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Izuku bobbed and weaved through the space above the street, the bullet following him. It whistled through the air and increased in volume as it caught up. He blasted himself through the air with gritted teeth. Come onn….
WhhhhhiiiiRRRRRRRRR…
He reached the next corner at the last second. YES!
He swung around with Blackwhip. He stretched the whip across the street like a long bullet went straight through the whip and severed it, but also lost all of its speed and fell to the ground. She loses control after they make their impacts.
Izuku used another whip to swing himself higher in the air instead of using Float, since Blackwhip was already activated. My brain can only move so fast to use Quirks in tandem. How does All For One do this all the time? It would have been fine, except right now he had to call for help.
In mid-air he pulled out his emergency transponder, activated it, and began to speak. "All Might, it's the-"
WhhhhhhhiiiiiiRRRRRRR!
The bullet zipped through the air and struck his device out of his hand, pinning it against the concrete wall behind him hard enough to leave cracks. Shit, I was only taking a second! She reloads fast!
Three more bullets came at him in rapid succession as he rocketed further down the street. Left. Right. He could hear the convoy again on the street up ahead, and rapidly turned around. Shit, I can't lead her back to them.
That brought up the question: was she mobile, or staying put? If she was close enough to see him, then he should be hearing the gunshots…unless keeping them quiet is part of her Quirk too. Is she even using a gun at all? She might just have the ability to throw them this fast. They were made of her hair, after all…
Danger Sense was increasing in intensity. The bullets closed in. Izuku banked left, planted his feet against a window and then blasted backward off of it with a spike of forty percent OFA. The window shattered with a CRASH!
He used a whip to yank himself round, and two of the bullets crashed into each other, one slightly ahead of the curve trying to get back to him, and the other one not curving at all. She can fire more than one at a time but not control more than one at a time.
The third bullet, unfortunately, was right on top of him, so close that his brain couldn't scramble into a dodge, and he fired up a punch through his arm instead.
His fist slammed against the bullet and it shattered into dozens of pieces of shrapnel. Izuku threw himself backward to avoid getting scraped up, and one of them slashed him across the face, right through the fabric of his mask.
Izuku gasped from the sudden pain and started to fall down toward the street, but readjusted himself with Float, and then rocketed down a narrow alley. She's close. She's got to be.
…
The target dived out of her sight.
Kaina swung her rifle ninety degrees and paced to the other corner of the rooftop, scanning, scanning. Her eyes darted around the area. The boy was not quiet, which helped.
He went down the alley down there. She could fire another probing bullet, but those cost a lot of hair, and she was already running low, nearly bald. Dammit, I should have gone to Aoki, but how was I supposed to know I'd find the target here?
She'd only been crossing through the middle of the city on a fluke hunch. Why would he be anywhere so close to UA? Is this bait?
Kaina held her arm-rifle up to her face, creating a sight from her eyebrows like she often did, the hair swirling down to connect and create. She looked straight down the sight.
The alley was only just beneath the next building over. Within earshot, since this area was so quiet, with only the nearby police cars to touch the ears.
What's his personality? AFO gave me, like, nothing to go on.
"You're fast, Izuku Midoriya," she called over, "but I observe that you still bleed." That last burster bullet grazed his face.
Silence. Kaina stared down the sight toward the top of the alley. She only intended to wait half a moment for him to potentially respond, and when he didn't immediately do so, she twirled about and made to hop off the roof-
"I know your voice," said the boy, in a deeper tone than she'd expected.
A shiver went down her spine, and she hesitated for half a second before getting the hell out of dodge. He triangulated that spot from me speaking. He'll wait a moment because he's wary of being pinned, which gives me some time, but not much.
She stepped on the air over the street, and then stepped up again, using the Quirk that had been gifted to her. Air Walk. He doesn't know I have this.
Lady Nagant decided to do another personality test. She headed toward the sound of the nearby civilians, but behind herself, she shot one more probing bullet. Last one.
…
Izuku could hear the bullet coming.
She controls them with her mind! Since I'm coming up and out of an enclosed space, it'll be hard for her to turn it, therefore-
He fired himself vertically out of the alleyway, KA-POW!
