Winds of Destiny: Rising
Chapter Three: Best Laid Plans
Nearly one month had passed since Misaki's blowout confrontation with the President about the woman's backhanded involvement in her breakup with Hawks. When she'd left the office that day, she had immediately gone out and ordered several new furniture pieces for her apartment to replace the provided ones she'd never really liked. She'd made sure that it was okay with the building management, who had told her that as long as she kept their furniture pieces in good condition in storage, that she could replace whatever she wanted. She might have gone a little bit overboard with the redecorating, but it had given her something to do. At least she actually felt like she was coming home when she walked in the door now.
The new wardrobe had been a welcome change as well. She'd begun to feel more confident about the way she presented herself, both inside and out, when she'd decided to stop hiding behind her conservative work attire. She had always felt like she needed to appear coifed and professional for her job, like the President did. But after she'd gotten over her misguided idolization of the woman, she'd come to the realization that her perception of professionalism was just her immaturity keeping her tied down to an idea, and not a true representation of the concept. In order to truly consider herself a professional, she needed to stop downplaying her strengths and hiding behind her weaknesses, and start owning up to her abilities instead.
A lot of her downtime lately had been spent working on her tracking software, in an effort to do just that. She'd integrated in the small scanning program she'd written several months ago to feed scoring metric data into the Commission's proprietary ranking algorithm. The tracking program would now scan through any accessible data on the internal server, as well as any external mediums, and automatically filter the relevant data into the appropriate categories. After she'd provided a detailed demonstration of the program to the ranking administration, they'd decided to incorporate it throughout the rest of the company as well, freeing up several manhours to be reallocated to other divisions in need of assistance.
It had been her first step toward putting her abilities to good use for the betterment of the company, and not just her own duties as the President's secretary. Hawks had told her after the Kamino Incident that she had an opportunity to make a real difference within the Hero Public Safety Commission. She hadn't really understood at the time what he'd meant by that, or why it had seemed so important to him. After what had transpired between her and the President however, she was beginning to realize what he'd been trying to warn her of several months ago. The Hero Public Safety Commission needed to be reminded of who they were supposed to be working for: the people.
The President walked out of her office with a report in her hand, keeping her cool blue gaze fixed on the paper as she called out, "Misaki?"
"Yes, Madam President?" Misaki replied with a questioning lilt to her voice as she looked up from the report she'd been writing.
The President glanced up at her and held up the paper in her hand, asking, "Did you write up this proposal?"
Misaki folded her hands in her lap and tightened her lips into a thin smile before replying, "If you're referring to the ranking presentation event, yes I did."
The President crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow at her. "Explain."
She straightened in her chair and squared her shoulders before opening her mouth to speak, "It's been almost three months since All Might's retirement. There's been a lot of chatter on social media, even within the hero network, about the people's shaken faith in our hero's abilities to keep them safe. Especially since the emergence of villains like Stain and the League of Villains. There've been a lot of rumors and false reports floating around, stirring up the anxiety in many communities, now that All Might isn't there to reassure them. I think, presenting a televised event, giving the new top ten an opportunity to address the nation, will help to bolster the people's confidence in the hero community at a time when it couldn't be more important."
The President stared down at her carefully for a long moment before holding the paper out to her. "The official rankings will be announced in seven days. If you can coordinate this event by the end of the week, I'll support it."
"Thank you," Misaki replied, nodding as she reached out to accept the printed proposal with a pleased expression.
The President regarded her carefully for a moment before saying, "You've really been stepping up around here lately."
She blinked a couple of times at the unexpected praise before lowering her eyes. After a moment, she nodded to herself and looked up at the President resolutely. "I finally realized that you were right. I don't want to spend the rest of my career here as your secretary."
The President inclined her head, gazing down at her appraisingly as she asked, "What is it that you do want?"
Misaki's eyes widened a bit and she asked carefully, "Are you asking me what my plans are for the future?"
The President nodded once.
She considered the question for a long moment before looking away a bit forlornly. "To be honest, if you'd asked me that question two months ago, I probably would have said I'd hoped to be married and starting a family a few years from now."
The President's blue eyes widened for a moment before she tilted her head forward a bit and dropped her gaze.
