(A.N. I intend for this story to read like an AC game, that is to say, with all the angst, heartbreak, drama, plots, and satisfying kills that come along. Specifically, I want to mirror the Ezio Trilogy (AC: II, Brotherhood, and Revelations) in the way that they follow Ezio through three different important points in his life, without all the back-and-forth between past and present. Now, when I say "mirror" I don't mean I'll just rewrite the games with Izuku as the main character. That's not possible nor realistic, but that sort of storytelling is what I'm going for. No character will be safe. Expect a Cristina and Yusuf or two or ten for some characters before this story reaches its final conclusion, because not everyone is who they seem. Now that I've sufficiently scared you (I hope), on to the Reviews.)

CallMeCayde: Intelli isn't a student at UA; she is a student of Seiai, which is much smaller and does not do internships as far as we are aware. She got her spotlights between Izuku's pre-UA training and the assault on the docks (after the entrance exam), so we probably won't see her again until the License Exam where she first appears in anime Canon.

Gamelover41592: I'm flipping the scripts as quickly as the script flips flip.

LEGOBRICK13: A storm comes and settles, but I think you'll find there's a more impactful one just on the horizon.

Monkey D. Conan: Actually, Yuyu showed up in Chapter 10 as a messenger, but no one caught on between Tsu getting scolded and Nascha's introduction. Still, I'm glad you like what I'm doing with her! For AizawaXEmi, it's Canon and I want to stick with that as well as I can until I'm ready to flip the table, something I'm already planning for right around New Year's or January. I'm a sucker for fluff as well, though, so it will pop up periodically. Well, until it falls apart, but who doesn't like a good tragedy?

Now, on to the chapter!

Chapter 23:

Kill, Confess, Chase

Himiko Toga stalked the shadows, following her prey as he waved at the people who barely recognized his face, unable to put a name to it but knowing he was a Hero all the same. She'd checked in on Izuku the day before, giving herself a day off before setting herself wholeheartedly into continuing Akaguro's mission before it lost steam in his absence. He'd given her the information he'd been able to obtain before his unwanted detour into the headquarters of the League of Villains, leading her here to Hosu on this brisk Spring evening.

The sun was setting and the crowds thinning as Native yawned. Himi couldn't help the small grin that came to her lips as she increased her pace, flipping the hood of her outfit up to cover her blonde hair. Native didn't sense her approach.

He did, however, feel her bump into him, sending him stumbling.

"Someone took the bait," a voice muttered from a nearby rooftop, unknown to Himi. "They're the second scent."

"Hey!" the pro Hero yelled as Himi continued on her path. "You can't just—"

She didn't reply, only waving the wallet she'd palmed from his pocket. Native recognized it, his brow furrowing as he started to give chase. Himi grinned, running.

"Get back here, you little thief!"

Himi jumped over benches and spun around pedestrians as Native chased her, the young Assassin crossing the street before ducking into a shadowed alley. Native followed without a thought, disappearing into the darkness.

"Have you decided to stop running?" the Hero questioned, staring at the back of the girl who had stolen his wallet. She didn't reply immediately, her slim fingers thumbing through his cash. Native felt anger bubble in his stomach unnaturally quickly, the man reaching into his Hero costume to pull out four different wood carvings of animals. These totems, as he called them, were each about the length of a finger, depicting a hawk, wolf, bear, and deer. "Return that to me. Now."

"Hmm," Himi hummed, making a show of her faux consideration. "No, I don't think I will. You won't be needing it, anyway."

"Something's not right," a man on the rooftop commented into his earpiece. "We were expecting them to meet up with the Hero Killer."

"Let the trap shut, Onima," a woman hissed in his ear. "Native isn't worth much as a Hero anyway. Aethon, get over here. I'm not taking chances with you two."

"Fine, you asked for it!" Native yelled, the totems glowing as he threw them forward. They grew, animating into each of the animals they represented.

"Oh?" Himi grinned. "So this your Quirk. I guess that's kind of cool."

