A/N: To the surprise of absolutely nobody after last chapter's ending, we're picking up where we left off!

I've very much enjoyed the speculation around the inevitable meeting of Stain and Sir Nighteye, and the discussion on Discord and in the reviews about how it's going to go down. They're two characters I absolutely loved in canon because of how utterly certain they were about their own convictions and methods; a coming-together was one of the first things I thought about when mapping out the future of this story. Let's see how that goes, shall we?

And just before we begin, I'm keeping up the tradition of a shout-out per chapter. This time, it goes to Fernando Fuentes Martins, aka Ernand- Ernand is someone I would describe as a fic recommendation master, because somehow whatever I or others throw at him by way of request he can find us a fic to our tastes. He's also been supporting this fic for some time and created the first piece of fanart for the story which is awesome! PM me for a Discord link and you can see its majesty for yourself… thank you as always, Ernand!

Anyway, chapter time! Is anyone making it out alive?

(***)

The tension in the air of the abandoned office block was so thick and so suffocating it would needed a sharp knife to cut through it. Not that those in the office would be lacking for choice on that front; there were a large number of blades to choose from, and several of them were pointed at Sir Nighteye.

Himiko fidgeted slightly as she stood with two knives drawn from the pockets of the heavy black jacket she was wearing in her disguise; she could feel her fingers subconsciously playing with the handles of the blades, a surefire sign that she was not happy to be in the situation they were in. Shuichi was stood behind her with a large and serrated sword hefted in the general direction of the intruders, but like her he didn't appear happy in the slightest, a grimace on his face and white teeth showing. The only one who didn't appear to be at all fazed by their current situation was Mister Stainy, and Himiko didn't know how he did it. His katana hadn't even been drawn, and yet it was him who drew the attention of the Heroes, steadfast and commanding respect that stopped them from taking a step forward.

Shuichi had called it the 'myth of the Hero Killer', an aura that was compounded by reputation and headlines which gave Mister Stainy a status unlike anyone else in Japan. People heard the tales of what he did and the ideology he abided by - even if sometimes both of these were exaggerated - and revered and feared him in equal measure, giving him a degree of infamy above villains in the country. Given that he had stopped the Heroes completely in their tracks, Himiko could now see how real the myth had become.

Bubble Girl, the blue-haired sidekick who appeared to have become the public face of the Nighteye Agency, was apparently the most nervous person in the room, a drop of sweat running down her brow and clearly visible on her blue skin. Like most people, Himiko often didn't hear about what their Agency was doing until Bubble Girl appeared in front of the press to announce the capture of a notorious fugitive or the collapse of a growing crime gang; even her adorable Izuku, so full of useful and useless knowledge on Heroes, didn't know the totality of what Nighteye's team did, such was the level of secrecy. The sidekick couldn't quite make her mind up on whether she needed to focus on Chizome, or her boss, and Himiko couldn't blame her.

Centipeder was a lot harder to read, at first, given the nature of his Quirk. Himiko knew that those with Mutant-type Quirks had it tough, from all the tales Shuichi told her about his time before he took the name Spinner and joined Stain on his crusade, but the arthropodous mutation which gave him a centipede's face must have caused him all sorts of trouble in a less-than tolerant society. His would have been a hard face to replicate with her Quirk, and gauging his emotions from his stoic face was difficult; only the slight twitching of his antenna at small noises gave any indication that he wasn't completely composed. Not that the baton he was holding in his gloved hand would have done him any good against their blades.

Sir Nighteye was the most familiar and most implacable of the trio of Heroes. Himiko had found it remarkable how little emotion the man had displayed when she saw him briefly at UA; he looked so dull that she had almost questioned why Izu and Tenko had been so shaken by him. Now, with him standing imperiously in front of them and with two High-Density Seals held in each hand, she could see just how intimidating he really was. She could tell that under the suit was the towering and well-trained body of someone used to a fight (he had to be strong if he was so casually hefting High-Density Seals as if they were light as a feather), and behind those glasses and that intense stare was the analytical mind of someone who could dissect a person with just a glance.

It wasn't hard to see how he had ended up supporting All Might, when faced with him.

For what could have been a few seconds, or several hours, the room hung in silence and not a single member of their strange group moved. The only sounds were the ticking of an old office clock on the wall of the abandoned office building, the slightly hitched breathing of Bubble Girl (at least someone was more nervous than her, Himiko thought) and the clatter of palettes being moved by the Shie Hassaikai as they went about their business completely oblivious to the double threat across the road. The silence was agony, but nobody wanted to put a foot wrong, herself included.

Stain was, to her great surprise, the first one to break and say anything. He hummed to himself, casting a look at each of the three Heroes, before calling without turning his back. "Spinner?"

"B-Boss?" Spinner's voice cracked as he talked, his voice slightly dry from the nerves.

"Stand down and keep watch." As Spinner opened his mouth to protest, one bony finger on the hand not gripping Stain's katana was raised to silence him. "He's not here yet. Someone needs to be on guard for when he arrives, or this whole plan was for nothing."

"... Yes, boss." Shuichi's respect for the boss meant that any reservation evaporated pretty quickly, even if his sword remained in his hand as he resumed watch over the warehouse and the Shie Hassaikai compound.

"So Centipeder was right. You are here for the Shie Hassaikai, and not for the Pro Hero." Nighteye's musing, in a voice so blunt and so methodical, surprised Himiko. "Intriguing."

Himiko couldn't see Stain's face properly as he had his back to her. "I'm surprised you didn't catch on sooner."

"I suspected that he may be correct, but it would be wrong of me to rule out theories before I had evidence to confirm what was going on." Nighteye's right hand went up, prompting Stain's grip to tighten on the katana, but this was only to adjust his glasses. "At first when we arrived here, you were keeping guard behind your associates, but I ruled out that you were here for my team when you were surprised to see me arrive; it was simply sound tactical awareness that made you cover your back, and not an expectation of my arrival. That left the Shie Hassaikai as a target, or the Pro Hero Mister Brave, and as much as you hold a reputation as the Hero Killer… you would have plenty of opportunities to strike which didn't necessitate fighting through the Yakuza as well."

