"Do it again."
Mirio smiled nervously, his hands shaking a bit as Rumi Usagiyama stared up at him with narrowed eyes.
"I've got it this time! Seriously!" Mirio insisted as he checked himself over in the mirror once again.
Mirio wore a cranberry dress shirt and black slacks with a matching black tie. The knot was somewhat uneven on one side and the tie itself had come out a bit too long. He could feel Keigo Takami's judgmental eyes on him without even looking at the man's reflection. When he finally did look, though, he saw the winged hero with a bored look upon his face, Nejire sitting upon his bed behind him, and Tamaki leaned up against the wall with his arms folded. Tamaki seemed incredibly tense as he watched the exchange, his mouth drawn into a thin line.
"Do you?" Keigo asked as he cracked his neck. "It's still looking a little off. What kind of Yak doesn't know how to tie his own tie?"
"It's… I just didn't think of it! I have a lot on my mind!" Mirio tried as he hastily undid the knot and pulled the silk strand from around his neck. He carefully held the tie in his hands and folded it in half, trying to make sure it was even before beginning another attempt. "A-at least I can do it myself, now, even if it's a little shoddy!"
"Shoddy is something we can't afford right now," Rumi chastised with a twitch of her nose. "We finally managed to get your foot in the door and spin a convincing lie. It's up to you three to keep it going, both for the sake of finding out what the Shie Hassaikai are up to, and to keep Mirio's ass safe. If they suspect anything, you're going to have to fight your way out of there until we can get you some backup."
"I don't like this," Nejire said quickly. "I know I've said it before, but I still think one of us should quit our gigs and come with you. I don't want you walking in there alone, Mirio…"
"We can't," Tamaki said in a defeated tone. "It's too suspicious to have multiple members of the Big Three sign on with the Yakuza, all at the same time, while still going to school. Mirio losing his work study is believable and public knowledge at this point. One or both of us quitting to go with him is not. Besides… if Mirio gets into trouble, his Quirk can easily get him out of it. He's the safest one to go, even without the circumstances of Sir Nighteye…"
"…wow. Need some water?" Keigo asked with a smirk. "That's the most I've ever heard you talk."
"But it's the truth," Mirio insisted as he went about trying to get his tie right in the mirror once again. "Tamaki might not say much, but when he does, it's worth listening to. I'll be fine, Neji. Promise."
"…you'd better be," Nejire threatened as she swung her legs back and forth over the edge of the bed. "This isn't going to be easy. They're probably going to ask you to do things that a hero shouldn't…"
Mirio's expression soon became a reflection of Tamaki's, and he pulled the knot of his tie tight in his first successful effort.
"I know. But… I have you guys to come home to. And you two, too," he said as he turned around and offered a nod to Rumi. "I'm pretty much blacklisted from working with the big-name heroes, and this is work that's worth doing… so I'm doing it. Someone has to find out if the Shie Hassaikai are planning something. Best case scenario… they're not, and I end up hanging out with a bunch of thugs for a while. If Rumi and Keigo are right, though, and this is something dangerous building up that's being ignored… then I'll help blow the lid off the whole thing and be back into official hero business."
"Now you're talking sense," Keigo said with a nod. "Always try to find a way for your work to benefit you, in addition to society. If you're getting nothing out of it… you're not going to last long in the business."
Tamaki looked away from the pair and let out a frustrated noise, his ears twitching slightly.
"Lookin' good," Rumi began as she gave Mirio's tie a hard swat, causing the silk to fly off to one side. Quite suddenly, she narrowed her eyes and put a heavy hand upon his chest. "But once you start in on this, Mirio, there's no easy way out. Your hands are gonna get dirty, and you're in for some long nights and a breakdown or two. Trust me- I would know. I've done stings before, and it's going to get more and more complicated the longer it goes on. We'll have your back, but you're taking on harder work than anyone else in this little university. Are you ready for this?"
Mirio took a final breath in through his nose before giving Rumi a firm nod.
"I'm ready."
