Thunder and lightning punish the sky above him, as if angry at his presence on this world. The rain and wind whip around his body, attempting to move him to their will, but they fail.
He vaguely notices humans down below running for cover from the storm. How lucky they must be, to be allowed protection from the elements of their planet.
Wastelands were not as forgiving. Unrelenting in their heat, they killed crops, dried up water, and killed anyone who was foolish enough to live in such a place, believing their gods would protect them.
Gorr looks down, rain droplets leaking down his face, at the groaning figure below him. He stands at the top of one of the human's buildings, his foot planted firmly on the back of the god who had hid here for so long.
And he is not alone.
"Move, for those who attempt to interfere in my mission will find themselves the next to be purged," the human male attempts to command him from his side of the roof. The elements relentlessly pelt the plethora of bandanas he wears, and the lightning only serves to highlight the blades he carries. It might be frightening to a lesser being.
"That 'hero' will not escape punishment," the human growls further when Gorr doesn't speak, readying his weapons.
"Hero?" It's a simple question, but he knows the gods like to frequent this world, and any knowledge he can obtain could be of use.
"No!" The man yells. "Hero is a title deserving of those who accomplish great deeds! He is a fake! A charlatan! One who acts as a hero but is really a worshiper of the fame, money, and prestige that comes with the declaration. They are charged with our protection, but in reality, only use the role as a way to fulfill their selfish desires."
That is…intriguing to Gorr. "The heroes are the gods of this world then."
"Some may worship them as such," the man replies with disdain.
Again, the human entertains him. Never had he found any life form whose beliefs even came close to his own. The last time he shared them with those around him, he was ostracized by his village and people.
All-Black forms into a sword in his hands.
The man's eyes squint. "I don't believe you to be a hero; who are you?"
"I am Gorr, son of a nameless father, outcast from a forgotten world. My soul is blackened by vengeance, my skin wet with holy blood. And yet, one simple dream is still strong in my heart…" He brings his blade down. "The dream of a godless age."
Gorr's eyes open, the spaceship rumbles and groans around him. He stands and immediately feels the familiar presence of All-Black around him, the symbiote wrapping itself around his body, taking the form of his favorite cloak.
The door to the cockpit opens, and he eyes the navi-computer, while Stain sits in the co-pilot's chair, one leg raised on the seat. "We are close to Earth," he needlessly informs him. Nodding in acknowledgment, he checks over the ship's instruments and prepares them to land soon.
For their crimes, the gods will pay. Through him, they will feel the rage of the countless souls they have failed. Revenge will be his, and no more would the people of the universe have to live under their tyranny. But most importantly…
"Then soon, my daughter will be that much closer to having peace."
Hirona grits her teeth, her mind and body feeling taxed. She has one eye closed due to the sweat dripping down her forehead. Was she about to bitch out like some wimp? Especially in front of Lady Nagant? Hell no!
It was in the middle of the night, and the pair had asked Kurogiri to portal them to an empty warehouse All for One owned near the docks. A good place for her master to store shipments he'd receive from his supporters overseas.
But at the moment, it's being used as a makeshift training facility for Hirona and Nagant. After discovering the former hero could use Hirona's platforms to essentially 'air walk' and not be bound to the structures of her environment, she had insisted on the two practicing, and Hirona couldn't have agreed quicker if she tried.
Never in her dreams did she think she would get to train with the Lady Nagant! Heck, she thought the sniper would ditch her the second Hirona got her out of jail, but no! She's still there!
And training with her is a million times better than with her master; that's being generous. Don't get her wrong, she'll forever be grateful to him for taking her in after she woke up, and she's not dumb enough to dismiss his training as bad. It was brutal, sure, but her skill with her quirk couldn't be questioned.
Still, that's all there was between them. Training, lessons, and punishments. Master gave her food to eat and a roof over her head, and Kurogiri was incredibly useful. But other than that, she never spoke with him besides brief instructions given over the TV set.
It was probably childish to think, but she had wondered, maybe after her grandmother had abandoned her family, and her useless mother rolled over for her dictator of a father, that All for One could've… maybe…
Whatever. She's doing fine! The USJ hasn't exactly gone to plan…if she's being honest it probably went wrong in every conceivable way, but things had been looking up since then!
She had broken Lady Nagant out of jail, learned the name of that green-haired kid from the USJ, who she will personally be paying a visit to one day, and Nagant had gotten hold of one of her old mercenary contacts who had agreed to at least meet with them!
