Rumi exhaled the stressful few weeks away upon stepping outside of Hiroshima Airport with her mother. Despite the numerous hiccups and general malaise of the situation, it was nice seeing her family again. Even so, she was glad to be home. There was no replacement for the rush of throwing herself into danger and kicking the shit out of belligerent criminals.
After seeing her mother off, she tugged her suitcase and headed towards the lot where she knew Ryuko would be waiting for her. She hadn't really been keeping up with the news while she was gone, and she prioritized being with her family over checking the happenings on social media. Adjacently, checking the pro hero network would've been pointless if she wasn't in the country to arrive on-scene, and team-up requests always went ignored, so it was safe to say that, at the moment, she was not up to speed with the happenings within Japan.
With all that in mind, she pulled out her phone to see if her vibrant protege was up to anything exciting in her absence.
In a nearby parking lot, Ryuko Tatsuma leaned against the side of her car with the hood of her sweater pulled over her head to obscure her identity as best as she could. She wasn't blessed with her best friend's ability to discourage people from approaching her with her aura alone, so keeping a low profile was the best option to avoid being crowded by fans when she knew Rumi wasn't even going to bother. Fortunately for her, without the familiar claws of her costume that sat on her headband and covered half of her face, she was pretty good at blending in, so being mobbed was unlikely anyway-
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"
The sudden shout from Rumi echoed across the airport and nearly startled Ryuko into her dragon form.
The Japanese hero world had been plunged into chaos. Word of the altercation at UA's gate traveled like wildfire within the hour, as did videos of the incident recorded by the other students present. The internet was abuzz that evening at the sheer gall of a hero student to openly and brazenly defy the No. 3 Hero in the nation, but it was a single statement that accomplished the feat of tearing both the internet and national media apart:
"Then consider this as me declaring open war with the Hero Public Safety Commission."
A promising hero student going rogue for one reason or another was not unheard of. Hell, a student doing so by attacking a pro hero, while uncommon, was not something that had never happened before. The memory of a third-year Shiketsu student having a psychotic break and attempting to fill Wash's drum with quarters was still fresh in the minds of many even years later. Generally, though, the malcontent would be apprehended fairly quickly, the pro hero and any related institution would give statements, and everyone–the general public especially–would move on with their lives.
There were two problems precluding this specific incident from being like the others, however. The first was that Izuku Midoriya wasn't any ordinary malcontent. The speed at which Beacon had become an internet darling and captured the hearts of the public was astounding, only matched in recent memory by his mother's and a poorly disguised Eri's singular public appearances. The booming market for green wigs, replica scarves, and bunny ears made it clear that the Midoriya family was beloved nationwide, so seeing its scion at odds with another ridiculously beloved public figure in Hawks already put a lot of people in an awkward position. The context of their altercation being Izuku staunchly protecting his baby sister from being taken by the government, whereas Hawks was simply doing his job of upholding the law and acting in the interest of public safety made matters that much messier.
That was the first problem. The other problem?
No one had seen Hawks since that day.
Again, malcontents were dealt with and taken in without too much fuss usually, but Beacon had proven to be obscenely powerful in a battle with Mirko. For many, Beacon beating Hawks was a stretch… but was it that much of a stretch? How possible was it that not only had Hawks lost that fight, but Beacon had also made good on his promise and killed him?
It was this thought gleefully leading the procession of sensationalist speculation that led to the newest hole in the wall of Madame President's office, which was the first thing that drew Junji Mishima's eye when he warily stepped into his boss's office.
"You summoned me, Madame President?" he asked, his sloppily combed hair doing nothing to hide his exhaustion and fright.
"Notify the inner circle of an emergency meeting," she ordered, her tone almost as steely as her furious gaze. "8 a.m. tomorrow. Tardiness will be treated as defection."
"Yes, ma'am," Mishima dutifully replied before ducking out of the office.
Not waiting for him to leave, Madame President's hand was already on her desk phone and punching in a specific extension. It was only a matter of seconds before another voice was on the line.
"Kinoshita," the low, unsettling voice spoke her surname like poisoned honey. "I wasn't expecting a call so soon."
"I need the Paragons back at the Nabu Island base by the end of the week," she said, brokering no argument. "Have them wrap up whatever business they have abroad posthaste."
The voice hummed. "Short notice, but doable. You're in luck that most have already returned from their missions. Only operatives One and Four remain in Taiwan."
"Get. Them. Here."
"Fine, fine," the voice chuckled. "I'll relay the message."
Predictably, the epicenter of this chaotic shitstorm was none other than Heights Alliance. Eraserhead and Midnight, fresh off of a frustrating and exhaustive search of Musutafu for their wayward student, were vigilantly guarding the inside of the 1-A dorm building, not to keep unwanted invaders out, but to keep thirteen frothing teenagers from escaping and hunting down their classmate.
The number was only thirteen because Bakugo, Kirishima, Todoroki, and Mineta had already been subdued by Somnambulist and were tied up on the common room couch.
Many had retreated to the upper floors to plot an escape plan, but an Ectoplasm clone on every balcony would make any aerial options difficult. Others, meanwhile, were silently stalking the lower floors, watching the pros like hawks for any slight misstep to pounce on. One such student was currently bound in a capture scarf and glaring daggers into her homeroom teacher's glowing, red eyes.
"Are you planning on giving it a rest anytime soon, Uraraka?" Aizawa dully asked with all the exhaustion in the world. "You all are giving me dry eye."
"Not on yer life," she practically spat, slipping into her Kansai accent all the while.
Seeing that this was a lost cause and knowing that Aizawa would need eye drops very soon, Midnight placed her finger under Uraraka's nose and released a steady stream of her quirk into her nostrils. Uraraka valiantly fought off the effects as long as she could, but she, too, eventually succumbed to unconsciousness.
