I remembered when I foolishly believed that I could do the golden week chapters as one massive chapter.

Then I decided it would be split into two chapters; then it became two and a half chapters; then after a really stubborn amount of self-reflection. I realized that I needed three whole chapters.

Three massive chapters to get everything I needed to get across while having better pacing and character development.

This story is a slowburn for a reason.


My Hero Academia Untold: The Fafnir Knight (Remastered Edition)

Saga I: Dusk

Arc III: The Sports Festival

Chapter XXXII: Golden Week Part 2


Thursday Part 2

He was alone once again, surrounded by swirls of shadow.

Izuku had returned; he didn't know how or why, but he was back here again.

Alone and surrounded by that thick encompassing darkness once again with only a lone campfire to keep the darkness at bay. He found himself seated, but at least his mouth was free from the dark mist that had covered it the last time he was here, yet most of his body was still shrouded in darkness.

As his bright emerald eyes adjusted to the dim glow of the light, Izuku moved his head to check his surroundings, looking for what he had seen before in the shadows the last time he had been here. He found nothing of the previous sight with one exception; the Knight in black armor could be seen from the corner of his eyes, marching around the campsite without a sound. Izuku's green eyes continued to follow the Black Knight's endless march, at least until he felt a gentle hand upon his shoulder.

"You may come forward, Sir Knight; it is time for you to speak," spoke a cool, calming voice.

A voice Izuku had heard before when he had come here the first time, yet he tried to remain focused on the Black Knight who continued his patrol around the camp. The Black Knight would continue his march until coming to a halt and turning to face them. Izuku couldn't help but jump when he saw those familiar golden-yellow eyes visible from under his helm.

"Easy there, my dear," the voice said reassuringly, a gloved yellow hand patting his shoulder as Izuku tensed up.

"Do not let fear conquer you, face him and learn." The voice advised before addressing their shadowy guest. "You may come forward."

Upon being granted permission, the Black Knight slowly began to march forward.

Izuku narrowed his eyes as he began to see more and more details of the shadow who wore a set of armor like that of a classical knight. Yet, as this knight drew closer, one detail stood out. The crest design etched into the Black Knight's breastplate looked so familiar.

"Is it really you...my son?" A familiar voice rasped out from the shadowy knight once he reached the edge of the campfire's light. The sad eyes under the black helm began to glow warmly. "You've grown up to become so strong...I'm so proud of you."

"Dad?" Whispered Izuku with his jaw-dropping eyes growing wide from the sheer shock of hearing that voice for the first time in years. "Is that you? How? Why? Just-"

"Love will always find a way, my young successor," the calm voice answered as its owner finally came into Izuku's view. Next to him stood a tall, beautiful woman with dark raven hair, styled like his mother. She garbed in a dark blue costume with a long white cape, smiling confidently towards the Black Knight.

"I will permit your visit, Sir Knight." She added, speaking toward the Black Knight. "However, it must be short, I'm afraid."

"I understand...you have my eternal gratitude, my Lady," the Black Knight answered with a short bow before walking into the campfire's light. The shroud of the surrounding shadows parted from the knight's armor until a familiar costume replaced it. Now donned in the armor of the purest sliver with an emblem of a sword with a dragon wing cross guard pressed against the outline of a kite shield displayed proudly on his breastplate. The Knight sat on the opposite side of the campfire from where Izuku sat. Once comfortable, the Knight removed his helm, revealing the aged face of Hisashi Midoriya with a sad smile and sad eyes looking upon his young son.

"My boy...so good to see you again." The man whispered with the faintness break in his voice that barely suppressed a sob.

"D-Dad-, I-" Izuku tried to speak but instead made to get up from his spot to go and embrace his father, whom he had missed for so long.

"I'm sorry, my dear," the woman interrupted with her hand now firmly gripping Izuku's shoulder to stop him. "To reach out for him now would be dangerous," she gently yet firmly held the rising boy down.

"Perhaps you may embrace one day again, but it is not this day. Forgive me, Sir Knight." She added, turning towards Hisashi with a sad smile and small nod.

"No, you are right, my Lady. I'm corrupted...and I fear it could affect my son, our shared heir...and I have enough of my troubles weighing him down already. I need not risk adding another." Hisashi answered, shaking his head before looking back at Izuku with those sad golden eyes as the campfire's light reflected off of them. Hisashi looked behind him, out of Izuku's line of sight, before turning back to his son with a sigh.

The shadows that swirled around the campfire began to move even faster.

"I don't have much time...so I'll skip to the most important things I have to say. First...I'm so sorry, my son." His voice began to break again as black tears ran down his pale, freckled face. "I'm so sorry for leaving you and your mother...I'm so sorry for placing such a terrible burden on your shoulders...I'm so sorry for leaving you with such a legacy that weighs you down just like I always feared it would. Karma truly is a cruel mistress."

Izuku found his voice to call out for him, wanting, pleading that he was real. "Dad! I-I know the truth! I know it wasn't your fault about what happened six years ago! I know it was just a lie! I know it wasn't your fault! ALL MIGHT TOLD ME!"

"Hold firm, Izuku!" The woman called out, holding him as the shadows attempted to wrap around him. "We can't let you get swallowed by the darkness! You need to stay calm and focused."

"No," said Hisashi as he shook his head again with a sad smile as the shadows began wrapping around his armored body, slowly trying to pull him away. "No, my son...the burden I'm talking about...was due to my own follies in life...because I was a coward...and allowed good people to become lost. People I failed to save."

Hisashi held a clenched fist to his chest. "And now I've been damned...like I deserve to be."

"What you do mean, dad!? I can't accept that! Please! Let me know how I can help you!" Izuku pleaded, struggling with the woman's grip, and reached out for his father. Trying desperately to grab him, wanting more time with him.

Hisashi shook his head again.

"Please let me go!" Izuku pleaded toward the woman, who continued to hold him with one arm while the other focused on the campfire.

"I cannot do that, Izuku!" She answered him; despite being so close physically, her voice sounded distant.

"I'm beyond help, my son," Hisashi answered with a sad smile as the shadows began staining his armor black again, leaving silvers of sliver-gray. "But there is still hope...for those lost souls to be saved...Oh, my dear son...Those good people who have lost their way...because of me...I'm so selfish to ask this of you...but could you please save them?"

Hisashi pleaded, bowing his head towards his son.

"My son, Izuku, I beg you... save them...before it's too late...before he..." the shadows yanked him from the light as they started to wrap around his head.

"Who, Dad!? Who do I need to save? Who do I need to beware of?!" Izuku pleaded as he struggled, tears running down his face as he saw his father swallowed up by the darkness and out of sight.

The last word Izuku heard from his father's mouth was. "...King."

For a moment, Izuku simply sat there with the woman still wrapped around him, shadows violently swirling like hurricane winds, until he saw him. Another armored knight in jet black armor with the faint hints of sliver accents, lunging at him with angry golden-yellow eyes wielding a shadowy black lance.

Yet before the lance could pierce Izuku's heart, he saw upon the knight's helm...a feathered crown.

Izuku's eyes snapped open as he awoke, a rough gasp tearing from his throat, his vision blurred from the tears that had welled up and started running down his freckled cheeks. His eyes darted around, spotting the clock that read 5:12 am, with the window's skyline starting to brighten as the sun rose that morning.

"Papa? Are you sad?" Asked a small worried voice to his side.

Izuku wiped the tears from his eyes and turned to see the scared face of Eri standing next to him in her white pajamas. She held the bunny plush she had gotten from her participation in the TV show tightly.

"You made...scary noises...and Mama isn't here," She squeezed the bunny. "I didn't know what to do..."

"Oh...Eri...I'm sorry...I.."

Izuku wasn't sure how to answer.

It wasn't exactly a nightmare until the end, but it wasn't a good dream from the beginning either. Izuku felt horrible for Eri. He was the pillar of strength that she had come to rely on, and with Ochako having gone back to her apartment to do her regular upkeep and laundry. Eri had been left alone to watch her father figure have a nightmare of his own.

The worst part was that Eri might not have seemed confident to go get Inko.

"I...I was just dreaming about my dad..."

Eri looked down, seemingly a little confused on how to answer. Still, even without knowing the words, she knew that her father figure was in the same pain she had felt before. She only knew one way to fix a tiny hop of determination that seemed to mirror Ochako's trademark arm pump. Eri wordlessly moved to climb unto Izuku's bed, giving the biggest hug she could muster despite the bunny plush between them.

"I just want Papa to feel better, like how you and mama make me feel." She said quietly as she nuzzled closer to him.

Izuku smiled when he realized that Eri was trying to repay the favor for all the times he or Ochako had comforted her after a nightmare. The young dragon settled back into bed without a second thought, giving Eri a quick kiss on her horn and whispered in her ear.

"Thank you, Eri."

Eri simply nodded before drifting back off to sleep. At the same time, Izuku remained awake, staring at the ceiling, thinking hard about his Dream? Nightmare? Premonition?

'It was a lot like the dream I had after the USJ...but dad wasn't in that one.' Izuku frowned, 'it felt so...real...I felt everything, even all of the emotions swirling; those emotions that weren't mine.'

Ever since the USJ, whenever Izuku pushed the upper limits of his power, he would occasionally feel odd. It was as if he couldn't push himself beyond forty percent of his known output. As if something beyond his control was forcibly limiting his powers.

'What was it they said to me last time?' Izuku thought as he struggled to remember the last dream like this.

"He is the last of us. One For All would be too strong from here on in."

"Our powers will keep the beast at bay, but at a cost."

"We will continue to let the Dragon roam free, releasing the Beast only when needed."

"You got that, little man? We'll keep the bad part of you at bay, but you can't get our powers now."

"In time, he will understand."

"For now, my lad. It is time for you to go. We will be seeing you again soon."

Izuku's eyes grew wide as he remembered one voice in particular.

"I heard All Might...No…I saw All Might..." He whispered to himself as he remembered the silhouettes, including one that resembled All Might in his skinny form. 'When I get back to UA...I'll ask him about it.'

With that, Izuku yawned, now calmed thanks to Eri though his body still desired to rest just a bit longer. So he wrapped his own arms around the unicorn child and closed his eyes, drifting back into a peaceful sleep.


Hitoshi laid peacefully with his eyes closed until gentle movements began to stir him awake. His body felt heavy and stiff, especially around his neck, yet whatever he was lying on was very soft, comfortable, and, oddly enough, relaxing for him.

'What...is this?' He wondered. It was different from what he was used to; nothing like his bed at home or the cots at the nurse's office that he had gotten used to since training started. Whatever he was laying on, it felt great, and a part of him hoped he could sleep longer, given just how much his body ached at the moment. Suddenly he felt the gentlest brush of his hair as he slowly regained his senses. Yet, those same gentle brushes seemed to only relax him and entice him back into slumber.

Yet, no matter how tempting it was, his drive urged him to wake up; after all, he was still training, so he couldn't afford to be lazy.

'What time is it?' He thought as he tried to open his eyes and ears. Hitoshi could hear the faint sounds of both the air conditioner and computer monitors. Even with his eyes closed, he knew that he was in a room with either the lights off or dimmed down, but then again, it could just be nighttime for all he knew. After a few moments of focus, Hitoshi slowly managed to open his eyes ever so slightly, finding himself in what appeared to be the observation room for their training site.

'Site Omega?' He questioned as he moved his pupils along the slits of his eyes toward the faint lights in the distance where he could see the familiar landmarks of Site Omega on the monitors.

