As the old rusted door flew off its hinges, the thug in question coughed out a spit of blood before hearing the taunting sounds of footsteps getting progressively closer, ones that made his heart drop into his chest at the tone.
Although as the silhouette appeared in the smoke, the male thug couldn't help but taunt him, seeing a flash of red peak through a moment later. "What's a hero like you doing all the way down here? You seem frustrated by something, Hawks."
Hawks only narrowed his eyes though, sending four sharp feathers in his direction as they longed themselves into the wall behind the villain, catching onto his clothes and keeping him in place. "See, we wouldn't have to do this if you didn't decide to run."
Yet once again the man only chuckled, pulling against the feathers before feeling the hero's sword touch the tip of his neck. "All of you heroes think you are so scary, don't you? That we'll talk given slightest pressure. How comical, you really think this will change anything? Do your worst, if you can.."
The winged hero wasn't in the mood for games though, stepping up to the hooded thug before continuing with his interrogation, the one that was so rudely interrupted when this guy tried to run from him.
"I'll only ask you once more, what were you doing at my office? What were you after..?"
When Hawks got this guy's name, he was honestly surprised. He thought the break in would have come from someone he knew or was out to get him. So why was it just this lower level villain from the streets, what did this guy have to gain from stealing something from him?
Maybe this guy did know him somehow, maybe he was related to someone that the hero had put away in the last couple years? Hawks wasn't sure, but he was determined to find out exactly what was going on.
Although the man didn't seem to intimidated by the sword gracing his neck, only staring at the hero with a sort of challenging stance. "Good one Hawks, but you aren't getting anything out of me. I'm loyal to my clients, especially the dangerous ones."
Clients? That was something at least. This guy was hired for some reason to break into his agency. But that only brought even more questions than answers.
"So you were hired. Interesting. I know I'm a pretty popular guy but why would anyone pay you to break into my office? They were looking for something, weren't they?"
And that thought alone was extremely scary to the bird because that meant that this unnamed person was after him for some reason. There were hundreds of confidential files and notes in his office at the time. This could easily go from bad to worse if they got their hands on anything related to the commission, past or present.
The villain seemed to catch his concern though, lowering his eyes to the sword before recalling what Valkyrie had said when he asked about the break in request, very clearly replaying the voice in his head.
Hawks is bound to squirm when he finds out about you. I'm sure it will be very entertaining for you to see. Feel free to play around with him if you'd like.
And so that's what the villain did, lowering his tone in order to mess with the winged man just like Valkyrie had suggested "Ah, what do you know, they were right after all. What are you so afraid of, hero? What don't you want them to find?"
Watching Hawks' feathers twitch and lift out in anger was everything the villain thought it would be, now feeling as the sword made content with his throat in order to reveal a single line of blood as another feather flew past his cheek in order to leave a mark.
"You know, don't you? Who they are, what they stole, why they paid you? Tell me and I'll make sure you stay out of prison for this. I'll protect you from that villain."
Chuckling back with crazy amusement, the thug knew that would never work, lifting his head to meet Hawks' obviously distressed eyes. "Oh hero, you don't get it. You see, what you don't know is that there are far worse things than death, people that will do much more just by squealing their secrets, and I'm not in the mood to be skinned alive today unfortunately."
The man then felt an invisible shiver down his spine, recalling the crazed look of Valkyrie whenever she found her next target. "I know better than to piss them off, and as some advice you should do the same Hawks. You don't know what you're messing with, who will ruin you if you continue to go after them like this.."
It was obvious to Hawks that this man knew more than he was letting him in on, causing the hero's mind to go into a thousand different directions. It seemed like this guy was scared of this person for some reason. Were they really that dangerous?
Knowing he couldn't just walk away with that, the winged man threw another feathers across his cheek as the blood poured out in a singular line. He was desperate, desperate to know anything about the person that was seemingly targeting them.
"I don't care. Who are they? Tell me where to find them."
Yet it seemed he had said the wrong thing as the villain only chuckled under his breath before locking this with the hero and speaking with a tone that brought a chill down the hero's spine.
"That's not how it works birdie. You don't find Valkyrie, Valkyrie finds you."
Widening his eyes at that sudden name, Hawks felt the grip on his sword loosen unexpectedly before thinking about the new information without a second thought.
Valkyrie.
Wait, wasn't that the villain that the president and that other agency were talking about a couple days ago? The person that paid this guy to break into his office was them? But why? What was the purpose?
Just then, Hawks' phone began to ring in his pocket before snapping him out of his own delusions as the bird aimlessly looked at the caller ID and frowned.
It was the commission. But why were they calling him now? He had just filled out a report yesterday.
Knowing he had to answer, the hero then removed his sword from the man's neck before turning around and leaving as his small feathers stayed lodged into the wall behind him, confusing the villain. "Hey, aren't you gonna let me go? You gonna keep these feathers here forever or what?"
Hawks then narrowed his eyes before the feathers keeping the villain in place, flew back to him as the thug hit the floor before the bird spoke low. "You're lucky we have to cut this meeting short. Don't give me reason to come back."
Then the bird spread out his wings before taking into the sky in order to have some distance from the villain in case he tried to attack.
Feeling the wind blow across his cheeks, Hawks then answered the line happily, just like the happy go lucky personality the commission had made for him. "Heyo! Well isn't this a surprise president! What can I do for ya?"