The expanse of rooftops rushed into view. The bullet was a full second behind, trying to reorient itself. Izuku spun about using Float, searching roofs. Where?!-
The bullet came up and at him. He fell and swarmed a nest of Blackwhips around him. If they burst upon impact, then this will protect me-
It did not hit. It stopped short and circled him instead, to hit him in the back.
Izuku broke through his own whips and dived down again, the pieces of Banjo's Quirk streaming and waving out behind him like cut strands of fishing line.
His heart raced like mad. She's getting craftier! She means to hit me with this one!
The bullet followed him. He tried to trap it again with Blackwhip and it dodged. He turned another corner, and it did not come after him, instead going wide around the other side of the block.
That means I'm out of her sight now. Well, that was good except it wasn't. She somehow had a way to outmaneuver him, and he wanted to actually catch her. I knew her voice from somewhere.
The bullet nearly intercepted his face and he flipped sideways in mid-air. Izuku looked further down this street and realized he was looking in the direction that the convoy was in.
If she couldn't see me when I was back there, but can now-
Oh no.
…
Kaina had only a few loose strands of hair left, so she switched to the normal bullets she had in her belt cases. They will do for this.
She took two more massive air-hops, prancing gracefully up onto the last building, and found the convoy in her sights. Three vehicles. A fistful of heroes. And a moshpit of civilians. The tall mutant. Easy target.
Nagant leveled the rifle and prepared to fire-
…
Heroes were trained to be alert and check all visible angles.
Half the heroes saw the woman appear on the roof in the split second they had before she made her attack.
Mandalay reacted first.
DUCK! She screamed into everyone's minds, using her Quirk on a large scale.
The civilians screamed. POW! The bullet fired.
Some did duck with appropriate speed, others froze, others ran.
Gang Orca used his sonic attack to envelop the bullet and destroy it before it reached the crowd. BWWWWWWWWAM. The resulting shards rained down and clattered on the street, causing Mandalay to wince and throw her arms over her face.
The sniper was leaping sideways across the rooftop, and Mandalay did a quick scan of the area to make sure no one had gotten hit-
Nejire launched herself skyward.
"FIRST SURGE!" She screamed, swinging her arms and sweeping up two spiral-waves of her power into the building. FWOOOM.
The golden energy blasted off the top corner of the roof and ricocheted, bouncing like a spring into the sky. The sniper ducked out of the way and disappeared from Mandalay's vision. Another bullet fired.
This one whizzed toward the now-scattering civilians, near the woman with the star-skin Quirk. Suneater fired a clam from his hand and it ate the bullet, but it also cracked from the impact.
Nejire was giving chase. Mandalay and the other heroes were trying to control the crowd, but some of them had run off toward the side streets. NO, NO, LISTEN TO ME, YOU ALL NEED TO STAY HERE! Mandalay urged with Telepathy.
Nejire fired off her Quirk again, flying laterally and parallel with the rooftops, and this time, Mandalay did not even hear a POW.
…
Kaina flared her nostrils, launching herself back to get away from the blue-haired heroine, and then she heard the sound of the One for All power rapidly approaching behind her. Are you the type to do this?
She used the very last of her hair to spool together a special bullet, and fired it at the girl with the burnt face.
…
Izuku threw himself between the bullet and Nejire. He pushed OFA through his whole body and braced himself, holding up his gauntlets and hoping the bullet caught them, maybe they'd hold-
The bullet exploded in a burst of light.
"ARGH!" he screamed, too much input flooding his eyes, falling backward and waving his arms in front of his face.
Nejire caught him.
…
The flashbang erupted like the sun just over the street, and Lady Nagant safely bounced away on air, going low down an invisible staircase into the side alley.
She'd used up all her hair, but she still had plenty of normal bullets. If he's blinded, then…
…
The central street had completely cleared, as heroes tried to gather the fleeing civilians and shelter them in various alleys, chasing after stragglers…only one police cruiser remained along with the supply truck. The police were emerging from their vehicles-
Nejire had sort of tried to catch Izuku, but she too had been blinded, and it was more like he crashed into her.
They both let out mutual oofs, Izuku tumbling down in the other direction. Nejire's eyes burned.
Another car came screaming up the street, and drifted sideways to a stop in the middle across the lane line. A black armored car.
All Might threw the door open and dashed toward Izuku.
