The sound of creaking wood echoed throughout a small living room. The living room in question was part of a quaint one-floor home on the outskirts of Musutafu, bordering Hosu, within a small neighbourhood, all lined with 20 houses on each side. The light of the moon shone through an open window, curtains blowing in the wind as the sound of police sirens filled the streets.

A man dressed in a light-brown trench coat and fedora stood in the living room, arms straightened against the sides of the man's body. His hands were in his pockets, hiding balled-up fists. The look of disgust on his face was enough to send anyone looking at him into worry. Before him were two corpses, one with purplish black hair, female, and the other with blond hair, male.

"Detective Tsukauchi? Do we have identification?" An officer asked as Tsukauchi sighed. He turned to face the officer, his eyes narrowed. The officer flinched, which caused Tsukauchi to let off the glare. Taking a moment to compose himself, Tsukauchi responded.

"The blond is Kyotoko Jirou, and the purple-haired woman is Mika Jirou…. From looks alone, they died hours ago. Someone broke into the house with no signs of damage aside from the door being broken off its hinges. No fingerprints, no shoeprints, no nothing. Whoever did this is a professional—a hired killer," Tsukauchi said, eyebrows furrowed. "Though… I have no idea why they'd do such a thing. The Jirou's were an ordinary family. They had no ties to anyone majorly important, nor were there any heroes in their family's bloodline…. So why—"

"I think I might know why…." A tired, dry-sounding voice echoed throughout the house. Tsukauchi sighed yet again, pinching the bridge of his nose before exhaling and putting his hand back into his trench coat pocket. He needed to keep calm and move forward. This was serious, so thankfully, it wasn't some rookie who was standing at the door. He knew that voice from anywhere because no one could mimic that amount of dryness even if they tried.

Turning around, he saw Eraserhead standing in the doorway, leaning against it as if he owned the place. It wasn't in a gesture of arrogance, but rather it was more or less just him keeping his balance and being prepared to jump at a moment's notice if someone came in to attack or finish the job. Next to him was what appeared to be an intern—Karera Sakunami, if he remembered correctly.

The only reason he remembered her was because of her performance in The Sports Festival and that her Quirk was interesting compared to what Tsukauchi would deem basic Quirks. Hair Manipulation was something only found in rural parts of Japan because Quirks like those were more common. After all, villains didn't attack almost every waking hour of every day in rural parts of the country, so overpowered Quirks like some of the stuff you'd see in the Top Ten weren't needed to be there.

Besides that, the kid looked mortified, hand over her mouth as her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Good. That was the type of reaction he was hoping for. Not because he liked seeing kids get traumatized but because it showed that she knew just how dangerous this job could be. That, or maybe she recognized them to some extent. If she had connections with the family, maybe that could be intel that he could use.

However, Tsukauchi had to admit, he was a little bit surprised. Not because the kid was here, mind you, but because of something else. The surprise came with the fact that Eraserhead actually had an intern.

Along with just about everyone else on the police force, he assumed that Eraserhead always worked alone, so this was something new. He hoped this intern knew what they were doing because if not, things would get annoying and quick.

"Eraserhead. What a surprise to see you here. I didn't exactly call for any heroes to stop by. So, why are you here?" Tsukauchi asked, crossing his arms. Eraserhead grunted, standing up straight, hands in his pockets as he approached the corpses. The two police officers tried to stop him but were met with a single glare from him, which was enough to get them to back off.

"Saw police cars lined up in front of a student's former house, and I got worried. Sue me," Eraserhead drawled, giving a passing glance to Tsukauchi. The Detective nodded, gulping down the want to demand him away from the body. However, due to his status as a pro hero, he was higher up in the emergency responder hierarchy.

The rules were simple: if a hero showed up, then the hero got to take a peek at what was going on and or perform an independent investigation. Otherwise, it went to the police, paramedics, and then firefighters, except if that specific emergency was tailored to that type of first responder.