Yet the person that answered was not the president, only hearing a male voice speak back to him roughly a moment later, strict and short. "Hawks, we need to talk. Meet me at the commission in ten or else I'm coming to you."
Although the hero knew nothing about the man on the line, his vague threat caused his feathers to twitch with anxiety. If he didn't find out what this was all about then that meant that whoever this commission guy could possibly go to his apartment and after Hikari.
And that wasn't something Hawks was going to risk, ever.
Moving into a dimly lit room inside the commission, Hawks pushed open the door before being greeted by the back of a rather tall looking man, his back arms covered with various tattoos and scars.
By all accounts, the man looked familiar, causing the bird to turn his head to the side in order to erase the heavy atmosphere. "It's not every day that I get a summons from a complete stranger like this. I was in the middle of an investigation when you called, you know. Pretty rude if ya ask me."
The black haired man only hummed though, turning around so Hawks could see his serious dull grey eyes. "There is no time for that. I need an explanation Hawks, from one commission agent to another."
Catching the plain nature of his tone, the hero knew that he was one of those serious types, causing him to stuff his hands into his pockets. Who even was this guy? Talk about intense. "Oh, do you? On what?"
Although that's when the pieces clicked together, realizing just who this man was. It was the same guy that he interrupted a couple days ago and the commission office, the one assigned to take down the villain Valkyrie.
Shadow narrowed his eyes towards the playful tone before taking out a single cigarette and twirling it between his fingers a moment later. "I want you to be straight with me, why were you seen at the Valkyrie raid three nights ago?"
This certainly caused Hawks to widen his eyes, not fully understanding. Wait, what was his guy accusing him of? Because whatever it was, it wasn't true. Three nights ago the only thing he did was save his sister from a group of unnamed villains.
"What? I think you got your facts a little mixed up there big guy. I don't even know what you're talking about right now so how could I have been there?"
Seeing that the bird wasn't getting it still, the hero then picked up a file next to him before throwing the contents on the coffee table next to them as a picture of the building in question came tumbling into view. "Maybe this will jog your memory."
And it did, because as soon as Hawks recognized the place in the photo he felt his stomach drop in a thousand unsaid emotions.
Shadow was right, he had been to this place three nights ago, it was the same exact place that he saved his sister from.
But that didn't make any sense.
Shadow wasn't pleased with the silence though, taking out a black colored lighter before the fire began to engulf the cigarette slowly. "Don''t lie to me Hawks. I know those obnoxious red wings anywhere. You were there. I have multiple eye witness accounts. What I want to know is why?"
Yes, he was there, but the blonde haired hero had no idea of the context. He didn't know that the commission had set up a raid at the same time, he didn't know that the very person they were trying to catch was Valkyrie and he didn't even know that his sister was wrapped up in all of this somehow.
The very idea forced his head to spin, the internal struggle making him dizzy. What could he even say? He had already promised himself never to mention his sister to the commission in fear that they would try and drag her down with him.
But now it seemed he didn't have a choice, he had to bring her into this somehow. "Look man, it's not what you think. I had no idea you were on an opposing mission that night. An old friend of mine called me and said they were kidnapped so I went to rescue them. That's all."
Sure, he was glazing over a couple details but something inside of him knew that was the smartest option. By calling Hikari a friend it wrote off any chance of the president trying to recruit her. "I guess we just happened to bump into each other, huh?"
Although the new onslaught of information caused Shadow to lean forward, his brow turned down in extreme thought. "What do you mean your friend was kidnapped? Are you saying that your friend was in the same building as Valkyrie during the raid?
Nodding back, Hawks replied. "I mean yeah, it looks to be that way. I didn't really stick around, you know? There were too many people to fight at the time so I just grabbed her and got out of there."
Warning bells couldn't help but go off in Hawks' mind though. If Shadow was telling the truth then that meant that his sister had two encounters with this villain. First the break in at his agency and then this surprise commission raid.
It was almost as if Valkyrie was following his sister.
Shadow seemed suspicious too though, not recalling anyone else that night besides that villain and the betrayed members of Valkyrie's gang. There was something here that didn't add up. Why would that villain bring an innocent citizen into this mess? It didn't make sense.
"She was a hostage? That doesn't make sense, I talked to a member of their group and they never disclosed anything about having a prisoner or a hostage during the raid."
It sounded strange to Hawks as well to be completely honest, but the bird still tried to find some kind of logical explanation. "I mean, we are talking about villains. They don't usually keep to their word half of the time. Maybe they went behind your back about the hostage."
And the bird knew that better than anyone, knowing that Dabi loved to go behind his back and change plans all the time. Maybe this was just a case of the same thing.
But that didn't explain why his sister was involved, watching as Shadow let out a puff of smoke in silent thought. "It could be, but why did they decide to target your friend? What would Valkyrie have to benefit from a random attack?"
Although, Hawks knew the truth, recalling the thugs words from earlier before his stomach dropped into his chest at the idea. As much as he would have loved to stay blind, his commission mind couldn't help but think the worse.
Those two events, they were too calculated, too perfect for them to be coincidences. "I don't think it was random."
This caused Shadow to raise his eyes to the bird in question. "What do you mean?"
Swallowing in order to give him courage, Hawks felt his feathers twitch with each word. "Someone broke into my agency a couple days ago after I sent my friend to train over there. When I roughed up the person responsible, they dropped the name Valkyrie."