'So I'm still at UA...but why am I here?' He wondered as he rattled his brain for answers to this little mystery. Then he felt that gentle, alluring brush of his hair again. His pupils moved to look up, and through the narrow slits of his eyes, he found Reiko Yanagi towering above him with a smattering of bruises on her guilt-riddled face. Judging from his current position...he must have been lying on her lap at the moment, raising a lot of questions for the young man.

'Yanagi, why?'

While he pondered his position, he heard the door slide open a few feet away with a set of heavy footsteps coming into the room.

"How's he doing?" He heard the hushed voice of Alex ask as his outline walked across the room, carrying something in his arms and placing it on the table nearby.

"Still out," Reiko answered silently, making Alex chuckle lightly. "What is so funny?"

"Nothing...just a little jealous right now."

"Hey...No English. You know we're still learning."

"I said, how are you going to eat lunch with him on your lap?" Alex retorted, amusement clear in his voice as he drew up a chair to sit closer to them. "I mean, heheh, I offered to go get some pillows from the nurse's office or even have Mikami offer her lap when she was here. But your the one who insisted after Recovery Girl was finished with him."

"Where's Mikami now?" Reiko asked, trying to deflect the conversation away from Alex's implications.

"It's midday, so she's gone home for the day," Alex answered, pulling out his phone to remind Reiko of the time. "I gave her lunch and paid her for the side work I commissioned her."

"Those interviews she did for us?"

"Nah, she'll be doing that all year for everyone in the hero course. But I convinced her that you two will become Hero Course students eventually, so that's why she did the interviews on you guys earlier than anyone else. No, I gave her a few copies of various training logs to edit and condense into a montage for guys to study over. Given that's not part of her punishment, my limited time and lack of editing skills. I'd say it's a good investment for you guys."

Reiko looked away with skepticism, "You seem confident that we'll actually move up."

"I am confident," said Alex firmly with a proud smile while rubbing his shoulder with a slight wince. "You two pulled a fast one with that combo move, less than a week, and I've already had to change my tactics fighting both of you -twice! Keep it up, and you'll be more than level with the Hero Course."

"We had to adapt...that's what you taught us, but is it really enough? I mean, we didn't beat you...and using that super move felt a bit much..." She added, gently brushing Hitoshi's hair again until she felt a gentle hand pat her own head.

"If you had beaten me this early...then I'd be the one in real trouble," Alex chuckled. Hitoshi could see the blue glow from Alex's eyes narrow slightly in the dim light as though he was grinning. "I do feel a bit guilty for using my Blitz attack on you guys...though I didn't expect Shinsou to shield you. Even after the beating, I had already laid it out on him. Yet the homeboy still had some fight in him, and I have to give him kudos for that."

Alex really couldn't help but praise the two for their progress.

"You've both made massive improvements in your techniques, teamwork, and stamina," said Alex warmly as he leaned forward.

"Both of you not only picked up on new ways to use your quirks, but you also managed to force me into a corner today during our daily spar. It took six," The American thoughtfully recounted on his fingers. "Okay, five if you don't count the tall kid I knocked out of 1-A students to get me to that point during the bomb training. While it only took two of you to get to use one of my super moves for me to pull a win out of my ass. Be proud of that because I am of both of you, keep it up, and I know you will be in the Hero Course."

Alex proceeded to look down directly at Hitoshi's barely opened eyes with a shit-eating grin.

"You can get up now, Shinsou; I saw your eyes moving. It's lunchtime, and we still have our second half of training to do. I know laying down on a cute girl's lap is just a pipe dream for losers like me, but I'm afraid I have to interrupt to let the lass eat right."

Alex pulled away with a laugh as Reiko froze with a squeak turning an odd mix of pale and red. While Hitoshi's eyes opened wide up, surprised by his mentor's observational skills. The two remained unable to move by their collective embarrassment.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on who you asked, Alex's solution was both simple...if not a tiny bit cruel.

"And the Lord said, 'Let there be light!"

Click

The lights came to life as Alex flicked the lights to their max, blinding the two reclusive teens with the bright white light.

"GAH!" The two exclaimed as they moved to shield their eyes. Hitoshi accidentally rolled off from Reiko's lap and onto the floor with a painful grunt.

"And it was good!" Alex finished up with an evil-sounding laugh.

"Now! As much as I have enjoyed my share of shipping fuel for the day, we still got work to do!" Alex proclaimed as he moved to get seated at the table with three fancy Bento Boxes he had bought for lunch today. "I've extended our lunchtime to account for your recovery, but we still have a lot to cover today so let's chow down already!"

"I'm going to kill him," Hitoshi muttered as a red-faced Reiko helped him up.

"We are going kill him," Reiko corrected him with slightly gritted teeth.

"I've already met Death, and she doesn't want my ugly ass yet!" Alex mocked, leaning on his seat with his legs propped on the table, already stuffing his mouth. "Now come on! Hurry up, or I will eat your shares too!"

"The hell you will!" The two liaisons responded in unison with the very little English they had managed to learn as they made their way to the table; Alex roared with laughter.


Kyouka Jirou took in the dazzling lights and cheery sounds as the local park opened up its annual Golden Week festival. Vendors filled out the different areas of the park for their wares. While it had opened during the midday, its zenith was at dusk. That's when the real entertainment would kick off with a local Cheer Squad* routine when it was officially night.

She considered what to do as she moved away from her parents, or more accurately, from her father's rather embarrassing habits during events like these. She would meet up with them later, maybe during the Cheer Squad event in roughly an hour or so, which should leave her enough time to enjoy some of the attractions alone.

Or so she thought.

"Get ya, sweets, here! Candied apples! Cotton candy and shaved ice!" Called out a vendor waving from one of the stands as a line formed.

"Yakitori, Ikayaki and Shioyaki here!" Called out a lady with three helpers who each manned a grill with their respective food items.

"Take yer chance to show ya girl -or man how mighty you are!" Called another vendor to the crowd with an All Might-themed High-Striker, complete with a colored themed mallet and bell. "Win a prize if you're as strong as All Might!"

Kyouka laughed. Having the World's Symbol of Peace as your teacher helps place a lot of things into perspective, and she knew by now that quite a few of her classmates should be able to win that game with ease. 'I'm sure someone like Satou or Kirishima could ring that bell easily. It's all how you sell it, I suppose.'

Kyouka stood by for a little while, watching various people try their hand at the High-Striker.

SLAM!

"You need more training, young Hero!" Said the automated voice of All Might to the dismay of a young man with an All Might hoodie accompanied by a pink-haired pregnant woman with a white gauze eye patch over her left eye, as the puck only went up a foot or two off from its base.

"Sorry, friend!" Said the High-Striker's operator with an understanding smile as he took the mallet off the young man's hands.

"Guess retirement's made me a little too scrawny," Kyouka overheard the young man say with a sigh, much to the soft laughter of his companion. "Sorry, Kazuho."

"It's not like I asked for a plush, Koichi," the young woman said with a playful push. "Come, let's get some food; I'm getting hungry again."

Kyouka continued watching various others try their hand at the High-Striker, with only a couple who actually managed to ring the bell and claim their prizes. Kyouka was about to move on until the next participant came to the plate. One of the tallest women she had ever seen. What really surprised her was that the newcomer appeared to be an older middle-aged woman. Yet, she easily picked up the sizeable, heavy-looking mallet.

'Now, this might be interesting...'

"It's been a while since I've last done something like this, so let's give it a shot!" The lady exclaimed as she positioned herself in front of the machine.

"Takuya, sweetie, could you take a step back, please?" She asked a young boy who Kyouka assumed to be her son or grandson, though, given the amount of gray mixed with her lavender hair, the latter seemed more likely. The boy quickly nodded and stepped back as the woman lifted the mallet overhead before slamming it down upon the lever sending the puck flying.

SLAM!

RIN-REEEECK!

'HOLY SHIT!' Kyouka's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets out of surprise. She watched the puck fly with such velocity that it jammed itself into the bell, leaving it stuck there. The machine let out various sounds and colors of victory.

"You might just be as strong as me! HAHAHAHA!"

"Oops! Sorry about that! Well, it's better than last time; no one has to worry about a flying bell or puck landing on anyone this time!" The woman cheerfully said as she handed the mallet back to the distraught operator and proceeded to claim the large plush toy of a Dragon as her prize and gave it to the child.

"Now, let's see what else we can do!"

'That was awesome, but also scary as hell,' Kyouka thought as she watched the woman and child disappear into the crowd. At the same time, the poor vendors quickly set up an out-of-order sign and got to work on fixing the game as quickly as possible. She shook her head with a small laugh and continued towards other stands where she knew she would have better luck.

'Maybe dad would like a new goldfish.' She thought as she walked past one of the many scooping stands. She had gotten her dad's current pet goldfish last year and had worried about it being too lonely in its relatively large tank. 'Now's a good time as any to find Kinro a friend.'

The scooping stands featured various kinds of prizes depending on the stands. They ranged from toys to aquatic pets popular with young children who would try their hands at the cheap prizes. Kyouka waited patiently for her own turn to come up as most kids only had enough pocket money for a handful of tries at best.

As she waited, however, an unexpected surprise arrived in the form of a question.

"Denki, can you help me catch a fish, please?" Asked a high-pitched voice of a young girl innocently.

"Huh? Uh, yeah! I'll help ya out, Maki!" Answered a very familiar voice. Kyouka turned around to spot the trademark spiky blond hair of Denki Kaminari at another goldfish scooping stand, kneeling down next to a little girl with bright lavender hair.

'Wait...Kaminari?' Kyouka questioned as she moved away from her spot and got closer to the stall the two were at with a curious expression on her face. 'Who's the kid?' As she looked at the girl, she wondered. 'She looks familiar...but from where?'

The girl was a little taller than Eri with bright lavender hair and violet eyes, wearing a dark rich purple yukata. Which contrasted with Denki's far more casual attire of a bright yellow T-Shirt and blue jeans.

"Oops! Man, this is tricky!" Denki laughed as the netting of the scoop broke again, letting the fish escape.

"Welp, I still got money, so let's try again, Maki!" He added as he paid the vendor for a handful of scoops, making Kyouka chuckle at his enthusiasm. Kyouka wasn't much of an expert in goldfish scooping. Still, even from here, she could see that Denki was using too much force when he scooped the fish, causing too much drag, scooping needed to be quick and precise to have the best chance.

"Ah...nuts!" Denki groaned as he broke through his last scoops again. Kyouka couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the two as the girl gave out a sad groan when Denki wasted his ten scoops and decided to step in.

"Need some help Jamming-Whey?"

"Huh?" Denki turned around, and he waved from his spot with a smile. "Oh! Hey, Jirou, long time no see! I didn't realize you were here!"

"I noticed," Kyouka answered, shaking her head with a smirk and taking a knee next to the little girl opposite Denki.

"Hey, there, I'm Kyouka; what's your name?"

The child was a little surprised by Kyouka's presence, but still answered with a wide smile that revealed a couple of missing baby teeth.

"I'm Maki!"

"Well, Maki, do you want me to help? I can see Jamming-Whey here being too heavy-handed with the fish," said Kyouka with a small smile while teasing Denki's efforts.

"Hey! I'm trying here!" Denki exclaimed with a slightly hurt expression as his last scoop broke in the water in mid-catch due to his lack of attention. "GAH!"

Kyouka and Maki both laughed.

"Yes, please!" She answered excitedly, hoping the older girl would be better at catching fish.

"Alright, hey, miss! How much for a set of scoops?"

"500 Yen for 5 scoops, darlin'," the vendor answered with a practiced smile.

"Alright," said Kyouka as she handed the vendor a 1000 Yen bill for 10 scoops. She knew for a fact that many of the scoops were kind of rigged against men. Vendors often gave kids and women scoops with slightly thicker netting. Kyouka made an effort to quickly double-check the ones she received.

