It was going to be a long day, Hitomi knew. Over the years, once Jun had gotten her out of an undisclosed detention center, the authorities of this version of Japan had come to find the brunette's powers quite useful. Though she mostly used her gifts to help mostly heroes, Hitomi sometimes was brought in to crack hard cases, missing people or to see what caused a murderer to have taken another's life.
It was that last one that often caused the counselor the most mental anguish. Every time Hitomi came in on such cases, her dreams the next few nights would be filled with the memories of an especially traumatic moment from her first time being spirited away over a decade ago.
Then, Hitomi and her friends had found themselves accused of attempting to overthrow the government of the country they had traveled to, hoping to save it. The young crown prince had been convinced the possibility at least existed and so they found themselves being interrogated by an esteemed monk able to draw out secrets through hypnotic suggestion. Hitomi had been chosen first to question and it had not gone well.
Once under his spell, the monk attempted to take Hitomi's pendent, which caused her to awake in her mind to the fact that the monk before her was in fact a doppelganger that had murdered the monk and taken his form. Their mind's connected and Hitomi could see the tortured soul of the shape-stealer and his impending death.
The doppelganger took the news with panic and denial, and in his attempts to end the vision of his death, dragged Hitomi into it as well, causing her to experience the fate that would soon befall the false monk. The panic and strain from the experience causing her own heart to stop. It was only through the quick thinking of her friends that Hitomi was brought back that day. With so much happening that followed in her time on Gaea, the brunette never took the time to process the fact that she had, in fact, briefly died.
In fact, even upon her return home and her life returning to something akin to normal, Hitomi never really faced that experience. This likely contributed to why the nightmares followed such cases now that she was in this world. This time, however, that horrible reminder had come not after, but before seeing a patient, a thought that caused Hitomi a great deal of stress as she prepared to meet with the captured villain, Kurogiri.
Hitomi had learned many years ago that when it came to her visions, dreams and nightmares, something would soon happen. It was impossible to know to whom or to what degree but such premonitions always heralded something.
As the woman once known as the girl from the mystic moon stepped outside her apartment, she looked up and stared at the moon, low on the horizon, about to pass out of sight. It was times like these that Hitomi wandered if this Earth had its own Gaea hidden from sight and what fate befell it without her presence. Mostly though, she just felt homesick, either for her own Earth or for the war-torn world of dragons and fateful encounters that had so changed her life all those years ago.
(X)
Michiru stood at the edge of a vast clearing in the forest, flanked by Celty and Sakon as she took in the panorama of downed flora. It looked as though a bomb had gone off that had caused trees for a kilometer or more to be flattened or at least blown down. At once confused and impressed, Michiru dryly asked "Explain to me how no one has seen this guy?"
Celty replied calmly, choosing not to be annoyed with the tanuki girl's tone "This area is very sparsely populated. If this Gigantomachia laid low, it wouldn't be too hard to go unnoticed. Until recently, we didn't even know he existed, so he had to have been doing something right."
"Looks like it was a hellova fight." Sakon added as she stepped out into the open, leaping onto the trunk of a large oak. "These aren't exactly young saplings we're looking at. This guy is the real deal. Could probably have given All Might a run for his money in his prime!"
"I don't know about that." Celty answered as she moved to follow the impatient ant girl.
"Why do you say that?" Michiru asked curiosity as she followed her teammates.
"It just seems to me if that if had been the case, then All for One would have used this giant at some point to take down All Might, would he not?" Celty reasoned.
It made sense but didn't sit right with Michiru, who suggested "I don't know. I kinda got the impression that mask-wearing freak was bidding his time. Didn't it seem like he hadn't planned to show himself when he did at Kamino?"
"I…try not to think about that night much, to be honest." Celty responded, a hint of shame in her artificial voice.
Sakon glanced back after she hopped from one tree trunk to another and interjected excitedly "I knew Shadow Rider was at Kamino but didn't know you were Michiru! And you saw the big bad? So you got to see All Might's last fight! I'm so jealous!" Then something clicked in the ant girl and she exclaimed "Wait a minute! THAT"S what you did after I fell asleep in Saotome's dojo?!"
Celty wanted to chide Sakon for using Michiru's name while out on a mission but given that the tanuki girl was going to be undercover whenever they were around people, the dulahan figured it was probably best to say nothing to avoid any slip-ups. As to how to answer the ant girl's question, Celty decided to leave that up to the furry girl behind her.
Said tanuki girl was starring at the back of her leader's cat-eared helmet, waiting for some sign as to how to respond. When it became clear none was forthcoming, Michiru resided herself to having to answer and replied with some reluctance "No, I mean, yes, that is what we did...but I didn't really get to see the fight. Not most of it anyway. See me, Emmy and Zel had it in our heads that we could take All for One down since he was the one responsible for us getting kidnapped in the first place. It…didn't end well and we were recovering while most of the battle happened."
"What!? HA! That's crazy Michiru, I love it! Going right for the throat, exactly what I would do!" Sakon said excitedly, just barely managing to avoid missing the next tree trunk and tumbling into the tangle of downed forest.
"You sell yourself short, Animalia. From what I was told, you only went in to save me, isn't that right? That played no small part in why you are even here today after all." Celty was quick to add.
The situation in Kamino been more complicated than that but what the dulahan said was basically true and Michiru felt no need to clarify for the headless hero. Instead, the morphing lighter brought the discussion to the reason they were in the clearing in the first place, pointing out "This looks to be about the center. I think this is the best place to start."
"Alright then Formidible take out the specimen please." Celty instructed.
Sakon slipped off the backpack she had been tasked with carrying with them and took out a large glass jar that had a large chunk of brown hair that fill the whole of the gallon sized container. Sakon set it on one of the few spots of ground without downed vegetation on it and said "You're up Michiru! Let's see if you're as good as you say!"
