A/N: So... I'm an idiot. Didn't even realize that I hadn't posted this chapter until I was setting up to record for the next podcast...

That's embarrassing, enjoy the late chapter!

Short but Sweet

It was late morning at the Haneda Airport, and Kurai was waiting for something to go utterly wrong, as it often did for him. It took everything he had in him not to fidget, pace, look nervous, or even out of place in the bustling center of transportation that was Japan's gateway to the rest of the world. He knew that he appeared as relaxed and casual as any traveler without a reason to be nervous ought to, but he still couldn't wait to get past the security checkpoints, where the odds of him being recognized and put up on social media would substantially decrease. Beyond that, once he made it to Klayd, there was virtually no chances at all that someone would realize who he was, which would be a big load off of his shoulders.

The thought that it was the lack of any sort of disguise that had him so apprehensive in his current setting did occur to him, but it didn't keep his teeth from being on constant edge. He was dressed in a typical vacationer's outfit, with loose jeans and comfortable sneakers on his feet, topped with a t-shirt and an open hoodie that he kept pulled back. His instinct was to pull it up to help cover his profile, but he knew that would look way too suspect in an airport, of all places. The only thing that was really keeping him anonymous for the moment was, ironically, his undisguised appearance.

He even had dark circles under his eyes as the result of a night spent in the grip of several chilling nightmares that saw to him waking up in a cold sweat while swiping at the air in a frenzied panic as his fiancée worked tirelessly to calm him back down and lull him into a state of slumber as many times as she needed to. The first couple of nights had been restful enough for him- having Mina by his side had certainly helped to keep his nerves steadied after his ordeal in Kanto, but now he knew that it was more due to the night terror suppression medication that his body hadn't quite passed from his system. Now that his innards had finished processing and purging the chemicals after three full days without a new dose, he saw many things whenever he tried to descend back into the realm of rest. Nine would be sneering at him as he choked the life from his broken body, Moonfish would cackle as he devoured his arm anew, the Shadow Nomu and its army of slaves came to take him back to Shigaraki, who would taunt his restless mind and torture his flesh endlessly as he sought to take One For All on behalf of his master… The end result was that Kurai now looked the part of a jet-lagged traveler on his way either into or out from Japan.

Maybe it wasn't even his lack of sleep or appearance itself that made him nervous, though- perhaps it had to do with that of his traveling companion. Mina was also dressed in casual clothes, but there wasn't a lot that she could have done to disguise her pink skin and sand-colored horns without Yaoyorozu's help, which had led to a number of people staring from a distance, and even a few approaching the girl to ask for an autograph or offer condolences. These interactions had been largely brought about by the story the news had run following Kurai's death during the battle of Nabu island, which had named her as one of the heroes who had participated against the vastly powerful Nine, and as one of the people who had survived losing their classmate. Despite the fact that she had never interviewed for the matter- nor had anyone in their school- Class 1-A had been featured in the news often enough for those who were curious to be able to identify her in public.

Due to predicting this fact, they had agreed that while they were waiting for Eri and Gran Torino to arrive with their luggage, they would keep within eyeshot of one another, but would not be in direct proximity to each other, as to avoid the chances that someone might figure out his identity based on their interactions with one another. Also to this end, Mina had- quite reluctantly- put her engagement ring on a necklace and kept it tucked inside her shirt. They definitely didn't need people asking questions about why she would suddenly be wearing such a piece during this time, when Kurai had supposedly been dead a mere two months. After going through all the trouble to keep his resurrection a secret, they were determined to make sure that they stuck it out until the end, even if it wasn't their preference to be keeping their distance so soon after he had put an engagement ring on her hand.

Here's hoping that Tokoyami was able to adequately explain things to Hawks, and Todoroki to his dad, Kurai thought as he kept a sharp eye out for the number one and two heroes, both of whom were scheduled to leave at a similar time to his flight. Akarui had sent Mina a message saying that they would be running into some of their friends at the airport, as well as their current mentors, and that they would be doing their best to explain his revival without revealing the secret of One For All. Since they had yet to receive a message saying that they had failed said task, he was hoping it meant that they would be able to keep their heads down, even when they inevitably crossed paths in the terminal.

