[The Past]

The Story of Yoshikawa Kira's downfall was one of pity. Born with schizophrenia, all she ever wanted in life was to not be controlled by her mental illness. Yet time and time again, she was met with constant pushback. She was heavily medicated, which sounded like a good thing, but in reality, it only made things worse for her.

Her parents were horrible to her. Treating like a reject. She was Quirkless, so it made sense. She was worthless in their eyes, and to make matters even worse than that, her father was physically abusive. She only ever got her medication because her mother, despite hating her, didn't want anybody to give her any special attention.

That was it. That was the only reason why she was ever medicated. So that no one had a reason to even so much as look at her.

At the young age of 13, she decided to move out. Or, at least, she tried to. Her mother caught her, beat her to near death, and locked her in her room. Her father was a drunken gambling addict, and her grandfather cut all contact with them because no matter how hard he tried to stop his son from being a horrible person, he could never do it.

As for why he didn't take her with him, it was because even Chihiro didn't care. To that end, Yoshikawa saw him as a hypocrite. Finally, when she was 16, she was able to sneak out of the house, take her medication, and move out on her own. She squatted in an abandoned apartment and was eventually discovered by her future husband, Yoshimura.

Yoshimura had given her a place to stay in a separate house that was on the Sugimoto estate. He often stayed with her, helped her recover from the abuse she suffered, and helped turn her life around for the better.

During all of this, she would later awaken her Stand, C'est La Vie. At the same time, Yoshimura would also awaken his Stand. When that happened, they became truly inseparable. They travelled all of Japan together, until finally, when Yoshikawa was 20, Yoshimura proposed to her, and of course, seeing as without Yoshimura she would've been a homeless bum, she accepted.

Two years went by, and they still hadn't officially married. What did happen, though, was that Yoshimura moved out of his house and bought a small apartment in Morioh for them to live in. Yoshikawa didn't really care. All she cared about was that she lived in the same house as her fiance, and to her, that was enough.

In between the time that Yoshikawa and Yoshimura were together when Yoshikawa was 22 years old, she developed Bipolar Disorder on top of her schizophrenia. She needed to keep up with two medications, and it was becoming difficult. Thankfully, Yoshimura was more than able to take care of her, and vice versa.

Eventually, both of them got a Job at The Speedwagon Foundation after Yoshikawa reconnected with an old school friend from College, Johnny Kujo. They both worked at the Japanese Branch in Tokyo, so both of them were away from their home a lot. Again, Yoshikawa didn't care. As long as she was with her fiance, that was all that mattered to her.

Just her, him, and the world being their oyster.

During their tenor at The Japanese Branch, both of them got into intense Stand battles with various local gangs and crooks. Their Stands worked together perfectly, and they were dubbed The Terrible Duo. Any battle they walked into, they always won, without fail.

But then, one day….

"So… you want to run that by me again?" Yoshimura Sugimoto asked, raising an eyebrow as he sat at a dinner table with his fiance, Yoshikawa Kira. They were eating Teriyaki with a side of rice for dinner, and both were in casual clothing. Yoshimura was wearing a white shirt, and black pants, as well as a pair of baby blue slippers. Yoshikawa was wearing a pink blouse, a pair of red shorts, and bright pink slippers.

"I said..." Yoshikawa began as she sucked in a deep breath. "I'm pregnant, Mura… I'm pregnant with your child," Yoshikawa said, looking down at herself with a bit of a shy, almost embarrassed look. "I… I think last night, the condom must have broken, and…. And…." Yoshikawa said, a small blush on her cheeks as Yoshimura dropped his chopsticks.

Neither of them had been ready to raise a child, Yoshikawa and Yoshimura knew that. But, at the same time, the idea of having a child was something that excited both of them. However, they wouldn't lie and say that both of their first ideas were to get an abortion, seeing as they weren't prepared. They were too young, still in their 20s and fresh out of college and into the workforce.

Sure, it was a comfortable job that paid well, but that didn't mean they had the finances to raise a child. Especially while only living in an apartment. Although, Yoshikawa knew her deadbeat, abusive, shitty father and mother were on death's door due to cancer. They wouldn't live for the next two months. She would inherit the house. So at least there whatever child they brought into the world would have a good life.

But that still didn't mean they were prepared.

Unfortunatly, or fortunately, depending on how you looked at it, there was nothing they could do about it. A law had been passed that made it so that having an abortion was illegal in Japan, China, and Korea as a whole. A majority of Southern America excluding Florida also followed through with the law, and 90% of all EU countries excluding Germany, France, and Italy.

If someone performed one in any of the aforementioned areas around the world, they would be arrested, charged a hefty fine and sent to prison for a year. Those who got an abortion were also charged with the same fine but without a prison sentence, although the current person who was running for prime minister was going to change that if he got elected, he would've increased the prison sentence to 10 years.

Yoshikawa hoped, for the betterment of the country, that the man was never elected. If he was, then Japan would become just as bad as the USA had been over 50 years ago, when it briefly went by The United Federation of America, or UFA, when the Fascist Republican Party, which now goes by Peoples Party of America, or the PPA, had taken over the country after a successful coup-de-tat.

Regardless, the original law came into being once Quirks started to show up and started to become more widely accepted. The only way to legally terminate a baby during pregnancy was if the following scenarios were happening: The woman who was having the baby was having health problems due to the pregnancy, was homeless and or a drug addict, or the baby died within the womb, and it had to be extracted.

It didn't matter if the baby was created as a result of Rape, Incest, or both. It didn't matter if the baby was going to be born with medical problems that could cause it harm. It didn't matter if the baby was would've died mere minutes after being born. Unless the mother was dying, homeless, a drug addict, or had already died within the womb, then no abortion would be had.

The law caused social uproar across the world, but eventually, after a few years passed, everyone forgot about it and carried on with their lives, minus a few activist groups online. It was horrible, and there was nothing that anyone could do about it. Not unless they continued to protest, and not unless they made wide and sweeping changes.

That was the only way life was going to change. But, seeing as no one seemed to care that much about the bill, it was still around. It got passed into law and several other countries followed suit. After all "Quirks are the future of the world. Why get rid of a Quirk that could potentially cure cancer? It would be illogical and negligent of the populous to do so, would it not!?"

Those were the words spoken when that law had been passed into law. That was what made the bill pass, and because of that, they were stuck in this precarious situation. With Yoshikawa pregnant, and without enough money to properly raise a child, it wouldn't look good on either of them.

Not that they had a choice, though.

"I… I see…." Yoshimura said, blinking a few times, shock taking over his system. He covered his mouth, stroking the small goatee he had been growing out. They had only been engaged for a year, but if this was going to happen… "As much as I know this is a bit early… we're going to have to marry sooner than we wanted to," Yoshimura said, causing Yoshikawa to recoil.