"It's not your modus operandi," Centipeder added, head nodding ever so slightly. "I remember how you attacked Uwabami. How you killed Mount Lady-"

"I did," Stain confirmed, not even pretending otherwise. "Another wretched fake purged from our society-"

"Regardless of your view on her merits as a Hero," the sidekick interrupted, smoothly, "you singled both out in areas of safety, their Agency, their apartments. If you were after Mister Brave, I have no doubt that you would track him, and strike when he was isolated. Not here, on this night."

"Strange," Stain mused, a hint of bitterness in his tone as he heard their assessment of him. "I am surprised that you haven't claimed I used the same methods to kill that Kaminari school boy, like the rest of the Heroes seem to be claiming-"

"T-There's no way that was you!" To Himiko's surprise, Bubble Girl was the one who interrupted, voice trembling. "The sort of people you go after? Some teenager using his Quirk to protect others when no Hero is around isn't the sort of person y-you'd target."

For a moment, Himiko was stunned by how quickly the Heroes had dismissed that theory. "... Huh. Someone actually believes us, boss."

Stain made a little noise, and Himiko didn't need to see his face to know he was smirking. "So it would seem. You're rather astute, all three of you."

"Bubble Girl is correct. Yakuza like the Shie Hassaikai, however, are absolutely the sort of group you would target." Nighteye's face twitched slightly, his emotions unreadable. "I was looking into the Abegawa Tenchu Kai before. I was pleased how much progress I was making in my investigations, but you were two steps ahead. The ones who survived what you did to them… they are terrified of you, and the whispers in the underworld mean that the remaining Yakuza groups fear your attention. The Shie Hassaikai are one of the few who seem unbowed in the face of your interest."

"And so they must be dealt with." How freely Stain was talking surprised Himiko. "Hekiji Tengai hasn't arrived yet, and without one of their Eight Bullets, the Shie Hassaikai won't move their shipment for whatever reason. Taking their shipment, and one of their precious lieutenants, would be a crippling blow to their attempts to flood the market with Trigger."

"Uhhh…" Himiko hadn't realised she had said that out loud, and wasn't ready for the attention of the three Heroes to flicker over to her briefly. "Stainy… I don't wanna question what you're doing too much, but telling the Heroes the whole plan may not be wise, ya know?"

"I'm kinda with her, Boss," Spinner said, his attention still fixed on the warehouse and the quite animated discussions between the two Yakuza captains and Mister Brave at the front entrance. "What's to stop them jumping us now and ruining the mission-"

"Sanguine is right. It may not be wise." Stain hadn't turned to look at them, but his grip suddenly became a lot more loose on his sword hilt. "But it was Centipeder who said it. Don't you recall? 'He must have come for the Yakuza… the same as us'. Our plan… is their plan as well."

"Sanguine…" Nighteye's eyes roamed over to her, and Himiko swallowed at the intensity of the stare sent over at her as he took in her appearance; it was a great relief she had been able to drink enough blood for the night that she was hidden behind someone else's face. "Hmm. Your leader is correct. With tonight being the night that the Shie Hassaikai move their shipment from this warehouse… we couldn't let an opportunity like that go to waste."

"The former sidekick of All Might, now here on the front line trying to raid a Yakuza group and shut them down…" Himiko could see Stain's face slightly now he had turned his head a little, and she saw his grin. "Sir Nighteye. Your sidekicks are confident that they know my methods. That means one of your investigations must be into me." When Nighteye didn't say anything, silence confirming Stain's suggestion to be the case, Stain ploughed on. "So let me ask. You know my views on All Might, don't you?"

"Who doesn't?" It was Bubble Girl who answered, her fists unclenching slightly as she spoke. "The most true Hero of all, in your eyes. When he died… you claimed Heroics would die with him."

"Given the last few years since Incident Zero… I feel my convictions have been vindicated," Stain replied, his gaze hardening a little. "Very few people could hold a candle to All Might when he was alive. That number has dwindled since his death even further, matching the decline in our wretched society. And yet... "

"Yet?" Nighteye's arms were now folded across his chest, although Himiko could still see that his stance hadn't changed, like a coiled spring ready to jump.

Stain paused, and straightened up as he turned towards Nighteye again. "You were there the whole way through. All Might never took a sidekick before you, so to gain his confidence is the mark of something true. With your support, All Might's efforts to take on the people hiding in the shadows bore more fruit than before. You were trusted, and you actively helped to make things better."

"All Might was an example to us all," Nighteye stated, and Himiko found herself picking up on a slight change in tone from his usual cold responses. Was that sadness she could hear? "And now-"

"Now you're still here," Stain interrupted. "Despite everything. You could have given up without your master. You could have ducked and run like so many of the other fakes, hiding from responsibility. You could have been worn down and beaten by this awful world, but you… you saw the need to stand up and do something." Stain appeared to look up and meet Nighteye's piercing gaze. "We're alike, you and me."

"I can't say I've ever killed someone." Nighteye's response was blunt again. "Let's not go too far."

"Methods, perhaps not. But strength of conviction?" Stain's hand pushed his sword back down in its hilt. "The majority of Heroes won't do anything about groups like the Yakuza. Neighbourhoods like this are allowed to suffer, cover businesses are allowed to grow and turn a profit, and some Heroes will even take payment to turn a blind eye to the growing Trigger trade and increased Yakuza power in our country. You, on the other hand, won't do that."

"What they're doing is insidious," Nighteye said, a brief tip of the head in a nod to emphasise his point. "The Shie Hassaikai are growing like a weed, and producing more refined Trigger than any group in the country. Stopping them is difficult, but it needs to be done."

