Author's Note: Howdy, everyone! It's been a few weeks. Had a long time of writer's block specifically for the start of this chapter, but I got past it, and here we are. Do enjoy. Also, I have a TV Tropes page! I can't post links in the FFN chapter, but if you'd like, you can look up 'Societas Requiem' on TV Tropes, and I'm the only one there. If you wanna add to it, that would be great!
Also, if you want to get into a place with other lovers of MHA, and specifically IzuJirou stuff, come on and join this Discord server that I'm on:
/eFtmT8cTbY
We're only kind of crazy, and not at all a cult... except, we also kind of are. Anyway, yeah, join that!
Or maybe you want something a bit less niche with still a lot of great authors? If so, I have another server!
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I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's cross-posted on Ao3 as well. Leave a review if you want to. I welcome the feedback! See you next time.
"So remind me why we're here again." Hitoshi asked.
"We're in Osaka to see if we can find any information about the Shie Hassaikai." Himiko explained.
"Yes, but why are we here?" Hitoshi asked, gesturing to himself and her, two of three people in the back of their van that was being driven by Mei.
"Because I thought your skill sets would be helpful on this mission." Izuku said. "If we run into something or someone that needs to be held in place for a bit, you'll be up while we get away. We're not at full force, nor should we be. This is a scouting mission."
"Ah, that makes sense." Hitoshi nodded. He put his mask on and pulled his cloak over his head. "Let's get ready to go, then."
"After you." Izuku said. His mask was already on as he opened the back of the van. "Keep an eye on us, yeah?" He addressed Mei who was setting up a temporary terminal in the passenger seat.
"Righty-o. Snake Eyes, with the cameras in your mask, I can see through your eyes. I'll be keeping you updated on where you need to go to escape if something that requires an escape happens."
"My thanks, Overwatch." Izuku said. He turned back to Hitoshi and Himiko. "We're off. Stick to alleyways and rooftops. We can't afford to have some meddling hero trying to capture us." With that, he exited the van and began to sneak down the alley that the van had parked in. Himiko followed behind him quietly as Hitoshi climbed a nearby fire escape ladder to get up to the rooftop.
The three of them moved stealthily through the city, ducking through alleyways in the case of Himiko and Izuku, and across rooftops for Hitoshi. The three of them snaked through the city for about five minutes before Izuku stopped.
"Have you seen anything, Mastermind?" He asked over comms.
"Nothing yet." Hitoshi said.
"Hmm…" Izuku pondered. "Everyone here, split up. We'll cover more ground this way."
"Alright, Snake Eyes. I'll let you know if I find anything." Himiko said.
"Likewise." Hitoshi said. With that, Izuku darted into an alleyway across the street. He turned to see Himiko and Hitoshi watching him cautiously. He saluted and dashed further into the alley. He saw the two of them leave soon after, both going their own ways.
As Izuku made his way through the city, he became more and more downcast. He couldn't see or hear anything that caught his attention about the Shie Hassaikai. Then again, he was only keeping to the alleyways. There weren't many people actually talking in the alleys. Sighing, he resigned himself to what he needed to do to hear anything.
He stepped out into the daylight and began walking down the street, being as inconspicuous as he could be despite being dressed almost in all black.
"This is all for the sake of hearing things." He reminded himself as he passed the first alley. And then again when he passed the second. He was about to repeat it again as he passed the third alley, but movement caught his attention, and then it was no longer about hearing things.
A small child, probably about six or seven years old ran out of the alleyway. A young girl with snow white hair going down to her back. And a small horn on her forehead, off to one side. His eyes went wide as he saw her. He remembered a few weeks ago.
'Through DNA phenotyping, we're able to tell that she is at a young age. Probably six or seven years old. White hair. Her quirk's physical trait seems to be a horn.' Mei explained.
She ran into his leg and fell down. He immediately squatted down and turned off his mask's voice changing feature.
"Are you alright?" He asked. She immediately looked up at his face in shock. She grabbed onto his side and was shaking horrendously. He was about to ask another question, but more movement down the alleyway stopped him in his tracks.
A man in a green jacket with fur lining along the collar and a red plague mask stepped out of the alley, approaching the two of them. Izuku's breath caught in his throat. They had done some cursory research on the Shie Hassaikai, and this man was the new leader. Kai Chisaki. Overhaul. "Now, Eri. Look at what you've done now. You've caused a problem for this…" Chisaki paused for just a second before continuing. "This nice person."
