18/05/2024
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The Emperor's Dragon
Dragon 20 - The Girl on the Outside
When Izuku heard Yakuni's voice he was relieved but an old saying flashed through his mind. After victory, tighten your helmet. He could not just assume it was Yakuni. Instead, he motioned to the Nomu and sent them ahead, and before he could ask, Twice went with them.
That was nice but he was going to have to make it clear to the man that… Maybe later. He did blame Twice, but only a little. Jin didn't know what Kai Chisaki was going to do.
The Nomu indicated that the enemies were down when Izuku walked forward and saw what the Nomu had been referring to. There were two of the Shie Hassaikai on the floor and Yakuni was sitting against the wall next to a small girl. He cocked his head slightly at that. Why would the Shie Hassaikai have a child here?
Mentally Izuku told the Nomu that Yakuni was safe. He knew they were on a time limit but he couldn't help but be curious by what he could see. "What is this?" Izuku asked Yakuni, gesturing that he should get up.
Yakuni gave him a look that Izuku had no trouble interpreting. It told him how patently unimpressed the young man was with the Shie Hassaikai. "This is what passes for a lab for the Yakuza," he explained.
Izuku looked around again. The room was pretty bare. There were several steel tables and what looked to be a surgical chair in here and apart from a few cupboards, nothing else. "This?"
"Yes, this," Yakuni confirmed.
For a moment Izuku was aghast but then he remembered what he came for. "Oh, everyone, this is Yakuni. He works for me," Izuku said, vaguely gesturing towards the young man. "I'll do proper introductions once we are out of here," Izuku added before anyone could ask for further information. He turned back to Yakuni. "Is this where the quirk erasing bullets are made?" He demanded, trusting that Yakuni would know that much.
The young man nodded.
"What about the cure?"
Yakuni nodded again.
"Where is it?" Izuku demanded. That was what he had come here for and that is what he should focus on.
"Do you know what colour bullet?" Yakuni asked.
"What difference does it make?" Izuku returned his own question curiously.
"Some of them have time limits," came the explanation. "The effects go away eventually."
"Id-iot!" The cry came from the floor.
Izuku wasn't the only one surprised but before he could say anything the Nomu assigned to protect him was in front of him and he couldn't see anything. There was the sound of a scuffle and Izuku heard the crack of breaking bones before the Nomu moved again.
The guy who'd spoken was still on the ground and his other arm was now broken. Twice was rather gingerly holding a gun.
Despite the pain he had to be in, the guy laughed. "It's not coming back," he spat.
"What do you mean, Shin?" Yakuni demanded.
"She got hit with a red bullet," Shin explained.
Izuku didn't know exactly what that meant except that Kai had a red bullet but it appeared that Yakuni did. His face froze and then his expression turned sad. He bit his lip and looked over to him. "If it was red Dragon, then there's no serum."
"Exactly!" the man identified as Shin laughed but Izuku had picked up on something Yakuni said. He waved the others down.
"No serum?" he questioned Yakuni.
The young man nodded and moved to the wall, where he coaxed the girl up. She looked at them all with wide red eyes and Izuku felt as if he should take off his helmet to put her at ease but he was still wary of the Shie Hassaikai here. Instead he cocked his head slightly to let that convey his question since it was obvious that she had something to do with Yakuni's statement.
"The source of the Shie Hassaikai quirk erasure is little Eri here," the young man told them, moving to stand behind the child with his hands on her shoulders.
"Can she reverse it?" Mr Compress asked.
Izuku could tell he was trying to sound gentle but he didn't quite make it. The little girl shook her head even as Yakuni nodded.
"Yakuni?" Izuku asked, as he felt time slipping away.
"Eri can't control her quirk," the young man said before he looked straight at Izuku and mouthed, 'Offer to help her,' with exaggerated lip movements so that he could tell what was being 'said'.
"So it's never coming back!" Shin crowed triumphantly.
"Shut him up," Izuku ordered as he took the few steps required to approach Eri before knelt to face her. He was conscious that the Nomu moved with him, always staying between him and the Shie Hassaikai. He ignored the thump as someone did something to Shin. He'd check later if the Shie Hassaikai was alive.
"Is that right? You can't control your quirk?" Izuku asked softly.
