"Now did I hear that right? Did you just call this girl Eri? Tell me, young hero, how is it that you're acquainted with my daughter?" Kai said as he raised his gloved hands from his pockets and held them out open to show he meant no harm.
As her adopted father spoke, Eri tensed even more and tightened her grip on Izuku. The freckled boy tried to keep a calm expression, but he immediately began to sweat, understanding that the man in front of him already suspected something was wrong and that the girl holding him was terrified. Izuku glanced down just as the girl looked back up at him, eyes pleading for rescue from some unspoken horror. The newly minted intern's heart felt like it had stopped as he looked into those frightened eyes. Steeling himself, Izuku looked back up at the man before him and opened him mouth to speak.
Only to have Mirio beat him to it.
"Oh sir, you must be mistaken! My new teammate here didn't say Eri, he was just grunting in confusion at having a random child run into him, right Deku?" the older blonde teen exclaimed cheerfully, clearly trying to defuse the tense situation.
Izuku's eyes went wide as he quickly looked over at his senior, who was the perfect face of calm. If Mirio was worried or scarred, there was no hint in the kind smile he was offering the masked man in front of them.
It took a moment for Izuku to realize that Mirio and Kai were waiting for him to confirm Mirio's assertion and when he spoke, it was a mumbling mess "Er, um, YES! I, um, was just surprised is all! I'm sorry if you thought I said her name sir!"
Luckily for the young hero-in-training, his bumbling answer actually helped sell his story, making sounds that could be heard as the girl's name. Still, there was a long pause as the three starred each other down and Eri, herself, turned to look back at her "father", desperately hanging on his response.
Izuku tensed, ready to jump away if Kai did act to take the poor girl. Mirio, too, continued to smile but was ready if things turned south. Instead, the game continued as Kai lowered his hands and appeared to relax as he said "Is that so…well, my mistake then. If that's all it was, I'm sure you won't mind if I take Eri and we can go about our business?"
On hearing that, Eri again buried her face in Izuku's stomach as Mirio replied "Oh! Of course sir! Though I gotta say, your daughter seems pretty scarred of something. Is everything ok?"
Izuku couldn't believe Mirio was even entertaining the idea of giving Eri back. Something was clearly wrong, and given what Xellos had said the other night, this man in front of him was the source of her trauma. Still, despite every instinct telling him to run away at this very moment, Izuku was trusting his more experienced senpai.
Kai, meanwhile, took Mirio's probing question in stride, calmly answering "Children can have very active imaginations, you know. We were just out shopping for some new clothes. It's a game she likes to play, pretending monsters are after her. Nothing more, nothing less."
Rubbing the back of his head, Mirio cheerily replied with a laugh "Yeah, kids can do the silliest things, that's for sure! If that's all it is then of course we won't bother you two, right Deku?"
Izuku looked down as he perched his lips, fighting the urge to scream in the negative and punch the man in front of him let alone actually let Eri go back into Kai's care. Kai may have sensed this because what he said next could have been seen as a threat as he said "You heard the hero Eri…you need to stop playing this game. You wouldn't want to…bother…these two nice heroes, now would you?"
As Kai spoke, he used one hand to tighten the glove of the other. That gesture, along with his words was enough to draw the frightened girl away from her would-be protector. As Izuku reached out to her to stop her though, he found that as she pulled away, she thrust a crumpled piece of paper in his hands. The act brought Izuku up short as Eri ran back to Kai, who quickly took hold of the platinum-haired girl.
"Now, we'll be returning to our business young heroes. I appreciate your concern over my daughter, have a good day." Kai offered as he and Eri turned and began walking back down the ally from which that had originally come.
Once the pair had turned a corner and were out of sight, Izuku nearly collapsed from the stress of the situation, letting go of a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. As the freckled boy panted, Mirio spoke solemnly "That…was a close one."
Once he regained his composure, Izuku almost yelled back "Why? Why did you let her go? You saw her, she clearly didn't want to have anything to do with that man!"
"Yeah…that was clear…but you sensed it, didn't you? Overhaul meant business. If we had persisted, he would have killed us both. That's why she went back, to save us. We have to tell Sir Nighteye immediately." Mirio explained, sounding more rational than Izuku had heard his senior ever speak.
Only then did Izuku remember the piece of paper he had tightly held in his hand "Wait! Eri…she handed me something as she left!"
Without waiting further, he opened his hand and quickly flattened out the sheet, Mirio looking over the shorter boy's shoulder. What the two read was enough to make even the ever cheerful Mirio's face set in a deep frown as he said "We need to save her as soon as possible."
Izuku agreed one hundred percent. In fact, having read what was contained in the note just made him regret even more that he hadn't just run with the poor girl when he had the chance.
(X)
"…and that was the extent of it, Jun. Zelgadis had shown an ability to move past his desire to be human again and focus on the greater good. I'm so sorry he went out and made such a poor decision on his first night." Hitomi apologized as she bowed her head low standing before Jun's desk in the U.A. faculty lounge.
