Mirko
11:01
I need a massive favour.
11:09
What's in it for me
11:11
My address.
11:13
Shit ok now I'm interested.
What do you need?
11:16
I want you to teach me how to fight.
11:18
My patrol ends at 3, let me know where and I'll hop there
11:20
Perfect, that gives me plenty of time to make a carrot cream cake.
11:22
Keep sweet talking me like that and I'll be bringing my own cream
11:26
Fair warning, there's a kid in the house, so get the jokes out of the way before you actually get here.
11:31
YOU HAVE A KID?
You didn't kidnap it or anything, right?
11:34
…
So about that…
If you have something to lose, then you fight harder.
If Momo knew exactly what those words would end up inspiring, I had no doubt that she would have never said them.
She was right. In a world where you could get anywhere with your fists and your wits, she was more right than even she probably realised. Just because I was stuck, that didn't mean I was trapped.
Talking to Nezu made that hard to remember. Having your own words thrown out before you could even say them, the plans you'd spent months refining evaporating with a single realisation… It was devastating. Two feet of fur, beady little eyes, and an existential crisis that was months in the making.
It was tough to internalise the fact that my best chance was also my biggest obstacle. It was even worse to have anticipated that months in advance, only to still get blindsided. Where would it end? Did I even have the time to worry about when it would end? Every day that passed was another day that opportunity slipped me by. What if the Quirk I needed in order to get home was in the possession of some ninety-five year old that was wasting away somewhere?
If I wasn't an issue, Nezu would fuck me around until one of us was in the grave, If I made myself an issue, then that would be impetus to take care of me. I had no desire to spend the rest of my life in a prison cell, if one existed that could even hold me at this point.
I had all the power I could have ever needed, all contained within my body. The power to lay waste to a whole country, had I still been angry enough to actually do it. Were this months ago, before I'd been across the nation and met with more people than I ever would have thought possible, then this story might have been utterly unrecognisable.
Flames burning in Twice's eyes as he laughed at the smouldering remains of my house. The cooing of Gentle and La Brava as they coaxed Eri into the first of many shared meals. The despair of Giran as I regaled him with the outline of yet another plan that would somehow work. Mirko's rage over something as simple as some numbers, Momo clutching reverently at my notebook, the smug smirk on Setsuna's face as yet another disembodied bit of arm poked at me…
I couldn't turn on them. It was far too late for that now.
Then you fight harder.
But perhaps, I wouldn't need to.
Four days of constant planning, staring at my ceiling and seeing nothing but scenarios, considerations and reconsiderations as I drove aimlessly across the countryside. I barely ate. The only interactions with other people were quick hellos, grunts or waves to show that they'd been acknowledged and could now move on.
How could one man move the world in order to get what he wanted? My fingers danced across the screen of my phone as I laid out instructions, putting forth the trust that I'd built over close to a year to see it all through.
As my eyes drifted shut on the dawn on the fifth day, inevitably claimed by sleep that I could no longer put off, It was finally beginning to sink into me that one man wouldn't have to.
And it would all start from what I'd been convinced was the end.
I woke late in the morning, on the day that marked one month until the school year would start.
The house was still, no vibrations of voices or footsteps echoing throughout the walls. That likely meant that Twice had kept to the schedule; he'd return swiftly, with the last factor that I could reliably control for this latest batshit insane scheme.
The envelope that Nezu had left me remained in my hand. I'd fallen asleep clutching it, unwilling to let it out of my immediate vicinity. In his mind, no doubt him successfully delivering that package was a resounding win for whatever plan he had for me. He would have been absolutely correct too, if I hadn't been given a little push of inspiration from my favourite hero-in-training.
Nezu was playing a game.
Let him have his fun. I'd be too busy gearing up for war.
If Chisaki could see what I was planning on doing now, he'd either be rolling in his grave, or laughing his fucking ass off. And I would absolutely deserve either reaction.
Gentle was alone at the kitchen table when I entered a few minutes later, the aftereffects of five straight days of consciousness wiped away by Overhaul. The laptop he had out before him was one that I hadn't seen before, though from a brief glimpse I could see that he was editing a video. There was a pair of glasses resting on the bridge of his nose, which he glanced over once catching sight of me.
He didn't bother to hide when he sniffed loudly. With my clothes changed and my body free of layers of grime, he didn't find what he was no doubt dreading in that moment. The headphones that were resting around his neck jostled as he turned his attention back to his screen.
"I'd thought you finally broke completely," was what I got in place of a proper greeting. Rolling my eyes, even though I knew he wouldn't see it, I set about trying to hunt down something to eat.
A pot of tea sat on the table, brewed recently. I settled on a glass of water and one of Eri's apples. She wasn't here today; La Brava was keeping her entertained out in the town, even though she'd be listening in on everything I would be saying today.
