Chapter 12: How I Met Your Mother.

A/N: This chapter and the next takes place in the past and shows how the reader met Shanks and how they eventually got together.

You have just become one of the top heroes in Ireland and the United Kingdom after living in Ireland for the past 10 years. You're working as a pro-hero at The Warrior Hero Agency, which was founded and lead by the Irish pro-hero, Celtic Warrior, and after years and years of hard work you are now one of the most well-known and beloved heroes in Europe. 10 years ago, you decided to leave your home country of Japan after your long time crush and co-hero partner, Yagi Toshinori (or as you like to refer to him now, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named), started dating the heroine Gem and, in a fit of what could be interpreted as childish anger, you left Japan without telling anybody.

You arrive at the Warrior Hero Agency building 30 minutes before the start of your morning patrol, like usual, when you're called into Celtic Warrior's office. "Hello, sir. What did you want to see me about?"

Celtic Warrior is a huge muscular hero standing at just a few inches short of 7 feet tall. He has fiery red hair that matches his personality, wild and dangerous if pushed too far. His quirk is called Warfare and makes him a master at any type of fighting without having to spend decades learning how to master it...he simply has to touch a weapon and he gains complete knowledge about how to properly use it. His quirk also works with hand-to-hand combat, all he has to do is read or watch a style of fighting and he's an expert at it.

Celtic looks at you with his bright blue eyes, "Aye, ah did want ta see ye, lass. Ah want ta congratulate ye on becomin' a top ranked hero."

You smile at him, "Thank you, sir."

"Ye worked hard ta get where ye are and ah was wonderin' if ye are willin' ta take on a task that no one else has yet ta succeed at?"

"Of course, sir! What is it that you want me to do?"

"Ah want ye ta try and capture the villain Shanks LeRoux. Ah have received information that he's set up a base near Killarney."

Your eyes widen and your mouth slightly drops open in disbelief. You quickly recover from your shock, "You want me to go after the most wanted man in the world?"

He nods, "Aye. The others haven't had any luck; more o'ten than not comin' back injured and a few even retirin'. But ah've heard rumors that the Red Menace has a soft spot fer the lasses and ah know ye would be perfect fer the job. Ye have proven that yer just as strong as any man, but ye haven't been a top hero long enough fer Shanks ta know 'bout ye or yer quirk."

You nod, "I'm on it, sir!"

"Be careful, (H/N). Shanks even bested me in hand-ta-hand combat...a rare occurrence. Ah've only lost ta three people...ta All Might," you flinch slightly at HIS hero name, "ta ye, and now ta Shanks."

"I'll keep that in mind, sir."

He holds out a thin file for you to take, "This is all the information that we've been able ta gather...ah'm afraid it's not much."

"That's okay, sir. I'm sure that it's enough for me to work with." You open the file and quickly glance through it, but frown when you get to the information about his quirk and see it labeled as UNKNOWN. "So the rumors are true? Nobody knows what his quirk is?"

"That's right. Some have reported Shanks as bein' able ta cover his entire body in a red and black armor that's virtually indestructible, others say that he can summon lightnin' bolts from the sky, while others, like myself, say that he is just physically immensely strong."

You close the file, "I'm sure that I can handle him, sir...No matter what his quirk may be. I won't let you or the agency down." You then leave his office to prepare for a trip to Killarney.

*

The base of the Red Haired Mob, or at least ONE of their bases, is about 2 miles from Killarney's city limits. It's actually a beautiful 3 story building with what looks like a large playground in the backyard. You also see several men carrying furniture, including children's beds and dressers. By now, you're very confused, you were told that this was one of Shanks' bases, but it certainly doesn't look like it's being furnished as one. You begin walking towards the building your red cape fluttering in the wind. A tall man with long black hair and a cigarette in between his lips sees you approaching and says something to a curly haired man with 'Yasopp' tattooed on his forehead before the man, Yasopp, runs inside. The black haired man starts to bark orders at the rest of the men, telling them to immediately drop what they're doing and leave the area. You stop 20 feet away from the man and shout, "I'm only here to arrest Red Haired Shanks! If any of you get in my way then I won't hesitate to take you down as well."

There is a couple of moments of tense silence before laughter fills the air. "Dahahaha! Your boldness is quite refreshing, luv. But attacking my men won't be necessary." A tall man with bright red hair and three scars over his left eye emerges from the building. He is wearing a white button-up shirt that is only halfway buttonedwith the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a pair of brown capris with black sandals. A blush appears on your face when you get a glimpse of his muscles, which are glistening with sweat. A huge smile is on his face and a gleam appears in his eyes when he sees you. "To what do I owe the honor of a visit from a woman as gorgeous as you?" He has an deep voice and a rich Irish brogue.