…
"MIDORIYA!" It was All Might. It was his mentor.
Izuku managed to right himself with Float right above the ground, a rainbow of annoying glow dancing in front of his eyes. He tried to orient himself toward the sniper's position as All Might ran to him…
…
Kaina prepared to shoot a normal bullet at Midoriya and finish it, and then All Might was in front of him, blocking her shot.
She hesitated.
It was not made of her hair and she did not have the ability to curve it.
All her ideals flashed through her head. The Commission. False heroes.
I cannot kill All Might.
She lowered her rifle.
…
"NO, ALL MIGHT, GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Izuku screamed, and he ejected Smokescreen from every pore on his body.
The smoke blasted out in all directions, filling the street and shielding All Might, shielding Nejire, shielding the police and the supply truck and its driver and hopefully any civilians left in the area…
The glow faded from his eyes, and Izuku kicked himself up out of the smoke, past his mentor and toward where the sniper had to be…
…
He has that smoke. He's recovered. Time to go.
She had no hair left, and there was no way she could beat him with just normal bullets. Lady Nagant retreated.
…
Izuku burst through his own clouds, his hood flown back off his face…
…And she was gone. Of course she was gone.
…
Twenty seconds passed. No more gunfire.
Nejire relaxed, unsquinting her eyes.
Deku reappeared from above, landing next to All Might.
"Midoriya? Young Midoriya! Are you okay? The transmission cut off, but I got your location!" All Might held his student's face in his hands, and then pulled him into a hug.
All around them, the smoke was clearing and the police were running amok, waving to hiding civilians, telling them to come back, telling the group to regather in the street.
The cruiser sirens were blaring, and somewhere a child cried.
Nejire stood in the midst of the zigzagging crowd and mild chaos, letting her vision readjust. The smoke had made her eyes sting a little on top of the flashbang.
"I'm okay, All Might. She got away."
She? Nejire thought. So it had been a woman after all. If so, she'd been nearly bald. I didn't get a good look.
"That's fine. As long as you're safe."
Nejire stared at the two of them. She couldn't help it; it was surreal to see. The man at the top of the world…it was strange enough for her when he'd begun to teach at UA during her third year, but now to see him interact with the boy he'd given his power to…
I am adjacent to just about the most important people in reality.
"Is it fine?" Izuku was asking, looking, to her observation, slightly annoyed.
"Yes, of course. What are you saying?"
"You would have figured out a way. You wouldn't have let her escape."
"Midoriya, don't be silly. I'm literally here and I let her get away. I can't do anything right now. You're comparing yourself to a man who no longer exists."
Deku's fists closed and opened. "Whatever."
So that's why he's annoyed. Nejire's gloved finger tapped against her chin, her mouth in an o-shape. Interesting.
"I didn't get a good look at her," said Midoriya, "but I recognized her voice."
"I saw her!" Nejire put in, impulsively hopping over and getting involved. Both of them gave her seriously intense looks. Ah! Scary! "She was bald."
Midoriya's eyes widened. "She was making bullets from her hair. That's why she retreated. She ran out."
"Does that mean we don't have to worry about her until her hair grows back? Was she targeting you, Deku? Is she one of the-"
"Nejire-chan!" Gang Orca roared from behind her.
Nejire winced. Oh no. My big mouth ran away from me again.
"Stop bothering Deku and All Might! They have far, far better things to do than to listen to you rabble. Either get back into position or help Suneater with rounding up our crowd here. We have our own mission."
Nejire felt her jaw tremble. It was actually a lot of effort not to burst into tears. "I…I'm sorry…I'll get back to…"
"Gang Orca, really, it's alright," said All Might, holding up a conciliatory hand in that way that grownups did. "She wasn't a bother-"
"Her questions were relevant, sir," said Izuku, in a slightly raised voice, as if he was holding back anger. "Your mission was just attacked by a villain, and an incredibly dangerous one at that. Hado-sen…Nejire-chan was trying to gather intel and gain assurance that the threat has passed, for the sake of the civilians over there. Now, the villain was definitely after me and would not have attacked any of you if I had not been here, but none of you have any way of knowing that unless I'm asked or am forthcoming with the information. As it happens, I was willing to be, but Nejire-chan, luckily for you, is even more proactive. I would expect you to understand that as the leader of this patrol group and a former top ten hero."