'Yep...pretty sure Kaminari got ripped off.'

"Good luck!"

"You got this, Jirou!"

Kyouka turned her attention to the tank filled with dozens of orange-yellow fish and a few odd black ones in the mix. Her eyes scanned around, looking for the perfect fish as she remembered what her mom taught her years ago.

"Wanna help with the bowl, Maki?" Kyouka asked the girl as Denki observed, hoping to learn some tricks.

"Yeah!" Maki answered excitedly, being handed a small ceramic bowl filled with a bit of freshwater to place the fish in when it was caught. She held it steady and waited for fish with a focused, yet adorable expression.

"Heh, now get ready," she added. Kyouka slowly submerged the scoop entirely into the water with the sticky part that held the netting up to catch, hoping to reduce the chances of straining and tearing easily. After a few failed attempts with a few fish to literally test the waters, Kyouka moved in on her target with the sixth scoop, eyeing a particularly lazy swimmer among the school.

'Just a little more...' Kyouka guided the isolated fish towards where the bowl was above the water.

"Now," Kyouka said urgently with a firm flick of her wrist. Lifting the goldfish out of the water and into the bowl. "Got'em!"

"Nice!" Denki exclaimed with an excited grin.

"Yay!" Cheer Maki as she looked at her brand new pet in the bowl.

"Nice job there, miss!" The vendor praised as she proceeded to take the bowl from Maki's hands and, to their surprise, added a couple more before prepping them into a large clear bag.

"And these are for the gentleman's efforts." She added with a hardy good-natured laugh. "Well, ya still got a couple of scoops left there, miss. You ready to try again?"

A few moments later, Kyouka used up the remainder of her scoops without success. Which made the trio leave the stand with the child happily yet carefully carrying her brand new goldfish friends. They varied in size, but the most noticeable one in the bag was the one with black scales that contrasted with the remaining three that had the familiar golden-orange color.

"Thank you, Ms. Kyou!" Said Maki gratefully, looking up at Kyouka in awe, making her blush just a bit.

'This girl's a total sweetheart.'

"Yeah, thanks a lot, Jirou!" Denki praised with a sheepish grin on his face. "Sorry that you ended up not getting a fish for yourself..."

"It's cool. I was actually trying to get one for my dad," Kyouka answered coolly. "But knowing him, he'll try out his own luck later, and my mom will probably end up helping him out."

"Oh, you're here with your folks?" Denki questioned, looking around for anyone who might look like Kyouka's parents.

"Yeah, but we agreed to split up until the Cheer Squad got started up," Kyouka answered with some relief that her parents weren't around. Given her father's tendencies and especially at this moment, if she was seen with a boy around her.

"Oh...Well...if that's the case, you want to come with us and hang out for a bit?" Denki suggested with a slight scratch on his cheek.

"Given that you helped me out, I feel like paying back the favor. I might suck at catching fish, but I'm a decent pitcher." He added, pointing toward one of the other stalls that featured a Ball Tossing game. "Or even some food? Either way, it's my treat!"

Kyouka thought it over for a moment; she had just been wandering around aimlessly before meeting the two here. It wasn't like she had anywhere else to be until the main event. Seeing no harm with hanging out with the boy and the young girl, Kyouka answered with a small smile.

"Eh, why not?"

"Awesome! Let's go!"

The trio went over various stalls for the next half-hour, with varying success if their haul of smaller prizes was any indication. Yet, Kyouka had to admit, while Denki was an idiot through and through. She would also admit she was having a lot of fun with him and Maki. When it was almost time for the Cheer Squad event to begin, the trio rested at a nearby table with snacks that Denki had bought for all of them.

"Is it yummy, Maki?" Denki asked as he munched on a piece of Takoyaki, having bought a large tray for the three to share, along with a couple of drinks and some shaved ice.

"Mhm!" The girl answered with a vigorous nod, mouth full of the tasty dumplings.

"Easy there, Maki," Kyouka warned as she handed Maki a juice bottle, "can't have you choking now, right?"

"Mnmn," Maki shook her head as she grabbed the juice and quickly downed it.

"How about you, Jirou?"

"They're alright," Kyouka answered as she bit into another dumpling while eyeing another stand. They weren't her favorite; preferring to have gotten something like Yakitori or a chocolate banana. Still, she didn't pay for them, so she didn't mind eating them. "Thanks for buying them, though."

Denki's eyes followed Kyouka's, spotting the vendor selling some of the sweeter foods. "Yeah, no problem."

"How's the break treating you?" Kyouka asked now that they had a quiet moment without the hustle and bustle of the games and crowd; Denki grabbed another dumpling and bit into it before answering.

"It's been...boring, to be honest. It mostly just been training and trying to hang out with the guys when I can." He took a quick drink of water before adding, "it's weird, going on a week-long holiday after all the craziness that's happened."

Kyouka nodded; it was more or less the same for her this past week. She had mainly spent her time training and sending the occasional text in the group chat she was a part of with the rest of the girls of 1-A, and even that was a rare occurrence. There was a drive to go back to school just to break the monotony she found herself in that wasn't there before.

"But...today's been great," Denki suddenly spoke up, ruffling some of Maki's hair as she watched her Goldfish with a broad smile. His golden eyes, however, looked at the setting sun. "This is more like what a holiday should be...Fun, you know? Nothing like hanging out with cool people and having a good time to kill your boredom and make you forget about your troubles."

Kyouka paused, surprised by Denki's sudden proclamation as she realized his words rang true. Today had been fun, especially the last hour with the two. Sure, it wasn't her usual type of fun, like jamming out with her various instruments or going to concerts with her folks, but this was still fun. So, she settled on grabbing another dumpling only for her quirk to pick up a buzzing sound coming from Denki.

The blond quickly pulled up his phone and checked it, eyes scanning the text he had received.

"Ah, it's time to meet up with your brother, Maki," Denki said as he got up to start gathering their things off the table.

"Yay! I wanna show him our new friends!" Maki chirped as she finished off the last of her juice and carefully picked up her bag of fish.

"Brother?" Kyouka questioned as she realized that while Maki seemed vaguely familiar to her. The little girl was still a stranger she had never met before. Still, since she seemed perfectly comfortable with Denki, Kyouka didn't pay it any real mind.

"Oh...that's right, I forgot you might not have remembered...Maki here is Kasei's little sister," Denki explained as helped Maki off the bench. "Remember the photo I showed you before? After the USJ?"

Kyouka looked at Maki again as her memories flashed in her mind's eye. The photo of Ryu with three other children came back quickly once Denki reminded her. 'Oh! That's why she seemed familiar!'

"Ah...that answers a lot...so does that mean you guys are heading out?" Kyouka asked as she helped him gather the trash.

"Nope, just going to meet up with the guys for the Cheer Squad event. Kasei and Mineta are waiting for us over by the vendor with the pellet rifles," Denki answered as he helped Maki off the bench. "I know you said you were going to meet up with your folks at the event, too, right?"

"Yeah, but if you're heading the same way, I could tag along and split up once we get there," Kyouka answered as she binned the garage and grabbed her own small bag of prizes. It didn't take them long to find Minoru and Ryu seated nearby with a tired-looking red-headed girl in the latter's arms. The child leaned her head into his shoulder as she hugged a bright pink teddy bear close to her.

"Hey, guys! Are we ready to go?" Denki called out, getting their attention.

"Almost just waiting for Mrs. Doumeki to get here. She's currently in line to get some food," said Minoru before turning his attention to Kyouka. "Didn't expect to see you here, Jirou. I didn't take you as someone who likes to go to places like this."

"It's not, but my folks have been taking me here since I was a kid, and that's probably not going to change until I move out," Kyouka answered with a shrug. "Although I could say the same about you."

"Yeah, not too many single hotties around here," Minoru responded before taking a sip of his cola.

"Normally, I tend to stick to being in my room," the grape boy took another sip. "But I'll take any excuse to get out of the house for the time being. So I took up Kaminari's offer to come here with Kasei's family."

"I've been trying to get us to hang out all week, but something or other would hold us until now," Denki interjected with a laugh. "Today's the only day we could make it happen since I'm going to be busy working at my uncle's shop for the next few days."

The two boys laughed as Kyouka's attention turned to the tallest among them. Ryu was busy with the girls as Maki was focused on showing off her new pets to her siblings.

"Ryu! Sachi! Look, I got some new friends!" She exclaimed as she gently lifted the bag as high as she could for them to see.

"Ooooh, look, Sachi," answered Ryu with a soft smile leaning forward to let the little girl get a better look.

"Fishy?" Asked Sachi with a slight yawn as she took a good look at the bag.

"Mhm!" Sachi hummed with an excited nod.

"It's a good thing Michi still has that old fish tank, but you'll need to be careful with them and make sure to keep them well-fed and clean, alright?" Ryu cautioned, wanting to make sure the girl understood that these living creatures and not just toys.

"I will! Michi said she'd help me if I caught any today!"

"Well, they're in good hands then," Ryu answered before turning his attention to Kyouka.

"Thanks for helping Jirou, I've had my hands full with a lot, and I really wanted to make today special for them." He added with a surprisingly polite bow to her, catching her off guard.

"It's cool," Kyouka replied, taking an awkward step back. "Kaminari was being too rough, and Maki's a good kid, so I didn't mind helping out."

"Sorry we're a bit late; my order took a little longer to ma- Oh!" A voice suddenly sprang up behind Kyouka, making her jump with a yelp. "Hello there! I thought I saw you with Kaminari earlier, are you friends with my son, too?"

Kyouka spun around to find the tall woman who had broken the High-Striker earlier with a large tray of bright orange dangos on a stick. Behind her was that same brown-haired boy still carrying the sizeable black Dragon plush while looking at her curiously.

"I-uh-I-u-Imma," Kyouka stammered as Denki answered in her stead.

"She's one of our classmates, Mrs. Doumeki! She found Maki and me trying to catch goldfish and has been hanging out with us since!"

"Y-ye-yeah, that's right..." Kyouka managed to breathe out.

"Ah! Well, it's nice to meet you! I'm Saya Doumeki, Ryu's adopted mother," said Saya introducing herself while offering the tray. "Would you like some Dango? My quirk makes my metabolism burn calories like crazy, so I always have to eat a little more than most people. Which I find a little embarrassing whenever I order food."

"That's an understatement," Ryu commented under his breath. However, Kyouka could pick up his comment thanks to her quirk. As well as the silent giggles from the two girls.

"Umm...No thanks! It's nice to meet you...I'm Kyouka Jirou," Kyouka responded while politely declining the offer of the savory snack. "Kaminari already treated me to eat, so I'm good."

"Ohoho, I see..."Saya teased with a giggle. "I'm glad Kaminari knows how to be a gentleman."

"Wha...?" Questioned Denki with a confused look while Ryu and Minoru both began wheezing with laughter. Kyouka's face burned ever so slightly from Saya's implication. While Saya, however, continued by addressing the remainder of the group.

"If we're not waiting for anything else, let's go! The Cheer Squad is always fun to watch!"

"Alright, let's go, Maki," Ryu answered with a surprising amount of strength and deft, easily swept Maki off her feet and carried both girls in his arms. "I don't want you to miss the show; come on, Taki, stay close to me."

Ryu and his siblings moved toward the park's center, with Saya and Minoru following closely behind them. Denki, however, quickly called out to them.

"Actually, there is something I want to check out!"

"Dude, come on!" Minoru sighed as he threw away his empty cup into a nearby trashcan. "The show's about to start!"

