Chapter 2!
You get dialogue and info. That's it, but it's interesting and needed I promise. I feel like this fic will have a lot of dialogue.
User/Reviewer TomiBania: Glad to hear it! I felt that this fic would have a slightly slower start because I need to set up certain things but I'm glad people have taken to it. I've got a lot drafted out for it already.
To everyone who faved, followed, or reviewed thank you so much!
Enjoy, more notes at the end!
Chapter 2: Black & White
*Yu POV*
"Didn't I ask you to not make me use my quirk again?"
Both in panic and anger, Yu tried to headbutt the woman but the greenette was now back to sitting on her desk while holding her weapon.
"Strike two," Midoriya chided to the blonde's annoyance. "If I have to use my quirk one more time then we'll have a problem," she added on while slightly unsheathing the blade and studying its edge as the heroine growled at her.
The older woman gave her a drifting eye before reaching into the pocket of her suit pants and pulling out a slip of paper. Unfolding it with one hand while carrying the blade in the other, Midoriya gave the contents a peek before slyly smiling down at Yu.
"22 years old, birthday is August 11th, born in Shimizu, Hokkaido," she rattled off, watching the blonde's reaction, and Yu paled and stared at her in disbelief. "Oh, don't give me that look," Midoriya said, switching back to a more playful tone. "I already took a picture of your hero license too by the way," she further informed and the heroine sunk back into her seat.
"Where did you..." she questioned in shock, thinking about what else the woman could possibly know about her, about her family, but Midoriya stood up and circled back around the desk to retake her seat.
"I had a police contact look you up," she replied nonchalantly while placing the weapon back on the desk. "I told them you're working with me now," the greenette explained, further trapping the blonde, but Yu was still thinking about the implications of the older woman's investigation. "I didn't ask anything about your family by the way," Midoriya added in as if she'd read her mind and Yu snapped to attention. "Unless they get tangled with us then we yakuza do our best to keep the honest folk out of things," the green haired woman cleared firmly. "This dealing is between you and me, okay?" she stressed and the blonde eased just a touch but didn't let her guard down, "now let's negotiate, Takeyama Yu."
"Alright," she agreed in resignation.
"Feel free to ask any questions then," the woman offered again and Yu took a moment to think of what she wanted to know.
Forced as she was, Yu was certainly being given a lot of wiggle room in terms of information and Midoriya didn't seem too bothered by that. The green haired yakuza was quick to give her answers that didn't seem quite like lies and even if the blonde hero wasn't going to outsmart her then she could at least benefit from the knowledge being presented to her. When she had been led to this room the younger woman noticed that the office building, that she heard Midoriya say was only one of theirs, was decently large but the greenette had mentioned that they weren't a big gang. What exactly did she consider large or small in terms of her group?
"I thought you said your group was small?" Yu pried, curious about if the woman would give actual numbers, but the greenette gave her a surprised eye raise.
"It is small," Midoriya reiterated, shifting to her initial rough personality. "Plenty of the people you'll see are just working with us but are otherwise completely normal citizens," she informed, now to the heroine's interest, and Yu sat up a little.
"They're okay with that?" the young blonde asked aloud, almost more to herself, and Midoriya nodded.
"Sure are," she waved, pulling out a watch and checking it before turning her eyes back to the heroine, "though some don't know the exact details of course."
"How do they blend in though?" Yu had to ask in confusion, she didn't see how street punks weren't singled out immediately amongst civilians, but the greenette sighed.
"Not all yakuza are rough thugs," Midoriya answered with a shake of her head and the tone made the blonde feel as if she had said something silly. "Most of the ones in my group at least have other skills," she pointed out, almost proudly Yu noted, before continuing, "marketing, computer science, culinary, arts," Midoriya listed out on her fingers while the heroine absorbed the information. "Not everyone who joins or falls in with us are hell raisers," the yakuza finished and the younger woman had to ponder on the reveal.
"With skills like those they can just get normal jobs can't they?" she reasoned plainly, unsure of why they'd instead join the yakuza, "and if your group is as small as you claim then how do you even remain operating let alone profiting?" she pushed while the greenette across from her hummed.