Michiru balked at the ant girl's challenge, saying "Damnit Formidible, I never said I was good at it, just that I could get us in the right direction. My old teammate is far, far better at this than I am."
Sensing another spat coming on, Celty quickly interjected, a hand on her helmet in exasperation "Please get on with it, Animalia."
The two younger girl's eyes met for a moment before Michiru rolled her eyes and said firmly "Got it, Ghost Rider." Then, as sparks briefly flashed about her, Michiru's modest snout stretched out several inches, her nose more prominent and her teeth grew larger and more canine-like. Even her short, fluffy tail grew longer and thinner, becoming a uniform shade of blue, losing the black tip. Now finished, Michiru briefly recalled she hadn't taken her wolf form since that stupid test that Aizawa had put the three of them through.
That got the wolf girl wondering how Zel and Emmy were doing while she was out in the middle of nowhere having dragged herself out of bed before dawn to stand in what looked like a bomb impact site.
"Well?" an impatient Sakon asked, tapping her foot.
"Hold on!" Michiru snapped before calming herself and adding, "It takes a lot of focus. Take the cap off, please."
Sakon frowned but did as she was told and unscrewed the cap on the jar. Michiru knelled down and took a long whiff of the hair. Then, the wolf girl stood back up, raised her snout up in the air and closed her eyes. With the infusion of Gigantomachia's scent, Michiru was able to pick up on the faint remnants of the villain's presence. Those traces became images in Michiru's mind's eye as the whole battle between their giant target and the Gran Torino led police. Even with far superior numbers, Michiru saw the police were quickly overwhelmed and forced to retreat as the towering monster of a man proceeded to rampage and destroy the very clearing in which the wolf girl now stood.
The elderly hero held off Gigantomachia while the rest retreated, the small speedster darting about the giant like a mosquito. Once the officers were gone in their cars, Gran Torino fell back as well and the massive man was left alone again. Gigantomachia stood around for a while, appearing to look about and sniff the air, which Michiru supposed was the giant's attempt to find the escaped officers. Finally, Gigantomachia seemed to give up and began to wander away, somehow able to navigate through the forest without disturbing the trees.
"Got him!" Michiru finally exclaimed, causing Sakon to shoot up from the sitting position she had taken while waiting for the morphing lighter.
"Which way did he go, Animalia?" Celty asked.
"Northwest, that way!" Michiru pointed.
"Alright! Time to shine!" Sakon exclaimed, spreading her thin ant wings and making them buzz with excitement as she added, "You ready for the ride of your life, Michiru?"
The wolf girl looked over at her overly excited friend incredulously as she replied, "You know I can fly, right?" as sense of déjà vu washed over her that she couldn't quite place as she spoke.
"Course I know you can, but you've never flown formid style!" Sakon replied, moving her flattened hand about in a waving fashion that did nothing to reassure Michiru.
As Celty ran back to their car, Sakon picked the wolf girl up and the two began to ascend above the tree line, the ant girl's four limbs keeping Michiru held tightly to her chest as the two flew forward. For Michiru's part, it was at least a little embarrassing to have to be carried like this but since she could only hold one form at a time, she was stuck in her wolf form if they wanted to keep track of the scent. That meant no flying for her and instead Michiru was left to the tender mercy of Sakon's caviler flying style.
It was going to be a long day.
(X)
"Can you show me how to draw Emmy-chan?"
"Huh? What did you say, Eri?" Emeralda, who had been absentmindedly watching a cartoon along with the silver-haired girl, replied in confusion.
Looking down with curious fascination at Emeralda's sketch pad, both girls found themselves eyeing the piece of paper in the grennette's hands. It was only then that Emeralda realized she had been sketching the main character of the show without even realizing it.
The tan girl grabbed the pad and pressed it against her chest in embarrassment as Eri giggled and said "You're so silly, Emmy-chan! Why are you hiding it, you're so good! You think you could show me how?"
Emeralda gently pulled the pad away from her and looked down at the unintentional work before glancing at the eager and earnest red eyes staring back at her. The question had caught the nanomachine girl off guard and combined with her embarrassment, hesitated to answer. After a moment and realizing her lack of response had caused some of the sparkle to draw out of the other girl's eyes, Emeralda responded softly "I…I've never taught anyone how to draw before. I'm not sure I could."
That took a lot of the wind out of the single horned girl's sails as she seemed to deflate and slide back to the middle of her bed as she said "O, oh. Ok…how…how did you learn then Emmy?"
Without hesitation, Emeralda answered wistfully "I watched Ki…Fei do it. He likes painting more but those supplies were harder to come by so I stuck to drawing."
Clearly starstruck, Eri bounced in place as her excitement swung right back up to high "You learned how to do that just by watching someone else!? Emmy-chan, you're super cool!"
Eri's cheer was infectious and seeing how impressed the other girl was, Emeralda couldn't help but smile warmly. Turning the page on her sketchbook, Emeralda moved the pad to face Eri and said "Ok Eri! I'll show you what I do and try to explain it the best I can and then you can try, ok?"
Eri eagerly nodded and shifted in her bed so she was completely facing her amber-eyed friend. Just as Emeralda was getting started sketching out the face of the TV show's heroine, the door to the room opened and the doctor in charge of Eri's case, a one Kenzo Tenma, a rather plain looking man in his late fourties with grey just beginning to color his hair and kin and of itself unusual but when the two girls turned to look at the man, the grave look in his eyes told them he was there for something more serious.
"Eri, I'm sorry to bother you sweetie but there is something I need to tell you. Would you like me to escort your friend out first?" the doctor asked, motioning to Emeralda.
Eri's good spirits sunk immediately but she had enough awareness to ask, though with a fair degree of reluctance, "I…I want Emmy to stay. What…what is this about? Did something happen to granddaddy?"
