"I'm sorry, I didn't know what I was thinking, please stop!"
Another plea, another shout, another meaningless sound echoed in her ear as Hikari drowned it out completely, instead focusing on the blood that coated her knuckles as she brutally punched her unruly victims over and over again until they turned unconscious.
Her own psychotic laugher bounced off the walls all the once, the woman not even recognizing the sounds coming from her lips as she drowned in that same mind numbing adrenaline coursing through her veins. It felt good, releasing her unkempt feelings like this, just like old times.
Before Keigo, before Dabi, before everything, it was always just like this, standing over everyone and destroying anyone that tried to take her title and push her around like right now.
What Orthos said at that meeting couldn't be farther than the truth and the ones that believed him were quickly met with regrets and suffering. Just the way she liked it.
Grabbing onto one of her newest victims, Hikari only narrowed her eyes, not caring about their trembling body beneath her as they cowered under her touch. "What's wrong? Where's that fight in you from before? Didn't you say you were gonna dethrone me? Well, let's see it."
She was quickly met with wide eyes, the guy gasping back in horror at the claims he proudly named just moments before. "I-I I made a mistake."
Hikari only frowned though, shaking the man around with a fake pout."Aww, come on. I was hoping for more than that. You wanted Valkyrie's attention, and now you got it. Go on, impress me. I'd love to see it!"
Once again, the man knew he had overstepped, choosing to say whatever desperate words popped in his head in order for the beast to back down. "P-Please, I'll do anything, just stop.."
Hikari hummed at his pleas before giving a low dark chuckle. Now it seemed like he knew his place. Good. "Anything? Oh my...what an offer…that's certainly hard to refuse."
That's when she let go, hearing the man fall onto the rough ground a moment later as the villain decided to turn her back, silently hoping he was going to be stupid enough to try and attack her. "Don't forget I can ruin your life in a matter of seconds. You double cross me and your life will be over. Remember that the next time you decide to get another stupid idea like this one."
Her victim only seemed to take her words as forgiveness though, his chest filling with panicked relief before crawling on his hands and knees to grovel in front of the monster that had spoken those words.
Far too terrified from the scene of his unconscious colleague, the man bowed beneath her feet, desperately clinging onto the hope that it would be enough to please her. "Y-Yes, yes I understand. I won't double cross you! I'll do whatever you say, I'll follow you forever, Valkyrie! You're still my boss, always have and alway will be!"
Crossing her arms over her chest, Hikari only smirked at the display, looking down at his utterly pathetic nature with a snort. "Now that wasn't so hard, was it? Gotta say, I love the sound of you groveling much more than your cocky threats. It almost makes me wanna grant you mercy"
At the word mercy, she saw his shoulders relax a little too quickly, the man turning his eyes upwards with question and hope. "Y-You'll let me go now, right? That's what you said."
Yet that's when he met the villain's cold, dark, and emotionless stare, her cruel words dripping like pure poison as she batted her eyes innocently. "Mmm I could, but what's the fun in that?"
All at once, his eyes widened with newfound fear before Hikari then kicked him straight in the chest with her heeled boot, causing the man to crumble to the ground with a groan as she towered before him with very clear intent. "You have to be taught a lesson after all, just like your little friends who thought they could beat me."
Feeling all his blood run cold, the man froze under the threat, Hikari vaguely hearing his shouts and pleas once more as she fiddled with the pendant around her neck.
Yes, this is exactly what she needed, not some sappy words and Hallmark moments with her birdbrain brother, but rather just who she was meant to be, an unfeeling cruel villain.
Drowning herself in the unspeakable adrenaline that coursed through her veins, Hikari treated the feeling like a drug, allowing her to bury her pathetic heart and worries with it.
Instead, she expelled those concerns in another way, by hearing the sounds to her victims being taught a lesson, by them hurting rather than herself. It was easier that way, safer in every sense of the word.
That's why the villain unclasped her necklace a moment later, allowing her wings to spread open in the alley shadows for the terrified man to see, watching his eyes lit up in pure horror at the sight.
And she took in that expression all at once, burning it in the back of her mind to always remember what she was truly on the inside, what everyone would always associate her with, a monster.
But that's exactly how she liked it.
Taking a step closer, the man scrambled against the wall as the demon's wings began to grow wider and wider, trapping him in his own designed hell before her feathers quickly detached from the surface, along with her victims' own piercing screams. "W-Wait, wait wait wait, that's not what you said before, you said you'd spare me! P-Please, I'm begging you, don't..AHHHHHH."
And as more red filled her vision, Hikari slowly began to go back to her unfeeling old self, shoving everything so deep down inside until it didn't bother her at all. No, right now all she felt was numb, and that was so much better than the usually suffocating feeling of hurt.
That's right, as long as she didn't think she'd be fine, she'd forget about her brother, Dabi, Endeavor and everyone else in her godforsaken life. That's right, just don't think, don't think, don't think.
Don't think. You're fine.
This is who you're supposed to be
Whipping the blood off her hands, Hikari sighed to herself before entering the busy streets of the city, already calling the police on her burner phone before throwing it in the nearby trash can in order to blend in with everyone else.
Sure, she was a villain but it wasn't like she wanted that guy to die in that alleyway. That still wasn't part of her style. Nah, she needed him to be a messenger for any other bastards that attempted to do the same.
Yet the more she kept walking, the more that numbing adrenaline started to disappear with it, causing Hikari to close her eyes with a heavy breath. Shit, she was thinking again, she was trying to go into her own mind.
Flashes of Keigo and Dabi started to appear as the girl pushed them down, pausing her steps before shaking her head in disappointment. Stop it, their problems didn't concern you. They are only going to hurt you in the end.
Although she was quickly brought out of her own spiral when a flash of green appeared a couple feet away, his eyes widened with newfound excitement at her presence. "Oh hey! It's Hawks' sidekick! It's nice to see you again."
Blinking in surprise, Hikari stopped dead in her tracks only to see a familiar broccoli haired individual racing towards her, his arms outstretched in excitement. Oh no, not the idiot kids again. Kill me now.
To her misfortune though, Deku seemed to catch up to her in an instant, the boy wearing a goofy smirk with a tiny little wave. "I knew I recognized you. Small world seeing you over here like this, right guys?"
The boy stepped to the side to reveal Todoroki and Bakugo trailing behind them, causing Hikari to widen her eyes at the two toned boy in the center. Ah, just great. Now she had to worry about Shoto also. He better not say anything about before or she was gonna lose it.
And the moment he recognized her, Shoto felt his eyes soften at the newfound presence, the one who knew his older brother Touya. "Yes, it is nice to see you too."
Grumbling at that, Hikari only rolled her eyes before placing her hands on her hips, looking towards the sky for some kind of way out of this mess. "You got me, kid. What are you doing over here anyways. Isn't this a little far from U.A?"
Deku nodded in response though, smiling sheepishly in the direction of a small cafe towards the other side of the street. "Yeah, but Kacchan, Todoroki and I were just about to head out to get some milkshakes before we went to Endeavor's. You want to join us?"
