Chapter Thirty-One
~Kana's POV~
"Are you sure they said they'd meet us here? I mean, this is a bit... public for Kai's paranoia." Kana muttered to Shina as they walked into a ritzy hotel in downtown Mustafu. There were fashionable ladies and handsome gentlemen walking past, some of them eyed Kana's jeans and t-shirt combo with a judging eye, she did her best to ignore them. Shina wasn't any better in her leggings and graphic tee with simple shoes. Shina didn't appear to even notice the looks, although Kana knew she rarely missed a thing.
"I thought so to." Shina shared looking around the lobby. "Kira said they're on the 8th floor, room 1804." Kana looked around the giant lobby they were in before she spotted the elevators.
"Elevators are over there." Shina nodded once and followed Kana to the elevators. They hopped on without any issues from the obviously disapproving bell hop. Kana pressed '8' and stuck her tongue out at the bellhop before the doors closed.
"That wasn't very mature Kana." The amusement in Shina's tone belied her chiding. Kana smiled at Shina.
"You didn't raise me to be mature." Shina barked a laugh.
"Yeah you're right about that." Kana enjoyed the light teasing between them. The last 24 hours hadn't really been light as the news of Grandpa Nikolai's passing was difficult for them to even think about.
Not that he was really their grandfather. Nikolai was, or had been, the head of the Russian mafia. He was a powerful man who commanded all kinds of people from regular workers, to heroes, to villains and to assassins as they helped keep his city of St. Petersburg safe from Heroes and Villains who tried to upend their structure. They'd first met Nikolai when they'd failed to steal some jewelry from him. He'd caught them and by all rights should have killed them for trying to 'embarrass' him. Instead, he'd taken them in. He'd helped train them to be better thieves as well as use their Quirks for semi-illegal purposes. Kana hadn't known her real grandfather, he'd passed before she had been born. In an odd roundabout way, Nikolai had filled that role by helping train them and care for them. Kana and her brothers learned to fight better under his care. He had even saved Shina from an abusive and toxic engagement with his only son, choosing her over blood. The Nara Clan had come to have a soft spot for the man, to hear of his passing had hit them hard.
The elevator coming to a stop jolted Kana from her thoughts. The doors opened to reveal a clean and tastefully decorated hallway with doors lining all sides. Shina and Kana walked down the hall, searching for room 1804 when Shina nudged Kana, pulling her attention to the door that Shina had found. Kana knocked on the door before stating,
"Kyo it's me, Yuuki!" Shina snorted at the phrase. Kana didn't have to wait as the door opened but didn't open further than an inch. Shina caught the door before it closed and locked them out. Shina quickly pushed Kana into the room before closing the door behind them. Kana froze as she found a sword in her face. Her eyes crossed as she stared at the tip pointed right at her nose. She followed the sword's admittedly beautiful length up to the teen who was holding the sword in her face. His expression was locked in a fierce scowl as he stared her down. He was darker than the normal Japanese or Russian which was surprising considering where he grew up, but he was tall and well muscled.
"We don't know any Kyo. Get out of here before I filet you alive nerd." Kana cleared her throat.
"Okay if you're going to threaten me Kai, at least do it on an even playing field so I can kick your butt without anyone saying I cheated."
"Kai be nice." Kira's voice sounded from somewhere behind Kai's imposing frame. He'd grown, Kana thought distantly as the sword disappeared from her face. Kai had more muscle on him than James did making him appear bigger than Kana had last seen him. Kana followed Kai as he walked past the small hallway to the large room with a small living area and two beds against the far wall. Sitting on one of the beds was a young woman in a black bodysuit. Her hair was framed with choppy bangs that had a single red streak in them while the rest was pulled back in a ponytail. She had a thin scar on her face that stretched from the right side to the left while another scar stretched over her left eye. Despite the scars she was still beautiful with her Asian features and sweet smile. "Kana!" Kira bounced up and towards her.
"KIRA!" Kana squealed in happiness as she launched forward and hugged her best friend in the whole world. It was a label that Kana didn't give lightly as it was true, Kira was her best friend. No offense to the UA boys but Kira knew all about Kana's secrets. Some that Shina didn't even know. The hug was brief but heartfelt before Kana jumped back to survey the rest of the room. Shina currently had Kai in a hug that had Kana snickering at as he tried to get away, but even his strength wasn't enough to get away from Shina who merely created a light rope to force her hug on the stoic 16-year-old assassin. When Shina finally gave up Kana saw the brief smile Kai held before he wiped his face clean.
"It's good to see you guys." Shina spoke as confusion marred her features. "Where's Yoshi?"
"He's in the other room." Kira stated. "He's watching over our newest addition." Kana frowned in confusion.
"'Newest addition'?" Kana asked turning to Kira. Kira sighed and looked at Kai.