Widening his eyes in complete surprise, the man then slapped in tattooed hands on the table before putting the pieces together. "Hawks, if that's true, then means that this person has been present for two Valkyrie attacks in the last couple days. You know how rare that is? That can't be a coincidence. Who are they?!"
And from the information it was almost obvious to confirm that Valkyrie was connected with Hikari somehow, causing Hawks to feel overly nauseous. That villain, did they break into office to find her, did they want her somehow?
He was desperate, desperate to know what terrible nightmares haunted his sisters mind but maybe this was it. Maybe it had something to do with this vial disgusting villain. Maybe that's why she was so afraid.
Hawks knew he couldn't openly tell the agent about his sister but he also couldn't help but see this as an opportunity to finally find out more about what had happened to her.
Sure, he said he was going to wait for her to be ready but he couldn't help it. The girl was just taking too long and with every flitch and cry he was desperate to fix whatever was broken, to finally let his sister rest easy.
And Hawks wanted to save her, he wanted to help her, even if she wasn't ready to ask for it yet.
Was it selfish? Of course it was, but after so many years of not knowing what kind of horrors Hikari had lived through, it was about time he started acting like the big brother she thought of him to be.
He didn't want to rush her but this was an opportunity that was too good to pass up. This could lead him to the answers he was looking for the entire time. Hikari would thank him in the long run, he was sure of it. As soon as he fixed everything, as soon as he put her at ease.
Not thinking about anything else, the bird then turned determined, focusing on only one thing and one thing alone, being the brother that she always deserved.
So much so that he knew he couldn't sit still and watch her suffer anymore. He just couldn't. Who cares if he was going too fast, Hawks was far too deep into this and desperate to realize that very fact.
Besides, Hawks was always too fast for his own good anyways, that was one of his many flaws after all. It wasn't just a phrase the commission came up with. No, sadly that part about him was very real.
And because of that, the hero said his next words in selfish desire, not knowing the chain of events that would happen because of his choice.
"Come with me. I know someone that can help you."
Groaning at the sound of her phone, Hikari turned her head into the pillow before lazily pressing the object to her ear before muttering back to whatever annoyance awaited on the other line, her voice muffling with each word. "Mmmm what do you want?"
The voice on the other end paused causing the girl to groan before rolling her eyes into the pillow before finally getting a response. "S-Sorry to bother you Boss but there's something you should be wary of. I just wanted to let you know."
He sounded scared, obviously being on the receiving end of Valkyrie's displeasure as Hikari finally lifted her hand up in order to rub the sleepiness from her eyes. "Get on with it then. You woke me up asshole. This better be good."
The girl's voice was sharp, causing the thug to reply back immediately. "R-Right, well it seems Hawks is poking around about the agency break in. We received word that he contacted that guy with the ghost quirk you paid off."
Pushing her hand away, Hikari thought about the words before yawning loudly. Oh? So that bird was finally trying to get somewhere. Too bad she already counted for that.
"So? That guy didn't squeal did he? Cause he knows what's waiting for him if he does.."
The threat was bluntly obvious, causing her informant on the other end to feel a sharp chill down his spine before answering as honestly as possible in order to get her anger off of him. "Not that I know of. I'm just saying you should be careful Val. The number two hero shouldn't be underestimated."
Although Hikari only felt her lips turn up at that, knowing how much of an idiot her brother actually was. The fact that he was letting a villain like her live with him was telling in itself honestly.
The fact that he was only beginning to poke around proved that she had clearly overestimated him. "Don't worry, Hawks is a certified idiot. It doesn't matter if he did find that guy. He won't get anything from it."
That right, if he wasn't smart enough to figure out about her fake ass personality by now then he wasn't ever going to figure it out. The guy was just far too blind by his imaginary perfect sister to see what was really happening.
Yeah, given that she had seen, she wasn't that worried.
Yet that's when she heard the door to Hawks' apartment open, causing the girl to sigh at whatever internal torture she will have to live through today before pushing the phone close to her ear. "Just keep your eye out anyways, and don't call me unless it's important."
Then Hikari hung up the object before looking in the mirror at her blue pastel dress with light purple hearts on it and almost gagging before placing a hand to her face in order to feel her body temperature.
At least her fever had gone down, that was a plus. Although that wasn't going to save her from whatever idiotic idea Keigo would probably have today.
God, she was so tired of all of this. Why couldn't everything end?
Closing her eyes, Hikari then forced herself to take a calming breath before forcing up a large fake smile before opening the door to her room in order to meet her brother. "You're back early. I thought you'd be working till tonight..."
Although when she turned the corner, Hikari felt her body completely stopped when she noticed the large tattooed man next to him immediately, causing a sharp shiver to appear down her spine.
Hold on, that guy, those tattoos, she knew them anywhere. It was the guy that shot her a couple nights ago. But why was he in Kei's house, why was he here, was she busted already?!
Feeling her lips run dry, Hawks noticed her staring before turning towards the man with a reassuring smile. "Hey Hikari, sorry about the surprise. This guy wanted to meet you. Don't worry, he's a hero like me…"
Hikari hardly felt at ease with that though, forcing her shoulders to relax even though she was internally freaking out.
Yeah, and I'm a villain so that doesn't make me feel remotely better. What the hell are you thinking Keigo?! Do you know what you just did, how screwed I'll be if he recognizes me?!
