The Legacy of Villains and The Inheritance of Heroes

by TheNovelistsApprentice

It was an average day for Izuku. A simple errand run with his mother. Until a boy stumbled into their path. This meeting would bind their fates together as brothers. They'd find a lot in common, the desire to be heroes, a passion for learning, quirklessness. That is until All Might gives them an offer they can't refuse. But it brings with it Great Revelations and Dark Implications.

1. An Old Story that Must Be Told

Prologue

An Old Story That Must be Told

---

We walked along the Road to Hell to become the World's Greatest Heroes, are you sure you want to hear the story?

Ariden, must you be so grim? It's almost like you don't want them to hear it.

Dammit Izuku, we'd be here for a fucking week if we told that story! Of course I'm trying to dissuade them, I got other shit to do.

You aren't the only one, but if they want to hear the story then we might as well indulge them. Also could you try and not sound like Katsuki, I swear the two of you would give a sailor a run for their money

I sound like Katsuki? Bitch please; Katsuki sounds like me.

Right… Just don't let him hear you say that. Anyways, we are getting off-topic.

Yeah, you're right, However if we are doing this we need to tell another story before we get to the main one.

What story and why?

The story of how we first met! I feel it would add some much needed context to the rest of our history.

Hmm, I guess. Though are you sure you want to tell it? It may reopen some old wounds.

As painful as that seems, it is a story worth telling. Now listen closely!

Kokoro & Hikage

---

It had been a typical day for Kokoro Juro, as normal as it could be for someone like her. Very few people knew her actual name, Those being Heroes and Villains; her Alias, however, was steeped in dread, horror and was known to all the world. Blackfang, The Howling Dark, A villain who ran the most powerful crime syndicate in America, The Blackhowl.

She had returned to her birth country of Japan 5 years ago when she had caught wind that the Heroes of America were on her tail. She had spent her time in Japan under the protection of her "Benefactor," as he liked to put it. Needless to say, she had spent those 5 years in relative bliss… Until today.

The day started like every other. With her waking up in the empty bed of her "Benefactor," Not that she minded. She knew he was just as busy running his own business; besides, she had more important things on her mind anyway. She knew her Right-Hand Man who had stayed in the States already had his orders and knew what to do. She got up, walked into the bathroom, and looked into the mirror to see the damages from last night's roughhousing.

She looked into the mirror and smirked, eyeing all the love bites that had been added to the battle scars that marked her tanned amazonian figure. Her ordinarily straight jet black hair was now a makeshift bird nest. She couldn't tell if her eyes were bloodshot, given her sclera was pitch black and pupils crimson red, but given how long she was up last night, she could only assume.

"Still sexy as always." She winked at her reflection.

"Stop ogling yourself and get ready already…" The voice in the back of her mind growled.

"Fine…" She groaned as she turned on the shower. "Someone is extra cranky this morning."

"Of course, I'm getting cranky!" The masculine voice snarled back. "We haven't had a good fight and haven't gone hunting in a long while!"

"Oh hush Hikage, you are just jealous that my attention has been elsewhere recently."

"...No…" Hikage mumbled defensively.

Kokoro couldn't help but chuckle.

"And here I thought I had only one child to care for."

"HEY! WHO ARE YOU CALLING A CHILD!" Hikage protested. "I am anger, I am rage incarnate! I AM BLACKFANG!"

"I am Blackfang." Kokoro corrected. "You, on the other hand, are being more of a child than my son."

She wasn't graced with a response, only a sulking whimper.

"Relax. We can go find someone to fight or go hunting tomorrow."

"Fine…" Hikage muttered. "But I don't see why we can't do it today. You know, take little wolf on his first outing."

"No. Not yet." She quickly shot down the suggestion. "Not until he is older and can make his own choices."

"That's fine, but have you talked to his father about this?"

There was a long pause, the only sound in the room came from the running shower and Kokoro readying her toothbrush.

"No..." Kokoro sighed. "But in my defense, He is never here enough to have that conversation." She said, "And besides, knowing him I'd think he would start training our son even before his quirk came in."

"You do have a point there." Hikage agreed. " But here's a question. What happens when he is old enough to choose and then he decides he actually wants to be a hero? What then?"

The silence was palatable; Kokoro had stopped brushing her teeth and stared blankly into the mirror. After what felt like an eternity, she finally spoke.

"I u-uh…" She stammered. "I u-uh guess we will cross the bridge when we get to it."

Hikage let out a low and mischievous chuckle.

"Why so hesitant to answer?" He mocked. "What are you so afraid of? That you'll have to put the little wolf down or that he will have to do the same to you?"

She blanched and started to choke on her toothbrush. Hikage couldn't hold his laughter back.

"You are a real asshole at times you know." She said between coughs.

"Well since we can't go hunting or fighting today I have to get my pleasure from somewhere else. He chuckled. "But relax, we both know It won't come to that, even I love that little shit too much to cause him harm."

"I know that." She chided. "But I don't need your moody bitchass bringing my mood down today!"

"Too bad! Because I ain't going anywhere!" Hikage cackled in the back of her mind.

"Well…" Kokoro smirked. "There is one way to get rid of you."

His cackling immediately stopped.

"Don't even joke about that!" Hikage bristled.

"Pot meet kettle." was all Kokoro said as she stepped into the shower.

Having a conversation with Hikage had been a part of her morning routine since she was a child. And it was all thanks to her quirk. Hikage was an onboard A.I. for her mind in his self-described terms, since humans weren't supposed to have the ability to transform into a giant bipedal wolf. Nor were they capable of withstanding the extra sensory input it gave. And that's where Hikage came in to make sure she didn't go crazy by acting as a second conscience in her head for all the extra stuff her quirk did. In Kokoro's opinion, his explanation seemed like bullshit. Still, she didn't have a better answer, other than she was batshit insane.

"How long are you gonna reminisce in the shower?" Hikage grumbled, " You don't want to keep the kid waiting."

"I know, I know." She sighed as she shut off the water. "But I also don't want to smell like sweat either. It would set a bad example."

"You? A bad example?" Hikage gasped in faux astonishment. "Never."

"Like you're any better."

"Did I say I was better?"

She could tell he was being smug and baiting her. But she knew he was right in the fact that she needed to get ready, So she ignored him and finished her routine. After putting on her usual outfit of a simple white T-shirt and Blue jeans, she went downstairs to her son's room. She was staying in an apartment in name only; it was more of a penthouse, honestly. She entered the main room, a vast open space with a kitchen and bar off to the left. On the right, a well-furnished living room and a hallway leading to the entrance and a few other rooms were. The outer walls were glass windows with an immaculate view over Musutafu City.

"Being a Villain sure does have its perks." Hikage mused as Kokoro looked out the window overlooking the cityscape.

"Indeed," She nodded. "I should consider looking into a place like this if we return to the States."

"If?" Hikage questioned, "I think you mean when! None of those hero bastards are gonna stop us from going home and taking back what's ours!" He growled.

"I know, I know." She shook her head. "I'm just saying it is pretty nice here."

"While that may be true, don't you also have a criminal empire of your own?"

"I know, but things are different now ya know?" She shrugged. "We can talk about this later, Alright?"

"Fine." He huffed.

She continued to walk through the room, but she couldn't help but notice a slight chill in the air. As she reached the corridor that leads to her son's room, a slight draft blew past her and sent a chill down her spine. A sense of dread filled her as she looked down the darkened hallway. She stood there and stared down the corridor, unmoving as she waited for something, but for what she did not know.

"Are you trying to have a staring contest with an empty hallway?" Hikage questioned, rousing her from her vigil, "Cause I can save you some time and tell you you're gonna lose."

Kokoro couldn't help but shriek at the sudden intrusion.

"GODAMMIT, HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU NOT TO INTRUDE WHEN I'M FOCUSED ON SOMETHING" She hissed.

"Well, excuse me for not remembering you're a paranoid fuck." He said, "I don't see why you're acting all jumpy just because you felt a cold breeze."

"Well, I mean… I just… I just have a feeling alright!" She blustered as she crossed her arms with indignation.

"A feeling… Right..." Hikage deadpanned "Look at this rate we are gonna be celebrating next year's birthday as well!" he complained "You're probably just paranoid since you are going out with the little guy for once in a blue moon and you are just going into mom mode"

Kokoro stood there for a few more moments and pondered over what Hikage had said before she shook her head, signed, and continued down the way.

"You're probably right, but it feels too cold for my comfort."

"Bah, the Bossman probably just turned the temp down before he left!" He chided. "You just focus on having a good time out with the little shit while I will stand guard and alert you if shit seems fishy."

"Yeah, that sounds fine by me."

She continued down the hallway choosing to ignore the chill that clung to the air. After passing a few doors, she finally made it to Ariden's room. She couldn't help but smile as she thought about her son. He was her pride and joy, more so than the empire she had made with her blood and tears… as well as some other people's blood and tears, but that wasn't the point. But that was also the problem. She didn't want her son to go down the same path as her.

She may have shared her head with another person, but she was the primary occupant and kept some thoughts to herself. This was one of them. She knew he wouldn't agree to it since he loved the thrill of the fight that came with it. She also knew she could never tell his father. He would take it much worse than Hikage… Much worse. But she knew the villain's life was not one for the kind or caring, only the strong and the cruel survived and not for long without becoming a true monster like his father… or her.

She shook herself from her thoughts as she finally reached his door. As she looked at the door, she couldn't help but whisper some small reassurances to herself.

"Relax; nothing bad is going to happen, and even if it did, Hikage would be bitching about it before anything even happened." She mumbled under her breath.

"Would you prefer I did nothing and wait for someone to stab you in the back?"

She huffed dismissively as she grabbed onto the doorknob.

Only to recoil away as white-hot searing pain seared her thumb, index, and middle finger. She could only let out a half-stilted growl as she looked down at the damage. She was surprised that her hand didn't have the standard reddening or blistered skin of a burn. It was black; the skin on her fingers was black and mummified as if they had been exposed to the frozen elements for hours.

At that moment, she couldn't have given a shit about what had happened to her hand. The only thing on her mind was that her son was in that room, And he wasn't safe. As much as she wanted to rush in and ensure he was safe, she knew that would not end well when facing an unknown adversary. She needed to be prepared.

"Hikage! Do you sense anything?!" She asked

"No! Nothing! There is nobody in that room!"

That sentence made her blood run cold.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE IS NO ONE IN THERE!"

"I MEAN THERE IS NO ONE…" Hikage stopped halfway at the realization that dawned on him. "OH! OH, FUCKING SHIT!"

"Oh, fucking shit is right! How did this get past you!"

"When I sensed no one in the room I must have forgotten that Included the little guy as well!"

"Dammit, we need to get in there now!"

She started to approach the door but was stopped by Hikage once again.

"Wait!"

"WHAT!" She hissed in annoyance.

"Just because no one is in there doesn't mean it's safe! Look at your hand for fuck sakes!"

She looked down at the badly damaged appendage, It had stopped hurting, there was nothing, no pain, no sensation. She moved her blackened fingers, she felt nothing as the mummified skin cracked and a small trickle of blood leaked out from them.

"We're down a few fingers, but we will have to deal with that later." He grumbled. "For now, we gotta be at full power to ensure we don't lose anything else."

"Right." Kokoro nodded her head.

She backed away from the door and hunched over and let her quirk loose. The sound of bones creaking and clothing groaning and tearing was heard throughout the penthouse. Kokoro's stature grew, six feet, six and a half, seven. The growth stopped at close to eight feet of almost pure muscle. All the while, her body became more and more lupine. A big bushy tail sprouted from her lower back. Her ear elongated and came to a point; Her mouth and nose formed into a snout; Her feet became massive paws; her legs extended and went digitigrade. Her hands grew pads at the ends of her fingers, Her fingernails turning into onyx-black claws. Her hair grew everywhere until it had become a fur coat, with the hair on her head becoming a great mane with long bangs that hung from both sides of her face. The fur coat was of a more stormy gray color with a lighter color on the torso; her eyebrows were also a lighter shade to accentuate them. The most jarring feature, however, was her eyes. The dark sclera and pupil had disappeared. All that could be seen were two glowing red pools with a slight yellow outline to show where the pupils had been. She stretched her limbs, cracked her joints, and stared at the door.

"Let's go!" She growled in a deep husky voice.

She shot off like a rocket and smashed the door down with her massive shoulder. The doorway offered no resistance to the overwhelming force and splintered into pieces showering the inside of the room. As she entered the room, a blast of winter chill hit her. It sent a shiver down her spine despite the fur coat. The room was a mess as if someone had pissed off Jack Frost. Ice and snow coated the entire room, some in heaps or built up in the corners or against the furniture. Children's toys could be seen half-buried in the snow. The most glaring issue was the glass wall that overlooked the city. It had been broken with glass strewn about on the snow; a cold breeze flowed through the jagged opening, adding to the chill.

"Fucking hell," Hikage swore.

She ignored his comment as she made her way over to her son's bed. It was empty, except for a spot in the middle where a single skull laid with a piece of paper between its teeth. Kokoro's blood ran cold for a moment before she examined it closer. The skull looked too large and too worn to be that of her son's. She breathed a brief sigh of relief before snatching the paper from its lifeless jaws. She glanced at it and saw an emblem of a skull with rams horns on it, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"You've got to be shitting me," Kokoro swore through clenched teeth. "Banshee and Scourge have really done it now."