Her quirk is getting stronger, and the team is slowly growing. So what if All for One probably won't tell her good job, or even notice? So what if the only thing he actually notices is when she messes up, and then chooses to focus on that instead of what she did right? She doesn't need his approval.
She doesn't.
Hirona is quick to switch arms to make platform creation easier. They had started practicing in the bar, but realized quickly that if the two wanted to get the most out of their combo, they needed as much room as they could get.
Right now, they were working on the hardest part: timing and prediction. Lady Nagant had explained how things in the field could get chaotic very quickly, so for them to work at their best, they needed to know how the other thought. There wouldn't be time for proper communication in most cases.
Lady Nagant is, as of now, suspended a couple of meters in the air by Hirona's platforms and is practicing running across them. It was Hirona's job to predict where Nagant would move and make the appropriate platform so she could continue moving, while at the same time, getting rid of the platforms behind her so she couldn't be followed by her would-be pursuers.
They had been at it every night for a week now and obviously, things had been pretty rough at first, but she was slowly getting better. It helped that Nagant didn't run as fast as she could, and every now and then, she stopped for a couple of seconds to simulate her shooting at someone. For obvious reasons, she didn't actually shoot.
The exercise went on for a few more minutes with no problems. Another advantage Hirona had was being able to telepathically move her platforms, so even if she did misjudge Nagant's step, she was usually fast enough to correct herself.
Unfortunately, usually doesn't mean every time. Nagant's foot slips as it was only able to catch the edge of a platform, and the villain falls. In her panic, Hirona's next platform is off-target and only partially breaks the woman's fall. She ends up bouncing off and skidding across the hard floor.
"Oh my god!" Hirona races over to where Nagant lifts herself to a sitting position, hissing in pain. "I am so sorry! I-" she chokes on air when Nagant lifts her arm to show its red and bleeding state. "Oh shit! I swear I didn't mean for that to happen! I am so, so, so sorry! That was so dumb of me! And-"
"Kid." Hirona's mouth promptly snaps shut with a click, when Nagant looks up at her with an… amused expression? "At this rate, my ears are gonna bleed more than my arm, it ain't that bad."
Not trusting herself to speak, Hirona answers with a nod, before taking a hold of Nagant's good arm and helping her back onto her feet. "S-sorry." 'Stupid! She trusted you and look what you did!'
In the corner of her vision, Hirona catches Nagant's hand moving. She immediately knows what's about to happen. And yet, she can't keep herself from flinching. How embarrassing.
Hirona keeps her eyes closed, waiting for the hit. A few seconds pass and nothing. Some more seconds, and still nothing. What is she waiting for?
Keeping herself braced just in case, Hirona carefully opens one of her eyes to find Nagant studying her. The hand she had seen moving was instead being used to fix her multi-colored hair. "Relax, kid. I'm not gonna hit you."
"You're not?" Hirona only lowers her defensive stance a little. "But I messed up? And you got hurt."
"I'd have to have been a pretty shitty hero if something like this," Nagant gestures to her arm, "was enough to hurt me. It's just a scratch that needs to get wrapped up."
With Hirona's continued befuddled look, Nagant sighs, taking a step forward, causing her to step back. The former hero frowns. "Take it from someone who got disciplined every time she messed up too, I know what that shit does to your head."
Nagant grabs her bad arm to steady it. "And I know it's fucking useless."
Trying not to make it seem like she's staring at the woman like she has two heads, Hirona hesitantly begins. "So you are not gonna hit me? But- but I gotta make up for what I did somehow!"
The Rifle user snorts. "Oh, you will. And you might wish I hit you after I make you come back here and practice this shit until we get it right." She shakes her arm a bit, causing some blood to drip onto the ground. "But for now, why don't you text our ride so I can get this patched up?"
Hirona blinks, still processing what just happened, before the last thing said hits her. "Oh! Right! Yeah, I got it." She takes out her phone and starts to text Kurogiri that they were ready to come back. "And again I really am sorry."
"Stop apologizing already," Nagant chastises with no real heat behind it. "But besides the last part, good work tonight, kid. You're really improving."
Did she just?… Hirona's fingers are frozen over the keyboard, her breathing shallow. She just…she just… "Hey." Nagant snaps her fingers in front of the younger girl's face. "You there?"