"I'm here to arrest you! Save us both some trouble and surrender now!"

"As tempting, and kinky, as being handcuffed by you sounds," you blush at the word kinky, "I'm afraid that I'll have to pass, (H/N)." The black haired man whispers something in Shanks' ear and the red head's eyebrows raise in surprise. He says something back to the man before the other man disappears in a cloud of black and blue smoke.

You scowl at Shanks, "You know about me?"

He nods and tells you, "Yep, I know quite a bit about you...as well as most of the other famous heroes.Did you know that everyone in Japan thinks that you're dead? All Might even threw a memorial for you." He tilts his head slightly in curiosity, "Why did you leave Japan without telling anyone?"

You're getting angry at this villain who is sticking his nose into your personal affairs. "That's none of your business! And neither are the personal lives of ANY hero!"

"But that is my business...I have to pry into heroes' lives to uncover the ones that are corrupt and need to be exposed." You blink in surprise...you never heard anything about Shanks exposing corrupt heroes. "Did you leave because you had a lover's spat with All Might?"

His question forces you back to the moment and your face is now red from anger, "All Might and I were never lovers! And never will be," you add quietly in a sad tone of voice.

"Ah! Unrequited love, huh? I've been down that road a time or two myself."

You snort and sassily ask him in an attempt to change the subject, "I thought that you knew all about me? And what is this building? I was informed that this is one of your bases."

He gestures at the building behind him, "This? This is going to be an orphanage for children who have lost their parents due to villain attacks or are abandoned because they're quirkless. I have orphanages like this all over the world, using the money I take from corrupt politicians and heroes to build them. That's all it is, but you're more than welcome to come inside and check it out for yourself if you don't believe me." You're now looking at him in shock, "And, no, I don't know EVERYTHING about you or other heroes. I don't usually pry into people's love lives. I really don't care if a hero or heroine is cheating on their significant other or not. My concerns lie with rather or not they're abusing their status as heroes or taking bribes from villains to look the other way."

Your entire body becomes tense at his accusations, "A hero would NEVER do that!"

He nods, "True heroes like yourself and All Might wouldn't...but there are heroes out there that do. They're more concerned about their popularity and getting the pay raise that comes along with it than they are about actually helping people." He looks at you sadly, "I know that you don't want to believe me, that you think that I am lying, but I'm not. The next time that you have a little free time, look up the hero Time Freeze and you'll see what I'm talking about. Of course, they gave the credit for exposing his illegal activities and capture to another hero, but that's okay."

"Why are you telling me all this? I still have to arrest you."

He laughs, "You can try, but I'm not going to be caught easily...not even by someone as beautiful as you." Shanks winks at you causing you to blush furiously. "You're a great hero, (H/N), but you're still so naive. That's why I've told you all of this...in the hopes that I can open your eyes to the truth before you're consumed by the lies." He starts to walk away, but quickly dodges as you lunge toward him throwing a punch that completely misses him and hits the ground instead creating a tiny crater.

You turn toward Shanks, "The only place that you're going is to jail!"

"Dahahaha! I beg to differ, luv!" You throw another punch, but he dodges again, jumping behind you and farther away from the building. You spin around sending a kick towards Shanks' head, but he easily dodges again.

"You're fast," you admit earning a grin from the red headed man.

"Only in battle. In bed, I like to take things slow...make sure my lover is enjoying herself." He says flirtatiously and winking at you. Your entire face turns red again and Shanks asks, "What's the matter, luv? You're blushing like a virgin..." Your blush intensifies and his teasing expression turns into one of awe. "Are you kidding? Are you really still a virgin?"

You glare at him, "There's nothing wrong with being a 31 (A/N: I think that's right... Graduated from UA at 18, spent 2 years overseas, 1 year working with All Might, then 10 years in Ireland) year old virgin!"

"I wasn't saying that, luv. I was just surprised. I mean you and All Might were a team for a year right? And he never made a move on you? Huh, I might owe Yasopp some money."

You throw another punch at him and once again he dodges, "What do you mean?"

He continues to dodge your punches, "Weeell...Yasopp and I have an ongoing bet that All Might prefers the company of men."