The silver-haired former hero waved Hitomi off "We are pushing those three hard. It just means there is more work to do with them is all. It looks like you're going to be as busy as you've ever been, Hitomi. I'm sorry to ask so much of you but I hope to have your best."
Standing straight once more, the brunette nodded as she replied "Of course. It's the least I can do for them, after all."
At that, Jun frowned as he added "But our newest lighters aren't your only concern, now are they? How did it go with the Bakugo child?"
At the mention of the dirty blonde bomber, Hitomi flinched, a clear indication of just how rough the experience had been. The tick had been hard to miss, and Jun sighed as he sat back in his chair as he said "That bad, huh?"
Hitomi was a professional and bound not to speak ill of her patients so the most she felt she could say was "Katsuki Bakugo…will have much work ahead of him if he intends to remain in the hero course."
That caused Jun to raise a silver eyebrow as he watched his friend take a seat heavily on the other side of his desk. Noting they were currently alone in the room, Jun leaned forward to ask "Would it be too much of an invasion of privacy to ask for more detail?"
Hitomi's mouth formed a thin line as she considered the question. Jun, as a substitute teacher, could always find himself teaching 1-A if the need arose and she desperately wanted to share what she had experienced. Ultimately, though, the counselor settled on "For the most part, no. I must protect my patient's privacy, of course. But I can tell you some past behavior involving bullying came to light."
"I…see" was all Jun could say. Hitomi watched her friend's face and saw the disappointment but not a hint of surprise made its way onto his features. Really, anyone who spent even a few minutes with Katsuki Bakugo wouldn't be surprised to hear he had been a bully in the past. If only they knew what she did, they'd wonder, as she did, how the boy ever made it to the top hero school in the country.
The conversation triggered the memory of the session for the brunette as she thought back to her talk with the explosion wielder. Only a few hours removed from her time with Zelgadis, Hitomi had made her way to the nurse's office where Toshinori was waiting. Hitomi had briefly spoken with the meek Izuku Midoriya before he had left and then she proceeded into the main medical area with the former number one hero.
Katsuki sat on his cot, a scowl on his face as he looked down, seeming to stare at nothing. When Toshinori came to stand at the foot of the bed, the normally fiery student looked up, his mouth neutral but his eyes burning with resentment as the boy said nothing. The two were silent as they locked eyes, with Hitomi coming to stand beside Katsuki, unsure what to do.
Finally, UA's newest teacher spoke, his voice grave "Young Bakugo…are you fully recovered?"
The angry teen let out a "Tch" before looking away from the two adults before adding "I'm fine."
"That is...a relief to hear." Toshinori said earnestly. There was another silence as the former symbol of peace struggled to find the right words to continue. Realizing that no matter how he said it, his next words would not be received well and just went for it. "Young Bakugo…you've been suspended."
Toshinori watched as Katsuki's hands clenched on his blanket, still refusing meet either adult in the eye. Finally, Katsuki managed to hoarsely whisper "How long?"
At least the boy was responding, that was good. "That's up to you, young man. You attacked another student unprovoked before attacking three more students. It could be as long as the rest of the year, or, if you seek counseling, a few weeks. That's why Kanzaki-san is here with me. She wants to help, if you'll let her."
"I don't need no stinkin' shrink." Katsuki bit out on instinct, words he seemed to immediately regret as he saw the disappointed look in his idol's face.
Seeing the vulnerability in the teen's face, Hitomi took the chance to speak "Bakugo-kun, we want to help you but none of that matters if you don't want that help. As All Might has just said…if you really want to be a hero, that means confronting whatever it is that drove you to act that way last night."
"Of course I want to be hero!" Katsuki all but screamed, finally looking at the counselor, desperation now coloring his features. "Not just a hero! The best, like you, All Might!"
"Does that mean you'll talk to Kanzaki-san then?" Toshinori asked hopefully.
Katsuki sat, his mouth agape, frozen as he was caught before he could respond. Slowly, his mouth closed as he looked down, staring at his hands. "Fine!" he spat, "Whatever I have to do to get back out there!"
The two adults showed clear relief as Hitomi pulled up a chair and Toshinori spoke again "That's good Young Bakugo. I'm proud you could admit you need help. That's an excellent first step. Now, just answer the counselor's questions, ok?"
"What, right now!?" Katsuki demanded, sure he was at least going to get to go back to his dorm before having to do this.
"Things are still fresh in your mind, Bakugo-kun. Its best to start now." Hitomi answered calmly as she pulled out her tablet and brought up her notes.
With a frown, the blonde bomber grew silent as Hitomi began, "All Might has noted that you and Midoriya-kun seem to have a prior relationship, is that true?"
Katsuki scoffed at the nerd's name before he said "Please, I wouldn't call it a 'relationship' or whatever."
Hitomi frowned just sightly as she continued "Records show the two of you have been attending the same schools your entire lives. Midoriya-kun even has a nickname for you, one that All Might has referred to as a term of endearment. And what is it you call him?"
Already, Katsuki didn't like where this was going. Of course, it came back to that damn nerd. Everything lately seemed to revolve around that lying loser. Just because he had gone a little overboard in getting the spineless wimp to admit the truth and own up to it, he was the one in trouble.