"It's a long story."
"We have time." Shina countered.
"We were driving on the backroads near Lake Ladoga, and we ended up at a fork in the road. I was going to go right but Kai said to go left and when I said why he said just do it. So, I drove that way and then not even a minute later he tells me to stop. So, me, thinking we were going to be ambushed, stomped on the brakes. Kai," Kira glared at Kai who scoffed at her retelling. "Then gets out of the car without telling me anything so I grabbed Yoshi and hauled him out of the car and into the nearby woods. We hunkered down while this dodo brain just calmly walks down the road a few ways before he then moves to one side and then kneels."
"She's being dramatic." Kai stated bluntly to Shina who raised one eyebrow at him. "I did tell her to stop but that was because I saw something."
"You didn't say 'I see something in the bushes'! You just said 'Stop the car'. For crying out loud Kai, we're running from two psychopaths, why would you tell me something so vague?!" Kira growled. Kana agreed with Kira and voiced this.
"I mean, that's facts right there. You yourself told me that stopping for anything is dumb and could likely get you killed." Kai dramatically sighed, looking up at the ceiling like he was praying to a god.
"Great, there's two of them now."
"Okay can we get back to the point of why you stopped?" Shina asked calmly getting Kira and Kai to calm themselves down. Kira leaned against the desk as she continued.
"So, we stop and we're hiding in the bushes and this dodo is crouching by the side of the road and I can't clearly see what he's doing so I think, maybe he's been compromised? I pulled out my gun," Kira indicated the sniper rifle that Kana hadn't noticed leaning against the headboard. She wondered how in the cosmos Kira had managed to bring that up here without being seen.
"We're gonna have to have a talk about gun safety among the common people," Shina stated firmly. "But go on."
"I got him in my sights but before I can pull the trigger or anything, Kai gives me the signal to stand down and calls to me, 'I found a child'. I didn't really hear him because I was too far, but Yoshi heard him and repeated it and I was like, what is a child doing here?" Kira hopped onto the hotel desk and continued talking, seeing Kana and Shina's own confusion. "Of course, I didn't come out immediately because I was worried there still might be someone out there and I didn't want my head blown off, but Kai eventually got me to come out. He'd found a small boy just sitting in the grass by the road."
"How old is he?" Kana asked not liking where this story had gone. Who would just leave a child on the side of the road? In Russia? It was summer but the nights were usually cold where the Base was.
"We're not really sure." Kai spoke up. Kana looked to him. "He can't talk very well. He can repeat after us and for some reason meows a lot, he even talks to himself, but it sounds like baby talk. He can walk but he has diapers." Kana was pretty sure that was the definition of a baby, or maybe a toddler? She wasn't really sure. She'd never really been very interested in babies.
"Do you mind if I meet him?" Shina hesitantly asked.
"Yeah we were hoping you could take a look." Kira spoke. "You've had experience with babies and kids." She glanced at Kana. Kana just nodded as Shina did have this experience.
"It would be better if you took him to a doctor to see if he has any medical issues or any possible 'defects' that could have resulted in him being abandoned. For all you know, he was abandoned for a reason. Not that there's any good reason to abandon a child." Shina grumbled the last part.
"He's so cute and sweet though. Why would anyone want to abandon him?" Kira cried in outrage. Shina opened her mouth to respond but a knock at the door stopped this. Everyone in the room tensed as they looked at the door.
"You can either open the door or we can travel to the closet and pretend we're monsters." James' voice came, completely deadpan.
"Open the door." Shina sighed.
"You sure that's James?" Kira asked not getting off the desk. Kana was sure that this was James as she didn't think anyone could threaten to haunt Kira and Kai from the closet without sounding completely insane.
"If it isn't then I'm sure Kai wouldn't mind beating him up a bit." Kana stated dryly. Kai went to open the door while Kira whispered to Kana.
"I don't think Kai would get much enjoyment from beating his 'furry'." Kana snickered with Kira while they watched Kai open the door. Yuto was the first through the door and received Kai's sword to his face just as Kana had. Yuto was pulled back and replaced with James glare who held up a ball of his Chaos Sphere.
"If you don't want me to destroy your favorite sword I'd get it out of my face." James hissed.
"Come at me furry." Kai growled. Kana could honestly see these two idiots simply watching their anime later today on the 3rd floor den or playing their video games. Living with more boys was going to be such a hassle. She supposed it was okay as long as she and Kira were together. They could handle their respective brothers if they got on their nerves.
"Boys." Shina admonished, rolling her eyes.
"Can you two just get in here and close the door already? Kai have your weird bromance reunion later. We were talking." Kira called. Kana saw Yuto thankfully moved to close the door so no more could be heard from possible eavesdroppers.
"Don't say my name so loud!" Kai hissed.
"The door is closed." Kana reminded him.