Todoroki seemed to like that idea as well, adding plainly. "Yes, come join us."
Yet Hikari couldn't help but blink in disbelief. She had literally just tortured a group of villains and now these kids were asking her out on a carefree outing to get milkshakes? If only they knew who they were really talking to.
Besides, the idea was utterly ridiculous, Hikari scoffing at the very notion. These kids really were idiots if they were asking such innocent questions to someone like her.
Bakugo seemed to share the distaste, his eyes growing wild with annoyance at the idea. "What? There's no way in hell we are inviting this extra!"
Todoroki only frowned in response though. "Bakugo, you're being rude again."
Rolling his eyes, the explosion boy couldn't help but scoff at his words, throwing his own hands up in retaliation "I don't fucking care, I didn't even want to be here in the firstplace."
Deku also sighed at his best friend's attitude, purposely standing in front of the boy to block out his negative words with a nervous smile. "Don't listen to Kachann, we'd love to have you."
Yet Hikari was clearly not interested, purposely turning her head around towards the end of the street before shaking her head with an annoyed sigh. "Yeahh, sorry kids but that sounds like the worst..."
She was about to say that sounds like the worst idea in the entire world but unfortunately just before the words couple leave her lips, the feathers inside her pocket couldn't help but pick up on the sound of running a towards the very direction they were in.
Picking up her ears, her amber eyes narrowed in focus before vaguely hearing Deku calling back to her nervously. "Umm is everything okay?"
Hikari only put her hand up though, stopping his curiosity, in order to fully listen to the sounds and echoes happening across the busy city. "Shut up."
And after a few quick seconds she heard it, the voices of over a dozen extremely angry people, all of them cursing Valkyrie's name and claiming they saw her just moments before. Shit, more idiots out for my head already? Well that wasn't good.
Knowing the footsteps were getting closer and closer, Hikari then cursed to herself before turning back to the three naive kids with an idea. She needed an excuse to get out of here, and fast.
That's when she thought about their previous offer before rolling her eyes and stepping forward with a newly plastered smile, the woman purposely flinging her arms around Deku and Todoroki as if they were best friends. "You know what, on second thought, milkshakes sound great. Let's go now, like now now, okay? Man, I'm just so thirsty right now, it really hit me like a truck. I can't wait to get my hands on a strawberry one!"
Blinking in surprise, both Deku and Todoroki couldn't help but strumble at the action, looking up at the newly enthusiastic sidekick with questions. How odd, she didn't really seem interested before. Something must have changed. "O-Oh, uhh okay? If you're sure."
Hikari only gave a fake laugh in response though, her light airy giggles surprising the group as she pushed them down the road."Sure? Of course I'm sure you silly little Broccoli. Come one let's go, we're getting nowhere by standing here. You too, porcupine!"
Bakugo's eyes couldn't help but light up with pure irritation at that, immediately chasing after the three idiots in order to give that woman a piece of his mind. "How many times do I have to tell you I'm not a damn porcupine!"
Waving her hand away at the action, Hikari then turned her head only to find her wannabe attackers had finally turned the corner, the group staring at the villain with daggers before the woman casually flipped them off behind the kids back. Idiots, can't catch me now without causing a scene, now can you?
And seeing their eyes light up with fury was enough for Hikari to give a genuine dark chuckle before purposely pushing herself in front of the group so they could act as a human shield for her crimes. "Sure sure, tell me all about it later."
After that, Hikari didn't break eye contact with the group until they had fully rounded the corner, causing the villain to give a sly smirk under her breath.
Ah yes, this was what heroes should be used for.
Nothing against ya kids, your naive idiocy was just what I needed
Yes, of course the initial idea of using the hero kids in order to get away from the villains that wanted to tear her apart sounded great at first, but Hikari soon realized that the consequences to her actions had quickly left her somewhere far worse.
Because now she was seated with three teenage kids in a small cutesy retro shop with a large strawberry milkshake in front of as each of the eager boys asked her a million different questions about how "great it was" to be Hawks' sidekick.
Leaning forward excitedly, Deku gushed openly. "Ah, this is so cool! So tell me, what's it like being the number two hero's sidekick? How did that even happen! I heard Hawks is usually very selective about who he lets on his team. That must mean you're a fan also then, right?"
Yeahhh, she should've just let those other guys beat her up. Would've been less torture.
Groaning at the mention of her brother, Hikari swirled the strawberry colored liquid around with her straw before answering boredly. "Yeahh, not really, kid. The whole sidekick thing, it wasn't my idea in the first place. The idiot was just boasting about my "potential" or something and wouldn't shut up about it. Now I'm here."
For some reason though, Todoroki frowned at the idea of being forced into hero work, the ideas hitting a little too close to home for him. "That sounds really rough."
Hikari blinked in surprise at that, feeling a distaste in her throat because of it. Why did this stupid kid look like he was going to cry because of that? It wasn't that big of a deal. "Don't look so sad about it, Todoroki. We have a deal that benefits both of us so it's fine. Doesn't mean I have to like it though."
That seemed to clear some of the chaos from his mind, the boy nodding once into the rim of his vanilla milkshake. "That's understandable."
Bakugo scoffed in response a moment later, his back fully pressed against his seat before rolling his eyes at the conversation. "I still don't think that bird bastard is anything special. He's still not All Might."
And that made Hikari pause, processing his words ever so slightly. She had never heard anyone criticize her brother before. In fact, everyone thought he was god's gift to the universe. So this, this was strange.
So much so that the woman found herself raising an eye in actual curiosity for the first time since they had started this pointless conversation. "Wait, really?"
Katsuki had no problem clarifying though, the boy adding bluntly. "Yeah, his stupid looking face isn't as impressive as everyone makes him out to be. Plus, he's an attention whore, always sticking his nose in everything. It's freaking annoying."
Hearing his words was such a change of pace to the usual ego stoking she normally heard, Hikari feeling her guard growing lower and lower as the temptation to pick on her big brother was too hard to resist.
Finally, finally someone understood how mediocre he was. Someone besides a villain anyways. "Oh my god, I know, right? The way he acts like he knows everything in the whole entire world. Like, give me a break, you're not god."
Bakugo gave a heavy chuckle at that, getting more into the conversation while leaning forward from his usual relaxed position. "Ha exactly! Or how he rides the tails of the commission and takes orders from them all the damn time like.."
Finishing his sentence, Hikari smirked. "Like some sort of lapdog? Don't I know it, and don't get me started on his careless idiotic nature. Sometimes it really makes me wanna punch him in the face."
The blonde haired boy nodded back once in response, somehow thinking this exta's way of thinking wasn't half bad. "I second that one, extra. Maybe it would help him shut up for once."
Clasping her hands together as if she was praying, the woman smiled at the crazy idea of Hawks shutting his mouth. "That's my dream."
Deku couldn't help but watch the conversation with utter confusion though. Wasn't this girl a sidekick for Hawks? If so then why was she making fun of him like that? It was almost like she hated him.
