"Those who taste death, and know they have no way out but forward, will fight like tigers."

-Sun Tzu, The Art Of War

Penthouse, KCC

"Aaah, this is the life..." Eri Midoriya sighed, as she lay in the infinity pool constructed on the terrace of the penthouse, bobbing up and down in the calm blue water. Her hands were on the very thin edge of the pool, and her face over it, looking down, past the clouds, straining to catch a glimpse of the ground.

"You can say that again." Koko Murukami said from behind her. She was lying on one of the chairs that had been built around the pool, where guests could relax and enjoy the stunning view that a terrace above the clouds could offer, all the while getting a free tan from an unrestricted sun. Koko had chocolate colored skin with white patches here and there, jet black hair styled in a pixie cut, and hetero-chromatic eyes: one green, one red. She was currently sipping some Mitsuya Cider (A carbonated soft drink mainly sold in Japan) from a German style Pilstupen wine glass.

The serenity of the scene, of course, clashed with the reality. Beneath them, the KCC looked like a miniature country preparing for war. The quick, calm, and well trained movements of mercenary armies that they had hired with the promise of vast riches, contrasted heavily with the thugs and gangs they picked up from streets around the world with the same promise, who just roamed about, their hands itching for a fight they were certain to lose. More seasoned villains, with proper costumes and weapons stood behind, their eyes clearly disapproving of the rabble.

Eri sighed and dived back into the pool. Her legs and hands cut powerful swathes through the water, bringing her right back to her earlier position, before she had decided to take a look at the army she, Izu-nii, and the rest of her family had gathered for their last stand.

"Tense?" Koko smiled down at the pale blue haired girl. "Y-Yeah." Eri admitted.

"Me too." Koko replied, breathing out heavily. "This is truly it, you know? Today's the motherfucking day."

"Yeah...What do you think will happen?"

"Who can say?" Koko shrugged. "All I know is that after today, I can take off this damn thing." the girl held up her hand, showing off the Quirk Suppression Cuff, halfheartedly decorated with green gems and golden designs, clamped around the chocolate colored skin of her wrist.

Seeing it caused Eri's mind to suddenly jump back to another time. A time she'd rather forget.

The blunette sighed, and shook her head. Thinking about the past is pointless. She repeated Izu-nii's most frequent saying mentally. We must always move on.

She quietly pulled herself up and out of the pool, spilling water all over the tiled floor. The wind felt cold against her bare, wet back, just barely covered by the red swimsuit she was wearing. Koko, seeing her getting out, took one of the rolled towels kept handy near the seats, and held it out for her.

Eri smiled gratefully, and took it, wrapping her upper half in it, before sitting on the seat next to Koko. Her eyes silently drifted to the room, visible through the glass walls.

Hitoshi was still watching the cameras they had placed all around the Complex, displaying the various armies of heroes that had gathered to fight them.

Kai, Ren, and Peri were cleaning the room, which was littered with confetti, plastic wrappers, pieces of cake, plastic cups, and so on.

Toga and Izuku were chatting animatedly, the former nestled under the latter's shoulder.

Sukui was playing some game on her phone, smiling widely as she did so, her green skinned hands moving fast as lightning across the screen.

Dare was sleeping on one of the sofas, his mouth wide open, and his chest unmoving, as if he were dead, which he technically was. Seeing this, Eri shivered slightly.

"Ne, Koko."

"Yeah?"

"Are you scared?"

Koko frowned. "Are you?"

Eri thought about it. Was she?

Her mind proceeded to pull her back once more. And this time, she didn't resist.

Seventeen Years Ago,

The air vent that five year old Eri found herself in was a clammy affair, only just wide enough to accommodate her small, frail figure. It was coated with steel grey paint, that was rusted for most of it's length. The flaky paint had coated her pale hands, and dug into her skin painfully.

But she didn't care for the pain. It was nothing compared to what she had to undergo on a daily basis when she was with...him. Compared to that, having the skin of her hand flayed and scraped apart was nothing. And she'd gladly endure it, if it meant escaping that monster.

Eri moved slowly and carefully, shuffling forward in short bursts, so as to not draw the attention of his men, who were still looking for her. The vents were quite old, and made creaking sounds whenever she moved. The moment such sounds became audible, she froze, not daring to even breathe.

Her face was covered in sweat, dripping down onto the rusted iron floor of the vent. Whenever her badly torn palm brushed over these spots, the pain increased a thousandfold. Initially, she had to stifle herself to prevent her scream escaping her throat. Unfortunately, she soon became used to the stinging feeling of salt in her wounds, and only whimpered softly after that.

Her progress was incredibly slow. Many days, she merely sat, hunched in a corner, breathing as slowly and quietly as possible, while beneath her, his men turned the place inside out and outside in, searching for her. By some miracle, no one had yet thought to check in the vents. If they did however, she was done for, and she knew what punishment would await her when she was taken to him.

She shivered at such thoughts. And resolved to keep going no matter what. Her stomach growled painfully, but she banished the pain to the back of her mind, like she did with her hands. She would escape. She had to.

The ventilation system of the Hassaikai's base of operations may be an endless maze, nearly impossible to navigate, but Eri knew, that if there was any chance to escape, no matter how slim they were, it would be within the sweltering hot vents that, in a cruel irony, were designed to provide cooling to her tormentors.

I can't die again...

Present Day

Thinking about that, and thinking about what she had ran from, the pain she had to endure,...

"Of course not!" Eri laughed shakily. "I've died several times, remember?"

"You're happy about that?!" Koko gasped in horror.

"No!" Eri replied indignantly." I only moved on, just like the rest of you!"

Koko stared for a second. Then she chuckled too. "Fair enough. So, what d'you think we should do after this?"

Eri smiled and nodded her head. "A party!"

The dark skinned girl groaned. "Seriously? Again?"

"Yep! But this time, instead of partying for a week, we party for a whole month!"

"A whole month?! No, I don't think I'll kill myself, thank you very much!"

"Dying by hangover is more fun than any other way though!"

"Eri!" Koko cried, apalled, but laughing all the same, along with the red eyed girl.

Their laughter echoed across the skies, carried by the gentle winds, and blown into the ears of the heroes, including one Toshinori Yagi, who shivered at it.

Few villains laughed so, when faced with such overwhelming odds. Only the most powerful, most confident, most psychopathic villains would ever find hilarity in such a situation.

But this was not why Toshinori shivered. No, he shivered because this laughter was the opposite. This laughter was neither maniacal nor unhinged, but soft and innocent, like that of children.

To think of such young souls being corrupted by villainy,..it horrified him.

"Time to attack, five minutes!"

Introducing the fourth and last canon member of Izuku's found family, Eri!

SpectreofMars