Notes: Well I wasn't able to publish this last week due to time, I still have to announce this to all of you. Last week we reached the 2 year anniversary of the start of A Waterbending Quirk. I honestly can't believe this story has gone on so long and has got so much love. I thank all of you for the support you've given and can't wait to keep delivering what comes next.
Even more, this story has reached the first page of most popular avatar crossover stories! I cannot thank you all for that and hope to push it further! the more follows and reviews the better! thank you all!
Enjoy!
The door to Katara's room slowly opened late that night, the waterbender quietly making her way into her dorm. Her eyes sat unfocused as she blindly pushed the door back closed and stood there, her body feeling weightless and hollow. She stood still as her heart was still beating fast, reaching her hand up to rub her head. As she did, her eyes caught sight of something on her forearm, inhaling deeply when she turned her arm over and saw she missed some from earlier.
Blood.
She walked over to her dresser and grabbed a rag, rubbing at the spot to clean it off only to find it dried and stuck. Frowning, she opened her canteen and pulled out some water, soaking the rag and wiping her arm once more. Once it was cleaned, she dropped her arms and moved over to drop the rag on top of her counter. She barely made it two more steps before she saw the red spot on her school uniform, pulling at the fabric and seeing the red streak down her right side. She quickly pulled her shirt off and threw it aside, noticing the light shake in her hands as she stood there.
Her breath came in faster as she sat back on her bed, squeezing her hands before bringing them together on her knees. She closed her eyes as she lowered her head, her mind replaying the event that occurred earlier in her mind over and over again.
Earlier that evening
The door to the nurses office burst open, the medical bot pulling the floating gurney in the hall and past Katara, the teens eyes going wide from the damage. "Put them inside the back room, hurry!" Recovery Girl yelled as she guided the robot in, quickly followed by several others right after.
The first bed that came in the doorway carried a brown haired boy, his left side covered in blood from his shattered arm as he cried out in pain. Coming in right after him was another tall male, his unconscious face red from the massive gash on the right side of his forehead. The loud scream from the doorway made Katara jump, turning to see a red haired girl coming in next clutching at a bloody towel on her side. Wanting to help, Katara ran over to the girl and gripped the towel herself. "Move your hands, watch out." She said as she walked on the side of the moving bed.
"GAH!" the girl gasped as she felt the pressure from Katara's hands, throwing her head back on the bed as she cried out from the intense pain. "Don't… Don't do that!"
"I'm sorry!" Katara swallowed as she followed the bed through the room, lightening the pressure she applied but keeping it enough as the blood tried seeping out. "You'll be fine, don't worry."
"Come on, bring the final one in!" Recovery Girl yelled out the back room, causing Katara to turn around and see the fourth bed pulled in, the female teen on the bed unconscious and her head nearly enclosed in bandages. "Pull that one in with the other, I will need to do those ones first."
"Alright!" Katara let go as she ran back to guide the other bed inside, pushing it inside and past the other two conscious teens into the back room with the elder nurse. Setting it aside by the bed, she looked over to the two still outside the room on their beds. "What about them?"
"I need to put my focus on these two first," The old woman sternly declared as she checked their pulses. "They suffered severe head trauma, so I must try and heal them before anything serious. But because they are unconscious, the healing will take a bit longer since their bodies are asleep. I need you to do what you can to help the others. See what injuries they have and treat them the best you can while I finish these two up."
Giving a determined nod, Katara ran back into the other room where the others gasped through the pain they were experiencing. She first ran over to the brown haired boy, pushing down on his chest making him lie down. "Easy, just sit still, alright?" She calmly told him. "I'll help until Recovery Girl can get to you."
While he clutched at his broken arm, the teen gritted his teeth and shook his head. "N-no. go help her first!" he yelled out, huffing out in pain and closing his eyes. "She's really bad."
Without even having to use her bending, Katara was able to see his arm was broken in at least three places, shocked he was still willing to put his healing on hold until his classmate was healed. Looking over to the other bed, she made her way over the red headed girl and smiled. "Hey there. Let me see that, alright?" She told her nicely trying to keep her calm, reaching down and grabbing the towel laying on her side. "I'm going to check and-
Katara's words were cut off as she lifted the towel away, her eyes going wide when she saw the small piece of rebar stuck through her lower abdomen. The blood was leaking out of the pierced area, only being slowed by the metal still inside her. "Shit…" She whispered under her breath, reaching for her canteen and opening up the cap. Whipping out a large handful of water, she activated her healing and placed it on the injury. Immediately, she sensed it was even worse, the metal having cut through the edge of her liver. It wasn't directly through it, but the cut was enough to damage her organ to cause internal bleeding.
"Miss! We need you back in here!" Katara called out, knowing the healing for this was needed to be fast. "She needs your healing!"
"I'm trying…" Recovery Girl responded, having to use more of her quirk than normal on the unconscious girl in her room since her head injury was quite severe. "I will be there as soon as I can. Just go whatever you can to help them until I get there."
Frowning, Katara turned back to the girl and took a breath, trying to stay calm as she didn't want to make the girl panic. "It's alright, don't worry." She said as she rubbed the gasping girl's shoulder. "What's your name?"
Breathing hard, the red head clenched her eyes before looking up to the waterbender. "Yasei… Nanoko Yasei."
"Alright Yasei, You're going to be fine." Katara comforted her with a smile, "Let's get this out of you, alright?" The girl Yasei huffed as her breathing became harder, pressing her head harder into the pillow and nodded. Exhaling through her nose, Katara reached her hand down and grabbed the piece of steel sticking out. Wincing at the sudden touch, the red head's hands squeezed tight as she braced herself.
"I have to pull this out, otherwise I can't heal with this in the way." The waterbender told her as she placed her other hand on Yasei's stomach. "This is going to hurt, but I have to do this. Don't move no matter what, understand?"
