Chapter 16
Jessylane318
-Kamui Woods-
Up to Chapter 40 of TBAH: Determined.
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Nishiya Shinji, most well known by his alias as Kamui Woods, frowns behind his mask, watching impassively as the young woman he'd been assessing stalks angrily away. Yu, still scowling antagonistically beside him, lets out an annoyed huff.
"All Might really recommended her?" she asks. He doesn't miss the scorn nor the slight flush of irritation skirting across her cheeks. "Why?"
"I'm not sure," he admits, voice calm despite the warring thoughts chasing through his head. He couldn't blame his partner, he'd been just as caught off guard. After all, he knew she was aware that he'd rejected at least thirteen applicants already with far more qualifications. He honestly wouldn't have thought twice about rejecting hers too if not for the strange, middle-of-the-night call. "He said she was a strong fighter, and he expected my guidance could only help improve that."
Yu raises a brow.
Nishiya sighs, crossing his arms against his chest.
"We don't seem particularly well matched," he admits, glancing back the way she'd gone. "Her quirk is a manifestation of her emotions, which it's clear she's barely scratching mastery of. Plus her personality…"
He remembers the flustered way she'd struggled to share basic information, how she'd burned red at his concern.
He'd made a list of what he wanted in his first student, a habit he'd picked up as a boy, and nothing about her fit his ideals.
Awkward. Well connected. Angry.
If he'd had to pick from the first-year crop, the little ivy-haired girl would have been a better fit. Someone with a similar quirk, likely faced similar discrimination, and who appreciated the quiet scenery of the forest.
"You know you don't have to take her, right?" Yu asks, crossing her arms and taking a loud slurp from her coffee. "I mean, I know it's All Might, but he-"
"It's fine," Nishiya sighs, cutting her off.
Yu's purple eyes slide towards him in narrowed irritation.
"It's more than just you that's going to have to deal with her," the blonde scowls. "But fine, do what you want. I'm going shopping. Enjoy your new intern."
Nishiya watches, thankful again for the special helm masking his hurt expression.
It'd be fine.
Maybe he just needed to give it a chance…
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.
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Accepting All Might's suggestion was a mistake.
A horrible, possibly career-ending mistake if he didn't tread carefully.
The fact that he hadn't seen it coming, hadn't even considered it, leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.
He'd thought he'd grown past mistakes like this, but the thick stack of documents on his desk was a clear testament to the truth. He should have listened to Yu. Should have trusted his gut. Should have questioned more…
He releases a breath full of tension and focuses instead on the present—away from the quickly spiraling thoughts.
Hoki Rin.
He examines the girl, amused despite himself as she stares back warily. He'd come determined to seek the truth, despite the clear evidence stacked against her.
She was very young.
It was just as possible she'd been a victim in this just as much as he had been.
So, uncomfortably, he gestures to the bench beside them.
"Sit?"
She's about as open as a book—something they'd have to work on—and a flash of irritation skims across her features followed quickly by obstinance and reluctant obedience. She sits stiffly, looking like one wrong move and she'd bolt and escape. He follows quietly, uncertain how to calm the clear anxiety, especially considering the conversation they clearly needed to tackle.
"I spoke with the police about this… ah… plan."
Plan was probably the politest term he could use for it. Aligning with a hero suspected of corruption, publicly ousting a post that had been served faithfully for decades, and setting both himself and this teenager in front of him up as collateral…
"Oh."
He wants to do far more than sigh. Instead, he decides on honesty.
"Had I known accepting you as an intern would result in us publicly exposing and shaming a hero, I would not have taken you on, All Might's recommendation or not."
The girl's flinch is entirely unexpected, as is the quick flash of hurt that she hides immediately beneath fire.
For a second, he regrets not softening the blow.
"If you didn't want me, why'd you waste time even coming here?"
Wait… what?
When she moves to rise, he motions her to wait, and he can almost see her refusal. But she stops, reluctantly stilling.
"Our contract is already written and sealed," Nishiya says flatly, unsure what she's alluding to and filing it away. "I am informing you as I believe honesty is the best policy. I have no doubts about your skills as a hero, but teaching a student and setting up a trap to stop quirkless criminals in order to lure out and publicly shame a hero is not what I signed up for. I have made my concerns known to the police regarding this entire arrangement, but it has occurred to me that no one has spoken to you about any of this. Are you even aware of the ramifications of what will happen if you're successful?"