"Come on boys." Shina called. "We were getting some background information on a new member." Kai and James stared at each other for a few more minutes until James smirked and Kai reached out his fist. They fist bumped before they started to whisper something that Kana honestly wasn't very interested in knowing.
"What we're getting someone else too?" Yuto asked, plopping down on the couch and crossing his legs. "Who is it?"
"We call him Kaito." Kira answered. "He's in the other room with Yoshi right now. He's still a baby so he needs naps and with how much travelling we've been doing; he's still let lagged."
"A toddler?" James snorted. "Since when did you two want a baby tagging along?" He asked Kai.
"Apparently he was abandoned on the side of a road in Russia. Kai found him when they were fleeing St. Petersburg." Shina stated. "I'm guessing since they dragged him this far, they want to keep him?" She looked over at Kira who nodded.
"Yes." Kira answered like it was obvious. "Plus, there was the whole entire reason that we came initially." At the reminder Kana and her cousins shared a look.
"You two have a lot of stories you've been holding haven't you?" Shina asked. Kira shared a look with Kai who nodded.
"A few weeks back Nikolai started to get sick. We tested all his food and drink to be sure he wasn't being poisoned but there was never anything wrong with it. We had three different physicians check his medications, what little he took, but those came back clean. We weren't sure what was going on, at least until Yoshi came to Kira and said he needed to show her something." Kana looked at Kira who was nervously twisting her hands together.
"Because of his Quirk, you all know Yoshi is in charge of the Security cameras and internet logs." Everyone nodded or gave a hum of agreement. "He pulled me into a private room and showed me a clip of uh," Kira gave a nervous glance to Shina. "Him using his Quirk on Nikolai. He was draining Nikolai for weeks before he finished the job and killed his own father." Kana felt a bloom of sadness appear before anger followed shortly after.
"I knew that asshole was no good." James growled.
"And yet you were okay with Shina marrying him?" Kana asked skeptically. "We could have ended up with him as our 'older brother'."
"I know he was always a bit... intense." Shina murmured. "But I find it a bit hard to believe that he would kill his own father. Even if he was weak, Dimitri loved his father."
"Time changes people." Kai announced. "When Nikolai told us you were under the Love Spell of Angelique we all assumed that Angelique had doused Shina for her own purposes. Things got a bit convoluted when Dimitri went ballistic the day after you left." Kana frowned at Kira who was nodding along with Kai's retelling of the ill-fated Wedding Day.
"No one reasonable would have reacted that way." Kira stated. "He threw what was the equivalent of a temper tantrum."
"How do you figure things got convolulu- whatever you just said?" James asked with a confused frown.
"Some of what Yoshi showed us in clips, in the early stages, look like Angelique was using her Quirk to enhance Dimitri's affections for Shina. I'm guessing it was to help smooth along the transition of having you guys added to the 'family' but at some point she stopped using her Quirk on him and only used this on Shina entirely." Kai answered.
"Angelique wouldn't do that would she?" Yuto asked looking to James. Kana looked as well. James blinked he saw everyone looking at him.
"Wha- I don't know! I hardly knew her!"
"She was always hanging on you whenever we saw you two." Kira stated.
"Okay I don't know what her deal was but I barely knew the girl." James argued. "All I knew was her name and that she was Nikolai's daughter."
"What about when she asked if you would go on a date with her?" Shina asked. James jerked making Kana snicker.
"I would never date her!" He cried out. "Can we please get back on track here? I'm getting uncomfortable here." He shuddered in disgust.
"Dimitri killed Nikolai." Shina sighed. "We can't talk about motives since we clearly don't know what's going on there. What we do know is that Dimitri killed Nikolai with his Quirk. My only question is why are you guys here?" Kira and Kai shifted uncomfortably.
"Well, we didn't want to stay in Russia with how much Dimitri and Angelique were changing things, so we left. We took Yoshi because we didn't want to leave him there." Kira stated. "We figured we would be better off with someone who cared about us and we honestly didn't know who else to turn to."
"We're going to take care of you guys don't worry." Kana promised Kira as she looked at Shina with pleading eyes. "Right Shina?"
"Sure." Shina shrugged. "But I do have to warn you guys, we're currently on a job." Kira tilted her head to the side.
"What kind of a job?" Kana leaned forward with a large grin on her face as she told Kira.
"We're working with villains." Kira's eyes widened in shock.
"What?"
~Kira's POV~
"What do you mean you're working with Villains?" Kira demanded to know. Shock was at the forefront of Kira's mind as she looked at Shina. Of all the things she had expected to hear, this wasn't it. Shina sighed and ran a hand through her red hair. Distantly, Kira's mind registered that while she really missed seeing Shina's black curly hair, she did look good with the straight, red hair. She wondered if she should take this chance to chance her image up. Kira mentally shook her head, back on track.