"It'll be quick! I swear!"

Minoru shook his head and followed behind the remainder of the party; Kyouka turned to see where Denki was going. Still, he was quickly swallowed up by the crowd and hidden from view. With nothing else to lose, Kyouka texted her parents and decided to follow behind Ryu's party towards the main event.

The drums rang fiercely as the show began as members of the Cheer Squad called out to the crowd. Kyouka watched from a distance from the rest of Ryu's group to not be an interloper. Her parents were stuck at the nearby Ferris wheel, though according to her father, the view was killer from their current spot.

She watched as Maki cheered from her brother's arms, her eyes full of vigor and cheer. Meanwhile, the previously silent younger brother was chatting away with the elder, pointing at all of the lights and spectacle. Meanwhile, Minoru watched from a tree after Saya helped him up there so he could watch the show better.

"Hey!"* Called the Cheer Squad leader as he led his team members in their dance routine.

"Hey!" The crowd called back with a roar.

Kyouka watched as the stage members and audience called back and forth. It reminded her of when she had decided to become of Pro-Hero, instead of following in her parents' footsteps. Despite their shared passion for music.

"Would the lady like a chocolate banana?" Asked a familiar voice as the chocolate-covered morsel appeared to her left. Kyouka turned to find Denki offering it to her with a bright smile, yet she also spotted a cup of sweetened shaved ice in his other hand.

"I saw you eyeing the sweets stand, and I couldn't decide which one you wanted, so I got both to cover my bases," Denki added as he noticed her looking at the cup.s

"Got it right the first time, Jamming-whey," Kyouka laughed as she accepted the treat from the boy. . "Thanks."

"Nah," Denki waved it off.

"I owed you for helping me out today..." he answered as he turned his attention toward the crowd. "You helped make today pretty awesome."

"I just helped you catch some fish...that's not anything special," Kyouka retorted, slightly annoyed at what she thought was weak flirting.

"You did more than just help me catch fish, Jirou," said Denki with warm eyes. "I never did get a chance to thank you for saving my life back at the USJ."

"What...?"

"Yaomomo told me about how you found that guy with the electric quirk. If you hadn't found that guy in time...I'd probably be six feet under right now," Denki confessed in complete seriousness. "You helping with the fish was just the icing on the cake. You didn't have to help, but you did, and that makes you awesome in my book."

"Well...you're welcome...and when it came to the fish...It helped that Maki is a sweet kid," Kyouka retorted with a slight blush and bit into her chocolate banana. She wasn't fond of bratty kids like some of the obnoxious ones she had seen around the other vendors.

"They're all sweet kids," Denki corrected as he bit into a scoop of his shaved ice; "it just sucks about their situation."

"Situation?" Kyouka questioned with some concern.

"Ah, shit..."

"It's something wrong with them?"

Denki sighed, taking another mouthful of the shaved ice before answering. "I'm not just sure if it's a secret or not, but just in case, keep it between us. I'm sure you noticed that none of them lookalike, right?"

Kyouka turned back to look at the girls in Ryu's arms and the boy with the giant dragon plush, cheering with the festivities. "Kasei's mom mentioned being his adopted mom, right?"

Denki nodded, "but only Kasei's adopted. The other kids are still orphans and live in the same orphanage where Kasei came from."

"Wait...then why?"

"Despite not having a drop of blood shared between them. Kasei loves those kids with everything he's got. I know it broke him to leave them behind. But getting adopted by one of the Chief-Superintendents of the Police Force does help you move up in the world."

Kyouka looked at Denki in disbelief.

"I know!" The black-streaked blond held up his hands.

"I thought the same thing until I met the dude! The guy is HUGE!" Denki responded nervously, "but anyway, I'm getting off track. Kasei's been trying to spend more time with them...going back to visit more often and whatnot."

Denki paused to take another bite of shaved ice.

"So we made a plan, and thanks to Mrs. Doumeki, we all got to come here and try to make today special for them. None of them had ever been to a festival like this before. Yet, we all worked together to spend the one day we could to hang out and give them an enjoyable day, you know?"

"Kind of how we did for Eri, huh?" Said Kyouka as she pondered Denki's words. "When she was at UA with Midoriya and Uraraka."

"Yep," he said with a serene smile forming on his face. "That's why we're trying to be heroes, right? To make a world better for people like them? I know that's why I did."

Kyouka hummed as she watched the family again.

"Yeah...so did I."


Friday

BUZZ!

Overhaul was stirred awake from his slumber as the dimmed lights suddenly turned on while accompanied by the ear-splitting buzzer. He wasn't often able to get some proper sleep, thanks to being strapped uncomfortably onto a hard metal slab with barely any cushioning. The only benefit was that they used sterile sheeting to relieve his hives.

"Ugh," Overhaul groaned as the bright white lights overhead began to burn into his eyes even though they were shut. Meanwhile, his ears picked up on heavy footsteps coming down the hall, getting closer to his cell.

'Is it time for my escape?'

He thought, knowing that tomorrow would be the day that he was supposed to be taken to Tartarus: Japan's most notorious prison reserved for the most fiendish and most powerful supervillains. Overhaul shook his head, trying to have his vision restore itself, slowly adjusting to current light levels. If it was his rescue party, he needed to be ready.

"Leave us here, but remain by the entranceway." Overhaul could hear a deep voice say from behind the heavy metal door.

"Umm, Sir?" He heard someone else say if Overhaul had to guess, one of the two guards was at his door twenty-four hours a day.

"We will not be long. I simply have a few questions and some paperwork for the man inside, and besides, I will not be going in alone." The deep voice answered again, and after a few moments of what he suspected was hesitation, two sets of lighter footsteps began walking away from his cell.

"Ippongi, raise his bed upright and open the door." He heard the deep voice order out.

"Yes, sir." Another firm voice responded as Overhaul suddenly felt the bed he was strapped on stir, moving itself to prop him up with a groan and a hum of the machinery inside. The man tried to struggle free from his bonds, hoping that this was the chance of his escape that Tomura had set up. That hope, however, was quickly dashed upon seeing who was actually visiting him.

The large, heavy door opened up, and two men stepped in: one was a giant of a man with a scarred face, despite his well-built body. However, he seemed beyond middle age if the many gray strands in his black hair were any indication. He was followed by a shorter, younger man with dark red hair and a firm athletic build. Both wore navy blue SWAT utility uniforms without armor, but both were still armed.

The giant with a large sliver revolver by his hip and the younger man with a more routine semi-automatic.

The giant carried a large briefcase that looked small in its owner's hands, moving toward the center of the drab cell room. In contrast, the young officer moved to drag a desk and chair propped against the wall of his cell and toward the direction of his superior. It was typically reserved for the medical staff who routinely checked his vitals.

Still, today it would serve a different purpose.

Once the table was set, the younger officer returned to the entrance standing stiffly with his hands behind his back, face like stone. The giant, however, placed his briefcase on the table and opened it with a heavy click. Slowly began pulling out a few sheets of paper and a thin white tube that Overhaul recognized immediately.

'An EQ pen...'

"My name," the giant finally spoke up as he took a seat at the table, planting his elbows against the table with his hands under his chin. "Is Kai Doumeki. I am the Chief-Superintendent of the Kanto Regional Police Department. For the last couple of weeks, you have been in holding here at my personal Headquarters in Musutafu."

Overhaul's eyes narrowed but remained silent in defiance.

The long history of the Yakuza and the Police spanned for literal centuries, even in the time before quirks. As such, Overhaul refused to even acknowledge the leader of this unit. He would not entertain the thought of answering any question or admitting any guilt over his efforts to cure the world of the plague that afflicts it.

"I am here to finish up your personal paperwork as required by law for your transfer." Kai continued ignoring the glare he was getting. At the same time, his tone remained light and casual, as if he were talking about the weather.

"Now, I like to think of myself as a civil man," Kai added, pulling out a piece of paper with the forms he needed and a dark blue fountain pen, arranging the items meticulously. "And I'm sure you, being part of such an illustrious organization, would consider yourself to be the epitome of civility."

Overhaul's face remained as it was from the beginning: stony and silent, mirroring the younger officer by the entrance.

"So your cooperation would be greatly appreciated." Kai finished removing the top of the pen and testing it out on a piece of scratch paper before he started to fill in the details on the form. "It's quite simple, I ask some questions, and you answer them."

"I'm not talking." Overhaul spoke up.

"Your name, please?" Kai proceeded to ask as he ignored Overhaul's answer with a slight smirk.

"Go to hell."

"Kai Chisaki," Kai answered lazily, filling in the answer, making Overhaul's body twitch as the cop ignored him. He had a chuckle to himself. Phonetically they shared the same name, but the Kanji led them to have different meanings. "Age?"

Overhaul remained silent, yet his anger was already coming to a dangerous boil.

"Twenty-Nine, I thank you for your operation so far," Kai answered for him again in the same lazy tone as he filled out the question as if the man as answered. Overhaul was never one to be in a good mood, but this was his breaking point between everything that had happened to him. He refused to be humiliated by whom he saw as nothing more than a pig.

"Date of birth?"

Overhaul's shot the policeman a glare so full of malice and hatred; it could fit the very definition of 'if looks could kill.'

"May 23rd of 205 QE," Kai answered as he wrote down the answer. "Your Father's na-"

"SHUT UP!" Overhaul snapped, struggling against his restraints wishing with every fiber of his being to obliterate the man in front of him and everything he held dear. "I WILL NOT BE MADE A PARIAH BY THE LIKES OF YOU!"

"SPEAK WHEN SPOK-" The guard at the entrance barked out, coming to attention but stopping the moment Kai raised his hand, cutting him off.

"My, my, my, Mr. Chisaki, what has you so worked up?" Kai asked in that same drawl tone with the slightest edge of sarcasm that was beginning to drive Overhaul insane. "You've been so cooperative thus far...so why the sudden change of heart?"

"YOU! YOU CLEARLY HAVE THE ANSWERS YOU NEED! YOU HAVE NO NEED TO BOTHER ME!" Overhaul spat out, his voice already getting hoarse.

"Ah yes," Kai said ever so casually with a nod.

"Being strapped to a bed and being asked simple questions must be so humiliating indeed! Certainly nowhere near as humiliating as being defeated by a bunch of first-year Hero Course students!" Kai added with a simple gesture of his hand. "Or losing most of your men to a single attacker! Or how about having all of your territory being taken by all the other Yakuza in a free-for-all! The Cardinal Kings send their regards by the way."

Overhaul froze, no longer being able to hide his emotions.

'My...territory is being taken?! Shigaraki was supposed to...'

"Ah...I see that you didn't know. Good, very good that the news didn't leak to you; I should give all my guards a pay raise." Kai commented with a false tone of wonderment before turning back to ask his subordinate. "Right, Ippongi?"

"Indeed, sir," the officer now known as Ippongi, answered smartly.

"GAH! BEGONE FROM MY SIGHT FILTH!" Overhaul roared, voice growing hoarser as he struggled hard against his bindings. "I WILL NOT STAND TO BE TREATED LIKE THIS! YOU WOULD NOT BE SPEAKING TO ME LIKE THIS IF I WAS FREE AND STANDING ON EVEN GROUND!"

Kai hummed with the same bored expression on his face.

"You know what? You're right...I don't need you for the basic answers," Kai followed up again by going back to ignoring the frenzied Yakuza boss amd filling out the remainder of the form without any prompt. "So instead, let us turn to the real questions I have for you."

As Kai finished filling out the remainder of the paperwork; he looked up at Overhaul with his own glare of pure hatred on his face. Overhaul actually recoiled from the man's intense staredown, almost feeling the man's anger radiating from him. Even the temperature of the room seemed to grow cold just from those icy dark eyes.