"It's what he would have done." Stain's free hand went to his head, adjusting his bandana. "Know this, Sir Nighteye. I admire someone who won't be broken by this cruel world, who won't stray from the path. Someone else willing to fight in the darkest of corners for a better future. For all you do… you are worthy."

Himiko's eyes widened, and despite everything going on and how tense everything had been, she flashed a look over to Spinner. She was glad that she had because the look on his face, confusion and surprise, mirrored hers; in all that time that she had been under Mister Stainy's wing, cared for by him and Shuichi, she had never heard him refer to anyone in the current system of heroics as being truly worthy. This… was new. "Mister Stain-"

"If you would vouch for your sidekicks too," Stain continued, flashing a brief look in her direction which had silenced her, "then I would consider them worthy too. The fact they have joined you on such a dark mission speaks for itself, in any event, but…"

"I couldn't wish for better," Nighteye confirmed, although his arms didn't relax. "I… appreciate your comments. For what they are worth. Although you will appreciate it is hard to hear coming from the mouth of someone renowned as the Hero Killer."

"All the more reason to realise the value of my words."

"Sir…" Bubble Girl spoke up, hesitantly, and Himiko pitied the girl a little when she gulped as the intense gaze of both her boss and Himiko's mentor turned on her. "His words aside… we know what he is capable of. He admitted just now that he killed Mount Lady. He's… a murderer. And we have obligations."

"I know. As much as I recognise that his words should provide some comfort that we are not likely to die here today, his crimes speak for themselves. That said, he is not why we came here." Nighteye's fists clenched slightly as he spoke. "We are at an impasse. Any attempt to apprehend him compromises our mission, but ignoring him for the Yakuza means that we would effectively be turning a blind eye-"

"And yet my quarrel is not with you." Himiko realised exactly what he was thinking, the second that Stain nodded at the taller Pro Hero. "There is another way, here."

What he was suggesting should have stunned her for its audacity and insanity. Sir Nighteye was someone with years of experience and someone who struck fear into her, and yet Stain was able to stand his ground and extend an olive branch. Himiko didn't want to get into a fight with Pro Heroes and risk being exposed, risk losing everything she had somehow fortunately gained at UA. She'd risk losing Izuku if they ended up fighting Nighteye and lost, or if they ended up winning and she ended up with blood on her hands. So if Chizome wanted to make that gamble and make that offer, for her own safety and for the success of their mission… she would support it. "We both want the same thing, right?"

"I mean, this seems kinda dangerous…" Spinner added, eyes flitting between the Heroes. "But if we can still kick some ass this way, I guess I'm with you, Boss."

"Wait! They mean…" Bubble Girl trailed off as she looked over at Nighteye, the look of contemplation as one of the sharpest minds in heroics assessed the obvious proposal in front of him. "Sir? You're… you're considering it? Why?"

There was a long pause before Nighteye sighed, some of the ironclad composure he was known for slipping for just a second. "A true Cornelian dilemma. You accept, Hero Killer, the paradox that whichever choice I make, you could argue I am proving myself unworthy as a Hero?"

"No choice is easy in this world anymore. The Hero Commission and the villains made sure of that a long time ago." The disdain at the mention of their name was clear in Stain's voice. "You know that what I am proposing has logic."

"... I do." Himiko was good at reading people, and the setting of Nighteye's jaw before he spoke to his sidekicks alerted her to his internal wrestling with the suggestion. "Both of you… I know that what he has admitted is wrong. It is awful, and criminal, and he is accused of having even more blood on his hands than he has admitted. Families of Heroes he has slain will live with the consequences of his actions forever, and every bone in my body wants to stop him here and now for what he has done."

"But…" Centipeder realised. "That's not the way you're thinking, right now."

"No. And if you don't like it, I will accept your views. But the logic is there for all to see." Nighteye pocketed two of his Seals to be able to reach up to his glasses, take them off, and polish them on his suit jacket as he spoke. "I know the impact of his actions and the wide appeal of his ideology. But I also know the impact of the Shie Hassaikai, too. That's why we planned this mission, why we spent weeks and months gathering intelligence on them to be able to act tonight. If we do not make a move tonight, and allow this shipment to be distributed, the flood of Trigger into the underworld could enable countless villains, could leave families homeless and grieving loved ones from attacks. The money it could bring in would enable their sphere of influence to expand even further than it currently does. The logic is cold but on the strength of the numbers… we have to do something about the Yakuza tonight."

"I agree." Centipeder was quick to offer his thoughts, twirling the baton in his hand absent-mindedly. "Right now we are prepared to deal with the Shie Hassaikai. We are not prepared for the Hero Killer. That did not factor into our… preparations."

The way in which Centipeder had pronounced that final word, with a strange look at his boss, intrigued Himiko, but Nighteye didn't give much away. "It was… unforeseen. Our confrontation with the Yakuza on the ground, however, was not."

"Then that settles it for me," Centipeder confirmed. "No matter how much I might want to act, we have to prioritise. Not only that, but we have to accept we would be fighting blind anyway. We know nothing of their Quirks, or how to handle them." Centipeder's nod towards Himiko made her smirk for just a second, glad that they couldn't see through her disguise and hadn't worked out her true identity. "We came for the Yakuza. So if this is what it takes… so be it."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, huh?" Bubble Girl asked aloud, a conflicted look passing across her face for just a second before nodding at Sir Nighteye. "I can't say I like it, but… what choice do we have?"

"Thank you, both. I wouldn't go so far as to say a friend, but…" Nighteye's remaining seals went into his jacket pocket, but he held back. "It can work. With one condition."

"Oh?" Stain turned his back on Nighteye briefly to nod to Himiko and Spinner. "Stand down, both of you. Weapons away."

