There's something to be said about Japan's method of handling their villains. She noticed it on the few encounters she had in Endeavor's territory, but she didn't think it was this… different (for lack of a better term) even on a major scale. Whereas Konoha and the other villages prefer to send out their heroes outside the village walls to defeat villains before they could reach minor villages within their countries (while maintaining a high standard with the village's Military Police), Japan prefers to… err… let the heroes and villains fight in the city instead(?).
A quick glimpse of two figures from the corner of her eyes was enough for Sakura to take action. With a quick step behind a slab of wall that fell off of a building during the chaos, the pinkette kicked the concrete into bits in just the right direction to the number of villains running towards a group of civilians who didn't evacuate in time. The villains fell in pain and some were even knocked unconscious as they were hit by a barrage of concrete bits. Thus, giving the heroes who were chasing after them the enough opportunity to apprehend them.
Sakura casted a small smile and nod at their awed expressions before dashing towards the direction of her employer. In half a second's time, her back was pressed onto Endeavor's. Her sudden appearance seemingly out of nowhere made the Flame Hero's eyes widen fractionally as opposed to the villain who's openly gaping at her in shock.
In her mind, Sakura shook her head at the villain's expense. Shouldn't he at least know that it's basic to never show emotion in front of an enemy?
"You should train your senses more, Endeavor," her tone was openly teasing as she held the thick sword-like blades jutting out of the villain's elbows between her forefinger and thumbs effortlessly. Like they were nothing but fragile fruits, "unless you wanted me to rescue you like a damsel in distress all the time."
An irate huff escaped the Flame Hero's nose along with a flare of the blaze running along his body. As usual, Sakura was unperturbed by the heat of his flames.
"Woman, when did you learn to tease your own superior?!" he shot back before throwing another fire javelin at a running villain, pinning him by the clothes to a nearby wall.
Instead of cowering like most at his tone, Sakura's smile just widened and she openly giggled.
They were nearing the end of their patrol when they suddenly received a distress call from a hero in a neighboring territory. Putting the worry of the safety of the civilians aside, Sakura was actually excited for this turn of events. Technically, this would be her first battle outside of the Hidden Villages. Apart from the spars and exercises she has with Endeavor and his sidekicks, she hasn't really been getting much action lately. Maybe it's a Konoha thing, but she always gets restless when she's not fighting seriously after a while. It's always hard on her to (literally) pull back her punches due to the Outside Countries' 'No Kill, Only Detain' rule. It was really aggravating.
The least they could do was give her a good fight if she can't kill anybody.
Sakura looked at the still-shocked villain in the eyes, fearless and fierce, as she pinched the steel blades effortlessly. Thus, shocking the villain even more. Without giving him any chance to recover, Sakura grabbed his arm to swing him around and throw him to the direction of the police. Her eyes glowed a shamrock green over her mint eyes as she used her second quirk to command one end of the tendons in his arms to tear apart, and sent that command to the other arm just in case. All within a half second's time.
"Didn't I order you to manage the street around the block?" Endeavor asked once he was finished with his own fight.
"You did," she nodded, "I knocked them all out and let the other heroes cuff them so I could clear the way for the police. I'm your Support, Endeavor, it's in my job description to make sure no villain stabs you in the back, like earlier."
It's not like Endeavor didn't want her around. They were officially a team. It just so happened that their efficiency worked best when apart in most battles. The Flame Hero may acknowledge the helping hand but he's not going to get himself caught saying that he actually needed assistance, and Sakura's perfectly fine with that.
A loud female battle cry broke through the battle that had been tidying up in favor of the heroes. The only thing left was the giant golem stuck in a deadlock with a hero named Mt. Lady.
Sakura and Endeavor headed straight to the location. A few meters away from the hulking golem made of dense rock, a group of heroes gathered helplessly as they could only watch Mt. Lady, trying to (unsuccessfully) push back her opponent.
