So, it turns out that trying to fight over a dozen heroes with practically no quirk wasn't Amari's greatest idea. Sure, it sounded really cool at the time, badass even, but unfortunately the blonde haired woman was actually beaten rather quickly.
But not before kicking some teeth out of course.
Yet sadly it was true, and soon enough Todoroki Amari found herself stuck in a commission sized prison cell, her back lazily draped over the bench with a heavy sigh. Who knew life would've taken her here, right?
Well, it wasn't a secret that her life wasn't actually normal, but prison? Now that was something she wouldn't have expected, but here she was with all her little dirty secrets now exposed to the public. Lovely, just lovely.
Twisting her brow in conflict, Amari's mind then began to shift to her son who was hidden away with Keigo at this very moment. She felt so guilty, having such an innocent kid deal with her old problems. That made it all the reason to fix all of this though.
That's right, she had to fix this, so that her son could have the life he deserved.
Just then, a set of footsteps started to approach, causing the woman to immediately roll her eyes. Oh boy, here they come. Here comes the crazy commission agents that were gonna treat her like a criminal and grill her on Toya's location again.
That's what they've been doing for the past couple hours after all.
Already over everything, Amari called out to the voice with extreme sarcasm, no respect at all for what was about to happen. "Listen, you're wasting your time. I already told you, I don't know where my son is. Just give it a rest already and go touch some grass."
Yet the voice responded a moment later, stopping in front of her cell as his silhouette outlined the walls. "Can't ever stay out of trouble can you, short stuff?"
At the nickname, Amari's eyes widened, immediately sitting up in order to find a very familiar shade of purple, one that brought her world of nostalgia. "Hitoshi? What are you doing here? I thought you said you were out of the country for a meeting."
Just seeing her best friend was enough for Amari to relax her wound up nerves just a little. They were rather close in high school after all, he even joined the Bakugo agency as a sidekick when it first opened.
So the fact that he was here was certainly reassuring, more than those pesky commission agents that grilled her earlier.
After all that, she was happy to see a friend.
Eyeing his black and gray colored suit, Shinso only shook his head, brushing the stubble from his chin as he did so. "I was, but then I got a call about a rogue hero that caused a scene at U.A. 's quirk ceremony. Call it intuition but I already had a feeling it was gonna be you."
The purple haired man then crossed his arms over his chest, almost as if he was scolding a child. "I mean only an idiot would do something like that."
Feeling slight embarrassment for her actions, Amari frowned, knowing that her reckless nature was something that always seemed to follow her everywhere, even Shinso knew that.
Amari then moved up the glass wall between them, the woman placing her hand on the cool surface with a sarcastic chuckle. "Ha ha ha, very funny Shih tzu. Look at you, all high and mighty now because you're the commission president and all.
At the new title, Shinso smiled back, knowing how hard he worked for the previous commission president to see his potential. And even though he only shared the title with his wife, the man still felt proud.
Enjoying their sarcastic chat, the man raised an eye. "Hey, it's not as easy as it looks. I mean, I have to clean up after your problematic ass, don't I?"
Knowing he had her there, Amari shrugged her shoulders. "Touché."
Shinso then shoved his hands in his pockets, leaning back with questions to the position she was in. "But I gotta say, this was certainly unexpected. I mean, can you at least try not to fight the entire world for ten seconds?"
Laughing at the blunt nature, Amari found his question rather funny considering that's always what she seemed to do unknowingly, especially as a kid. "What can I say, it's the Bakugo way."
That was something Shinso knew painfully well, knowing what kind of crazy things his best friend was capable of. Ah, how he missed it, how he missed her. "Same old, Amari."
Giving the same soft smile, Amari replied back. "Same old, Toshi."
They let the moment linger for a moment, both of them recalling old memories of their time together in high school. They both had grown so much and yet somehow their conversations still felt normal, almost like they were still kids at heart.
After a couple moments of seconds, Amari then closed her eyes, recalling the current situation before placing both her hands on the glass. Yes, this was nice but they didn't have much time. They could reminisce later. "Now, you gonna let me out of here or what? We've got work to do."
Noticing the shift of the conversation, Shinso felt his smile fall, softened his gaze in order to be serious for a change. "You know I'm not supposed to, the public really has a poor opinion of you right now. I've been advised to keep you in here for now."
Amari didn't miss a beat though, raising an eye. "But you're not actually going to do that, are you?"
Her best friend paused for a millisecond, taking in her accusation before immediately dropping his serious demeanor and pulling out the key to her cell happily. "Of course not."
Pressing the key card to the screen, the glass door began to beep for a second before disappearing before her eyes, Amari stepping out of her prison with a stretch of her arms.
Being best friends with the commission president had its perks after all.
Already turning towards the nearby door, Shinso then tapped the girl on the shoulder in order to get her to follow him. "Come on, I've already gotten a bit of a head start while you've been in here."
Amari couldn't help but nod at that, following her friend around the corner of the halls. She was thankful to have friends like them, considering he was already on top of this case for hours. "Good. We need to figure this out soon, so that way Toya can come home."
