A week had already passed since Aya originally freed him from his cell, but Koushi had to admit... he still didn't really feel very free.

Not that he was complaining, of course; Koushi wasn't thankless by any means. It was undoubtedly better than being locked away in prison, and his head felt a somewhat clearer, but he was still under constant observation. Even while running errands or picking up supplies he swore that the security cameras followed him, observant of his every move. Daisei had been planted as another form of security, Koushi was certain, and while he enjoyed looking at the man it was strange to cohabit the underground hospital alongside him. The doctor (?) ignored him for the most part and their rare conversations were stilted and awkward – comprised mostly of Daisei's requests and miscellaneous assignments.

These excursions were crafted to test him - to make sure he wouldn't wander off on his own if he had to guess. It was exceptionally annoying, but he understood why it was necessary. These villains were being smart about this, and he couldn't find it in himself to blame them. It wasn't like Koushi was the most trustworthy person around.

The only thing that was presently, genuinely getting on his nerves was that he had yet to encounter this boss they kept mentioning. Neither Daisei nor Aya seemed inclined to give him any information about them, and it rubbed him the wrong way. If their leader was so… interested in him, then why dump him with one of their underlings?

Daisei was especially dodgy about the whole thing; Koushi hadn't gotten so much as a scrap of information out of the big guy, and it was driving him crazy.

So maybe it was time for him to take matters into his own hands.

Before he'd been arrested, Koushi worked as an underground hero, and gathering information was his specialty. There was only so much he could do right now, that much was obvious, but he found that entering the room of the patients he'd helped Daisei with was as good a place as any to start. After all, other than the few Quirkless nurses they had in the facility, Koushi was the only one allowed to go in to clean, feed, check on...

Question.

Honestly it made Koushi feel like shit to ask such ill people for information, but these were desperate times, and he didn't have much of a choice. Most of them couldn't really talk, either, and people like Vesuvius were far too volatile and dangerous to approach. However, he managed to weasel a name out of one – a small time villain that Koushi had never seen before, who was mostly catatonic and struggling to speak.

When he asked who was helping them, he'd received a name gasped out between stuttering breaths:

"Okazaki."

Which... hearing that name alone made Koushi nauseous. Maybe this was some sort of a copycat criminal, but the scale of their control in this situation had him thinking that this could potentially be the real deal.

Koushi never had personal experience with the Okazaki-kai, but he'd certainly heard of them. There wasn't a person in Japan who hadn't, but most thought of them as a sort of urban legend. Yet, in those few months of working in the underground Koushi was convinced that their existence was legitimate. It was difficult to trace even a modicum of crime back to them; their boss was exceptionally secretive and valued privacy, but Koushi ran into several heroes and villains alike who grew fearful by even the mention of their organization.

The consensus all-around was not to get involved, whether you were a hero or villain.

Welp, Koushi kind of screwed the pooch on that front, but it wasn't like he had any other options! Or, well... he did- they said he was free to come and go as he pleased but Koushi had always been self-destructive and curious to a fault. He was in far too deep now just to walk away.

It wouldn't stop him from wandering out at night to try and dig for more info, either. That was part of the job – he may no longer be an official hero, but hey. Old habits die hard.

The first time he snuck out after dark was a mere three days ago and he was baffled to find that no one stopped him or commented on his return. Of course, Koushi made sure not to lead anyone back to the infirmary, but it was kind of fun - and a little thrilling - to leave on his own accord. He knew he had to be careful though; it was risky, what with half of Japan out hunting for him right now. From what he'd gathered, though, they were mostly focused on Kobe, but he would be shocked if some of them hadn't made their way to Yokohama and the surrounding cities, too.

Things were okay, for the most part. There were lots of people out and about – Yokohama was a big, busy place, after all – but none paid Koushi any mind. It was just an unending sea of unfamiliar faces.

Except for one.

Truly, it was a miracle that Koushi even spotted him because with that black leotard and green haori the other man's hero outfit was quite unassuming in comparison to most. Would've made for a pretty good underground hero fit if the person wearing it chose that path.

At first, he'd been ecstatic to see the other boy – or, man, now, since they were all very much adults. It was nice to see someone he knew and could trust. There was only so much that Koushi could do on his own presently, and although he was practically vibrating with excitement to speak with his former classmate face-to-face, he knew better than to make a scene.