Eraserhead took out his hands from his pockets, which were gloved as part of his hero costume, before then moving the collar of the shirt that Kyotoko was wearing. What Tsukauchi saw made his eyes widen. At the base of the man's neck was a small, purple star-shaped birthmark. Next to which were a pair of dots, both of which were unnatural. They looked like wounds, not birthmarks. However, while those were important, Tsukauchi was focused on one thing and one thing alone. "Kyotoko is… a Joestar?"

"Yes," Eraserhead said, furrowing his eyebrows. "Though, his daughter, Jirou Kyoka, a student of mine, is not. That makes him the non-biological father of Kyoka, though Kyoka is probably unaware of it. While that'd usually be the end of it, him even having her name is enough to warrant a villain to attack him and, subsequently, his wife." As Eraserhead said this, he stood up from the corpse and looked Tsukauchi in the face.

"Care to explain a little bit further than that, Eraserhead?" One of the police officers behind him asked, curiosity in his tone of voice. "I mean no offence, but what you said makes you sound suspicious. Not that I'm accusing you, but it does leave a little room for questioning, does it not?" The police officer continued as Eraserhead sighed. Tsukauchi went to tell the police officer to keep his mouth shut, but he stopped when Eraserhead raised a placating hand.

"No. You're right. I should've expected this. Allow me to explain then," Eraserhead said, crossing his arms as he turned his body in such a way as to address everyone in the room. Once that was done, he spoke in a calm and as per the usual, dry tone of voice.

"My class has been attacked by villains at a rather unprecedented rate. It first started with The USJ, then the mall incident a few days later. Then the incident with Midoriya about a week before The Sports Festival. There was the assassin on Kira and Kujo's plane to America that Joekid reported to us last night, and finally, now the Jirou family, sans Kyoka, is attacked by some rogue assassin and killed. Someone, or some group, is after my class—more specifically, people who are connected to The Joestars," Eraserhead explained as Tsukauchi hummed.

"Enemies of the Joestars, perhaps?" Tsukauchi asked as Eraserhead shrugged. The hero looked over to the door and waved the kid into the living room. The kid rushed in, standing beside Eraserhead. Tsukauchi looked her up and down and frowned. "Ah. And who is this?" The detective asked, arms still crossed. He might've known her by her real name but not her hero name.

"Forgive me, Tsukauchi-dono," Eraserhead replied, his voice still dry as he gestured to the girl in the black bodysuit and vest. "You might already know her, but this is my intern, soon-to-be sidekick, Sif, The Beauty Heroine," Eraserhead stated as Sif bowed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tsukauchi-san," Sif said as the detective nodded.

"Sif, you're dating Kujo, right? I'd have to assume that he tells you about any enemies his family may or may not have. So, with that in mind, who would do this?" Eraserhead asked as Sif frowned, cupping her chin in thought.

"Most of the Joestar's enemies are already dead, usually killed by Joekid himself… but, if I were to make a guess, recently, we've been attacked more and more by hired guns and assassins. Multiple Speedwagon Foundation locations across the world, save for America and Japan, have been raided… the only people who could've possibly been behind that would probably be The Yagi Clan."

At the mention of the name "Yagi," Tsukauchi froze, eyes wide. "Yagi… clan? Uh, can you explain, please?" Tsukauchi asked as Sif nodded.

"Yes. The Yagi Clan was an old Yakuza family. They've had beef with The Joestars for almost a hundred years, going back to 2033, when The Speedwagon Foundation, led by the late Kujo Jotaro at the time, raided one of their compounds for having a Stand Arrow. Ever since then, they've attacked us, and we've attacked them," Sif explained before shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders.

"Although, The Yagi Clan has been all but killed. The last time they attacked us was 11 years ago, and during that raid, most, if not all, of the members of that clan were killed. Those that survived fled to other Yakuza, while the leader and his second in command, whose names we do not know, went missing."

Tsukauchi paled. His Quirk, lie detector, told him that every word, every syllable, and every sentence that came out of Sif's mouth was true. "But if that's the case… then… why hasn't Toshinori told me about this? About how his family is—" "A-hem, excuse me, Sif-san… thank you for the information," Tsukauchi said, clearing his throat as Sif bowed her head.