"Get her!" Native ordered, his wooden animals charging forward. Himi did the same, first sidestepping the charging deer. Her hidden blade lashed out, severing the deer's neck in the prosses. It glowed, reverting into the totem it had been, broken.

The wolf came second, lunging with fangs bared. Again, Himi spun, stabbing down into the wolf's skull with a knife. It too glowed and began to shrink, a twist of her weapon causing that totem to snap in half. The hawk dove from above with a silent screech, Himi almost casually stabbing upward with the blade on her other wrist. The metal sunk into the wooden torso, ending the third totem.

The fourth and final animal simulacrum, the bear, stomped its paws. Behind it, Native felt a bead of sweat run down the side of his face. It would be smarter to run —this pickpocket was proving to be more trouble than she was worth— but something made him stand his ground. He was just so angry at her for some reason, his mood helped in no way by the itch in his lower back.

"Get her!" he roared, the bear rushing forward at the man's command. Himi, however, decided that trying to fight a bear, even a fake one, was something to be avoided when possible. She ran to the side, climbing several feet up the wall with momentum alone before jumping away. She soared over the Ursidae, rolling away her extra speed so she came up right in front of Native.

He had no time to react before her right hand came up, stabbing her hidden blade into his lung. She spun around behind him, her other hand stabbing its own blade into the base of his spine. Native's vision started to go hazy as his totem bear revered into his base form, his power and energy draining from him.

"We know," Himi said, cradling his body as she lowered the pro Hero to the ground. "We know you were turning a blind eye to the drug ring you found because they were paying you off. Who was your contact? What's his name."

"Wh-What did you do to me?" Native coughed. "I wanted to run. I should have run…"

"Berserker toxin," the female Assassin offered. "Old and deadly stuff. It would have killed you if I didn't."

"I let my guard down," the Hero muttered.

"Now tell me, who was your contact? Who paid you off?"

"It doesn't matter now, does it?" Native muttered, blood leaking from the corners of his lips. "Heh, when they told me about you all, I never thought I'd be a big enough deal to be a target. I'm honored."

"Answer the question. Who'd you meet to buy your inaction?"

"A… bald man," Native confessed, having nothing to lose now. "Yu Hojo… I never saw his face. He always wore a mask… He's the one… who always showed up… to pay." His information given, Native went limp.

"You have earned this with your actions," Himi said, "but everyone is equal in death. Requiescat in pace." Himi lowered him to the ground and gently closed his eyes.

Three different thumps echoed through the alley, Himi frowning to herself as she looked up from the warm corpse in her arms. The alley's entrance was blocked by two men, one a blue horse heteromorph and the other more average, while her other side was blocked by a woman with flaming, green hair.

"Latin?" the woman questioned, popping her knuckles. "Really?"

"It's Italian, actually," Himi replied. "Just because you morons refuse to learn from history doesn't mean we choose not to."

"Alas, if only that were true." Burnin' brushed her fingers through her fiery hair, cracking a wide smile. "And yet, you people never seem to realize the futility of your actions. You gain nothing by keeping us at a stalemate." Her eyes hardened, her smirk turning into a snarl. "You never realize how painful it is for the rest of us when you plunge your blades into the hearts of our friends."

"You didn't try very hard to stop this." Himi gestured to Native's body.

"He was an idiot," Burnin' waved off. "Kido wasn't."

"So that's what this is about." Himi stood slowly, dusting herself off. She didn't seem too worried about the three Templars that had her surrounded, her tense muscles hidden by her robes. "I don't have anything to say to you. There's no point. We'd never see eye to eye."

"That's true enough," Burnin' admitted, stepping forward to point at the Assassin. "Where is the Hero Killer: Stain? Where is Chizome Akaguro?"

"No idea," Himi lied. "He's kept hidden even from us. Man's almost better at our job that the rest of us."

"There's no point in thaat," Aethon said, Himi backing up against the wall to try to keep Burnin' in her peripheral while still turning to look at the blue horse-man. "My nose is like that of a bloodhound. Your scent waas there on the rooftop with Akaguro's blood. We know he's a member of your little band. Aand if he called you for help, you must be especially close. What's he to you? A paarent? A friend? …Your sugar daddy?"