So, he wove his way through the crowds and tapped the man on the shoulder.

"Polymorph!" he announced, hoping that he wouldn't be recognized with his hood up and the mask covering the lower half of his face. "Please come with me! There's something happening in that alley over there!"

The hero, though unresponsive, allowed himself to be half-dragged down the backstreet with seemingly no fear. Koushi supposed he had nothing to be concerned about – Polymorph had been a formidable hero even four years ago and could only imagine how strong the other man was now.

Koushi waited until they stood around a corner, separated from street view, before he finally stopped. They were behind a restaurant of some kind – the door to their right emanated an appealing, smoky smell. There was a small security camera hovering above its frame, but because there wasn't a light on it and it didn't move in the same way that Geists cameras did, Koushi chose not to worry about it.

Turning to face the other man, he took to removing his hood and mask off at once and offered him a broad smile. "Jo," he greeted, making eye contact with his friend. Having Joichiro be the first hero he ran into had to be a blessing – the younger man had always been so level-headed and kind – and Koushi couldn't wait to catch up! After this whole debacle was dealt with, of course. "You look good! Sorry to drag you away like that so suddenly, but... well, you know why I couldn't just reveal myself out there."

His friend said nothing – probably in a little bit of shock, Koushi would bet – so he continued.

"Man, you would not believe the week I've had." He laughed nervously. "It's been-"

Koushi's head abruptly whipped to the side and his cheek throbbed from the impact. It took half a second to realized Joichiro had punched him – hard, in fact. Cautiously, he glanced back toward the hero, his swimming gaze taking a moment to come back into focus.

"Do not address me so casually," Joichiro stated coldly, pale green eyes focused in on Koushi's singular gold. "We are not friends."

Ah. This had been a mistake.

All at once, Koushi was looking for a way out. He unintentionally backed himself into a corner and had nothing to fight back with. Joichiro must have noticed, too, because his body stretched in a way that blocked most of the exit.

"I hope you don't think I'm going to let you walk away," the taller man said. "Not after what you've done."

The hero didn't give Koushi much room to react after that. Joichiro had always been strategic in his endeavors; it was part of what they bonded over, in high school. In combat situations it was best to overwhelm Koushi quickly, if only so that he could not think his way out of it.

One of Jo's hands had transformed into a flatter surface, likely increased in density, and the other enlarged in order to effectively grab and subdue his target. Both arms extended and came at Koushi from both sides, with the intention both to strike and to capture.

Now, what Koushi lacked in strength he made up for in speed and agility. However, he was critically out of practice, and his reaction time was far slower than it would have been if they'd faced one another several years ago. Still, he managed to duck in time just as both hands swished just hairs above him, narrowly missing one another.

Joichiro's arms snaked around each other to avoid entanglement and Koushi got back to his feet, vaulting over one forearm to make a mad dash for the corner.

Of course, he didn't quite get there. Joichiro was fast and wasn't rusty like Koushi was, currently. The hammer-shaped fist morphed into something more akin to a mace, and if Koushi hadn't stopped quick in his tracks, it would have slammed him into the wall. It narrowly missed him and struck the bricks instead, knocking a hole in the building and kicking dust up into the air. Koushi could hear the occupants' noises of surprise. The damage made was superficial at most so the people inside had likely not been hurt, but if Koushi had been hit by that, he definitely would have been.

"Are you trying to kill me?" he asked in disbelief, spinning around to face his former classmate. He wasn't offended or angry about it, but he also could not fathom just how Joichiro became this violent.

Joichiro's gaze was intense and cold, malicious, and calculating. "You're a murderer, Hado. I couldn't care less about what happens to you," he stated. "If I find myself unable to subdue them, I am licensed to kill villains who are deemed a danger to the public." He took a step forward then, threatening, taunting. "And you are public enemy number one."

Koushi had to jump this time to avoid the hand sweeping under his feet. His body already felt like it was on fire – he hadn't had this much exercise in years.

"Oh! By the way, where'd you put the twins? They went missing a few days ago," the hero went on, continuing his assault as he spoke. "I won't kill you intentionally, but if you continue to resist, I will not be held responsible for what happens."

The twins were missing? That was definitely news to Koushi – perhaps it was new enough that they weren't broadcasting it, or maybe it was because they were still minors?