"Sure." Himiko bit her lip but ultimately complied, Spinner slowly following afterwards with a suspicious look at how close Bubble Girl was to him. She only realised after pocketing her two knives just how sweaty her grip had got from nervousness. "Feels strange…"

"I know." Stain's focus shifted back to the Hero- Himiko noticed that even with his request to them to stand down, Stain's hand hadn't left his blade. "Name your term, Hero."

"I know your views on fake Heroes well enough. So does everyone." Nighteye jerked a nod towards the window where Spinner was keeping watch, and the gathering of Shie Hassaikai associates outside. "But I can't let you kill Mister Brave tonight."

"That's… a strange request," Himiko said aloud, some of her skepticism feeding into her voice. "You could kinda sound a little less like you're protecting him, y'know?"

"Notwithstanding that my duty as a Hero is to minimise bloodshed," Nighteye responded, with an air of weariness, "let me put this logically. Most of the Shie Hassaikai's low-level members will still swear loyalty to their boss, to the point that they won't come clean under questioning even if pressured. A former Hero on their payroll is a lot less likely to worship the Boss like the rank and file. If we can keep Mister Brave alive, then we and the Police stand a good chance of learning a lot more about their organisation from him. He's of no use to the Police and to us for future intelligence if you leave us with a corpse."

"Hmm…" Stain appeared genuinely conflicted for a second, before finally he nodded, and his hand finally left the hilt of his blade. "Fine. I can accept that argument. Do we have a truce?"

"It appears that way." Nighteye's hand came out, extending the offer of a handshake. "At some point I will have to come after you, Hero Killer-"

"But not tonight." Stain's bony hand clasped Nighteye's to return the gesture. "We have more important issues to deal with."
"Speaking of which…" Spinner's voice caught everyone's attention in the room. "They're looking lively. The last crate is in their truck, and one of them just got off the phone-"

Nighteye checked his watch, and nodded. "That means that Tengai is on his way. He'll be about three minutes out."

The certainty with which Nighteye had said that threw Himiko off for a second, and she did a double take as she looked at him. The way he said it wasn't speculation; it was as if he genuinely knew. "You're sure?"

He acknowledged her with a curt nod, striding over to the window and adjusting the garish yellow tie he was wearing as he did so. "He'll arrive by motorbike, then get in the truck containing the shipment expecting Kurotoko to drive him out. We will have a very short window."

"Then let's make it count." The two parts of the unholy alliance turned at the sound of Stain finally drawing a weapon, the large sword from his back readied for combat; Himiko could feel her heart pumping with excitement as she saw the look on Stain's face, and realised that the mission they had built themselves up to was just about to start. "Let's hit them where it hurts."

"Neutering the Yakuza dogs…" Spinner sounded ecstatic, as everyone else around him drew various weaponry; Himiko couldn't help but feel terrified of Nighteye when their group had blades available and he had his Seals. If he considered them to be just as good at doing damage, then he was one hell of a fighter. "About time."

"Couldn't agree with you m-more," Bubble Girl said, trembling in anticipation as she hefted a stun gun. "Are we ready?"

"Yes." All eyes turned to Nighteye, as he stepped back to Stain's side and nodded once towards the Hero Killer with a determined look on his face. This was it- no going back.

"Let's go."

(***)

"Ya know one thing I don't understand, Brave?"

Mister Brave, cloak wrapped around his shoulders as a comfort blanket, tried not to grimace as he turned back towards the captain who hadn't shut up ranting since he had arrived. "Kurotoko?"

The brash, dark-skinned young man had a sneer on his face, as he pointed at his shorter partner who had her hands stuffed into the pockets of a long black jacket. "Did you know she was obsessed with Hawks?"
Brave allowed himself a sigh. When the Shie Hassaikai had approached him to come out of retirement and join his old colleague Kesagiriman in serving their interests, Brave had resisted, and suffered at the hands of the Boss for it. Even now he could see the hand coming out of its glove, the terror on the face of his wife and child at being exposed to that awful Quirk yet again. Brave had caved to the intimidation and agreed to serve, knowing better than to step out of line or openly question the Boss or the Eight Bullets; Kesagiriman's failures and demise recently had served as an awful reminder of that.

Even so, he couldn't help but be annoyed by Gokami Kurotoko's arrogance and swagger, and so his eyes narrowed. The money he was receiving wasn't nearly enough compensation for the impact on his patience. "Why would I know that?"

"It's not an obsession!" Nijisei Shinpika had quite a high-pitched and sweet voice normally, but it was totally at odds with the scowl on her face and the furious kick she aimed at her fellow captain in response. Clearly it wasn't just Brave's nerves that were being tested. "I just think he's cooler than most of the Heroes we have right now-"

"I just can't believe you like any of the Heroes though!" Kurotoko hadn't needed much prompting to go off on a rant again- he was always so proud of the awful organisation that he represented that he became quite delusional. "They're all out there to oppress us! Because of them we have to hide in shadows, rather than take the spotlight and claim our rightful place-"

"Rightful place? Do you even hear yourself?" Despite her anger, the black-haired Shinpika managed a wheeze of a laugh. "You want us to start walking the streets and bragging? The Heroes aren't coming for us the way we are right now, so we can keep up the Boss's plan, but no, let's wander out in daylight and paint a target on our backs so they shut us down!"

"Hey, at least you'd get to see Hawks a lot quicker that way," Kurotoko snarked, before dodging another booted kick. "Hey!"

"I didn't think we paid you two to argue like children."

Brave allowed himself a little smile as the two captains stopped bickering and snapped to attention at the voice. He had heard the motorbike's engine slowing as it approached, and just hadn't warned his companions for the small joy it would give him from watching someone higher up the chain chew them out. "Tengai. You made it."