"Yup!!" Hirona squeaks, sending the text to Kurogiri and ignoring the tips of her ears going red in embarrassment. "Sorry." Nagant gives her a look. "Right, you said to stop apologizing, sorry. Wait!-"
Luckily for her, Kurogiri's portals are quick to appear and a good way to stop her rambling. The pair step through, and the Nomu immediately spots Nagant's injuries from his side of the bar. "I will retrieve the medical supplies." He vanishes.
Nagant sits at the bar, and Hirona takes a seat a few stools away from her, repeating the words over and over in her head. 'Good work tonight, kid.' A small smile spreads on her face, letting the words sink in.
"You don't have to try so hard." Hirona's smile vanishes as she looks up at Nagant, confused at her words. "Seriously, I'm not some god on earth. I'm a person, just like you. Not worth you stuttering and apologizing all the time over."
Hirona swallows, unsure. Seeing her still nervous, Nagant turns to face her. "Look at it like this. You stutter while breaking me out of jail?" She shakes her head. "Thought so. You told me all that shit you had to do to get me out, show me that bitch."
It's Hirona's turn to snort. "Okay."
"You may have your opportunity sooner than you think," Kurogiri cuts in as he materializes back to the bar. "We are out of our medical supplies and will need to procure more."
Nagant hums. "Up for robbing a pharmacy?"
"No need." Hirona stands. "We got coordinates set up for a couple of important places." She counts her fingers as she lists them off. "Hospital storage room, back of grocery store, department store, uh… an old video store and a movie theater…" Nagant tilts her head as if to say 'really?' "I like movies, okay?!"
The former hero mulls it over for a second, before standing herself. "I like war movies." Hirona perks up. "Especially ones with snipers. I like to see how much better than them I am."
"Yeah!" Hirona says excitedly. "Maybe after we can-" Kurogiri clears his throat. "Right, first-aid stuff now. Other stuff later." Kurogiri nods in approval, handing her a duffel bag, and opens the portal for them.
Hirona steps through, Nagant behind her, and now finds herself in a medicine storage room of a hospital. It isn't big, with a small desk and computer in the corner. The walls are lined with as many shelves as they can fit, with all types of different medications sitting atop them.
She immediately goes to work, dumping whatever they'll need for tonight and the future inside the bag. Bandages, rubbing alcohol, antibiotic ointments, as much aspirin as she can fit, gloves, gauze, and whatever else.
It's when she's almost done that the handle to the room twists. Hirona whirls around as a doctor steps inside, an older man, looking down at some papers.
Before he can fully register their presence, Hirona is driving her fist into his gut. His "oof!" is muffled as she covers his mouth with her hand and forces him against the closed door.
Holding an energy disc dangerously close to his neck, she threatens in a low voice, "Do not make a sound. Nod and shake your head, understand?"
He nods. "Good. Is there anyone nearby?" A shake of the head. "Anyone expecting you?" Another shake. Hirona glances at the locked cabinet in the corner of the room. "You have keys to that?" He nods again.
"Alright." She grabs him by the jacket and forces him over to it. "Open it and stay quiet." She glances at Nagant. "That's where they keep the best stuff."
"Figured." Nagant bends over and grabs one of the papers the doctor was carrying off the floor. "Akama Reiwaru," she reads the name off the page. "Ingenium's doctor, huh? Well, now we know who you are." She throws the paper back onto the ground. "So you're not gonna mention we were here."
"O-of course," the man stutters, finally getting the cabinet open and stepping aside so they could take what they wanted.
Hirona begins to dump various bottles of pills and other medicine into her bag, while Nagant picks out a few and reads their labels. "You guys are seriously anal about what's in these things."
"The formulas f-for many of them are quite similar," the man says nervously, stretching his collar out a bit. "Slight differences can make for vastly different effects. The devil's in the details, as they say."
Nagant shrugs him off, throwing what she had collected into the bag. Hirona finishes as well, shutting the cabinet. "Bag's full. This should be enough to last us a while. I'll let Kurogiri know we're done."
She aims a glare at the quivering doctor. "We know your name, so we know who to come after if they figure out this was us." It was far from the worst crime she had committed, but if all the hospitals in Japan found out the villain with portals was targeting them, they'd start to set up defenses. And she didn't want that.
"I understand, Ms. Hirona."