Yasei felt her heart jump in panic, clenching her entire body as she bit down hard and nodded.
"Alright, just lay still." Katara said as she readied herself. "In one… two… Three-
"Wait wait!" Yasei panicked and twisted her body… just as Katara yanked on the piece of steel.
Yasei's eyes burst open as the rebar was pulled out of her waist, the end of the sharp metal slashing into her liver even deeper than before. Katara jumped back in surprise not only from the teen's deep scream, but for the spray of blood out from the round hole in her stomach. "Oh shit!" Katara yelled as she dropped the metal and grabbed the flailing teen by the shoulders pinning her down, her eyes staring down at the pouring wound in fear.
"Shit, do something!" the male teen yelled in horror, watching as his friend screamed on the table.
Struggling to hold the girl down, Katara jumped back and pulled more water from her canteen. She whipped her hand forwards creating two water cuffs and encircled the girls wrists, yanking them down to her sides and freezing them to the metal bed frame. "Hey, what are you doing?!" the male teen screamed as he watched Katara do the same to Yasei's ankles. "Help her!"
"I have to hold her down!" Katara shot back, feeling her heart ache as the girl beneath her threw her body around frantically. "If she moves, she will hurt herself even more!" She pulled the water back onto her hands and activated her healing, the glowing water covering the wound. Right away, she sensed the worsened injury, her own heart racing as the blood continued to run out.
'This isn't good… even with my healing, it's coming out too fast.' she said inside worryingly, trying to close the organ as fast as she could. Even with her training, she knew this was beyond her. She could sense at this rate, this girl only had a little longer before there was serious and lasting damage… or worse. Her thoughts froze when she glanced up, seeing the fear in Yasei's eyes staring back up at her. The red head was hyperventilating, panic set in terror of what may be coming later.
It was something Katara was certain to change.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing her thoughts back to the very night she saw Tensei in the hospital. She was able to pull a miracle off that night, finding out later there was something else that allowed her to pull that off. She went deeper into her mind, searching for that source of energy and the one who was providing that for her.
'Kyoshi… If you're there, I could really use your help.' Katara whispered internally, 'You said I was ready for this… so let me try and help this girl.'
After a moment, a sudden wave of energy seemed to flow through Katara's veins. The Waterbender almost felt like her body was weightless now, her breath coming in quick as she opened her eyes. Focusing down on the wound once more, she put all of her energy into her healing again, immediately noticing the glow was slightly brighter than normal, almost hitting a pure white tint compared to the usual blue. Not willing to question it, she placed her palms on the injury and focused directly onto the damaged organ.
"You'll be fine, don't worry." Katara said as she stared at the injury, sweat rolling down her forehead as she went to work on the organ. Immediately she felt a constriction on her mind, similar but at no comparison to the feeling in the forest. Breathing hard, she scrunched her forehead and focused her healing more, sensing the large cut inside of the girl's abdomen. Little by little, the injury inside began pulling together and sealing up, the slice shrinking and splicing itself together by the second. Even as the strain grew, Katara didn't stop, her bending flowing into the injured girl and closing up the wound inside further. After a few more seconds, she sensed the harsh cut had sealed.
Katara felt her vision go hazy for a moment, stepping back and gripping her head as the pain grew slightly. After a few seconds she gave a quick shake of her head, looking back towards the girl and seeing her finally laying still, calmly breathing in and out on the table. What more was the wound in her abdomen had nearly stopped bleeding, pressing her glowing hands onto the hole and checking inside. To her amazement, the liver had been sealed off from bleeding any longer, and the surrounding area had been repatched as well… meaning she was going to be alright now.
"Holy shit…" the brown haired teen muttered in amazement, smiling through his own pain seeing his friend was finally calm. "Is she alright?"
"She will be okay." Katara took a breath and cleared her head, the pain in her mind slowly dissipating little by little. She could still sense whatever was flowing inside of herself, and she didn't want it to go to waste, bending the ice restraints back into water. She immediately walked over to the other teen and activated her healing once more. "Don't move, alright? I'll help you…." She said, closing her eyes and exhaling again.
She placed her glowing hands on the boy's broken arm, the shimmering water crawling across his skin and flowing its energy into his arms multiple fractures. Once more she focused back on the energy that appeared inside her, finding it and concentrating on it. She felt the strong aura grow once again, making her body feel as if it was floating just above the floor. She took another deep breath and poured the feeling down towards her hands, the glow shining brighter and targeting the breaks. Over the next few minutes, the bones in his arm slowly began straightening back in place, the energy flowing into the bones and remerging the shattered pieces.
Sweat once more formed on Katara's forehead, the injuries here even more serious than the single fracture on Tetsutetsu's arm she had practiced on from before. Pushing through the strain, she went on pouring her healing into the arm, sensing the multiple cracks through the thin bones as they continued to fuse in place. After a few more seconds she felt a strong pulse in her mind hit her once more, her eyes widening and forcing her to stop her healing. She stepped back and clutched her head, breathing hard as the pain went away once more. Focusing her gaze, she looked up to the boy and took deep breaths as she regained her composure, although couldn't contain the surprise that overtook her.
His arm was still bleeding from the deep lacerations on his shoulder area, even as he moved his arm up and down. His arm, while not fully healed, was free of the fractures from before. All of them.
Staring at herself in the mirror, Katara was still in disbelief at what occurred earlier that day. She had not just healed two people in need; she had done so in a way she hadn't been able to before. The fractures in the boy's arms were full breaks, something she hadn't fully mastered healing in a single session, and now she had almost done three in a single moment. The girl Yasei was more important though, now alive to what she was able to do. The mending of internal organs was something she always strived to do, but never to the speed or efficiency of what she did. It was what she hoped to do, but didn't think she could actually achieve, especially so fast.