He was about to signal Mina that he wanted to go get a drink when a familiar figure caught his eye. It took him a moment to be sure, but once he was, he raised a hand in greeting with a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. Not three seconds later, he was all but bowled over when a girl with a mop of raven tresses threw her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder as she started to cry with relief.

"Hey, it's okay," he said in a gentle tone as soon as he had recovered his breath and returned the hug. "I'm alright, see?" He had to bite back his instinct to curse as his wounds flared with pain from the rough contact, but quickly realized that the aches and stinging were starting to subside.

"I'm so glad," Eri cried as she squeezed as hard as she could, her horn glowing softly as the pain of his wounds faded into memory. "You're really- hic! –coming back to the hero course?"

"Well, I can't afford to make things too easy for the villains, now can I?" Kurai grinned tiredly as she pulled back to look at him through tear-filled eyes, his flesh fully restored to how it had been before he had been injured by One For All, four days ago. "And it's not really fair to leave the fate of the world to one kid, now is it? Gotta have two or three of us, at a minimum."

Eri dashed at her eyes while a smile started to work its way across her face. "Ashid Queen was right," she said, her voice still shaky as she did.

"About what?"

"You're really good at getting people to smile when they're sad."

Kurai scratched at the back of his head while chuckling before he said, "I dunno if I'm that good at it, but I do know that I don't like seeing people I care about looking down in the dumps. If I can turn their day around, I'll do my best to make it happen." So saying, he pulled the girl in for another hug as he added, "It's good to see you doing well, Eri. Everyone's been singing your praises when I've talked to them on the phone."

"That means a lot, coming from you."

"Ahem." Both teenagers turned to see a grumpy-looking, older man dressed in a white-and-yellow hero's outfit, pulling along a small trolley loaded with a handful of bags and a couple of suitcases. "Your generation needs a refresher course on how to treat the elderly," he grumbled. "Also, airport etiquette. What kind of idiot runs off and leaves their bags in the middle of a luggage terminal? That's how the bomb squads get called in!"

"Sorry, Gran Torino, sir," Eri apologized as she pulled away from Kurai and made a short bow in his direction. "It won't happen again."

"Hmph," the old hero muttered as he let go of the cart and moved to look his new charge up and down. "You've been on the wrong end of a fair number of fights now, haven't you, boy?"

"You could say that," Kurai admitted as he glanced over his shoulder to see that Mina had recognized who he was talking to, and was now on her way to the security checkpoint, having already checked in her travel luggage. The briefcase with her hero outfit would serve as her carry-on for the flight, as would Kurai's, now that Eri and Gran Torino had brought it. Akarui had texted the pair of them their tickets in the morning, so they had taken care to print them out shortly after arriving in the terminal.

"I know, that's why I'm saying it," the elderly hero now deadpanned in response to Kurai's previous statement. "Well, at least when we begin your training, we won't have to worry about you two shattering your fingers and toesies like your friend. It'll be more like when I trained Toshinori back in the day." The last part he added with a slightly evil grin that set the pair of One For All wielders on edge.

"We should probably get this stuff checked in so we can make the flight in time," Kurai said as he indicated their compiled luggage. "Can I check my bags, make sure everything is in place?"

"Be quick about it," Gran Torino nodded.

"Yes, sir." Pulling the trolley aside, he removed a small suitcase that belonged to him, and quickly checked to make sure that he had several days' worth of clothes inside that would be preferable for a warmer climate, since they were headed for Southern Europe, where even winters were considered to be pretty comfortable in terms of temperature. Also inside was a full bottle of his prescribed sleep-assisting medication, which would last him a month, though he hoped that this mission wouldn't take quite that long.

"Akarui packed your bag for you," Eri informed him as he nodded and started to zip the suitcase back up. Her face was still somewhat tearstained, but she was also smiling, which he took as a good sign on her part.

"I figured, that's why I checked it," he admitted with another grin. "I was half-expecting there to be a half-melted chocolate in my jeans, but so far, so good."

"Wait, has he done that?!"

"Twice, actually," Kurai muttered in exasperation. "I'm honestly more disappointed in myself than him for letting it happen the second time."

After inspecting the briefcase holding his hero gear while Eri stood guard to make sure that no one was peaking at the contents, Kurai informed his mentor and new comrade that everything was in order. He had been informed that his saber was not going to be included in his luggage, as they didn't want to have any more inspections into his gear than was absolutely necessary, which he had accepted without complaint. Following that, they checked in their luggage and made their way through the security checkpoints, fortunately without any questions being asked.