Picturing her red haired son, the woman felt her heart twist with uncertainty. It's okay, Toya. We'll figure all of this out and then you won't have to be scared about coming home. Your mom will take care of everything, just hang on tight."
Shinso's voice perked her out of her inner thoughts a moment later, his voice rather sad for the topic."Speaking of which, you really didn't have to send him away like that. You know the heroes wouldn't have locked him up forever."
Knowing he wasn't wrong, Amari frowned. "Yeah, but I don't wanna chance it. I've lived through the whole "everyone thinks you're a villain thing" and it almost destroyed me. It's better if he goes somewhere safe while I figure all this out. Then he won't have to worry anymore."
The woman shivered in memory at how awful that period of her life was. Sure, it brought her close friends and the love of her life but it was also filled with horrible awful self hatred and harassment, something she never wanted her son to face.
Shinso nodded his head in response, also recalling how bad the past was. He couldn't blame her for going to the extreme because of that. "Well, just don't go all classic "Bakugo Amari" on us and try to do this alone. You know we will help you figure this out. I want Toya home also. Elise has been worried sick about him since that broadcast."
His words caused the woman to smile under her breath, knowing how reckless and stupid she was as a child, thinking she could do everything on her own. "I won't, I promise. Let's just quickly figure out who made that video and then everything will be fixed."
Quickly turning the next corner, Amari then hummed to herself, clearly not catching the apprehension in her best friend's eyes for some reason. "Yeah, about that, I don't think it's going to be that simple…"
Yet he was quickly cut off when a flash of bubblegum pink crashed into Amari, her arms squeezing the woman in silent anxiety. "Ember, there you are. Are you alright?"
Pulling away, Izumi's glass fell to her nose as she inspected the blonde haired hero carefully, pausing at a large bump on her forehead. "Oh no, you're hurt. Do you want me to take away the pain?"
The woman then lifted her hands up in order to use her quirk only for Amari to shake her head with a small smile in order to reassure her. "Hey Izumi. It's okay, it's just a little bump. You should see the other guy."
Picturing how brutal the fight probably was, Izumi couldn't help but lift a hand to her lips in shock, knowing how crazy Amari usually fought. "Oh my.."
The blonde haired woman couldn't help but giggle in amusement, taking in Shinso's wife's flustered and surprised nature. Ah, she looked exactly the same as she did when she became a sidekick at the Bakugo agency, minus the nervous stutter. How cute.
Rubbing the back of her neck Amari sighed in anxiety at the display. "Sorry about ruining your trip with my reckless nature again."
Izumi didn't seem bothered in the slightest though, reaching down to grab her old mentor's hands before giving a soft reassuring squeeze. "It's okay. We want to help. It's the least we can do for all you did for us over the years."
Amari only laughed at that, not seeing the big deal. "Ah, please. I didn't do much."
Yet Shinso was quick to counter, raising an eye with brutal honesty for all the selfless things she had done in the past. "You literally got me into a hero course, introduced me to my adopted father, took me on as a sidekick when no one wanted me and pushed me to meet my wife."
His wife quickly followed suit, adding her own reasons. "And you fought my grumpy grandmother, gave me my first real family and gave me the chance to be a hero even though I thought I wasn't worthy enough."
And although all those were true, Amari hadn't really thought about them till now. Wow, she really did get into their business a lot back then. Mostly because she thought she was going to die, but ehh small details.
Shaking her head in defeat, the woman lifted a hand up to stop them from continuing. "Okay okay, never mind. Either way I do really appreciate this. I'm going to need lots of help to bring my son back."
Izumi only frowned in response though, seemingly knowing how rough the road ahead was going to be for them.. "We know."
Shinso agreed immediately, nodding his head with a sort of somber tone before turning his head towards the door right in front of them. "That's why we decided to start with this.."
Pushing the object open, Amari twisted her brow in concern only for the entire room to burst to life at the sight of the short blonde woman, all of them rushing to her in an instant with various shouts.
Shoto was first, her husband being her first to wrap his arms around her tightly as the woman noticed a slight shake to his body, almost like he was terrified or traumatized from things of the past. "Amari, there you are! I was worried sick.."
The next voice she heard was Katsuki, the man scoffing from his spot in a chair as he looked up with confirmation. "See, I told you extra's she'd be fine."
Tapping his nails on the table, her sidekick Kenji only frowned at the display from a couple feet away. "Of course, why am I not surprised this happened?"
Amari couldn't help but smile at his blunt tsundere nature before practically being tackled by Ayumi and Eri a moment later, the daughter squeezing tightly. "Mother."
Eri moved to the other side at that, going in for her own hug as her white hair bounced with every grateful step. "Sissy, I knew you'd be okay!"
The sudden presence caused her head to spin, Amari looking across the room of her friend and family with curiosity. She didn't think they'd all be here. "Shoto, Katsuki, Kenji, Eri, Ayumi, what are you doing here?"
Katsuki only frowned though, standing up in order to playfully wack Amari upside the head with worried frustration. "Bailing my dumb ass sister out of prison, that's what.."
Rubbing her head once, Amari smiled at the action, knowing that the move was classic Katsuki. He must have been really worried, huh? "Sorry Katsuki. I'm okay now, I promise."
