"It's him!"
"GET HIM!"
The petty thugs all activated their Quirks, throwing the two hostages aside. That wasn't smart.
Izuku dodged an energy burst and zigzagged between the three criminals, knocking them out with a kick each. As he blasted past the last one, he twirled in midair and threw Blackwhips back, snaring and capturing all of them, yanking them together into one constricted mass.
Then he landed, his boots kicking up dust, and looked back. "Sorry, but I'll have to take you all back to-" He spoke through the mask, then cut himself off.
He'd forgotten about the fourth guy, the one he'd pushed into the dumpster at the start of the skirmish. The man had gotten up and now had his arm wrapped around the neck of one of the hostages, a gun to the side of her head. She was frozen, wide-eyed, trembling.
"One step closer," the man warned, "and she bites it."
Izuku weighed his options. He considered taking his hood off and showing his face, to perhaps negotiate or appeal to humanity. No, I'm fast enough to take him out before he gets the shot off. I just have to charge up. He'd need Fa-jin and a big percentage of OFA.
"You don't want to kill her," he said, staying put, trying not to make it obvious that he was building up energy. "You just wanted their stuff." His eyes darted to the other hostage, cowering in the street. A young man.
"I'm capable of more things than I used to be," the criminal snarled back. "We all are."
Izuku sighed. "Don't I know it-"
"I see that lightning building up around you! Don't you dare try anything tricky!" the man hissed hysterically, handling the hostage roughly and pushing the gun into her head.
"Okay, okay, I'm not, I'm not…" Izuku held his hands up. He could feel sweat coming down his face inside the mask. Shit. What do I do. In all the work he'd done out here, he'd never quite been in a situation this close…
A shadow plummeted from above.
The kick to the back of the man's head hit so hard that the gun went flying, clattering to the street. The hostage woman scrambled away, panicked, and her partner grabbed the gun. Izuku grimaced and shaded his face, shuddering dust billowing up from the impact to the street.
The civilians ran off, hand-in-hand. They took the gun, but not much I can do about that now. Maybe they'd feel better with it. Izuku focused on the new arrival, who made their presence clear as the dust cleared.
Rumi Usagiyama was standing atop the unconscious man, who was splayed out on the street with cracks in the pavement spreading out around him. Her white hair was short, and one of her arms was surely artificial, but it was still Mirko in the flesh.
Izuku gasped. "Did…did you kill him?!"
Mirko glanced down at the villain she'd just defeated. "Err…don't think so. He lost some teeth, though." Her red eyes darted to the other three that he'd already wrapped up. "Looks like I'm just cleaning up the trash," she observed.
"Yeah…thanks. I did have it under control, though," Izuku muttered, releasing Blackwhip and walking over to the unconscious villains to tie them up physically, with rope he kept in his backpack. "I didn't realize you were back out at work, Mirko-san," he said over his shoulder.
"Ha! They tried to keep me down, but do ya think they succeeded?" She put her hands on her hips and stepped off the fourth guy, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and bringing him over. "Here. With the others. Hey, wouldn't ya just pick 'em up with those whips of yours and drop 'em at the nearest police station?"
"Sometimes," said Izuku, "if there's one close enough. But this area is no man's land, so I'll just leave a beacon here." He pulled the device out of his bag and activated it, a small red light beginning to blink. "They'll be along in a few minutes to pick them up."
"Yeesh. Best get the hell outta dodge, then," said Mirko.
Izuku gave her a look. "How did you know what I usually do? With Blackwhip."
Her ears twitched. "You've been the talk of the town, Deku! Hopping all over the place, delivering scum to any station you can find…you don't know every hero still working, but we know you. You kick pretty good for an amateur."
He looked left and right. "Is this your designated patrol area, then? What are you doing out here? It's three in the morning."
Mirko spat. "I was assigned an area, but I abandoned that shit fast. They wouldn't even let me lead it. It was being led by some second-rate local hero that sucked up to them. I wasn't gonna take orders from that guy."
"Assigned by who? Who's them? You mean Nezu?"
"No. The Commission. That rat principal of yours isn't the only lion in the savannah. But screw all that, I don't answer to anybody. I work best when I'm hopping around, kicking anyone I see who's up to no good!"
"Ah." Izuku finished tying up the villains. "You're doing the same thing as me, then."
"Ha! More like you're doing my thing! Your whole mysterious lone wolf act you got going on, that everyone in the public safety network's been talkin' about? I invented that shit!" She leaned forward and flicked the strands on the top of his hood. "Ya even copied my ears."
"That…wasn't the original intention. It's supposed to be All Might's hair."
"Oh. Yeah, that makes more sense." She chewed the inside of her cheek.
He looked over at the curb, where the female civilian had left one of her possessions behind, resting atop the bars of a sewer drain. It must have fallen there. Izuku walked over and crouched down, picking it up. It was a wide-brimmed sunhat, made of straw, with a white ribbon. "Do you want a hat, Mirko-san?"
