Joint training. It's important to know that survival comes from the root of cooperation. The weak become strong when they are together- in Usagiyama's eyes, the weak simply lean on the strong. Midoriya has known that wasn't true, those who are weak put their faith in eachother to become more effective and therefore stronger than someone who is alone. Like wolves who create a pack- the pack works because they rely on each other to secure the kill or complete the objective. In this case, Midoriya's theoretical pack was Okiyama and Shirai. They each knew their role and what they added to the table. Midoriya was their leader, Okiyama was a recon specialist and Shirai… well, she was a perfect shot and demolitionist. This was the Special Assault Team's Archer Company.
Now, they were all in their element, Okiyama and Shirai had finally finished a vast majority of their paperwork and were allowed to do specialized training and so they called up Midoriya and he obliged. He'd love to work with his team again. Usagiyama loved the idea of being up against three people, the adrenaline was already pumping in her veins- and so here they were, the Rabbit's siege. There were three rules: No live ammunition, No aiming for the head (which was mitigated by a helmet that Midoriya made for her), No real explosives. All explosive devices instead shot out small plastic pellets to simulate shrapnel- which hurt a lot.
"How the fuck does this thing work?" Usagiyama tapped at some buttons on the helmet, one of them turning the visor black and the other reversing the effects, "What the…"
Shaking her head and leaving the device alone, a grin formed on her face as she prepared to enter the structure. This was her plan: Find Midoriya, kick Midoriya, win against Midoriya! Absolutely seamless, she didn't know why she over thought this originally, he was going to get clobbered! With a precise kick on the heavy steel door, the slab of metal clanged against the ground and into the dark. Squinting her eyes and scanning the darkness, she spotted a faint verdant gleam and reacted, spinning into cover as a rubber slug narrowly missed her. Midoriya ambushed her but she found it odd when her ears picked up the shuffling of movement- presumably his as it got further and became less audible. Peeking back into the building, she noticed that the gleam had disappeared and so she decided to engage- pushing into the darkness. It took only one step for a hastened beeping to fill her ear and cause her to glance towards the device- an explosive trap. With her lighting reflexes, the rabbit woman drew back and watched the thin and barely noticeable red line dissipate and combust, sending hundreds of plastic pellets into the room. Her eyes widened at the sight of about six or seven more red lines spontaneously combusting afterwards, a devastating amount of faux shrapnel being flung about.
"Y-You aren't…" Usagiyama was stunned by the sheer amount of traps that were planted, "Yall aren't fuckin' around!"
Now she was wary as she continued forward, making sure to scan every location and every position- narrowly dodging more improvised explosive devices. The rabbit woman could hear her targets shuffling around the structure but had trouble catching them because of their preparations to keep her from full mobility. Wandering and hunting around for a while, Usagiyama finally found herself in a room lined with resources- as if this was where they made the devices. A thumping sensation reached her ears as she turned towards the direction, the armored figure walking towards her. The visor gleamed a bright emerald green as multiple blasting noises entered her ears followed by rubber slugs. Usagiyama immediately went into a reactive stance, acrobatically dodging the rounds by building up momentum in her legs. Once the firing stopped, the rabbit woman landed only to hear even more rounds being ejected towards her, from her right- forcing her to run down a hallway and keep herself from taking damage.
"Blackout. Omni. Cease fire. Cut her off." Midoriya whispered into his helmet and started to take steps down the hallway she ran down.
His armor spewed a cloud of steam from his upper back due to upgrades- the pneumatics starting to push and pull as Midoriya changed the settings from a panel on his thigh. Slinging his firearm and leaning forward, the armored man started by slamming his right foot into the ground, followed by his left- swiftly building momentum as he ran down the hall.
"Head for point 4. Hallway north." Okiyama's voice was heard through his communications system as Midoriya ran, "Blackout, plant IEDs at point 5, east, west. Level it high."
"Copy." The female operative responded.
The SAT captain learned the environment quickly and labeled everything for better communication. He knew that Usagiyama was running north down the hallway which connected to 'point 4'. Point 4 led into a short hallway in one direction connected to 'point 5' which had hallways protruding from its location, east and west. The time it takes for Usagiyama to reach 'point 5' will be enough time for Shirai to plant traps- perfect for what Midoriya was looking for. Shirai and Midoriya's natural environment was meticulous planning and foresight- an enemy that cannot fight or has broken morale was easy to mop up. In a normal circumstance however, an enemy without an arm or leg due to a primed explosive was barely a threat.