"What's the-" Endeavor was about to ask (more like demand) about the situation to a nearby police when a hearty laughter suddenly broke through the air.
For a split second, Sakura felt her muscles tense at the sudden presence and her instincts commanded her to be on guard. She placed herself in front of Endeavor with an almost protective stance like she would to a client during her escort and bodyguard missions back home, while her fingers twitched at the temptation to pull out a kunai. Behind her, the Flame Hero rose a brow at her in question but before he could ask what she was doing, something, rather, someone crashed an acceptable distance in front of them.
When the dust cleared, a hulking man with bright blonde hair and a twinkling smile was flexing before them.
"I AM HERE!" came his deep, masculine voice, followed immediately by another round of hearty laughter.
As if his mere presence alone casted a spell, every hero and police around them broke into large grins with eyes twinkling with hope. All their worry and frustration disappeared just like that. The pinkette didn't need to guess who he was as everyone began to call out his name.
Everyone except her and Endeavor.
Whilst her employer audibly clicked his tongue in distaste upon his arrival, Sakura's verdant eyes narrowed suspiciously. She's no expert in detecting presences or scaling power levels to definite degrees unlike the Uchiha and Hyuuga, but she can feel bits of it thanks to Konoha's standards in training. This man- All Might's presence however, reminded her of Naruto's ultimate quirk form.
"All Might!"
"Ooh! Ingenium! Can you tell me about the situation we have here?" he asked in continuous wide smiles.
"Yes! Of course!"
From the gist of it, this villain with the golem type quirk was much tougher than they bargained for. Most of their attacks have proven to be ineffective and could hardly dent or crack the dense rocks. So far, Mt. Lady was the only one who could hold the villain off, lest he'll go on a rampage and start destroying the city with his club-like arms. Unfortunately, it seems like Mt. Lady was also nearing her limit.
While Endeavor was too busy shooting imaginary flaming daggers at the No. 1 Hero, Sakura's ingenious mind easily put together the pieces about the situation. She can't be Tsunade's apprentice if she can't punch through a mountain, and if what she's feeling about this blonde man's presence was correct, then she will jump at the chance to test it.
"Endeavor, I have a plan," she said aloud, garnering the attention of her employer and other nearby heroes as well.
"What do you have in mind?"
"Unfortunately, not you in it," her eyes turned apologetic before they returned back to being serious as she shot her head at the blonde hero.
"Hey! All Might!" she called out and the No. 1 Hero turned with a 'Hn?', but at the sight of her, he oddly perked up and was about to say something but Sakura suddenly asked, "How high can you jump?"
All Might tilted his head at her odd question. He answered confusedly, "Pretty high."
The pink-haired hero blatantly rolled her eyes, "I meant can you jump as high as Mt. Lady's height?"
He perked up once more in understanding, "Unfortunately, not without a landing in between."
"Well neither can I," she ignored the confused glances sent her way as she turned back to Endeavor. "I need you to make sure everyone's safe and covered and I mean everyone, including you."
"Just what are you planning?" the redhead insisted. His teal eyes burned with authority, but just as always, Sakura was unaffected.
"I don't have time to explain," Sakura emphasized, her hand motioned towards the struggling giant heroine holding back her opponent with all her strength. Even at her sixty-eight feet height, the villain dwarfed her with his eighty.
As if to further prove her point, Mt. Lady's voice boomed over the restricted area, "I can't… hold on much longer!"
"Just trust me, Endeavor. I got this," she stared back fearlessly at his irritated teal.
She never knew he saw the fire of confidence and power that burned behind her verdant depths. The same ones he saw the first time they met. It made him relent to her then, and it proved to work on him again.
"Fine. Now go!" he ordered with a roar.
Sakura passed him a secret smile before she turned her heel towards All Might again. Still confused at the transgressions that just happened.
