The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when Yagi Toshinori and Shota Aizawa planned their infiltration. Due to the previous day's events, time seemed to have sped up for the two heroes, not mentioning the fact Yagi had to go and find the door to his car after he threw it into the distance.
"That's the place," Peering out through the bramble of the forest, Yagi lowered the small telescope from his eye and snapped it shut, before handing it over for Aizawa to use.
The underground hero held it up and remarked, "I'm surprised you need to use one of these."
"I have super strength, not super vision." The thin man replied.
"Supervision would probably be more useful for you…"
"I might not have super hearing either, but I could still hear that."
Aizawa smiled in his usual I'm-not-actually-smiling-I-swear-it sort of way. The conversation they'd had with each-other on the rooftop, alongside the newly gained information he had on the number one symbol of peace, had caused a sort of amicably confrontational relationship between the two men. It wasn't one particularly based on mutual trust, rather an expectation the two would be more than willing to help one another. Just don't expect to be texting buddies.
"Were you planning on going in like that?" Aizawa asked, looking his companion up and down.
Yagi frowned and shook his head in slight confusion, "Why, what do you mean? This is how I always dress."
"I meant, aren't you going to, you know?" Fitting his goggles over his eyes, Eraserhead mimed flexing his muscles.
"Oh! I see. No, I'm not here as All Might. Technically we don't have any concrete proof of Omasuba's wrongdoings, and sending the big guy in wouldn't do us any favours. So today I'm just plain old Toshinori, legal counsel."
"Fair enough. Remember, we don't know exactly what we'll be dealing with in there, but Omasuba is involved with highly dangerous individuals. Be on high alert, and at the first sign of danger, get out of there." Eraserhead said sternly.
Yagi chuckled to himself "Are you really telling All Might to get away from the danger?"
"No, I'm telling Yagi to. Anything hits the fan, you're not going to be able to bulk up without unnecessarily revealing your identity to two people in one night."
"Ah. Right, duly noted. Now then, shall we?"
It was a small blessing that her grandmother's cabin had a working plumbing system, Rosa thought as she felt the hot water cascading over her body. The past week she'd had, she could do with more small blessings. First an early morning shower, then another day of hiding.
Rosa had managed to live a good life, one of opulence and influence, surrounded by extravagance and power. So why had she allowed herself to trust Barbershop, of all people? All they had to do was follow the straightforward instructions laid out by High Street, keep to the rules, and not rock the boat. But no, she had to get suckered into an ill-prepared revenge plot.
And then Diner killed Barbershop.
Museum had witnessed the entire thing from her rooftop perch, but even with front row seats there was nothing she could have done to prevent it. Now, she was on the run from a child. Diner had always been a child, only around eleven years old when Museum had been recruited, but their relationship had barely developed past that point.
Unlike Museum, Diner grew up in the thick of their shady world, missing out on all the normal 'kid' stuff. No playground fun with friends, no blowing out candles on birthdays - just the gritty reality of their life. It would have tugged at Museum's heartstrings, if she had any..
Rosa Omasuba, you see, wasn't exactly a people person. She hated people. People were always everywhere, talking, eating, breathing, oblivious to whether she wanted them around or not. Ever since she was a child, all she wanted was some peace and quiet, away from the constant crowd. And as she got older, her aversion only dialled up, with everyone mistaking her standoffishness for some sort of challenge. "Oh, she'll warm up eventually," they'd say, like her friendship was the prize at the end of a dialogue tree.
She was sixteen the first time she managed to make someone leave her alone. In fact, she made five people leave her alone all at once. A sleepover, some drinks with a little something extra, and one woodchipper later and she would finally get some peace in the lunchroom.
Truth be told, she had expected to get caught. Maybe it would be for the best, she wouldn't have to deal with anyone at all, then. But then, like a guardian angel, came High Street. The only person ever worth her time. With a flick of his wrist, he cleared everything up; the remains vanished, alibis were given, lies were told, and somehow Rosa got away with murder. All it took to get her to join The Market was a promise that she would get to "reduce the population from the comfort of her living room."
With her shower finished, Rosa got dressed and made sure to keep the lights in the cabin down low. With any luck, this would be another day without incident and an opportunity for her to plan her next moves. After all, she wouldn't be able to stay here forever.
Then, there was a loud knock on the door.
"Crime Never Sleeps" wasn't Detective Tsukauchi's favourite saying. Actually, he rather liked sleeping, so crime refusing to stick to a bedtime was making his life a lot harder than it needed to be. His mood wasn't being helped by the fact he'd unwittingly become a pawn in someone else's elaborate game for the past six months.