As the seconds passed and Katsuki appeared to be gritting his teeth, Hitomi pressed "Bakugo-kun, what was it you refer to Midoriya as?"
"Deku, OK! Are you happy? Damn…" Katsuki answered, a hint of shame in his voice.
"Right, his hero name. Yet, I get the feeling his meaning and yours don't exactly match, do they?" Hitomi probed, already aware of the answer.
His voice growing defensive, Katsuki answered back "It's what he was, ok? Just some quirkless wanna-be who kept following me around like a lost puppy!"
Hitomi raised an eyebrow, "So you called him useless because he was quirkless?"
Hitomi's question was met with silence, neither confirmation nor a denial, but the angry look on the dirty blonde's face was all the confirmation the counselor needed. "Bakugo-kun, do you know what my quirk is?"
"Why the hell would I know that?!" came the response, Katsuki again answering on instinct and again remorseful moments later.
At this point Hitomi was getting used to the outburst's and managed to keep a serene smile on her face despite the outbursts. "When I touch someone, I can allow people to relive memories in their head that I can also see. I'd like to do that with you, Bakugo-kun. It seems to me that something happened that has caused you to direct a great deal of resentment toward your childhood…acquaintance."
Katsuki looked absolutely horrified at the prospect of having this woman literally in his head and seeing this, Hitomi sought to reassure him "I won't just be poking around your mind, Bakugo-kun. I'm going to ask you questions and you will guide me to what we need to see. I promise."
The blonde teen looked slightly relived as he looked over at his idol. When Toshinori gave a reassuring nod, Katsuki looked back over at the older brunette and said "Fine, whatever. Do whatever you need to."
"Ok then. Thank you Bakugo-kun. Brace yourself, once we start you'll find yourself in a void of sorts, we'll go from there. All Might, feel free to step out while we are at it, since we'll just be sitting here." Hitomi instructed.
"I don't plan to leave until we are done here, but thank you, Kanzaki-san." Toshinori answered, getting a chair himself.
Hitomi reached out to touch Katsuki's shoulder "Alright, here we go."
A moment later, just as the brunette had said, Katsuki found himself floating in a void, wearing his preferred black tanktop and pants instead of the medical gown he had been wearing just moments earlier. Looking around, the impatient blonde barked out "Hey, you out there lady?"
An omnipresent voice answered him, which caused him no small discomfort, which he refused to show as Hitomi replied "I am. Let's cut right to the chase. How long have you known Midoriya?"
Unable to suppress a frown, Katsuki replied bitterly "I can't really remember a time when he wasn't around, following me like a lost puppy."
"Then let's see it." The counselor's voice rang out from all sides. A moment later, Katsuki was a young child running around playing tag with three other boys, proclaiming that he was the fastest among them. Two women clearly Katsuki and Izuku's mothers watched on before the blonde woman barked at Katsuki about being more humble.
Several more scenes played out where the kids were chasing bugs, opening presents at a party and then sitting around talking about what quirks they'd love to have. All of them agreed they'd love to be like All Might though Katsuki felt the need to point out he'd make the best hero of all of them.
To Hitomi, the blonde seemed a bit arrogant but nothing she saw looked out of the ordinary for young boys. It was clear Katsuki was the leader of their little band but otherwise there was little she could point to as a cause for later behavior. The talk about quirks though pointed to an obvious change right around the corner, which prompted Hitomi to ask "What about after you got your quirks, Katsuki? Did anything change after that?"
The young boy stopped laughing with his friends as the scene froze and the child suddenly looked very frustrated. "Yeah, that nerd wouldn't leave me alone is what!"
"What does that mean, Katsuki?"
The scene changed to a place in the woods, Katsuki was a bit older, as were the other kids. Now, though the blonde was flanked by the other two kids and Izuku was separate, facing them, his face slightly downcast. Katsuki had a hand out, small explosions popping as he spoke "You see this! I have an amazing quirk and I'm going to use it to be the best hero ever!
"Th-that's great Ka-chan! You'll be a great hero, I know it!" young Izuku agreed.
"What about you? Where's your quirk?" Katsuki questioned, a knowing smirk on his face.
Izuku looked downcast as he shrank in on himself and almost whispered "Th-the doctor s-says that I'm, I'm…quirkless."
"Huh? What was that? I didn't hear you?" the dirty blonde sneered, the other two boys snickering.
Tears began to trickle down the green-haired boy's face, as he looked up and whimpered "I, I'm quirkless, Ka-chan!"
Instead of something supportive, kind words from the friend he'd known his whole life, Katsuki looked on coldly and replied "So, your useless then?"
Izuku froze in that moment, even his tears stopped, so shocking were the words he'd just heard from his best friend. After a moment, Izuku croaked out "W-what?"
Katsuki wasted no time to spare the other boy's feelings, saying "You heard me! I thought so for a while now, since you hadn't shown it to us. Why do you think we've been hanging out without you lately?"
