-63-

The Shie Hissaikai

Sir Nighteye walked alone along the dark streets of Tokyo. It was well after midnight, and as always, the streets of Tokyo were quite busy, especially on the streets of Shibuya, even at this time of night. There were many couples touring the shopping centers, foreigners exploring the sights, drunkards entering and leaving the various bars and dives. The city was teeming with life, but it was all of no consequence to him, for he had a lot more pressing matters on his mind.

It had taken him a couple hours by train to reach the city from his Agency, and he had a lot of time to think on the trip over. He was not a man of emotion. He considered himself to be very level-headed, and those who had come to know him over the years agreed that he was not an easy man to upset. However, the details of this Hissaikai case had made him uneasy, producing what felt like an itch in the back of his mind that he could not scratch. He needed advice, and he knew there was only one person in the world he trusted more than anyone for guidance. But he had to admit that thinking of this meeting - of seeing her again - was putting him on edge.

He turned a corner towards a back alleyway, filled with old boxes and trash of various sorts. The walls of the adjacent buildings were tagged with graffiti, and a homeless man slept soundly in one of the boxes. However, Nighteye knew that this was all just a feint. The alleyway was enchanted, a clever spell that changed the appearance of the alleyway regularly to look foreboding enough to prevent curious onlookers from investigating further. Not even the homeless man was real.

Nighteye strode to the end of the alleyway, standing before a large, blank cement wall. He passed his hand along the surface of the wall, as if searching for something. Finally, he seemed to find what he was looking for, and his hand stopped in its place. A light began to shine in a square-like form around him. He backed away as the light continued to grow, and a wooden door appeared where his hand used to be. Tentatively, he reached for the handle and turned it. The door creaked ominously as it slowly swung open, revealing only impenetrable darkness on the other side. Nighteye steeled himself and stepped through.

As he stepped through the threshold of the doorway, he felt his feet hit hardwood flooring, and a dim light entered his vision. He had stepped into what looked to be a strang curioushop, with various artifacts ranging from shrunken heads to ouija boards lining the walls and shelves around him. There was a small round table in the middle of the shop, covered with a checkered tablecloth and adorned with a large candle in the center. Candles flickered dimly all throughout the shop, and he could hear the faint sound of Jazz music in the streets outside, and the tantalizing smell of fresh gumbo stew and crawfish wafted into his nostrils.

All these sights were familiar to him, as he had been to this location before. He was no longer in Tokyo, having stepped through time and space into New Orleans, USA.

"Did you come to have your fortune read, mon cher?" A voice came from behind him. He turned to see a striking woman appear from the bead-covered entryway. She was wearing a black dress with red sleeves and red bodice around her waist. Her skin was a fair olive dark with three blue gems aligned on her forehead. She looked at Nighteye with penetrating green eyes that seemed to stare into his soul, but were impossible to look away from.

"Madame Xanadu," Said Nighteye, bowing respectfully.

"It has been a long time, cher," she said in a thick cajun accent. "Had I known you were comin', I would have made tea."

"You jest at my expense, Madame," said Nighteye, eyeing the kettle and cups on the table that had definitely not been there a second before. Madame Xanadu chuckled playfully as she poured him a cup and handed it to him.

"Yes, I knew you were coming," she said. "Though I would have hoped you would have called on me for more than just talking shop."

"I need your help," said Nighteye.

"Do you, though?" Said Madame Xanadu, sipping her tea.

"What do you mean?" Said Nighteye.

"You're troubled in more ways than one, cher," said Madame Xanadu, placing her thumb at the center of his forehead. "I can feel the chaos ragin' inside of you. You have neglected your gift."

"Hardly," said Nighteye, taking her hand. "I have achieved great success with my abilities."

"But you neglect its full potential," Said Xanadu. "And you have since your vision of All Might."

Nighteye flinched. This struck a nerve, but he was hardly surprised she brought it up. She was considered to be the greatest psychic the world had ever known, and her magical abilities were outmatched only by Dr. Fate himself. She had taken him under her wing when he and All Might had joined the Justice League, and had taught him how to hone his abilities even further than he already had in what he considered to be his prime. He had achieved things he could have never dreamed thanks to her tutelage, and their friendship had grown extremely close. She knew him better than anyone else, even All Might.

"You are still afraid to use your Foresight to its fullest potential," Xanadu continued. "This fear has shortened your sight, closin' your mind to the mysteries of the cosmos."