Since he was travelling undercover, Nezu had authorized Yaoyorozu and Akarui to make him a fake passport that would get him to Klayd, though he also had the boy take his real passport, on the off-chance that his brother's technical skills failed them, and he needed to prove that he was not someone on the run from the law. Of course, if it came to that, there would be a lot of explaining that would need to be done on his and UA's part, but it was still better than him winding up in prison for trying to illegally cross the border. Fortunately, it didn't come to that, and Kurai continued to maintain his identity as 'Madara Kayaba', since he had grown used to going by the name in a public setting.

Thank the World Heroes' Alliance for looser scrutiny when it comes to travelling heroes right now, Kurai had thought as they approached the terminal where their plane was scheduled to arrive sometime in the next half hour. Now that they were past security and had only to wait for their transport, Mina was able to come be a part of their small group.

"So, you're the one that Nezu said was important enough to tag along if I was gonna take this guy with me, huh?" Gran Torino asked as he jerked a thumb at Kurai and looked the pink girl up and down. "Well, like I said, it's no skin off my back if you come with us, but I'm not responsible for your safety when we get to Klayd."

"Understood, sir," she said with a bright grin and a mock salute. "I won't be holding you back, don't worry."

"She'll probably end up saving us a few times before all is said and done," Kurai added with a matching grin of his own.

Gran Torino rolled his eyes before he shuffled off while grumbling, "You two remind me of Nana and her husband back in the day. I'm going to get some pastries- if you want any, come while I'm feeling like sharing. If not, you're getting your own grub, newbies- and that goes for the plane ride, too."

"As tempting as that sounds, I think we've got other business to attend to," Kurai said as he jerked his head over his shoulder. This led the others to see a towering man with red hair who was accompanied by four students in familiar uniforms, all of them approaching their general direction.

"I'll run interference, see what the situation with him is," Mina said as she quickly moved away from the group, calling out to Izuku and Todoroki as they came nearer. Meanwhile, Eri and Kurai moved into one of the souvenir shops while Gran Torino left to do his own thing.

"Fortunately for us, people have a hard time approaching Endeavor, so once we've ensured that he won't reveal my identity on accident, we should be good to talk with him in public, as long as we keep our voices down," Kurai muttered as they each selected a random snack that looked appealing to them.

While they moved to complete their purchase, his Danger Sense quirk kept him alerted to the general hostility that Endeavor tended to emanate wherever he went, and he half-expected it to spike at any given moment. However, the real surprise came when the quirk suddenly went quiet, just in time for him and Eri to walk out of the little shop, even as Mina approached them with a relaxed look on her face.

"He understands the situation," she informed them. "He did want a quick word with you, though."

"What about?" Kurai asked, still on edge despite the lack of a presence from Hikage's quirk.

"He didn't say, but he looks about as chill as anyone's ever seen him, and I don't think he's trying to set you up," she assured him. "Plus, Izuku and the others wanted to see you before their flight starts loading."

Kurai weighed his options for a moment before he nodded and moved to follow her. Really, what choice did he have? There was more likely to be a scene if he refused the number one hero a meeting in public, so he might as well do what he could to keep things relatively quiet. That, and he did want to see his friends again before they had to go their separate ways for the upcoming mission. He wouldn't be able to interact with them like he had with Eri- she wasn't a big name from UA, so people didn't recognize her as a hero course student, meaning that him being around her wouldn't draw any close scrutiny on their part. That would not be the case with the others, since their images had been displayed in the news multiple times over the last year.

He quickly came within a direct line of sight for the big hero and his four interns, and when he did, he gave his peers a friendly grin that one might give to people who were meeting for the first time. Of course, for those who knew Kurai, they knew that he would never do such a thing, were this really his first time meeting someone. Normally, he was reserved and polite upon first interactions, and if he liked the person he had met, he would gradually become more relaxed in his mannerisms. This was more or less his way of sending them the silent message that he was ready to be back in the fight.