"Follow me," she plainly said with a hint of authority in her voice. Fortunately, All Might seemed to have some sort of blind faith in her and followed quickly with a 'Yes, ma'am!'. As they ran away from the two giants, one of the heroes approached Endeavor and asked.
"Can we really trust her, Endeavor? She may be your Support Hero but… we barely know her."
"That's right! Just what is she planning with All Might?"
"Should we just leave them be? We don't know what she's planning!"
In their defense, what they were saying wasn't without merit. Even though there were those who visited his territory to catch a glimpse at the pink-haired hero that sparked the media with her sudden appearance, Sakura was as recluse as Endeavor when it came to attentions from both the media and other heroes. Not to mention she had refused every single request for interviews up to now.
In a way, Shamrock Queen was Endeavor's personal heroine.
"It is exactly because Shamrock Queen is my Support that you should all trust her!" Endeavor's voice practically thundered across the battlefield. The sheer confidence and trust in his voice for the foreign heroine both shocked and awed everyone present, "If you won't listen to her then you're disrespecting me! Now get a move on! From what I gathered from her words; it's going to get really messy."
Meanwhile, Shamrock Queen and All Might continue to make distance. Once Sakura was satisfied, she stopped and half-turned her head at the smiling hero, "I know you're confused with what's going on but I really need you to trust me on this one. Here, take my hand."
Back home, every hero knew who their superiors were. They were trained with a mentality to never question their leaders or team captains unless necessary. It allowed for easier relay of command and efficient execution of strategy, whether for battle or survival. Of course, there were times when subordinates have better ideas or were able to point out a variable in the plan or two. Nara Shikamaru was a prime example of that. Especially during dire situations when everybody's survival was on the line, that rule can be disregarded. However, Sakura wasn't sure if the Japanese were keen to that question of authority even in these situations. She's actually making a gamble here only because of the fact that the only ranking the Japanese heroes have was their strength and popularity poll. Don't they have a framework of authority? Does being on the Top Ten heroes give them power the same as the Jou-ranked heroes at home? What about being No. 1? Is All Might's position equivalent to those of the chief commander in the ranks?
The older hero's face turned beet red at the offered hand, "M-M-Miss! Of course I trust you and I'm flattered but I barely know y-!"
Good enough.
Sakura ignored him and continued, "When I say go, grab my hand and start running towards Mt. Lady. I don't know how fast you are but whatever you do, do not pick up your pace, don't not even try to match mine, and absolutely do not slow down. Just keep your momentum. Got it? Now ready…"
She absolutely didn't give him time to mull whatever she just said but All Might made a grab for her hand the second she said 'Ready', and once she said 'Go!', they shot through the road in a flash with nothing but a trail of strong winds leaving behind them. The pinkette made no indications of slowing down but once they were literally just shy a foot away from Mt. Lady's shoe, Sakura placed one foot and then another on the giantess as she literally ran upwards as if she's running on solid ground.
If she turned to look back, she would've caught the impressed shock of the No. 1 Hero, but Sakura didn't look back. Instead she continued to run up, up, and up. Across the giantess' leg and her flank before turning from the side of her body to continue all the way up to her hunched shoulders. All the while Mt. Lady visibly shook at the ticklish feeling of their climb but otherwise remained strong. They stopped once they landed on Mt. Lady's shoulder.
"All Might!" the giantess beamed at the blonde hero from the corner of her eye, almost missing the pinkette beside him, "and you're…?"
"Shamrock Queen," she plainly introduced, "Mt. Lady, I know you're getting tired so just do as I say and we'll end this in one go. On my signal, use all the strength you have left to push back the golem and All Might and I will take it from there!"
There was an understandable look of doubt on the giantess' face and Sakura thought she would have to do some quick convincing but then All Might jabbed his thumb up.
"There's no need for any of that doubt, Mt. Lady! We'll finish this now! Why? Because WE ARE HERE!"
