Chapter 33: Midoriya Izuku XXIX

A/N: And here we go with a direct continuation from last time. Enjoy!

Mustard — or rather Nakajima now, seeing as he's pulling off his mask — lets out a rather loud yawn as he steps through Kurogiri's mists.

He steps foot into the bar, which by unsteady agreement has officially become the main base of operations for the now-properly staffed League of Villains.

Izuku isn't far behind, the portal closing shut as he joins Nakajima by having both his feet planted onto the creaky floorboards of the room.

"I think that I'm just gonna head off to bed now," Nakajima lazily says. "Tonight was exciting and all, but it was draining too. Guess that's what hours of work that seep far into the night feel like, huh?"

"It is literally nine o'clock right now," Izuku deadpans. "And we left here at seven."

"Huh." Nakajima shrugs. "Felt longer than that. But still." He places a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "Thanks for tonight. It really means a lot to me that you of all people would go so far to show me the ropes, you know?"

Izuku's gaze hovers over to the hand resting on his shoulder, then over to Nakajima's face. The shining sense of admiration and thankfulness rings clear in the boy's eyes.

"Yeah. Sure," Izuku curtly says. "Anything to help."

Nakajima barely holds back a laugh. He backs off, suppresses another yawn, and then moves off towards the staircase on the far end of the room.

"Night Whisper, Kurogiri," he says as he waves. "And you too Magne!"

The woman in question raises her glass to the boy. "Night!"

Izuku sighs at the reminder of just who else is here. He had noticed Hikishi Kenji of course; her foreign presence was an obvious one to pick up upon when he had stepped foot into the bar.

She had been sitting at the bar going through her drinks and talking to Kurogiri, but the second the portal opened her attention had shifted over to the gathering black mist.

She not so subtly had listened in to Nakajima's conversation with Izuku just moments before, and even now she's side eyeing him with interest.

It's not that he minded her actions, of course. Izuku finds her right to be suspicious: after all, his identity is as of now the only one still concealed from the newcomers (when disregarding Kurogiri for obvious reasons, anyways).

It was more that he hadn't expected anyone else but Tomura and Kurogiri to be present in the bar this late at night. Still, he could work with this. He had already spent time developing his relations with one promising team member tonight, so why not another?

"Evening, Hikishi-san," Izuku greets as he walks over and finds a seat at the bar. "Can't say that I foresaw you being here tonight. What brought up your decision to visit?"

Hikishi shrugs, then takes another swig of her drink. "Just thought it smart to familiarize myself with the lot of you. If we're going to be working together, I'd like to know what I'm working with."

"Hmm. An intelligent decision, I say. I did the same with all of you, after all."

"Mhm…" Hikishi tilts her head in thought before speaking up once more. "What was with that sigh from a bit ago? Don't think I didn't hear it; your ears aren't the only sharp ones around you know."

Izuku huffs in amusement. "Caught that did you? Well, I promise that it isn't anything against you. If you really must know, I was just a bit peeved that you were here tonight."

"Definitely sounds like something against me... I'm not leaving just on your whim alone, if that's what you're implying."

"And I was never implying as such. You're free to wander the bar as you please; it's now your place as much as it is mine. You are a proud and true member of the League now, after all."

"Hmph." She crosses her arms together and turns in her stool to face Izuku. "Well then. If you're annoyed that I'm here, and yet so insistent that I stay, what exactly is bugging you then?"

Izuku shrugs. "I just can't take my mask off now, is all. It can get a bit stuffy in here, you know?" Izuku then turns to look at Kurogiri, who just so happens to be wiping a glass, as per usual. "Laptop please, if you will." He asks as he taps on the surface of the bar.

"Of course… Whisper. One moment." Kurogiri nods, with a portal appearing right on the bartop in front of Izuku in an instant. The bulky piece of technology is deposited, and Izuku gets right to work as it boots up.

"Usually it's just Tomura and Kurogiri that are here," Izuku continues as he types away. "And they both know who I am under the mask, so it's not a problem."

"But you have that Mustard kid sleeping here. Apparently? How's that any different from me sitting here?"

"Please. As we speak this very moment, I can hear his breathing gradually slowing down as he falls into a slumber. I'd be alerted if he was getting into a position to discover my identity a long while in advance."

"And I like working here at the bar, with Kurogiri ad company," Izuku admits. "I can bounce ideas off him if needed… and he can get me things I need fairly quickly."

