Keigo got outside as quickly as he could, taking to the skies above Fukuoka in search of Hanako.

'Damn it...! Where is she?'

He knew that she would be heading towards the smoke, searching for her brother, so he started heading that direction. He searched along the way, still not seeing her, until he reached the source of the fire and found her standing there in front of the burning building that was once her family's shop.

Landing beside her, he checked to make sure she was alright. "Miss Itami, are you hurt? You shouldn't have run off like that!" He could see her mouthing 'Shihei' and 'my brother', so he turned to look at the burning shop. "Stay here," he ordered her and searched for a way into the burning debris.

The sound of sirens echoed in the streets, drawing closer and closer as the fire department arrived on the scene. Keigo still couldn't find a way in, so he was forced to wait for the firefighters to clear a path. He landed next to Hanako, feeling just as helpless as her.

'Please, let him be alright...' Hanako thought as she was frozen in place, fearing the worst. But amidst the crackling of the fires and the roar of rushing water, she could hear a voice calling out. Without thinking, she started walking towards the burning building. She listened, again and again, praying for the voice to call out once more. When she heard it again, she took off running into the infernal wreckage.

"Hanako, wait!" Keigo tried to stop her, but before he could a large backdraft of wind caused the flames to lash out and she quickly disappeared inside. He stood helplessly as the firefighters tried to find a way through, to rescue Hanako and Shihei. Only five minutes had passed, but it felt like an eternity to Keigo as he feared for the safety of Hanako and her brother.

"Hawks!"

Keigo looked over to see Enji approaching. "Endeavor, she ran inside!"

Enji looked at the fire and without another thought or a single moment of hesitation, he charged into the wreckage and searched for Hanako. He searched until he found his way into the greenhouse, finding her at the eastern edge- buried under glass and wooden beams. He pushed the debris off of her, scooping her up in his arms and rushing her outside to the paramedics.

Keigo rushed to her side, seeing her passed out and covered in ash and cuts.

"Hawks, do you know this woman?" one of the paramedics asked.

"Her name is Hanako Itami, she's my secretary. Is she going to be alright?"

"She suffered a blow to the head, rendering her unconscious. Her breathing is erratic; we need to get her to the hospital stat."

Keigo stepped back as they loaded Hanako into the ambulance. "Please be OK..." He turned to Enji. "Was there anyone else inside?"

"I only found her."

"Where the hell is her brother, then?"

"What happened, Hawks?"

"Subaru Ejiri kidnapped her brother, Shihei, and I'm almost positive that Nitro is responsible for all of this."

Enji's eyes widened a moment. "I thought he was killed nine years ago."

"So did I..." Keigo looked at the fire, hoping that Shihei was safe. "We need to find that son of a bitch Ejiri and make him talk."

"Where do we start?" Enji asked.

Hanako woke nearly four hours later in a hospital bed. She was a bit dazed and confused, but otherwise just ached. When the doctor came in to explain what had happened, Hanako learned that she hit her head and fell unconscious.

She forced herself to sit up, wincing at the soreness in her back. "S-Shihei..?" Her eyes widened at the sound of her voice, hoarse and scratchy from the years of lack of use. "I... can talk...?"

The doctor checked her throat, looking inside and feeling along her neck on the outside. "Your throat is a bit red, irritated from the smoke inhalation."

"B-But I... it's been... years..."

"It's possible that you have been suffering from speech disorder called apraxia, but you haven't had any difficulty moving your lips, jaw, or tongue. Your inability to speak was most likely due to a psychological response to the trauma." The doctor glanced down at her file. "Based on your medical history, though, my best guess is that the arcuate fasciculus- the band of nerves that connects the Broca's and Wernicke's areas of your brain- was damaged somehow as a result of your concussion nine years ago. The Broca's and Wernicke's areas of your brain are key in your ability to speak. It's possible that this current concussion resulted in whatever pressure was being placed on that band to be released."

"My b-brother..."

"For now, it's best that I spare you the details; you're still in a very fragile state. I will tell you, though, that he was found in the wreckage and it was determined by the coroner that he had died before the fire." The doctor stood as he closed her file and pulled the blankets up a bit higher. "You should get some more rest. A nurse will be in to check on you again in a little while."

Hanako nodded and closed her eyes, quickly falling asleep.

The doctor left her room, closing the door behind him and made his way over to where Keigo was sitting.

"Hawks?"

Keigo stood and looked at him hopefully. "Is Miss Itami alright?"

The doctor nodded. "She needs rest, but she will be alright."

Keigo sighed with relief. "And her brother, Shihei?" His chest tightened, though, when the doctor shook his head and explained what had happened.

"He suffered from blunt force trauma to his chest, crushing his sternum. The bone shards pierced his heart and lungs. He died quickly."

Keigo sank into the chair behind him, his face in his hands. "This is all my fault..."

"There was nothing that you could have done for him, Hawks."

Keigo sat there a moment. "When can she have visitors?"

"Not for another day or two. We need to make sure that she's stable before we can allow visitors."

"I understand." Keigo stood. "Will you tell her I stopped by?"

"Of course. Now you go home and get some rest, too. You look like you've had one hell of a night."

Keigo nodded and took his leave, but the guilt of Hanako's injuries and Shihei's death weighed heavily on him.

Nine years ago, his first big villain was a man named Nitro who possessed a fire quirk. He had terrorized the city for weeks, but he always managed to slip away. Keigo never seemed to catch a break, but when he finally did the battle was massive. The city was caught up in the chaos- buildings destroyed or damaged, streets crushed, fires everywhere. It was a nightmare and Keigo fought hard to put an end to the fighting- and to Nitro. He came out victorious and Nitro was declared deceased, leaving Fukuoka and its citizens to pick up the pieces in peace.

But now, Nitro was back- somehow risen from the dead- and Keigo knew he had to put an end to Nitro again before the nightmare began anew.

'I will find you, Nitro, you son of a bitch.'