"S-Sorry…" The girl, Eri, said quietly, holding tightly onto Izuku's arm.
"Children." Chisaki said with feigned exasperation. "They have such a knack for disobeying."
"Right…" Izuku said.
"Hey, Snake Eyes…" Mei said over their comms link. "That's the girl…" Izuku didn't say anything, but he nodded slightly. Hopefully with the camera view that Mei has through his mask, she can tell that much.
"Help me…" Eri whispered, holding him even closer.
Izuku's eyes went wide again. He grabbed ahold of her, reached into this jacket, and threw down a few of his dice bombs, making all of them land 1s side up. A second later, they all exploded in front of him, causing a smokescreen of rubble and remnants of the explosive charges. And with that, he was gone, dashing down the street, headed back to their van.
"Jesus, Snake Eyes. Give me some fucking warning next time! I'm pulling up a route for you to follow. Just keep running for now. Fucking hell!" Mei said over the comms.
"Wait, what happened?" Himiko asked.
"Snake Eyes did something stupid, I think." Hitoshi said.
"He stole the little girl that Overhaul is using to make those bullets from right in front of him! Ballsy, but fuck is it reckless." Mei said.
"She asked for my help. I'm not leaving her with that man. My body just kind of… moved on its own. Besides, you guys are close. Things are gonna be fine for now." Izuku explained. He then looked down at the girl who was holding onto him tightly. "I'm not letting you go. I'm going to save you. You're going to be okay." She responded by simply tightening her grip on the arm that was holding her. He ducked his body down as he turned into an alleyway just in time to avoid a piece of rubble from the road soaring by and impacting the wall right where his head would have been.
"Good dodge, Snake Eyes." Mei said. "Once you get out of this alleyway, take a left. Mastermind, he's going to intersect with your location soon. You can be his escape tool. Get Chisaki to talk to you."
"Heard." Hitoshi responded.
Izuku did as instructed, turning left once he got out of the alleyway. As he turned, he caught a glimpse of Chisaki blitzing after him like a feral animal. He pushed through a crowd of people, eliciting gasps and shouts from those that he passed by. He didn't care, though. This was to save Eri.
"Changeling, once Mastermind gets me away from Chisaki, I need you to take Eri." Izuku instructed.
"Where is he, Overwatch?" Himiko asked.
"A block south of where you are. Mastermind is closing in on his location soon. A hand off can happen soon." Mei said.
Soon enough, as Izuku was running through the streets, he saw Hitoshi standing atop a building in front of him. He nodded to his teammate who did the same in response. As Izuku passed the building, he saw Hitoshi leap from the rooftop, and then he heard the impact of his boots on the ground behind him.
"What are you doing?" Hitoshi asked Chisaki.
"Get out of-" Chisaki said with his hand raised towards Hitoshi's face, soon stopping completely in his tracks.
"You're good to go, Snake Eyes!" Hitoshi yelled, dashing into a nearby alleyway.
Izuku could hear exclamations of shock and interest as that was yelled throughout the streets. "Snake Eyes? Like from that one group?"
"No way, he's here?"
"I want a picture for sure!"
"Dude, no. He's a criminal."
"But he's a badass! And he took down Stain."
Izuku stopped listening after that, running for his life.
"Changeling, turn to your left now. Snake Eyes, turn to your right. You're about a block from each other now." Mei instructed.
"Alright, Eri. I'm about to give you to a friend of mine who is really nice. She's going to take care of you, okay?" Izuku asked the small girl. She nodded slightly, tears forming in her eyes. About two minutes later, Izuku saw Himiko running towards him. He slowed down as he approached her. "Eri, this is my friend. She's gonna help you." He said. She nodded again. He carefully handed her off to Himiko before standing up straight. "Changeling, you need to head back to the van with Eri. I'll be there soon enough. I need to distract Chisaki more if he somehow gets out of Mastermind's quirk. Go, now." Himiko nodded, turning around with Eri holding onto her tightly. "Mastermind, head towards the van. Changeling is on her way. I'll meet with you three later. Overwatch, be sure to guide them back."
"Right." All three said over comms. Izuku nodded and took off in the opposite direction that Himiko was heading in. "Eri will be safe." He thought to himself.
Mirio did not expect this at all. Sir has asked him to patrol this area today on a whim. He didn't use his quirk on Mirio out of his own personal creed, but something seemed off about today particularly.
