AN: Thanks for the interest and reviews everyone!
"He doesn't deserve your protection!" Stain yelled as he pointed his sword at Agent Ice. "He wears the mantle of a hero, but the truth is he's nothing but a fake. Someone who's been using his position to enrich himself at the expense of those he claims to protect."
"No! You've got it all wrong!" Agent Ice shouted, trying to defend himself.
"Silence! You've been working with criminals, looking the other way as they move Trigger into and out of the very city you claim to protect." Stain quickly drew a dagger and threw it at Agent Ice, who formed a shield in front of him using the water in his bottles and encasing the dagger.
"If what you're saying is true, then you're correct that he deserves justice," All Might agreed, playing along with Stain. "He should be arrested and face trial, not killed!"
"Tch, what a waste of time." Stain spat on the ground. "False heroes like him have spent years learning how to use the system, to twist it to their own ends. They know how to avoid justice." He changed his stance, gripping the hilt of his sword with both hands. "It's why I've taken matters into my own hands!"
"The system as it stands now only exists because of me," All Might admitted. "I've spent almost forty years keeping peace in Japan, allowing it to flourish. Since the system grew in the shadow of that peace, that means I'm responsible for this corrupt system."
That caught Stain off guard, and he hesitated for a moment - it was all the time All Might would have needed to end this, but he still wanted to reason with the Hero Killer, to find some way to convince the man to come in peacefully.
"You- This isn't your fault!" Stain declared definitively. "While it's true you brought about this era of peace, you aren't responsible for the filth like him." He gestured his head towards Agent Ice. "Those who hide in your shadow and corrupt the good thing you've built. It's why I'm doing this." His eyes narrowed. "To root out the corruption and prevent it from spreading."
"If that were true, then why do you follow the pattern you do?" All Might asked. "You move to a new city, kill five heroes over five weeks, and then move on. If you truly were rooting out corruption, why stop there? Why don't you keep going until the job is done?"
"I see you've noticed," Stain said with a hint of pride in his voice. "My numbers are chosen for a reason. After I've killed five false heroes, the rest begin to live in fear. They begin to look over their shoulders, questioning if I will return to render my judgment. Many will choose to retire, but some may begin to follow the path of the true hero. Once the process has begun, I may move on and render my judgment in the next city. After all, I am but a single man, and there are many places in Japan I must visit."
"Why this though? Why not come to one of these true heroes? Why not seek me out? You could've presented your case and made me aware of these issues! You could have asked for help to change the system for the better!" His hand clenched into a fist. "Instead you just went on a crusade! Acting as judge and executioner. While you may have a point, you have chosen to throw it away through your actions! You have made martyrs and given cover to those who truly wish to twist the system to their own ends."
Stain threw his head back and laughed. "Have I? My actions must be important if the Symbol of Peace himself is confronting me directly."
"Don't let it get to your head! I just so happened to be in the area, looking into the Trigger smuggling myself. But instead of dealing with those criminals, I'm forced to deal with you instead!"
"You can always leave and let me render my judgment onto this false hero."
"No." All Might stepped in front of Agent Ice. "I can't let you do that."
A grin spread across Stain's face. "There it is, the proof that you're a true hero." He leveled his sword at All Might. "If I'm that much of a problem, then show me your resolve and kill me!"
"Show me your resolve and kill me!"
Kaina Tsutsumi sighed as she removed her index finger from the earpiece. Because Stain was predictable, she had planted several microphones along Agent Ice's patrol route, hoping to catch a glimpse into Stain's mindset.
Unfortunately for her, his mindset is that of a simple fanatic.
"Looks like I was wrong about Stain. What a waste of my time."
Kaina began to stand, only to hear movement on the fire escape behind her. Whoever it was, was good, and she almost missed it.
Unfortunately for them, she was better.
She spun around and pointed her right elbow at the stairwell, using her quirk to transform her arm into her lethal rifle.
