Detective Tsukauchi Namosa felt the headache coming the moment he arrived at the scene. The squad of heroes and police officers tasked with the search of the recently went missing Toga Himiko had reported an attack that had taken a life.
Tsukauchi had been informed it had been the pro hero Taser the one that had been killed, but he wasn't prepared for the scene he arrived at. The officers that were already at the scene were on edge, and they had been on high guard and taking cover since they realized the presence of a sniper.
The sidekicks of Taser were more shaken. Their faces were pale and sometimes they drifted off, but they had held the perimeter and evacuated the street successfully.
Tsukauchi was being briefed by the officer in charge about what happened, under the cover of the multiple police vans they've brought up for safety.
Tsukauchi's walkie talkie buzzed with static, and the detective picked it up.
"Tell me good news, Sansa. Over"
"Afraid there isn't anyone here, detective. Whoever did it left no trace behind. Over"
Tsukauchi fought against clicking his tongue. "Alright, get back here when you are done securing the area. Over and out."
Tsukauchi rubbed his own forehead, feeling the whole mess getting more complicated. They were still on high alert over the possibility of the killer being around.
It had been years since the last time hero society had seen a murder of a hero like this. The Hero Killer had proven to be a very dangerous villain, always doing massive damage to heroes if he didn't outright kill them.
But this? A sniper from over 14 buildings away on the other edge of the street? This was like one of those cases of that underground villain that was suspected to be a hunt for hire around ten years ago now.
One of the first things the officers and heroes present when Taser was shot said was the cleaness of the shot. Just by the way they had described it, Tsukauchi suspected the shot was a quirk assisted one.
The bullet had gone so fast that it rocked Taser's head over like a ragdoll, and then went and buried itself deep into the side of the building, leaving a deep but clean hole on it.
Extracting the bullet to analyze it would prove useful to the investigation. That is, if it isn't a part of a quirk that makes it disappear after a while.
Gun quirks were unusual, but most of them required the user to produce their own bullets with parts of their body. Gunhead's quirk used keratin produced by his body, and former hero Lady Nagant used her hair to make bullets.
But there were also cases like the villain Orion, who made arrows out of light that disappeared after piercing their opponent.
Tsukauchi was sincerely hoping they weren't dealing with that kind of villain over here, but his instincts told him that this situation had trouble written all over it.
Shortly after, the police declared the street safe after checking every building the bullet could have gone from considering the angle of the shot and the hole left by it in the side of the building. They also checked the surrounding buildings and possible spaces, target and homing quirks were also a thing after all, but found nothing for their efforts.
Local heroes as well as reporters started coming into the street, wanting to know what happened.
Tsukauchi and the other police officers that had come to the scene shortly after the were informed of the attack informed the heroes of the events, while the officers and sidekicks on the official search of Toga Himiko were finally allowed to rest, looking tired and as if they've all aged a few decades.
Paramedics put a sheet over Taser, no, Kojika Shokku's body, and quietly moved his body away in a stretcher.
Tsukauchi talked with Musutafu's local heroes that arrived at the scene, between them Kamui Woods, Death Arms, Airjet, and even Eraserhead.
"Is there any clue left by the attacker?" Eraserhead said with a serious tone that contradicted his perpetual tired expression.
"The attacker only left a single bullet behind, which we will be trying to take out of the building to analyze, but I'm afraid that the investigation is still in its beginning stages, so we'll have to properly question all the witnesses."
"About that Tsukauchi-san, are all the witnesses from the search party of Toga Himiko?" Kamui Woods asked.
"Yes. Are you concerned about her search being paralyzed because of this?"
"In part yes, but there was something odd going on with that group"
That picked Tsukauchi's interest, but for all the wrong reasons.
"I did find it odd none of Musutafu's heroes were part of a search in Musutafu."
Death Arms scoffed, crossing his arms and grumbling.
"HPSC said that because of that girl's quirk, they required a team of heroes that she'd definitely be unfamiliar with. They kicked out every hero with an agency in Musutafu from getting into the case."
"It is not the first time measures like that have taken place to capture a villain. While odd that they didn't disclose the information as to why that is, maybe Toga Himiko's case is more complicated than we were led to believe."
Eraserhead scolded Kamui and Death Arms with a glare. Tsukauchi wrote all the information in a small pocket notebook and then turned to look at Eraserhead.
"What exactly are you implying Eraserhead? You think Taser was targeted because he was the leader of Toga Himiko's search task force?"
"It is a possibility. The HPSC will need to open this investigation for the rest of the heroes of Musutafu. I don't want to have to see any more heroes killed like this because we don't know what we are dealing with."
"You want to investigate the case like everyone else here, Eraserhead. Either the HPSC gives you permission or not."
Eraserhead didn't refute the accusation, opting to remain silent.
And speaking of the devil, a representative of the HPSC arrived just at that moment, getting into the perimeter and ignoring the questions of the reporters that were trying to get any sort of information on the attack.
"Detective Tsukauchi, right?" The HPSC representative flashed the detective his card and extended his hand. Tsukauchi shook it.
"That's me, yeah. Is the HPSC going to collaborate with the case?"
"Yes, the main branch is going to take over the investigation. We'd appreciate your collaboration in what you've discovered so far." He turned to look at the heroes. "You weren't part of the search group, am I right?"
"You are" Death Arms grumbled, crossing his arms and looking annoyed.
"Please then keep your patrol up. We can't allow other parts of the city to become vulnerable with you all staying here."
The heroes looked at themselves. Finding themselves in a mutual silent agreement, they started to turn away to go back to patrol.
"Keep us informed" Erasherhead said, looking at the HPSC representative.
"I can't make promises, but there's a high chance all local heroes of Musutafu will get called for the investigation."
"Good"
After they left, the representative turned to look at Tsukauchi again.
"Well detective, please from the beginning."
"Of course. At the beginning…"
The highest ranking members of the Hero Public Safety Commission gathered in the president's office inside the headquarters of the organization.
The Madam President herself was present, along with the rising star, the current number 11 hero, Hawks. He was there just as an observer and guard, taking care that nothing happens to so many important people.
"So, do we have any clue of what exactly happened?" One of the men in black suits asked.