"Those ass clowns again?" Hikage fumed. "They really will do anything to get us out of the way won't they?"

"After all the times they've come after us…" Kokoro started incredulously, "You've just figured that out now?"

"No, I figured that out the 3rd time they tried to kill us." He snapped back. "All I'm saying is out of all the villains who've come after our ass, they are the only ones who've gone this far."

There was plenty of backstabbing when it came to the villain line of work. However, there was an unspoken rule amongst all the villains. Do not go after families. Keep the rivalries and grudges professional. Kokoro and almost every villain she knew followed those rules. Some didn't follow them, but they were usually "Taken care of" swiftly before they could take things too far.

Banshee and Scourge were such villains. Ruthless and Conniving, when Kokoro came over, they had been one of her benefactor's top business partners, The essential word being had . When he opened his home to Kokoro, they did not take it well. Their first meeting ended in a brawl with Kokoro severely wounded but victorious. Her benefactor had found the whole incident rather amusing. However, he had asked them not to do it again, stating that Kokoro was an honored guest and that no harm would befall her while under his care.

While they had seemingly agreed to his request, Her second encounter with them was when they tried to ambush and kill her. Kokoro had barely managed to escape with her life.

When her benefactor heard what had happened, he had ended their partnership on the spot. They were left on their own to defend themselves without his protection. Needless to say, their business floundered, either from Hero raids on their warehouses or new villains slowly taking over their territory.

Her third encounter was when she received word that they had gone into the human trafficking business. While Kokoro was a villain who had a Criminal Empire that took part in Drug trafficking, arms dealing, and other less-than-legal business ventures. She abhorred Human Trafficking; people were not cattle to be bought and sold for someone else's pleasure. While she and her benefactor had different views on the subject, he gave her leave to deal with it as she saw fit. Needless to say, she returned battered and bloody later, but she managed to get the message across. Now there she was on what she could only hope was their fourth and final encounter.

"You gonna keep staring at the letter or…?" Hikage asked, breaking her from her reminiscing.

"Yeah, yeah. Just remembering all the times we kicked their ass." She smirked.

"Funny I remember mostly almost dying."

She scoffed at Hikage's correction and cast her eyes to the letter. She couldn't help but groan as she read through it.

Hello, you snarling bitch. I hope this letter reaches you. However, if our mutual friend is reading this, I am happy to let you know the job is done and ask you to put the letter back where you found it and let that mongrel find it instead. Now back to the drooling mutt; I hope you've read everything so far. Just so you know that you've been sold out, that there is a Judas by your side. You've served your purpose, and now our good friend wants you out of the picture, though we did have to capture that brat since he is the heir to your empire, so don't you worry your dumb little head off. He will be just fine. It'd be a pity to see a perfect pawn go to waste. As for you, however, pray to whatever gods you keep; since you are already dead, you just don't know it yet. -With all the hatred I have, Banshee.

" I see she is still a pompous bitch." Hikage snorted. "Also who would be dumb enough to betray you and the bossman?"

"I don't know." Kokoro growled, "She could just be saying it to get under my sk-"

"Shh! I'm sensing movement behind us."

As soon as he said that, she heard the sound of crunching snow, though it wasn't from a single source. She instantly turned around to face the foes. Her stomach roiled at what she saw. Corpses, three of them rising from heaps of snow that served as their hiding spots. They were in different states of decomposition. One was just bones with a few scraps of skin and sinew defiantly clinging to them. The other two were relatively fresh though one had entrails dangling from a tear across the stomach. All of their eyes, however, glowed a baleful blue light.

They all stared at Kokoro, and she stared at them. Nobody moved; she didn't breathe. The only sound was the howling wind as it blew through the shattered window. The tension in the room was palpable until Kokoro slightly shifted her foot, and the sound of crunching snow broke it. One of the corpses launched itself at her as if it had been fired from a crossbow.

Its arm made a broad swipe at her head, but she managed to duck just in time. She tried to counter with an uppercut, but the creature dodged quickly. It let out an airy cackle. She roared in anger and charged at the ghoul. Sending her and it through the open doorway and into the wall.

The wight was stunned by the attack. Kokoro took advantage of this as she grabbed it by its face and slammed it onto the floor. She then raised her foot up and. The sound of cracking bones and snapping limbs were heard as she continuously brought her foot down upon the wretched zombie. The creature howled in pain and rage as the blows continually battered its body. It eventually stopped screaming and fell limp under her foot. Kokoro didn't stop, however.

"SAVE THE ANGER FOR LATER!" Hikage screamed in the back of her mind "WE STILL HAVE OTHERS TO DEAL WITH!"

She didn't care what he had to say; she was too angry to care. She was too angry to notice the sound of shuffling feet behind her.

"HEY BEHIND YOU!" Hikage cried.

She remembered there were two more ghouls, but it was too late. She turned and met the other two head-on, but they were already upon her. She looked up to see the disemboweled ghoul standing over her, one of its arms already coming down to strike. She tried to dodge.

A line of stinging pain throbbed from the base of her snout to above her eyebrow. She tried to open it, but a hot stinging sensation engulfed it. Then the sickly sweet smell of iron reached her nose. She had hoped the wound was just a scratch, but the feeling of hot blood flowing down her face told her it was worse than she thought.

She felt one of the zombies claw its way onto her back and winced as it gripped down hard onto her shoulders. A torrent of pain washed through her left shoulder as she felt what might have been a dozen tiny daggers dig into her flesh. She stifled a scream as she reached up and wiped the blood from her eye. From the corner of her eye, she saw one of the creatures. It had sunk its teeth deep into her shoulder and was trying to rip and tear off a chunk but was having no luck due to Kokoro's sheer amount of muscle. She then saw the ghoul that had struck her, getting ready to hit again.

She immediately grabbed the corpse by the neck and hurled it towards the central area of the penthouse. It flew across the room; a gust of wind trailed behind it. The creature stopped flying when it collided with the bar with a thundering crash. Splintered wood, broken glass, and liquid spirits exploded outward from where it had crashed.

Kokoro turned her attention to the wight still attached to her shoulder. She grabbed the ghoul with both hands and started to rip it off. She howled out in rage and pain as it continued to try to rip and tear a chunk of flesh off.

"WAIT! NO DON'T DO THAT YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" Hikage screamed in the back of her mind.

She didn't care what he had to say. The only thing she wanted at that moment was to get the pain in her ass off her shoulder and beat the shit out of it. As she lifted its gnawing head from her shoulder, the sound of rent flesh and sinew filled her ears, and an involuntary cry came from her mouth.

Kokoro turned and looked at the ghoul and saw it gnawing happily on a sizable chunk of meat in its mouth. The rage she had continued to build in the pit of her stomach; she pulled the ghoul over her shoulder so that they were face to face, and using all of the strength, she began to squeeze its skull between her hands. She watched in delight as the zombie started to screech in pain as the pressure began to build; it abandoned the chunk of flesh in its mouth and began to claw feebly at her hands in an attempt to break free from the tightening grasp. She howled a cry of victory when the skull finally gave way to her strength. She smirked at the limp remains of the creature in triumph and chucked them to the side.

Kokoro then turned her head towards the main room. The ghoul she had launched had managed to crawl out of the wreckage and back onto its two shambling feet. The two combatants locked eyes; bright blue stared into burning red.

They launched themselves at each other, racing to see who could deal a final blow. As Kokoro and the ghoul finally got within reach of each other, The ghoul lunged at her, its mouth of razor teeth wide open aimed directly at her throat. The attack never connected, as Kokoro slid down out of the attack's path. As the Wight arced over her, she grabbed its legs, and with all her might, she swung and slammed it against the ground.

She felt a twinge of satisfaction when she heard a wet snapping sound and a scream come from the corpse. But she wasn't done, not yet. A fire burned within her; she had taken some of it out on the other two, but it hadn't gone away, and now with no other distractions, she had the perfect chance to get rid of the rest.

"GOD DAMMIT! WE HAVE BIGGER SHIT TO DEAL WITH!" Hikage scolded. "THIS WON'T HELP YOU!"

She ignored him as she continually slammed the body around the place. She couldn't help but to scream and howl as she wrecked the place. Her heart raced, she felt hot, Hot tears streamed down her face as she raged. She slammed and swung the dead wight about the place, yet the anger and hatred that had welled up within her didn't go away. Then she heard Hikage's voice

"Ko focus! We still need to find Ariden!"

She let go of the decimated body. How could she have forgotten? Why had she forgotten? Her son was in danger and she was literally beating a dead corpse.

"You need to stop letting your anger get the better of you."

"Easier said than done dickhead." She scoffed bitterly.

She looked around the place. It was ruined. The once clean place was in shambles. The furniture was broken and strewn about the area. The kitchen was smashed to pieces. Almost all the windows were cracked. She ground her teeth and hissed at herself.

"Add it to the list of shit I need to fix . "

"We can focus on self-improvement later," Hikage chided.

"You're right," She grumbled. "Just like always." "Now! Let's go save my son!" She exclaimed as she puffed her chest out.

"Not so fast there, All Might." Hikage objected, "We still need to fix that shoulder of yours."

Kokoro winced as the adrenaline faded from her system. She hadn't really looked that closely at her shoulder. When she did, she wished she hadn't. The ghoul had managed to tear a good portion of muscle from the area. Luckily it had missed the nerve cluster and major arteries. Thanks to her quirk and physique, the wound was only lightly bleeding. It wouldn't kill her, but it would slow her down in the long run if she didn't look after it. But she didn't have time for that.

"We go now." She said with finality in her voice. "There is no telling what they will do with him if we wait."

Hikage only sighed.

"Got something to say?"

"No…" He paused, "Wait. actually, I do."

"Let's hear it."

"I think we should get the bossman to help us."

"Absolutely not!" Kokoro objected "We are not getting him involved. That is not up for debate!"

"WHY!?" Hikage yelled in the back of her mind "I'D THINK HE WOULD BE MORE THAN WILLING TO HELP US!"

"Because you know how he gets when someone messes with his "stuff"."

"..."

"All I'm saying is if he gets involved, it will not end well for anyone. Not for us and especially not for Ariden."

"You have a point." He conceded. "So. Let's get started! How do you plan to track them down?"

"I remember earlier you said that you wanted something to hunt." She said as she started walking back to the bedroom.

"Yeah?" Hikage said with cautious anticipation

"Well…" She started as she entered the bedroom and grabbed the discarded note. "Every good hunt starts with catching the scent of prey, and they thankfully left their scent all over this note."

"Are you saying what I think you are saying?"

Kokoro smiled as she felt Hikage grin.

"Yep!" She said as she sniffed the paper. A wicked grin played across her face. "Let the hunt begin!"

With that, she leaped from the building. As she fell, she extended her arm and latched her claws onto the glass windows on the side of the building. She didn't care if others saw her, she was on a mission, and the faster she got it done, the better. When she reached where the glass ended and the foundation began, she jumped and landed on all fours in one of the building's alleyways. She sniffed around until she found the scent again and chased after it.

"Hold on, Ariden! Mom is gonna save you!"

Ariden & Konin

---

Ariden didn't know what was happening. All he knew was in a bag being carried somewhere, he was scared, and he wanted his mother. He had thought he was having a bad dream when he first woke up. Alone, in the dark, unable to move. He closed his eyes and wished the nightmare away, but it was still there when he opened them again. He realized he wasn't dreaming when someone shifted the bag to carry it better. An involuntary whimper escaped from his throat. That's when he heard a chuckle come from whoever was holding him.

"Oh? Finally awake huh?" A deep rumbling masculine voice asked. "Good, you awoke just in time to see your new room for the time being."

Before Ariden could wonder what that meant, the sound of metal scraping on metal interrupted his thoughts. The sound continued for a few moments before it stopped with a resounding thud. He then heard the man call out to someone.

"You have a new roommate for the moment. Please behave yourself."

The bag Ariden was in then began to shift. He felt himself swing up as if he were on the swings in the playground. As he came down, however, whoever was holding the bag let go. Ariden came tumbling out of the bag into the middle of the room. Thankfully when he opened his eyes, he wasn't blinded. The room was dimly lit with only a wall fixture on one of the blank gray walls providing all of the room's light, save for the light flooding through the open door in which the man stood. The room itself was sparsely decorated save for a dresser, A T.V., and a single bed. However, the bed was not unoccupied. In it sat a boy.

The man was terrifying to look at. He was a mountain of a man; he wore a black sleeveless skin-tight shirt with black tactical cargo pants, and combat boots adorned his ample frame, Strong corded muscles rippled underneath. Not a trace of hair could be found on his alabaster skin. The top of his head was barren save for two horns that poked out just above his jutting brow. His eyes glowed a fluorescent green. The warm smile he had only glued Ariden to the spot in fear as it showed off his two razor-sharp canines.

On the other hand, the boy looked older than Ariden by at least three or four years. He had slightly tanned skin, His body had a somewhat thin build, a little slimmer than a boy his age should have, but overall, he had a youthful appearance. He had on a simple black t-shirt and gray sleeping shorts. His Straight hair was the color of honey and flowed down just past his chin on both sides of his face. His eyes were a teal blue and full of life.

"Dad?" The boy's silvery voice rang out. "Who is this? What's going on?"

