Easy Lover~
She'll get a hold on you, believe it~
Like no other~
Before you know it you'll be on your knees~
She's an Easy Lover~
She'll take your heart, but you won't feel it~
"God damnit, Himiko…" Akira groaned out, pawing to find his phone. His normal slow and quiet ringtone had recently been changed to the loud and obnoxious funk song by a certain blonde girl. As such, she now found tremendous joy in using the cheap cell phone provided to her by the school to call him at all hours of the day, knowing he kept his ringer on max in case Miruko needed to contact him.
Finally finding where his phone was, somehow it had ended up underneath a pillow, he raised it to his ear, pressing the bright green button to answer. He didn't say anything into the receiver, but he heard a very familiar giggling sound. The same sound that he heard on the other side of his room. He hung up and dropped both his phone and his head back onto the bed, trying desperately to get some more rest.
A weight suddenly appeared on his back, clearly telling him that Himiko was trying to wake him up by force by this point. When she had gotten into his room was beyond him, but he's learned over the last few days that nothing short of electromagnetic locks can keep her out. She laid on top of him, her cheek pressed into his upper back and her legs kicking the air. She prodded his face with a sharp finger, poking at his jaw, "Ooooh, someone has stubble~" She sang, rolling off of his back and next to him on the bed. He kept his good eye closed, trying and failing to hold on to the fleeting embrace of sleep as she continued to poke at him.
"I'm 17, puberty has long since passed. I grow facial hair, I shave it." He mumbled into his pillow, receiving a soft, airy giggle in response.
Himiko's captivity had come to an end, in a way. A few tracking chips had been implanted in her spine, courtesy of the combined efforts of Power Loader and Recovery Girl. She was aware of one of them, but there were 3 additional chips that only Akira knew about. His room and all of it's added security features had been returned to its original state from before she had been brought to the school. Officially, she was still under his careful supervision, although unofficially his role as warden had been changed to instructor. While the class as a whole would be working towards her reeducation and further redemption, responsibility ultimately fell to him to make sure she was progressing in accordance with Nedzu's schedule. The rat had said something about trust, and that they should trust the blonde to do the right thing without constant supervision.
Miruko had called him later on that day, saying that Nedzu had hired Beta Man from the agency to work security for the school. The older hero might not have been much in the combat department, but he was unmatched when it came to surveillance. He guessed that the "trust" that was being placed on the girl was a trick, to see how she acts when she thinks she's being watched constantly.
Later today, he'd be helping her move some basic furniture into her own room on the girl's side of the dorms. She must be trying to get as much affection from him as she could manage before their shared living experience comes to a close. He could sympathize, for once. She's getting closer and closer to a more normal life, or at least one that was more normal than her previous life. For as much of her old self that remained- That cold blooded, psychopathic killer was still inside of her, being held at bay by medication and weekly therapy sessions- She was beginning to turn into a more average hero student. Come his 3rd year at the school, she would be officially joining the class as the 21st student of the future 3-A.
She was healing, slowly. She was growing, finding friends for herself, picking up a hobby or two as they were shown to her. Ainsley had been helping her learn how to cook full meals, Diariseki had given her a few pointers when it came to sketching other people. Akira would admit, she was getting pretty good at both.
He was impressed enough to say as much one day, when they were alone. Her therapy session that day had run long, far longer than ever before. When they got back, most of the others had gone to bed, and she decided to cook up a late dinner for them both.
"This is pretty damn good." He had said, swallowing a mouthful of penne. Italian wasn't exactly a favorite of his, nor was this white cheesy sauce towards the top of his list, but all the same, he was properly impressed.
She blushed, dropping her fork with a clatter as she balled up her sleeves of her cardigan. "See! I told you I'm a great cook, but a certain battery loves to make fun of me!"
He scoffed, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Don't try and act like a small part of you doesn't enjoy my teasing."
"Maaaaaybe~" She leaned over the table, excitement in her eyes, "But! If I want to be a good wife, then I need to be the best cook I can be for you!"
That little interaction had been a few nights ago, and he still couldn't stop thinking about it. Why, all of a sudden, was he worrying over her desire to marry him? She'd made similar claims ever since she'd first met him, long before he became receptive in whatever weird relationship they had.
What did she mean to him?
What did he feel for her?
He won't lie, he wasn't entirely sure. Part of him had resigned himself to his fate- Odds are, this would be the crazy woman he falls in love with, marries, has a child with, only for tragedy to strike and for her to leave him as a single father. That's what had happened to his father, and his grandfather, and his great-grandfather. 5 generations of his family, facing the same pattern of abandonment, of loss. Akira wasn't exactly hopeful that the cycle would miraculously end on him, so he'd been tempering his expectations for the future.
But that still left the question of the present. What did he feel for this broken, lovesick girl?
He cracked his eye open to see her staring back at him, her golden eye almost glowing in the faint light that came in through the newly replaced window. She had a hand at his cheek, caressing his face, a smile softer than any he has seen in his life on her face.
"Hi." She whispered, so quietly he almost didn't hear her.
"... Hey." He mumbled back, just as softly. He watched her scoot forward closer to him, until he could feel her breath on his face.
"How come you shave?" Himiko asked suddenly, her fingernails helping her to lightly tug on the small hairs covering his cheeks and jaw.
"School rules, males need to be clean shaven."
"I think you'd look cute with a beard." Himiko leaned forward, planting a soft kiss right above his lips, almost next to his nose.
Himiko.
When did he start using her first name?
Himiko rolled off of the bed, grabbing his hand and beginning to pull. "Come on, lazy butt, we have stuff to do today!"
He let her pull him into a sitting position, purposely leaning back and making her work for it. She struggled a bit, but managed all the same. Once she got him up, she used her socks to slowly slide her legs under his bed, leaving her with her chin resting on his mattress. She gave him a big, giant smile, watching him climb out of bed and move over to his closet.
"One of these days you're gonna need to help me bring back all of the shit I stored at my Pop's place." He told her as he shifted through his clothes. He had that interview with Diariseki's sister that morning, in about 2 hours, at some small coffee shop or whatever that she had found. It met both of their needs- it was a calm and relaxed environment, perfect for conducting a long form interview. At the same time, it was a public setting close to a major street and not too far from a hero agency, making it a terrible spot to set up a potential trap.
Keeping his thoughts on the interview in the back of his mind, he decided to try and at least look semi decent for the occasion. Nothing as special as when he "went to church" the month before, but a simple dress shirt and slacks were a large improvement over his normal wardrobe. He glanced o-
"Stop taking pictures!" His sudden outburst started her, making her drop her phone with a clatter. She hurriedly picked it back up, holding it away from him as he tried to take it.
"Noooo, stop! You have such a cute butt though!" She whined, breaking away and running out of the room, standing in the hallway with and sticking her tongue out at him. He sighed, grabbing his bag and slinging it on his back, walking out of thei- his room and locking it behind him.
They walked down the stairs and into the common room, where a few of the other classmates were lazing around. It was a weekend, naturally, and most of the dorm's inhabitants were sleeping in. A group of boys, it would seem to be Diariseki, Aka, and that bastard Hone were hanging around in the kitchen. Himiko skipped off to the couch, where the damn clown was applying her ridiculous make-up. Shogeki let her go, deciding to try and play along, moving into the kitchen to grab himself some coffee. Or tea, whichever he ended up finding first. Preferably tea.