Usagiyama pushed through point 4, unbeknownst to her, the extensive preparations that the SAT operatives did in merely 5 minutes. The armored figure behind her retrieved a hand-held level from his hand and applied pressure, the room ejecting unpinned smoke grenades and shrouding the room completely. The rabbit woman's sense of smell was obstructed as the smoke's infused sweetness took over- a planned tactic used to counter her. Her hearing was still impeccable as she quickly turned towards Midoriya's direction, the armored man pushing through the smoke and lunging at her- the rabbit woman pivoting on her feet and going into an axe kick against his back. Barely able to react, Midoriya brought both of his hands to his side- catching the strike and causing an immense amount of pain as he tumbled forward. Usagiyama continued her assault, her helmet's visor keeping the gas from entering her eyes as she struck Midoriya, akin to a soccer ball kick. The armored man was thrown back and went into a recovery, his breathing hastened as he immediately went into a right straight punch. Usagiyama brought her left arm up and caught the attack by the armored man's wrist and pulled him past her, a knee strike to his stomach which forced any air he was holding out. Resisting the pain, Midoriya used his free left arm and placed it behind her knee, pulling her leg upwards and moving her center of mass.
Midoriya pushed his weight on her to force the rabbit woman downwards onto her back. The rabbit woman quickly tried to recover, pulling her legs out of his holds and spinning her waist, catching his head and side on both her inner knees, slamming him into the ground. The green haired man felt a familiar metallic taste in his mouth as he was now in a devastating hold. Midoriya continued to resist the pain, the rabbit woman using her arms and pulling at his- threatening to dislocate it. Unfortunately for her, it was nearly impossible due to the SAW system's bracing. The armored man used his free right arm to tear at Usagiyama's grip on his neck, successfully breaking free and throwing her 3 meters in front of him. The smoke dissipated at this point, the rabbit woman recovering from the attack.
"Blackout. Rotate around and block off point 4, north." Midoriya was heaving for air as inside of his visor had specks of his own blood, "Omni. Wait down point 5's hallway in. Weapons hold."
"Ya know, Green, the deadline is getting closer and you're reaching expectations…" Usagiyama lifted herself off the ground, smearing a crimson liquid on her cheek with her hand, "That's great!"
"I'd rather you not bleed."
"I'd rather you fight!" The rabbit woman pushed off the ground and generated a concave in the cement, leaping from wall to wall and generating momentum.
It was impossible to hit Usagiyama in this state, her speed becoming faster and faster, an attack after this would be in the same realm of being hit by a truck. Midoriya didn't have many choices anymore because of his investment into smoking point 4 out completely. Other choices he had were a stun grenade, faux fragmentation grenade, and shockwire. The stun grenade would be powerful in this case but without a means to mask it, it would be easy for Usagiyama to react to it- in fact, the rabbit woman was expecting it. With a devious plan, Midoriya drew the faux fragmentation grenade, dropping it where he stood and running down towards Okiyama's position.
"Where ya goin' Green!?" Usagiyama followed close, her speed impeccable and granting her more than enough time to close the distance- Midoriya could practically hear her breathing on his neck.
"Omni! Weapons free!" Midoriya roared into the communications device, sliding against the ground and angling himself towards the wall, keeping himself as low as possible.
"Roger!" The young operative on the other side responded, the excitement in his voice was just emanating as he opened fire, a volley of practice rubber ammunition pelting the rabbit woman.
Usagiyama winced in pain as she brought her arms up and compacted her body to reduce the amount of damage she would take by also reducing the amount of surface area that was available to take damage. At this point, the rabbit woman was already a third down the hallway, leaping back would leave her open for even more fire, so she instead pressed onwards under the pressure.
"Blackout! Shot ready!?" The green haired man watched Usagiyama slowly close in on his operative, pushing himself off the ground and rushing after her.
"Uh… Bolt charged… Round chambered…" Shirai was oddly relaxed as she mechanically worked her rifle, Midoriya slightly annoyed, "Calibrating scope… Okay, ready!"
"Th- Fucking shoot!" The armored man pivoted and jumped back, Usagiyama slamming her feet against his forearms as he protected Okiyama, the younger man rolling and reloading his rifle with his nimble hands.