"Nothing to worry about son." The man said with unexpected gentleness. "This is only temporary, just part of a job your mother and I are doing."

"But why my room?" The boy whined "It's too small for me to begin with! Why not put him in your room?"

"Son…" The man sighed exasperatedly as he leaned against the door frame. "This was your mother's idea."

Ariden noticed the boy stiffen slightly and the faint clinking of metal reverberated through the room. He didn't know where the sound came from but it faded as the boy regained his composure.

"O-oh…Okay." The boy croaked as he slumped his shoulders

The man huffed indignantly as he looked at the boy.

"Look, Konin." The man started. " I can only shield you from your mother so much." The man sighed as he massaged his temples. "So, please… Just work with me right now. Okay?"

"Alright," Konin muttered dejectedly.

"Good. Now I'll be back later, make our guest feel more at home." The man chuckled.

Ariden watched as the man turned his gaze towards him. The warmth from his smile had disappeared, replaced by malicious glee. He stared into those pits of green hellfire as they stared back at him. The man winked at him, backed up, closed the door, and locked it.

Konin watched the boy. He sat there unmoving, his back turned to him. He didn't look like much in Konin's eyes. He was much younger than him, Given how small he was. He had on some simple light blue pajamas. He could only see part of his face. His complexion was fair though a little pale, likely from the ordeal so far. Though what Konin found so striking was his hair. It was similar to his shape but grayish, with some black and some white locks; others were in between.

Konin stopped his observation when he saw the boy's head turned towards him. He was met with teary eyes of amber. The boy's lower lip quivered as his face contorted into a doleful expression. Konin could tell he was putting on a brave front. It was one he had done many times before.

"Are you okay?"

Ariden hadn't expected those words to come from the bo- Konin's mouth. They were the kindest and sweetest words he had ever heard nonetheless. Something in him told him it was okay to let go. Hot tears trailed down his cheeks as a sob escaped past the lump in his throat. He curled in on himself and wished his mother was there.

He didn't know how long he cried. Ariden was only roused from it when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He flinched away slightly from the unexpected touch but looked up and saw it was just Konin. Ariden saw a look of sympathy on the older boy's face.

"I want to go home," Ariden pleaded. "I want my mom, she said we would celebrate my birthday today."

"How old are you?" Konin asked gently.

"Two..." Ariden sniffled, "Well three today."

"Cool. Only one more year till you get your quirk." Konin mused.

The mention of quirks roused Ariden from his gloomy demeanor.

"Yeah!" He cheered enthusiastically, "I can't wait to see what my quirk is!"

Konin couldn't help but chuckle at how easy it was to change the kid's mood.

"What's your quirk?"

Konin froze at that question.

"Uhh…." He faltered as he looked anywhere else besides the boy's questioning eyes.

"Is it a secret?" Ariden whispered, "I promise I won't tell."

"It's not that, It's just…"

"What?"

"I…" Konin grimaced as he paused "Don't know what it is."

"Huh?" Ariden cocked his head sideways in confusion. "What does that mean?"

"I doubt you'll get it, but I can feel it in me." Konin brought a hand to his chest. "I just don't know how to reach it."

Konin was right; Ariden didn't get it. He didn't know what having a quirk felt like. Maybe he would understand when he got his, but something else had grabbed his attention during Konin's explanation. That metallic rattling sound had come back and sounded closer than before. That's when he noticed something on Konin's wrist. It was a shackle.

It looked old and well-used. Some parts were covered in rust. Attached to it was a chain just as worn. It snaked its way to Konin's bed, attached to another shackle that was fixed to the wall. However, it wasn't the only chain; four more weaved outwards. Ariden examined Konin further and found he had shackles around his other wrist, his legs, and his neck.

"Why are you wearing those?" Ariden asked.

"Finally noticed them huh?" Konin replied somberly, as he held up a shackled wrist.

"They don't look very nice to wear."

"Trust me," Konin snorted. "They aren't."

"Then why wear them?"

"It's not like I chose to wear them." He shook his head. "No, this is a punishment."

"What did you do?"

"My mother…" Konin spat the words with such vitriol that Ariden recoiled. "She caught me pretending to be a hero…"

"What's so bad about that?" Ariden furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Well according to my mother, being a hero is to restrict oneself ." Konin rolled his eyes as he recalled her words. "So she decided that chaining me up would teach me a lesson."

"But being a hero is awesome!" Ariden exclaimed. "Why would anyone not want to be one!"

Konin quirked his eyebrow. "You want to be a hero too?"

"Yeah!" Ariden pumped his fists in excitement "I wanna be the greatest hero! Even better than All Might or my mom!"

"Your moms a hero?"

"She is!" Ariden beamed "My dad even showed me some videos of her beating up bad guys. She is so cool!"

Konin couldn't help but smile at the younger boy's enthusiasm. He was happy he wasn't sad anymore.

"Oh! Oh!" Ariden shot up like a rocket and jumped up and down. "I have an idea!"

"The idea being?" Konin asked hesitantly.

"When my mother comes and rescues me…" Ariden paused for effect, "Come with us!"

"Uhh…." Konin stared at the boy "What?"

"Well…" Ariden rubbed the back of his head sheepishly " You don't like your mom right?"

"Yes...?" Konin answered hesitantly.

"Well since my mom is coming to save me I thought that maybe she'd rescue you as well and then you'd have a new mom who likes you."

"..."

They sat there in silence for what seemed forever. It was only broken when the sound of uncontrolled laughter came from Konin.

"What's so funny?" Ariden questioned.

"It I-it's just…" Konin sputtered out " You make it sound so easy!" He chuckled as he wiped a tear from his eye. "Like you can just change parents just like that!" He snapped his fingers to emphasize the point.

"Why can't you? Your mom is obviously not nice. Why not change her?"

"If only it were that easy." Konin sighed. "But you are also forgetting someone."

"Who?"

"My dad. You know, the guy that threw you in here."

The jovial atmosphere of the room had dampened at the reminder of their situation.

"Oh," Ariden said with a downcast look.

"I have an idea." Konin blurted out hoping to brighten the mood again.

"Yeah?" Ariden cocked an eyebrow

"I'm sure your mom will come to save you."

The smile returned to Ariden's face.

"But I won't come with you. I love my dad and don't want to leave him."

The smile dropped again.

"But!" Konin quickly interjected. "Hopefully she will deal with my mom." He said wistfully, "Then after that, I'll be free to come and play heroes with you!"

A wide smile spread across Ariden's face at the thought.

"And we can also grow up and be heroes together!" Ariden beamed.

"Yeah!" Konin smiled back. "Let's be heroes together!"

Konin extended his hand, a promise that didn't need to be spoken. Ariden took it.

Kokoro & Hikage

---

"This is the place," Hikage said with finality. "Think they are lying in wait for us?"

Kokoro stood in the manufacturing district of Musutafu outside what seemed to be an ordinary brick-and-mortar warehouse. She had followed the scent from one end of the city to another. She was closer to Yokohama City than she was to her own home. But she had finally reached her target. It was the end of the line.

"I honestly don't know." She shrugged. "They are so cocksure of themselves, they would think that little trap of theirs was enough to take us out and assume that they were in the clear." She glared at the twin doors. "You ready?"

"We have to be..." Hikage sighed "But that doesn't mean needlessly injuring yourself."

As if to drive the point further, Her injured shoulder twitched at his biting words.

"Noted." She winced. "Time to go."

"From here on, no verbal communication. Clear?"

"Crystal."

She approached the doors; she had thought about smashing through them but realized that her usual brute force method would only alert those inside and put her at a disadvantage. She pushed on the handlebar and found no resistance as one of the doors opened.

"Either they purposely left it unlocked, or their security is more relaxed than I remember," Kokoro remarked.

"How convenient," Hikage said sardonically.

She stepped across the threshold into what seemed to be the storage section of the warehouse. It seemed pretty standard, all things considered. Industrial-grade shelves stood in rows spanning the length of the space. All of them contained crates upon crates. As she approached, she noticed that the boxes were marked. Some said chemicals, others said hardware.

"How much do you want to bet that the "Chemicals and Hardware" are much more than that?" Kokoro asked with a smirk.

"Even I wouldn't take that bet." Hikage snorted.

"Well might as well see what they've been doing since we last met."

She carefully used a claw to pry open two of the boxes. She loved it when she was right in the box marked as chemicals were vials upon vials of a dullish brown powder, unrefined Trigger. It was a drug designed to enhance quirks, designed initially to help out weaker quirks, but as soon as criminals got ahold of it, it became a shit show. It eventually got outlawed, but that hasn't stopped criminals from acquiring and producing it.

"I see they are still in the trigger trade." Kokoro mused.

"It's still in high demand, no reason to abandon a reliable workhorse," Hikage countered.

In the other box marked hardware, held guns, lots and lots of guns, from simple handguns to military-grade rifles. With the advent of quirks, gun control had become a fruitless endeavor. Who needed a gun to rob a store or bank when they could summon fire from nowhere or the power to punch through concrete walls. Instead, governments allowed citizens to own guns to level the playing field between those with weaker or no quirks and those with stronger ones. However, some people were still not allowed to own guns due to other issues, so the black market for firearms was still alive and well.

"I haven't seen this many guns since I was back in Texas."

"Maybe it's time to make a stockpile of our own," Hikage suggested.

"Why would I need guns, when I got these "guns"!" She smirked as she flexed her uninjured arm.

"...just shut up and keep moving." Hikage groaned in annoyance.

Kokoro moved on; she cleared the aisle of shelves and reached a door that marked the start of the office section of the warehouse. She gingerly opened it and slunk her way inside, though she did have to duck since she was taller than the doorframe. The hallway's interior was sterile, with plain white walls, standard L.E.D lights, and black doors leading to other hallways and rooms.

The scent trail led her down hallway after hallway. She had peered into some of the rooms along the way and found they were either drug labs for trigger production or gunsmith workshops with half-completed arms on some tables. However, something bothered her. All the workshops she saw were used, but where were all the people? She never saw a trace of life as she walked the halls. Sure there were scents of those who used the labs, but where were they? Where were the armed guards? Where were Banshee and Scourge? There was no way they'd let her get this far into their headquarters unopposed without an ambush or a trap.

"I can feel it too." Hikage broke in on her thoughts. "Something isn't right about all of this. We need to grab Ariden and get out as quickly as we can. Save killing them for a later date when we are better prepared."

"God Dammit!" Kokoro scowled at the prospect of letting her quarry escape her wrath. "I hate it when you are right!" She thought bitterly.

"We will have another chance at them. Now let's get moving."

She continued to creep onward as silently as possible. She ignored the rest of the rooms, knowing they too would be empty. As she rounded another corner, she came to the trail's end. Standing before her was another door. It looked like it had come straight from some medieval castle. It was an Old and rusty Iron door with a crossbar lock between the door handle and a bracket on the wall. It stood out amongst the generic office space like a sore thumb.

"All this to keep a 3-year-old child from escaping?!" Kokoro remarked with unhidden astonishment.

"Maybe it's their vault, " Hikage mused. "You know, to keep him SAFE."

"That is a poss…" Kokoro stopped as his words finally registered. "Fucking really?"

"If you can make jokes, so can I."

Kokoro felt him smirk as she rolled her eyes.

"Now let's crack this bad boy open, grab the kid and get the hell out of here."

Kokoro raised her uninjured arm up and swung it down like an executioner would his axe. The metal crossbar gave little resistance as her razor-sharp claws contacted the metal. The two pieces dropped to the carpet with a dull thud. Kokoro grabbed onto the door handle and tugged. The door groaned in protest as it lurched open. She walked into the dimly lit room, Only to be tackled into a hug.

"MOM!" Ariden sobbed into her chest as he squeezed tighter "I knew you'd come."

Kokoro wrapped her arms around her son and embraced him as if she wouldn't get another chance.

"Of course sweetie." She cooed into his ear. "I would never abandon you."

She held him for what seemed forever, then the faint sound of metal whispered past her ear. She instinctively turned her body to shield Ariden from the source of the noise and turned her gaze to see what had made it. She was astonished when she saw a chained boy.

"Who are you?" She furrowed her brows in bewilderment at the new sight.

"Hms nmfs hf homnn" Ariden's muffled voice called out to answer.

Kokoro looked down at her chest and saw she had smooshed her son's face into her abs.

"Sorry." She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Now as you were saying."

"His name is Konin." Ariden gasped as he caught his breath. "He's a friend!" Her son said with a wide smile.

Kokoro's eyebrow raised involuntarily with surprise.

"Damn the kid's been put through who knows what and still has the time to make a friend." Hikage couldn't help but to laugh.

"That's my son for you." She responded as she looked fondly at Ariden.

"I and Him are going to be heroes together when we grow up! It'll be so cool! We'll be just like you! Iwonderwhatourheronamesaregoingtobeorhowmanybadguyswe'lldefeat..." Ariden rambled on excitedly, He didn't pay any attention to Konin or his mother as they both looked at him.

"He gets like this sometimes." Kokoro hesitantly smiled at Konin. "Honey, focus." She coaxed as she lightly jostled Ariden.

"Huh?" Ariden blinked as he broke from his trance.

"You were rambling again sweetie."

"Oh, sorry." Ariden looked down, cheeks burning red.