But that didn't make sense, considering that being a sidekick was something that someone applies for. It's not forced, so if this girl really didn't want to be with the number two hero then she shouldn't have had to.
That's when the green haired boy heard a soft giggle of joy radiate from the blonde girl, Deku turning to find Hawks' sidekick looking the most relaxed and happy he'd ever seen her.
Back at Endeavor's agency and even their past conversations, Deku could always sense a sort of displeasure from the girl, like she was forcing herself, like she wasn't happy. But here something had shifted.
Somehow Deku could tell that she was actually having fun in this moment.
And although he hadn't known the girl for that long, the hero seemed to realize that this was a sort of rare moment for her. Yet the very thing that brought it on was the conversation of making fun of Hawks. How strange.
So much so, that Deku found his hand lifting into the air a moment later, desperate to make sense of the situation around him. "Uhhh. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude but it seems like you don't really like Hawks that much, even though you're a sidekick at his agency.."
Pausing ever so slightly, Hikari felt her lighthearted chuckles cease, realizing she had been so caught up with making fun of her brother that she let her guard down. Ah crap, that's right, sidekicks weren't supposed to hate the heroes they look up to.
Silence appeared after that as the woman let out a heavy sigh of defeat. Well, it was too late to backtrack now, now she had to live with her slip up. "You got that right, broccoli. In fact, if I had a choice I would never see his stupid little feathers again. But unfortunately, I can't do that until this current liberation shit is done. That's why I'm stuck with him."
She didn't know why she told him the truth. In fact, Hikari usually lied about everything in order to keep a wider distance from those around her. But somehow, she felt at ease with these three little hero wannabe's. It wasn't like she was going to see them after all of this was over anyways so it didn't really matter if they knew about her hatred for Hawks.
Soon this god forsaken mission would be over and then she'd move on with her life while these heroes get brainwashed into the same box everyone else fits in their perfect society. It was only a matter of time so Hikari didn't seem as guarded with them.
Taking in her brutal honesty, Deku felt his eyes soften. It must have been hard to work with someone you didn't really like. Perhaps his fanboy questions earlier bothered her as well. "Oh, I see."
Another bit of silence entered then, Hikari taking a silent sip of her milkshake before Todoroki's cold blunt voice cut through the air. "You look like him."
Raising an eye, the girl frowned, opting to take another long sip of her drink. "Who?"
Yet that's when the boy answers back just a plain, staring at the mysterious female with a hint of curiosity. "Hawks, you have the same eyes."
Then all at once, Hikari felt her anxiety spike, causing her to choke on the liquid traveling up to her lips, as she coughed wildy. What the hell was this boy suggesting so casually?! "W-What, no I don't."
Deku didn't seem to notice her distress though, putting a finger to his lips before staring back at the strange blonde haired wonder and voicing his own thoughts. "Yeah, you know that you mention it Todoroki, she kinda does look like him. I mean, you even did the same thing he usually does earlier."
Feeling her anxiety spike all at once, Hikari unknowingly tightened her fingers around the metal cup before narrowing her eyes. Shit, these kids were smarter than he let on. What did he know? Stupid Takami line for getting her families adnormal yellow eyes and blonde hair.
Hikari then turned her head in question, forcing her voice to sound as even as possible. "What thing?"
Deku had no problem clarifying though, the boy running his fingers through his hair as he thought about a couple minutes ago. "O-Oh, well the way you stopped what you were doing earlier and focused on something else. That's just something I've seen Hawks do when he's doing hero work."
Cursing to herself internally, Hikari recalled back when she was trying to get away from those villains on the street. She was so frazzled that she didn't think the kids would notice her using the feathers in her pocket.
And now they were so incredibly close to the truth because of it.
Maybe she shouldn't have let her guard down so much in front of them. It turns out these kids were smarter than they appeared. How interesting.
Forcing her voice to come out slightly embarrassed for the sake of her act, Hikari then blinked in surprise before covering her own face in order for them not to stare at her face any longer. "Ah really? Crap, I've been working with him so long, his idiot bird traits must have rubbed off on me. I didn't even notice it."
That excuse seemed to win them over, Katsuki taking joy in the embarrassed girl before pointing in a mocking shout. "Ha! Soon you're gonna turn into a chicken just like him."
Quickly trying to get their minds off of the topic, Hikari then decided to stir the pot, narrowing her eyes in order to make the blonde boy purposely pissed off. "The only chicken I see is you, porcupine. By the way, when are we having our rematch? Or have you finally realized you'll never win against me?"
Bakugo took the beat instantly, rising from his seat, his palms already sparking and popping in silent wait. "Don't screw with me. I'm ready to go, anytime, any place!"
Hikari only hummed though, also standing from her seat in order to show this wannabe hero who was the better of the two. "Ah, how bold. Come on, I'd love to see it."
Deku sensed the discord, also immediately raising upwards with anxious eyes, reaching out of the two extremely tempted people in front of him. He just wanted to have a nice relaxing time, not this. "Please, don't fight here! I don't want to be kicked out of another place, Kacchan!"
Catching the nickname immediately, Hikari narrowed her eyes, knowing how to exactly get under his skin in order to cause a fight. "That's right Kacchan. Settle down."
The reaction was seamless, Katsuki immediately pushing Deku out of the way in order to teach this cocky girl a lesson, his eyes deathly serious. "Say that one more time, I dare you."
Hikari followed along though, pushing herself out of the chair in order to stand in front of the table. If he thought empty threats would do anything then he was sorely mistaken. Valkyrie never backed down from a challenge. "Settle down, Ka…"
Yet that's when the two of them were interrupted as three kids seemingly came out of nowhere, bumping into the angry blonde boy as they giggled in their own world.
The action caused Katsuki to stumble ever so slightly before immediately turning around in order to yell at the naive children with a shout. "Watch where you're going, you brats!"
However, because of her feathers Hikari was able to dodge the tiny humans easily, watching them run past her before stopping at a small table a couple feet away from them.
And somehow, looking at those children brought a sense of discomfort in her chest, HIkari growing silent as the two kids seemed to project her and her brother's stupid little naive face without meaning to.
How nice must it have been, to actually have a childhood unlike them.
Looking around, the blonde felt her eyes soften, finally taking an acuatal look around the place now that she wasn't in her own bubble and finding groups of little kids and teenagers sitting all around her, enjoying their normal lives and chatting with friends.
So this is what it looked like to have a childhood, to sit without a care in the world.
It was strange. For a girl who always had her guard up, she usually looked at these people as naive idiots, knowing how exactly the world actually worked. Things like chatting and carefree happiness, that just wasn't in the cards for someone like her.
Looking down at her hands, Hikari could still vaguely feel the invisible blood that once coated her palms, the blood of her victims, the blood of the reality of the world. What was she doing? Why was she getting comfortable here? This place wasn't for her.
Widening her eyes, the girl then realized that she felt far more at ease in this tiny little normal cafe then when she was out on the streets, forcing herself to shove everything down in order to seem tough and strong.