"B-But—"

"No buts, Kawa-chan. As much as I know we had plans to have the wedding next year in the summer, but… well, it's not me. It's my parents. You know how… strict they are. They'd disavow the marriage if they found out you were pregnant before we got married. That, and if you didn't marry me, my parents have enough power in the country to sue you for everything you're worth… Not that I want that, of course, and on top of that…" Yoshimura responded, picking up one of the Teriyaki pieces with his chopsticks. "This… also came at a very bad time, for me, as well…." Yoshimura said, sighing.

"What do you mean, honey?" Yoshikawa asked as Yoshimura let out a long, drawn-out sigh. He took a bite out of the piece of Teriyaki, before putting it back down, swallowing, then using the napkin to clean up around his mouth.

"I… just got promoted," Yoshimura explained, causing Yoshikawa to raise an eyebrow.

"And how is that a bad thing? It means we'll have more money to raise the baby," Yoshikawa said, crossing her arms. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not emotionally prepared to do this, but I'd rather not end up with a fine on my doorstep," Yoshikawa continued, frowning as Yoshimura cursed under his breath.

"The position I'm now in requires me to move locations from the Japanese Location to the Chinese Location. On top of that, I have to move to China. I tried denying the promotion, but the raise it gave me…. It would boost our income by 150%, and that way we can finally move out of this damn apartment. So… I accepted the raise. If I knew you were pregnant beforehand, I would've declined," Yoshimura explained, causing Yoshikawa to purse her lips with a conflicted expression.

"Can't… can't you ask to change your mind?" Yoshikawa asked as Yoshimura shook his head.

"A former agent for the Foundation tried that. They ended up getting fired instead. I'm sorry, Yoshikawa. However, that doesn't mean I can't do my best to try anyway. I will be there for you, I refuse to leave you alone. I'm not going to give up on you. I promise. This job won't drive a wedge between us!"

For a few months, just after their premature wedding and after Yoshikawa was able to get the Kira Estate from her estranged family, Yoshimura took Yoshikawa's last name and became a Kira, and things were looking smooth. Yoshikawa was happy, and so was Yoshimura.

However, once Yoshihara, their daughter, was born, things became dicey. A year into the child being alive, Yoshikawa became disillusioned with the idea of Yoshihara even being there, and for a while, considered abandoning her in an orphanage.

This was all because of her Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia. She had stopped taking the medication because it was making her sick, and she needed to get a new prescription. The problem was that she had to wait another year before getting a new one. In other words, she had a choice: stop taking her pills and have her mental state devolve over time, or take the pills and get so ill that she could barely be a functional human being.

She didn't want to lose Yoshimura, nor did she want to lose Yoshihara. She couldn't lose Yoshihara… she was her pride and joy. But her mental state, and the voices in her head… They kept getting worse and worse and worse.

They kept getting louder, and louder, and louder, and louder. When she was alone, she'd often find herself bashing her head against the wall to make them shut up. With Yoshimura being in China 90% of the time except for on holidays, because of how bad her mental state had gotten, she never did get her prescription fixed.

Her memories were blanking, and there were times when she'd flip out at nothing. She would get needlessly violent with the people around her. The only time when she seemed stable was when Yoshimura was home. Something about him made it so she was calm. That she was in control of herself—that the voices would disappear for a little bit. Just long enough for her husband to be home.

That didn't make her life any better though. When Yoshimura was gone, it was a shitshow. When he wasn't, everything was fine. She had even brought it up to Yoshimura and said that she was worried.

He said the next time he'd come back, he'd get a specially made prescription that would work with her mental illness, and eventually, scrub them from her body. All she had to do was tough it out, and if it was really needed, hand over Yoshihara to Police Chief Higashikata would've been more than willing to take care of her.

If it wasn't for the fact that Yoshikawa was a paranoid individual, she would've done it. Maybe, if she wasn't so stubborn and distrustful of the people around her, she could've spared Yoshihara for what was to come next. She could've avoided failing as a parent and becoming the very thing that she loathed.

But alas, Fate had different plans.

It all came to a head when Yoshimura suddenly and quietly disappeared. It happened when Yoshihara was two years old. The only thing Yoshikawa had to go off of was a letter from Johnny saying that the Chinese Branch was raided by an unknown Yakuza group that had travelled to China to, successfully, steal a Stand Arrow.

The mere idea of Yoshimura being gone broke her. Whatever hope there was of Yoshikawa overcoming her mental illnesses and not letting them control her was gone. Because at that moment, her anchor—the thing that kept her from fully going over the edge was gone. With no medication and no way to properly keep the voices quiet, everything went from decent, to bad.

There were days when Yoshihara would go hungry. She would be neglected, all the while Yoshikawa sat idly in her room, staring at a wall, aimless. Lifeless. Addled by her mental illnesses. Then, there were times that, at random, Yoshikawa would smack Yoshihara. Then, it progressed to full-on beatings. Blaming her for all of the pitfalls that she had in life. Blaming her existence as to why Yoshimura was gone.

The neglect would only get worse when she turned three. She would go nearly a week without being fed, only being kept alive on water and scraps that the young Yoshihara could find around the house. Meanwhile, she was exposed to her mother having often violent sexual encounters with men she pulled off the street to keep a roof over their heads.

At the time, Yoshihara didn't know what it was. But because there was nothing to do, she would watch, never quite fully understanding why it happened, only that it did and that because of it, they had more food in the house, and it kept the lights and TV on.

And then, Yoshihara turned four years old. That was the age most kids developed a Quirk. Even with two Quirkless parents, the child could have a Quirk. It was just extremely rare, but it was possible. It was how the Todoroki family came into being as it did now.

And, unfortunately, Yoshihara did not get that lucky.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but your daughter doesn't have a Quirk. We did a blood test, the pinky-toe joint test, and a body x-ray just to check if it was internal. We found no traces of their being any sort of Quirk forming in your child. I hate to say it, but she's Quirkless. I hope that didn't ruin anything," the doctor explained, causing Yoshikawa's left eye to twitch.

Her mental state had devolved so drastically that it had become a chore to think straight. Despite that, nothing changed. She used a façade to act like things were normal. However, when her daughter turned up Quirkless….

A sickly sweet smile that portrayed nothing but ill intent flashed on her face, but the doctor didn't pick up on it. That was the last chance Yoshihara had to live a proper life. But because the doctor didn't pick up on the sign, any chance at normality for Yoshihara was swept under the rug.

"Oh, don't worry doctor. This changes nothing."