The portal opens, and All for One's heir grabs her bag and starts to make her way through, before what the doctor said registers and she spins around. "What did you say?" He stares at her, unmoving. His quivering from a moment ago is long gone. "How do you know my name?"
The air in the room becomes thick and Hirona is highly aware of Nagant moving closer to her. The man takes a few seconds to answer, watching her. "The attack on the USJ. Your name and face were plastered all over the news."
That answer…makes sense. And she couldn't find anything wrong with it. So why did it… Hirona shakes her head. "Whatever." She turns around again with Nagant waiting for her to enter the portal first.
Without a word, Hirona steps through the portal and feels a figurative weight off her shoulders when she does. Never had the stale air of the bar felt so fresh. Nagant is quick to enter the hideout as well.
The former hero "tsks," grabbing the bag from Hirona, with her good hand and tossing it on the counter for Kurogiri to look through. "That was fucking weird. Guy was acting like a goddamn pedo."
Her snickering helps break her from whatever she's feeling as Nagant sits, and Kurogiri opens a new portal. At Hirona's quizzical look, the Nomu informs her, "Master had requested your presence when you returned."
"I didn't feel like sleeping tonight anyway," she mutters, before finding herself in her master's dark warehouse. All for One sits in front of his collective screens, facing away from her. The mess of wires made finding solid ground to step on difficult.
But All for One isn't alone. Usually, this wouldn't be strange as it'd be Garaki standing with him, but that isn't the case this time. The man who stands next to All for One is tall and lean. The screens illuminate his pale face and greasy hair, along with the green and black outfit he wears that looked like it was straight out of one of Hirona's fantasy movies.
Something about him nags at her brain.
"I apologize for the abrupt meeting," All for One says, turning around to 'look' at her, along with the other man. She knows he's not really sorry. Master loves to keep her on her toes. "But my associate here was insistent on speaking to you in person."
"And I thank you for indulging in my request," the man smoothly cuts in, walking up to her with his hands clasped behind his back. All for One watches the man like a parent watching their child, aware they could disobey at a moment's notice.
The man stops in front of her, his green eyes almost glowing in the darkness. "It's good to see you again."
"Have we met?" Hirona asks reservedly.
"I am both saddened and not surprised you do not remember," the man chuckles. "For it was me who delivered you to All for One after all."
Anger burns through Hirona like a match set to kindling. Him. It was him?! All the years of everything she had to experience was from him?! Who was he to decide where she belonged?!
Now she realizes what about him was bothering her. It was those green eyes. They were the first thing she saw all those years ago when she woke up after Tenko had killed her.
More emotions threatened to spill out of Hirona than she thought she could suppress, but somehow, the black-haired girl is able to take a long breath and keep her face neutral. She has doubts about her ability to keep them hidden from the men in the room, however.
The twinkle in the bastard's green eyes seemingly confirms it. "You do remember. Extraordinary." He gives her a flourished bow. "I am Loki, of Asgard. And I am burdened with glorious purpose." The man straightens. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance officially."
Despite him working with her master and Hirona knowing she should be on her best behavior, so as to not embarrass All for One or she'd be punished later, nothing could stop the word that escaped her lips. "How?"
He answers her with a chuckle. "That is the wrong question. It's a bit difficult to explain. Perhaps, it would be better if I showed you."
A palm places itself on Hirona's forehead, and everything goes dark.
When she opens her eyes again, Hirona finds herself at a scene she never thought she'd see again. She stands outside in the dark, staring at the ruined remains of her childhood home. Police officers, CSI and other emergency personnel litter the property.
Everything feels so real. Inside, she knows it's not. It can't be. But somehow, she can still feel the wind against her skin and the grass crunching underneath her feet. But worse than that, she can smell everything too.
Looking down at her feet to where the smell is the strongest, she screams. Lying in between the rubble of the building is…is her! Or what was left of her after Tenko.
"Apologies. I know this type of experience can be jarring at first." Hirona jumps back, attempting to activate her quirk at the surprise of someone being next to her, but to her dismay, her quirk doesn't come to her.
"Do you know what the kanji in your name means?" Loki asks her, standing perfectly calm despite the scene before him.
"What?"
"In your name, Hirona," Loki clarifies patiently. "Do you know what the kanji means?"
Relaxing, although still ready to run if needed, she replies, "I never gave it much thought."
