"What is this?" Eri looked down at her breakfast, seeing a bread-like square with several other squares inside.
"That?" Briseuse, getting another packet of the food in the toaster, "that's… a waffle, square waffles to be exact."
"Waf…fle…" the red hair girl raised her eyebrow towards the girl's fascination with common food, it worried her. What happened to her to keep her away from knowing what waffles are?
Nonetheless, by the time her waffle was fully toasted, Eri finished staring at hers and begin eating it.
Quickly, she found the waffles delicious, she quickly ate more and finished it up by the time Briseuse could pop one piece in her mouth.
She shook, afraid for how the girl ate her food, was she just hungry or did she never eat decent food before? It's not even decent as she had to cook pre-made waffles into a toaster, she couldn't afford a cooker.
It was this moment where she felt bad for Eri, having second thoughts, she has a plan, she knows what she's capable of, but it was the most extreme and the most unthinkable plan any villain has come up with. A plan requires someone with an extremely powerful quirk to work.
Only Eri could fit that role.
By the time she toasted a second waffle for the girl, Briseuse knew she has to convince her for the ultimate goal to work.
"So Eri…" she started, "do you know what you're going to do next?"
The young girl was about to take a big bite on the waffle but froze upon hearing the question.
She thought about her next move, what she has to do or what can she do.
Eventually, she had an honest answer, "I… don't know… I don't think I can stay here for a while."
"Why?" Briseuse asked.
"I thought the city would help me, but instead, they see me as a monster."
"And from what I heard, heroes are taking extra looking out for you," Briseuse said, recalling information from police calls and news covering Eri's incident.
"Yeah… and I think I need to get out of here, find another place."
"If only that's simple."
"What do you mean?"
"Eri, I don't shield you from the horrors of this cruel world, but the truth is, no matter how many times you run away, the past will always haunt you, and it is scary, I know." She takes a breath, thinking about the years where her fugitive status and her obsession with Gentle, she never managed to let go, even when she dropped the La Brava name.
"The best way we can deal with them is to overcome the problem, fight back, face them without fear, no matter how scary it is."
"But… I… I don't want to hurt anyone."
"That's not what I saw on the camera."
"They deserve it."
"And yet you're still scared of killing people." Briseuse smiles that kept Eri quiet. "don't worry… the first kill can be scary. it happens to everyone."
She could understand, in her transformation as Briseuse, she dealt with problems that involves taking lives, the first one was some jerk who was about to rat her out, she didn't take pleasure in killing him.
"First you think of it, then when the world pushes you into doing it, the first move would feel irrational to you, until you see it, the shake, the fear, the sense of hesitation, it makes you want to not do it in the first place.
"But you managed to do it, and you learn that it's… easy, that fear of taking lives will fade away soon. It probably did, and you kill too many, you wouldn't regret a damn thing…"
For Eri, while still scared, she could see what Briseuse meant, with so much blood on her hands, the temptation to kill those mean boys was already there, the hero was enough to give her that push.
She takes a bite, not munching on it like the first waffle, just enough to give a thought.
"Why is the world like this?" she muttered, "why is the world so cruel?"
Briseuse takes a breath, she too thought about the world, her life was no different to hers, the pain, the rejection, the hurt and the loss of so many things and what's left was considered by everyone else as the essence of evil.
When in truth, they're just a broken person who needs more help than anyone else.
"Because people like us… we're not welcome to hero society."
Eri perked up, surprised after finishing her waffle, "People… like us…"
"You know what a bird is right?"
Eri nods.
"And do you believe birds belong to cages?"
The next answer was a shake.
"Do you see yourself as a bird in a cage?"
There was a pause, Eri thought about the question, understanding its meaning, "a little, but I think I got myself out."
"Well… what if I told you there are more birds locked up in the biggest cage in the world?"
"Are they mean birds?"
This caused Briseuse to stop before answering, a downright yes could help, but that's blocking the truth.
"According to society, yes." She answered, "but, they ended up there because they had hardships, they went through what you been through, what I've been through, and now they're going to die in their cage because that's what society wants."
The red hair hacker stood up and pulled out Eri's plate, given that she finished her meal. "everyone deserves a choice, and you got two choices; you can either fly away, go to another place, and hope the cage wouldn't come back to lock you up…"
Eri looks up at the girl, placing the plate on the second and going to her seat, saying out the second choice upon sitting.
"Or… You can destroy the cage and free all the birds."
Eri stood up, hearing about birds and cages, she likes being free, but at the same time, she didn't want to be in a cage, she doesn't want to go back in the cage. She expects where heroes put the meanies is no different than her old room, she wasn't sure if all of them was like her, but like this nice red short girl, perhaps not all villains are meanies after all, that not all of them were like him.
She thought about it while Briseuse remain seated.
"What is it going to be?"
Midoriya was in an alley, he was just walking until she found a little girl. Rushing towards him.