The kind doctor shook his head as he kneeled down to look the long suffering girl in the eye "No, sweetie, it's…it's about Kai Chisaki."
"Eri's eyes widened and the urge to reach out and grab Emeralda's hand overtook her. Reaching out, Emeralda did not move nor did she rey to stop the attempt at contact. Dr. Tenma however, gently admonished "Eri…I know it's hard but it's important you not make contact with anyone. But…I know this girl was there when you were rescued, would you feel better if she stayed?"
Eri, denied comfort from human touch, had to make do with the stuffed bummy Emeralda had gifted her, pressing it tight to her chest as she vigorously nodded her head.
Dr. Tenma sighed heavily as he glanced at the nanomachine girl before settling on the nervous Eri in her hospital bed. "Eri, this morning, Kai Chisaki was found dead in his cell. He had somehow gotten a hold of some rope and hung himself. I…I know he made you suffer for a long time and that you were instrumental in defeating him so I don't want you to feel like you're some how responsible. He was a terrible man who deserved to be locked away so he could never hurt you again."
Eri seemed to contemplate the news for a long moment, looking away as she squeezed the poor rabbit even tighter. The kindly doctor spoke again, trying to reassure the girl "Look on the bright side, he can't ever hurt you or your grandfather ever again. We'll talk about this again later, ok? For now, I wanted to let you know that, if you're feeling up to it, you and your friend can go to the park tomorrow. I even arranged for that UA student you always talk about to go with you."
"Midoriya!?" Eri all but shouted, prompting the doctor to cringe and to motion with his hands to keep the volume down before he answered "Yes, I contacted the school and he was given permission to leave classes early to take you. If it goes well, we can start planning more outside trips. Sound good?"
Eri again nodded vigorously. Dr. Tenma then stood up, a relieved smile on his face before he said "Great. You girls take care. Nurse Saki will be in with your lunch soon. I'll see you later when Aizawa-san comes by for your training."
With that, the doctor left. Eri gently bounced up and down in anticipation of her outing, with little sign that the news just delivered had bothered her at all. Emeralda was happy as well for her friend but noticed that any interest in drawing had disappeared from her friend's mind. As Eri settled down and they began focusing on the TV once more, Emeralda quietly put her sketchbook away, at once glad she didn't have to try and teach something she had just picked up and yet sorely disappointed she hadn't gotten to share something so close to her heart.
(X)
Tartarus. Japan's maximum security prison for villains, a fortress meant to keep the countries worst and most dangerous people buried and forgotten. Over the course of her decade long stay, Hitomi had the misfortune of having been asked to the facility more than once. She hated it every time. Not only was the screening rigorous and time consuming to even enter the building but by its very nature, Tartarus was a sterile, heartless place full of the miserable and broken souls of Japan's worst offenders.
This time was no different for the counselor from another world, at least everything leading up to meeting her 'patient' was. To add to her unease, the staff was on high alert because an inmate awaiting trial had apparently managed to kill himself just hours earlier. The very same man that her fellow lighters had assisted in defeating only a couple of days ago. Even when Hitomi was met by Detective Tsukauchi outside of Kurogiri's cell, her unease did not abate.
"Prison staff will not be within earshot of your conversation and I will be in the control room monitoring, ok?" the detective said, going over the last details before the brunette lighter entered the cell.
"I've got it. If there is anything to be learned from the prisoner, I'll be sure to find it detective." Hitomi answered with firm determination. Not just to aid in keeping her adopted home safe but this man she was about to talk to was the first to be captured who was actually apart of All for One's group. The misty teleporter could be the key that finally opened the door to getting everyone back home, herself included.
"Alright then. Let me get up to the control room and I'll let you in. Stand by for a minute Kanzaki-san." Naomasa told her as he briskly walked off.
As she waited for the steel door to open in front of her, Hitomi pulled her pendant out from under her dress shirt and clasped the small red jewel in one hand pressed to her chest. The previous night's nightmare had put the fortuneteller in a state of unease and Hitomi knew all to well that such a state of mind could have terrible consequences from past experience. She had to work hard to bring herself back to a state of calm before using her powers lest Hitomi risk looking into the future and calling a terrible event into being because of her unsettled heart.
Just as she managed to calm herself, the door opened with a hiss in front of Hitomi. As the mist from the pressure locked door cleared, Hitomi could see the villain Kurogiri shitting in a chair, his misty body confined by some sort of binding straitjacket with another chair placed beside him. As Hitomi stepped across the threshold, the glowing yellow eyes of the mist villain moved up slightly as if in acknowledgment of the counselor's presence. "Well now, this is a surprise. I hardly thought my visitor would be one of master's little experiments." The mist in human form said with no small amount of derision.
Hitomi continued to move forward, undaunted by Kurogiri's taunt. That failure, however, did not deter the teleporter from trying again as he said "If I remember correctly, you are Hitomi Kanzaki. Master's very first success bringing someone from another world. Tell me, do you miss your home? Was it as…colorful as this one? Or maybe a worn torn hellscape that the master saved you from?"
When Hitomi continued to ignore the misty man's attempts at torment, Kurogiri's shinning eyes appeared to sag in disappointment as he spoke again "Ah, so you took precautions to make sure your little secret didn't get out. A shame. It would have been great fun to see you squirm as I revealed one of the commissions greatest secrets."
Now seated, Hitomi glared at the man in front of her as she finally spoke, entirely ignoring Kurogiri's line of conversation, "Inmate Kurogiri, I have been summoned here to extract any information you may have in aiding in our investigation. You have waived your right to a lawyer but legally, a quirk cannot be used to obtain information and used in a court of law without your consent. Luckily for me, and as you are aware, what I have is no quirk. Any knowledge I am about to obtain from you we can simply work backwards to come up with a legal way to explain how we got it. I just wanted you to know before we started that the law will not save you from telling me everything I want to know, you understand?"