Like a bolt of lightning, the rubber round zipped through the hallways and impacted against Usagiyama's back, the rabbit woman arching and stumbling past Midoriya. The armored man impacted against the ground as Okiyama approached and aimed his firearm at the prone woman, Usagiyama's incredible physical endurance coming through as she lifted herself and spun on her hands, kicking the operative's rifle out of his grip. Okiyama took a step back and disengaged, Usagiyama distancing herself from both operatives as Midoriya recovered and brought his fists up. The rabbit woman was now being extremely wary, the impact zone of the larger sized practice round becoming bruised, swiftly. For once, she felt the need to reposition, kicking off the ground and lunging towards the closest hallway: the east hallway from 'point 5'.
Upon reaching the cusp of the entrance, or in this case exit, an intimate beeping sensation penetrated her ears. Usagiyama's eyes widened as she was already mid jump, barely able to bring her arms up to defend herself, hundreds of plastic pellets creating a stinging sensation along her whole body. It wasn't enough to stop her but Shirai was a little bit of a pyromaniac. Continuing the tumble forward, more planted traps were set off, even more plastic shrapnel impacting against her like painful rain. Rushing through the traps, Midoriya caught Usagiyama and politely pushed her against the ground- at least however politely one could when apprehending a target. Midoriya was adamant in keeping his vision away from her rear as he held her wrists together and put his mass against her, preventing the woman from standing up.
"Got you." Midoriya was seemingly out of breath.
"I'll be damned." Usagiyama laughed, "Ya ain't that bad with your team here."
The armored man stood up and helped the tanned woman onto her own feet, taking off his helmet and inhaling the dusty air.
"...Dude." Okiyama glanced at Midoriya with a slight confusion as Shirai regrouped with her team, "There's like… blood all over you."
"Oh." The green haired man wiped his cheek and looked at his hand, "Ew."
"Let's get ya patched up." The rabbit woman rested her arm around Midoriya's neck with a large smile as she started to walk.
"U-Uh… Right. Yeah." Midoriya averted his gaze and followed her, an increasing temperature coursing through his body.
Shirai glanced at Okiyama and covered her mouth, the black haired woman having a smile creeping up her face. The shaved man shared her look and then averted his gaze back to Midoriya, squinting at the two.
"Is… Is he with her?" Okiyama crossed his hands and shook his head approvingly, "Huh. That's… Well.. That's awesome."
"I'm mildly impressed, I thought he would be alone forever." Shirai rested her hands on her hips, "He's like… twenty seven."
"Yeah, I guess he is pretty old, huh." The younger operative started to follow the two out of the building, "Let's go."
Shirai shrugged and hurried forward. Midoriya had been slogging through the brutal regiment for another few weeks so far, the Professional Hero License Exam approaching ever closer as December came upon the horizon. He was feeling a lot more confident in his ability and his relationship with Usagiyama had tightened, an understanding developing between the two after dealing with Valchon. Getting his ass handed to him over and over affected him, like it would anyone. Besides that, the two operatives were called back to the station and said their goodbyes accordingly.
After an hour or so, the two arrived at Usagiyama's home to tend to their wounds- the green haired man rubbing alcohol onto the impact zone that the rabbit woman received after being struck by Shirai. Usagiyama actually flinched as the now un-armored man tapped against her skin. He found it amusing that she was able to withstand an incredible amount of damage yet some things still caused her pain despite her endurance.
"Ouch." Usagiyama sat on the couch as Midoriya unwrapped a squared adhesive bandage, "Not so hard, that stings."
"How cute. You can handle being stabbed and shot but being touched by alcohol hurts you." The green haired man leveled the bandage and thought for a moment, "Is that why you hate drinks?"
Usagiyama was a little giddy hearing him say the simple words 'How cute.' for some odd reason, "Aw, I can't believe ya called me cute!"
"Ah. I-I... hehe, I mean…" Midoriya started to stutter as his brain went blank for a moment, "S-Sure. Yeah."
"Shut ya up real quick, huh?" The green haired man could just imagine her sneering face as he tried to hide his embarrassment.
Silence took over but it wasn't necessarily awkward, in fact, they were enjoying each other's presence without any words. Other than the slight grunting or squeaks due to the cleaning of their wounds. It was a pretty short time, just some disinfecting and then applying bandages. There would've been more pain and suffering for Midoriya but he became used to the soreness and overall struggle that he would've originally had when fighting Usagiyama. Standing up from the couch and stretching, Midoriya looked away from the rabbit woman- he was trying to control himself.
