Learning to Trust

"The friend in my adversity I shall always cherish most. I can better trust those who have helped to relieve the gloom of my dark horse than those who are so ready to enjoy with me the sunshine of prosperity."
-Ulysses S. Grant

Chapter 12: A Friend in Adversity

The rain drove at them painfully. Thankfully Floodgate seemed to have backed off of the hail for a while, giving Yagi and Kayama the opportunity to safely leave the café and make their way to the park. It was still nearly black outside and pouring rain, however, so the trip remained a challenge. Yagi had long since thrown off his suit coat and scarf, as his baggy clothing had rapidly soaked through, weighing him down and causing him to stumble.

Worse, the weather was shifting again, bringing an icy wind.

Kayama swore as a particularly strong gust caused her to lose her footing and almost drop into the water that flooded the streets. Goosebumps were rising on her bare arms now, and she was starting to shiver. "You know, with a name like Floodgate, he really should only be able to control water," she said, more to distract herself from the increasing cold than anything else. "Wind should be off the table. Stupid name." Her words were swept away by the howling wind and noisily flapping awnings across the street.

She glanced over at Yagi, who slogged beside her through the rising ankle-deep water silently, the brooding expression on his face bordering on a dangerous ferocity as he struggled to keep his own footing.

Kayama swept the soaking strands of black hair that had escaped her bun out of her face as she studied him. He's not doing well. I knew this was a bad idea. For a man in such obvious poor health, he was doing an admirable job fighting wind and the current caused by overworked drains, but he wasn't going to make it. He was moving more slowly and less steadily with each passing minute, breathing hard and holding his chest as though each breath were a struggle. His teeth were gritted as though he were in pain. Pro or not, he shouldn't be doing this, she thought in concern, slipping a bit and catching herself on a nearby lamppost. If his quirk is just going to let him summon All Might, then he's probably going to be completely defenseless when we get there. Can I protect him and fight Floodgate at the same time? Maybe… if All Might took Floodgate down, he probably wouldn't even need Midnight's help, leaving her to watch over Yagi.

He slipped just then, or perhaps stumbled on something hidden beneath the waters. Either way, he dropped to his knees, the impact sending him into a fit of coughing. Bright red blood splattered the water below him, immediately diluting into swirls of pink.

Kayama moved to help the man, concerned, but he just held up a hand to stop her, coughed a few more times, and stood. Clearing his throat once, he shouted to her over the wind, "I'm fine. If I go down again, just keep moving. It's just going to get worse, and we don't have time to waste waiting for me to catch my breath. I can catch up. I'm stronger than I look. Trust me."

He looked like death on a good day, honestly. Right now, he was making death seem healthy. "Yagi!" she shouted back. "What kind of a hero am I if I let you die to save me? We both know you're in no shape to do this. What if you die here?"

"Then I die. I know what I signed up for when I took this job." He began walking again, taking step by agonizing step closer to his likely death.

Kayama suddenly, powerfully realized that she wasn't okay with that. Yagi shouldn't be here. Not because she didn't believe he could fight-something about his current demeanor now convinced her where nothing else would have that he was definitely a Pro. His mild-mannered civilian act had certainly been effective, completely fooling her for a time, but there was no denying that he knew what he was doing. But he shouldn't have to. However powerful he once might have been, he was now weak. And Kayama had a funny feeling that he really wasn't supposed to be fighting anymore. No agency would have licenced someone in his condition, no matter how amazing his quirk was, which meant he'd likely suffered some debilitating injury that had left him like this. He should be enjoying retirement, not risking his life. She'd meant what she said earlier. She liked him. He seemed naturally gentle and kind, but clearly he was brave and intelligent as well. Someone like that was a loss to the hero world, certainly.

But really, there were too few people like that in any profession. If Yagi died here, now, it would be a loss to humanity as well. He was the sort of person she fought to preserve, because if people like that could live long enough to pass those qualities onto the next generation, maybe one day they wouldn't need heroes at all.

Kayama forced her way through the water as quickly as she could, reaching out and grabbing him by the baggy sleeve of his dress shirt. "Yagi, listen to me! There's no need for you to die before we even get to him. Call in All Might, now! Hide here where it's safe. We're nearly to the edge of the eye. It's only going to get worse from here. You said you can give me All Might for five minutes, right? It won't take him more than that to get in there and take Floodgate down. This villain is powerful, but he isn't a match for our Number One." By this point, she honestly wasn't even sure if Yagi could hear her anymore. The wind had gotten so bad, there was a steady roar around them, as though they were approaching a tornado that had somehow been contained. Her head pounded from the dizzying pressure inconsistencies.

