First of all, hi. I know it's been a really long wait and for that I'm sorry. Last year we had multiple deaths in the family, one of which was a horrible accident that we are now pursuing a legal case over, so suffice to say I haven't been all that motivated to write for a bit now. I could've forced something out, but it wouldn't have been anything worth reading. On a less somber note, I've also been wanting to take things slow as the manga is coming to a close, and once it does I'm planning on sitting down and making a definitive final draft for the rest of this story. I can tell you I already know how Hitomi's character is going to end, but I want to take into account the canon ending as well. Updates will still be slow as I get back into the groove of writing, so please bear with me on that. All that being said, I hope you enjoy the chapter.
The front of the property was swarming with yakuza, who wasted no time throwing themselves at Heroes and police in an effort to slow them down. It quickly showed them just how serious Chisaki and his men were about keeping hold of Eri.
A few Heroes— of which included Mr. Brave and Kesagiri Man —hung back, helping the police with rounding up the lesser criminals, while the rest of the team busted inside the large estate without pause.
"Hate to just barge in like this, but we're kind of in a hurry!" Fat Gum declared, as they ran straight down the first hallway that greeted them. "Haven't seen any signs of suspicious activity yet!"
Well, save for the goons trying to defend the base.
"Same here. But hey, we're in it now, right? We got no choice but to see it through." Rock Lock reasoned.
"Is it possible that somebody leaked our plans for the raid?" Amajiki broached grimly. "There must be a reason they all came pouring out like that."
"No, if there had been a leak, I think they would be fighting more cohesively. Groups like this are used to working together." The chief of police panted, breath labored as he was not used to the speed and amount of stamina the Heroes had.
"There's nothing that matters more to these guys than their bond with their boss and their brothers. Being a part of the underworld only makes loyalty that much more sacred to them." Eraser Head rationalized. "All those people outside, but we haven't caught sight of the top brass yet… They're probably underground hiding, or getting ready to flee."
Eijirou growled in frustration. "How's that supposed to be loyalty?! Forcing their henchmen to fight for them while they run away isn't manly at all!"
"I doubt they're being forced."
"Eh?!" Eijirou sputtered.
Hitomi looked down as she ran. "In a messed up way, they're kinda like some big family. I'm sure a lot of them volunteered to stay behind and fight, that way the higher-ups can get away. The yakuza run on respect and trust, enough so that laying down their life for their leader is just something that's widely accepted by them as a likely possibility."
"Man, that's so twisted!" Eijirou shook his head in disgust.
Hitomi frowned, keeping to herself that she thought such dedication— while misplaced —was admirable. How was it any different between which side they were on? Hitomi could safely say she would risk her own life to protect that of her friends, and even had chances in the past to prove it. Many members of yakuza organizations were lost souls looking for a purpose, and what's more, a sense of community. When offered both by someone it's easy to give in, grow attached to others in your position, and to pledge yourself to the leaders the same way a child would stand by a parent. If the yakuza could provide security when no one else did, it made it easy to understand their fierce loyalty.
"This is it!" Nighteye stopped, standing in front of a cubby in an inconspicuous wall, housing an equally innocuous potted bouquet. "There's a device here that opens a hidden passage." He shoved the vase aside, prodding at the wood planks under where it sat. "You press down the floorboards in a specific order, and then…"
The cubby slid to the side, revealing a passage. And of course, henchmen came pouring out. Centipeder and Bubble Girl launched into action, beating down the half-dozen crooks.
"We'll make sure these guys don't follow! You go on ahead!" Bubble Girl assured her boss, easily apprehending her share of yakuza.
"You heard her!" Nighteye charged into the now empty passage, the rest following.
"We'll catch up when we can!"
The passage went down a long flight of stairs, taking them deep beneath the building, ending in a fork to the right at the bottom. But the hallway ended abruptly there, a wall cutting them off.
"It looks like a dead-end! So, what now?" The police chief stressed.
"So much for your Foresight, Nighteye!" Rock Lock snapped.
Hitomi blinked, ears going back as she noticed the odd texture on the wall, compared to the rest. It almost looked… stretched out.