"You complain of being humiliated." Kai started off, rising from his seat, his voice now cold instead of the earlier drawl. He smoothly grabbed the white tube from the table and uncapped it as he rose up.

"You complain of being a pariah and demanding to be free of wanting to fight on," he held up the tube. "'Even Ground,' you say? Tell me, was fighting a six-year-old girl that hard? Was she such a threat that you felt the need to strap her down when you did your gods-forsaken experiments on her?! Did you ever spare that girl any mercy?!"

Overhaul froze as Kai grew closer to them with the EQ Pen.

"I was finally given the girl's case files to read over," Kai continued as he got closer. "Eri, I believe is her name?"

Overhaul's mouth went dry almost in an instant.

"That report was one of the most disturbing things I have ever...EVER had the displeasure of reading in all of my life," said Kai as he now stood right in front of the Yakuza boss, voice turning into a deathly whisper. "I saw the chair you strapped her in. I read about your plans, your...effort to cure humanity of quirks. Yet you need to stoop that low to do it?"

Kai stopped right in front of Overhaul. "Now I ask you again...did you ever spare mercy to her? When she screamed?! When she cried?! A child of six years?! WELL?! SPEAK UP THEN, BOY!"

Overhaul couldn't find his voice; the chief's tone reminded him of his former master. Like a grandfather ready to strike down a disobedient grandchild. Kai grabbed Overhaul's hair violently and yanked his head back as he stabbed him with the EQ pen, injecting the quirk suppressant drug into his bloodstream.

"NO ANSWER, EH?! You were so worried about your pride; when you've already forgotten about your very humanity! You said you want to speak on even ground?! VERY WELL!" Kai exclaimed as he released Overhaul from his bonds and ripped the IV as Overhaul fell out of his bed frame, slamming against the floor. Overhaul was still in shock and pain from both the injection and the hives that broke out on his skin when Kai took hold of him. He struggled to move, but Kai was ready for him.

"UP!" Kai ordered as he grabbed the man from the floor by his shirt collar and forced him up to his feet. Overhaul rebounded and grabbed Kai's face with his ungloved hand. There was a brief pause as he had already forgotten about the EQ pen effects in his instinctive move to defend himself.

SLAM!

"URGK!" Overhaul was forced to bend forward as Kai's giant fist rammed right in the center of his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Knees buckling from the pain, as Kai's hand moved from his stomach to his neck in a flash.

"COME THEN! You're a young man! Surely you don't need your quirk to take care of me?!" Kai roared as he forced the Yakuza boss back up. Only for Overhaul to lean back, trying to protect himself with his hands as Kai spent the next few minutes literally beating a lesson into the man.

The guard by the doorway remained unflinching as he stood there silently.

"You...needed an edge...you pig..." Overhaul was able to breathe out as Kai drew back his fist. "Using a strength quirk...to fight someone unarmed."

For once during the whole ordeal, Kai actually had a full smile that only made Overhaul go cold.

"I'm quirkless, and it was you simply asked to stand with me on even ground...I could have just beaten you senselessly bound up, and you could have killed me instantly with your quirk. So I say this is quite even ground...which is more than you ever gave that little girl."

Those words quickly silenced Overhaul's attempt at mockery before Kai restarted to pummel the Yakuza boss. The smile faded from his face as he went back to business. As Overhaul was slammed down onto the floor again, all the Yakuza boss could do as the beating continued was ball himself up to stop himself from breaking. Desperate to stop himself from screaming out, until at last, he could take no more.

"ENOUGH! STOP! PLEASE!" Overhaul finally cried out, looking up at the giant who stopped with his fist half-raised the instant he did, only for Kai to look down on him.

"No," he answered as the fist came down like a hammer upon an anvil once again.

"I want you to remember this pain! This fear! Like the trauma, you inflicted on a child who couldn't defend herself!" Kai spat out as he straightened up to find Overhaul shaking and crying in the fetal position, bruised almost everywhere on his body save for his arms and face.

However, Kai wasn't finished with him as he began rolling up his long sleeves for his second wind.

"But as you can see, I am no child, just an old man who could still beat your punk ass!" He roared out, proceeding to continue his lecture, every word punctuated with every hit. It was half an hour when Kai was finished as he spoke with a cold calmness. "Pathetic, not so tough without your quirk, so much for your plans to use those quirk-destroying bullets. Though it would have been the height of hypocrisy if you never planned to use them on yourself."

Overhaul looked up with tears, adrenaline pumping out of fear. He recoiled as Kai took a knee and grabbed him by the cuff of his shirt.

"I want you to remember this," Kai warned with a low growl.

"Should you by some miracle ever manage to escape and even think of chasing that girl and her caretakers again. I want you to remember today; what it was like to feel this helpless and this terrified," he held the beaten man close."And I want you to think...would it really be worth it to relive this again? Of the pain that wouldn't stop even when you begged?"

Kai lowered his graze for just a moment until he looked back at Overhaul's eye with a dull look.

"But maybe...I should just do us both a favor," said Kai as he forced Overhaul back on his feet one last time and dragged him back to his bed frame, putting him back under lock and key once again. When Overhaul was secured, the IV was re-hooked with quirk suppressant medications flowing into his bloodstream once again. Kai drew that large silver revolver out from its holster and inspected it, clearly showing that all six chambers were loaded from the back of the cylinder.

Once Kai was satisfied, he placed the barrel on Overhaul's forehead.

The Yakuza Lord could feel the cold steel of the magnum revolver's barrel placed upon his head, pushing his head against the metallic frame behind him. Knowing that one shot at this range would efficiently serve as a first-class ticket to the next life. The look on Kai's face showed no signs of pleasure or joy in these actions, only that same cold fury from when he admitted to learning about Eri.

"Maybe I should just end you here and now." Kai wondered aloud, hand ultimately still as Overhaul tried to return to being stoic and defiant.

However, between the pain, the silent sniffs, his ragged breath, and the realization that Tomura was lying to him. Overhaul knew once he had the gun placed upon his head by one of the top brass in the Police. They could easily make him disappear from the pages of history as they did to The Emperor of Darkness. Any hope Overhaul ever had was slipping away, turning into complete despair.

'All my work...for nothing...all of my efforts...meant...nothing.'

Kai drew back the hammer of his gun with his thumb with a very audible click that echoed louder thanks to the painful silence in the room.

"I've been a corrupt man for many years," Kai confessed with that same glare. "I sold my soul to the Devil a very long time ago, so I know that I have my own spot in Hell waiting for me when I die. So killing you wouldn't make much difference in my ultimate fate, but it would easily make the world a much better, safer place if I simply send you home now."

Overhaul clenched his teeth as he shut his eyes, waiting for the hammer to literally drop and spirit him away.

"Yes...I could make sure you never harm anyone again with a simple pull of the trigger." Said Kai as he forced Overhaul's head up to look him right in the eyes with the gun's barrel. "So, you can go on ahead and save me a spot, right?"

At that moment, Kai pulled the trigger. The hammer came down and-Chink!

Nothing happened as the hammer struck the firing pin. Overhaul's eyes snapped open as he unintentionally breathed a massive sigh of relief, heart racing a mile a minute. He stared at those cold dark eyes that still stared right back at him, unblinking and full of hatred.

"You're not worth wasting a bullet," Kai admitted pulling back the revolver from Overhaul's forehead. He opened the cylinder again to reveal that all six bullets had already been spent earlier.

"Sending you to oblivion now would have been the truest mercy I refuse to grant you. I will not make you a martyr for others like you." Said Kai as he holstered his gun back on his hip. "No, I think I would rather see you rot from the inside out as your time in this world moves slowly, memories of you fading until you have been long forgotten. Alive only to see life moving on without you. From a grand Yakuza boss to being a nobody who spends the rest of his long boring life alone in isolation. Any last shred of hope you had of being free beyond your reach."

"Ippongi, if you will," said Kai as his voice returned to a drawl again. He turned his heel to gather his things from the table.

"Sir!" The guard called out as he moved from his spot at the entrance to move the table and chair back into their original locations in the room.

"Tomorrow, I will personally oversee the operation to send you to Tartarus," said Kai by the cell entrance while patting the gun on his hip. "And if I so much get an iota of an attempt to break you free during the operation. I will personally blow your brains out before I let that happen. I still happen to be quite the crack shot, and I'll make sure not to miss."

And with that, Kai Doumeki and his subordinate left Overhaul to stew in his thoughts, allowing him to wallow in the knowledge that he was screwed one way or the other.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Ippongi." Kai sighed once they were out of earshot from the guards. Who are retaken their place in front of Overhaul's cell and heading up towards the general offices.

"No sir," Ippongi responded. "There was no need...Had I'd been in your shoes...I think I would have just pulled the trigger without thinking of the consequences if I'm being honest."

Kai hummed with a nod. "I still find it foolish not to simply execute the man instead of risking his possible escape. They know he's guilty but refuse to pull the trigger on such actions. As such, Ippongi, we know that no matter what, we cannot have a repeat of Stain."

"We won't, sir," Ippongi said confidently. "Everything is in place for tomorrow's mission. The Pro-heroes are all set to meet up with the convoy en route. The freeway we plan to use has been 'cleared out for maintenance.' And all the checks have been completed for our vehicles."

"What about the teams selected?" Kai asked as they stopped by the guard post presenting their badges for clearance to exit the holding area.

"The teams are ready. All of them have been retested for mental and physical health. All in all, I have no doubt that everyone is ready for anything. They're even more confident knowing that you're coming with us, sir."

Kai nodded cautiously.

"I owe them that much, Lieutenant. I can't ask my men to risk their lives like that after the Stain disaster. This is why I will be relying on you to lead the operation."

"SIR?!"

"I might still have SWAT qualifications, but I haven't been on the field for a long time." He admitted with a sigh.

"So, for the duration of the operation. I leave command to you with myself serving like everyone else on the team, though I will take my spot car next to Overhaul to keep my promise to him." He added, stopping the young officer when they reached a break in the hallway.

"My safety is not to be prioritized. The priority is first and foremost getting Overhaul to Tartarus." Said Kai looking at the young officer with the most severe expression.

"Sir...but."

"No buts!" Kai interrupted. "The mission comes first if we are attacked like I suspect we will. Overhaul must not be allowed to escape, and we will use any means at our disposal to make sure he doesn't, including lethal force. I have already drawn up the order. If we are attacked, Order Zero will be in play, and we will do what we can if you have to choose between leaving me behind and continuing the mission without me. You will do so even if it means my death."

Ippongi swallowed, hesitant to answer such a difficult question; he realized he might be forced to abandon his boss and longtime mentor.

"Lieutenant."

"Continue the operation and move in to execute the prisoner if needed," the young officer breathed out nervously, making Kai nod with approval.

"Indeed," Kai said as he let go of his subordinate and motioned to make a right turn in the hallway. "Now, if you excuse me, Lieutenant, I will be in the firing range to practice. We'll have one last conference call with the Pro-heroes in a few hours, so please be sure to gather the rest of the staff for it."

"Yes, sir."

Kai heard the young officer as he walked down the hall, relieved that he could now rub his bruised knuckles that ached from his illegal assault on Overhaul. There was no justifying his actions. Only a want to remind the Yakuza boss that there are people, even other criminals like him, that have little to no tolerance for crimes against children.

'Perhaps karma truly does exist after all.'


"So it's a quick in and out deal, right?" Ryūko asked as Izuku exited the car.

"Yeah, I texted Auntie Miki about it, and she said that Uncle Masa would have it ready for me," he answered before closing the door. "I do appreciate the favor, though, Kyū."