Mera Yokumiru, a man that was deeply resenting the hour this meeting was called, checked a stack of papers that they had been sent shortly before the meeting started.
"According to the information our teams got from the police present there, Taser had just come in with the group with the bag of blood that was authorized to lure Toga Himiko, when he was suddenly shot straight to the head. The attacker apparently made the shot 300 meters away from the other side of the street."
"300 meters? Oi, is that a result of a marksman quirk?"
Mera continued to read the report, ignoring the interruption.
"It seems like it. The projectile's impact pushed Taser's head around and then sank to the side of the building behind him." Mera raised his eyes to look at the rest of the men and women sitting around the large desk. "There's a team working to open up the wall in order to retrieve the projectile so it can be properly analyzed."
Silence filled the room for a while, and Hawks loudly yawned, getting a few looks.
"Is the meeting boring you, Takami?" One of the women at the table glared at the hero.
"No, ma'am. I'm just not an early bird, please forgive me." He smiled softly at her, but she scoffed at him in return. Everyone in this room knew Hawks's smiles were false.
"Do we have any clue about the attacker, other than the possibility of having a marksman or long range quirk?"
"Nothing." Mera said. "Police inspected all possible points and then some where the attacker might have been, and returned empty handed."
"I think we should forget of the 'how' for now and talk about the 'why'"
"I agree, did Taser have any enemies?"
"Kamui Woods made a complaint about local heroes being excluded from Toga Himiko's case."
"So did a few others, what about Kamui Woods seems important?"
"He went to talk to Taser directly, and from Taser's report, it seems that they didn't exactly end on friendly terms."
"I don't think Kamui Woods or any hero was after him for that matter." The president said, raising her voice. "None of the heroes with agencies in Musutafu have a projectile quirk with long of a range."
"What about Snipe? Doesn't his Homing quirk have a 600 meter range?"
"Unlikely" Mera said. "Snipe works in UA, but his agency is in Tokyo. He wasn't prohibited from the case. He also doesn't have a documented beef with Taser."
"A hero doing it is unlikely, but we'll investigate all of the local heroes just to make sure." The president looked to a man on her left, who sighed and started writing down the orders.
"Could it be someone sympathizing with Toga Himiko's case?"
"That's impossible, we made sure to paint her as a villain. She is a villain in everything but official papers." The vice-president said.
"Then what about a third party? Someone interested in getting Toga Himiko and her quirk… for themselves"
The room went silent again.
"The quirk thief is no more. All Might took him down four years ago."
"Yes, but what if it's a new villain group trying to rise up?"
The president looked at Hawks, and the hero stepped forward.
"That seems unlikely. There hasn't been any movement in years that suggests a new villain group or any of the current ones are making a move to organize a strike." Hawks stepped back into his spot again.
"What if it was someone like the Hero Killer? That man also appeared out of seemingly thin air."
"Are you suggesting another Hero Killer? Or someone working with the first one?"
"No, but that is a concerning possibility."
"The Hero Killer is suspected to have ties with the vigilante Stendhal, maybe even being the same person." A man with a head full of white hair said. "Maybe this is another possible vigilante going villain?"
"There is that possibility. We'll need to increase our efforts to gather information in the underground. Whether a new or old villain group is making a move, we should know." The president looked at Hawks, who nodded and bowed his head.
"Did that Taser fellow have any other possible enemies not amongst our agents?"
"He had a few complaints from other heroes, but other than that there's nothing recorded in our files." Mera said, shifting between a few files, looking for something.
Hawks, Takami Keigo, eyed all the people in the room continue to discuss the possibilities of someone with a possible agenda against Taser.
Usually, the murder of a hero isn't given that much importance. Sure, the higher you were at the top the more serious the repercussions for society and the attacker were, but Taser was just merely in the top 50.
He was important, but not society defining. The amount of importance the HPSC was giving to the case… Keigo knew it wasn't because their plan to capture Toga Himiko had failed.
"Since you all are avoiding mentioning it, I will" Keigo raised his voice, bringing attention to himself and the annoyed glares of a few members. "This is awfully familiar to the murders done by my predecessor, Lady Nagant."
Everyone in the room paled, looking at each other nervously. Everyone had thought about it the moment the bullet being possibly a byproduct of a marksman quirk had been mentioned.
They had decided to ignore the issue, as if to acknowledge the similarities with someone that rebelled directly against the commission would make the mysterious attacker share the same sentiment.
"Don't be ridiculous, boy." A woman with gray skin glared at Keigo, though she couldn't fully shake off her nervousness. "We still don't know the nature of the quirk. It could just be a projectile enhancing one for all we know."
"And does that even matter?" Another man said, his hands crossed and fingers locked, to not show how much he was shivering. "If there's someone out there with the same level of skill as Tsutsumi, and is targeting heroes under our employment… who says they wouldn't aim higher?"
The uneasiness could almost be felt in the air, the government officials and self important people feeling the weight of the possible threat they could be dealing with.
"Relax yourselves" The voice of the president boomed through the fearful whispers of the rest of the members of the meeting, shutting them up immediately.
"We still don't know anything about the perpetrator. Their quirk or skills are irrelevant. Even Tsutsumi for all her training wouldn't be able to do a thing to the HPSC or any of us today. My predecessor was too lenient with her, and too confident to not see her betrayal coming. But we aren't like that anymore."
Hawks stood up firm, not meeting the gaze of the people now looking at him.
"If you are worried about watching behind your backs at this point, there's nothing I can say to comfort you. We already have the mess of the Hero Killer in our hands. I won't let a second wildcard, be it a solo player or a new organization cut down my men while we run around like headless chickens."
Her words seemed to bring them their confidence back, breathing sighs of relief and the determination in their eyes coming back.
"What about Toga Himiko? Should we set up another search party?" The woman who had glared at Hawks earlier said.
"She isn't important right now. She merely hurt a boy, and didn't even kill him. Forget about her, a regular search for a petty criminal will do to keep the people shut. This new threat challenged us directly, we'll divert the media to focus on them. The public will forget about Toga Himiko. We'll acquire her at a later time when she shows herself."
Nods of approval filled the room. Mera merely kept his thoughts to himself. The man at the president's side wrote down the new orders about how to deal with Toga.