Mirio kept a death grip upon the handle of his umbrella as he stood within an alleyway, a reinforced brown paper shopping bag in his other hand. He tried his best to keep his eyes on all sides to prevent being ambushed, and yet he couldn't help but feel as though he was being watched despite seeing nothing out of the ordinary. The sound of the pouring rain battering against his umbrella made it harder to focus on any ambient noise, and the air was thick with the smell of smoke from a nearby refinery. After nearly twenty minutes of waiting at the agreed upon spot, a figure unlike any Mirio had ever seen began to approach him from the other end of the alley. Where they had come from before that, he found he couldn't quite explain.
The approaching man appeared to be about Mirio's age, or perhaps even a year or two younger. He had short, choppy brown hair arranged in a mound of small spikes that had a forward lean. His eyes were a piercing yellow, though at the same time, they gave off the impression that he didn't get enough sleep on a regular basis. The man was dressed rather conservatively in a pair of black jeans and a black dress shirt, with a contrasting white tie and a pair of matching silk gloves. He, too, carried a black umbrella, and would have appeared to be very much a normal citizen if not for one outlandish feature- his mask.
It was an odd sight, both familiar and yet entirely out of place. The accessory was a brown medieval plague doctor's mask in the shape of a curved beak done up with golden accents. Mirio had never seen anything like it in person before, and he found the sight somewhat unsettling. It was totally impossible to read the man's facial expression from behind the large, obscuring implement that covered both his nose and mouth. His voice came out somewhat muffled, and had an odd, creepy, almost distorted quality to it. Whether the effect was intentional or just a byproduct of the large mask, Mirio was unsure.
"…Mirio Togata," the mystery man said over the sound of the pouring rain as he came within a few feet of the student. "Or should I say… Lemillion?"
"Togata is fine," Mirio said hesitantly as he forced a friendly smile.
"Is it?" the other man questioned as he narrowed his eyes. Mirio stiffened at the venomous tone with which the figure had spoken, knowing that he had said something wrong. "That's going to need to change. None of those options will work, from here on."
Mirio blinked in confusion, before coming to a sudden realization. "Oh! So, I need a code name? That shouldn't be too difficult to come up with. Makes sense to me."
The other man gave Mirio a hard stare. Though Mirio couldn't be certain, he got the distinct impression that behind the plague mask, his new colleague wasn't returning his enthusiastic smile.
"You may call me Overhaul, when necessary," the man said as he adjusted his grip upon his umbrella. "As for your name… we can worry about that later. Keep your umbrella low to cover your face from onlookers on the way to the compound, and don't mention your real name again until we get inside. You're a very public figure, and we don't need you being seen…"
"Orders received," Mirio replied with a nod as he transferred his large shopping bag to his other hand and slipped the handles around a few fingers to hold it with the umbrella. He extended his freshly unoccupied hand to the other man and gave him another nod. "Nice to meet you, Overhaul!"
Overhaul simply stared at the hand for a moment before extending his own and seizing Mirio's in a tight grasp. Mirio's eyes widened as he felt a strange sensation emanating from the other man's palm- it was something he couldn't quite describe. Though he could indeed feel a hand beneath the silken glove, there was also an odd, uncomfortable sensation of heat, accompanied by the feeling of something pulsating. Something was writhing beneath the surface. Mirio had the distinct impression that somehow, he was in imminent danger, but Overhaul broke the contact and began to walk ahead of him before he had time to ask.
"…the pleasure is all mine, I'm sure. Don't refer to me as 'Overhaul' in public. In fact, don't refer to me at all in public. Unless we're among allies, an alias is for those not present. It exists to protect members of our family, or to obscure identities within electronic communication. It's not a badge of honor or intent, unlike your hero names. You've got a lot to learn down here at the bottom of the chain…"
Mirio began to walk and picked up his pace to move along at Overhaul's side. The rain seemed to beat down harder as they ambled along the barren sidewalks, surrounded on all sides by industrial buildings and abandoned lots.
"…sorry. This is all just so new to me," Mirio apologized as he finally placed his bag back into his free hand. "So, we don't use real names, even among friends?"
Overhaul let out a raspy chuckle, the sound echoing within his mask.
"You have… such a hero's mindset. It would almost be adorable, if it wasn't so obnoxious."
Mirio laughed self-consciously, though it died out rather quickly.
"…sorry. Old habits die hard."
