11/06/2024

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The Emperor's Dragon
Dragon 27 - Guess Who's Back?

Toru's examination of warehouses had surprisingly taught her a lot about people. It was not something she'd expected but it was something which was useful. She'd looked in on warehouses that were being used for storage, but then she'd looked in on warehouses that were being used by workers. Some of them sensed her. It was interesting watching the people. Those who sensed her tended to look around, trying to figure out which of their colleagues was examining them. They seldom looked up.

In some cases, there had been an altercation when accusations flew but others just grumbled. Those who did look up, generally frowned as if they expected to see something but they didn't.

The first time that had happened had been disconcerting. She'd shivered and it had not been that cold but then the person's eyes had passed straight over her and moved on. It had been a very disconcerting thing for her. There'd been a few people who'd just stared at her. Even though she knew they couldn't see her, she'd actually sweated when they'd stared. It had taken all of her willpower not to jerk away and hide but… Toru had done that the first time and it had been way worse. The guy had kept looking up to the window, just glances and had then climbed on to the roof after his shift. She'd moved on by then, and was checking other warehouses but… It had taught her enough. When people thought there was someone there they investigated.

So the next time someone looked up and 'saw' her, while her instincts screamed for her to hide, she held firm. It was ridiculous. All her life, people had literally looked right through her. She was used to not being seen but this was different. Toru could feel their gazes. Some were curious, most were hostile.

It was teaching her a lot about how people behaved.

She was looking more intently now. After finding the abandoned base she'd spoken to the HPSC. One of them had lectured her on using her quirk without a license before a woman had hustled them away and apologised. They'd then sat at a table for a few minutes before the woman had gotten down to business. "So what do you want?"

Toru had been doing this to get her place back in a hero course but having someone outright ask her had been a surprise. She'd thought about what she wanted but she'd never really given consideration as to how she was going to get it.

"A place in a hero school," Toru had been shocked at her boldness when she'd replied.

"Not UA?" the Commission's woman had asked.

Toru had shaken her head, and held up one hand to make a negative gesture. "No. He'd just expel me again," she explained.

The woman chuckled. It spoke volumes.

"You would have let that happen!" Toru had realised.

The woman had shrugged before giving her an odd smile. "Well, yes," she admitted. "You've put us in a difficult position. The Commission can't be seen to be supporting your illegal quirk use."

"But I-" Toru began to object but had been cut off. She couldn't turn her quirk off.

"And it is the very fact that you have an involuntary quirk that makes this a gray area," the woman agreed but her look was pointed. If her quirk required conscious use, Toru knew she'd be in a lot of trouble now. "You have been trespassing," the woman added.

It was one of the times Toru was thankful no one could see her expression. She felt her features pass through several expressions before she had a realisation. "You can't prove that," she'd told the woman. "And who's even going to ask," Toru had pushed the point.

"The media-" the woman had replied.

It had been Toru's turn to chuckle. "These are villains," she replied. "These are villains the public are demanding to know why they haven't been captured already. No one will be asking how they were found," she dismissed the woman's threat. "Well, not specifics," Toru added.

The woman's silence conceded the point and Toru had felt a moment of triumph. "Do you have a particular hero school in mind?" The HPSC woman asked.

"Shiketsu or Seiai," Toru had replied immediately. The woman had nodded and from that point on, with the agreement from the HPSC she'd been looking far more intently.

She'd found a few illegal activities and those had been reported to the police to action once she found the main villains. They didn't want to alert the villains that a warehouse wasn't safe. But so far she had found nothing of the villains she was looking for.

Even so, Toru wasn't disheartened. The promise of reward was enough to keep her going.

She was going to be a hero. And unlike the others who had just gotten into school as per usual, and gone through the years, she was going to know that she'd earned it, and that she could do it.

It was a nice feeling.