Her healing was almost to the level of Recovery Girl's.
When the elder nurse came into the room moments after she finished the boy's arm, she was stunned to see Katara's work. She expected the waterbender to stabilize the two until she came to them, not to have their wounds nearly mended fully. When she asked Katara what had happened, the waterbender couldn't really put a finger onto what transpired exactly. She stayed there in the medical room with the others, making sure they were all fine until the dark night sky had rolled over hours before. And now, Katara sat alone, processing the new realization she had found.
Sitting further back on her bed, She crossed her legs and pressed her fists together as she meditated once more. After a few moments, she felt the familiar aura fall over her body, opening her eyes and coming face to face with the former avatar spirit.
"You're becoming better at reaching me, I see…" Kyoshi said with a smile. "As I predicted, your bond with the energy inside of you is growing with your training."
"Yeah, it is…" Katara let out a small chuckle. "I… had to try and use it earlier. If I didn't, that girl wouldn't have made it."
"That was very impressive what you accomplished, Katara. Healing injuries that serious requires immense training and experience, and for you to do that already shows how far you've come. You are reaching the level of speed to which I could heal in my younger days."
Katara swallowed at the compliment, reaching up and rubbing her head. "I still felt something when I used it. It wasn't like the pain the first time in the forest, but it was still there."
The avatar spirit hummed as she contemplated the reasoning. "Perhaps it's a safety measure for you."
"What do you mean?" Katara asked.
"The energy from the avatar is meant to be for a specific being who was born to handle that spiritual energy. While you are growing more adept to handling it yourself, the energy is still not yours. The backlash may be your body's safety measure at handling it until you are able to control it fully."
Katara frowned when she heard that, rubbing her hands together in frustration. "So I am still unable to use it more…"
"Be patient Katara, you will master it soon enough. Just make sure you do not push yourself beyond the limits you know you have. Use your friends to train yourself even further and prepare yourself for when the time comes." Kyoshi chuckled as she leaned forward. "I think your new boyfriend wouldn't mind helping you train more."
Katara's mouth fell open at the comment before laughing, knowing Kyoshi obviously sees everything she does. "I'm surprised you didn't give me advice on dating as well."
"Perhaps, but our tastes are certainly different," Kyoshi gave a small shrug. "He is cute, yes, but I wouldn't have made him my first choice."
"Really?" Katara asked, smiling, somewhat curious what her spirit friend thought. "Which guy do you think is cute?"
"Well, if I were to choose," Kyoshi gave a smirk and winked. "Your friend Yaoyorozu is quite the catch."
"Yaoyorozu? But she-" Katara's face blushed bright at the remark, getting what she meant. "Oh…" the waterbender chuckled as Kyoshi raised an eyebrow. "... I see."
"As I said, different taste," Kyoshi laughed out as her body began fading. "Soon, I will be able to help you expand this to your offensive side as well. Keep yourself focused and strong, and you will reach the peak of the mountain soon, Katara."
As the avatar spirit flowed back into her body, Katara took a breath as she closed her eyes, dropping onto her back as her exhaustion slowly overtook her. She had a new grasp on the power within herself, and she was certain to not let that go to waste.
The next day, Katara made her way through the doors of the large building, sighing as she made her way past the large Endeavor image on the wall. Now that she was here for work studies, she was going to have to see that man whenever she was here, which was the one thing she was probably not going to get over. At least the other members of the agency seemed more hospitable now, with the number of sidekicks seeming to nod as she walked by them. After a moment, she ran into the familiar flaming green hair of the number two in the agency, the woman's large grin returning as she saw Katara approach.
"And she is here, the little water snake coming back to us," Burnin snickered as Katara walked her way, giving a sarcastic bow. "So we are graced with your presence once more."
Rolling her eyes, Katara set her costume briefcase on the ground. "Okay okay, so funny."
Laughing, Burnin placed her hands on her hips. "So girl, are you ready to hit the streets this time?"
"I've been ready for this." Katara said, her eyes dead serious.
"Oh, someone ready to go?" Burnin chuckled at the look from the waterbender. "Well good, you should always be ready whenever you go on patrol. Now get your ass out of those clothes and into your costume! The big guy will be here any minute and then we go out on the evening patrol."
Sighing, Katara nodded and picked her caseback off the ground, carrying it towards the locker room down the hall. Burnin eyed the girl as she went through the doorway, clicking her tongue in curiosity to the look on the teens face. "Hmmm… Something else is up that girl's butt right now." She mumbled to herself, pulling her phone out of her pocket and dialing her boss. Before she called however, she saw the large red flames coming through the front door right then, clicking her phone off and saluting him as he approached. "Welcome back, Endeavor! The fort is strong and steady in your absence!"
Endeavor nodded back to his sidekick, dropping the file he had on the desk nearby. "Good. make sure someone takes this to my office later. I need to go over it with the police sometime soon."
"Yes sir!" Burnin said as he walked past her, grabbing the water on the desk and drinking it. Burnin glared as that was her water, walking over and grabbing the file. "You know, there is a thing called thanks for someone's drink, dude." She grunted and opened the file… and her eyes widening at the picture on top. "Holy shit…"
The picture contained the bodies of six people lying across a damaged dock, their bodies pale and faded from being pulled up from the water. "Is this where you were this morning?"
Lowering the bottle, Endeavor nodded. "Another three were found after, and none of them died from drowning. One of them was Kesseki Yano, otherwise known as Stone. He was a new drug dealer in Tokyo the police have been trying to catch."
"And seems like someone beat them to it," Burnin muttered and closed the file. "What do you think, a rival dealer hit? Seems a bit under your normal interest."
"We thought so, until we found another killing site this morning." Endeavor stated, his eyes going back to the file. "The chief called me about another hit they discovered."