"- Doro is definitely kuudere," Was the sentence Shogeki was unfortunately greeted with when entering the kitchen. Diariseki seemed to have been in the middle of his breakfast when the discussion had begun, judging by half eaten bowl of cereal. Aka appeared to be enjoying his usual morning cup of tea while Hone was eating a bowl of oatmeal and downing a jug of milk like usual. As disgusting as it was to watch the scarred boy chug milk like it was water, it was what kept Hone's quirk strong, and Shogeki wouldn't argue with good logic. Diariseki, too deep into the discussion to let Shogeki's entrance stop him it would seem, went ahead and presented his evidence of his claim, "I mean, have you seen how Doro is around Konchu? You practically have to tear them apart, she's so clingy."
"Ah, but Diariseki-san, is it really being clingy when your partner is so receptive?" Aka politely countered, as Shogeki opened the cabinets. He took a quick look before slamming it shut and turning to the group.
"Aka, what are you drinking?"
The blind student took a moment to look sorrowful, "Not tea I'm afraid, my friend. We were all out of the usual brand- an odd thing, that is. I could have sworn we had a few more packets before we had to replace the box."
"Alright, that- that doesn't answer my question though."
"Oh! Right, quite right," Aka held up his mug, "I had brewed a pot of coffee about an hour ago- While I would have rightfully prefered my usual breakfast ritual, I still needed the caffeine, it would seem. You might want to brew a fresh pot, however, the one currently sitting in the machine is quite-"
"Old, I get it." Shogeki dumped out the old coffee into the sink, quickly setting up the machine to start brewing a new pot. He got down 2 coffee mugs, figuring that if he's going through the trouble he might as well make Himiko a mug. Though she takes hers with more milk and sugar than actual coffee, he figured it couldn't hurt. Plus, she'd essentially stolen his favorite mug by this point, so who really cared in the end.
"The blonde is a yandere, fuckin' clearly." Hone growled, "I really don't think there's gonna be any disagreement there."
"True," Diariseki nodded, "Now, Sakana, she's-" He coughed, "She's uh, um, bubadah, d-deredere, right?"
"I could agree with that." Aka sipped at his coffee.
"She's not a yandere…" Shogeki mumbled under his breath, putting the lid back onto the jar of sugar. He stirred it into his coffee, trying to clear the last of his drowsiness with a small shake of his head.
"Oh, what was that, Shogeki-san?" Aka asked from the other side of the kitchen. The rest of the boys turned to look, Diariseki himself looking pretty smug that they had somehow managed to rope Shogeki into their stupid conversation.
Rubbing his eyes, he replied, "I said she's not a yandere."
The blue bomber's eyes went wide, "Wha- Hu- She's not a yandere?" He said, getting up from his seat, "You are saying that Toga Himiko, known serial killer and psychopath… Is not a yandere?"
Shogeki said nothing, turning back to the jar of sugar and putting it away in one of the cabinets.
"Hey!" Hone slammed a fist onto the table, "We're fuckin' talkin' to ya, jackass! Fuckin' answer someone when they ask you a quest-!"
"Yes, that is what I said." Shogeki relented. There was no escaping this anymore, he should have just kept his mouth shut.
"Alright, alright, alright alright alright," Diariseki said, moving away from the table and closer to the cyclops, "So… She's not a yandere, huh?"
"… No."
"Oh- oh, she isn't?" Diariseki looked around theatrically, playing up his shock and surprise, "Oh, sh-she's not a yandere. Oh, I-I could have sworn that she was a yandere, I mean, what- what else could she have bee- What would you say she is, Shogeki?"
"She's a, um…" He lifted his cup of coffee to his lips, trying desperately to think of something, "Uhm… She is a babe… blade…"
"… Hmm?" Diariseki turned his head, aiming his ear towards Shogeki, "I do- sorry, I'm so sorry, but I really don't think I heard you, could- could you repeat that for me?"
Shogeki took a loud sip of his coffee. The others at the table were now staring at him, total silence hanging over the kitchen.
"I really don't think I heard you right- You just called Toga Himiko a-" Diariseki pulled out a small notepad from his pocket, flipping through the pages as he pretended to search for a quote he'd never written down, "You called her a, quote, 'a Babe-blade', unquote, is this correct?"
"… That is correct, yes."
The silence within the kitchen was unbearable to him, no one was moving. Shogeki wasn't sure anyone was even breathing. He noticed that Aka squinted his eyes after about 30 seconds of this, turning his head this way and that in confusion.
"Wait, I'm sorry, what- Did everyone leave, what happened?" The blind student must have activated his quirk, a vein in his neck bulging for a second before it vanished again, "… Oh, there you all are."
"… I'm leaving now." Shogeki walked out of the kitchen with the mugs, heading into the living room. He sat down on one of the love seats, doing his best to ignore whatever conversation-
"Baby, what do you think? Would you say I'm a yandere?"
"Wha- Why is everyone having this conversation?" Shogeki asked, grunting softly when Himiko sat on his lap. She took her coffee from him, leaning into him as she took a loud sip.
"Just answer the question, Shogeki Akira." Konchu buzzed, not looking away from her action of brushing Doro's hair. The dirty brunette had just woken up, and sat on the floor in front of the couch, eyes closed and seemingly fast asleep while the insect-like Konchu tended to the tangled mess of hair on Doro's head.
"Why is this even a conversation you care about, Bug?" He asked, smirking at her reaction. Just as Konchu began to well and truly seethe in anger, Himiko reached up and pinched his cheek.
"Kira-kun, be nice to my friends, I'm nice to yours." She said, tone stern as he smacked her hand away.
Konchu seemed to have opened her mouth to argue Himiko's statement- The mutant was still a fervent critic of Nedzu's decision to bring her into the class- but before she could say anything Doro suddenly perked up, sleepy eyes now wide and alert as she smiled so crazily that even Moonfish would have flinched. Hands at her sides, she stood up, hunched over as are fingers curled inwards like claws.
"Toga-chan." She said, an edge to the girl's voice as she stalked closer, "Toga-chan. Toga-chan. Toga-chan. Toga-chan! Toga-chan! Toga-chan! TOGA-CHAN! TOGA-CHAN!"
"Fucking get on with it, girl!" Shogeki had to yell at Doro as she now stood directly in front of them, screaming her chant of Himiko's name. Her eyes had gone so wide that Himiko thought her eyeballs would pop out, and her pupils had been reduced to the smallest pinpricks the blonde had ever seen. The chanting had come to a sudden stop when Shogeki had yelled out, and Doro merely stared into Himiko's eyes for a few moments before she suddenly seized the girl's arms, pulling Himiko into a fierce bearhug and spilling Himiko's coffee onto the carpet.
"Toga-chan says Saki is her frieeeeeeeeend!" Doro cried out, roughly shaking Himiko around in her grasp, "Toga-chan likes Saki so much- Saki looooooooooves Toga-chan! She does! She does! Saki loves Toga-chan!"
"Oooh, Saki, why must you always be this way?!"
"God damnit you moron, can't you ever let me have a nice day?!"