"I have an idea!" She ran ahead, whipping out a baton. Leaning close, she pressed an ear to the wall, and hit it with her baton twice.
The hits echoed behind it, bouncing down the rest of the hidden hallway.
She grinned. "It's hollow behind the wall! The path's just been blocked off."
Togata joined her, taking off his helmet and sucking in a breath, cheeks puffed out as he stuck his head through, using his Quirk. He pulled back a second later, expression serious.
"She's right, there's more passed this blockade. Unfortunately it's pretty thick, so breaking through it's not gonna be easy."
Hitomi perked up, turning to look at her two classmates.
Izuku nodded once, adjusting his stance, while Eijirou hardened his skin.
"What a cheap trick!" Fat Gum growled.
"If he did this, it's gotta mean that we're on the right track!" Izuku determined.
"This Chisaki guy's an idiot if he thinks a dumb wall will stop us!" Eijirou crowed, charging at the wall, with Izuku right beside him, his body crackling in green sparks.
Eijirou punched through, and Izuku kicked with his metal soles. Despite the wall being a foot or so thick, they broke a hole through in one shot.
With an opening still crumbling, Rock Lock gave them an appraising look.
"Hey, that didn't suck."
"I'll say! They beat me to the punch! This batch of rookies is lookin' promising!" Fat Gum grinned proudly.
"We need to keep moving." Togata leapt through the hole, running ahead.
Hitomi stopped, confused as a new scent filled the air. Sweat and leather suddenly encapsulating them out of nowhere. Before she could say anything, the hallway around them started to warp and wave, moving like living clay.
"What's going on?!"
"Everything's twisting!"
Hitomi's hands shifted into paws, which she slammed into a wobbling wall. She tried digging her claws in, but despite the way it was moving, it still had the hardness of concrete.
"Iranaka's Quirk, Mimicry, lets him enter objects and control them as he would his own body!" The police chief reminded them of one of Chisaki's top henchmen. "He must've gone into the halls down here and made this a living maze!"
That would explain what she smelled, almost overwhelmed by it.
"It shouldn't be possible on this scale!" Rock Lock argued, struggling to keep balanced like the rest of them. "He's not supposed to be able to control anything larger than a damn refrigerator!"
Hitomi gritted her teeth, widening her stance to stay upright. "The drugs! We've seen them use Quirk enhancements before!"
"Dollars to donuts, he's using one of 'em!" Fat Gum concurred. "I was ready for just about anything, but I didn't expect a whole building to turn against us. Still, controlling something this big's gotta be wearin' the guy out. Eraser Head! Can't you stop him?"
"I can't do anything without seeing his real body!" Her teacher's head turned vigilantly, trying to spot any sign of the Villain.
"They can warp the path forward if they want, but as long as we know the direction of our goal, I can still reach it!" Togata charged, sprinting off without them.
"Lemillion!" Nighteye called after him.
"Come back!" Izuku panicked.
"Speed is what matters right now! Those guys know it too, that's why they're stalling for time. I'm going on ahead!" Togata phased through the next wall put in their way, disappearing from sight.
"Wait—"
Hitomi grabbed Eijirou as he tried to follow, shaking her head with sweat beading her face.
"He's right! Lemillion's the only person who can give chase right now with any hope of catching up. Remember what Mr.— what Eraser Head told us! He's the closest thing we've got to replacing the number-one. He'll be fine!"
Eijirou grimaced. "Yeah, but—"
He never got to finish his sentence, as the floor opened up in a gaping maw under their feet, dropping them all down into the next floor below. The opening closed up as soon as they were through, leaving them without a way to get back.
"Now where are we?" Izuku fretted, looking around.
"Somewhere even farther from the target. Those guys are really screwing with us." Rock Lock growled.
Hitomi's hackles rised, and she whirled around to face the only doorway, snarling.
"Well, what have we here? Looks like some state-authorized thugs crashed our party! Isn't that strange?" A yakuza member wearing a sack over his head taunted, standing with two other men, one wearing a cold-mask, and the other wearing a beak-like one.
Amajiki clenched his jaw. "These guys just want to slow us down. Go on, I can handle them myself."
"You don't have to! We'll work together!" Eijirou protested.