Gang Orca's face twitched. All Might laughed nervously and said with a weak grin, "I'm sure tensions are all running high. Young Midoriya, why don't we put our conversation on hold and help these people with-"
"That's okay," Nejire interrupted. "It's my job. I'll do it." She gave Gang Orca a glare as she turned away and left, but couldn't help herself, and spared Izuku Midoriya one more lingering glance. All Might didn't really stand up for me. But he did.
Midoriya-kun…
After he'd been so clearly hard on himself before about failing to do something that he thought All Might would have been able to do.
Nejire swallowed her emotions down. The ghosts of blue fire itched on her face. She fixed up a reassuring smile and waved to some civilians to gather to her.
…
All Might turned back to him, after Gang Orca had left them. "You should be more respectful. You're a guest here and they have their own way of running things."
"He didn't show Hado-senpai any respect." Izuku refused to budge on this point.
The blonde man stared at him with a strange expression.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"It's just…a year or even a few weeks ago, you would have balked at the idea of ever talking to a famous hero like that." All Might sighed.
"You forget that I confronted Endeavor all the way back at the sports festival," grumbled Izuku. Why is he always thinking about past me? As if I'm still a child. We have a future to worry about.
"Anyway." The man grimaced. "It makes sense that you recognized the villain's voice. She used to be a hero. You more than likely heard it on television."
"Oh," Izuku gasped. A hero with bullet hair who… "It's Lady Nagant, isn't it?" The name came back to him in a snap. "She worked for Public Safety, like Hawks does now. I remembered she was imprisoned, but…"
"Hawks can tell you more. He knew her. He has some information he wants to share with you."
"All Might…why would she work with All For One? I am clearly her target, so it has to be him. It doesn't make any sense."
"Like I said. Hawks has the answers." All Might's transmitter beeped, and he pulled it out, giving it a look. "These stupid things…" he muttered, hitting it repeatedly. "I miss my phone. All of Nezu's fancy gizmos can't replace the simplicity of a phone line. I guess we'll need to get you a new one, too."
"Yes. She destroyed mine with a bullet." Izuku frowned. "Come to think of it, why didn't she shoot me directly then? She could have."
"Well, that's simple. All For One wants you taken alive. Nagant is serving as an incapacitator, not an assassin. I don't imagine engaging you with so many other heroes nearby would have been her ideal plan. It is not surprising to me that she fled."
"Then why engage at all?"
"I suspect she encountered you here by accident. After all, we are close to UA. Anyone would expect you to be far off."
"Which just further shows that I need to get out of this job as soon as possible," Izuku muttered. He looked back at the others, where it seemed like they had just about completely regathered the convoy.
Gang Orca stepped up to them again. "Everything good?" he grunted. His eyes were aimed at Deku. "You gotta fly off or anything?"
Izuku opened his mouth, but it was All Might who responded. "He can stay and finish helping. In fact, I shall help too, since I'll be heading back to UA anyway. A few people can ride on ahead with me. The car is armored."
The civilians perked up, having overheard.
"All Might?"
"Riding with All Might…"
Immediately, a cacophony of people shouted and jostled forward, wanting to be the lucky few. Izuku cringed. Not only do they feel unsafe out here now, but All Might is basically the only hero many of them trust anymore. Retired safely before the war, his image is untainted…
And what of my own image? I brought Nagant to these people.
Nevertheless, he had promised to stick this out.
Mandalay used her Telepathy to calm people down, and the other heroes helped. Eventually, they got the convoy moving again, and a couple of civilians got into All Might's car without any further arguments.
"Young Midoriya," said the man before he climbed back into the driver's seat. "There will be more transmitters at UA. I'll go in and get your replacement, then you get into contact with Hawks about meeting up."
"Okay. I'll wait on top of the red brick building on 7th." That was several blocks from UA. Izuku was unwilling to get any closer.
All Might gave him a sad look. "You know…" he began. "There really wouldn't be any harm in you coming in and speaking to your mother and classmates for just a second-"
"No."
The retired hero sighed and got into the car. "Alright, if you insist. See you in a bit, Midoriya."
…
The rest of the transport had proceeded smoothly. They had arrived at the school.