The tall, blonde man clad in a simple black yukata could have been overlooked by any passerby, if it weren't for the brown plague mask which he wore even despite the Boss not being present to enforce it. It was rare to see the calm and reclusive Hekiji Tengai out of the main facility, not least on a solo engagement; what time he didn't spend meditating or attending on the Boss was, to Brave's knowledge, spent reigning in Kendo Rappa as the most confrontational member of the Eight Bullets. Patience had taken Tengai a long way.

Tengai nodded, eyes closed as they usually were. "I needed to ensure I wasn't followed. After the incident with the businessman from Feel Good Inc, I'm sure you understand."

Brave understood the veiled threat within that statement well enough. "I do, sir. Nobody wants a repeat of that."

"No, we do not," Tengai agreed, before turning his attention to the two captains. "Shinpika. The shipment is loaded?"

"It is," the short girl confirmed; she barely came up to Tengai's chest even in her taller platforms. "We're ready to leave when you are."

"Did you find any of the other material?" Brave frowned on hearing Tengai's question. "The Boss wants to make sure we don't leave any behind."

"Here." Shinpika reached into a pocket and passed him a small box, which Tengai pocketed quickly within his robes, and as Kurotoko began to rant at not being trusted with it Brave realised what they were. God knows how Overhaul had made them, but even as prototypes reserved exclusively for Shie Hassaikai use and not for general sale, the Quirk-destroying bullets gave him shivers. "I only found six. It's better you have them in case you need to use them."

"I agree." Tengai nodded to her, and to Brave. "Let's not waste time. The sooner we leave now, and get this shipment out of here, the less chance we have of anyone discovering what we're up to. It's about time this site closed down-"

"Yes, sir." Shinpika had the keys to the truck in her hand now, and was moving forward to corral the goons who were otherwise loosely hanging around the loaded vehicle. "Let's go, everyone. This stuff isn't gonna ship itself-"

"Tengai, where do you need…" In the middle of his question, Brave trailed off. He thought earlier that the shadows around the abandoned office block across the road had looked a little different to other nights when he had been on guard, but something caught his eye and made him squint a little more when something appeared to move behind the window on the ground floor. Was that… a person? "Tengai, we've got comp-"

With the sound of shattering glass, the window on the ground floor of the office shattered, and everything turned into utter pandemonium as the front doors were thrown open.

"NOW! GET THEM!"

Even when it was just the three of them, Himiko knew that the only viable plan of attack would have been a frontal assault. It seemed absurd, when her Quirk was best suited to infliltration-type missions, but it was because of this that she appreciated the necessity of mounting an attack at the gates of the warehouse; not only was it the only entrance, but with the place manned with several Yakuza guards and with a lot of weaponry to carry, there was no prospect of a surprise attack from within. In any event, she had staked it out for several nights before this mission, and when the high-ranking officials arrived, they didn't hang around. A limited window of opportunity when Tengai arrived would mean a rush was their best hope.

The plan had needed to change from how Stain had envisaged it when Nighteye's group had reluctantly agreed to join forces with their group. If it had been just the three of them, Himiko would have followed Stain and Spinner in charging out of the front door there and then, and mounting an assault. Now, she had been primed and ready for Bubble Girl to smash the window, charging out behind the sidekick- on her left, Stain and Spinner had charged out from the main entrance door with swords drawn and a rallying cry from Stain, while Nighteye and Centipeder had leapt out of another window and began to sprint to catch up.

They must have looked like a terrifying sight to the Shie Hassaikai.

As Tengai's eyes widened and he began to shout orders to the gathered troops, ordering Mister Brave and Kurotoko to buy him time to leave, Stain's incredible speed had gotten him to the head of the group. With one leap, sword raised above his head, his snarl could probably have been heard across the city. "Filthy Yakuza! You won't get out of here-"

The downwards slice was blocked by a sword of hair, making a strange noise as it rebounded, and Mister Brave seemed terrified even as he faced down with Stain. "I don't know what you're doing with Heroes for company, but that's far enough!"

"Think again, phony!" Spinner's serrated blade swung at the former Pro Hero too, and it was only the luck of Kurotoko's Shadow Boxer catching the sword before it could severely injure Mister Brave that prevented him from being successful. "You're not leaving this warehouse!"

"You really wanna go, dog? You're just a pale imitation of your master, and you know it!" Kurotoko balled his fists, his Shadow Boxer copying his stance. "Upright! I'll kick your ass so bad they'll be cleaning you up for weeks!

"Bring it on!"

As Nighteye and Centipeder charged past the marauding boxer and began to lay into the assorted thugs, Stain pushed forward against the parrying hair blade and snarled. "You retired, Mister Brave. It's bad enough you gave up on the world after Incident Zero, but now you're helping people like this get ahead in life!"

"Someone like you will never understand what they're capable of!" Mister Brave, to the credit of his fighting abilities, pulled another hair sword into his weak hand and forced Stain to flip backwards out of the way of a stab. "I don't want to be their hired gun, but my family-"

"Save the excuses, fake!" Stain bounced forward and nearly caught Mister Brave in the shoulder with a thrust. "If you were any measure of a Hero, you could take these scum on."

"Nobody can take him on! And no Hero these days can live up to what came before us... I fear him more than I fear you!

"That was your first mistake!" Stain slashed at the former Hero's legs, as elsewhere Bubble Girl activated her Quirk in the face of a nail-fisted thug and crippled his vision. "Sanguine, now!"

That was her cue. Himiko had known the plan and known how important it would be to engage them quickly, so that the Yakuza didn't know what had hit them. They might have been facing good defensive Quirks, and with his Barrier Quirk Tengai would have been pretty untouchable unless they got the drop on him, but there was one vulnerability in the whole set-up for the Yakuza which they could exploit, and Himiko was about to punish them for it. "On it!"