"Ok, ew," Himi gagged. "There are so many things wrong with what you just said."

"Point is," Onima interjected, "you have information we need, and we'll get it one way or another."

"I'd like to see you try," Himi grinned. She moved, a smokescreen exploding from her feet.

"Shit!" Burnin' coughed as Aethon fell over, his sensitive nose most affected by the chemicals in the smoke bomb. "We can't let her get away!"

"I'm on it!" Onima yelled, hunching over as his skin turned a midnight black. The horns on his head grew in length, wings like those of a bat unfurling from his back. He jumped, taking to the air.

"Oh, that's cheating!" Himi hissed as she scurried over the side of the building. She didn't have time to stand and gawk, taking off across the rooftops. Onima, in his full Demon Form, rose from the alley.

"Come quietly and we won't need to hurt you… much," Onima growled, jagged white teeth a contrast to the rest of his inky skin as what sounded like multiple voices speaking in tandem echoed from his mouth.

"Fat chance!"

In the alley below, Burnin' was just shrugging off the smoke's effect on her own breathing. She pulled at the collar of her suit, exposing the microphone there.

"Assassin is on the run!" she reported. "Blonde female, mid-to-late-teens! Onima is in pursuit; Native is lost! Requesting backup to Hosu!"

"Understood," the voice on the other end replied. "And Endeavor?"

"Sure, call him, too. We don't have Stain, but we think this is his apprentice."

"We'll need time to mobilize. Keep the Assassin on the run. We'll be there in ten."

"Make it five. She's a slippery one!"

"Come on, Master, pick up," Himi hissed to herself, jumping to another rooftop as Onima gave chase. "It's not like you're doing anything important."

The call connected.

"What is it, Himi?"

"Master, I've got Templars pursuing me," she hissed, taking a sharp turn as Onima's claws raked through the air where he head had been. He barrel rolled over the edge, catching himself mid-flight as citizens below screamed at his demonic appearance. "I think I can outrun them, but just in case I can't, I got the name you were looking for."

"Give it to me, Himi."

"Yu Hojo. That's the guy Native met with to buy his silence. Bald and wore a mask."

"I'll pass it along," Akaguro said. "Where are you now?"

"Hosu, district 13," she said. A sound came from her end, something hard slamming into a roof with a curse. Himi bit out her own swear, calling whatever was chasing her something too rude to record.

"I'll send a team your way for extraction. Good work, Himi, and stay alive." Akaguro severed the call with Himi, trusting she had the skills to stay safe until the others could get there. He waved to Medic Fai, owner of the den's only healing Quirk, prompting them to come over with the prosthetic foot he'd asked for. It was little more than a wooden foot —that was all they could make in the short term— and allowed Medic Fai to secure it, stretching the skin around the stump downward to better hold it in place with their Quirk: Skin Graft.

"Yu Hojo," he muttered. "I've heard that name before. Where have I heard that name before?"

"I trust it's not another Assassin," Medic Fai commented, tightening the belts that secured the skin around the prosthetic. "Is it on a list of ongoing investigations?"

"It might be," Akaguro muttered thought gritted teeth, refusing to let it show how much the crude prosthetic's attachment hurt. "I feel like I know the name from my days as a Vigilante, though. I need to look into this, now."

"But your foot—" Medic Fai tried to protest.

"I don't have time for that!" the Master Assassin interrupted, getting to his feet. He wobbled a little, placing most of his weight on his remaining limb. "My apprentice is in an active chase, I can't let something like a missing foot stop me!"

"What's going on in here?" a voice questioned, the man and medic looking toward the door to see the red robes of Keeper leading against the doorway. "I heard voices and thought I'd come by to check in. Doing good, Akaguro?"

"I don't have time for pleasantries, Keeper," the Hero Killer said. "My apprentice is in a chase right now and found a name for us. Yu Hojo."

Keeper's eyes widened. "That's a name on Nekoi's shortlist. He's a member of the Shie Hassaikai."

"I said it'd be on a list," Medic Fai muttered.