"I can't wear hats, kid." She pointed at her ears. "Unless they're designed for me."
"Oh yeah," he mumbled. "I just thought it might go well with your hair." He folded up the hat carefully and put it in his backpack, just in case.
Mirko was cackling. "You've got smoother words than I expected! But hey, I'm actually after a specific piece of scum right now. The filth who bombed Shiketsu, my alma mater. You wouldn't happen to know anything, would you?"
Izuku's heart skipped a beat.
I have no way of contacting Camie again. But with Mirko? The top ranked heroine? Maybe we actually have a chance at catching this person. "Umm…well. I was there at the scene of the murder, and we found a connection to the Hojo crime family in Kijimi. I was actually in the process of investigating it myself."
Mirko raised a surprised eyebrow. "You? The Kijimi gang, huh? That's…interesting." She muttered something to herself, flicking her long eyelashes.
"Have you dealt with them before or something?" Izuku wouldn't be surprised; Mirko did have a strange past as a member of underground society. It was well documented in all kinds of interviews she'd done. "You know, I want to catch that person too. They could be intending to target more schools. Maybe if we pooled our resources…"
"Huh?" She gaped at him, as if remembering he was there, breaking out of her deep thought. "What, you, me, work together?" Laughter bubbled up from her throat. "You must be joking, kid."
Izuku reddened under his mask. "It wasn't a joke," he muttered.
"Listen," Mirko said. He was still crouched down from tying up the villains, so she leaned over him, real hand and robot hand both on her hips. "I admire ya. And since you're young, if I ever come across another fight of yours where it seems like ya might be having trouble, I'll help in a heartbeat. But…if you're really gonna go down this path, a path like mine…then you gotta understand. People will try to join up. And ya need to be ready to reject them, because bad things can come from it. You've got the world on your shoulders. I don't envy that, but it means this advice goes double. Do you get what I'm sayin'?"
Izuku stood.
There was a shift in the air as a result. Mirko took a slight step back, her ears twitching again as her eyes followed him up to his full height, which was above hers.
"I got it a long time ago," he told her.
Mirko's eyes danced away. Her lips pursed for a moment.
"Sorry for suggesting a teamup," he continued. "Like I said before, there was a lead in the Kijimi district. You should go there. If we see each other again, I hope we'll be able to share intel, at least."
"Huh? And what are you going to be doing?"
"Hopping around," he responded emphatically, and then he took off into the night, leaving Mirko behind.
…
AAAAAAAAAAAH!
Izuku's mind was utter chaos as he soared over the city.
He was internally screaming, panicking, in total shock and disbelief at the entire interaction he'd just had with Mirko. The past users were all causing a ruckus, too, Nana and Banjo laughing, Yoichi arguing with En, Shinomori, trying to give advice and being forced to shout over the others-
His face was totally red. I can't believe I said all that! I can't believe I acted like that in front of MIRKO! Mirko, of all people! My, like, favorite heroine ever!
Sure, he'd glimpsed her from a distance a few times, and they'd been part of the same large group briefing, but the fact that she'd just come along (like the angel she was) and had a full conversation with him! She'd even said she admired him!
And I somehow kept my cool the whole time?! Where did all that come from? I'm not cool!
Haha! Banjo's voice broke through the havoc. Maybe you've had it inside ya all this time! I think she seemed impressed, you know!
For sure, Nana agreed. When you stood up and she realized you were taller than her? We saw that look on her face. Whew!
And you didn't even stutter, added Yoichi.
Uggggghhhh…Izuku fought to lower the heat in his cheeks. He couldn't stop replaying the whole thing in his mind. She'd been even more beautiful up close. Her muscles, her legs…and that kick she'd delivered?
I offered her a hat! And I asked to team up with her! The like, one thing she hates! What the hell is wrong with me?!
Nine, Nine, Nine, chided En, it really didn't seem like she minded.
She laughed at me!
I think she was just taken aback at how bold you were! Nana said. Trust me, kid. From what I've seen of this Mirko lady, she probably has the same taste and sensibilities as I do.
Oh yeah? Izuku grumbled. And what are those?
She likes people who challenge her!
He groaned aloud, feeling sick to his stomach. I can't deal with this. Not now. First Iruka, now this.
You know what I think? said Banjo. I think your mask makes you more confident, but aside from that, having more conversations with ladies will improve your confidence in general!
It's true, Nana put in. Flirting with the blonde girl in the catsuit? Getting to basically second base with Iruka? Hell, even that girl Nejire. You say you don't know what possessed you, but I think you were able to keep your cool around Mirko because you've done all those other things so far. Even if it's all instinct, and you collapse into an anxious mess after you leave.