"Please, everyone stay! I'll kill you all." The blonde one with the beak mask brandished a sword.
"Setsuno! We can't use our guns on him. It's up to the Pros." The police chief warned his men.
Right, his Quirk was Larceny. He could steal anything he laid his eyes on.
Hitomi discreetly covered her compact batons.
"You've done your homework. Oh well, that just means I'm free to let loose!" Setsuno lunged.
"Think again. Lay down your sword." Eraser Head unfurled his capture weapon, eyes glowing red and hair whipping up.
Setsuno stumbled, staring at his empty hand in shock. "My Quirk!"
The muscular one wearing a standard cold mask pulled out a pistol, aiming it at Eraser Head.
"I'd heard a Hero with your abilities existed. But our job's to slow you down. Quirks or no. We still have fists and weapons."
"Fight all ya want, but swords and bullets just sink into my body! You have no hope of beating us, so why even bother?!" Fat Gum was seemingly out of patience.
"Big talk, but you just sound scared to me, Hero." Setsuno mocked.
Hitomi snarled, hands twitching as her claws unsheathed.
Her fury was noticed by the yakuza wearing a bag over his head, who tensed and nudged the one holding a gun, nodding discreetly at her.
"Girl with the Akita Quirk." He mumbled to his comrade, barely audible, and only caught because of her keen senses.
Her fur ruffled further, a pit sinking in her stomach as to why she would be pointed out in all of this.
Unless… the League—
"Eraser canceled their Quirks, we can use our firearms!" The police chief instructed his men, raising a gun of his own. "Surrender yourselves at once!"
Amajiki jumped into action, transforming parts of himself into a giant clam shell, and octopus tentacles. He easily wrapped up the three yakuza members, disarming them.
"I read all about these guys in the briefing." Amajiki slammed the men into the wall. "I can take these three on. We eat tons of takoyaki at the Fat Agency, so Octopus has become one of my specialties. And you know, I gotta say I'm pretty down on guns since I was shot in the street." He changed the tentacle holding the weapons into a crab claw, crushing and destroying the guns and blades.
"Hold on, Suneater!" Eijirou fretted.
"It's not smart for all of us to fight them. They want as many Heroes stalled here as possible. Let's just give them one. We should save all your Quirks— especially Eraser Head's, for later! You'll need to be operating at one-hundred percent to get through those moving hallways! Fat Gum, I know this is something I can do on my own!" Suneater implored his mentor.
Hitomi stared in amazement, stunned by the sudden shift in demeanor. Amajiki went from quiet and subdued, to loud and confident.
And Fat Gum was clearly in agreement, heading for the door.
"Let's go!"
Hitomi was the first to follow him.
"Hold on!" Eijirou waved his hands around, halting her.
"Hey, wait! Where're you goin—" Setsuno reached out a hand, and was foiled again by Eraser Head's Quirk.
On their way out, the homeroom teacher unceremoniously struck the bag-wearing member in the back of the neck, knocking him out in a flash.
"Amajiki, you need to move fast." Eraser Head advised, his hair falling back down. "Beat them before they can fight back!"
He and the rest of the Heroes and police all ran out the exit, leaving only two people lagging behind at the sound of their upperclassman's voice.
Suneater called to them over his shoulder. "Before you go! You have to take care of Mirio! He's definitely going to try too hard. So please keep him safe."
Both Hitomi and Izuku lingered for a second longer, before nodding.
"Mm!"
"We promise!"
With that, they raced out of the room, following their team, and leaving Suneater to deal with the Villains on his own.
…
"Oh man, Amajiki… I'm really worried about him." Eijirou scowled ahead as they all sprinted down the painfully long corridors.
Hitomi's brows furrowed. "You saw him take out that thug back in Esuha, I'm sure he can handle himself. Just trust him."
But neither Eijirou, nor Izuku looked too convinced.
"Ōkami's right!"
Hitomi, Eijirou, and Izuku all jumped at Fat Gum's aggressive tone.
"You've left a comrade to guard your back, and if you're a real man, you'll trust him!" The Hero declared seriously.
"Yeah, he'll handle it, no problem!" Eijirou immediately agreed.