The other two boys were outright laughing at this point, and a smug sense of satisfaction spread across Katsuki's face. When Izuku still didn't take the hint and leave, he added "So from now on, we don't want you hanging around us, Deku!"
By now, Izuku was crying again but when Katsuki said that, the freckled boy's quivering lower lip hardened as he said, wiping his tears "But I still want to play with you, Ka-chan!"
That took the blonde by surprise, sure he had pushed his worthless friend away. When their eyes met and Katsuki saw the determination in Izuku's eyes, he looked away and almost whispered "Do what you want…"
Again, the scene froze and the disembodied voice of Hitomi asked "And did he? Continue to play with you, I mean?"
"Yeah, even though I never invited him, if he saw us playing, he'd run over and tried to join us." Then, Katsuki remembered a particular incident and he began to grind his teeth. Unfortunately for him, that was all it took for the scene to shift again, and the blonde found himself on a log that acted as a bridge over a drop.
Losing his footing, Katsuki slipped and fell down into the creek below. His two followers stood there, dumbfounded but Izuku, who had been following some distance behind, rushed to his aid.
Katsuki was, ultimately, ok. Just some bruises but the fact that he had made a mistake and of all people, Deku was the one to come to his aid, filled him with shame induced rage. But before the memory could play out further, it froze and Hitomi's voice spoke again "Why are we here, Bakugo-kun?"
Still lying in the water, young Izuku leaning over him, Katsuki barked "What do you mean? Because of your stupid quirk!"
"My quirk has made this possible, yes but I had no say in us being here. This was an important moment for you, that's why we're here and I was hoping you might explain why." Came the calm response from everywhere and yet nowhere.
When no reply came, Hitomi spoke again "If I may, you look embarrassed in this moment. Is that true, Bakugo?"
"Of course I was! Getting help from some weakling, how could I not be embarrassed!" Katsuki quickly shot back.
"Ah, so you looked down on Midoriya, would that be right?" Hitomi deduced.
"I wasn't looking down on him, he was clearly weaker than me! Why should I need his help?" came the bitter reply.
"Ah, I see…" Hitomi answered as the world around Katsuki shifted again. Next thing he knew, the blonde bomber was in his hero costume, staring at the two civilians he had attempted to save at the provisional exams, the two of them terrified as he loomed over them.
Hitomi spoke again "So that's it. Heroes are strong and therefore only the weak are to be saved. Is that why you wanted to be a hero, because you are strong? Did you have it in your head that when Midoriya helped you that day that maybe you were weak too?"
Still looking at the two faux civilians, Katsuki yelled back, as much to Hitomi as the two actors who helped to fail him "What do you know! I am strong! I'll be the strongest, just like All Might!"
At this point, Katsuki was standing straight, looking down and his shoulders trembled. Hitomi materialized behind him and stepped up right behind the hero-in-training and said "All Might was the strongest but he wasn't that way just because of his muscles. He saved people in trouble, with a smile on his face, he didn't just defeat villains. You had to know that and yet you didn't save anyone and failed the exam."
"I…I had to catch up." Katsuki said weakly, his back still turned.
Hitomi walked around and bent down to see the boy's face. Katsuki was trying to hold back tears and only partly succeeding. Gently, Hitomi asked "Catch up to who, Katsuki?"
"To…to All Might…to Deku!" Katsuki screamed. As he did so, the world around them seemed to explode in flames. When Hitomi looked up, she realized they were standing in the ruins of Yokohama. Katsuki was surrounded by the League of Villains, All Might and All for One facing off with each other a short distance away.
When Hitomi looked back at Katsuki, he was looking past her at the two titans of good and evil. Without prompting, the blonde answered Hitomi's unspoken question "Its…my fault. My fault All Might lost his power. I need to get stronger so I can take his place, to fill the gap I caused."
"And…Midoriya?" Hitomi pressed.
"Deku…has All Might's power. He's his successor, that's how he went from a useless loser to where he is today." Katsuki answered.
Hitomi's eyes widened at that news. Could All Might pass his power just as All for One could take it? How did Katsuki even know that? As if to answer the question, the fiery ruins of Kamino shifted to outside UA, Izuku standing in front of the two of them, as he revealed his secret to the blonde.
Looking between the two, Hitomi connected the dots of the boys early days. The scene froze again and she asked the now sullen Katsuki "So Midoriya went from someone you looked down on to someone stronger than you and you resented him for that?"
Looking down, Katsuki replied, all his anger, all his bluster seemingly left him "He was a crybaby. A nerd who obsessed over others quirk's as if to make up for what he didn't have. He was pathetic. And yet…and yet...he still…"
"Saved you?" Hitomi finished.
"He tried." Katsuki bitterly laughed, "I got caught by this damn sludge villain and he rushed forward when no one else would and tried to save me." Katsuki said as he looked up at the sky.
"I remember hearing about that, actually. All Might made the save, didn't he?" Hitomi asked.
"Yeah, that's right. If I were to guess, that's when All Might picked him. Because…because he's so stupidly, recklessly…selfless. And I…and even after what I said to him…" Katsuki spoke, his words coming out between choked back sobs.