"Considering the declining amount of people joining, we actually get most recruits through those we pick up or those who were in debt," Midoriya answered thoughtfully, "that way we manage to fill the gap of those who leave in pursuit of other avenues," she explained while pausing to let it sink in. "When it comes to owing us you can either pay or work it off," the older woman listed but a sly smile crossed her lips, "since we shark people on money then they usually choose to work since they don't have the cash."
"Then unless they were in debt why would they stay in the yakuza?" the blonde hero again had to wonder but it gave Midoriya an amused look.
"Simple, opportunity and money," the older woman shrugged like it was nothing, "the pay is good and it was their chance to work in a field they might have wanted or ended up liking," Midoriya further disclosed. "Plenty of people grow accustomed to things if it's more convenient," the greenette reminded her with a pleased breath, "If you have the stability you want then why risk leaving?"
"So you're basically giving them jobs," the heroine simplified but the yakuza boss took on a more serious face.
"You can say that just don't mistake it," she warned, "being in our debt meant you fell for one of our rackets," she put bluntly and Yu nodded her head as if she was being scolded. "It starts with extortion and blackmail but the only difference is that people come to varied conclusions," Midoriya laid out, gesturing with her hands, "either they get rid of their debt and wash their hands of us or they enter the fold and are fine with that."
"They don't just go to heroes or the police afterwards?" the blonde offered back yet the yakuza woman again replied in the negative before explaining further.
"My group doesn't just target nobodies," she told the hero, practically teaching her at this point, "plenty of high profiles fall for our tricks," the greenette revealed while Yu did her best to keep up. "Politicians, heads of businesses, heroes," she stressed much to the blonde's discomfort, "you think they want a scandal that will lose them their job when they can just bury it?" she questioned rhetorically and the scope of things truly astonished the heroine.
"Just how much do the yakuza actually do?" she curiously asked, drawn into the conversation, and Midoriya still seemed ready to oblige.
"We keep in all kinds of fields that are useful to everyone," the older woman informed, "so long as there's money to be made," she added on with a small but cheeky grin. "The police think of us as a necessary evil so long as we keep out of the way," the green haired boss supplied and the blonde spoke right back up.
"There's no way most heroes would let you slide though right?" the heroine argued and Midoriya nodded her head in agreement.
"It's case by case and it depends what they were busted on," the green haired woman acknowledged. "Plus, they still run through the police don't they?" she tossed in, Yu understanding what she'd meant, "a few fines aren't that bad."
"How do you keep out of the way then?" the heroine followed up, fully interested in what she was learning, while the opposing woman side eyed some papers.
"We're affiliated in various ways with plenty of honest businesses," the yakuza answered back, "either we work with them or own them and use them as fronts," she added on while raising a hand and beginning to count each finger. "We invest all over," Midoriya started, raising her first finger, "keep our eye on real estate and stocks," she continued and added two more, "run some quiet rackets," four, "and deal in info, goods, and money to all kinds of parties," she ended with a pleased grin.
"Don't other honest or villain groups with more power do most of that too?" Yu presented back, doubting that the yakuza had a monopoly especially with their self admitted decline. "If you're on the small end then eventually you'll have to dissolve," the blonde reasoned but it garnered a chuckle from the greenette.
"We may be limited but we're also integral to maintaining the system," Midoriya stated with full confidence. "We're part of the little pieces that keep things turning as they should be," she said while leaning back in her chair with folded arms and a content look, "we don't like if either side gains too much leverage over the other."
"Does that really work with keeping out of sight?" Yu wondered, not being able to think of how the yakuza of all people could do such things without a little conflict, and the boss hummed at her point.
"We do get into scuffles here and there," Midoriya confirmed calmly, "we're in business with people like heroes and villains but it doesn't mean we're on their side," she cleared without a doubt. "Villains especially," the greenette grumbled with a touch of a frown, "they might make up one of the larger percentages of our clients but they're harder to deal with individually." The green haired woman began tapping a finger and her displeasure deepened, "not to mention the crazies you run into," she scowled openly and Yu kept to attention. "The Hero Killer and hate groups like the CRC are bad for business," the yakuza revealed and the younger woman perked up at the unfamiliar name.
"CRC?" she repeated, not exactly knowing the name, and Midoriya practically growled.