That would make sense, said Shinomori. Long-buried instincts that have quietly coexisted with your more prominent nervous feelings…the only thing that can chip away at them is exposure.
Right, sure, sure. Izuku was exasperated. And how exactly does getting more confident with girls help me to do anything?
It will make you more confident across the board, said Yoichi. Tell me, Izuku, do you think you can keep going like this forever? That if you just zigzag through Japan solving crimes, that eventually everything will be perfect? You cannot win with just one solution. You have other strengths to improve.
He's right, said the second user, and all went quiet.
Izuku perked up. Very rarely did the second user speak. He still didn't even know the man's name, and his Quirk had yet to manifest.
Though I think it's fine for you to build up a mutual respect with that rabbit woman, he continued, it'd be best if you didn't take her advice. The way she operates, and the way you're operating now…these ways are not sustainable.
"What do you mean?" Izuku muttered out loud. The nighttime breeze kicked up and caused the fabric of his hood to billow.
You have more power than any of us ever did, but so does the enemy. You will need help to defeat the ultimate evil. When you establish a connection with a person…whether you're flirting with them or just building mutual respect…there's a chance they will want to help you. Even that woman said she'd be willing under certain circumstances. When these chances come, it is not in your power to reject them. Other people have their own agency, Izuku Midoriya. With all your power, you cannot deny them their choice to assist you in the end.
Izuku thought of a lot of people then…mainly Iida, Uraraka, and Kacchan…but also, oddly, Nejire. Because she had tried to fight Lady Nagant. And Shigaraki, too. When I was broken and out of commission.
A pang of pain went through his heart. "I will do my best to protect everyone," he said, ringingly. "Even if they don't want to protect themselves."
That's your choice, the second user admitted, but the other heroes' choices are their own as well. If you try to get in their way, even for their own protection, you may cause an even bigger disaster.
Izuku sighed. Pro heroes were one thing…but civilians, his friends, his classmates, girls his age, that was another thing entirely. What part of that didn't they understand?
Whatever, he told them. I still don't think I should have said that thing about the hat going with her hair.
A few of them chuckled.
Izuku's transmitter beeped, pulling him back to the present.
He lifted it up to his face and pressed the button. "Yes? Deku here."
"It's me, Hawks," said the voice. "I heard you had a run-in with my old senpai."
"Oh, yes. All Might said you wanted to speak to me. I was wondering when you'd call."
"...Yeah." Maybe it was the bad connection, or the fact that Hawks wasn't totally healed, but his voice sounded unconfident. "Look, it'd be better if we could just talk in person, so meet me at Annaka Hospital. You know where that is?"
"I can figure it out. It may be a day or two."
"That's fine. I'll be waiting. We've got enough supplies here for people to be safe. Food, water, power. Conserve all your stuff until you get here, and we can resupply you." Hawks ended the call.
…
Tamaki Amajiki sat glumly in the chair. He had his arms laid across the table, his chin resting on them like a cat. My stomach feels hollow.
A helpful side effect of his Quirk was that he had a much bigger appetite than most people, and was capable of eating a lot without gaining too much weight. All the extra calories go into my manifestations instead. But that also meant he wasn't exactly used to not having much to eat.
All they had at UA for now were the plants they were growing in the greenhouses. At least, that's all they were serving to the people. Tamaki was sure there was more meat in the freezers, but they were clearly rationing it. And I'm not exactly a top priority.
He looked at his arm stretched out in front of him and weakly managed to manifest a few little sprouts of plants, green stalks growing from his skin. Salad. Endless salad.
"This is just not gonna cut it," he muttered.
Across the table, Nejire had taken the spinning chair, and was now rotating around in it, making little sound effects with her mouth.
Tamaki sat up. "Are you even listening?"
Nejire stopped herself with one pointed foot on the floor. "Err…yes?" She tapped her chin. "Something about cutting it? Do you want me to cut those stalks off for you?"
Tamaki sighed. "No…" He shedded them naturally, letting the loose plant matter fall onto the table, dead. What good is this?
"You know, there's a girl in one of the hero classes that has plant hair. She uses it to fight and capture villains. Shiozaki-san."
"The super Christian girl?" Tamaki wrinkled his nose. "Isn't she in Aizawa's class?"
Nejire shook her head. "The other one. The one Midoriya's not in."
There she goes bringing up Midoriya again. Tamaki could tell Nejire was antsy. She would get more and more reckless with her speech and mannerisms until she would probably just explode into a trainwreck of energy. It had happened before.
"I…" he began, and then the door to their little waiting room was thrown open.
Both young heroes stood up rapidly. "Gang Orca!" Tamaki greeted. "Sir."
Nejire said nothing.
The man looked back and forth between them suspiciously. "The escort says she'll only speak to you." He pointed at Tamaki.
"Ah…oh. Me, sir?" He pointed at himself.
"That's right. Come on. You stay here, girl."
