a light brown hoodie with black track pants and white tennis shoes.
As the younger boy lifted his head to look at his bailee, he was visibly shocked when his dark loosely diamond shaped eyes took in the sight and even let out a small gasp as his face turned into that of outrage realizing who it was that came to pick him up.
"What the actual…Zankyou?! The hell are you–"
The taller of the two boys gave the younger an intense glare in warning...
Seeing this, the troublemaker shut his mouth immediately as his head slightly angled to the side looking away in shame, standing beside his elder cousin in a huff of annoyance.
The elder boy gave a slight bow to the male police officer that brought the troublemaker and then a lower bow to her. Noticing his younger cousin didn't do the same, he sharply elbowed him causing young Shindo to give a small grunt and immediately following suit with the gesture.
"Thank you officers, we appreciate the understanding and once again apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your hard work, we shall take our leave now."
The two officers nodded in acknowledgement.
The two boys then straightened their backs, heading to the exit without another word.
She observed them, glimpsing the back of Zankyou, suddenly the familiarity hit her again...
Her eyes widened in recognition.
Wait a minute…Now that I've seen him in all angles…His back…He fits every description criterion on top of the camera recordings…
That's..him!
She called out just before they exited the automatic sliding doors, already opening at their presence.
"Mr. Gingaki, Zankyou-kun!"
The taller boy stiffened as he heard his name, he slowly turned to look at her in puzzlement.
"Yes officer?"
"I apologize for delaying you and if I've gotten this wrong, but aren't you the same boy that apparently stopped a mugging at a local supermarket closer to the city center last week? You know, the one with a middle-aged lady having almost been robbed by two hoodlums?"
She noticed his eyes just barely opened a little wider at the implication, then returned to their original position, the change almost being undetectable.
He looked to be contemplating something in worry for barely a second until he straightened his face, again just slightly enough to be barely detectable…Not to her fine eyes though.
"I'm sorry officer, I think you have the wrong person, my mum usually does the shopping for the house on weekends."
She pouted in an act to look disappointed.
"Hmm really? I could have sworn it was you, you look just like the young hero, well never mind then, sorry to keep you. Take care boys."
She gave a small wave and smile. The muscular boy returned the gestures and finally together with his shorter cousin left the building.
As he turned around, her smile shifted into a wide satisfied grin at the young boy's slip up.
She was certain now; it was too perfect to be a mere coincidence.
Hah! I never said it happened on a 'weekend' silly…I only said, 'last week'. Good job though…you could have gone a little easier on the hoodlums though, but seeing your physique, it's no wonder they ended up that way.
As the automatic doors closed, she looked to her co-worker with the same grin and he looked back at her in suspicion.
"Ichu-kun…that's our young assist from last week's incident, I'm certain of it, you saw his reaction too didn't you?"
He nodded in response still standing in the same spot and looking in the direction the two boys had gone.
"Yeah I did Kaniyashiki-san, I remember hearing from the witness report that he acted out in self-defense which is the only reason he hasn't been charged of vigilantism. Of course, I have a gut feeling that it's more complicated than that"
"Oh why's that?"
She looked at him with curiosity.
"Well, his quirk couldn't really be visually identified which is why it is unsure whether he used it in the first place or not. However, these two villains were not first-time offenders, in fact, despite having a low profile, they've been on the run for about a month now."
"Yeah, they were slippery bastards, the kid did as a good favor"
"But the amount of damage he caused the hoodlums and the fact that he got off with barely any injuries suggests he's got quite an impressive quirk and also the fact that he clearly knows he did nothing wrong 'technically', why didn't he just say the truth now? Curious."
She thought about Ichu-kun's thoughts for a second but decided it wasn't worth the effort in deducing the boy's motives, for all she knew he was just perhaps shy…Though she doubted it was that simple.
"Dunno', curious, but not much we can deduce without knowing him, though perhaps we may find out sooner or later if he repeats his action again. Whatever. And STOP with the 'san' honorific Ichu-kun just call me Monika for the thousandth time already"
The irony wasn't lost on her co-worker.
"No." he dead panned in a comically deep voice.
"Ugh…such a tightwad, you make me feel old with that and I'm at the prime of my youth too…"
As she sulked at his co-worker's insistence on the honorific, she felt a vibration in her pocket and pulled out her smart phone and saw a message from Naomasa.