You are so shocked that you trip over your own feet and stumble forward. "N-no! I know for a fact that he's not gay! He dated a female hero called Gem 10 years ago. It's why I left Japan...Wait...WHY am I telling you all of this?"

"I'd like to think that it's because of this adorable face," he gestures to his own face. "People just can't say no to a face like this."

You chuckle and say teasingly, "I see that you're slightly delusional."

Shanks pouts, "Ouch...you know words can hurt somebody, luv." He then perks up and grins goofily at you, "You said slightly delusional...does that mean you find me at least a little bit attractive?"

You shrug, "I admit that you aren't bad looking...for a villain."

He begins to bounce from foot to foot in excitement, "Oh, oh, oh! Will you be willing to go on a date with me, luv?"

You laugh, "You look and sound like an overexcited monkey!"

He stops bouncing around and a light blush appears across his cheeks. "You have a very beautiful laugh, it fits a woman as beautiful as you."

It's, once again, your turn to blush. "You're a big flirt, so I bet that you say that to every woman you meet."

He gives you a gentle and sincere smile, "No, actually." He claps his hands together, "Now...since you shared some personal information with me...I'll show you something about me that no hero knows about."

Your curiosity is peaked, "Oh? What is it?"

All of a sudden, two massive leathery wings, similar to a bat's, emerge from his back. The wings are covered in small crimson scales except for on the patagia, (A/N: the thin membrane that stretches between the body and limbs of bats and flying mammals) which are a slightly darker shade of red. At the arch of the wings are two large claws that look razor-sharp. He chuckles at the look of awe on your face, "So, what do you think?" He opens his wings to their fullest extent, obviously displaying them for you. "Impressive, huh?" All you can do is nod which causes him to chuckle again. He flaps his huge wings once and is lifted twenty feet into the air. "Well," he claps his together, "this has been fun, but I really have to be going now...But I'm sure that we'll meet again soon."

You just stand there, still in shock, as he begins to fly away. It then dawns on you that you still have a job to do and you snap to your senses. "Hey! Wait a minute! You're not going anywhere!" You then crouch down low to the ground before jumping high in the air just like Toshinori taught you except that you can't jump as far or as high as he can.

Shanks is caught off guard as you soar toward him, but easily dodges your outstretched arms. You curse as your hands close around nothing and you start to descend back to the ground. "Ooh, almost, luv. I will admit though that I didn't take you as much of a jumper..." You land safely on your feet and prepare to jump again. "I thought that the bunny hop was more of All Might's thing."

You can't help yourself and burst out laughing stumbling forward and nearly falling face first to the ground. "B-bunny h-hop?"

"Yeah, at least that's what he should call his jumps. He looks like a giant bunny with his bangs sticking up like ears. I bet the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Company absolutely loves him since he's basically free advertisement for them...A giant bunny-like man dressed in blue spandex jumping around Japan, I can totally see people saying, 'That reminds me, I need to buy some ice cream,' after seeing him."

You're now practically in tears from how hard you're laughing and Shanks does a couple of loop-de-loops in the air out of happiness. He's actually been following your hero career quite closely and he's noticed that you're not the same joyful hero that you were back in Japan. Instead, you seem to be more angry and now Shanks knows why. He's happy that he has made you laugh and taken some of that anger away for at least a little while. You finally manage to stop laughing and stand up straight. "I'm SO calling his jumps bunny hops from now on." You wipe the tears from your face, "Thanks for that. It's been a long time since I've laughed that hard. But...I still can't let you get away." You suddenly jump at Shanks again, but he simply raises slightly higher in the air. You land on your feet, but immediately shoot back up into the air. Once again Shanks easily dodges, but doesn't attack. As a matter of fact, he hasn't tried to attack you once choosing to dodge all of your attacks instead. He teases and flirts with you as you jump around trying to catch him.

This goes on for about 30 minutes before you're exhausted and can't jump anymore. You sit on the ground trying to catch your breath as Shanks flys around in a circle above you. "This was fun!" You huff in annoyance, "Bye, luv! I'm sure we'll meet again soon though!"

He then flies away and you fall backward onto your back. "I can't believe that I failed..." After catching your breath, you stand up and walk toward the building. You thoroughly search the building looking for anything off; such as any hidden weapons or bombs. Of course, you don't find anything, but just to be sure you call in Seeker, a support hero at the agency that specializes in finding hidden objects, rooms, etcetera. Twenty minutes later, Seeker arrives along with Celtic Warrior and as he debriefs you on what happened between you and Shanks, Seeker searches the building.