And that was because it wasn't about not thinking here, but rather about letting her worries and anxiety go in choosing something far more relaxing. This place, it was everything she longed for in every single way and it had let her guard down so incredibly quickly.
But even Hikari wasn't blind enough to realize that these kinds of things, these kinds of comforts were only because she was manipulating the people around her and hiding her true self.
In fact, Hikari was sure that if she took her pendant off then the entire room would've run screaming from her horrible grotesque wings. She was only living in an illusion right now. It wasn't real. These kids didn't know who they were talking to.
Because if they knew they were talking to a villain then everything would be ruined.
Ah, shit. She was doing the same thing she always hated Keigo for, wasn't she? She was hiding her ugly roots in hopes of acceptance and love. Ugh, disgusting. Although, I can see how tempting it is Keigo, pretending not to be related to a villain, wanting to be a part of everyone else. Guess I can't fault you for that now.
Snapping herself back to reality, Hikari felt a sour taste in her mouth, staring at the group of kids in the corner with unreadable intent. "You guys have siblings?"
Deku was the first to recognize her mood, his brown turned at the new atmosphere she was giving off. "No?"
Feeling a bitter chuckle escape through her lips, the villain then narrowed her eyes, implications with every word. "Good, don't. They suck."
Deku couldn't help but frown at her, noticing how she was glaring at the group a couple tables away and mistaking it for her dislike of kids in general. "Aww come on, they are just excited. Look there's a whole bunch of them, I think it's someone's birthday. Kinda reminds me of your old parties you threw as kids, Kacchan."
Groaning at the idea, Katsuki replied sourly. "Wrong loser, my parties were so much better than that."
Just then, Todoroki leaned over towards the distracted girl before speaking towards her in wondering question. "When is your birthday?"
That seemed to bring Hikari back to life, blinking at the reality of the question before allowing her eyes to fall. Usually she'd lie at these kinds of things but that realization about her guard earlier had her faltering in more ways than one.
Almost like she didn't want to lie to them anymore in hopes that they would understand.
Letting the truth fall from her lips like venom, Hikari frowned at the party before her. "Oh, I don't know. I never did any of that shit."
She didn't see a problem with that but it seemed like it certainly shocked the broccoli boy, his eyes widening out of his head at the idea. Not having a party, sure, but was it true that Hawks' sidekick didn't even know when her birthday was? "Wait, what do you mean you don't know? Everyone knows when their birthday is. Your family never did anything special for you?"
Hikari couldn't help but scoff at that, rolling her eyes as she recalled her and Kiego's awful childhood with a comedic edge in order for it not to sound as depressing. "Yeah, not really. Dear old dad was far too busy slapping us around to ever go out and buy us overpriced cake and sing us a stupid song. The only thing we got was a bottle to the head whenever we asked about it."
Her humor seemed lost on the group though, all of them falling silent at the small peek into her childhood as Deku's eyes rose in horror.
Yet that's when the boys remembered the horrible scars that marked her back at the hero meeting a couple days ago. After that it was obvious to tell that she didn't have the best life, and that little confession proved it.
What kind of horrors had the girl in front of them live through? The boys were kinda afraid to find out. "O-Oh, I'm sorry..I.."
Hikari didn't seem bothered though, waving his sadness away as if her abusive past was nothing to be upset about. "Don't cry about it. It's not that big of a deal."
Just then, Todoroki's phone beeped on the table, the boy uncovering it in order to read the contents out loud. "It's Endeavor. He wants us back at the agency."
Taking that as her cue, Hikari immediately started to head to the door, mentally running away from the comfort and solace this tiny cafe brought. "Thank god for that. Now I don't have to hear those screaming brats anymore."
Yet as they watched as they left, Deku, Todoroki and Bakugo couldn't help but all share a silent sad look, wondering what other dark secrets this girl was harboring.
And how much that closely guarded attitude was really hiding deep down.
The minute Deku, Todoroki, Bakugo and Hikari entered the Endeavor agency, the group was quickly met with dozens of heroes, all of them milling around the nearby training area as the girl whistled at the sight of so many idiots in one room. "Damn, how did Endeavor get all this support from nowhere?"
And more out of nowhere, Endeavor's sidekick seemed to answer, Burnin leaning forward with an answer in order to point to Hikari. "It's because of you."
Hikari felt her head turn to the side at that. "Huh?"
Clarifying immediately, Burin smirked before gazing out towards the multiple heroes around the area."Your little speech seemed to spark something inside of them. Good work. Endeavor will meet everyone in the training hall in a couple minutes."
This caused the woman to widen her eyes in surprise. Her little villain speech really inspired all of these people? She would've thought their hero brains were too dense to understand that topic of conversation. Apparently not.
In fact, it felt kind of nice, knowing that the heroes had changed their minds about working with Endeavor because of her harsh words. Maybe all of them weren't completely hopeless after all.
Deku couldn't help but smile under his breath at that, following the group towards the location Endeavor's sidekick told them to go. "You hear that? All these heroes are here because of you. How cool is that?"
Hikari had other things on her mind, glancing towards the wandering eyes of various heroes as she passed. This place was a villain's nightmare right now. It was best to get out of here fast before someone connected the dots. "Yeah…cool…"
Todoroki seemed to be in his own world as well, looking forward with questions. "I wonder what he's going to have us do?"
Hikari couldn't help but scoff at that, snapping herself back to reality before pushing open the doors with a careless huff for the idea. There was no way she was going to help that flame idiot train these heros. He would have to do that all on his own.
Letting her voice come out vocal for her distaste, the blonde haired woman rolling her eyes in response, not caring who heard. "I don't know, but let's just hurry up and get in there. The quicker I can get out of here the better. The last thing I want is to be around this many no-good, pathetic, worthless little heroes. I'd rather…"
Halfway through the conversation, Hikari turned back around only to feel her words completely disappear in her throat at the sight of a very familiar and dangerous person in front of her. Fuck fuck fuck, why is this guy here?! Did he hear what I just said? I sure hope not.
Giving a sly smile, the man bowed his head in response, lifting his eyes upwards in order to stare directly at the target in front of him. "Well, isn't this a surprise? I was hoping we'd meet again, Hikari."
Hikari felt herself gulp in response, taking in his large tattooed arms before forcing out a fake smile in greeting. "M-Mr. Shadow. I wasn't expecting you here. How nice."
Shadow knew what he was doing though, his eyes never leaving hers in the process. "Yes well, the commission is very involved in hero society and has decided to oversee the training against the liberation. Long story short, I'm here to make sure everyone reaches up to the standards that's expected of them."
His words sent a chill through the space before the commissioned agent dug his metaphorical claws in a little deeper to watch her squirm. "Although, I would have never expected you to be the spy crossing between the heroes and the liberation. Didn't know someone as meek as you would've been capable of such bold things like a speech."
