Ch. 14 Dead End Friends

Ochaco looked down at the darkened street with a sneer. The cracked, pockmarked asphalt was mostly empty, save for the broken down taxi that lay propped up on cinder blocks. Telephone poles with dim or burnt out bulbs littered with stapled posters lined the sidewalks; the wires crossing each other to obscure Uraraka's line of sight to the dilapidated buildings hiding in the shadows. Miles above her stake out site, the sky was nothing but a dark void tainted by the city's lights. Blinking lights sailed across the vast depth miles away, going to places that she'd much rather be.

Instead, she was sitting on the corner of a roof, vigilantly watching the love hotel known as Mad Love.

Towering over the area on its own island just down the street, Mad Love looked more like an apartment complex than a single structure. There was just enough room for pedestrians to traverse around the triangular building. Ochaco thought it was a fitting shape; a wedge driven between the lanes of traffic and a splintering thorn that lay between her and the end of this faint outline of a fire escape hung just in sight at the very back. Atop of the roof was a water tower and several air ducts. Curtained windows littered the brickface that looked out to the splintered road, the muted light from inside spilling out through their curtains. The entrance was carved into the wide "base" of the triangle, shadowed by the overhanging floors that hung above. Double doors with ornate fool's gold trim were embedded into enterance's door frame. Attached to the curved edge was the gaudy, obnoxiously red sign that haunted Ochaco since she first saw it in Lemillion's photo. Bold, white Kanji and English text contrasted against the red sign bordered by bulbous neon tubes whose glow illuminated the decrepit street.

An intense surge of loathing swelled up in her as she looked back at the hotel. While the surrounding streets and buildings were in various states of disrepair, Mad Love looked pristine. There wasn't a blemish on the building - no debris covering its narrow sidewalk. This place was everything that was wrong with the world. It was a perfect display of who won and who lost. Horrible ideas rampaged through her mind as she invented ways of how the room's occupants could have been forced into this place, and at the very center of all these problems was one person: Deku.

She slammed her fist against the roof's edge. Every time she thought back to when she last saw him brought on a wave of nausea. She had known better than to let some two-bit creep hoodwink her, yet, she had let down her guard, falling for his deceptive charm. There had been a few attempts to capture him in the last two weeks, but every idea led to dead-ends. As if to spite her, two more bouquets with his calling card arrived at her apartment which she tried to use to track him down, but somehow, all of the flower shops had miraculously claimed to have never gotten any purchase orders for her address nor did they have any copies of invoices delivered to her. Mina was currently working on questioning the flower shop's drivers; meanwhile, Hikari was working with Yonezu to patch up the rocky partnership Rainy Day had with Hosori's precinct. That was a whole other challenge in and of itself. As her team worked round the clock to find the bastard, Ochaco had decided that she needed to follow up with the one lead they had left: Mad Love.

In her years of training and being a pro hero, Ochaco had only heard rumors or whispers of the human trafficking rings that resided in the underbelly of Japan. Many of the crimes she had tackled were typically less sophisticated in nature as up-and-coming hacks tried to make a name for themselves. Forced prostitution was usually left to the Yakuza or other, more subtle, organized crime syndicates to deal in. Then, about five years ago, Mad Love came onto the scene.

It was an instant game changer. Claiming to be a safe haven for anyone escaping trafficking groups, Mad Love was run by two self-proclaimed "reformed" villains. Whole crowds of women and children that had either been assumed dead or had recently gone missing suddenly returned to their homes. Heroes and police alike were baffled by the surge of returning persons. They all spoke of a place where they had been sheltered after being rescued from their imprisonment. No names were ever given - an odd detail that had grabbed Uraraka's attention at the time - but there was an air of gratitude when the victims spoke about the owners. On the flipside, Mad Love was disturbing the delicate criminal ecosystem. With people flocking to the safety that it provided, many of the remaining mob and Yakuza groups were forced to bring in other means of revenue. It hadn't escaped the Hero Commission's notice that too many people were stopping in for brief visits and leaving. Ochaco was too busy trying to found her own agency to follow through with any investigation of her own. A safe haven for those who needed rescuing sounded like a good target for Heroes and Villains alike.