Shadow then looked at the blonde haired girl before lifting his hand out silently, his eyes scanning everything about her as he spoke. "The name's Shadow. Hawks tells me you're a friend of his, correct?"
At the blatant lie, Hikari glanced over to the bird before he gave her a look as if to say. Just go along with it please. Causing the girl to internally roll her eyes and lightly shake his hand. "Yeah.."
She watched her brother let out a sigh of relief as Shadow then let go of her hand before gesturing to the sofa without another moment. "Hawks seems to think you could have some information that could be useful to a case I'm working on. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"
Glancing to the sofa felt herself suck in a breath, now knowing what this crazed man was after, and why Keigo had led him towards her like this.
Yes, I do very much mind, thank you very much.
But of course, the girl replied differently, slowly making her way to the sofa with her eyes glued to the ground in order to hide her anxiety. "Oh uhhh I don't know how much use I can be, but okay…"
Reluctantly, Hikari then sat down across from the commission member before her brother stood a couple feet away in order for him to see her. Maybe he thought that would bring her some comfort or something but it hardly did any.
She had two commission dogs on her ass after all. How could she possibly be relaxed at that? "I don't understand what's this all about?"
Shadow then pulled out a small notebook before flipping open a page and speaking plainly. "Does the name Valkyrie ring any bells?"
The fact that he relieved his intention so quickly wasn't something Hikari expected, her eyes widening against her will at her own villain name. Just great, what did this guy know? "H-Huh?"
And from her very obvious response, it was obvious to tell that the name struck something in her, Hawks watching quietly as the other commission member did what he was trained to do.
"You see, I did some digging on your sudden appearance and it seems you arrived just before these events started occurring. That along with the fact that the villain in question was seen in not one, but two of the same locations as you can't be some kind of coincidence."
Her stomach started to swirl with uncertainty as she listened to him talk around his points. Ugh it was exhausting to say the least. He was suspecting her of something that was for sure, but the question of what was still up in the air.
"I'm sorry, I don't…"
Yet Shadow was quick to cut the girl off, leaning forward as he scanned for her response. "You're involved with Valkyrie in some way, aren't you Hikari?"
Shit. His scent was getting pretty strong now, wasn't it? Turns out it wasn't Keigo she had to worry about but rather this hot topic looking reject instead. Just wonderful. He probably already suspected her.
Noticing the silence, Hawks gritted his teeth in uncertainty before leaning forward and placing a gentle hand on her leg, something that didn't calm her down at all. "That's who you're scared of isn't it? Those people that were chasing you, the ones you don't want to talk about, it's that villain, isn't it?"
He was so completely off base but Hikari could only remain silent as she looked down at her brother's hand. This was getting a little too close to the truth for her liking. "I...I…"
Her mind was running at a million miles a minute. That Shadow guy had already connected her to two locations which meant denying the idea of Valkyrie would seem like some kind of terrible lie. No, she had to be better than that.
Like he said, it was too similar for those events to be random, which meant that Hikari had to change her story and fast. Or else it would all be ruined before she even showed Dabi that file.
Shadow watched her silence like a hawk, knowing that she was thinking about something in particular? Another lie, a way to dodge the accusation perhaps? He wasn't sure.
"You're scared, I can feel that. If it's about that villain, it's okay.I'm going to need you to explain your kidnapping from three nights ago in detail. That way we can see what we are possibly up against."
Yet in those words Hawks' feather immediately twitched before his hero side and his brotherly side turned at war with each other. Sure, he was dying to know what had happened to Hikari during that night but a part of him didn't want her to relieve such horrible things either.
So much so that he spoke out a moment later. "It's okay if you're not ready to tell us everything yet. If it's not too painful, we'd like to know. It could help in the investigation."
Looking towards her brother to Shadow though, Hikari knew that wasn't an option. This guy already suspected her, it was obvious. If she didn't give him a convincing story then it would just hold more suspicion on her.
Because of that, she forced a shaky breath before playing with her hands in front of her before making up a lie that would hopefully fool them. "I-I don't remember much. I just went for a walk after Hawks left for the store and this white van pulled up next to me. T-Then they pushed me inside and knocked me out.."
God, it was so clique in terms of kidnapping but the girl was thinking on short notice, forcing herself to stop for a moment before continuing. "A-And when I woke up I was in this room alone. I heard screaming and shouting so I just ran...and then Hawks called me and a couple minutes later he saved me…"
At her story, Shadow placed his hands in front of him before immediately picking out a flaw. "So you were kidnapped but they allowed you to keep your phone? That doesn't sound very smart. Why do you think that is?"
Hikari couldn't help but narrow her eyes at that. Oh great, he's gonna pick apart everything, isn't he? Just like a commission dog would I suppose.
Shaking her head in order to erase some of her internal annoyance, the girl answered back, not giving him any room for doubt. "I-I don't know. Maybe they wanted me to get to Hawks. Maybe they wanted me to call him."
Shadow still didn't seem pleased though, leaning forward with sharp eyes. "If they did then why would they leave a hostage alone with the door unlocked? All of those followers and not one to guard the door?"
Hawks started to pick up on what he was doing though, his eyes turning into annoyance before answering for his sister. "Hey hey hold on, why does it sound like you're interrogating her? Hikari is a victim. She was kidnapped by those villains, remember?"