"I have a name," Nejire said testily.
Gang Orca had already halfway turned around out the door, but he paused then, and looked back at her. "So do I."
She clenched her fists and flared her nostrils, but didn't say anything else. Tamaki gave her an apologetic glance as he followed their team leader out.
They walked down the busy hallway, one of the newly constructed wings of the expanded UA facility. Turning left and right and left.
"Make sure you find out everything," said Gang Orca. "Don't be afraid to ask her any questions. You seem like the type who might rather keep certain things to himself. I'm going to ask you to get over that. If it were up to me, you wouldn't be doing this at all. I know your uses. But…this is what the witness asks for, so we provide."
"I understand." Tamaki could see why Nejire didn't like Gang Orca. He himself didn't really know what to think. He had been raised to respect adults, and the man's rank and experience as a hero were nothing to shake a stick at.
They arrived. Gang Orca held open the door for him, and Tamaki stepped inside.
Nova was sitting on the opposite side of a table under a pale yellow light. Her messy hair, a blue so deep it was almost black, had been cut and cleaned up. It was still wavy, but it fell around her shoulders more evenly. She was wearing a cropped jacket over a tanktop, but a good portion of her multicolored skin was still visible, bright clouds and dull red nebulae and orange galaxies drifting across her dark arms. Her black sclerae were full of little dots of white light, but her pupils in the center were the largest and brightest. They gleamed at him now, a slight smile on her face as he sat down in the chair opposite her, his heart racing a little.
Then, her smile faltered as she looked over his shoulder at Gang Orca, still standing in the doorway. "I asked for both of them," she said. "Where is the girl? Nejire-chan?"
"Wasn't available," Gang Orca said, gruffly, and then he closed the door on them.
Tamaki had opened his mouth to protest, but couldn't find the words. Huh? What? Wait, she totally was! That's a lie! "Did…did you say you had wanted to see both of us?" he asked aloud. "Because…that…she was with me. In the other room. He said you wanted to just talk to me."
Nova's eyes widened. "Are we being messed with?"
He stood up. "Hado was right. He is an ass. I'm gonna go-"
"No, wait! It…it's okay. I'll just…talk to you." Nova gestured for him to sit back down.
Slowly, Tamaki did so, though he felt embarrassed for being something of a pushover. I should have said something to him. "Well, I'm gonna tell Hado about this. That's just messed up. He's been disrespecting her since we were first assigned to his team."
Nova looked mad. "Is he a misogynist?"
"Err…well, I wouldn't have enough information to make such a claim. He is kind of rude to me, too." Tamaki rubbed his arm. "I think he and Hado argued about interrogating hostages before, and now he doesn't want her anywhere near another questioning. She can get carried away-"
"Is that what you see me as? A hostage to be questioned?" Nova asked.
"N-no! These were villains! I mean, at the time. When they argued. I can't speak to how Gang Orca sees you."
"Well. I was picking up bad vibes, so I didn't want to talk to him. I'm glad he at least let you in here." Her face softened. "You got me safely to UA like you said you would, so now I'm ready to spill. What do you want to know, Suneater?"
"Err…I guess…" Tamaki racked his brain. She was distractingly pretty, and he didn't want to embarrass himself, but he did also want to make sure he found out everything they needed to know. We've got to blow that rat's nest of an entertainment district wide open. Those had been Mandalay's words.
"How does…if you know…how does the Hojo outfit operate?"
Nova straightened up in her seat, hands folded over her lap. "There's the boss, Naru Hojo, and all the other family members answer to him. He has a son, a brother, a nephew, and a few living uncles and cousins. Most of the Hojos have their own people they trust within the outfit, their own personal hires, but as for all the personnel that would say they work for the gang as a whole…they're under Naru. He has some trusted advisors and upper managers that aren't actually part of the family, and they control a couple of different divisions. There's a management guy for the drugs, and he has cooks and dealers and runners and enforcers under him. Then there's a guy who handles the money laundering, who has his own team that goes down to the most basic grunt and guard, and a guy in charge of overall security, and all the liaisons for the local businesses, and so on. The only real major category that doesn't report to Naru is the sex workers."
Tamaki coughed, trying to maintain his composure. "And that…that includes…"
"Me. Yes." Nova tilted her head slightly to the side. "The hookers are in a grey area because we're the only thing that the Hojos share with the Harbor. The two gangs compete with drugs, they compete with the businesses they own, but they don't compete with pretty girls. Pretty girls…are for everyone." There was more than a little bitterness in her tone. "So big man Naru, uncomfortable with being in charge of anything he's forced to share, leaves the management of escorts to his younger brother."
"Making the younger brother the second most powerful by default," Tamaki muttered. "So you know stuff about the Harbor then, too."
"...Yes. Less so than the Hojos, but yes," Nova admitted.
"What's their deal?"