"You're welcome, Tsukauchi-san," Sif replied, raising her head. "Eraserhead, what about those wounds by Jirou's neck?" Sif asked as Eraserhead closed his eyes, a frown taking up his visage. Silence filled the room for a second before the shaggy-haired man spoke.

"A snake bite. We can assume that the assassin had some sort of snake-related Quirk if that is the case. Tracing the poison will be easy, but if the killer really is a hired gun, the chances are that finding him or her will prove difficult," Eraserhead stated, earning a nod from both Sif and Tsukauchi. The detective let out a sigh as he rubbed the side of his head.

"I'll have the bodies taken in for an autopsy. In the meantime, I—"

"Hold on," Sif said, earning the two's attention. The heroine-in-training gulped, before rubbing the back of her neck. "I… um… what if, Eraserhead, this has nothing to do with a Quirk? What if…." Sif did not finish the question as a gleam of recognition appeared in Eraserhead's eyes. Confusion laced across Tsukauchi's face, earning a sigh from Eraserhead.

"Then, if that is the case, then we'll have to get them involved. I would hate to take away their resources, but if that is the case…." Eraserhead began as Tsukauchi narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean, Eraserhead?" The detective asked. When he did, Eraserhead met his eyes with a stern glare. The detective returned the glare in full, only for Eraserhead to sigh yet again, his tone sounding similar to that of defeat.

"This revolves around my investigation into the Yellow Bullets, requested to me by an anonymous backer. Speaking of, what have you found regarding those stupid things? Surely the police have some more information than some lowly third party?" Eraserhead asked the detective, his tone dripping in sarcasm. Tsukauchi frowned at the tone Eraserhead used, only earning an annoyed expression from Eraserhead.

Tsukauchi and Eraserhead had a bit of "beef," as the youth called it. Eraserhead and his friends had been protecting a band of vigilantes in Naruhata for months, and Tsukauchi had reported them to the HSPC for it, making their rankings fall by a hundred spots and getting their pay cut. Of course, he regretted it now, but that was in the past, and hindsight was 20/20.

Had it not been for Koichi Haimawari, they would've never known about the fact that there was someone with the potential to copy Quirks using some form of forbidden science. Unfortunately, at the time, they never thought it to be All For One, who had supposedly been dead at that time, before the recent confirmation that he was still alive.

In retrospect, he found his younger self to have been a bit of an idiot. He couldn't see the good that Koichi had been doing. Now that he was a Pro Hero in America with Captain Celebrity, a part of him, a prettier part of him wanted to call for his arrest due to his prior action as a Vigilante in Japan.

But that was a side he'd never entertain. He might've been bitter over that fact, but that was in the past. Since then, Koichi and he had a bit of a friendly relationship. If stuff was going down in America, he'd call their office and let them know. While it was useless, it was still appreciated, especially if it was about drug rings and trafficking rings.

That, and he and his cousin were friends. So that was a plus.

That being said, however, all of that was irrelevant, for the most part, anyway. Even still, he couldn't give Eraserhead the information he was looking for. And so, with a neutral expression, Tsukauchi spoke.

"I cannot tell you, Eraserhead. It's confidential. I—"

"You know, don't you?" Sif interrupted, causing Tsukauchi to look at her. Tsukauchi raised an eyebrow as Sif shook her head. Her brownish-black eyes gleamed in the moonlight, her expression lopsided in annoyance. "Whatever, it cannot be helped. You did a DNA test with the sample bullet The Speedwagon Foundation gave you, correct?"

Tsukauchi's eyes narrowed. "How do you know that?"

Sif smiled. "I'm the one who sent it. I would know," Sif stated, earning a slight, silent gasp from Tsukauchi. Sif giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh, please, don't act shocked. I'm the Girlfriend of the son of the head of The Speedwagon Foundation. I have access to private information regarding all of our partners. The Japanese Police Force is no exception."

Tsukauchi looked to Sif, then to Eraserhead, blinked, then sighed. "I see…. I suppose that makes sense," Tsukauchi said before looking back to Sif. "However, I want to know… what is that virus we found within it? It seemed to react… strangely to the blood sample we placed it in. It mutated and tried to…. Evolve the cells within."