That day, when Yoshikawa brought Yoshihara home, she trashed her bedroom and gutted it. She forced Yoshihara to essentially live in the closet on the first floor of the house and began the process of prostituting her daughter to make money.

If she was a Quirkless, useless, worthless sack of flesh, then that was all she'd ever be. She'd be her personal little toy that she got to beat up whenever it didn't work. She'd use it to make money, and there happened to be a lot of predators that would come far and wide to get the chance to sate their sick desires.

All the while, in the back of her mind, the tiny sliver of the true Yoshikawa Kira watched in horror at what was happening. The real her. The one not controlled by her mental illness would scream into the void. Watching as her body did things that she hated.

Trapped in her mind, all she could do was watch as the mentally unstable body that had once belonged to her did indescribable things. She couldn't even control her Stand. Her soul had become so twisted, so malignant, so vile that she wasn't even in control of it.

She became the very thing she swore she would never become.

She became like her father.

She became an uncontrollable, disgusting, vile, repugnant waste of a human being. Unable to control herself. Unable to stop what was happening. The only thing she could do was try and claw her way back in control. But never once did it happen. She never got close.

She knew it was possible to live without taking her medication. She had known other people who could. But mental illness was on a spectrum, and she just so happened to be on the extreme ends of both of hers.

From that day forth, she became a passenger in her own life.

From that day forth—the day when Yoshihara was diagnosed as Quirkless—Yoshikawa Kira. Mother, wife, and victim of abuse became a monster. An irredeemable, disgusting, vile, putrid monster.

And there was nothing the real Yoshikawa Kira could do about it.

[Present Day]

Yoshikawa, bloodied, broken, and half-alive stared at the mistake she brought upon the world, not with anger, but with fear. The cold, emotionless human being that stood before her, glaring at her with a vacant look in her eyes made something within Yoshikawa break.

At one point, she believed that Yoshihara was a mistake that needed to be rid of. She saw that it affected her life negatively just thinking about her, and thought that it would be easy to just kill her and be done with it. That was before she found that the brat was a Stand User.

Her Stand, of which she had now only just learned that its name was Killer Queen, was terrifying. A Stand that was not only fast but strong was something that C'est La Vie could handle—only barely, mind you, but still able to. But even with its explosive long-ranged ability? Well, she could also counter that with her Stand's ability. It wasn't too hard to redirect the bubbles.

While C'est La Vie was physically weaker than Killer Queen, that didn't make it impossible to counter. It was still somewhat faster, but that was all it had against it. Because, at some point during their battle, Killer Queen seemingly evolved. Or, at the very least, unlocked a part of its kit that made it stronger.

Sheer Heart Attack. If it wasn't seemingly invincible, and if C'est La Vie could counter it, then maybe she wouldn't be terrified out of her mind. But seeing as she couldn't, and seeing as those cold, piercing eyes of her spawn stared into her soul, knowing full well she could just sick Sheer Heart Attack on her at any moment and instantly win—it drove whatever bravado she might have had right out the window.

So as they exchanged blows, it became clear to her that she wasn't going to win. Killer Queen slugged a right fist into the side of C'est La Vie's head, causing both Yoshikawa and C'est La Vie to stagger. At that moment, C'est La Vie put up a block, guarding the next few blows as shockwaves exploded off of the impacts.

"I can't do anything! Since when did it get this fast?!" Yoshikawa thought, batting away the next strike and attempting to go for a stomach blow, only for Killer Queen to duck it and give C'est La Vie an uppercut to the jaw. It forced Yoshikawa's head to go up, knocking out a tooth as Yoshihara glared.

There was nothing but killing intent behind those eyes. Yoshikawa could've sworn that, once again, that ghost had appeared. Except, he was across the street, watching with a smug look on his face. It disappeared as quickly as it reappeared, as Yoshikawa received a left hook and right hook from Killer Queen directly.

The right hook sent her flying down the street, skidding across the pavement. It tore up her arm, removing a layer of skin as she skidded to a halt. Her suit had been completely ruined, but that really didn't matter at the moment. C'est La Vie returned to her side, as Yoshikawa watched while Yoshihara walked her down, Killer Queen by her side.

"I'm enjoying this, you know? Watching you squirm…" Yoshihara said, her tone of voice lacking any emotion. "Now I finally get why you liked watching me when I was being brutally beaten or molested by the freaks who you brought into our home. It's the dread and fear that appears on the victim's face that you liked."

As Yoshihara said that, a look of disgust appeared on her face, her nose shrivelled up as her eyes gleamed with contempt. "Unlike you, though, this is simply from watching you get your just deserves. The fact that you actively made me suffer, all to chase a high that you got while watching me suffer…. You're subhuman trash!"

Killer Queen rushed toward Yoshikawa, as all she could do was do the obvious. "C'est La Vie!" With that, the two Stands met halfway, both right fists colliding as a massive shockwave powerful enough to shatter any nearby windows boomed out around the area. Yoshikawa flinched, while Yoshihara remained unaffected.

C'est la vie readied another punch, which was blocked by the same thing. Growling, C'est La Vie used all of its strength and speed in one go, sending a flurry of punches at Killer Queen. It met her in kind, blocking with the same flurry of punches at the same speed, the only thing being able to be seen was that of blurs.

Off in the distance, a few minutes away, were four police cars—Yoshihara could hear the sirens, meaning they were close by. Good. The ambulance had made it first, which was why she was healed, and she assumed that Death Arms was sent in their stead. But with Death Arms being dead, they probably had no choice but to come.

It was a little lazy of them to wait until things had escalated, but she assumed that was what The Heroes were for. Police were a last resort, all things considered. Heroes were the bulk of people who kept things in check. So now, all Yoshihara needed to do was keep Yoshikawa busy.

She knew that by the end of this fight, Yoshikawa would die. She refused to allow her to live. Or, if she did, she would remain in Speedwagon Foundation custody for the rest of her life. That way, there would never be the chance of her ever coming after her again.

Shockwaves erupted from the epicentre of their punches, their auras glowing brightly as neither of them let up. In a split second, Yoshihara saw an opening and used it to land a pot shot on C'est la vie. Killer Queen slipped a punch through her Stand's offensive guard, connecting its right fist to C'est la vie's right cheek, making Yoshikawa spit up blood from the impact, dazing the Stand as well as the user.

Killer Queen then followed it up with another punch dead center in C'est la vie's face, knocking Yoshikawa back as she stumbled, then landed a left-handed punch on the opposite side of where its right fist had collided. Two miniature Sheer Heart Attack's came out of the knuckles of Killer Queen's glove—something that shocked Yoshikawa—and implanted themselves on C'est La Vie's face. They exploded, sending Yoshikawa flying even further, her back skidding on the sidewalk before she tumbled, blood streaming down her nose and mouth, as well as having a nasty open wound on her cheek.