"The Harbor is much more focused on making outside money than the Hojos are. They don't control as many businesses in Kijimi, though they still control a significant amount…and they're not family-based. They're newer. They're like a collective of like-minded greedy scumbags. They control the area of town that the river goes through…hence the name. They have their own fleet of boats, and they do trade with other parties around the country. I couldn't tell you much about those, I'm afraid, but it goes deeper than you think."
"And they're much more focused on drugs, right?" asked Tamaki, leaning closer.
Nova nodded. "Drugs and weapons, mainly. The Harbor has a head arms dealer who I've never seen, but apparently she's a woman with a terrifying Quirk."
A high-ranking female criminal, he mused. He seemed to recall there being something about that in a briefing. "Do you know what the Quirk does?" he asked.
Shake of the head. "I try to stick to customers from the dry side of town as much as I can," she half-whispered. "You see, Suneater…the thing about the Harbor is…I've known nice girls get sucked too far in, catering to guys from the Harbor who pay good. And then they get taken in for…inspection. This arms dealer…I don't know what she does with them. But any hooker who catches too much Harbor attention ends up in front of her at some point or another. Not me, yet…and now hopefully never…but I knew girls who came out of there different, and I knew girls who never came out of there again."
Tamaki swallowed. This is why she wanted to ensure she was behind UA walls before she said anything. A mysterious powerful Quirk could mean an ambiguous safe distance. What if it had something to do with mind reading, or worse? "I understand now, Nova," he said out loud. "I think you're very b-brave. For…for all that you do."
She leaned forward and placed her hand over his in the center of the table, smiling. "I could say the same to you, Suneater."
Tamaki twitched, but he didn't shrink away from her touch. He tried his best to maintain eye contact for as long as possible before it got too much and he looked away, blushing. Nova giggled.
"There is one more big question…" he said. "Where are the others? The civilians of Kijimi? Is there a place where more people like you are hiding?"
The light in her eyes died. "That's the thing," she whispered. "If you went into the wet side of town, I'm sure you saw. The Harbor has a lot of places where people like to hole up. Drug addicts, that sort. And they're protected. That's how the Harbor gets you. I think a lot of people went to them when it all went to hell, after the battle…and now they're being kept there."
"By…by that woman?"
Nova nodded. "By her and the rest of those…monsters."
…
It was raining outside when Izuku arrived at Annaka Hospital, far to the west.
He'd had to travel a bit of a rural area to reach this place, which had been…different. He'd thought the cities had felt dangerous, but the winding mountain roads and isolated communities were on another level entirely. Some of the incidents he'd had to solve…and worse, Danger Sense, Danger Sense constantly. The woods and the fields and the darkness seemed to close around him…
But now he was here in this other city, and his destination was in front of him.
There were a few guards and personnel outside the hospital as he walked up, his dark green costume soaked to his skin. "Stop there!" one shouted.
Izuku brandished his hero license. "I'm here to see Hawks," he said.
They relaxed and exchanged looks. "You're Deku. He's waiting inside for you."
Izuku nodded and walked up to the glass double doors. The automatic system that opened them appeared to no longer be working, so he slid one open manually and walked into the hospital.
The lobby had clearly once been…as Ashido might have said, bougie. Wood panels and carpeting and a nice shiny front desk, floor-to-ceiling glass dividing wing entrances from one another, a set of white stairs leading up to a second floor beneath a high ceiling.
But now, the carpet was stained and pulled up in the corners, the desk was covered with food boxes and medical supplies, and one of the glass panels was partially missing. Civilians and personnel mingled around the space. A few looked sullenly up at Izuku as he entered. Others had downright alarmed reactions.
Then, he saw Endeavor.
"Here," the hulking man was saying softly, holding up a red apple out of one of the food crates. "Is this what you want?" He was not in his hero costume, and his fire beard was turned off.
The woman next to him was in something like a nightgown. She was walking with a cane. "Yes, alright," she responded in a breathy voice. Behind her, two younger people were walking, a brother and sister. The brother had part of his face in bandages, and he was reaching into various food crates and digging around. When he tried to pull out what looked like a grain bar, his sister slapped his hand and whispered something angrily. Her arm was in a sling.
Izuku walked over to the Todorokis. "Hello, Endeavor sir," he greeted, taking his hood off, dripping water all over the floor. The carpet's already stained anyway.
Enji Todoroki raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Midoriya! You…oh. A surprise to see you here."
"Yes. Sorry, I don't intend to stay long." Izuku shifted awkwardly on his feet, feeling a lot of eyes around the lobby on him. Some of them were suspicious.
"Hello, Midoriya," Fuyumi greeted, waving with her one good arm. She was not wearing her glasses.
"Hello. It's good to see that you're all…up on your feet."