Seconds later, she saw a blur of motion as two people launched themselves upward from the fire escape to land several meters apart, both facing her. One was a boy with a mess of green hair, and the other was a girl with brown hair tied back into a ponytail. Both were dressed in high-quality black bodysuits, worthy of being the foundation of a hero costume if she had to guess.
Once her initial assessment was done, she began to realize how young both of them were.
As she processed that, three more teenagers clambered up the fire escape, their movement much less coordinated than the first two. Their reaction was also noticeably different. While the first two seemed unphased by having a gun pointed at them, these three were scared and intimidated by her quirk.
Good, that made her target priority easy then. If things got messy, Green and Brown were her primary targets, and then she could reassess.
She really hoped she didn't have to kill them, though.
"What are you doing here?" Brown asked.
"I could ask you the same thing," Kaina fired back. "I may be getting old, but last I checked, rooftops in the dead of night aren't exactly a popular hangout spot. Shouldn't you five be in an arcade or at a park?"
"We're All Might watching!" a girl with light brown, almost blonde hair shouted nervously. Kaina almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the statement until she examined the girl's face. Despite the nervousness, she was serious.
Oh.
"Why are you watching someone like him?" Kaina shot back.
"Because he's a great hero!" Green said. "When we found out he was here in Tipoca, we wanted a chance to see him in action!"
"So you're just a bunch of fanboys and fangirls? I don't believe it."
"That's because we're more than that!" a girl with dark, almost black hair and two strange jacks hanging from her ears retorted. "We want to be heroes too!"
"Yeah! Heroes just like All Might!" Blonde added.
Kaina snorted. "What a waste. You've got better things to do with your lives than follow the likes of him. That's just a way to get a target on your back."
"What do you mean?" Green asked, oddly calm. Kaina made sure to keep her rifle aimed at him.
"The whole hero system is corrupt from top to bottom," Kaina said bitterly. "It paints a rosy picture of heroes standing triumphantly over villains, of civilians being rescued, and everyone is happy. But that's all bullshit. A fancy lie to cover the truth."
"What truth?" the green-haired girl with fangs asked cautiously.
"That if you opened your eyes, you'd see the atrocities committed. All in the name of peace and stability." She saw two of the girls look horrified at her statement. Good. If she can keep them from making the same mistakes she did, then maybe tonight wouldn't be a waste after all. Sweeping her gaze to the others she noticed Brown grimacing, almost as if she already knew this. Very interesting.
"You're wrong," Green said.
"Excuse me?" Kaina turned her attention back to the boy.
"I said you're wrong!" Green shouted. "Sure the system has some problems, but people are better than that. We- the reason people become heroes is that they want to help others! If the heroes knew what the problems were, they could fix them."
"Give me a break. You don't think people aren't aware of the problems? You don't think the HPSC is aware of the existence of corrupt heroes? And what do they do about it? They shove it under a rug and ignore the problem. If that doesn't work, well, let's just say they resort to more extreme measures."
That got a gasp out of the group. "You can't be serious!" Fangs shouted.
"You've heard about the Hero Killer, right? That's why you're really out here, isn't it?" She had to hand it to them, of the five, three had killer poker faces. Unfortunately for the group, the last two confirmed her suspicions. "Why do you think he's been allowed to continue for as long as he has? As much of a misguided fool as he is, he takes care of corrupt heroes who are sloppy, loose ends. Strengthening the position of those in power and turning future problems into martyrs, useful tools to enact the policies they want."
She stole a glance at the street below. Unsurprisingly, All Might had already defeated the Hero Killer, who was currently lying unconscious on the ground. Lucky for her, she was still observing him then. The last thing she needed was All Might breathing down her neck.
She still had to deal with these kids, though, and quietly, without attracting his attention.
"If you make that claim, you have to have proof to back it up!" Brown shouted, sounding almost like she was trying to convince herself more than argue with Kaina. "You could use that, take it to heroes you trust, and start an investigation!"