"Creature Rejection Clan," the greenette nearly spat, her eyes narrowing dangerously, "they violently discriminate against people with mutant type quirks," she explained quickly and Yu made sure to remember the name. "Those maggots pop up every now and again but they're spread all over Japan." The heroine quietly watched as the greenette sat in her anger and Midoriya's mind seemed to wander as her gaze stared elsewhere, "Once I find their base I'm going to gut every single one of them," she swore, her hand tightening around her arm, but eventually her attention came back to the heroine. "I had a bad run in with them before," she commented, clearly noticing the blonde's curiosity.
"But you don't have a mutant type quirk," Yu said without thought, the words simply tumbling from her lips, but fortunately it didn't further anger the woman.
"Maybe you should have stayed in school," the greenette sighed, a slight teasing edge in her tone, and the blonde bristled at the sudden jab.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" she yelled heatedly yet the older woman only raised a hand and tapped at the side of her head.
"Use your brain, hero," she replied, her even voice bringing Yu back down, and embarrassment set in for the heroine.
"Oh," she quietly said as it clicked and she realized that it was instead someone close to the greenette rather than her personally.
"If you wanna make it as a hero in the city then you'd better listen well," Midoriya lectured her seriously. "I'll help you learn the things that weren't taught in hero school," she affirmed but the remark made the blonde begin to flare up again.
"I still won't accept your deal," Yu adamantly refuted but the greenette swapped to her more playful business side.
"I'll count this as an in progress negotiation," she shrugged, "I may not keep it up forever but the one losing time is you," she reminded while the younger woman frowned in annoyance. "You're a newbie hero that just got started, late at that," the greenette pointed out and Yu couldn't argue in the slightest. "Are you sure you want to fade right back out?"
"No..." she muttered angrily under her breathe, knowing the greenette was right, and the yakuza knocked on her desk to regain her attention.
"Then ask me anything you're curious about," she practically ordered but with a calm yet almost reassuring voice. "If it's something I don't know then I'll find out and if it costs me money then I'll spend it," she told the hero and Yu stared at her in surprise.
Midoriya's face was serious, as if asking her to try and call her a liar, and the blonde couldn't find any sign of deception. This kind of support was something that Yu had rarely ever received, even while attending her hero university, and a conflicting emotion touched her before being choked away as the blonde's eyes narrowed.
"Are you trying to trick me?" she cautiously tried and for a moment the blonde felt bad as Midoriya gave a look as if she was offended before sinking back to her snakelike expression.
"Too cheap huh?" the greenette had to ask and Yu felt like an idiot for even almost falling for it. "That's fine," Midoriya smirked, "if you fell for that too easily then I'd be a little disappointed," she added on, only making Yu more upset with herself, but the greenette's face changed again. "I'm serious though," the yakuza boss informed again, "I don't lack resources despite my limited reach," she assured but Yu wasn't going to bite at her words this time.
"I don't understand why you want me to make a deal with you so badly," the blonde replied, trying to change the discussion direction, and Midoriya flicked at a stack of papers idly.
"Killing a hero isn't going to do anything good for me," the greenette stated obviously, taking a few of the papers and skimming them. "Too much ambition isn't good for us yakuza anymore," the boss brought up coolly as she continued working, "it's better to keep the heat off of ourselves," she gestured with her hand before her eyes came over the top of the page, "and I'd rather not keep you around forever so I need some insurance."
"But you seem like the type of person who could cover it up," Yu blurted out and this time the greenette seemed to be the one who was taken off guard but Midoriya began laughing soon after.
"Maybe I'd agree with you if I was still 18," she chuckled, wiping an amused tear from her eye, "I know I thought pretty big of myself back then."
"And you don't now?" the heroine pressed, intrigued but confused about the greenette's reaction, and Midoriya shook her head.
"I'm just more realistic now," she brushed off. "For example, I could probably kill most anyone I wanted without issue," Midoriya suddenly brought up while Yu felt a tingle of fear through her body. "Cutting the head off a big villain organization and taking over is possible despite my status but I have no interest in such things," the yakuza woman confessed as if it was nothing. "I like where I am in my life and I don't need all that other crap because I've got other things to be concerned over."
"That's still a bold claim," the heroine retorted but the yakuza didn't seem convinced.
"It's simply understanding what I can do and what I actually want," Midoriya clarified but Yu was still skeptical of her example. "How about this," the greenette said all of a sudden, "of course you keep quiet about us but instead I'll give you a part time job," she offered though Yu kept her guard up.
"Are you giving up on striking a deal then?" she prodded but a grin answered her back.