Aizawa sighed, finally deactivating his quirk and allowing his hair to fall. "This is a mess-"
"Sho," Midnight whispered, nudging him and subtly jerking her head to the corner of the room where there was a slight distortion in the air on the far wall.
Aizawa looked over and narrowed his eyes, activating Erasure at the spot. Immediately, Asui's camouflage was undone, as was her surface-clinging, resulting in her falling to the ground with a thud. However, she quickly got back on all fours and remained low to the ground, hissing at her two teachers at being foiled before scuttling backward into the kitchen and out of sight.
"A big fucking mess," Aizawa clarified, and Midnight couldn't help but agree.
"Aizawa, Kayama, we caught a live one."
That brought their attention to the walkie-talkie between them, and Midnight picked it up to address Ectoplasm's call. "Who did you catch?"
"Hagakure managed to slip out of the building. She nearly got away, too, but she failed to adequately cover her tracks in her haste. Transporting her back to Heights Alliance now."
"Tie her up and keep her sequestered in her room," Midnight instructed. "It's too risky to have her around the others; she might untie them under our noses."
"Roger that."
Before either of them could breathe a sigh of relief, however, the walkie-talkie crackled again, this time with Thirteen's voice coming out of it:
"Kan, we caught one of your kids in the northwestern sector."
That took the both of them aback, but Midnight recovered faster with a silent swear just as a tired groan courtesy of Vlad King came over the airways.
"I suspected as much. Kodai and Tokage were MIA when I did a headcount, but the rest of my class refused to talk. Did you catch them both?"
"Negative. I have Tokage's head, but the rest of her body is nowhere to be found, so I'm staying vigilant. No sign of Kodai yet."
"She couldn't have gotten too far," Midnight replied into the walkie-talkie. "The silent alarms haven't been triggered, so she has to still be within the outer gate. It's probably worth sending a few more clones out to scour-"
"I found her!"
The sudden, high-pitched interruption startled Midnight, Aizawa, and every other teacher on the channel. It was the excited voice of a child, one far too familiar for any of their comforts. Aizawa and Midnight shared an owlish glance before he grabbed the radio and spoke into it.
"...Eri? How are you on this frequency??"
Eri was on a mission, one of the utmost importance. Everything had gone crazy since the day of the festival when her big brother beat up the chicken man who wanted to take her away. She didn't blame him for that. She wanted to punch his stupid face, too.
The problem was that her brother never came back, but the chicken looked like the guys Overhaul sometimes made fight Rappa. That meant that Izuku won (of course he did, her brother was the strongest), but if he won, then why didn't he come back?
Maybe there was more to this…. The chicken was with the jerks in suits that he and Mama talked about when they thought she wasn't listening, and they were there for her, so if Izuku beat them up, they would go after him instead of her. That meant that he would have to leave and take their attention with him so that they wouldn't come back to UA.
Her big brother was a genius.
As much as she wanted him to stay, if he felt that he had to leave to protect her and everyone else at his school, then she'd be brave for him and Mama and believe in him. Not just for them, either, but also for everyone else at UA. She'd be brave for all of them because that's what heroes did.
So, when Mr. Nezu handed her a walkie-talkie and told her to man the ship while he and Mama went underground, that's exactly what she did. When she heard that a few of her brother's classmates were trying to escape and were on the loose on campus, she went out to find them. When she heard that one of them was her brother's special friend, the kuudere that always gave her cool stuff, she made double time to find her before she got away.
When she, by complete happenstance, bumped into her target not ten steps into a courtyard near the woods, she did not freeze up. She did not, and no one could prove that she did.
Luckily for Eri, her secret was safe with Yui, as she would never admit to freezing up upon running into a first grader while sneaking her way off campus.
"Hey!" Eri shouted, pointing right at a startled Yui, which caused her to blanch and begin shuffling away. "Wait, don't go! You're after Izuku!"
That halted Yui for a single moment, and that was all Eri needed to pounce. "You're going to look for my brother, right?"
Yui slowly looked back at her, considering something for a long moment before cautiously nodding her head.
"Well, you shouldn't," Eri declared, her face setting into one of determination.
Yui blinked at that declaration, confusion ebbing in her gaze as she fully turned to regard Eri with a quirked eyebrow. "Mm?"
"I believe in my brother, and so should you," she said, her tone and expression maintaining its resolve. "He beat up the chicken to protect me. He fought the jerks in suits to protect me, Mama, and all of you, too. If going away for a little while is what he thinks is the best way to keep the jerks in suits away from UA, then I trust him. He knows what he's doing."
Yui, apparently struck silent by the impassioned plea from a girl a decade her junior, just stared at her for a lengthy moment. Her expression was as blank as could be, but Eri could see something swimming in her eyes, a mixture of emotions that she couldn't really figure out as of yet.
"Aren't you afraid for him?" Yui eventually spoke up, surprising Eri by sitting on the dirt and coming to eye level with her, only to hesitate as the next few words took a bit longer to find themselves. "Aren't you afraid that he's in more danger than he can handle on his own?"
Eri had to think about that for a moment. She was definitely afraid for him. She wanted him home. She wanted him with her. She wanted to know her big brother was safe.
But she also knew he was a hero, and she knew he was the strongest on top of that.
"…It is scary," she agreed, her resolve dimming for a flicker before reigniting in her gaze. "But the best heroes take on all kinds of scary stuff, right? If Izuku's out there fighting the scary things to protect me, then I can't be scared, either. We have to be brave for him. He wants to keep us safe, and staying here is the best way to help him do that."
Those emotions in Yui's eyes began transmuting into water, and she quickly blinked away the wetness while turning away from Eri with a strangled, incredulous laugh. "Fuck, did I just fail a wisdom throw against a six-year-old?"
"I'm seven!"