"Do you think I'd be out here if I already had concrete proof?" Kaina lied. "Why do you think I'm tracking this Hero Killer?"
"You- you should've told the authorities!" Green retorted.
"And what? Spook the Hero Killer? Or get him arrested and lose my chance to get solid evidence to back up my claim?"
"Someone could've died tonight because you didn't tell anyone! If All Might wasn't here-" Brown protested.
"Didn't you hear me? The people the Hero Killer is targeting - nobody cares if they're dead. They're an inconvenience at best, a problem at worst."
Green frowned. "Agent Ice wasn't!"
"Oh really? Stain's been targeting heroes that have been working with local gangs to move Trigger. That sounds like a future problem in the making to me."
"What if he wasn't though!" Blonde spoke up again. Kaina watched as Jacks smacked her on the side of the head, but the damage was already done.
"Stain spends a week tracking his targets," Kaina explained, having decided these kids already knew that, somehow. "If Agent Ice was innocent, Stain would have discovered that. And yet, he still tried to kill him tonight."
"What if Agent Ice was faking it?" Green offered cautiously. "What if he's simply gathering information?"
"That doesn't sound particularly heroic, now does it," Kaina countered.
"Being a hero isn't that simple!" Brown shouted. "It's hard and complicated!"
"Oh?"
Fangs spoke next. "She's right! Sometimes you think you know the story." She shook her head. "But you don't! If everyone's motivations were simple, it would be so much easier." The girl bit her lip, her fangs drawing blood. "It's easy to forget. Villains - they're people too! And sometimes- sometimes even villains need heroes, too!"
Kaina felt a smile tugging at her lips. "Well well, aren't you an interesting bunch."
"We're full of surprises!" Aika yelled as Kyoka rolled her eyes. She wanted to poke her with an ear jack.
Despite her attention being focused on his friends, Izuku saw the barrel of the weapon pointed at him, unwavering. This woman isn't afraid to use her quirk and is trained to fire without hesitation. I wish there was more light so I could see her face clearly…
"So now what?" Ochako asked, throwing a concerned glance at Izuku.
"Now it's up to you," the woman said. "The fun's over, and All Might's just waiting for the police. There's nothing to see here. If you really want to watch the aftermath, there's plenty of other rooftops around here."
"What about you?"
"I'm ready to pack up and leave myself," the woman answered, a sly smile forming on her face. "However I have this little problem: I don't like being followed, so I'd prefer if you left first."
"Nothing's stopping you from coming with us!" Himiko shouted. "We could all go down the ladder and you- you could tell All Might what you told us!"
The woman's smile morphed into a frown. "No thanks. You kids seem to have an idea of how you're going to help. However, I'm going to do things my way"
"And how's that?" Izuku asked cautiously.
"Brown over there." She used her head to indicate Ochako. "Has enough sense to know the truth behind my words. If you five are determined to become heroes, then maybe you can find some way to fix this broken system."
"That's not what he meant and you know it!" Himiko protested. "What're you going to do?"
"I'm going to keep gathering intel. You think the Hero Killer is the only lead I have? And once I have enough, I'll present my case to Japan," the woman repeated.
"You - that'll cause chaos!" Izuku protested. "People could get hurt or even killed if you do that."
"So what? Are you going to try and stop me here, to let the system continue unchecked? I'd much rather if you didn't." The woman seemed to consider something before she looked at the group. "How about a compromise then?"
"A compromise?" Izuku asked curiously.
"I'm going to put my hand in my pocket and pull out some photos for you kids."
Izuku glanced over at Ochako, both of them understanding what was going on. It was obvious this woman was a professional, and by announcing her intentions, she didn't want them to act impulsively.
Not that they had much of a choice with a rifle still pointed at Izuku.
"Okay, we won't do anything," Izuku promised.