Kokoro smiled at her son's unabashed enthusiasm, then turned her head towards Konin.

"What are you doing here son?" Kokoro asked with gentleness in her voice.

"I… I live here." the youth replied hesitantly.

"Wait, he lives here?" Hikage blurted out. "Does that mean he's their…?" He trailed off before he finished his question

Kokoro knew why, it would mean things had just gone from easy to hard, But she was always one for a challenge.

"Live here as in? Your parents own the place?" She asked just wanting to make sure.

"Well, yes..." Konin looked down in shame. "This is the only place we have."

"Hmm if what he said was true…" Hikage pondered "they are on their last legs."

"Fitting we will be the ones to deliver the final blow." Kokoro thought with grim pleasure.

"Are your parents around?" She asked the boy.

"Uh… I think so? I mean Dad came by and put Ariden in here with me, But aft-." Konin started.

"Sorry, but I have to ask you about something that has been bugging me."

"What?" "Why…" Kokoro started hesitantly. She didn't look forward to what the answer would be.

"Why do you have chains on?"

She saw the boy tense up at the question. It only served to stoke the fires of her rage toward the two villains even more.

"It was his mother who did it." Her son answered. "From what Konin has told me She is mean and doesn't like him much."

She once again looked at Konin and the boy gave a somber nod of his head.

"I think we should take him with us." Hikage said. "He would give us an advantage over them."

"DO YOU THINK I AM A MONSTER!?" Kokoro erupted with rage. "THIS BOY IS NOT A PAWN, HE DESERVES BETTER THAN THAT!

"He deserves better than this." Hikage replied coolly. "If you are not going to use him to your advantage, you could at least take him and give him a better life."

"Yeah… you have a point." She huffed.

Kokoro shook herself from her thoughts and saw the two boys were looking at her with puzzled looks.

"Sorry. I was lost in my thoughts for a moment." She smiled sheepishly. "Now it's time to go." She said, "And Konin, you are coming with us."

She received mixed reactions, while Ariden was more than happy to leave, Konin was apprehensive.

"But…" Konin spoke, "I live here and I don't want to leave my dad!"

"You aren't safe here Konin."

"Bu- But… But my dad." Tears started to well in the corners of his eyes.

"Hmm if that's his reaction to leaving his dad maybe the big guy isn't a complete bastard."

"He fucking kidnapped my son!" Exasperated Kokoro.

"Yeah, probably following Banshee's orders. He was never the one with the pants on in that relationship."

Hikage did have a point. Every time they faced each other, it was always Banshee starting it. Scourge was at the very least amicable when they weren't at each other's throats. She thought about it for a moment. Maybe she could find a way to come to some agreement with him.

"God dammit I can't believe I'm actually agreeing with this." She thought.

"Alright kid, relax." She spoke calmly to Konin, "I am not going to hold you against your will, you'll see your dad soon enough." She said. "But, you aren't safe here, and I'm sure your dad would want you to be safe, yes?

"Yeah…" Konin Sniffed. "Okay, I'll come."

"Good, now hold still, I don't want to hurt you by accident."

Kokoro approached the boy and examined the chains on him. The shackles themselves were too close to his skin for her to take them off without hurting him. The chains, however, could quickly be snapped. She grabbed one of the chains 4 inches from the shackle and pulled on both ends, slowly increasing the amount of pressure she used. The chain groaned and clinked in protest but eventually snapped with a jerk and a metallic ring that echoed in the room.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah!" Konin said, eyes wide in amazement. "Keep going!" He cheered.

Not needing any further encouragement she continued. One by one the chains broke, however as she reached the last chain a question raised itself in her mind.

"Hey kid, how old are you?" She asked

"Six."

"Really?" She asked surprised. "Then why didn't you use your quirk to break out?"

The silence that followed let her know she hit on a very sore subject.

"Do you have a quirk that isn't like your parents?" She asked gently, not wanting to upset him.

"I don't know. I haven't found out how to activate it."

"Damn, poor kid, being a late bloomer is never fun." Hikage sympathized.

"Well don't worry sweetie I'm sure you'll get it to work sooner or later." Kokoro comforted, "And if you don't there is no shame in that either. As long as you keep true to yourself."

With those words of encouragement the final chain snapped.

"Now then." Kokoro nodded. "Let's get out of here."

The walk through the office halls was silent asides from the light clinking from the chains still attached to the shackles. The two boys walked in front of Kokoro while she guarded the rear. While it seemed the place was deserted besides the three of them, She couldn't help shake the feeling something was off; a sentiment that Hikage agreed with. As they passed the threshold of the office space into the warehouse, the hackles on the back of her neck rose.

"Boys." She whispered loud enough for only them to hear. "Get behind me."

The graveness in her voice left no room for argument, and they did as she said. They started forward much slower as Kokoro surveyed everything with scrutiny. As they reached the beginning of the shelves, a familiar silvery low voice called out to them.

"So it seems the little trap you laid for the dog failed after all." the modulated voice spoke. "A pity," it said sardonically.

Kokoro turned around and saw them standing by the doorway. Banshee and Scourge in the flesh.

The Scourge was still the mountain of a man she remembered him to be. But Banshee seemed different from when they last fought. Her hair had changed from golden blonde to Alabaster white. Her once brownish-yellow eyes seemed to have turned to crimson red. She still had a swimmer's figure, but her skin had gone from tan to a sickly blueish gray. On the plus side, though, she was in actual clothing this time around. Black Tactical pants with combat boots, A white dress shirt with a black leather vest.

"While it didn't kill her you have to admit it did a number on her." Scourge's low rumbling voice bit back.

"If we had gone with what I had planned she would be dead and the job would be done!" Banshee sneered.

"If we had done what you wanted the kid would have gotten killed!"

"I still say it was the better option!"

"Do you want to get us both killed?"

Kokoro watched as the couple seemed to have turned their attention and ire on each other. She knew this was an opportunity for action, but… The kids were still here, and that took priority above all.

"Boys." She murmured trying not to catch the bickering couple's attention.

Both boys who had been watching the fight turned towards her.

"You need to go." She said calmly. "It's not safe here."

"B-bu but…" Ariden started, tears starting to well.

"I know sweetie, I know." She said as she pulled him into a hug. "Please do as I say. I don't want you to see what happens and I don't want you to get hurt. Okay?"

"Okay…" Ariden pouted.

"Good boy." She smiled, "Now Konin." She said, turning her attention towards the other boy.

"Yes?" Konin asked with rapt attention.

"I assume you've seen what your parents do for a living?"

He stiffened at the statement before he nodded.

"Then I assume you know what's about to happen?"

He nodded again.

"Then I want you to look after Ariden while I am gone. Can you do that?"

"Yes, Ma'am." He nodded.

"Good. Now go."

"Promise me you won't kill my dad," Konin asked.

"I will do my best to try not to kill your father." She vowed.

"I'll hold you to that," Konin said with a confidence that surprised even Kokoro.

With that, he grabbed Ariden's hand and ran off down the aisle of shelves until they were out of sight.

"Are you actually gonna keep that promise?" Hikage asked incredulously.

"If I can help it, yes. Losing both parents is not something any kid should have to go through."

"But if it comes to it you won't hesitate?"

"No."

"Then let the hunt begin," Hikage grinned, malice dripping from his tone.

Kokoro turned towards the villainous couple only to see they were still bickering.

"At least I didn't fuck up on the Sendai job, unlike a giant oaf I know!" Banshee scowled.

"Really! You still think that was my fault!" Scourge boomed.

"You were the one who hired those incompetent underlings!" She countered.

"At least I didn't directly fuck up like you did in Jedha!" He snapped.

"How do they get anything done?" Hikage chimed in.

"God only knows." Kokoro sighed to herself. "Now let's go send them to him."

Quietly Kokoro started moving towards the right, behind Banshee. Banshee had to die first if there was any way for a deal to be made with Scourge. However, before she could make it far, Banshee's arm outstretched and aimed close to Kokoro. A ray of ice and snow shot from her hand. It narrowly missed where Kokoro was standing, but the closeness of the cold coming off it told her that was not by mistake.

"It seems an old dog can learn new tricks after all." Banshee said sardonically. "You would have normally just rushed us. You've changed since the last we met."

"I could say the same. You've stopped dressing like a stripper." Kokoro replied with a shit-eating grin.

"But like before your yapping is as annoying as ever."

"As sweet as it seems to reminisce about the old days, how about we cut the bullshit." Kokoro snapped. "I've got shit to do today, places to be, people to kill." She growled the last words harshly.

"For once we agree on something," Banshee replied curtly. "Dear." She turned to Scourge. "We will finish our discussion later."

Scourge only huffed and rolled his eyes in acknowledgment. The two began to circle in different directions around Kokoro. As they do, a look of confusion crossed Scourge's face.

"Where are the children?" Scourge asked with some concern in his voice.

"Don't worry." Kokoro tried to placate her foe. "Not something I ever saw myself doing." She mused quietly. "I told them to find safety far from here."

"Thank you. For what it's worth, I would have done the same if the roles were reversed." Scourge said with a bow of his head.

"Well, they wouldn't be in danger if you dumbasses hadn't kidnapped my son!"

"Touché." He huffed indignantly. "But as much as I don't like this job, we can't really back out now. It wouldn't end well for us."

"If you had only just been a good little dog and laid down and died in my husband's stupid trap everything would be fine." Banshee drolly mused. "Besides, when we were offered this job I knew it was a golden opportunity that we couldn't pass up."

Banshee started to prattle on why Kokoro had wronged them and that this was justified retribution or some bullshit that Kokoro wasn't really paying attention to. She began to wonder what she was going to do. Until a much-needed voice rang in her mind.

"I've got a plan," Hikage said.

"I am all ears. But make it quick." Kokoro cautioned. "I don't know how long this stand-off will last."

"The aisle walkway directly behind you. When they are on either side of you, make a run for it down it, and try to get out of their sight. After that, I'll tell you the rest."

"Sounds easy enough."

"Just don't get cocky, we aren't firing on every cylinder in case you forgot."

She continued to back away as the villains on either side inched closer and closer. She stopped when she was a foot away from the start of the aisle. Now all she had to do was wait. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Each footstep cracked like thunder in her ears as they drew ever closer. She felt the blood pulse in her veins in a slow, steady beat.

"Patience is a virtue, patience is a virtue," Kokoro repeated the mantra.

As soon as the villains were on either side of her, she turned quickly and raced down the aisle. She could hear their shouts of anger as they tried to catch up. A bolt of ice shot past her shoulder, missing its target by a wide margin. Soon other ice bolts followed, all as inaccurate as the first one.

"Thank god she still can't aim for shit." Hikage joked warily.

Suddenly one of the enormous storage crates came flying down the walkway. Kokoro barely managed to avoid it as it crashed into the ground in a shower of splinters, bullets, and twisted gunmetal.

"You just had to say something, didn't you?!" She chided.

More shards of ice flew towards her, and one narrowly sped past the tip of her ear.

"If you just accepted the inevitable, this would all be over more quickly!" Banshee Jeered from far behind. "If you surrender, I promise it will be quick and painless!"

"In your fucking dream!" Kokoro snarled back as she dodged another box.

"Damn, looks like we are going to have to move to phase 2 of the plan sooner than I would have liked," Hikage growled. "You need to start knocking down the shelving supports."

"Fuckin what!?" Her eyes bulged. "Are you fucking serious! That was your plan!"

"It's the best we got!" He shot back, "And I don't see you coming up with any ideas!"

"Fucking shit!" She swore.

She extended her right arm to the side, Her muscles bulging as she tensed them in preparation for what was about to happen. She had almost reached the halfway point where one row of shelves ended and another began. As she reached the final frame, she slammed her fist into one of the support beams. The metal beam crumpled immediately from the force of the blow. Kokoro heard the Shelf groan in protest as it started to cave in on its own weight, but she didn't stay to watch it fall. She kept running as she slammed her fist into the other support just to ensure the supports would fail.

She could hear Scourge and Banshee's shouts of alarm and anger; as much as she wanted to taunt them, she knew getting away would be the better option. She knocked a few more down for extra measures as she entered the second row of shelves. As she cocked her fist back to strike the first shelf, Hikage sprang to life in her mind.

"Wait! No don't-" He had started to cry.

But it was too late. Kokoro's fist slammed down hard. It went through the metal as if it were a sheet of paper. The shelf lurched and groaned; it swayed and shifted. It knocked into other shelves, their cries of protest joining its own. Then it started to collapse, where Kokoro was.

"If you weren't running before, you sure better start now!" Hikage cried urgently. "Go on all four! It's the only way you'll make it out!"

Needing no more encouragement, Kokoro started to run. She ran with all her might, she managed to get out of the way of the first falling shelf, then she leapt forward, landed on her hands and feet, and continued to run. Her left shoulder burned at the additional strain put on it. The pads on her fingertips and feet gripped the ground with each pass that they made, giving her more and more speed. Her tail waved in the wind as she raced along. She looked back and watched as the row after row of shelves got closer and closer to her as they crumpled in on themselves, throwing up a great cloud of dust as they fell.

"You just had to do that didn't you!?" Hikage chastised her.

"I just wanted to make sure they didn't follow!" Kokoro defended. "I didn't think they'd fall that fast!"

"Well guess what? THEY FUCKING DO! SO LESS CHATTING AND MORE RUNNING!"