The girl scowls and it reminds Nishiya distinctly of a wounded animal.
This is not going as planned.
"There'd be one less human trafficker!"
He sighs, leaning back to fold his arms thoughtfully.
She had no idea.
It just left more questions though. Questions like why All Might had recommended her, why she was mixed up in this mess, and more. He hadn't had time to read through everything—too stung by the realization he'd been tricked.
"Maybe. If you are correct, though you have no proof of this besides one compromised witness statement and a document implying some sort of interregulatory corruption. But regardless, assuming you are correct, yes, you could potentially remove one villain. You take down one and within hours you'll have another completely unknown person filling that spot in the food chain. It is a tree of corruption, and we'd be merely pruning back the branches. However, my issue is not with that. My issue is that removing heroes isn't the same as removing villains. Every time a hero publicly falls, the people lose just a little more trust in us. In a time like now, when the villains are continuously eroding the public's positive opinion and criminal activity is on the rise, there will be a backlash, and not just on the heroes as a whole. You and I will most assuredly be caught in the crossfire."
He expects understanding.
He expects frustration or at least some sort of acknowledgment of the political compromise she'd just put them in.
She just stares, incredulous.
"And? What are you saying? We should just let him be?" The teenager drags herself to her feet with the full weight of righteousness blazing furiously in her eyes. Fist curled, back straight—for a moment he thinks maybe he can see what All Might saw. An unbending vision. A hero, proud and radiant and determined. "He's kidnapping and selling people, people who can't defend themselves, and you want us to just do nothing? Because he's a hero-"
"Calm down," Nishiya commands, rising to his own feet as well. That kind of thinking would get her killed. Heroics was just as much about politics as it was about strength. Had that been why All Might… He clears his head. "I'm not saying anything of the sort."
"You just did!"
She's a child, all bite and viciousness as she steps apart.
So he crosses his arms and waits.
Immature as well, he realizes when she doesn't back down.
"I did not," Nishiya repeats, words carefully calm. There was no point in continuing this now. It was clear she was too tied to her beliefs to hear him out. He'd have to wait, and speak with her trainers at UA—why anyone thought pushing a child this immature into heroics was a good idea, he'd never know. "I asked if you understood the consequences of this plan, which it is apparent that you do not. Regardless, I suppose none of that matters. We are, both of us now, caught up in this scheme, whether by choice or not. I'm not the kind of hero that backs out of a commitment, so control yourself, Hoki, or you will give me a reason to break this contract."
The dark-haired girl glares, and even across the path he can feel the heat of it.
He sighs.
"Very well, prepare yourself. It's time for patrol."
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He calls UA soon after, eyes dark when an underground, Eraserhead, answers.
"Yes?"
"I'd like to ask some questions about my newest intern, Hoki Rin."
The line is quiet.
There's a moment of hesitation before a tired sigh slides across the line, and Kamui has to wonder at the weariness and expectations all wrapped up in that one noise.
"That was sooner than expected, didn't you just finish patrol?"
Nishiya frowns, brows furrowing as he watches the young girl disappear in the appropriate direction. Several red flags rising all at once.
"Perhaps. Do you memorize all of your students' intern schedules?"
"Not typically. But I tend to make an exception for my ward."
Oh.
Oh shit.
"I'm aware that wasn't in the paperwork," the man on the other side of the phone says blandly, the sound of running water mixing with the sharp clang of stacking dishes. "So you can relax, now what did you need to know?"
All of the questions he'd prepared were in no way appropriate-
"Kamui Woods," the hero on the other side repeats, his tone brooking no nonsense.
"Ah… I- I apologize, I'm just-" surprised really wasn't strong enough a word "-ah, caught off guard. I… I had concerns regarding… er, that is to say, she's a bit…"
What sounds like a cabinet door opens and closes noisily, and the man on the other end lets out an amused snort.
"Emotional? Naïve? Immature?"
Nishiya's eyes widen.
"Uh… well, ahem, yes."