"Yes. We were lucky, in the grand scheme of things." Fuyumi nudged her brother Natsuo and shot him an angry glance. "Midoriya's here. He's Shoto's friend, remember? Say hello."
Natsuo's one visible eye was accusing. "Why are you here?" he asked Midoriya. He shifted his gaze to his father. "Do all these people realize what he is? What he could bring here, Endeavor?"
"Keep your voice down," Endeavor hissed, looking a bit panicked around the room. He gave Izuku an apologetic glance.
"Natsuo," said the woman with the cane, Rei. Endeavor's wife. Todoroki's mom. The last time Izuku had seen her in person was when she'd confronted her husband about Dabi. The last time he'd seen her at all, it had been on video, when she'd been carried into this very hospital, unconscious. After the Shiketsu bombing. That's where these three sustained all their injuries.
Rei was staring at Izuku now, with those soft grey eyes of hers. Her white hair fell straight around her lightly lined, snow-pale face. "You should speak more kindly to a friend of Shoto's," she told her son, though her eyes remained fixed upon Izuku. Somehow, she's the scariest one!
"It's good to see you, Todoroki-san," he greeted her kindly, if a bit carefully.
She managed a soft smile, shutting her eyes and putting both hands on her cane. "It's nice to see you too, Midoriya-kun."
Endeavor cleared his throat loudly and said, "I'm sure Deku intends to get whatever business he has, done quickly."
"He's here to see me," said a new voice.
Izuku turned. "There you are, Hawks."
"Yep." The winged hero looked a little tired and strained, but otherwise he was seeming better. No more bandages, at least. "Hey, everyone." He nodded to each of the Todorokis in turn, and then looked awkwardly at the rest of the room. "Midoriya, would you walk with me?"
"Sure." Izuku stepped over a sleeping person and went to Hawks. He turned back and said, "See you later," to the Todorokis.
"Bye," said Fuyumi.
"Bye," Rei echoed, at a barely audible volume.
Izuku and Hawks turned and crossed the lobby, bobbing and weaving around people and crates on the floor. They entered a wing and went down a wide white-walled corridor, which was similarly crammed, but quieter. Izuku looked back at the lobby one last time, where some people were watching the two of them leave, while others only had eyes for Endeavor. "This place doesn't seem very friendly," he observed.
Hawks grimaced. "Endeavor and I aren't exactly the most popular heroes ever at the moment."
"Neither am I," Izuku mumbled.
"Well, that's only because you insist on haunting around like the Grim Reaper. Take that hood off and show your face, bud. You're doing a lot of good out there, and people will start to recognize it."
"Unless they know who's after me." He thought about Natsuo's reaction to seeing him. I can't even blame him. "Tell me about Lady Nagant."
Hawks brought him to the very end of the wing, and together they stopped just beneath some industrial stares amidst a pile of dusty old boxes, just beyond where the ceiling tube lights reached. It was a corner of privacy.
The winged hero took a deep breath. "Her name is Kaina Tsutsumi. Her Quirk is Rifle. She can make a gun with her arm and bullets and gun modifications with her body hair. She can basically get those constructs to do anything as long as it's a natural part of a firearm. We're talking bullets that curve, bullets that burst into smaller bullets, bullets that have tracking devices attached to them, bullets that emit a sonic blast…"
"Flashbangs?" Izuku suggested. "Could she make her arm into a grenade launcher?"
Hawks shrugged. "I wouldn't put it past her. She was efficient and very skilled with her Quirk. Calm and collected. Honestly…I wanted to be a lot like her, back in the day."
"When you both worked for the Public Safety Commission."
"Yeah. She was their pride and joy."
"I remember seeing her on television; she was a popular hero! What happened, Hawks?"
"Well…this is the kinda…top secret part." Hawks looked shiftily back down the corridor. "Listen, Midoriya. The official story for why she was sent to Tartarus was that another hero had been her target. Thing is…that wasn't it. It was the president of the Commission at the time who she killed."
"The pre-" Izuku was blindsided. "What?"
"She went into that office to receive an assignment. When she came out, the president was dead. To this day, I don't really know what the assignment was and why it made her react like that…I'm sure some know, though. There's…levels, to the secrets in the Commission."
"I ran into Mirko the other day. She said she'd received a patrol assignment from the Commission and was ignoring it."
Hawks laughed. "That sounds about like her! To tell the truth…the Commission is trying to do their part for Japan right now, but UA and Nezu's sector are being far more effective. Since they were attacked by Re-Destro, the Commission doesn't really have the power they used to. There's a lot of people that blame the Commission for all this happening in the first place, and the points they make aren't exactly wrong. I'll admit…" He scratched the back of his neck. "That I kinda used to be their puppet. They're still sending me occasional orders, but I've honestly been ignoring them. I feel much better working with you, and All Might, and Jeanist and Endeavor. It's us and UA that will fix all this, I think."