"Takami" Hawks turned his head to meet the president's face. "Search in the underworld for anything about this new player or group."
"Yes Madam President."
6 - Midoriya Izumi: Origin
The first rays of sun came through the window, brightening up the darkness in Izumi's room. Izumi was already awake, or rather, he had stayed awake, looking up at the ceiling of her room the entire night.
She had a mild headache from skipping sleep and coming back home so late. Her head replayed yesterday's events on loop, keeping her awake.
The scent of molten metal as she created the Black Bullet. Her anger boiling up as Taser dismissed her once he got the information he wanted. Her heart stopping just before she pulled the trigger, and then beating again as if nothing had happened.
She blinked and sat up on her bed, staring emptily at nothing in particular. Izumi remembered how she'd gotten home yesterday, or rather, earlier today.
"Midoriya Izumi! Do you have any idea what hour it is!?" Inko glared at her, after pulling Izumi out of the hug she'd embraced when she got home.
"Don't know. Sometime past twelve."
"It's 2 am! Where were you? I was so worried. Wait, those clothes… don't tell me you went to hunt again!?"
"Ok, I won't. I'm tired, I'm going to bed."
"No, wait Izumi-! You can't just get back home whenever you want without telling me! And you can't spend your night away who knows where alone!"
"If I told you you'd say I can't do it, so what's the point? And I wasn't alone."
"That doesn't count as good company!" Izumi glared at her, but turned away and ignored her. "Izumi! Hey, wait, Izumi I'm still talking to-"
Izumi closed the door to her room right on Inko's face, and let herself drop to her bed, turning her body to look up at the ceiling.
"Oh, that's right, I'm still wearing this"
Izumi looked over at her hunting gear, mainly the sweater and black pants, and put on her school uniform wordlessly.
After she's done pulling up her stockings, she notices the bag with her rifle on the side, along her school bag. Inko hadn't made a fuss about it, so she probably thinks it's the bow. She never paid attention to it anyway.
Izumi had given the helmet to the crows as she went back home, for them to keep safe and to make sure that if someone could localize her back at the scene because of her helmet, no one could further trace her afterwards.
That put things into perspective. Izumi went over to her desk and grabbed the cartridge of the Black Bullet. it was broken in pieces, but the crows had picked it up after she had shot the bullet.
Their love for shiny objects had probably shaved her from being found out if the cartridge was found. She inspected it. It had broken in the exact pieces she had split it originally to insert back the Black Bullet.
It was good to know, but it seemed that the cartridge was too damaged to be fixed by doing the kintsugi like fix again for the next time.
The next time… Is there going to be a next time?
It was an honest thought. She may have been in the zone the entire time, calm and collected, but she had still done this in the rush of the moment. She heard that heroes and police officers after having to kill a villain or criminal had to go through some psychological examinations in order to see if they were feeling alright.
Am I…feeling alright? What even is feeling alright? I'm not…sad, I'm kinda proud of this achievement. Who else can say they hunted down a hero? Wait, what am I even thinking? That's so fucked up, I should be feeling mortified, disgusted at myself for having done this, for taking a live for quirks' sake!
Izumi paced around in her room, thinking about what she should be thinking right now. Pride over making an untraceable bullet and using it? Fulfillment over a successful hunt? Shame over taking a human life? Remorse over taking her emotions and personal feelings too far?
Why…why am I putting so much importance in that bastard's life? Because he's human? I've killed so many prey… maybe I've become desensitized to it? Would that make sense? Taking prey's life is just a natural cycle of life and this… isn't? Or is it?
Izumi was confused. She knew on a fundamental level that her lack of a proper reaction to what she had done meant that something was wrong, but unlike every other time that she doubted herself, instead of feeling dread over her acknowledged difference over what's normal…she was just curious.
She was worried about it as well of course, but Izumi was more curious over why she hadn't had a reaction, like, a real reaction to taking the life of a fellow human being.
Izumi brushed her thoughts aside for the time being. If she kept pondering her thoughts all day she'd get late to school. She'd try to think of a way to describe her thoughts to herself about that scumbag's death at a later time.
Izumi got out of her room, going straight to the kitchen and preparing herself breakfast, ignoring Inko and switching on the TV. Maybe they'll say something interesting.
"Izumi, you know the rules, no breakfast while at the table. I'm also still angry at you after what you pulled last night."
Izumi eyed Inko without even tilting or turning her head, just coldly looking at her.
"Tough"
Then she turned the volume higher.
"Izumi!"
"-thank you, Takahiro-san. I'm here at the scene of the crime where the body of top 50 pro hero Taser, Kojita Shokku, was found dead yesterday at midnight."
Was found? They are hiding the fact he was shot while surrounded by other heroes and police?
Izumi arched an eyebrow. She never assumed they didn't touch the real events a bit to appease the masses. She'd seen it being done to Toga-senpai over the last week to demonize her. But Izumi didn't expect this to be slightly covered.
It was Taser, come on, who actually cared?
"Oh, that's horrible!" Inko had tried to get Izumi's attention again, but after failing to scold her, she eventually started paying attention to the TV, after hearing some concerning this coming from it
She covered her face, her eyes widening after hearing the grim news. So much for switching off the TV while eating.
"The heroes were quick to come to Taser-san's rescue, but unfortunately, it was too late, he had already died. The HPSC and the local police and heroes are currently hard at work investigating the scene in search for any clues. The identity of the villain guilty of this atrocity is still unknown."
The image switched to a view of the police and HPSC agents over the pool of blood in the ground and poking at a hole in the side of a building, trying to get (if Izumi correctly guessed) the Black Bullet from inside the concrete.
Had it gone that deep? The Black Arrows are strong, but the bullet is so much more… I'll have to check the rifle to see if it was damaged after the shot.
"It is unknown the method the villain used to get to a hero like Taser, but it seems it had to be some sort of long range quirk, with a very strong projectile capable of even piercing concrete itself as we can see the agents inspecting the hole made-"
"Oh, that's so horrible! Who could even do such a thing?"
Me.