"My mind is focused," said Nighteye.

"Too focused, mon cher," Xanadu countered. "You use your focus to shield yourself from the fear you feel. The fear of things you will see, and the blame you set upon yourself for seein' 'em."

"Perhaps they are more than just visions," said Nighteye. "Maybe I am tampering with the cosmos and altering the future. Maybe I am causing these things to happen."

"Not even Fate himself has that power," said Xanadu.

"Even still, every vision I have had to date has come to pass," said Nighteye. "There's precedence."

Xanadu twisted her wrist, causing a coin to appear in her fingers. She began tossing it up and down with her thumb. "And you can flip a coin a hundred times and have it land on heads each and every time," She said. "But so long as you keep flippin', there's always the chance it will come up tails." She twisted her hand again, and the coin disappeared.

"Madam," Said Nighteye. "I did not come here to discuss myself."

"No, mon cher," said Xanadu. "I know exactly why you have come here. But I can't help you."

"What?" Said Nighteye, surprised.

"The future you seek is closed to me," Said Xanadu, sitting at her table. "A shrouded cloud, as murky as the deepest swamp in the Bayou."

"But how?" Said Nighteye. "You're the most gifted psychic in the world."

"That's the way the cosmos works, mon cher," said Xanadu. "It is not just a word, but a livin' thing, as real as you or I, and as fluid as a passin' river. Its course is set through the choices its inhabitants make every day. Thousands of choices pile up like thousands of tiny rocks in the stream." She used the smoke from the candle on her table to conjure an image of a river, showing small rocks falling into the river, directing its path.

"Or," She continued. "One really big choice, made at a critical juncture, could alter the course of the stream forever." A large boulder dropped into the image of the river, causing it to disappear.

"What do I do?" Said Nighteye.

"Trust yourself, mon cher," said Xanadu. "Think beyond your narrow focus, allow your mind to expand. Only then can you become one with the cosmos. Only then can you truly achieve your destiny."

A few days had passed since the conference with Nighteye and the other Pro Heroes. Oliver and Nighteye were collaborating with all the Heroes that were invited in an effort to pinpoint the location of Kai Chisaki and Eri. Until that time, Izuku, Uraraka, Asui, and Kirishima were all on standby.

Izuku had been taking the reality of Eri's situation the hardest. He blamed himself for letting her go with a madman such as Overhaul. He found his mind wandering back to his time in Gotham, to Jason, and how he was captured and tortured by the Joker. He was an adult, trained by the World's Greatest Detective and most dangerous man on the planet, and the horrors he endured were so unspeakable it destroyed someone even as strong as Jason. He couldn't imagine what a poor little girl like Eri must feel. And who knows how long it has been going on?

Aizawa made it clear that their involvement in the case would be minimal. "It isn't likely that the League of Villains is directly involved," he had said. "But in the event that we are mistaken about that, your involvement in this case will be terminated. Given your history with the League, especially yours," he nodded towards Izuku. "We need to head off any potential interaction with them that we can."

Aizawa's words echoed in his head as he sat with his class in the cafeteria. He hated the idea of being taken off the case. He wanted - no, needed - to be there to rescue Eri, to make up for letting her back into the hands of that madman. Even if the League of Villains was involved, he would stop at nothing to bring Eri to safety and the Hissaikai to justice.

"Are you all right, Midoriya?" Said Iida, shaking Izuku from his thoughts. "You've been staring at your food for the last ten minutes."

"I'm fine," said Izuku, taking a few bites of his lunch, even though his appetite had long left him. A few minutes passed in silence, with Iida and Todoroki continuing to look at him quizzingly. Iida put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"If you ever want to talk or anything, just let me know," said Iida. "We're friends, right?"

Those words pierced Izuku's heart. The exact words that he had spoken to Iida back before their internships. The weight of his words suddenly bore down on his heart, awakening him to the truth. It was more than just about rescuing Eri. He wanted revenge against the Hissaikai, especially Chisaki. He wanted to make them pay for what they did to Eri, for using an innocent child to destroy all around them in the name of profit gain. But he couldn't let such feelings distract him. He had to do this right, keep his head cool, or Eri could be lost to them forever.

"Thanks, Iida," said Izuku. He couldn't tell them what was going on, but he was already feeling better about the situation. He was again interrupted in his thoughts as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He checked it to see a text from Oliver.