"Keeper, my case has just blended with yours and Nekoi's. While I get on my feet, can you round up a few Assassins who aren't doing anything important for an extraction in Hosu?"

"I'm on it." Keeper rushed out the door.

Aizawa sat in his recliner, a half-empty bottle of sweet rosé in his hand. He'd dismissed Shinso from his training early, ordering him to do some training on his own while Aizawa dealt with some of his own demons. Not that the Master Assassin had put it in those words for the newest Hero Course student, but if tonight didn't go well he'd need the rest of the week to sort it out. And as much as he wanted to simply push it aside, again, keeping this secret from the most important person in his life was becoming too much of a burden.

Therefore, Aizawa had come home to prepare, stopping by the store on the way back to buy some so-called liquid courage. He shared Akaguro's sentiments on alcohol in general —finding the whole practice of drinking a waste of time— but here he needed to utilize the chemical's ability to loosen the tongue and the inhibitions, lest he chicken out of his own self-appointed goal of the night. So, it was with a mixture of relief and trepidation that he heard the apartment door open.

Emi Fukukado was humming to herself as she stepped inside, a smile on her face. She was a young woman with short hair a light seafoam green that matched her green eyes. Her figure was well-proportioned, her tight tank top and shorts showing off her arms and legs, toned from her years of training and Hero work. She stopped as the door closed, her eyes recognizing that something was different than usual.

"Shota?" she blinked, a smile coming to her face. "Shota! You're home early! You usually aren't back until well past sundown!"

"Yeah, well…" Aizawa waved, bringing up the bottle to take another swing. He felt like he was going to need it, after all.

"So~" Emi grinned, walking over to set her hands on Aizawa's shoulders. "To what to I owe this unexpected…" She trailed off, the scent of the wine reaching her nose. She reached down, snatching it from his hand. "You're drinking? Shota, you never drink. Has something happened?"

"I'll get there," the man sighed, rubbing his eyes. "How was your day? Are your students just as problematic as mine?"

"Shota, you know I love my job." Emi set the wine on the counter, quickly returning to her place behind her partner of just over four years. Her arm snaked around his neck, resting lightly against his chest. "But this isn't about me right now. Something's wrong, isn't it? You never drink and you're very rarely home early. You might be the more logical of the two of us, but I can still connect the dots. What is it?"

"I…" He swallowed, hoping the fogginess in his brain would keep him from backing out. "Emi, I have something to confess."

"I'm here, Shota," she said, resting one of her cheeks against the top of his head. Aizawa's hands came up, holding her forearm. In one sense, they reassured him that she was, well and truly, there. On the other, his hold would keep her in place; keep her from running away or moving to look him in the face. He was sure he wouldn't be able to keep talking if he could see her nonverbals. She cracked a grin. "Come on, it can't be that bad. It's not like you're some mass murderer or something."

The silence in the apartment was suddenly deafening.

"Shota—"

"Emi…" he muttered, cutting her off. "It's… Please, listen to me. Hear me out. There's no easy way to say any of this."

"Then explain," she urged.

"I am part of a… group," he began, "tasked with safeguarding the free will of humanity from those who would see that taken away. This group, it's been around for a long time. We've managed to trace it back as far as ancient Egypt, its originators having seen corruption and oppression and having decided to do something about it.

"This order, however, is not alone. We've had many enemies throughout the eons, but one has risen high above the rest. They fully codified during the Crusades into the Order of the Knights' Templar and have since been searching for ways to subjugate humanity. Government, entertainment, corporations, even the underground; they infiltrated every aspect of society they could everywhere they could in their attempts to rule the people, from both above and below.

"Only one group has kept them from their goal. One stubborn group has refused to bend the knee to the Templars' reach. This fight started in Egypt but has since spread across the world in a battle that continues every day. I was born into this group like my father before me and his mother before him, and I will be expected to take on his mantel as Mentor of the Osaka Brotherhood when he no longer can." Aizawa let out a hard breath, his fingers tightening their hold on Emi's arm as he stared at a single spot on the wallpaper ahead.