Misaki looked back over at her with a resigned expression. "I understand that as the President of the Hero Public Safety Commission you have a duty to look out for the welfare and safety of the entire country. And I always held a deep respect and admiration for your work ethic and your dedication to the responsibilities of your office." She glanced down at her hands. "I guess I just never considered what my role really was in this office."
She had mistakenly thought that she would be able to do something meaningful with her life by working as the President's secretary. She'd trusted the woman to guide and encourage her to become the best version of herself that she could be. What she'd been interpreting as opportunities to better herself had actually been the President's way of grooming her into a potential asset for the company. A company that treated its employees like tools, running them into the ground while convincing them that it was all for the sake of some "greater good". The real tragedy was, she suspected, that nobody really knew what that "greater good" was supposed to be.
The betterment of society? The safety and wellbeing of the Japanese people? The hero industry's corporate agenda? All of those things were fine if they coincided with one another, but to her, it seemed more like they were opposing ideals at the moment. Truly, she had no one to blame for her own misconceptions other than herself. She'd let her admiration for the President overshadow her most fundamental strength: her independence. Hawks had tried to help her recognize that she needed to form her own concept of the "greater good" from outside the perspective of the Safety Commission, and to do everything in her power to foster and uphold that belief within the company.
Letting out a haggard sigh, Misaki sat back in her chair and stared down at the top of her desk in grim contemplation. "At this point, the only thing I really know for sure is that I need to start developing my own concept of what "hero" really means. To look at it from an objective perspective, outside of my own experience and the mainstream idealism advertised by the media. Though he may have gone about it in an extreme manner, Stain's idealistic perception of heroes is what drove him to commit the crimes he did in the name of social anarchy. Is the type of hero we're presenting to the people really what they need right now to look up to and make them feel safe? The more I see the more I can't help but wonder if our society isn't sitting on top of a powder keg that's just waiting for the right spark to come along and set it off."
The President stared down at her nose at her severely as she replied in a clipped tone of voice, "That "mainstream idealism", as you call it, is what keeps us in business."
Sensing the woman's obvious disapproval of her analysis, Misaki continued, "I get that. If heroes were just seen as ordinary people, it would be chaos. Just like during the advent of the superpowers. I understand why it's an important philosophy within our society, and I actually think that it has a lot of merit. I've seen the way that many children have been inspired by the heroes they look up to. But that kind of youthful innocence can be dangerous too. If the heroes they admire don't end up living up to their expectations, the disillusionment can have dire consequences for an impressionable child. And many times, when that child grows up, they become what we often refer to as villains."
The older woman's gaze was as cold as ice when she asked in a tone that spoke of clear displeasure, "Are you trying to tell me that you believe heroes are responsible for creating villains?"
The old Misaki would have cowered away from the open animosity of the President's inquiry, but the new Misaki was undeterred. She would stand firmly behind her conviction and defend her position as best she could, even if that meant making enemies of those she'd once considered colleagues.
After pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts, Misaki began to speak calmly and clearly in response, "I'm saying that we shouldn't ignore the unintended consequences of our good intentions. For those of us who are in a position to support the heroes who sit atop the pedestal we've created for them in the eyes of the people, I think it's important to maintain a sense of pragmatism. To ensure that we don't forget that heroes are people too. Real people with real virtues and real flaws. Unfortunately, true humanism is rarely ever as black and white as good or evil."
The President continued to stare down at her with an icy expression, and Misaki prepared herself for the inevitable rebuke that was sure to follow as the woman opened her mouth to say, "You know, most people spend their entire career here without ever grasping that concept."
Misaki's jaw almost dropped in response and she blinked a few times as she stared up at the woman in shock. Considering the wary atmosphere the President had been projecting throughout their conversation, the last thing she'd expected to hear from her in that moment was praise.
The President's expression took on an air of reverence when she addressed her once more, "I believe I told you several months ago that I saw great potential in you. I'm pleased to see that you're finally beginning to live up to it. I have great expectations for your future within this organization, Misaki. In light of that, I'm considering you for a new position within the executive ranks of this Commission."
"E-executive?" She stuttered, her voice betraying her shock at the President's admission.
