Chapter 1!

New story because I couldn't get it out of my head and I actually ended up drafting and writing out a lot for this.

I may be getting ahead of myself with this one as I'm branching out from how I've written Izumi before as well as what I'm planning to cover and accomplish with this fic but I've really enjoyed it so far. I have a lot of extra stuff to cover but that will be in the end notes per usual along with important info recap.

To everyone who faved, followed, or reviewed thank you so much!

Enjoy, more notes at the end!

Chapter 1: A House of Cards

*Yu POV*

Yu groggily woke up, her head pounding as she stirred, and her blurred vision slowly refocused as she began recalling what happened.

She had recently set off on the first few steps of her 'Make it Big as a Hero' plan and finally moved into an apartment in Sapporo. The blonde wasn't exactly out of Hokkaido quite yet but the most populated city in the region was a big step up from the small town she called home. The building as a whole was a little on the cheap side but it fit her current money saving needs and that certainly outweighed its somewhat shady neighborhood.

At least that's what Yu had thought before now.

The blonde heroine had been returning one evening only to catch a grunt of a yakuza making a fuss close by and as a hero she'd decided to apprehend him. Given that Yu only had two sizes and there was no room for her to grow, she had opted to not use her quirk and just as she was confronting the man something hit her in the back of the head and a new voice came in to chastise the thug that she had gone after. The blonde should have thought of the possibility of another yakuza but it was too late for that now. Her arms were bound behind her back at the wrists while she sat in a crummy folding chair and the blonde was in what looked like a storeroom of some kind of office building. Using her quirk was a no go since Yu was indoors and had no clue where she was but her ears suddenly honed in on a faint voice that was getting closer.

"You morons!" it called out in reprimand as its volume grew. "Not only did you attack a hero but you were stupid enough to bring them back to one of our offices?!" they questioned angrily and Yu heard a hurried apology.

"They saw us Boss!" one of the other voices, similar to the one that the blonde woman had heard before passing out, responded just outside the door before the handle jiggled loudly.

Yu couldn't help but stare as a green haired woman entered the room before the grunt and Yu's sneak attacker followed after her. Had the heroine not heard that this woman was the boss she might have mistaken the greenette for an office worker. The green haired woman wore a classic suit, black suit pants, jacket, and dress shoes, with a white dress shirt, while a green tie that matched with her hair was done loosely around her unbuttoned collar. The clothes were fitted more towards her body of course and she also wore a pair of black leather gloves. Her green eyes had a sharpness to them that made Yu think of a snake coiling around its prey while her green locks were swept behind her ear on one side while left alone on the other. The second the woman had caught the blonde's gaze she frowned.

"Didn't cover their eyes or ears either and are only telling me now?" she grumbled, briefly glancing a side eye at the older of the two men behind her, before the greenette walked up to Yu and circled around her. "Well at least you were smart enough to slap a quirk suppressor on her," the greenette noted much to Yu's surprise and discomfort and the woman came back around and stopped to stand in front of the bound hero.

"A female yakuza?" the blonde wondered aloud, unable to help the surprise in her voice, and the woman looked her up and down before shrugging.

"Don't happen often," she commented offhandedly, clearly knowing exactly just how rare it was. "Our group is small and I took over after the idiot I married got himself killed," the greenette explained thoughtlessly as she shook her head with an amused huff. "Heavens know my dumb boys would have been lost without me."

The woman chuckled for a moment to herself and Yu noted that the two men didn't look offended at the words, instead the younger one seemed a bit sheepish, but the greenette eventually seemed satisfied before calling back to her underlings.

"Look her up and find out how popular she is," the boss ordered while one of them hastily got to it. "I wanna know if she's gonna be missed," she added on and Yu couldn't help but feel insulted by the words.

"Of course I'd be missed! I'm a hero!" the blonde retorted as if it was obvious yet the woman just raised one eyebrow at her indignant display.

"A lot of upstart heroes never make a breakthrough and just fade out," the greenette informed her nonchalantly, uninterested in Yu's reaction, "natural with how inflated the profession is."

"It might be competitive but still..." the young heroine trailed off quietly, not really having thought of such things before, and one of the men handed the greenette a phone.

"There you are," the yakuza woman hummed, grabbing Yu's attention. "Mt. Lady, debuted in Obihiro within the last year with semi-decent popularity," she listed off thoughtfully while scrolling the information. "Hm," the greenette perked up, her eyes going from the device back to the heroine, "went to a hero college huh?" she curiously noted. "Your parents pick your high school for you or did you feel pressured into it?" the green haired yakuza followed up while returning her gaze to the screen as if she wasn't asking personal questions.

Yu silently stewed to herself as the woman continued her uncaring investigation and the blonde even gnawed a little at her lip in frustration. The heroine was secretly a tad ashamed about not attending a high school with a heroics course and even more upset about what high school she actually had gone to. It wasn't exactly a bad thing but Yu certainly didn't like to bring it up in detail.