Katsuki only scoffed at that, his sister catching the relief in his eyes immediately. He was the one that had to live with Amari's comatosed body for months after all. Anyone would be anxious after that. "Better be."
Feeling another tap on her shoulder, she turned to find Shoto staring at her with heavy concern, the man brushing the bump on her frown with a frown. "How is Toya?"
At his words, Amari smiled weakly, reaching forward to grab his hand and squeeze it with reassurance. "He's fine, he's with Keigo off the map for now until we can get this all straightened out."
It seemed her husband was far too distraught though, gazing at his wife with unmatched frustration for the events of last night "I can't believe this. Toya didn't do anything wrong. He shouldn't have to hide away from heroes like my older brother."
He was there in those stands as well, and the moment Shoto saw his son being villainized right before his eyes, the man felt so sick to his stomach. Toya was innocent after all, and the crimes that his older brother committed were not his responsibility.
Looking down at his head, the man frowned. All of this because his son had a similar quirk to a villain. That's really all it took to be shunned from society. It was ridiculous.
Amari completely felt the same way as well, shaking her head with sad eyes. "I know, but you know how close minded they are. It doesn't matter how much I try to change the game, there will still be those out there that will immediately vilify the wrong kind of people. It's disgusting."
Taking a step forward, Eri then reached forward before giving her teacher a reassuring smile to clear the air. "But that's why we are gonna change it, right? We will work hard to bring him home just like you brought me home."
And that did seem to make both Amari and Shoto feel a tiny bit better, knowing the reason why they were there in the first place, to bring their son home.
Nodding back, Amari then gave a small smile before ruffing the top of her old student's head. Sure she was an adult now but the woman still saw her as her honorary little sister. "That's right, Eri. That's exactly what we are going to do."
The woman then felt someone grab her shirt, turning to find Ayumi staring back with anxious eyes. "I want my brother back."
Softening at the words, her mother replied back "And we'll get him back, I promise."
Just then, Amari couldn't help but catch an unfamiliar shade of aqua blue watching the exchange, her matching crystal eyes practically filled with silent hearts as she clasped her hands together in excitement.
In fact, the woman realized that she was so wrapped up in this sudden reunion that she hadn't noticed this new presence also standing a couple feet away. How rude of her, ignoring someone like that.
So instead she decided to correct the action, turning towards the aqua haired woman as she seemingly gasped in surprise at the attention, mouth open in shock. "I-I'm sorry, I don't mean to interrupt but I just want to say it's an honor to finally meet you. I'm a really big fan, Miss Ember."
Not fully understanding why she was here, Amari gave a polite smile in response. "Oh, thank you? I'm sorry also, I don't think we've met before..."
Gasping once again, the woman nodded her head aggressively, eager to respond to the hero. "Ah, that's right! I'm Shinso's assistant. My name is Iris, I handle all of the family meetings and such. I even gathered up everyone here today for you. It's the least I can do since you are such an inspiration to me."
Amari took in the information slowly before nodding her head once. Oh, so that's what it is, why she was acting all fangirling and such. It was because she was a fan of hers. How sweet, she must have been really nervous.
And although the female Todoroki didn't understand why she had fans sometimes, the woman still couldn't help but be flattered nonetheless.
Also, did she just say she was Shinso's assistant? So that's why she hadn't met her before. This woman must have worked really hard to get all her friends and family in one spot so quickly like this.
Feeling a sense of gratitude from her actions, Amari couldn't help but soften her eyes, knowing Iris went through great lengths for her. "Aww well thank you Iris. I really appreciate it. It's nice to meet you."
It seemed like Iris wanted to squeal in joy at her response but quickly shoved it down, settling for another quick head nod before her boss stepped into the meeting room to see the two women interacting already. "Ah, good. You two have met. Iris has been begging to meet you for weeks now. She's your biggest fan after all, even came all the way from America just to see you. Talk about dedication."
Seeing her cheek filled with reddened embarrassment, Iris rubbed the back of her neck, not knowing that Shinso would reveal such personal information to her idol like that. "Uhh I mean.."
Yet Amari couldn't help but blink in surprise at the information. America was where she used to grow up, and this woman came from the same place? Just for her? That really was dedication, in more ways than one. "Wait, really? All the way from America?"
Jumping slightly in embarrassment, the woman nodded back sheepishly. "A-Ah, yes. I hope you don't mind. I just wanna really want to be a great hero like you someday. I know my skills aren't as impressive but I'm hoping to get some experience at this job for the future."
And that caused Amari's eyes to soften once more. The whole reason she took this job as Shinso's assistant was for experience? So she could become a hero like her in the future? The idea was flattering to say the least.
She really was this woman's inspiration, wasn't she? Amari felt honored.
So much so, that the blonde couldn't help but reach forward a moment later, grasping onto Iris' pale hands before giving a small squeeze of encouragement. She really wanted her to achieve her dreams now. "I think that's a wonderful idea, Iris. Well, just know I'll be rooting for you."
And that caused Iris' eyes to widen with surprise, taking in the surprise contact before switching her fingers so that she was fully grasping Amari's hand tightly. It almost seemed like she had a new awakened passion now. "Really?! Ah, thank you so much! I'll do my best to make you proud!"