Eri stared at him. He still had his helmet on and so Izuku could tell she wasn't sure about him. At this angle, Izuku could see Yakuni pat her shoulder comfortingly. "It's okay, you can tell Dragon. He can help you," Yakuni said. "He helped me!" he added.
That seemed to do the trick and Eri locked her eyes onto Izuku's helmet and nodded, before she sniffed. "I hurt people with my quirk."
"You don't like your quirk?" Izuku asked another question.
Eri shook her head.
"Would you like me to help you? I've helped others, so has my dad. When someone can't control their quirk, I can use my quirk to help them," Izuku explained.
"Help me?" Eri asked.
"I can use my quirk to take your quirk away, so that you can't hurt people," he said.
It took a moment to sink in and as Izuku watched, he saw Eri's eyes widen as she realised what he was saying. She must be really scared of her quirk. "You can help me?" Eri whispered, and Izuku was shocked by the longing in her voice.
He nodded. "But I don't want to leave you quirkless," he told her, "so what type of quirk would you like instead?"
He could tell the others were surprised. Dabi knew he could take and give quirks. They all did but Izuku supposed, it was different seeing him do it.
At that, Eri's eyes came the size of dinner plates and Izuku knew she had no idea how to answer. Yakuni had apparently thought about this though. "How about Hikiji's?" the young man suggested, leaning over slightly so that it was clear he was talking to Eri. "He can make barriers, and if you have that quirk, no one could touch you, if you didn't want them to," Yakuni explained.
The question highlighted the fact that Yakuni had definitely thought about it for a while and it seemed almost cruel to be manipulating the girl like this but, if her quirk could heal Himiko then Izuku wanted it. The girl could probably learn to control it but he wasn't sure he had the time for that to occur. This seemed like a reasonable trade. Hikiji's barrier quirk was strong and useful, so it would be something that Eri could use in the future if she was so inclined.
"Would you like that?" Izuku asked, ignoring the way he could feel the others shifting behind him.
"You can do that?" Twice stage whispered.
"I can do that," Izuku confirmed. "If Eri wants," he added, nodding his helmeted head towards her.
"You can do that?" she asked breathlessly, repeating Twice's question.
"I really can," Izuku confirmed again.
"Please!"
He nodded. "Let me get his quirk for you," Izuku said. He could just grab it from here, but it would be better to maintain the fiction he had to touch someone. Izuku rose and quickly went to the man who was still unconscious. He took off his gloves, making sure Eri could see that and bent down to touch him briefly. Dragon's Hoard rushed to grab the quirk and under his mask Izuku huffed. There were times when his quirk seemed alive! He went back to Eri and squatted. "Give me your hand," he said gently, holding out his own.
"Will it hurt?" She asked tentatively.
"Not at all!" Izuku reassured her, holding his hand steady.
She reached out and when she touched him, Izuku was surprised by how small her hand was. Again, he reached out with Dragon's Hoard and gently tugged at her quirk. It came to him before he pushed the man's quirk towards her. Eri's red eyes widened as she felt the change in quirk.
"You can feel it?" Izuku asked.
She nodded solemnly.
"Good. You will have to practise hard with it," Izuku replied, putting his gloves back on, before he stood up again. "We should go," he instructed everyone. They had what they needed now. He was sure Yakuni could tell him how to use her quirk.
Izuku reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. It was slightly damp but still good. "Outdoor battles, I think from now on," he muttered.
That got him a chuckle from the others. Izuku noticed that Dabi at least had the good taste to look a little chagrined but he didn't offer any explanation or apology. The expression at least proved it was Dabi who set off the alarm but Izuku would have to ask later what had happened. He pulled up his location app and sent the text to Kurogiri.
"What happened to the other Eight Bullets?" Yakuni asked. He was going to a couple of the cupboards and pulling out a few vials. They were predominantly blue but Izuku trusted that they had a purpose, especially with the way Yakuni was putting them into his Pocket.
Izuku nodded to indicate it was okay to tell Yakuni.
"A big one is back there looking fried," Dabi answered nonchalantly.
Before the others could speak, Izuku answered. "They are all out there," he said.
Yakuni looked thoughtful for a moment. "You should get them," he suggested. "I know you took out Kai, and he doesn't have his quirk, does he?" He slipped the question in slyly.
Izuku nodded.
