Author's Note: Hey everyone! It's been a bit! Sorry about that, there's a lot of things going on in my life that take priority over this right now, but I still found some time. I'm starting my master's program next month, so that'll be something special. Hopefully I can finally get a decent job lmao. Anyway, all that being said, I'm not including any links to servers this time because there's been a lot of drama in both of them recently, and I don't exactly want to bring people into that. I've had people reach out to me about starting my own fic server, but I'm not soo sure about that yet. Let me know in the reviews/comments if you guys would be interested in that. It'd be for fanfic in general, not just mine. I'm not sure how I'd structure it yet, but I have thought about it. Anyway, I know this isn't a Saturday update, but it is the two year anniversary of this fic, so I found it more fitting. Love y'all, and see you guys next time, whenever that is! Just know that there's a LOT of things coming for the cast of SR. Some good, a lot bad, but all in the name of character development!
"Hey Kyouka?" Izuku asked. The two were laid down in their bed the night after introducing Setsuna and Eijirou to their ranks.
"Yeah?" She responded absentmindedly. She was reading some article about her favorite band.
"Are you okay?" Izuku asked.
"Yeah, why?" She responded.
"No, I mean like… really okay." He said. Kyouka put her phone down and looked at him quizzically. "You've been going to sleep later and later every day, and you wake up from multiple nightmares every night. Are you afraid to go to sleep?"
Kyouka's eyes widened just slightly for a fraction of a second before returning to normal. "What? No." She dismissed it a bit too easily.
"Kyo. Please." Izuku urged.
"I…" Kyouka trailed off.
"I know you're not okay." Izuku said. "I just wanted you to be honest with me about it." Kyouka shrunk away at that. "I know that you're dealing with some tough shit, and I'm here for you, as a team leader, as your boyfriend, and as your friend. I need to hear it from you so that I can make myself stay strong for you." Izuku said.
"What do you mean by that?" She asked.
"I'm being strong for you as you go through this. Because you're struggling and not okay. And that's okay. But I need to hear it from you. Because if you really are okay and don't need someone to be strong…" Izuku trailed off.
"Then what?"
"Then I'll need someone to be strong for me." Izuku could feel tears welling up in his eyes.
"Izuku, what's going on?" Kyouka asked.
"No, I need you to answer me first. I asked you first." Izuku said. "I need you to be honest with me. Please."
Kyouka took a shaky breath. "I… I'm not okay… The nightmares are bad. I wake up every morning not knowing if I'm me or if I'm… him. I have these thoughts that aren't mine. Sometimes…" Her voice caught in her throat. Izuku held her close as he felt tears begin to drop onto his arms. "Sometimes I see Eri, and all I can think of is 'mine'."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that I see her as an object! I don't want to see her as an object. She's a young girl that needs to live her life, but he has gotten in my head even though he's on his way to prison to never be seen again. He's not even here! How is he having such an effect on me? Why can't I get rid of him?" Her voice was quiet because of what time it was, but Izuku could hear it waver and crack as more tears rolled down her face.
"I… I'm sorry. I wish I knew the answer to that." Izuku said as he softly rubbed Kyouka's head. "While I don't know the answer, I do know that I'm gonna be here with you every step of the way while you figure it out."
"You figured out your identity problem, though." Kyouka said softly.
"No…" Izuku admitted. "I haven't yet. But you need me to be strong right now. So I am going to be strong. For you. Izuku, Snake Eyes, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you get to be okay."
"How is that what matters? You're sacrificing your own mental wellbeing for mine?" Kyouka asked. "Why?"
"Because I know you'd do the same for me. Nobody can be perfect all the time. I don't expect you to always be okay, and I don't expect that of myself, either. But I can control how I support you when you're not okay." Izuku explained.
"But you need it too!" Kyouka retorted.
"And I'm willing to push that aside. Please, Kyo. Let me help you." Izuku pleaded.
Kyouka sat in silence for a few moments before sighing. "Fine. But I'm not happy about it."
"That works for me. Now… let's talk a bit more about the problem you're having." Izuku said with a smile. He positioned both of them in the bed so that Kyouka could lay her head down on his lap as he slowly caressed her hair.
"I don't know what else there is to say…" She curled up in his lap. "I already kind of told you everything that I was feeling."