Inko was reacting with pure horror at the scene. Even if they were censoring images of Taser's body (Izumi had seen animals mutilated worse by the crows) and obscuring some of the details Izumi knew the investigation should already know, Izumi acknowledged Inko's response was much more normal than what hers had been.
Empathy over the death of a respected figure. Grief after thinking of the family of the victim. Anger at the perpetrator for being heartless.
Izumi touched her chest, feeling for her heartbeat. It still beated regularly inside her chest. She wasn't in the zone, wasn't making an effort to control her breathing, but it just hasn't been easier for her to be…well, herself in so long…
Even the lack of sleep and her darker eye bags weren't a bother to her at all. She still felt nothing at the death of Taser.
It's not apathy… I'm proud of it, but why shouldn't I? Because Taser was a hero? I've crossed a line but it's nothing like other prey killed by my hand… The only reason I feel I should feel different is because it's a person?
Izumi still didn't know how to feel. How she was supposed to feel, and why it didn't feel right the fact that she didn't feel bad about it.
She finished breakfast silently and got back to her room. Izumi took apart her rifle and bent its bag, in order to pack it up in the much smaller school bag.
Inko tried to meet her at the door to wish her a good day, and to tell Izumi to not come back late this time.
Izumi left for school without responding to her.
On her way to school, Izumi noticed everyone being down, pale faces or sad expressions surrounding her everywhere she looked. Izumi didn't quite understand the reaction. Was this all because of Taser's death?
He wasn't even that popular, the only reason they were excited about him yesterday is because he was just a hero talking to them in person.
Was that all there was to it? A hero they met had died recently and now they felt bad? Izumi didn't understand it. Was she really that much different from everybody else? She always had told herself that even though her likes and preferences differed from the norm, and the fact she was mocked and ridiculed by it, was just a sign of people messing with her for the fun of it.
But am I actually just different? A freak? That can't be all, right? The crows seem normal, and Giran never thought less of me after I brought him fresh prey…
Giran was a criminal though. Izumi usually ignored that fact, deciding to just focus on her relationship with him as a mediator between her and the Order of Orion. It was technically legal, with the deal the Order had with the SASC, so she wilfully ignored the shady stuff he also did, while benefiting from his supply of bullets and other questionable goods.
Had she become numb to it all? The limitations and usual lines that people put over themselves in order to keep in check with society? Izumi thought she was just mainly doing something unpopular with befriending the crows…but was she actually a weirdo all along that didn't get along with anyone because she had no limit?
"You think T-Toga had something to do with it?"
Izumi heard a fellow second year student whisper to another one. She didn't know them, they were in another class after all and Izumi had no interest in them, but she felt annoyed at the accusation. Not because they were unknowingly taking away her credit, but because he was baselessly accusing Toga-senpai.
"Don't know. They said it had to be a long range quirk… Toga didn't have that, right?"
"Yeah, but what if… you know, she hired someone to get Taser-san from her back?"
"How would she even d-do that?"
"I don't know. Villains are scary…"
Izumi passed through them, bumping into them and making them trip.
"Hey!"
"What gives!?"
Izumi merely kept walking forward, looking back at them with cold eyes. A crow cawed from a wall to their side. They didn't keep protesting at her and let her keep going.
Izumi pulls at her backpack, feeling the added weight of her rifle inside it.
Hiring someone to kill a hero, just what kind of TV drama do they think real life is?
Izumi scoffed in her mind, but couldn't help but ponder at the concept. Someone that gets jobs to target and hunt down heroes.
Didn't he say that the Order had originally started as that? But after All Might's Golden Age, they reduced themselves to becoming legal under the SASC and targeted only quirked animals that they were assigned.
Well, Izumi already hunted on her own, but being part of the Order gave her an excuse. She had unofficial permission to operate as she saw fit on the turf she was given.
The more she thought about it the more Izumi realized she was pretty much a gun for hire for the SASC, and well, she took advantage of the barely legal situation she found herself in whenever and however she wanted.
And now I've even killed a human… Am I… abusing my power?
Izumi chuckled to herself, bringing a few weir looks to herself in the depressive environment everyone around her was in.
Who would have thought I, the useless and quirkless freak, would be the one thinking about abusing power, and not heroes and media while talking about Toga-senpai, a minor, like she was a monster to be hunted down.
Izumi got to class keeping herself calm and without showing any emotion. She wasn't actually feeling anything other that the pride of a successful hunt either way, so it's not like it was difficult.
Usoha glared at Midoriya's back all the time in class. There was something strange going on with her. Usoha could just feel it. Her instincts had never failed her, and right now, her scales were standing up just being in the same room as Midoriya.
Something had happened yesterday. Midoriya was always a fucking weirdo, but she seemed even more off, and after she called her out for even thinking on siding with a villain like Toga (why was she even scolded for that? Lanbosu-sensei was an idiot), Midoriya seemed like she was about to kill her with that stare.
Then, Taser pulls her out of class for a while, and when Midoriya comes back, she looks even more pissed than usual. Her face may be neutral, but Usoha could almost smell the anger irradiating from her calm heart.
Amai and Nise kept telling her she was being paranoid and that Midoriya was just being creepy as always. They didn't see how suspicious it was that immediately after Taser talked with her, he mysteriously gets killed by a mysterious villain.
"Oh, come on, Usoha-chan. Midoriya is a freak and has scary aim, but she's still quirkless. Do you really think she'll be able to hurt a hero, let alone kill him?"
Amai rolled her eyes turning to go to her and Nise's classroom.
"Yeah, Usoha-chan, come on. She just hangs out with flying menaces. That freak can't possibly do more than be a nuisance to us regular people. Heroes would immediately get her if she tried anything."
"I know, Nose! I know that, it's the only thing that makes sense, but my instincts have never failed me and yesterday…"
"Well, hope you figure them out then, see you later Usoha-chan"
"Later, Amai, Nise"
They waved at each other and Amai went towards her class. Midoriya was already in her seat right in front of Usoha's.
The shark girl picked up something wrong in the air. Everyone in class seemed in a low mood, probably because of the news of what happened to Taser. She wouldn't expect someone like Midoriya to actually care for someone other than her stupid flying menaces, but there was something different.