Yakuni grinned. "Oh, what a great day!" he celebrated for a moment before he became serious again. "The Eight Bullet's are the Shie Hassaikai's main fighting force, and enforcers in their distribution network. They are also stupidly, suicidally loyal to Overhaul. If you leave them, there is a chance they will try to strike back. If you take them, and the Heroes release Kai, then he will have the loyalty of the lesser Yakuza but-" Yakuni shrugged. Overhaul would have to make up for the power difference somehow.
"Plus, I might be able to make a High End Nomu with Rappa," Yakuni continued.
Izuku wasn't sure what he thought of that, but it was a sound suggestion. He bit the inside of his lip. It had been easy to make those who had attacked Ochaco into Nomu because they had attacked her personally. Most of the Eight Bullet's hadn't attacked Himiko. Only Overhaul had and- No… He couldn't think like that. The Eight Bullet's supported Overhaul. The only reason they hadn't attacked Himiko was that they weren't there.
They would have. They could have and they enabled Overhaul to do it. They weren't equally guilty but they weren't innocent.
He nodded, and ordered five of the Nomu to go back and search the building for the bodies. They could bring them back and Yakuni could get to work. They had a lot of work to do in the near future. They were on a time limit but so far nothing appeared to be disrupting them and all he needed was the time to get away. Two of the Nomu picked up the Shie Hassaikai there.
Kurogiri appeared and looked around. His yellow eyes lingered on the child. "Mr Tanaihito," the misty man greeted Yakuni. It was interesting to see that with the greeting, Izuku's companions relaxed slightly. He realised they'd been tense around Yakuni despite his familiarity with the young man.
"Kurogiri," Yakuni greeted the warp gate.
"It's been some time," the misty man replied.
"Yeah," Yakuni agreed, "and the next time the Doctor asks me to do something, I am going to tell him to stuff it," he said amiably.
Kurogiri only nodded, while Twice and Dabi both sniggered. "Did you get what you came for, Dragon?" the misty man asked him.
Izuku was surprised. This was the first time Kurogiri had called him Dragon. It made him feel… he wasn't sure but it was something noteworthy. He shook his head. "I got all that I'm going to get," Izuku replied.
For a moment Kurogiri just stared before giving him one nod and expanding.
"No!" The high pitched squeal took Izuku by surprise. He looked down and was somewhat amused to see Eri clinging to Yakuni's leg like a limpet. "You can't leave me!" she yelled.
Yakuni looked around frantically and Izuku could tell that the others were laughing at him. Then he turned to Izuku and the expression on his face was easy to read.
Izuku looked at the girl. Her long hair was shaking as she cried into Yakuni's leg. For a moment he wondered if they should just take her and then reality set in. They did not have the time, or resources to care for a young child. Especially not one who had been with the Shie Hassaikai. He honestly didn't know how his father had done it!
"Eri," Izuku said, squatting again. He motioned to Kurogiri to start taking everyone out of here. The warp gate nodded at him and then expanded. It was almost comical how fast Dabi and Twice went through him. They did not want to deal with the child. "Eri," Izuku called again when she didn't look at him. The second call did the trick and one red eye revealed itself from behind Yakuni's leg. It was brimming with tears.
He tilted his helmet slightly in what he hoped was a comforting way. "Eri, if you come with us, you will be called a villain," Izuku told her.
The red eye he could see widened and he could see her fear and confusion. "But you-" she didn't finish.
"I helped you but the world says I'm a villain," he drove home the point.
"So you have to go?" He could hear the trembling in her voice as she asked.
"We have to go," Izuku confirmed. "You don't want to be called a villain do you?"
"But Yakuni-?"
"Yakuni too," Izuku emphasised. He was suddenly thankful for his helmet. He could see that Eri believed him and while she knew they'd helped her, she had the automatic childlike aversion to bad things like villains. It was almost stupidly easy to manipulate her and…
His Dad could have done this to him. He could have made him into a villain so easily. He could have just told him the things he wanted to hear. But… Dad had let him make his own observations and make his own choices. The outcome was the same but…
If Dad had just removed the gentle narrative of his youth and told him the truth immediately then… The result was obvious. Dad would have told him in such a way that villainy was heroism and heroism was villainy. He had sort of anyway but he'd done it in a way where Izuku could see what the rest of the world thought, and understand why they thought that way. He'd been careful and the burst of gratitude he felt was unexpected.