2:45 [Nao: We're in the pickup you sent us and are coming with the pizza, also my sister's coming along too, we managed to pick her up from her workplace before getting the 'order' at the pizzeria and she insisted she needed a break from the boring routine, we should be there soon]
She squealed in delight at the message she received, tonight's secretary night shift was not going to be a boring one for a change, since the area has been oddly calm from any criminal activity or emergencies lately…
~Of course, little did she know that tonight was going to be less 'boring' than she thought, as the end of that calm streak was at hand…~
Zankyou audibly facepalmed as he realized his slip up with the officer earlier eliciting a confused expression from Yo as he walked alongside him.
Ugh…Goddammit…why didn't I just stop at the 'shopping' part, I just basically confirmed her suspicion with the 'weekend' I blurted out, I don't want people to start thinking I want to be a hero or something, it was just a freaking coincidence that they happened to tick me off with their bullshit bullying and abuse. Assholes.
As he thought this, he reflected back on that day…
…
A week ago…
He arrived at the supermarket near the bustling city center of Musutafu, that had all his mother's preferred products, scanning the entrance for a trolley while nearing the establishment.
He was about to go get one as he sensed a particularly distressed individual with his quirk, somewhat near the entrance to the supermarket, at the mouth of an alley in between it and the next building just off the walk path.
He sensed the two individual causes for the distress he was detecting. He was beginning to consider just minding his own business as he didn't want to commit vigilantism and he wasn't really aiming to be some sort of hero or anything like that. That was what Yo was planning on being by attempting UA, despite the role being horrendously off key with the little shit's attitude.
Still, the distress he was sensing was bugging him and the fact that he could feel that there was no one else that happened to be nearby.
Really…in the near city center…
NO ONE had noticed anything. Not even a single hero? It's not like they're actually inside the alle…ah shit…now he could sense they were slowly edging their way into the alley…
He had to make a choice. Either be an accomplice to the 'bullying and abuse' or risk committing vigilantism…ah the hell with it, may as well.
He stopped what he was doing, and he moved quickly towards the open alley. He could practically hear the whimpering of a middle-aged woman as he was closing in on the mouth of the alley. Turns out it wasn't that dark; he could still see the three figures not that deep inside. He noticed the filthy trash ridden alley was closed off at the other end.
Seriously how the hell has no one noticed a woman and two shifty dudes slowly edge their way into an alley. You don't need a quirk to notice this. A cosmic prank he fell for, courtesy of the universe.
He wasn't one for making plans or mid-long-term strategies, he was more tactical and intuitive. So, he did the only thing that could possibly stop the situation AND not dirty his records with vigilantism. Since oddly and conveniently enough no one was around he breathed in and yelled.
"OI! YEAH, YOU TWO WITH THE SHITTY HAIRDOS! THE FUCK YOU DOING!?"
On the spur of the moment, he couldn't think of a better insult since he could barely make out their heads and it was also his own 'weak spot' when people would disrespect his own hairdo. Although hypocritical, this just had to do.
One of the figures turned and growled at the insults.
He knew these types, the ones that were dumb enough to be robbing older ladies. These types were so low enough to be easily riled up from insults.
"What'd you call us? Fuck off before we go over there and beat the shit outta' ya"
Said one of them.
"Wha'dya want asshole, piss off before we get serious on yer' ass"
Said the other.
He could make out the woman desperately looking at his direction.
Good they were already riled up. Pfft…Too easy.
Now he needed a witness to come along, if not he'd have to simply alter his plan. Conveniently enough a young girl was actually coming along the path towards his direction.
He changed his tone of voice as he purposely stood in front of the thin alleyway, blocking it off from the hoodlums.
"Excuse me gentlemen, you wouldn't happen to know where the nearest mall is would…Oh what's this, what are you doing to that poor lady!?"
He exclaimed obnoxiously loudly, gaining the attention of the younger girl who was only a couple of meters away watching the spectacle unfold. He grinned noticing he successfully gained a witness.
He purposefully and loudly gasped over-dramatically for his act.
"OH NO! SOMEONE CALL A COP OR A HERO THESE GUYS ARE ROBBING A DEFENSELESS LADY!"