A bead of sweat dotted Hitomi's forehead. "That's what I just said…" She deadpanned.
Izuku huffed a weak laugh.
Fat Gum nodded. "We can't afford to waste even a second of the time Suneater bought us!"
"Alright, let's go!" Eijirou crowed, pumped up.
"Strange… the guy who was manipulating the building seems to have eased off for some reason." Aizawa observed suspiciously.
Hitomi looked around, only now noticing that the walls and floor were no longer warping.
"Yeah, you're right." Izuku frowned, clearly bothered as well.
"Maybe the drug ran out?" Hitomi suggested hopefully, wanting it to have an explanation that didn't spell trouble for them.
The teacher hummed. "Maybe. Or it could be that his awareness and control doesn't extend through the entire place. There's also the police squad up above. It's possible he decided to focus all his attention on them instead."
"Why would he do that? We're the ones on his boss's tail." Hitomi asked, skeptical that the yakuza would divert any attention to the lesser threat to them.
"There is another possibility. It's just a theory, but maybe rather than having been assimilated into it, he's moving around inside the walls to monitor what's going on. So when he does take control of an area, perhaps his true body is nearby. If he pokes an actual eye or an ear out to keep track of us, that'll be all it takes. I just need to see him."
A shiver ran up Hitomi's spine, her hair and fur standing on end. Her breath hitched, and before she knew it, she was leaping toward their teacher.
In the same instant, a pillar shot out from one side of the hallway, and an opening formed across on the other wall. The pillar hit Mr. Aizawa, moving to push him into the hole.
Hitomi was reaching for him, time seeming slowed.
A muscular arm snaked around her middle, yanking her back and holding onto her tightly.
"Stop!" Izuku gripped her fiercely to him.
She watched as Fat Gum and Eijirou both lunged to save Mr. Aizawa, just barely managing to shove him out of the way, before the two of them were sent through the wall in his place.
The hallway fell silent, the remaining five of them all staring at where the two once were.
Hitomi blinked, it was like her brain was lagging, gears clanking as they struggled to turn, processing what just happened. Then, she snarled.
She rounded on Izuku, fangs bared and ears back. "What was that?!"
Izuku flinched, hands shooting off of her midriff as if burned. He stepped back, stammering.
"I-I just— I didn't want you to get hurt!"
Her chest rumbled, growls rising from deep within as she was left to seethe, every instinct in her body screamed at her that she needed to be with them, to help them. It was a feeling she knew well, and truly hated. It overwrote all reason, leaving her simply with the burning desire to protect.
"You're loyal. Like a dog." Nori's voice snorted in her mind, words spoken in jest when they were children. She couldn't remember the exact cause, just that it had been one of the first instances that she could remember that she growled at someone.
Her body rolled with shudders as she breathed through bared teeth, trying to fight her body from slamming itself through the wall to go after them.
Izuku watched her apprehensively, hand moving briefly outwards, like he was reaching to comfort her. But in a flash he made a strange expression, pursing his lips as if he was fighting to keep from saying something, ultimately dropping his hand.
"That's enough. We don't have time for this." Nighteye butted in, impatient.
Hitomi clenched her fists, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
She was already on edge enough because of the League's involvement, and the stakes of the mission. Now their numbers were dwindling down, with her whole team now split up. But she shouldn't be taking it out on Izuku.
And if his scent was anything to go by, his actions came from pure panic and concern. He didn't doubt her strength as a fledgling Hero, he was a boy trying to keep his friend safe.
And that was enough for the rage to simmer out.
"We don't have time to retrieve Fat Gum and Red Riot! They'll have to face off alone." Nighteye ordered, inciting them to keep moving, leading the charge thanks to his long legs and agile speed. "Hurry! We need to catch up to Mirio, fast!"
But no more than ten steps ahead, the walls around them started undulating, resembling some kind of living gelatin once more.
"No! Again?!" Izuku gasped in dismay. "It's moving! The ceiling, the walls— everything!"
"They're closing in, fast!" One of the few policemen that was still with them panicked.
"He's trying to crush us." Mr. Aizawa looked around frantically, in hopes of spotting the Villain and negating his Quirk.