A sensation that creeped beyond the air of indifference around Midoriya. Usoha felt as if Midoriya not only didn't care about Taser, but was actually content with what happened to him.
Midoriya's radioactive green eyes pierced Usoha, and she stopped herself from flinching. Midoriya was just a quirkless villain sympathizer nobody! Why could she get under her scales so easily!?
Usoha put on a tough front, hiding the shiver that went through her back as Midoriya's eyes followed her along, until she was finally out of view.
Usoha was scared of letting out a sigh of relief after escaping from those eyes, hating herself for it. What was going on? Her instincts told her to not lose sight of Midoriya, as if she did the quirkless freak would jump at her at any moment.
She had a bullshark quirk! Her instincts were those of a predator near the top of the food chain! So why did Midoriya unnerve her so much?
Izumi noticed Samehada fidgeted and glared at the back of her head the entire day. Classes were boring, and they were forced to take a minute of silence for Taser's death (as if that achieved anything at all), but Izumi silently thanked Samehada for not being an ass and not kicking her chair.
She almost chuckled at taking common decency from Samehada as an extraordinarily good thing. Still, she was aware of the death glare she was giving her, even if she didn't see it. When you spend as much time as Izumi honing your senses to track down prey, you also pick up when your trail is being tracked.
Izumi imagined Samehada would probably wait for classes to end to corner her and annoy her with whatever useless complaint she had this time.
Izumi almost cringed when Lanbosu suggested the students go to the school's counselor if they wanted guidance or confort. Where was this talk when Saito was attacked? Did they forget or assume we wouldn't have as much of a problem with a student attacking another one compared to a hero we saw in person once dying off?
Izumi thought that that was definitely weird, even though no one else seemed to think so, and just nodded off with blank stares in their eyes.
Seriously, what am I missing? Why is that big of a deal Taser dying off? Why should I care?
Izumi droned off for the rest of the classes, uninterested in them, her mind busy trying to figure out whether her thoughts were weird or rather everyone else was giving Taser's death too much importance.
After the lunch period bell rang, Izumi went outside to eat on her own, and felt Samehada following her. Izumi just rolled her eyes, keeping her breath steady, though she felt so calm she didn't even need to put any effort into it.
Izumi effortlessly led Samehada into a corner where she let herself be pinned to the wall by the bulkier student, to keep themselves out of view from everyone else, but at the same time just over a window, where the crows that waited for her to get out of school would see her. Better to get this over sooner rather than later.
"What's your deal, Midoriya!?"
"I was just going to the rooftop to eat lunch"
"Don't play with me, Midoriya!"
Samehada pressed her arm into Izumi's neck, pinning her to the wall. Izumi merely looked up, straight into Samehada's eyes. Izumi is surprised by Samehada flinching at that.
""I'm not playing at anything, Samehada. Are you feeling alright?"
"Shut up! I know you have something to do with Taser's death! You're a villain sympathizer! Did you tell a villain to take him out!?"
Izumi didn't react to Samehada's words. If she wasn't calm right now, the fact alone Samehada suspected anything at all would make Izumi start worrying about being found out. But she was calm.
Izumi checked Samehada's pulse through the arm pinning her neck. Unlike Izumi, Semahada's heartbeat betrayed her, the quick throbs and thumbs Izumi felt against her skin telling her that Samehada was nervous.
She was trying to make Izumi slip up, to say something she could use to incriminate her. Samehada's breath was labored and her pupils were twitching, unable to focus on a single point longer than a moment.
Izumi recognized the reaction instinctually. It was the same reaction that her prey had when they realized they were being hunted.
Samehada had given her so many problems, forcing Izumi to keep her guard up all the time she was at school, stopping her from reaching out to Toga-senpai, making everyone go against her… But right now, Izumi realized just how trivial it was, and how silly she had been for letting Samehada and all her friends for that matter get into her ripping a reaction out of her.
Izumi gently pulled Samehada's arm off of her using one finger. She wasn't using any strength at all, in fact, physically Samehada always was her superior, but Samehada let Izumi push her arm away.
Her eyes were twitching and her lips were curved in a frightened frown. The girl took a step back, seeing Izumi as the hunter she really was.
"Samehada-san" She flinched, nervous sweat coating her face "you do realize how ridiculous that sounds, right? Me, having anything to do with Taser's death? I don't even care about the guy. If you are feeling down you should go to the counselor's office as sensei said."
Izumi walked away, leaving Samehada frozen in place, still looking at the spot Izumi was in earlier.
"Apparently they think a hero's death affects people more than a senpai's disappearance."
She let off, making Samehada finally look back at Izumi. The hunter didn't look back though, she could clearly hear the shark girl's quick and panicked breathing.
"M-monster"
Izumi turned back at that, tilting her head at Samehada, who flinched as if she truly saw Izumi that way.
"You really think so?"
The way she didn't even dare to respond, cowering and trying to make herself smaller told Izumi everything she needed to know.
She turned to be able to smirk without Samehada noticing it.
The rest of the school day was uneventful. Even after Anshin and Kyosei tried to pin her and be annoying, Samehada stopped them and brought them to a corner to talk to them.
It seemed like Izumi had gained a new type of reputation, one which she wasn't against.
"M-monster"
The image of Samehada cowering before her replayed in her mind again and again. She knew that she should feel upset from being called that, but for some reason she wasn't. Was it related to the reason she didn't exactly feel anything for Taser's death by her hand?
Had she become that, a heartless monster?
Wuji flew down onto her shoulder, and Izumi petted his head, as she walked towards the train station.
"Hey, Wuji. You think I'm a bad person?"
Wuji looked at Izumi with his pure black left eye.
"Good crow"
A few people jumped back after hearing the voice come out from the crow instead of Izumi. Being already disgusted by her proximity to a flying menace, only to hear him talk like a person was apparently too much for them.
Izumi smiled, the doubt in her heart melting away, liking that answer. She would always have a place along the murder. It was other people the ones she couldn't get along with.
Why were they so different? Was Izumi truly seeing as the scary monster Samehada had been terrified of? Was she even still a human?
Izumi messaged Giran using a phone she exclusively used for that and nothing else. Usually they messaged each other through the crows, or him coming for her or leaving a message in the locker in Konukoru. But Izumi wanted answers to her questions.