Of course, Mirio understood immediately whenever he saw someone in all black and a mask take a small girl from right in front of the Nighteye Agency's prime target at the moment: Kai Chisaki, or Overhaul. He quickly ducked behind some cover as the masked figure dashed away with cover from an explosion, ducking into an alley right as Chisaki regained his bearings and sent a massive piece of asphalt flying through the reforming of the ground into a momentum cannon for that specific piece of rubble. Mirio quickly fell through the ground and reappeared at the top of a nearby building. He quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Sir.
Three rings exactly until the call was picked up. "Yes, Mirio?"
"Sir, something happened. A man in black took a small girl from Chisaki and ran away."
"Describe the man in black."
"Long black trench coat, a mask with different LED dots, and dark underclothes." Mirio described.
"Interesting. The leader of Societas Requiem." Sir said.
"The vigilante group? Why are they after the Shie Hassaikai?" Mirio asked.
"I'm not sure. Bring him there for questioning. I'll head to your location soon, and then we'll take him there." Sir instructed.
"There? You mean-"
"Yes. We'll take him to Heat Rush." Sir said before he hung up.
Mirio sighed to himself. "Alright. If Sir said it, then that's what it is. Sorry, little buddy, but you're gonna be coming with me." Mirio began to sink into the ground before he realized something. "I lost him. Welp, gotta find him again!" He began to laugh as he sank through the building.
Izuku ducked into another alleyway, pretty sure that he had lost Chisaki by this point. Truth be told, Izuku wasn't even sure if Chisaki had gotten free from Hitoshi's quirk, but he needed to distance himself from his friends if Chisaki did manage to find him again.
Fortunately, or possibly unfortunately for him, it wasn't Chisaki that found him.
A head popped out of the wall next to where Izuku was standing. "There you are!"
Izuku jumped to the side, falling into his fighting stance instinctually.
"So I have orders to bring you somewhere. Let's not make it too difficult, okay?" The face, now man, said as he stepped out of the wall.
"Are you a hero?" Izuku asked.
"In training, but yes." He put on a bright smile and raised his own hands into a fighting stance.
"Then you and I won't get along very well." Izuku said, rushing him with a jab to the face, only for his fist to pass right through the man's face without harming him at all.
The man sighed. "You made this more difficult." He then sunk into the ground, appearing right behind Izuku and sending him crashing into the building with a powerful punch.
Izuku's vision swam horribly as he fell through the wall. "That hurt." He coughed, a small speck of blood coming up in it.
"Remember that you did this to yourself." The man shrugged. And with another punch to Izuku's head, his vision went black.
He woke up to the sounds of tires traveling over the road. He slowly opened his eyes, and he was strapped in with a seatbelt in the back of a car.
"Oh, looks like he's awake!" The blonde that had knocked him out said from the front seat. "That's some nice timing, isn't it, Sir?" He chuckled.
"That it is. It makes what comes next much easier." The man referred to as 'Sir' said. Izuku looked into the rearview mirror to see mostly green hair with a strip of yellow and piercingly analytical eyes. Then it hit him.
"Sir Nighteye." Izuku said. He then realized that he, thankfully, still had his mask on.
"Yes, I am." The man driving responded.
"What are you doing kidnapping me? Isn't that something that heroes don't do?" Izuku asked.
Sir Nighteye chuckled, his face completely straight in the rearview mirror. "That's funny. Perhaps this will be more beneficial to me than the rat initially suggested."
"Nezu? What does he have to do with this?" Izuku asked.
"We'll talk when we get to where we're going." Sir said. "The rat can probably explain a bit himself."
"Shit." Izuku said.
"Took the words right out of my mouth, Snake Eyes. Any time the rat gets involved with things, it's something that needs to be taken seriously, though. So we're going to one of the only places where such an important discussion can be had."
"And where is that?" Izuku asked.
"Neutral ground. Heat Rush." Sir said ominously as he parked his car. Izuku looked through the window to see a wooden building with a large neon sign on the front that read 'Heat Rush' with blue fire surrounding the words. "Well, we're here. Get on out. The rat should be inside."
"Why do you call him that?" Izuku asked.
"Because I believe it to be a humorous name for him, and humor is important to me and my work." Sir said in response as he left the car.
"Right." Izuku said to himself and he unbuckled himself and stood out of the car. Sir led the three of them to the door. "You said this is neutral ground. What do you mean by that?"