"What? What did you tell him, Bakugo?" Hitomi asked gently.
One last time, the world around them shifted. Izuku was looking out the open window of their junior high classroom window as Katsuki and his two friends walked away. Izuku's left shoulder still smoldering from the blonde's touch. Hitomi had no idea what was going on but whatever had just happened, Katsuki clearly meant to finish it as he turned from the doorway and said back at the green-haired boy "If you really want to be a hero that badly, there might actually be another way. Just pray that you'll be born with a quirk in your next life and take a swan dive off the roof of the building!"
When Izuku turned to yell back, Katsuki raised his hand threateningly and set off several small explosions in his hand as he said "Something wrong?" which caused Izuku to clam up and whimper in place as Katsuki and his friends left.
As the blonde rounded the corner into the hallway, he stopped, confronted by Hitomi, who looked on him with a mix a rage and astonishment. Quietly at first, she spoke "You…you actually told him to kill himself. You, who wants to be the greatest hero ever, told your childhood friend to commit suicide. That's…absolutely deplorable. You, you know I have to report this, don't you?"
Katsuki, to his credit, stood resolute and nodded. "I realize Deku…Izuku is on track to be a great hero, that I…have a lot to answer for. So yes, I know. Tell the stupid bear-mouse, expel me if you have to, but I will become the greatest hero this world has ever seen!" Katsuki finished as he clenched his fist.
Completely unconvinced by the declaration, Hitomi shook her head in shame. "What happens to you is out of my hands Bakugo. I will lend an ear though should you wish to speak with me again. In my professional opinion, you still have much to work on."
"I know" Katsuki acknowledged, "Now, can we get outta here?"
Hitomi nodded and a moment later, the two were back in the nurse's office, a worried Toshinori staring at them.
Returning to the present, Hitomi saw that Jun was staring at her, an eyebrow raised as he said, "You still with me? Seemed like I lost you there for a moment."
Blushing in embarrassment, Hitomi laughed it off "Just a lot on my mind is all."
Just then, Jun's phone rang. When he answered it his expression turned serious as he listened.
When he hung up, Hitomi inquired "Is everything ok?"
"Two UA students ran into that child that had been with Xellos the other night and she was with the yakuza boss that he works for. It looks like the timetable just got moved up." Jun answered, his good mood ruined.
(X)
"Ah, damnit! Impressive as always, Kasim-san." Mashirao complimented from the ground, having lost yet another sparring match with the tan-skinned lighter beauty.
Emeralda relaxed her stance with the match won and nodded her acknowledgment of her opponent's words. Several days after the lighter trio had to demonstrate their powers to elicit the use of a guy's memory wiping quirk, they had been abruptly told to switch back to normal sleeping patterns for an operation the next day.
Having spent the last few nights doing little more than waiting and watching, Emeralda had felt the need to practice her martial arts and with the change in schedule, decided to wait outside 1-A's dorm for the class to return in the afternoon to ask if the blonde tailed martial artist wanted to spar.
It had not taken much convincing.
As Mashirao picked himself up for another round, Emeralda took the moment to ask something she had noticed earlier "Ojiro-san, earlier when you and your classmates returned, I couldn't help but notice how…upset Midoriya-san looked. Is everything ok?"
Stopping short of getting into his stance, Mashirao's eyebrows raised at the question, a bit surprised the stoic girl would ask after someone like that. "Uh, yeah, now that you mention it, a lot of us in the class have talked about how distant Midoriya's been since yesterday. We think something happened during his internship but he won't talk about it."
Settling back into her favored loose stance, bobbing lighterly on her feet, Emeralda replied "That certainly seems possible. Who is he interning with, if I may ask?"
Before launching forward with a series of punches to be followed by a tail sweep, Mashirao answered "Sir Nighteye, I think."
Emeralda parried the arm strikes but when the tail sweep came, she shifted her legs into metal beams that caused the blonde boy to yelp in pain and surprise when his tail landed. That distraction was all Emeralda needed to shift her arms into metal wires she used to get several lashing blows to Mashirao's mid-section.
The tailed teen doubled over in pain. As he stumbled backward, he rose one hand to signal his ending the spar. Emeralda pulled back and returned her limbs to normal. Having spent many evenings sparring with Mashirao at this point, Emeralda knew not to ask if he was ok since he was still standing and choose to remain silent as he recovered.
After a few moments, the blonde stood upright again, though still clearly in pain as he commented "You…really didn't hold back on that last one, did you?"
"I apologize, Ojiro-san. I haven't had the chance to practice much of late and master always says to use all that is at your disposal, so I thought this time I would do so. I should have told you." Emeralda explained rationally, though her features did soften enough to give a sense of sympathy for the act.
Mashirao waved his sparring partner off "No no, what kind of training would it be if it was predicable? You always keep me on my toes, Kasim-san!" When Emeralda nodded, the tailed blonde added "Everything ok? You looked a bit concerned when I said Midoriya was going to work for Sir Nighteye."
Surprised she had been read so easily, the nanomachine girl was left to do what she hated more than most anything, outright lie. "No, everything is fine. I've just heard stories of that agency is all."