Sif nodded. "Yes. That is the virus's purpose. To evolve Humanity. Or, at least, that is the working theory," Sif explained, crossing her arms. "In the past, it awakened supernatural abilities within a few select humans. These abilities pre-date Quirks by hundreds, if not thousands of years, slating back to 1889 to now. Though, we suspect it to be far earlier than even that."

Tsukauchi cupped his chin, looking down at Kyotoko. "Pre-dating Quirks…? Humans have had superpowers before Quirks? Wait a minute… Are you talking about Stands?" Tsukauchi said as Sif raised an eyebrow.

"You know?" Sif asked as Tsukauchi sighed.

"Yes, I'm in the know. You can blame Kira for that when Former-Deputy Sansa, who has since been fired and blacklisted from every police station country-wide, arrested her," Tsukauchi said as Eraserhead huffed, a small smirk on his face.

"So that bastard finally got fired. What tipped the commission over the edge?" Eraserhead asked as Tsukauchi scowled.

"Making unwanted sexual advances to an interrogation subject. The higher-ups couldn't ignore it any longer. Honestly, it's kind of pathetic. I know people like that exist in the police force, but to have someone like that in my unit made my blood boil. I'm glad he's gone now," Tsukauchi spat as Sif cleared her throat.

"Back to the topic, if you know, then I'm sure you know where I'm going with this?" Sif asked as Tsukauchi sighed.

"That this is no longer in the hands of the police, but rather in the hands of The Speedwagon Foundation, right?" Tsukauchi replied, exasturbated. Sif nodded, crossing her arms as Eraserhead frowned.

"As annoying as it is, this is out of our league. Kira made a point to me when I first found out about Stand abilities. What's the point of trying to fight something you can't see? The truth is that there is no point. Although, apparently, according to Midoriya, there is a way to at least sense them. Something about reading air movements. Once internships are over, I'm going to have a talk with Kujo, Kira, and Midoriya about coming clean about Stands, at least to Class 1 – A, if nothing else," Eraserhead stated as Sif frowned.

She wanted to say something. Tsukauchi could tell just by looking at her that she didn't agree with that idea. But, for whatever reason she had, she kept silent. "I see. Well, then, I think it's time we left."

A couple of the police officers looked at Tsukauchi, confusion on their faces. "But, sir… we still have an unsolved homicide on our hands," one of the officers closest to the bodies said as Tsukauchi shrugged.

"The Speedwagon Foundation is going to be taking over. This is out of our pay grade; let's get moving," Tsukauchi called out as a few of the police officers looked conflicted. Tsukauchi was too, but there was nothing that he could do about it, both literally and figuratively.

"And we have a patrol to continue. Let's get going, Sif," Eraserhead said, but not before looking back at the bodies of Kyotoko and Mika Jirou. A look of both conflict and anger gleamed in his eyes. Why the parents? Why target individuals who had nothing to do with anything? "Unless they did."

Eraserhead brushed that thought aside and left the Jirou household, with Sif following close behind. As they left, Tsukauchi returned to his Toyota Corolla, entering the driver's seat and reclining in the chair as he stared out the windshield.

Something was bothering him, and it had nothing to do with the whole Stand's thing. Rather, it had everything to do with Toshinori and his family's supposed criminal ties. Now that he thought about it, Toshinori had gone with The Speedwagon Foundation on a mission over 11 years ago, just three years after he had supposedly killed All For One.

"Damnit, Toshinori…" Tsukauchi thought as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He watched as the last patrol car pulled away, leaving him by his lonesome. He sighed before putting both of his hands on his steering wheel.

He had a new report to go make.

[XXXX]

It had been four days since Yoshihara had learnt about the annoying truth that she, unfortunately, was pregnant. Just that word alone was enough to make her skin break out into goosebumps. The only people who knew were Izuku, obviously, Dr. Zeppelli, aka Gyro, and her Uncle Jojo.

That last one, Jonathon Kujo, had insisted on her calling him that. She found it strange, especially considering she hadn't a clue as to why he felt the need to, seeing as she was already referring to him as Ojisan or Uncle. Why specifically "Uncle Jojo" she didn't know, nor care.