"And I'll appreciate it when you're done! I'm meeting Shinya in an hour, and I'd rather not be late again," Ryūko retorted with an embarrassed cough.

"It'll be quick," Izuku turned his head aside.

"I hope..." he then added under his breath as he turned to face the Bakugou household with a hopeful smile. He was a man on a mission to make tonight very special for the two girls who had entered his life. The plan was simple, but when dealing with the Bakugou family, simple could quickly devolve into insanity at record speeds.

Izuku knocked on the door, hoping that Katsuki wouldn't be the one to answer. He didn't want to give him ammunition for their next verbal duel. After a few minutes and a couple more knocks, the door opened with Masaru Bakugou answering. In the background, a very soft song seemed to be playing, confusing the greenette.

"Oh, Izuku!" Masaru whispered loudly with a kind smile before turning around nervously. "We weren't expecting you until a little later."

"Hi, Uncle Masa...is something wrong?" Izuku questioned with a low voice some worry. "I could come back later if I came at a bad time."

"Oh! Uhh, no, just umm..." He looked back into the house again and then turned to look at Izuku. "Well, you're just here to pick it up, right?"

"Umm, yes?" Izuku answered softly as his eyes darted behind the kind man. He could see the whole family on the couch watching something on TV with an unnerving silence that was unusual for this explosive family.

"Well, the good news is that I found it, and I checked to make sure it still works," Masaru explained. "I had to replace the bulb, but that was an easy fix. It might be a little dusty, though, is that fine?"

"Oh! Sure! I don't mind; I'm just glad you still have it. I can clean once I get back. I just hope they like it."

"You said Ms. Uraraka likes stargazing, right? I'm sure she'll like the effort you made for her," Masaru answered fondly.

"It's a poor substitute for the real thing, but given everything she's done for me," there was a small yet fond smile on Izuku's face.

"I really wanted to do something special for her...even if it's only something like this," Izuku responded slightly down his face.

"The fact you make any effort at all speaks a lot, Izuku," Masaru reassured his adoptive nephew. "Now, just hold on a moment, alright? I'm going to wrap it up quickly so you can still keep a surprise, okay?"

"Umm, okay...Thanks, Uncle Masa," Izuku answered with a renewed smile.

"You're welcome; now I'll be right back and keep quiet, alright?" Masaru requested with a finger to his mouth. Izuku nodded as the man retreated back to the door but left it slightly ajar. Still a little curious, Izuku poked his head inside and, like before, spotted the remainder of the family watching what seemed to be a TV show.

Izuku's eyes narrowed as they watched in anticipation. The scene seemed to have come to a climax of some kind of romance show. Izuku wasn't familiar with the program, but it featured a couple of well-known actors on the screen. Everything seemed to scream romantic confessions as the lighting was perfect. The music to fit the mood of romance was excellent, and all it needed now was the words between them to complete the job.

"We've been through so much together." Said the leading male character on the television.

"Come on, Nero!" Said Yū as she leaned in from her spot on the couch, resisting the urge to bite the top of her thumb. "Just say the words."

"I swear to All Might, if they find a way to fuck this up, I'm gonna blow..." Katsuki said in a low voice, yet watching with equal intensity.

"Both of you shut it!" Mitsuki snapped as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"Crossing between the realms of life and death." Answered the leading female character.

Izuku watched with a mixture of surprise and maybe some investment. It didn't help that the actress happened to look similar to Ochako, though less pretty compared to her, in his opinion. The scene zoomed out as the two finally said the words everyone had been waiting to hear.

"I love you." The two characters said in unison as they went in for the kiss.

Each of them reacted differently.

"FINALLY!" said Mitsuki easing into her seat while laughing with relief.

"YES!" Yū jumped off the couch in celebration. Though Izuku immediately pulled his head back from the door as she happened to be wearing a very loose set of clothes that did nothing to secure her assets. Katsuki's reaction didn't need to be seen to figure out how he was celebrating.

"SUCK IT, KOLMIA SHIPPERS!" He roared with a manic laugh as several sparks and pops could be heard.

'What even is today?' Izuku wondered as he didn't expect Katsuki, his best friend, to be that into a romance.

Although, in hindsight, that may have explained all the pieces of advice he had gotten from his ash-blond friend. Advice on how to make a move on Ochako during his birthday.

"Sorry about the wait, Izuku," said Masaru apologetically, making Izuku jump with surprise. He quickly turned to find Masaru holding a medium-sized box wrapped with birthday-themed wrapping paper. "I still had some leftover wrapping paper from Katsuki's presents, but if anything, this actually might help keep the surprise better."

"Oh yeah, that's no problem! Thanks a lot, Uncle Masa!" Izuku breathed out happily, accepting the package from the kind man.

"You're welcome and sorry about the noise...I know Mitsuki and Yū wouldn't mind seeing you. Still, something tells me that Katsuki wouldn't live it down if he found out you were here to see that...and somehow, I'm pretty sure that was Mitsuki's doing."

"Yeah...I didn't want Kacchan to know about this, mostly because I know he wouldn't let me live it down if he found out," Izuku added with a slight smirk. "But now I got something on him."

Either boy always welcomed any kind of ammunition for their little arguments, and this secret was basically a nuke.

"Oh boy..." Masaru sighed nervously. "Well then, if that's all, have a good rest of your day Izuku, and good luck."

"Thanks, and you too, Uncle Masa!" Said Izuku as he made his exit and made his way back to the car.

"Sorry for the wait, Kyū," said Izuku as he got his seat belt on.

"Eh, we're family Izuku," Ryūko responded, ruffling Izuku's soft, poofy hair. "So, what's in the box?"

Izuku looked down, patting the box with a confident look on his face. "It's part of my plan tonight."

Ryūko chuckled, "does the plan include the tent you're borrowing from me?"

"That's part of it, yes."

Ryūko smiled and decided to do something a little different. "Be honest, Izuku, no teasing...you like Uraraka, don't you?"

Izuku's face turned a light shade of red but no less determined. "She's...amazing. I don't know if I love her yet...I think it's too early to say that, but I know I like her more than just a friend."

"That's good, not using the big 'L-word' off the bat; that's something that takes time," Ryūko observed, relieved at her cousin's maturity.

"It's one of the few things dad taught me that really spoke to me, that love can't be used so carelessly, or else it could lose its meaning," answered Izuku.

"Yep, that sounds like Hisashi, alright," Ryūko nodded in agreement.

"But that's beside the point. With this, I just wanted to do something special for Ochako and Eri," Izuku followed up as he patted the box. "I know that it will be the finishing touch of my plans.

"Well then, I look forward to the results of your plans," said Ryūko as she began the drive back to Izuku's apartment.

'Like dad, huh?' Izuku thought as he looked out the window, remembering his dream last night. 'Focus, it's only a couple of days until we go back to UA, and I can talk to All Might in person. For now, let's just focus on making the girls happy.'


Knock Knock

"Sir? Captain Tanaka. Sir, are you awake in there?"

"Ugh...uhuh?" Hajime Tanaka stirred awake, finding the left side of his face planted next to his keyboard, with papers and files strewn about his desk and floor. He arose with a groan as the knocks on his office door continued.

"Sir, are you alright? Do you need help?"

"I'm up! Just give me a moment, please!" Hajime croaked out as he stiffly put himself back together. Readjusting his reading glasses to focus on the dull glow of his computer monitor. The new copy of his report with all of the new information he had uncovered in Hosu was staggering, to say the least.

"State your business!" Hajime said toward the door as he did his best to tidy up with his little time.

"The Chief-Superintendent is requesting you."

'Oh, shit...'

"Do you know what he wanted?" He asked as he found his favorite coffee mug broken.

'Mother always said it was bad luck to carry this, but I always loved it...shame I have to toss it out now.' The mug had been a gift from his college days, dressed in the colors of his old football jersey with his old team number on it: #4, and had always served as a friendly source of nostalgia for him. Reminding him of times before he became a cop before he got involved with such a complicated case.

"All I know is that he's asking for you on the rooftop, Sir!"

'The roof? Might be taking another smoke break.'

When the office was at least halfway presentable, Hajime carefully turned on the lights to avoid getting blinded again. Before going to open the door. The recently promoted, Junior Detective Ganji Nishimoto was standing before him, wearing plain clothes that consisted of a brown suit and tie.

"Sir, I might be a bit out of line, but you don't look so good," said Ganji taking a step back out of surprise.

"Your response has been noted, Nishimoto," Hajime retorted with a shake of his head. "I'm fine, just waiting for tomorrow to end so we can get this job over with, and everyone can slow down again."

"Indeed, sir..."Ganji nodded before raising a hand in the awkward silence that followed. "The meeting with the Chief-Superintendent, Sir? He said it was urgent..."

Hajime shook his head again, trying to shake off the remaining drowsiness. "Ah, right, right. I'll head up now."

"Do you want me to finish up fixing your office, Sir?"

"No…that's fine...I'll do it myself once this is all done," Answered Hajime as he made his way up, leaving Ganji alone. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Ganji intently watched Hajime ascend the stairs as a thought came to mind, 'Hmmm...wonder what's the rat been up to lately?'

"Ganji," or rather Mimicry, took a quick look around to make sure no one else was watching. He quickly entered the office, snaking his way past the remainder of the mess, and arrived at his computer.

'Locked, eh? I'll give the man credit. He tries...but having a friend in IT helps.'

After a few moments with his workaround, he was granted access to Hajime's files.

'Now...let's see here...recent files...coded? Smart, but not enough.'

It took a few heart-pounding minutes. After all, he was in the lion's den, but it wasn't long until he found what he was looking for. And his eyes widened.

"Oh shit...He knows too much..."


Hajime arrived at the rooftop with a slightly wet shirt, having taken a moment to splash some water on his face to help wake him up some more. He found Kai standing on the fenced-off roof, watching the setting sun with a cigarette in his hand. The giant man turned around and quickly put his smoke out of courtesy for his subordinate.

"Enjoy your nap, Tanaka?" Asked Kai as he motioned the man forward. "I noticed that you were starting to fall asleep during the meeting, can't have that happen in tomorrow's operation.

"My apologies, sir," Hajime admitted with guilt in his voice, "it's been an exhausting week. I should be sleeping better once tomorrow is over with."

"Regardless, you will get some proper sleep when we're done here, understood?"

"Crystal, sir."

"Good," said Kai as he turned back around to face the setting sun, as the city's nightlife slowly came to be. "So, how was your visit to Hosu? Learn anything new?"

Hajime flinched and quickly considered his options on what to say next; he knew that lying would only make this worse, this he knew.

Yet, Kai continued, forcing Hajime's hand.

"Chief Tsuragamae called me. He was quite annoyed that my personal Adjutant was using my name to allow himself into the Hosu city archives," Kai turned to face again with a blank expression.

"What do you have to say about that, Tanaka?" He added in an equally flat tone.

Hajime sighed as he bit his lip. It wasn't often he openly swore, but the moment warranted it as he answered.

"He's a stubborn son of bitch, sir. It was the only way I could get what I needed."

Kai instantly threw his head back and let out a deep, hearty laugh, much to Hajime's surprise. In all of the years he's known Kai Doumeki, he had never heard him laugh like this before.

"Oh...truer words have never been spoken...and personally just between us Tanaka, I found the call amusing," Kai admitted wiping a tear from his eye. "I've never seen eye-to-eye with that bloodhound, and we always tended to butt heads throughout our careers. Especially when I was stationed in Hosu. So outranking him now is always one of the small highlights of my life I get to enjoy these days."

Kai turned to Hajime.