However, due to the adrenaline coursing through Yoshikawa's veins, it did nothing to prevent her from counterattacking. Letting out an angered shout, C'est la vie rushed Yoshihara and Killer Queen, stopping a few feet away and unleashing a flurry of kicks in her direction.

Killer Queen did its best to deflect all of the kicks, only to let a few slip past. When the kicks connected, a majority of them hit Killer Queen in the stomach, forcing air out of Yoshihara felt several lower ribs in her body break at the same time. The flurry of kicks to the stomach was ended by a straight kick to the face. As Killer Queen and Yoshihara were dazed, C'est La Vie scooped up small bits of metal shrapnel and shot it out with its opposite hand at Yoshihara.

As those pieces of metal shrapnel got close to hitting Yoshihara, Killer Queen deployed a miniature Sheer Heart Attack to intercept the bits of metal and blew up, turning them into dust. Yoshikawa growled, taking a step forward as C'est la vie then winded back a punch.

Yoshikawa knew that once the mistake was killed, she wouldn't be able to rest easy. Josefumi would most likely look out for her killer, as well as whatever friends the brat might have had. She had only just remembered that and mentally cursed herself for it. She couldn't let it be, because Josefumi was smart enough to put two-and-two together. And with that whore of a girlfriend he had, they'd figure it out in no time.

"When I'm through with her, I have to go after those other brats. If I don't, it might as well be assisted suicide," Yoshikawa thought, gnashing her teeth. "DIE ALREADY!" Yoshikawa shouted, the punch swinging forward.

The punch connected with Killer Queen's stomach, knocking Yoshihara back a little bit further, but she was able to tank most of the blow. It was clear to Yoshihara that Yoshikawa was getting weaker. The sirens were getting louder in the background, meaning the police were closing in on their location.

"I probably only have a handful more seconds to end this…!" Yoshikawa thought, putting a hand over her mouth. When she felt something missing, her eyes widened as she looked to the floor. One of her teeth was gone, and that set her off the deep end even more than she already had before.

"YOU FUCKING WHORE!" Yoshikawa shouted, C'est La Vie recovering from the punch, delivering a few rapid blows at Killer Queen, who blocked them all with punches of their own. They were right back to where they were just a few moments ago, causing Yoshihara to grunt.

"This is useless! Give up! You can't win!" Yoshihara shouted, glaring at Yoshikawa, who glared back with a manic gaze of her own. The two Stands continued their punch rushes, C'est La Vie slowing down slightly as Killer Queen sped up.

"Doesn't fucking matter!" Yoshikawa spat, baring her teeth, noticing the slowdown, resulting in her forcing her Stand to match Killer Queen's speed. "Besides, once I'm done with you, your friends are next!" Yoshikawa spat, and at that moment, something broke within Yoshihara. Her pupils narrowed, and whatever expression she had on her face from before was replaced by an angry snarl, the angry look shared by Killer Queen.

It happened all too quickly for anyone to stop it. The police cars showed, pulling in at the scene as several police officers got out of their cars, a majority of them not knowing what was going on, but were alerted to a villain attack.

But as they stepped out of their cars, what they saw was something that made them all go wide-eyed with shock, horror, and awe.

"YOU LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE, YOU WASTE OF SKIN!"

As Yoshihara shouted that, Killer Queen closed in on C'est la vie, using its slowed-down punches as an opening. Within a split second, Yoshikawa's eyes widened as she puked up a giant globule of blood. She looked down at herself, seeing a massive hole square in her chest, looking up shakily at C'est la vie and Yoshihara.

Killer Queen's fist was driven through her Stand's chest, meaning that the damage was reflected on her. Yoshikawa choked on whatever air was in her throat, letting out a gasp, and then, she fell to the ground, limp and dead, the last thing she saw being the hole in her chest, a hole right where her non-existent heart would be. Not moments later did C'est La Vie fade away into nothingness, crumbling away like porcelain after being dropped on the floor.

Yoshihara let out a shaky breath as Killer Queen and Sheer Heart Attack vanished. She stared at the body of Yoshikawa Kira, her expression hardening, lowering her head as she closed her eyes. Not a moment after Yoshikawa's corpse hit the floor, the police swooped in.

They forced her to the ground, snapping handcuffs around her wrists, before dragging her to the back of a police car, violently. She did not resist the entire time, though they kept screaming at her to stop resisting. She was confused. Why was she being the one arrested? Wasn't it obvious that she had only been defending herself? Weren't they not told what had happened?

Yes, the real villain was dead. A corpse on the floor. They must've heard what Yoshikawa had said, and yet, they still arrested her.

Then, she remembered.

"People without Stands cannot see Stands…" As far as the police were concerned, they witnessed a random woman, who had already looked bloodied and battered, have a massive hole get blown through her body. To them, as far as they were concerned, Yoshihara was the villain.

She noticed the news helicopter in the air before she was shoved into the police car, and that was when it all dawned on her. She had made a massive mistake.

Right before The Sports Festival, she had painted a target on her back. She had done the one thing that no one should do.

She had committed murder in front of the news.

As the police officers were about to drive away, Akira, Eraserhead, and Midnight ran out of Love Love Deluxe. Akira, seeing Yoshihara in the back of the car, nearly flipped his lid. "THE FUCK YOU ARE IDIOTS DOING!? SHE'S THE ONE WHO GOT ATTACKED!" Akira screamed. A police officer with a cat for a head looked over in his direction, shot him a glare, scoffed, and then entered the police car.

"HEY, ASSHOLE! I'M TALKING TO—" Before he could continue, Eraserhead placed a hand on his shoulder, and shook his head.

"It's not worth it, Tomodachi. That's Deputy Sansa. It doesn't matter what you say to him, he's known in our circles as someone who refuses to listen to anyone. Even his superiors. The only thing we can do is wait till they bring her down to the station. That's when we can lodge a complaint," Eraserhead said, scowling as the group of three watched the police car with Yoshihara in the back be driven off.

Other police officers surrounded the corpse of the woman Yoshihara had evidently killed, and began taking notes. News crews began pulling up to the scene, and the only thing that Midnight could think was the big question on all of their minds.

"What have you done, Yoshihara…"

[XXXX]

!Stand Information Corner!

Stand User: Yoshikawa Kira

Stand Name: C'est La Vie

Localized Name: That's Life

Stand Appearance: C'est La Vie is a humanoid Stand that is the same height as its user. It has gray skin with orange armour covering its body, and it has a distinctly feminine appearance. It has slanted red and black eyes, with no mouth or ears. It has a black crystal in the center of its chest tucked between the faux breasts. On its arms and legs are five spikes on each side, and it has large claws that reach at least seven inches.