He was curious, wondering what the girl was doing all alone but feared that there was something she was running from.
He kneels and she hugged him as hard as she could, Midoriya could hear her whimper.
"It's alright," Midoriya tried to comfort her, "I'm here…"
The girl continued to cry and suddenly let go of Midoriya, taking a couple of steps back.
"But you weren't… were you…" she spoke in the voice Midoriya could remember, "how could you leave me behind, you're supposed to be a hero!"
"I am…" Midoriya attempt to defend himself, "but I…"
But before he could say anything, chains wrapped around her arms. Scaring both the girl and Midoriya.
"Save me…. Don't let me go… not again…"
"I won't." Midoriya stood up, "I'll…"
But before he could take a step forward, a crow beak appeared and pulled Eri back, she screamed before entering the mist behind and the beak closes.
"ERI!" the hero reach his hand.
Afterwards, Midoriya woke up.
It was a nightmare, enough for him to not get much sleep.
He couldn't even focus his attention on the agency's urgent meeting even if he wants to know every bit of detail of it.
Deku kept the best he could to hear both Mirio and Sir Nighteye. Mentioning of a collaboration between Lemillion's hero agency and the HPSC along with other local agencies to look out for Eri, which the public now deemed as 'the One Horn Demon'.
Midoriya hated that name, he understood that Eri broke a few laws, but those were mistakes, as she was just a girl with a power she couldn't control, the truck was a sense of self-defence while the car and the three boys could be freak accidents because she was scared.
After the meeting, he went to get himself some tea, a way to wake himself up. to refresh and start the day. By the time he gets a turn on the kettle, a cup of hot steaming tea was presented in front of him.
Surprised by the drink, Midoriya look at the receiver.
"Thought you needed this." The blonde man smiles.
"H… Hawks?"
Midoriya couldn't believe it, seeing the number three hero in front of him, offering him a hot beverage when he needs one.
"You… you don't need to do that…" Midoriya said nervously.
"Hey, I don't want my partner sleepy while on this important cause."
Grabbing the tea, Midoriya was already awakened by the news, he didn't even take a sip.
"Wait… partner?"
"Correct." The redwing hero smiles, "in our agency collaboration thanks to the commission, they task me to work with you while we look for this little girl."
Midoriya couldn't believe it, sure, being with big heroes wasn't a big deal, he had worked with All Might and Endeavour during his school years, but in his official work as a Pro Hero, not counting Lemillion this was the first time he's working with a top ten.
"I'm… honoured, I'll do my best."
"Then drink up, we're leaving in two minutes."
"Of… of course…" Midoriya quickly down his drink before spitting it out, reacting to the heat.
"Be careful, it's hot." Hawks state the obvious before leaving.
"Sir, as much as I like to do agency work, I think I'll be effective on the field," Mirio told Sir Nighteye, who stood at his former desk.
The man in the suit takes a breath, his hands shaken, he knows something that Mirio doesn't know, he can't tell him, All Might be one thing, but this was Mirio, and they are hunting down the thing that will kill him.
The last thing he wants is Mirio to find her, hence the desk work during the investigation.
"I'm sure your experience would work, but we are trying to identify our suspect so we know who to look, we know appearance but not features, and since you had seen her before, you're the best chance to identify the culprit."
"But it's been five years, she would have grown up." Mirio defended.
"Still, it's a chance." Nighteye quickly said, "and once you're finished, you can go out on the field and partake of the search team."
"Then I won't let you down, sir." Mirio had enthusiasm for this task.
A task that will give enough time for Nighteye. He smiles for the boy he was proud of. "thank you, and it will be worth it… I promise you…"
With that, Mirio starts working through the papers while Nighteye leaves, closing the door, a member from the commission stood by, awaiting orders.
Orders that Nighteye gives, "ensure that Mirio remains in this building during the search, under no circumstances should he partake in the search, understood?"
"Yes sir." The guard nods before Nighteye left.
The thing he's good at was setting plans and putting them into motion. His hindsight lets him see things that nobody else could.
He feared the future, but always find a way to prevent it.
"This is for your good, Togata." He muttered before heading out and leaving the building.
"The place stinks."
Eri complains as she follows Briseuse through the sewers.
"Yeah, the smell is really bad here." The older girl comments, "one of the best places to hide from the heroes, the stench alone keeps them from searching down here."
Briseuse looks down at her tablet, showing the camera screen of her drones that were hidden throughout the sewage system in the city, checking if any villains on the run or heroes who can endure the smell are down here.
Which a fair some had, giving some trouble while she guides them through the labyrinth of decay, but they managed to avoid them, without any alert.
"Better than up there, where people would recognise you right away, and our plan would be ruined."
"I understand." Eri pointed out, "just didn't think it would smell bad here."
"How long till we're there?" the girl asked just when they make a turnaround, seeing a ladder up ahead.