So she set up a meeting with him at Konukoru.
When Giran arrived at the café, Izumi was already there, with a cup of hot chocolate on the plate. Giran looked around and saw a few crows hanging out in a nearby tree. He smirked at himself, thinking that she had grown quite a lot to ask for a meeting on her own, setting up the place and even with allies nearby.
It was getting harder to remember the scared little girl that had started crying after being handed a rifle for the first time.
How many years had it been already? Six? Giran blew out smoke from his mouth and tossed the cigarette, stepping on it before sitting on Izumi's table.
"Yo, Izumi-chan, to what do I owe this meeting?"
"I want the answer to a question"
Giran blinked a few times at her. That's it? Izumi wouldn't just call him to answer a question, was she playing him? He cursed the fact she had chosen a café instead of a bar. He could at least grab a beer to pass the time there. He snapped his fingers at a waiter and ordered black coffee, resigning to the next best thing.
"A question? What kind of question? The one I'd charge for?"
Izumi looked up in thought, drinking from her cup of chocolate at the same time.
"Hmmm. Maybe. I guess it's more of a philosophical question."
Giran dropped his smile and looked at Izumi like a parent looking at their teenage daughter after saying something completely stupid.
"Izumi, are you feeling ok? Did you hit your head before coming or something."
She didn't respond to that, and just stared at him. She stared and didn't blink at all. Not even when the waiter came and gave Giran his black coffee did her emerald eyes leave him.
Giran had been around enough villains in his career, ones that he'd piss himself off if he ever said the wrong thing. And Izumi was giving him a stare (not even a glare), that matched the intensity of every single one of them except one.
"Ugh, teenagers…" He dragged a hand on his face, stretching his skin, and then sipped on the cup of coffee. He decided to ignore the intensity of the stare, and just rolled with it. It must be something important for her, and he knew enough about negotiations to know when not to piss off the other party. "Ok, let's get this over with, I want to go to Musutafu to investigate the underworld there. I'm sure you heard about the little surprise that happened at midnight."
"A bit later actually"
Giran quirked an eyebrow at her.
"Huh? Whatever, I want to see if I can reach that mysterious individual. So whatever that question is, make it fast. I don't have all day."
Izumi let out a deep breath, preparing herself.
What could possibly put her like this? Is she scared of the Musutafu killer or something? It kinda made big news I guess…
"What are your thoughts on killing?"
Giran blinked, his mind blanking out for a moment, before he shook his head and looked at Izumi furrowing his brow.
"Huh? Izumi, what kind of question is that?" He looked around to see if someone heard them, but against the white noise of everybody else's voices at the café, no one paid them any attention.
"A regular question. Is it really that weird?"
"It is coming from you. Don't you have your thoughts on that figured out already? With all the mercilessly hunting of animals and all." He brought the cup to his lips, and almost spit it out when Izumi's stare didn't shift as she looked at him. "Don't tell me… are you having second thoughts?"
She tilted her head, looking up, thinking on her answer.
"No. I guess that's why I'm asking. I'm a hunter. A predator. In the forest, I'm the apex predator, the being above all else, in a community and territory controlled by the murder." Giran took a mental note of the implication of her being a member of the forces controlling the territory.
"So what, feeling bad you are terrorizing the ecosystem all of a sudden?"
"No. Why would I? Are you paying attention?" Giran stopped himself from clicking his tongue and snapping at her. Losing his patience is not a good sign for a negotiator. Wait, why was he in negotiator mode again? He rolled his eyes to show her fake indifference.
"Oh, illuminate me then, if it's so obvious."
"I am the apex predator of Tia forest. I am part of the ecosystem. Of course I terrorize it and hunt down prey on it or that gets into it. That's my role in it."
"But you weren't always on it" Giran said, arching an eyebrow and pointing an accusatory stare into her.
"No, I wasn't. If you wanna take this as me being an "invasive species" you can also take it that way. The fact is, right now the forest functions as it does because I'm a part of it. The crows live there, and I'm a way they manage to get a lot of protein from the prey I hunt down. Without me, their behavior and survival plan would change, they would find a wolf pack to assist in their hunts and scavenge the food they leave behind. In fact, that's what they did in the past."
"So what, you are the crows' wolf now and that's why you don't feel bad about killing animals?"
"Yeah. I am part of the ecosystem, the nature of Tia. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy myself while hunting down fleeing prey. Every predator does, just look at how cats play with their food."
Giran nodded while drinking his coffee.
"Then I don't get the question. It seems you have it all figured out already. Justifications and all."
She tilted her head at the last sentence, visibly getting interested.
You may have grown and learned how to put pressure by using your eyes alone, but I've been in this game for a long time, Izumi-chan~ You are obvious where it matters.
"I was wondering… how do other people think about that? Justifications and all, like you said. I've heard that heroes and police officers usually go through psychological tests after they kill villains to evaluate their mental state."
"Oh, a teenager concerned about their mental health? You young generations and your crazy ideas, haha!"
Izumi deadpanned at him, but he had come back to his element by figuring her out. She was probably worried she was becoming too intense, heartless and uncaring.
Much more mindful than your father, you are, Izumi-chan.
He'd seen that look before, in petty criminals he'd worked with. It was mostly doubt about the severity of the crime they commited. Izumi was a nice and cheap source of barely legal money. If she questioned the morality of her actions, he could lose a nice amount of income.
So, cheering her up by comparing her almost morally inconsequential actions to others much worse should be enough to kick the hormonal induced doubt out of her.
"Hey, great that you are looking out for yourself like that, Izumi-chan. Shows that you are well adjusted and more mindful of half the people I've worked with."
Her stare softened, he smiled.
Bingo~
"So, you had second thoughts, don't worry, it's completely normal and valid to feel that way, I'm not going to think less of you even if you were thinking on killing someone"
He joked, showing her his ugly grin to prompt the typical reaction of rolling her eyes or telling him to not be stupid. Instead, Izumi just kept staring at him, with those deep emerald eyes surrounded by dark eyebags. He was slightly unnerved by the fact he couldn't read her at all.
Giran realized his joke had completely missed the mark and had stayed quiet too much time.