"Huh?" Burnin flipped the file back open, going deeper inside and seeing the next mass of bodies across the ground in the warehouse. The sidekick grimaced at the brutality of the images, from the decapitated man to the discolored body swollen from venom. "Jesus… is that Watts?"
"You recognize him?" Endeavor asked, earning a nod from the sidekick.
"Yeah, he rules, or ruled, the Tokyo drug trade for the last few years. Police had been trying to find him for a while. What the hell happened to him?"
"He and twenty eight others were found dead this morning at the Yokohama industrial lane. Someone went through and took out two of the top drug lords in the city in a single night, with all the cash taken but the supplies were left untouched." Endeavor sighed and crossed his arms. "Whoever this was, they are good, and efficient at what they do."
"Yeah, that's an understatement," Burnin grunted as she tossed the file back on the desk. "From what I heard, Watts wasn't a crazy super villain, but he was no pushover either. Him and his goons took down a couple of rookies last year before they disappeared again, so whoever took him down was pretty damn tough."
"Hmm…" Endeavor huffed out as he cracked his neck. "We will keep our eyes open and report to the police if we find anything else."
"Yes sir!" Burnin shouted and set the file back down. "By the way, your water friend is here getting ready for the evening patrols.:
Endeavor raised an eyebrow to the statement, taking a breath and nodding to his sidekick. "Alright. I will meet you two outside in ten minutes." Watching as Burnin gave a bow and walked the other direction, the flame hero closed his eyes and sighed. Now that Katara was back here, he was curious to finally watch her work with an open eye. It was time he saw what she could do.
Esoha City
Mirko stretched her arms as she walked out of her home, swinging them back and forth as she chuckled to herself. She turned around as she heard her door close, looking to see the glaring teen walking out of her door, all geared up in his costume. "Alright Sparky, how are you feeling? Nervous to get out into the field?"
Bakugo clicked his tongue and adjusted his gauntlet on his right hand. "I've already had an internship, cottontail. I'm not some newbie you'll have to babysit." He growled out, making the rabbit hero smirk at him.
"Oh? Look who's so big and bad." Mirko looked around and pointed at Bakugo. "Hey everyone, look! Bakugo is here, watch out!"
Bakugo's eye twitched in annoyance at her sarcastic announcement to absolutely no one, stomping forward and past the heroine. "Shut it, bunny! I don't care what people think of me anyway!"
"Yeah, and that's the funny thing. Nobody cares in the first place." Mirko gave a shrug as Bakugo gritted his teeth in anger. "But that's the thing. They don't care yet because they don't know you. You get that face out there and people will certainly remember that ugly mug."
Stomping down the sidewalk, bakugo's teeth ground together as he tried blocking out her cackle. "The hell is the point you're trying to make?!" He snapped out, earning a sudden smack on the back from the shorter woman.
"Because a guy like you won't be famous by his interviews or fan friendliness, so don't even try. Hell, I hate that stuff myself, so don't even worry about it. What you need to focus on is simply doing your job and catching the crooks."
"No shit, that's exactly what I'm going to do in the first place." Bakugo took a breath and grinned, cracking his knuckles as he turned back to the hero behind. "Just point me in the direction and I'll show you exactly what I can do."
Raising her eyebrow, Mirko was impressed with his eagerness to fight, making her chuckle and nod. "Alright Sparky, I like that. But before you fight, you have to be able to make it to a scene fast enough. That is where your first test comes in play."
"Huh?" Bakugo's eyes narrowed at her words, expecting her to pull some garbage and say he had to do another game of tag on the training field. Instead however, he felt the wind rush by almost blowing him over, turning to see Mirko already fifty yards down the road running. "The hell?"
"A hero should be able to get to a situation on a moment's notice!" Mirko shouted as she glanced over her shoulder, smirking at the teen behind her. "Let's see if you get left in the dust!"
Bakugo's mouth dropped slightly as the rabbit hero rushed down the road away from him at blistering speed. Now he saw she was wanting to see if he was one to fall behind, or ask her to slow down so he wasn't left alone. The thought of another challenge from the hero only made his grin return to his face. "Don't think you can leave me behind, cottontail!" He shouted and aimed his hands behind, feeling his body launch forward as his hands erupted outward.
In the next moment, Bakugo was blasting across the road as he chased the rabbit woman down the street. Spinning over a passing car, he erupted off the ground and shot higher above and kicked off a light pole before rushing down the path as he looked ahead to the white haired woman, somewhat amazed by her speed as she casually kept pace ahead of him. "Crazy woman is fast as hell…" he muttered as he flipped over a large truck, kicking off the back and blasting up in the air once more.
Mirko herself wasn't even breaking a sweat as she bounded down the street. Her powerful legs carried her in long strides as she ran, racing down past the driving cars with ease as if she wasn't even trying. Her ears twitched as she picked up the explosions from behind, glancing back to see the ash blonde teen slowly gaining ground on her. "Not bad, kid. Seems like he's got power and speed. Seems like I should take it up a notch!"
Flexing her thigh muscles, she increased to about fifteen percent of her power and took off even faster. Each of her strides carried her ten meters, the wind whipping through her long hair as she rushed down the freeway.
"Holy shit…" Bakugo yelled to himself as he watched Mirko blast down the road and onto the main street back to the city, increasing his blasts behind as he tried keeping pace. Already he felt his forehead sweating from the strain, breathing hard as he landed on a large truck roof before blasting off once more. "That damn rabbit thinks I'm going to drop behind. Not on your life!" he roared and increased the volume of his blasts, his palms sweating profusely from his pace and his body cramping. This however gave him a sense of pride and adrenaline, knowing he was chasing down the number five hero and not quitting. "I can be just as fast as you when I want!"