Kokoro could only grit her teeth and concentrate as she continued to run. She had just cleared the walkway when the final shelf came toppling down, engulfing everything in a cloud of dust. She had waited a few moments for the dust to settle, but it lingered like a smokescreen leaving everything she could see hazy.

" So Trigger powder makes for a good smoke screen huh? Maybe it does have some uses after all. " She chuckled.

While it was a nuisance to her heightened senses, it gave her an idea. She slowly made her way through the acrid cloud until she had found a wall of the building. Quickly she gripped part of the wall, sinking her claws deep into it. She then dug her other hand into the wall, then both feet. Satisfied the brickwork didn't give way to her weight, she began to climb, Her injured shoulder screamed in protest, but she ignored it.

She reached the rafters of the building quickly. It was cold, dark, and dusty, which was perfect. They wouldn't be able to see her from there. She adjusted herself to better balance on the metal beam and examined the battlefield below. The warehouse was in ruins; from the cloud of dust rose a few beams of twisted metal, like skyscrapers rising above the city smog. She could see piles upon piles of shattered boxes within the yellowish fog. Then she saw them in the corner of the warehouse. Kokoro let out a sigh of relief; it was the boys. They were unharmed and huddled behind some crates far away from the wreckage.

However, before she could observe any more of the area, a great howling wind resounded in the room. The smoke billowed away from where the sound had come from, leaving a clearing. In the middle stood Banshee, her hands raised, a blast of ice and snow billowing from them. She looked paler if such a thing was possible, But the change to Scourge would've explained why.

Scourge stood two feet higher than Kokoro now. His muscles bulged violently underneath his skin; his horns now protruded almost an arm's length ending in sharp points. His fangs and claws had sharpened to a razor point as well. The scars on his body seemed to look almost cracked. The baleful green light that colored his eyes glowed from them, threatening to break out.

Scourge had one hand placed on Banshee, and another effortlessly held the broken shelf at bay as if it were nothing. Banshee abruptly stopped her icy gale with a gasp of exhaustion. She panted for a few moments before taking a deep breath and turned to glare at Scourge.

"Was draining my energy necessary?" She curtly asked with a sour expression.

"I had to do something," Scourge grunted as he shoved the shelf away from them. "You are my wife, you know."

"I know that my dear husband." She said as she watched the shelf crash to the ground. "But I am not another weak child you have to coddle." She sneered.

"I am not codd-" Scourge started but was quickly silenced when Banshee raised her finger towards her lips.

"We will have this discussion later. For now, we have a job to do. Agreed?"

"Agreed." He grumbled.

"Good." she nodded, "You go search for the children, while I go and try to find out where that bitch went."

"Are you sure splitting up is the best course of action?"

"Yes." Banshee hissed. "You'll just get in my way, you lumbering oaf, and you were better with dealing with that brat than me anyways."

Scourge scoffed at her jabs but nodded, quietly turned, and went off searching for the boys.

Kokoro watched as he lumbered off into the cloud of dust but quickly returned her attention to banshee. She watched as Banshee skulked off in another direction shooting small blasts of icy wind from her hands to clear away the ever lingering fog.

"We won't be able to ambush her if she can see us coming." Hikage cautioned.

"I was thinking the same." Kokoro concurred, "I think we should go after Scourge first."

"Why?"

"Because I might be able to reason with him." Kokoro explained "That, and if we can't get him on our side…" She continued, "How hard is it to sneak up on a blind man?"

Scourge

---

Kyofu Kyochisei wasn't really having the best day. Sure the start had gone well. He and his wife, Ikiryo, had successfully acquired the kid without a hitch until Blackfang showed up. Scourge groaned at the thought of Blackfang. She had been a thorn in their side since the day he and his wife met her. Or at least that's what Banshee always says whenever she comes up in conversation.

Scourge turned his thoughts to his wife. This whole situation was because of her. She just had to pick a fight with Blackfang. She just had to get them roped into some scheme to get them back into the limelight. "All for the sake of our family, " she had told him. He scoffed at the thought. He knew when he was being bullshitted and knew she was only doing this for herself. He still went along with her anyways, he often asked himself why, but he always came to the same answer. She was his wife, and he loved her despite all her faults. However, this job tested that, especially with how cavalier she had recently been with their son.

His mind wandered back to his task then. While Scourge pondered his life choices, he scanned what little of the area he could see, the brownish haze of dust made it almost impossible to navigate. His vision was too obscured, and he could only see five feet in front of himself, whichever way he looked.

"This is going to take a while." Scourge grumbled to himself as his boot crushed the detritus underfoot.

"It doesn't have to." A smoky dulcet voice called from the mist.

It was Blackfang. His blood ran cold as numbness traveled up his spine. She had the drop on him. He strained his ears in hope that his wife was nearby, all he could hear was the faint sound of her using her quirk.

"Banshee is on the other end of the warehouse, she can't hear us right now," Blackfang remarked as if she knew his inner thoughts. "I will not harm you, not unless you give me a reason to."

Scourge had to pause for a moment. While he and Blackfang were never truly that hostile towards each other, He had still taken part in kidnapping her son, which gave her more than enough reason to want to kill him. Yet instead of ambushing him and tearing his throat out, she let herself be known and offered a ceasefire. It was either some ploy to make him sweat before she went in for the kill, or she was serious. In either case, Blackfang still had the upper hand, and he had no choice but to play along.

"You've gone soft" He chuckled. "The Blackfang I knew wasn't one to stay her hand."

"Do not mistake me, If it weren't for the promise I made to your son , this conversation wouldn't be happening right now." Blackfang snarled back, "Your son's love for you is the only reason why you are still breathing."

"Oh Konin, you kind, sweet, caring boy." Kyofu smiled at the thought of his son, "What do you wish to discuss."

"I wish to ally with you."

An awkward silence hung in the air, as thick as the fog around Scourge. He couldn't believe what he had heard. He and Blackfang team up? To what end? He wondered if she was suffering from blood loss and had become delusional. Because who in their right mind would side with their enemy?

"You can't be serious." He broke the silence derisively, "What could you possibly hope to gain with an alliance?"

"Safety for our sons."

"Go on."

"You were dragged into this mess by your wife, correct?"

"Yes," He grumbled indignantly.

"Did the thought ever come to you that I'm not the only person you'd be crossing when you took this job?"

"Are you referring to the boy's father?"

He heard a wry chuckle.

"Correct you are, Give the man a prize." Blackfang sarcastically drawled.

"Wait, she doesn't kno-" Kyofu had begun to ponder before Blackfang interrupted his thought.

"You know how possessive He can get over what is his."

"More than you know." He smirked to himself.

"So what do you think will happen when He finds out what happened?"

"I'm sure nothing good," Scourge mused.

"Which is why I am offering this alliance," Blackfang said. "Because He will not stop at you and Banshee, He Will, and I do mean Will, destroy everything you know and love leaving only ash and dust in His wake.

Scourge felt Ice flow through his veins at the finality of her words, even if he knew the truth.

"So please. Join me, I will vouch for you and say that Banshee was acting by herself."

"What makes you think I am willing to sell my wife down the river?" Scourge asked.

"Because she is a threat to not only me and mine but also to you and your son."

Kyofu contemplated her words, while on the one hand, she was right, Ikiryo was not good for him, and she was a danger to his son. But on the other hand, He knew just who gave them this job, and He didn't like it when the job wasn't completed, and He had made it explicitly clear just what would happen if they failed in their task. The cons of joining Blackfang significantly outweighed the pros.

As Scourge had made up his mind, He heard a noise that gave him hope. The sound of Banshee's gale had gotten significantly closer. The semblance of a plan formed in his mind. He knew it was a gamble, but he knew it was his only way out of this. He knew that Blackfang wouldn't be stupid enough to come out of hiding even if he agreed to an alliance. She'd expect him to lure his wife into a trap, and before he could warn her; His throat would have been torn out for his troubles. He could only pray that his idea would work.

"Blackfang..." Scourge said. "You forgot to mention something during your entire proposition." He continued smugly.

"Oh?" Blackfang scoffed derisively, "And what would that be?"

"Et Tu, Brute?" Scourge said.

"The traitor?" Blackfang asked, puzzled. "While I know that is an issue that must be dealt with, I don't see what it has to do with you and I."

"Oh, how wrong you are!" Scourge laughed mirthfully. "Did the question of who your malefactor is never cross your mind?"

"Not really, I was going to let Him deal with it. After all, He can dole out punishments better than I ever could."

Kyofu couldn't help but break into raucous laughter, this was all too much for him.

"God dammit why are you laughing?!" Blackfang snarled.

"Oh it's just… it's just…" He wheezed. "Ahem, excuse me." He coughed trying to recompose himself, Only to double back into a paroxysm of bellowing laughter.

"Oh! It's too rich!" He guffawed "You are an absolute fool! All this time! Not once did you ever consider it!"

"Would you just get to the FUCKING POINT!" Blackfang seethed in rage.

"It was Him , He gave us this job!"

"You're lying!" She snapped back. "If he wanted me dead he could have easily killed me in my sleep!" She countered defiantly, but Scourge heard a slight tremor in her words.

"You know full well He isn't the hands-on kind of guy, and like you said He is possessive of his things, you included." Kyofu explained. "He just couldn't bring himself to do the deed, or at least that's what He said when He came to us with this proposal."

"Wha- Why…? Why would He... ?" Blackfang's voice wavered uneasily.

"Excellent. " Scourge smiled to himself, " She's off-balance now, Just have to kick her feet out from under her and she'll be easy prey. " He mused.

The sound of Banshee's Gale had gotten closer but was still not as close as he would have liked.

" It doesn't matter though, by the time Ikiryo gets here Blackfang will be no more. " He snickered. " Now for the coup de grace. " He steeled himself. "Blackfang." He called out.

"What!" She snapped clearly on edge.

"Black…" He stopped and shook his head. "Kokoro."

He heard a sharp inhale at the name.

"Kokoro, I want to thank you for the olive branch you have extended me, but I am afraid I must decline."

"I figured." came a curt response

"However." He continued. "I would like to offer my own proposition."

When he received no response he pressed onwards.

"Kokoro, it's over, there is nothing you can do to stop Him ." Scourge said with finality.

"Just fucking watch me." Kokoro replied sardonically.

"Don't be a fool." Scourge chided, "As to my offer. Surrender."

"Fuck you." Kokoro snarled.

"Surrender." He said as he ignored her retort. "I promise you that I will make it quick and painless."

"Like hell, I am just going to lay down and die like a dog!" Kokoro growled.

"It is the only option that saves you from pain and suffering! Would you rather fight a losing battle against my wife and me! Or would you like Him to get His hands on you?" He snapped at her. "Kokoro, the moment you woke up you were already dead. You didn't know it. I am offering the painless option! Take it!" He pleaded. "Think of your son! Even if you somehow escape here with him he will always be in danger! Do you really want that for him?"

"Did you just use my son to try and get me to surrender?!" Kokoro snarled

"Fuck. This was a bad idea " Scourge winced "No, I just meant-"

He didn't get to explain what he meant, as he saw a hulking figure charging toward him from the corner of his eye.

Banshee

---

Banshee trudged down the aisle, her quirk blasting away the ever lingering fog and dust, a scowl plastered to her face. Why did she have the only brains between her and her dear husband? She scoffed at the thought of him. Why had she married that fool? It had given her nothing but misery. Sure it started out good. They were happy, just two rambunctious youths making mischief, but it got worse as time passed. Now here she was in her ruined warehouse trying to clean up yet another mess Kyofu had left for her.

"When this is over he is a dead man" Banshee grumbled to herself. "And that good for nothing little traitor of ours."

The very thought of Konin made her blood boil. Never had such a useless creature ever walked the earth, The kid was seven, seven years old, and he still didn't have a quirk. Konin had told her more than once that he could feel it in him, but she knew an excuse when she saw one. If she had known that those nine months of misery led to such disappointment, she would have told Kyofu to fuck off when he approached her with the idea of having a child. Unfortunately, she thought it was a great idea. She saw it as a way to rekindle the dying flame between her and Kyofu; however, as soon as Konin was born, any lingering flame of passion they had was snuffed out.

This incident had been the last straw. When He had approached her with this job offer and an opportunity to get back into His good graces, she accepted without any hesitation. She knew if there was anyone to fix Konin, it was Him . All they had to do was kill that bitch He was fucking, and kidnap their little runt. It was so simple, but for some reason He wouldn't allow that and merely requested that they kidnap Ariden.

" I still can't believe He wouldn't let us kill the bitch. " Banshee hissed as she kicked the detritus of the wreck out of her way. Her boots crunched on the thin layer of frost on the rubbled ground that had formed from where she used her quirk.

She wasn't surprised that He had made a plan of attack for them to follow. It was pretty detailed too, and it accounted for almost everything. However, both She and Scourge were alarmed at part of the plan that called for their last remaining grunts to be sacrificed as fodder.

" I will admit it was probably for the best that we got rid of them. " Banshee conceded. "We don't need any loose ends on our part. They would have been a liability. "

After they broke in, they'd grab the kid, and then Scourge would use his quirk to reanimate the corpses; she would then cover the room in ice and snow to both hide the ghouls and then leave a note for that bitch to find. It was perfect. The cur would wake up to find her child gone and, as she read the letter, realized she had been betrayed, only for it to be too late as the ghouls set to their task and ripped her to shreds.