Nejire and Tamaki were taking a brief break in the massive UA courtyard, enclosed now by its towering concrete walls, nearly blocking out the sun. Concrete paths intersected yards of grass. Civilians and students walked across the area going in any direction.
Tamaki finished taking a sip of water, and then handed the bottle back to Nejire. Sweat had caused strands of his dark hair to stick to his forehead.
Nejire waterfalled the drink into her mouth. Tamaki, the poor boy, was nice enough to share his water bottle, but mortified at the idea of both their mouths touching it. In normal times Nejire would have just drunk it normally anyway, but to be entirely fair, neither of them were exactly the most clean they'd ever been. A stomach virus had apparently been spreading around the refugee camp, and proper showers were more difficult to come by. The Kijimi safehouse only had a cold trickle of running water.
"Oh, there you guys are!" Mirio came running up to them excitedly. "I'd heard there was a shipment that just got back. Everything okay? You guys are just sitting in the grass on your butts. You know there are benches around here, right?"
Tamaki slumped. "Tired," he muttered. "We're just taking a quick breather." Nejire nodded in agreement.
"Oh. Well, I won't talk your ears off too much, then. Maybe another time." Mirio frowned at Nejire as she took another waterfall drink. "Why can't I be that good at that? I always spill water all over myself."
Nejire lowered the bottle from her face and grinned up at him, just a slight drip of water shining on her lip. "Just one of my many talents, blondie," she said.
"Well, Eri and Aizawa are waiting for me. I'll catch up to you guys later before you leave, if you don't have to leave in a rush!"
Mirio waved and ran off.
"He didn't say Aizawa-sensei," Tamaki commented.
"That would be correct, since we no longer attend the school that Aizawa teaches at."
"I guess if they've been hanging out then he's had time to get used to it." Tamaki eyed the water bottle. "Can I have that back now?" She handed it to him, and he took another drink with a sigh.
Nejire rocked back and forth on her butt, tapping her fingers against her knees. "Hey," she said, after a moment of silence, "did you happen to see where Deku went?"
Tamaki gave her a long look, then shook his head. "The big dolphin girl asked me the same thing. Or fox. Whatever she was."
"She was a person, Amajiki-kun."
"I'm aware. She also asked me where he went. Why do people think I'm supposed to know?"
"What did you tell her?"
"That I didn't know! She seemed sad about it, but she went on to get assigned a place to sleep with the rest of them." Tamaki blew air straight up out of his mouth with an outstretched lower lip, moving his hair off his forehead.
Nejire huffed, and made to stand up. "We should probably get going before Gang Orca finds us and decides to scream at me-"
"Senpai!"
Nejire froze. Oh no.
It was Uraraka and Kirishima this time. They were closing in fast, waving with worried looks on their faces.
Nejire looked Tamaki dead in the eye. "Lie," she hissed, and then put on her bright smile and turned around to face the Class A arrivals. "Ochako-chan! Kirishima-kun! Good to see you!"
"It's…good to see you, too! I'm glad you're safe," said Uraraka.
Kirishima nodded. "Yeah…Amajiki-senpai…I've heard it's getting rough out there. Man, I wish I was out there with you."
Tamaki looked, frankly, like a deer caught in headlights. His mouth was still halfway attached to his water bottle, and he was glancing back and forth between the juniors and Nejire, clearly still processing her very simple one-word order to him. She had to fight not to roll her eyes.
"Err…yeah," he finally said. "Well, things are working a little differently, so I'm not even with Fat Gum right now. Who knows where you'd end up being assigned if you were even allowed out."
"Guys…I'm sorry to ask this but…" Uraraka pushed her fingers together. "Did you run into Deku? I just…I have no idea what to make of what he told us…and I'd want to at least know what his mental state is out there…"
Tamaki opened his mouth and Nejire bowled over him. "We still haven't," she said quickly. "I'm sorry Ochako."
Eventually the younger ones left, though Kirishima wanted to linger and speak to Amajiki. Nejire politely insinuated how tired they were and that they'd like their space, which seemed to convince Uraraka, at least.
When they were gone, Tamaki gave her a withering look. "Why are we lying, exactly?"
"I…don't know."