Stupid gen upsilon humor.
He coughed into his hand.
"So, what prompted this sudden question?" Get back some terrain, she won't say it but don't let her see you doubt.
The teen merely shrugged, looking indifferent. The expected reaction.
"Dunno. I was simply curious if other people that…also kill for a living feel bad about it. Or, ehm, I mean, different."
Giran sighed a breath of relief, catching her exactly in what he thought she was thinking. He wasn't off the mark after all then.
"I guess it depends then. People like heroes and the police `put similar type of justifications like you do, but instead of using "the ecosystem" as the excuse-"
"It's not an excuse"
"Whatever you say, Izumi-chan~ what I was saying, instead of using the ecosystem, people have their own ways to justify their actions. Not everyone is a psychopath that admits they enjoy killing. Heroes and police officers most of the time are either indifferent or take it to heart. Have you ever seen Endeavor feel sorry about giving villains third or fourth degree burns?"
"So they just don't care?"
"It can also be a defense mechanism for them. You see, some heroes and police officers just prefer not to think the life they are ending belongs to another human, just like them, so they show indifference. Doesn't mean it doesn't affect them. They still have to go to psychological check ups. HPSC doesn't want someone with a license for public quirk usage to go on a mental breakdown."
Izumi blinked a few times, looking as if she had just been shown something hard to believe.
"There's been heroes that get mental breakdowns?"
"Why look so surprised? Don't tell me you believed the perfect image the government puts on heroes~" Giran put on his most infuriating smirk, enjoying making Izumi frown.
"Don't be an idiot. I know firsthand how idiotic and self centered heroes can be. Had to deal with a buffoon yesterday."
"Oh? You got close to a hero? That's out of character for you"
"Bah, it was about the Toga-senpai's case. A hero was sent to the school under the excuse of calming distressed students but he only cared about getting info for his stupid investigation."
Giran widened his eyes, realizing from that description who the hero that went to the school was.
"Wait, Izumi, that hero, was it Taser?"
She raised an eyebrow at him. He knew that expression. It was her "why are you asking obvious stuff?" look.
"God damn, Izumi-chan~ you are so lucky~ one of the last people that got to see him still kicking. Is this why you are asking all this? You feel bad for him or something?"
"It's because I don't feel bad at all." Giran blinked at her, confused. "I-I mean, everyone around me has been feeling down because of his death, and I…don't really care?"
It was more of a question than a statement. Giran then understood. Izumi probably feels weird about not really caring about his death while every regular boring civilian around her was mourning him, and that got into her head, being heartless like a killer because of her killing animals.
"Hey, that's completely normal. You didn't know the guy. I agree that it's weird to mourn for a guy that you only know because he's mildly famous. It has nothing to do with your job."
She looked down, not meeting his gaze. Ok, so this must be what's troubling her.
"Hey, Izumi-chan." She looked up at him. "It's alright, really. You enjoy your job, I assume, right? That's fine, it's not like you are sadistic and enjoy killing for the sake of it. It's your job, or even for sport even, that's fine. If you are worried about becoming heartless, just look around. Think the crows would follow you around if you didn't care about them?"
Izumi looked around her, watching the crows observing them in nearby trees, or on top of buildings.
Kid actually has a good heart. You need one to gain the trust of the entirety of the crow community of Japan.
Giran gave her time to think about it, ignoring his rush to get to Musutafu to investigate the new player in the underworld. Keeping a good relation with Izumi was worth it for him, it was a good business decision.
Izumi then looked straight at Giran, piercing him with cold calculating green eyes, putting him suddenly on edge.
"Giran, have you killed someone?"
The underworld broker could hear his own heartbeat, and it was only his experience around dangerous and volatile clients what allowed him to keep himself calm.
"Geez, kid. That's a loaded question. Thought you said you didn't want to know about that part of my job"
He tried to smile at her, avoiding the question by throwing her words right back at him. But Izumi didn't back down, her stare locked into Giran. The lack of blinks unnerved him, and he realized that she was serious.
He sighed and asked the waiter for the check.
"Not gonna pay for yours, by the way." He said, getting up.
"Wasn't counting on it"
They both paid for their drinks, and got up, heading to the train station, where Giran would take the Shinkanshen to Musutafu.
"If I were to give you an answer to the question of how I'd feel if I killed someone…" He said, walking alongside Izumi, the crows observing them from the safety of the air of the concrete jungle. "I'd be indifferent"
Izumi kept walking, not looking in his direction, and so did he. Looking forward, and keeping the professionalism he expected of her when she was on a hunt.
"Always?"
"It depends. I wouldn't let myself get caught in that situation. Theoretically, that would put a bigger target on me. I'm sure you know which jobs the SASC is more eager for you to do."
"Yeah. Violent rampaging animals that had caused some sort of trouble."
"Exactly. I wouldn't have trouble doing it to get away from a tricky situation. And I'm mentally prepared for it." He looked to her side for the first time since they started walking. "What's with the interest of this side of my job? This can't be all because you feel weird about not feeling bad for a hero's death. You are also treating this way too seriously to make me buy the "I'm just a teenager on my curious phase"."
"It was just important for me." She stopped, on an intersection that would lead her to the forest, and Giran to the station after they go their ways. "I needed to get my head in order. Think about other perspectives…and figure out if it was normal to not feel anything after his death"
Giran looked at her, and noticed her eyebags being way darker than usual. Her eyes had been so piercing and overwhelming today he hadn't even noticed. He narrowed his eyes at her, looking back at the conversation.
"What are your thoughts on killing?" "I was wondering… how do other people think about that?" "I don't feel bad at all." "I needed to get my head in order. Think about other perspectives…and figure out if it was normal to not feel anything after his death"
Giran felt his face go pale and his eyes widen, as Izumi turned around and went to the forest, a few crows flying ahead through the air.
"I'm not going to think less of you even if you were thinking on killing someone"
Giran swallowed the saliva in his mouth. A completely unexpected thought came to his mind. A possibility he hadn't even considered. But it made sense considering their conversation.
Giran tilted his head, looking at the bag Izumi was carrying. Normally she gathered her things on the safe she had in the forest. Had she went there earlier and forgot to leave it?