"I understand that you are bluffing, little one. I understand that you wish to see your fellow lighters returned to their homes, like the good little conformist you are. Well, I will not help you and any attempt to force me will simply cause me to explo-" in mid-sentence, Kurogiri went limp when Hitomi held out her pendent and touched the mist villains straightjacket.
Kurogiri suddenly found himself no longer constrained, his limbs now free but also floating in a void of nothingness. After he attempted to use his quirk, the misty man looked at his limbs and uttered "How…how is this possible?"
His answer came in the form of a feminine voice coming from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. "I told you Kurogiri, that my power isn't a quirk. It's not invasive on a physical level, so whatever All for One did to you to cause you to destroy if someone did try to read you're your mind will not work here, nor will your quirk since we are inside of you."
"Inside of me? Come now, you really expect me to believe that?" came the mist villains dismissive reply despite the circumstances he found himself in.
"Why is that so hard to believe? You already know I am from another world entirely. You know demons and magic are real and yet…I see, it was how you were made." said Hitomi's voice.
"Made you say? How could you possibly know anything about me, girl?" Kurogiri spoke again, his anger rising.
Then, in front of him, Hitomi appeared from thin air, a look of confusion on her face. Kurogiri immediately reached out to touch her but his hands simply phased right through the girl. His helplessness finally starting to dawn on him, Kurogiri turned to pleading, saying "Whatever this is, release me. You have no right to keep me here."
Hitomi had a distant look on her face now, as though looking right through the man in front of her. After a moment of silence, the counselor spoke, sounding almost like she was speaking to herself, "It's almost like there are two different people in you. There is the current one, here and now. And then there is this other one." When Hitomi's eyes focused back on the teleporter in front of her, she spoke again, her tone questioning "Tell me Kurogiri, do you know who this is?"
Kurogiri's eyes went wide as he starred back at the brunette. "What do you mean? Who are you talking about?"
Hitomi raised her hand and pointed right at the other occupant of the void and said firmly "You. Who are you?"
Fear gripping him, Kurogiri suddenly felt compelled to look down. Instead of his normal dress shirt and vest, he was wearing a dark blue gi and black undershirt with an aviator's jacket over top of the gi. Kurogiri reached up to feel the white fur lining of the collar of the jacket. That's when he noticed his hand. A normal hand, no mist, just a hand with a fingerless black glove on it.
"What the hell is the meaning of this! What have you done!?" Kurogiri raged as he buried his face in his hands, an act that caused him to start feeling around his head and hair.
"All I have done is reveal what was already here. This is you and yet not you. We can see who this was and what happened to him if you wish?" Hitomi responded, her voice taking on an echoey, ethereal quality to it.
Panic setting on the now very human face he wore, Kurogiri looked up at the girl now seeming to loom over him. After a moment of searching Hitomi's eyes and seeing the sympathy in them, he slowly reached out to her. "Yes…show me." he said.
Hitomi reached out as well and their hands met Much to his surprise, Kurogiri could feel her warmth just as the two were enveloped in light.
(X)
"These have got to be the worst rice balls I've ever eaten"
"They're amazing, I'll eat them if you won't!"
"Twice, though normally I find your antics rather charming, I don't think this is the time for such frivolities."
"Yeah, what Compress said! Spinner did his best, even if they could be alittle bloodier!"
"Look, I know they suck but it was the only ones they'd sell me. I think someone else should be in charge of buying food from now on."
"My, how the mighty have fallen."
"Can you all just eat in silence for once..."
Indeed what remained of the League of Villains had fallen from grace very quickly. With All for One now locked up, their hideout destroyed and their teleporter arrested, Tomura Shigaraki and his band were in dire straights indeed. The villain with the decaying touch had hoped joining forces with Kai Chisaki and his yakuza group to utilize the funds and manpower of the group. Combined with the League's brand recognition, it would have been a simple thing to start to rebuild.
Instead, Kai had chosen to look down on them, killed one of their own plus he maimed another and that required retribution. That had taken form, in part, by allying with one of Overhaul's underlings, Xellos. In exchange for helping to further the weird purple-haired man's plan to take down Kai, the League would gain access to his resources and a way to get their leader back. Or so Xellos had claimed.
In reality, this meant killing Overhaul and taking his place so that Xellos could get in to Tartarus undetected and get All for One out. Xellos had failed to mention that his rresources had been diverted to the Shie Hassaikai and thus had been broken up or frozen once the organization had been driven into hiding.
With those resources lost that their involvement with the Shie Hassaikai public knowledge, Tomura and his remaining followers were left to flee Musutafu with barely a penny to their names.
The group had taken up residence in a run-down shack deep in the mountains near some village none of them had heard of. One thing they did still have was cell service and it was while the group complained about another simple meal that Mr. Compress saw the news pop up on his feed. "Oh my. It seems we've been had."
Tomura looked up from his rice ball, notably holding the object with just two fingers to avoid turning his meal to dust and asked with barely concealed hostility "What is it now, Compress?"
The masked and top-hatted villain seemed to hesitate answering. Only after a few long moments of intense glaring from his leader did the theatrical thief reply "There is news about 'Overhaul.' It would appear that he has committed suicide. I suspect we have lost another cast member before the show ever got started."
Himiko shoot up, a feral anger in her eyes as she brought her knives to bear as she indignantly declared "I'll gut that double-crossing son-of-a-bitch!"
Twice looked more worried than anything, weakly trying to calm his blonde friend "He's already dead Toga, stabbing won't really do any good. I'll hold the body; I love beating a dead horse!"
Spinner, already in a sour mood for having failed his compatriots in bringing back a descent meal, turned to look at their leader and asked with a hint of resignation "What are we going to do now?"