Yagi had stopped abruptly, rubbing at his own head as well. He hadn't been looking at her, but glanced toward her now, his face hard and his blue eyes unreadable. He didn't answer her though, instead carefully analyzing his surroundings as he swiped his long mess of sopping blond hair out of his face. He made a general motion at the plants maybe ten yards ahead of them. Through driving rain and swirling debris, she could just make out what he was trying to show her. Nothing was moving there. It was still cloudy, but it even seemed somewhat brighter past that point. They were close, but that meant Floodgate was very near as well.

Kayama scanned the area, spotting a copse of trees and some bushes just within the eye. If they could get there without Floodgate seeing them, maybe they could come up with a plan that they both agreed to. She tugged at the sleeve she still held and motioned.

His sharp eyes spotted the trees and after a cursory glance, he met her eyes and nodded. Yes. This would work.

To Kayama's surprise the frail hero grabbed her wrist in an unexpectedly powerful grip, and moved his own wrist so it was within her hand, forming a strong bond. Then, pulling her toward a building that crossed the eye, he pulled them both tight to the wall and crept them forward, holding on as though he were worried she would blow away, a realistic concern. Thirteen hadn't been kidding when she'd said that the eye wall of Floodgate's storm was his strongest point. Twice, Yagi was thrown backward into Kayama, only remaining afoot because she helped support him. Once, he had to pull her back from being swept up by the ever-increasing current forming in the now thigh-deep water.

In fact, the only reason they finally made it through the eye wall at all was because they had worked together as a team, alternately supporting each other and pulling forward inch by painstaking inch. Yagi had been right. She had needed his help, at least this far. Still, now they had completed their goal to get her into the eye, and he had a safe place to hide.

The eye itself wasn't as pleasant as Kayama had hoped, although realistically she'd known it wouldn't be. The eye was simply an area where Floodgate couldn't actually control precipitation, but its effects were still evident. The grass was flooded until they reached the small hill where the copse of trees had been located, and it was still cold. Both she and Yagi were shivering by the time they reached their goal. But it was quieter in here. The roar of of the storm outside the wall was still nearly deafening, but she could at least hear again, which meant they could properly plan. And there was no wind or rain, which meant their plan had a chance of working if she could get close enough.

Yagi abruptly released Kayama's wrist as they slipped into their enclosure, and she realized that she hadn't even noticed they were still holding each other. Quickly she followed suit. The man immediately sat down hard on a bench and began choking, muffling the sound of his coughs as best he could so Floodgate didn't hear them. They still had no idea where he was.

Yagi's eyes were watering, and again Kayama saw blood. She gave him a moment, keeping a lookout for their enemy. Oddly, he was nowhere to be seen. Strange…

Her tall companion seemed to finally have regained his composure, taking a few short breaths as though testing his ability to properly use his lungs again before speaking. His voice was weak and hoarse, but he seemed to be rallying his strength once more.

Resilient bugger, aren't you? she thought, relieved.

"Do you see him?" he asked quietly, his breath faintly visible in the chilling air.

She shook her head. "No. Nowhere. I don't understand. It seems like we should by now."

"He could be in another group of trees. Or in the gazebo. There are any number of places he could be hiding." Yagi's brows drew together. "He's got to be near the center. I couldn't get a feel for the size of the wall, but I don't think he's been able to shrink down the eye's size. That means we're probably 200 yards from him at most. I'm guessing he's near the fountain in the middle of the park."

Kayama nodded. "Sounds logical. Tricky, too. That puts me near water again. The spray is going to weaken it, and since the fumes come off of my body they're warm-"

Yagi nodded thoughtfully, rubbing his hands together and breathing on them. "So they're going to rise in this cold air." His shadowed eyes narrowed. "Cold air that makes no sense in the eye of a storm… How is he holding this thing together without a hot core...?" He pulled his phone out of his pocket and tried it again. Still nothing. He shook his head. "We're on our own. Hopefully Eraserhead got the alert before the storm cut the signal off. And all I can promise from All Might is some intimidation and maybe a couple punches if we're lucky." The man scowled, muttering under his breath, "I shouldn't have wasted my time tracking Floodgate this morning. What was I thinking…?"

Kayama put her hands on her hips. "You shouldn't be fighting at all. We're going to have a nice long talk about that one when we get out of this. But for now I need to find Floodgate and you need to call in the cavalry." She shot her companion a look. "So, how exactly are you planning on getting All Might here? Obviously you don't have a warp quirk."