"No kidding." Hikishi hums, turning back to her drink. "I suppose that you've got a point there…" A smirk grows on her face. "Izuku."

Izuku's hands stop in their tracks, the minute clacking of keys stopping in their midst. He turns his head slightly towards Hikishi, who's side eyeing him as she sips her drink.

It only takes a moment to deduce what's happened. Izuku lets out a sigh, and his voice comes out as more resigned than anything. "Tomura's been saying my name aloud then, I presume?"

She nods in the affirmative.

"Honestly," Izuku groans. "He has no sense of secrecy or professionalism. I mean look at him, playing away at his video games over there in his corner. He isn't in the slightest aware that we're talking about him, let alone badmouthing him."

"I do apologize for the breach in your privacy," Kurogiri interrupts. "There was nothing that I could do to prevent the event from happening before it was too late."

"Not your fault Kurogiri," Izuku says. He then turns back to his typing once more, seemingly unaffected by the recent turn of events. "You'd understand though if I would continue to keep myself masked up, though?" Izuku says to Hikishi. "After all, there are plenty of Izukus out there. Just a little under a thousand of them in the Kanto region alone; trust me, I've checked … Admittedly that isn't all too many, I suppose. Not like it's a popular name or anything. But it's still a jumble that you'd need to go through if you were really curious."

"You do you," Hikishi shrugs. "Who am I to judge?"

"Thanks," Izuku says. "I appreciate it."

"Not sure how long you actually will," Hikishi counters. "You're gonna have to reveal yourself to us eventually. I mean, you can't honestly think that we're going to follow the orders of some masked vigilante forever, are you? Our personal stakes are being risked while you stay anonymous. What stops you from lounging around sipping up pina coladas with Smokey here, leaving us as sacrifices for the sl—"

"You'd be surprised how much just the mere concept of a savior can do to influence the masses," Izuku interrupts. "After all, if I were to hand deliver to you one victory after the next, with impossibly overwhelming successes that beat all odds… what difference would it make if I were to keep my identity to myself? If the results are satisfactory, building us ever closer to reforming our world, must you truly need to know the individual behind the mask? Would you want to view the masked enigma as human, as someone with faults? When you're placing so many bets on their leadership?"

"Of course," Izuku continues before Hikishi can voice her own thoughts, "that path is dangerous. High risk; high reward. For all it would take is one misstep for things to go awry for me. After all, if I can't place my trust in any of you, would we really be teammates, people stuck together through common trauma and injustice?"

"So don't worry, Hikishi-san," Izuku soothes. "I will eventually reveal to you, to all of you, who I am. But not now. I just don't trust any of you yet. Not when we haven't even had our first mission yet."

"You say that," Hikishi says. "But does that mean that you trust Shigaraki?"

"His knowing of my identity is more of an unfortunate turn of events if anything," Izuku replies. "Not something I would have allowed to happen if I could've prevented it."

"Enough about all that though," Izuku deflects. "That's all in either the past or the future. Why don't we talk about the present? How's mingling with the team working out with you so far?"

From the look on her face it's clear that Hikishi doesn't appreciate the sudden change in topic. She lets it go, however — likely deciding she won't get any further than she already has — and concedes to Izuku's train of thought.

"It's been an okay time, I guess. Shigaraki's just been a wonder, as I'm sure you're avidly familiar with."

Izuku lets out a snort at that. "Mhm."

"Kurogiri here has been a wonderful gentleman," Hikishi nods to the man in question. "He says it sarcastically, but he really is skilled in being — and in his words I quote 'a glorified butler bartender.' And man, does he make a mean drink."

"I thank you for your compliment, Miss Magne," Kurogiri hums. "It is, I assure you, gladly accepted."

"Of course," Hikishi says as she lifts her glass to the man. "But I'm just speaking the truth, you know? Everything that I've ordered from you tonight it's just… it's all pristine! Makes me think that you've been programmed with all the bartending knowledge available in the world."

Izuku tilts his head at that. "Hmm. You… do make a good point." He turns to Kurogiri. "What do you have to say about that?"

"I… can neither confirm nor deny the knowledge of such," Kurogiri admits.

"Ha! I get it." Hikishi cheers. "Keeping your true talents close to your chest, eh?"

"Yes… I'm sure that's what it is," Izuku mutters. After a few moments, he speaks up again. "And how about the others?" Izuku asks Hikishi. "Any progress there?"

"Well, aside from you, since we're currently talking now," Hikishi says, "I haven't had much progress." She taps the side of her glass a few times. "Mind me asking what you and Nakajima were doing tonight?"