Found them. Be here tomorrow, bright and early.

Izuku stared at the message for a whole minute before finally putting it away. He could feel his heart racing. They had found the Shei Hissaikai fortress. Now it was time to take them down. He couldn't wait to get started.

Bruce was sitting at the large computer in the Warehouse. He had been in Japan for a few days, but hadn't let Izuku know about it. He had asked Oliver to present him with regular updates on the case, and tonight Bruce had made it a point to have him come in person to deliver his report.

"Thank you for coming, Oliver," Said Bruce.

"Good to see you too, Bruce," said Oliver cheerfully. He looked around the Warehouse and let out a long whistle. "You always got the best toys. I should really upgrade my arsenal. Maybe get a Cave of my own."

"You found the Shei Hissaikai?" Asked Bruce.

"Yes," Said Oliver. "Your search algorithm helped immensely. It directed us right to the areas with the most Hissaikai activity. We were also able to pinpoint several outlier organizations and businesses that were owned or did business with the organization."

"And the League of Villains?" Said Bruce.

"Radio silence," Replied Oliver.

"What about Nighteye?" Said Bruce. "Has he gleaned anything useful from his quirk?"

"He won't use it," Said Oliver. "Or if he has, he's not telling us."

Bruce was silent. Something about this case was not sitting right with him. He never possessed a quirk of his own, or any psychic or magical ability, but he had trained himself well enough that he had a heightened instinct, something that had saved his life countless times in the field.

"There's something bothering you about this case, isn't there?" Said Oliver. "Do you want me to take Midoriya off the case?"

"No," said Bruce. "But there is something I want you to do for me." He typed furiously on his computer. There were several codes and what looked like to Oliver to be chemical compounds that flashed over the monitor. Bruce finished his typing, and the centrifuge next to him hissed as it came to a stop. He withdrew a vial from the centrifuge and examined it for a minute. He then placed it in another machine. After a few minutes, the machine beeped and Bruce extracted the vial, which had now changed color.

"What is that?" Said Oliver.

"Insurance," Said Bruce. He handed the vial to Oliver. "I need you to keep this with you during the siege. Make sure Midoriya doesn't leave your sight. And if the worst should happen, inject him with this."

"The worst?" Said Oliver.

"I hope that you won't have to use it," Said Bruce. "But if , you'll know when the time is right."

"So she's in the Hissaikai headquarters after all?" Said Rock Lock incredulously. "And all that work we did was for nothing?!"

Izuku, Uraraka, Asui, Kirishima and all the other heroes were gathered around the conference table in the Justice League agency. Oliver and Nighteye wanted to go over what they had discovered during the various investigations, as well as go over their plan of attack.

"Not at all," said Nighteye. "We have learned a lot from this investigation, enough to aid us further in our cause against the Hissaikai."

"How did you find out where she was kept?" Said Fatgum.

Nighteye pulled out a box from under his desk and put it on the table. It was one of the popular Glitter Squad toys that Izuku had seen in department stores lately. "One of the Hissaikai visited a department store and purchased this toy," said Nighteye. "This is from a program that is highly popular with young girls."

"What if he's just into that stuff?" Said Fatgum.

"I was there when the man purchased it," said Nighteye. "I was able to use my Foresight to determine the toy was intended for Eri."

"So you ended up using it after all?" Said Rock Lock. "After the fuss you made about it?"

"If you recall, I said I would use it when our path was more certain," Nighteye retorted.

"This means that we have the data we need, right?" Said Fatgum.

"Yes," said Oliver. "We know exactly when they will be there based on the information we received from our stakeouts, and have gotten the police involved through Detective Tsukauchi, who have supplied us with a warrant to search the premises."

"So our next move is to take them down," said Fatgum.

"We need a plan of attack," said Nighteye. "Let's get started."

The heroes all gathered outside the Hissaikai fortress. A large police presence was already stationed outside, lined up and heavily armored in riot gear. The detective leading them stood before the crowd of heroes, clearing his throat to get their attention.

"Good morning," Said the Detective. "This will be a combination search and rescue as well as all-out assault and capture of the Shei Hissaikai. I hope you are all prepared for this. As you know, Nighteye was able to use his quirk to get a glimpse of the Hissaikai's underground facility. While we do not have a comprehensive view of the facility, we do believe that the Hissaikai member he encountered used the fastest route to get to the young girl we intend to rescue. You need to stay smart. These men are dangerous, and we have no reason to disbelieve they already know we're coming. They are bound to attack us full force with their quirks." He nodded to the detective next to him, who began passing out sheets to the heroes.