Konchu and Shogeki tried to separate their partner's, fighting against Doro's strange, farm-bred gorilla strength as they tried to pull Himiko free from her death hug. Sooner or later they managed, and Doro returned to her favorite pastime- peppering Konchu's face with a flurry of kisses. The yellow bug sighed, antennae falling as she resigned herself to her fate. Shogeki, morning now thoroughly ruined and more than a bit annoyed, decided he was done.
"Let's go, girl." He said, making his way over to the coat closet, "We'll just take the bus to kill the extra time, can't even enjoy a goddamn cup of coffee in this place."
"Saki looooooves you, Aki-chan!" Doro called out, using her entire arm to wave goodbye.
"STOP FUCKING CALLING ME THAT!" Himiko had to push her boyfriend out of the door, pulling out a small vial of Uzumaki's blood to disguise herself on their day out. Shogeki took a few deep breaths again, trying to use the same trick as before to bring his anger under control. He pulled on his coat, hoping against all hope that he'd keep himself under control today.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"I swear to god, I can not get my driver's license fast enough." Shogeki muttered, stepping off of the bus. Himiko herself jumped off the bus, latching her arms around his neck and trying to get him to give her a piggyback ride. He quickly shrugged her off, leaving her to sadly trudge along beside him. She was once again donning her Uzumaki disguise, and was beginning to really nail the moody girl's behavior patterns- when she bothered to stay in character, at least. She had borrowed a bit of Uzumaki's wardrobe for this occasion, and seemed to be having fun with the basic sweatpants and oversized hoodie that desperately needed to be washed.
She had behaved surprisingly well on the bus, keeping her head down and making quiet conversation with him during their ride. There was a small incident when they had to get off of one bus to hop onto another- during their wait, she had thought it would be a great idea to offer a nearby child some candy, probably something she found hidden in the pockets of the borrowed sweatshirt she wore. Clearly, Himiko had never been given the "stranger danger" conversation as a child, which could actually go a long way at explaining her behavior. The mother of the child had been quite upset, and it was only after Shogeki convinced her that he was a hero student did she abandon her desire to call the cops on them.
"Alright, here's the place." Shogeki said after a few minutes of them walking. Himiko looked up, her eyes landing on a small, family owned coffee shop or something, where Shogeki was to have his little interview with Diariseki's older sister, Kizuki Chitose. Some big name journalist in Deika city before it went to total shit. He'd tried to ask Miruko about it in passing but she'd kept her loud mouth shut for once. That was enough to tell him that she probably couldn't speak about it, and any further questions would only piss her off.
"Alright, what's the plan?" Himiko bounced beside him, her excited expression looking unnerving on Uzumaki's face.
"Well, step one is for you to turn around." She nodded, spinning in place and facing away from the quaint little cafe.
"What's next, Shock Jockey?" She asked, making him raise an eyebrow. There was no way this was actually working.
"Next, you're gonna walk straight forward."
"Alright, and after that?"
"Once you start walking, keep walking until I call your phone. Then, we'll go home."
"… You just don't want me around for your interview!" She cried, stomping her feet. A few passersby glanced towards them, becoming aware of the scene she was making.
"Of course I don't, this is work! Miruko is such a fucking plague unto her own reputation, it's up to her sidekicks and her interns to keep her in a good light."
"If that's the case then why even bring me?!"
"Because I-" He suddenly turned away from her and crossed his arms. "Just get walking, girl, I call you in a bit."
Himiko glared at him for a second, before realization dawned on her face and her lips curved upwards. "Aww, did Kira-kun just want to spend time with me~?"
"Not in the slightest." He grumbled, "Now quit breaking character, Uzumaki will throw a fit if she sees you being all happy and shit with her body."
"Fine, if ya wanna act like a preschooler then you'll get treated like one, jackass." Himiko scoffed, swiftly shifting her demeanor to mimic that of the redhead who had donated blood. She started rifling through her pockets, before she dropped the act again. "Oh no, I don't have any cigarettes."
"Don't actually smoke, that's going too far."
"Ugh, fiiiine." She spun around, throwing a playful wink his way, "I'm gonna go find us a place to have a cute little date when you're done! Bye bye, Kira-kun!" Himiko walked off with that, leaving him alone to do his job. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. His interview hadn't even started yet and it was already draining him of his life essence.
It was with a deep, tired sigh that Shogeki straightened his back, rolled his shoulders and walked towards the door of the cafe, his patience already being tested my stupid little bell that sounded when he pushed open the door. The cafe seemed to be family owned, if the family photos covering the walls meant anything. There were some younger couples here and there spread out among the tables, a-
"Ah! Shock Jockey, over here!" The call caught his attention, having to turn his whole head to be able to see her sitting at a table to his left. He hadn't been able to go out as a hero since the Dabi incident, so his more serious injuries were kept a secret and away from the small group of annoying fans he had. Shogeki assumed Diariseki must have sent her a picture to know who to look for.
The student walked over to the small table she had picked out, set up halfway between the door and the left wall of the cafe. The large window that was decorated with the cafe's name was to their left, letting in plenty of sunlight from outside. It was getting to be about mid January by now, and the weather was slowly improving. The sky was sunnier more often, and while it was still quite cold, there hadn't been too much snow to worry about. He'd have to ask his father about planning a fishing trip or something once spring came around, it would be nice to get away and relax a bit.
"Hello!" A waitress had popped up by their table so suddenly that it made Shogeki jump in surprise, "I'll be your server today, is there anything I can get for you two?"
"Go ahead and order somethin' for yourself, Jockey, my treat." The reporter offered, nudging her head towards the waitress.
"Uh, just some black tea is fine, thank you. Honey on the side." He responded, trying to relax. He could actually feel how tense he was, and it was starting to cause him some pain in his back. He was getting a bad feeling in his stomach, like a dark pit was swallowing up his organs from the inside. His paranoia was starting to be more annoying than helpful. He gazed over to the blue skinned woman on the other side of the table, "So, uh…"
"Kizuki, Kizuki Chitose." She reached across the table, shaking his hand firmly. Confidently. Wow, she had a really good handshake, very impressive. "But! While I'm on the job, please call me Curious. It's my tagline, after all. 'Curiosity kills, but not this cat!' Meow!" She marked her statement with a playful claw at him, leaving him to awkwardly sit there and stare at her, unamused and waiting for his tea. He could already feel how awful this interview was going to be.
Seeing as she probably wasn't going to get any reaction out of him with her joke, she reached into her bag, a large black backpack she had placed on the floor by her chair. From within she pulled out a black composition notebook, like the kind he used in school. She flipped through it rapidly, and using his one good eye, he managed to catch a glimpse at a few names here and there. Manual, Death Arms, hell, he even saw Diariseki's codename among the mix, The Bombastic Hero: Madhouse having been labeled with a bright purple marker instead of the red ink the rest of the book was filled with. Was that Fast Track she just flipped past? When the hell did she snag an interview with him? Regardless of the contents of the book, she eventually settled on a blank page and, with a flourish, wrote out his codename in a deep, red ink. The Gigawatt Hero: Shock Jockey.
"So!" She started, shifting in her seat a bit, "Let's get right to it, huh? When did yo- oh, thank you very much." Curious had turned away from her book to take her drink from the waitress. The young girl who brought them their orders then turned to him, holding out a cup of tea and a small cup of honey. She was tall and lithe, and had tattoos covering all of her visible skin, and gave him a wink when she noticed him looking at them.