"Emi Fukukado, my name is Shota Aizawa, and to protect humanity, I am an Assassin."

The apartment was devoid of sound for several seconds, Aizawa doing his best to not picture what sort of expression might be on Emi's face at the moment.

"Is this supposed to be a joke?" she finally demanded, trying to pull her arm loose. "If so, I'm not laughing."

Aizawa's hands trembled, his eyes closing.

"I couldn't keep it from you any longer, Emi," he said. "The life of an Assassin is painful. Some of us get to choose the life, to take the path to escape some other terrible existence. Others, like me, are born into it, and it's all that we know growing up. We work in the dark to serve the light, doing a thankless job so that everyone else may live on in ignorance to the powers that wish to control them. My role as an Underground Hero has helped me cover up my other life from everyone, but the whole thing is meaningless when I need to hide who I am from the person who matters most."

"Shota…"

"I don't say it often enough, but you're the best thing to walk into my life, Emi." Aizawa fought through the hitch in his breath. "You're my anchor in the storm, the sun shining through the clouds and the light in the distance. That's why I refuse to let anyone know about us. There are Templars who know I'm an Assassin. They are kept at bay by an unspoken rule within UA, but you would become a target if ever they learned of our relationship. The smart thing to do would have been to end it, to push you away for your own safety, but I couldn't do that. I'm sorry, Emi, but I'm too selfish to let you go like that." He grit his teeth. "By telling you all this, I'm breaking one of our core tenants. We are taught to never compromise the Brotherhood, even on pain of torture and death, but I couldn't keep this from you. Not anymore."

"Why now?" she questioned. Her struggles had slowed to a stop at his earnest words. "We've been together four years and I've never had a clue. What changed?"

"There have been whispers, Emi. Something's about to change. I don't know when and I don't know why. It could be next month, or next year, or a decade from now, but I fear the war between the Assassins and Templars will come to a head in our lifetimes, and I can't see you get caught up in it. You're too precious for me to lose."

His grip relaxed just enough for Emi to pull her arm free. For one, horrible second, he imagined she was gone, that he could hear the door slamming as she ran from him, but in the next she was there, filling his vision. She knelt in front of the recliner, her hands trapping him in the seat as her eyes bored into his. The frown on her face was so at odds with her usual expression that Aizawa didn't know how to react.

"So that's it?" she asked. "You kill people for what you think is the good of mankind?"

"…In a very calloused, unnuanced layman's terms… yes."

She didn't run. "There's still more to this story, then?"

"You wouldn't believe the half of it." Aizawa cracked a rare smile at the fact that she hadn't run away screaming. "I'm not asking you to join the Brotherhood, Emi. In fact, I don't want you to. Your hands are clean of my wrongdoings and I want them to stay that way, but… You have the right to know. If you want to leave now, I'd understand. Or I could call another Assassin. With his Quirk, he could erase this whole conversation from your memory. I would understand if you want that…"

"You're an idiot, Shota." Aizawa's head snapped upward, staring at the verdette in shock. "It's been four years. Did you really think something like this would drive me away?"

"Well, typically when people confess to murder—"

"I know you, Shota, and I know how you think. You wouldn't do it unless you thought it was worth the effort. You wouldn't do it unless you thought there was no other way. I don't agree with it, not yet, but there's clearly a long history of animosity between these groups. If you were born into it, then that's just how you think." She climbed upward, taking Aizawa's face in her hands. "And after you said all that sappy stuff about me being your light, how could I not support you?"

The tension drained out of his shoulders, Emi relaxing herself on top of him. It was like the weight of the world had been lifted off his chest and he could finally breathe again. His arms came up, hugging the young woman in a way he would only do in the comfort of their home.

"We aren't done with this conversation," she muttered in his ear.

"I know," he replied. "And thank you."

Izuku hadn't been sure what his internship would entail or how it would balance Hero training and Assassin training, but with Wednesday coming to a close now, he felt he had the flow down pretty well.