"Endeavor," Kurai said as he kept the expression on his face while extending a hand to the Flame Hero. "I'm flattered that you'd want to take a moment to speak with me. How can I assist you?" He was aware that there were several dozen eyes upon them now- inevitable, since the large man was Japan's top hero, but they didn't seem to be looking too closely at the teenager facing him just yet.

Endeavor's blue eyes scrutinized him closely before he rumbled, "I'd like to invite you and your friends to the Centurion Lounge while we wait for our flights to arrive. There are some things I'd like to discuss with a young hero prospective like yourself." The words were delivered in a low tone so that only those directly beside him could hear, which Kurai was grateful for.

"We'd be foolish to turn that down," he said with a small incline of his head. "I'll follow your lead, then."

Endeavor returned the nod and directed them toward a roped-off section that was for very limited-access members of the credit union that partnered with Haneda. When he approached the guard, he showed him his ID and said, "They're all with me."

"Clubhouse regulations state three guests per card holder of this tier," the other man replied automatically.

"What?!"

"Sir, if you'll allow me," Weiss said before the large hero lost his temper. Stepping forward, she then showed her own ID to the guard, whose eyebrow went up before he stepped aside with a slight bow of his head.

"Everything seems to be in order," he said as he undid the rope and allowed them to pass by, Endeavor looking confused as he did. "Please enjoy your time in the lounge, Miss Schnee."

"Thank you," Weiss replied with a charming smile as her friends and mentor moved on ahead of her. "Oh, and if it's not too much trouble, there will be an older gentleman coming along in a few minutes- I'd like you to admit him, as well. He'll be wearing a yellow cape as a part of his hero costume."

"Of course, Miss Schnee."

"Much appreciated," she said before moving to join the others, who were waiting just on the other side for her.

"What was that?" Mina asked as Weiss swept past her. "How'd you score access higher than the number one hero?" The room was empty of people, save for the bartender and a young man who was wearing headphones as he stared at a book on the table in front of him. Kurai sensed no danger from him, which more than likely meant that he was not equipped with a listening device.

"My father owns a large amount of stock in one of the airlines that partners with the Centurion Lounge," she answered, a trifle smugly as Endeavor went to order a drink. Whether he was doing this to give them a moment alone, none of them were certain, but the teenagers weren't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"You're still able to run favors on your family name?" Kurai asked from the table he had taken in a secluded corner of the room, a lazy smile on his face. "I thought your father would've disowned you by now."

"He has no proof that the recent breach in Schnee Support Industries' security has anything to do with me," the pale girl said as she crossed the room to where he was, a stern look on her face. "As for you…!"

"Hey, come on, I just got outta the hosp- whoa!" His protest was cut off when he found himself seized up in another joint-popping hug, Weiss' strength belying her slender frame. "How… are you this strong?" he grunted out once he understood that he was not about to get slapped- something he now realized he should have recognized sooner, seeing as Danger Sense had continued to remain quiet.

"It's your own fault for making us worry so much!" she scolded him. "Would it have killed you to at least send a text message to say you were okay?!"

"My phone got blown up back in Kanto," he grumbled as Weiss finally released him. "Couldn't have sent a message, even if I wanted to. Besides, Mina and Akarui were able to let you know I'm alright."

"It's not the same thing!"

"We're glad to see you again," Izuku said as he took his turn to grab his friend by the shoulders, a wide smile on his face and tears in the corners of his eyes. "We weren't looking forward to forming Team Lightning Drop without you."

"Okay, but you're still taking the role of team captain after we graduate," he chuckled as he returned the grip. "I've carried this outfit long enough."

"I'm also glad to see you," Todoroki added with a rare smile as he shook hands firmly with his returned friend. "School certainly hasn't been the same without you around."

"We get it, you all missed him," Bakugo grumbled as he glared at Kurai, who released Todoroki and turned to face the blond student directly. "Doesn't mean jack to me if he isn't coming back for the right reasons."

"Oh, don't you worry," the silver-haired teenager replied with a snarky grin. "I know you missed me kicking your ass during combat practice. We can get right back to that after we've dealt with Humarise."

"The hell'd you say to-?!"

"Katsuki, not in the lounge!" Weiss reprimanded him as she yanked his hand down from where it had been drawing back to throw a punch.

"Katsuki?" Kurai repeated, his right eyebrow shooting up at the implications of the explosive student allowing anyone to call him by his first name- a privilege that not even Kirishima, his closest friend at UA, enjoyed.