The tattooed man didn't miss a beat though. "I'm just weighing all of the options. You see, I didn't hear anything about a hostage before the raid so I'm just curious to know what her side is in all of this, why she was even there to begin with."
Hikari couldn't help but realize his true intentions though, the ones that her brother was too blind to see right now.
This little shit, he knows exactly what he's doing. He thinks I'm Valkyrie doesn't he? He thinks I faked this whole hostage story. And I mean I did, but that's just rude.
Because of that, the girl lifted her hand out to stop Hawks in order to answer the commission agent so he couldn't get the satisfaction of winning. "W-When I woke up everyone was shouting and running towards the upper level. I don't know what happened but I took my chance and ran.."
Shadow realized that aligned with the events that played out but he wasn't overly convinced about her story, staring at the blonde haired girl as she batted her eyes innocently. "T-That's all I know..I'm sorry…"
Hawks on the other hand, had a different response, placing a gentle hand on her back before smiling at his sister. "I'm proud of you Hikari. You must have been really scared. Thanks for telling us."
And it was obvious to the tattooed man that Hawks was practically bending at her small words and gestures, causing Shadow to narrow his eyes. He must have a really deep connection with her. The bird wasn't even acting like a commission member right now.
In fact, he was emulating more of a doting mother more than anything.
He was about to ask another onslaught of questions before Hawks did so for him, his hand fluttering her away from his sister before speaking plainly. "Hey Shadow, what's the deal about this Valkyrie person anyways? I know they are a villain but why are ya so determined to find them? Are they that dangerous?"
Hikari resisted the urge to laugh at the irony, happy the attention was off of her fake self before Shadow flipped over a page in his book before answering. "What do you know of them, Hawks?"
This caused the hero to shrug his shoulders. "Not much, just that the name keeps popping up more often nowadays. When I talked to the guy that broke into my office the only thing he said about them was that "You don't find Valkyrie, Valkyrie finds you" or something like that."
Shadow didn't seem shaken by the threat though. "Yes, that is the motto that has been assigned to them. You see, it simply means that Valkyrie likely appears wherever you least expect it, whenever you are least prepared. Or at least that's what my intel tells me."
Forcing her lips not to twist into a smile, Hikari looked down at her hands before hearing her brother speak back. "Whoa, intense. So what's the big deal? Why is everyone so afraid of them in the first place?"
The tattooed hero then turned to his notes as he replied. "Well, to put it simply, Valkyrie has a number of wide set followers making their reach on the underground a very dangerous thing. They have established this sort of monarchy in the villain system over the years."
Lowering his eyes, Shadow added. "Although, they don't believe in killing but rather making someone suffer for their entire life if any certain rules of theirs are broken. That's why it's impossible to get an identity of them, because so many are scared into secrecy."
A sharp shiver ran down Hawks' spine at the description of this horrible villain, causing him to shake his head in disgust. So they weren't killed but rather blackmailed for the rest of their lives, being watched in case they get out of line? That sounded awful, in every possible way.
"Do they really have that many eyes?"
Nodding back, Shadow caught a glance at Hikari, causing the girl to frown before he continued. "The only thing we've gathered is that the villain is highly manipulative, a pathological liar and their quirk continues to remain a mystery. Only their victims have seen it and even then, they are also sworn into silence."
The bird felt his mouth hang open at that, his disgust more known than before. "So they really are like a ghost then. Nothing more than a name.."
Nodding back, the man then turned to Hikari only more before finishing with obvious clear intent. "Until it's too late, that is."
The girl couldn't help but stare back, resisting the urge to say some kind of insult back. Okay, now you're just being cocky. You're really making it obvious, aren't you?
Yet Hikari then turned her gaze away before Shadow pushed his brow down and turned another page in his book. "But yes, they are a mystery. In fact, their first documented case was only a little over three years ago. It's the first time their assault matched any sort of records."
The new information caused Hawks to lean forward in question, something not sitting right with him about that. "Whoa whoa hold on. You're telling me that this big bad villain only showed up three years ago? It only took that little for them to get that many people on their side? How is that possible?"
And that was true, usually it took someone's entire life to make the kind of impact Valkyrie had, especially on villains. If Hawks knew one thing, they didn't scare easily. So if that was the cause who the hell even was this person and what the hell did they do?
Although that's when Shadow reached into his pocket before taking out a folded piece of paper and placing it down on the table next to them. "It was a massacre. An entire gang was found with multiple stab wounds and broken bones, like something had sliced through them with ease over and over again. No deaths, but this was the closest Valkyrie has gotten to killing someone."
At the description, Hawks then picked up the picture before unfolding the contents and widening his eyes. Shadow was right, looking back at him was a warehouse covered in blood with dozens of bodies on the ground face down. It looked like whoever they were took them down all at once.
But that was impossible. That took a huge amount of power.
As his lips ran dry, Hawks forced himself to speak. "W-What happened to them?"
Sighing to himself, the commission agent then took out another photo before handing it to the hero, the one just as gruesome as the last. Except this time, it was only one man. "We don't know. Almost all of them were hospitalized for months before being released, and even after that none of them chose to speak about that night. Only one wasn't so lucky.."
Shadow than pointed towards the photo with lowered eyes. "Riku Suzuki. He was the leader at the time of the attack and it seems like his injuries are far worse than the rest. He remains in a permanent coma and has no sign of ever waking up."