Picking up his words with her ears, Mirko chuckled to herself at his determination… and his foolish statement. "Nice try kid. Maybe in a million years you'll be as fast as me." She laughed out, at least getting a kick out of his far fetched goals as she looked up to the quickly approaching skyscrapers. Licking her lips, she eyed one of the taller buildings and dropped into a quick crouch, her leg muscles expanding as they flexed just as she blasted off the street.
"Jesus!" Bakugo yelled in surprise as Mirko shot through the air like a bullet, flying up into the sky towards the top of a twenty five story building. He watched as she landed on the roof and turned around, her large smirk still visible from that far away. Glaring, he felt his arms tighten as he unleashed a blast twice as large as the ones before, launching his body up from the ground and towards the roof. Unlike in the single stride from Mirko, however, he had to continue unleashing powerful blasts to carry him higher, the veins in his hands tightening from the strain. He pushed through it however, unleashing one more strong blast and sending him high into the air and past the rooftop, locking eyes with the rabbit hero waiting for him. Landing on the top, Bakugo took several breaths as she stared at him, clenching his fists in determination.
Mirko herself couldn't help but laugh, actually impressed with him being right behind her on this "Light jog" of hers. "Not bad, Sparky. Not bad. In all honesty a lot of pros would just be getting close to the building, let alone climbing it." She clicked her tongue and crossed her arms. "Maybe you won't be baggage after all."
"I'll show you baggage, cottontail!" Bakugo barked out between pants, only making Mirko laugh more.
"I don't know what that was supposed to mean, but okay." She chuckled and walked past the glaring teen, moving to the edge and looking out over the city, "Get over her, Sparky."
"Stop calling me that…" Bakugo growled as he stomped her direction, his brow rising in annoyance when there wasn't a single drop of sweat on her body despite him huffing and puffing. He knew even Iida would have been struggling to keep up at that pace, and this hero wasn't even trying still. "So what are we doing here? I thought you we were heading to catch villains now?"
"You have to find a crime first, dude. Just take a chill pill and relax." Mirko shook her head and squatted down on her thighs, the wind blowing her hair up behind her as she turned to the city below. "Take a look."
Bakugo turned towards the edge as well, his eyes taking in the bright and bustling cityscape as the sun light nearly disappeared over the horizon. He could see for a few miles as cars drove up and down the roads, and even the light chatter of the crowds could barely be heard with his hearing. Despite the faint sounds he heard, he felt like he was overlooking the entire city from this spot, realizing what she was doing. "You're observing for anything happening from here." he said, earning a confirming grunt from the hero.
"Exactly. You don't need agencies or goons running around for you to tell you when a crime is happening. You just need to be in the field yourself and ready for anything, anywhere. That's why I don't even have an agency. I'm not locked down to just one district or area, and I don't make deals with cities when I'm going to patrol them. I do what I want, when I want, anywhere in Japan." She said confidently, "You get told in school how you need to do this and that, stand in line when they tell you. That's all fine and dandy on the playground, but the real world isn't like that. You take what you get and you make yourself into what you wanna be."
"You sound like you hated school," Bakugo commented, making Mirko laugh out loud.
"School was out for me the moment I got into high school. I was always wanting to get into something more physical than the school training they used to do," Mirko sighed as she thought to her past, remembering the fight clubs she used to crash and take over, and then to the single moment that truly drove her to be a hero. Taking a breath and pushing that moment away, she clicked her tongue again and stood back up. "I did something stupid, but then I knew exactly what I was going to do."
She shifted her gaze up to the now quiet teen as she grinned. "I was going to kick the ass of any villain who tried to stand in my way, no matter who or what they were. And I would keep going until they were done for. Seems to me like we are on the same page for that."
Mirko's ear suddenly twitched as she caught the sound of breaking glass and yelling, turning her head and focusing her large ears as they pinpointed the sounds. After a moment, she sensed it, smirking as she heard a gang of six criminals robbing a safety deposit building. "And there we go. Got some already, sparky!"
Bakugo didn't even need to ask what she meant, seeing the hungry look in her eyes told him everything. He slammed his fist into his open palm creating a small pop of smoke, grinning as he was ready to go. "Finally a little action."
"Don't get too crazy, it's just some regular villains." Mirko cracked her neck and walked to the edge, unable to tell their quirks from here. "But for me, this may be a good show to watch if you get your ass kicked."
"No one is kicking my ass!" Bakugo snapped at her comment, baring his teeth and charging at the ledge. "I'll be taking them down myself!"
As he leaped off the building and blasted through the sky, Mirko chuckled to herself and popped her knuckles. "Little bastard is eager and determined. He keeps chasing me at this rate… his quirk is going to get a hell of a lot stronger soon." She said as she leaped off after him, dropping towards the city below and after the determined Bakugo.
Fujiyoshida
The city streets below Mount Fuji were bustling about as the tourists laughed and chatted amongst themselves. The crowds were especially loud and jolly outside the Fuji Q Highland theme park, the groups of families happily exiting the park and heading to the many restaurants lining the main strip of the city.
"Daddy, can we get ice cream?!" a small girl pleaded as she pulled on her dads leg, pointing to the lit up candy store on the side of the street. "I want chocolate!"
Chuckling, her father grabbed her hand and pulled her along. "First we get dinner, alright? You already had candy at the park, too."
"But this ice cream is the best!" the girl pouted, frowning as her dad pulled her towards the cafe beside it. "This place always stinks."
"But you know they have the best rolls," he laughed as they crossed the street. "Your mom loves this place and-
The loud crash from behind caused them and everyone else to jump in shock, turning to see a car crashing into a light pole down the road. Before anyone could check to see if they were alright, screams erupted as the car burst out from the side, followed by the glowing red man jumping out of the side. "You idiot! You crashed the damn truck!" he screamed out.
"It wasn't my fault, the steering is out!" the other man with a hippo head yelled as he hopped out carrying the sack of cash. He looked around and saw the hundreds of people staring at them, glaring and readjusting the bag in his hands. "We got to go!"