"Not long, we're at the outskirts, we just need to climb the ladder and walk there, stay close to me and we'll be there."
Approaching the ladder, both of them climbed the rungs with Briseuse at the top, she removes the circle sewage lid on top so they can finally reach the surface.
The first thing Eri saw was sunlight, she covered her eyes before looking around, seeing tall buildings on one side and a forest next to her.
"You can still back down Eri." The red girl suggests, "I don't want to force you to do this, don't even think it can work. You'll be in danger."
As Eri got out and sat next to the concrete floor, she turns to Briseuse. "There hasn't been a day in my life where I'm never in danger and I have to face it, right?"
Briseuse thought about her earlier statement about killing someone, she didn't consider it is the same as doing risky plans. If it all goes south, not only she would be put into prison, but Eri would end up there as well.
It's not a place for a child who suffered too much.
And they're going to raid one.
"Right?" the red girl nods as they stood up from the ground, "we'll follow the road but hide in the woods, they occasionally patrol on the roads."
The two heroes patrol their area, looking around and searching for the one horn demon.
They managed to look at least three areas, with Hawks in the skies and Midoriya hopping around town, they regroup after their search and double-check to try again. They found nothing.
There were small moments such as fans going up to Hawks and asking for autographs, but those were small moments as Hawks claims that he's on urgent matters and cannot be distracted.
This time, they were walking casually.
Because Midoriya had the urge to spark a conversation.
"So, Hawks…" he spoke, "five years and unable to reach number one?"
The blonde hero turn with a raised eyebrow, "what the hero ranks?"
"Yeah," Midoriya answered, "for the past few years, you've only managed to hop in and out in the top three."
"well I don't mind," Hawks shrugs, "I don't care if a bunny girl and fire man are above me, they can have their spotlight while I'm just doing what I usually do."
"Oh right," Midoriya recalls, "you want heroes to have more time in their hands."
"Oh, that old slogan." Hawks remembers, "yeah, I don't say that anymore."
"Why not?" Deku asked, curious about the bird hero not using his reason to be a hero.
"It all started when the League of Villains were captured, you remember them right?"
Midoriya thinks back, "of course I have." He thought about his first year when they attack his class at the USJ and raided their camp to capture Bakugo, it was a tough year, but the League was caught and disbanded, with Sir Nighteye and Midnight earning the credit for their capture.
"When they were gone, I thought that this was it, the moment I was waiting for, a time of long-lasting peace with no criminals running around and heroes having so much time to be themselves."
Hawks went ahead of Midoriya, he open his arms along with his wings, "but five years later and what are we doing?"
"We're hunting down a villain," Izuku answered, a little hesitant to call Eri a villain, but in the context and to ensure that Midoriya understood Hawk's view, he had to follow.
"Exactly!" he was satisfied with the given answer, "no different than what we did five years ago, no different than what we did fifty years ago. Do you get it? Deku?"
Midoriya didn't answer, his mind was still in the thought of the words, seeing some sense into it.
"Don't even think All Might made any changes, all he ever did is be the poster boy for peace but never truly achieving it."
"But he did a lot of work for a poster boy." Midoriya defended his idol and secretly the previous user of the power he processes.
"Not saying he's just a face, but he does work as much as any of us and yet, what did he accomplish all the way to his retirement?"
"He kept the world safe?"
"A good giving answer, but not entirely correct." Hawks said, stepping closer to Deku, "what he did is keep the system working, and that's what we're doing, so long the system works, there is never rest for any of us, just the continuous stagnant of a never-ending, never-changing crusade against crime."
"So in other words, there is no spare time."
"Not necessary," Hawks pointed out, "at best, the best way to have more time in retirement, but even then, there is something that keeps us going…" the bird takes a breath, "and I'm not going to give up on this system, it's the very reason why I'm still doing this because I know the truth…"
After the statement, they heard a sudden voice in their earpieces, an alert from the search team.
"Hawk, Deku, come in, we found her, I repeat, we found her."
Midoriya mind shifted drastically, focusing on the voice than what Hawk said, "where is she?"
"You're not going to like it…"
Eri stood, looking over the building at the distance, near a mass of water, with a bridge as the only way to get across.
She spent time staring at the place, memorising the building, the facility that Briseuse was talking about.
The biggest cage in the world.
She doesn't have any other ideas, she could have run away from this, but she made her choice, she understands the trouble and all she can do is free the birds that were locked up because they are rejected by this cruel society.
Rejects like her.
She takes a breath, thinking about the power she has, her reverse, her Overhaul, her indestructible skin.
She felt terrified, but she kept cool and think about what she was going to do.
What happens after? She didn't think about it, but she doesn't care. She went all this way and she's not going to back down the problems.
"Birds are meant to be free…" she stated, taking another breath before she could make her move, a move that she can't turn back from. "And I'm going to free them."
She takes a step forward, closer to the prison.
A prison Briseuse calls Tartarus.
To be continued…