"This is a list of Hissaikai members and their quirks according to the registration database," he continued. "Commit these to memory. We don't want to take any chances. We need to apprehend all Hissaikai members as quickly as possible while securing our target."

Izuku scanned the document, making note of every quirk. Kirishima was pacing slightly, anxious to get started, while Uraraka and Asui were speaking with Ryukyu. Upon finishing the document, he looked up to see Aizawa and Oliver standing next to him.

"Come here, all of you," Aizawa said, beckoning his students closer. "During this siege, you are to stay close to your respective Work Study Heroes. Do not let them out of your sight. If you happen to be separated from them, stay close to the nearest hero you can find."

"Yes sir," said the students in unison.

"I don't want any unnecessary risks taken," said Aizawa. "Use your head, think things through."

"To help even up the odds," Oliver said. "I'll be sending in members of my own team to assist you." He nodded over to a group of heroes, and Izuku could see Black Canary, Arsenal, and Speedy walking their way.

"Black Canary will be going with Ryukyu," said Oliver. "Arsenal and Speedy will go with Fatgum, while Izuku and I will go with Nighteye."

"Nice to meet you!" Said Kirishima, while Speedy and Arsenal simply nodded to him.

"All right," Said the detective. "The operation will commence in 08:30 hours. You are expected to encounter heavy resistance, so do not be afraid to call for backup. Everyone to your posts."

As the officers piled around the entrance to the compound, the front gate seemed to explode from the inside, sending many of the officers flying and flailing away from the wreckage. Izuku and the others acted quickly, using their quirks to catch and soften the landing of the falling officers.

The dust around them settled to reveal a large, hulking creature wearing a black beak-mask lumbering out of the wreckage. "What do you want?" He said slowly. "It's too early for visitors."

"Contact!" Shouted the detective. "Move in, now!"

The hulking creature suddenly ran with blinding speed towards the officers. Ryukyu stepped swiftly in front of them as the powerful arm of the enemy lunged directly towards her. She transformed into her dragon form, catching the fist effortlessly in her claws. "We'll handle this," she said, slamming the creature to the ground. "The rest of you, go!"

Black Canary, Hado, Uraraka and Asui immediately rushed to support Ryukyu. The rest of the heroes and police ran into the compound. They were met with three more guards, one of them extending his arm forward. The leaves of the bushes next to him suddenly began to fly towards them at incredible speed, embedding themselves into the shields of the riot police like tiny blades. Kesagiri man, one of the heroes, lunged forward and subdued the three henchmen easily.

Izuku, Green Arrow, Nighteye, and Togata ran towards the entrance of the facility, along with the other heroes and police who were not already fighting the Hissaikai behind them. They had expected resistance, but not an all-out assault before they could even serve them the search warrant. This made things even more difficult, and could make it potentially harder to find Eri.

Izuku looked at Mirio as they continued to run. He shot him a confident smile and a thumbs up. Izuku smiled back. It didn't matter how hard the Hissaikai fought. There was no stopping them now.

We're coming to save you, Eri.

Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long since the last update. I feel like I owe you an explanation. Life has been kind of hard for me lately. Along with the responsibilities of full-time employment, full-time schooling, and being a father and husband, I recently had an argument with members of my extended family. In response to this argument, instead of working it out like family should, they proceeded to cut me completely from their life, even blocking me on social media. It was a harrowing and saddening experience, but also an enlightening one. It has provided me with the confidence I need to move past toxic relationships for the sake of my own happiness and mental health. It has taught me that family isn't just blood. Family is someone who will fight and do all they can to stay in your life, not just be there when the weather is fair or when it best suits them. I have been able to identify many instances in my life where they have been a toxic influence on me, and I am ready to break the cycle so I do not inflict such things on my own family.

I don't tell you this to garner sympathy, just to let you all know that if you are experiencing similar difficulties, you are not alone. You don't have to put up with another individual's toxic behavior just because they carry the title of "father, mother, sister, wife, husband, etc." If they love you, they will treat you right. If they want to be in your life, they will make a conscious effort. So if you are going through this, don't give up. You'll get through this, and you will find the courage to Go Beyond, Plus Ultra.

Thank you for reading.