Reflecting on it, he couldn't help but blame himself for not noticing the signs sooner. Each time he was reassigned to a new precinct, he should have realised something was wrong, but, (being the consummate professional he was), he dove into his work. Only then to be shuffled off to another precinct shortly after. If he had known that none of the transfers were necessary, he would have told his superiors to stop blindly trusting whatever their computer systems tell them.
So here he was, at the crack of dawn, sifting through the jumble of computer files and trying to untangle the mess. Detective Omasuba's sister had certainly left her mark, and restoring order to the station was going to be no small feat. Making the call to suspend Kiko alongside a host of other officers had weighed heavily on him; despite the havoc she had unwittingly wreaked, there was no denying her potential to become an exceptional detective.
Instead of working with her however, today Tsukauchi found himself working alongside a most unexpected companion - a former assassin. Diner, AKA Yuki Haro, a girl with a false name, a dark past, and surprisingly decent file-management skills. Diligence had been the fake quirk she'd used to apply to the Yaoyorozu estate, and it was turning out to be more true than he had expected. Her ability to notice on sight when a file had been uploaded surreptitiously might have had more to do with her past connections, but either way, it was an enormous help.
Tsukauchi felt the urge to grab his second mug of coffee, when his phone began to chime.
"Detective Tsukauchi." He said in his usual manner, straight to the point.
A bright and cheery voice answered, "Good morning, Detective!" Nezu was no stranger to early morning calls, he really did enjoy bothering the humans in that way. "I have some good news, Izuku Midoriya is expected to make a full recovery. His mother has asked you to relay the message to Miss Haro, if you could!"
"Thank goodness…" Yuki said, closing her eyes and taking a contented breath. All to Tsukauchi's slight surprise. Apparently having fantastic hearing came packaged with being an assassin.
Wondering if he should hold the phone closer to his ear to prevent eavesdroppers, the detective returned to his call, "That's great news, principal. Does All Might know? He'll want to be kept up to date on everything, you know how he is."
"All Might is aware the boy is being cared for, but hasn't been kept informed of the entire situation. He's on a rather exciting mission, you see! Our investigation into who attacked Aizawa was fruitful indeed, he and All Might are on their way to confront the possible assailant right this moment!"
"Wait wait wait…" Tsukauchi interrupted, "What do you mean? Who? We already know who attacked Aizawa, she's here with me right now, Haro confessed to the entire thing."
This caught Yuki's attention, and a look of concern flashed across her features.
"Then, an accomplice," Nezu mused, "certainly an interesting development."
Tsukauchi lowered the phone and directed a question to his filing assistant, "Haro, the market member you mentioned earlier, Museum? Tell me what she looks like."
"Long pink hair, sharp features."
"Nezu, I have to make a call." With that, Tsukauchi ended the conversation.
"Can I help you gentlemen?" Rosa's expression settled into a frown as she held the door ajar, just enough to peek her head through the small opening. Unseen by the two men, her fingers tightened around the handle of a kitchen knife she had snatched from the counter.
Aizawa scoffed under his breath slightly, but despite this he managed to maintain his persona. "I'd say that remains to be seen."
"What my partner means," Yagi interjected smoothly, "is that we're here on behalf of UA High School. We believe you may be of help to an ongoing investigation, would it be possible to discuss this further inside?"
Looking to the side, Rosa's thoughts raced. "This could work to my advantage" she mused internally , "That man must be Aizawa. I may be able to direct their attention towards that fool Diner… if not, I can always just kill them."
She mustered the most convincing smile she could, her lips stretching coldly. "Of course, please come in." She offered with feigned hospitality. As she retreated from the doorway, her hand subtly slid the knife up her sleeve, out of sight. "We can talk in the living room."
With the three of them taking their seats, Yagi made a show of fumbling with a pile of papers in his briefcase. "Ah, so sorry about that," he said innocently.
Aizawa, however, was far from distracted by the act. With a small knowing smile, his sharp eyes caught sight of documents pertaining to the server hack at the police department. He noted the brief, yet telling look of recognition on Omasuba's face.
"You had questions to ask me?" Rosa asked, slightly more pointedly than before.
Aizawa nodded, "Let's start with an easy one, what can you tell us about the-" his words were cut off by a notification chime on his wrist. Glancing down, he said "I have to take this. All yours, Yagi." He then stood up and walked out of the room, well aware of Omasuba's quickened heart rate and the way her eyes never left him.
"So, Miss Omasuba," Yagi, now the sole inquisitor, shuffled his documents. "I hear you're in real estate? That must be a fun job! Getting to visit all those cool buildings and whatnot,"
"Uh, I, suppose so-"
Yagi continued, undeterred. "I never really get the chance to travel much, it's why I was so excited to get involved in this case. Most of the time I'm stuck at UA. Now that's a beautiful building, have you ever had a chance to see it?"
Rosa frowned, her patience was wearing thin. "I don't see what that has to do with anything."
