Hawks flipped a feather through his fingers, watching the street below from the top of a telephone pole. It was dusk, and the light was slowly fading as night approached.

For now, this part of the city was calm. During the last hour, he had stopped a purse-snatching, a sidewalk brawl, and a convenience store robbery. He didn't mind a moment of calm.

Overhead, a bird circled and then landed on a nearby windowsill. It settled down and gave him a side-eye, as if acknowledging he was out of place.

Hawks tossed a peace sign at his small winged friend.

It seemed like he was sharing the air space in the city these days with more than just the actual birds. It had been a week since he had seen the white-winged healer girl, but there had been reports of her showing up from the handful of other heroes in Fukuoka. Usually they spotted her toward the end of a fight, healing civilians, before she disappeared. There were also reports of her healing people after nighttime random street fights.

If she wasn't careful, she was going to get caught. Using her Quirk like that during a fight, even at the end, was technically against the law, since people could argue she was putting herself in danger and possibly interfering with pro hero work.

Hawks was on the fence. Not literally this time.

On one hand, he did think she was putting herself in danger since she didn't seem combat ready. However, she didn't seem to be there for combat. She hadn't tried to fight when he had seen her; it had seemed like she was trying to maybe distract the villain? And save his butt, which was rare…he didn't often need saving. Also, healing people shouldn't be a crime

But yeah, unlicensed Quirk use, even for a good purpose, and putting yourself in danger by getting involved in a crime scene was illegal. She could get in a lot of trouble just for helping people. If she got her license, then it wouldn't be a problem. While he hadn't reported her to the Commission (breaking their rules in the process), that didn't mean that they didn't know about her. It could be that they were waiting to see her next move.

Standing up, Hawks stretched his arms and then lifted his wings, spreading them, flaring out the feathers. The movement felt good and helped him loosen up. Maybe it was time to at least go find out who the newest vigilante in Fukuoka was. It had been a while since there had been one, and she technically got the title. He guessed he could go hunting for a winged healing Quirk woman in the Commission's registry, but eh, this was more his style.

He took off, shooting into the sky and sending a couple dozen of his smallest feathers ahead. They swirled, a tiny red cyclone. Around him was open space, a kind of false freedom since the Commission had him trapped. But here, he could pretend.

Aiming back toward the city, he flew along the skyscrapers, the edge of his wings occasionally getting close to the windows. He saw a bunch of start-up techie types having a meeting in some kind of board room. Halting midair, he waved both hands at them, and half of the raced over to the window to wave back.

With a smirk, he bowed and zipped away.

The people of Fukuoka were mostly kind to him. And he liked them. When he had been younger, the Commission had kept him away from most people, so Fukuoka's crowds had been a shock to an eighteen-year-old Hawks. Sure, he had gone through public speaking and other interaction classes, but actually being off on his own was different. He loved it, the normal every day interactions. That's why he spent so much time in the city. He didn't exactly enjoy the fan club frenzy, but he appreciated their enthusiasm. He just didn't think he deserved the praise.

Ahead of him, his small feathers spread out, sending back information in the form of sounds. Not everyone knew about this skill of his; it was what made him such a good spy.

After an hour, the sun had fully set and night had crept in, sending the city lights blazing. He also got his first hint that his quarry was out and about. Following the feather, he found himself at the riverfront. The Mikasa River flowed below the various bridges, drifting deeper into the city. Perching on a rooftop, one leg draped over the edge, he spread out more feathers to search for her.

Below him, in the bookstore he had chosen as a landing spot, the woman was talking to someone. "It's a ghost story, but the really great part is the way she interacts with her kids, how she cares about them but can't show it, it's just so heartbreaking…I don't want to give a lot away but it made me cry."

"Oh? That sounds lovely."

"It is! Even with the crying. I can get you some complimentary tissues when you check out, if you take it."

Hawks tapped his heel against the wall, smiling a bit at how enthusiastic she was. It seemed like she worked at the store. He didn't want to pry too much, so now that he knew she was there, he pulled his feathers back and instead sent them to monitor the area. It was a slow day, which in his opinion was good. Great even. Who wanted more crime? He knew from his phone that his sidekicks were dealing with a couple thieves who had decided to steal from a candy store (whyyy), but he knew they had that handled. This, in his mind, was also important and needed his attention.

Soon enough, the store closed for the evening and three people walked out, talking to each other. One was a middle-aged man, the second was a teenage boy, and the last was a red-headed, blue-eyed, white-winged young woman. Yes, plenty of people had wings, but those… He would recognize hers. And her eyes as she turned her gaze up and stared at him. He knew those eyes from the other day, bright sapphire and clear and, right now, hesitant.