Close quarters combat was usually her preference, but over a number of years training with the Hero Killer, Himiko had trained herself to be able to throw her knives. It was always her last resort to prevent herself from becoming unarmed in a confrontation, but it was a skill which Stain had honed over a number of years and a skill which she wanted to have practiced in case she was ever in the position to need it. Tonight was one of those nights- Spinner's blowgun would have been perfect for the job if he hadn't loaded it with toxic darts to fire at the Yakuza goons, so instead it was her job to take and let fly. "Hyahh!"

Two knives, from each hand, thrown as hard and true as possible with one target in mind. It almost felt to Himiko that time slowed as they flew forward, and she could feel herself holding her breath in the hope that they hit the mark…

Hekiji Tengai's eyes widened, and his Quirk flared up around himself as the first knife bounced harmlessly off of the yellow barrier he had projected around himself. "Foolish! Throwing knives at a person like me, with my Quirk…"

"Hey genius!" Himiko allowed herself a little laugh as she slowed her run and came to a stop in front of Tengai, now stood at the back of the truck. "I wasn't aiming for you!"

"What?" Tengai's head snapped back briefly, a Barrier still projected in front of him, and the realisation hit him that the second knife had flown some distance away from him to make its mark, piercing the front tire of the truck and crippling the Yakuza's only means of transporting their shipment of Trigger out of the yard. "Damn! The transport is down!"

"And you're not going anywhere!" Nighteye had disengaged from the group and ran towards her, ripping his suit jacket off as if to allow himself better mobility. "Good work, Sanguine."

Two High-Density Seals bounced off of another Barrier, Tengai's defences proving impenetrable, and the Bullet sprang sideways with surprising agility. "The Trigger-"

"Isn't going anywhere," Himiko said firmly, taking a step forward as Nighteye lined up at her side; for a moment she felt proud and unbeatable, with someone as powerful as him backing her up and with their main objective now crippled and not moving anywhere. "Consider this our declaration of war on the Shie Hassaikai."

"How aggravating." Tengai's calm disposition had returned, surprisingly, and she saw a slightly smug look illuminated on his face as another Barrier sprung up to block another High-Density Seal. "But as long as Master Overhaul's work is safe, this isn't a victory for you."

"Overhaul's work…" Nighteye frowned. "I heard rumours you were working on something besides the higher-grade Trigger. As if you weren't causing enough damage to society-"

"Society was already damaged, Sir Nighteye. You working alongside the Hero Killer is enough of a demonstration of that for all of us. We're just levelling the playing field, one step at a time." Tengai took a step backwards, as over to the side Himiko caught a glimpse of a bony elbow from Stain laying Mister Brave out cold. "Incident Zero broke the world as we know it. There's no coming back from it, with everyone out for blood and looking to satisfy their own selfish desires. But the Master's desires… he'll make sure you get what you all deserve."

"Quit monologuing and fight," Himiko growled, drawing another knife to defend herself with. "Every villain does this, I swear. What's the point?"

"The point? Oh, you are naive. I have no intention of fighting." Tengai's eyes flickered away from her for just a second. "I just needed to buy some time."

"FLASH!"

Himiko's world went completely white as a glaring light went off, and she cursed out loud as she realised that they hadn't been keeping track of the other captain, the girl with the flashbang Quirk. From the sharp intake of breath beside her, it appeared that Nighteye had been hit by her Quirk as well, and as she staggered, pointing the knife out in front of her, she was met with a smack to the chest from Shinpika's heavy boots, a high kick knocking the air out of her lungs. "Gah-!"

"Go, sir! Get the bike and get outta here!" Shinpika's shout was punctuated by another jab to Himiko's side, just below the ribs. "Go while they still can't see!"

Himiko snarled, lunging blindly with the knife and cursing that it made her stagger. She was normally more than capable of handling herself in a fight against any opponent, including bigger and stronger opponents than her, but the Quirk of the other girl was a cheap trick, and it didn't seem to wear off as quickly as an ordinary flash might. Robbed of one of her senses and trying to fight while her vision was still blinded, Himiko's attack missed well wide, and she caught an elbow to the cheek for her trouble. "Dammit! Cheating bitch-"

"Just doing what I've got to!" Shinpika kicked out again, this time hitting her right between her legs and dazing her, but as Himiko staggered and fell onto the floor she suddenly heard a loud smack as if someone had landed a hit, and a cry from the Yakuza captain. "Hey, what the-! Ow! How did you block that, you can't-"

"I don't need to see you to know what you're trying." Nighteye's implacable tone vibrated with self-assurance, and Himiko heard the tall man land another solid hit on the captain when she cried out. "Let's just say… you're predictable."

"Aagh! How did you- dammit!"

"Eurgh…" The sound of a motorbike engine revving up from somewhere behind her caught Himiko's attention, as furious blinking from her position on the floor started to help her clear the white spots dancing in her vision. "Sir, Tengai-"

"There's nothing we could have done to stop that." His response was firm, and followed by a thumping noise which appeared to have shut Shinpika up; as she pulled herself upright, the fuzzy shape on the floor slowly solidified into the black-clad form of the captain lying unconscious, which she could only assume was the result of a knockout blow from Sir Nighteye. "His Quirk is one which would have required superhuman strength or a destructive power like Hellflame, over a war of attrition. I highly doubt we could have surprised him, or captured him."

"Right…" Himiko staggered slightly, winded, and grimaced as she heard the bike fleeing, their chance at capturing one of the Eight Bullets now firmly gone. "Still sucks, though. We could have got him as well as their product-"

"An organisation like the Shie Hassaikai can very easily promote replacements within its ranks. If Tengai was captured, someone else would join the inner circle- Yakuza groups like this treat the inner circle like the heads of a Hydra." Nighteye came over to her, and her vision was slowly returning enough to see him as more than a blurry outline now. "Ultimately, they are businesses, and the way to hurt them most is their bottom line. If they lose product to be able to sell, they lose market position. This will save people from the effects of their Trigger and rob them of a revenue stream. They will feel the effects of this, for sure."