Her response was really loud, and once the words left her lips, Iris shrunk back in embarrassment, hearing Amari giggle happily at how excited she sounded.
Yet thankfully enough, she was saved by Shinso a moment later as the man moved to the center of the room in order to draw attention to the task at hand. "Alright alright, now that we are all settled in, let's talk about what exactly we are dealing with. Iris, can you pull up the files we have so far."
Quickly switching gears at his tone, Iris then turned around in order to pick up the stack of papers just behind Bakugo Katsuki, the woman shuffling around the chairs as she did so. "Yes sir, one moment."
Katsuki didn't really pay any mind to the woman, of course, his eyes lazily watching as she approached the seat next to him for the files only for their eyes to meet in the next moment completely by chance.
Yet that's when Iris' happy and clumsy demeanor from just a couple seconds ago seemed to shift entirely, her once joyful eyes now filled with something that looked like annoyance when she met Katsuki's.
Wait, what the hell?
In fact, it was obvious that her entire aura seemed to shift when she saw him, disgust and distaste filling her entire features as the "sweet and kind" Iris literally glared and frowned at Bakugo Katsuki.
Widening his eyes at the action, he opened his mouth to respond only for Iris to quickly grab the files next to him and turn away, almost like he was poison or something.
Then the woman moved back to Shinso before Katsuki noticed that plastic cheesy smile back on her face like nothing had ever happened. "Here you go."
And that made Katsuki start to fume.
What the hell? He wasn't imagining that, right? That girl, she definitely frowned at him a second ago? What the hell was her problem? And the way she was acting like nothing had happened, was this chick bipolar or something? What did he even do?
He tried to make eye contact with her again to prove his theory but it seemed like the woman's gaze moved everywhere but where he wanted it. And now she was purposely ignoring him? Oh yeah, there was something going on.
Yet Katsuki's confusion was quickly drowned out by Shinso's newest question, his gaze turning towards his high school best friend all at once. "Thank you, now Amari, what did you see from your spot at the quirk ceremony?"
Amari only tapped her fingers on the table though, recalling the horrible details from the night before as best as she could. "Not much, Endeavor gave his stupid speech and then right when Toya got on stage, the screen behind him changed to Dabi. It was as if they were waiting for him, like they knew what was going to happen to him and his fire."
Shinso frowned at that, already knowing the extent of what happened. "Did you know about his blue fire?"
This time it was Shoto that answered his question, his tone plain and serious. "Not really. My father said something about it but we only heard about it once or twice. We assumed it was just a part of dad's fear."
And as sad as it was, both Amari and Shoto didn't really look into Toya's blue flames after Endeavor's accusation. Maybe it was because they were both terrified of reality but the couple chose to ignore Enji's crazy claims for their own sanity.
Dabi had brought both of them chaos when they were kids, and the very thought of having to live through that again terrified them, especially Amari. That's why she never pushed Toya too hard, for fear of the future.
But now it seemed like all of their efforts were worthless. Not talking about Dabi and keeping him away from her son, it seemed like it was a waste now. "I wish I knew. I could've helped him more."
Placing a hand over his wife's, Shoto frowned at her self hatred. "It's not your fault, Amari. No one knew this was going to happen."
That's when Amari's eyes filled with unsaid disdain, knowing that was not the truth. Someone did know this was going to happen. "No one except the person that did this. Do we have any leads?"
At her words, Shinso looked down at his notes before giving a dejected sigh. "Unfortunately not. All the security cameras were wiped clean and no security saw anyone near the tech room."
The air stood uneasy at that, Kenji grumbling to himself before standing from his chair with annoyance. "So we have nothing? That's great, just great. How are we gonna chase after a ghost?"
Katsuki couldn't help but agree with that, his eyes shifting to Iris' as he spoke, hoping he could catch another strange reaction from her. "As much as he's annoying, the extra is right. We don't even know where to begin. There were hundreds of people at that damn thing. Anyone could've snuck away and screwed with the system."
Yet once again, as everyone turned to Katsuki, the aqua haired woman only stared at the papers in her hands, not responding to anything he was saying. That bitch, she was probably doing it on purpose. Fine he gave up. Forget her.
Amari only sighed though, turning back to her past trainee and best friend with a desperate pleading expression. They couldn't just have nothing. That wasn't going to bring her son back. "There has to be something. Has there been anything weird going on in the last couple of days? Come on Toshi, Izumi, if anyone knows it would be you two…"
The air was silent at that, everyone turning back to the commission presidents at the head of the table before Izumi turned her eyes with nervousness, just barely muttering out a reply. "Well, yes actually but.."
Almost suddenly, Shinso seemed to grow scared though, turning to his wife with a stern gaze in order to shut down whatever conversation she was going to have. "Izumi."
Yet Amari couldn't ignore the strange aura, leaning forward with apprehension. "What, what is it?"
Once again, the purple haired hero seemed apprehensive, the man closing his eyes in some sort of invisible pain before trying to explain the best he could. "Amari, listen.."