A pink brow arched at his words. No, she didn't miss the slight change he did in his catchphrase but that seemed to be more than enough for Mt. Lady as the woman nodded enthusiastically.
"Got it!"
"Fantastic!" he cheered in English before turning his attention back to Sakura, "Now what are we going to do, Shamrock Queen?"
Sakura looked at him suspiciously for a brief moment before nodding towards the hulking stone golem in front of them.
"It's simple. All we have to do is jump and punch the daylights out of this villain," a small smirk tugged at her lips, "Can I count on you with that?"
All Might flexed his biceps up confidently, "Absolutely!"
With a nod, Sakura hopped over to the other shoulder and instructed Mt. Lady to get ready. With a few deep breaths and a shift of her body to a better posture, Mt. Lady stared dead on at her opponent and-
"NOW!"
Mt. Lady cried loud as she forced all of her strength to push back her opponent. Though it made her stumble back and caused her to shift back to her normal height (down below, another hero called Death Arms caught her), it proved to be more than enough as the golem staggered in his position. He didn't even get the chance to correct himself as two superpowered heroes were speeding down towards him in jaw-dropping speeds.
"Detroit… SMASH!"
"SHANNARO!"
The force brought upon their gathered fists alone was like a meteor crashing down on earth. The villain could only release a half-groan before bits and pieces of rock flew all over the vicinity. Smashing through windows, blasting down beams, and shooting holes down the asphalt like a heavy rain of rocks as the clouds above cleared to show a bright half-moon from the sheer power of their combined power.
What followed after was an ear-splitting BOOM! Before the dirt cloud spread throughout the city like a splash in a silent lake, becoming larger and covering wider grounds before it steadied back into silence.
Once the dust and smoke settled, a giant crater was all that's left from where the enormous golem once stood, leaving only a nude and totally knocked out body of the villain laid motionlessly at the deepest point of the hollow. When the police and heroes recovered from their shock and awed stupor, they all rushed to the edges of the crater just to see All Might and Shamrock Queen standing over the villain with nary a sweat.
Loud cheers erupted not a second later.
"You Japanese are certainly excitable," Sakura commented as she looked over the crowd that lined the lip of the crater above.
"Well of course! We have just defeated quite a formidable villain! This display would surely inspire the people with hope and assure them of peace!" All Might bellowed.
She half-turned towards the grinning blonde hero with a small smile of her own, "It's thanks to you cooperating with me. I'm sorry if I offended you in any way for suddenly ordering you like that. We barely just met."
Technically, she can do it by herself but her researcher side wanted to have a front-row seat of the world's acclaimed No. 1 Pro Hero's power.
Two large hands settled on her petite shoulders just as she made a move to bow out of courtesy.
"There is no need for that, dear queen! Your eyes shine with a confidence of a hero sworn to her duty to defend the helpless and smite those who threaten peace! I would be a fool to not trust you!" his grin got impossibly wider as he gave her a thumbs up.
A pink brow arched at his bold proclamation before she started laughing. He reminded her greatly of Lee and Naruto.
"Why All Might, we just met! If I didn't know any better, I say that you're flirting with me," she added a wink in her tease. It proved too effective though as the No. 1 hero suddenly skipped (stumbled) a few steps back as his cheeks turned beet red in embarrassment. Who knew that All Might was so easy to tease?
"A-Ah! Well- that is- err!" he stuttered and Sakura had to fight back her laughter to stop herself from embarrassing the man any further.
"Well, it is a pleasure to officially meet you, All Might," she extended her hand out, "I'm Shamrock Queen."
All Might snapped and enthusiastically accepted her hand, "It is an honor to officially meet you as well, Shamrock Queen! I have heard a lot of praise about you and they certainly did not disappoint!"
The second their hands touched again however; Sakura's brain suddenly skidded to a halt. Her ears didn't pick up any word on what the blond hero was saying as all of her senses focused into an acute point that was their hands. Even through her gloves, Sakura felt the torrent of feelings crashing onto her with the force of a tsunami.