"Sorry, sorry," Yui chuckled, turning back to her with a small, much drier smile. "You're wise beyond your years, Eri… frighteningly so."
"Mr. Nezu says it'll help when we seize the means of production, but I don't really know what that means," Eri shrugged.
Eri gave her no time to properly process that before she quickly snatched the walkie-talkie as the other teachers were busy deliberating. "I found her!"
There was a pregnant pause as she could practically feel the adults on the channel try to figure out if they had heard what they thought they did.
"...Eri? How are you on this frequency??"
"Mr. Nezu told me to man the ship while he and Mama went to the cat…"
She frowned. "Cata… cakator…"
"Catacombs?"
"Yeah, that!" she beamed. "Thanks, Sleepy Hobo!"
Barely suppressed snorting was heard across the channel, presumably from every other teacher listening.
"Right… Questionable decisions from our boss aside, you seem to be taking this whole thing well. How are you feeling, Eri?"
"It's not really about me anymore," Eri shrugged. "Izuku and Mama don't know that I know about the jerks in suits that want to take him away, but he's super strong, so I know he'll beat them up and be back in no time. He never loses."
"Is that how you got Kodai to stand down?"
"Yeah. I believe in him, so she believes in him, too."
Another thoughtful silence on the channel followed before Aizawa spoke again.
"You mind imparting some of that on my students so that I don't lose my vision?"
"Um, okay, but…" Eri hesitated, and her alabaster cheeks dusted a faint red. "How do I get there?"
Yui couldn't fight the titter that escaped her as she reached for and grabbed the walkie-talkie. "This is Kodai. I'll escort her back to the dorms."
If Hawks could describe the sensation he woke up to, he would call it the color grey. Everything felt dull and drab, and his body was entirely too sluggish for his liking. It was like a lead blanket was draped over him, and the only thing he could see was the unassuming fabric in front of him.
He knew this sensation all too well: he was strapped with quirk suppressants. That tracked. As the memories came back to him, he pieced together what had likely happened following his confrontation with Izuku Midoriya, and it figured that Nezu would have similar restraining technology as the HPSC with his bottomless well of money and dubious morality. How he got his paws on tech that Tartarus used in the transport of the most volatile offenders was anyone's guess, but it was pointless to speculate.
He had enough skill and control over his quirk to bust out of these restraints if he really needed to… at least, ordinarily, he would. It was hard to flex his wings and overpower the quirk suppressants when he no longer had wings.
"Fucking Christ," he groaned.
Midoriya really did a number and a half on him. The jokes about him being the lovechild of All Might and Endeavor might have had some grains of truth to them after all, as Midoriya exploited Hawks's one weakness to maximum efficiency while still hitting like a freight train high on the most boofed crack in the galaxy. Not only did he incinerate his wings (and goddamn would they take fucking forever to regrow), but he also covered him in burns and bruises from head to toe. Hawks was practically a mummy thanks to him, and the thought would've drawn a chuckle if not for Nezu seeing fit to string him up so that his legs weren't touching the ground for some reas-
Oh, wait, they were on the ground. He was sitting.
He simply couldn't feel his legs.
Well, fuck.
The memory of searing pain lancing through his lower back shortly before he was rocketed into a building replayed in his brain, and all he could do was hang his head. He really should be dead right now. Midoriya could have killed him. He really should have killed him. Instead, he left Hawks a prisoner and likely a cripple. Hawks wouldn't dispute that he might've deserved it, but fuck, dude, didn't he deserve a mercy kill at least?
The loud, metallic grinding of the door to his barren cell opening captured his attention. He was expecting to see the diminutive form of Nezu strut inside the dankness of his new abode, but he was surprised to see Snipe entering instead.
"Glad to wake up to a friendly face," he sarcastically muttered as the heavy door slammed shut behind Snipe and he strolled into the room.
"Pardner, I'm 'bout the friendliest face you've got right now," he replied without any hint of mirth. "I can't guarantee you'd make it out of questioning from the others."
Hawks minutely tilted his head. "That's surprising. I figured Nezu or Verdant would be chomping at the bit to get their hands on me."
"That's exactly why I'm here," Snipe answered. "They reckon I'll get more usable info outta ya. You'd be sayin' anything just to get the pain to stop if they were here."
Hawks's blank stare met the vaguely horse-shaped mask of Snipe, and the two sat in a rather lengthy silence at that statement. His face was just as emotive as his fellow pro's in that there was absolutely nothing to be gained from parsing Hawks's golden gaze nor the black triangles that were Snipe's eyeholes.
"…It's commendable that you think you can do anything the Commission hasn't already subjected me to exactly for situations like this," Hawks finally broke the silence. "Give it your best shot, I guess."
That surprisingly elicited a chuckle from Snipe. "You'd be surprised just what kind of depraved shit goes on in that animal brain of his, and I doubt a mother who has atomized at least two grown men for the slightest moves against her son wouldn't get creative. With that in mind…"
A panel in the wall opened, pushing a folding chair into the cell for Snipe to pick up and place in front of him. He sat down in the chair and met Hawks somewhat close to eye level, never once drawing his sidearm from its holster all the while.
"Here's what's gonna happen," he continued. "You're gonna spill your guts to me right now, and you're not gonna leave out a single detail."
"And if I don't cooperate?"
"I don't think I need to articulate just how much my colleagues are out for blood, and I don't just mean Nezu and Verdant," Snipe answered frankly. "Those two got a fair bit of it from the stooges you brought with you, but your blood will taste a lot sweeter to them. Then, ya gotta factor in Eraserhead, Present Mic, and Midnight who wouldn't need to be talked into ensuring you had an unfortunate accident and letting your body wash up somewhere in Micronesia. It wouldn't even take much to get the rest of UA's staff on board with it given no one here is particularly chummy with the Commission, as you can imagine."
Hawks felt his patience running thin. "You going somewhere with this?"