Hawks couldn't help but gasp at that as Hikari looked over at the picture of the man before unintentionally closing her hands into a fist. Just seeing the face again brought an onslaught of horrible memories before she sneered internally .
You're lucky I stopped there.
"During that night, we also found this."
Shadow then reached into the bag next to him before pulling out a small box and he slid it towards Hikari with a knowing look. "If you would do the honors..?"
Not knowing where he was trying to get with this, the girl then pulled up the long wooden object before setting it on her lap. Whatever this was, it seemed like he was trying to get a reaction out of her for it.
Too bad, she wasn't going to let him, no matter how horrible it was. "Okay.."
Although it seemed she spoke too soon because as soon as she pulled off that top, the girl looked down at the contents blank as every terrible and awful memory came back to her in full force.
What the hell, how did he even get this?
Touching the leather band, Hikari immediately began to feel sick as she lifted the item out of the box only for Hawks to finally realize what it was a moment later.
It was some kind of necklace.
Shadow continued to watch the girl as he spoke, noticing her handing the object with the lightest touch, almost like she didn't want to hold it.
"Everyone in the gang in question wore a necklace like this around them to show their loyalty. This was found discarded and alone so we think that it may have belonged to Valkyrie."
Trying to connect the pieces together in his mind, Hawks voiced his horror out loud. "You think Valkyrie was a part of the gang and turned rogue?"
Although Shadow only shook his head, knowing that his words didn't even begin to cover that. No, unfortunately it was much worse than the both of them could have ever wished for.
"They didn't just turn rogue Hawks, they dismantled the entire gang, taking out the original members and seemingly build it back up until they were the one in control. It wasn't about a simple dethroning. No, Valkyrie whipped out the entire gang in a single attack, in a single night. By themselves, they destroyed it all."
And that caused Hawks to freeze at the very idea. This villain, they didn't just want to take over the gang, no they wanted it gone for some reason. It's like they absolutely hated them or something.
He couldn't even imagine how one person could single handedly destroy a gang overnight. No wonder why they seemed to be so intimidating. If he was a villain even he'd feel a little afraid by the idea of Valkyrie destroying everything in seconds.
No wonder why the commission wanted them. They seemed truly dangerous.
Although, there was one final thing that stuck in the bird's mind, his voice sounding out a moment later in pure curiosity more than anything. "Just by curiosity, what was the name of the gang before it was destroyed?"
What he hadn't expected though was Shadow's next words, the weight of them causing Hawks to immediately freeze at the meaning.
"I heard that before it was Riku's, it belonged to the infamous serial murder Takami."
Wait.
He must have heard that wrong.
Did he just say Takami, as in his father? No no that couldn't be right. Out of every single gang in the underworld, out of every single villain, the group that Valkyrie had destroyed was the one built by Hikari and Keigo's dad?
The very same one that the two kids were forced to be in as kids, the same group that caused them to do such horrible and vial things to make their dad happy, that was the group the villain eliminated? But why?
Almost absent minded, Hawks then turned his gaze towards his sister before seeing her stare at the necklace in her hands with unsaid emotion, like she couldn't look away from the object for some reason. It seemed like she hadn't even heard what Shadow had revealed.
Elbowing her lightly, he couldn't help but call out to her. "Hikari?"
Yet at his contact and her name, the girl immediately jumped, flinching back from her brother's touch before blinking in surprise. Wait, were they talking about her? She didn't even notice. "H-Huh?"
Her actions concerned Hawks completely, pushing his lips together in order to silently display his anxiety for the new information he had just heard. Had she really not been paying attention all this time?
Although that's when a sickening thought entered the birds mind without warning.
Wait, could that be the reason why they were after his sister, because they knew she was related to their previous leader? The connections to that villain, the way that they were following her..
All of this, was it because she was a Takami?
The bird wasn't sure but the very idea caused a small bit of nausea to rise up in his throat before shoving it down. It's no wonder why he hadn't heard anything about his Dad's gang since he was a kid, it's because it was destroyed by Valkyrie.
And as surprised as he was, Hawks knew he couldn't disclose Hikari or his father's name to the agent, forcing the bird to act unbothered by the answer. "Oh, I see. Can't say I've heard of it though."
Humming in response, Shadow then closed the notebook next to him before slipping it back into his pocket. "Yes well, now you see why it's important to take this kind of threat down. That is why Hikari, given the usual reports yours is highly rare, I hope you know that."
Hikari felt her head snap back up to the agent at that, lowering her eyes slightly before internally scoffing and batting her eyes to look confused. "I don't understand what you're trying to say Sir.…"
The man seemingly knew her game though, dropping the sugar coated sweet talk immediately as his voice dropped an octave lower. "I just find it hard to believe that you survived two Valkyrie appearances and left them uninjured or scarred. It doesn't fit the rest of the reports. So either you're lying or you are far more special then you're telling us. So, which is it?"
Ah and there it was, the accusation. It is something that Hikari expected already from how he was beating around the bush this entire time. She had to give him some props honestly for figuring out more than her bird brother but that didn't really help her situation.
So instead, the girl forced her eyes to widen with fake terror and confusion before opening her mouth in order to tell him another lie to strengthen her story.
Although fortunately she didn't have to, because Hawks did so for her, his feathers twitching with every word. "Hey there Shadow, with all due respect, let's tone down the accusations. The girl's been through enough I think…"
Hikari couldn't help but turn to Hawks at that, watching the clear annoyance on his face before internally smiling. He wasn't even going to think about that possibility, about the idea of her lying to them? Wow, he really was giving her the benefit of the doubt.