Stand Ability: C'est La Vie has two 5cm by 5cm holes in the palms of its hands. With these holes, it can suck up small objects, and fire them at a given target from up to 15 meters away from the user. These objects come out of the palm holes at 300 mph, and come out nearly instantly after one side picks up the small items that it wishes to fire.

Stand Stats:

Destructive Power: Grade B (Twice as strong as a regular human, but can be stronger if pushed hard enough)

Effective Range: Grade D (Ability can be used 15 meters away from the user, but the Stand is a close-ranged combat type, so it cannot go far away from the user)

General Speed: Grade B (can attack at subsonic speeds and can break the sound barrier with ease)

Persistent use of Ability: Grade A (The ability is technically always active, as its ability is automatic and doesn't require activation. Once it happens, it cannot be stopped)

Precision: Grade B (Rarely Misses)

Overall Potential: Grade C

[Status: Utterly Defeated/Dead]

[XXXX]

"Get in there!" The booming voice of a police officer spat, as Yoshihara was tossed into the interrogation room at The Musutafu Police Department. Following the officer and Yoshihara into the interrogation room was Deputy Sansa. If it wasn't obvious, his Quirk was cat-related, given that his head was an orange tabby cat.

Forcibly, she was made to sit down on one of the chairs. Yoshihara said nothing and sat completely still. She had no idea if what they were trying to do was scare her, but it wasn't working.

Deputy Sansa stood across from Yoshihara, a levelled glare pointed at her as Yoshihara stared back blankly, her hands cuffed with Quirk-disabling Handcuffs. They were designed to prevent people from using their Quirks in custody. Not that it applied to Yoshihara, but at the same time, it really didn't matter.

Deputy Sansa was dressed in standard police attire, although he wore a bulletproof vest over his uniform, and both of his hands were behind his back as he stood, looming over Yoshihara as the other police officer who had dragged her into the room stood behind her, scowling.

"To think, a hero student would commit murder. In broad daylight, too. You're pretty stupid to do that, you know?" Sansa said, his voice calm as his eyes narrowed. "We all saw what you did. It's obvious that you killed her. All we need to know is why, and you can be put away where you belong."

Yoshihara remained silent. She didn't say a word. Sansa frowned, sighing. "Your silence won't help you, you know that?" Yoshihara didn't respond. Shaking his head, Sansa continued. "Let's go over the basics, then, if you're so insistent on remaining silent. Your name is Yoshihara Kira, correct?"

Yoshihara nodded.

"Be vocal. I cannot record your answer for the record without you speaking, Kira Yoshihara," Sansa demanded as Yoshihara, again, remained silent. Sansa glared at Yoshihara, looked to the officer behind him, and nodded once. When he did, she felt the officer grab her by the back of her head, and without warning, she was thrown across the room.

When she was slammed against the wall, Yoshihara grunted, slowly inching her way to her feet, only for the officer to kick her in the ribs. She groaned again, coughing as Sansa huffed. "You better start talking, villain. I'm not responsible for what he does to you. Understand that."

Yoshihara refused to speak. This was illegal, what they were doing. Where was her right to an attorney? She knew Japan had passed a law recently with the uptick in accidental Quirk deaths that minors were to be given the right to have a lawyer show up when they were first arrested.

So where was hers?

"Something isn't right here…" Yoshihara thought, looking around to see if something was amiss. That was when she noticed that the camera in the room was off. "Oh… these sons of bitches…!" With that thought, she looked up at the police officer, who had a shit-eating smirk on his face.

These guys were only interested in meeting whatever quota they had for the month. Not justice. If she didn't do exactly as they wanted, they were going to beat the "correct" answers out of her. She had heard it happen in documentaries but never expected it to happen in real life.

The officer kicked her again, but this time, she blocked it with her hands. "Fighting back, are we?" The officer sneered, before reaching up to stomp her head in with his boot. Before he could, though, Killer Queen appeared and punched him in the stomach, sending him flying across the room and into the opposite wall.

If the camera wasn't off, then the alarms would've rung. But because it was, the alarms didn't ring, which proved her earlier observation. It was a gamble, but it was better to gamble than get her head stomped in by some corrupt cop.

Sansa nearly did a double-take as he took a step back. Yoshihara slowly rose to her feet, as the cuffs shattered on her wrists. Her eyes narrowed, as she rolled her shoulders. "H-How did you—" Killer Queen grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, lifted him up to the ceiling, and turned him toward the camera.

"That camera is off. That's illegal, for starters. Second, where is my lawyer? I know my rights, and if I don't receive one in the next five minutes, then things are going to get worse," Yoshihara growled, as Sansa sneered.

"Lowly criminals like you don't deserve—"

"Don't care. Where's my lawyer, feline," Yoshihara spat. Sansa's eyes widened. Calling someone with a mutant quirk out for their mutation was seen as taboo. It was tantamount to calling a black person in America the N-word. Frankly, though, Yoshihara was too pissed off to care. It was then that she noticed that two people were approaching, judging by the footsteps.

Yoshihara had Killer Queen drop Sansa to the floor, but not before taking away and destroying his walkie-talkie, crushing it to bits in the process. She sat back down in her chair, which she had to put back where it belonged before sitting down. Just as she did, the door flung open, and a very annoyed-looking black-haired man with stubble on his chin entered the room.

He looked plain—as plain as could be. He was dressed in a white shirt, blue pants, and black shoes. She knew who he was. It was Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi. The same man who interviewed her at the USJ. It was hard to forget who he was, what with him being one of the first responders of the incident.

Next to him was Aizawa, who wasn't exactly happy to be here. She had to admit, she felt embarrassed. Of course, she would. He more than likely knew what she did, and it probably wasn't going to be good for her. Chances were, he was here to tell her that she had been expelled. She wouldn't fight it if that was the case, but regardless, that still didn't mean she wasn't annoyed.

"Deputy Sansa, what the hell do you think you're doing interviewing a suspect without me or a lawyer being here? And why the hell is the camera off in here? Do you have any idea how illegal that is?" Tsukauchi barked, glaring at Sansa, who snarled, looking at Yoshihara with anger in his eyes.

"She assaulted me, Detective. I was going to call you in but she tackled me to the wall before I could, I—"

"That's a lie, Sansa. Try again," Tsukauchi frowned, crossing his arms. "Lie Detector. Remember? I know you're new to this station, but at least pay attention when the staff tells you what their Quirks are," Tsukauchi said as Sansa flinched. "You still haven't answered my other question, but that will be for when I and the Sheriff chew you out in private," Tsukauchi continued before looking over to Yoshihara and sighed.