Bakugo's gaze narrowed while Izuku and Todoroki's eyes widened behind their friend. "Don't. Say. A word," he warned them.

"A word," Kurai snickered. Before Bakugo's temper could flare up again, a Blackwhip tendril shot out from behind his rival's back and swallowed up his right hand completely, smothering any attempts at an explosion. "By the way, you're dreaming if you think you've got a chance at smoking me, especially after what I was able to pull off in Kanto." They were mostly out of the line of sight from the bar, so no one from the lounge staff had seen the use of their quirks yet.

"Heh." Far from being further enraged, Bakugo suddenly gave vent to a feral grin before he added, "You've already maxed out your new power- good. Means I've got even more reason to beat you, going forward."

"I look forward to seeing you try," Kurai shot back before he allowed the energy to dissipate, just in time for Todoroki's father to come into their midst, drink in hand. Turning toward the big man, he then said, "Alright, Endeavor. What'd you want to talk about?"

The number one hero regarded him with another intense gaze before he reached out his hand toward the younger hero with the words, "You have my sincerest thanks for saving Shoto's life on Nabu. Without your efforts and sacrifice, I know that my son would not be standing here today."

Kurai hesitated to take the hand offered to him. He still held a great deal of contempt for Enji Todoroki on account of his crimes against the rest of the Todoroki family, as well as the outright disrespect he had shown at his uncle's funeral, and he doubted that would ever change. However, he also knew that Shoto was choosing to set aside his far more justifiable hatred for the man in order to do what needed to be done, and that it was proving to be a more-than-beneficial experience for him. Holding onto resentments is what landed me in Itomori in the first place, he thought as he reached out and accepted the offered handshake.

"You're welcome," he told the large man. "I know he would have done the same if our positions had been reversed."

"Even so, consider me in your debt," Endeavor replied, further startling those in attendance. "When the day comes where you need help, call on me, and I will assist you however I am able." With that, he released Kurai and turned away while saying, "Our flight boards in fifteen minutes, Shoto. Don't be late."

"Fifteen minutes, huh?" Mina said as he left their group. "Well, it's not long, but I guess we should catch you guys up on a few things while we have the time." They watched him sit down at the bar, where he was soon joined by Gran Torino, who began to speak to the other hero in lowered tones over a plate of pastries.

"Not to worry, Eri already informed us of everything we need to know regarding the bases of Humarise that the alliance was able to find," Weiss told them before the pink girl could get started. "The plan is, once Humarise makes their move, we'll tell the pros that Hikari was able to do some cyber-sleuthing that uncovered the hidden base, so we'll be in a perfect position to launch a counteroffensive."

"Why not just storm them now?" Kurai asked with a frown.

"Because your brother has yet to successfully break into their data banks in order to provide the proof we'd need to make such a claim," Todoroki told him. "It's proving to be very frustrating for him."

"He's also working to develop a chemical compound that might be able to neutralize Trigger," Eri reminded them. "He was running himself pretty ragged when we left UA."

"If they've got security that's challenging him, these guys might be even more prepared for trouble than the League ever was," Kurai said with a small scowl. "Damn. It's not often someone can outdo my brother's technical skills. Humarise has some dedicated hands on deck."

"You done spouting the obvious?" Bakugo growled.

"The point is, we can't just highlight their base on a map and tell the World Alliance, 'let's go over here' without them asking where we got the information from," Weiss pointed out. "If we're going to be keeping your secrets, we need to wait until your brother pulls through, or the crisis emerges, so that people won't care how we got the information, so long as we did."

"That feels like we're playing with fire- no offense, Todoroki," Kurai said with an apologetic gesture in his friend's direction, who merely brushed it aside as inconsequential. "In any case, if it comes down to revealing my return- and even the secret of our quirk- versus the fate of the planet, it's a no-brainer. We're crushing Humarise, no matter the personal cost."

"Agreed," Eri nodded. "That said, I'm not letting you get yourself killed again. Your primary mission is to save the world, and mine is to make sure that you survive doing so."

"Uh-uh, that job's mine from now on," Mina said as she wagged a finger at their friend. "I'll let you play sidekick on that role, though."