He and Haya would run The Gauntlet every morning, racing from their underground dorms to the top of Edgeshot Tower, shaving time from their best with each attempt. Haya could clear the obstacle course in just under ten minutes; Izuku still needed 25. Afterward, they would move to their training of the day. Weapons, hand-to-hand, stealth, everything was on the table as Master Kamihara drilled them on lethal and nonlethal takedowns as well as Hero law about when the former was permitted.

Once they were finished with morning training, Kamihara would dismiss them to the showers before lunch, after which they would don their Hero uniforms and go on patrol. One intern would walk beside Kamihara —or as he was known in his Hero persona, Edgeshot— while the other followed along the rooftops, scouting the other streets to warn them about any petty crimes happening in the vicinity. Once patrols ended, they would return to the tower where Kamihara would have Izuku and Haya spar until one of them could no longer stand. So far, it was always Haya carrying Izuku to the underground dorms. Luckily, they had an elevator for that.

It was an effective system, one that was proving its worth as Izuku could see his progress. Each morning he was a little bit faster, each night lasting a little bit longer, and waking up the next morning a little bit less sore. Kamihara attributed Izuku's rapid growth to his latent Isu DNA, the same genetics that gave him such strong Eagle Vision also allowing his body to go beyond what use to be normal human limits. In the time before the Dawn of Quirks, he would have been the pinnacle of humanity, or so Kamihara said. Quirks had substantially evened that playing field.

This was the schedule until Wednesday evening, the trio returning from an unremarkable patrol when, instead of leading his students to the dojo, Kamihara stopped them in the hallway.

"Initiate Midoriya," he said. "Assassin Haya. We have been issued a mission for tonight."

"A mission?" Izuku echoed.

"Indeed. One of our brothers was captured while scouting a suspected Templar drop point yesterday. We are to go in, find him, and make sure he has not broken under duress. If he is still alive, we will do our best to rescue him. If not, we will find out what knowledge he let slip and eliminate anyone who knows."

"We understand, Master," Haya responded immediately, giving a bow. Izuku was a moment behind her, the youngest of them trying to swallow the lump in his throat.

"Assassin Haya, go change into your robes," Kamihara ordered, the students turning to do so. "Initiate Midoriya, stay a moment longer."

Haya gave Izuku a glance before taking her leave, offering a small smile as she did. Izuku swallowed again, turning to face his teacher. Kamihara leaned against the wall, studying the verdet.

"What is it, Master?" Izuku managed.

"Initiate, I won't lie to you. This will be the hardest night of your life to this point. I know you've been on one mission before and I know you've faced Villains when your class was attacked, but this will be different. I believe tonight will be your first kill."

Izuku felt like he'd been punched in the gut, a feeling he was now all too familiar with. He stared at the pro Hero, trying to get out something beyond monosyllabic sounds, but speech seemed beyond him at the moment. Kamihara took that to mean he could continue.

"We do not know what has befallen our comrade in the time since his capture last night, but I can tell you it cannot have been pleasant. This may be a fool's errand and he's already dead. He may be alive but broken beyond repair, in which case I will take responsibility and free him from the pain. Whether we can get him out or not, I do not doubt there will be guards. Ready yourself, Initiate Mindoriya. Tonight, there is no going back. This will be your last chance before your hands are stained forever. Am I clear?"

Izuku breathed, his hands curling into fists as he tried to slow his heartrate. Logically, he'd known this would happen sooner or later, that he could have taken his blessings and run at any point before this. This was his last chance to turn away from the Brotherhood before he accepted a piece of the darkness into his soul forever.

But he couldn't. The Brotherhood had given him everything. Nekoi had saved him that day under the bridge, and in doing so offered him everything he ever wanted: life, purpose, a chance at his dream of being a Hero. Never had they hidden what the cost would be. More than that, this is what they had been training him for. He believed in the necessity of their mission and cared for those in harm's way. What sort of Hero would he be if he couldn't join them on the front lines?

The tension drained from Izuku's shoulders, the boy opening his eyes slowly. He nodded.

"Are you ready, Initiate?"

"No, Master," Izuku replied. "I don't think I can be until the moment comes."