"And if that's all you can think of right now, then that's fine." Izuku said. "I'm here for you. If that means that you need me to be here just to hold you while you fall asleep, then I will do that. If it means I need to listen, then I will listen. I'm here for you."
"Thank you, Izu…" Her voice quieted as she closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. "I love you…"
"I love you too, Kyo." A few seconds later, Kyouka's eyes shot open, and Izuku could feel her muscles tense. "It's okay to sleep. I've got you." His voice was warm. Calm. It helped her feel both warm and calm. Things she had been lacking in the recent days. With that, she felt her body relax fully for the first time since the week before the raid. She felt sleep take her, and what surprised her was that she wasn't scared of doing so.
"So where did you say we're going? Beat Rush?" Eijirou asked.
"Heat Rush." Izuku corrected. "It's a nice place."
"Never heard of it, but I love new food." Setsuna said. "So I'm for sure willing to try it."
"To be fair, Izuku is the only one here that's had any food from here. I think?" Mei asked herself. Shouto didn't speak up about his visit with Nezu.
"Yeah, the food is good. It's all inspired by notable heroes. Good stuff. Tons of heroes and villains come here." Izuku said.
"No offense to Eri, but did we have to bring her along?" Himiko asked. "The villains here can be problematic."
"Well, we don't really have a choice. My mom is working today." Izuku said. "Plus, this place is strictly no business or fighting establishment. We don't have to worry about that at all. She'll be safe." He led the group through a few alleyways until they exited in front of the familiar neon sign. All nine members of the vigilante group and Eri entered the building.
"Welcome to Heat Rush." They all heard a man say. Behind the counter, Izuku saw Ryouya Harushi, the proprietor of the establishment. As the group filed in, Ryouya's eyebrow raised slightly. "We have a table in the back for a group your size. Follow me." He picked up a few menus and led them to the back. The few patrons in the establishment weren't anything special. Each of them either by themselves or with another person. The light music in the background drowned out the conversations that other patrons were having. Izuku thought it was weird that they had passed quite a few tables that could have seated the ten of them, yet he still took them to the back. Ryouya sat them down and handed all of them menus, and then he left. Something felt off here.
The different members of the group talked about what they were going to order. Izuku had settled on the All Might Steak, but he couldn't shake the feeling that was eating away at him. The feeling that something was wrong. Ryoua came back a few minutes later with water for everyone at the table, but before they could order, Ryouya pulled a chair to their table and sat down. Izuku didn't quite know why that single action made him immediately start to sweat and be filled with a sense of dread, but he found out as soon as Ryouya opened his mouth. "To what do I owe the pleasure of having the most notorious vigilante group in Japan at my establishment?"
"I'm… I'm not sure what you mean." Izuku said.
"Is there anything wrong with a group of friends coming out to eat?" Hitoshi asked.
"Normally, no. But given that it's a group of people who should be in school during the day, and that it's a Tuesday? That's quite the oddity." Eijirou, Mei, and Kyouka looked around the group nervously. "Plus, you have her." Ryouya pointed at Eri. "I saw the videos of the Shie Hassaikai raid. Plenty of heroes came here after that to show me. I saw her there in the video. And then Societas Requiem takes her away before any heroes can get here. And then here she is." He explained.
"So then what are you going to do about it?" Shouto asked.
"I'm not doing anything about it, Mint-san." He looked at Setsuna. "Congratulations on winning the Sports Festival, by the way, Lizard-san."
"Th-thanks…" Setsuna said, clearly nervous about the situation. Izuku saw a few beads of sweat covering her face.
"Anyway. All that being said, I'm not going to turn you in. I don't turn in the villains that come here. What makes you think you'd be any different?" When nobody responded, he sighed. "I'm here to ask you a few questions. That's all. Maybe give some advice."
"Ask away." Kyouka said, giving a weak smile to Izuku, who just nodded in response.
"The most important question is just 'why?'"
"Why what?"
"Just… Why? Why become vigilantes? Why not be heroes? You've clearly got the skills for it. Three of you are part of the hero course at UA. Why do… this?" He gestured to them.
"It was the only option at the time." Izuku said quietly. "Some… Some of us weren't accepted into the UA Hero program. Their entrance exam didn't work well with some of our quirks." Kyouka put a hand on his back for support.