He could sense the two hoodlums were becoming erratic and growling at his antics.
Good. Now to finish them off.
"AND WHAT ON EARTH IS WITH THOSE ABSURD HAIRDOS?"
That did it, not only was he blocking their only escape, he was effectively wrecking their ego. They had enough of his shit, and they knew they had to fight through him anyway to get out. They completely ignored the lady and ran towards him roaring in rage lifting their palms.
"THAT'S IT! WE'RE GONNA' FUCKIN' KILL YAA!"
One manifested a brick like surface along his body with his quirk, the other mutated and formed hard scales on both his arms.
And when they reached outside the alley exposing themselves further to the light, he immediately noticed apart from their rugged scummy appearance, that they were 'both' bold…
Literally bold without an ounce of hair on their heads…
His face froze in a deadpanned expression.
Eh…
What the hell?...
Yeah, the universe was fucking with him.
…
Regardless, his plan had worked and now time for some good old fashioned 'self-defense'.
The brick man lunged at him with a furious hay maker, while the other went to the side and aimed for a kidney shot, hardening the scales on his arm. He decided to address the scaled man first. He ducked dodging the horribly telegraphed hay maker causing 'brick dick' to lose his balance…
and took the kidney punch from the scaled man head on…
He grunted slightly but other than that, nothing. In that instance the scaled man's wild grin died away into a face of shock and horror realizing his perfectly executed and hardened kidney punch did next to nothing.
Zankyou grinned savagely.
"My turn!"
He then proceeded to grab 'scaly ass' in his face and suddenly a 'pulse' could be heard from his hand, creating rings of sonic waves sailing through the air before dampening and disappearing. The scaled man's eyes rolled back, and he was abruptly sent flying to the back of the alley, smashing against it with an audible smack, before falling face first on the ground, leaving a cracked vestige of the villain on the wall.
All within the span of a few seconds. The brick man visibly paled as he looked at the unconscious form of his partner in crime. Then he turned back to a deeply scowling Zankyou with his eyes hooded. Cracking knuckles could be heard as he clenched his fists.
"Bullies and abusers like you…Should fucking rot in jail…"
The brick man was about to launch another wild punch in desperation.
"But not before I have my way with you, filth."
This time Zankyou released a flurry of punches, when he struck the brick man's gut he doubled over, then struck his face in a sickening crunch as the man's nose was broken, snapping his head back again, then he struck his solar plexus and repeated the same pattern once more. He aimed specifically at these three areas in order, methodically wrecking through 'brick prick's' defense. Sonic waves reverberating from all six punches that had the man retching on the floor before he passed out, his quirk having been deactivated only after the first two punches.
More like 'weak prick'.
He looked at the two fallen villains in disgust, then looked at the woman who was still shocked at the turn of events stuck to the wall. He noticed a plastic bag on the alley floor with some items in them while others were scattered near it. He slowly bent down and picked them up, placing them back in the bag checking that there was nothing else scattered that he might've missed.
"You ok ma'am?"
He asked with neutrality, as he held out the plastic bag with groceries in a gesture of goodwill.
When she didn't respond, he scratched the back of his head, not knowing what to do in this situation.
She's still scared, especially after seeing the rather disappointingly short fight.
She didn't answer but she was clearly calming down, her chest heaving slower now. Then she slowly inched towards him with her purse clutched tightly in her hands and revealed herself in the light.
She had green medium length hair and a somewhat short and plump figure, in her early forties or so, he noticed her also green round eyes were wide open, threatening to spill tears.
To his surprise she suddenly jumped at him and clung to him for dear life while burying her face onto his torso and began sobbing. He flinched at the sudden embrace, then shifted his weight awkwardly, looking away in some random direction.
He detected 'Nervousness'…Worry'… Calm'… Joy' from her.
Oh shit…What the fuck do I do now? Uh…Oh right…Pat her back, dumbass.
He awkwardly shifted his free arm without any direction as he was trying to decide how to properly comfort her. He finally patted her back with his free hand while still holding the plastic bag in the other.
"There there."
He cringed at what he blurted out.
There there? Seriously…What am I 80? Who the hell even says that anymore? Yeah too many old sitcoms. Surely, I could have something more meaningful than that…God I suck at this…
Contrary to what he thought, this seemed to have calmed her down somewhat.