With a nonchalant shrug, Yagi conceded, "You're right, you're right. I shouldn't start rambling on about all that, we have work to do! So, out of interest, Miss Omasuba,"
Suddenly, the bags under Yagi's eyes seemed to darken, and a chill fell over the room.
"What were you planning to do with the knife?" He sat comfortably and propped one leg over his knee. "You've been grasping your sleeve this entire time, careful not to move that arm. I'd wager it's to avoid an accidental injury. It's a risky place to hide a weapon, don't you think?"
Rosa's breathing became shallow, her chest rising and falling with silent gasps. But she maintained her composure, rooted to her seat.
Yagi's posture shifted, and he leaned forward, still with that sinister aura around him. "What do you know about the murders across Musutafu?" He asked, his eyes never leaving hers.
The moment was met by a third voice, cool and resonant as Aizawa leaned against the kitchen door frame. "Yeah, what do you know, Museum?"
In a flash of desperation, the assassin flung her concealed weapon towards Aizawa, deeming him to be the bigger threat of the two men. However, she hadn't accounted for Yagi's extraordinary reflexes, his hand shooting out to grab the knife out of midair as easily as catching a ball.
Seconds later, she found herself ensnared in the coils of Eraserhead's capture scarf, completely immobilised.
The knife clattered to the ground, as Yagi disdainfully tutted. "Knives," he muttered, "I hate knives."
Back in Recovery Girl's Laboratory, the procedure to transfer Izuku's consciousness back into his physical body was almost reaching completion. The Save Midoriya's Brain Brigade could feel the moment drawing closer, but it wasn't time to rest yet.
Mei, in particular, was focused intently on screens filled with complex data, caught in a loop of verifying and reverifying her calculations. Not even the triple-check felt like enough for her, the stakes were too high. If she's right they'd be enhancing Izuku's quirk efficiency by 20%. If she's wrong, well, she didn't want to think about if she was wrong. For now, there was nothing that would be able to snap her out of the zone she found herself in.
At least, that's what she thought before Akari gently tapped her on the shoulder.
"GWAH!" Mei reacted so forcefully it felt like she could have propelled herself through the ceiling, if the desk in front of her hadn't intervened. Though that might have been preferable to bashing both her knees.
"Oh Mei, I'm so sorry! That was totally unintentional!" Akari's arms flailed in a gesture of apology.
Grimacing as she rubbed her knees, Mei dismissed the concern. "Nah, nah it's alright, owie. What's on your mind, Akari? Did you need somethin'?"
Akari, still feeling a twinge of guilt over the injury, swallowed as she tried to gather her thoughts. She had promised herself she would actually do this, after all. "Mei, um it's just, do you remember the first day at school?"
"First day of school?" Mei furrowed her brow, casting her mind back. "Oh, right! I remember now. My dad got called in because I rigged up one of the fire alarms to act as a TV receiver. I just wanted to catch some cartoons, but they were seriously not impressed… Even less impressed about the fires…" she trailed off, lost in the memory.
"Not your first day of school ever! I mean your first day at UA." Akari clarified, "And wait, you really made a…" She shook her head. "Never mind. What I wanted to bring up was when we were all in the support lab together, and I asked if you and Izuku were dating. I just... I feel awful about it now! It was so presumptuous and invasive, especially considering we hardly knew each other!"
Suddenly overcome with remorse, Akari bowed her head and pleaded, "Please forgive me, Mei!"
Unfazed by the dramatics, Mei simply swivelled her chair back to her desk and resumed typing. "Hey, no need for apologies. We weren't offended at all. Besides, if I ever did consider dating guys, Izuku would probably be at the top of the list, right? I might not always grasp social cues perfectly, but even I can see why people might think that."
"O-oh, I get you…" Akari stammered, putting a finger up to her chin as she considered Mei's words. "But either way it was totally wrong of me to ask something like that! I'm trying to get better at not being so gossipy and just being sincere with people, so please let me say sorry!"
"Okay, apology accepted!" Mei responded with a thumbs up. "You should probably say it to Izuku as well though, he cares about that dating stuff more than me."
"Don't worry, I'm definitely gonna say sorry to him too." Akari's eyes suddenly widened in a moment of realisation, "Wait, Izuku cares about… dating, stuff?"
"Yeah, at least more than I do anyway." Mei said with a shrug, "He tells me about girls he has crushes on, and stuff like how he likes chicks with brown hair."
Akari touched the blonde hair currently draped over her own shoulder and suddenly felt a little inferior, but Mei didn't pick up on it. "Oh, I see… So does he uh, have a crush on anyone right now, do you know..?"
"Yep" Mei said, still typing furiously.
"Oh, really?!" Akari's eyes lit up for a moment.
"Yeah, you know that mushroom girl in 1A?"