Although from the tone of his voice, Amari could tell what he was going to say. He was going to tell her to back off, to stop prying. And normally she'd be fine with that but if they were hiding something to do with Toya or that attack, then she needed to know no matter what. "There is something, isn't there? What is it?"
Sucking in a heavy breath, her friend frowned, clearly trying to steer her away from the conversation. "We don't even know if it's linked to the attack."
Amari was persistent though, using her "Bakugo traits" at full blast in order for him to cave. "Izumi thinks it might be though, and that's enough for me."
Her husband chimed in a moment later, giving her even more support as Shinso began to sweat more and more."I agree with Amari. If this is something serious then I believe it should be shared."
Shaking his head, the commission president felt his fists ball at his sides before his own voice grew more emotional and defensive for what they were suggesting. "You don't understand. There is a reason Izumi and I have kept this confidential."
Just then, Katsuki's voice cut through the uncomfortable atmosphere, his loud tone stopping Shinso's spiral immediately. "Hey, hero course reject. I don't think you remember but we've all been through some shit over the years. You think we can't take it?"
And that was true. In fact, Katsuki knew first hand that everyone in this room had been through hell and back. Well, everyone except that blue haired weirdo in the corner, but he didn't really care about her. She was just some nobody's assistant.
The point was, Bakugo had lived through a literal war with them, so he was sure that whatever crazy thing Shinso was trying to hide wasn't going to be all that bad. How could it get any worse after all?
Mostly because for Katsuki, he knew that the day he saw his twin sister on her deathbed was the worst it could possibly get. Everything else couldn't be that bad at all.
Shinso didn't seem to feel the same though, his eyes playing with unsaid conflict. "It's not you I'm worried about.."
Then the purple haired man sighed before turning his body around to face the opposite direction in order to lock eyes with the person he was actually worried about.
Amari.
Blinking in disbelief, the woman looked behind her in order to make sure there was no one else he could be talking to. Nope. Just her.
But why? Why would he be scared of her? What kind of information could he possibly have?!
The woman couldn't help but point a finger to herself at that, fear and anxiety slowly twisting her heart at his words. "Me? You're worried about me? Why, what could it possibly be? What have you been hiding from me?"
Already feeling her breathing start to shallow, Amari couldn't help but think about a million different possibilities. What was going on around her, what did she not know? She needed to find out quickly before it tore her apart.
Seeing the distress in her friend's eyes, Izumi then turned to her husband before lowering her voice and placing a hand on her shoulder. Of course she knew why he was terrified to tell Amari this, but withholding would only hurt more. She knew it. "Hitoshi, she deserved to know.."
And although he knew she was right, Shinso still remained silent, looking down at his own white knuckles before giving a heavy defeated sigh. There really was no hiding this, was there?
There really was no protecting her from what was happening.
Lifting his hand up, Iris then reached towards the bottom of the files before sadly handing her boss a black colored one and stepping back as Shinso sighed once more. "Fine, but there's a reason I've been keeping this from you.
The man then opened up the ominous black colored file as Amari and everyone else in the room leaned forward on their seats, desperate to find out just what the two commission presidents were so scared of. "Yesterday the authorities found the body of a female U.A student miles away from the school. She was fifteen and the cause of death was ruled overdose."
Placing a small photo on the table, everyone gasped as the image displayed an U.A. entrance photo of a white haired girl just hours before the incident. This girl, she looked so young, almost as young as Amari was when she started school.
The blonde couldn't help but feel her stomach turn at the sight, knowing this would've been her fate if something hadn't changed with her brother. "How awful."
Shinso then reached for another paper before laying it on the table as well, his eyes painfully serious for the information he was about to give. "We tested her blood and the samples came up with a match for the drug in her system."
Everyone couldn't help but blink in surprise at that. They found a match already? Well that was good. Then they could see what kind of drug caused her to overdose like that.
Yet nothing, I mean nothing, could have prepared Amari for his next words.
"The drug matched with your old pills, Amari."
Widening her eyes in horror, the information hit the woman like a train, causing her entire body to feel nauseous and panicked. "W-What?"
She watched him with stunned silence, hoping that Shinso would somehow say that his last words were some kind of sick joke, that he was kidding, that all of this wasn't real. It couldn't be real. Those pills, they were gone, she made sure of it.
Katsuki spoke first, his eyes wild at the sudden information while hundreds of untapped trauma from the past flashed before his eyes. No, this couldn't be happening again. His sister wasn't going to have to do this bullshit again. "That better be some kind of bad fucking joke."
Shoto seemed to share his concerns, the skin on his right palm turning into small licks of flames as his other palm froze the corner of the table in front of him. "How is that possible? Weren't all those destroyed?"
Seeing the mixed responses, Shinso stepped lightly, knowing how emotional his friends would be about all of this. "We thought so, but this isn't the first case we've seen in Japan. Seems like someone is selling All for One's drug in the underground and using weak kids to test it out on."
The realization didn't make anyone else feel better, their mind swirling with horrible memories of deja vu and sickening nostalgia from what they were hearing. First all the Dabi rumors and now Amari's pills were back? There was no way.
Although the person that felt the most affected was Amari, her hands traveling to her head as she thought about all of those poor innocent kids that wanted more in life just like her. How they were probably desperate, how they used those pills with Nomu blood willingly.