"My baby…I thought I was going to die leaving my baby boy all alone. Thank you…"
Baby boy? At her age?
He guessed she said that about her son whether he was older or not, although a bit embarrassing, he suddenly felt sad that he didn't get such treatment from his own mother anymore, especially after…'That' incident.
She then pulled back from the awkward embrace and looked up at him with shaky tear ridden eyes.
"It's ok…It was nothing…Just self-defense, I guess…"
She didn't seem convinced, but the important part was that she was okay.
He slightly turned his gaze, making sure the witness was still there, and in fact the younger girl was there a few meters away…wearing a completely dumbfounded face with eyes comically popping out, the whole shock gig thing…
I do hope they both understand that it was self-defense, right? Otherwise I'm stuffed.
No point in worrying about it now. He turned his gaze back.
He motioned with his arm for her to take the groceries, and she realized sheepishly that she was still staring up at him, she finally took the bag.
Poor lady, she was still in shock it seemed.
Shock…Oh right…Fuck I'm dumb…
He internally facepalmed.
"Umm…are you hurt? Would you like me to take you to a medical facility?"
She snapped out of her daze, finally.
"Oh…Umm…No i-it's quite alright y-young man, t-thank you so much for rescuing me I don't know what would have h-happened if you d-didn't-"
"It's ok, you're fine now, that's the important part"
"Are you…A…H-hero?"
And there it is…The fabled question~…How annoying...
Her stuttering was becoming less, that was a good sign he supposed. He decided to take advantage of the question he was asked.
"No, I'm not actually. Just a mid-schooler, and while we're on that note. Just between you and me, I…Didn't rescue you, I witnessed your situation, called it out and got attacked with you. I only acted out of 'self-defense' with my quirk, technically legal. I really don't want to get in trouble, you know what I mean…Right ma'am?"
She thought for a moment, and then shakily nodded.
"Cool, thanks for that, I hope you'll be ok on your way home yeah?"
She nodded. He nodded in approval, satisfied that she was fine now, and began turning away but before he could–
"What's your name?"
He turned to look at her before answering, considering on whether he should answer, he decided he owed himself a little bit of credit, just for her though.
"Zankyou Gingaki, but…I know this may sound…off and sort off lying, but if you could refrain from using my name in any statement, I'd be really grateful…Just in case. Know what I mean~?"
"Of course. Just wanted to know the name of the handsome young man that saved my life, Zankyou-kun" She smiled.
Handsome? Ok. Cool…I guess…
He assumed it would be respectful to ask her the same.
"What's your name, ma'am?"
"Inko…Inko Midoriya"
He smiled.
Of course it's Midoriya.
Very funny Mr. Universe~…
...
He phased out of his recent memories...
Back in the rain...
Smiling slightly at the memory, he noticed that they were a good distance away from the police station. He scowled at his cousin who was gazing at him from the side.
"Nice polite act and speech you pulled there 'Cuz', for a beast like you, you're pretty shifty~"
Yo teased with a salty sneer.
Ah yes, it was time to make good on his promise to Aunt Kuki.
Show time…
Zankyou grabbed Yo's shoulder abruptly, spun the boy to face him, raised his arm sky high and hammered the butt of his clenched fist down on the little shit's skull–
'Bonk'.
Yo's eyes bulged out from the sudden impact, he released an audible yelp and his back folded in as he clenched the top of his head.
"OW! What the fuck–"
Yo was about to complain but was interrupted when Zankyou grabbed his cousin by the collar of his hoodie and roughly pinned him on a nearby wall, inching his face close in a growl.
~'Fear' gripped Yo as he stared into the contemptuous and furious gaze of his cousin.
"Listen you little prick, I was rudely awakened at this hour by YOUR mum, had to drag my ass out of bed, walk through the rain, all the way to the police station, during youth curfew, on a FUCKING SATURDAY!"
He lifted his cousin, pinning him harder onto the wall.
"So, trust me when I say, I am royally pissed off and I am NOT in the mood for your upstanding horseshit right now. My kind aunt, is worried sick for you, understand that?"
Yo just looked at him with wide eyes.