"Unfortune but realistic," Kamihara nodded. "Go suit up. We leave in 20."

The evening was dark, lit only by the light of lampposts and neon signs, as Himi continued her mad escape from the Flaming Sidekickers. The trio worked very well together, as expected from a pro Hero team even if they were Sidekicks, but she had the advantage of leading the way and being able to duck into the growing shadows. They were forced to trace her path, lest she slip through their fingers.

"This way, in the alley!" Aethon called, keeping track of Himi with his sense of smell. Himi bit out a curse, running out of the shadowed alley she'd been in as Onima appeared over her, the Sidekick cracking the earth where she'd been with a stomp.

"Back off!" the Assassin yelled, throwing a pellet downward. It exploded in a flash of light, illuminating the darkness.

"My eyes!" Onima screamed in his multi-tonal voice as his retinas were seared, dilated irises doing nothing to help him against the sudden light. "I'll get you for that, you bitch!"

Himi didn't reply, running toward the growing crowd that had appeared as tended to happen when Heroes were seen facing down a Villain, especially when the pros in question were of the notoriety of Endeavor's primary Sidekicks. The crowd, however, parted as she drew close, not wanting to get close to her.

"Ah, come on," she muttered, adrenaline buzzing through her veins. "Come on, come on, come on."

"Villain!" Burnin' shouted, flying over the crowd by utilizing her flaming Quirk. "Murderer! We won't let you get away!" She pulled at her hair, compiling it into a fireball between her hands, its green bright even in the neon-colored street. "Copper Blaze!"

Himi dove to the side, the attack splashing at the base of a streetlight. The heat in Blazin's attack turned the pole a bright red, the metal warping under its own weight. The streetlight tilted, coming down like a felled tree toward the crowd of civilians who, as one would expect, screamed but did not move.

"I've got you!" Onima called, interposing himself between the citizenry and the broken light. His wings and muscles strained, lowing him carefully as he held the metal over his head. "Tone it down, Burnin'! We can't put the people at risk!"

"She's getting away!" Aethon reminded his fellow Sidekicks.

"Not from me, she isn't!" Burnin' shot over the crowd, following Himi into another alley across the street. The Assassin was running through the shadows, one hand by her ear. "Get back here, Assassin!"

Himi took a sharp turn, running up one wall before hooking her hands onto the lowest level of a fire escape. Burnin' let out a screech, charging toward the killer while pulling more fire from her hair. So focused was she on the Assassin climbing the fire escape that she didn't see the shadow coming toward her until it planted a boot in her gut.

"Guh," Burnin' coughed, dropping her fire as she rolled backward, a hand over her stomach. She recovered quickly as pro Heroes and Sidekicks were trained to, Onima and Aethon coming to flank her as they stared into the alley.

"Now, I don't think you need to be chasing that poor girl," a man in a red robes commented, his pointed hood shadowing his face. Two people similarly dressed flanked him, one in a muddy brown and the other a dim white with highlights of navy and crimson. "We all make mistakes as youngsters, right? No need to get arrested for it."

"Shit," Aethon spat, bending over onto all fours. Fire flared to life, starting at the top of his head and running down his neck to the small of his back like the mane of a horse. He snorted up a belch of flame. "Aaiding and abetting is a criminal offense."

"We all know this isn't about the law," the man in brown grunted in a deep baritone. "You called her 'Assassin.' Assassin, not Villain. This chase isn't about maintaining law and order."

"Our cause is law and order," Burnin' stated. "Just as yours is lawlessness and chaos."

"Our cause is about freedom, Templar," the man in red said. "Forcing peace onto a people invites nothing but revolution, because peace has to be a choice."

"Peace has to be maintained by a careful, united, likeminded, powerful, community. Like a gardener maintaining the health of a tree, humanity needs careful, periodic pruning. Peace is only achieved through the fear of what comes in its absence, whether that is fear of pruning or fear of war. As long as there are differences of opinion about this that are allowed to fester, we will never find peace."

"Maybe not," the white-dressed Assassin replied with a woman's voice. "But even this fragile armistice is better than dictatorships and totalitarianism."