"Just properly setting the scene for ya, lest you be unaware of the full breadth of the barrel of shit you and Madame President just kicked over onto the nation," Snipe replied, his tone now considerably icier. "I'll level with you, Hawks; I ain't been doing this for that long. I only got a month and some change on you in age, but by virtue of your unique situation, you've been doing this a lot longer than I have. I'm sure you've seen and done some shit out there that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. The problem is that worst enemies are all y'all have been creating for a long time, and now your chickens are coming to roost in the form of a volatile nuclear bomb masquerading as a hero student who's made a hell of a lot more friends than y'all have."
Hawks's eyebrow quirked at that beneath his bandages. "So, UA is finally ready to go mask off and fight the HPSC directly? It's not ideal, but the Commission has plenty of contingencies for that, as I'm sure you can imagine."
"It's commendable that you think it's just UA," Snipe rebuffed Hawks's mocking with his own. "I don't know if you're just playing dumb or if that boy really rang your bell, but Izuku Midoriya has done nothing but create an army of supporters since he first stepped foot on UA's grounds, both in and out of heroics. The public adores him."
"Being a media darling won't win you a war."
"He interned with Ms. Joke and built relationships with a whole host of troubled youth that wouldn't hesitate to fight an establishment they feel abandoned them. He fought and killed an A-rank villain and nearly died protecting the nephew of one of the Pussycats."
…Alright, that actually took Hawks by surprise. He figured Snipe was talking about the training camp incident in which Midoriya was kidnapped by the League of Villains, but he wasn't aware that Midoriya killed a villain in the process. Madame President definitely wasn't; Nezu must have kept that info close to the chest. Still…
"UA, the Pussycats, and a couple of scared straight kids flanked by the odd Ketsubutsu student and teacher isn't-"
"He won over Mirko and all of her fans," Snipe pointedly interrupted. Hawks really needed to keep himself talking, as it was the only way to keep his resolve in one piece, but Snipe clearly had other plans. "All Might adores the boy. Endeavor likes him. Endeavor. Midoriya has three of the strongest and most influential heroes in the nation in his corner, and that's not even to mention that Best Jeanist and Edgeshot are not likely to side against UA if lines in the sand are drawn, and they will be drawn."
Hawks opened his mouth to reply, but the lack of any counterpoint betrayed him. He simply stared at Snipe like a constipated duckling, and it was almost like he could see the victorious smirk taking shape behind the mask.
"Is it finally sinking into that thick skull just the size of the hornets' nest y'all went and kicked, or should I explain it in even simpler terms?" Snipe needled, and Hawks swallowed a snarl, but the consternation on his face made it through just the same.
It wasn't directed at Snipe, though. Hawks knew that everything he said was true, which was what made Midoriya so dangerous to begin with. He was a disruptor, a danger to the stability of the nation. It was Hawks's job to eliminate that kind of threat. It was his job to ensure the future of Japan.
So, why did he tell Midoriya exactly how to combat Madame President's inevitable smear campaign after their fight?
Did Midoriya represent an unpleasant seismic shift to the stability of Japan, or did he represent a shift to the government's ideal Japan that they'll go to any lengths to maintain?
Was Midoriya just the HPSC finally reaping what they sowed?
"Damn, it really is sinking in for ya," Snipe let loose a soft chortle. "You've numbed yourself to a lot of shady shit for the supposed greater good. It's eventually gonna come back to bite ya like a rattler. It'd be tragic if you snapped one day and did something you'd regret like Lady Nagant."
Hawks flinched. Snipe couldn't possibly have known the full story of that, but he wasn't wrong in the slightest. It added to the point, too, as his predecessor snapped after years of doing the dirty work that he eventually picked up the slack for. Whether or not what Hawks was doing was truly for the greater good, or if it ever even had been, was not a question he currently knew the answer to.
"Look," Snipe refocused Hawks's attention, "right now, there's a mother outside of this cell being restrained from raining fire and brimstone onto Japan to keep her boy safe. Beside her is an unholy abomination more than willing to drop the pretense of heroism entirely to do exactly that. You know in your heart of hearts that the Japanese hero system erupting into a civil war is not what's best for the nation. You had a hand in lighting this powder keg, and now you can help smother it before it goes boom. All you gotta do is talk."
Hawks didn't immediately respond, instead drifting his gaze to the floor beneath him… the floor he couldn't exactly feel.
Can't really blame anyone but himself for that. He ensured his mom lived a good life, and he obeyed every order he was given. He was doing what he was supposed to. What was it all even for? "A society where heroes aren't always so busy" was a nice thought, but what was he even doing to get there?
A deep, weary sigh escaped him, and then his gaze landed back on Snipe. "What do you wanna know?"
"Let's start with where Midoriya went after he smacked you around somethin' fierce," Snipe answered.
"Don't know," Hawks shrugged. "He didn't say. After I told him what he needed to do, he left without a word."
"And what did you tell him?"
"That he needs to destroy Madame President in the court of public opinion first and foremost if he wants a hope in hell of winning this battle."
"Not bad advice, I reckon," Snipe nodded. "We know from the stooges that y'all were here in an official capacity with a warrant for Eri's detainment and an audit of Nezu's activities. What were your orders that day, though? What was your unspoken objective?"
"Bring in Izuku Midoriya. Failing that, eliminate him."
"I'm not doing this."
"You must, Tomura."
"I'm NOT calling him."
"You do not have to call Gentle Criminal specifically, but you must make contact with La Brava."
Tomura unleashed an ungodly irascible groan before snatching his phone from its spot beside him on the couch. "I hate you, Kurogiri."
"I'll get over it," Kurogiri replied with a hint of an amused crinkle in his bright, yellow eyes.
Tomura cursed his very existence under his breath as he pulled up La Brava's contact and called her number. Predictably, it only took two rings for an excited falsetto to appear in his ear.