No, Izumi-chan wouldn't forget something like that. She may be a brat, but she is very capable. The only explanation is…that had brought her gear outside the forest, and was just returning to it.
"Oh, you little shit"
He couldn't help but grin, even though he was unnerved by the possible revelation.
"I want to go to Musutafu to investigate the underworld there. I'm sure you heard about the little surprise that happened at midnight."
"A bit later actually"
"Hey, Izumi-chan!"
Izumi turned around to look at him, the albino crow landing on her head.
"If you wanna talk more about that, call me."
She nodded, giving him a knowing look. Giran went to the station, but not towards Musutafu. He changed and took the line towards Kamino.
That brat, I still can't believe it!
Izumi arrived at the Nest an hour after leaving Giran next to the station. Most of the crows were there, which was strange since they didn't always meet at the same time. All the elders, Hatori, Wuji, Shiuro, Kuro, Gorogoro and Urusai were there.
There was a cacophony of caws and words flying around the Nest, as the murder talked and shared information with each other. It also seemed that the news of what Izumi had done yesterday had spread along the murder, as she saw crows talking about it.
If someone were to look at Izumi and the crows, they'd be amazed how she could understand them just from social clues and a few words they repeated from different people they've heard them come from.
Also, they may be unnerved at the sight of a teenager putting back together a rifle as efficiently as the JSDF.
Izumi just merely tested the rifle, pointing at a tree and pulling the trigger, hearing the mechanism inside try to shoot a bullet that wasn't there. Everything seemed to be working together properly.
Izumi looked at the broken cartridge. She wanted to inspect her rifle to see if firing a modified bullet with a different type of ignition source had damaged it. So far, it didn't seem to have been damaged it, but the Black Bullet did have much more force behind it than a regular bullet, so Izumi thought she should prepare for the next time she uses one.
"The next time, huh…"
She mumbled to herself, thinking over everything that she had learned today as she pet the crows that got close to her.
Izumi still felt indifferent towards Taser's death, and hadn't found a convincing reason over what society expected of her to feel sorry for him. She still was proud of what she did, not regretting one bit the making of the Black Bullet and hunting him down like the prey he was.
Izumi didn't even find a good enough reason to have any attachment at all. Giran had said it was normal to feel indifferent, that even heroes and the police did it as a way to cope.
The thing is… Izumi didn't think she needed to cope with what she had done? She killed Taser, no, Kojita Shokku in cold blood, and didn't feel even a bit bad about it.
Even things that usually disturbed her were now inconsequential to her. School was a complete after thought, wanting to grant into her values she didn't share while also demonizing people like Toga-senpai or her friendship with the crows, just because they didn't fit into this perfect hero society.
Samehada was also a complete joke. Izumi still couldn't believe she was ever worried about her. She was just a regular kid, following the rules established by the system without question, unloading her fear and frustration on Izumi just because she was different.
Well, Izumi had proven herself different, but in a completely different way than what everyone else (except the crows and maybe Giran) saw her.
She had killed Taser. She had hunted down a hero. A pillar of society that went after what society thought was inappropriate. She had ended the life of a trained hero just like that. Her, Midoriya Izumi. The quirkless girl that is friends with Japan's crow community, whose only talent was her good accuracy and making gadgets.
Izumi got up, a look of determination in her eyes.
"Yes! Why should I feel bad about that idiot's death!?"
The murder looked at her with curiosity and felt her excitement as if it were contagious.
"I've hunted lots and lots of animals, quirked animals! Why should I feel different because I killed a person!? Because I'm a person!? What is a person if not another animal for me to hunt? Ha! Hahaha!"
Izumi let out a manic laugh, tears coming from her eyes.
"I am human! But I'm also a member of the murder!"
Izumi stopped her rant, suddenly feeling out of breath. She panted, her heartbeat booming fast into her head. She looked at her shaking hands, recognizing the feeling, adrenaline.
"I hunted him down, built my tools and tracked him down with the help of you guys…this is just normal for me! Yes! It's my normal! And my normal won't ever be accepted! So how about I stop trying to hide who I really am? A hunter. A hunter that won't let any prey escape."
Izumi slowly got up, grabbing her fully reformed rifle and raising it over her head. Tears stained her cheeks and face, and her heart was still running in the high of the adrenaline of her revelation.
Izumi slowly quieted down her heart, slowing her breathing, having become natural at this point. She smiled, and screamed, the crows following after her and filling the Nest with a cacophony of caws and imitations of screams.
"Have you wondered about getting into support item development?"
Lanbosu's words came into Izumi's mind.
"I've…thought about it before. But I'm not sure. I like it, but there's another thing that I like and I don't want to choose just one of them."
Now, Izumi was sure what she wanted to do. Why choose something in order to be accepted into a society that won't accept her? The murder accepted her. Did she need society to accept her? No, it was enough as it is.
Izumi screamed again, prompting the crows to fly around the Nest and return her feelings by coming to her.
Society wouldn't accept Midoriya Izumi, but that was fine. Midoriya Izumi didn't want to be accepted by them anymore.
She was a hunter, and like one, as long as she has the support of the crows and a good network (Izumi guessed she could consider Giran part of it), she was satisfied.
The world may not know what exactly happened that day, in Tia forest, but Midoriya Izumi's revelation was the first of a series of domino pieces that would change hero society forever.
That day, Midoriya Izumi accepted what she was, what she wanted to be. A hunter. A crow.
Izumi let her arm holding her rifle fall to her side. Her eyes, cold, calculating, and piercing clashed with the tears flowing through her face. She grabbed the phone with Giran's contact for the second day today (and a long time as well) and dialed his number.
"Hey, got everything figured out?"
"Yes. Our talk was most insightful. Thank you for that."
"Hmph, I should charge you for using me as a therapist, ha! Anyway, if you are calling me directly I assume you don't want to just forget it, right?"
Izumi nodded, though Giran couldn't exactly see it.
"Yes, I'm extending the range of prey I'm accepting." Izumi could tell that even Giran was surprised by that decision, choking on something on the other side of the line. It made Izumi smile, genuinely.
She was itching for her next job, she was a hunter after all. A crow.
"Karasu. that's who I am."