He leaned his head closer to Yo's face, just barely a centimeter away, rendering his cousin speechless with the monstrous intensity of the death glare he was giving.
"So, this is what's going to happen. While we walk to your house, you're going to tell me everything…Do you understand?! Starting from the moment you left your home, no bullshit. EVERYTHING!"
He angrily exclaimed that last part.
"Because if you don't…"
He clenched his iron grip on his cousin's jumper so hard that his knuckles made some audible cracking, to get his point across.
"Understand 'Cuz'?"
Yo just slowly nodded dumbly.
"Good."
Zankyou put him back down, twisted his cousin back into his original position, released him, and recommenced walking in their original direction.
"You have ten minutes…Start."
Yo gave an annoyed sigh…
"I left home at around 8 pm and went to my friend's place," started Yo.
"What for?"
"To do homework,"
"I said no bullshit," growled Zankyou.
"I-it's true! We ended up finishing the homework, but we also had plans after that..." Yo quickly blurted out.
"I'm listening."
"We went to the park, met another friend and waited for the arrival of another"
"Who's this 'other'?"
"An acquaintance of his. He hooked us up with…" Yo hesitated.
"I'm waiting,"
No answer.
"Yo…"
Yo started fidgeting.
"YO!"
He was getting irritated at Yo's hesitance–
"Marihuana…" he wheezed out.
…
Zankyou stopped as he placed his hand on his cousin's shoulder, indicating to do the same.
"I'm sorry…I believe I might have misheard you. A little more loudly please..."
He gripped his cousin's shoulder firmly.
"Marihuana…I just wanted to try it man…I have never done it before that I-I SWEAR!"
With his eyes becoming hooded in darkness, Zankyou remained silent for a few moments.
This clearly made Yo uncomfortable.
"How did the cops find you?"
Yo snapped his attention at the question.
"Well…I-I guess it was just some bad luck that a cop happened to be coming down the street in his cruiser, I assume he suspected something, seeing four teenagers huddled in a park."
"Did you run after seeing the cops?"
"Yeah,"
"Were you the only one who got caught?"
Yo dipped his head confirming it.
"Did you use your quirk?"
Yo shook his head.
"Do you or any of your friends know where this acquaintance got the goods from?"
Again, his cousin shook his head.
"Did you pay for it?"
Yo looked up confused at the question.
"DID YOU PAY FOR IT!?"
Zankyou was starting to get worried.
"Umm…We were just having 'try outs' but one of my friends asked for an actual batch and asked for the price…But I wasn't focused on him as I was occupied with my own sample, I-I don't know if he bought it or not, but I didn't pay anything as nothing was mentioned about a price…Before anything further could be said, the cruiser came by and we split..."
Fuck.
Just…Fuck.
Then he looked at his cousin with a serious gaze.
"Yo. No one gives a simple 'try out' without asking for a price…And the fact that you have no idea if your friend made the payment before bailing…Is very concerning. You don't get into this sort of shit without doing your homework. You do realize that this 'acquaintance' most likely get's it from a dealer, right?"
"Yeah, I'm not that dumb–"
"Apparently you are if you thought a 'try out' came free of cost~. You're lucky the guy didn't mention it. It's a risky business simply leaving the house with that shit. There's a whole underground process, the dealer gains commission from sales to whom he has to give the rest to his own distributor who sells in bulk and himself gains commission from the sales, and that distributor has a 'cash counter' working under him, you following?"
He paused, letting it sink into his cousin who nodded slowly.
"And THAT person most 'likely' has a 'boss' working under the top dogs of the underground mafia, in this case most likely the Yoshitomi mafia group, to ensure that not a single yen is out of place. If there is, then its either one of the workers that took some, or…Payment hasn't been made from a 'customer'. When the mafia figures out that it didn't get paid for their product, that means they were 'Stolen' from, they don't see it any other way, simple as that."
Zankyou paused again, making sure Yo was paying attention.
Yo was becoming pale.
"And no one, steals from the Yoshitomi. No one. And that's precisely because these guys…Don't. Fuck. Around…Tell me Yo, what do you think will happen once they figure out that they have been stolen from?"
His cousin simply gulped stupidly.
"I'll answer for you. They begin investigating. And they have eyes, everywhere. Yo…"
Zankyou placed his other hand on the free shoulder of his cousin and looked down at him seriously with concern.