"Well, if they start asking around the civilians who were with us, they're gonna find out we were lying-"
"I'm sorry, okay! I didn't want to have to explain to her that we simply can't do what she asked us to do!"
"What, you mean convince Midoriya to come back here with us? Yeah, I guess that's pretty impossible. Well, for me, anyway. Maybe not you."
Nejire raised an eyebrow. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
Tamaki shrugged. "I dunno. I saw the two of you talking back at the safehouse."
Nejire threw up her hands. "And that means I can convince him to do something? You and I talk all the time, despite my best efforts to get rid of you, and I have never once convinced you to do anything."
"That's hurtful." He pouted. "What were you talking to him about, then?"
"I…I don't know! Stuff. Things. Why do you care?"
"Hado, you need to be careful is all I'm saying. Gang Orca shouldn't have shouted at you, but it probably isn't a good notion to get involved in Midoriya and All Might's business."
She wilted. "You saw all that?"
"I know you're a curious person," he said, wide-eyed and solemn, "but curiosity actually can kill. That's not just like, a meme. I think it actually would kill in this instance. You know who he has to fight."
"I fought Shigaraki before."
"Yeah, you got a few cheap shots off after Midoriya dealt him the smackdown of all eons and Endeavor roasted him to a crisp."
"Amajiki-kun, you weren't even there."
"I know," he muttered, "I'm just saying. There are different ways to help. We have ours and Deku has his."
Nejire looked back in the direction that Uraraka and Kirishima had gone.
"I think Midoriya has the right idea, anyway," she said. "Maybe not to such an extreme degree, but…being on a looser leash. Just getting out there and doing some good. Only reporting in by transmitter. I wish we could do that."
"Gang Orca would skin us and hang our remains on his wall."
"Exactly! I hate having to answer to that guy! He's such a dickwad." Nejire crossed her arms. "You saw how freaked out those civilians got. Mandalay's nice but she can't really handle those situations well either. None of them can. We're two of the Big Three, Amajiki-kun, the best of the best. It should be us out there running those streets and making people feel safe again. We're the bright future of heroism, and we're being stifled by patrols and superiors."
Tamaki slumped over. He never has quite managed to fix his posture. "Maybe if it were you and Mirio instead of you and me," he grumbled. Then he stood up. "I'm gonna go find some food. Hopefully they have a diverse offering." Part of their very weak supply chain system had contained odd and strange foods for Tamaki to eat, to sustain his combat ability, but he'd been running thin. "If this keeps up, I'll just be eating bread and conjuring wheat out of my arms." He tapped Nejire on the head lightly with the water bottle as he walked past. "I'll meet you guys at the plaza."
"Maybe you should go find Nova," she called after him, "get a goodbye kiss."
Tamaki raised one hand without looking back at her, as if contemplating flipping her off, and then didn't do it. She chuckled, somewhat emptily, and then looked down at the grass.
Green grass.
He's right. Getting involved with Midoriya IS dangerous. And yet…
I feel like if I follow Midoriya, then all else comes. Chances to do good. Chances to fight. Chances to live and discover and be involved.
And nothing lit a fire under Nejire Hado more brightly than stuff like that.
…
Kaina was far away from the scene of the scuffle now. That's all that was, a scuffle. She'd been in more than her share of proper fights, and that hadn't really been one.
Now it was time to make another appointment with Aoki and get this hair grown out, ASAP. Otherwise…
Her stomach rumbled. It was not a natural rumble. Kaina swallowed and felt cold sweat drip down the nape of her neck. That had been a warning.
Air Walk…
There was a death trap inside her body now, tied into the second Quirk. All For One's gifts were poisoned. He'd warned her what would happen if she broke contract.
I go boom.
Apparently the Midoriya kid had a penchant for trying to talk to people and understand them while he fought them. Well, she would not be giving him that chance, no thank you! Kaina highly doubted the kid could ever comprehend her motives, and she already understood him just fine.
I know your voice, he'd said. Giving her pause.
"I haven't broken any contract, All For One," she muttered. "You didn't order me to hurt All Might, and I intend to have another go at the kid. Just give me time and space and I'll do the damn job."
Her stomach seemed to settle. That was better.
He did jump to save that heroine with the burn scars. If he hadn't done that, I wouldn't have had a window to escape at all.
Maybe next time she'd bring the hostage.