"Still, Tanaka, subtlety can go a long way, and you basically confirmed what I've suspected for a while now. You're working with All Might to reveal the truth about Draco Knight, correct?"

"Yes, sir," Hajime admitted, knowing that lying was utterly pointless and looking down with some shame. Regardless of what Kai had done, Hajime still had a lot of respect for him and his work throughout the years he had worked for him. Kai turned back to look at the city.

"I'm not sure what you meant to find in Hosu," said Kai as he took a deep breath. "Using the USJ to connect Draco Knight to Hosu is quite a stretch."

"Actually, sir, it's connected to the Nursery Incident from Thir-" Hajime didn't have the chance to finish as Kai whipped around with a glare upon hearing the name.

"Where did you hear that name?" Kai asked firmly, bordering dangerously close to demand.

Hajime recoiled but stood firmly.

"After Stain's escape, you ordered Internal Affairs to investigate the department. I got assigned to study old case files before joining your team," Hajime answered calmly, resisting the urge to tremble from his Chief's gaze. "One of the case files that ended up on my table was off that night, and there is an official record of my authorization to review it."

Kai firmly stared at him for a few more moments to see if he could try and discern a lie from his Adjutant. Hajime could feel his heart pound in his chest beneath Kai's stare. Finally, as if he was satisfied with the answer, Kai hummed as he began walking forward towards Hajime in a calm manner with no sign of malice or coldness. Yet Hajime still readied himself for the worst, not knowing if Kai was hiding his intentions.

"Good lord...you honestly believe I'm going to hurt you, Tanaka?" Kai asked with a slightly hurt look on his face as he noticed the tension in the man's body, stopping a few feet before reaching him.

"Apologies, sir. But this...this whole case has me kind of spooked," Hajime confessed, knowing from Tensei that witnesses have been killed in seemingly unrelated ways.

Kai again hummed, reserving his words for the discussion they needed to have.

"Follow me to my office, Captain," Kai finally answered, moving again and walking past Hajime without a second thought. "If we continue this discussion, it should be done in private."

Hajime hesitated as his boss walked down the stairs, leaving him alone to watch the sun finish setting. If only for a moment, he wondered if this would be the last sunset he would ever see. Hajime then shook his head. If Kai wanted him dead, there would be several more clever ways to do it. Still, he pulled out his phone and texted Tensei a coded message as one last precaution.

'He might not be able to get my report, but at least he'll know to be more careful should the worst fall upon me.'

Once he was done, Hajime made his way down the staircase and into the fifth floor, where Kai's main office was located. There was only a handful of staff for the night shift crew, further reduced to make-up for the morning staff needed for tomorrow's operation. He arrived to find Kai's office and opened the door to the sight of the man already boiling some tea from the corner of his office.

"I only have green tea at the moment. Is that alright?" Kai asked, not even looking up from the tea.

"I'm not thirsty, sir," Hajime answered perhaps a bit too quickly to not seem suspicious of his boss. Kai, however, simply shook his head as he began pouring out the finished drink into a small cup. At the same time, Hajime took a seat while trying to avoid looking nervous. It didn't help that Kai's office had always been plain, unlike many other High-ranking officers who kept medals, commendations, and photos with people of influence. Not Kai, who simply kept his office tidy and primarily for business, with only a handful of personal effects. Mostly posters of various quirkless support groups and a photo of him when he was part of the Japanese Olympic Marksman Team decades ago.

"Alright, let's get straight to the point," Kai suddenly spoke up, turning with just one teacup for himself and taking a seat opposite Hajime.

"You mentioned a connection between USJ and The Nursery Incident, which somehow led you into investigating the archives in Hosu?" He asked before taking a sip. "Explain."

Hajime took in a deep breath. "To paraphrase, sir, I'm sure you remember that Noumu creature currently in captivity, correct?"

Kai nodded quietly while his eyes stared on unblinking and focused entirely on Hajime's mannerisms.

"Well, when the first run of test results came in, a few names appeared that seemed familiar to me. I found names matching up with children who had been kidnapped and never recovered. Ones who were suspected of having been burned alive during that...terrible night," Hajime shuddered.

Kai nodded again and motioned the man to continue.

"However, when the Commission ordered a second DNA test due to the suspicion that we had been infiltrated. I waited until the results returned and found a connection to Hosu."

"Those results that have not or were not made to be accessible to anyone except members of the commission, Captain," Kai responded, narrowing his eyes with suspicion. "Results I have yet to see for myself."

"I have a friend who's one of the lab technicians assigned to the Noumu case. I got the heads up from him," Hajime answered after biting his lip. Kai sighed, shaking his head.

"Depending on your next few answers, I may be forced to act and have you detained, Captain," Kai warned, leaning forward from his seat.

"Not for the Draco Knight investigation, mind you. But for that severe compromise in allowing a possible leak when dealing with a top-secret case," He finished up the last of his tea and placed the cup down. "I expected better from you."

"I understand, sir, but I did find something, and this is what has me concerned about just how far this case goes," Hajime breathed out, shaking ever so slightly in his seat. "And if I'm right, it would mean that even the government itself might be compromised."

Kai quirked an eyebrow. "You got this from looking into Hosu?"

Hajime nodded, "The new DNA test proved to be a blessing in disguise. It may have forced me to wait, but it added several new names that weren't there before, including DNA that...by all accounts, shouldn't even exist."

Kai sat up straight, planting his elbows on his desk and folding his hands in front of his face. His interest was officially peaked with what his Adjutant found. "What do you mean by 'DNA that shouldn't exist?"

"The names matched up with people who are still alive, sir. Names of victims of a completely separate incident in Hosu that happened over two decades ago...an incident that involved you and one...Hisashi Kasei."

Hajime could see Kai's face go pale as he spoke the words for him. "The Hosu bombing...the worst day of my life."

"I'm so sorry, sir," Hajime responded, bowing to his boss. "I didn't realize just how much the case involved you until I read the case report."

Kai leaned into his left hand while his right began gently tapping upon his desk, eyes now focused on another picture next to his computer. Hajime couldn't see but knew the picture of his smiling wife that he always kept here.

"Continue," said Kai flatly as he still focused on the photo.

Hajime quickly cleared his throat and continued with what he could remember from memory. "The DNA report I got featured genetic material from several women who had frozen eggs held there."

"A government-run clinic that specialized in fertility," Kai commented offhandedly to himself. However, he made no effort to say it quietly.

"Indeed, and once the bombing site was cleared," Hajime continued.

"Several unfertilized eggs...were," as Kai spoke aloud those words, his eyes widened as he looked up at Hajime and pieced together the connection. "Stolen..."

"DNA tests from the Noumu match some of the women who had eggs stored there," Hajime finished. "I have a complete list with the DNA reports that any expert could confirm, and to top it off, all the eggs stolen belonged to women who had either yellow or red eyes."

"The Bombing was the precursor incident which led to the kidnappings," said Kai, slowly rising from his seat as he was fitting pieces of the puzzle in his head. "Of children with the same description of yellow or red eyes that would be kidnapped and led to the Nursery Incident."

"Which led the Police Force to find the site code-named "The Nursery." Now we have possession of this Noumu creature created out of the DNA from both incidents. There is one last thing I found which..." Hajime coughed as his nervousness left his mouth dry. "Was that all the DNA in the test were now complete."

"Meaning the stolen eggs were at least fertilized at some point, correct?" Asked Kai, now wholly standing and looking down at his Adjutant.

Hajime nodded.

"The DNA was also indicated that it was older. Toddler age, at least maybe a little older," Hajime grimaced. "This leads me to discover one last thing that, unfortunately. I haven't been able to research more. But the report indicated that the paternal DNA for these possible children that shouldn't exist are all the same. Different biological mothers, of course, from all of the eggs that were stolen, but they all share the same biological father."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Kai growled, looking away from his subordinate, his pale face even gaining a slight twinge of green.

"Sir."

Kai turned back to look at Hajime's equally green face.

"I'll take some of that tea now...please," the man spoke almost pleading for respite.

Kai nodded, took his empty cup from the table, and returned to the kettle to refill his own, and grabbed another cup for Hajime.

"Well..." Kai suddenly spoke up as he began pouring their drinks.

"I have good news for you, Tanaka; you will not be detained." He turned back around, placing a cup in front of the nervous man, before retaking his seat and leaning back in it. Kai took slow, careful sips, slowly thinking about his following words. "You have a report with all this evidence, correct?"

"Yes, sir," Hajime nodded as he took the first sip of his own tea. The hot tea helped calm his nerves as the drink settled in his stomach.

"Once we are done with tomorrow's operation and the mission is complete, you will be placed on paid leave with my staff clearance level opened to you," Kai answered. He opened his desk and took out a metal badge and a card, and his personal seal.

"You will go on 'vacation.' During which I grant you full permission to access everything from the archives. And whatever else you need to solve this case," Kai continued while writing on the card and finishing it with a stamp of his seal. "From a government-sponsored clinic to the off-the-grid shit show The Nursery incident was. I can see your point when you believe that elements of the Government and this new League of Villains are linked."

With that, Kai handed a surprised Hajime with the card and badge. "Sir, why? You know that thi-"

Kai stopped him with a raised hand.

"If what you are saying is true, that members of the government are part of the League, then I want them taken down," Kai answered firmly. "I know doing this might end my career prematurely, but it is a small price to pay to catch these bastards."

Hajime nodded, feeling better after the tea and more confident that Kai was actually supporting him from here on in. It felt good yet also strange that Kai allowed himself to be exposed like this for all intents and purposes.

"However, Tanaka," Kai spoke up, holding the card and badge, while eyeing one of the Neocon posters on his office wall.

"I'll need the names of who exactly in the government is tied with the league to act with hard evidence. If any of them happen to be, associated with a certain political group," he placed the card and badge in Hajime's hand. "You let me know."

"Sir, you know that would be a conflict of interest."

Kai chuckled, tapping the desk with his bruised knuckles. "You didn't let me finish. I have my own set of evidence that could set the Neocon ship on fire and have it sunk in a matter of hours. Find proof that they're involved, and it's yours with my own testimony included."

"Wait, sir...You'd...you...would..."

"I said I know doing this might end my career prematurely and most definitely in disgrace, but," Kai let out a long sigh. "As I said. If all of this is true, then to hell with my position, to hell with the Neocons; this office isn't worth it to cover up such barbarity."

Hajime nodded, "If I discover that the Neocons aren't involved? If it's a different group?"

"Then I remain in my position for a little while longer," Kai answered honestly. "Some new bills are being proposed to expand protections for quirkless people. Once that's cleared and made law, we'll see where to go from there, Tanaka."

"Understood, sir," Hajime answered, coming to attention with a relieved smile. The conversation had gone far better than expected.

"Sir, from a junior to a senior, where would you suggest I start looking for more evidence?" Hajime asked Kai who nodded sagely.

"Three things I would look for would start by looking for another Nursery..." Kai spoke up.

"Kamino is where the first one was found but in light of this new evidence. There must have been more, even a replacement could have been built nearby once the coast was clear, and given the number of eggs that were stolen just off the top of my head, it's only logical..." Kai shuddered. "From there. Find out who owns the land, and if it's private or government-owned, you know the drill from there."

Hajime stood at attention, "Investigate, warrants, raid."

Kai nodded, glad to know that Hajime was far from rusty when it came to procedure.

"Second, you'll need to find out how those eggs were completed and how they have aged up at least to a toddler. This group would need not only material but also test subjects and special medical equipment since there are still no ways to have a child outside of a womb. Meaning a sizable group of women would have been needed, " Kai grimaced as he continued. "The site should be big enough to house test subjects and researchers, but small enough to manage the secret or worse, a group disposable enough that once the job was done. They became material themselves."