"Hey, Hawks!" the boy called, waving up at him. "Dude, you don't have to protect bookstores, no one's going to break in—"

The man reached out and bopped him on top of the head with an old paperback. "Books are more precious than any other treasure in the world, and don't forget it," he scolded. There was a resemblance between the two—father and son?

"They're also weapons in your hands," the boy said, rubbing his head.

"We are grateful for your protection of our store," the man said, nodding his head to Hawks. He shot a glare at the boy. "See, that wasn't difficult."

The woman stared at Hawks, her cheeks beginning to turn red. She bobbed her head at him in cursory politeness then turned directly on her heel. "I'll see you the day after tomorrow, Mr. Chisaka, Yugo."

"Be careful on your way home," Mr. Chisaka said.

"I can make sure she gets there safe and sound," Hawks said with a grin. He stood up and jumped off the roof, landing in front of the woman. He tucked his hands in his pockets and smiled at her.

Her face turned a deeper shade of red. "There's absolutely no need for that, I—live in a very safe neighborhood."

"It's part of my job." He lifted his eyebrows at her. "Which I do with a license."

She didn't freeze up or start making excuses. Instead, she shifted her shoulder bag higher up. "Congratulations."

After a final goodbye to her coworkers, she started walking, heading down the street and toward one of the bridges. Hawks kept to her side, adjusting his stride to hers. She was a few inches shorter than he was; he could see clear over the top of her head. Apparently being on the shorter side was possibly a bird thing.

Once they rounded a corner and stepped out onto the bridge, she spoke up, her voice quiet. "Would you like to arrest me now or later?"

Hawks' wings fluffed up, the only sign of surprise at her abrupt question.

She stopped and held out an arm to him, baring her wrist. It was cool, being the middle of October, and she was wearing long sleeves. A couple bangles jingled as she shook her arm and looked away, out toward the water. "Let's get it over with."

Huh. Hawks leaned against the bridge's safety wall. He pretended to pat his pockets. "Looks like I forgot the handcuffs." He shrugged. "Besides, I don't arrest people. That's part of why the police are still around."

Her wings lifted and then eased back into place. She pulled her sleeve back into place. "Then when should I expect them?" She started walking again. "If they could arrest me at my home instead of the bookstore or my university, I think that'd be for the best."

"You've put some thought into this." He followed her.

"It wouldn't be good publicity for the store. And I have friends at the university."

"I meant you've thought a lot about being arrested." He caught up to her easily, falling into step beside her.

She pursed her lips. "Like you said, you have to have a license to do hero work. And not having one and still trying it—"

"You could get a license," he said smoothly, "Healing pros are always needed."

"I'm pre-med," she said, a curtain of long red hair falling in her face as she ducked her head. "Doctors with a healing Quirk are always needed, too."

"Then why are you running around crime scenes?"

Her hands fluttered into the air. "Why does anyone do anything? We all just do stuff. You do things, I do things, nothing makes sense and the world keeps turning!"

A startled laugh escaped him. "Nice verbal dodge."

They reached the end of the bridge and stepped back onto the sidewalk. "I like helping people. I need to help. But I can't be a pro."

He stayed quiet, guessing that she might tell him why if he didn't press the issue. Five minutes of silence told him he had guessed wrong. "You know you could get in a lot of trouble, and you do it anyways."

She put her hands on her waist and stopped, rocking back on her heels. She glanced up at him, blue eyes guarded. "I'm hungry. I'm getting food."

This woman…was different. "Right now?"

"I'd like a last decent meal before prison."

"I thought I just explained that you weren't getting arrested."

"You said you weren't going to arrest me." She turned to look at the restaurant signs around them. Right, she had led them toward food. Maybe she didn't even live in this direction. The bright lights of the restaurant signs cast the two of them in multi-colored glows, and her wings seemed to soak up the neon colors. "You didn't say I wasn't getting arrested."

Hawks looked at the restaurant signs and then back down at her, noting the tiny hint of fear in her eyes. For all of her bravado, she was afraid.

"That place has good mizutaki." He pointed to a smaller place, tucked beside a couple large restaurants. Hawks prided himself on his knowledge of restaurants. Bird boy, fast metabolism. "Can I join you?"

"Sure, I'd love to have a meal with you right before you hand me over to the authorities."

Hawks smirked at her. "Fantastic. I'll pay."