"You'll be okay," Izuku told Eri. "No one will be able to touch you now and there is someone coming who can help you," he added.
A hero would have been dispatched, and in this, taking care of a little girl found in an obviously bad situation the hero would take care of it. It was good publicity. What they wouldn't do is take on the difficult issues, the things that would truly make society as a whole better.
Dad had raised him to see that. He'd raised Tomura to ignore that. A lot of things made sense now.
"All you need to do is wait and tell the people who come that Dragon helped you," Izuku said.
"Dragon helped me?" Eri asked, sounding confused.
"I'm Dragon," he reminded her.
Eri pulled back from Yakuni's leg a little and he could see her blink the tears away. Yakuni didn't press her to release him completely, even as the first of the Nomu came back carrying what was left of the Shie Hassaikai who appeared to eat the Nomu.
"Don't look," Izuku murmured, shifting slightly to block the view. "Just tell the person who comes that Dragon helped you, and they'll do the rest," he said. "But-" Izuku hesitated for a moment before he made up his mind. He pulled one glove off, and formed a single scale which he pulled loose. "If they don't help you, use this," he said, offering her the scale.
Internally, Izuku sighed. Tomura would have just walked away. He didn't have any responsibility for her and swapping her quirk for the barrier one was a fair deal but… Dad had raised him to see the issues with society and people leaving everything to heroes was one of them. He had to at least try to be better than that. Eri reached out to take the scale. "How do I use it?" she asked.
Under his helmet Izuku grinned. "You'll figure it out," he told her confidently. Those scales, his mark were only going to become more valuable in the future. It should be easy for her to use.
As Izuku watched, Eri swallowed, and nodded and released Yakuni's leg. The young man knew better than to sigh. Instead he turned around and squatted too. "You are going to be fine," he reassured Eri. "The people coming will probably do some tests but they just want to find out how healthy you are. And after that, there won't be any tests!" He said.
She actually brightened at that news.
"But we have to go now," Yakuni said.
"Can't you stay?"
He shook his head. "You don't want to be a villain," Yakuni repeated Izuku's line, before he reached out and gently ruffled her hair. "You will be fine," he said as he rose.
Izuku rose as well and motioned more of the Nomu through Kurogiri as another Nomu returned with a body. It went through Kurogiri without hesitating, leaving a trail of wet footprints all the way up to the warp gate.
"Are we ready?" Izuku asked Whisper and Mr Compress.
He got nods from them both and indicated they should go through Kurogiri first.
Yakuni had taken Eri to one of the tables and lifted her so that she was sitting on it. "They'll be here soon," he reassured her before he turned away. Izuku looked at his face. It was resolute but before Izuku could make a note to ask if Yakuni was okay with this, his expression shifted to relieved, answering his question. While the young man might have a bond with the girl, he knew what was best for her.
"Go," Izuku instructed. "I'll wait for the rest of the Nomu," he said as he turned to the dark corridor. Kurogiri gave him a nod and Izuku felt most of the Nomu, Yakuni, Whisper and Mr Compress pass through Kurogiri.
"You should have gone," the warp gate murmured.
Izuku shook his head. "I have to see this through," he indicated.
Yellow eyes stared at him before Kurogiri reformed at his side. The Nomu guarding him accepted his presence.
"It shouldn't take long," Izuku assured him.
"You father always said that," the misty man murmured.
Izuku knew it was ironic and underneath his helmet he grinned.
Maybe this time, it would be true.
-ted-
I know there is a very strong fanon view that Izuku would take Eri and be her big brother/surrogate father but that completely ignores the resources he'd have to put into her to address the trauma she has experienced and the probable PTSD she'd exhibit. In this case, he has never met this child, and while he'd probably have let Yakuni take care of her, Izuku has options.
And he's taken them. At least she's alive and if the heroes are any good, and for a 7 year old they should be, she'll get taken care of. Plus she still has a powerful quirk.
My discord is on this code: TcBnRN7aDn FFN will remove links but you should be able to figure that out. There's a heap of other authors there, so come along and chat to us all! Not just about MHA.
-ted-
Loved it? Hated it? Found a spelling mistake? Let me know please!