Izuku shrugs. "Don't see why not. To put it plainly… we busted a drug ring."

"Oho?" Hikishi smiles. "Not that I can respect. There is a difference between us criminals and monsters, you know? And when you're selling drugs to kids… well, definitely on a whole different tier of evil."

"Glad we share similar sentiments in that manner."

"As do I; same with Nakajima too." Hilashi takes on a contemplative expression for a moment. "Speaking of which… it really true that he bunks out here with you lot?"

Izuku absentmindedly nods. "He ran away from his parents, so he has nowhere to go. Now, I don't exactly agree with his methods; his parents aren't exactly abusive after all. Just… distant. By following this path he's depriving himself of a normal civilian life. And just because his motivations were sparked by some childish awe over me, his supposed idol? Foolish. But alas, he is responsible for his own decisions and the choices he makes in life. I can't drive or manipulate his ambitions."

"Hrm. Quite a bit of his personal info you're handing out there."

"It's what you were looking for, wasn't it? I get it; you're worried for such a young kid entering this type of business. It only makes sense."

Hikishi scoffs. "Please, as if. Like I said, I just need to know what I'm working with. Just because he's a kid doesn't mean that I'm suddenly all soft and stuff."

False… Heh.

"I'm sure."

Hikishi huffs. "Yeah, yeah. Sure. Think what you think."

"I will," Izuku says. "That all?"

Hikishi finishes her drink, and motions to Kurogiri for another. "Well, I did leave something out. I did figure out earlier today that Himiko is pretty nice. And she's such a cutie too!"

Izuku pauses for a second at that. He goes right back to typing after a brief moment, however. "When was this?"

Hikishi nods her head in thanks to Kurogiri as she receives her drink. "While you were out doing whatever with Mustard, actually. You just missed her."

"Oh. Good."

Hikishi cocks an eye at that. "Good?"

"Indeed," Izuku confirms. "She just seems a bit too… interested in me. I'm not reciprocable."

Hikishi laughs. "Maybe for now. I mean, you don't see the hearts in her eyes as she talks about you." The teasing tone is palpable in her voice.

…

"No," Izuku outright says. "I wouldn't even consider such a thing with how Toga is now. She's not mentally sound; relationships with her are doomed to fail. Especially with her overarching obsession of bloodletting her supposed 'love interests.' Surely you picked up on those signs as you interacted with her?"

"I mean… a bit. But I think that you're just being harsh on the girl."

"Please. I've spent more time individually looking over every inch of your lives than the possible time you could've spent with Toga today. Trust me when I say I know you all."

"Oh yeah? Then what do you know about me then, if you're so confident in your know-to?"

Izuku shoots back effortlessly.

"Nine armed robberies, twenty-nine attempted murders, three cases of murder. That was when I first met you," Izuku states. "Since then you've committed two other armed robberies. And three additional attempted murders. But I'm sure that isn't what you meant."

"I—"

"You're brutal and unrelenting, but there is a root cause. All your life you've felt trapped. First under the thumb of an oppressive aunt and uncle, and then from the world when you came to realize your true identity. Your family sought you to grow into an exceptional individual, with no care for your own desires. You could handle it. At first. Did so for seventeen years. But then they grew to become more controlling, more constricting. More… judgemental. You snapped."

"You decided that you didn't care for what they thought of you. Didn't care for what anyone cared for you. And so here you are now, living by your own rules and sentiments. You won't let anyone control you; first sign of it and you leave. Or… commit some murder, as you've shown in the past."

"But that's a sort of quality that I can admire from you," Izuku continues. "Not the murder part, of course. There's a time and place for that, and the act shouldn't be handled just on a whim."

"No, what I mean are your characteristics. You're relentless to a tee, and won't let others suppress you from what you want to do. You're determined, innately so, and will defend anybody that you consider a friend until the very end. You've taken up the mantle of the protective untamed beast so others won't have to, striving to defend others so they can continue to experience the same freedom you've discovered for yourself. That's the basis of who you are, Hikishi Kenji, and it truly is remarkable."

Hikishi is silent at that, whether in awe or stunned terror Izuku isn't quite sure. Nevertheless, he let's her soak in his words, focusing on his work as he allows her to think.

Minutes pass, and eventually Hikishi breaks the silence once more.

"I have a question for you. If you don't mind me asking."

"Go ahead and ask," Izuku says. "But I grant no promise of giving you an actual answer."