Hitomi's ears sat flattened to her head, eyes wide and throat closing up. As the hallway grew tighter, she could feel leather straps binding her arms and legs— could taste the metal of blood and steel in her mouth, keeping it muzzled shut.
Her right shin and cheek flared a red-hot burn.
"We'll be flattened like damn pancakes!" Rock Lock offered that unpleasant image.
"Rock Lock, do something!" Nighteye demanded amidst the panic.
"Stop giving orders! This is all your fault! Listenin' to you is what got us into this mess!" Despite his anger, Rock Lock slapped a hand against the wall. "Fine, this ought'a do it! Deadbolt!"
Even with the imminent threat of being crushed to death, and her overwhelming surge of awful memories, Hitomi couldn't help but be reminded of the way Katsuki would always yell about not being told what to do, before doing exactly as he was told.
And the brief flash of once-cold— but now softened —carmine eyes in her mind, loosened the vice constricting her chest.
Katsuki would be able to handle this. I can too.
With the use of his Quirk, Rock Lock made the walls and such all freeze in place.
"Once I lock something down, it ain't going anywhere! Come on, let's go! This stretch won't shift around anymore! It's narrow, but deal with it! My Security Max Deadbolt is strong, but it can only hold so many spots. I'm already hitting my limits." Sweat beaded Rock Lock's face, his expression strained.
The peace didn't last— a portion of the wall he didn't lock down came shooting out ahead of them, dangerously fast.
But Izuku sparked into action, kicking apart and demolishing the wall with a single kick.
"Ōkami!"
Hitomi whipped around, startled by her teacher's call.
"Can you detect any sign of the Villain within the walls? His scent? His breathing? We need to know where he is." Mr. Aizawa's voice was strained with the high tension bearing down on them, but he still kept it measured, keeping his stress from coming out at her through his tone.
The small act of gentleness towards her during a moment of extremely high tension was something she would think back on later, and feel a soft warmth deep in her chest.
Shaking her head lightly in an effort to give this her peerless focus, she hurried to scan the area. She closed her eyes, nose and ears twitching, trying to drown out all the yelling and varying scents around her.
"We're not making any progress here! He just keeps cornering us!" Rock Lock grunted, trying to lock down more space.
But what was left that remained free, was heading for them, intent to crush them once and for all.
Hitomi's ears flicked, rotating on her head as she picked up a muffled groan of exertion, much like Rock Lock's. Along with that, a heart thumped, racing faster and faster. And underneath it all, was the faint scent of desperation.
Her eyes snapped open, and she turned toward her teacher.
"I— I think he might be running out of power!"
Mr. Aizawa looked to her, his eyes hidden by his goggles, but gaze still bearing down heavily with quiet desperation. "You're sure—"
The hallway trembled as Izuku kicked down the last pillar that was reaching for them. But disconcertingly, with its destruction, the parts once warping toward them, all retreated suddenly, leaving a wide expanse of space in a perfectly average looking hallway.
"What do you think they're planning this time?" Another policeman asked nervously.
Again, in an instant every hair on Hitomi's body stood on end, and a wave of unease overtook her. Before she even realized she moved, she was across to the opposite end of the hall, away from Rock Lock, Nighteye, and the police, with the back of Izuku's mask grasped in her— now clawed —hand, to drag him with her. Mr. Aizawa acted fast as well, joining her and Izuku as a wall came down, separating the three of them from the rest of the team.
As the dust settled, Hitomi slowly came out of the hyper-focused state she was in, stiffly letting go of Izuku.
"That was close." Izuku rubbed his neck, likely sore from the way she had jerked him out of the way before he was crushed.
"I owed you one." Hitomi mustered out, panting softly from the sudden leap. Upon catching her breath she offered him a weak smile, unsure herself who it was meant for.
He smiled back more convincingly, then checked on their teacher.
"Are you alright, Mr— I mean, Eraser Head?"
The man nodded, looking around suspiciously. "Why would they bother separating us now, though?"
"You guys okay on your side?" Rock Lock called loudly out from the other side of the wall.
"We're good, Rock Lock!" A policeman called back, even more muffled.