Mashirao wasn't convinced but when Emeralda walked over to her bag and pulled out her phone, his focus went elsewhere "I didn't know you had a phone. Is it new?"
"It is. I have only had it for a few days so I am still learning about all of the…apps?" the tan girl said, showing her sparring partner the smart phone.
Mashirao wondered why she had said it like that. It was almost like she didn't know what apps were. Chopping it up to something lost in translation from her native tongue, the tailed boy started to feel a budding sense of anticipation at what he hoped was about to come next.
When Maishirao leaned forward to look the phone over, Emeralda asked exactly what the teenage martial artist had hoped she would "Ojiro-san, may I ask your phone number? It would be much more efficient than to wait for you outside your dorm."
Mashirao did his very best to conceal his excitement. Despite all his denials when his classmates teased him about training with Emeralda, the serious-minded young man had, in fact, developed a crush on the tan beauty in front of him. Play it cool Mashirao "Yeah, sure, makes sense, Kasim-san. Here, I'll put it in for you." YES! I can't believe she asked for my number! I've never texted with a girl before, I'm not even sure what to say!
"Ojiro-san?"
I mean, we can always talk about the art and Saotome-sensei and how her internship is going. I wonder if she uses more feminine language in text? Probably not, she's never been one for cutey things…
"Ojiro-san?"
I could invite her out for lunch, just to chat of course! I could ask about her friends and her home country. Maybe her family. Does she have family? She's got to, right?
"Ojiro-san, please, are you ok?" Emeralda asked again, this time her voice carrying a hint of concern.
"What? Yes, Kasim-san?" Mashirao finally replied, snaping out of his hormone fueled mental ramblings.
"I was asking if you know the numbers of the other members of 1-A or whether you thought I should ask them directly for their numbers as well?" Emeralda answered, completely missing the deflated look of her sparing partner as she spoke.
Shoulders sagging and tail now limp on the ground, Mashirao tried and failed miserably to hide his disappointment "O-Oh, r, right, of course! I don't think it's my place to give other's numbers out. I think it would be best if you asked everyone yourself, Kasim-san."
Looking away as if thinking on the blonde teen's words, Emeralda said "Yes…that makes sense. I should have considered there would be etiquette for such things. Thank you, Ojiro-san. I appreciate you being so helpful. You are a reliable friend."
Crestfallen, Mashirao offered a weak thumbs up "Yeah…no problem. Glad to be of help…"
Afterward, Emeralda explained she would seek the other's numbers later as it was her turn to help with diner, leaving the tailed martial artist to wallow in self-pity.
(X)
The next morning Michiru, Emeralda and Zelgadis got texts instructing them to meet with Izuku, who'd take them to a meeting near his agency. Terra, who was also traveling for her internship, offered to go with them until they went their separate ways, which was gladly accepted. Emeralda had shared with the other two what she had learned the night before from Mashirao so none of the trio was surprised to see the normally positive freckled boy in a dower mood.
What they weren't prepared for was to be joined by Ochaco, Eijiro and Tsu, which ruined any chance for anyone to broach how much Izuku knew about what was going on. The other three were on their way to their own internships, just like Terra and joined the group as well.
Zelgadis, never a morning person and suffering from switching to night shifts before going back to day ones had to suffer the bombastic red head as they walked to the train station. Only the presence of his fellow bibliophile kept him from losing his temper.
Michiru, on the other hand, was overjoyed to get to spend some travel time with the frog girl and rosy-cheeked brunette. It was an overall pleasant trip that only seemed to get weirder as they went along. Everyone thought they would be going their separate ways at some point but after transferring to the same trains and buses, it was becoming clear something was up.
As the large group of UA students again got off at the same bus stop, Michiru finally asked what was on everyone's mind at this point "Where, exactly, is everyone headed?"
"Yeah, I thought it was weird we were all headed in the same direction!" Eijiro agreed, looking around before explaining "Fat Gum said I should be at a meeting for some big mission so I'm heading to a police station here. You guys?"
"Ryukyo also told us we'd be meeting somewhere different today and sent us the address." Terra added, Ochaco and Tsu nodding in agreement.
Izuku was about the say something similar when the group rounded a corner and nearly bumped into the Big Three. Mirio waved and apologized for hearing the conversation as the group approached and said the same was true for them. There was a brief moment of awkwardness between Emeralda and Tamaki, who blushed when he made eye contact with the nanomachine girl. Whether to dispel the tension or out of complete lack of awareness, no body knew but Emeralda simply asked Taki how he was doing. That seemed to be enough to the terminally shy top student to a good enough place that they could move on.
When the now sizeable contingent from UA did arrive, it became clear this mission was indeed going to be big. The lobby of the building was brimming with heroes of all stripes. From top ten to obscure local ones. Even Shouta Aizawa, in all his dower glory was among those assembled.
Mirai, never one for formalities, wasted no time on introductions and ushered everyone into the spacious but bare meeting room. The walls were simple and white save for space to display on one wall and a series of tables set up to form a rectangle was in the middle. Once everyone was seated, the various UA students with their agencies, the formalities began.