There wasn't much of a profile on the two women in charge, but Mirio's intel gave her a start. The building itself was owned and leased by a shell realty group. After doing a little digging of her own, Uraraka followed a seemingly endless trail of shell companies and organizations that changed ownership of Mad Love until it ended at a portion of an estate bestowed to one Izuku Midoriya following the death of his parents. Ochaco thought it was very convenient that Deku's parents just so happened to own an abandoned building of this size. What were his parents actually like? What did they do that they could leave a plot of land to their only son? Were they even really his parents? Uraraka figured that this was more of Midoriya's influence at play but still felt burned at being kept in the dark about Deku's parents. At the same token, the very same feeling of betrayal plunged her into a self berating tirade. She had more important matters than to feel spurned by some criminal like Deku. Unfortunately, her pervasive thoughts would not leave her, so she decided to stake out the love hotel for a few days to focus on anything else other than Izuku.

Thus, she sat alone in the darkening twilight on a nearly collapsed roof with nothing but a pair of binoculars and her thoughts. Mina and Mirio had given their advice, but none of it helped. She felt useless no matter what she did. Deku's shadow loomed over her every action, marring any sense of accomplishment or progress. She felt her eyes sting up slightly, and she vigorously rubbed away the tears attempting to escape. With a growl, Uraraka stood up quickly to pace on the worn out tar. Right now, all she really wanted was some comfort and reassurance. She pulled out her phone, barely managing to stop herself from calling her parents, but her heart clenched as she failed to repress the embarrassment and shame that rose up, remembering how Midoriya had offered her just feeling. If there was someone she could rely on to give her what she really needed at that moment, it would be Asui. The phone continued to ring for a few seconds before Froppy's raspy voice greeted her.

"Hello. You've reached Asui Tsuyu. Sorry I missed your call. I'm currently deployed out to sea, but please leave me a message and I'll do my best to call you back, ribbit."

It would be another two or three months before she returned for a brief reprieve from her tour, but… even that brief moment of hearing her voice encouraged Ochaco to vent.

"Hey, Tsu," Ochaco sniffled, "It's Uraraka. Haha... I guess you already know that. Anyway, I just… I wanted to hear a friendly voice that wasn't Ashido for once. Hope to catch up soon! Love you, Tsu."

Uraraka gave the phone a bleary look as she hung up the call and stared at the time. Is that late already? Ugh, I guess I should pack up and go home. A blaring flash of gaudy light burst to her left. Ochaco looked up to see the lights of Mad Love flashing to life. A scowl burrowed itself on Uravity's face as she took in the building's details one last time; it's light spilling out to illuminate the surrounding squallor. Nevermind - I've got work to do.

She kept watch for half an hour more, making notes of how many visitors came, when they arrived and left (if they did), and their outfits. As she figured, many were middle aged, slightly heavy set, and had receding or graying hair cropped shortly to their skulls. The majority wore shabby suits that were pulled tautly across expanded paunches or chests. A few walked with their heads held high, but most shuffled in with a slight hunch in the shoulders; however, when everyone left, there was a noticeable new spring in their step. Ochaco gagged as she made some final observations. A very small group of four women in dresses or skirt/blouse combos walked in and hadn't left after five minutes. Her face darkened as she tapped her foot impatiently, thinking the worst had happened to them. Enough was enough; she was about to make her way down when her phone began to chime. Caught off guard, Uraraka fumbled to take the call. Didn't think Tsu would call back so soon! Or that I forgot to leave this stupid phone on silent…

"Hello, Tsu! It's wonderful to hear from you again!" Ochaco chirped. Unfortunately, the voice that greeted her back was not kind or raspy; rather, it sounded nasally and slick. The image of oil leaking out of a car came to her mind.

"Hello, Uravity. We haven't formally met, but I'm not Tsu. Call me Halogin."