"Oh…" her face dropped, "Well, she's nice, I guess."
With a sudden force, a hand slammed down onto the desk, causing the keyboard to clatter and disrupting the flow of their conversation. "Mei!" Miki bellowed, before jabbing an accusing finger in the girl's face. "Have you even bothered to eat today or have you been too caught up in work again?!"
Rolling her eyes defiantly, Mei tilted her head back and groaned, "I don't have time!" She declared, "There's more important things to do!"
Unfazed by the stubbornness, Miki reached over and covered Mei's eyes with her hands, blocking her view. "No more excuses!" Miki stated firmly, "I'm not letting you look at any more screens until you've had something to eat!"
Despite her initial annoyance, a giggle escaped Mei's lips as she tried to wrestle Miki off of her face. "Alright! Alright! I surrender!" Mei conceded with a laugh. "Just let go, I'll eat, I promise!"
Akari, who had been watching this all go down from the sidelines, felt very much like a third wheel. Regardless, she still had to cover her mouth with her hand to stifle her laughter. It was clear that working together on the project - not that she enjoyed calling saving Izuku's life a 'project' - had brought the two girls closer.
With a wave of her hand, Miki conjured up a plate of sandwiches from the kitchen and set them down in front of Mei. Arms crossed over her chest, she stared down with a frown, expectantly waiting for Mei to fulfil her end of the bargain.
Responding with another exaggerated eye roll, Mei finally relented and began to eat. At a breakneck speed. Cramming food into her mouth was the most efficient way to return to her work, and technically, she was doing as she was asked.
Miki let out a resigned sigh at Mei's behaviour, before leaning over and delicately wiping a crumb from Mei's bottom lip, the touch lingering ever so slightly on her cheek.
Mei remained completely oblivious to the gentle gesture, too engrossed in her task, but Akari's eyes were nearly popping out of her skull as her mind tried to process what she was seeing. "...Miki likes Mei! Miki likes Mei! Ohmygodohmygodohmygod,"
Outwardly, she expressed this by pressing both hands against her cheeks and squeezing her own face in an attempt to contain her excitement.
"Are you okay, Akari?" Mei asked
Squeaking through her squished lips, Akari could only manage "Yep! All good!"
The others were about to press further, when Inko approached them with a serious expression. "Girls? The procedure is almost finished."
"He's waking up?!" Mei asked urgently. The nod of approval she received launched her out of her chair.
"Take it slow now, Midoriya." Recovery Girl spoke with a gentle tone as the team gathered in Izuku's room, holding their breath in anticipation and concern. The patient's eyelids fluttered, initially slow before picking up pace. Furrowing his brows, the muscles in his face tensed as he gradually began to pry his eyes open.
The initial flood of light felt overwhelming, like staring directly into the sun. It took several moments for him to register that he hadn't experienced this sensation in over a week.. "Mrmm…" He croaked, his voice hoarse from disuse.
"Don't strain yourself too hard, young man," The nurse continued, before waving a finger back and forth across his eyeline, "Coordination seems good."
Izuku's friends and family looked like they were on the verge of bursting with impatience as the initial treatment stretched on. Recovery Girl could practically feel the tension radiating from them, if she didn't open the floodgates soon, they might all explode.
Letting out a resigned sigh, she relented, "He's all yours."
With those words, everyone sprang into action, rushing forward in a tidal wave of relief and concern, crowding around Izuku's bedside.
Power Loader immediately began to do a wellness check, and asked, "Izuku, how are you feeling, any numbness? Do you know what day it is?"
"Oh my poor sweet baby!" Inko's voice rose above all the other noise in the room, her maternal instinct overriding any sense of calm she might have been holding onto as she pulled her son into an incredibly tight hug. Izuku, caught off guard, tried to twist his head out of it, gasping for air.
"Can't… breathe!" He managed to say, his voice still scratchy. When his mother finally released him, he made a sound like a deflating balloon.
Before he could even properly recover from his mother's embrace, Akari swooped in for another hug, this one feeling decidedly more awkward for Izuku. It was one thing to get a hug off your mom, but from a girl?! "A-Akari! I'm okay, I swear!" He protested, though it just seemed to encourage her to squeeze tighter.
Eventually, she relented and let him go, fixing her hair with a cough. "Just making sure.
Miki patted him on the arm, and simply said "It's nice to see you back."
"It's nice to be back… and seriously, thank you, everyone." he replied, his voice catching slightly as he wiped away a tear, not sure if his eyes were stinging from the emotional or the physical discomfort.
Vibrating with a barely contained emotion, Mei suddenly marched right up to Izuku's bedside, pulling him into a quick hug, before she abruptly sucker punched him across the face.
"IF YOU EVER MAKE ME WORRY LIKE THAT AGAIN, I'M MELTING YOU. IN ACID."