How sweet, stupid, but sweet.
The idea couldn't help but leave her speechless, feeling a sense of comfort from his words. Yeah, he was wrong about trusting her but it was the first time someone ever did it wholeheartedly like that. She wasn't used to it. "Hawks.."
Shadow didn't seem swayed though, sighing heavily before standing from his seat and turning to the bird before gesturing to the door. "Hawks, can I speak to you alone?"
Not understanding, the hero nodded his head once before placing a light hand on his sisters head and giving her an understanding smile before whispering. "It's okay Hika-chan, I'll take care of this. You just relax, okay?"
Then Hikari watched as the two disappeared from sight, causing the girl to let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding and placing a single hand to the area Keigo's hand had touched.
Why did she feel guilty about all of this? Keigo was the idiot for believing her without question, it was his fault for being such a white knight for her. She didn't ask for that, she didn't even manipulate him into it either.
She used to be like that, didn't she? How stupid. She used to be so stupid, just like him.
I'm sure you won't be acting like this after you know everything, right?
The girl then looked down only to find that awful necklace in the corner of her vision, causing Hikari to freeze as hundreds of memories and voices appeared immediately.
Her necklace holding her quirk together started to vibrate violently as the girl felt her invisible feathers sharpen so much that it caused a heavy pain in her back, causing Hikari to stand up before rushing to the bathroom.
She needed to free them before the necklace broke due to stress.
Rushing to her room, the girl then hurried to the bathroom only to push her hands to her necklace a moment later, breaking the clasp as her wings sprung up a moment later, all of the feathers sharpened to the most dangerous level.
She knew what caused it immediately. It was the memories, they were causing her body to flex back into the usual defensive position that she held as a child. It was like some kind of muscle memory and she was sure it was because of Shadow's sharing story about her past.
Great, just great. She needed to calm down and fast.
So instead, the girl started thinking about her internal mantra, the one that would hopefully bring her back to reality.
Stop it Hikari, stop being such a coward. You aren't there anymore. They are gone, you destroyed them. You made sure of it, so cut it out already. Stop being such a crybaby.
Staring back at her reflection, the girl then lifted her shaking hands to the neck before lighting running her finger against her skin, reaffirming what she already knew. "See? It's not there anymore. You're free, you're not with them. They don't exist anymore…"
Yet just as she said that, a figure seemingly appeared from behind her, his red hair creeping right by her ear as Hikari immediately flinched, feeling invisible fingers cascade across her neck at the memory.
His voice, it was just as terrifying as she had always known it, and even though Hikari knew he wasn't actually here his breath still pushed into her before replaying the previous conversations they shared.
What, are you going to run away from here? Don't make me laugh, we both know you have nowhere to go. You're stuck with me birdie, struck with me forever. Better get used to it.
Takami's daughter, he was always so soft with you, wasn't he? Such a little crybaby you are. Don't worry, we can fix that. Besides, I could use a little pet next to me."
How funny? You think you have a choice, you think you refuse? Sorry Birdie, that's not how this works.
Suddenly she felt invisible hands on her shoulders as Hikari gasped in fear, her hands gripping the sides of the sink before coughing out a choking breath. Why, why did everything that agent have to bring up that asshole?
Riku Suzuki.
Just the very idea made her absolutely sick, forcing down the taste of bile before the imaginary man disappeared from behind her a moment later. She hadn't heard that name in years and now everything was rushing back so quickly that Hikari couldn't take it.
Whimpering into the sink, the girl then closed her eyes before letting out a shaky breath as tears began to cloud her vision before own mind began to taunt her for the action.
Crybaby Hikari
Crybaby Hikari
Crybaby Hikari
Gritting her teeth, Hikari then forced the liquid to remain in place before denying the very idea immediately, her eyes burning at the action like it was something unthinkable and unforgivable.
"I'm not a crybaby, I'm not.."
As soon as Hawks shut the door behind them, Shadow spoke a moment later, his annoyance very apparent now on his face as he began to rub an oncoming headache.
"Hawks, please allow me to do my job here."
Widening his eyes in surprise, the bird couldn't help but turn his head in confusion, already ready to defend his sister without a second thought.
"What do ya mean? I'm not stopping anything. I just think you shouldn't accuse Hikari like that. We don't' know what really happened to her and I'm sure it was already really hard for her to speak to us like that."
Yet Shadow only sighed in exasperation. "This is what I mean. You have been compromised by her Hawks, you aren't thinking straight. If you just took a look at the facts.."
Speaking over him, Hikari's brother couldn't help but scoff though, his wings puffing out in offense. "I am looking at the facts, but you have to be more careful with these kinds of things. That girl is a victim of Valkyrie.."
The commission agent spoke over him this time though, narrowing his eyes as his voice lowered into a serious tone. "Are you sure about that?"
And that caught the hero off guard immediately, his eyes turning up in disbelief. Was he suspecting his sister of something? Because if so, that was ridiculous. "What are you trying to say?"
Pushing his hands into his pockets, Shadow than answered plainly. "Have you ever thought about the idea that the girl is working for Valkyrie, that she isn't as sweet and innocent as you think she is?"