"I thought you guys were on vacation?" Kai asked bringing Kira's focus back to the matter at hand. He had crossed his arms and was staring down the Nara's in disappointment. "Not shacking up with Villains. Did you learn nothing from Nikolai's advice?"
"Okay one, low blow. Two, we were on vacation! For six months. We couldn't be on vacation forever as much as it pains me to say." Shina sighed as she answered. "And three, it kind of got complicated after I was contacted by one of my Japanese contractors to come and do a job. Turns out, the job wasn't offered so much as given to me with no chance of refusal."
"How?" Kira asked. "How in the world did they get you to agree with this? You guys don't have any tracks. Yoshi made sure of that." If anyone threatened her Kana they were going to die! A very painful and bloody death that Kira would take great pleasure in making happen.
"I don't want to interrupt but it's probably best if we bring Yoshi in here to talk about this as a group." Yuto said. "He shouldn't miss out on this especially if he can help us get out of this contract. You know?"
"Yeah that's a good point Yu."
"He's watching Kaito." Kira reported. "We can't leave him alone, he may fall off the bed or worse, he may wake up and think we abandoned him." The guilt of even thinking of that scenario hurt Kira's chest.
"I don't feel comfortable talking about this here anyway." James stated. "Any chance we can take you guys to our house, and we can talk there? There's better security there and no one has to be worried about anyone barging in to kill us all."
"He has a point." Kana stated. Kira looked to Kai who met her eyes. She trusted the Nara clan to not betray them. She knew Kai would be okay with this, it was for the best and was the reason they had come to them. This new update aside, they were among the best possible options for a, second home if you would. After all, Nikolai had given Shina the Belikova family knife when she'd fled Russia. Which meant she was the rightful heir to the Belikova family. Something Angelique hadn't been very happy to find out. She'd screeched for days about it.
"I'll go get Yoshi. Kai get our bags." Kira stated as she hopped off the desk in the hotel room. "Yoshi paid for the room until tomorrow so if anyone is following us, they won't be able to follow us if Kana is going to teleport us somewhere else. We can leave the keys here in the room." Yoshi had actually just hacked the system and 'paid' for the room. All they'd had to do was sign in at the front desk and pick up the room keys. There was no money or credit cards exchanged for their stay. No trail at all.
"If you don't mind, I'm going to come with you." Shina pushed off the wall that she was leaning against when Kira nodded her agreement. Kira walked to the connecting doorway and knocked on the door in a specific pattern to let Yoshi know she was coming in. When she entered the other room she saw Yoshi sitting on the couch with holographic screens in front of him. There were lines of code and symbols floating in a circle around his head that disappeared in the blink of an eye allowing Yoshi to stand up and face her.
"Hey Yoshi!" Shina greeted. Yoshi's face lit up as he registered Shina's face.
"Hello Shina!" Despite how many years he'd worked in Russia, Yoshi's Egyptian accent was still present in his voice. It was slight but comforting as he greeted Shina who gave him a hug. "It is good to see you. I'll be glad to get out of here and back to your house."
"You were listening?" Shina asked him. Kira left Yoshi and Shina to get caught up as she walked to the beds where their newest member lay asleep. Kaito was a small, thin child with a head full of unruly dark hair. He also possessed the prettiest chocolate brown eyes Kira had ever seen, but maybe she was just biased as he was a baby. Currently, Kaito was passed out, laying on his side and slightly drooling onto the mattress. A small blanket that they'd picked up on the way to the hotel here in Japan covered him from the room's cold air.
Kira brushed his curls away from his face before she quickly grabbed the blue Shark bag pack of things they'd snatched from stores for him to wear and made sure none of his things were left behind. She pulled the bag pack on before she leaned over and gently pulled Kaito up and into her arms, covering him with the blanket so he was still warm. Kaito didn't wake up, he simply nuzzled into her neck as she got a good hold on him. When she was turned around she saw Yoshi was already gone and Shina was waiting.
"Yoshi went to the other room. He wanted to see Yuto." Kira should have guessed. He and Yuto were best friends in the same way she and Kana were. "Is this Kai?" Shina asked indicating the baby.
"Yeah." Kira gently pulled down the blanket to show some of his features for Shina to see.
"He's cute." Shina murmured as she got a look at him. Shina narrowed her eyes as she seemed to assess him. "He still has some baby fat on him. From his cute little teeth there, looks like he has a full set already. Do you mind if I check him?" Shina held up her hand.
"Go ahead. He's a good baby." Kira stated. Which was partly why she didn't understand why anyone would want to abandon him. He didn't cry at all, except when he needed something or the one and only time they'd had to get into a fight with the assassin that had managed to track them down before they'd left Russia. That had ended with a dead man and a screaming Kaito that had taken Kira a long time to get calmed down. She hadn't put him down until they'd gotten into the room here. Shina used her hand to run her light over him. "I thought you weren't that good at healing?"