"You'll see. Just remember the main rule of the place: no fighting. Follow that, and the owner or his girlfriend won't kick you out and hurt you in the process." With that, Sir opened the doors. Izuku had no idea what he was expecting, but this was not it.
He saw several pro heroes, several fairly well known villains, and a few other people sitting in the bar. None of them were fighting, just like Sir had said.
"Wow…" Izuku said. He took in the scene in front of him, completely lost until the blonde man from before nudged him along. The three of them snaked through the building until they reached the bar itself.
Standing inside was a rather tall man, close to rivaling Sir's height. He turned around with a glass in hand, polishing the interior. He had rather tan skin, shoulder length dark hair, golden eyes, and a serious expression "Mirai. It's good to see you again."
Izuku was completely shocked to see just how much of the back wall was covered in things regarding Hawaii. Alongside that was a sign that had in bright red, bolded letters: 'Rule 1. No fighting in Heat Rush.'
"Good to see you too, Harushi. Is he here?"
"Not yet. Go have a seat. I'll direct him to you when he gets here." The man, apparently named Harushi said.
"Ryouya, when are you closing up shop?" A female voice next to Izuku spoke up. Following the voice, Izuku was shocked to see one of the current top heroes, Miruko, sitting at the bar.
"A few more hours, Bunny-San." Ryouya said.
"Seriously, Ryo. We've been dating for years now, and you still call me that!" Miruko said.
"Because it's funny." Ryo said with a straight face.
"I've arrived!" A voice called out from the door. Looking that way, Izuku saw Nezu in all of his short glory walking through the door. "Let's have a seat, shall we? We have much to discuss."
Sir nodded and led the four of them to a table in the bar. Once they were all seated, Sir looked between Izuku and Nezu. "So, Nezu. You told me that if I were to ever encounter any member of Societas Requiem, I should not take them in. I asked you why then, and you didn't give me a straight answer. Will I get one now?"
"Nope! But we all know that's not the real reason that we're here." Nezu said. "Snake Eyes, I take it you encountered something of great importance to Mirai."
"I guess, but I have some questions first." Izuku said. "First, I know that the sign says no fighting, but why doesn't it happen anyway?"
Mirio simply pointed at Ryouya. "It's because of him."
"What's so special about him?"
"You saw Miruko, correct?" Nezu asked. When Izuku nodded, he continued. "Harushi is more powerful than her both in quirk and in physical strength."
"When I first discovered the place, I considered arresting him and shutting the place down, but I realized my mistake the first time I saw someone attempt to fight in the building." Nighteye explained. "After that, we've realized that the effort and manpower it would take to take him down even as a single entity is just not worth it. At best, we need one of the top five heroes, most likely Endeavor due to the fire, and a lot of other spare heroes. And that's not even counting having to deal with Mirko, who will side with him. There are actual villains roaming here who've done way worse than what he does... besides, have you tried the All Might inspired American Steak?"
"I… I haven't. Is it good?" Izuku asked.
"Yes. If you'd like, we can order food." Sir replied.
"That's besides the point right now. If he's so strong, why isn't he a hero?" Izuku asked.
"Just because someone has a strong quirk, it doesn't mean that they have to be a hero. Just like what you're fighting for. Just because someone has a weaker or different quirk, that doesn't mean that someone can't be a hero." Nezu explained. "Two sides of the same coin…" Nezu trailed off, looking at a few of the people in the bar. "Some people's quirks are too situational to become higher tiered heroes, though. So they come here and pay for people to commit crimes and have that hero stop them." Izuku followed Nezu's gaze to see a familiar hero: Native. The one that he had saved from Stain. He immediately felt… anger? Shame? The fact that a hero was doing something like this didn't sit well with Izuku.
"I… I see…" Izuku said.
"I can see the negativity on your face. I don't like it either. I really didn't like it when I saw Wash of all people in here doing the same thing. The HPSC doesn't care if things like this happen. They cover it up. One of many reasons I have partnered with you." Nezu said. "But that can be discussed another time. Nighteye brought you here for a reason. Let's get into it, Mirai."
"Actually, Lemillion should start this off." Nighteye said. "Explain what you saw."
"Well, I saw Snake Eyes grab a young girl from the leader of the Shie Hassaikai and run off with her." Lemillion said.
"Who is this girl, and why did you take her?" Nighteye asked.
