Life on Wings
Keigo Takami, sat in his room at the Hero Public Safety Commission (HPSC). He was bored, and as a ten-year-old that was the worst thing on the earth. Why was he in his room, he'd said 'No' to the people who had taken him in.
"You can't take the boy, sir…it's not been cleared…" Came one of the Night Wardens.
"You really want to stop me? You'll allow this." Came another voice. This one spoke very good Japanese but it was still accented differently. Keigo, cautiously pressed his ear to do the door.
"Fine, expect a call from the Director."
"Who can take short jump off the top of this building for all I care. Officer, let me put it in words so simple that our eavesdropping ten-year-old can understand. I…KNOW…THE…TRUTH. So…"
Takami jumped backwards on to his bed as his door as the Warden opened it "Takami-kun?"
Takami nodded "Although, everyone calls me Hawks." In the low light, he saw the newcomer's bright green eyes darken.
"Come."
Takami nodded and with all the curiosity of a ten-year-old. Soon enough, they were walking through the main building of the HPSC, everyone quickly got out of the way of the pair of them. "Phoenix…where do you think you're going with Hawks?"
The newly named Phoenix looked at the speaker "Out for a flight."
"You do know, he's been disobedient."
"I think you mean, a child…Director." Came the icy tone. Takami gulped, did Phoenix not like the Director? Did he not like him?
"He's an asset and assets…"
"He's Shinto-damned fucking child." This sharp retort came with the sound of a jacket hitting the floor as a pair of resplendent, shimmering pair of wings materialised into existence; they were a resplendent red and shimmered into parts of gold, white and blue and they moved like flames.
"Phoenix, let's calm down…"
"Oh, I am calm. Calmly pissed off director. Now, before we have our selves a little accident, I am taking young Takami out…And, I'd like to see you stop me."
The Director stopped, growled at Phoenix but reluctantly stepped aside. "Takami, grab my arm." Takami latched on like a child grabbing onto saving hand from a sinking boat. He was vaguely aware of the wings folding around him; then everything went extremely hot! Not as hot as the flames of Dabi, his closest friend, but still pretty hot.
Then as the wings retracted, he was met by a brisk but warm breeze. They were outside! They were on top of the HPSC building! "How…how…did you do that? That was so cool? How'd you get the name Phoenix? Why did you come for me?"
Phoenix slouched backwards, so he was sitting with his back to the edge of the building "First of all young Takami…Sorry you had to see that. That wasn't…the most professional of me to expose you to that. Now to your questions. My quirk, thank you. My quirk gives me most of the abilities of a Phoenix, the same bird in mythology and stories. As for why I came for you…No-one deserves to go through what you're going through."
Takami cocked his head, his own wings following. He looked at the Older Avian Human "What do you mean?"
Phoenix sighed "You were taken from your parents, correct?"
Takami nodded "Parents, wanted to give me the chance to become a Hero."
Phoenix snorted "That's the selling line of the HPSC, making heroes. Honestly, they're not. They are…making Heroes but not the type of Hero, everyone expects."
Takami cocked his head "How do you mean?"
Phoenix sighed "When you're next in lessons ask about Psychology, specifically Pre-Quirk Psychology and the Psychologists of Doctors Asch, Bandura, Milgram and Pavlov."
Takami nodded, he was known for having a very sharp memory "Bandura, Milgram and Pavlov. Got it. Now why are we out here?"
"Have you ever flown yet?"
Takami hung his head "They won't allow me to fly. Because I told them that I didn't feel like doing maths or English, they put me in my room."
Phoenix's eyes narrowed, before giving the young kid a grin "Well, let's correct that then."
With that Phoenix, rolled backwards and fell off the roof! Takami rushed to the edge, to see Phoenix lying in mid-air! Calmly moving his wings as if nothing had happened. "I…can't."
"Takami…first rule of flight, have faith. I WILL catch you. When I don't do Hero work, I help people jump out of Aeroplanes."
Takami, nodded. He scrambled onto the ledge "Takami, look ahead, just focus on my voice. Then jump. Then imagine your stretching."
Takami closed his eyes, then jumped. It was nerve-wracking, terrifying especially then sense of being caught by gravity and suddenly the sensation of impending doom. "Imagine stretching…Phoenix-Sensei, you better me…Woah shit."
Just then his red wings spread out, in cascade of feathers. He managed to catch the wind; then it all came naturally. Takami smiled and chuckled as he soared around the tall impressive skyscrapers of the buildings around the HPSC. "Takami Keigo, you, enjoying yourself?"
Takami spun to see Harry in front of him. Alas like children when they learn to walk and run, they don't know how to stop. Takami found himself crashing into Harry a multitude of times, they only stopped when Keigo let out a long-tired yawn.
With that Phoenix, carried the young child back to his guardians. Harry sighed, ever since his encounter with the Eternal Hero: Fawkes and the Serpent King: Basilisk beneath Hogwarts in his second year and then gathering an old artefact known as the Master of Death. It was an artifact that bound transferable quirks to a person's body, the consequences were unclear as no-one had ever successfully used it; until him.
It made him ageless or rather very slow aging. It had painted a very large target on his back, from that brat Shigaraki…Not the man-child but the Faceless Symbol of Evil, in that Vader rip-off helmet that had been defeated by the power of Ichigo, the sickly younger brother. Harry snorted, All Might had done very well in his career and his successor.