"Your duties would be similar to what you've been doing with your tracking program, but with a more specific focus to go along with your new title," the President said, staring down at her evenly.
"What title would that be...?" Misaki trailed off, still a bit taken aback by the sudden mention of such a huge promotion.
"Commissioner of Analytics," she replied succinctly.
Misaki let out a startled gasp. "Commissioner—!"
"I'll give you some time to think about it," she said before turning and walking back into her office, leaving Misaki to stare at the place she'd just been standing in shock.
That had been the last thing she had ever expected to hear, especially so early on in her career. Granted, she had developed some useful tools and practices while working as the President's secretary, but to be promoted to executive status with less than a full year of experience was mind-boggling. She was suddenly reminded of a line she'd once read in a book, the title of which escaped her at the moment, but the passage had read, "It is not difficult to gain recognition for one's endeavors in industry during times of war". Not that she was an engineer or anything, but in a way, they were at war; with all of the societal backlash brought about by Stain and the League of Villains. Perhaps this was also an instance of such situational recognition.
The President returned a moment later and held out a leather-bound portfolio to her. "This is the outline of the position I drafted for approval from the Prime Minister. Consider it carefully before you make your decision."
Reaching out to take the booklet from her, Misaki looked up and held the President's stare as she resolutely replied, "I will."
The President steadily made her way down a corridor inside the arena where the ranking's presentation event was due to commence shortly. As she approached the end of the hallway, she couldn't help overhearing the clear sound of excited squealing and laughter emanating from the open door leading into Hawks's dressing room. She sighed, her expression drawing with mild exasperation as she made her way toward the room. Walking through the open doorway, she found the newly official Number Two Hero surrounded by a group of fangirls, signing autographs, and taking pictures. She cleared her throat and the event staff jumped, waving behind them, and giggling as they hurried out the door.
"You're as popular as ever I see," the President observed contritely as she tossed the door shut behind the gaggle of fangirls.
Hawks leaned back against a table with a fruit basket on top of it, reaching over to pick out one of the grapes as he said, "Pretty swanky event you've put on here. Your idea?"
"Actually, it was my secretary's," the President replied flatly.
He coughed suddenly, choking on the grape he'd just tossed into his mouth at the unexpected mention of Misaki. He shot her an indignant glare, likely judging from her tone that she'd timed it that way on purpose. She couldn't really deny that she had.
The President stared back at him evenly as she explained, "I support her sentiment that the people could benefit from some personal reassurance from their leading heroes, given the current situation."
Clearing his throat of the grape that had been lodged there, Hawks turned his head to the side with a rueful expression as he said, "Sounds kinda naive, if you ask me."
"How so?" She asked, inclining her head in intrigue.
He turned back toward her, his narrow eyes keen as he replied, "Just what exactly do you think the people need to hear to reassure them? It's all just words unless it's backed up by action. This circus act isn't what the people want to make them feel safe. They want a symbol."
The President sighed. "Unfortunately, right now we don't have one of those. We can only do what we can with the resources available to us. Hopefully, this event will serve to give the people something to look forward to from their new top ten heroes."
Hawks shrugged indifferently and crossed his arms before quipping, "You're the boss. I just work here."
She stared back at him with narrowed eyes, her own expression taking on a calculating appearance and her tone a somewhat condescending lilt. "I'll be sure to pass along your dissatisfaction with this event to its organizer. I'm sure she'd quite appreciate the feedback."
"Whoa! Hey, now!" He suddenly exclaimed, his eyes widening as he raised his hands up in front of him. "I didn't say it was a bad idea! Don't go puttin' words in my mouth!"
"Whatever you have to say about the matter, I'm sure you'll find a way to express yourself on the stage. It's what you're here for, after all," the President replied cryptically, staring at him from the corner of her eye as she turned to walk out the door.
Her openly reproachful attitude had been intentional. She'd wanted to gauge his reaction to her mentions of Misaki. It was painfully clear to her that the hero still harbored feelings for the woman. Hawks was rarely ever flustered the way he'd been whenever she'd casually brought up the young secretary in their conversation. This event would be the first time the two of them would have an opportunity to interact with one another after their breakup.