"No plan survives contact with the enemy. " Ikiryo mused, " If only if I had jus- "

Her inner thoughts were interrupted by the sound of angered shouting.

"What now!?" she scowled as she headed towards the noise, her quirk making quick work of the cloud of fog in the way.

As she drew closer, she could make out the voices of her husband and of Blackfang in heated debate. Their words were muffled by the distance and the fog in Banshee's way, so it sounded like two beasts snarling and howling at each other. She didn't care what they were arguing about. All she knew was where Scourge was. Blackfang would be there as well.

The arguing, however, stopped, and all hell broke loose. The sounds of battle thundered throughout the ruined warehouse, There was a loud crash, and a rumble was felt. The sound of splintering wood and metal echoed as both Scourge and Blackfang snarled in pain.

" That goddamn idiot! " Banshee cursed as she hastily rushed towards the ensuing battle. " Why did you not wait for me to show up! "

The wet sounds of rending and tearing flesh and the cracking of bones sang their dirge to Banshee. When she was only a few feet away, the smell hit her, The sickly sweet metallic scent of blood. It overpowered every other odor in the area. She looked down to see she was standing in a puddle of it. As she made to take a step forward, The voices of Scourge and Blackfang howled at each other in defiance. They raged at each other for what seemed to last forever until there came a harsh cry of pain and the sound of liquid splattering the ground. The ground trembled slightly, and the world went quiet.

The area had been revealed thanks to Banshee's quirk, but the fog still lingered on the outskirts of where she was. Where she stood, though, was a sight to behold. Blood and viscera were scattered everywhere. The cement on the ground in places was cracked; other spots were upheaved, adding more debris to the already ruined warehouse. Deep gashes marked every surface, going in four inches, five inches, and six inches deep in some places. If she didn't know what happened here, she would have thought someone had unleashed a pack of pissed-off rabid bears upon the area.

Before she could examine the area further, the sound of heavy, labored breath rasped behind her. She turned to see who it was. All she saw was a lumbering figure slowly limping through the fog. Banshee immediately readied her quirk and put up her guard as the figure shuffled closer. It meandered before finally stopping at the very edge of the dust. Banshee started to inch closer to the figure but stopped as she watched as it wobbled slightly before it crashed through the fog and landed face-first against the concrete floor, a dull wet smack and some flecks of blood splashed onto Banshee.

It was the mangled abominable form of Scourge. Banshee rushed to his side. As she turned him onto his back, she shuddered at the sight of it. He looked as if he had been flogged with a cat o' nine tails. The wet crimson liquid flowed past her fingers as strips of skin stuck to her hand. She avoided the larger areas of exposed muscle and ribs. As his back met the ground, Scourge let out the cry of a tortured man, his wounds freshly agitated.

Banshee recoiled in horror at the visage of Scourge. He was broken and bloody. One of his horns had been ripped off, crimson ichor flowed freely in a steady pour. Four identical slashes ran across his face from scalp to chin; his right eye had been eviscerated, leaving nothing but an empty hollow. A chunk of his neck and shoulder was torn out, and muscles and tendons frayed at the ends. Banshee examined it closer.

" I see she missed the Carotid and Jugular. " Banshee breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the rest of Scourge's body dashed any hope for a favorable prognosis. His torso was riddled with slash and stab wounds. The skin on the right side of his chest barely clung to his frame; it started at the clavicle and ended at the bottom of the ribs was shredded. Banshee could see fractured pieces of his rib poking through in some places. His abdomen was lacerated from side to side. He had almost been disemboweled.

When Banshee took notice of his extremities, a pit of despair formed in her gut. While his extremities had suffered little compared to the bulk of his frame. There were still serious injuries. Most of it looked like defensive wounds, Though Banshee noted his claws were caked in blood and chunks of viscera that weren't his own. However, on his right leg, right behind his kneecap, there was a deep slash, not deep enough to risk severing the lower half from the rest of his leg. Still, it was deep enough to sever the Femoral artery.

"Oh, I've done it this time haven't I?" He asked with a resigned smile.

Banshee noticed bits of blood and meat on his teeth.

"You should've seen what I did to Blackfang." He grinned as he flexed his blood-stained hands weakly. "Though I wish I could have done more."

"Oh hush you fool." She replied tersely "This was your own unmaking and you know it."

"Tell me something I don't know."

He feebly raised one of his hands and caressed Banshee's cheek.

"We both know this is it."

"Yes." She sighed somberly, "It is."

"There are a lot of things I want to tell you…" He started before a fit of coughing interrupted him. "But all I can think to say is, I'm sorry. I am a god damn fool."

Banshee closed her eyes and exhaled softly at his admission.

"I just wish you could have learned that without getting mortally wounded," she murmured as she gently clasped the hand that cupped her face. "I should've never taken this job." She hissed bitterly

"No, don't." Scourge snapped at her. "Do not blame yourself for this. This isn't on you. The blame lies solely on me… and Blackfang."

Her grip tightened slightly at the mention of her name.

"You're right…" She scoffed, "I am going to kill the bitch and wear her pelt as a cape."

"Ah, that'd be a sight." Scourge murmured wistfully "I wish I could see it… I wish I could see Konin grow up…" He trailed off as his breath grew shallow as each moment passed.

They sat there in silence, the only sound was the dull wet shudder of Scourge as he breathed in and out.

"I have a request for you." he dully murmured.

"Yes?"

"I know you and Konin don't get along…" He paused to catch his breath. "But please…" He rasped, "Take care of him, You're all he has left."

"I don't… I can't do-" Banshee gritted through her teeth

"Look." Scourge cut her off. "We both know your issues stem from his lack of ability." he heaved, his body trembling in a paroxysm of pain. "All you have to do is finish the job, get Him to help Konin. After that, the rest is up to you."

"Fine." She sighed bitterly.

"Good." Scourge murmured, "I guess I can rest easy then, now there is only one thing left to do."

Banshee felt a swell of power course through her veins; she felt more awake and alive than ever. The feeling was intoxicating, she could take on the whole world, and nothing could stop her. She was inevitable; she was a force of nature. She was broken from her revelry when she remembered just where her newfound strength had come from.

"My final gift to you." Scourge's voice was barely a whisper. "It won't last forever, but it should be enough for you to kill Blackfang and save our son, and know I will always be with you."

"I know." Banshee sighed.

"I will see you later…" he sighed "my love…"

The lights of his eyes dimmed as his last breath was drawn from him in a soft, quiet sigh. His chest refused to rise again, his eyes glassy and vacant, but they still stared at Banshee. A small smile graced his lips. Scourge, the Demon of Shizuoka, Kyofu Kyochisei, after 37 years of life, had died.

It was strange; Banshee always imagined pure rage would feel like a raging inferno that consumed everything in its path. But she felt cold as if all the heat and warmth in the universe had disappeared, and nothing she did would be able to make her feel warm again. The fires of passion, love, and desire were gone. All that was left was the bitter cold winds of spite and rage.

She felt the power Scourge had given her writhe invisibly just below her skin as her rage mounted. It was suffocating. Every bone and muscle in her body groaned as the power coursed through her. She tried to gasp for air, but her rage and power choked her. She watched as cracks formed along her skin, glowing with an icy blue light. Her head pounded from the pressure. She thought she was about to explode. Then she heard an ear-shattering scream, Then everything went white and cold.

Kokoro and Hikage

---

Kokoro limped feebly through the now settling dust. Her feet dug trenches through the trigger powder that had begun to pile up. The only sounds she heard were her own heartbeat and the all too frequent pitter-patter of her blood dripping down onto the ground. She surveyed the area around her with her only working eye. She had no idea where she was.

" FUCK! " She screamed internally as she stumbled slightly." I didn't think he would hit so hard!"

" What did you expect! He was practically 8 feet tall! " Hikage scolded " I told you to wait for an opening, but did you listen! No! You just had to, quote-unquote 'Make sure I rip that bastard's nuts off. "

" I got him in the end though. " She beamed.

" Sure, but let's take inventory as to what it cost you! "

It was a hard-fought battle. She already knew that, and while she had won, it had turned into a pyrrhic victory. The loss of her left eye told her that, but that wasn't the only casualty. Deep gashes ran across her torso, rivulets of blood leaking from them. Her working hand clamped down onto her neck wound, which had been made worse courtesy of Scourge sinking his fangs into the already injured place. While he had missed any major arteries, he had managed to sever her brachial plexus, and now her left arm hung limply in the air, like a puppet with no puppeteer to pull the strings.

" It could be worse, I could be dead. " She pointed out.

She could hear Hikage grumble something to himself in the back of her mind.

" Could be worse she says! Could be dead, she says! I swear to god this woman is going to be the death of us both!"

" Try to at least be a little optimistic! " Kokoro complained.

" Kind of hard when we aren't running at full capacity! "

" I know that, which is why I have come up with a new idea. "

" Hoo, boy. Here we go… "

Kokoro could feel Hikage rolling his eyes.

" It's the only sound plan I could come up with! " She snapped at him, "It's simple. I go and grab the boys, sneak our way out, and find the closest police station or hospital."

Silence overtook the pair as Kokoro kept trudging along.

" Hello? Earth to Hikage? Are you still there, bud? "

"Yeah… " He hesitated " Sorry I guess my part of your brain stopped functioning, cause I could have sworn I heard you say go to the nearest police station. "

" You heard correctly. "

" Ah okay… FUCKING WHY!? "

"Because it's the only safe place to turn to! " She fumed. "I believe what Scourge said. This means every safe house we have is compromised, every ally we have could be a traitor. So the only safe place from Him is with the police and heroes." Kokoro explained. " He wouldn't dare reveal Himself, it would draw too much attention to Him, and any crony He threw our way would either die or lead back to Him . "

" Hmm, It could work, though it would still mean placing yourself at the mercy of the heroes. "

" The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Trust me I see the irony in all of this. "

" Well, we better get started unless you… want… to… bleed… ou… " Hikage faltered at the end as he noticed something, " I'm sorry what the fuck is that? "

Kokoro felt a slight breeze flow past her and was about to ask Hikage if he was alright until a sudden icy wind almost knocked her off her feet. She tried to turn around to see what was happening, but the blast of ice and snow obscured everything her good eye could see. She felt a searing pain on the pads of her paws and feet. She glanced down and saw frost starting to form on her fingers.

" I think Banshee's gone insane! " Hikage shouted, " She's going to get us all killed! "

" Then we really don't have time to stand around, Banshee is closer to where the boys were hiding. They won't last long in this cold. "

" If only you had your winter coat, this would suck a whole lot less. "

Kokoro chuckled at Hikage's complaint and started to run. Her feet burned as they touched the icy floor, but she ran on, even when the skin began to stick with each step. As she got closer to the boys' hiding spot, she noticed that icicles were starting to form, the icy wind forcing them to grow outward sideways. She arrived at the hiding spot after she twisted and winded her way down a long narrow path of snowdrifts and debris. As she turned the corner of the box, she was surprised and saw that Ariden and Konin were gone. As soon as she noticed, the wind ceased.

"BLACKFANG!" Banshee howled with rage

The sound of Banshee's voice had changed. It sounded like ice shattering over a frozen lake; it was strangely beautiful to hear despite the malice the voice carried with it.

"SHOW YOURSELF AT ONCE!"

Kokoro peaked over the box that hid her from view; her heart almost stopped at the sight. Banshee looked monstrous. Her smile was crooked in malicious glee. Her glowing blood-red eyes were ablaze with pure sadistic joy at what she was doing. Outstretched in both her blackened frostbit hands, she held the boys up by their necks, both slightly gasping for air.

"BLACKFANG! SHOW YOURSELF!" Banshee once again barked out "IF YOU DON'T I WILL KILL THESE TWO WORTHLESS RUNTS!"

The two boys squirmed harder in her grip.

"Mother please! Stop!" Konin croaked. "Why are you doing this!"

Banshee glared at the boy and brought him closer until they were face to face.

"Because boy." She hissed "You are the reason I am in this mess! It is why your father is dead! All because you are weak and pitiful."

"Father is… is dead?" Konin gulped.

"YES!" She screamed in his face "AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"Oh…"

Kokoro was livid, her plan be damned, she would not let Banshee get away with such wanton cruelty, Banshee had to die, and she had to die right then. Her body groaned in pain as she vaulted herself off the box. As soon as She and Banshee locked eyes, she charged, howling with rage all the way.

She saw Banshee's eyes twinkle at the sight of her approaching form. Kokoro watched as Banshee tossed the two boys off to the side like ragdolls. They tumbled across the ground and more than once narrowly dodged the sharp icicles that jutted everywhere before they were stopped by a snowdrift, safe. She breathed a sigh of relief before she turned her attention back to her target. Banshee had raised her hands and cupped them together, her smile wilder than it had been before.

"I'LL MAKE SURE THERE'S NOTHING LEFT OF YOU!" She cackled.

A jet of ice shot out from her hands. It closed the distance between the two much faster than Kokoro expected. She attempted to dodge to the right but wasn't fast enough. She felt the beam slam into her left shoulder and arm. Kokoro ground her teeth as she ignored the pain and kept charging.