-ted-

When Izuku stepped through Kurogiri to see Himiko and talk to Garaki he immediately felt that someone else was there. He wouldn't have usually noticed because the presence was familiar to him. It was simply the fact that he hadn't felt it for a while that made him sensitive.

The gasps from the others as they emerged simply confirmed it for him. The Doctor jerked his head in the right direction and Izuku gave him a grin and then raced off between the row of huge tanks that were behind Kyudai. He glanced briefly at a new tank that was offside but didn't get a good look at the contents.

"What?" Dabi asked, looking around with wide blue eyes.

The Doctor looked over at him with some distaste. Garaki knew Izuku needed minions but why did they not have to be here? "Izuku's father knew he would most likely lose," he explained shortly. "He made sure there were assets for his successor," he added.

"Successor?" Mr Compress asked in a tone that made it clear he was referring to Tomura.

"Successor," the Doctor repeated.

"Was that not Tomura?" Whisper pressed the question directly.

"Not when he's like that," Kyudai told them, gesturing to the tank that was to the side.

The group looked at it. "It's Tomura!" Twice gasped.

It was their former boss. He was floating in the tank with his gray hair forming a halo around his head. His eyes were closed, and while they remembered how he died, there did not appear to be any bruises on his throat. He looked almost peaceful and it was odd to see him without the hands that had formed his aesthetic.

Dabi recovered first. "What are you doing to him?"

"Not a lot yet," Garaki replied. "I'm strengthening his body," he added absently. It was actually easier to do now that Tomura was dead. He didn't have to worry about him going insane. That said, there were going to be issues with Sensei unless Izuku found an alternative. Sensei loved his son but the Doctor was almost positive this would have crossed a line.

"And then?"

"We'll see." Kyudai sighed and thought about turning to face them but he decided not to. That would be giving Izuku's companions too much attention. "Don't touch anything," he said and was rewarded with a somewhat guilty silence.

He huffed. "You can look around so long as you don't touch anything," Garaki said. "Unless you need my services?"

"We won't touch anything," the woman with them agreed and Kyudai suppressed a chuckle. They might be somewhat accepting of what he was doing but they didn't really want to be involved.

They had so much to learn.

-ted-

Izuku followed his senses and was a bit surprised when, as he raced through the tubes, he realised he was heading to the treatment room. It was a room where the Doctor provided medical services to his father. It wasn't the original treatment room. They had moved warehouses once or twice but the room was always there.

Right now, it was the room that Himiko was in. It was set in the office area of the warehouse. From what Izuku had seen, warehouses came in a couple of different types. There were those that were used purely to store things, and whoever was storing things there knew where the stuff was, and then there were dispatch or supply warehouses. Those usually had a small office near the entry where the store manager could both receive and dispatch goods. Sometimes there was a mezzanine above that area. This one had the mezzanine and it was where a little kitchen and couches were set up. The windows of the office space had been blacked out by the expedient means of covering them with plastic sheeting.

Izuku barely knocked at the door before he barged in.

Then he froze. His green eyes went wide at the scene.

Himiko was on the treatment bed. She was crouched at the head of it, with a snarl on her features. It took Izuku a moment to realise she was dressed in a thin medical gown but he thought he could be forgiven for that since Himiko was snarling at Gigantomachia. The huge man had somehow squeezed himself into the room and while he wasn't snarling, Izuku could feel that he wasn't impressed with Himiko.

"Gigantomachia!" Izuku cried.

That got the man's attention. Gigantomachia knew better than to fully shift his attention but Izuku knew he'd been acknowledged and factored into Gigantomachia's response.

"Gigantomachia, this is Himiko," Izuku introduced his friend. "Himiko, this is Gigantomachia."

Neither of them moved. Izuku decided to ignore their hostility. He didn't think they'd attack each other while he was here. He took a step towards Himiko. "I'm glad to see you."

Izuku frowned as Gigantomachia moved to cover him. "'Machia?" he asked.

The large man just growled softly.