"I appreciate you all making the journey here on such short notice." The bi-speckled hero began. "I trust you have all read the briefing I had sent to each of you? I hope so because we are moving right past the basic facts. I had originally planned to call you all here to compare notes and discuss what the Shie Hassaikai may be up to and what to do about it."
Then, Mirai's cadence changed from rational and serious to foreboding as he added "That has all changed in the last twenty-four hours."
Murmurs and whispers spread across the adjoined tables until Mirai spoke again, waving to his two interns seated to his left "LeMillion and Deku ran into a young girl while on patrol yesterday that matched the description of a child first described to us by Shadow Rider's interns. This child is the granddaughter of the until recent head of the yakuza group."
"Get to the point, Sir Nighteye. I didn't run up here for a lesson on yakuza family trees and to hang out with a bunch of kids." Ken Takagi or Rock Lock, a serious looking man with dark skin and thick black hair said, clearly irritated.
"Please be patient, Rock Lock. We until recently had no record of such a child. Eri never came up in our research once we began digging into the group a few weeks ago. When my interns encountered her, she had bandages on her arms and she appeared to fear for her life."
The room again erupted in chatter, several asking how it was that Mirio and Izuku didn't take the child but again, Mirai brought the meeting to order "LeMillion prudently avoided a confrontation with Overhaul, the current leader of the Shie Hassaikai and a very dangerous man. However, Eri left behind a note for us that explicitly lays out just what is going on."
Bubble Girl tapped on her tablet and a projector came alive, showing an image of the note on the wall for all to see. "Hello! If you're reading this, it means poor Eri here ran into some trouble trying to get away from Chisaki-sama. I am trusting you to come and rescue this sweet little girl, not just because it's the right thing to do but because you might be interested to know my master has been using this girl's quirk to produce these nice little bullets that take away people's quirks! The process is rather painful and cruel to the poor girl so please hurry, if you can. Fair warning though, there is a very good chance that Chisaki-sama will react to Eri's escape attempt by laying low so if you don't want to miss saving her, please act soon!
Sincerely,
The Mysterious Caretaker, Xellos!"
"What…what the hell is this?" Eijiro said, horrified.
The red-haired intern's sentiment was shared by just about everyone gathered, save for perhaps Izuku and Mirio, who were wrapped up in the shame of failing Eri and determination to save her and Zelgadis, who fumed at the letter's author, sure it was another sick joke from the mazuku.
Ken stood up angrily and almost yelled "This can't be serious! Bullet's that can erase your quirk? Phantom daughters? Come on, man, we're here to bust a drug ring and snuff the yakuza for good, not this fantasy shit!"
"It's definitely real!" Taishiro Toyomitsu or Fat Gum immediately declared, "Suneater here was hit with just such a bullet! And we were just up against some street thugs, not the Shie Hassaikai. You know what that means!"
Ken glanced over at Tamaki, who had a bandage on his arm. Their eyes met and the cripplingly shy teen nodded gravely. Ken sat back down heavily and crossed his arms before breathing out "Fine. Keep going."
Mirai cleared his throat and spoke again "Shadow Rider and her team has been working with me to keep tabs on the Shie Hassaikai for the last week and had reported nothing of note. That is, until last night. It seems they're gearing up to leave in the next day or two. If we are to crush this organization and rescue that little girl, we are going to have to act swiftly."
"Is that why so many kids are here? Not enough time to get all the pros you're going to need for this raid?" Ken asked half seriously, half mockingly.
"Its much more complicated than that." Celty spoke up, her electronic voice drawing attention to her. "We haven't even mentioned the author of that note."
"Xellos? What about him?" Ryuko asked, honest confusion on her face.
"As dangerous as Overhaul is, Xellos is infinitely more so. His…quirk leaves him immune to physical damage, he can teleport and produce powerful energy blasts." Celty explained, having had Zelgadis describe some of the mazuku's powers during one of their stake-outs.
"What's someone with a powerful quirk like that serving as a baby-sitter for the yakuza? Also, that name sounds familiar…" Fat Gum rationally asked.
"Xellos is a lighter. You served as escort to him along with these three from the Musutafu police station to UA." Shouta interjected, sounding annoyed he even had to remind the rotund hero.
"As to the first part of your question…we're not sure. Magus here tells me that Xellos often has a long game he is playing. His experience with Xellos, along with his quirk is why he and his two fellow lighters are here today." Celty finished, motioning for her three interns to speak.
"My skin is basically rock and effectively bullet proof. Plus, as Shadow Rider said, I've had a lot of experience dealing with Xellos so I'll help however I can." Zelgadis explained, having stood up to speak.
When the chimera sat back down, Emeralda rose and said "I, too, believe with the control over my cells that my quirk grants me I should also be immune to the bullets. I may not know Xellos well but before coming to this country, I had much combat experience and believe I will be helpful. Thank you."
Michiru managed a weak smile at her green-haired friend despite the cold, and almost disquieting way the other girl had delivered her words. Emeralda, of course, missed the stares several of the heroes had given her as she, too sat down.