"Here's your drink, and if the tats caught your eye at all, I know a girl-" She reached into her pants pocket, pulling out a small black card and placing it on the plate with his tea, and walking away without another word. He glanced downwards, the black card holding the name Ato on it in silver lettering. With the name was an address and a phone number, but no other information. He picked up the card and pocketed it, figuring it was something to hold on to. Maybe Himiko would like a birthday present one day, who knew?
Taking a sip of her drink, an overly sugary and foaming latte lookin' thing, Shogeki wasn't quite sure what it was, she got back to business. "Okay, so, when did you know you wanted to be a hero?"
"About the same time my quirk manifested." He said, using a teaspoon to add a bit of honey to his tea. He stirred it slowly, helping to mix and blend the two together, "Grandfather told me that my quirk was too strong to be wasted on Riot Police, started training me to box the next day."
"Oh?" She took a few notes as he took a drink. He couldn't be bothered to keep an eye on what she was writing- normally he would, but this was her chance at getting a job. She wasn't gonna risk taking heat from the Number 5 Hero just to get a job- that normally came with tenure. "So, what's that, had you been planning to join the Riot Police." Curious did a quick double take, "… Wait, at, you had to have been like 4 or 5, right?"
"Mhmm." He hummed. This tea was actually pretty damn good, could use a bit more honey though. He set about correcting that little honey imbalance.
She stared at him for a second, "Isn't that a bit young to be deciding on a career?"
Shogeki gave her a look, "I come from a long line of servicemen. My great-great-great grandfather was an EMT. My great-great grandfather, a detective. Great grandfather Akihito was a police officer, and my grandfather Akio followed suit, he still serves the 35th District to this day. My father, Shogeki Akihiro, works for the 12th District fire station, right on the edge of Musutafu." He shrugged, "I was just plannin' to keep within tradition."
"What do you mean by that?"
"What? Keeping with tradition?" She nodded, to which he shrugged again, "Everyone in the family that mattered has worked in public service. I figured it only made sense if I followed suit."
Curious rose a lavender eyebrow at him, "Everyone in the family who mattered? Who are the ones who don't matter?"
"The one's we're not gonna talk about." He ground out, clenching his teeth. He tried to relax, not wanting to crack his teeth again like the other day. He still needed to set up a dentists appointment to get that checked out.
Shogeki's hostile tone had caused an awkward lull in the conversation as he glared at the blue skinned journalist. This was bad, while he would lose his temper with his classmates on a near constant basis, he was normally able to keep himself in check while in public. However, this woman was pushing his buttons, and she was clearly experienced at it.
His phone cut through the silence, a short, shrill screeching sound that a certain someone had set as her message tone. He could only assume it was the stock sound effect of someone sharpening a knife. He picked it up, checking his messages to see what trouble the disguised psychopath could have gotten herself into.
Kira! Check out who I ran into! read the message. Attached was a photo of Himiko, still disguised as the moodish Uzumaki and very clearly breaking her character. She was winking at the camera, and throwing up a peace sign with her free hand. Beside her, towering over Uzumaki's dumpy frame was… some dipshit. Even squinting at the phone he couldn't figure out who it was supposed to be. They were tall and lithe, and they were wearing a surgeon's mask on their face, pink lensed sunglasses and a dark purple hoodie.
Is this supposed to he a reference to something stupid I haven't watched? He messaged back, putting his phone back down. When he looked up, Curious was giving him an odd look before she asked her next question.
"So, you're 17, a second year student at UA, and yet Miruko has already scouted you for her agency, huh? What's the story behind that?"
Oh boy, this fuckin topic. He pinched the bridge of his nose as memories of the year prior flooded to the front of his mind. "Miruko thought I put on a good show at the Sports Festival of my first year, made a joke to her secretary about sending me an internship offer. Apparently, the secretary forgot about Miruko's strict No Interns policy and sent it my way anyway."
"The look on your face is telling me that it wasn't a good experience."
"Not in the goddamn slightest!" He pounded a fist against the table, drawing a few eyes their way. "The stupid bitch wanted to get me out of her hair right from the start! She asked to spar with me from second one and broke my damn leg, and left her interns to escort me out. I ended up fighting all of those bastards for 2 hours until she walked by the gym and heard the commotion."
"Wait, why were you fighting her interns?"
"Because I was threatening to find Miruko and shove my foot up her ass."
"… What?" Curious tried to hold in a laugh.
"Because I say stupid shit when I'm pissed. Either way, she took a liking to me and offered me a full internship when the time came for it. Only catch was that her agency had a strict No Team Ups policy, too. She'll take all the good publicity for working with interns and students, but unless it's an extreme circumstance, I'm expected to handle myself."
"That's pushing a bit against the limits of a provisional license, don't you think?" She had been marking down notes like a madwoman this whole time. Shogeki suddenly got the distinct feeling that something was wrong, and gave the woman a look of suspicion. Either she was this excited during every interview she gave, or he was playing right into some plan of hers. He couldn't shake that feeling of paranoia he's had since he first walked into the cafe. Shogeki decided to try and be more careful, to try and avoid giving this lady any more information.
He would not be too successful
The interview continued in that same fashion for quite some time, moving from topic to topic every time Shogeki fucked up and let something slip. As entertained as she was watching him flounder in his statements, she seemed to not push too hard, the bits of his temper that she had seen seeming to be a warning to her not to push her luck. Eventually, after about an hour and a half, she seemed satisfied with the interview, and began to wrap everything up.
"Alright, one last question and I think we'll be finished." Curious said, taking a sip from her drink. She'd gotten a few refills, and hadn't left for the bathroom at all. Either her bladder hasn't caught up to her, or she was more determined than he'd been giving her credit for.
"Oh thank christ." Shogeki said under his breath. The waitress stopped by for a quick second, refilling his tea for him and offering another small cup of honey for him. As he set himself up, Curious asked her final question of the interview.
"Do you have any knowledge on the whereabouts of Toga Himiko?"
He glanced up from his tea, his eye locking onto her own. "Why is that something you'd ask me?"
"Standard policy of mine, these last few months." She tapped her notes, "I had been conducting a long-term investigation into Toga Himiko's life before she disappeared. I started retracing my steps, figured she must have somehow realized I was onto her. While I was out doing that, Daika City collapsed, taking my job and most of my resources along with it." She sighed, leaned back in her seat, and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "This investigation was going to be the highlight of my career. I need to finish it, and to do that, I need Toga Himiko."
Shogeki held back a laugh, "Sorry to disappoint, lady. Miruko has been pretty tight lipped when it comes to League of Villains stuff. I've been trying to get info out of her for weeks so that I can go give that Dabi bastard a few thousands punches."
"Lying doesn't look good on you" Shock Jockey." Curious' frown seemed a bit more intense than it should.
He rose an eyebrow, "Lady, if you've got somethin' to say to me, than quit the theatrics and fuckin' say it."