"Kira Yoshihara, correct?"

"Yes, Detective," Yoshihara answered as Tsukauchi nodded.

"Alright. I have only three questions for you. If you answer correctly and honestly, you can leave. Sound good?" Tsukauchi said, but before she could answer, Sansa growled—though it sounded more like a hiss.

"Do you even realize who you're talking to?! She's a damn villain! She murdered an innocent woman! What's more for you to say, she should just confess and—"

"Sansa, for the last time, be quiet. You don't know anything. I was given the footage to review from Love Love Deluxe's security cameras. The "innocent woman" she murdered—there's no ignoring that—had attempted to kill her and almost succeeded. You would know this if you actually did your job. There's a reason why you were transferred here, deputy, and it seems as if you're going to be losing that deputy title rather soon if you keep it up," Tsukauchi interrupted, making Sansa back down with a glare.

He turned his attention back to Yoshihara, and he spoke. "When you killed that woman, Yoshikawa Kira I believe the record said, was it in self-defence? Yes or no."

"Yes," Yoshihara answered.

"Truth. Good. I—"

"Bullshit!" Sansa roared, glaring at Tsukauchi. "You can't just determine that!"

Tsukauchi, who was now thoroughly getting annoyed with Sansa, breathed in deeply to calm himself, before speaking. "Sansa. My Quirk is Universal, not evidentiary-based. It doesn't judge based on opinions. If you were to tell me the sky is red, then my Quirk would tell me it's a lie. If you told me we breathed primarily Co2, then my Quirk would state that as a lie. I don't have time for this. Eraserhead, escort him out of the room, along with the downed officer."

Without a response, Eraserhead used his capture weapon to wrap up Sansa and the downed officer, the former of whom fought back without much success and was dragged out of the room by force. The door closed behind him, leaving Yoshihara and Tsukauchi alone in the slightly wrecked interrogation room.

"There. Now we're alone, and I can finish the interrogation in peace without a peanut gallery…" Tsukauchi muttered to himself. Clearing his throat, he continued. "Now then, second question. Did you kill Death Arms on purpose? I say this because you were the only one in the area with an explosive Quirk. He died by having his neck blown up, and so it was rather easy to figure out that it was you who killed him."

Yoshihara chewed on the inside of her cheek. She took a moment to think about how to answer the question, and finally, she answered. There was no reason to lie to the detective, and because of that, she decided to tell Tsukauchi the real truth.

If she didn't have to, she wouldn't have. Especially because it made things more complicated. If the police knew about Stands, though, it might make their jobs easier. It would make a lot of people's jobs easier….

She was starting to see the problems with keeping Stands a secret, now….

"The truth, Detective, is that I do not have a Quirk. I have something else. It is called a Stand, and it has an ability called Sheer Heart Attack. It attacks based on heat signature when I am not conscious, which at the time I was not when Death Arms met his fate. The same applies to whoever else may have died because of Sheer Heart Attack. It was irresponsible of me to unleash such a dangerous ability, however, I saw that I had no choice, because if I let that woman go, she would have gone on to attack my friends. She admitted as such before I killed her," Yoshihara explained as Tsukauchi's eyes widened.

From his perspective, his Quirk deemed what Kira said was true. It also explained why he saw the broken Quirk Negating Cuffs on the floor. Whatever this "Stand" was probably broke it. He coughed into his right hand, mulling everything over.

While there was no sympathy in her voice or in her eyes, she at least knew that what she had done was wrong. He knew that she was a diagnosed Sociopath according to her medical records, but unlike most other Sociopaths he had the misfortune of encountering, she showed a degree of care for the fact that she had killed three people in under 24 hours.

Under any other circumstances, she would've been labelled a serial killer and shipped off to Tartarus. But with the surrounding context, and the missing information to explain away what happened being an accident and also something he could label as a Quirk Awakening accident—because he could already tell that she was only telling him this under the belief she had no choice—this was almost perfect.

Keyword being: Almost.

"Okay…" Tsukauchi said, brushing a hand through his hair. "Now… that explains a lot. It also fills in missing holes we needed to put everything together. I just have one more question. If given the chance, would you do anything different? As you said, it was irresponsible for you to use this "Sheer Heart Attack" so the question is, would you use it again if this same scenario were to happen again?"

Without thinking about the answer, Yoshihara answered immediately. "Detective, other people were in danger if that woman survived. I had no other way of putting her down like the mangy mutt that she was. So, yes, regrettably, I would have used Sheer Heart Attack again. Now, whether or not those people would've died is entirely up to fate. I had no control over it, so that question is sort of disingenuous, don't you think, Detective?" Yoshihara said, following it up with a question that Tsukauchi hadn't expected.

Regardless of that, though, what she said was true. Even if he didn't understand how—probably because it was beyond him and more than likely had to do with these "Stand" things—he elected not to comment.

Tsukauchi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Well, I suppose you would be right. It was a disingenuous question. It was to measure your morals, and while I find them a little dubious, I don't see why you would be wrong. Lie Detector noted that you spoke the truth, so I have no choice but to agree."

Tsukauchi then gained a serious gleam to his eyes, as he crossed his arms, a frown taking up his visage. "That, however, does not mean you are free from consequence, Kira Yoshihara. While under the law, because it was self-defence and technically a Quirk Awakening accident, we cannot shuttle you off to prison, that doesn't mean you'll be getting off scot-free."

"Then what are the consequences, Detective?" Yoshihara asked, tilting her head slightly. "I don't see what it is that you can do to punish me in this situation, aside from community service or house arrest."

"Aside from the public's reaction to this, your reputation has no doubt taken a serious hit. You're a public figure, so that's rather obvious—the USJ made that so. Legally, we cannot do anything to you. Japan's Minor Self Defence laws are rather clear on that, as are Quirk Awakening Accident Laws—which this event counts as," Tsukauchi said, sighing.

"But, just because we cannot legally punish you, does not mean that those charges won't be added to your criminal record. One count of first-degree murder, and two counts of manslaughter. Those charges will inhibit your life drastically, and will make it extremely hard for you to be approved to become a Hero, which is the profession at which you are attempting to become, is it not?" Tsukauchi asked as Yoshihara frowned.

"Yes, Detective," Yoshihara answered as Tsukauchi nodded.

"Then that should be punishment enough. Again, while we cannot press those charges, that does not mean they won't stick to your record. Now, you're free to go," Tsukauchi said as Yoshihara stood up, and walked out of the interrogation office. As she did, Tsukuachi shook his head, frowning.