"When you live with Kana, you get good pretty fast." Shina chuckled making Kira scoff.
"She's still a walking accident." Shina nodded.
"Yes but she's getting the hang of it. I haven't noticed many injuries on her lately. Except from training." Shina took on a wicked grin that had Kira's immediate interest. "When you have time, do me a favor and ask her about a boy named Bakugou Katsuki."
"Why?" Kira asked, drawing the word out.
"Her brothers tell me, she's got a soft spot for him." Kira blinked.
"Kana?" Shina nodded. "Really? Kana?"
"Yep. If you want more juicy gossip, ask Kana about James and a girl named Mina. She'll give you the details on that. Yuto had to give me the details a few weeks back."
"I sure have missed out on a lot of gossip." Kira murmured.
"Don't worry Kira," Shina pulled away. "You'll get caught up on everything we've been doing in the next 24 hours. Kaito will be okay, and so will you guys when we get back to the Ugly House." Shina promised. Kira nodded.
"Whatever you guys are mixed up in with villains, I trust you to make sure none of us come to any harm." Kira stated. Shina nodded.
"I'll do my best." Shina said. "Come on, we should get back to the other side." Kira nodded and followed behind Shina as they went back to the other room. Yoshi and Yuto were doing a fist bump, chattering away about anime and robots with A.I's. Kai and James were talking about something over in the corner, away from everyone while Kana was just waiting Shina and Kira to return. "Autobots, roll out!" Shina stated.
"Who are autobots?" Yoshi asked, his attention torn away from Yuto.
"Dude, how can you be the self-proclaimed Wifi King if you don't know movies?" Yuto asked. "You stream everything else."
"I prefer video games and you know it." Yoshi stated.
"Kana, open it." Shina sighed. Kira chuckled knowing she didn't want to get into this. Kana raised her hands, tossing two discs that opened to reveal a softly lit garden with many brightly colored flowers. "Let's go guys!" Yoshi and Yuto were the first through closely followed by Kira and Kaito. Kira looked around the garden to see many different varieties of flowers all around them, green grass was thick on the floor with garden furniture that was spread around the enclosed garden they were in. Behind her, Kira saw white marble steps that led to glass double doors. The side of the house, because Kira couldn't see a house with this many floors having a small backyard like this, showed three stories that were very generous in height.
"Wow," Kira vocalized.
"This is nice." Yoshi stated. "I'm glad to be able to come outside and not see endless amounts of snow."
"We never would have thought you would like to come outside." James said.
"I do prefer to come out of the cave and sun myself. You of all people should understand that furry." Yoshi clapped back. Kira laughed before she stopped as Kaito wiggled. She looked around and found a perfect chair to sit on and put Kaito down. She easily placed Kaito down on the lounge chair and grabbed two pillows from another chair to put on either side of him to prevent him from falling off.
"Hello miss." Kira glanced up, tensed for a fight, as a new voice came. Kai and Yoshi reacted pretty much the same way as a tall older man in a butler's outfit appeared. His salt and pepper hair paired with his aged expression nicely. The look in his eyes though, Kira didn't believe for one moment that he was just an ordinary butler. "Can I bring you anything?"
"Guys, this is Claude the butler. Claude, these are Kai, Yoshi, Kira and Kaito is the baby. They're going to be living with us moving forward." Shina introduced. "It would be best to not cause anyone to freak out."
"Hello children." Claude nodded his head. "If there is anything you require please call for me at any time. I shall hear you anywhere in the compound."
"Claude's Quirk is Super hearing." Shina explained making Kira nod her head slowly. "Claude if you could bring the rest of the staff? I want to introduce everyone to the newbies before someone gets killed." She gave Kai a look as he had been the one to unsheathe his sword. "And if you could bring us some food and drinks, I have a feeling we're going to be here talking for quite a while."
"Yes miss." Claude left them, heading up to the library entrance. Kira sat down on the lounge chair, getting comfortable for their long talk that would probably take half the night if they were lucky, all night if they weren't.
"Everyone grab a chair and I'll start to explain." Shina ordered. There were no interruptions as Shina went into explaining how she'd come to work for All for One and his apprentice Shigaraki Tomura, a name that had Yoshi taking note of as he researched while Shina talked about the mission they were currently on. Helping to aid Shigaraki in his endeavors to destroy society, mainly hero society, but society in general.
"So you're working for this psycho because you're basically being blackmailed?" Kira finally summarized when there was a break in the story telling.
"Yes." Shina stated.
"Why don't you just kill Shigaraki and All for One?" Kai asked.
"I've been asking that since day 1 my dude." James stated as he took a bite of his sandwich. "Unfortunately, they won't entertain this idea."