"Ya hungry?" Usagiyama turned and looked at Midoriya, who was still sitting on the couch.
"A little. Why?" Midoriya responded, watching the tanned woman walk around the couch and towards her kitchen, "Oh."
Midoriya found himself fiddling with his contraptions again while Usagiyama chopped away at vegetables and such. A calm and familiar situation that the two have come to enjoy- a simple time. Taking a short break to look out the crystal windows of the structure, Midoriya couldn't help but lose himself in the now dark cityscape- its lights of multiple colors generating a sensation he struggled to find in his life: serenity, peace, perhaps even equilibrium.
'Gaze out, Midoriya. This is what you wanted to protect when you were younger.'
The green haired man placed his tools against the table in front of him and took slow and methodical breaths as he watched the glittering sea of both dim and bright lights. That's right, he wanted to protect what he knew- despite everything he still believed that he had a duty to fulfil in the world. Despite all of the adversity he faced, he found that there could not be darkness without light- so who else out there was suffering fate akin to his own? It was a question he always wanted to know. These days, you never hear of a quirkless person achieve anything- they end up being another number in society. Some don't even grow up to be part of society and Midoriya could've been a casualty as well. Sure, there was a Symbol of Peace but logically speaking that was used to deter crime and he knew fully well that was all it was. It was a false visage of control because those who were destined to be shunned- stayed shunned.
So why? Was Midoriya destined to be where he was now? He didn't have an answer for that, in fact, it was one of the things that was always on his mind: Do I deserve this? He knew the answer already- he didn't deserve any of this. He was given a hand and a smile, the only thing that kept him going. He wasn't ungrateful to that same hand, he was ecstatic that he was even given this opportunity but perhaps it wasn't meant for him. Afterall, how lucky does one have to be when the only reason why any of this happened was because he was willing to murder the one that saved him? It made him sick to the stomach.
He was a fraud. Progress meant nothing, he meant nothing, and he was nothing. It was what All Might was trying to tell him that very day when he met him. It was similar to his childhood too- he was a scrawny kid that spent all his time fantasizing about the hero he was going to be. He remembered the bullying he received, both physical and mental trauma that stayed with him to this day. Midoriya kept slogging forward because he believed that he had the potential to become that very hero he fantasized but he had long since forgotten the name. It was all cemented when every person that he met told him to give up- it wasn't worth the time because he would've made no progress. It was all cemented when every person that he met told him that he was nothing but a number in a hospital somewhere, the only memorable time that he would create was being born, and even then he would be lost to history. It was all cemented when every person that he met told him that he was destined to be the victim.
He grew a disgusting grin on his face as all the murmurs in his head turned into slight laughter except two which echoed each other.
'Well here we are. What now, world? Throw us your best punch.'
"The fuck are you smiling at?" Usagiyama leaned over the couch, Midoriya quickly snapping out of his trance and turning towards her.
The green haired man visibly recoiled when he realized that he was centimeters away from her breasts, distancing himself and nervously smiling, "U-Uh… I-I saw a funny bird! Yeah. Funny bird."
She couldn't help but laugh at his reaction, waddling back over to the kitchen and calling him out with her back towards him, "I didn't think Hawks was out and about today."
"You know what, you bring up a good point. He is a funny looking guy." Midoriya was lying to himself, Hawks was a pretty cool dude, but he was still very concerned that the blond knew his identity, "A-Anyways, what are you cooking?"
"Beets."
"Fucking, beets?" It was clear to say that the green haired man was not fond of the red vegetables, "Are you serious? Beets?"
"Yes. You're gonna enjoy this fuckin' beet salad," The rabbit woman turned towards him with a bowl of dark red chunks and green leaves akin to spinach, "Or I'm gonna beat your ass."
"Don't… Don't do puns." Midoriya pulled a chair out from the dining table, "Please. If not for me, for the world."
"What? It was a great joke." Usagiyama put the dish in front of him and prepared some other dishes to go with.
The two ate their meal with small back and forth, normal chit chat and stuff. Eventually they did finish, with Midoriya leaning back in the tall chair and resting. Thinking for a moment and standing from the table, Usagiyama's eyes watched him as he slowly made his way to her fridge, his arm extended and his hand opening slightly.