"I hope so…" Himiko fell into step besides Nighteye and cursed that someone had got the drop on her for once. Her side was sore like she had been kicked by a horse; it felt like the damn Yakuza had been wearing steel toecaps. "Ow. Thanks for that back there."

"Not at all. Apologies that you took a few hits- when my vision is completely filled with white, it's hard to anticipate too much." Nighteye looked up from her, and Himiko's grimace at her soreness faded slightly when she saw Bubble Girl arriving towards the back of the truck, stashing her stun gun away securely. Himiko found herself cursing the sidekick for the sheer fact that she looked completely unscathed. "It seems we were reasonably successful. Bubble Girl, Nijisei Shinpika is out cold around the side of the truck. You may wish to secure her."

"On it!" Bubble Girl nodded, flashing a look back towards the sounds of yelling. "Centipeder has the rank and file footsoldiers under control. There's only one left standing, that Kurotoko kid. I'm surprised he hasn't lost yet."

"If he's not been beaten by Stain and Spinner yet," Himiko muttered, "I'm kinda impressed."

"So am I, truth be told," Nighteye agreed, walking on as Bubble Girl disappeared to deal with the flashbang girl. "From the stories I've heard, Stain is a fierce combatant. To stand against him for so long… this captain must be relatively good in close quarters."

"Guess it was kind of a good thing we teamed up, huh?" Himiko said ruefully, shooting the taller Pro Hero a look. "We might not have managed without the extra manpower…"

"I suspect the same. I was prepared to go along with the open assault because I saw the effectiveness it would have, but… your group made a real difference. Thank you." Nighteye paused, as she walked on ahead. "Sanguine. You… appear to be injured."

"Huh?" Himiko kept walking, but a subtle glance at her sides where she had been kicked sent alarm bells ringing through her head. Instead of the black jacket of the person whose appearance she had been borrowing, she saw… sludge. Shifting, grey, like a wound beginning to fester. This was bad. She had drunk a lot but the flashbang girl had clearly done more damage than she had felt, because her Quirk was starting to fail. In front of a Pro, of all people. "Oh no…"

"Do you need assistance?" Nighteye asked aloud, reaching towards her; her response was to panic, leaping away and beginning to run in horror while clutching a hand to her sides. "Wait! What's the matter?"

"No, no, not now!" Himiko muttered to herself, horrified at the feeling of the sludge she was so used to producing because of her Quirk squeezing through the gaps in her fingers, a trickling feeling starting to run down her back as well. Her Quirk was trying to compensate for the damage in the transformation, and failing. She was about to be exposed! "Stainy! Stainy! We have to go!"

"Hold on, we can help you!" Nighteye had started to run to keep up with her, and turned the corner with her. "Slow… down."

The reason for Nighteye stopping talking became abundantly clear to Himiko as she witnessed the scene in front of her with horror. Mister Brave had been neutralised fairly early in the fight, lying unconscious on the ground in front of Stain, but Stain and Spinner had kept on fighting the other Yakuza, Kurotoko. His failure to surrender had cost him dearly; as they rounded the corner Stain had gotten the advantage over the Shadow Boxer Quirk by getting behind its wielder, and Himiko's eyes widened as the blade that had claimed numerous Pro Hero lives pierced through Kurotoko's back and out through his chest, making the shadow projection sputter out of existence and vanish. "Accept your fate, villain."

"No!" Nighteye roared, and Himiko didn't need to stop running to feel the anger of his glare, because she could almost feel it on the back of her neck. "That wasn't the deal-"

"The deal was that we didn't kill the fake Hero!" Spinner shouted, sheathing his own sword. "We kept our word!"

Stain snarled, kicking out at the prone and unconscious body of Mister Brave which he had laid out with an elbow earlier in the fight. "He's alive. He's all yours to get whatever information you can out of him. But these scum were never part of the deal. I won't leave them alive to get out free and continue to spread their villainy."

"You b-bastard…" Even despite the blade through his chest and the blood dripping onto concrete, Kurotoko still managed to find some energy to spit out defiant last words. "Killing me… won't stop the Boss. Nobody… c-can stop us in a world like th-this. The Yakuza will… reclaim their place-"

"You talk too much." Stain slid his blade out of the villain's back, and the youth crumpled to the floor, his life expiring in a bloody mess on the ground in front of him. "The world will be better without you."

"Stainy…" Himiko tried her best to be cool on missions and not let her pet name creep into things, but her voice had other ideas as she staggered up to him with a chunk of sludge dripping off of her, her real voice slipping out for the first time that night. The fact that he recognised this so quickly and turned to her, eyes wide, reassured her that he knew there was a problem. "Time's up!"

She didn't need to say more for him to know exactly the issue, and his snarl turned into a look of concern, his sword swinging to his back and his arms reaching under her to pick her up. It reminded her of how he carried her, all those years ago in that alleyway when he had saved her from Slugger's attack, and she realised now she wasn't trying to push herself to move just how much pain she was in. She would be amazed if her ribs weren't broken. "Easy. I've got you."

"Not so fast, Hero Killer." Nighteye's determined call shook Himiko, and when she briefly turned to look at him she was alarmed to see him standing ready to fight, two more of his overpowered High-Density Seals in hand. "Whatever truce we may have had, I cannot ignore what I've just seen."

"Oh knock it off, Nighteye, you silly bastard!" Spinner crowed, his own sword drawn and ready to fight with. "We gave you their whole Trigger shipment from this warehouse, a corrupt Pro and a bunch of goons! You should be thanking us-"

"You stabbed one of them to death and let him bleed out before my eyes. Nobody had to die tonight, and you're both competent enough to take someone down without killing them or Mister Brave wouldn't still be alive…" Himiko was grateful that his gaze wasn't on her, but the anger in his eyes was unmistakable. "For all your talk about righteous justice, your actions tell a different story. You chose to kill him. Cold-blooded, vindictive murder."