"No offense, but what makes you more qualified to protect him than someone with Eri's power?" Weiss asked dubiously.

Mina smirked triumphantly before she held up her left hand to display her engagement ring- which she had apparently slipped on when everyone else was distracted. "Got my qualification right here," she said as she used her other hand to grab onto Kurai.

"Holy-! When'd that happen?!" Izuku blurted out.

"Just the other day," Kurai answered with a wide grin of his own.

"It was the sweetest thing," Mina gushed while their friends took the opportunity to inspect the ring. "He took me out to the beach after dinner, lit up some fireworks, got down on one knee, the whole works!"

"That's amazing," Eri said with a joyful smile of her own that she directed at the couple. "I'm so happy for the both of you."

"Thanks for helping to make it happen," Kurai told her gratefully. "We owe this to you."

While Eri blushed and hid her smile behind her bangs, Weiss eyed the jewel with a practiced gaze before she said, "That's quite an elegant piece, Hikari. How did you come by something like this?"

Kurai could guess at the motive behind the seemingly innocent question fairly easily. Clearly, she was worried that Akarui had allowed his brother to use the money she had transferred to him on a personal matter, which would be justification for any potential irritation on her part. In order to prevent that from happening, he was quick to say, "It was my mother's ring. Since she's widowed and probably in jail for life, she wanted me to give it to Mina."

"That's a very generous gift," Todoroki commented, also looking glad for his friends. "Congratulations, both of you. I wish you many long years of happiness together."

"Hear hear!" Eri cheered, followed by the echoed sentiments of the others.

Well, all of them except Bakugo, that is. "What's the point of wearing that thing?" he asked in a grumpy manner. "Ashido's quirk will just dissolve it as soon as she has to fight."

"Actually, thanks to my future brother-in-law, that isn't the case," Mina grinned, her good mood refusing to be dissipated.

"I got the ring a couple of days prior to our Nabu trip beginning, and before we left, I asked Akarui to see if there was a way to make it immune to her acid," Kurai explained. "I don't know exactly how he did it, but after I wound up in the hospital, he was able to treat the diamond and metal with some kind of compound so that it won't melt, like her hero costume."

"Of course he did," Bakugo muttered with a roll of his eyes, which then landed on Kurai. "You better not let this distract you from your goals, Saiyaman. I want you at your best the day that I surpass you and become number one."

"Actually, that'd make you number two, cos Eri is-"

"She may end up more powerful, but you're the strongest of them all, Kai," Bakugo snorted as he went to walk away. "A quirk can only take us so far- even the one you've got. Don't forget what it means to be the greatest."

As he left, Mina was the one to comment in a surprised tone, "That's probably the nicest thing I've ever heard him say."

The time that the friends had to catch up was enjoyable but brief, and it wasn't long before Endeavor and his interns had to board their flight. Kurai and the girls left the lounge with Gran Torino, feeling that it wouldn't really be appropriate for them to stay when their hosts had taken their leave.

The second that they stepped out of the secluded area, there was collective rush of movement and excited squealing that immediately set the teenagers on edge, their first assumption being that someone had recognized Kurai, and had amassed a group of followers to swarm him in pursuit of answers. This assumption was short-lived, ending as soon as they saw a sizeable group of women chasing after Hawks, a flustered-looking Tokoyami in tow. "Well, at least they're after him, and not me," Kurai said with a nervous laugh to break the tension that got his other friends to chuckling while Endeavor merely scowled at what he obviously considered an unnecessary pandering to the masses.

"I get the feeling that's gonna be you in about three years, though," Mina giggled while Kurai shook hands in farewell with his friends. To them, she said, "Safe flight, guys. See you after we take down Humarise."

"Ha!" Bakugo snorted. "I think we'll see you after we turn the stupid bastards into ash!"

At this, Kurai turned to Weiss and asked, "So are you just attracted to delusions of grandeur, or-?"

"That's it, c'mere!" the explosive student snarled while Weiss' face did an excellent impression of a tomato.

"Whoa, Kacchan!" Izuku yelped as he pulled on his peer's shoulder with Todoroki's assistance to keep him away from the grinning Kurai. "Not here! We're in an airport! This is the worst place you could ever use your quirk!"

"I don't need a quirk to roast his smug ass!"