Due to her rigorous training and prodigal levels of mastering and expounding the capabilities and limitations of her second quirk, Sakura had learned to instantly diagnose any living creature's body with just a single touch. This inspired her to also learn about internal medicine and it helped greatly in emergency situations. What she's getting from All Might however… wasn't anything like she's ever seen before. How can she describe it?
It's like a time capsule filled with history's guarded secrets and treasures. Beautiful and powerful but… the time capsule- the vessel itself- was broken… and also… strangely familiar.
Too absorbed was her mind in trying to make sense of what was going on, she completely failed to see All Might step back to make a dramatic pose for another round of awe-inspiring speech out of excitement-
-only to accidentally hit the pipe jutting out of the crater they had created.
Before she knew it, Sakura was being sprayed by a blast of water right to the face. The most unfortunate thing was… it wasn't just water.
"ALL MIGHT! What the hell have you done to my Support?!"
Endeavor's uproar barely registered as she stared dumbly at her soaked figure. Her incredibly… sludge-coated… sewer-water drenched figure… All the while the top two heroes bickered at each other. Well, it was more like a one-sided shouting match while the other struggled to explain what happened. It's like fighting off a raging inferno with a toy water gun.
"It was accident!" All Might shot his hands up in defense but of course, Endeavor didn't buy it. The pipe he had accidentally swatted off with his bulky hand mid-pose was squished flat till only droplets of that disgusting water pooled at their feet.
The Flame Hero only took one glance and inhale at the soaked pinkette and his head reared back violently as red brows furrowed together in disgust.
"You smell and look like sh-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence."
To witness another hero directly threaten the Endeavor himself, was absolutely unheard of! If the rumor mill released a story that a small, petite, unsuspecting, pink-haired heroine, had just shut up the infamous No. 2 pro hero, it would've made anyone laugh themselves to death at the absurdity and yet… here they were.
Unfortunately for Sakura, a news drone had captured everything on camera.
Endeavor's response was a dangerous glare of his teal eyes on the younger woman along with a growl between gritted teeth. For some reason, seeing her in such a state angered him so much. Not because she humiliated him, but because someone did this to her.
God, he never wanted to punch All Might so much until now.
It shot a shiver of fear up the spines of everyone present to the point they felt fear for the pinkette. It's bad enough that she's humiliated like this even though it was really an accident. The only reason no one was laughing was because they were too afraid to test what will happen if they triggered an already-ticked off Endeavor and every hero knew better to cross the literal walking hellfire. It also seemed that they felt the same way about the pinkette too. She had an air about her that screamed she wouldn't hesitate to beat up anyone into a bloody pulp.
To everyone's surprise, Endeavor just clicked his tongue and shot a nearby policeman a look, "Our job's done. We're outta here."
All Might tried to apologize again, "Shamrock Queen, I'm really sorry! It was-!"
"An accident," Sakura finished before letting out a tired sigh as she tried to, cringe-worthily, shake off some of the waste-water and sludge from her arms and face. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm and remind herself that she was not in Konoha and losing her temper over an accident and let out her frustration at the Outsider's most prestigious hero would not do very well on her record and to Endeavor's (already low) public image, "It's fine. No, no! You don't have to help me I can take it from here. You've helped enough. It's really a pleasure meeting you, All Might."
A larger gloved hand suddenly wound its way around her slender, sewer water-drenched arm, and tugged her away from the still-distressed blonde hero. When Sakura made a move to protest, Endeavor shot her a look and as if he spoke to her in telepathy, the pinkette relented and let him climb them up the crater where a sleek black car skidded to a halt in front of them. She's too tired and embarrassed to fight back against her employer anyway.
"Endeavor! Where the hell did you pick up this wet stray from?!" Endeavor's chauffeur shrieked the second she ducked inside the car.
"Just open the windows and drive!" both heroes shouted in unison and the chauffeur all but floored the pedal.