"Obihiro..." the woman mumbled in thought which brought the blonde back to attention, "guess it was agriculture huh?" she figured, making the heroine flinch and heat up in embarrassment. "Spot on," the woman whistled lowly, "New hero Mt. Lady helps at local farm," she read aloud while showing the article off to the captured woman.

"Have a problem with that?!" Yu growled, her anger flaring out again, but the older woman just gave an amused snort at her outburst.

It was true, Yu was from a small agriculture focused town called Shimizu and, even though she wanted to be a hero, people had always told her how great her quirk was for farming while also not for heroics. It took a while for her to make up her mind and do what she really wanted but by that time she was already nearly through her 3rd year at an agricultural high school in Obihiro. A number of heroes also had a side job or two, whether they needed it or simply loved it, and Yu would sometimes pitch in when it came to the agricultural scene since she was familiar with it and wanted to make more money. The blonde heroine was broken from her thoughts as the woman cleared her throat and shifted in front of her.

"Not my place to say it but it's just not so common nowadays," the yakuza boss stated factually. "This geezer I know told me that back in the day most hero schools were universities," she informed all of a sudden, "as times changed though they switched to high schools to get people started and taught earlier like a vocational school," the greenette further explained but her eyes gave away her disinterest. "They still have some special hero universities around for people with specific circumstances or those who want to further their knowledge of the field or subcategories of it."

The blonde heroine subconsciously nodded her head since she had attended such a university. The practice of hero universities differed across the world but in Japan they were certainly more on the rare side. Even then, choosing to go to a university could also be purely for specialization as opposed to a full formal education of the field. For that reason, even graduated high school hero course students would sometimes apply to further their knowledge in a desired vein. That fact helped keep places operating and it also meant that missing out in high school wasn't the end if you wanted to be in heroics. That said, hero universities did have a somewhat higher tuition fee and the late start meant a late debut in a competitive market.

"It just means I haven't made my formal debut in the big city yet," the heroine complained quietly while giving a soft click of her tongue.

It was an uncommon practice but Yu was actually an independent hero at the moment.

The blonde's initial debut had of course been Obihiro but her plan was to slowly make her way over to Tokyo, building a following as she went along, and then make a big splash. Most newbie heroes were picked up as sidekicks by agencies that were invested in them but because of that status, despite gaining a starting platform, you lost some individual achievement which could make your popularity growth slower overall. So while it was tougher and considered reckless to forge out on your own, it also afforded you some extra freedoms in a few departments as well. In fact, Miruko was an independent hero as she had no agency nor any affiliation with some kind of hero institute yet the rabbit hero was the highest ranking heroine in Japan as well as a top ten hero overall. Because of that, it wasn't as if independent heroes couldn't become successful and Yu decided to take the same starting route to build up some money and fame first before settling in.

"Mm," the woman grunted at her words, back to reading about the heroine. "Seems to like being in the spotlight and sometimes causes more damage than she wants," the greenette pointed out, gaining another flush of red from Yu's face. "She commented that she hopes to have her own agency one day," she finished, moving the phone over her shoulder while the man who gave it to her retrieved it. "Probably looking for a place in a major city," the yakuza said more to herself despite studying the blonde hero. "Higher competition but more crime, more fame, and more money," she rattled off and there was a moment of silence before Yu spoke back up.

"Had enough fun prying into my life yet?" the blonde sharply ground out but the woman's demeanor suddenly shifted while she gained a more pleasant expression.

"You two," the boss called back over her shoulder without taking her eyes off the bound blonde. "Move my guest to a better room," she tasked, confusing the hero, while turning around and heading for the door, "I'll take care of the rest."

"Right away, Boss," the pair quickly responded as she exited and Yu's body tensed up as they approached her.

The blonde didn't know what the yakuza woman was planning but she certainly didn't trust her and the out of nowhere change only served to make the hero uncomfortable and suspicious. They clearly weren't letting her free but she didn't understand what they were after or even what she could possibly give for them to change their treatment of her.

"Apologies for earlier miss," the man who had knocked her out said calmly, "please follow us this way."

The heroine chose not to protest much this time, the abrupt shift from even the grunts putting her further on edge, so she took the time to reorganize her thoughts and try to keep a level head. The men courteously led her into a nice office room and prepared a comfortable seat in front of a desk before leaving. Yu was forced through a short bout of silence before she heard a soft rapping on the door and after another moment the greenette from earlier entered the room. The woman gave her a pleasant smile, her eyes nearly closing as her lips quirked, and a chill ran along Yu's spine. The boss removed her suit jacket and placed it on the chair behind the desk and then rolled up her sleeves just below her elbows. The blonde hero was about to speak up but her mouth snapped shut as the green haired yakuza pulled out a short, sheathed, blade. Yu remained frozen in uncertainty as the woman drew near to her but she suddenly found her hands unbound.

