Chapter 3: Tense Exposition/What Lies In the Hero's Shadow
Present Day
Amidst the gathering storm in Matsuyama, sound booms: thunder crashes against the windows with the force of a rushing train. At the head of the room, Gashadokuro and Tengu stand, backs straight and unmoved despite the rising tension. To the adoring public, they are known as All-Might and Endeavour, but here, they have adopted different personas: ones more suited to the grim work ahead of them.
The operation that brings them all together today is no ordinary task—it is not even an official task—but it must be done. These kinds of situations require the cooperation of heroes and various respective government agencies.
Once upon a time, the two spheres were the same: prominent battalions of specialized quirk forces, capable of crushing nearly any threat. Following the ruinous wars that had plagued the past, from the Quirk wars to the eugenic arm races, they were disbanded and banned forevermore—but the threat of sanctions and worse did not stop countries; they were subverting the spirit and letter of the treaty mere days after the ink had dried.
Japan was no exception. Beneath the glittering heroes and the flamboyancy and the much vaunted Hero Billboard Charts—whose inception and fanatic following was copied around the globe—the country and its underworld did their necessary business. They had always been interlinked. Before quirks, the Yakuza and government were cutting deals: gentlemen's agreements and ceasefires for the good of the nation.
Soon after the birth of the golden child in China, things changed. The government found and relied on the less flashy operatives of the time—both before and after the Quirk regulation treaties. A dedication and particular patriotism was needed, power and versatility second; and of course, flexible morals.
When quirks evolved to be more complex and powerful, their pool of potential applicants increased. With the right disguises and training, any bold hero could be a quiet and unassuming thief or assassin at the flip of the coin.
Unofficially, they are known as the Yuki Onna. A strange name, but fitting for stranger individuals; frustrating for anyone trying to uncover more—many criminals believe they are all composed of women, or possess quirks relating to the icy weather, or some other nonsense. What is known however is simple: they work 'cold' dark operations—said to be in the guise of demons—during the night.
Yet, each demon is an angel to the public, a 'hot' bright hero by day. These Yuki Onna are made up of a wide variety: out of the top ten heroes in the country, two grace the organization; out of the thousands that litter the full breadth of Japan, only an additional twenty have earned the privilege of joining—plus one more if the short stranger in the back of the room is included.
The unknown man wears a golden fish bowl on his head for a helmet, obscuring his face and voice. Amidst his dark costume, there are small openings where little red feathers peak out. The other agents murmur to each other, trying to discern the newcomer—clearly vetted, to be let in like everyone else.
Heads close together, the longest serving and most experienced operatives remain standing in front of the room. Japan—even the world, for such is their fame—would be shocked to see All-Might and Endeavour, side-by-side, chatting amicably. The secret pseudo-CIA Quirked organization isn't as strange.
Outside of clandestine operations, Endeavour holds All-Might in a poor view: the hero is the last mountain he needs to cross over to ignite his name in history, and it grows ever higher as All-Might's reputation and sheer prowess continue to dominate. It is infuriating; Endeavour's personal pride and ambition demands he be at the top of everything he does. But here he is Tengu. And Tengu is almost inseparable from Gashadokuro.
In this organization, there are only two virtues—results and obedience. And neither have ever disobeyed an order or failed a mission.
And yet, there are some things that cannot be buried under layers and layers of personas. Deep within his heart, Endeavour is jealous of how he is never first—in Japan, at home, even in this secretive organization, under a different name, where public perception hardly matters.
As small talk continues here and there around the room—it is foolish to think secret government operatives are immune to gossip—an undercurrent of tension laces each conversation: never before have so many agents gathered together. All present have heard of a large operation on-going in Iya Valley, involving the deployment of an NBC unit alongside the military—accompanied by a preliminary, discrete Yuki Onna strike team to buy time should calamity occur. It is enough to make them nervous at what is to come.
It is enough speculation that Toshinori decides a history lesson is in order. Many operatives do not possess the reach or extensive knowledge he has on this subject: a natural consequence of Japan possessing few famous or notable pre-Quirk facilities. If their operatives ever engage with pre-Quirk technology, it is usually after they have been thoroughly plundered and sequestered elsewhere. So it is that a lesson from his own experiences is in order, if only to placate the nervous energy in the room. Gashadokuro leaves, and All Might steps forward with only a few changes in mannerisms.
"Over in my time in America," he begins, "I learned how as the governments around the world crumbled: many dedicated and fanatic politicians, corporate agents, and wealthy individuals saw the opportunity to once and for all erase or clean up their messes over the decades past; keep valuable objects or research safe during the unrest; or destroy classified information that would be harmful to their historical image.
"David Shield and I went exploring in these lost bases. Sometimes we even got shot at! They were also the best times I had—we recovered important history and technologies that went on to help the country and the whole world: automated surgical bots and their blueprints, super fruits capable of saving whole populations from starvation. However, the darker side of these secrets soon revealed themselves."
All-Might expresses a somber mood through his mask. "Those that escaped or were broken into by foolish explorers: biological weapons programs, spilled radioactive waste, autonomous killbots with their own dedicated fortress—evils that were unleashed or broke through their containment to wreak havoc on the world. Even I wasn't enough for some of these catastrophes. Some cities bore the ultimate price."
His grim tone spreads to the other operatives. The veteran operatives knew about such tragedies yet the retelling strikes a discordant tone. They can almost see the past horror, like they were drawn into a vision.
Thunder booms again; it is as if heaven itself laments the events. Noticing the effect of his words, All-Might holds back a wince and quickly wraps up the lesson. "Point is, secrets can be a double-edged sword: bright or corrosive. There will always be those that seek them out, their location a beacon to the adventurous spirit who breaks them free from their confinement—a good deed nominally. But there are secrets that corrode and chip away at their bindings until their deadly purpose blooms. I can only hope…"
As he trails off, there is a strange silence, an unease bubbling forth from the listeners. Shaking his head, All-Might flashes one of his signature heroic smiles. "But there's nothing to fear. We are all here!"
Almost in habit, laughter and smiles fill the room. In truth, no one is comforted.
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AN: If you want to see the artwork for this chapter, visit this chapter at AO3, under the same title, "Sinstealer", or on SB, under "silentcrusader"!