Hikari was quick though, shoving down her clear anxiety in order to make it appear that she was being overestimated, her voice light and airy. "A-Ah, well Hawks has certainly taught me a lot. I'm honored to have gotten to work with him as a sidekick over the last couple weeks and I'm trying my best to make him proud while he's compromised."
Yet that's when the hero kids couldn't help but pause, all of them twisting their brows in confusion. Wait, didn't she just tell them she hated Hawks? If that was the case then why was she changing the story now?
And it wasn't just that. In fact, the boys noticed a drastic change in the girl automatically, never knowing her to be so awkward and shy. In fact, she always gave off a rather standoff-ish attitude all the time. But right now, it was like she was a different person.
Wait, that guy called her Hikari. Was that Hawks' sidekick's real name?
Shadow didn't seem impressed with her act either though, the man taking an intimidating step forward with a frown to her words. "I see. So, that's the story you're going with this time?"
Batting her eyes in innocence, Hikari matched his frown, almost like she was mocking him. "What story? I'm only telling the truth."
The commissioned agent's response was dripped with sarcasm, clearly not believing a word from her pretty little mouth. "Uh huh, I'm sure."
Silence ensued for a couple more seconds before Shadow was the first to break away from his wordless interrogation, the man stepping back as Hikari smirked under her breath in victory.
Then the man started to turn around only for the villain to get in a jab of her own, Hikari forcing her voice to come out as naive and sweet as possible, even though she was clearly making fun of him. "I'm guessing your Valkeryie search isn't going so well if you're here instead? Sorry to hear about that."
Although that's when Shadow paused his steps before looking over his shoulders with a dark menacing stare, his words piercing her soul. "On the contrary, I'm exactly where I need to be."
Raising an eye, Hikari blinked once. "You really think so?"
Yet Shadow didn't falter, simply turning around before walking away from the group with serious and absolute intent for someone particular. "I know so."
Well, that was ominous.
Once he was gone, Deku nervously turned back to Hikari as he felt the heavy intimidating atmosphere around him. Why did it feel like they just missed something important? "Hey, was that guy right? Is your name really Hikari?"
The girl only frowned though, her eyes still staring in the direction of the mysterious large burly man. Great, more people out to kill her. What else was new? "Mmm."
Taking that as a yes, Deku nodded absentmindedly before focusing on the problem at hand. "I see. What's going on with you guys? He seemed kind of intense."
Yet at the mention of Shadow, Hikari seemed to spring to life once more, immediately turning her head towards the kids before her voice grew cold. "Don't worry about it, kid. Just stay away from him and let me handle it."
Bakugo didn't like that idea though, his eyes widening his clear protest at her babysitting tactics. "Excuse me?! Don't act like we are some kind of pussies or something."
And for a rare moment, Todoroki agreed, not enjoying the fact that his brother's old friend was choosing to carry everything by herself again. "Bakugo is right. We are heroes with our provisional licenses."
Hikari didn't falter in the slightest though, instead taking a step forward towards the naive little kids before hissing under her breath with a dark tone only known by her insane villain persona. "I'm serious. Stay away from that commission agent or you're gonna regret it."
The kids were certainly taken back by the strange new tone, all of them stunned into absolute and complete silence. Sure, Hikari usually was a little grumpy but this was something totally different.
No, the voice she used was pure venom, dripping with so many unknowing threats that it caused Deku, Bakugo and Todoroki to grow a sharp chill throughout their entire body.
And right now, Hawks' sidekick looked really scary, almost like she was afraid for them to go near this mysterious commission agent. But why?
Hikari knew exactly why though, knowing what kind of horrible things that Shadow could do to them. She had seen it herself after all, when the commission president ordered those agents to tear out her wings by hand.
And call her a wimp but the girl didn't want that same kind of fate for these little heroes.
She didn't want them to suffer while they were still innocent to the world around them, just like how she was with Alpha all those years ago. She didn't want them to become like her.
She wanted to save them from that fate.
Falling into the mill of the other heroes, she watched as Shadow stopped in the center of the group, causing Hikari to roll her eyes. Of course the commission would take over this mission. They loved to stick their noses in everything, didn't they?
The agent surveyed the coward with interest, his voice carrying above them immediately. "Thank you for volunteering to be a part of this noble cause, the commission thanks you for your service. Now, onto serious business, it's time that we ready ourselves for what's to come in the next couple days."
Narrowing his eyes, the man continued plainly. "As you know, it's important that we have the most capable heroes on this mission, which means that there will be mandatory assessment to make sure you will be a valuable asset to the team. Anyone that fails this commission issued test will be asked to leave immediately."
Hikari felt herself scoff at his words immediately. Seems like the commission wasn't over the idea of micromanaging everything after all. This man was really going to beat everyone one up just to see if they were "worthy" or not. What a joke.
Shadow then looked down at a paper in his hands, reading off the contents. "Now, let us begin. I will pick the first contender."
Although that's when the man's eyes snapped upwards, not caring about the paper and instead locking his gaze on the only reason he asked for this silly test to begin with.
Hikari.
Curling his lips into an authoritative smirk, the man spoke, knowing he had her cornered just the way he wanted. "You, step into the ring."
All at once, everyone turned towards the blonde haired girl only for her not to garner a response at all, almost like she expected such a sleazy move from the tattooed man in front of her.
Taking a step forward, Hikari then paused as Deku's voice ran out through the crowds, the green haired boy moving in front of the blonde in protest. "W-Wait, you can't fight Hikari. It's not fair, she doesn't have a quirk."
Shadow wasn't surprised by his outburst though, the large tattooed man looking down to see the hero training with disdain. "Everyone needs to prove their use to this team. If she can't fight then she's useless."
Deku wasn't satisfied with that though. Hikari was talented, sure, but he knew it was like to be bullied and beaten for being quirkless in his life, and he didn't want that for her. Yeah she could fight well without a quirk it was impossible to beat this man. "B-But…!"
Hikari shut him down a moment later, her eyes playing with that same dark seriousness as she stepped out of his shadow. He was going to get himself into trouble like this and the last thing she wanted was for the commision to be out to get him. "It's fine, kid. Just stay out of it."
Just then Todoroki seemed to appear from the crowds, the boy equally bothered by what was happening. The way this guy was acting was kind of like his father, and that was a bad sign. "No, it's not fine. You're using your power to hurt her. That's not what a hero does."
Shadow only frowned at the new appearance though, quickly spinning around before calling out at the wandering eyes. "Does anyone else object besides this boy?"
Silence echoed back, causing both Todoroki and Deku to stare with unsaid confusion. Couldn't they see that this was wrong? Why weren't they standing up for Hikari and helping her?
Yet they soon got their answer as Shadow leaned down towards the green haired kid with cruel intent, his words dripping with venom. "Seems you're alone here. Let me give you some advice. It's not wise to go against the commission, boy. Especially when you want a hero career in the future. So why don't you step back and let me take care of my business?"
Widening his eyes, Deku was stunned into silence. So that's why none of these people were saying anything. It was because they were all afraid of their own reputation, they were scared of the commission ruining it for them. That's why they weren't saying anything.