"I'm aware," the erasure hero says blandly, like they were discussing the weather and not the deficits of his ward. Nishiya shifts uncomfortably, wishing a villain would just appear so he could at least have time to organize his thoughts. "I've been Rin's guardian since late April and I can tell you she struggles with emotional regulation, social interactions, and to put it bluntly, almost any kind of common sense."
Nishiya blinks.
Then, his brows furrow. He asks the question he'd been most confused with.
"Then… Then why'd All Might recommend her?"
The irritated sigh doesn't bode particularly well.
"Because All Might's an idiot," Eraserhead deadpans, and Nishiya can't help but blanch at the blatant disregard for a man largely considered the greatest hero ever. "However, that didn't make him wrong, and Rin would benefit considerably from your skill set. She's one of UA's most powerful first years with a quirk that could easily propel her into the top fifty as well as a natural talent for anything physical."
The top fifty…
That was quite the statement, and considering their relationship… well, Nishiya wasn't sure how well he could trust that information.
"I see," he hedges, uncertain what more he wanted to ask without further considering this new knowledge. A ward, immature, and vastly powerful.
What a disaster.
"If that's all?" the hero on the other end asks dryly.
"Ah… yes- yes, sir!" Nishiya confirms, face hot as he realizes just how long he'd been lost in thought. "Thank you for your insight. I'll be in touch soon."
He's fairly certain he heard the older man snort even as the line cut off.
Well… that was humiliating.
Breathing deeply, the hero wishes miserably he'd listened to Yu.
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.
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"You took on an intern?"
The wooden hero frowns, glancing over only to find Edgeshot moving beside him. He jumps, flinching back, and nearly misses his next swing before quickly overcorrecting and sending the ninja hero a look.
Edgeshot just smiles, crinkling his one exposed eye.
"I heard from Takeyama-chan!"
He blushes. Yu… She'd been rather put out with him ever since... well, ever since he'd caved to pressure (and she didn't even know the rest of it). Enough so that he'd received a week of very short messages that they were only now just managing to work past.
He wonders, not for the first time, if Hoki Rin was going to be the end of him. Career, relationships, opportunities...
"Ah… Yes."
"Were you not planning on introducing her?" the Ninja hero asks. He unravels and then reappears, face strangely… disappointed.
Nishiya swallows.
"She's a little…" Volatile was probably the word for it. Or maybe socially inept.
He'd never seen anyone flub up a conversation even half as spectacularly as this kid—and he was half-convinced she was trying, because how could someone honestly be that bad?
Hadn't she interned with Present Mic?
In one of his—lesser—moments, he'd actually called up one of his contacts, a mouse-heteromorphic woman who he knew had worked closely with the voice hero, just to check. Except, the woman's recollection only left him with even more questions.
"Oh, Rin-chan? Oh, I remember her! Oh, she was the sweetest, quietest little thing! Have you met her? Oh, I could just take that sweet baby home and love on her forever!"
He'd blinked, clearly certain there was no way they were talking about the same kid.
"Hoki Rin?" he'd repeated, just to be sure.
"Dark hair?" the mouse-woman had squeaked. "Dark eyes? Lots of little scars all over her arms and neck? Poor dear, Hizashi-kun never said where they came from, but we were careful not to ask. She was so shy, just getting her to step out from behind his legs was a task! Not that he brought her to the studio often—no, took the whole week off and then the weekend to watch her. You know he's got a little picture on his desk? His fiancé and her, it's really quite adorable!"
He twists, managing to land, and Edgeshot is there, eyes curiously taking him in.
"We're still learning each other," he says instead, thankfully garnering a nod of acceptance.
"That's understandable, you've only been her mentor for what, a week?"
Eight days, he admits to himself, shrugging noncommittally at his own mentor's curiosity.
Now if only he could figure her out himself.
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It's almost two weeks in when he finally sees a spark that gives him hope.
It's not his training, not even close—since every time she looks into a camera, it's like they white out every scrap of tips and training he's hounded at in every spare moment. No, it's her hero name.
"Nova is my promise," she says quietly. Like she was sharing some powerful secret with a world that she was just waiting to glance up. "I'll be a hero who shines brightly and protects others."
It was the most honest he'd ever seen her.
So when the call had come, he'd answered automatically, mind still processing the rare show of openness.
"Mount Lady is in need of assistance-"
He hadn't needed anymore.
"Nova, with me. Excuse us."