"No shit!" the glowing man shouted as two other gang members jumped out of the back of the truck. He looked over his shoulder in the direction they came, not seeing their pursuer but not willing to wait. "Let's go through the park and hide in the crowds."
"Nice idea. I would never expect to look for you there."
The four criminals gasped to the sudden voice from above, turning and seeing the lion hero Shishido standing on top of the truck roof. "How… how did he…?" one of the men stuttered.
"Now you all can stop this nonsense and quit running," Shishido growled through his mouth guard as he clenched his fist, "It's time you return what you stole."
"Screw you, cat!" the glowing leader shouted, his chest growing brighter as the light pulsed underneath his skin. Shishido quickly jumped out of the way as a blast of energy erupted out from the man's chest and struck the top of the truck. "Get him!"
Skidding across the road, Shishido looked up to see two of the men running at him, one of them shifting his arms into iron nets and launching one of them forward. The lion hero grunted and leaped in the air above the net and another blast from the villain leader, drawing his fist back and slamming it into the road. The impact cracked the street and caused the road to shake, making the villains stumble back before the leader caught his footing and glared. "I'm not going back to jail! Let's get this damn hero and go!"
The hippo headed villain looked back and forth to the hero and his boss, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Dude, that's Shishido! We can't-
"Kill him!" The leader shouted and crossed his arms, charging his energy once more before unleashing a blast at the hero.
Ducking down, Shishido blasted forward across the street in blinding speed, dodging the energy attack and bull rushing the group. Even as the net user launched another forward, he flexed his hands and extended his claws out, shredding the net in a single swipe. "Amateurs…" he muttered and kicked off the road faster. "Your crimes end tonight!" he shouted and slammed his fist into the net users stomach launching him backwards into the truck side.
"Shit!" the final member shouted as he took a deep breath before focusing his lips, spitting out air bullets that whizzed through the air. Shishido's cat ears flicked in his hair, easily pinpointing the incoming attacks and dodging them before they could strike. He lunged forward and slammed his fist into the ground, cracking the street and ripping out a chunk from the ground and launching it through the air through the barrage of air strikes. The invisible bullets ripped through the asphalt as it splintered apart, which turned the single projectile into dozens of flying rocks towards the group of villains.
"Agh!" The hippo headed man shouted as some of the rocks slammed into his arms protecting his face, closing his eyes from the pain of the many rocks hitting him. "Jesus, let's get out of here!"
Stumbling back from the pain, the wind user opened his eyes to only be met with the thick paw of Shishido gripping his face, lifting him off the ground and slamming him into the hood of the truck. The lion hero noticed the glow from the nearby leader, his free hand reaching over and gripping the door of the truck and ripped it off the side. Spinning around, he used the door as a shield blocking the incoming blast of red energy. Not giving a moment to spare, he charged through the blast and used the door as a battering ram, slamming into the villain leader and shoving him to the ground.
"Damn you!" the furious red man shouted as he stood back up, focusing his energy into his fists this time. "Come on!"
"Hmph…" Shishido grunted and dropped the door to the side, "It would be easier if you just surrendered and came in quietly."
"Like that is going to happen!" the leader yelled and charged forward, his glowing hands swinging at the hero before him in desperation. Shishido however casually sidestepped the incoming strikes, his hands swinging up and redirecting the punches with ease before he unleashed a barrage of concentrated punches, striking the villain in the stomach with punches before grabbing him and slamming his elbow directly to the man's chin. The hard strike immediately knocked the villain out, Shishido him and holding his unconscious body up before his eyes turned to the final villain standing there in shock.
"Gah!" the hippo headed man yelled and sprinted the opposite direction, chucking the bag of money to the side as he ran. "Screw this, I'm not dealing with that!" he glared as a parked car sat in his way, lowering his head and bashing the vehicle out of the way as bystanders screamed.
As he charged down the street, the young girl with her father screamed as the villain ran in their direction. Before he got close, however, her eyes widened as someone in green rushed by, looking up to see a red headed girl facing down the charging villain. The girl wore a sleeveless turquoise qipao with a black corset around her waist, and a small black mask over her green eyes. The little girl stared in awe as the teen raised her fists up to the ready, staring down the villain running her way.
"You aren't going anywhere!" Kendo shouted as she clenched her knuckles, blocking the family behind her.
Clenching his jaw, the charging villain lowered his head and barreled towards the teen in front of himself. "Get out of the way!"
"Not a chance." she responded, running at him and expanding her right hand to its full size. Yelling, she threw her punch forward, slamming directly into the villain's large head. The man's eyes went wide as he felt his head plowed back, feeling like he just ran into a steel wall and launched him backwards into the street. As he bounced to a stop, the villain's eyes spun as he stood back up, shaking his head as he focused his sight and glared.
"Don't… Don't think I'll go easy on a kid!" He slurred out and tried running at her again, roaring out as he lowered his head once more.
"I don't expect you to," Kendo retorted and ran forward, throwing another punch into the man's charging head slamming him back once more. Expanding her other hand, Kendo charged at the villain and landed a four hit combo to the hippo head, bouncing his large mammal dome back and forth before she spun and landed a strung uppercut to his jaw, the loud crack ringing through the street before he fell to his knees.
"You… you ain't so tough…" he grumbled before his eyes went blank, the villain dropping to the ground out cold and his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Kendo shrank her hands as she saw the fight was over, sighing in relief it didn't last long as she caught her breath.
"Phew…" she huffed out and wiped the sweat from her brow, still tired from the run over here as she stood up straight. "Glad that's over." Suddenly, her eyes widened from the loud amount of cheers around herself, looking to see the people around her applauding and shouting their support of her. Kendo smiled as she waved to the crowd, turning to the young girl and her father behind her. "You two okay?"