She reached Banshee before she could fire off another volley of ice. She swung her right arm down as hard as she could. Unfortunately, Banshee managed to dodge in time as she leapt backward. Kokoro's claws merely grazed the skin of Banshee's forehead and cheek. A loud, sickening crack resounded beside Kokoro, and she felt lighter for some reason. Then she looked down and saw what had happened.

Kokoro's left arm was on the ground, frozen and shattered beyond repair. She looked at her left shoulder and saw it was frozen. The ice had cauterized the open wound. It was surreal to her; It reminded her of an action figure with a limb removed, just an empty socket in want of its missing part. Kokoro was roused from her shock by the wild cackling of Banshee.

"I HOPE YOU WEREN'T TOO ATTACHED TO THAT ARM!" She taunted mirthfully

Kokoro looked at Banshee and felt her blood boil, the flame of rage in her had turned into an inferno.

"I ONLY NEED ONE ARM TO KILL YOU, YOU FUCKING BITCH!"

"YOU ARE MORE THAN WELCOME TO TRY!" Banshee cheered

Her smile had gotten much wilder, her eyes glimmered with a hint of madness in them.

Banshee blasted another beam of ice towards Kokoro. Kokoro dodged it again with much greater success. As she closed the distance between them, Banshee opted to form claws of sharpened ice as long as daggers instead of firing another ice blast. Kokoro noticed, however, for the briefest of moments, a look of pain flashed across Banshee's face.

"The frostbite is taking its toll on her. If she keeps this up she is going to lose the use of both her arms. " Hikage theorized.

" Noted. "

As soon as Kokoro was in range, Banshee swiped at her torso and only managed to nick one of the gashes that Scourge had inflicted. Kokoro returned the courtesy as she racked her claws deep in Banshee's right side. Banshee flinched at the pain and tried to recover. But it was too late. Kokoro grabbed Banshee's throat, raised her high off the ground, and slammed her into it. Banshee gasped for air as the blow knocked the wind out of her. Kokoro looked down at the prone woman.

"It's over, this is the end of the line." Kokoro seethed, "You will never be able to lay your hands on those two boys again!"

Banshee had managed to catch enough of her breath and started to laugh.

"That's funny…*cough* I was about to… *cough* say the same!"

Hikage rang out in alarm.

" Kokoro! Look ou- "

It was too late, Kokoro felt something cold stab her, and all the breath left her. She looked down. In Banshee's blackened hand was the blunt end of a long icicle. The pointed end had gone between her ribs right into one of her lungs. Her grip around Banshee's neck tightened and choked her until her hand fell limply away from the icicle, Banshee grunted and gasped in protest, but Kokoro didn't care. Then she took a shallow breath and unsteadily got to her feet.

She glanced around the area until she saw what she was looking for. Near the corpse of Scourge, there was a large area of long, sharp, horizontal icicles, a veritable wall of spikes. It was the perfect spot for Banshee to meet her demise. Kokoro summoned all of her remaining strength, and with it, she hurled Banshee towards the spikes with all her might.

Kokoro watched as Banshee sailed across the room, Banshee tried to twist and contort herself to try and avoid her impending doom, but it was futile in the end. Banshee slammed into the spikes with a satisfying wet crunch. They impaled her effortlessly, going through her legs and arms, a few icicles sprouted from her chest; her head had managed to avoid such a grizzly fate. Relief washed over Kokoro when she saw Banshee howl in pain and cough up copious amounts of blood. One of the icicles had managed to pierce her heart.

As the Adrenaline faded from Kokoro's system, it was replaced with excruciating pain. She clenched her teeth as she took a shallow breath. She knew screaming would probably make her situation worse. She looked down at the icicle still stuck in her side; thankfully, it had formed a hermetic seal, stopping her lung from collapsing. But she knew it wouldn't stay that way forever. It was July, and ice was prone to melt quickly in such wicked heat. She had to move fast.

"Ariden! Konin! Come to me quickly!" She shouted, wincing with every word.

She heard the sound of scuffled feet approaching her. She caught sight of Ariden and Konin as they hurried towards her. She sighed in relief when she saw they hadn't been injured when Banshee threw them. They looked a little unnerved, but a hug could easily fix that. She did notice Konin's breath catch as he caught sight of his parents. She couldn't blame him when he went racing past her towards them. She'd let him be, for now, Ariden took precedence at that moment. When he saw Kokoro, the face he made broke Kokoro's heart.

"Mo…mom? Are…are you okay? You're hurt!" Ariden asked, his chin quivering as he tried to keep from crying.

"Oh, sweetie." Kokoro said, hugging him with her one good arm. "I am perfectly fine, now that you're by my side."

"Bu-... But… But you're bleeding! Your arm is gone! Are…Are… you gonna die!" Ariden began to sob uncontrollably.

"Shhhhh, honey I'll be fine. I'm not going anywhere." She hugged him tighter. "But we do need to leave quickly. Okay?"

When Ariden didn't respond, Kokoro looked at him. He looked inconsolable, he trembled all over and his breathing began to hitch, He was panicked.

"Sweetie, listen to the sound of my voice and look at me," Kokoro instructed as she let him go from the hug. "I want you to do as I do, okay? Do you understand?"

He shook his head in confirmation.

"Good. you are being so brave right now." She smiled at him. "Now, count to four, inhale."

Kokoro sucked in a deep breath of air, her lung was aflame from the strain.

"Count to four, exhale."

She exhaled long and slow, she felt a moment of relief from the pain, but it didn't last.

"Your turn now." She smiled gently at him. "Do it until you feel calm."

Ariden did as he was instructed, It took him multiple tries before it worked. But when it did he looked up to Kokoro with a small smile.

"You did wonderfully." She hugged him again.

" Not to ruin the moment but we need to hurry up, we are close to passing out from blood loss, and the ice on your shoulder and the icicle in your lung won't last forever. "

" Yeah, let me just grab Konin. "

She returned her focus back to Ariden

"Alright honey, we need to grab Konin, then we need to start heading out before others start to show up. Alright?"

"Yep!"

As Kokoro got up and dusted herself off, A hideous scream rang out. It was horrendous, the sound of pain, a song of agony, wrath, and suffering of the most hellish variety. But it also carried the note of pure bliss, a melody of delight, of enraptured ecstasy. It froze Kokoro and Ariden in place for a moment, But Kokoro steeled herself and turned to where the noise was coming from. Only to stare on, in abject horror.

Konin

---

Ever since his mother had wrapped her hand around his neck, Konin felt numb. His body tingled; he felt like something inside him was electrocuting him. Everything had happened so fast; his head spun, and his thoughts fractured. He recalled everything before the fight started, the escape, the promise, him and Ariden hiding. But after that, it got hazy, there was the sound of a fight, then everything got cold, then his mother found them.

He brushed his fingers against his neck. He didn't feel anything besides the pin and needles that had taken over his sense of touch. What was he doing now? He remembered that the wolf woman had called out to them, and told them that it was over. Now he was running towards something if only he could focus on what that was. Still, the tingling sensation had only grown stronger until it took over all his thoughts.

Then he saw them, and he remembered. His parents, that's who he was running towards. When he first glimpsed at the sight of them, he knew something was wrong. As he got closer, it only reinforced the idea. They looked wrong, more like statues than people, their bodies laid still. He couldn't see the slightest flex of a muscle or the twitch of a finger.

His father's body lay there on the ground. The only sound coming from him was the hiss of steam as his still warm blood pooled around him and melted the encroaching snow and ice. His mother would have looked like she hovered above him if he had not seen the blueish spikes that had kept her in that position. Her blood ran along the length of the icicles before it formed droplets and rained down onto the ground, mingling with his father's blood.

He didn't want to believe what was before him, that he was just asleep, and this entire episode was a nightmare. He approached his father warily and looked at his lifeless frame, his eyes were closed, and a smile of contentment danced across his face; he looked at peace. Was the man who had raised and loved him really gone? Konin gingerly placed a hand on his father's cheek as he felt his hand make solid contact with the still warm face. Any idea of his current situation being nothing more than a dream vanished. This was real.

Before he had time to come to terms with his new reality, something peculiar happened. The area where he placed his hand grew cold rapidly. Konin flinched away, unsure as to what was happening. As he did so, he felt a burst of energy surge through him. He felt more alive than ever; his mind was no longer spun as clarity took hold.

He gazed down at his hand in astonishment. The pins and needles that had overwhelmed his sense of touch had faded. He noticed that the skin of his fingers had turned alabaster white, and his fingertips showed small cracks as if they were made of porcelain, yet he felt no pain.

He returned his gaze to his father and was bewildered by what he saw. Where his hand had been, a handprint of equal size had formed. The skin had turned black and looked old and leathery as if that spot had died a long time ago. He noticed as well. His father's features had changed. His face seemed more gaunt than before, his cheekbones now more pronounced. His body also seemed thinner, his bulky frame replaced by a leaner build.

For all his newfound mental clarity, this puzzled Konin to no end. What was happening? The idea that this was just a much more elaborate dream than he initially thought crossed his mind, but something told him that wasn't the case. He looked up from his father's body and glanced over to where his mother's body was. He wondered if it would happen again, to see if this was real as well or if he was going insane.

As he made his way toward her body, part of him couldn't help but wonder why his mother had always despised him. What did he do wrong? Why was he not good enough to earn her love? Why did she always shout and scream at him? As he reached his destination, he shrugged the questions from his mind; he knew they would never be answered.

He gazed upon his mother's form. It was a disgusting sight, her body maimed and rented. While her eyes were closed, her face was twisted into a countenance of malice and hate. Konin, though unnerved being this close to her, steeled himself. He had to see if what had happened was real or not.

He reached for her hand since it was closest to him. However, before he could make contact, The hand shot out at him like a snake, grabbed him by the throat, and lifted him off the ground. Then he found himself in a familiar position. He was frozen in terror, staring into the rage-filled burning red eyes of his mother.

"This is your fault. " She croaked, her voice barely above a whisper. " Your father is dead because of you! I'm going to die because of you. " she wheezed. " All because you are weak! A worthless whelp I should have killed a long time ago! "

Her grip continued to tighten as panic overwhelmed Konin. He clawed and squirmed, he tried anything to get another gasp of air.

" Dammit why won't my body move!? Stop being scared and fight! " fumed Konin as he tried to cajole himself into action

All the while, as the vice tightened around his neck, the familiar feeling of pins and needles returned, and started to grow stronger by the second

"You ruined everything the day you were born! " She rasped. " I refuse to die until I have destroyed my greatest mistake! "

She never got to fulfill her dying wish, as white-hot searing pain ran through her body. She looked down and saw that Konin had wrapped his hand around her throat. A baleful blue light escaped between his fingers. She then looked at his face; his smile had been twisted in malicious glee. His eyes were bloodshot and wild, utterly void of any empathy and warmth; only sadism and hatred remained. That was when Banshee knew terror for the first and last time.

"I FUCKING HATE YOU!" Konin roared in rage as he gave himself over to the moment.

Kokoro and Hikage

---

Kokoro watched in horror at the spectacle. She couldn't see Konin's face, but his cackling laughter sent shivers down to her soul. She watched as Banshee began to shrivel up; Banshee's skin tightened around her joints, her hands looked old and spindly. Her once youthful face turned old and gaunt. Her pale skin was now a blackish hue.

Banshee didn't stay that way for long. As the malignant blue light grew brighter, Kokoro noticed as the tips of Banshee's fingers started to crumble into dust. It spread like a disease. It snaked its way up her arm, cracks formed on the skin as if it were made of glass, then it shattered and fell apart, a slight breeze carried the ash and dust away. After a moment, nothing was left of her. Banshee, The Winter Reaper, Ikiryo Kyochisei, After 35 years of life, had quite literally bit the dust.

" Goddamn that's a hell of a quirk. " Hikage whistled in the back of her mind.

" I just wish this wasn't how he unlocked it. " Kokoro mused somberly

As the last of Banshee dissolved into ash and dust, the sickly blue light faded. Konin remained still for a moment. As Kokoro began to approach the boy, however, he turned to face the mother and son instantly. Kokoro almost recoiled at his countenance. She saw murderous lust written across his face. Konin, the boy, was gone. A monster had taken his place.

"K- Konin? Are you okay?" Kokoro asked hesitantly.

He didn't respond, He just stared at her with a vacant smile that unnerved her.

"Konin, I know a lot has happened but we-" She had started to explain.

"I always hated her." Konin interrupted, his voice dull and flat. "She always called me useless."

"I-I know honey, and she was wrong for saying that." Kokoro tried her best to not falter.

Konin seemed to ignore and turned towards the pile of ash that had been Banshee. Kokoro took another step towards him but quickly retreated as he began to cackle and stomp on the mound.

"WHO'S USELESS NOW?" he laughed merrily. "YOU WORTHLESS MISERABLE OLD HAG!"

He continued to stomp and kick the pile until nothing was left. He kept laughing even after it was gone. He clutched his stomach as he howled, his knees buckled, and he landed prostrate on the ground, but he kept going.

"He's gone off the deep end, " Hikage warned. " There is no telling what he'll do. I think we should run. "

" Absolutely not! " She snapped back. " We can't just leave him here! He could hurt someone else or even himself! "

" He is more likely to kill us rather than come with us! "

Kokoro sighed somberly, a tear welled in her eye.