"You young people waste too much energy," Gran Torino grumbled as Endeavor led his arguing interns away with an exasperated look on his face.

"Well, look at it this way," Kurai replied as he maintained his grin contentedly. "Now he'll be trapped on a plane for a few hours with nothing to do. That's not gonna do the Humarise members that he finds any favors."

"You riled him up so that he would go ham on Humarise?" Mina asked with a raised eyebrow. "Honey, I'm so proud of you." With that, they exchanged a high-five, leading Gran Torino to roll his eyes again.

"Just like Nana and her husband…"

The flight went without incident, and the heroes found themselves checked into a pair of hotel rooms at a fairly nice establishment before dinner. Gran Torino and Kurai would be sharing one room, with the girls setting up in the other.

At the old man's insistence, they all donned their hero gear and prepared to go out on patrol. As Kurai went to retrieve his clothes from the briefcase, he was surprised to realize that there were more items in it than he had initially assumed when he had checked it at the airport. In addition to his blue-and-orange gi, he was surprised to find an identical set of clothing that lay beneath it, save that the color theme had changed to be black with a white sash. Narrowing his eyes, he searched for the personal note that he knew would be with the instruction manual, and sure enough, there was a short letter from Akarui clipped to his scouter that he quickly opened.

'Your new look might need some new threads, but I kept your old gear, just in case you were more comfortable with it,' the note read. 'You can swap out the blue scouter lens with a spare that I left with an uncolored tint if you decide to go with the new gi. Your sword isn't ready yet, but when I finish, it will function as before, as I'm reworking the internal mechanisms to charge based on the bioelectricity generated by your new quirk, so you won't have to worry about maintaining the batteries on the thing. It may take a little longer to charge than with Energon, but once the cell is at capacity, there should be no difference in functionality from thereon. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the new gi.'

Even he couldn't have thrown this together in a day, especially with everything that's going on right now, he thought as he put the letter down. How long has he been working on this?

"You gonna stand there gawkin' all afternoon, or are you gonna help me find some villains?" Gran Torino grumbled, startling Kurai out of the thoughts that the note had brought up for him.

"Sorry, just let me get changed," he apologized. "I'll be ready in two minutes, sir." So saying, he snatched up the briefcase and its contents before he rushed into the bathroom.

When the two heroes met the heroines in the hallway, both of the girls were surprised to see Kai's new costume, though they had to admit, it complimented his new appearance quite well. Only Gran Torino seemed to have reservations as they headed outside to patrol the area.

"You sure about changing up your look so much?" he asked the boy. "You've already been well-established with the other outfit."

"Well, I'm kind of going for the unobtrusive approach right now," Kai shrugged as they stepped in the warm afternoon of a busy city street. "My last look paired better with my ability to turn my hair every color of the rainbow, which is no longer the case. Besides, didn't All Might go through four or five wardrobe changes with different color themes before he settled on his Golden Age look?"

"You're no All Might yet, sonny."

"I never wanted to be, and yet everyone else around me seems to love reminding me of the similarities that exist," the Guardian Hero grumbled. "Usually the more negative tendencies."

"Hey, what'd I say about the pessimism, buster?" Ashid Queen reminded him playfully, which drew a grin out of him again.

"Oh come on, you know I've always been a-" He paused mid-reply, a frown swiftly returning to his face as he swung his head across the street, his gaze locking in on a small passerby with bright orange skin and a single antenna sticking straight up who was walking in front of a high-end restaurant. What his quirk was, Kai had no idea, but his Danger Sense quirk was practically lighting him up like a big neon sign that read 'bad news.'

Before the others could ask him what was wrong, he said in a hard tone, "Orange guy needs a takedown, now."

"I'm on it," Chronoa said before anyone else could react. With a rush of wind and lightning, she appeared in front of the small man, her red eyes glaring down mightily at her target. Her sudden movements startled a number of pedestrians who backed away from the unfolding scene, even as black tendrils of energy appeared to form a makeshift barricade that kept anyone who might be curious from getting closer.

As Kai approached with Ashid Queen in tow, he reflected that while Klayd certainly had heroes to help keep the peace, they didn't have very many champions with quirks as flashy as theirs'. Hopefully even if we get some airtime, no one will connect the dots before we lose the element of surprise, he thought as his fiancée moved to assist an elderly person who had lost their footing in the surprise of the moment.