"Tomura, it's great to hear from you! I hope you're enjoying that haul I managed to get for you guys!"
Tomura sighed. "Yeah, yeah, it's fine. Great. Amazing, actually. That's part of why I'm calling."
"Oh? You have another job for me?"
Tomura sighed once again, the already absent energy in his tone vanishing even faster. "In a manner of speaking. It's you and Gentle Criminal. I have a business proposal for him."
The gasp and following gleeful squee made Tomura recoil from his phone, but he held himself back from hanging up on the spot. The League needed this.
"Ohmygod ohmygod, my two favorite people are going to work together! This is such a dream come true! The daring whimsy of my darling Gentle operating in tandem with the gritty vigilantism of The League of Anti-Villains! Imagine all the TomuGentle fanfics that will spawn from this!"
"La Brava," Tomura sternly corralled her, bringing her back down to earth and doing his damnedest to ignore that last part.
"Sorry, sorry, got a little excited there."
"Right…" he muttered as she cleared her throat and got back into business mode.
"Yes, well, thank you for your interest in combining our talents. What specifically did you have in mind?"
"We have all this sensitive and highly incriminating information on the HPSC, but we need a large enough platform of highly invested eyes and ears to get it out to. Your partner in crime has exactly that, and we think it'll be mutually beneficial to come together to expose this information."
La Brava hummed in barely contained intrigue. "That sounds rather exciting. We will… consider your proposal."
Tomura blinked, blankly staring at the caller ID to ensure he heard her correctly. "…Consider?"
"Yes, consider. As it stands, our two camps have unaddressed grievances that need to be settled before we can proceed in good faith."
"…La Brava, what the fuck are you talking about?"
"Apologize for calling my darling Gentle, and I quote, 'the Hip Hop Harry of villainy,' on our subreddit, and I'll bring your offer to him."
The facepalm that followed echoed throughout the apartment. "Oh my fucking god…"
"One apology is all it takes. I might even consider unbanning you from the subreddit."
"Of course, you're the fucking mod of that place," Tomura groaned while pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fine, whatever. I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
Tomura groaned even louder. "I'm sorry I called him 'Hip Hop Harry.' He's, in fact, the LazyTown of villainy."
The line was silent for a long moment, and Tomura momentarily cursed himself for not catching himself in time to keep that last barb from flying. He really needed to work on his people skills.
"…That's the best I'm gonna get out of you, isn't it?"
"Pretty much," Tomura confirmed.
A resigned sigh filled his ears. "Fine. I'll relay the proposal to him and will return with his answer by the end of the day, though I don't imagine he'll say no to this. We'll hammer out the details of this partnership afterward."
"Awesome, thanks," Tomura said, hanging up the phone as quickly as he could before melting onto the couch. "This better be fuckin' worth it, Kurogiri."
"You must broaden your horizons if you truly want to enact societal change, Tomura," Kurogiri informed. "That means potentially working with those whose company you may not enjoy for the sake of a common goal from time to time."
"I keep you around, don't I?" Tomura rebutted with a smirk.
"Oh?" Kurogiri hummed. "I wasn't aware you preferred to walk everywhere from now on. I suppose you could use the added exercise."
"Go fuck yourself with a thorny beetroot-"
The front door slammed open with a frazzled Spinner wearing a thick hoodie and a face mask barging in, a huffing and puffing Twice and Mr. Compress following shortly behind him holding groceries.
"Dude, turn on the news, doesn't matter which channel!" Spinner frantically implored Tomura, which resulted in a confused stare but acquiescence, nonetheless.
"Tonight, we return to the shocking events of the UA High School Festival that have been dominating the news cycle. In what seemed like a random confrontation turning ugly between the Number 3 Hero, Hawks, and rising star, Izuku Midoriya, video taken by fellow students on the scene paints a complex and unsettling picture regarding the pro hero's motives. Even so, the Hero Public Safety Commission held a press conference this morning to address the situation as well as the state of Japanese heroics in totality."
"The people of Japan will not bend the knee to villainy, nor to a petulant tantrum from a child blessed with far more power than he can responsibly wield," Madame President addressed the sea of reporters, her tone and gaze now equal parts steely. "However, given this immense power and his cavalier attitude towards its use for harm, as well as the yet unknown whereabouts of our nation's third-ranked pro hero, Hawks, Izuku Midoriya leaves the Hero Public Safety Commission of Japan with no other option than to declare him an S-rank villain."
The number of jaws that suddenly impacted the floor within the sea of journalists was enough to shift the planet in its orbit a quarter of an inch.
A commotion around a screen broadcasting the news report downtown drew the curiosity of a young woman wearing an oversized hoodie with the hood pulled over her head, a few strands of blonde hair poking out of the hole. The image of Izuku Midoriya igniting in a colorful blaze and taking off against Hawks captured her full attention. That attention dimmed somewhat when a stuffy, old lady took the screen next, however:
"…Izuku Midoriya leaves the Hero Public Safety Commission of Japan with no other option than to declare him an S-rank villain."
The young lady gasped, and her golden, catlike eyes widened in a mixture of shock, excitement, and faint twinges of hope.
She needed to find him.
"Any information leading to his capture will be rewarded. Izuku Midoriya's direct capture or apprehension will be generously rewarded."
In the middle of a positively wrecked training ground nestled within the campus of Ketsubutsu Academy, a sweaty Yo Shindo sat in a crater with his phone in hand, his wide eyes glued to the screen as he took in what he had just heard.
"Huh…" he muttered, a small, devilish smile taking shape on his face. "Well, how 'bout that…"
"DID SHE JUST PUT A FUCKIN' BOUNTY ON HIM?! I'LL GOUGE HER FUCKIN' EYES OUT!!"