And even then, even Deku and Todorkoi felt their heart twist in fear at the idea of losing his hero dream, the threats swirling around him like a choking tide. Of course they wanted to help Hikari but could the commission really destroy their entire career like that?
They were kind of scared to find out. "I…"
Hikari didn't seem surprised by Shadow's blunt threats though, quietly pushing past the two kids before setting her eyes on the ring. She didn't want to see the look of disappointment on their faces as they slowly figured out what the world was really like.
But even then, Hikari didn't blame the kids for stepping back, knowing how suffocating the commission was on the hero society. They were only doing what everyone else did throughout her entire life.
Once she reached the center of the ring, Hikari turned around in order to smirk darkly at Shadow who stopped just a couple feet away. "You did all of this just for me? I feel honored. Although, I don't know if I'll live up to your expectations."
The man didn't seem pleased though, enjoying the bubble the two shared. Now it was time to do what he came here for. "That kid claimed you were quirkless. How convenient for you."
Shrugging her shoulders at his accusation, Hikari rolled her eyes. "It's not really convenient right now though, is it?"
Shadow couldn't help but nod at that, knowing she was at a disadvantage because of her lies. "True. Just means I'll get my answers faster. It would be a real shame if you slipped up given that everyone is watching."
The girl twisted her brows together in fake confusion, already knowing what he wanted from the beginning. "I don't know what answers you're looking for but okay?"
Growling in frustration, the tattooed man then seemingly burst to life, racing forward with serious intent to end this monster's reign once and for all. "This ends today. Hawks isn't here to protect you this time."
And at first, Shadow thought he had the upper hand, knowing that Hikari's innocent act and quirkless lie would have to cause her to lose the fight on purpose in order not to be suspected as a villain.
Valkyrie was known as a chameleon after all, and they would do anything to keep their dirty little secrets, even purposely suck at fighting in order to strengthen their story.
But he was certainly surprised when Hikari easily grabbed onto the wrist of his incoming fist, not hiding her skills in order to opt for a small sly smile that burst from her lips. "I know, but he did teach me a few things along the way."
In fact, he underestimated her so much that Shadow didn't have time to respond as the villain then used her other hand to punch the agent straight in the face with as much force as possible, causing the man to stumble backwards with a groan.
Gasping at the injury, Hikari then watched the man hold his face in pain as the woman pretended to be shocked by the broken nose she deliberately created. "Oh my! I'm so sorry, are you okay? That must look like it really hurts."
The agent was clearly sick of her fake sympathy though, changing his ideal immediately before activating his quirk and disappearing in his shadow a moment later. "You bitch.."
Seeing him disappear completely, Hikari frowned before the man appeared behind her in a matter of seconds, his hands outstretched with fury. "I'm sick of your fake ass attitude. Show me who you really are!"
The bird only narrowed her eyes though, focusing on the feathers in her pocket in order to sidestep away from him right before his fist made contact, causing the Shadow to only hit air.
Spinning around immediately, Hikari pouted her lips in order to act like she didn't know why he was attacking her. "I don't know what you mean, Mr. Shadow. Why do you always pick on me like this?"
The commission dog was quick to respond though, the man going for another hit only for Hikari to gracefully doubt that one also. Although he wasn't surprised about that, the rumors did say that Valkyrie was hard to hurt because of her mystery quirk.
Just another reason to dethrone her though. "Because everything about you is fake."
Disappearing once more, Hikari focused her feathers once more before just barely missing a swing to the right, blocking his heavy fists with her wrists automatically as she frowned. "Well, that's not very nice. All I've ever done is be nice to you."
Although that was technically true, Shadow wasn't fooled, knowing her kindness was just another way of her manipulation and heckling to him. "Yeah, while making fun of me. I know your little game. You act like naive innocent while you stab people in the back, but I won't be fooled like Hawks!"
Watching from the outside, Deku, Bakugo and Todoroki couldn't help but be impressed with how Hikari was handling herself. Sure, they knew she could fight but going against someone while quirkless was extremely impressive, never mind going against a trained commission agent. That was even more impressive.
And the way she moved, it was like the girl was anticipating every move her opponent was making before it actually happened. But that was impossible, someone without a quirk couldn't do that. Or could they?
Balling his fists together, Deku watched with bated breath, silently praying that his new friend would be alright by herself. He hoped she would be.
Hikari ducked as she felt the feathers inside her pocket twitch in sensitivity, focusing on them to win this fight as her opponent tried another surprise attack from above. Sure they weren't as strong as her actual wings but they would have to do.
Quickly grabbing onto Shadow's tattooed arms, Hikari then pushed him forward before allowing a cocky smirk to fill her face, enjoying how frustrated he was right now. "It seems without proof you're rather in trouble though, aren't ya?"
Realization seemed to cross the man's face then, taking in the blonde's sly smirk before gaining a darkness of his own and reaching forward. "You're right."
Sensing his movements, Shadow then reached forward, causing the girl to step to the right only for him to disappear and reappear faster then she had anticipated, the man towering behind her and reaching his hand forward.
Quickly turned around, Hikari was able to block the oncoming hand only for the man to fake her out and use his hidden hand to secretly jam his fingers into her shoulder, causing her eyes to widen with newfound agony.
And that was because he had just dug his fingers into the now healing bullet wound under her jacket, the very same wound that Shadow had given her the very first night they met.
The action was deliberate, Shadow twisting his fingers around in order for the gash to throb and reopen as Hikari crumbled to the ground with a suppressed scream of pain. That asshole, he knew exactly what he was doing. "F-Fuck…"
Letting go, the girl immediately felt her shaky hands travel to the wound only for the agent to turn his head in mocking question. "What's wrong, Hikari, something wrong with your shoulder? But that would be quite a coincidence since that's the very spot I shot Valkyrie in, wouldn't it? Let's take a closer look."
And as the woman saw stars, she forced her voice to come out even, staggering back to her feet with a huff of lies. "I-I don't know what you're talking about. I'm fine."
This time it was Shadow's turn to smile, knowing he had the upper hand. "I'm sure you are. So I'm sure it won't hurt if I do this.."
Just barely recognizing the man disappear once more, Hikari focused on her feathers in order to doge his next attack. Although, because of her reopened wound the woman found her movements slower, allowing the highly trained commission agent to finally get a hit on her.
Feeling his fist into her side, Hikari stumbled backwards with a suppressed groan as she glared at the man in front of her, wanting nothing more than to tear him apart with her feathers.
Shadow seemed to welcome this new murderous enegry though, his arms outstrengthed in challenge. "Are you getting angry? Come on, use your quirk on me so we can have a fair fight."
Hikari felt her feathers immediately sharpen inside her pockets at the idea, the pendant around her neck humming a silent pull. If only she could show him her full quirk, then he'd be the one on the floor right now.
But if she did that, then it would ruin all the hard work Keigo and her put in.
Then the commission president would find her again.
So for that reason, the woman resisted, settling for a cough and a shake of her head. "I don't know what you're talking about..I'm quirkless…"
Having enough of her games, Shadow frowned. "Fine, I'll do it myself then."