The idea made her utterly sick inside.
Feeling her own breathing grow shaky, the blonde haired woman tried her best to keep it together, desperate for her next question and somehow dreading the answer."H-How many cases have there been?"
Shinso didn't seem eager to answer though, his eyes saddening at the sight of his friend breaking apart like when they were kids. He really didn't want her to be forced back into this, he didn't want to see her suffer anymore like this. "Amari.."
Yet Amari was past reasoning, the black veins from her Nomu blood slowly crawling up from her knuckles to her wrists as she hissed. "I said, how many.."
Knowing that staying silent was pointless, Shinso then ruffled through the files in his hands before twelve black colored files fell onto the table in front of them. "Over a dozen in the past month."
And that caused Amari's mind to officially break.
Feeling her heart hammer inside her ears, she looked at those horrible black folders before picturing what they represented.
They represented kids, children, and all of them were dead.
How scared were they before all of this? How desperate were they for love? How much did they suffer before everything was over? How much like her were they?
Just then, someone else's face appeared in the back of her mind, the trauma from her youth ripping open like a bandaid to reveal the mistakes that could never be undone. So many people had suffered again because she didn't see them, she didn't' save them. "Oh my god. It's happening, it's happening again…"
Shoto tried to pull her out of her spiral by putting his hands on her shoulders in order for her to turn to him. "Amari, hey..it's okay...it's not happening again…you don't have to live through that again.."
But it seemed like she was too far gone, muttering lost words under her breath. "Yes it is. Oh god it is. First Toya and now this..those kids..I didn't save them...they suffered like me and I didn't even know.."
Katsuki couldn't help but gasp at the display, her brother already halfway out of his seat with clear worry as he cursed. "Shit, she's already gone."
Hurrying across everyone else, Bakugo felt his heart twist in fear at the sight, crouching down to meet her. "It's been years since she's done this, that shitty conversation must has her regressing"
And Bakugo feared for what that meant, knowing that after the war, Amari's breakdowns were few and far between and Katsuki really thought she was healing from all the horrible things in her past. She deserved to be happy after all that bullshit.
Yet it seemed that all of it was slowly crashing down, watching his twin with tears in her eyes once more. Why couldn't everyone just leave her alone?! His sister had gone through so much, why were they still torturing her?!
Shoto then turned to find his daughter silent cerulean stare, tears in her own eyes at the sight of her mother's breakdown, causing the man to try to pull his wife out of her own panic for the sake of Ayumi. "Amari, stay with me. Think who's here right now.."
And it seemed like Amari did somehow understand that sentence, the woman shaking her head as she fought with the flooded memories of the past and the people in this room.
She knew her daughter was here somewhere, and she knew she didn't want her to see her mom freak out like this but everything was just so loud she couldn't stop it. "I know, I know! I'm trying…I'm trying but...I c-can't…I'm not strong enough..I'm never strong enough…"
Everyone then watched as the black veins on Amari's skin started to crawl upwards at an alarming rate, her mind slowly disappearing as Katsuki immediately turned to the people around him for fear of what was going to happen. "Someone get Ayumi out of here."
He had seen this before, it was just like when All for One kidnapped Todoroki before the war. She was losing herself to the pull of the Nomu blood again.
Shinso seemed to understand as well, quickly moving to Ayumi before grabbing onto her arm in order to pull her out of the meeting room as fast as possible, much to her confusion and fear. "Wait, mother..!"
Yet Amari didn't answer, the words from Dabi ringing back into her ear so painfully true that it made her bite down and draw blood on her own tongue.
"It doesn't matter how much you try, there will always be more Kazumi's, there will always be more of you and me sweetheart. That's just how the cycle goes."
There will always be more Kazumi's
there will always be more Kazumi's
Shaking her head at the idea, Kazumi's face began to fill her vision, the blonde haired woman recalling everything about that horrible day. She knew exactly what those kids felt, she knew exactly how scared they were because she had seen it firsthand.
She had already knew how each of them died firsthand.
Because it was the same way Kazumi died.
The smell, the screams, the failure of her own actions, she couldn't' save him and now she couldn't save those other kids.
Suddenly his eyes twisted in pain as the girl held him up by his collar, Kazumi's touch fading ever so slightly. He seemed to be struggling, just holding on barely as he then asked something that made Amari's blood run cold. "K-Kill me…"
Widening her eyes, Bakugo immediately shook her head, denying his request even though he was hurting. "No no, don't you dare..you're gonna make it home and you're gonna make up with your brother and everything is gonna be okay. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but it will be alright, I know it will…."
Yet she was cut off when Kazumi's hands fell from her arms, a ball of agony coursing through him as he growled back. Amari and him both know what that meant but none of them spoke about it, the boy whispering back. "P-Please….k-kill me…"
Widening her eyes, Amari shook her head once more before trying to hold onto the boy in hopes that it would help him somehow, the tears burning her eyes just as much as her Nomu blood. "No, No...I can't…"
She felt light tears on her shirt as the boy whispered back brokenly, each word becoming harder and harder to speak. "I...I d-don't wanna be a monster."