He could already tell this was going to be a mess with the higher-ups. But he already had his case to make. While the camera had been shut off in there, there was nothing he could've done about it before he continued his interview. At least he had an audio recording of the interrogation to give as proof to the Sheriff.

"Still… for there to be powers outside of Quirks… this changes a lot of things. Just how many criminals do we have locked up who those Quirk disabling cuffs don't actually work on? How many of them simply stay locked up to placate us? What exactly is a Stand? More importantly, why am I now only just hearing about them from this child, and not an adult who would have more clearance on the situation?" Tsukuachi thought, his eyebrows knitting together.

He was going to get to the bottom of this, and a part of him instinctively knew that by the time he was done doing his research, he wasn't going to like what he saw on the other end of things. He never often did.

As Yoshihara exited the police station, she spotted Kayama-san and Akira standing by a car. Akira was furiously tapping his foot, glaring up at the station with anger in his eyes, and Kayama-san looked worried half to death. She approached them, and when she did, Kayama-san hugged her abruptly, and without warning.

"Oh thank goodness you're safe! I saw the footage, and I can't believe that happened while I was gone!" Kayama-san said, her voice a teary mess. Akira, on the other hand, was livid.

"This is why I don't trust the fucking police, man. If we didn't lodge that complaint and get Tsukauchi's attention, then this would've been an even worse shitshow than it had any right to be," Akira grumbled as he looked over to Yoshihara, the anger in his eyes disappearing and being replaced with something else. It… looked like sadness.

When she pulled away from Kayama-san, she looked over at her former caretaker and raised an eyebrow. She didn't like that look on his face. It didn't suit him. "Akira…?" Yoshihara said, confusion coating her tone

And if her day couldn't have gotten any worse, then whoever had said that to her would receive a punch to the jaw.

"Yoshihara, I don't know how to say it, but… Sayaka died."

[XXXX]

There really wasn't much to say about Okuta Kagero, otherwise known as The Villain Information Broker: Giran. Nine times out of then, he was a simple man. He didn't have any expensive hobbies, nor did he commit many crimes. The worst thing he had ever done was commit purgery with his name and use his Quirk to rob a bank one time when he was 19 years old.

Many assumed that he was a much larger individual with far worse crimes due to the sheer aura he gave off. But, that was just it. That was all he had to his name. He had never killed anybody—hell, he probably couldn't even stomach it even if he tried. He could put on a brave face, taunt you and make you think he was gonna. But by the end of the day, he was just a pushover.

That was why he was an information broker. Specifically, one that catered to villains primarily because of his hatred for heroes. A hero was the one who took away his wife and his son from him in an "accident" that left the town he lived in ruined. But that was the past. 29 years in the past, to be exact.

If his gray hairs didn't give it away, Giran was well into his late 50s—57, to be exact. It also explained why his fashion sense wasn't the best. He was dressed in a dark purple blazer and dress pants, with the blazer being unbuttoned to reveal a white button-up shirt, accompanied by a pair of plain black shoes. His outfit was completed by an off-pink, almost intestinal tract-looking scarf that hung around the base of his neck.

His vision wasn't the best. The last time he had it checked, he was essentially blind. His glasses were his eyes, and with his old age, it only got worse over time. His current pair of glasses were his latest prescription, which was an abysmal 4 in the left eye and 2 in the right eye.

Right now, he'd been working on three very important jobs. One was given to him by The Boogyman himself, another given to him by Blackwell—the fake hero who was actually a big-time mob boss—and someone who the underworld hadn't seen a very, very long time. The supposed mentor to The Boogyman.

No one knew his appearance. Hell, not even his name. The most people ever knew about him was his moniker. Old Timer.

Old Timer had been around since the inception of The Underground almost 200 years ago. But, of course, that didn't make any sense. If that were true, then Old Timer would be, at least, 180 years old. However, given how Quirks were, and considering that there were Quirks out there that added onto someone's lifespan, that made sense.

The Boogyman had to get his copy of the Quirk that increased his lifespan somewhere. Or, at least, one of them, anyway. Old Timer, therefore, had to have one of those kinds of Quirks. Either that or something else was going on. Not that Giran gave a shit, but it was still something that had confused him.

At first, he didn't believe that he was getting a request from Old Timer. Who would? But after receiving some interesting information about The Boogyman. Something that he later confirmed with the big guy—something said big guy was not a fan of him knowing, that being his chronic fear of chickens, yes it was that ridiculous—he had no choice but to believe that it was Old Timer he was getting the information for.

And what was that information, you might be asking?

Well, it was information on something called One For All.

Giran had no idea what it was. All he knew was that it was a Quirk that appeared during the same time that The Boogyman's reign of terror was coming to an end and that it was somehow linked to All Might. There was also something there about it being like The Boogyman's Quirk, which if that was the case, was terrifying.

Furthermore, Old Timer wanted him to get information about All Might, and what his personal life was like. A couple of days of stalking the brute later, he learned a terrifying secret. All Might was a shell of his former self. Literally, in fact. He watched in real time as All Might dipped into an alleyway, vomited up blood, and in a puff of smoke changed into a frail old man who could barely stand up straight.

Now it made sense why The League Of Villains—a new rookie group that showed up out of thin air—wanted to try and kill him at the USJ. They knew of his secret. So why hadn't they said anything before? If he guessed, The Boogyman wanted to reveal that fact to the public in some way.

And who was he to get in the way of The Boogyman?

That being said, why did Old Timer want this information? What was he going to do with it? Was he going to kill All Might once and for all? There was a good chance that he could. Or, maybe, he was going to use it as leverage for something.

Regardless, right now, Giran was sitting in a dusty old bar in Asakusa, waiting for Old Timer to show up. It wasn't nearly as bad as what people made it out to be. The locals said that this place sucked, but the gin here wasn't that bad. It was also quiet because no one ever came here, meaning it was a great place to do business with people.

Giran took a sip of his gin and leaned back in the booth seat he sat in, keeping an eye on the entranceway. For a moment, he looked down at his glass of Gin, his typical smirk replaced with an annoyed frown. "Sheesh, when is this guy going to be here? He said that he was coming with someone, and that person was going to pick up the info for him. Something about not wanting anyone to see his face…"

It was then that Giran heard the sound of a cane hitting the pavement which prompted him to look back up at the entranceway. When he did, he was greeted by a peculiar sight. An old man who looked to be well into his 80s came shambling down the stairs. He was dressed in a black bowler hat with a purple ribbon around the bulb, and his outfit was super tacky.

His suit was the same colour as his hat, and the buttons which were used to hold the suit together looked like little suns. His shoes had a curved tip, and the cane he used to get around had funny little carvings in them.