His successor, hmm…James, Lily and Albus and there families were long since deceased. "Perhaps, Harry…Perhaps it is time to find your successor. You fought Shigaraki Sr, and his minions in Britain. You were the one to chase him down for what he did to your family…All that casual Death. Even Voldemort didn't cause that much ambivalent destruction. Hell you thanked that man for stripping Voldemort of his Quirk. Shigaraki Sr, how much of you is your own choices and how much of you are mine?"
No-one stopped his train of thoughts or his progress to Takami's room. He gently deposited boy in his bed and tucked him in, and he quietly slipped out like a ghost. "Well?" It was the Director.
Phoenix looked the Director up and down "He learns fast…He's a good kid, he shouldn't have to become a Clockwork Minion."
"I should have you shot and investigated…"
"I would love to see you try. I'm an old man, Director. Someone whose been doing this a lot longer, you brought me on to consult and interact. Don't shackle me, let me do what you paid me to do."
"They'll listen to orders?"
"That and more. You paid hand over fist for my help, now you want to shut me out? I don't answer this, if for someone reason one of your Clockwork Minion goes rogue; not my fault."
(Seven Years Later)
"Hey, Birdy." Came the voice of Keigo Tamaki, having grown considerably into himself and his Quirk.
"Little Chick."
Keigo rolled his eyes "Getting old? I mean each year, you've been cutting it close to my Birthday Hour."
Phoenix rolled his eyes "Because, your, Lineage Peer Tsuchi went and got himself busted for selling Trigger by fucking Detective True-Man."
"That a problem? Tsuchi's always been the thick one." Keigo retorted.
"And what are you? A Genius? You're still that little speed monster that can't stop and breaks more bones then that Midoriya kid. Speaking of let's go. I kinda wanted to give you something."
With that Phoenix, casually front flipped off the roof of HSPC. Keigo chuckled before doing a 1080 twist before opening his wings out to take off after his friend and uncle-figure. Phoenix, that's all Keigo knew about him had more or less been a constant in his life since he'd turned ten.
Honestly, for the younger Hero; Phoenix was everything. He was the man that had helped not to just be Hero 'cut-out' like the HPSC wanted, but what it meant to truly embrace that word. For him, Phoenix, a hero who would jump into a situation and help-out, co-ordinate his strengths and lead when it was suitable and follow orders when he wasn't as confident. Phoenix, knew how to utilise wings and extra appendages all manner of situations and that included shopping.
Phoenix had taught him, how to slow down and to take it easy. He never punished him, unlike the HSPC when things went wrong. Whenever Phoenix offered advice, which was often, Keigo had always listened. The HSPC had swiftly backed off from him after Keigo had written a very pointed essay about the mindset of a hero.
Soon enough, they were heading out of Tokyo. Then Phoenix grabbed Keigo and they vanished in a plume of fire. Leaving behind a smouldering feather.
(Fukuoka)
They re-appeared in front of a small office block, covered in scaffolding "What's this Phoenix?"
"This, Birdy…" Phoenix began to be cut off by Keigo.
"Hawks, Phoenix…" Keigo stated, he'd been thinking about his hero name for a while and had finally settled on a fast paced hunter to describe himself. He hadn't properly thought it over, but Hawks…felt right. "Go with your gut." Phoenix had told him, and Hawks did exactly that.
"This, HAWKS, is my gift to you. It's your agency kid, and I've left you with some things that should answer all your unasked, deep and prodding questions you've never asked me."
Hawks looked at his friend "That's it? This is it? This is what happens? You come into my life, you help me to see things in a different light. You help me with my quirk and getting on with life and then within hours of me turning eighteen you give me the keys to my own agency, which is great…Then you clear off? Without a goodbye?"
"That's life Takami Keigo, Wing Hero: Hawks. That's life. It's worse for us avian quirked, we live life on wings. Life on Wings, we follow the air-currents and we go where we wish and when we wish. Life and Wings it brings people together, it blows people apart and some poor bastards out of water." Phoenix replied "It's also partially why, I don't give people my name."
"Potter Harry. Age 225. Quirk: Phoenix, you can do everything a phoenix can…Quirk mutated at some unknown point. To the point where you can now transform into a phoenix." Hawks retorted.
Harry stopped and turned "How?"
"I might have hacked the HPSC, to get onto the internet. Then ran a video image of you here in the building through a facial recognition scanner. Then I required Techno's help to find your unredacted files, something that even HPSC don't have."
Harry looked at Hawks, who smiled, "Life on Wings, Uncle Harry, Brother Phoenix. Life on Wings, you told me to follow your gut. I followed my gut to find out more about you."
Harry smirked "You learnt too damn quickly. You remind me of my daughter. Tell you what, listen, honestly the HPSC want to fry me for making you a Clockwork Hero. Do me a favour, just be you; poke a bit of fun at the establishment, save people. Get a partner. The shit part of being a hero is having to walk away. However, should you need me…for whatever reason, give me a wring and I'll be there."
(Liberation Army)
Hawks gulped as he walked away from Dabi. He couldn't believe he was doing this; about to throw away what he'd believed in for the HPSC. The old flip-phone in his jacket lining came free, he flipped it up and pressed the green button.
"Hawks?"
"Uncle…I need…"
He was cut off by a blast of warm air, he turned to see Harry! He now looked physically older, he looked more like a man in his forties than in his teens. "You've…aged…"
"Aye, can't remain looking young all the time. Besides, what's the situation?"
"HSPC want me to bring down a group known as the League of Villains, who've subsequently allied themselves with a group known as the Meta Liberation."
Harry sighed and smiled "Alright. The Phoenix's Final Act, I do need to give you something…I've never had to play the villain before."