She was interested to see how they handled themselves, especially considering Misaki's sudden physical and emotional evolution. She had a lot riding on Misaki's potential future within the company, and she didn't need either one of them taking any steps backward now in concerns to their feelings for one another. It was imperative that they both remain focused on "right now", not "what if". Seeing as Misaki had yet to accept her promotion, the President only hoped that their inevitable confrontation didn't serve to undo any of the progress she'd made toward figuring out her own path for her future.
Misaki nodded to the President as she walked off of the stage after her speech. The woman stopped at her side and turned around to face the stage as the announcer took over and began introducing the new top ten ranking heroes on the Hero Billboard Chart JP.
"Well done, Madam President," she cordially greeted the woman.
"It was your speech, Misaki. I just read it," the President replied, inclining her head without looking away from the stage.
It had taken some considerable effort, but she'd somehow managed to pull off the massive media fiasco she'd proposed just over a week ago. She couldn't help feeling a little proud of herself, which was somewhat of a new feeling to her. She'd put in a lot of hard work over the past week to make this proposal a reality, and to finally see it come to fruition was gratifying to say the least. Hopefully, the purpose behind the event would be received by both the heroes on stage, as well as all of the people watching from inside the auditorium and from their television sets at home.
It was no secret that there had been a steadily growing sense of discontent within the public concerning heroes and their role in society. For as many people as there were who had voiced their opinions on social media about the issues that Stain and the League of Villains had brought about, there were just as many, if not more, who seemed to be indifferent to them. She hoped to create some enthusiasm, maybe even a sense of expectation, for the new age of heroes in Japan without All Might.
As the stage announcer moved to offer Wash an opportunity to speak, the President glanced over at Misaki and mentioned, "You seem discontent."
She gasped softly, surprise replacing the apparent dissatisfaction that had been displayed on her face as she turned her eyes to the President and asked in shocked concern, "Is it showing?"
The President smiled softly before turning her eyes back toward the stage. "You've always been expressive with your emotions."
Misaki grimaced, following the woman's gaze and trailing off, "I was just hoping for... I don't know... More, I guess."
The President glanced over at her from the corner of her eye and asked, "How so?"
She shrugged, pursing her lips to one side before adamantly replying, "I mean, can you say, as a regular citizen, listening to this, that you feel reassured? Because I sure don't."
The President raised her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes, glancing at Misaki from the side before asking, "What exactly did you have in mind when you proposed this event?"
Misaki's shoulders slumped and she sulkily drawled, "I'd hoped that the focus would be more on creating hope for the future and less on rehashing the past or the status quo." She raised a hand to her chin and mused thoughtfully, "Perhaps I should have considered some media coaching in my preparations..."
The President slid her cool, narrowed gaze back to the stage before commenting, "We're only halfway through the lineup."
"Yeah..." Misaki trailed off hopefully.
By the time the microphone got to Edgeshot, Misaki had become completely dejected. All of the work she'd put in to arrange this event and this was what she got? A bunch of regret and the usual, age old lines? She'd mistakenly assumed that all of the top heroes would have recognized what she had; that the people needed something to look forward to. If all they could hope to expect from their top heroes was what they'd been getting all along, how were they supposed to feel safe without their coveted Symbol of Peace to fall back on?
She sighed and lifted her hand to rub her forehead as she turned her eyes toward the ground just before they widened and shot back up at the sound of a voice calling out in a familiar, sarcastic tone, "Who do you think wants to hear that? People like Stain?"
Silence immediately settled over the stadium. Misaki's mouth dropped open in shock just before she clapped her hand over it and turned her head to the side to let out a small laugh.
The President sighed in exasperation at her side. "I should have expected something like this from him..."
Unable to keep the smile from her voice as she listened to Hawks's admonishing speech, Misaki commented, "He may have ostracized himself a bit from his peers, but he's holding them publicly accountable for their rank, and the responsibilities that come along with it. It's more than just a number now, it's a statement: "Put your faith in me, I'll make you feel safe.". Especially..."
She watched as Hawks dropped down and handed the microphone over to Endeavor. Her face lit up with appreciation at the sound of the new Number One Hero's pointed statement.