Yo began shuddering at what he was potentially about to hear. The cold of the rain not helping the slightest and the sound of distant thunder making it even worse, somehow emphasizing the seriousness of the situation.
"You'd seriously better hope…That your friend made the payment before the deal was interrupted. Because if he didn't…I'm sorry to say…Not getting into UA due to stained papers…Will be the 'least' of your worries…"
Yo blanched.
Zankyou watched his cousin carefully as he was distraught with worry. Then he gripped his shoulders tightly.
"And before you ask...I know all this because I have acquaintances of my own at cram school and at some stores that have offered me. Of course, I denied them every time. I personally despise the idea of illegal drugs. And I despise smoking..."
Zankyou sighed irritably.
"I hope Aunt grounds you for a year for this shit, you're better off safely being locked in your house for a while anyway. You've really worried her sick. I can't believe that you would risk your future over some fucking weed you flaming idiot. I thought you wanted to be a hero, pfft. Some hero you are 'cuz'~."
Yo lowered his head in shame, the rain being a suitable backdrop for the mood.
He decided that was enough, then he let him go.
"You'd better ask your friend if he made the payment. First thing tomorrow. And you WILL tell me the results. But for now, we can't be out here, it's dangerous given the uncertainty, so let's get the fuck outta' here."
Yo nodded as they both quickly walked up the neighborhood streets to Yo's home.
…
They barely walked in silence for five minutes until just two blocks away, there we're three figures, barely visible in the haze of the rain, walking in the opposite direction. Zankyou narrowed his eyes as he got an odd sensation from them. He concentrated and could make out their voices once they were around fifteen meters away.
"Gori said the runt lived around here, but the idiot wrote the address wrong, I guess. No cop cruiser came to drop the little shit off," One of them said.
"Well, don' matter, we just gotta' keep patrollin' this area tomorrow till we find da' kid. Dat's what da' boss wants. Dark messy hair and eyes right, bout' a meter point seven tall?"
Another asked.
"Yep, that's what the other kid said."
Zankyou froze at the description. His cousin looking at him in confusion.
Fuck.
That definitely confirmed his doubt, the other runt of his cousin's friend obviously didn't pay up.
Zankyou grabbed his cousin's shoulder and tried to lead him off the street before they were spotted, shushing him in the process.
"Wha…" His cousin blurted out in surprise.
The oncoming group stopped talking suddenly, hearing Yo's voice, somehow…Through the rain…Too late.
Double fuck…
He pulled his cousin into a run around the corner of another street–
Only to run right into another three figures that were about to turn out of the same street corner, both being surprised by each other's appearance…
He and his cousin stopped. Both groups staring at each other in surprise.
Then the previous group came into view from the intersecting streets, having him and Yo locked in a pincer formation.
They were all dressed in some sort of sporty appearance, jackets, track pants, some with leather jackets with white sneakers and most featuring golden bling.
Zankyou realized they were from the same group, no doubt looking for his cousin.
And also, the fact that the universe has really screwed him over this time…
Ohh…Fuckfuckfuckfuckfu-
"Oi. You kids" demanded one of them.
...
One, a breeze. Two, fairly easy. Three or four, depends on their skill but he could manage, probably receive a few bruises.
But six? And Yoshitomi? All most likely having decent quirks? He was definitely gonna' get some nasty cuts on top of the bruises. Probably a broken limb or two. These guys didn't hold back. This was not his night.
He began to sweat, though the rain washed it away down his body as he was furiously thinking of a quick plan.
A sharp whistle from one of the thugs resounded, getting the attention of the other three Yoshitomi members.
"Oi guys. Found em'!"
The thug yelled pointing at the duo.
The six encircled said duo in a matter of seconds. All except one were male.
The female member was dressed similarly to the others save for having black training tights accentuating her curves and the yankee jacket that was unbuttoned.
She stepped forward. She had short brown hair that covered her left eye and tufts of hair raised up at the end of her hair parting.
She eyed Zankyou up and down slowly, lightly smiling. Then addressed his cousin.
"Yo Shindo, was it? Gonna' cut to the chase, we're looking for you because your so-called friend kindly pointed out your involvement with an exchange that happened earlier today, or technically yesterday."