Kehhh! That woman Endeavor's got is scary!
At least Endeavor had the heart to give her three days off after that incident. Well, she's the only one capable of calling he Flame Hero to have a heart anyway. Then again, neither of them realized how she's been an exception to his standards for the last few days. Just like later, once he's dropped her off to her apartment, Endeavor would make a phone call to ensure that all pictures and videos that caught his Support soaked in sewage water and sludge, would be deleted. Or else.
In the dead of the night, she was as silent as a wraith. Her shadow merely a trick to unaware eyes before it blended back to the dark pull of the forest's darkness.
It wasn't as dense and the trees weren't as big and tall as those back at home but it'll have to do.
Sakura received the missive shortly after her nth visit to her apartment bathroom. Her shampoo bottle could barely pump anymore and she was on her third bar of soap by the time she slipped on another tank top and pair of shorts. At least she finally smelt normally again.
It was a coded scroll meant only for the eyes who can read and had earned their way at the top ranks of Jou-ranked heroes.
Her feet landed soundlessly over the forest's undergrowth with a practice only seasoned heroes have. Her eyes fixed on the kunai stabbed onto the bark of a tree. Its polished metal glistened under the moonlight. Just as she was about to make a grab for the familiar weapon, she felt her body freeze in complete stillness. It was a very familiar sensation and her verdant eyes shot down on her feet where the shadows practically surrounded her.
It's always a battle of willpower against this particular opponent of hers. Like a game of mental tug-o-war. Falter once and the other loses explicably. The command she has over her body was the only weapon she had to fight against someone like him. Each foreign tug was like a challenge over her control.
Suddenly, a rustle came from a nearby bush. Sakura didn't waste the second's hesitance and pushed her body to move. As she turned, she grabbed the kunai and reached her hand out behind her. Even though there was nothing more than an abnormal blanket of darkness there, Sakura kept her hand outstretched and pulled. Like a curtain shielding a window, she pulled a literal fabric of darkness and threw it back in front of her where the moonlight kissed the dewed grass. All in one fluid momentum.
"Really, Shikamaru? It was just a rabbit. That was hardly a match at all. I couldn't even rub it on your face," she smiled teasingly at the pony-tailed man pinned under the sharp end of her kunai and straddled by her legs.
"Clearly you don't know what a jet lag is," he grunted. His every lazy self couldn't muster the effort enough to push her off his lap.
Green eyes rolled, "Oh please. As if you crossed several time zones. There's hardly a difference between Konoha and this country."
"Exactly," he pointed with finality.
With a dramatic roll of her head, Sakura lifted off of the dubbed Youngest Shogi Grandmaster.
"Get up you lazy butt, and give me a hug," she helped him up and the other Leaf hero lazy looped his arms around her as she enveloped his waist, "I admit I was surprised to get your missive, but it's not so bad. I've been dying to see a familiar face. How is everybody?"
"Pretty much the same," he shrugged when they pulled apart, "Except Naruto's been frequenting the tower for the last few days."
A pink brow raised in amusement as she found a suitable rock to sit on, "Oh yeah? What's he bothering his dad about now?"
"Something like 'I wanna go on an adventure like Sakura-chan!'," he raised the pitch of his voice in a mock attempt to copy the hyperactive blonde, "He's a bit pissed that I got a mission outside Fire Country while he's not. Just a side note, I came across a kid with a shadow-related quirk but he's got a bird's head. It's kinda weird."
"That Naruto," she shook her head. Amongst all those whom she exchanged letters with, Naruto was the most curious and voluminous in his opinion regarding her misadventures here in Japan. "There are a lot of weird people here, Shikamaru. Hopefully, you don't have to meet them. Speaking of which, how long are you staying here?"
She knew better than to ask about his mission assignment. They may be shogi-partners and fellow Jou-ranked Heroes but a mission is exclusive and classified against those not involved. Then again, being people of authority, Sakura and Shikamaru are free to share their mission objectives to each other if they want.