Hawks couldn't help but gasp at that, realizing that he hadn't in fact thought about that. This was his sister they were talking about, not some random person. "W-What? Listen man, I know you are just doing your job but you're way off base here. Hikari couldn't hurt a fly."
Yet Shadow wasn't convinced. "You are only saying that because she has you wrapped around her little finger. I've been watching it through the whole interview. Open your eyes already Hawks and start thinking like a commission agent."
The tattooed man then continued roughly. "Her story, there is something off about it. You have to know that."
And although Shadow was speaking the truth, Hawks didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to hear anyone accuse Hikari of anything, not after what she had gone through.
He had seen it himself, how incredible broken and fragile she was. "Y-Yeah I do know that, but there has to be an explanation. Trust me Shadow, I know Hikari. She's as innocent as they come. She doesn't know how to fight or to lie or anything. She's just a scared girl that needs to be protected. Hikari is a target, that's why she's connected. It's because she's weak that she's a target.."
Lifting his hands out, the bird's wings then grew even wider as he continued. "She looks suspicious because she's scared. That villain is after her, I know it. That's why she's not saying everything. It's not because she's hiding, she's just scared."
Yet Shadow only watched him silently with unsaid emotion before pulling out another cigarette from his pocket and sighing. "If you say so. Although maybe that's just what you want to believe though, what she wants you to believe.."
Hawks felt his angry flare up at that though. "What?"
Lowering his eyes, the large man then sighed. "Hawks, I've been tracking Valkyrie for months, and if I know one thing about them it's that they are highly manipulative. They are a chameleon, blending into the background is a specialty for them. It wouldn't be that hard to get you to think a certain way.."
Just then, the bird's phone began to ring in his pocket, Hawks choosing to ignore the commission agents' words before picking up the surface as soon as he recognized the number.
It was the call he was waiting for, the one that would tell him just what Valkyrie stoke from him that day of the office break in. "Did you find it?"
His sidekick answered a moment later, the sound of papers ruffling through the line.
"Yes sir, we found exactly what was taken from the break in. Although, I don't really understand it. Maybe you will."
Pushing his hands through his hair in anxiety the bird replied. "Just tell me already."
The line was quiet for a moment before the sidekick answered. "It seems like they downloaded a list of files. Kind of strange given that they could have had their pick of anything. I'm sending you the list right now Sir."
A light bing was overheard a second later before the bird thanked the man, opening the text with apprehension. So they were after files? Well, that didn't make him feel any better.
A list of words appeared on the screen before Hawks scanned the screen before he stopped at the certain file as his heart dropped in his chest immediately, now reading Commission Assignment #164 LOV in small black letters.
Wait.
No.
No no no no that couldn't be right. He knew that file anywhere.
That was the file that contained the information about him being a spy for the league of villains.
As his brain started to click the pieces together, Hawks felt his breathing start to pick up before shaking his head immediately. Shit shit shit shit, Valkyrie knew he was a spy? They knew he was a traitor? Out of all the files they had to take, why did it have to be that one?
He was screwed, so incredibly screwed now. The commission president was going to have his head if she found out about this, quite literally in fact.
Was this it? Was some unknown villain just going to ruin everything for him like this?
No, he couldn't allow that to happen. Hawks had worked far too hard for that to happen. He had to fix this, and fast.
In his internal spiral, Shadow seemingly snapped him out of it by calling back to the clearly anxious bird. "What is it Hawks? Something wrong?"
And something was very wrong but the hero didn't trust this man enough to say it, causing the bird to blink back to reality before turning back to the tattooed man.
He needed to get his hands on Valkyrie before they gave that information to the league, and whether he liked it or not this guy was an expert on the topic. Hawks would need him to do this, he knew it.
"I want to help in finding Valkyrie."
Raising his eye in curiosity, Shadow took in his serious nature before blowing out a small smoke ring. "Oh? And what brought this on? I thought you were going to argue with me some more about your friend."
Yet Hawks pushed all the previous conversion aside for now in order to focus on the emergency. "Things have changed. That villain has something of mine and I need it back."
Seeing him indeed serious, caused the tattooed man to hum before narrowing his eyes in order to match his tone and getting down to business. "Alright, you can help, but on one condition…"
And whatever it was, Hawks knew he had to agree. There was no argument he could make because this situation was so incredibly desperate. Although, it wasn't as if he wanted to show it in his answer. "What is it?"
Although that's when Shadow pointed towards the door behind him before speaking. "Keep the girl out of it. Don't tell her anything. That way if she is not what you think, it won't ruin the investigation."
Widening his eyes at the condition, the bird couldn't help but look towards the door before saddening immediately. Shadow wanted him to keep his sister in the dark about all of this? He didn't really understand why but something about it didn't feel right.
He hated to go behind her back on this but it but the bird's hands were tied right now. Hawks needed to get those files back, everything else was just secondary.
So for that reason, the bird lowered his eyes in shame before turning back to Shadow and nodding his head once, confirming the betrayal to his only family.
"Deal."
Oop. Hawks you just screwed your sister over. Good job. We are starting the downward spiral of the reveal and we got some Hikari trauma. Lots happened in her past but I'm gonna give you little pieces as we go. It's pretty messed up though.
She's a badass though, breaking down her fathers old gang and rebuilding it? We stan. We'll see that personally in the future as well and all the feelings that come with it.
Next chapter: Hawks is getting closer and closer. We got some Dabi content in there too.