You're just about to tell Celtic about the fact that Shanks has wings, but Seeker's return interrupts you. "Good news boss. The building is completely safe, no hidden bombs or anything else. Looks like he really was building just an ordinary orphanage."

"That's great! How long will it take ta finish?"

"Looks like it only needs a few more pieces of furniture and some other essentials so...a week at most."

"Excellent! I'll call me secretary and get him ta hire someone ta finish the job then arrange a press conference fer the grand opening."

*-*-*-*-ONE WEEK LATER*-*-*-*-

You're at the grand opening of the new orphanage just before the ceremony is about to begin. You have just heard a rather disturbing rumor and are on your way backstage to confront your boss about it. You find him with his secretary, and a couple of the other heroes from the agency and walk up to him. "I just heard that you're taking credit for building this orphanage and naming it after yourself, is that true?"

Celtic Warrior is inspecting his reflection in a full length mirror and runs a hand down his black suit jacket to smooth it out. "O' course, it is. It's not like Shanks is goin' ta say anythin' 'bout it. And even if he does, who is everyone goin' ta believe: me, the most beloved hero in Ireland, or the Red Menace, the most wanted man in the world?" He reaches up to straighten his dark green tie.

"It's not right, or very heroic of you, to take credit for something that you didn't do. I can't just stand by let you cover up the truth!" You angrily shout.

Celtic Warrior looks over at you, his eyes narrowed. "Ye will if ye like bein' a hero."

"Is that a threat?"

"Nah, it's a promise. If ye say anythin' ta anybody 'bout this then yer career as a hero in Ireland is over. Ah will ruin yer reputation so fast that ye won't know what hit ye." He turns back to the mirror, "So if ye know what's good fer ye, ye will keep yer mouth shut. Besides, nobody's gettin' hurt...parent-less kids are getting a new home while Ah get a lil' boost in popularity. It's a win-win." There's a heavy pause before he continues,"Oh, and (H/N)...yer suspended without pay fer two weeks. Ah suggest ye give some serious thought 'bout where yer loyalties lie."

You huff in anger, but decide to leave before you lash out at him. You end up leaving just as the ceremony is beginning. You make it to the top of a large hill nearby before turning around. From the top of the hill you can see the entire ceremony and hear the large crowd cheering for Celtic Warrior. You scowl as he walks out on to the small stage that has been set up and begins to speak. You scoff and turn back around to continue on your way only to jump in surprise when you nearly bump into a man wearing a black coat with a standing collar that hides his head from behind and from the side. The man is none other than Shanks which alarms you. "Are you insane? What the hell are you doing here? You do know that some of the most powerful heroes in Ireland are down there right?"

He waves his left hand through the air dismissively, "I'm not worried about them. If it comes down to a fight, I will deal with them, but I don't plan on alerting them to my presence. As for why I am here...I wanted to see you again, (H/N)."

You ask him in curiosity, "Why?"

He gives you a big, goofy smile. "Do I really need an excuse to see someone as beautiful as you again, luv?" You just lift an eyebrow and give him a look that clearly says 'yes'. "Dahahaha! Your look says it all! Okay, okay. I heard the argument that you had with Celtic Warrior and wanted to make sure that you're okay."

"How did you...Did you bug me?" You ask, slightly upset that Shanks could have possibly been spying on you for the past week.

"No, I don't have YOU bugged. Now, Celtic Warrior's office..."

Now you're curious, "Then how do you know about what happen between me and my boss? And how did you manage to plant bugs in his office?"

"Simple. I have someone on the inside..."

You raise your hand to stop him, "I don't think I should know any more." Shanks chuckles and you find yourself blushing. In order to hide your blush, you turn back to watch the ceremony. "Does the fact that he's taking credit for building this orphanage not bother you?"

Shanks shakes his head, "It has certainly drawn my attention to Celtic Warrior and I am definitely going to be keeping an eye on him for any more serious acts of corruption. But does it personally bother me? No, because I know that if credit was given to me citizens would demand that it be torn down. This way the orphanage will be left alone...I'd rather someone else get the praise than the orphanage get demolished."

You sigh and nod your head, "You have a very good point. Grey areas suck."

Shanks laughs, "Indeed they do...at least at times. How about we go to this wonderful bar that I know and I'll buy you a couple of drinks?"

You shrug, "Why the hell not? I can't do any hero work for two weeks anyway."