"Indefinite. I've been ordered to assassinate some embezzler after selling some fake goods and weapons at the capitol and get back the money. The old man, Lord Daimyo, was definitely not happy."
"Let me guess. This guy thought he could get away by escaping to the Outside Nations?" Sakura groaned at Shikamaru's nod. Not at all deterred by the fact the man before her talked about killing someone as if it was a chore (knowing Shikamaru, it probably was). Instead she felt disappointed at the criminal-soon-to-be-dead-man. Just because Konoha doesn't want anything to do with the Outsiders and wish to interact with them as little as possible, doesn't mean those countries are a safe haven to escape to. Once Konoha deemed someone a criminal or a villain, even if they escape to another country, Leaf Heroes would swoop in the dead of the night and slit their throats before anyone could realize what just happened.
Shikamaru continued, "After that I'm to be on stand-by and await further orders. Between you and me, I wouldn't mind camping the rest of my assignment in his mediocre forest. I haven't been here long and I already hate this urban environment. You have my kudos for sucking it up for this long. Oh, you mind?"
Sakura waved her hand dismissively and Shikamaru proceeded to light a cigarette from the box in his Jou-ranked issued flak jacket. He took a long drag of the stick before exhaling the smoke up towards the dark, starless sky.
"Oh, and you're also supposed to give me a heads up on the heroes in this country. Their No. 1 is here in this city, isn't he?"
"Yeah. I just worked with him yesterday. He made quite the impression actually. In my opinion, he's at least a Kage's power level when it comes to raw power. I haven't seen much technique out of him aside from punching his enemies to bits. You won't miss him. He's big, blonde, and loud."
"Sounds like someone I know," he took another drag off his cigarette. The gray smoke escaped between his nose and mouth, "You'd scale his power by that much?"
"Now, now, Shikamaru. Remember, these Outsiders don't have the same discipline and spiritual training over their quirks just like we do. I've seen them train first hand and all they do is strength and endurance training, and knowing the limits of their quirks. I've never seen a single one of them meditate. Not even my own employer. I doubt they could even sense another's Quirk Aura unless it hits them on the face." Her tone of voice was serious and with regard to these people despite the almost-mocking words she just said, "Anyway, my advice for you is to just keep your distance and refrain from engaging. I sense something wrong with this All Might fellow but I doubt you'd want the attention anyway."
"Got it," he merely nodded after that and pushed his back from the tree he's leaning against throughout the whole conversation. Shikamaru turned on his heel and walked away to the opposite direction after snuffing the cigarette at the base of his boots, "I'd better get this thing over with. I'll crash in your place once I delivered the pig's head."
"Just remember that I have two house rules. One, clean up after yourself and two, my apartment is a smoke-free area so feel free to do your business on the roof. Hayabusa enters through the terrace and he doesn't like the smell of cigarettes either," she ignored his 'What a drag' comment and continued, "I'll be sure to leave a blanket out so you can sleep on the sofa bed in the living room."
Without turning his head, he only raised a hand in farewell before the shadows seemed to swallow him into the abyss. A second later she felt his presence whoosh away.
Sakura chose that moment to head back to her apartment as well. Maybe she could catch a few light snoozes before meeting with Toshinori later before lunch.
On her way back, the dark night showed signs of a lighter tinge in color. Indicating dawn's approach. The pink-haired hero made a quick stop to an early-bird market and did a quick grocery shopping before continuing on her way back. This time to the roofs.
The second she passed by the Hero Association's Headquarters, Sakura felt a presence following her at a respectable distance away. Whoever was following her was showing no signs of killing intent but they weren't being clear of why they were following her either. They're not even trying to close the gap to catch up to her.