"Disagree with my methods all you wish, Hero. I do what has to be done so that people like you can keep your hands clean and sleep at night. So ordinary people can walk the streets without the spectre of evil over their heads." Stain's furious aura flared, and Himiko marvelled at the fact that aside from her and Spinner, Nighteye was one of the first people she had ever seen who had stood firm in the face of it. "Do you really want to fight?"

"Want doesn't come into it. Duty might."

"Oh? And how well do you think that will go? Look around you, shadow of All Might." Stain gestured as best as he could while holding Himiko, his eyes taking in Centipeder who was still frantically trying to secure the last of the street thugs, on the transport stacked with Trigger crates, on the still form of Mister Brave. "Since you put so much stock in your cold logic, let me be blunt. You and your sidekicks have a successful mission's aftermath to deal with, or you can risk losing some of that with people escaping by fighting me and my crew."

"Even with Sanguine injured," Spinner chimed in, "Stain and I are more heavily armed, more willing to fight dirty, and more prepared for battle. There is no way that fight ends well for you, here and now. Or…"

"Or you let us go, and get medical attention for our partner." Stain's bony hand squeezed her arm in a surprising gesture of comfort. "Whatever uncomfortable questions you have to answer when explaining to the Police how Kurotoko died, and why you formed an accord with me to finish the mission-"

"Assuming they even care in the face of you beating a load of Yakuza and stealing their drugs," Spinner butted in.

"You would still complete the mission. That was why you came here, wasn't it?" Stain turned his back suddenly, in a move which Himiko thought was bold, but despite letting his guard down Nighteye didn't move. "Whatever your view on me for my actions, you may take that view. Others will think worse, but remember this- without me, what would you have here today?"

"..." Nighteye's face gave nothing away, but the way in which he tapped his two High-Density Seals against each other was enough of a sign of an internal struggle, as was the way he gestured to the returning Bubble Girl to stay put behind him. Finally, after a long moment where Himiko could feel the slime of her Transform Quirk bubble up again on her chest where she had been hit, Nighteye seemed to sag. "... I don't feel right about this."

"You don't have to. But I'm glad you understand." Stain hefted her in his arms, and nodded to Spinner to fall into step besides him. "Good luck with your future missions, Sir Nighteye. I hope some day we can meet again, with the plague of the Yakuza beaten at last, and enjoy a better Japan."

"... Hero Killer?" The way in which Nighteye's call seemed to tremble ever so slightly made them all pause briefly as they reached the gate of the warehouse, ready to disappear into the city at large. "... Don't think for one second that I will forget this. I won't stop on my pursuit of the Shie Hassaikai, but I will track you down as well. For all the blood on your hands, I will ensure that you are brought to justice. That I promise you."

Stain paused, and for a second under the halo of a streetlight his eyes softened in a way which Himiko had never seen before, an unknown sadness clouding his normally-fierce gaze. "... I know. Destiny will catch up with me one day. I hope for my sake it is you, or some other worthy Hero. I may have some hope for the future that way."

With nothing more to say, and with a sense of relief on Himiko's part, Stain finally left the Pro behind and headed out of the warehouse into the streets, headed towards the alleyway nearby where they could disappear into Spinner's sewer escape route and where finally Himiko could allow her failing transformation to drop. After the chaos and the carnage of the intense assault on the warehouse base, Himiko couldn't help but feel relieved that they had been successful; what they had all achieved couldn't be understated in the blow it would strike to one of the most prominent Yakuza groups in the whole country. They had been proper Heroes, taking the fight to them, and the sound of police sirens starting up as if waking from a slumber was music to her ears…

But things had been way too close for comfort, for her anyway. One surprise fight where she lost the upper hand, and her cover had nearly been blown to one of the most intelligent Heroes out there. He had heard her real voice, at the end, and as she felt her cheeks begin to soften into slime, she realised just how close he had been to seeing her real face. By the skin of her teeth, Himiko had avoided exposing her real identity and bringing her whole world crashing down.

Compared to this, Himiko thought, UA was a walk in the park.

(***)

A/N: Woo. That was a bit of a rollercoaster, huh?

I really enjoyed the theories on how Nighteye and Stain would cope. For me I always knew that I wanted Stain to admire Nighteye, in part for having the All Might connection and supporting him so well in canon, but also for how Nighteye has reacted in the aftermath of Incident Zero. Similarly, Nighteye to me is always someone pragmatic and unwilling to rush acting without information, but also quite cold in his logic; the idea that he would accept a cease fire to think about the greater good and saving more people seemed the logical approach to me.

I wanted to make sure that the action scene in this chapter was pretty rapid, because to be honest the team match-ups were a little bit of a curb stomp; Tengai's Quirk would only have been beaten with Bloodcurdle getting the drop on him (which, let's be honest, Stain would want to hide from someone as sharp as Nighteye), and so there were very few creative opportunities to give people the drop on him. With him escaping, the Hassaikai elite remain intact, if a little shaken, and otherwise the power imbalance of a team with Stain and Nighteye turned it into a rather one-sided affair (notwithstanding Himiko being knocked a little bit in her scuffle). Hopefully it was enjoyable enough for its frantic nature.

Anyway, less waffling from me. We're back to Izuku next chapter and ramping things up with more action, but for now I hope you enjoyed. I thank each and every one of you currently favouriting and following this story (we nearly have 1500 followers. HOW?), and for all your kind reviews so far.

If you enjoyed, please feel free to favourite and follow if you haven't already, and I would love to hear your reviews (just don't flame and be constructive if you want to criticise). And please consider my other works as well- new chapter on Decay is up, and a Konosuba/MHA crossover with Spinner and Toga is something I'm having a hoot writing so feel free to show some love!

Ya boy, out.