"So… you got rejected by UA and that was it?" Ryouya asked. "Nothing else? No other schools? No other options? There's Shiketsu and Ketsubetsu. You could have applied there."
"But-" Izuku started.
"But it's not UA, I know. All I'm trying to say is that you can and should become heroes. Not this. Your hearts are in the right place from what I've seen from your exploits. You've gone after villains that other people had trouble taking down, and you succeeded. You have a fairly perfect success rate, which is a lot more than most official heroes. You've done well, but that can and will end." Ryouya explained.
"We can always keep going. We're strong. We took down Overhaul." Izuku defended.
"You got lucky." Ryouya countered coldly. That word. Lucky. That was Izuku. He was lucky, and that had helped them. Why was that a problem?
"What's wrong with being lucky? We've done well so far off of that. People like us. We have a name for ourselves. Why look down on luck?" Izuku had gotten defensive. His quirk had helped them. It had. He was the leader, and he was capable. Yes he might be lucky, but it wasn't all luck. He worked to get here. There was more to him than his quirk. There was more to him than just luck. Right?
"Nothing's wrong with it." Ryouya said. "Being lucky is great. You have done those things. But everyone's luck runs out eventually." The table went quiet. "You have done well, and you've gotten more people as part of your group. Growing in size is a great thing for something like you. But there's a problem there too. You're bringing more people into a dangerous situation. Hero work is dangerous, yes, but vigilante work even moreso."
"We have each other's backs." Hitoshi said. "We protect each other."
"I'm sure you do. But what happens when all of you can't take down the villain? What happens when there isn't any more backup? What happens when you get hurt and can't go to the hospital because you're vigilantes? What happens then?"
"We push through it just like we always have." Izuku said.
Ryouya sighed. "All I'm saying is that you don't have to just 'push through'. You have options. More than you think. I know it."
"How? How do you know our options?" Mei asked.
"Look, I didn't want to do this, but I was talking with Rat-san." Ryoua sighed.
"Who is Rat-san?" Izuku asked.
"That would be Nezu." Shouto said, his gaze still locked onto Ryouya's face.
"Yes. Rat-san informed me of the agreement that he has with you, but he's also told me that he's willing to take you into UA, no questions asked once that agreement has been carried out. You can be heroes." Ryouya urged.
"Why are you so set on this?" Shouto asked.
"Because, Mint-san, I don't want anyone to die because they were on the wrong side." A few seconds of silence followed as what he said began to sink into their heads. "You don't have to listen to me, but that's my advice. Take Nezu up on the offer. I'll vouch for you. I can help train you guys in fighting, too. I've seen some of your moves, and they're good. I'm just better. But that doesn't happen until you become heroes in training." He stood up from the chair. "With that being said, do you all know what you would like to eat? I can take your order now."
The group was relatively silent after ordering. Everything that Ryouya had said stuck with them, and they were all deep in thought. The food came out, and the meal went by rather quietly. The light music in the background kept the table from being completely silent.
Shouto was the first one to speak up. "He might be right." Everyone stayed silent, but Izuku's silence was the loudest. "There are options. Options to move forward."
"But how do we just give up what we have?" Hitoshi asked.
"I'm not saying that. We don't have to give up anything. We can shift it towards heroism." Shouto explained.
"And you're okay with that?" He asked Izuku.
"I'm not sure yet, but it's something to consider." Izuku said after a few seconds.
"You can't be serious!" Hitoshi said, standing up from the table. The scraping of the chair on the wooden floor rang throughout the restaurant, dropping the quirt atmosphere even lower.
"I am serious, but nothing has been decided yet. Stand. Down." Izuku said. "This is best discussed further alone. Stop making a scene."
Hitoshi slowly sat down in his chair. "Yes, sir." Mei put a hand on his back, offering him a small smile. He returned it.
"Now, let's just enjoy the rest of this meal, alright?" Izuku asked. Everyone nodded, but nobody spoke.
The door to the warehouse slammed shut behind Hitoshi after everyone had already entered. The sound echoed through the warehouse, cracking the silent wall that had formed around the group at Heat Rush.
"Alright, Hitoshi. Spit it out. What is it you want to say?" Izuku asked.
"I'm just confused as to why you'd want to go back on everything we've done! For what, ease? It was never about being easy! It was about doing something important; being something important. Being more than just a UA reject, a musician, a crazy inventor, a villain, and a monster!"