"Old habits, indeed…" Overhaul replied. The two men continued to walk a distance of nearly two blocks before turning a corner, totally silent all the while. Overhaul noticed Mirio stealing uncomfortable glances at him throughout the journey, and eventually, he brought up a finger and thumb to pinch at his forehead in frustration. "No, we generally don't use our real names, even privately. The boss is the only one who does so regularly. He's also the only one who actually knows who all of us are."
Mirio gave Overhaul an incredulous look, taken aback by the statement.
"Wait… you're not the boss…?"
Suddenly, Overhaul came to a stop and turned to face Mirio, who halted his own momentum.
"…no, I am not the boss," Overhaul spat as he narrowed his eyes. "We may have fallen far out of grace, but we are not so desperate as to send the president of our entire organization out to meet and recruit new blood, no matter how high profile you may be. Surely you don't believe us to be that stupid?"
Mirio swallowed hard and offered Overhaul an uneasy grin.
"No! No, I don't think you're stupid, I just… I'm the stupid one," Mirio reassured. Slowly, he took a deep breath and allowed his good nature to fall away. He bit his lip briefly, before shaking his head and deciding to speak the truth. "I'm… I'm nervous. I'm not thinking straight. I have a lot of questions, and I don't know what I'm doing. Sorry for screwing things up… I just feel kinda like a lost puppy right now."
Again, Overhaul brought his fingers up to knead at his forehead and let out a sigh of his own. He shook his head, and his features softened a bit as he brought his hand down to tug at his collar.
"…what are you doing here, really? We all know that Sir Nighteye fired you, but why turn to us?"
Mirio looked down at the pavement, rehearsing his practiced lines and mentally reviewing what little information that Rumi had given to him about the Shie Hassaikai.
"I… think we need to make some changes," Mirio said slowly. "Hero society. The structure, the nepotism, the celebrity culture… it's poison. The second that you speak out or strike out on your own, a target gets placed on your back. If you're born with the 'wrong' Quirk, you're branded a freak. An outcast. There's nowhere for those people to go in a society of heroes, and it's not right. I heard that the Shie Hassaikai was a family. An organization accepting of anyone just trying to get by… and I've heard whispers that there might be more to it than that. That you're looking for powerful people capable of making change."
Overhaul listened intently, unblinking as he concentrated upon Mirio's face. Seemingly satisfied, he gave the teen a subtle nod before turning and beginning to walk again. Mirio hurried to follow.
"…all of that is true… though some pieces are missing. We are a family… but you're quickly going to learn that being family doesn't necessarily mean being friends. Family ties come through blood for most, and through shared ideals for the Shie Hassaikai. Our family bonds are pacts- honor-bound pledges of support and cooperation that run deeper than any frivolous 'team-ups' that heroes indulge in for money, fame, and book deals. Becoming a part of the family will not be easy… and even once you're in, there will still be a target upon your back. More targets than ever, actually. 'Friends' are hard to come by, here… but I would suggest you do whatever is necessary to make them, and quickly. Otherwise, you'll find yourself very much alone in a sea of people wearing masks."
"I'd like to," Mirio said quickly. "You seem friendly enough. A little rough around the edges, maybe, but I mean… this is a crime family. What would it take to become a friend of yours?"
Overhaul paused before a wrought iron gate, behind which two men in suits and sunglasses stood with folded arms. Farther back behind the guards was what appeared to be yet another run-down factory, its broken windows and stained bricks giving off the impression of an abandoned building. Overhaul gave the guards a hand sign, and they quickly moved into position to begin pulling the massive gate aside.
"…that… is something I don't yet have an answer for."
"This is him?" one of the guards asked as he walked back around from the side of the gate to stand before Overhaul and Mirio. "What a day, to see a big hero fall before he even gets off the ground…"
"Not falling," Mirio corrected. "Altering my flight path. Going where I'm needed. Where I'm really needed."
"You headed down to see the boss?" the other guard asked, joining his colleague.
"We are," Overhaul confirmed before making a beckoning motion to Mirio and beginning to walk forward. "Come. We shouldn't keep Arowana waiting…"
Author's Note:
A small subsection of readers may know what that means. If you don't… this is going to be fun…
-RD