Then the fight that had followed had demonstrated just precisely how honest Eraserhead had been.
He'd never seen her fight—part of that due to his focus on building her visibility and partly because he wasn't sure he could trust a child who gave up so easily at his back. So when the motorcycle horde turned, roaring towards his small, child-like intern like some sort of parade from hell, he'd never been more terrified in his life.
"NOVA! WATCH OUT!"
She was going to die.
He wouldn't make it in time—there was no way—no way for her to fight her way out—no hope-
Only she'd opened her mouth.
It had been the shape of nightmares.
Thick tentacles the size of limbs spill out with licking flames. Snakes split from the ends, twisting themselves into a massive, forked tongue with claws gleaming and shadowy faces screaming.
The screams, the sound of ripping metal, the smell of burning rubber and smoke.
He'd realized only seconds later that she'd melted most of the bikes. It'd been effortless, the way she'd opened her mouth and decimated the horde of villains both he and Mt. Lady had struggled against.
She's one of our most powerful first years with a quirk that could easily propel her into the top fifty…
He was going to have to call Eraserhead back.
He was going to have to reconsider everything.
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Nishiya stares blurrily down at the paperwork the officers had him filling out likely in triplicates. The destruction had been extensive, partly from the bikers, but also from their ensuing battle. To his left, his intern lets out little snores—completely knocked out from the effect of channeling such powerful emotions.
Emotions.
His world is still spinning after the full impact of that settling in.
Those screaming and burning terrors were her emotions.
"When I'm happy, I glow. When I'm angry, I create smoke and a black fire. When I'm scared, I usually make tentacles or claws."
He was going to be having words with his girl when she woke. Smoke, tentacles, claws. That display couldn't—it couldn't be normal emotions. Regular people with safe, regular lives they—they didn't—they couldn't have that kind of hurt.
That was a hurt that resonated—that called to every childhood memory locked in a dark closet and listening to men snarl.
He holds his mask, wishing he was home—wishing he could take it off just so he could feel the cool breeze, his own warm breath stale in his mouth.
How long had they hurt her?
How long had this continued?
Was it still continuing?
His thoughts are a whirl and he tries to focus, tries to jot down the information, because he'd woken his intern twice, and at this rate, he'd probably just end up filling out hers too—when a hot mug of coffee slides beneath his face.
He blinks.
Then, following the drink up, he blinks again at the pale-skinned and unshaven man dressed in a dirty black jumpsuit with long, unkempt hair, a strange scarf, and vibrant yellow goggles.
"Ah…"
"It's coffee," the man offers, his expression half-amused. He sets the cup down in front of him and raises a brow. "Looked like you could use it."
"Oh… I… I don't drink," he stumbles—his exhausted mind still slowly processing the stranger and cup. "But, ah… thank you?"
The stranger just nods, eyes falling away to glance at his intern.
Something sharp and protective rises as the stranger steps closer, his hand outstretched as if to touch his sleeping, defenseless student.
"Oi," he growls, branches already growing threateningly.
It's only the strange, approving glint in the man's eye that gives him pause.
"Who are you?"
"Her guardian," the man says, patting the girl's head. She cracks open an eye, tiredly catching sight of the man, and relaxing completely. Nishiya is surprised at the suddenly peaceful expression he's certain he's never seen during patrol. The dark-haired man just sighs, expression fond as he drags over a chair and reaches for her papers.
"I came since it's well past her shift," the hero—Eraserhead—says with a sour look towards the stack he'd taken. His expression twists into annoyance as he thumbs through the pages, brows furrowing and eyes narrowed. "What exactly is she signing?"
"Damage and Liabilities forms."
Eraserhead's eye twitches.
"Fifty pages of it? Did you tell her to wipe out the block or was this a loss of control?"
Nishiya gives the dark-haired man a sharp look.
"It was a response to a threat."
The underground hero's answering stare is less than impressed.
"Then in the future, I'd appreciate you not putting my child in a position where she feels the only answer is fifty pages worth of destroyed property and liability forms. Rin is perfectly capable of neutralizing threats without this much carnage."
Nishiya's eyes fall on the now snoring kid, and he can't help the deep flush that coats his cheeks.
He'd make an effort to do better by her.
"Yes, ah… Yes, sir."