Kaina slowly reached into her pocket and, true to her word, pulled out several photographs. She held them up to show the kids what they were before throwing them across the rooftop, where they scattered in front of the teens. Jacks knelt and picked one up. "Another hero?"
"Mirror Girl, the one who's really helping the gangs with the Trigger smuggling. The person heroes like Agent Ice are trying to find." She heard two of the students gasp and frowned. "Sounds like you already knew about that, though."
The kids responded with awkward silence. "Tch, figured. There's a Trigger exchange going on tonight, down at the docks. If you hurry, then you might be able to stop it." She chanced a glance over the edge. "If you're worried about breaking vigilante laws, All Might's still hanging around. Maybe you can beg him for help."
"What about you?"
"What about me?" Kaina's face darkened. "I haven't done anything worthy of being arrested, especially not if it means breaking a few vigilante laws to do so. I'm just a bystander hanging out on the rooftops, same as you five. Sure, if you brought me in you might find something, and I absolutely will use my quirk in self-defense if you try to subdue me. But then you miss the chance to catch Mirror Girl in the act. So what's it gonna be?"
"There's five of us! We can take her!" Blonde insisted.
"No, she's right," Green admitted. "Her quirk is extremely dangerous."
"You're catching on fast." Kaina gave him the ghost of a smile. "So what'll it be? Capture the person who hasn't done anything, or go after the hero who's helping criminals?"
"Excuse me." Blonde put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest in a display of false bravado. "You merely claim you haven't done anything!" She pointed a finger accusingly. "As far as we know, you could be a villain yourself!"
"I could be." Kaina smiled. "Or I could be exactly who I claim to be. So what'll it be?"
Izuku turned toward Ochako, silently conversing with her and weighing the odds. While the woman in front of them felt familiar somehow, he couldn't place her or her quirk. And she was right. If Mirror Girl really was helping the local gangs, they didn't have time to waste. They had to tell All Might!
He looked at the other three. The girls all looked ready to fight if he asked them to, but he couldn't guarantee their safety. And then he looked back at the mysterious woman, her rifle aimed squarely at him. Even with how quickly he could summon One For All, he didn't know if he could outrun a bullet, especially with the reaction time she must have, considering the firing mechanism would be tied directly to her nervous system.
"I think we should talk to All Might," Izuku admitted.
"Smart choice," the woman agreed.
"You'd better not make us regret this!" Ochako shouted at the woman.
"If you do, you'll just have to find me after you become heroes."
"Don't think we won't!" Aika threatened.
Jiro shot him a questioning glance, and he nodded at her. Cautiously, she stepped forward and gathered the remaining photographs before she began climbing down the ladder, Himiko, and Aika right behind her. He then looked over to Ochako. "You go first."
"There's no way I'm leaving you alone on this roof!" Ochako said, glaring at him.
Izuku winced at the implication. "I won't try anything!"
"Hmm, you two are different somehow," the woman mused. "You're surprisingly calm for having a rifle pointed at you."
They both looked at each other nervously. The woman suspected something and was trying to bait them.
"Fine! I'll go first," Ochako said quickly. "But you'd better be right behind me!"
"Y-yeah, I promise," Izuku said. He watched Ochako climb to the ladder and began descending before he crossed the roof to the ladder himself, painfully aware of the rifle pointed at him the entire way.
When he reached the top of the ladder he saw Ochako there, just below the edge of the roof. She gave him a silent nod and began climbing down, allowing him to grab ahold of the ladder. As he began to descend, the woman spoke one final time.
"You two make a good pair. Your idealism and her pragmatism. Don't let the HPSC take that away from you, no matter what."
Izuku's head jerked upright, and he saw her staring at him. For a brief moment, he swore he saw regret flash across her face, but just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. He gave her a single nod before he stepped off the run and began sliding down the ladder.
They had to tell All Might about Mirror Girl.
AN: And we're back! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday break.