Shogeki saw her demeanor shift, the aura she gave off going from aloof and friendly to almost hostile. She crossed her legs and tapped at her notes, "I looked at your records. You're one helluva intern, Jockey, almost a perfect record. A little incident in your first year when you were working for Miruko's agency, but the man you killed was a serial killer, and you broke your hand in the process, so the courts weren't too willing to sentence you for it."
He had been forced to grit his teeth during her whole little speech, "Get to the point, woman. I have other things to do with my time than listen to you list off my fuckups."
She scoffed, "According to my brother, you got your ass handed to you pretty hard. Knowing you and your track record, and what you're able to pull off with your quirk, Dabi shouldn't have been able to touch you. I can only assume Dabi must have had some back-up."
"You're aware the League has more than just 2 members, right?"
"Twice had been sighted in Kamurocho that same day, tagging along with that Mister Compress guy. That only leaves Toga Himiko as the only available back-up at the time."
Kamurocho? What the hell was the League doing in Kamurocho? He'd pass the question onto Himiko later, but since she's been away from the League for so long any information she might have on their plans is probably outdated. He pushed the thought away for later and decided to shoot down the reporter, "The League had figured out someone was taking out their Trigger suppliers, and thought to set up a trap. When I tripped it, I got hit with a face full of quirk suppressant, and Dabi got warped in- where they found another jackass with a warp quirk is beyond me. My quirk was still active enough for me to avoid getting sent straight to a meeting with the Shinogami, but it wasn't enough to get out unscathed."
Curious stared at him, an odd look on her face, "… So, you have no knowledge of the whereabouts of Toga Himiko?"
"No." He noticed that she wrote down this short interaction into her book, word for word. His eye also caught the little note she wrote after it, "Habitual liar", but decided to ignore the written jab at his credibility if it meant moving on from this particular topic.
His phone sounded out once again, another text from Himiko, this one reading, Hey! I just found the cutest spot for our date! Hurry up, I wanna show you!
So long as they have decent tea I don't care what it is. I'm almost done here, have some patience.
:o
"Alright, well…" He reached down and picked up his bag, "My, uh… Partner, has been sending me some rather ominous texts in the last few minutes, so if we're done here I should probably go check on that-"
"Oh, wait, just one last tiny little thing before you go, Shock Jockey, I have a little side project that I would like your insight into. It might not be much, really I just wanted to see if any of this seemed familiar to you, ya know?" The reporter began digging through the backpack she had brought with her, seemingly searching for something. Her sudden personality shift seemed to have reverted, her initial playful and catty attitude returning.
"No, Nedzu is not a complicated rat puppet. Trust me, a certain classmate of mine was thorough in her investigation."
"I was-" Curious looked up from the backpack she brought with her, sending him an odd look. "I was going to ask you about the Children of Mann."
"That sounds like some made up bullshit."
"That's what I'm trying to figure out." She stuffed away the black composite notebook she'd been writing in, and quickly pulled out a red one in its place. This one seemed to be a bit more used, which told Shogeki that this one belonged to a longer term project. It was bulging unnaturally, meaning that it must contain more than just handwriting- if he had to make a guess, sticky notes or paper documents must be stuffed inside of it.
She opened up the notebook, beginning to flip through the pages, "For all the evidence that suggests that they exist, there's an equal amount that proves that they don't. Missing family members, journalists disappearing, dozens and dozens of abd-"
"Alright, fuckin' slow down long enough to answer my real question." Her gaze shot up to meet his, eyes a tad glazed. Clearly she's passionate about her work, he'd admit. "You haven't told me what this 'Cult of Mann' shit even is?"
"Oh, yeah, um, supposedly, they're a family-focused cult working out of somewhere in the Kans-"
Shogeki quickly stood up, grabbing onto the chair he'd been sitting in and launching it through the large glass display window at the front of the cafe. It crashed through the glass and broke apart on the sidewalk outside, while the other patrons of the cafe jumped at the sudden vandalism. Not even half a second after he threw his chair like a tennis ball, he grabbed onto a spare chair from the table behind him, pulled it up to his own table, and sat down, chin in his hands. "Cult working out of Kansai, yes?"
"… Yeaaaaaaah…" Curious drawled slowly, "I take it… That you've uh, you have some… experience, with the organization in question."
The cold stare and deep grunt she received in response told her everything she needed.
She clicked her tongue, "Okay then. Well," Her phone gave off a short noise, she must have gotten a text or something. She quickly read it over before saying, "Alright, alright alright alright, uh, running out of time a bit so I'll make this quick. Most of the reporters who have gone looking into the whole thing either get assaulted or they disappear."
She noticed his frown grow, his eyes having gone blank as he seemed to begin getting lost in his thoughts. She assumed he was still listening and continued, "So, since we both have a shared interest in this little story of mine, I was hoping I could get som-"
"You want me to be your bodyguard, I get it." He cut her off, his eyes coming back to focus on her.
"Glad you pick up fast, that'll make this much easier on me. So, whatta ya say?" She gave him her slyest smile and leaned forward, folding her hands in front of her and resting her head on them.
He thought for a moment, this was big. The only connection he'd ever really had to this "Children of Mann" stuff was that priest he'd threaten once a year around Christmas.
"Fine. Put in a formal request at the Crescent Moon agency. Normally they'd automatically throw out anything that has my name on it since I'm still only an intern, but I'll give Miruko a heads up about this one."
"Um, sir-" He looked over at an older man, wearing an apron and a pair of glasses that made his eyes look twice as big as they should. "I- I need t-"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm leaving." He put his hand into his pocket, pulling out his wallet and taking out a bright green business card, "Here, I apologize about the window. Call this guy, he'll help you get it fixed, my mistake."
The student left with that. Shogeki honestly felt a little bad about the window. Normally damage from villain attacks are covered by the government- he had heard that the Americans had coverage through insurance or something of the such, but policies like that were better explained by Kitterland from his sister class. Regardless, Shogeki breaking a window in anger wouldn't be covered by the government and would leave the shop paying out of pocket for damages, so he hoped Pockets would actually make good on their deal of "mutual benefit" he had conned Shogeki into the year before.
Pinching his nose to try and ward off an oncoming headache, he pulled out his phone to give Himiko a call, but that damn ringtone began playing again. A quick glance told him it was Pockets and, cursing the store owner for calling so quickly, pressed the green button to-
"YOU THREW A CHAIR THROUGH THEIR WINDOW?!" The business student sounded furious, which seemed about right.
"Yeah, get to fixing that problem for me, would y-"
"I will shove a brick up your ass, Shogeki!"
He sighed, "Worst part is, Himiko would probably help you do it."
"Who the fuck is Himiko?!"
"Not important, now are you gonna wire that nice old man his money to fix the window or ar-"
"Of course I'm getting him the money!" Pockets yelled, "But that's it, after that, I'm not getting you jack SHIT until I get my money from that cage match!"
"Yeah, about that, have you figured out just what Kazuki's quirk is, yet? Gonna be a real bitch to fight him if I don't figure out the specifics in time."
Shogeki heard the con man sputter over the phone, fumbling over his words in anger before he simply screeched, "FIGURE IT OUT YOURSELF, ASSHOLE!", and hung up. The hero student sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose for a few seconds to try and de-stress. Once he'd calmed himself down, he lifted his phone to call Himiko. Whatever fuck-stupid activity she'd found for them to do might just give him a chance to relax for a while.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"Wait, she tricked you into going to a maid cafe?!"