As the memory haunted her mind, Amari felt her lips brokenly speak out her regrets, knowing that Dabi's words were true after all. She couldn't stop the cycle, she couldn't stop anything. "There's going to be more…there's going to be more…he was right…I can't stop it…I can't save them…there's going to be more Kazumi's.."
Yet that's when the entire room paused as a loud sound filled the space.
A painful sting quickly shot up the side of her face, Amari lifting her hand to quell the hurt before blinking out of her own insanity in order to see Kenji standing before her, his hand still raised from the action.
Wait, did he just slap her?
Staying silent as her brain grew calm, Kenji then huffed out a frustrated breath before fixing his angry eyes on the girl in question. "Don't you dare say my brother's name like that. I didn't forgive you for Kazumi's death so you could give up and cry like this. Hell, you said it yourself that would help people like him, so don't you dare back out now."
Then the man pushed down his hand before pointing an accusatory finger at Amari all at once. "There are still more people out there that need your help. Your own son needs your help. Are you really going to let all of them down or are you going to do something about it?"
And that seemed to be the wake up call she needed because a moment later, Amari's mind filled with clarity and shame. He was right, Kazumi's brother was right. She couldn't fall apart now. There were people still out there with those pills, there were still people that needed her.
She couldn't just break down and cry like her old sixteen year old self. No, she was stronger than that. She was a mother, she was a hero. Everything was not the same as all those years ago, because now she had family and people that cared about her.
Now she wasn't alone.
Forcing out a heavy breath, the black veins on her hands disappeared slowly before she turned back to Kenji with a nod. "You're right. I'm sorry Kenji..I didn't mean to hurt you…"
Kenji only crossed his arms over his chest though, happy she finally got the point he was trying to make. "It's fine, just don't get all mushy about it."
Giving a halfhearted chuckle at his tsundere nature, Amari then turned towards the worried gazes of everyone in the room before smiling softly to show that she was okay. "Sorry everyone, I'm okay. Everything just hits a little close to home for me."
Then she leaned forward on her chair before trying to ground herself in reality. That was enough self hatred for now. Now she had to get to work on saving those kids and Toya. "Let's move on. If this has something to do with Toya then we have to follow it. First we gotta find out who's supplying everything right? Well, let's do that."
The room still seemed rather suspicious at the change in tone, Shinso eyeing his friend only for Amari to give a small nod of encouragement, as if she was telling him everything was okay.
And that seemed to be enough for him, Hitoshi allowing his anxious shoulders to fall before letting go of Ayumi's arm and circling back to the front. "That's why I already put together a list of teams of two so we can break up and find where they are coming from faster. There will be two groups in the public eye and then two groups undercover in the villain territory."
Turning towards the couple, the man hummed. "Amari and Shoto, you two will have to work behind the scenes in the underworld since everyone still thinks Amari is in prison."
Nodding once, Amari replied plainly. "That's fine with me."
Shoto also seemed to agree, the man silently putting his hand over his wife's before replying as well. "I agree. As long as we are together I don't mind."
Happy with that response, Shinso then turned to his own wife before continuing. "Great. And then Izumi and I will help on half of the hero's side of things, seeing what we can find in plain sight."
Izumi smiled sheepishly in response, already knowing the plan before her husband turned to Amari's daughter a moment later. "Ayumi, I'm going to have you and Elise keep an eye out at U.A. to see if we can find any leads or possible victims there."
And even though Elise wasn't there, Ayumi agreed for her, knowing that she would probably be more than willing to help her brother. "Of course."
Turning towards Eri, the man then continued on. "Eri and Kenji, you two will check the other end of the public scene."
The white haired hero only gave a small salute in response, her eyes beaming with determination. "You can count on me!"
Then all at once, Shinso turned towards Bakugo before lifting his hand to finish the list in his head. "And lastly, Katsuki and Iris will take care of the other half of the underworld."
Widening his eyes at that, Katsuki immediately turned towards the aqua haired girl with surprise. Out of everyone, why did he have to be with this freak?
He then watched as Iris lifted her hand up in the air a moment later, breaking her bosses concentration all at once. "Sir."
Humming in reply, the man looked up. "Yes, Iris?"
The strange woman answered back a moment later, her voice cutting through the room like a knife. "Would it be possible to get another partner?"
Once again, Katsuki couldn't help but remain speechless at that. Was this chick seriously asking for another partner? What the hell was wrong with him? He was the number two hero, damn it. Why was she acting like he was the worst person in the entire world?
Shinso only frowned at that though, his words slightly apologetic for what she was going to have to deal with. "Sorry, Katsuki's the only one left. I know it's not Amari but I figured you'd be happy either way cause they are related."
Yet Iris didn't seem happy in the slightest, the girl only sighing to herself with a bitter mutter. "It's fine. I'll manage."
Clapping his hands together, Shinso then happily concluded the meeting, his eyes hopeful for the journey ahead. "Alright that settles it. Let's get all of this fixed so that we can bring Toya back home."
One by one, everyone then began to filter out of the room in order to meet with their assigned partners and make the plan, Amari waving at each of them as they left. This was going to work, she just knew it.