The man also wore a light orange scarf around his neck with tiny little "-" marked within it at irregular intervals. The final bit of detail regarding the old man was his face. Despite his age, he looked like he could gut the person closest to him in an instant. That was how you marked someone as being a villain. Not to mention the damn near suffocating aura he gave off.

The man walked over to Giran and sat across from him when he finally made it to his booth. He rested his cane on his opposite side against the wall, and steepled his fingers together, staring Giran down before speaking. "I take it you're the individual who my dear friend asked to get the information he desired from, correct, Giran?"

With a casual and laidback tone, Giran spoke. "Yup, that'd be me. But, before I hand it over to ya, I have to know if yer really the guy I gotta talk to."

"Of course. How do you plan to do that?" The man asked as Giran smirked.

"For starters, I need ya name. Old Timer already told me who I was supposed to talk to, so I need to vet it. Go on and say it, and then we can continue this chat," Giran said, reaching into his pocket to pull out a cigar.

"Very well. My name is Satoru Akefu. For additional information, I was the former Head Doctor at the Morioh General Hospital before being moved to the Musutafu General Hospital. That should be everything that my friend spoke of to you, is it not?" Satoru said as Giran nodded, impressed.

Either this guy was a damn good on-the-spot impersonist and was just as knowledgeable as he was, or it was the real deal. Given he spoke with a mount of confidence, and his eyes glimmered in a certain way that indicated he was telling the truth, then that meant he was telling the truth. A small snicker rose from Giran's throat as he nodded.

"Very well. It all checks out. Now then, Old Timer already paid me in advance, so don't gotta exchange nothing," Giran said, reaching under the desk and grabbing a large suitcase, before sliding it over to Satoru, who stared at it, prompting Giran to speak. "Everything I and the people of the underground, as well as my own little special investigation into the matter, is in this suitcase."

"And there are no traps designed to catch me off guard?" Satoru questioned as Giran scoffed.

"Please. Like I'm that stupid to booby trap this kinda info. It's super valuable, and any risk there is to damaging it… well, I'd soon rather measure the length of a shotgun barrel with my mouth before I did something that stupid," Giran said, a small chuckle escaping him, as Satoru smirked.

"Very well," Satoru replied, taking the suitcase and grabbing his cane, before tipping his bowler hat to Giran. "Then I believe we're done here. Myself and my friend are very busy people, but this has helped us immensely."

As Satoru was about to leave, Giran cleared his throat, getting Satoru's attention. "Before you go, Mister Akefu, I gotta question for ya," Giran said as Satoru raised an eyebrow, prompting Giran to continue. "Is it true? What they say about Old Timer. That he's really 180 years old?"

To that, Satoru chuckled, turning to look away as he began to walk. But as he did, Satoru said something that made Giran's blood run cold. "He's far older than even that, child. He was around during the very first outbreak of Quirks. The undocumented one."

And like a gust in the wind, Satoru Akefu was gone, as if he simply never existed. All within the blink of an eye.

Giran sat at the booth, confused, shocked, and more importantly, fascinated. A small, devious smirk took up his visage, as a greedy look planted itself in his eyes. He lit his cigar, leaned back in the booth seat, and took a long, drawn-out drag from the cigar. "That is some very interesting information. Thank you, Mister Akefu. Thank you indeed…"

[XXXX]

"N-No! P-Please! Y-Y-You don't gotta do this! W-We'll pay ya, I promise! J-Just please don't kill me!" A middle-aged, balding man begged for his life. He was on his hands and knees, praying to the person who was planning to kill him with desperation coating his every word. "I-I have a wife and a child at home!"

"Should've thought about that before you started smuggling trigger on my turf, bald boy," a raspy, rough-sounding voice responded. The voice belonged to a tall, black-haired man, dressed in a semi-haphazardly slapped-together black trenchcoat with metal cuffs keeping the sleeves from fully rolling down. Matching the trenchcoat was a pair of black pants, and an off-white stained shirt torn at the collar.

Large patches of severely burned skin took up his arms and parts of his hands, his jaw, and underneath the areas around his eyes. He looked tired—bored, almost. But then again, given how boring his life had been recently, who could blame him?

Embers of blue flames danced around the palm of his hand, as he looked down at the man with disdain in his eyes. "Don't worry, though. I'm sure your family will be just fine without you around," and without a second of hesitation, a large powerful blast of blue flames doused the man before him, turning him into nothing but ashes in mere seconds.

He let the flames linger for a second, before snuffing them out with a flick of his wrist. He sighed, looking down at the palm of his hand. Honestly, there were some days when he wished he had never been born with this Quirk. It was powerful, but the drawbacks were a little much.

He cursed his weak constitution.

Dabi was the kind of person who shot first and asked questions later. Given the people he dealt with regularly, that made sense. You didn't get a chance to ask questions when dealing with villains. He would know from personal experience with that one.

Staring blankly ahead, his cerulean blue eyes flickering with hints of life, he trudged forward down the alleyway. This was only really a pit stop before he got to the place where he was supposed to be. After this job was done, he'd be able to get back to his apartment. If he wasn't off base, then his shipment should arrive in the coming hours.

Perks of working with big wigs, you got free shit. Good, free shit.

As he walked to where it was he was supposed to be going, he noticed something in the corner of his eye. In the alleyway, there, sat a newspaper. His curiosity got the better of him, and so, he picked it up. It was the latest front-page article, and upon reading the headline and looking at the picture matching it, his eyes shot open wide.

BREAKING NEWS: U.A. STUDENT FROM USJ ATTACK ARRESTED FOR FIRST-DEGREE MURDER AND MANSLAUGHTER WALKS FREE DUE TO CONTROVERSIAL SELF DEFENCE AND QUIRK AWAKENING ACCIDENT LAWS!

Underneath the headline was someone that Dabi had been unsure if he'd ever see again, but he recognized those eyes from anywhere. Blond hair, blue eyes, and a similar skin tone to the child he had saved from that shithole all those years ago. One of the only real heroic acts he had done, and to see that the kid had survived long enough to become a hero brat….

A part of him was proud. Another part was disappointed that she fell victim to the indoctrination around her, but given how she was treated as a child, it was bound to happen. She probably developed some kind of saviour complex and wanted to make sure that no one ended up in the situation that she did.

Although, given the headline, he was led to believe that something else was her motivation.

Whatever her motivation was, he had been a little worried that she hadn't survived. But to see her again, grown-up….

"Good to see ya again, kiddo," Dabi thought, before burning the newspaper into ash. Maybe he'd have to ask his contacts if he could arrange a meeting for them at some point in the future. Until then, he had a drug ring he needed to bust.

-To Be Continued in: The Media, Everyone Hates Them-