Uraraka took a few seconds to wrack her memory, trying to conjure up where she had heard that name. He was one of those rookies that was rising through the Hero Rankings rather quickly. She remembered a brief conversation with Katsuki that touched on Halogin's potential that ended with her ex's usual condescension. She pulled herself out of her memories and apologized to Halogin.

"Ah! Y-yes, Halogin! I'm so sorry. I was expecting someone else - clearly. How can I help you? I'm off duty, but I can always reach out to Pinky or Stoplight to lend you a hand."

"No, no, Uravity," he said, his slick voice brightening up through her phone's earpiece, "I wanted to reach out to you about your current case. You're looking for Deku, right?"

She bit back a frustrated groan. If a rookie had caught wind of her search, Deku was probably miles ahead of her next step. She needed to take better care of covering her tracks. "Yeah, I am. What can I say? Once I get a target, I don't quit until they're behind bars."

"Admirable, but you're going about finding him all wrong," warned Halogin, "Not to overstep your… expertise, Uravity, but have you been trying to find just him or someone alongside him?" She paused, hesitating before responding. Her mind reeled at the thought that Yuang's inclusion of the case had somehow been leaked.

"Just him," Uraraka said firmly. Halogin hummed in acknowledgement.

"Right. Well, if you're looking for him by way of his trail, you'll only find dead-ends. Have you tried looking for one of his victims?" That broke her resolve. Uraraka mustered up her best commanding voice and laid into the rookie.

"I'm sorry, Halogin, but what do you have to do with this case? Do you want to team up? Rainy Day would be happy to get all the planning squared away-"

"No, no, Uravity. I'm sorry, I wasn't upfront from the get-go. Let me explain: Deku was involved in an incident that was related to the recent trafficking raids you've been conducting. Several victims had been recovered, but one managed to be recaptured somehow. You might know her name: Yuang."

Hosori, Ochaco thought with a chill that ran down her spine. She must have brought in Halogin when we couldn't find Yuang. Damn it. Halogin didn't wait for a response as he continued speaking.

"I think if you look for her, you'll find Deku."

"How do you figure?" Curiosity mingled dangerously with the frustrating that was beginning to cloud her thoughts.

"I… Look, Uravity, I'll be frank with you. I've been in contact with Captain Hosori about this missing person, and I know you've been trying to trail her. The good captain wanted to make sure that Yuang was found, either by you or me. She also informed me that your recent raids were an effort to bring in Deku as well. That got me thinking: has it ever crossed your mind as to why you haven't been able to find Yuang?"

"No…" Ochaco replied slowly. She did not like where this was going, unveiling a deep fear that she had set aside from when Deku first offered to work with her.

"Well, I don't have any evidence, but my theory is that Deku is using Yuang to use you. See, as he dangles Yuang in front of you like a carrot on a stick, Rainy Day has been cleaning up trafficking operations from several of his competitors. Hosori and I think that he's working with the Oozer gang to monopolize the black market. First, it'll be human trafficking, then guns, and finally, drugs."

Something broke in her mind and she began to seethe. It made sense. Of course he was the reason they never found Yuang. He must have been pinning her "locations" just so that Rainy Day would sweep them out. She had single-handedly brought her agency into the hands of a masterful manipulator, and they had been played. Disgust writhed in her innards; bile rising up to burn the back of her throat. Uraraka bit back her fury in order to breathe to calm herself down.

"Look," Halogin assured her, "I know it seems obvious when someone else says something; I've been there before. Please don't beat yourself up, Uravity. We will find Yuang. We will put an end to Deku. The good guys will win this one. Just take some time to think over this. I'm sure you'll find some connected dots. When you do, please call me. I'd like to help bring this bastard down."

"Y-yeah… Thanks, Halogin."

"Anytime, Uravity."