With no discernable effort, Chronoa seized the sparking man up by the collar and snapped, "Shut off your quirk, or I toss you sky high!" Her bearing and tone had changed so drastically that she almost reminded her friends of Bakugo, and it was a little unnerving, if they were being honest.

"And why would I do that?" her detainee grunted as he tried to pry her fingers loose from his shirt, to no avail. "I got nothing against you, but the greedy bastards that own this joint are gonna lose every dime that this place is worth! If you get caught up in what comes next, I won't lose much sleep over it!" His antenna was spitting enough sparks to resemble the fireworks that Mina and Kurai had celebrated with two nights ago, and the smoke coming from his ears was almost pitch black.

"I warned you!" Chronoa shot back. There was a flash of golden light, and suddenly the sparks and smoke had completely dissipated.

"Wha-?" the man mumbled, clearly disoriented.

"I reversed him back to before he activated his quirk, whatever it is," Chronoa told the others as they approached, right before she delivered a knockout blow to his skull, leaving him as an unconscious mess on the sidewalk. "He won't be blowing up any stores for a while."

"I thought you were actually gonna throw him," Ashid Queen admitted as she eyed their friend with a new appreciation. "Nice thinking, girl."

"Those were some fast reaction times," Gran Torino commented as he walked up and prodded the insensate man with his staff. "Not even five minutes out, and you've already got yourself a villain in the bag. Not bad, for a bunch of newbies."

"You call that 'not bad'?" Chronoa asked with a slightly arched eyebrow. "Also, you can hardly call us newbies at this point- I've survived a literal apocalypse, and they've defeated All For One's copycat."

"Yeah, I didn't see you coming up with a way to stop him with zero collateral damage," Kai remarked, right before Gran Torino's boot collided with his face, leaving him with a scuff mark and a slightly exasperated expression in its wake.

"There's your collateral damage, wise guy!" the elder hero snapped as he glared up at his young charge.

"…Alright, I deserved that."

Mataras: ...Alright, let me have it.

Kai: Have what?

Mataras: You know what.

Kai: I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

Mataras: You're really going to make me say it, aren't you?

Kai: I'm not making you do anything.

Mataras: Alright, fine! I'm sorry I forgot to post the chapter for two weeks, are you happy?!

Kai: Very.

Deku: Next time- Accused

Mataras: Time for you guys to pick up the pace again.

Kai: Says the guy who-

Mataras: Deku, get ready to Go Beyond!

Akarui: Plus Ultra!

Deku: Wait, why-?!

Next time on your Hero Academia: Unleashed...

"What was all that about?" he asked, more to himself than the other boy, who seemed like he was on the verge of really being sick, now.

Before he could even think about giving an answer, Deku realized that it had been a mistake to assume the danger was past, just because they had lost their initial pursuers. A flash of sparkling green light caught his eye, headed right for the other boy, and so he acted the only way he knew how; interposing himself between the projectile's target and the missile itself, firing compact lasers from both hands in a manner reminiscent of Ground Zero's AP Machine Gun maneuver. As whatever was coming at them was too small and fast for him to be able to hope to match its precision, he had to hope and pray that quantity would beat quality in this instance.

Fortunately for the two boys, it was. One or two of the lasers collided with the projectile and blew it to smithereens, which allowed Deku time to do two things. First, he grabbed the other boy again and took off toward the river that ran along the border of Otheon's capital, keeping an eye out for more green projectiles or regular bullets that might be coming for them. The second thing he did was take a moment to realize that whatever it was that had just tried to take him or the other boy out, it was not a standard weapon- which meant that it had to have come from someone's quirk.

A villain, he thought with certainty as his gaze tracked three more green projectiles headed for him- arrows, he could now see. Why would a villain attack the same person that the police are after?!

Even as he had the thought, he unleashed another storm of lasers that intercepted the arrows as he ran, all while he searched for the vantage point of the person shooting at them. He nearly mistimed his landing on the next rooftop, but he found the archer, taking aim again from afar. Feeling his temper surge uncharacteristically, Deku furrowed his brow as he drew back his left fist while muttering, "That's enough…"

Flinging his fist in the direction of their attacker and concentrating harder than ever, he shouted, "Aquarius… Flash!"