Besides, she had more pressing matters to attend to.

Due to Jonathon viewing her as "unfit for excruciating training," he had been making her help out around the building, such as doing paperwork that he was too busy to do for himself. All she had to do was sign it under his hero name's signature and be done with it. She had practiced with his signature a few times, and with the help of Killer Queen's eyes, she was able to copy it perfectly.

And so, for the last two hours of her day, she had been signing stacks upon stacks of paperwork, all in the confines of her temporary room, as she casually munched on a sandwich that Gyro had given her. The sandwich was a simple peanut butter sandwich with a glass of milk to wash it down. Due to her… predicament, she had to watch what she ate, at least, until Izuku came to his decision.

As much as that annoyed her, she had no choice but to wait. Gyro had said that he would only perform the procedure if both parties were in on it. While she wanted to be selfish and lie, she also knew that it would cause unnecessary tension between herself and Izuku.

She had debated over if it was worth it to throw her career to the wayside because of the person she respected and loved, and in the chance that he decided to go against the idea of aborting the week-old fetus dancing around in her uterus. She came to the decision that it was necessary. Why? Well, it wasn't because of some stupid idea of her wanting to be a mother. Far from it, actually. It was because she wanted Izuku to stay by her side.

He was the only person—the only person—who she had ever felt a modicum of feeling toward that wasn't just "neutral." He was the first person that made her actively look out for someone, and that gave her a reason to laugh at herself for being stupid for seeking him out in such an obsessed, stalker-y kind of way. Which, admittedly, looking back at it was kind of creepy, and if he knew that was what she had done to find him, then perhaps he would see her in a different light.

Not that he ever would, mind you, but it was still something that she thought about from time to time and realized just how creepy that made her look. To give credit to herself, she was still in a negative spot in her life. While her quality of life had skyrocketed at that point, at the time, she still felt as if she had been missing something.

Lo-and-behold that missing something had been Izuku Midoriya.

As cheesy and as cliché as it was, Izuku was her one and her only. Despite having only been in an actual relationship with him for a week, she could never see herself dating anyone else. Even back when they were merely friends, she was ride or die for him.

She was his first friend and vice versa. They had both been loners—one by choice and the other by circumstance. In a cosmic sense, they were made for each other. At least, that was how she viewed it.

And if anyone did anything to hurt him… she'd kill them. It didn't matter if it was a classmate or if it was another student in the school, a civilian, or a villain; she'd kill them. He was the only thing that made her heart beat at a normal rate. He was the only one who gave her the courage to continue down this downright suicidal path.

In many ways, it was because of Izuku Midoriya, the person who All Might gave his Quirk—supposedly, she had no confirmation yet, but she would by the end of the internships that everyone was on. She would find out whether or not her hunch was right, dammit—and the same person who became her boyfriend. The same person she had sex with. The same person who had, by her own stupid mistakes, gotten her pregnant.

He was, as far as she was concerned, her anchor. Without him, she would've followed a very different path. Without him, without having seen that video on that crappy couch of hers back at that shitty apartment, without that video that had that title that had piqued her interest, there was a very good chance that she would've been dead.

During that period in Yoshihara's life, one that she hated to look back on, like most of her past, she had been in a state of suicidal depression. And who could blame her? While her job was good paying, she had to use her body to do it—not that Akira was to blame, he had tried to get her to stop, but it was her stubbornness that refused every single time.

Her apartment was overly expensive, she had no friends, lived in a shitty apartment complex, had no real family to fall back on, and, worst of all, she had no free time at all whatsoever. In that situation, she had been better off dead. At the time, she agreed with that sentiment.

Her life had been a spiral of nothing but despair and failure. So, she had planned that, after work that day, she was going to hang herself in her living room. She had planned to take her own life. To end it all. To spit at the world that had beaten her down and abused her for years.

What else was she supposed to do? It was the only clear path that she had left to take. Besides, no one would've missed her. No one would've cared to know that she had died. No one would've given a shit that she had passed away. She would've been another statistic. That was all that she had amounted to. It would've been fitting, really.