There were some things that children, and nosy babysitters who could split their bodies, really didn't need to hear.
The chair groaned quietly as I settled into it. I'd need to look into reinforcing them, and maybe the rest of the furniture, once Twice returned and we could finally put the spoils of the Yaoyorozu excursion to good use.
He would return, along with his cargo, in a few minutes. More than enough time to finish my fruit, and maybe ruffle Gentle's feathers a little bit.
"Keep talking shit and I'll start teaching Eri how to swear."
Gentle didn't even look up from the screen. "Twice beat you to it."
"In English."
Gentle tapped the space bar twice. "Setsuna's using that to help her study."
"Fine then, in French."
That finally got him to glance up, his glasses sliding down his nose slightly as he eyed me dubiously. "You know French?"
"Non, mais je peux apprendre."
That earned me, after Gentle took a moment to run that sentence back through his head, an eye roll that I could call my very own. The only thing that stopped his headphones from coming up and blocking me out entirely was the front door slamming open.
Twice was early. Or perhaps he was right on time, who could really say? As he charged through the doorway, Giran being bodily dragged behind him, I figured that it wasn't ultimately too important.
"Minmin!" I could have done without the nickname, but the genuine joy on Twice's face made it hard to be annoyed with the man. "You're looking way better!"
Giran offered me nothing more than a grunt and a scathing glare, before falling into the seat furthest from me. If he was annoyed at me now for the unscheduled interruption, then he was going to be furious soon enough.
There were people in this world that I was leery of pissing off. Unfortunately for Giran, he really wasn't one of them.
Paradoxically, he would also be the most important player for this in the coming weeks.
With only four chairs around the table, Twice took the final one, facing towards one of the kitchen counters. Gentle closed his laptop, shedding the headphones and laying them across the back of his chair like a coat. Giran stared at me silently, giving nothing away even as I slid Nezu's envelope across the table and into his space.
He made no move to take it
"What is it?"
"Why don't you tell me?" The low drawl, almost growl of my voice brooked no argument. I could see Giran's jaw clenching, but after a moment his hand lashed out, snatching the envelope off the table like a striking snake and slicing through the side of it with one carefully manicured nail.
That was probably a practised motion, meant to intimidate. Maybe it even worked against the common garden variety of thugs, I hadn't really spent enough time with any to judge.
The first page flipped over. Not surprising, given that it was four pictures and not much text.
"Where…" Apparently I'd made the right choice, choosing the information broker to go through my documents first like some kind of lawyer. I couldn't help but wonder if he would appreciate the comparison.
The second page was flipped. Giran slammed the third onto the table, a mess of tiny script and signatures. His slightly tanned face had taken on a noticeable pallor. "This… this is sanctioned, above what I usually get involved in. Where the hell did this come from?"
"The rat."
I watched the tidal wave of emotions play out across his face. Confusion, understanding, shock. One hand came up to rub at his eyes behind his glasses, a humourless chuckle leaving his lips.
He spoke up before either Twice or Gentle, both glancing between us like they were watching a game of tennis, could voice any of the multiple questions settling around the table.
"The head of a hero school hired you for an assassination?"
Gentle's head snapped around to stare at me. Twice didn't even get that far, the entirety of his composure falling apart into a howling fit of laughter. It had never been a secret that Nezu had been around, not with Eri spreading the story as only an unknowing child could. How nice it would be to be a kid again, just seeing the fuzzy embodiment of the underworld as a weird guy, a funny little friend.
"Technically, he wants them dead or alive." Cracking my neck from side to side, I steepled my hands atop the table, resting my chin on my thumbs and my brow against the length of my index fingers.
The questions I'd been expecting never came. Not from Giran and Gentle, at least. If Twice wasn't too busy choking on his own lungs, there was little doubt that he'd charge forth with the interrogating with nary a thought.
They were waiting for me, I realised, looking around the table. It was my job to lead this conversation.
Fine. I went into this knowing it would be time to come clean.
"I know you have questions." Though it was said to the whole table, my eyes sought out Gentle first. He'd pocketed his glasses, moustache twitching occasionally as he regarded me with narrowed eyes. "Ask, I'll answer them."
"You need to do this for him." That wasn't a question, but I wasn't too surprised that he'd managed to pick up on that little fact. Nothing I'd done since knowing him had been at the behest of another, after all. "Why?"
To the heart of the matter immediately, then. So be it.
I laughed. I had to, because I knew how utterly absurd this was going to sound. Nothing more than a few chuckles, huffing breaths that carried traces of mirth. Nothing like the hysterics Twice had just recovered from.
"Because I need his help to get home."
I could have heard a pin drop in that moment, as the words played out through their minds. Giran recovered first, the stare he was levelling me suddenly very intense. Gentle wasn't far behind him, his mouth opening slowly as realisation flashed through his mind.