He glanced away, sidestepping the question. "We need to find Floodgate together. I know you expect that All Might can just sweep in here and take him down, but that might not be able to happen. He may only be able to distract Floodgate. We need to assume that this really is going to be mostly up to you."

"Why?" At his hesitation, Kayama finally snapped. "Why, dammit? Yagi, I need to know what's going on. I've been done with your boss's bullshit since he didn't show up, but I expected better from you. I'm more than happy to risk my own life here if I know how it's going down, but I have you to protect, too, and no clue what you're actually planning."

He sat stock still and then nodded. "Yes. You're right, of course. What do you need to know?"

"Well, for starters, are you really getting me All Might or am I just getting an illusion? The way you're talking, he's going to be next to useless."

"I'm getting you All Might," Yagi replied quietly. His voice was low, barely louder than the fading sound of rain and wind. "He will do everything he can to help. But he's not as invincible as people think. He has limitations you don't know about, Kayama-san, and he's pushed himself too far today. To be honest-" He broke off suddenly.

"Honest would be nice," she prompted, but he suddenly motioned her to silence, standing stiffly.

"He's moving," Yagi hissed.

"He's-?"

"Look." He pointed at the building they'd used as a brace. It was almost entirely within the eye now. The eye wall was shifting and as it moved, the noise of the rain faded. "He must be moving toward us. Not good."

Kayama scowled, and tensed herself, ready for anything. "But Floodgate only uses long-range attacks. Why would he risk coming near us? Unless he has an ultimate move that he can use within the eye…" Dammit...

He met her gaze. "Get ready," he said fiercely. "He's bringing the fight to us. This isn't how I wanted to do this," he growled. "But I'll stand by you."

"Do you have any time to get us All Might? Or are we doing this alone after all?" She braced herself.

Yagi smiled tiredly at her, making a fist. His blue eyes burned. "I told you, didn't I? I am here."

All Might didn't even have time to process how Midnight had responded. He didn't really know how he'd expected this would work in the first place. He'd been operating mostly on instinct. He supposed that he'd just hoped he'd be able to get near enough to still remain hidden and transform while Midnight released her sleep gas and then would join the fight later, getting in as many hits as he could before her toxin took them both down.

But the villain's unexpected approach had ruined that plan. And honestly, All Might wasn't even sure this was the real Floodgate. Maybe the heroes downtown had been fighting Floodgate all along.

In that case, he'd better not let this guy actually touch him.

By the time the villain actually stepped into their hideout, he had already transformed and was winding up for a punch. After a cursory glance, he moved to punch Floodgate in the gut, but the temperature suddenly plummeted dangerously low and the water that had soaked through his clothing froze and rested on his skin, slowing his movements just enough to allow the villain to dodge.

He moved to punch again, skin burning in the cold, but his aching joints felt stiff, and the sudden drop in temperature had dropped his blood pressure as well, triggering his arrhythmia. Missing again, he staggered back, trying to steady his breathing. He coughed once or twice, hard, hoping it would help, and spat blood before his heart felt normal. Lightheaded and bleary-eyed, he boomed at Midnight, "Be careful! Don't let him touch you!"

"Don't plan on it!" she shouted back. "Only nice boys get that perk! Naughty boys like this just get tied up!"

He forced himself back into action, blinking a few times to clear his vision and attempting to stagger forward. Floodgate seemed to be having a harder time with Midnight than either of them had expected. It took All Might a moment to figure out how she was staying so mobile. Then he saw it… a thin pink haze surrounding her, swirling up and away in the cold air. As she'd mentioned before, the chemicals she released from her body were warmed by her own body heat, which meant as she released her sleep toxin, she was also radiating enough heat to stay warm.

Still… she wasn't at the top of her game after their long fight to make it here, and Floodgate clearly had figured out her move. He was biding his time now, satisfied in having incapacitated the Number One Hero enough to focus only on her. Now he was just waiting for her to run out of steam.

She needed backup. Fast.

But he could barely move now. All Might dropped to his knees, his limbs half frozen already, and his core cooling down. Teeth chattering, he managed to rasp out, "Midnight! Come here…"

Just then, Floodgate lunged at her, and she leapt out of his way, launching past him, and just barely missing his groping hand. She landed in a roll, managing to shoot one leg out as soon as she righted herself, and kicked his legs out from under him.

"Hold your breath!" she shouted, reaching All Might's side, the villain already rising as she moved.

"Douse me... with your quirk," he hissed through clenched teeth.

"What?"