And so, that was why she had been emotional when Nemuri had offered her a chance at a better life. It was why she was so flustered and angry at Akira for trying to talk her down again and trying to get her to quit the job because, to her, even though the job was shitty and disgusting, it had sort of become her safe place.

So, when she showed up there, feeling like she was unwanted was something that made that pain in her heart feel infinitely worse. It had been the very reason why she had cried, or at least had started to cry when Nemuri said that she'd let her live with her.

And all of it. All of it had been caused by Izuku Midoriya running in to save that fucking prick Bakugo Katsuki from that sludge villain, all the while he was without a Quirk. He had unknowingly saved her life that day. He had unknowingly saved her from herself that day.

That was why she had sex with him. To show him her appreciation for what he unknowingly, and still had unknowingly done for her.

Well… among a myriad of other things…. And it was in the heat of the moment, and other factors like how she had been attracted to those rock-hard abs, and his muscular arms and waist, and his—

Yoshihara coughed into her hand, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. "No. Bad. No horny thoughts now. Paperwork. Do the paperwork," Yoshihara muttered to herself, letting out a small sigh as she clicked the pen. She only had two more packets to sign before she could stop for the day. It was already 7:30 p.m., and she had other things that she needed to do.

Just because Johnny had told her not to do exercise, she still had to train her Stand. Well, "training" her Stand met more or less having it throw rapid punches in one area to see if she could increase its punching limit from 100 punches per second to 110 punches per second. So far, it was been working. She had gotten it to punch around 105 times per second, so she was halfway through her goal, and the best part was that it didn't cause any sort of fatigue at all whatsoever!

Of course, she wanted to train with Joseph, but Johnny forbade her from doing so. Yes, it was every bit as annoying as it sounded. While Joseph was off getting stronger, physically built, faster, and more durable while also training in The Spin, which she had to admit was starting to gain her interest, she was over here, in her room, filing paperwork.

Hell, it wasn't as if doing a couple of push-ups would be bad for her, right? It wasn't as if she was going to die trying to do them, right? Personally, she thought that Johnny had been overreacting, but due to him using the "I'm your boss for the time being" card, she couldn't, or wouldn't disobey him.

Signing the last packet of nonsense, Yoshihara let out a tired sigh before grabbing twenty-five stacks of paper packets, with Killer Queen grabbing the other twenty-five. She then got up and exited her room with a slight kick to the door. Walking down the hallway, she approached the elevator. Killer Queen tapped the "floor 10" button, and Yoshihara nudged the "close door" button.

It didn't take long for the elevator to reach Johnny's office. She slowly marched down the hallway and past two guards who had, by now, become acquainted with her due to her constant trips between Johnny's office and her room. One of the guards opened the door for her as she stepped into Johnny's office. He was just sitting down, a small smile on his face.

"Yoshihara, good to see you again," Johnny said, his smile a little wider than usual as Yoshihara huffed, though with no real emotion behind it. "Thank you for doing this, by the way. You're a real lifesaver. If you hadn't taken up doing this, I would've missed that bank robbery," Johnny continued as Yoshihara nodded.

"I understand, Uncle Jojo," Yoshihara replied before turning to leave.

"Hey, wait a minute."

Yoshihara spun around on her heel, Johnny with a scowl. "Look… I know you've been itching to train with Joseph. I know you've heard this a million times in the past week, but I—"

""I can't in good conscience let you partake in such vigorous activities due to what is going on." Yes, I'm aware. Now can we get to the part where I leave and make myself something to eat, or is there something more pressing that you need to tell me?" Yoshihara interrupted, scowling at him. Johnny narrowed his eyes before sighing and shaking his head.

"I… Kira," He paused, frowning. "I know that you're annoyed that you can't do what you wanted to do. This is an internship, and all I've had you do is do paperwork after the… revelation, shall I call it? And I know that you're eager to do something…. So… tomorrow, I'll be taking Joseph with me to do a patrol of a neighbourhood I frequent. If you want, you can come with me."