"Because as we've told you furry, we didn't know where All for One was and now he's in Tartarus Prison. Can't get to him now." Kana stated.
"Why not just kill Shigaraki then?" Kira asked.
"If we did there's no telling if All for One has a timed release on our information that Shigaraki helps to suppress." Shina answered. "They trapped us before we even knew we were trapped."
"That does seem bleak." Yoshi said. "I can't even find anything on possible whereabouts from a general search. I may be able to after a good nights sleep, a couple cups of coffee and some time, but right now? I got nothing."
"Thanks for looking Yosh." Kana smiled at him. Kira munched her Hot Cheetos in thought.
"Are you guys still going to work for the League?" She asked.
"What more can we do?" James asked. "They got us by the scruff of our necks."
"Well, you could double-cross them?" Kira asked. Then she noticed everyone looking at her she put down her chips and started to explain. "You guys don't like villains, that much is clear to us." She indicated her and Kai. "And if this keeps going on, something may happen where you guys end up taking the fall."
"I've thought of that." Shina sighed. "So far I have multiple files saved that details the League of Villains and their plans as well as the members names and data that are probably obsolete as of the fight almost a week ago. Right now? I have nothing to offer any heroes."
"Why not offer being a double agent then?" Kai asked.
"I don't trust this Hero Commission." Shina answered firmly. Kira frowned in confusion. Why was Shina not trying to go through this option? It would certainly be the best option. Unless there was something up with the Commission here in Japan. Kira would need to ask her about it later.
"Okay, so how about we join you in this?" Kira asked.
"What?" Kai protested. "I don't want to be on loan to villains."
"Kai hush up." Kira ordered. "I'm serious. We can join you guys and help you guys out. It would work especially if Yoshi was able to continue to work his techy wifi magic to find an answer. Or maybe one of us would be able to help get you guys out."
"You would do that for us?" Kana asked, giving Kira bambi eyes.
"Yes." Kira nodded. "You're our friends. Besides," Kira looked at Kai's eyes that were sparking with black lightning. "What else are we going to do that's this fun?"
~Shina's POV~
Shina looked up at the dirty warehouse with a wary eye. She didn't trust that it wouldn't come crashing down while she was inside. Unfortunately, the League was inside and she needed to find them. Shina sighed as she walked to the door. It was practically rusted shut and took a bit of force for her to pull it open enough for her to slip into the large space. The door that Shina cracked open was the exit for an abandoned office that led to a larger space that was filled with junk. Crates, boxes and mechanical equipment were piled up in some areas while the majority of the room was covered in a thick layer of dust. Shina was silent as she walked around the boxes, silent as a ghost until she rounded a corner and a hand on fire was suddenly in her face.
Shina didn't think as she immediately ducked under the hand and grabbed the wrist. She twisted her hold and pulled the arm downward flipping the man's body over her own, slamming him into the ground while twisting his arm behind his back. Shina quickly sat on him, pressing her knee into his back while she used her upper strength to press his arm into his back and also used her other hand to grip the man's throat. The hand that held his throat was alight with golden light that illuminated the blue eye glaring up at her.
"For an 'elite' member of the League of Villains, you were surprisingly easy to pin down Dabi." Shina couldn't help but tease. Dabi's hand lit up with blue flames but Shina increased her own light, protecting herself while also absorbing the light particles from Dabi's flames. "I don't know what you expected to happen with that trick." Shina stated.
"Thought you abandoned us." Dabi grunted.
"And leave your handsome mug? Not a chance."
"Sunfire." Shina looked up, not relinquishing her hold on Dabi as she processed the rest of the League watching them. Shigaraki sat on a bare couch looking much the same as she'd last saw him, except the look in his eyes was darker. Shina released Dabi, getting up and giving a squinty eyed smile.
"Hey Shiggy, what's new?" He didn't answer her question, but she could tell he was angry. She supposed he was going to lash out whether she brought good news or bad news, or any news in general.
"Where were you Sunfire?" Twice asked. "Could've used your help. We had it handled."
"Hey Twice, everyone! Good to see you all alive." Shina stated as she stood in front of the League. She didn't bother to find a place to sit as she didn't' want any dust or grime on her. "As to where I've been. Well, that's not a fun reminder but if you must know, I got locked up."
"What?" Twice's voice was the only loud one and honestly, the one that Shina responded to.
"I know! Can you believe it? A girl just minding her own business in this town getting kicked off a roof for, what did they call it, trespassing? But hey, I'm not all knowing or even all that powerful as I've told Shiggy on more than one occasion." She shrugged. "Just bad luck that it happened as I was on my way to warn you the heroes had a tracker on the Nomu's. Annoying blond hero." Shina thought back to the look on Hawks face as she'd straddled him and basically threatened him. It sent a thrill through her.
"A certain 'winged' hero?" Shigaraki spat out. Shina sighed.