Unfortunately, he didn't have time to think about that right now. The palm of Joichiro's hand slammed into his side and knocked him back down toward the dead end of the alley, past the door to the food joint. The concrete ate through the sleeve of his hoodie, and he could feel the skin tear from his bicep as he slid to a stop near the back wall.

Panting, Koushi propped himself up on skinned hands, focus on the ground wet beneath him, cold and dirty. Fighting Joichiro in the state he was in was completely impossible – not only did blunt force basically bounce off the guy, but Koushi was functionally Quirkless and extremely weak. Besides that, Jo said that he had a license to protect the public by any means necessary, which were only granted to the top fifteen Pros. Even on his best days, Koushi would never have been able to beat a hero who ranked so high.

"What's wrong, Hado?" He sneered, "You were able to kill Kinetic, so I don't understand why you're having such a hard time with me. Did prison make you weak?"

A large hand closed around his body and Koushi winced at the crushing force behind it.

Blunt strikes were not going to work in this case, so Koushi resorted to more... underhanded tactics. Opening his mouth wide, he sank his canines into the soft webbing between Joichiro's enlarged forefinger and thumb and had to force back a gag when blood flooded his mouth. Thank God for passive mutations – those sharp teeth really came in handy sometimes.

Jo shouted in surprise and his hold loosened instantly, dropping Koushi back to the ground. Past biting the other man's hand as hard as he could manage, Koushi had no other plans, and was rather unprepared for the other fist that came swinging in his direction.

He tensed up and squeezed his eyes shut to brace for impact...

...that never came.

Instead, there was a loud, blinding explosion that came from the security camera above the door. What looked to be a bolt of lightning shot out from its lens and collided with Joichiro's body. The hero's form melted instantly, limbs puddling on the ground as he struggled phasing between states of matter. That sort of thing tended to happen to Joichiro when enough force was applied quickly enough – Koushi remembered laughing countless times throughout their school days when he lost his motor skills like this. Apparently, this was closer to his natural form, as disturbing as it looked.

Koushi watched as the beam of light died down until the blackness of the alley bled back into his vision. As it faded, it left in its place a... kid? The boy was small with fluffy orange hair and a gray jacket, but that wasn't what Koushi was concerned about.

The yellow smiley-face mask settled over their face was startlingly familiar.

Before he could react, the stranger rushed forward and grabbed his wrist in a vice grip. "We gotta fucking go," he spoke bluntly, yanking Koushi down the alley without further preamble.

Koushi's legs felt like jelly but stopping wasn't really an option. Thankfully, the boy slowed down once they exited the backstreet and yanked the mask off his own face to store it in the front pocket of his jacket.

"Don't run," he commanded, fixing his eerily white gaze straight ahead. There were still throngs of people hustling down the street and no one seemed to notice the two boys as they melded in with the crowd.

The panic that had been thrumming through Koushi's veins ebbed the further they got from the alley. It was dark, there were plenty of people out, and everyone was rushing after hearing the commotion from the fight nearby. Besides, it didn't seem like Joichiro would be following them anytime soon – it would take a while for him to regain enough control to maintain a solid form, after all.

After he caught his breath enough to find his voice, Koushi had to ask...

"Geist?"

That ghostly gaze flickered back to him, the irises paler than the sclera. "Unfortunately," he deadpanned, hands shoved deep into his pockets. He looked vaguely uncomfortable. "I hate going outside like this, but someone decided to be a complete idiot, tonight."

…Yeah, that was fair.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I just... wanted some answers."

"Well, I hope you're satisfied – you got at least one." Geist's shoulders were tense; he looked like he wanted to be literally anywhere else. "I gotta find somewhere to put you now because there's absolutely no fucking way I'm escorting you all the way back to the infirmary."

He whipped an expensive-looking phone from his back pocket and hit a number from speed dial. The two of them walked in silence for several seconds as it rang, and Geist's nose wrinkled when whoever he had called did not pick up.

"Well, fuck you too," he growled to the recipient, hanging up before it reached voicemail. He put his phone back and took a deep breath, exhaling a heavy cloud of vapor. "Guess I'll just take you home, then."

Koushi couldn't stop staring at him and Geist must have sensed that because he groaned and fixed him a glare in response.

"You get three questions," he stated firmly.

"Your Quirk is cool," Koushi blurted in a panic, and felt his cheeks flush in immediate embarrassment.