Wanting to test her stalker's intentions, Sakura turned sharply on her heel and practically zoomed at a different direction that would've made Gran Torino proud. The presence faltered a bit before it changed course towards her direction as well. Sakura headed straight towards a construction site halfway done from making a tall building. She maneuvered between metal beams, ran up and down cranes, and slipped down floor levels only to run by the skeletal framework again. The pinkette kept at it for almost an hour that by the time she's had enough, the entire sky was painted a hue of orange over blues.
She was heading straight for the topmost floor when she felt her stalker right at her tail. She figured they began to treat this unofficial race halfway through chasing her around the constructions site. By the time her stalker landed the top floor, she was nowhere to be found. Almost as if she vanished into thin air. That was until she took that measly second to appear with her fist pulled back.
Golden eyes widened exponentially at her sudden appearance and rose his hands up in defense. A part of Sakura was impressed at the young man's quick reflexes. Although she made sure to control her strength and not hit her stalker's face, the wind pressure alone from her punch sent the metal beams around them rattling and literally ruffled the feathers of enormous red wings.
By the time the wind settled, Sakura had relaxed her posture and the blonde before her peeked between his gloved fingers. When he cautiously put his arms down, his hands hit something and that's when he realized that he's been pushed back enough that it skidded him back to the nearest wall without him noticing.
Before Sakura could ask who he was, the blonde's bewildered face instantly brightened like a child finally seeing a candy store.
"Powerful and fast? Pretty lady, those tabloids about you don't do you justice!" he exclaimed excitedly with a huge grin on his face.
Sakura blinked in confusion, "Uhh… thank you? Why were you following me?"
The blonde flapped his wings once to lift him up over the unfinished wall as he sat casually with a huge grin still painting his boyish face, "I was just on my way to give my bi annual report to HQ when I saw you pass by. See, I'm a big fan of Endeavor's so I was really surprised that the prideful Flame Hero got himself a Support Hero. I just wanted to say hi but instead you even raced with me and beat me! No one's ever bested me in speed before and I'm not even the least bit mad! You even broke my visor too!"
Sakura blinked off her confusion and stared at the blue visor the grinning young man held out. There were visible cracks running along from the sides. The revelation that Endeavor had an avid fan aside, of course her speed was faster than above average. Her former sensei, Konoha's Silver Hound, son of the legendary White Fang, had a speed that allowed him to cut lightning itself, after all. The only person who challenged him for the title of the world's fastest was their Hokage himself- the Yellow Flash.
"I'm really sorry," she said instead, "I didn't mean to use too much power. I'll gladly buy you another pair, if you like."
"Hooo? Powerful, fast, pretty, and nice? Shamrock Queen, you're the complete package!" he kept on grinning, "No need for that though. I got tons of spare. See?"
As if to prove a point, the blonde pulled out another similar visor from his jacket pocket while he tossed the broken pair off the building.
"Well aren't you a flatterer?" she couldn't withhold a giggle of her own. This winged man's smile was highly reminiscent of her friend's and just as contagious. Like an odd combination of Lee and Naruto's excitement and Kakashi and Shikamaru's bored half-lidded eyes, "It would be nice to know the name of the cute guy that tested my speed."
"Oh, shucks you're too polite," red painted the tips of his ears, "The name's Takami Keigo. Hero name, Hawks. But for you, you can just call me Keigo, pretty lady."
Sakura cooed, "How sweet! How come I've never met such a sweet guy like you before?"
"I highly doubt it. My agency's all the way in Kyushu."
This time, it was Sakura's turn to brighten, "You already have a hero agency? Well aren't you a box full of surprises yourself. It's a great pleasure to meet you, Hawks. Maybe we could race again some other time. Hopefully we could rule out the stalking part."
According to the standards of heroes in Japan, that's already quite a feat for someone so young.
Hawks laced his fingers behind his head, "Sure. That would be awesome. It's great to meet you too, Shamrock Queen!"
Sakura smiled back with a grin of her own. At least the new hero she met made a good first impression.