Now that was what she'd been hoping for. Conviction.
She looked down suddenly, coughing softly into her hand when she noticed that Hawks was the only one applauding Endeavor's impelling remark. The President lifted a hand and motioned to the announcer to begin ushering the heroes off the stage. Misaki's eyes were drawn subconsciously to Hawks as he drew near, and his pace began to slow as they locked stares.
"You're as tactless as ever, Hawks," the President addressed the distracted Number Two Hero, her tone reproachful.
Shifting his gaze away from Misaki's suddenly, he lifted both of his hands in an exaggerated shrug and cocked his head to the side before replying, "What do you mean? I was just expressing my true feelings. That's what you wanted, right?"
The President glared at him dryly. "You could have done so in a less contemptuous manner toward your peers, I think."
He grinned back at her and dropped his hands into his pockets. "I'm not really the type to hold back when I feel strongly about something."
"For better or worse," Misaki said under her breath from behind the President's right shoulder as she stared off down the corridor the rest of the heroes had ventured down.
Hawks tilted his upper body to his left, peering around the President at her as he keenly asked, "You givin' me grief too, Secretary-san?"
Her eyes widened slightly. She hadn't expected him to address her. She turned her head and met his narrowed gaze. Feeling a bit calmer than she thought she would have, speaking to him for the first time since their breakup, she swallowed softly before replying, "Not at all. I think you were right on point."
His eyebrows shot up and he leaned back and slurred, "Really?"
She straightened her spine and squared her shoulders, her confidence steadily building throughout their interaction. "But the President is right, too. Now especially, the future of many hero operations is going to rely on coordinated team efforts, without a symbol to stand behind. Ostracizing yourself from the other top heroes may come back to bite you later."
He held her stare for a long moment before reaching up to clasp his hands behind his head. Turning to walk off down the corridor to the dressing rooms, he called out over his shoulder, "Don't worry, I'll make sure there's no hard feelings."
"You should start with Endeavor," the President called out after him, turning her reproving stare to follow after him down the hallway.
He raised a hand to wave behind him. "Right!"
Misaki watched him go, a bit of concern in her careful tone as she asked, "Is he really going to be alright?"
The President stared after him coolly as she replied, "I'm sure he'll manage. Regardless of his somewhat flippant attitude at times, he's actually quite adept in social situations."
"I know," Misaki responded softly, bowing her head. She'd been both on the receiving end, and a beneficiary of those social skills of his more than a few times before.
"You handled that well," the President's appraising voice addressed her after a moment.
She sighed, her expression becoming resigned as she watched him walk away. "It would be unrealistic to expect that we would have zero contact in a professional capacity. I wouldn't have continued my job as your secretary if I was going to let it get to me. We're just co-workers now. No more, no less."
"Have you taken the time to consider your promotion?" The President's serious tone brought Misaki's gaze back over to her at the sudden question.
She lowered her eyes after a moment and said, "I'm still deciding."
"I understand that it's an important decision, but I'd like an answer by the end of the week," the woman told her before turning and following the rest of the heroes down the hall, leaving Misaki to ponder her statement alone.
She sighed and leaned back against the wall next to her. It wasn't like she was ungrateful for the opportunity. Her indecisiveness stemmed more from the level of responsibility that came along with the role. They were looking to her to be their eyes and ears into the public's perception of heroes. To identify their misgivings and help develop plans and programs to combat the rising sense of unease within their hero saturated society. It was an immense undertaking. One that would require months of development and hard work. If she wasn't quick enough in her assessments, or if they turned out to be wrong or incomplete, she could end up doing more harm than good in the long run.
She still had a few days to consider her options and make a decision. For now, what she needed to concentrate on was cleaning up the mess this media fiasco had turned into. She just hoped this wasn't a precursor to what her future held if she actually did decide to accept that promotion.
~ Author's Note ~
Oh man, I was sweating that reunion HARD! I think it came out pretty well though! Yet another one of those unflushed plot points that I slid Misaki into (organizing the ranking event that is 😜). There will be some brand new character interactions in the next chapter which I am very excited to finally introduce; I hope you enjoy the plot twist as well!
Thank you so much for reading!
LOLSAT