Yet very quickly her hope turned to worry, Amari flopping her head on the table with a groan to her husband beside her. "Just great. How are we going to even start with this? Can't just ask some random people. We need a lead."
Shoto seemed to share her unease, the man putting a finger to his lips in silent thought. "I'm not sure either. Do you still have any contacts from the past?"
Taking out her phone, Amari simply slapped it on the table before sighing. "Nope, the only number I had was the Doc's, but he changed it years ago. Which means we are back at square one."
Just then, she felt Shinso's hand on her shoulder, the woman lifting her head in order to find her best friend's eyes. "Amari, there is one more thing I forgot to tell you, but I didn't want your brother to kill me for even mentioning it.."
At first Amari wasn't overly concerned, knowing that literally anything could've set her brother off. It wasn't all that hard, especially coming from Shinso. "What is it?"
Yet that's when the man answered, cold and serious. "He's been asking for you."
Not understanding, the woman frowned. "Who?"
Shinso didn't dare say his name though, only keeping his stare in order for Amari to understand just what he was trying to say. "Him."
Then all at once, all the color started to drain from her face. She knew exactly what he was talking about without even saying it. The way he uttered it with hatred, the vague terminology, the meaning of his words..
It was because he wanted to see her.
All For One wanted to see her.
Sensing her fear, her friend sighing heavily. "Listen, I'm not forcing you into anything. I know firsthand what happened in the past. Hell, that's why I didn't want to tell you about these cases. I didn't want you back in this life, I tried so hard for you to stay happy, like you deserve."
That's when the man turned serious, his commission agent side coming out as he spoke facts to that girl in question. "But every time we've tried to question him, that man says he'll only talk to you."
Almost immediately, Shoto shut the entire idea down, knowing just how awful it was. "Amari, don't even think about it. You know it will be no good. That bastard won't give us anything. He just wants to manipulate you again, you know it."
And yes, the woman knew that very well. In fact, she was sure that All for One would use his usual tactics to get his precious "masterpiece" back in his hands. That was just a given.
But if she didn't talk to him then what would happen? What if this was their only shot at finding those pills and helping her son? "B-But..what if there are no other leads?"
Her husband only shook his head at that, already leaning forward with emotional intent in order to ignore the logic. "There has to be. Anything's better than you torturing yourself."
Amari frowned in response. Of course she didn't want to torture herself. In fact, she never wanted to see that potato faced monster ever again. But unfortunately they were out of options right now, and that couldn't be ignored.
Especially when their son was waiting for them, they definitely couldn't ignore that. So when you put it that way, a little torture didn't seem all that bad. "Probably, who knows how long it will take? Toya is waiting for us right now."
Shoto remained silent at that, causing Amari to continue with painful logic once more. "And if All for One will only talk to me then the commission will never get anything out of him until I meet with him. We won't get anything out of the case, we won't find out who's doing this."
And although she was telling the truth in every sense of the word, Shoto still hated it, knowing that she had to sacrifice herself for the sake of the commission and information. It was cruel, forcing her to go through everything all over again.
He had heard her nightmares for years, he had comforted and heard her cry in his chest over and over again because of the things that happened when they were kids. Dabi's death, what she did for Kazumi, All for One's torture, it was all a constant loop in her mind, he knew it.
And when they had their children, it seemed like she was finally improving, like she was moving on from everything and now this poor girl had to live through everything all over again.
Softening his eyes, Shoto's voice turned fragile, his head moving to connect with Amari's as he spoke with sad reality. "I don't want you to put yourself through this anymore."
Amari felt her heart twist at his honest plea, wishing that could be the case, but unfortunately there was still work to do, for herself and the people around her.
No, she couldn't be selfish, not right now. "I know, but I have to, Shoto. There are kids out there that are just like me, our own son is out there waiting for us to bring him home. I would do anything for them, you know I would."
And he knew that truth so painfully well, how her selflessness was the stronger part about her. It was one of the reasons he first fell in love with her after all. "I know you would."
Because of that, Shoto knew how important this case was to her, the man ignoring the painful discomfort in his chest in order to grab onto her left hand and kiss the back once in a silent promise. "Just know, I'm not letting you do this alone."
Amari seemed to understand the promise immediately, the woman smiling softly at the action before leaning forward and giving a quick kiss at his approval. "I wouldn't want it any other way."
Then the woman turned back to Shinso before uttering words she thought she'd never say in a million years.
"Bring me to him."
Gonna cut this here cause the other part I wanted to do for this is going to take too long for this CH so I'll just break it up. You'll get Iris/Katsuki things and Toya things next time.
But dang, we got lots of old character interaction here. It was really fun to go back to writing some past "His Reasons" characters like Shinso, Izumi and Kenji. Hopefully you read the first book cause if not half of these people aren't going to make any sense. oop.
But yes, Amari is going to have a chat with All for One in order to get some information. We'll see how that works.
Also, poor Katsuki doesn't understand why Iris loves Amari but hates him. RIP. Let's just say he's very bothered by it and will confront her in the next chapter.
Next Chapter: Iris and Katsuki chat, Hawks and Toya in Dabi's old hideout.