"Do you think Nagant might have been disillusioned with them, too? Is that why she broke bad?"
"Back then?" Hawks curled his mouth to one side. "Difficult to say. What hero-turned-villain isn't somehow disillusioned with something? But it could have been anything, really. There was no limit to things that she could have been unsatisfied with. Still…the fact that she's likely targeting you on AFO's orders…"
"All I need to know is if I can beat her, Hawks."
"Well, of course you can." Hawks clapped him on the shoulder. "You can do anything. But I'd definitely like to help you with Nagant if you'll let me."
His earlier conversation with the past users flashed through his head. "...Yeah. That'd probably be for the best."
"Good. I'm glad you see it that way. Would you mind if you showed me the most recent place where she attacked you? There's a chance she left some of her bullets behind. There's Quirks in the police that can do DNA tracking and stuff like that. Might be helpful if we took a look around there."
"Well, if I'd known that, I'd have kept that piece of her hair that I had before."
Hawks grinned. "You're not quite an ace detective just yet, Midoriya. Also…it's creepy to hold onto a woman's hair."
"Hence why I didn't."
"Ha! Yeah, I bet you don't really need my help with the ladies, huh?" Hawks nudged him. "To tell the truth, I kinda have my eye on Fuyumi."
"Wha…Endeavor's daughter?!"
"Yeah! She's cute, don't you think? And she's my age."
Izuku shook his head. "I'm not the one you'll have to ask permission from about all that, Hawks." Playing with literal fire…well, at least his carefree personality hasn't gone away completely. "When do you want to leave? The place is all the way back near UA; it's not exactly close by."
"I'll let you rest for the night. Besides, I need a little more time, too." He flapped his very small wings. "My feathers have taken a long time to regen, and I doubt I'm ready for a flight of any significant speed."
…
Nighttime at the hospital.
Izuku had washed his clothes again and gotten some food. The lights were off in the lobby now, making it twilight-dark, rain assaulting the windows. It was almost cozy. Most people had cleared out.
Endeavor was heading toward the double doors in his hero costume. "Where'd everyone go?" Izuku asked him, down to his t-shirt and shorts, holding his own freshly washed costume in his arms.
"There are beds all over this place. I suggest you find one."
"You're going out into the storm, sir?"
"There's good to be done out there, so yes," Endeavor replied. "Even if I don't do well in the rain."
Izuku began to unfold his costume. "If you want, I can-"
"No. Stay here. Hawks said he wanted you to rest, so rest." Endeavor's tone was about as caring as it was likely to get.
Ah. Of course they spoke to one another about me. Izuku watched the man leave the building. Then he picked up his backpack and walked off.
Not really having a clue where he was going, he strolled through the dark hospital. The few remaining fluorescent lights that were on buzzed sullenly.
Every so often he'd pass a window and listen to the rain patter outside.
It was quiet here.
Izuku saw light coming out of a doorway further down the corridor. He walked to it and peered inside.
Oh, it's one of these rooms.
Floor-to-ceiling projections bathed the space, which was about the size of his classroom back at UA. The projections showed a scene of a rolling grassy meadow atop a low hill, a quiet green forest stretching to the horizon. Birds chirped. There was a sound effect for blowing wind, but no actual breeze was present.
A simulation room, meant for long-stay patients to have a nice place to relax.
There was a real wooden bench in the front-center of the room, projected grass lighting up the floor around it. Rei Todoroki was sitting there in her nightgown.
Izuku must have made a noise, because she perked up and looked back at the doorway. "Oh, hello Midoriya-kun."
"Uhh…hi. Sorry to intrude."
"Not at all." She patted the bench. "Would you like to come sit down? It's very soothing."
"Oh. Umm…" Izuku was unsure.
Even Rei's smiles seemed full of some kind of mild sorrow. "It's alright if you just want to go find somewhere to sleep instead."
Slowly, he walked into the simulation room, the scene of the meadow surrounding him. Wildflowers waved in the breeze beneath his feet. They along with the grass slightly projected upward in the third dimension, but when he passed through them he felt nothing. They were only projections.
He came around to the front of the bench. Rei's cane was leaning on it; she moved it over slightly to allow him to sit. He did so, stiffly. Her manner of sitting was very proper; she was straight-backed with her hands folded over her lap.
"It's a nice scene, isn't it?" said Rei, nodding at the idyllic countryside they could see down the hill, projected on the wall they were facing. Above it was a blue sky and what felt like natural yellow sunlight.
Izuku nodded. "It's better than the beach overlay."
She made a small o-shape with her mouth. "Have you been in one of these rooms before?"
"My mom used to be a nurse. I visited the hospital she worked at when I was little."
Rei hummed. "The place where I used to live had one as well. I rarely used it."
"Ah." The facility she was in…because she'd dumped a kettle on Todoroki.