With a click, the line went dead. Ochaco stared at the device long after the light had faded to preserve the battery. She looked to Mad Love and felt hatred like she had never before. Without a second thought, Uraraka gently floated to the ground. She returned her gravity, stepping through the shadowed walkways. Her feet felt heavier as she got closer to the gaudy building, but her rage forced her body to press on. She was practically shaking as she reached the steps of the entrance; a few men avoided her gaze as she quaked in place. With a few deep breaths, Uraraka felt ready to press through the heavy wood doors separating her and a chance of exacting some justice on Deku's empire.

Ochaco found herself walking into a very posh foyer. Between the lush, red carpet, the marbled walls, and gold painted molding that framed the entire space, Ochaco forgot how to breathe for a moment. Opulence like this was something saved for the Todorokis', and she only ever saw it when she visited Momo and Shoto. Uraraka liked to think of herself as a working class Hero, so this kind of grandeur only served to boil her blood even more. So, when he's not busy selling people's bodies, Deku decides to decorate his cash cow like this?

A few black leather couches flanked the open space. A couple of tasteful landscape paintings hung just above the couches. At the far end was a glossy wooden desk that cordoned off three identical doors. They were wooden, framed with a grid of windows spanning their height. Standing diligently behind the desk were three young ladies: one blonde, one with blood red hair, and the last with jet black hair. As Uraraka marched closer in her approach, she saw that they were likely triplets. They each had the same elegantly slender face, piercing blue eyes, and pouting lips quirked up in a knowing smirk. At least they had their hair dyed and were wearing very different clothes from each other. Ochaco only hoped that they didn't sound identical.

"Good evening, miss," the blonde greeted in a muted, subdued tone, "How can we help you tonight?" Uraraka took a closer look at the women and blanched as she realized that they were clearly minors. She felt a snarl rise up when the ginger spoke up.

"Aren't you Uravity?" Her voice was light and more assertive than the blonde to her right. She leaned in with a soft smile, trying to get a closer look at Uraraka. Damn it! The jig is up I guess.

"Yes, and aren't you three minors? I'm calling for backup right now. You're under arrest."

"There's no need to escalate things, Miss Uravity," the jet black hair child said. This one was more haughty and aggressive. Uraraka pulled out her phone quickly as she gave them a withering glare but felt her muscles seize. Quirks. Right. The ginger casually walked up to Ochaco's frozen form, plucked the phone out of her still hand, and taunted her with a wink.

"Sorry to make things hard for you, Uravity, but we're just doing our job. The house managers will want to speak to you now. If you would kindly follow us."

She clasped Uraraka's hand in her own. Ochaco felt her muscles go from stiff to liquid as she was guided in her forced walk toward the doors behind their desk. The other two flanked the middle door, blocking the view to where they might have led. The girl who was using her quirk on Ochaco quickly reached past her left arm to open the door. She felt the unpleasant change of liquid to stone muscles and back again as the sister changed Quirk holds on her. She was led into a tiny, unlit corridor that ended in a long flight of stairs. Their only light source was the brightness of the foyer coming through the windowed door behind them. After a minute or two, they reached an open door. Light spilled out onto the carpeted steps, warm and inviting. Ochaco would have pulled a terse, skeptical look if her body wasn't already being controlled.

The floor they had walked to was a little shabby but cozy. Worn, wood plank flooring creaked underneath their every step. Old French sconces hung on the corners, their opaque glass muting the already dim light they held within. A few portraits hung on the wall, but in particular, an oil painting of people she didn't recognize dressed sharply with permanent congenial looks on their faces caught her attention. A reading nook was carved into the wall furthest from the landing entrance. It was cushioned by what must have been a thousand small pillows and entrenched with wide windows that peered out to a small enclave down below. The girls sat Uraraka down and released their holds on her. She took a moment to adjust to feeling in control again as she formulated a plan of attack. Unfortunately, any concept of putting up a fight were dashed when all three pulled out small handguns. They pointed them in her direction with wide smiles.

"Sorry about this, Uravity. We can't have you ruining our sanctuary."