"I deeply resent how they have forced themselves into Japanese culture over the last few centuries." Shogeki's angry tone sent Diariseki into a fit of laughter, high pitched and mocking as they sat on the couch. Himiko sat off a little ways, legs crossed on the floor with Sakana as they played some card game or whatever, he couldn't be bothered to care.
"Oh hey, thanks for meeting with my sister, Chitose-nee was able to snag an interview with Gouya Publishing in Osaka, so your interview is probably gonna help her land that job."
Shogeki turned to him, "She's setting herself up in Osaka?"
"Yeah, that's right." Diariseki nodded his head, "Hey, while I have you, you think I could ask some questions about Tots-"
"… The Osaka in the Kansai Region, correct?"
"Well, th- the maps haven't changed at all since we learned them in grade school, dude, yes the Osaka in Kansai. So, anyway, about Totsu, he and Sakana and I kind of have this thing going on, and I wanted to ask you for some advice on how I should, you know, approach the whole situation, ya know?"
"Hmm…" So Curious was setting herself up in the same region those Children of Mann fuckers are, huh? She's dedicated and gutsy, he'll give her that. Figures out where the snake den is and decides to set her tent right in the center.
"Uh, everything, everything okay on your end?" Diariseki asked, "If this is a bad time, I get it, but I could real-"
"… Just peachy…" Shogeki mumbled absently, cutting him off. He got up from his spot on the couch, ignoring Diariseki's attempts to talk as he headed over to the front door. "Himiko, get your ass over here."
"But I have Uno!" The girl cried, holding up her singular card. Sakana sat across from her on the floor, holding only 3 cards. Apparently, the blonde was on the cusp of victory.
"That's a shame, ass, over here, now." His words made her pout like a child, throwing her card onto the floor and stomping over to him, walking past him and out the door he was holding open.
"… just wanna stare at my ass." She grumbled, folding her arms in front of her. He ignored her, closing the door behind him. Shogeki originally had no intention to look, but found his eyes drawn downwards after she spoke. His gaze shot back up just in time for her to turn around, and if she caught him looking she said nothing. She leaned against the trunk of a tree a little ways away from the dorm's front door, raising an eyebrow at him. "Well?"
He stood in front of her, crossing his own arms and mimicking her stance. "The fight with that bastard Kazuki is in a few days."
Just like that, Himiko's bad mood was wiped away by the large smile on her face. "Oh yeah! Oh, are you gonna get beat up?!"
"… Possibly." He admitted, watching her begin to dance with glee at his foreseen misery. "But that's not the point, the point is that I don't know how Kazuki's quirk works.
"… Okay, and?"
"And, you're going to help me with that."
She stared at him for a few seconds before she tilted her head a bit, "Huh?"
"I said, you're gonna help me figure out how his quirk works."
"Why would I do that, Kira-kun?" Her confusion slipped away and a terrible smile lit up her face, "If you go in blind, you'll get all beaten up and bloody, and that makes Himiko a happy girl."
"You'll do it," He pressed forward, having learned that sandbagging someone's antics is usually best way to deal with them, "Because I'm your partner, and you d-"
"My what?"
"… Your partner."
Himiko tucked her hands behind her back, starting to rock back and forth on the balls of her feet. "Mmmmmm, nope! Don't know what you mean by that!"
Shogeki narrowed his eyes, "I know what you're doing, and it's not gonna work, now focus on the-"
"I dunno, Shogeki-san," She had turned away from him, staring at him from her peripherals, "I don't think I have a partner. I thought I had a big strong boyfriend, but I guess he doesn't feel the same wa-"
"You know I could just pay Pockets to sneak into Saito's room, you are aware of that, right?" He bluffed. After their conversation earlier, there was no way that scumbag was gonna help him out until after he won that fight.
She stopped rocking on her feet and shrugged her shoulders, turning back towards the dorm entrance, "Oh okay. I'm gonna go see if Kaisha-chan can cry even harder than she normally do-"
"God damnit, fine!" She spun on her heels and gazed up at him expectantly. He grit his teeth, taking note that she had to suppress a smile when she saw this, and ground out, "I'm your boyfriend, you want me to be safe and unhurt."
She smiled, a big smile, genuine. She wasn't showing off her fangs like normal, and instead her lips were closed, as were her eyes. It seemed pure, not anything like the creepish, lusty smile she'd normally have. Shogeki felt suddenly hot, and short of breath, feeling his heart beating in his ears. He pushed it down and away, coughing as he tried to regain his composure, very much aware of what she's doing to him.
"Alright, I said it, now for your end of the deal."
"Mmmmmm, hmhmhm," She was barely listening, seemingly lost in whatever imaginary world her mind goes to when she gets her way.
"Hey." Shogeki snapped his fingers in her face a few times, managing to bring her back to reality. "C'mon, focus. We're in real work hours, I need your full attention."
Himiko blinked a few times, before snapping her feet together, raising her hand to give him an old fashioned American style salute. "Bleeding Hero: Syringe, reporting!"
"The name sucks, keep working on it."
"Yes sir!"
The name situation addressed, he pulled out a small slip of paper from his back pocket, "This is a rough blueprint of the campus, use this to find Saito's room. She's the notekeeper type, she's bound to have some analytics written down somewhere."
She took the small piece of paper from his hand, glancing at it before looking back at him. "Wait, can't you just ask Tesuto-kun to figure out his quirk?"
"Tes already knows his quirk, he just won't tell me. Either he thinks it's fun to watch me figure this out for myself, or Rifuto that bitch asked him to keep his mouth shut, and everyone knows he's a sucker for her fucking stupid puppy eye bullshit, that albino BITCH!"
"… Uh…?" She raised an eyebrow, glancing at his clenched fists, "Are yo-"
"I'M FINE!" He yelled at her, before he held his hands up, "I'm- I'm, trying, alright, I'm trying, I lost my temper, I- This is harder than it should be." Shogeki breathed in, slowly letting the air leave his lungs as he counted to 10 in his head. "Alright… Where were we?"
"Planning our next date, you sai-"
"Nice try." He flicked her nose, Himiko letting out a squawk that made him let out a small chuckle as she covered her nose. "Alright, the time is about… 5:30. Dinner will be soon, and Ainsley should be making… something, I don't know what."
"I think he mentioned something with meat."
"Well, I guess that's a silver lining. Whatever, let's go and get you disgu-"
Shogeki was cut off when the door behind them opened up, the robot Kikai appearing rather upset as they grasped the doorframe with metal fingers, "Shogeki-kun, there you are- We need you in here, Hone and Ainsley have begun arguing about- Oh, something or other. Kaisha has begun to cry again, and- Well, Netto and I cannot practice our fabulous poses under such strenuous circumstances!" A metal hand rested dramatically against Kikai's glowing faceplate, "We need you to help us bring Hone back under control, please. For the sake of ART!"
"… Kikai-kun, we're kind of in the middle of something." Himiko said, grabbing onto Shogeki's sleeves. He looked her over and noticed that she actually looked rather upset. She gazed up at him and gave what he had to assume was her attempt at puppy dog eyes, trying to make their time alone last, he guessed.