Pfft. Some friends~. Typical.
"But none of you have paid up, save for the brat that described you to us once we 'convinced' him to. He paid up in part, saying that you would pay the rest. Course we don't take too kindly to being paid in part, so he got half a beating anyway."
She walked closer, with a menacing glare. He assumed she was the leader.
"Now, I'm assuming from your look, that you don't have any money for it, and we can't be bothered waiting anymore. So, we're gonna' have to make an exchange…"
She pulled from her jacket, what looked like a large cigar cutter.
The hell?...
"We're gonna' take one of your fingers...Right after beating the shit out of you."
She grinned savagely.
...
Zankyou was shocked at their mercilessness. He had to find a way out of this through his wit, just like he usually did, though he doubted it would work.
He stepped forward slightly, slowly lifting his hands placatingly.
"Whoa whoa…Hey guys he's just a kid! And he didn't steal shit, it was his friend that wanted that stuff, not him. Besides, not like your organization is gonna' fall from half a payment less, know what I mean?"
The woman smiled as she looked at him.
"Sorry handsome~, rules are rules, if we had this much mercy with every little prick that refuses to pay up, then yeah, on the contrary, the organization would go poor really quick. Anyone involved will be punished. And trust me, we deal with that shit, like, pretty much every day..."
She motioned the last part with a bored twirl of her wrist.
"Luckily, there are some individuals in the underground with more 'questionable' hobbies, that actually purchase cleanly cut body parts, and they do pay well. So, we get what we want either way, we usually take a whole limb, mind you, for this sort of shit. But since he is just a 'kid', a single finger will do for a good lesson, he'll live."
She shrugged casually at her own statement as if her implication was a social norm.
Zankyou wrinkled his face in disgust at what he had just heard. He knew they were scum, but this was just fucking sick…
He thought of the 'envelope' with money that he had hidden under one of his floorboards back at home...He swore to himself never to spend any of it as it belonged rightfully to someone else from his past...Who he hoped to see again...He held on to it for them...But fuck this was kind of an emergency...He would just replace the money however he could...He really didn't want to cause a scene 'here' of all places...
"Really? Fine, in that case, I'll pay up with whatever you want, I've got some cash…All you have to do is just wait for a bit while I go get it, I don't live far from here, here take my wallet in the meantime, tell me, how much do you want?"
He said as he reached for his wallet, hoping that would be the end of it.
But she wagged her index finger at him, shaking her head slowly, gesturing him to stop.
"Sorry pretty boy, but cash from someone else means jack shit, we still need to punish the little thief there, make sure we get the message across and uphold our reputation. Policies are meant to be followed. So, since you're not really involved in the issue, I'll let you go, wouldn't want to ruin your cute face~."
She winked at him flirtatiously, then looked at Yo seriously.
"But he stays to receive his punishment."
Zankyou realized from this that they didn't know they were related.
Also, the fact that, unfortunately, this time, his quick talk wasn't going to fix the situation. His way of taking advantage of technicalities and rules worked much more with the authority and law. But the Yoshitomi mafia was a different sort of creature and didn't give two thirds of a shit for societal rules outside their own.
There was only one way out of this.
He looked at Yo, and the poor little shit was visibly shaken, quivering more from fear than the cold that the wetness of the rain was generously providing. He couldn't blame him; he was feeling nervous himself from the situation. But unlike Yo, he was used to being ganged up and getting into fights…Though not quite like this one.
Regardless, he couldn't fail his auntie, he couldn't bear to stomach the thought of leaving his cousin to these goddamn monsters and didn't dare imagine the face of his kind auntie at receiving her son with a missing finger and battered half to death.
He wanted her to receive him back in one whole piece…And that was what was going to happen.
Fuck the law, he was going to have to initiate the fight for the first time in a while, the element of surprise was key here. And he was going full out this time to make sure his cousin was safe…vigilante, criminal, troublemaker, stained papers...Jail…Whatever. He would make sure that his family was going to be safe.
He breathed in deeply, in an effort to channel his emotions.
"Could you just give us a moment before I go? I'll be real' quick."
He asked, feigning, in part, nervousness.
She nodded as she smiled more widely, revealing unusually sharp teeth.