Hajime couldn't help but feel revulsed.

"The final thing would be connecting the dots and finding the gaps. You and your hero friends should be able to investigate this thoroughly. That badge will allow you to use any station within Kantō without being bothered. Otherwise, tell them to direct their complaints to me."

"Alright, once Overhaul is dealt with, I'll get started right away," said Hajime as he walked toward the door.

"Get some sleep Tanaka," said Kai from his seat. "I need you sharp for tomorrow."

"I will, sir, have a good night," replied the man as he closed Kai's office door.

Kai leaned on his seat with a long groan, exhausted from that conversation. His eyes returned to the picture of Saya. Along with the small pictures taped to the left corners of the frame. The top photo was of Hisashi from his third year of UA with that bright smile. The bottom picture was of his adopted son, Ryu, with a casual smile on his face for his UA picture.

'What else did you hide from me, Hisashi?'


Ochako's usually spartan living room was set up with a small tent propped in the corner of the room. It had been a pain to assemble the old hand-me-down tent without instructions. Thanks to some trial and error, it stood proud if not slightly lopsided due to a bent in the pole when the pajama-clad Izuku had been too rough with it.

But it did the job.

It was a cozy little thing; thankfully, it was an indoor camping trip, so the tent was more for aesthetics than anything else.

'I just hope Eri likes it, but now to set up the best part,' Izuku thought as he quickly pulled out the box that Masaru had given him. It had been a last-minute idea, but along with wanting to make Eri's make-shift camping trip as lovely as possible. He also wanted to do something special for Ochako. Izuku had a quiet chuckle to himself as he set up the centerpiece of the camp. He was grateful that Ochako had left to get some snacks.

At the same time, Eri remained in Ochako's room, watching clips of Animal Buddies on Ochako's laptop.

This whole idea had started with a simple episode of Animal Buddies. After an episode that featured a camping segment aired yesterday, and before they knew it, Eri said that she wanted to try going camping one day. Unfortunately, everyone agreed that actual camping was out of the question due to security concerns, at least until Overhaul was locked up in Tartarus. When they were sure that Eri wasn't in any immediate danger.

Still, with that being said, Ochako wasn't deterred.

She spoke about the time her parents had made a camp in the middle of their living room when lousy weather had ruined their original plans. The two make-shift parents decided to still make Eri's request happen. Inko turned out to be very supportive of the idea, trusting the two teens to handle themselves for just one night to give Eri a chance to try something a little new.

'Okay...now a quick test,' thought Izuku as he turned on the machine, using his hands to hide the surprise. After seeing the shapes, the boy had a small yet satisfied grin. Once he was done, he turned it off and placed the opened box on top of it to hide it from view. 'Can't hide the power cable, but that doesn't matter. It's not going to be a surprise for long.'

As Izuku started rolling out the mats and sleeping bags, Ochako returned with an arm full of snacks.

"I'm back...oh wow!" She said as she entered her living room set up with the tent and sleeping bags, her single couch pushed against the wall to make enough room on the floor. "So the campsite's basically done, huh?"

"Yep! We can start anytime!" Izuku answered happily, as he was mildly proud of his handiwork as he received the bag of snacks.

"Cool, I'll get Eri now, and Izuku?" Ochako stopped to look at the center of the room.

"Yes?"

"What's in the box?" She asked, pointing at the upside-down cardboard box with a power cable sticking out from under it, eliciting a chuckle from Izuku as he patted the box.

"It's a surprise! And I'll show you what it is once we're ready to start..."

Ochako quirked an eyebrow but played along with a bright smile. "Alright, just give me a minute to get us ready, and we'll get started!" She said, putting the snacks down and making her way into her bedroom.

'Okay! Game time!' Thought Izuku as he removed the box to reveal a square device containing a rounded glass ball surrounded by a small metal sphere. It had several shapes cut on the top. Izuku stood up to dim the lights at their lowest setting before going back to the machine, where he waited patiently for the girls to return. It wasn't long, maybe a minute or three when the door opened with a Pajama-clad Eri and Ochako returning into the room.

Eri, a plush rabbit in hand, squealed. She began hopping towards it with excitement upon seeing the tent set up and even entering it to see how she would fit inside.

"It's so cool, Papa!" she said as she popped her head out of the tent flaps. Both teens giggled at Eri's excitement, the tent was old and far from cool, but to Eri, it might as well be a castle with the amount of wonder she seemed to have for the tent.

"I'm glad you like it, Eri, but I think you'll like this too!" Izuku answered as he motioned Eri to join him next to the black box.

"Okay, Izuku, so what's the big secret?" Ochako questioned as she took a seat to Eri's left.

"Just like how we couldn't do any real camping, we also really couldn't do any other real activities related to camping." Izuku started as he began setting the pieces of the projector in place. "But I still wanted to make the experience as close enough as possible, and when you mentioned star grazing as a part of your camping experience...I first thought about getting a telescope and going outside for a bit."

Izuku looked up to face Ochako, "but I learned from you that it would be tough to do with all of the light pollution that ends up hiding the stars. So I thought about it, and I found a way to bring the stars to us. Sooo," As Izuku finished up, he turned on the projector.

The ceiling lit up with a dazzling light of blue as the machine came to life. However, as the sphere spun, the lights began to take shapes, and Ochako's jaw dropped.

Constellations.

The heavenly bodies that generally filled the night's sky were now swirling on her living room ceiling in several bright and brilliant colors.

"It's so pretty!" Eri exclaimed with a hop as the initially blue lights changed to various other colors. It continued to reveal other sets of constellations as the sphere shifted. The three sat there enjoying the small but impressive light show of colors and stars.

"I know it's nowhere close to the original, but I felt you would like this Ochako," Izuku scooched closer to her.

"I know from our talks that you missed being with your family for the golden week holiday..." Izuku didn't have a chance to finish as Ochako simply stood up and moved in for the biggest hug she could muster.

"It's amazing..." She said as she looked up again with awe.

"I'm glad you like it," said Izuku, happy that his plan had worked. "Even if it's just an imitation..."

"It's better than nothing."

"Wanna break out the snacks and teach us about the constellations?" Izuku asked as he pulled Eri and the bag of snacks closer.

"Sounds perfect to me!" Ochako answered with the biggest grin on her face.

The three settled to enjoy their make-believe little camp. Enjoying the snacks as Ochako began pointing out all of the various patterns that formed the heavenly bodies and of the old times when they were used to help sailors and explorers find their way across the globe. Unfortunately, halfway into Ochako's lecture, the teens discovered to their amusement, that Eri had fallen asleep in Izuku's arms, her bunny still held close.

"Ah...well, there goes me talking about Sirius," said Ochako with a quiet giggle as she helped Izuku lay Eri down on the soft bedrolls inside the tent. "But it is getting late."

"If it's any consolation. I liked it, especially the part about the two bears. Ursa Major and Minor," Izuku responded with a bright smile. He set Eri's bunny closer to her, slipping in gently to join her in the tent.

"Oh, quiet you," Ochako answered playfully, sticking her tongue out as she took her own spot on the second mat inside the tent to Eri's left. However, she was still looking up at the ceiling that was still lit with the stars swirling slowly with a blueish gold color, enjoying the moment's silence. "Still, this is nice, just laying back and enjoying the sight."

Izuku hummed as he gently brushed Eri's hair, "One day, we'll go and do the real thing."

"I'll hold you to that, Izuku," Ochako chirped with a warm smile.

"I hope you do," he answered, looking back at the lights. "I'd like to see the real thing, with you teaching us more."

"Dork," Ochako teased with a laugh as she settled her head down on the pillow.

"Good night Izuku," Ochako yawned before giving Eri's horn a quick kiss. "Good night Eri."

"Yeah, good night Ochako," Izuku replied, mirroring her as he settled to sleep. "Good night Eri."

The trio slept peacefully, with the stars shining brightly above them, not knowing what the morning had in store.

BUZZ BUZZ

Izuku groaned awake as he felt his phone begin to vibrate. It had been placed on silent to not disturb the girls sleeping nearby. He slowly crawled out of the tent, going where his phone was charging while rubbing the grime from his eyes. As Izuku reached for his phone. He noticed the sunlight poking through some of the blinds was brighter than he expected, explained quickly when he noticed the time on his phone.

11:29 am Saturday.

'Oh man, we overslept!' Izuku realized as he answered the phone, not noticing who was calling, believing it to be his mother.

"Sorry, mom...I just woke up...we'l..."

"Young Midoriya! Where are you right now?!" Interrupted the concerned voice of All Might.

"All Might? Why are you..."

"It's urgent, Midoriya...where are you?! Are you safe?! Your mother called you earlier, and you didn't pick up!"

Izuku was wide awake now, his heart kicking off rapidly with concern.

"I'm at Ochako's apartment; we overslept, so we're late going home...and I guess missed the earlier calls?" Izuku answered, "All Might, what's going on? Is mom okay?"

"She's fine...she's fine, my boy...listen carefully...Overhaul has escaped...turn on the TV and you'll see..."

Izuku's eyes grew wide as he looked around and spotted the remote for Ochako's living room television. He turned it on and changed the channel to one that featured the tagline.

BREAKING NEWS: Crimelord, Kai "Overhaul" Chisaki successfully escaped from police custody earlier this morning. After the transportation team composed of Police and Pro-Heroes was attacked by an unknown number of assailants.

" -currently waiting for an official statement at this hour," said the anchorman slightly nervously. "However, new details sourced from eye-witness accounts and including footage caught from the nearby rooftops confirmed that a new villain was on the scene. While the footage is online, the studios have deemed it too disturbing to be aired on live Television; however, here are the stills from the footage shown."

A stilled image flashed of a tall man in an armored costume, with what seemed to be a dark red cape cloaked around his shoulders and metal feathers that looked like a crown on top of the helm that covered his face.

Izuku felt his mouth go dry. 'HE'S THE ONE MY DREAM!'

"There have been mixed reports about this individual, some reporting him as a new villain. Others, however, noted that the outfit worn by the villain mirrors that of the one infamous Phoenix King, shown here during a battle with Endeavor the Flame Hero Thirteen years ago."

Another image flashed of a man in a similar costume. Instead of a red cape, it was a red feather-trimmed mantle surrounded by bright red flames.

"Young Midoriya..." Called out All Might's voice snapping Izuku out of his funk.

"Yes, All Might?"

"Tsukauchi is heading towards your location right now...get you and the girls ready to head back...there's a lot we need to discuss."


Author's Commentary

HEY!* Because I'm a fucking nerd, I know about Ouendan Squads and their signature call of OSU!
Basically, cheerleaders, but with a Japanese twist. Ouendan are renowned for making appearances at many different kinds of events, from sporting to academic. As I've mentioned before I'm kind of a massive Nintendo fan so I also own the imports of two Ouendan games.

Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! 押忍!闘え!応援団!

and its sequel Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii: Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 燃えろ!熱血リズム魂 押忍!闘え!応援団2

Along with its US counterpart sister series Elite Beat Agents, all three games were on the Nintendo DS.

For added fun, almost all the OC cops in this story were named from Characters of the Ouendan Games.

Kai Doumeki
Kaoru Kiriyūin
Hajime Tanaka
Ryuta Ippongi

All got their names from this fun musical series. (If you want to see something really funny look up these names with Ouendan and you'll get to see how these characters roughly look like in this story.)

There is so much subtext in the next particular chapter that it honestly makes me laugh.

Especially since I'd argue this chapter is the halfway point of this entire Saga.

ZX