Loki laughs a little under his breath, staring at an empty spot in front of him, before, in a flash of green light, another Loki appears. This one wears a suit and trench coat and stares down at Hirona's remains.
"It means, help of god."
Memory Loki bends over to study the remains for a minute before nodding to himself and standing. In a flash, a weapon appears in his hand, one that glows red.
"My scepter, at the time at least, which holds the power of the Reality Stone." Current Loki narrates as the old version points the scepter at the remains and, after a bright red flash, Hirona gasps to see her child self, fully intact, lying on the ground.
Past Loki vanishes his weapon and gently picks her up, before he too, is gone. Hirona looks around her in disbelief. "None of these people saw you?"
Loki chortles and replies as if he's humoring a small child. "Please."
In a dizzying shift, the world around them melts before reforming into a dark lab room only illuminated by a single light.
Her child body lay strapped onto a cold table while past Loki stood over her. This time, he holds two scepters, one in each hand.
"Bringing back the dead is not something I can do on a whim," Loki tells her. Hirona can't take her eyes off the scene as the man's past self puts the two scepters together, the one that glowed red with another that radiates orange.
"It requires a very specific set of circumstances. The power of reality and the soul brought together first and foremost." He gestures as the scepters begin to vibrate with power. "The individual must be recently deceased, but most importantly, I need permission."
That finally got Hirona to tear her eyes away. "From who?"
Loki tilts his head to the orange glowing scepter. "The weapon derives its power from the Soul Stone. That is who I need permission from. The stone is sentient, you see."
Hirona watches in wonder as her old body starts to glow in a matching orange to the scepter's. Loki continues. "The stone, while having the power to manipulate the soul, wishes to collect them. To trap you in its own little world. It has no desire to return you to your proper body."
Red dies down as orange overtakes the room. The red scepter now seems to act as fuel for the orange one as the color becomes harsher and harsher, almost as if it's screaming in the effort.
"How did you convince it?" Hirona's voice is hoarse, there's no moisture inside it.
"Simple. I offered a few much more desirable souls in your place. After proving I could even wield the power without dying," he adds dryly. Distantly, she knows it can't be that simple. But the events in front of her are too overpowering for her to question it.
The light begins to die down, and Loki waves his arm forward. "And from there, magic." Tears well up in Hirona's eyes as her younger self stirs, before opening her eyes. She remembers this moment. Seeing the orange light and the green eyes staring down at her.
Her burning throat makes her realize she hadn't taken a breath in who knows how long. So, at the same time as her other self does it for the first time again, Hirona breathes.
What is she supposed to feel right now? The teenager is pretty sure she's the only person who's seen herself brought back to life! Should she be angry she was forced to come back? Happy? Relieved? Scared?
It was one thing to know, but to actually see it?! Experience it? And what was she supposed to do now? It's not like there were support groups for something like this?!
Honestly, she's feeling so overwhelmed. All she wants to do is cuddle up with some blankets, a good movie, and go to sleep.
But she had one last thing she had to know first.
"Why?" Her head barely listens to her brain as she turns to face the- she didn't know what to call the man anymore. God? Demon? "Why do all this for me?"
Loki smirks, placing his palm on her forehead again. "That, my dear, is the right question." And everything goes dark once again.
After being one of the few people to take a literal trip down memory lane, Hirona nearly collapses as she re-enters the bar, using a stool to keep herself upright. Kurogiri is, of course, nowhere to be found.
Stumbling to the living room, Hirona uses the couch to stabilize herself. The effects of the memory world, the emotional impact of what she saw, and her own drowsiness hitting her at once. She feels cold and her head is swimming, but she won't fall! Not when-
"Just lie down already." Hirona's eyes creak open to find Nagant in the room with her. The villain's recently injured arm is wrapped in gauze and didn't seem to be bothering her any. "You won't do yourself any favors continuing to stand when you don't need to."
"Yeah." It's all she's able to get out. "Movie."
Nagant rolls her eyes. "Where's the mist bastard when you need him." Hirona doesn't even realize when she's gone from standing to sitting on the couch and having a blanket thrown on top of her.
She blinks and the tv is on. Her eyes start to drift close again as Nagant walks away. "Wait," her weak voice calls out. "Stay?"
Hirona's eyes are closed now, and she doesn't think they're gonna be opening for the rest of the night, but when she feels a weight sit down next to her on the couch, she finally allows sleep to take over.