"No ... time. I just need … to stay conscious… for one punch…"

Her eyes widened, and then a small smile flashed. "You got it." She released everything she had, enveloping him in a thick pink haze that quickly rose in the cold air. But it was sufficient to keep Floodgate at bay for a few crucial moments as All Might's body was warmed enough to wind up for one punch. "Detroit… Smash!" he shouted, lunging out of the cloud and clocking the villain so hard that he simply crumpled.

Then, as Midnight's quirk finally took effect, All Might himself dropped to the ground, unconscious.

He woke up to a confusing set of voices. It took him several minutes to realize that he was warm, lying in a cozy, if too-small bed with Recovery Girl quietly talking to someone else.

"He'll be fine. I took care of the frostbite. I'm going to monitor him for a while, because I'm worried about pneumonia. Yagi-san isn't one to properly take care of himself. If I let him go now, he probably won't tell anyone if he gets sick. So, here he stays."

"He already had a pretty bad cough." Kayama's voice.

What's she doing here?

"He always does. Yagi-san isn't well. That idiot shouldn't have been out in the middle of all that, and he knows it."

Kayama was silent for a few moments. "He's the one who came up with the plan to take Floodgate down. Honestly, if it weren't for him, the situation would have been worse."

Recovery Girl snorted at that. "I don't doubt it. He's a brilliant idiot, but he's still an idiot." She lightly smacked him at that.

Toshinori groaned lightly.

"Well," the old woman continued. "It looks like your quirk's wearing off. I'm going to get a new IV ready for him, since he'll be here for observation overnight. You've got five minutes to talk with him before I kick you out. He needs rest. Your quirk didn't exactly give him a peaceful sleep…"

I never have a peaceful sleep, he thought.

"Well whose fault is that, Mr. Jump-into-the-way? Mr. Fix-Everything-Myself?" Apparently he'd said it aloud. Recovery Girl smacked him lightly again, then, to his surprise, gently brushed hair out of his face. "You poor boy. Why can't you just listen to me?"

His eyes opened slowly, and he tried to smile reassuringly, focusing on her face. She looked tired and worried behind all of her bluster. "I'll try to do better, Recovery Girl," he rasped out.

She just sighed and patted him on the shoulder, looking back over at Kayama. "Five minutes. I mean it. Then he rests." With those words, she stepped out the door.

He turned his head tiredly to see Kayama perch awkwardly on the edge of a stool. She had changed her clothes at some point and was now dry-how long had he been in here?

He tried to push himself up but found he was still too groggy to manage it. Grunting, he dropped back down to the pillow. Closing his eyes, he asked simply, "Who saw?"

She knew what he meant. "Only me. You changed back after you knocked Floodgate out. Eraserhead and Thirteen showed up shortly after that. I told them you were with me and got caught up in the crossfire. I think Eraserhead has some questions, but Thirteen seemed to accept it. The police just assumed you were a bystander and didn't push it once we promised to rush you to a hospital."

He nodded tiredly. "Thank you. I-Eraserhead knows I'm Pro, but I haven't told many people. Only Nezu, Mic, and Recovery Girl know. And now you." His eyes fluttered closed. "For what it's worth, Kayama-san, I'm sorry. It's nothing personal. I spent most of my career keeping secrets."

"Did you? You always seemed to be an open book," she replied simply.

His lips twitched at that, his eyes still closed. "Best place to hide things is in plain sight. One of the perks of being open with the media. They don't feel like they have to dig too deep."

Kayama was quiet for a long moment. Then, to Toshinori's surprise, she gently laid her hand on his thin, wasted arm. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"For what?" His eyes fluttered open again, and he met hers.

She smiled at him. "For letting me work with Yagi Toshinori," she replied. At his confused look, she added. "I needed All Might for one punch. But other than that, you did a pretty damn good job just like this. We made a good pair out there."

He stared at her, speechless.

Then she flashed a bright smile at him, "So, just one question, Yagi-san…"

"Yes?"

She leaned forward, her expression turning serious. "Do you sing karaoke?"

He stared at her for a moment, and then burst out laughing, coughing up some blood in the process. "Can't carry a tune in a bucket," he replied with a smile, fumbling for a tissue near his bed and wiping his mouth. "Sorry."

She smiled back. "Maybe you just need to find the right partner." And with a little wink, she patted him on the arm, stood up, and strode out of the room.

Author's Note: A great big thanks to lolo popoki for her beta work once again! Also thanks to all of you for reading and commenting. I appreciate all of the support, and I'm glad you're enjoying the story. i do plan on responding to comments soon. Things have just been crazy at work. Things should settle in a few weeks.

Thanks again for everything. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Sincerely,
Sirius:)