A couple of things finally clicked for Izuku and he actually chuckled. "Himiko got injured protecting me," he told his father's bodyguard. "That's why she's here," he explained.

Izuku reached out and put a hand on Gigantomachia's back. "She's okay. She's my friend."

Gigantomachia shifted slightly to look at him from the corner of his eye. Izuku nodded his reassurance.

"Is that why I hurt?" Himiko asked.

"It is," Izuku said, "but I've got something to show you." He moved around Gigantomachia carefully.

"She protected you?" the big man asked for confirmation.

Izuku nodded again. "The Yakuza pulled a gun. Himiko jumped in the way."

Gigantomachia examined him for a few moments before he nodded and actually stepped towards Himiko. Izuku moved around Gigantomachia properly and went to the head of the bed. "Are you okay?" he asked Himiko, ignoring the way Gigantomachia was sniffing at her.

"What's he doing?" Himiko demanded, ignoring Izuku's question.

"Learning how you smell," Izuku explained. He'd learned the hard way that Gigantomachia didn't just rely on his eyes. Until Izuku had worked that out, he'd never been able to get away from the huge man when they played tag in his training. "Are you okay?" he asked again.

Himiko gave Gigantomachia a hard look and then raised one hand to her shoulder. "It's healing," she told him.

He nodded, and made a mental note to get a regeneration quirk. He should have already given her one! It would fix her injury immediately and while Himiko wouldn't have her real quirk… "You are going to be okay," he told her.

Himiko frowned.

"I promise," Izuku reassured her.

He could see when Himiko picked up on the concern in his voice. "Izu?" she said his name as a question, reaching up to touch her wounded shoulder. "What happened?"

Himiko's voice was small and she sounded uncertain and afraid. It was a state Izuku had never seen her in but he knew he didn't like it. Himiko was bold and assertive. She was confident! Not this. This wasn't Himiko!

Overhaul hadn't paid anywhere near a high enough price for this!

The treatment room was rather bare of furniture. It had the bed and Izuku could see some equipment pushed into a corner. He sat on the bed, and looked over at Himiko before he swallowed. Gigantomachia was listening as well. The man believed him when he said that Himiko had protected him but he would want details. It wasn't much of a consolation that when Izuku finished the story, Gigantomachia would probably fully approve of Himiko. "The bullet the Yakuza used wasn't a normal one," he explained.

She gave him a look, and Izuku was kind of happy to see that her gold eyes were telling him to get on with it. Himiko might not be herself, but she was there.

He sighed. "It was a quirk destroying bullet," Izuku told her, deciding to rip off the bandaid rather than dance around the issue. Himiko would appreciate that more.

"What?"

He just nodded at the question. Himiko's quirk worked with the ingestion of blood but Izuku figured she, like everyone else, could sort of feel it anyway. It was a part of them. The frown that accompanied her look of concentration certainly suggested that.

Himiko's eyes flew open. "It's gone!" she exclaimed.

There wasn't anything Izuku could say to that.

Her gold eyes widened and Himiko trembled.

"You are going to get it back," Izuku said forcefully.

Himiko latched on to his words.

"You are going to get it back," he repeated.

"How?" Himiko asked. She wasn't bubbly. The Yakuza had a lot to answer for.

This was a question Izuku could actually smile at. "One of two ways," he told her.

"How?" She asked again, and Izuku could see that Himiko was fighting against tears.

"You told me you met Tomura a couple of years back, right?" he asked her, reminding her of the events.

Himiko nodded but Izuku could tell she was somewhat dubious.

"While I'm still pissed no one told me about that, I'm almost 100% sure Tomura grabbed a genetic sample from you. If he did, then Yakuni can make a copy of your quirk," he explained with false brightness.

It took Himiko a moment to comprehend his statement. "Really?" she asked.

He nodded and gave her a bright smile. "I think my dad had a copy of it and-" he paused. The Doctor had told him that his Dad had sent Gigantomachia away with quirks…

"Izu?" Himiko prompted after a moment.