Geist huffed what might have possibly been a laugh and continued walking. "Not a question, but thanks." He arched a brow. "I thought you were supposed to be smart. I'm trying to throw you a bone, here."

"It's been a long week. Cut me some slack," he complained, shoving his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie. "Uh... aren't you afraid we're going to be caught on film? There are security cameras all over the place." He could see at least four from where he stood – on the buildings, the streetlamps, the fence posts...

The other boy smirked, then, and gestured haphazardly to the area around them. "Who do you think put them there?" he asked, chin tilted up proudly. "I run this place. Nothing happens in Yokohama that I don't know about."

Koushi swallowed and steeled himself, then. "What's the name of your organization?"

"Okazaki-kai," Geist said breezily, as though that name wasn't enough to cause Koushi's steps to falter. The orange-haired boy offered no other explanation.

"Isn't Okazaki-kai supposed to be a secret?" Koushi pressed.

Geist shrugged, and they turned down a tightly packed residential street. "For the most part. None of us really like the spotlight."

This conversation felt far too casual for what it was. "What's the name of your boss?" he asked, finally taking his gaze off the other boy. The streets were basically empty at that point – he felt exposed and uncomfortable.

"I said you get three questions. Guess you don't know how to count, either," Geist said, smirk uplifting the corners of his lips. Koushi was about to argue, but the other boy continued. "But you're funny, and I'm feeling generous. His name is Okazaki Asahi."

Okazaki Asahi. Koushi could overlook the insult in favor of relishing in the new information. Okazaki-kai was real, and it was led by someone named Okazaki Asahi.

"There's no point in hiding that, at least," Geist went on. "You'll meet him in a few minutes. We're here."

The building looked like every other on the street – an unassuming red brick apartment with winter-brown bushes hanging from the windows, soft light emanating from inside. Koushi took a single step toward the door, and Geist tugged at his sleeve.

"No. We used to live in the front, but it's currently rented out to a nice older couple. They don't know about us, obviously," he explained, pointing to a small passageway between two of the apartments. "We use the back way."

Koushi let himself be led down the narrow path, weaving around behind the structure. It was all so... normal, when he considered the fact that one of the most feared crime organizations in Japan was housed right there.

Geist tapped his fingers against one of the darker bricks four times, and there was a hissing noise as it slid open, revealing what looked to be some sort of scanner. Like a spy movie, Geist leaned in and let it scan his eye, and a section of the bricks shifted inward and moved to the side, revealing a pristine stairway.

"Living underground is a lot safer," he explained as he waltzed inside, acting as if he'd owned the place. Maybe he did, Koushi thought as he rubbed delicately at his injured arm. It was only just now beginning to sting – adrenaline was one hell of a drug.

The bricks slipped back into place behind them, and the lights flickered on, illuminating their path. Geist led him down, down, down the stairs, until they reached another door. This one was much plainer, and it opened without a code or any scans.

Inside... was remarkably normal. A living room with a television, an expensive rug, and several bougie couches. Geist padded through without further explanation and Koushi followed wordlessly.

"Try not to get blood on the rug. Takes forever to get the stains out," the orange-haired boy said casually and Koushi was careful not to step on it. Just in case.

The hallway was decorated with dozens of paintings, and they passed door after door – some opened, some closed. Geist noticed the way he kept trying to peek into the open rooms and offered him a tired smile. In this lighting, Koushi could see how dark the circles beneath his eyes were. "I'll give you the grand tour later," he promised. "You'll get to see all of the Great Okazaki's... eccentric decorative choices."

Was Koushi just imagining it, or had Geist sounded a little sarcastic when he mentioned his boss' title?

They reached the closed room at end of the hall and Geist stopped briefly. "What do you say, Hado Koushi?" he asked, a small smirk on his lips. "Are you ready to meet the most dangerous man in Japan?"

Koushi was determined to pretend he wasn't a little terrified at the prospect. "As I'll ever be, I guess," he said with a shrug, clutching his arm.

"Good," Geist hummed, reaching for the ornate doorknob. "Because you don't have a choice."


AN-

Hey again! Yu and I are pretty excited to get through the introduction arc, so that'll probably come to a close with the next chapter. We hope you're all enjoying the story so far - thank you so much for all your support, dms, reviews, and chatter about each chapter. It's all super motivating and we love all this feedback!

See you next chapter!