"Don't ya do it."
Out of malice, the green haired man opened the fridge and took a can of beer, the rabbit woman putting her chopsticks down and glaring at him. It was a visual standoff for a moment as they held piercing eyes for each other.
"I need it."
"Not from my fridge ya don't." The rabbit woman quickly responded, standing from the chair and sliding her foot forward a bit.
"Half?"
She stopped. To be fair, Usagiyama did say that it was only a reduction in alcohol so he was technically reasonable. Her primary issue was that she was the one that bought it, not him.
"No."
Midoriya sighed, his shoulders slumping as he put the canister back into the fridge and then shuffling around her stuff which slightly irritated her, "The fuck? Carrot juice?"
"You wouldn't dare touch my carrot juice." Usagiyama was now standing behind Midoriya which caused him to hesitate.
"It's this or the beer, you choose." Midoriya didn't turn around- he could feel her eyes against his back, "...W-Well?"
Usagiyama was facing a dilemma. It was between her favorite drink that she wouldn't risk running out of or feeding into Midoriya's alcoholism. It was a testament to her mental strength- something she didn't like to deal with. The wait took longer as the cold air of the fridge pelted the two, the rabbit woman finally making a decision as she held her head and suppressed the incoming aneurysm.
"Fine, take the fuckin' carrot juice." Usagiyama rumbled as she dragged her foot towards her couch, "Do the fuckin' dishes too, ass hat."
The larger man sighed with relief and closed the fridge, the bottle of orange liquid in his hands as he collected the dirty dishes and placed them in the sink. Behind him, he could hear the television being turned on as the rabbit woman lazed around. The two seemed to have lost track of time as the night grew darker beyond the crystal glasses of the penthouse. Midoriya hadn't realized that Usagiyama had left to take a shower by the time he'd finished the chore. He wasn't very resourceful when it came to washing dishes but at least he was with gunpowder. It's an unrelated fact. Sitting at the kitchen table and watching the television, Midoriya's focus was dead set.
Deika City: The Transient Hollow. A funny story about a whole city rebuilding a one day destruction made by a group of terrorists. The heroes were misled and only realized it after over 50 civilians were slaughtered. The massive crater still exists there to this day, a grim reminder of what quirks have allowed people to do. Something about it all made Midoriya feel like he knew what transpired. More specifically- Horizon. Shaking his head, the green haired man continued to stare at the screen. It seems like they switched and started talking about student feats at U.A. High School. A high achiever with the name of "Bakugou Katsuki" had shown extreme prowess during combat and overall technical quirk control- his attitude was a different story. A rich boy with a mixed quirk of ice and fire, "Shoto Todoroki" the son of Endeavor. A student who resembled Eraser Head a lot and funnily enough, fights the same way- "Hitoshi Shinso". A familiar face that Midoriya could remember, one of the greatest students of the generation: Mirio Togata- with strength mirroring All Might, incredible combat instinct, immaculate quirk control, and pretty academics.
Midoriya was a bit salty that Tsukuyomi didn't show up. He liked the kid. Stepping out of her room was Usagiyama in her home clothes, which was essentially just a very long shirt and shorts- the green haired man glancing over and looking away. Actually, he needed to do a double take- his eyes widening and he started to question what he was looking at.
"Ya still here?" The rabbit woman was drying her hair with a towel.
"Uh…" To say that he was awestruck was beyond what he was currently feeling, "Y-yeh… uh…"
Usagiyama broke, laughing at the man and flopping down on her couch. Midoriya was stunned, struggling to understand what he just saw- was it a gift from god? Did he have to start attending church? Shaking his head to regain focus, his eyes glazed over the clock on her wall- it was about 01:00.
"R-Right, I should uh… I should go." Midoriya started to leave, his feet stopping when Usagiyama piped up.
"You can stay, ya know. Just take a shower and sleep on my couch."
"Um… Maybe not." The green haired man scratched his neck.
"Dude, it's one in the mornin'." The rabbit woman stood up and beckoned Midoriya over, "It's pretty dark outside, come on now."
Resistance was futile and Midoriya was well aware- if Usagiyama wanted something, oftentimes, she would get it. Taking a deep breath and finally detaching his armor from him, the green haired man rested the gear on the floor and prepared for the night.
He didn't sleep well that night. Actually, he didn't sleep at all.