"Great," Onima muttered. "This killer's a wannabe philosopher."

"Aren't we all?" The Flaming Sidekickers jerked at the new voice, turning their attentions upward. On the second level of the fire escape was the Assassin they had chased to this point, Himi sitting on the railing with her eyes shadowed by her hood but a grin fully exposed, kicking her legs like an innocent schoolgirl waiting for her friends. Beside her stood another Assassin, this one in tattered robes of dirtied white and tan. He climbed onto the railing, one hand holding the level above to help him keep his balance as he leaned toward the pros. "Let me tell you what I didn't have time to tell Eustass Taicho before I plunged my blade into his heart—"

"You're the Hero Killer!" Burnin' yelled.

"Listen to me when I'm talking to you, girl," Akaguro growled, the gravel in his voice sending a shiver down the pros' backs. "Where was I?"

"Your philosophy rant, Master~" Himi sing-songed, relishing the rear in the Heroes' eyes.

"Ah, thank you. Listen closely." His voice dropped, falling into that lecturing tambor of one repeating an oft-thought speech. "Every person has their own philosophy, created from the twisted remains of their former beliefs that life shattered. We take these pieces and forge from them something new and use it to take on the world. Your lot would see those taken away, to turn humanity into defenseless sheep that would follow their self-proclaimed shepherds to the slaughter without question. If that were the case, then I suppose we are the bears and wolves who remove those shepherds so that the sheep can learn to survive on their own before they become too dependent. That is why I became the Hero Killer, to give the people someone to blame while I teach them that many of their so-called Heroes are not interested in the benefit of anyone but themselves. And if you step out of line, I'll come for you like I did Kido."

"Now then, I think we have an ultimatum for you," the man in red said, clapping his hands to get the Heroes' attentions. "There are five of us, three of you, and several-dozen civilians that could get caught in the crossfire. So, I ask you now:

"Do you really want this fight here and now, Templars?"

Burnin' grit her teeth, her hands fisting so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her flaming hair flared, lighting up the closer half of the alley. Onima and Aethon glanced at her, awaiting orders.

"We are trained Heroes," the young woman growled. "Do you think you have a chance against us, Assassin?"

"Aww, cute," Himi giggled. "You think you're a threat when it's not a three-on-one chase."

"I'll ask again," the red Assassin muttered. "Do you want this fight?"

Everyone present could hear Burnin's teeth grinding against each other, her eyes never leaving the form of the one who had killed her friend, coworker, and companion above.

"Mark my works, Assassins," she hissed. "You might get away this time, but the tides are turning. We will hunt you down, one by one if we have to, and rid the world of your murderous filth. Do you understand?"

"We will be ready for you," the Assassins' apparent leader replied. "Run along now, kiddos."

Smoke exploded from a half-dozen smoke bombs, the air clearing slowly to show nothing but an empty alleyway. Burnin' turned, punching a hole through the brick-and-concrete building to her left, screaming a curse to the heavens. A group of men in riot gear marched toward them, breathing as if they'd run a marathon.

"Ma'am," the on in the lead panted. "Bad news. There are several more Assassins in the area. They got away from us several minutes ago."

"I know, you morons!" Burnin' screamed.

"Now then," Keeper grinned several buildings away as the wind carried the echoes of the Sidekick's frustrations. Akaguro, Himiko, Ganma Asui, and Nascha Garcia circled him, the former two kneeling on the roof's railing the way they found most comfortable. "I think we need to have a debrief, Assassin Toga, because your investigation has just blended with mine. Let me tell you what we know about Yu Hojo."

End of Chapter 23

And so we reach the end of another chapter! Not a lot of focus on the students, but here we see action in the larger world while next chapter will get back into the students' time, including Izuku's coming mission. Will his mission go off without a hitch, or will something go wrong? Aizawa risks compromising the Brotherhood to maintain his little slice of happiness, so I'm sure that's not a risk. The Flaming Sidekickers now know Himi's face and her connection with Stain, but what can they do with that information? Tell me what you think!

Read and Review!

-SwordOfTheGods