"That is not who we are, Hitoshi." Fumikage responded.
"Because of this!" He responded, gesturing around the warehouse and then to each of them. "Because of what we're doing. We are heroes in all but name, but we're a means of showing people that it's possible!" He groaned. "You guys just don't seem to understand!"
"Well help us understand, Hitoshi!" Izuku responded. "Help us understand why this would be a bad move."
"I've been trying to…" Hitoshi said, walking past Izuku. "You're just not listening." He began to walk towards his and Mei's room when Mei's computer terminal began beeping.
Mei rushed over to the computer and began typing quickly and fervently.
"Mei, what's wrong?" Hitoshi asked.
"Prometheus said there's something going on that involves us. Something important. She sent me a link." A few clicks, and the screen lit up with a man's face.
"What is this?" Fumikage asked.
"A live news broadcast." Mei responded.
Kyouka gasped. "I recognize them! That's the Infernal Orchestra!"
"Yeah, I don't know what that is." Himiko said, shrugging.
"A group of musicians that are also heroes. A lot of music and sound-based quirks." Izuku said.
"Yeah, they were an inspiration for me when I was younger." Kyouka admitted.
"Great. I think we've waited long enough. If Societas Requiem isn't watching by now, then they'll still see this later." The man on the screen said. "I am Onga Shikikai, leader of the Infernal Orchestra. Societas Requiem, you have plagued the country of Japan long enough. Stand down. Turn yourselves in for your crimes. If you don't, then we will take you down." The camera panned to show every member of the band of heroes. None of them were in their stage costumes for performances. Instead, they had their hero costumes on. And all of them looked pissed.
"You have one week to turn yourselves into the Hero Public Safety Commission's office. After that week, I can no longer guarantee your safety when we bring you in." Onga smiled. "Of course, that's all up to you. Take as much time as you need. My men and I are rusty. We'd love the practice."
Onga's broadcast ended, the screen shifting back to the normal news broadcast. "Well, it seems that the new Vigilante group has been challenged by the Infernal Orchestra. That will surely be a fight to witness." One of the news anchors said.
"I hope it doesn't come to that. As much as the vigilantes have had high ratings these past few weeks, they are still breaking the law." The other anchor said.
"What a party pooper you are, Tanaka! I'm rootin' for 'em!" The first anchor said with a smile. "That's all for this segment. Next is the weather with Sayaka after this commercial break."
The channel cut to commercial, leaving the group of people huddled around Mei's computer silent for the second time that day.
After a minute, Hitoshi broke off from the group. "That's just great." He threw his hands in the air. "Now we've officially been issued a challenge. So much for being heroes now, huh, Izuku?" He taunted.
"Hitoshi, I'm telling you this as your leader and your friend. Stand. Down. No decision has been made yet. Points have been made, but this isn't some decision that I will just make on a whim. It has to come after the inevitable altercation with the Infernal Orchestra. That takes priority now. These next few days are gonna be all hands on deck, everyone." The group aside from Hitoshi nodded. "I won't be thinking about switching to heroics until after we're in the clear. My main priority is to keep all of you safe. And that starts with preparing for this fight." He looked at Mei. "Your Creation machine, forgot the name of it, is going to need to be going nonstop."
"That baby is called a fabricator." Mei said.
"Yes, that one." Izuku slid his gaze to Eijirou and Setsuna. "Sorry for the sudden thrust into this, but you two are going to need to work with Mei to get your costumes ready yesterday. I hope you have your names picked out." The two of them nodded. "Now, I just want to reiterate. I am not going to let any of us just walk to the HPSC and turn ourselves in. That's not what we're about. We're a family, and even when families have disagreements and fights…" Izuku looked at Hitoshi again. "We still have each other's backs. Now let's get to work, everyone." Izuku said, marching towards his room. He needed to come up with something. These were professionals that had experience fighting as a group. Eraserhead, Midnight, and Present Mic were professionals too, but the group aspect was where his had succeeded. He would have no such luxury this time. He rifled through his notebooks until he found what he was looking for. Years old analysis of the Infernal Orchestra.
This.
This is what would win him the war. Information. Their quirks were public record. His group's quirks were still able to have an element of surprise with them.
Time to get ready.