"Yeah I know, I know. I apparently attract that birdbrain like a fly to honey. But that's besides the point here."
"Don't you have a cellphone?" Toga asked. She was sitting on top of a crate, swinging her legs back and forth.
"Accidental collision with a ball of chaotic energy. Needless to say, my cell is literally, no longer in existence." Shina whimpered. "I was so close to beating level 1000 on Candy Crush too."
"That's an awful lot of coincidence happening on the same day." Dabi stated. He'd finished brushing himself off and was glaring at her.
"I blame the universe honestly." Shina answered looking up at the ceiling. "That much activity on one day? Something on a godly plane was planning or conspiring." Shina blew out a breath. "But enough about me and my unfortunate run in with the law. I got caught up with Kana when I picked her up from the police station. Care to let me in on whatever you're planning to do now Shiggy?"
"You went back to the police station?" Mr. Compress asked. Shina frowned.
"No. That would have been stupid. I was taken to a different police station than the one I picked Kana up at." It's not like it would have mattered much anyway. Shina could have simply used an illusion to cover her identity. "So what do you need?" Shina asked staring at Shigaraki's red eyes.
"Revenge." Shina nodded but nothing more was said. Shina sweat dropped.
"You do realize I've been trying to help with that from the beginning right? I suppose I should have asked what do you need right now?" Shina glanced around at the warehouse in thinly veiled disgust. "Personally, I think it would be best if you had a better, well-connected base that no one would expect." Shina met Shigaraki's gaze. "Don't you?"
"I'm all for that." Toga announced happily.
"What do you suggest?" Shigaraki asked. Shina gave another squinty eye smile.
"A few of my members, the better-known ones, are going to be entering UA's new dorm system that was announced after the recent Hero/Villain clash." Shina announced. "My current residence is going to be emptier than usual due to this. And since I'm a Guardian to three students at UA, I doubt any hero in their right mind would ever figure out that I would be aiding villains."
"You'd really open up your home to us?" Spinner asked. "Are you sure?"
"Well it's just a house." Shina shrugged. "I doubt it would be for long unless our fearless Leader says otherwise." Shina glanced around the warehouse again. "Unless your going for a certain level of creep in staying in warehouses. Because that I could respect."
"Ooh can we Tomura? Can we live with Sunfire?" Toga begged happily.
"Do you have showers?" Mange asked. "Food? TV?"
"You mean basic amenities?" Shina asked in amusement. "Yes." She tilted her head. "Only, you will have to meet the other half of my clan. They've been busy with a side quest and have recently finished up."
"I thought you had no more members." Shigaraki asked suspiciously.
"Always expect the unexpected Shiggy." Shina remarked. Shigaraki hummed before he finally gave in.
"Fine." Shina nodded and looked up at the rafters to where the dark crouching figure hid.
"Egress?" A portal opened up behind Shina. Shina could hear crickets chirping and the wind came rushing out from behind her. "Follow me." Shina stepped backwards through the portal and motioned for everyone to follow her. The portal let them out onto the road just down the street from her driveway. Shina walked down the empty and dark road, leading the League with her natural light on where to go. When Shina glanced back she saw Shigaraki and the others following at a distance that was closing. The portal had closed behind them letting Shina know that Kana had probably already headed back to join the others inside to warn them they were coming.
"What are we doing in snob hill?" Spinner asked when he caught up to Shina. In her defense she wasn't walking that fast to the upcoming driveway with the black iron gates.
"Yeah won't this be suspicious?" Mange asked. "We don't blend in."
"Most of the houses in this area have long driveways. Mainly because everyone likes their privacy." Shina answered as she came into view of the guard house to her own driveway. "Most people have guards at the front gates that don't really pay attention as they're all too far back anyway. Yo Jean Von Billy Bob, I'm home!" On cue, the dark-skinned, bald-headed Louisianian poked his head out of the guard house.
"Good ta see ya miss! See you brought some friends witcha'." The Louisianan accent was heavy in the Security guards voice as he spoke clear English to Shina.
"I guess you could call them that. Claude filled you in right? I know you two do your gossiping when I'm not here." Shina stated. Laughter sounded as the gates opened to reveal an impressive concrete road/walkway.
"Sorry ta say lil' miss, I can't confirm nor deny these allegations. Come on in!" Shina sighed. She wasn't annoyed at Jean Von's clear misdirect. On the contrary she was glad her staff all got along with one another. Most of the Nara's staff had been with the Nara's for about three years now, Maria being the oldest at four years.
"Who the heck was that?" Twice asked as the gates opened to reveal a long driveway that curved. That curve would open up to the Ugly House's front lawn and the front entrance.
"Was that English?" Dabi asked.