Generally, if there was furious ranting happening in Height's Alliance, it was a safe bet that Bakugo was the origin. However, Bakugo was currently indisposed as he was chained up and muzzled due to his most recent attempt to escape and hunt down his rogue classmate. The actual source of the shouting is an apoplectic Ochako fighting tooth and nail against the grasp of Iida and Sato to smash the common room TV at the announcement of Izuku's newfound villain status.
"Uraraka!" Iida pleaded. "You must calm down!"
"How the hell is she so damn sturdy??" Sato whined quietly enough to go unnoticed as Ochako now directed her fury at Iida.
"Don't fuckin' tell me to calm down!" she hissed. "They're labeling our friend the worst level of villain and calling open season on him! I'll kill that stone-faced bitch!"
The assembled students almost missed Bakugo's muffled grunt of approval before a fury so frigid that it put Antarctica to shame halted all activity in the common room with a single word:
"No."
Everyone present, Ochako and Iida especially, whipped around to see Shoto stepping toward the TV with the most venomous glare either had ever seen him wear.
"We will kill that stone-faced bitch," Shoto corrected.
"In this vein, the Hero Billboard Chart JP will proceed as scheduled. Again, Japan does not bend the knee to villainy. We do not cower before criminals. We pay no mind to the kicking and screaming of the insignificant."
"Insignificant, huh?" a sardonic snort chased by blue sparks filled the air. "That's rich."
Dabi leaned back in his chair, changing the channel from the news broadcast once he lost interest, but the thought of Izuku Midoriya taking out the No. 3 Hero and becoming public enemy number one was both preposterous and hilarious.
"Serves that little bitch right," Dabi laughed.
"Dabi," Garaki called from the doorway, yanking his attention away from the TV.
"What is it, doc?"
"You told me to keep you updated on the progress of the High-Ends. Hood is ready to go."
Now, Dabi was very much interested. "Is that so?"
Garaki nodded. "Figured you'd want to see him in action for yourself. Let me know when and where you want to deploy him."
Dabi hummed, his mind already flashing back to the Hero Billboard Chart JP and the possibility therein. "With All Might, Endeavor, and Hawks out of the picture, there's gonna be a new sheriff in town. They might need to be tested."
Rumi was going to break every fucking bone in that little shithead's body when she got her hands on him. She left the country for barely a few weeks, only to return to news of her not-sidekick crashing out at the UA school festival. She couldn't leave him alone for a month without him flipping hero society on its goddamn head!
Beating the shit out of Hawks was one thing. If Rumi was in his place, she couldn't say she would've done any different. Hell, she still had a picture that Inko took of her teaching Eri her signature pose. Rumi really needed to post that, now that she thought about it…
She was getting off track. Attacking and potentially killing Hawks for barging onto the campus and trying to snag his little sister was one thing, but not returning her calls? Leaving none of her texts answered? Dropping off of the face of the Earth with no warning, no signal, and not even so much as a, "Rumi, I'm okay, I promise!"
How in the bluest of fucks was she supposed to stay calm?? He could very well be dead or seriously hurt somewhere out there! He could be at the mercy of the Commission or some other opportunistic fuckhead trying to capitalize on him while he's vulnerable! She knew he could take care of himself, but even just a single signal that he was alright and in good health was all she wanted.
And when she got that, she'd beat his ass so savagely that he'd be stuck to her hip for a month while recovering purely so she'd know exactly where he was.
A huff speaking of unadulterated frustration shot out of her as she stomped her way deep into UA's main building, Ectoplasm hurriedly following behind. She should be out scouring every inch of Japan for Izuku, but Nezu called her for a very important meeting regarding him and the current shitstorm with the Commission. She decided against blowing it off just in case Nezu had more info than could be gained from kicking in every door in the nation.
"It's that conference room at the end of the hall," Ectoplasm informed, all but giving up keeping pace with her stride.
She nodded and proceeded forward, reaching the door in no time at all before barging inside. She was greeted by the sight of Nezu sitting at one of three tables arranged together, and he offered her his typical smile, but anyone could tell that it was put on. Beside him was a haggard Inko, an unkempt mess of green hair hanging over the bags upon bags under her eyes. Poor woman. She had to be going through it right now.
Rumi took the open seat beside her that was directly across from a similarly sullen All Might… an All Might who was currently in his skinny form, and wasn't that a fucking surprise and a half to get during a dinner party?
"Mirko, it's good that you came," Nezu greeted, and the dourness she knew he was masking became ever more apparent under closer inspection of his ruffled fur. "I must admit, I had assumed you'd choose to continue your search for Izuku instead."
"I considered it," she honestly answered. "I figured you wouldn't ask for an emergency meeting without a reason, though."
"You'd be correct," Nezu nodded. "We're waiting on one more person, and then we can begin."
Rumi nodded, but her curiosity was overtaking her. A meeting involving herself, Nezu, Verdant, and All Might was a strange lineup in and of itself; who else could possibly join them?
As if on cue, the sound of the door opening drew their attention to the newest arrival, and her question was answered when the towering figure of Enji Todoroki entered the room with a frown. Rumi was even more surprised; Verdant, All Might, and Endeavor? Nezu really must have been cooking up something big.
"Excellent, you've arrived," Nezu greeted Endeavor, to which the man scanned the room until his gaze landed on All Might.
"Who's this?" he asked, and only then did it occur to Rumi that she was only one of a handful that was privy to All Might's condition.
Rather than answer verbally, All Might flashed Endeavor a smile before hulking up into Tall Might, punctuating Endeavor's wide-eyed gape with a thunderous laugh.
"I believe we've met," All Might said, and then with a poof, he shrank back into Small Might.
Endeavor stared at All Might like a fish on a slab as if his entire world was crumbling around him, and All Might's mirthful smile progressively grew awkward and nervous. Soon, though, Endeavor mercifully (and robotically) turned to pull out the chair beside All Might.