Creepy.
He turned around and quickly whispered as fast as he could into Yo's ear, thankful for the noise the rain was making and for the other 'convenience' it brought.
"Yo. Don't say a word and don't move. Listen, I'm gonna' take out those three behind you in one fell swoop, as soon as I make a move against them, you run like you have never fucking ran before, straight to your house, once you get to safety, call the cops and direct them here. I'll hold out as long as I can."
Yo breathed and started to argue–
"And NO you are not fighting with me, I'm not having you use your quirk illegally right after you got your papers stained, because I assure you, your future as a hero will never happen if you do, just…Grow up man…"
His cousin just gave a raspy breath, looked at him in 'awe' and in 'concern'.
He gave him a reassuring look.
"Ok, fine, you stubborn prick! I'm leaving, not getting involved in your shit man. Whatever."
He falsely announced to his cousin then, as he began walking past him towards the three at the back.
Zankyou neared the trio of thugs, steeling his nerves as he closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself, feeling the thousands of impacts from the droplets of rain and the powerful rumbling of the thunder reverberating in the skies miles away...
He then opened his eyes.
…
Here we go…
TAG extensions (Since only 4 at the summary are allowed):
EDIT: changed or highlighted a particular part where I emphasize cram school, Both Yo and OC are doing spring holiday 'school cramming' for their high school exams' so it's a spring period in case that wasn't clear, being before official Highschool inauguration.
Just so you guys have that cleared up.
If the plot I'm developing allows it,
- Yo Shindo, His cousin and often referenced, a prominent figure down the line.
- Shota Aizawa, important figure within the story.
- Rumi Usagiyama/ Mirko, another significant figure later on.
- Fumikage Tokoyami plays a significant role
- Katsuki Bakugo, will also play a 'potentially' significant role in this story...
- Naomasa Tsukauchi will play some more minor but crucial moments over the story.
EDIT: And apparently a shit load of other characters~, Class 1A - Class 1-B and Shinso.
Important note (EDIT):
I forgot to mention, I understand that Yo Shindo canonically is a second year, however I had decided that Yo Shindo was to be used as an important plot device for the OC's story entry as well as a comparison to each other's quirk, so in this fanfic and the sake of simplifying time discrepancies as well as 'ages', I decided he be a first year student instead, having entered his academy at the same time as the UA cast.
- Special thanks to 'Yamajiji' for the save. ;)
I'd reply to your review directly but there seems to be a temporary bug where I can't see the reviews apart from my email.
speaking of age:
- For those wondering, Zankyou's age despite being in middle school has a simple explanation, similar to Katsuki, his birthday is past April, the beginning school period for Japan.
The only difference is that he's just a year older than your average. and there is currently a reason considered for that as well for the story.
In real life, as it is always a controversial topic that comes up, there are 'many' people that are behind in their education, all having their own reasons whether it be academically based or perhaps due to circumstantial reasons or both, just as, though much much more rarely, there are people that are 'advanced' and are actually pushed into a higher grade, graduating earlier than normal.
Due to this, it would be unrealistic to say that everyone graduates at the exact same age or within the ideal age.
Like many things, there may be revisions and cutouts to certain subplots or previously considered details.
...
Hi guys, I'm Fl4yne, and I must say I've been heavily drawn to the fanfic world, having read many from this fandom, which has inspired me to start my own, becoming a fairly new writer in my own right.
Hope that wasn't too long for a first chapter,
My Apologies if any of the swearing made you uncomfortable.
- Art by, myself, and to be updated.
flayne12/art/Zankyou-vibration-3rd-cover-864150674
Link to pic ^ (or just type in Flayne12 and youll find it if you wish.)
- (over time) there most likely will be potential minor OoC moments from any of the canon characters, though I must stress we all have different perspectives on them, some more skewed than others, respectfully.
-Some canon characters have 'purposefully' been affected by the OC addition, hence the slight AU, apart from other events & specifics being affected in the timeline from the difference.
Note: - Any constructive criticism and tips for improvement will be appreciated.
Questions will be answered and all comments will be received gratefully. :)
Shall update soon. Thanks for reading and giving it a chance, stay tuned.
NEXT CHAPTER: ' Twisted Fate '...
Have a Good day/night!