"Let's get you out of these," the greenette remarked warmly, "afraid I'll have to keep the suppressors on though," she apologized while circling around the desk, placing the weapon down, and standing behind it. "Can I offer you something to drink?"

"N-no," the heroine managed to breath out dryly, trying to calm herself again.

The green haired woman gained an amused smirk at how the blonde responded but she then silently took her seat at the other side of the desk. Again, her eyes studied the heroine in a such a way that Yu felt as if a snake was preparing to suffocate her and all she could do was wait for the yakuza to speak up first. The woman tapped a gloved finger on her desk slowly and rhythmically for a moment before putting on a business smile.

"What's your price?" she asked pleasantly, the question and tone catching Yu off guard, and the heroine floundered for a moment.

"Huh?" the young blonde replied, still confused, but the greenette wasn't put off.

"You keep our business quiet and I keep your pockets lined," the other woman happily stated, "or maybe you want an image boost?" she offered instead. "I can get some of our businesses to promote you if you prefer," she fired off swiftly but Yu was still too stunned to respond to what she was hearing. "We can even negotiate both but you'll have to give me a little something too if you want that," she explained kindly with her closed eye smile. "You can think of it like a private sponsor," the yakuza told her and Yu felt insulted by the insinuation.

"I'm not going to accept a bribe or make a deal with you!" the heroine shouted out angrily, ready to jump from her seat, but her eyes nervously darted to the blade resting on the yakuza's desk.

"Come now," the greenette continued unperturbed, "it's quite a good offer," she claimed with a gesture of her arms. "You started in Obihiro and now you're here in Sapporo," she reminded, laying out Yu's planned route. "I know you want to move up the ladder," the green haired woman noted assuredly.

"There's no reason for me to have to accept," the blonde ground out. "You don't have anything over me!" she yelled but the greenette's smile only grew a touch entertained.

"Oh?" the woman murmured with a hint of playfulness. "I just have to make up that you accepted bribe money from criminals," she supplied simply and Yu exploded again.

"Like that will be enough!" the heroine snapped back but the greenette shook her head.

"Spreading cheap rumors to idiots is an easy way to basically make something true," she revealed, making the blonde shut her mouth. "Keep that in mind going forward, hero," the yakuza half teased before gaining a look as if she just had an idea. "Why don't you ask me some questions?" the green haired boss suddenly offered which brought the blonde hero back down to earth.

"What good would that do?" the younger woman had to ask, nearly growling in annoyance, and the greenette sighed as if the heroine was failing to learn something.

"Deals sometimes need some good faith," she explained courteously and Yu took a moment to think things through.

In all honesty, it wasn't as if the heroine could do much right now. The greenette was armed, definitely dangerous, and the blonde didn't know what her quirk was while also having her own quirk restricted due to the suppressors and the surroundings. Even learning one helpful thing could go a long way so the young woman didn't really have anything else to lose at the moment.

"Fine," Yu agreed before raising her hands up to show off her individually cuffed wrists, "where and how did you get these suppressors?" she questioned which only made the greenette's smile grow.

"They're an older prototype supplied to us by the Detnerat Company," the woman divulged and the heroine's mind began to race.

"The lifestyle support company?" she recalled in shock, "and what the hell do you mean supplied?!" she pressed, her voice raising once more.

"Exactly as I said," the boss calmly clarified. "The company itself gave those to us," she reassured without a hint of any deception, "we've got healthy relationships with plenty of support item companies."

"I thought they only dealt with lifestyle gear," Yu tried but the woman only chuckled at her.

"Plenty of support companies, hero focused or not, get contracted for items by government affiliated groups like the police," the yakuza disclosed while the heroine paid close attention. "They either want greater quality, special items, cut costs, or some combination of such things," she listed out in example but a sudden thought came to the blonde's mind.

"If this gets out then what do you think will happen?" she asked in half bluff and half threat yet the greenette didn't budge an inch.

"What's more credible, the word of a single newbie hero who people think worked with villains or a huge support item company that make tons of peoples' lives easier and the police?" the greenette pointed out while the blonde tried to keep an even face. "What next?"

It may have been a weak attempt but Yu was still disturbed by how quickly and thoroughly the greenette responded. The blonde hadn't been a hero very long so she didn't exactly know all the kinds of deals that happened behind closed doors. Was it common for support companies to work with criminals and by that extent did the police also do such a thing? Maybe it was instead case by case or by area but the greenette talked about it as if it was just regular business. Hell, the older woman had even wanted to make a deal with her and Yu doubted that she was so special as to be the only hero this woman had bribed. The thoughts were a bit overwhelming at the moment so the blonde turned her focus back onto the greenette.