The man disappeared inside his quirk once again, only to reappear right under Hikari's feet, the man using his hands to grab onto her ankle and pull her down onto the training mats in an instant.
Groaning at the hit, the woman immediately forced her body to move only for Shadow to appear on top of her, the tattooed man taunting his victim before placing his boot on her already existing bullet wound and adding pressure.
Hikari bit her lips at the force, the action causing her to taste her own metallic blood as he wiggled his boot further into her wounded shoulder, enjoying how she was holding back her screams in order not to seem weak.
Leaning down, Shadow then smirked before grabbing onto the crystal pendant around her neck, causing Hikari to widen her eyes in surprise without thinking. Wait, did he know about her quirk? Did he know what would happen if he ripped that off? Shit, she was screwed.
The agent seemed to know this as well, choosing to play around with the crystal pendant in order to savor this moment forever. "Now let's see what you're hiding under this, hmm?"
Wrapping his hands around the object, HIkari's feathers began to twitch in lying wait. If this was how it ends then she wasn't going to go down without a fight. Go ahead, the minute you break that necklace is the minute I dislocate every single body part from you in a single second.
Suddenly, their bubbles were shattered automatically as a loud booming voice cut through everything all at once, his tone carrying across the space. "What is the meaning of this?!"
Turning her head to the side, Hikari blinked only to find a very angry Endeavor standing above them, his eyes gazing at the situation with so much blinded fury that his own flames started to grow from his body. "O-Old man?"
All at once, the flame hero then reached his hands down before forcingly removing Shadow's boot from the bird's shoulder and allowing Hikari to let out a sigh of relief. Never thought I'd be happy to see you, Endeavor.
Forcing the tattooed man to stumble backwards, Endeavor began to shout in his face. "I leave for ten minutes and I find this?! Who even are you and what are you doing here?!"
The agent was quick to gain his composure though, bowing slightly before speaking honestly. "My name is Shadow and I am an agent for the commission. The president personally asked me to oversee the training today and I was just testing your recruits. That's all."
Twisting his brow in disbelief, Endeavor scoffed. "The commission? I didn't invite any lapdogs here and I certainly didn't give you permission to take over my role for this war."
The flame hero then looked around at the wandering eyes before putting the pieces together. Of course the commission heard about the war and wanted to take control. That was very much like them, wanting to control everything and everyone.
But Endeavor had other ideals, the man crossing his arms over his chest as he hissed back with clear intent. "You tell that woman that she can keep her nose out of my business. Now leave."
It was obvious to tell the man wasn't afraid of the commission's power like everyone else as Endeavor stared back at the agent with complete and utter disdain before turning back towards Hikari with a huff. "Sidekick. In my office, now."
Blinking in surprise, Hikari forced herself to sit, hissing at her irritated shoulder wound before deciding it was best to follow his directions for now, considering she almost lost everything she had ever worked for.
And as Shadow watched the villain move away, he couldn't help but gawk in disbelief, running after Endeavor with a heavy shout. "W-Wait. You don't understand. I have reason to believe that this girl is fooling all of you."
This certainly caused both Hikari and Endeavor to stop, their backs still turned against the man in question as Shadow openly revealed her secret to him. "Endeavor, she's a villain and you would be foolish to trust her any further."
Turning her head ever so slightly to stare at the hero, Hikari then watched as Endeavor closed his eyes at the confession before taking a moment of silence to himself. Was this it? Was she going to have to fight her way out of here after all? Was everything ruined?
Yet that's when Endeavor turned back towards the commission agent before reaching forward and picking the man up by the collar, lifting him in the air in order for him to fully understand his words. "You will not tell me how to run my agency, and you will not deliberately hurt anyone on my team ever again. Do I make myself clear?"
Not wanting for a response, the hero then dropped the agent before immediately turning back around in order to walk to his office, causing HIkari to stare at him in utter disbelief.
This guy, did he not believe Shadow's claims, or did he just not care?
Stepping inside Endeavor's office, Hikari found the nearest sofa before allowing her injured arm to rest, wondering just what the hero was thinking right now.
He still hadn't spoken after all, the man remaining silent as his back faced away from her in silent wait.
But that was mostly because Endeavor was at a loss on what to say. Sure there were tons of things in his head, the man desperately wanting to know a million different answers at the same time. Why did this girl hide her real name? Why had she shown back up in his life? Why did his dead son have a file with her name on it?
Honestly the possibilities were endless.
Yet as much as he tried, Endeavor felt no words escape his lips, the man choosing to let out a heavy sigh instead. The man wasn't really one for emotional heartfelt speeches after all so this was strange.
But even so, he tried, forcing something to fall from his mouth in order to start somewhere. "That fight. You were trained, I can tell. It takes real skill to hold your own against a commission agent like that. What school did you learn that at?"
Hikari only seemed to find his question funny though, choosing to tell the truth in order to hurt him even more than a sugar coated lie would have. "I never went to school, could never afford it."
And that was the truth. In fact, the only type of school the girl ever had was the lessons from the orphanage and the life experience she gained from the streets. Oh, and let's not forget the villain lessons that her abusive dad threw on her as a five year old, but she didn't really like to count that one.
Nah, Hikari's talent and skills were all from her years of having to figure everything out on her own, and as sad as that may be she just accepted that. It wasn't like anyone was going to accept a disfigured monster like her in their classroom anyways.
Endeavor's heart began to twist at her confession, knowing somewhere deep down it was his fault for not giving her the education she deserved, given that he just straight up forgot about her and her brother the minute he dropped them off.
He could've tried harder, he could've made sure those kids were going to be okay, but instead he was far too blinded by the future, by the reality he so desperately wanted from Shoto and the hero world as a whole.
Shaking his head, the hero then began another question, slightly anxious for the response it would bring. "Then how did you learn to fight?"
Lowering her eyes in silent memory, Hikari once again decided to speak the truth in order for the big headed hero in front of her to figure out his mistakes. "I was tortured for years until I learned to fend for myself."
Once again, she watched as Endeavor's body turned rigid, his hands balling into tight unreadable fists as the man tried to picture just what this girl had been through without anyone to help her.
He recalled her scars, the ones that were so ugly and grotesque that caused an entire room to be stunned into silence, he recalled her story, about how she once believed in the fantasy of heroes only for it to be destroyed and burned away with reality.
And somehow he knew those scars were from that torture, the torture to be stronger to stay alive, the torture to push through even when you are at your absouble breaking point.
He knew it well, considering that was the same treatment he used to give Shoto.
How many others out there were like her? How many children had suffered because of the neglect and blind eyes to those that turned their backs? How many children were destroyed because of heroes like him who just didn't care?
Realizing the silence was a little too suffocating, Hikari's lips curved into a small smirk before forcing her body to stand in order to get something to help her wounded shoulder. "Oh, I'm sorry, was that not the perfect fairytale story you were hoping for? My bad."