"I haven't had nearly enough alcohol for this," he muttered as he took his seat.
A small spurt of blood shot out of All Might as he balked at that. "Erm, it's 9 a.m…."
"Not. Nearly. Enough."
Nezu cleared his throat. "Now that we're all here, we can get down to business. I trust you all have some idea of the impetus of this meeting."
With that, whatever All Might and Endeavor's interaction did to cut through some of the morose tension was swiftly undone, as it was painfully obvious what the meeting would be about.
"I should've been here," All Might lamented, his hands balling into fists in his lap. "I could have put a stop to it-"
"You were exactly where you should've been, with Melissa," Inko cut in, silencing All Might. "This wasn't your fault, nor was it your responsibility."
"It wasn't yours, either," Nezu knowingly added, causing Inko to shrink inward just a little more. "This was unfortunately an inevitable implosion."
"Well, you have all of us here," Rumi spoke up, cutting through the chatter. "Now what?"
Nezu nodded. "I believe the time has come to form a war council. We'll be taking on the Japanese government and the established order, something that is not a small task by any measure. UA's influence, funds, and firepower is vast, but it won't be enough to topple the HPSC. Assuming I have all of your support first and foremost, I'd like to ask a few things of you three."
"I know where this is going," Endeavor remarked with a sigh. "The day the Commission threatened my family was the day I accepted that something of this sort would happen. I didn't think it would be this soon, though."
"Threatened your family?" Rumi questioned with a furrowed brow, to which he nodded. "Didn't they go to great lengths to cover up years of domestic abuse?"
Endeavor shifted in his seat. "The Commission sent someone to my home shortly after the business in Hosu with Stain. They made it perfectly clear what could potentially happen if I didn't 'get my son in line.' You can question my methods in raising my children all you want, and rightfully so, but I will not have them or Rei be used as bargaining chips by bureaucrats, especially not because of my own actions."
He turned back to Nezu. "The majority of my former sidekicks left the agency after that press conference, but I know Burnin very well. She'd sooner set her license ablaze before falling in line with the Commission on a matter like this, and those who stuck around with her would follow her lead. The worst you could expect from her is neutrality, but Shoto and Bakugo are doing work-study with her, so that's not going to happen."
"Excellent," Nezu replied with a far more genuine smile before turning to All Might. "I doubt Nighteye's leanings are in question, but can you make certain that he'd be willing to assist?"
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask, and I could use that time to introduce Melissa to him," All Might wearily sighed, almost as if that wasn't a conversation he really wanted to have.
"Hold on a sec," Rumi spoke up, fixing Nezu with a curious stare and pointing at the nation's former top two heroes. "I get why those two are here given the circumstances, but why me? I don't exactly have an agency or a ton of friends to bring along with me, and I can't benchpress the continent like Tall Might."
"Tall Might?" All Might asked, somewhere between puzzled and amused.
"Yeah, when you're all buff and shit," she clarified. "Right now, your Small Might."
All Might was fast enough to clamp his mouth shut to prevent another bloody hacking fit, meanwhile, a small, fond snort ruffled from behind the messy, green curtain beside her.
"I'm glad you asked," Nezu replied, and Rumi would be lying if she said his smile didn't unnerve her. "Madame President made it very clear that Japan will not bend the knee to villainy before declaring that the Hero Billboard Chart JP would proceed as planned. Well, the absences of All Might, Endeavor, and Hawks will obviously be felt in the new rankings, and it will be felt amongst the general public when they see the new lineup. The event is undoubtedly going to be loaded with propaganda to raise morale, regardless of who ends up where. With Hawks now off the board, the person with the best odds of taking that top spot is you, Mirko."
Rumi's expression remained carefully blank, but she slowly nodded, nonetheless.
"Now, at an event that has the entirety of Japanese hero society's attention as well as over 100 million people watching nationwide, it would be highly irresponsible of us to not capitalize on the moment, wouldn't you agree?" Nezu concluded, his smile anything but pleasant.
The gleam in his beady eyes spoke to her on a level she wasn't even aware she had. Maybe it was a primal one? Leave it to the literal animal to appeal to the animalistic aspect of her quirk, but it could have very well just been the barely concealed chaotic intent in his gaze that captured her love of mayhem. Whatever the case, she wanted in.
"What do you have in mind?"
"It's the first chart since the retirement of the Symbol of Peace, as well as the first since Endeavor's shocking confession and self-imposed exile. You can feel the excitement in the arena, folks! This capacity crowd is electric for such an important moment in the history of heroes!"
Chie Nakamura, field reporter of Juko News, was a harrowing mixture of giddy and terrified, but she held it together as best as she could. Sending a glance to her partner in crime and the best cameraman on the planet, she smiled when she received a thumbs-up in return.
"With the disappearance of Hawks in mind, for the first time since the rankings' inception, the throne of Japan's top-ranked hero is wide open for anyone to claim! It's anyone's race this time around, and it might even change next time! We're in truly unprecedented times, folks!"
She took another silent breath to compose herself as music began to play and activity emerged on stage. "Pros didn't come up on stage in years past, but today, we witness something new! They're really going all out this year! Here we go!"
"Number Ten! Breaking into the Top Ten for the first time, the Lion Hero: Shishido!"
Down below on the stadium floor, the new Top Fifty sat in a designated section right in front of the stage. Emerging from the front row with a flourish was Shishido, a boisterous grin apparent even behind his gnarly mask.
"Number Nine! Also breaking into the Top Ten for the first time, Gang Orca!"
Shishido's grin promptly fell, and he did his absolute damnedest to hold it together as a pointedly snickering Gang Orca took the stage and stood beside him. He would not turn this chum bucket into soup on live TV. He would not.
"Number Eight! Jumping up a spot from the last chart, it's the Dragoon Hero: Ryukyu!"