" I know, But I'd rather die trying than leave him here. "

"Then at least… Goddammit… " Hikage cursed, " Then at least send Ariden away, there is no need for him to die here as well. "

Before Kokoro could respond, a deep thunderous cracking sound echoed across the room. The source was where Konin was. She looked over at him. He had stopped laughing; he was still prostrated on the ground. His hands were outstretched in front of him, his palm on the floor, A dull blue light glowing from them.

The ground around him had begun to crack and splinter as if it were made of ice. Kokoro glanced towards the remains of the shelves when they started to groan. The same spider-web-like cracks had begun to form on the metal and wood. Some shelves started to shatter, too brittle to even uphold their own weight. The entire area around Konin cracked and groaned as the room grew colder and colder.

Kokoro looked back at Konin and was horrified. His skin was alabaster white. The same spider-web cracks had formed along the entirety of his body. Some of the cracks glowed with the same baleful blue light that she saw earlier; it reminded her too much of Scourge. His hair had changed; what was once honey blond had turned into a sickly whitish blue. He looked like a grotesque porcelain doll some mad dollmaker had created. He glared at Kokoro. His eyes glowed an icy blue.

"You said I'd be safe!" He scowled at her. "You promised you wouldn't kill my dad!"

"I tried! He gave me no choice!" Kokoro said.

"LIAR!" Konin cried in rage "You're nothing but a liar!"

" If we make a run for it- " Hikage started.

" No. " Kokoro stopped him " I can't run, not without putting Ariden at risk. "

" This is the end isn't it? "

" Most likely. "

" Then say your last good-byes, It's time to take a bow. "

Kokoro turned towards Ariden, the boy was frozen in fear. She crouched down and pulled him into a hug.

"I know you're scared sweetie, but you're going to have to be brave for me okay?"

She couldn't help but smile when he put on a brave face.

"Now I need you to do something for me, it's very important."

"What?" He asked as he tried to fight tears.

"I need you to…" She hesitated as tears started to run down her face. "I need you to run away. To run as far as you can and find somewhere safe, try and find a hero or the police."

"But… But… I don't want to leave you!" he bawled.

Kokoro hugged him tighter.

"I know sweetie, I know." She sniffed, "but you have to go, you aren't safe here. But always know, I will always be proud of you no matter what you do, and I will never stop loving you. Never forget that, okay?"

"I love you too." He cried as he hugged her again.

"And whenever life gets to be too much, remember to breathe, okay?"

"Okay." He sniffed

"Good boy. Now go." She commanded and let him go with a kiss on the cheek, some of her blood smearing against it when she did

Her heart broke as she watched Ariden run away. As soon as she heard the exit door open and close, she returned her attention to Konin. He had gotten too wrapped up at the moment to pay any attention to the tearful goodbye. He looked worse than before, more cracks had grown, and the baleful blue light seeped from all of them.

"Konin." She called out

The boy snapped to attention as he turned his gaze towards her.

"You don't look well." She spoke softly. "Are you okay?"

Konin slowly rose to his feet, the ground cracked and splintered as he shifted his weight. He pointed a single finger at Kokoro.

"This is all your fault." Was all he said.

Then he let go. Konin let loose everything that was inside him. Ice, snow, and pure cold exploded outwards in all directions. The shelves exploded into shards of wood and metal. The ground shattered into a million pieces and started to cave in on itself. Kokoro knew that she would never be able to outrun the winter hellscape that was rushing towards her. She took a deep breath ignoring the stabbing pain and sighed.

"We had a good run huh? " Hikage smirked. " Do you think we did good at the very end?"

" I honestly don't know, but I tried. That should at least count for something. "

As the blizzard of death came closer, she remembered that one nice sunny day at the park with Ariden. It was one of the few moments she knew true peace. As the ice claimed her, She smiled as she remembered Ariden looking up at her and smiling.

"I love you." were the only words that graced her lips.

Then she was gone.

Ariden

---

Ariden ran. He didn't know for how long or how far. He really didn't know where he was going. All he knew was he had to run away and find somewhere safe. He stopped and looked around. He didn't see anyone, all he saw was brick building after brick building for as far as the eye could see. He shivered slightly; when had it gotten so cold? He felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes, then he remembered his mother's advice.

As he breathed in and out, he regained his focus. His mother had told him to find somewhere safe, more specifically to try and find the police or a hero. But he didn't know where he would be able to find one. That's when an idea hit him. He recalled all those videos his father had shown him of his mother fighting villains. All of the fights seemed to take place out in the open with many people around; he reasoned if he found a lot of people, he'd find a hero. With his hope rekindled, he began to run again.

He ran for what felt like forever. He had begun to fear he had gone in the wrong direction, but then he saw it. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted an alleyway, and more importantly, at the end of that alleyway, he saw a busy street with people walking by. He had made it. As he raced towards the open street, the thoughts of being rescued by a hero filled his mind. He was so preoccupied with his fantasies that he failed to notice a woman and her child as they walked right into the middle of his path.

Inko

---

Inko smiled down at Izuku as they walked down the street. It was three days before his third birthday, and she had decided to do some last-minute shopping for extra supplies for the event. So far, all had gone well, besides her son wandering off to look at every piece of All Might merchandise. While she enjoyed his enthusiasm, it could sometimes be a bit much. She was thankful that they only had one shop left to visit before heading home.

But fate seemed to have different plans for the Midoriyas that day. As Inko began to walk past an old, ratty alleyway, she felt something bowl into her. Alarm bells rang in her head; earlier that day, she had seen on the news that there had been reports of villains in the area. She had hoped a hero would have taken care of them already, but here one was, most likely trying to mug her.

Without even thinking, she used her quirk, pulled Izuku behind her, and shielded him from the threat. She closed her eyes and waited for the Villain to attack, but nothing came. She opened her eyes and saw nothing in front of her.

"Oww." whimpered a small voice.

She looked down and saw him. A small boy with salt and pepper hair, he rubbed his head gingerly as he stifled a sob. He looked no older than Izuku. Then she felt Izuku peer out from behind her, curious about what had happened. When he saw the boy, he ventured out and offered him a hand up.

"Are you okay?" Izuku asked.

The look the boy gave them shattered Inko's heart. He looked so lost, so scared, so alone. As the boy accepted Izuku's hand, he raised himself up, hugged Izuku, and began crying.

"It's okay." Izuku said as he returned the hug, "I am here."

Inko had never been more proud of Izuku's kindness, But she knew something was wrong, and it went further than a simple bump on the head. Inko looked at the boy closer, and dread filled her to the core. His neck was bruised. She saw the outline of individual fingers; he had recently been strangled. Then she noticed the blood, his clothes were spattered with it, and there appeared to be some fresh blood on his cheek as well.

"Izuku we are leaving." She said urgently as she scooped up the two boys in her arms.

"Why? What happened?" He asked quizzically.

"I don't know exactly." she pondered, "But I know it was something terrible."

As she hurried her way towards the Police station, she almost didn't notice the snow that had begun to fall, but she ignored it. She also dismissed the glaring question of why it was snowing in July.

"I'm sorry miss, I wish there was more I could tell you." Detective Matsumoto apologized.

Both he and Inko glanced over at the sleeping forms of Ariden and Izuku, the two boys leaned on each other for support as they rested.

"Are you sure there is nothing else you can do?" Inko asked.

"Afraid not, we need a parent's or guardian's permission to use any mind-probing quirks on a child, and even then they don't work that well on still-developing brains that young. He shrugged. "And all the information he gave us was general at best, vague at worst."

"What did he tell you?"

"All we got from him was, his name, and that it was his third birthday, and someone kidnapped, and that his mother rescued him and told him to run. The rest is hazy to him."

"That was it?" Inko asked, puzzled.

"Yep, and we are lucky to get that much, Kid seems to have been through a lot, and I ain't no psychiatrist but I think the kid has a case of dissociative amnesia." The detective speculated, "Honestly though I'd say that's for the best."

"Oh? And why is that?" Inko frowned at the man.

"Easy miss, I didn't mean anything bad by it." Matsumoto put his hands up placatingly. "But think about it, if everything that kid said was true, do you really want him to remember that for the rest of his life?"

"No, I suppose not." She knitted her eyebrows as she considered the idea, "What about his parents though?" She countered. "Don't you think it important that he at least remembers them so you can get into contact?"

The detective glanced around the room as if to make sure no one was listening in. When he was satisfied with his observation, he leaned in close to Inko.

"Now, I ain't supposed to tell you this, nor did you hear this from me…" Matsumoto began, "But that kid doesn't exist."

"What?! How is that possible?!" Inko exclaimed

The detective quickly put his finger to his lips and shushed her.

"Keep it down!" he warned "This is confidential info, I can't exactly be caught spilling my guts about this."

Inko nodded her head in understanding.

"Anyways, The kid doesn't exist, there is no record of him in our system." the detective explained, "he has no birth certificate, no dental records, not even a damn doctor's note. The kid is a ghost."

"So there is no way of knowing who his parents are?"

"Well…" Matsumoto scratched the back of his head nervously. "We don't know who the father is but we have found out who the mother is."

"Who?"

"Have you ever heard of the villain Blackfang?"

Inko took a few steps back in astonishment and gasped.

"There is no way!"

"When we tested the blood on the kid's face, the test showed it belonged to Blackfang."

"And?" Inko asked with anticipation

"I had a theory I wanted to test out, so I also ran the kid's DNA. It was a positive match."

"Ariden is the son of Blackfang." Inko stated matter of factly.

"It would appear so."

"So what happens now? Is she going to come after us?" Inko asked worried

"Nah, I don't think she'll be a problem." Detective shrugged.

"Why would you think that?!" Inko asked incredulously.

"Well come on, think about it." He proposed "Why on earth would Blackfang tell her three year old son, who is covered in her blood. To run away even though he has no means of protecting himself?" He continued "I believe that she's dead, or else we wouldn't be having this conversation right now." he theorized.

'Well, I guess you have a point." Inko nodded her head in agreement.

She then looked over at the boys and watched them as they slept, unaware of all the terrible things being discussed in front of them. She turned back towards the detective.

"So what are you going to do with him?" she asked as she pointed towards Ariden.

Matsumoto pondered that for a second before he looked Inko in the eye.

"I think you should take care of him."

'What?!" Inko squeaked in surprise.

"Well since we have no idea who the father is, that avenue is closed to us. Besides I'm pretty sure the father is a villain as well, or else the Kid would have some form of identity." He speculated, "And putting him into the system would do him no favors."

"But why me specifically? Why don't you want to watch him?"

"I've tried my hand at being a parent." He fidgeted with his ring finger. "It didn't work out so well, You on the other hand." he pointed towards Izuku, "You seem to have done well for yourself."

Inko blushed at the compliment.

"I know you'd be great at it, after all you cared enough about him to bring him here" He continued, "I've seen too often what happens to the kids who cry for help but go ignored by citizens." He lamented, "every last one of them turned to villainy."

Inko grimaced at the prospect of such a young child turning into a heartless villain, she looked over towards the boys, they had shifted in their sleep and were now clung to each other. A soft smile on both of their faces. Inko already knew her answer.

"While I am willing to take him in…" She began "I will only do so if Ariden agrees."

Ariden

---

Ariden was gently roused from his sleep, he stretched and yawned. He rubbed his eyes as he looked up at who woke him up. It was the nice lady he accidentally ran into, she had a smile on her face as she looked at him.

"I am going to offer you something." She explained to him in a soothing voice "You are free to decline if you want."

"What is it?" He asked quizzically

"Do you want to stay with Me and my son Izuku for a while?"

"For how long?"

"For as long as you want." She smiled at him.

He pondered over the offer for a bit. As he weighed his options, he realized that there were no other options. His mother was gone, and he didn't know where his father was or how to contact him. While the woman and the boy were strangers to him, they had shown him nothing but kindness to him the entire time. He knew it was a no-brainer.

"I'd like that." He smiled back as he took her hand.

He replayed that whole exchange the entire time he walked home with Inko and Izuku Midoriya. He liked their names, they reminded him of home for some reason. He gently squeezed Inko's hand and smiled up at her. A warm smile played across Inko's face as she looked back at him. Ariden knew he made the right choice, he had finally found a Hero. He was content, as all three of them walked down the street hand in hand with the sunset to their backs as they made their way Home.

?

---

He watched from the rooftop of a factory building as the trio walked down the street. While He wasn't pleased with how the plan had gone down, He was satisfied by this unexpected turn of events. It honestly made Him laugh at how random fate and fortune could be, But still, He could work with this just fine. If anything, there was only one word to describe it.

"This is perfect." He chuckled to himself.

---

Authors notes- Finally! It is done! It has been nearly 2 years since I had stated I was busy rewriting the story. At that time I assumed I'd have it finished in no time. However, it seems the Universe had other plans, for as when I sat down to write, the whole world decided to implode on itself. I do not need to describe all the troubles I have been through, I am sure you were in the same boat with me. Needless to say, I was greatly hindered at the time. But no more! I have managed to surpass the malaise that hampered my efforts and now present to you a brand new start to a story that I desire to tell. After this is posted I will try to keep a steady flow of updates, I will not specify as to when they will be. I've found that giving myself a set deadline only hinders me. I do hope you have enjoyed this tale, please do be sure to share your thoughts in the Comments, I relish reading through them. Until next time, take care