Yet as she crossed the room to the medical box in the corner, Endeavor spoke again, his words freezing the girl's steps in place. "Takami Hikari."
Hearing the forbidden name tumble from his lips caused the villain to immediately widen her eyes in horror before cursing under her breath. Shit, the last person she wanted to know that name was him. Was this Re-Destro's doing?
Endeavor's heavy steps echoed behind her, stopping to see the rigid, stiff posture of her back, knowing she was probably rather surprised with his words. But even so, he had to continue, for his own sanity.
Sucking in a heavy breath, the hero continued. "That's your name, isn't it? That's why you said you hated me, because I'm the one that took you and your brother away from your dad all those years ago and left you at that orphanage."
His reasoning wasn't completely correct, knowing that Hikari hated the man because of the horrible things he did to Touya and not her father. Honestly, she would have cared less about that bastard, it was her childhood best friend that mattered to her.
Of course, the girl also knew she couldn't say that. The last thing she wanted was for Endeavor to connect all the dots between Touya and her. Now that would've gotten messy.
So instead she focused on another question, recalling the words the hero told that commission agent. If he really knew about her identity then why hadn't he ratted her out? Why hasn't he told his other idiot friends?
Because she knew the minute he did, her life would've been over. "Why didn't you tell that commission rat?"
Huffing at the utter idea, Endeavor frowned. "I don't trust those dogs as much as you do."
Keeping a skeptical eye on him, Hikari slowly turned her body around in order to lock eyes with the man she hated more than anything. Was that really true? Did Endeavor really not trust the commission? But they were in everyone's pocket, it was hard to believe.
But then she remembered how that man reacted to the idea of her being a villain. Hikari thought for sure that he'd scream at her and activate his quirk immediately at the mere accusation of something like that.
Yet instead, this man defended her?
Was he really that stupid? Did he not believe that agent's words? Was he not the least bit curious at her non-hero-like actions and words these last couple weeks? No, that was impossible, there was no way.
Not knowing his motive for anything, Hikari treaded carefully in order to find a logical explanation for his weird behavior. "So what? You figured it out, now what are ya going to do? Are you going to blackmail into being your bitch also or something?"
That was the easiest explanation after all, it was the one that Re-Destro had decided to do once figure out that horrible name so she was sure Endeavor wasn't any different.
Yet that's when she watched his face scrunch up with disgust at the utter idea before immediately allowing his eyes to fall into a solemn sad regret. "I just wanted to apologize."
And that was something that caught Hikari off guard immediately, her mouth hanging open with disbelief. It couldn't be, the great Endeavor apologizing? She was clearly going crazy. "H-Huh?"
Sucking in a heavy breath, the man took in her surprise before continuing on. "Those things in the past, I can't change them even if I wanted to. The only thing now is to atone, and that's what I want to do for you and your brother. I want to atone for my mistakes."
The words felt bitter on her tongue, slapping her in the face all at once. Was he serious right now? He wanted to atone for everything? Give her a fucking break, that was the most idoitic thing she'd ever heard in her entire life.
Didn't he know that atoning wasn't going to change anything, it wasn't going to get her brother back from the commission, it wasn't going to change the abuse she suffered, and it certainly wasn't going to heal Touya's emotional and physical wounds.
No, instead those words felt like a pathetic attempt at a bandaid, knowing that the hero just wanted to erase everything that happened in the last ten years and start over. Well, fuck that, that was never going to happen.
Twisting her brow in fury for the idea, Hikari echoed back a dark chuckle before shutting down his entire plan. "What a joke, atoning and apologizing isn't going to bring back what you destroyed."
Yet the hero only nodded back, knowing fully well that wasn't what he was trying to do. "I..I know that..I'm not asking for your forgiveness."
Having heard enough from the man in front of her, Hikari only scoffed before forgetting about healing her shoulder and instead focusing on leaving this conversation as fast as possible. "Good, cause you're not getting it."
Endeavor watched her leave all at once, his lips tightening together in overwhelming conflict before the man called out of her all at once. "Takami."
Pausing once more at that stupid old name, Endeavor took his chance, speaking with pure honesty and intent for the girl before him. "Listen, you have great talent. I've seen it. You're smart and resourceful and a skilled fighter. You could be so much more than just a simple sidekick if you put your mind to it."
And the man believed that with his whole heart. Sure, she was brash, annoying and reckless but he knew it himself.
Hikari was talented regardless of the environment she was brought up in, she was a clever kid that was holding this liberation case together, and he knew this girl could be so much more than stay in Hawks' shadow.
That's why the man didn't react to Shadow's claims about her being a villain, it was because deep down Endeavor seemingly already knew who she was and that agent's words only confirmed the truth.
Because whether he liked it or not, he always knew Hawks' sidekick was different from other heroes, that she was far more brutal in words and actions than anyone else he had ever met before.
And if this girl really was a villain then he would have no problem believing it.
But that wasn't the point. Even if Hikari was a villain, she was still helping him in this case, she still was supporting the heroes against the liberation, she was different than any other villain he had ever met before.
And perhaps it was his own guilt or perhaps it was all of those reasons he stated before but regardless, Endeavor still didn't feel right selling Hikari out so quickly, not when there was a job to be done.
The truth was, Endeavor truly believed that this girl could be so much more. She certainly was talented enough. Someone just needed to give her a little direction, someone needed to give her a chance.
Yet his kind words only brought Hikari even more heavy filled emotions, her heart twisting in every unnatural way imaginable. What was his idiot even saying? There wasn't anything else for her to be besides a villain. That's what the world forced her to be, that's the only thing she could have.
Suddenly, the girl was hit with a mountain of deja vu, recalling the very first time she met Endeavor at Touya's engagement party and the cruel tone that followed her for years after.
"Mark my words child, you will never amount to anything".
Back then, the words he said were the complete opposite from the ones now. How funny was that?
The man was contradicting himself and he didn't even know it.
Giving out a dark chuckle at the idea, Hikari's hands then silently reached for the doorknob before lowering her eyes with heavy reality.
Saying she could be so much more, what a joke.
"Who says that being a hero is what I really want? Maybe I want the opposite."
Hawks heard his steps echo through the liberation hallway, a heavy sigh escaping from his lips. He felt so useless, staying and remaining silent while his sister was doing all the dirty work for this case.
Sure, using him as a scapegoat for Re-Destro was very smart but now that left the man alone to stew and worry about things he couldn't control anymore.
Turning the nearby corner, Hawks then felt himself freeze as another figure leaned against the wall to his right, almost like they were waiting for him to arrive. "You know how I feel about being left out of the loop, chicken shit...
And just like that, Hawks found himself trapped in front of Dabi, the feral stitched villain pushing himself off of the wall in order to take a drag of smoke from the cigarette between his fingers.
That's right, you're not going anywhere Hawks.
Now, it's time to find out just what my Princess got herself involved in this time.
Lot of big character things are happening as we creep closer to the season finale and really big reveals.
Next Chapter: Hawks and Dabi chat, things start to tumble down.