One of the three turned around and casually walked away to some hidden part of the floor. Ochaco could only assume that the girl was conjuring up their bosses. She sat glaring at them for an eternity, but eventually, the last triplet returned with two shadowed figures in tow. Compared to the girls, these newcomers were vastly different in just about every way. One was taller with their hair put up in two, noticeably messy buns. Their companion was about half their height, barely reaching just above their walked with a titanic confidence evident in their squared shoulders and assured steps. Ochaco couldn't help but wonder if this was another child that had been tossed into enslavement. The taller one stopped with a purr. All eyes moved to them as they spoke.

"Now, I didn't figure you'd show up so soon, Uravity." It was feminine voice with an edge cutting through the dulcet tones. Before Ochaco could respond, there was the flash of something glinting in the dim light, a quick breeze brushing past her face, and then a sudden stinging on her cheek. Uraraka grimaced at the unexpected pain, lifting a hand to her cheek as she looked around for what struck her. Still vibrating from being plunged into the wood so violently was a sleek stiletto knife. At the very tip dripped a dark liquid that ran down the wood grain. Blood. My blood.

"In case you get any funny thoughts about causing a ruckus here. We've some pretty strict rules for visitors, so please, let's make everyone's life easier and not fight, OK?"

Ochaco turned back to give a spiteful glare at the new arrivals. They had come out into the light, waving the triplets down. The girls lowered their weapons and pocketed them back into their hidden holsters. Uraraka got a better view of her newest captors. The tall one who had thrown the knife had ashy blonde hair with bangs to go with the buns. She had a half sneering smile which perfectly showcased her elongated canines. Her eyes were almonds that pointed up in a peculiar angle. A permanent blush attached itself to her face. Her companion, to Uraraka's surprise, was slightly older. She had bruised wine hair with thick streaks of gray running from the edge of her scalp to the tips of her ponytails. Her eyes were gaunt and sunken, aging her otherwise youthful face even further. Both women were dressed smartly in plain white shirts under gray sports coats with matching pants.

"Go on, girls," the shorter of the two said with a smile, "We can't leave the front desk empty for too long."

"Yes, ma'am!" all three said with fake salutes. Left alone with Uraraka, the two women turned to each other briefly before the redhead introduced them.

"Excuse all of this, Uravity. I'm Aiba Manami, and this is Toga Himiko. We're the owner-operators of this fine establishment. Now, what brings a pro like yourself to our humble abode?"

"Oh cut it out, Brava," Toga hissed, "She's here because she thought that fobbie is here."

"Kind of hard to be considered a fob when she's been missing in Japan for literal months," Uraraka spat out. The other two took a moment to blink at her rash outburst before they began to cackle. "I don't get what's so funny, but if you think you can just hold me up here, you've-"

"'Got another thing coming,' am I right? Please. Spare us the heroics. You're actually free to leave if you promise to never come back. You ain't a customer, and you don't need any help."

Toga gestured towards the open staircase behind her. Uraraka didn't miss the tip of a knife tucked under Toga's thumb. Instead, she remained in her seat and stayed silent. Aiba hummed thoughtfully as she walked carefully to Ochaco. She sat gingerly next to her, as if she was an explosive that might go off anytime.

"Yeah, I can see why she's got-" Aiba started but was interrupted by Himiko.

"No. No. I don't care, and I don't want to talk about it. You, hero. Follow me." Toga stomped off, leaving Ochaco to exchange a shrug with Manami. They got up and walked after Himiko. A tense silence hung over them as Uraraka was led through a small path of connecting corridors. Ochaco was afraid of what could possibly happen if either she or Aiba misspoke even one word. Eventually, the three of them stopped in front of a large door with a series of heavy locks running up its right turned heel, swiveling so fast Ochaco had to fight the urge to get into a defensive stance. Himiko shoved a finger into Uraraka's face and began to chide her venomously.

"Do you know what we do here, Miss Hero? Do you have any clue? Actually, don't answer. You'll only get it wrong."