Then it was Michiru's turn. She rose and tried to look positive but sound serious and professional. However, she ended up sounded like she was trying too hard "Right! I don't know if those bullets will work on me but we're going to need a way to find Eri and since we want to conserve Sir Nighteye's quirk, I'll serve as tracker. As long as I have her scent, I can find Eri, no problem!"
"That's all well and good." Taishiro cut in, his jovial demeanor at least temporarily replaced by grave concern, "But we still haven't addressed Xellos. How are we accounting for him?"
The BMI Hero got his answer when all of the lighters, Ryuko and Mirai all turned to look at the other green-haired lighter in the room. Terra frowned slightly as she stood up and said "We have reason to believe that my quirk can harm Xellos."
"Reason to believe?" Ken questioned skeptically.
"Ye…yes. While I was recovering from my loss of control of my quirk, Xellos tried to have me killed." Terra replied.
"We believe he fear's that she can harm him. At the very least, we are confident that Xellos will feel compelled to finish the job if he knows she's there." Mirai explained.
"So she's bait?" Izuku blurted out, his frustration at his failure to save Eri boiling over when he realized what was being proposed.
"To put it bluntly, yes." Mirai cooly replied, glaring down at his newest intern.
"It's alright, Deku." Terra called out reassuringly, "It was my idea. I'm relying on all of you to get Eri out of there safely, ok?"
Izuku wanted to protest further. It wasn't right that Terra should have to do that, even if he knew the truth about her using magic. At the same time, she was a hero, just like he was and speaking out would be disrespectful to her. Reluctantly, Izuku nodded and spoke no more.
Michiru was having similar thoughts to the inheritor of One-for-All. The difference was her worries were buoyed by Zelgadis' concern that in his world, even the most powerful of magics generally didn't harm Xellos and he doubted that Terra had what it took to defeat the cunning mazuku.
From there, a start time for the raid and team assignments were made as the details were hashed out. If all went well, they would be in and out with Eri and the last vestiges of the yakuza snuffed out. At worst, a long drawn-out siege with a deeply entrenched enemy that had an powerful wildcard among their ranks. Michiru also took the opportunity to fulfil a promise and asked if they needed extra manpower for the job.
(X)
Himiko, against her better judgment, entered the Shie Hassaikai compound along with Twice. Tomoura had just that morning decided to, at the very least, see what the young yakuza leader had in mind and if they were lucky, contact Xellos to see what he meant with his cryptic message.
What the two league members found, however, was far more chaotic than either had anticipated. The mansion was in full crisis mode with underlings running about trying to get supplies and material ready for an apparent move. When the pair finally came across one of Kai's weird masked lieutenants, they were informed they were about to be raided and were preparing to relocate. The two league members were to report to Kai immediately.
The two were taken undergound and when they arrived Kai was there, surrounded by his the other members of his Eight Bullets, except Xellos, going over details.
"Hey, Chisaki!" Himiko called out, "We're here, just like you and Shigaraki talked about. What's this about you bolting?"
The discussion stopped as Kai narrowed his eyes as he looked between his men and the petite vampire girl. Still, despite the apparent dire situation, the yakuza leader spoke calmly "You're timing couldn't be worse. You're free to observe or even fight if that is your wish, but we are leaving."
When Himiko said nothing more, simply smiling as she backed off to talk with her companion, Kai paid her no further mind as he continued speaking "The plan hasn't changed. I want the rank and file on the ground level to stall those bastards as long as possible to buy us enough time to make sure all of our equipment, data and Eri are out of here. You all know where you are stationed in the lower levels, don't disappoint me."
Before anyone could move away, however, a deep voice called out to the group that none gathered save for one recognized. The Bullet's stared at their leader as Kai's face went white and his eyes widened as the approaching old man spoke "What's this I hear about abandoning the home I and my ancestors spent so many years building?
The shock on Kai's face was something none of the men gathered around him had ever seen and they stood by dumbly, several moving out of the way as the old man approached to allow their leader a clear view. An older man with combed back grey hair, walking with a cane and still wearing a hospital gown and a black coat over that stopped several feet in front of Kai, an expectant look of disappoint on his face.
Finally, a single word escaped the masked yakuza's lips "Father…"
(X)
As expected, my yearly big event took just about everything out of me, leaving me with basically two weeks to write, half what I normally give myself. Still, I hope its worth it. I know we didn't get to spend a great deal of time with our main three but that will be more than made up for next time.
I'm not a fan of Bakugo haven't been since the very first episode and it boggles my mind that he got away with telling Izuku to kill himself. I know we're meant to meet him at his least heroic so see his growth later on and that's fine but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be held to account. Ok, rant over.
A couple of things are coming up this month. First I'll be on a deserted island for a week and hope to get a lot of writing done because this story is coming up on it's two year anniversary in June and I'm hoping for an extra chapter that month like I did for the first year. That being said, I'll be on a family trip the first Friday of next month and I will try to post on schedule but I may miss it by a few days so just a heads up.
No reviews this month to respond to so until next time, thank you for reading, take care and I hope to see you next month!