"'Machia, do you have the quirk holders?" Izuku asked.

The big man smiled at him and nodded.

"Dad's?"

Gigantomachia nodded again.

Izuku laughed.

"Izu?" Himiko asked again.

He gave her a grin. "If Dad put his copy of your quirk in one of those holders, then I could give you your quirk back today!" Izuku actually laughed gently before he sobered. "But there's a chance Dad still has it," he sighed.

Himiko nodded. "You said there were two ways?"

At that, Izuku took one of her hands. "The Shie Hassaikai's ability to remove quirks relied on another quirk," he told her, shaking his head at the irony. "I have that quirk."

She cocked her head at him. "How does that help?" He could tell that Himiko wanted to trust him but couldn't see the connection.

"It's some sort of rewind quirk," he explained. "So once I figure out how to use it properly, I can rewind you to the point where you have your quirk again."

Himiko blinked as she thought about it.

"I will have to practice with that one," Izuku emphasised, before looking around the room. It was as bare as he remembered.

"What do you want?"

"Something to demonstrate with," Izuku indicated.

Himiko placed her other hand over his. "You don't need to."

"I want to," he countered. "I tried it this morning and-" Izuku grimaced. "An apple turned into pollen," he explained. "So I do need to practice." Apart from the bed, and the equipment there was nothing here. He could practice on the equipment but probably wouldn't be able to see an effect. "Later," Izuku sighed as he patted Himiko's hand. "Are you hungry?" he shifted to more immediate concerns. He'd had breakfast but he was sure the Doctor tended to ignore such plebeian needs, especially on those he was treating, until it was absolutely essential.

Himiko nodded and slid off the bed. "Famished."

"Let's fix that then," Izuku said brightly. "Gigantomachia?" he asked, turning to look at the huge man. 'Machia gave him a nod and Izuku grinned.

Hunger was at least easy to fix, though maybe until Himiko got her quirk back, she'd like a different one? He'd ask her at breakfast.

"Food then quirks!" Izuku said. Maybe watching him practice with the quirks Yakuni had collected would cheer her up? It would probably please Gigantomachia that he was now willing to use his quirk.

Izuku looked up at the huge man and swallowed. "I killed Tomura," he told him softly.

"Yes?" Gigantomachia rumbled.

The tone wasn't what Izuku expected. "You aren't upset?" Izuku asked.

The gargantuan man chuckled and Izuku realised what that meant. "Kurogiri told you already," he accused.

Gigantomachia nodded.

"And told you about Dad's quirk?" Izuku pressed.

His Dad's bodyguard gave him a sharp look but he nodded.

"At least I didn't mess that bit up," Izuku sighed, looking at the floor.

At that, Gigantomachia snorted. Himiko was just watching the exchange. "Tomura wasn't worthy," he said.

Izuku felt his head snap up.

Gigantomachia shook his head. "The only thing that made him worthy was my Lord's quirk. Without it-" he didn't finish.

"I want you to guard All For One," Izuku instructed.

That appeared to surprise Gigantomachia.

"The Doctor currently has a holder for it," Izuku explained. "I want you to guard it. I could hold it in a pocket but I want you to guard it. I don't trust anyone else," he added.

As Izuku watched, Gigantomachia's face slowly shifted into a grin. "Little Lord, it will be done," he agreed.

Izuku smiled at him. "Good," he said, pulling Himiko close. "Now let's go get you both breakfast!"

-ted-

Gigantomachia is back! And has met Himiko... And thankfully the two of them seem to be getting on.

Don't worry, Izuku will be getting the quirks Yakuni collected and then are with Gigantomachia but patience. He's got to have a proper discussion with Yakuni and the quirks aren't going anywhere.

Discord is on this code: TcBnRN7aDn FFN will remove links but you should be able to figure that out. There's a heap of other authors there, so come along and chat to us all! Not just about MHA.

-ted-

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