Sighing, Shogeki said, "Yeah, we're- we're kinda having a moment, if you could just get Totsu or Chikara to-"
A loud cracking sound came from within the dorms, and a strong gust of ice cold wind blew past the robot. The dorms within had suddenly gone deathly silent, and Shogeki could only click his tongue in annoyance. "God… fucking damnit, Hone." He stomped away from her and towards the door, pushing Kikai out of the way. He quickly turned back around and pointed a stern finger at the blonde girl, "Remember what you have to do. Nightfall, tonight, don't forget." When she nodded her understanding, he entered the building, where she immediately began to hear him scream at the other students.
Himiko looked down at the small note she held in her hands. She took a deep breath, trying to focus herself. Why was she feeling a pit in her stomach? She'd invaded other people's homes before, this shouldn't be any harder. Sure, there was a bunch of security cameras everywhere, and pro heroes living on the campus, and a ton of highly powerful, highly trained, highly violent hero students spread all around. Nothing she couldn't handle.
She idly glanced up at Kikai's faceplate as she walked into the building, the baby blue, heart shaped LED that was embedded into their face glowing softly as they pat her on the head. Her knees almost buckled beneath Kikai's strength as they walked into the building together, Kira's loud screaming now being mixed together with Hone's own angry yells and Ainsley's heavily accented English.
Yeah, she was sure she'd get those notes just fine.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Himiko grunted softly, pulling herself up to stand on the windowsill, the small ledge only large enough for the front half of her feet. Holding on to the crevices in between the bricks of the building, she carefully squatted down, peering into the room in front of her. Other than the light of the moon above her, the room was dark, devoid of any movement. She could see the edge of a fancy looking bed off to the side, and Himiko had to assume that Saito-chan was fast asleep, dreaming of the boy who so held her affections.
Quickly getting to work, she pulled out the small metal tools from her hair. She was lucky that Uzumaki had such long, thick hair- it made it easier to hold small little trinkets like pens and screwdrivers and scalpels she stole from the nurse's office. Himiko used her tools to get the window open, a screw or two falling to the earth beneath her as she pulled the window out of its frame, just a little bit. She was then able to use the small, wire thin rod she had made from a coat hanger to reach through the opening she had made and unlock the window, tossing the wire rod onto the ground far below.
She held the small tools in between her teeth, slowly prying the window open. She had to maneuver her body around a bit since the window opened outwards, but she was eventually able to open it wide enough to let herself inside. This was far from her first home invasion, and she knew exactly what to do to not get caught.
Her toes touched the soft carpet of the girl's room. Slowly, carefully, she allowed her full weight to rest on the floor, delighted by the lack of creaking in the floors. She moved her eye away from the floor, using the little light from the moon to-
To…
'What the hell?' She thought to herself, looking around at the room before her. Saito-chan was fast asleep in her bed a few steps away, sleeping peacefully like Sleeping Beauty awaiting her Prince Charming. But, the room itself full of large, wooden bookshelves, and within each bookshelf were dolls.
Life-like dolls.
There had to be hundreds of them, some ranging to the size of her thumb, others to be so life-like as to look like actual toddlers, dressed up in Victorian-era clothings. They all had this weird sheen to them, like they were wet- er, maybe coated in lotion or something.
A glint of moonlight reflecting off of something caught Himiko's attention. On a small desk near the bookshelf, Saito-chan had a picture frame, and within it was a picture of herself and the tall boy Kira-kun hates so much. His name was… Kazuki-kun, right? They were wearing really nice clothes, Himiko guessed it had to have been taken at a big fancy party or something?
Wait, no, she couldn't get distracted. She was here for the notebook, gotta get the notebook. She crept over to the bookshelf, trying to find which one could have been filled with quirk data. Most of them were hardcover journals, very expensive looking volumes, and most of them had their spines labeled, stuff like "Blackmail for Fun", "Kitterland's Policies", "Domination for the Teenage Girl". These sounded pretty fun, Himiko would have to ask if she could borrow that last one, maybe she'd learn how to properly handle Kira-kun on their wedding night.
No, Saito-chan wouldn't keep quirk information in a fancy book. Figuring out quirk data takes time and effort- she'd have to spend time with Kazuki in a gym or private training area, it would be much easier to carry around a normal composition book. That's what Deku-kun did, right? Her eyes roamed the shelves, trying to find the thinner, paperback books.
Alright, notebooks, there they were. Lower right corner of the second shelf next to the door. Out of the way, the least likely place anyone would look. That's where a rich person would hide their less expensive belongings like notebooks. That's where people keep notes. Notes on classes, notes on boys, notes on business deals. Saito-chan was definitely the record keeping type, so one of these, that one! She gently and quietly pulled out a mint green composition notebook, the words 'Kazuki Combat Effectiveness' printed neatly on the cover. Himiko knew this was the right one, it had the smell of a maiden, one who was writing about someone so very dear to them.
She shoved the notebook under her shirt, keeping her hands free to climb back out the window. Himiko made to leave the room- these dolls were starting to creep even her out- but she didn't want to just up and leave, that would be so rude! So instead of leaving, she tiptoed over to Saito-chan, carefully leaning over to look at the sleeping girl and placing a kiss on her head.
"Sleep tight Saito-chaaaaan~" She sang, creeping back over to the window. She gazed back at the black haired girl one last time, throwing a leg over the windowsill to-
The wire that was suddenly around her neck cut into her skin, Saito roughly grabbing onto the girl and pulling her to the ground. The wire was pulled tighter, and Himiko was suddenly very annoyed that she wasn't allowed to carry any weapons with her.
"10 years of being trained night after night to defend against intruders." Saito ground out. Her legs had wrapped themselves around Himiko's shoulders, trying to pull her hands away from her neck, "A little whelp like you, one of the less talented of those pathetic hero students, you thought you could steal from me?"
Himiko planted her feet and kicked off of the floor, rolling backwards and wrapping her legs around Saito-chan's neck, squeezing, trying to loosen the girl's grip on the wire. The garot was suddenly pulled tighter, too tight, and she felt herself go lightheaded as she lost the upper hand. Saito-chan kicked her off, putting her back in the position they started in, arms held back by Saito's powerful legs and Himiko thrashing around and trying to escape.
"Hrn- Feisty, aren't you little, you redheaded tramp?" Himiko's captor grunted, and the intruder could hear her begin to smile. "You don't quite seem to understand what you're getting yourself into with that Shogeki bo-" She grunted as Himiko's elbow jabbed her leg, "Hnn… You think you understand yourself, huh? You think you're a big girl, Uzumaki? Well, let's see what you really adore, Uzumaki dear." Saito growled out, before sucking in a large lungful of air. Himiko couldn't see what was happening, but she could feel the legs that pinned her down changing, growing larger and thicker. The strength that she fought against grew stronger, and a deep laugh came from behind her. "Well. I guess I should have seen this coming, now shouldn't I?"
That was Kira's voice.
There was a mirror to her left, and the intruder tried to jerk her head towards, deathly curious as to what was happening. Her eyes landed on herself, Uzumaki's red hair as wild and as tangled as ever. She was clawing at her neck, blood covering her fingers as she fought against the garot. Large hands held tight onto the wire- and the rough, menacing smile of her Kira sneered back at her.