Yoshihara's eyes widened, an excited gleam shining in her eyes. "Really?" Yoshihara asked as Johnny smirked before dropping the smirk and once again narrowing his eyes, crossing his arms.

"However, as far as I am concerned, your health is more important than doing hero work. The moment I think that you're about to pass out from fatigue, I'll be sending you home. I'll even send Joseph home so that you can have someone to rely on if, god forbid, something happens, okay?" Johnny said, earning a slight frown from her. Johnny uncrossed his arms before relaxing into his chair.

"Look, I know that it sounds like I'm being overbearing. And I am; I'll freely admit that. However, even if you don't plan on keeping it, you still have to look out for your health. I know what it can do to people. Hell, Tomoko was 24 when she got pregnant with Joseph. You're 16, and you're still growing. Add to having a literal baby inside you that's sapping whatever energy you might already have, and boom, a whole pile of mess starts to happen."

As Johnny explained that, he stood up before walking over to her and standing before her, lowering his head to look down at Yoshihara. "I know you might not want that to be the case—hell, you were in denial for three days about it. But, unfortunately, it is your current predicament, so I'm just being cautious." Johnny paused as Yoshihara went to turn around. Before she could, Johnny placed a hand on her shoulder, which made her stop.

"Look… I care about you, Yoshihara. You're my niece, you're family. Family cares about family, even if they hardly know each other," Johnny said, shaking his head. There was a gleam of disgust in his eyes before it quickly faded away with a disgruntled-sounding sigh. "I know your… mother… might not have done that. I don't know what exactly she did to you, and I know you won't tell me, even if it's not the healthiest thing to do. But know this: no matter where you are, no matter what's going on, all you have to do is get the word out, and I'll drop everything I'm doing and rush to where you are to help you. Okay?"

Yoshihara… didn't know how to take that. For a brief second, her shoulders tensed, and her head lowered. There was a stinging sensation at the corners of her eyes as she processed the words that Johnny spoke before rubbing at her eyes, making the itchy feeling go away.

"Thank you," Yoshihara muttered, her voice low and slightly shaky. Johnny smiled slightly, letting go of her shoulder. After that, the blonde left the office, trudged down the hallway, and headed for the elevator. All the while, she replayed the words that Johnny spoke over and over again, trying to understand why it was that those words impacted her the way they did, unconscious of the fact that a small tear trailed down the side of her face….

[XXXX]

"Are you sure you can handle them? The last time The Boss sent you out on a mission, you failed," a voice spoke from the shadows as Nicholas glowered. He was no longer shaggy-looking, and he no longer wore that trashy attire. His hair was cut short and slicked back with hair gel. Physically speaking, he had bulked up a considerable amount, and he now wore a navy blue pinstripe suit with red lace-up shoes.

"Don't mention it, Takiyuma," Nicholas spat, as Takiyuma snickered.

"Oh, come now, Asahina-san! I know you're smarter than that! It wasn't your fault for that random deus-ex machina nonsense. Besides, I've heard your Stand has had a… bit of an upgrade?" Takiyuma asked as Nicholas smirked, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall.

"I didn't see it coming. I'll be honest. It was a bit out of nowhere. But with it… I can win this time. I'll take out the Midoriya's for sure this time! I will make it up to The Boss! I won't fail him again! Never again! Failure is not what I do!" Nicholas growled, his hand clenching into a fist before slamming his hand into the wall.

The room they were in, that being a rented-out hotel room, shook at the raw strength that Nicholas had exuded. "One month…. One month ago, I was beaten by that brat and scared shitless of his mother. One month ago, The Boss demoted me to head of the Debt Collectors unit… but that was one month ago. I'm stronger… I'm faster… and I'm better now."

A yellowish aura appeared around Nicholas, as Brittle Bones Nicky appeared behind him, though… he appeared differently than he did before. Instead of looking like a dapper skeleton, it now had the appearance of a bulkier, more rigid-looking Demon, with sharp, jagged teeth and slanted, pointed eyes, with bright yellow lights peering from within. Its cape was no longer flashy but rather in tatters, and it no longer sported the hat it once wore.