The question prompted the others to look at Tomura, who had a uncharacteristic calm about him. Normally such a set back would send him into a petulant rage. Not this time. Instead, a tight smile could be seen under the hand adorning his face. The lankly leader of the league of Villains finally answered, his voice calm, almost nonchalant "I wouldn't worry. I've killed Xellos before, remember? That bastard can't die so easily and I'm damn sure whatever they found rotting in that cell wasn't him."
"Ah, a grand show for the camera then? You think it a ploy to further our ends, Shigaraki?" Mr. Compress speculated.
"Ohh, you think he's impersonating a guard? That's totally what I would do!" Himiko chimed in, her murderous lust all but forgotten.
"Still doesn't help us." Spinner added.
"Xellos has his part and whether he frees master or not doesn't change our situation so stop worrying about that smiling bastard." Tomura answered bitterly.
"But Shigaraki, he promised us all that money he was hording, and I don't know abut you but I can't live on rice and rat blood!" Himiko complained.
"Now now, Himiko, if we are to be the leads in this tale, we can hardly be in debt to some outsider with sweet promises now, can we?" the top-hatted thief cautioned.
"Exactly." Tomura echoed as he stood up and began pacing about the room, scratching his arms. "All that creep wants is to get his hands on master's nomu so he can go home which means we have the advantage. We start taking whatever he's offering and next thing we know that bastard is playing us instead of the other way around. No. We need to do things our way, got it?"
The room went quiet after that as their leader's words sank in. After a moment, Himiko piped up one more time "Food still sucks."
(X)
A hallway bustling with teenagers all wearing the same uniform. Some rushing about, dancing between the crowd, while others causally talked with their friends. Others still stood by, watching as the throng passed along. All seemed to pass by Kurogiri as he stood in the middle of the long corridor taking in the sights around him. The sight was so tantalizingly familiar and yet he either couldn't or wouldn't give voice to the school's name.
The uniform alone should have been a giveaway, the most well known and respected in Japan. Still, the misty villain given human form said nothing. After a few moments Hitomi appeared beside him, looking forward and watching on, her visage translucent. "In another life, this was an all too familiar sight for you, wasn't it, Kurogiri?" the man's name said with an edge to it.
"UA is quite famous, should it really be any surprise I would have memories of it? Besides, you work at UA. How do I know this isn't something you are making me see?" Kurogiri replied, trying to convince himself as much as the woman beside him.
Hitomi simply shook her head as a young man with blonde hair styled up above his head like a plume in defiance of gravity and wearing shades ran toward them wildly waving his hand above him. Another boy, far more dour in appearance trailed behind with a mess of black hair and his hands in his pockets. As Kurogiri's eyes widened in recognition, Hitomi whispered "The most powerful illusions are the ones we create for ourselves. My power lets me see, and by extension you, the unseen. All that is before us is nothing more than what you have lost."
Kurogiri turned his head to stare at the spectral woman only to find her gone. Before he could recover, the blonde boy reached him and he loudly proclaimed "Hey man, where were you! We're going to be late for homeroom! You know Sanada-sensei will be pissed if your late again. Not great vibes man."
Almost as though a fog was clearing in his mind, the name of this boy in front of him came to Kurogiri as he replied with embarrassment "Y-Yamada? Wha, what do you mean? Late for homeroom?"
Yamada dramaticly leaned back and covered his face with one hand and asked bombastically "Are you really ok? I know you had a tough fight yesterday in training but your acting like a totally different person? You ok man?"
"Maybe your obnoxious voice knocked him into a state of confusion. Back off and give Shirakumo some space." The dreary looking second boy said as he finally caught up, giving the loud blonde an annoyed look.
Shirakumo….Shirakumo? Was that his name? It, it was, Kurogiri realized. Oboro Shirakumo, second year student at UA and best buds with Hizashi Yamada and Shouta Aizawa and the hero up in the clouds, Loud Cloud. Oboro couldn't believe he had forgotten his friends as a big, toothy smile spread across the wavy pale blue-haired teen. Swiftly moving forward and twisting around to shove his arm around the slumping Shouta, Oboro exclaimed "Ah, I just had a busy night is all! Between all the action and the ladies, I barely got a wink of sleep!"
Hizashi grinned widely as well and he leaned back and pointed his fingers at Oboro "Yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about! Hitting all the greatest hits already, that's my man!"
Shouta looked less than impressed, his expression unchanging despite the near headlock he found himself in. "You just got stuck getting yelled at after screwing up again, didn't you, Shirakumo?" he dryly suggested knowingly.
The big smile never left the grinning blue-haired boy as he answered sheepishly "Ha, ha, you got me! Still, a lesson learned is just another step on the path to being a hero, am I right?"
Grumbling, Shouta pulled himself out from under his friend's grasp and said "We need to get to class. Come on, you idiots."
"Right on! I dig what Aizawa's putting down! Let's go Shirakumo!" Hizashi said as he turned, waving for Oboro to follow.
"Right behind ya!" came the blue-haired boy's answer before the scene froze.
A chuckle filled the space around Oboro as Hitomi reappeared, a smirk on her face. "Those two never change, do they?"
Oboro donned a wistful smile as he stared at the back of his two best friends as he said "I hope not. You sound like you know them, miss?"
The playfulness in Hitomi's eye became more serious as she answered "they're both teachers at UA so yes, I am quite familiar with both of them."
"Whoa! They both became teachers?!" Oboro said in shocked surprise. "I pity any student that got stuck with grumpy ol' Aizawa!"
"You've…met him as a teacher, you know." Hitomi said, concern creeping into her voice. "You came face to face with him when you attacked the USJ, remember?"
At this point, the wavy-haired boy began to look very confused. "What are you talking about? The last time I was at the USJ, I totally got soaked when Yamada blasted our boat with his voice on accident!"
Hitomi closed her eyes, a pained look flashing across her face as she realized this was going to be harder than she thought. "Ok, why don't we see that then? I'd like to see how school went for the three of you, Shirakumo."