"Yeah, Jean Von Billy Bob is from Louisiana back in the States." Shina answered as she looked at the black gates that closed soundlessly behind the group. She pulled her hood back to let her hair blow free in the breeze. The heat under that thick hood always nearly suffocated her. "He watches over the compound 24/7 and alerts us if someone tries to get in that's not allowed."
"I didn't think you would be living the ritzy and glamourous lifestyle milady." Mr. Compress announced.
"I'm a thief." Shina stated. "If I don't know the power of money and images then I've failed the basics of 'living rich'. Besides, it does come with some perks." They rounded the corner to the driveway and the three-story stone white mansion came into view. It was lit from the outside thanks to the outdoor lights hidden in the bushes as well as the porch lights and the lights from inside. The lawns were dimly lit with fairy lights in the bushes, illuminating the bright flowers in the trees and bushes that lined the yard.
"You live here?" Toga gasped, looking around.
"Are you sure you're just a thief?" Spinner asked glancing around at the impressive grounds and large mansion coming up.
"My clan and I have been stealing from banks and museums all around the world for about six years now. We've stolen a lot of priceless things and have gained a lot of money. You can imagine how that would build up, especially when there's only four of us to spend it." Shina stated feeling uncomfortable with all the attention being paid to how 'rich' everything looked so far. She'd gotten used to this in the past couple of years so it no longer phased her. In all honesty, she did find it excessive but considering how large the lawns were, it was necessary for training the kids.
"How do four kids manage this?" Shigaraki asked. Shina deadpanned.
"I'm 22 you chapped biscuit." Shina growled. "Kana is 16 and the boys are 15. I mean I know we may look young but we're not idiots when it comes to finances."
"Which brats were Nara's?" Twice asked. "We saw a lot of kids that night at the camp. I remember a girl. But no one else was extraordinary."
"I'll introduce you." Shina stated as the double French doors to the mansion opened to reveal Claude standing tall and stern. Shina could tell he was probably not approving of their new guests since they were villains.
"Hello Claudy." Shina greeted as she came to a stop in front of him.
"As I have told you before miss, I do not like nicknames." Shina sighed.
"And I will aspire to remember this but you know I can't help it sometimes."
"The others are gathered and waiting except for Kaito, as he is still sleeping. Juanita is looking after him." Shina nodded her thanks as Kira would have no doubt wanted to stay with the toddler while he slept. She hadn't wanted to leave his side last night when they'd spent practically all night talking about the villain/thief partnership as well as a few other things.
"Thank you Claude." Shina then turned to face the villains.
"This is Claude he's the butler, also a pain in my butt." Shina stated under her breath. "The original Nara members are gathered plus the newer additions, with the exception of Kaito but that's because he is sleeping. He's had trouble getting used to the time zone but he won't be involved in any missions." Shina met Shigaraki's eyes. "I figured it was best to introduce them all to you and everyone else as the original three will have to leave for UA in the morning."
"Understood." Shigaraki nodded. Shina nodded once before she turned to Claude.
"Is the second floor ready?"
"Yes miss."
"Good. You can let us in." Claude opened the doors fully allowing Shina and the League to enter the large front hall. Gathered in front of the grand staircase stood Kai, James, Kira, Kana, Yoshi and Yuto. They were dressed in their gear and standing at attention. Shina waited for everyone in the League to stop looking around and focus on the six kids in front of them.
"Do we get to see their faces?" Shigaraki asked. Shina nodded. She lowered her mask allowing her face to be seen by the League.
"I believe it is fair that I introduce myself as well. I am Sunfire. You can call me Shina but I would prefer Sunfire."
"Ooh such a pretty name." Toga squealed. Shina shrugged, going along with whatever Toga had to say. She hoped Kira and Kana didn't get too friendly with her. The last thing she wanted was three homicidal maniacs.
"Shigaraki you know the original three, Kana," She lowered her mask and gave a two fingered salute. "James," He lowered the mask covering his eyes showing his sky-blue eyes that clashed with his dark black hair by making them stand out more. James yawned showing off his fangs as he scratched his face. "Yuto." He lowered his mask before he waved lazily. "Kai." He hesitated to lower his mask but when he did he simply nodded once, "Kira," She lowered her mask and also gave a two fingered salute. "And Yoshi." He gave a jerky wave as the glitching holographic mask on his face faded. "Kids this is the League of Villains. They know who you all are already, so you don't have to introduce yourselves."
"You've quite the operation here." Dabi stated. "Kids?" Shina wasn't the only one to catch the thinly veiled insult there.
"If you don't like it you can leave." Kai spat in hostility. Shina snorted.
"They may be kids, but you can obviously see, like Toga, they have a mind of their own." And a willpower to challenge any authority except Shina's thankfully.
"Ooh, we're gonna be the best of friends." Toga squealed running over to Kira and Kana.
"God's help me." Shina grumbled in Greek.