"I should have guessed Shogeki-san's little friend would have been head over heels for him. Typical. He always does get what he wants. But that's not all this face reveals, now is it, my dear?" Ki- No, Saito, Saito leaned closer to Himiko, her breath in her captive's ear. "These aren't Shogeki's eyes. He's only got the one, doesn't he, a bright orange? Not these dull brown eyes you crave so much. And he certainly looks downright tacky with green hair, wouldn't you say?"
Himiko stopped clawing at her neck and tried to go for Saito's hands instead, but Uzumaki's penchant for biting her nails was making this whole ordeal far more difficult than it had to be. She tried tearing at the girl's skin, pinching her, punching, but she was at a loss of ways to escape.
Until Saito let her go.
Himiko sucked in air like her life depended on it, her lungs on fire as Saito grabbed her clothes and, without nary a second thought, threw her right out the window. The blonde was thankful there was still some leftover snow piles strewn around campus from the last snowstorm, or else she'd have broken enough bones to make Deku-
Deku.
The window above her slammed shut, the blinds closing roughly as Himiko laid still in the snowbank, bleeding and choking. Why did Saito have Kira's face? Why did it have Ochaco-chan's eyes? And Deku's hair? She had a transformation type quirk, that much was for sure. It couldn't have been an illusion- Saito was only a few inches taller than she was as Uzumaki, and the Business student clearly didn't have the strength to throw her as easily as she did. But Kira did, and Deku, and Ochaco-chan too.
"Let's see what you really adore, Uzumaki dear."
Adoration. That had to be a part of it. As Himiko pulled herself together and climbed out of the snowbank, she had a thought. Perhaps Saito could turn herself into other people, like Himiko could- like she was currently doing. But what were the limits, it couldn't have been by Saito's choice, she'd have just turned into a perfect copy of Kira if that was the case.
"What you really adore."
Her own adoration? Could that be it? Could she change into people that others adored? Himiko was the only one there, so it would make sense that she'd be the one the transformation is pulled from. Did the transformation reflect her own feelings? Did she adore Kira more than she adored Deku and Ochaco-chan? But she loved them so much! There was no way…
When was the last time Himiko even saw them? As she limped back to the 2-B dorms, notebook clutched tightly to her shivering form, she tried to remember when she last laid eyes on her crushes. It had been so long since they had last been together, since she last saw them all beaten up. Since she'd last seen them smile. Had she ever seen them smile? She did, right?
"Himiko, what in the fuck happened to you?" A concerned voice rang out through the night. She looked up, and Kira was standing beside her, pushing her towards the dorms, grumbling under his breath the whole way. "First thing- this was the first damn thing I had asked ya to do, and you come back looking like the damn Bloody Mary, can't you ever take care of yourself?"
Kira kicked in the door, most likely waking up more than a few of their housemates in the process. "Get in you menace, I'm gonna go get some first aid shit, you sit your ass down on the couch."
Kira stomped away after that, heading into the kitchen as she took a seat on the couch. Her throat had begun to hurt, and she found she couldn't raise her voice any more than a whisper. She turned her quirk off, letting her disguise melt away. She… didn't really know what was happening, right now. She didn't know how she should be feeling. Should she be upset that she got tricked? Saito had clearly expected them to steal her notes. How hadn't Kira expected that? How hadn't she expected that?
She was thumped on the head with a bottle of peroxide, her boyfriend sitting in front her on the coffee table. "Stop thinking so much, I can see the smoke comin' out your ears." He mumbled, carefully soaking a cottonball in some of the peroxide. He held it up and gave her a smirk, "Try not to get off on this, will ya?"
Himiko pouted and blew air into his face, before hissing as he started to clean her neck. As he focused on her neck, she nudged his stomach with the notebook. "I got the book." She rasped. Boy, Saito-ch- san. Saito-san had really done a number on her throat, huh?
Kira didn't look away from his task as he took the book and tossed it to the side. "Try not to get fucked up next time. It was just info, I could have beaten his face in without it. This just makes it easier. Not worth getting thrown out a second story window."
"Third story." She coughed, holding up 3 fingers, "Someone else was on the second floor. I had to climb up an extra floor. I think I broke one of the gutters."
He stared at her for a few seconds, before poking her forehead, twisting his finger against the skin. "You've got a brain, Himiko. Try using it every so often. I can't be the only one of us who thinks."
"God knows you think up stupid plans sometimes." She teases him, trying to break up the tension. She didn't like it when things got so tense between them, she didn't like it when he got too serious. She didn't like the look he was giving her, either, that tired, disappointed look he gave her when he was upset but didn't want to say anything.
He opened a bandage, sticking it to her cheek. She nuzzled into his touch, and it took a few seconds before he could bring himself to pull away. "… You're good to go, girl." He muttered as he leaned back, packing away the first aid supplies. He'd have to replace some of it, the small white box was getting a bit low. Next time he went out, he'll try and get some replacements for it. "Try not to get into any more trouble. Fast Track is coming by tomorrow to run you through some drills. Listen to him." Kira stood, stepping away from her and returning the kit back to where it belonged.
"… Hey, Kira-kun?" She rasped, coughing again. He turned to look over his shoulder, eyebrow raised inquisitively, "Thank you for being my nurse." Kira grunted, stomping away into the kitchen to put the first aid kit away, leaving Himiko to be alone with her thoughts.
She was sloppy. She had made mistakes she hadn't made for years and years. That wasn't like her, oh no, not at all. What was happening to her? Was she getting soft? Was this school making her lose her edge? She balled up her hands, a determined scowl on her face as she stood up. No more, she decided, she was gonna start getting herself back to where she should be. Kira was right, she'd been letting other people do so much for her lately, and now that she finally had the chance to do something on her own she almost failed.
Kira came back and she quickly grabbed onto his shirt, leaning up to place a kiss on his chin. His head whipped around, trying to make sure they were alone, she guessed, before he leant down to kiss her forehead. "Go to bed, don't make me say it again. God damn, leech." The last part was mumbled under his breath, but she still managed to catch it.
"Sweet dreams, baby." She croaked as he walked off, leaving her to walk out of the common room and head up the steps to her own room, still barren and undecorated. On her way up to the third floor, she had a stray thought. "Leech, huh?" She tapped on one of her fangs, thinking the word over. "Leech, leech, leechy? Leechie? Hmm…" She closed the door behind her, throwing the word around a bit more as she changed. "Huh… I kinda like that…"
AN- Thanks as always to ProfoundCranium/BloodDrinker for acting as my editor. Remember to check out the AO3 Version, my Twitter DioHeavenly, my Tumblr heavenly-dio, and my discord server for updates, cut content, and the wide array of art of the characters
2-A Student Spotlight
Uzumaki Ume- Female
Birthday- 8-15
Quirk- Spin
Hero Name- Kurozu Hero: Uzumaki
Heroic Rank 14
Academic Rank 12
Long, tangled red hair to her mid-back, green eyes with very tiny, circular glasses. Inattentive, often gets distracted when she's bored. Oversized hoodies and sweatpants are her go to, standing at 5'2. Looks grungy, usually smoking a cigarette. Loves fighting games. Hates being told what not to do. Her older brother said she couldn't be a hero, so now she will just to spite him. Currently dating a first year student from the General Education Department.