"Awesome! That was a great day!" Oboro responded as the scene around them changed.
As promised, Hitomi got to see younger versions of the accomplished heroes turned teachers fumble around a lesson on trying to save people at sea to disastrous results. After that, the counselor from another world was treated to a half dozen more memories of the three that Oboro was more than excited to share with her from combat training he was proud of to the time he and Hizashi tried to set Shouta up on a date.
As Oboro stood laughing in the bushes with Hizashi during that last memory, Hitomi appeared again, her face serious though not stern. "Oboro, these have all been fun but why aren't there any past your second year at UA? Your friends are teachers at the school now, remember? What did you do afterwards?" Hitomi asked, fully aware of the answer and of what she was forcing him to face.
The laughing of the two friends stops as the boy turned and looked at the woman standing over him, pained empathy on her face. "Wha…what do you mean? I…I became a hero…right? I was working with…with His Purple Highness on work studies…then after that I…I…"
The scene around them flashed white as Oboro gripped his head, falling to his knees in pain. A hundred moments flashed around them, as though the boy was searching for the answer to the counselor's question. "Oboro…you did become a hero. You saved those kids from Garvey. But…it was at the ultimate cost."
Then, everything stopped. Rain began to fall on the pair as they found themselves standing among the ruble of a collapsed building. Shouta and Hizashi where there now too, looking on over the broken body of their friend as doctors lifted his remains onto a gurney. Hitomi looked over at the blue-haired boy beside her as he starred on, his jaw set in stone, his bright eyes darkened with the reality of his last moments.
"I…I died. I actually died, didn't I? I can't believe it…then, then why am I still here?" As he spoke, Oboro's voice deepened and his body began to be enveloped in mist. All that remained of the hero-in-training was his costume as he continued to speak, "That's right…I…I was remade by…by the doctor. For the master."
The ruined building faded into darkness and a moment later, a pale, sickly green light began to illuminate the two. As the light grew brighter, tubes became visible, many clearly containing humanoid forms. Before one particular tube, a short, bold man with a messy and wild mustache and large, rounded glasses gently touched the glass surface. "I would have preferred the boy with the erasure quirk but it never hurts to have another toy to play with…" the man spoke softly to himself before adding with satisfaction, "You'll still make a wonderful tool for the master."
"That is the man that made you into this, Kurogiri?" Hitomi asked gently.
"Please, call me Shirakumo, or better yet, Oboro. I may look like this now; they may have made me into this, but I did not choose it. Please call me by my original name." Hitomi nodded as the mist man in the hero costume continued, "This is Kyudai Garaki and he has served All for One for many years, creating all of the monstrosities you have all faced of late."
Hitomi hesitated to ask but now seemed like as good a time as any. This session had been taxing for them both and the counselor had no idea what effect this breakthrough would have on the man once they left his mind. "What…what about the nomu that brings people from other worlds? Do you remember anything about it?"
If it was possible for mist to smile, Hitomi saw it as Oboro looked at her. He chuckled and said "Looking for clues to go home, I see. Well, I believe I owe you at least that much for what you have allowed me to see today. Even if it has been…taxing."
The laboratory briefly faded away only to reappear again, this time the doctor gone. Instead, all the other tubes seemed less luminous except for one. Oboro spoke "I was still new when the body was first brought in, but yes, I was present when the doctor completed his work and All for One's little diversion was complete. It has no name, just a serial number and they usually just refer to it was their prized nomu or the experiment. Please, have a look."
Hitomi stepped forward, hesitantly at first. Then, the brunette gained walked faster as she grew closer, a welling of intense anticipation threatening to overtake her. Hitomi stopped dead in her tracks when she got within a few feet of the tube, and it's contents became clear to see. The…man's body was reduced, emaciated even and seemed to lack much in the way of defined features. The head was a different story. The face, if you could call it that, only had the vague suggestion of a nose. That was it. No mouth, no eyes. Just the feint suggestion that those features ever existed.
Almost to make up for it, the top of the creature's head was enlarged significantly. Tubes of all sorts were attached to that enlarged head as though they were apart of the nomu itself.
Hitomi stood, starring wordlessly at the poor soul that was, undoubtedly against its will, responsible for her being stuck in this world. Even though this was Oboro's memory and not the nomu itself, Hitomi couldn't help but feel an intense sadness, a longing from the pitiable creature suspended before her. Slowly, surely, Hitomi reached her hand out to touch the glass, as though drawn to the container.
The counselor's hand stopped with a start just before she touched the glass when Oboro spoke again, his voice clearly weary, "I am sorry, Kanzaki-san. I have provided you with what you wished but I feel myself growing tired. May I trouble you to ask for a release from this place so that I may sleep?"
Embarrassed, Hitomi turned around to face the misty man, her hands held tight behind her back as though she had just been caught stealing a cookie. "Yes, of course Oboro, I'm so sorry! We can talk again later when you are feeling up to it!" she finished, her face flustered.
The lab began to fade away into darkness again. This time though, Oboro began to do so as well. Before he disappeared completely, he spoke again, his voice calm, relieved even, "I…I have much to think on, Hitomi Kanzaki. You have given me myself back and again, you have my deepest gratitude. Please tell Shouta and Hizashi how…how sorry I am. And…and that I miss them…"
With the last hint of Oboro disappearing into the void, Hitomi was left in the darkness alone. She lingered for a moment longer before closing her eyes. When she opened them again, she was in the cell once more, her hand still outstretched but feeling very sore from being held out so long. Oboro's 'head' leaned forward and his yellow eyes were closed. A soft smile spread on Hitomi's face, glad she could help this tortured soul. It was only after a moment that she realized that a tear had welled up and began rolling down her cheek. As she wiped it away with her hand, Detective Tsukauchi came over the com "You ok, Kanzaki-san? How did it go?"