"My group and I have been taking down some arms deals recently. Most of them are for a specific bullet and the gun that houses them. These bullets are quirk suppressors. Through analysis, we discovered that there was someone's blood in the bullets. And from that blood, we were able to determine that the source of the blood is a young girl. The young girl that… Lemillion saw me take. With this knowledge, when she asked for me to help her, it just happened. It was like my body moved on its own."
When Izuku finished, the other three at the table were silent. After about a minute of silence, Nighteye spoke. "Is the girl safe?"
"She should be. She's likely back at the hideout with the other members of my group." Izuku said. "That's the important thing."
"Snake Eyes, you just made yourself an extremely dangerous enemy." Nighteye sighed. "Which is why I now feel obligated to tell you that we at the Nighteye Agency are planning a raid on the base. You have provided information that is crucial. We would like to have you join us in this. The meetings and the raid. You and your group."
"Not in person. We're just going to get arrested by the other heroes there." Izuku said.
"Fine. We'll call you in. More information will be given during the meetings if that's something that you and your group would be interested in. And amnesty during the raid." Nighteye offered.
"I'm tempted. Let me ask my other people first, though. Give me your number, and we can set up a message link that can't be traced." Izuku said. Nighteye handed him a slip of paper, and Izuku pocketed it immediately.
"So, our next order of business." Nighteye continued. "The Shie Hassaikai itself is a dangerous organization that-" He stopped as soon as the door opened.
Izuku recognized this man as well. He had just escaped from him earlier. Kai Chisaki. Overhaul.
Overhaul seemed to notice Izuku, too, because he immediately began walking over to him. He took his glove off and extended his hand towards Izuku. "Give her back!" He growled.
As Overhaul got within a few feet of Izuku, the temperature in the room increased drastically. Once that started, several guns were cocked and pointed at the man. Several quirks were primed and likewise about to be directed at him too.
Izuku turned to look at Ryouya. His entire body was encompassed in a blue flame. Chisaki had also looked at the bar owner to see him staring the man down. He simply pointed at the sign behind him. Chisaki lowered his hand and growled. He looked back at Izuku and slowly set his hand down upon Izuku's shoulder, his glove still off. He gripped Izuku's shoulder slightly as he began to speak.
"Your filth will be removed soon enough. I know you have her. Take this as a warning. You've taken something important from me. I will take everything important to you. You'll have wished you never took her." Chisaki said. "We'll be in touch." And with that, he walked up to the bar and sat down.
"It seems like you've made more of an enemy in him than we initially thought. That girl must mean a lot to him. Or at least, his mission. Be careful with your next moves. I'll let you get back to your group now. Will you need transport?" Nezu said.
Before Izuku could answer, his earpiece crackled to life. "Oh, thank god. Snake Eyes, your link has been out for three hours. We're tracking your location now, and you're in the… Bunkyo district of Tokyo. We're on our way. Are you alright?" Mei asked.
"I'm fine, Overwatch. I'll be staying here until you all get here. Do bring all of you. Or at least everyone that can come without leaving Eri alone." Izuku said into his earpiece. Lemillion and Nighteye watched with curiosity, while Nezu simply expected this.
"Inko is here. She's watching Eri. We're all coming now." Mei said.
"Great. I'll be expecting your arrival soon, then." Izuku said. He felt the eyes of Overhaul on him constantly as he waited. Eventually, Nighteye, Lemillion, and Nezu had to leave. They said their goodbyes, leaving Izuku there alone. All four people were oblivious to the hooded figure in the corner that was watching the entire exchange.
Less than half an hour later, Izuku's comms crackled again. "We're here. Heat Rush? Interesting place. You ready?"
"Yeah." Izuku said, standing up. He walked out, waving a wave of appreciation to Ryouya before he exited the door. "All of you, we have to move. Overhaul is in there right now, and he might be coming out for me. Let's go."
"Heard." Everyone said, dashing into an alleyway nearby where the van was parked.
"Back to Eri." Izuku said, taking his mask off when he got into the van.
Author's Note: A note at the end? Yeah, crazy. Anyway, if you recognize the owner of Heat Rush, Ryouya Harushi, then you're probably familiar with my buddy Rainy Day's fic, Street Fighting Heroes. It's on both FFN and Ao3, so definitely give it a read if you wanna see him more in depth. He's gonna be a major minor character moving forward in SR. Okay bye!