"Nope," the older woman chirped, "but we might as well use the time productively right?" she advised. "I get time to convince you and you make some cash on the side," the green haired boss laid out, drumming her fingers on her desk, "I'll even cover your room and board if you'd like," she proposed and the blonde narrowed her gaze.
"That just makes me more worried," Yu admitted, not sure what the other woman had in mind this time, but Midoriya put her papers to the side to fully focus on the blonde.
"It's not like I'll be having you become a yakuza or even work outside of my group," she began lecturing again in her business tone, "with the decline of the yakuza as a whole we've splintered into much smaller and divided groups," the greenette covered again to put things into perspective, "10 years back this place was way bigger and one of the branch associates under the umbrella of a bigger group," she revealed with a thoughtful look as if her mind was far away. "Turfs are stricter now and most yakuza don't get along with other groups as they've adapted with the times," Midoriya pressed on, snapping back to things, "some become more like villains, others dissolve or keep quiet," the greenette breathed with a disappointed sigh before her green eyes hardened towards the hero. "I won't have you working outside of anyone I have decent trust in," she resolutely told her and Yu silently mulled over the uncompromising words.
It went without saying that Yu didn't trust the yakuza boss. However, she had been given a lot of information that she had never heard or delved into before so the blonde could only take the woman's word on certain subjects. The greenette had at least seemed consistent with a sort of code of conduct for herself but between shifting personalities and attempts to trick or coerce the heroine into things Yu just couldn't feel comfortable with the idea of working with her in any capacity but what choice did she have? She could negotiate a little bit, Midoriya had given her that option, but other than that there was very little that Yu could do right now except dance on this woman's palm. She grimaced at the thought but the greenette must have picked up on her troubled feelings.
"Gender, class, weak quirk, no quirk," Midoriya rattled off, "once they're under me I value them as family," she said with complete seriousness and leaving no room for challenge. "You affiliate with me then all you gotta do is live your own life, consequences and all, while I watch over you," the yakuza stated firmly but a quirk of her lips followed. "That said, I'll be honest with you," she started while standing up and placing a hand on the desk, "if you take my support and then throw it back in my eyes there will be punishment," she threatened genuinely to get the message across and Yu found herself unconsciously nodding.
"I'll...at least take the job," the heroine yielded, "but I won't accept your deals," Yu swiftly added on with a jab of her finger. "Nothing illegal or that interferes with my work as a hero," she demanded, racking her brain for other necessary bases to cover. "Also no giving me anything else that you could bribe me with later," she hastily cut back in but Midoriya only lightly laughed at her outburst.
"Of course," the greenette conceded "but feel free to use our facilities to your advantage," the older woman offered, "transport, offices, those kinds of things." Midoriya sat back down and looked over to open a drawer, "We'll also make sure you aren't recognized as a hero too," she noted and Yu was about to argue but the yakuza boss appeared to catch her worry, "that's to my benefit that you aren't recognized," she disclosed earnestly.
"So what exactly is this job?" the heroine asked with an exasperated breath while folding her arms indignantly.
"It'll be two things," the greenette told her, seeming to find what she wanted to in the drawer, "generally following and assisting me," the yakuza listed first before holding up what looked like a picture frame, "and second..."
The older woman eyed the photo before turning it around and showing it off to the blonde and Yu nearly jumped in surprise. The picture was of Midoriya except there was a big, loving, smile on her face as she held a little girl who was laughing and hugging her back. There was zero indication that the greenette was a yakuza boss in the photo and Yu almost thought that there was no way this was the same person in front of her. The blonde wordlessly moved her gaze back to Midoriya but the woman just gave a sweet smile that softened her eyes.
"Taking care of my daughter."
Notes and Stuff
Considering the yakuza aren't fleshed out in the BNHAverse it meant that I had to do it here. I hope this makes up for my lack of using Izumi as a source of information in other fics cause she'll be covering a lot especially since Yu is just a newbie hero here. I'll also make sure to give Izumi a POV soon because she has some stuff I want to cover.
I'll probably add a few very minor OCs going forward. Not many and they don't have a very big impact or anything but I felt it'd be better to add them as opposed to leaving them unnamed. I don't think I'll super go into detail about them either and I'll probably just give them one name and lift said names from the Yakuza series.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and look forward to more updates from me!