"I'm ok, Detective, thank you. It was just…and experience is all. I need to talk to Sanada-sensei, excuse me."
(X)
Misa, a kindly middle-aged woman with rounded features, green eyes and long black hair held up in a pony-tail sat at her shop counter watching TV as she sat fiddling with her son's toy that he had managed to break for what felt like the millionth time. Her husband would be home from the fields soon now that the sun was down and it would be time to eat once her mother-in-law finished cooking dinner. Just another night in her little town like any other.
That was, until there was a knock at the door to her store/inn. Her husband didn't usually knock when he got home, he just came in, greeted her and went straight to the shower. Instead, a young woman with short black hair styled in a uneven bob stepped inside, looking a bit nervous. When the girl caught notice of Misa she perked up, a bright smile appearing on her face as she said "Hello! I'm looking for a room for tonight? Maybe a few nights. Would…that be ok?"
The older woman glanced at the girl in front of her for a long moment before nodding with a smile "Certainly dear! You look like a good upstanding young lady! Though…you are out pretty late. What are you doing in a sleepy farm village like this at such a late hour?"
The girl seemed to hesitate as she went for her wallet from the inside pocket of her red jacket. Putting her credit card and ID on the counter in front of Misa, the girl replied "Oh, uh, I was originally from a town like this before my folks moved me to the city. I lost them recently and I thought that maybe it would be best to move back out into the country."
The innkeeper's heart went out to the poor girl in front of her, just trying to make her way in the world. Sliding some paperwork in front of the girl, Misa looked down at the ID and card to start putting information into her computer as she spoke "That's just terrible...Hiwatashi-san was it? I hope you haven't had to face such a terrible loss alone deary."
"Oh, you can, uh, just call me Nazuna miss. Never been one for the formalities, you know? And yeah, I did have some great people doing their best to make sure I was taken care of so thank you. I'll probably be in town a few days looking around. You know of anyone selling land around these parts?"
Misa liked this Nazuna already. In the short time she had known her, this girl seemed to have perseverance and none of the arrogance of the city folk who sometimes stop by for a vacation. As she finished running the girl's card and copying her ID, Misa answered "Not off the top of my head but don't let that lead you to think there aren't any. I just haven't heard anything lately, that's all. You're welcome to stick around as long as you like Nazuna. I'm here most of the time, just holler if you need anything."
Taking the key offered her, Nazuna nodded and gratefully said "That's very kind of you miss…"
"Oh, you can just call me Misa. Like you, we're not ones for formalities around these parts. Your room 202 around back. Try to be quiet after nine if you can, it's the youngins bedtime."
With a smile, Nazuna bowed before waving and turning to leave again. As she was shutting the door behind her, the girl said "Thanks a lot Misa, I might just take you up on that. Have a great night!"
When the door shut behind her, Misa couldn't help but hope the young woman she'd just met found a home in their little village. It was so rare for someone so young and cute as her to show up nowadays.
After getting the key to her room, Michiru went back to the car where Celty and Sakon were waiting, parked off to the side and under a tree to avoid being seen. When she got back in the car and brandished the key, Celty nodded and said "Good work, now we'll just wait a bit longer to make sure no one else is around before we get to bed. Where is the room?"
"Around back. Direct access to the car. I don't know if there are any other guests staying but since its starting to get cooler, I'm betting not now that it's harvest season." Michiru explained.
Leaning forward from the back, Sakon asked "Hey, let me see that ID of yours."
When Michiru compiled, the ant girl looked it over before letting out a snort as she said "Nazuna? What made you pick such a silly alias?"
With an incredulous glare, Michiru swiftly snatched the card back from her rude teammate and snapped "It's not a silly name, you damn bug! That's the name of my best friend from back home, thank you very much."
If Sakon was sorry for the insult, she didn't show it, instead moving on to her own concern, saying "Wait, you used a real person's name for your alias? Wouldn't they, I don't know, be able to check that?"
Michiru's features darkened as she turned her head to look out the window, taking a moment before responding "You…don't have to worry about that. Nazuna, she, she isn't around, you know?"
Finally, the ant girl looked contrite as the implication of Michiru's words sank in. "Oh, I'm so sorry Michiru. I guess that makes sense. I was just worried about the mission is all."
"We checked to make sure everything was above board before we had the ID made." Celty cut in. "It wouldn't do to have a trackable fake ID that would cause the real person to be contacted. Have some faith, Formidable."
"Yes ma'am. Sorry ma'am." came Sakon's response, looking properly chastised.
"Ok, here's the deal." Celty spoke again, her tone indicating she was back to business. "Once we get all set up in the room, it's straight to bed. We'll need to pack up first thing, can't let housekeeping think more than one person is staying in the room."
The two girls nodded before Sakon interjected "But what about tomorrow? Gigantomachia's scent went cold once we hit that lake outside of town. What's our gameplan now?"
Pulling out an earpiece and receiver from the glove compartment, Celty replied "Intel." The dullahan's attention then turned to Michiru, who already knew where this was going and had the disgusted look on her face to prove it. "Animalia here is going to have to fish for intel under the guise of house hunting. We're going to have to stay behind here and listen in and be on standby unless absolutely necessary."
Sakon groaned as she sat back in a huff "Stake-out work is so boring though!"
"Suck it up, kid. I'm an underground hero, this is my bread and butter. Even a front-line hero should learn the value to intelligence gathering. It often means the difference between life and death." Celty lectured.
"So, I get to be Nazuna for a while longer then…" Michiru said as much to herself as the other two, adding wistfully under her breath "What I wouldn't give for you to be here with me right now Nazuna."
The tanuki girl wasn't quiet enough it seemed because Celty leaned over and said "I know it hurts Michiru but I believe firmly one day, we'll see our friends and loved ones again."
The faintest hint of a smile graced Michiru face as she looked into the mist where Celty's head should be and replied, "Next time we get the chance, tell me about Shinra, ok?"