Hitomi frowned. "It sounds like Rock Lock and the police squad got separated from each other too."
"I suspect something nefarious is at play here. They have a plan. Stay alert! Prepare for anything!" Nighteye shouted loud enough to be heard, sounding as muffled as the policeman did.
"Yeah, yeah, we heard ya." Rock Lock snarked back, just loud enough for Hitomi to catch.
She looked to their teacher for instructions. "Now what do we—"
"Wha— Lockdown!"
Hitomi stiffened, keening her ears to the wall on Rock Lock's side.
Izuku noticed, brows furrowing. "Hitomi?"
"Sh." Mr. Aizawa shushed him quickly, watching the pinkette.
Then came a muffled accusation from the isolated Hero.
"You're with the League, aren't ya?"
Hitomi paled, slapping a hand over her mouth.
"What do you hear?" Mr. Aizawa asked tensely, unspooling his capture weapon.
Rock Lock gasped, before a different voice spoke up.
"Shh… 'fraid not. Today I'm a trusted member of the old-school yakuza. A nasty little gangster girl. One who's out for blood."
Bile touched her tongue, as Hitomi reeled back away from the wall, staring blankly at it in stunned horror. The sickness swirling her stomach only got worse when the metallic tang of blood reached her nose.
"She's here…" Hitomi whimpered through her hands. Her scars seared so badly that she briefly and deliriously wondered if they had reopened somehow.
"Step back!" Izuku leapt into action, kicking through the wall.
Selfishly, Hitomi wished he hadn't done so. Desperate to keep whatever barrier she could between her and—
"Rock Lock!" Izuku cried out.
The Hero was unconscious on the ground, bleeding from a stab wound in his left side.
And leering over his body, was a doppelgänger.
"Hey! This imposter clone just appeared out of nowhere and attacked me! Be careful!" The fake— the liar— the Villain tried to mislead them.
Hitomi felt cold.
The face perfectly matching the one belonging to the man on the ground, twisted in a feigned look of warning.
"I bet there are more enemies nearby." The imposter set its eyes on Izuku, glinting familiarly. "Midoriya, are you o—"
Something snapped.
A salmon pink boot with a silver sole moved in a blur. It connected with its target— the imposter's jaw —with a sickening crunch. The fake Rock Lock went flying across the room, landing and sputtering as it cradled its bleeding mouth.
Izuku gasped, stunned. But Mr. Aizawa didn't give a surprised reaction, simply diving to tend to Rock Lock's wound.
"Rock Lock doesn't carry a knife. And he definitely doesn't smell like a fucking maniac." Hitomi's voice carried cold and gravelly, her hands transformed into large muscular paws, while the fuchsia of her eyes darkened to a blazing crimson.
The hit felt borderline euphoric. As demented as it sounded, the thought of finally hurting this imposter back was so tantalizing that it washed over her fear, drowning it out. Hitomi hadn't even realized the true extent of her anger, until now. Until she had the source of the scars that marred her flesh here, right in front of her.
The imposter staggered to its feet, pulling out the knife it clearly stabbed Rock Lock with, and whirled around.
Mr. Aizawa's eyes flashed, his hair flipping up.
And in an instant, Hitomi was staring back at the true face of the Villain.
Himiko Toga gave her a look of pure contempt, licking up the blood dribbling from her mouth.
"Only my friends are allowed to make me bleed."
Acidic hatred burned in Hitomi's veins, body static with electric fury.
A slightly deranged grin, matching a certain blonde's, twisted her face as she growled words she meant from the bottom of her heart.
"I am going to tear you apart."
So, sorry that it probably feels like we're just retreading the arc at the moment, I know it can get boring quickly. But I promise Hitomi serves a huge purpose being in this arc, and she'll get time in the spotlight shortly. And it's going to have some serious impact on her personal arc as a whole.
And I know about the change to Rock Lock's name, but we're sticking to the original in this because I ain't copyright's bitch.
Anyway, I hope the next update is out sooner than this one, but if I've learned anything recently it's that shit's unpredictable, and you really can't commit to something with full certainty. That said, I've got this arc pretty well outlined, so it shouldn't take abhorrently long.