Her face seemed pensive. Maybe she knew what he was thinking about. "Your mother was a nurse? Has Shoto met your mother?"
"Erm…I suppose he has. They're both at UA right now."
"Hm. That's good. Friends should always meet each others' parents." Rei's slight, soft smile had returned to her face. "You must think I'm being wasteful, having this room turned on when there's so many reasons to conserve power now."
"It honestly didn't occur to me, Todoroki-san."
"It was Endeavor's idea. He wanted this room running for me and the kids. I don't think they've come in here once, though."
Izuku looked at her. It was hard to ask her questions, because everything he knew or had gathered about her was so…sensitive. "You call him Endeavor. And not…not his name?" Just like Natsuo.
Rei's grey eyes shimmered. "Yes."
Izuku didn't say anything else. He was very afraid of offending her.
She giggled. "You're very respectful, Midoriya-kun. But your curiosity is all over your face. I don't love Endeavor. We, as a family, decided that we have a mutual duty regarding Touya. You were even there and involved for some of that. But as for our duties as a family regarding each other…I love my children, but I carry no connection to my husband."
"And…everyone in the family…has different parameters they are operating by."
"Mmhmm. Fuyumi, bless her, she'll always have room in her heart for everyone. Natsuo is even more resentful of Endeavor than I am. And Shoto…well. He's forgiven me, and that means a lot." She put one hand against her breast, staring at her shoes. "But we are all on the same page about him, at least."
Dabi. "Todoroki-san…I don't know what will be in my power to do when the next battle comes. But if there's any way I can help…for Todoroki, for you, and yes, for Endeavor as well, since he taught me a lot…then I'll be there."
Rei gazed at him with complete peace in her eyes. "I know," she said. "I've heard so much about you, and I've seen what I could find, in videos and things. Heroism is in your soul. You were born for what you do, Midoriya-kun. That's such a rare gift." She reached over and squeezed his arm affectionately. "I bet your mother is very proud of you."
Izuku was taken aback. He could only stare at her. Her snow-white hair, the way her smile played perfectly with the lines on her face. She must be older than forty, but she's aged beautifully.
Oh God. Oh, no. What am I thinking?!
"Thank you…" he mumbled, hoping she would accept his red face as just embarrassment at being complimented.
"You know…" Her tone was almost coy. "You said Todoroki twice in that last sentence while referring to two different people. That can easily get confusing if you aren't careful."
"Oh. Um." Izuku paled. "Well, as much as I'd like to call Todoroki…meaning Todoroki as in your youngest son. As much as I'd be okay with calling him…Shoto. Since I do think we're good friends. I think I'd have to ask him first." And it may be a long, long time before I see him again.
"Hm. Well, since I'm right here, why don't you call me Rei instead?"
He went all the way back to red again. Her eyes were teasing him, but she seemed perfectly serious. Maybe she just doesn't like the last name Todoroki. I don't know her maiden name, but if she eventually gets a divorce…
If it was because of that, and it was her preference then he saw no issue. "Alright," he said, softly. "...Rei."
Rei nodded. "Now, I'll still call you Midoriya-kun, since Shoto doesn't call you Izuku yet. But I'm sure that can come with time."
Izuku felt a smile grow on his face. He felt, strangely, like he was being brought into their family. What an odd, odd feeling. But I don't dislike it at all.
And it had all come about because he was who he was. Being nosy. Pushing Todoroki at the sports festival beyond what he was comfortable with. Trying to learn under Endeavor. Getting involved in the fight with Dabi. It was nice to know that his hard work, his underlying drive to help these people out, had resulted in them giving him something back.
And then there was the fact that he'd seemingly gained the respect of Rei, an aloof but very beautiful woman. Maybe…maybe you guys had a point, he told the past users in his mind. There were more types of good things that could come from his work that he'd never considered before. More things to value. And if I oddly keep learning that from older women, then so be it. Rei's hair was even basically the same color as Mirko's.
"Oh," he blurted aloud, having a thought. He leaned down and unzipped his backpack, which was at his feet beneath the bench. "I have something for you, Rei. If you'd like."
Izuku pulled out the wide-brim straw sunhat that he'd found before, the one with the white ribbon. He unfolded it and held it out to her.
Rei's eyebrows rose in muted surprise, and she blinked prettily. "For me?" she repeated, looking up at him.
"Err…yeah." Izuku pointed at the ribbon, all awkward chivalry. "See? It goes with your hair."
Gently, her slender hands took the hat from him. She did not quite seem to believe what she was seeing.
Then…Izuku knew he couldn't have imagined it, because the light in this projection room was very smooth, and her face was normally so pale. But Rei definitely blushed.
"Thank you, Midoriya-kun," she muttered. And she placed the hat on her head. "Does…does it look nice on me?"
"It does," he told her. In his head, he could feel the past users' approval. "Just like I knew it would."