"Who are you?" she asked next and the green haired yakuza gave a little bow of her head.

"Midoriya Izumi," she introduced pleasantly. "As I said, I'm the boss of this little group of yakuza and I took over after my husband died," she reiterated, "I'm 28 and my hobbies are striking deals that make money, baking, and going to batting cages," she finished lightheartedly and Yu narrowed her eyes.

"What's your quirk?" the blonde heroine tried next and a strange something flashed in the yakuza's, Midoriya's, eyes.

"I hate using it but as an exception for you I'll show you once," the greenette told her.

Yu nodded and then immediately tensed up when the yakuza was no longer behind the desk but instead sitting on top of it from the front. The woman's right leg was crossed over her left while she took a thinking pose and rested her cheek in her gloved hand as an almost smug look flickered in her eyes. Yu silently stared up at her and Midoriya gazed back down at her.

"I can teleport within a short range," the greenette disclosed simply before hopping down and instead leaning on the desk. "It's cowardly in a fight which is why I hate it," she further explained as her business smile returned. "Don't make me use it again, okay?" she requested politely but something hidden in her tone seriously creeped Yu out. "Made up your mind yet?" the greenette asked and the blonde frowned.

Of course Yu had plans to become a popular hero but she did still work really hard. Even if the promises of money and promotions sounded tempting the blonde still wanted it to be through her general merit. She was in a bad situation, there was no other way to slice it, since she was currently trapped and had no means of getting help. The blonde tried playing a few more scenarios through her head but she truly doubted that she could trick this woman by taking the deal and than turning on her. In the end there was really only one answer.

"Yeah," the heroine nodded but her eyes hardened instead of becoming resigned. "There's no way I'll work with a crazy, two-faced, lady like you," she refused adamantly, knowing it wasn't exactly smart, and Midoriya's smile receded a touch.

"Call me all the names you want," the greenette told her while beginning to tap a finger. "I'm interested in business and profits so I'll lay it out clear for you," she continued with a wave of her hand. "You have three options and the best one is to make a deal while the other two are exclusively up to me," Midoriya tried, her threat thinly veiled, but the young blonde smirked at her.

"Oh yeah?" Yu challenged, further trying to provoke the greenette. "I can decide that for myself," she sneered and the heroine was certain that she had made the yakuza mad.

The greenette basically outright admitted that she wouldn't use her quirk so Yu was prepared to get hurt if it meant that she could catch the woman off guard. It definitely wasn't the smartest plan out there but it was the best she had so she needed to just trust in her own abilities. Midoriya's eyes closed again in that snakelike formal smile and she slowly removed her gloves as Yu waited to spring into action.

"Should have just accepted my deal," the greenette said calmly and the blonde went for her surprise attack.

However, the heroine let loose a sudden gasp when she found that the older woman was instantly leaning over her, clearly having used her quirk, and her left arm was outstretched so it was positioned on the backrest of Yu's seat. The blonde could hear the yakuza's grip digging into the chair's upholstery as she hovered over her and the greenette brought her other hand up towards Yu's neck, her thumb and forefinger now against the heroine's chin, and she raised her face upwards.

"Okay then," Midoriya quietly whispered down to her, causing the young woman to freeze up, "here are the other two options."

Their faces were so close that Yu wasn't sure what the woman was going to do but the unsettling business smile that the green haired woman was using became terrifying as her green eyes opened slightly to stare down at her coldly.

"Do I kill you or keep you?"

Notes and Stuff

I'm gonna try and put some twists on this pairing so we'll see if my ideas for it come to proper fruition. Yu is 22 here while Izumi is 28

I mentioned branching out with this Izumi and it's because I've never actually written a criminal/villain Izumi quite yet and here she is as a yakuza boss.

Female yakuza bosses have happened before but they're extremely rare cases and the yakuza will also have some changes here since it's the BNHAverse. Izumi will explain all that stuff going forward. Her group is based in Sapporo and irl there is a known branch organization there. Though, like I said, there will be certain changes based on the verse.

Yu is canonically from Hokkaido and, while this part isn't canon, in the spinoff gag manga Boku no Hero Academia Smash! Yu mentions that she went to an agricultural high school and also would use her quirk to help enclosure transfer at farms so I thought those would be interesting points. In this fic, Yu went to Hokkaido Obihiro Agricultural High School and is from the town Shimizu. It's a small farming focused town that's 1 1/2 hrs away from Obihiro and 2 1/2 hrs away from Sapporo by railway. Yu has been a hero for less than a year at this point since she went to a university and it is canon that Miruko doesn't have an agency and is not affiliated with a hero institute so I used that point for why Yu isn't a sidekick.

I'll probably have dark themes going forward but I'll likely leave them only implied.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and look forward to more updates from me!