"Ah… so it's one of those Stands… how'd you figure it out?" Takiyuma questioned as Nicholas huffed.

"I was sparring with Coco Loco, and in the middle of our brawl, Brittle Bones Nicky, or B2N as I call'em now, just… froze and began to crack. I thought it was the guy's Stand Ability, but it turned out that it was B2N simply… evolving. And now, he's this…. B2N – Act 2!" Nicholas declared as his Stand let out a small snarl.

"Hmm…" Takiyuma hummed before smirking. "How much has it changed?" Takiyuma asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets, while Nicholas scoffed.

"I'm not saying shit. You're just probing info for The Boss. Not that I have anything against him, but I want to reveal that to him myself. Maybe then I can get back into his good graces once I get rid of that former assassin and her bitch of a son…." Nicholas said, his voice low and filled with hatred.

"You're aware that her son won the U.A. Sports Festival, right? He had to beat a Stand User to do so, and he seemed to know what was coming from where. How do you expect to beat that?" Takiyuma questioned once more, now sitting down on the edge of the bed. Nicholas rolled his eyes, heading for the door.

"I've got new tricks up my sleeve, Takiyuma. I won't use the same trick twice. Act 1's ability might not work on the brat anymore, but Act 2, on the other hand… well, that's an entirely new can of worms," Nicholas said, his tone filled with malice. "Act 1 was more situational and had to have build-up for it to work properly. I was the weakest of the assassination unit, but now… with Act 2… I don't have to worry about prep or meaningless restrictions." As Nicholas spoke, B2N began to fade away, and Takiyuma listened intently. "Those two made a laughing stock out of me. And I'm going to claim my revenge. I'll make sure they suffer! I'll make sure that Midoriya Izuku…. Has no family to call his own…"

And with that, Nicholas left the hotel room, leaving behind a smiling Takiyuma. He looked over to the window, watching as the clouds flew by, still covered in shadows as he fished around in his pocket, before taking out a cigarette pack and lighter. Popping one into his mouth, he lit the cigarette before taking a puff.

"Seems as if Nicky boy has found his drive again…. The Boss will love to hear that…" Takiyuma said as the hiss of a snake rang throughout the room…. And then another… and another… and a few more, as a green aura formed around the shadowy figure of Takiyuma Yangu. "And now that the Jirou family are taken care of, sans Kyoka Jirou… I'll have my revenge for what the Kira family did… to my baby brother."

Takiyuma smiled as a pair of razor-sharp fangs glistened from his mouth, and a pair of yellow inhuman eyes gleamed in the reflection of their hotel room mirror. Takiyuma stood tall as the light of the moon shone overhead, peering into the hotel room and illuminating it.

He was no longer dressed in that ugly body suit. He had no need to be now that he was basking in the chill of the moon. His long, black hair reached down to the center of his back. He was dressed in a dark green crop top with yellow snake motifs running down the sides of it. The crop top had sleeves that went down to his wrists, and where the exposed midriff was, two suspender straps kept Takiyuma's dark purple pants up.

Takiyuma was extremely well built, with a heavily defined midsection and waist. His arms, despite being covered, were evidently muscular. No amount of fabric could hold back or disguise just how muscular he was despite his lean build.

"As soon as Ida Tenya is dead, you won't be far behind, Kira Yoshihara. You'll pay for your ancestor's crimes! You'll pay for his killing of my brother! My precious, infallible baby brother!" Takiyuma spat as he turned to look out the window of his hotel room.

A small, vicious smirk took up his visage. "I do believe that tonight is the night I go on the hunt. I wonder…. How should I kill you, Ida Tenya? Do I beat you over the head with your legs? The very thing you are so proud of? Or do I drain you of your blood…" Takiyuma mused, a hint of a chuckle slipping from his lips.

"I suppose it doesn't really matter…" Takiyuma said as a purple and green scaled snake wrapped around his right arm and rested against his neck. Its eyes were the same colour as his own, except it had a pair of wings on the center of its back, and it had a small pair of horns coming out of the top of its head. "Regardless of how I decide to kill you, your death will happen here, in Hosu. Just like your stupid older brother."

-To Be Continued-