"We are, thank you." the father said with a smile as his daughter laughed and threw her hands up.
"Wow, you are so cool!" the young girl shouted in amazement. "You're so strong!"
Laughing, Kendo nodded to them. "Thank you. Always here to help." She then turned and walked over to the unconscious villain, turning to see her new mentor coming her way.
"Looks like someone is tired," Shishido chuckled as he approached with his arms crossed. "Good job, Battle Fist. a quick and efficient take down."
Kendo took another breath and bowed to the lion hero. "Thank you, sir. Sorry it took so long to catch up."
Laughing, the lion hero patted her shoulder seeing her breathing hard. "There is nothing to be sorry for. You did your best and that is what matters. Besides, you captured the escapee just now all on your own."
Kendo sighed at his words and laughed, knowing he could have easily stopped all of them himself. He obviously let her stop him for the chance of catching a villain herself, stretching her shoulder. After seeing the villains rob the nearby bank earlier, the two of them took off in pursuit of the truck. With his lion quirk, Shishido easily kept up to the getaway vehicle… While Kendo had to do her best cutting through alleyways to stay in view of them. "It's not like he was that tough. I just can't keep up to your speed."
"Then you must find a way to overcome that obstacle yourself, much like the other challenges you faced before." Shishido said, "You have already shown that to me."
Kendo raised her eyebrow at the statement made, but couldn't ask what he meant as he turned and talked to the police that arrived. Frowning, she brushed her ponytail back over her shoulder as she stood by his side. Once again, she was left with a strange feeling in her chest as she didn't get a straight answer. Even as she smiled and waved to the civilians who came up and congratulated the two of them, she couldn't get over the lingering question that was on her mind, and she wanted to find out now.
As they finished up with the police and the villains were taken away, Shishido rubbed his stomach and sighed. "I'm down for a bite to eat. How about you?" he asked.
"Yeah, I could go for something, too." Kendo replied, following the hero down the road as he glanced back and forth to the different restaurants down the strip. Her mind however wasn't on food, however, instead taking a breath and walking up to the heroes side. "Mr. Shishido, sir? I need to ask you something."
"Hmm?" Shishido shifted his gaze over to the teen by his side. "What is it?"
"I want to say I really do appreciate you offering me this chance to work under you, sir, especially after what happened before." Kendo rubbed the back of her head and sighed. "After I got moved to another class, I was a bit worried some heroes would see me as a burden."
Shishido stopped walking and faced the girl, "Is that what you think? You did break the rules set by not only your teachers, but the laws created by society to keep order."
Frowning internally, Kendo gave a nod. "And yet you chose me to come work for you. Why?"
Closing his eyes, Shishido crossed his arms and sighed. "Heroes are supposed to be there to not just keep people safe, but to be symbols of justice and honor for the rest of society. That means the laws that are created for order are not just made for the public, but for heroes as well. Breaking the law shows that someone doesn't respect or believe that they are on the same level as everyone else. If you can't follow those rules, then people see you are not one to listen to the laws of the land."
Kendo felt her stomach tighten at the statement, looking away in frustration at what he said. She wanted to retort, but the chuckle from the lion hero made her look back in confusion. "What's so funny?"
"That is why I chose you. You broke the rules to go and help your friends in need. While some say that was reckless, and it somewhat was, it shows you are willing to put your future and safety in jeopardy to do what was right." Shishido reached one of his hands forward and placed it on Kendo's shoulder. "A person that follows the rules is responsible, but someone who risks not only their career but their safety for others? It takes true bravery to do that. And that to me will always be the greatest attribute to a hero."
Now Kendo was shocked by his answer, feeling her heart jump in both amazement and happiness to his words. She had been worried about why she was with a high ranked hero after being kicked out of her old class, and saw that he had chosen her because of that reason. She smiled and gave a nod up to the hero. "Thanks, sir. I'll do my best to be better and won't let you down." She suddenly felt a cold chill, shivering and rubbing her exposed arms. "Phew! It's a bit colder here than where I'm from."
"It's the altitude here. A lot of people forget that when they come to visit." Shishido answered, glancing down as she rubbed her arms more. "You may want something a little warmer since we are in the fall now."
"I have a different costume I can bring next time." She exhaled and shrugged her arms a few times. "I can tough it out for now."
"That's what I wanted to hear." Shishido said with a laugh and turned forward again. "Now, how about some chicken? There is a good spot here that has the best wings."
Chuckling, Kendo nodded to the offer. "Sounds good to me. I'm a little drained after that run." approaching the door, the teen sped up to open the door for her new head hero. "I tried this place back in Tokyo that had amazing-
The door suddenly swung open knocking Kendo backwards, the teen gasping as she fell from the unexpected push. Landing on her butt, she glared and looked up, but felt her eyes go wide from the massive figure walking through the door. The dark tan coat looked ready to burst from the enormous figure inside, the many bags of food being held by green scale covered hands. Rising above the coat was a large brown hat, resting on top of the long crocodile head sticking out from the collar.
"Watch where you're going, kid." the crocodilian man growled as he walked out of the doorway, carrying his food down the sidewalk.
"Me?" Kendo glared and sat up. "You slammed it open."
"Hey!" Shishido snapped at the man exiting the restaurant. "You should watch where you walk for others."
The large reptilian man growled and walked on down the sidewalk, leaving Kendo glaring after him. Before she stood herself up, a fur covered hand reached down and offered her assistance. She looked up to see a man smiling down at her, his yellow hair covered in black spots above his bright yellow eyes. "I'm really sorry about that. Here, let me help you." the seemingly friendly man said.
Sighing, Kendo reached up and grabbed his hand and felt herself hoisted off the ground. "Thanks." She said as she straightened her costume.