Then why the hell did you ask? Uraraka thought as Himiko busied herself with undoing the numerous locks. It felt like five minutes before Toga was through with the door, finally opening it to another corridor. Ochaco flinched at the sudden, blinding light. Compared to the dimly lit office space, the hallway before her was a floodlight pointed directly at her eyes. The walls in front of her were a warm beige with accented, short hair green carpet. A few foyer tables lined hall in between the widely spaced out doors. Just within sight, after her eyes adjusted, was a smooth wood railing that signaled a nearby staircase. Muffled laughter and clinking cookware surrounded them as they pressed forward. Tasteful mirrors and full vases with assorted wildflowers eased Ochaco slightly. She bit back a snort. Well yeah. That's the idea, 'Chaco. They're trying to keep their captives 'happy.' See how long I let that last.

Her thoughts were interrupted abruptly when they reached the guard rail that overlooked the open living space down below. Several leather couches and seats sat occupied in a circle over a worn red carpet. Cold gray tiles lined the floor underneath the rug and furniture. The occupants were a few adults and several children. Ochaco hardened her gaze as she inspected the people a little closer. For the most part, they looked healthy. Not happy, per se, but relaxed at least. They were all dressed warmly in fresh clothes. Toga spoke after Uraraka soaked in the sight for a few moments.

"Not everyone here works in the front house. Most get odd jobs cleaning hotels or something. A few try it out," Himiko thumbed back to the space they had just left, "But we don't force 'em. We take care of our own, and these are our own."

Uraraka held Toga's steady gaze. Himiko eventually got fed up and scoffed, sulking away from Ochaco. For a brief moment, she was brought back to an upscale kitchen staring down a pair of red eyes that peered out behind spiked blonde bangs. She shook off the memory when a jaunty ringtone played out from Toga's pocket. With a huff, she answered her phone, brow flat against her eyes.

"Yeah? Yeah, it's me, who else wou- What? Well, you wouldn't be calling if you didn't already go through - Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way." Himiko looked past Uraraka to Aiba. "There's trouble up front, Brava. I'm going over to smooth things out. Watch this one while I'm away, please."

"You got it, Toga. Just don't hurt the John too much. You remember the last time you went all out," Manami warned. Toga only rolled her eyes as she walked off.

"A little bit of paperwork did that broccoli idiot some good. It was payback anyway!" Himiko disappeared into the dark and shut the door behind her. Aiba sighed, rubbing her temples and muttered darkly under her breath.

"There was so much blood last time…"

"What was that?" Uraraka asked, barely listening as she stared out to the people down below. Aiba waved it off with a noncommittal grunt. Ochaco turned back to her with a curious glance. "So, why does she call you 'Brava?' Is that a nickname or something?"

"Kinda like how 'Uravity' is a nickname, right? It's an old name from when Toga was a kid. She just uses it because she likes it. You may call me Aiba."

An awkward pause filled the void of any conversation. They leaned against the guard rail, watching the people below in a pregnant silence. Uraraka thought about her gracious host for a moment. Aiba was really the first person in this place that seemed reasonable, but she was still a Madame. Uraraka couldn't condone the activities here despite her reassurance that everything here was consensual. It wasn't. It couldn't. How could people willingly engage in this work when they were captives. Ochaco bit back the bile and venom that rose up as she mulled over the situation more. She must have been shaking with rage. Aiba gave her a quick glance and took a step away. Uraraka exhaled a shuddering breath in a poor attempt to calm herself down.

"Can I ask you a question?" Aiba chuckled and turned to face her.

"You may ask another one." Uraraka rolled her eyes and turned about, leaning her back against the wooden rail. Her body felt stiff and worn. She was tired, but the faster she could wrap this case up, the sooner her life could go back to normal.

"Where's Deku fit in all of this? Does he take a cut or something?" She tried to stop herself but an invasive thought just escaped her lips. "Does he use the workers as compensation?"

Aiba blanched, her mouth downturned in disgust. Her face turned almost as red her hair. Ochaco stayed in her relaxed position. Her training had drilled into her to not escalate a situation when civilians were too close for combat. She also needed information from Aiba, and she'd never get it if they were busy fighting.