Celty's mist appeared to lighten a bit at her lovers name and Michiru swore she saw within the miasma a heart shape. "Only if you tell me about this Nazuna friend of yours. Deal?"
"Deal!" Michiru answered with a smile.
"I'm still here, ya know!' the ant girl petulantly whined.
(X)
Its been awhile since Hitomi gave us a glimpse into someone's psyche. Having not read the manga chapters with Oboro in them before hand, I had to wing him a bit so I hope what is here is adequate. I'm always a bit nervous going into one of these scenes because I am afforded the freedom to let these go anywhere I can dream up. Such freedom and be liberating as much as it can be terrifying. For me I find it scary because I am afraid it will expose just how boring my imagination really is. That I cannot measure up to the task of this story. I do generally feel like I fall somewhere in the middle, sometimes getting it close to right and sometimes falling flat. One way or the other, I really wish I had more time to really fine tune it. I suspect that is true for pretty much any writer though. Speaking of Oboro/Kurogiri, I found that twist to be an interesting one and I felt it was a total waste that more has not been done with it in canon. To my knowledge, the character has yet to return to the story in any meaningful way. I can assure you there will be more of a payoff sooner here. (in a sense there already has been I suppose).
The cogs are turning, both large and small in this chapter even if it wasn't exactly heavy on action. Even the extra scene I'm having to push to next chapter wouldn't of changed this fact so I'm sorry if this wasn't the most exciting of reads. Just a heads up, Hitomi will be playing a larger role in the story as we draw toward the last act. That being said, we are still firmly in the middle of this tale. For better and for worse. On a personal note, I had a nice quiet birthday, which is all I could ever ask for and a Christmas that didn't include a freeze, something I never thought I would have to grateful for even a few years ago but given the nature of my job, its pretty disrupting.
On to the Rreviews!
Endericus was kind enough to offer multiple thoughts (which I do appreciate, even if other writers may find it otherwise. I have merged everything for efficiency's sake. I hope you don't mind Endericus:
I am excited to see what will happen next and I am glad that the few words I said to you help make you feel better about your writing. Also yeah Emmy and Michiru sure have lots of issues to confront, I sometimes wonder if her aversion to the human form is as much of a psychological issue as it is physical since it dulls her senses. Also seeing progress Bakugo making sure adds depth to him showing how he isn't just an angry piss baby.
I remember reading a BNA x BNHA fic where Michirus blood is supposed to turn Izuku into a beastman and wanted to ask if you ever thought about something like that happening in the story? Not that I am not content with whats happening right now just wondering if you ever wanted to explore similar direction since that fic haven't updated in a while. I think maybe in the future it could a fun idea to play with but can't wait to read what you have planned originally. It's kinda made me wonder what could beast factor do in a world with quirks like I imagine if Michiru had to give a blood transfusion to a quirkless child what consequences could it bring, although the idea of for example Eri turning into a little unicorn from something like that is really funny, anyway just rambling since there aren't many BNA xcross fics as good as yours that are still being updated monthly, good luck and stay safe!
Hello Endericus! It is once again great to hear from you and please don't ever think it annoying to write more than one review. I'm sure you've noticed my story isn't exactly drowning in engagement. Hearing from you is a treat and I appreciate it immensely.
As far as Michiru's aversion to taking human form, I recall her saying on a couple of occasions (one being damn near the last thing she says in the series) that she stayed in her beastman form because of the physical advantages she gains because of it. Though I don't doubt there is truth to that, I always read that as her covering for something more. I was surprised her staying in her beastman form didn't get her into more trouble given doing so even among other beastmen is supposed to be considered a form of aggression and dominance. That's part of what I'm playing at with Sakon giving Michiru a hard time about not using her human form more. The reasoning is different but nerves are being struck, lets say.
As to My Beast Hero Academia that you reference where Izuku appears to have picked up the beast factor from Michiru, I admit I hadn't considered it for my story. I, too, read that fic and at the time, I had it in my head that in the show, they had said that it was a reagent produced from beastmen that had caused the change. So in my head, I took that to mean it hadn't been a simple blood transfusion that had caused the change so I didn't think it was possible for Michiru or Nazuna to spread the beast factor. That was my ignorance of medical knowledge showing. Never let an entomologist give medical advice. Since then I have learned I was at least partially wrong (probably almost completely wrong but I'm still too ignorant to know to what degree). Beyond that though, part of me feels like I'd be stealing from EMTAcademia if I did something similar. Your point about it happening to some quirkless kid though is a good one and I already see where something like that would re-enforce the theme I'm trying to hit with this arc. Something along the lines of whether or not its as much a burden as a blessing and what it would mean to make someone into what at least some in hero society consider to be less than human. Yes, we'll see where this goes. I have reached out EMTAcademia and they have given their blessing to proceed so buckle up and get ready because we're packing this story even more full!
I know I've said this before possibly in one of my author's notes but BNA seems like a excellent series to crossover with MHA and it just shocks me there are so few. I know BNA has a much smaller following, in no small part because of its delayed release on Netflix (plus the fact that its on Netflix exclusively instead of, say, Crunchyroll or HiDive) and its painfully short run time but I feel you in wishing there was more. As much as I love writing this story, there are times where I wish I could take a break and read some other works with these characters in a similar set-up to see where else the idea can go. I sometimes wonder what I would of done if I had just limited my story to just the two series. Perhaps if I had started writing earlier in life I would have already explored the other characters instead of stuffing them all into one story that chases of most who pick it up. For that, I apologize. Then again, I like to think I have a relatively unique story that I've written. A joy and a curse I suppose.
Alright, that's it for this month! I can't believe I've had the chance to respond to reviews over multiple months like this. Thank you so much for being here and taking time out to visit this world with me. Take care and I'll see you next month!