"I apologize for my friend there. He's had a really bad day and is not feeling the best." Haraka gave a small head bow to the two. "I even have trouble hanging out with him sometimes."
Growling through his mask, Shishido glanced over to the large man walking away, tempted about making him come and apologize to his intern. Sighing, he stared back at the cheetah man and nodded. "Just make sure your friend learns some manners next time you go somewhere."
"Of course. And let me say it's great to meet you, sir." Haraka smiled and offered a hand to the hero. "I've always wanted to meet you, and I have to say you look even cooler in person."
Grunting at the attempted flattery, Shishido reached forth and shook the man's hand. Immediately his hand felt the strength of the man, his eyebrow raising as he moved his arm. "That's quite the grip you have there."
"Really?" Haraka's face lit up and he chuckled and rubbed his head. "I've been trying to work out more and hoped it was showing. I guess it must be if you could feel it."
While somewhat curious, Shishido took a breath and let it go. "I appreciate it. Now make sure your pal learns to watch where he walks, got it?"
"Absolutely." Haraka smiled and opened the door for the pair of them. "Now I hope you enjoy your meal. Just so you know, the teriyaki wings here are amazing."
Laughing, Kendo gave a nod as she walked past the man. "I'll give them a try. Thanks."
"No problem. Have a good night." Haraka gave a bow once more to the pair walking inside, Shishido giving one last look to the man as he walked inside the restaurant. Once the door was closed, Haraka turned and walked down the sidewalk, his smile shifting into a cold scowl as he slipped his hoodie up above his head. "Suck it, lion man…" he hissed under his breath and took a breath, allowing his raised heart rate to slow down as caught up to his crocodile associate. "What the hell, dumbass? Nice way of drawing attention to yourself." he snapped up to Rogue.
"Attention? You were the one who said to come and get food here in the public." Rogue growled back, his eyes going back and forth to the different sets of eyes that glanced up to him as he walked. "This is stupid coming out like this."
"We are just two guys getting food, nothing more," Haraka glared up at the reptile in annoyance. "I had to cover your ass there, being the idiot you are."
A deep growl escaped Rogue's throat, his jaws shaking from the vibration. "Is this how all you people operate? If I knew you were going to do stuff so reckless and risk getting caught, I think-
The shift kick from Haraka drove straight into the crocodile mans leg, the pain making him gasp out and drop to his knees. As he fell down, the cheetah man quickly grabbed the crocodilian and held him by the shoulders, appearing to all the nearby people he was just catching his stumbling friend. "Wow, watch your step, bud…" he laughed out as a woman walked right by them, just as Haraka's left hand slipped over Rogue's neck and squeezed, the croc's eyes widening as he felt the claws ready to rip through his scales.
"Think? You think?" Haraka hissed through his teeth as he leaned in closer. "Let me tell you, you stupid lizard. You joined us seven months ago, and overall you haven't impressed me much. You're strong, but you still lack the tact needed. There is nothing wrong with going out and getting food like anyone as long as you mind your business without causing others to look your way. That means not knocking down sidekick heroes as you walk, especially not in front of the top hero of the goddamn city. Doing anything to draw his attention our way is not what we do. I tried something stupid like that before," Haraka reached up and pulled down on his jacket, revealing the deep scar running down his neck line. "Muteki was very clear about what happens when you don't follow the rules, and I am not getting caught in a pinch for your slip up. Now listen here; do something so stupid like that again, and I will make sure you regret it, got it? I bet Itkomi would love to hear about this."
"And what shall I tell her, hmm?"
Both Haraka and Rogue froze to the familiar voice from behind, the cheetah turning slowly to see someone standing against the wall beside them, a bright purple jacket and black hat covering their chest and face. Haraka felt his hair stand on edge when the user looked up, revealing the familiar red eyes staring at him. Rogue's heart rate jumped when he caught sight of their second in command standing there, not even worried about the claws on his neck any longer. Letting go of Rogue's neck, Haraka stood up and tried staying calm, still shocked how the raptor user could sneak up even on him. "It's nothing, sir, we just-
"You ran into Shishido back there, and you almost had him question you." Muteki calmly said as he leaned off the wall, walking towards the two other hunter members. raising his hand, he patted the shook Haraka on the shoulder and smiled. "You did well diverting his attention away from the idiot. Nice job."
Sighing in relief, Haraka relaxed as Muteki then turned to the crocodilian, giving a small tsk in disapproval. "You, my friend, have a lot to learn." Muteki chuckled as he pulled Rogue up by the shoulder and held him as they walked, his sharp claws piercing the thick scales of the even taller yet scared member near him. "You brought unwanted attention to you. that's a big no no. If he were to have questioned you, he may have grown suspicious and asked for you to come in. Now if that happened, I'd have to kill not just him, but you as well for doing that."
Haraka's ears flattened on his head at the seriousness in Muteki's voice. The level of confidence in his words at casually taking down such a high ranking hero... just showed me meant it. he leaned down and grabbed one of the bags of food off the ground and walked forward, staying silent as he walked along the other two.
Muteki then let go of Rogue's shoulder, smiling at the sweating croc and patting his shoulder. "Now let's just forget this happened and get back, shall we?"
Growling, Rogue adjusted the rest of the bags of food and nodded, following the smaller yet stronger hunter down the road. "Yes sir."
"Good. Now, we are meeting with everyone else," Muteki smirked as he walked down the street, his large curved claw hidden in his boots itching to cut. "We have something to discuss.
Notes: And there we have it... another step for our future heroes getting closer to the danger coming their way.
And Katara is tapping more into her spirit energy inside of herself, giving an insight to what she can become in the future. And yes, I know it seems I am dragging out Katara's time with endeavor, but that's because in the next few chapters will be nearly all focused on her alone. Set up is needed for the others before we get deeper into the meat of the story.
can't wait to see your thoughts on this chapter! Till next time!