"He - You! - Argh! What the hell is wrong with you? Is this all just a sick game to you?" Uraraka did her best to keep her body relaxed but the sting of Manami's outburst caught her off guard.

"Me? What's wrong with you? I'm just trying to bring that asshole in."

"That's really nice, name calling. Classy," Aiba spat out, "You don't know him at all if that's what you think he's doing. For your information, he donated the building to us, but because of our backgrounds, it's still in his name. He's never been arrested, so he doesn't have a record."

Huh, that's why my first couple of searches came up empty… Uraraka thought to herself. Manami took a second to calm down, straightening her hair with an aloof touch.

"Look, if you want to know how he fits into all of this, then you better get ready for a long story. I can't tell you Toga's, and this all really does start with her."

"What starts with me?"

Uraraka and Aiba jumped out of their skins. Ochaco let her instincts kick, throwing a wild kick out behind her. Toga latched onto her foot and tugged hard, bringing Uraraka down. Slightly dazed, she looked up to Himiko who had a sneer full of hatred in her eyes. Aiba was waving off the sudden explosion of noise, placating the weary residents down below. Toga flung Ochaco's foot out of her hands and stomped away. Manami stopped her with a gentle touch to her wrist.

"Toga?"

Himiko heaved in a deep breath and blew out through her nostrils, shoulders rising with the action. She slowly turned around and it was all Ochaco could do to go back into "fight mode." Toga's sports coat was ruined. The stitching on her right shoulder was stretched open, revealing her bare shoulder. Her once immaculate blouse was now stained red. There was a sickly gleam to some spots. Her knuckles, Ochaco observed, were bruised and bloodied. Her face sported a nasty shiner and cut lower lip. Aiba started to dote on Himiko who obliged her by sliding down to rest sitting against the guard rail. She began to explain that most of the staining was actually wine. There was only a little blood, most of it her own. The John was drunk - naturally - and thought he was getting ripped off. He started making a commotion which was when Toga had been called to intervene.

"I was already in a pissy mood, no thanks to Miss Hero, so that didn't help. He didn't wanna talk and neither did I. I roughed him up, but as you can see," Toga pointed to her eye, "He got a few good licks in himself. He got tossed out though. Our accountant took care of that."

"Oh Toga!" Aiba whined, "I should have gone down for you. I'm so sorry you got hurt."

"Eh. It's not big deal. This isn't the worst I've come out of a fight. Now, what were you two talking about?"

Manami hesitated, blanching for a moment before turning to Uraraka. Her eyes were pleading but Ochaco ignored them. She pushed herself up to sit on the ground. They were all level now and her hope was that Himiko would be open to talking.

"I was asking about Deku. What's his part in all of this and what does he get out of it."

Toga held Uraraka's even gaze. They were sizing each other up, searching for something - a weak link, an opening. For a few seconds, Ochaco thought she wasn't going to get anything, but Himiko closed her eyes and took in another breath.

"You really wanna know, huh? That obsessed with him?" Before Uraraka could protest, Himiko stood up and offered a hand to Ochaco. "C'mon. It's a long story, and I need a drink to tell it. Let's go, Brava."

They marched quietly back into the dimly lit halls. Toga made sure to tightly secure the door to the residential area before leading the way. After a few moments, they entered a dusty office space. It was dark with a large desk in the back with an uncomfortable looking chair behind it. Two smaller, matching chairs faced the desk. Flush against the right wall was a large cabinet that Toga tore into immediately. She poured everyone a glass as Aiba business herself with getting the room more lit. This consisted of sifting through a desk drawer for candles and matches.

"Oh great, just what I need: mood lighting," Toga joked as she knocked back her amber liquid in one gulp. Uraraka took a sip of her own, after thanking Toga for offering it. Himiko propped herself on the desk with a sigh. "Oh where, oh where to begin. I guess when I first met the jackass."

She took another swig of her drink and began to tell her story.