But naturally, it was Twice who moved first. His chair clattered to the ground as he shot to his feet, pointing at Gentle's face with a hand so clenched that I could see the veins pulsating beneath his skin.
"I FUCKING TOLD YOU HE WAS AN ALIEN!" He crowed victoriously, eyes wilder and carrying less sanity than I had seen for a long time. Gentle sputtered, glancing between the two of us, and I could have sworn that I saw his facial hair beginning to bristle as I slowly nodded.
Foreign planet, check. A differing biology, even if that had been abated, check. Worthy of detainment and study? At this point, check.
"He's… not wrong." My slow admission led to another round of laughter from Twice, though it was cut off abruptly as he tried to sit down in a chair that he'd sent skidding away. The table shook as he went down with a yelp.
I wasn't exactly sure what to say in the face of that. Neither did the other two, as we lapsed into a stilted silence. Silently, Gentle claimed the first piece of paper for himself, looking over the pictures upon it with a frown.
"Surely you don't trust this hero?"
"Fuck no." I didn't even need to think for a second, lip curling in disgust. "I'm not doing his dirty work. If he wants to wage a war, he'll have to-"
"The Boogeyman." Giran breathed out suddenly, his hands a blur as he snatched up the papers again. The three of us, after Twice's head had popped up over the table like an inquisitive mole, watched as he scanned over the text again, muttering under his breath the whole time.
"Genetic experiments of unknown origin leading to multiple Quirks…" His glasses fell to the table with a clatter as he ran his hand over his face. "Fuck, it's all him. This is going to be a disaster. I need to call Set."
"Giran-"
"What the fuck is he thinking!?" The table shook as Giran slammed a fist down onto it. "You're already rocking the boat enough to make things dangerous, this is a spark that'll ignite everything! What about all the kids around him? He runs a damn school!"
And that, right there, was the one and only thing that I could confidently say Nezu had overlooked.
Do you care to guess why I'm in charge of a school?
I didn't care to guess, because I already knew the answer. Surrounded by people he'd been sworn to protect, U.A was a rat trap for one of the most dangerous beings in the world. A gilded cage of responsibility. One that he was reaching through, now that I'd given him a point to control outside of the powers that be.
The worst villain that Japan had ever known was still alive. I'd confirmed that for him personally.
I also just so happened to be the best chance to quell the wave of evil before it could crash against the bars of his personalised prison. It was a better deal than I'd been expecting. I was a killer, after all. Being tasked a murder wasn't anything out of the realm of expectation.
But it still wasn't good enough.
If you have something to lose, then you fight harder.
Maybe I was selfish. Maybe I was delusional. Maybe I'd let the power that I'd stolen go to my head.
Maybe, maybe, maybe. All I knew for certain was that I had friends who would be in that school, and I had no intention of getting them involved in my mess.
That's what he was banking on. So long as I had that degree of separation, all of his interests would be completely spotless once the dust had settled.
It wouldn't work. Call it knowledge extrapolated from what I knew of the future. Call it a gut feeling. Call it me knowing how shit my own luck was, I didn't care. All I knew was that it wouldn't work how he wanted it to.
Nezu was playing a dangerous game, one that he wanted me to be a pawn in. It was just his bad luck that I was the one in charge of setting the rules.
"U.A will be fine." I cut Giran off before he could storm out of the room, the surface of the table reaching out with a tap of my hand and grabbing hold of his arm. He stilled before his own momentum could pull his shoulder from its socket, the smouldering embers of rage still present in his expression.
They didn't abate when I offered him a poisonous smirk, but they also didn't flare. A cautious victory at the least.
"That damn rat is putting Setsuna in-"
"He wants them captured." I gestured towards the table, where Gentle was reading carefully and Twice was folding up one of the papers with nary a care in the world, though I knew both well enough to know that they were listening intently as I continued. "He wants the information they might have, and if that fails, he wants them dead."
The nail that I used to tap against the empty envelope sounded more like the tolling of a death knell.
"I'm not going to kill them."
Why did Nezu run a school?
Simple, because he only had control of what other people gave him. How was he limited? Why? Maybe one day I'd find out, but I didn't care enough about the answer to search for it.
It didn't matter to me why. All that mattered was that he was a hero, and no matter how underhanded, he was still playing by some facsimile of heroic rules.
"I'm going to do something much worse."
The page that had four pictures on it floated past my head, folded into a plane by Twice. I snatched it out of the air, smoothing it back out with a flick of my wrist and a healthy application of Overhaul.
From the corner of my eye, I watched as Gentle leaned forth, his eyes sharper than I'd ever seen them before. Out of everyone, I'm sure he, if nobody else, would be able to understand where I was coming from.
"I'm going to set them free."
Because really, how hard would someone like that fight, if they were given something to lose?