A bashful Ryukyu made her way up to the stage, contrasting the absolutely stone-faced Mirko the next seat over.
"Number Seven! From the Clean and Shiny commercial, it's everyone's favorite Laundry Hero: Wash!"
Rather than approach the stage from the audience, a sudden geyser of soapy water blasted from the center of the stage, and out emerged Wash as if he was stepping out of a portal to give his thanks to the thunderous crowd. Then, just as quickly as it arrived, the geyser vanished, and with it went the soapy water to parts unknown leaving nary a trace of wetness behind.
No one questioned it. Everyone knew better.
"Number Six! In a HUGE leap up the charts, it's Kamui Woods!"
Kamui Woods graciously made his way up to the tune of Mt. Lady singing his praises to the press while internally lamenting that Death Arms couldn't be there with them.
"Number Five! The comeback story of the ages after such a horrific attack! His incredible speed is only matched by his unquestionable grit, it's the Turbo Hero: Ingenium!"
A blur zoomed onto the stage and came to a skidding halt beside Crust to a roaring ovation from the crowd. He removed his helmet and sent a truly thankful smile to the sea of cheers.
"Number Four! From the Orthodox School of Manliness comes a regular in the Top Ten, Shield Hero: Crust!"
Mirko remained stoic as the numbers ticked down. Her left fist clenched even tighter around a small drawstring bag.
"Number Three! Check out the huge increase in this mysterious ninja's resolved cases! Ninja Hero: Edgeshot!"
The time was drawing ever nearer. Her gaze shifted to the spot directly beside Edgeshot that she knew would remain vacant.
"Number Two! He's currently on hiatus but he's still ranked highly! His approval rating trounces everyone else's, it's Fiber Hero: Best Jeanist! We're all hoping for him to return as soon as possible!"
A long, withering exhale slid out of her as the lights shut off, and she stood up from her seat to approach the stage, drawstring bag still in her grasp.
"Finally! From only peeking into the Top Ten to rocketing to the top spot in no time at all, her fighting spirit is infectious, she's the embodiment of fearlessness and determination, and she literally hauled a sinking cruise ship back to port earlier this year, it's the Rabbit Hero: Mirko!"
The already raucous crowd exploded, and the spotlight was trained on her as she strode to the stage. The casual confidence that she was known for was nowhere to be seen, only a straight face and a hard gaze. It confused many, but the cheering did not relent. Taking her place at the end of the line, she nearly allowed the adoration to wash over her, but she held firm. She had a mission.
Once the crowd died down, Madame President of the HPSC herself took the stage and addressed the audience, both in attendance and the tens upon tens of millions watching across the country.
"We chose to make the charts more of an event today because we feel this time is a critical juncture for heroes," she began. "A few expected faces are not here today, some by their own volition, some not. That changes nothing. The heroes that will guide us into the future and beyond are standing before you right now. These are the pillars of our society who will fight to their dying breaths to ensure our nation not only survives but thrives. Let's put our faith in them for the prosperous society they will ensure."
She stepped away from the mic and exited the stage to another applause, and Mirko couldn't help but keep her gaze on her as she returned to her seat. The pomp and circumstance of this event were as admirable as much as it was transparent and insidious.
"Japan will not bend the knee to villainy."
Mirko snorted, meeting Madame President's icy gaze. 'We already are.'
"Let's hear a few words from our Top Ten!"
She tuned all of it out. Her gaze remained firmly locked onto Madame President's, and her hand clutching the bag began to itch. Neither glare wavered for even a nanosecond for what might as well have been an eternity.
"Mirko?"
The silent battle was broken when her gaze shifted to the woman holding the microphone to her with a puzzled expression.
"Do you have any words for us?" she asked, trepidation bleeding into her tone faced with the imposing visual of a stony Mirko.
Rather than speak, she took the mic, frazzling the woman before looking back to the audience. She didn't even bring the mic up to her mouth, instead opening the bag she was carrying and pulling out a long, iridescent scarf that many in the audience were very familiar with, Madame President most of all. Mirko ignored the widening gaze of her boss and the murmuring in the arena as she slowly and deliberately wrapped the scarf around her neck. Once finished, she reached into the bag again and retrieved a lighter, dropping the bag and kicking it right into Madame President's lap.
Flanked by the silence and wary gazes of the pros on stage and faced with the uncomfortable confusion of the crowd, she lit the edge of the scarf and watched the flames crawl up the special fabric, burning a bright, vibrant myriad of colors. Only then did she finally bring the mic to her lips, and if there was any ambiguity left about who this display was referencing, she would swiftly do away with it:
"I stand with Beacon."
She tossed the mic away, letting it clatter against the stage beside her amidst stunned silence. Looking back at Madame President found a dark, vengeful glare lancing through her, but Mirko met it unflinchingly, practically daring her to do anything about it.
If Izuku Midoriya declared open war on the Hero Public Safety Commission, so, too, did Rumi Usagiyama.
Yo. Been a bit. Hope y'all are doing alright. I finally experienced the joys of burnout, so that was fun. Also, when I find the depraved fuckhead who convinced me to go to grad school, I'm committing war crimes (it's me, I'm the depraved fuckhead).
Anyway, yes yes I know, physical quirk-suppressant technology isn't canon. Should be, though, and how they work/when they're used has already been covered earlier in the fic.
Speaking of canon, I don't feel too strongly about the manga's ending one way or the other. It was just okay. Bittersweet and a little disappointing, but most of the Final War was. It at least did not go the "power of positivity" route I was fearing it would, so it gets points for that in my book.
Stepping away from canon and back to this fic, I'm not playing the "child character" trope straight whatsoever. It's funnier that way. Also, Hawks got the crippling that Shinso was originally marked to get in the early drafts of this story. It be like that sometimes
Thanks for reading.