Hikishi nods. "On your laptop." She points to the device in question. "What are you doing on it? I can't exactly think up what you could possibly be doing with all that typing."

Izuku gives the question a moment's thought before he answers. "Work. Now that our group has experienced a rather bountiful increase of new official members, I'm doubling down on things that keep this place afloat; leads and odd-ends that drive our operations as well as a database that helps determine who my next target will be."

"And how exactly do you do that?"

"Want to see?"

Hikishi takes a few seconds before nodding.

Izuku turns the laptop slightly in her direction, just enough both for her to see and for him to continue working.

"With a rather in-depth knowledge of the technical aspect of things, you can find a whole lot of things most people aren't privy to. But that requires some things first."

"You need to know how to hack into places that don't want you to see what's hidden behind their firewalls. You need to know how to keep backdoors up and hidden so information can be at the tips of your fingers at all times. And you need to know how to track a lowly criminal from one point of the country to another in order to catch them where they don't want others to catch them. And then there is the less-considered method — picking up trails by scouring the Internet for pick-me-ups."

"Uh… huh." Hikishi takes another drink. "Say that I understood half of what you said. Tell me what looking up things on the Internet can do to help you. Because right now it just looks like you're browsing a hero support gear website."

Izuku holds back a sigh. "Ah, but that's the wonder of the thing. You wouldn't know it, but I'm actually checking up on a… let's say ally, who's breached the ranks of this company."

Hikishi blinks. "You saying that you got a contact entrenched in a support company? Don't they vet people like crazy in those places?"

"Exactly my point," Izuku cheers.

"Hmm… I… guess that that silver tongue of yours really is quite the weapon. It worked on me after all; and it took me weeks before I realized it."

Izuku shrugs. "What can I say? I just speak from my heart. The truth is sometimes the most effective of persuaders, did you know?"

"I'm sure it is." Izuku can hear her eyes rolling as the words fall off her tongue. Likely too sappy for her tastes.

"Aside from that, because I'm sure as hell not giving you the identity of my man on the inside…" Izuku switches tabs, and opens a few windows all at once. "This laptop of mine eases up my workload tenfold. For example, right now all of these windows showcase people or places of interest."

"Like what?" Hikishi asks. "Hero agencies? Prisons? Banks and stuff?"

"Please," Izuku chides. "The consideration of all those things is born from the mindset of someone who doesn't look to the future. Which is true; you live in the present. But that sort of outlook isn't what allows an organization to prosper far. No offense, of course."

"Only a little taken. And I will get you back for it later." Another swig. "But go ahead. I want to see what that mighty brain of yours is thinking then, if my logic is so flawed."

Izuku nods. "Well. You were partially there when you mentioned hero agencies. But with the way you were implying it, you were thinking of a raid on such a place. A plan which is unnecessarily fatalistic to getting caught. Unless you take hostages and/or have an escape route, attacking a hero agency is not something I recommend unless you can take it out and all the heroes inside of it in one go. But think of it like this: what purpose would that even do, aside from causing unneeded panic and destruction?"

"No," Izuku says. "What you want to focus on is a hero's day-to-day life. Individual patrol routes, places they stop to take a break or get a meal… things like that. Places where you can catch them unguarded or — better yet — alone and isolated from backup. Of course, none of this is for me. Knowledge like this is for Stain, rather."

"Right. Almost forgot that he's a part of all this," Hikishi mutters. "Where's he been? I mean, we've had meetings and he's never shown. What's up with that?"

"Ehhhhh. Stain's more of a… free agent, you can call him. He gets his resources from us, I point him in the right direction, and he does what he's good at. He won't be part of any of our future operations, if that's what you're wondering. And you catching a glimpse of him has a possibility of almost zero."

"Now," Izuku continues, "back to the real beauty of all this information." He looks to Hikishi. "You are aware of other groups like us out there, just waiting for their moment to strike?"

"What? Like the yakuza?"

Izuke shakes his head. "No, no. Not them. More… opportunistic groups. Ones with ideals. I'll give you an example. You know of Destro, correct?"

"You mean that revolutionary leader from a century ago that advocated for the freedom of quirk usage and for rights of quirked individuals? And spurned a reign of terror across several countries all at once?" Hikishi scoffs. "Of course I do. You'd have to be stupid not to."

"Then I'm sure that you're aware of how close he got to success. And of course, the abrupt way that his vision never saw the light of day. As well as the fall from grace of the Meta Liberation Army that came afterwards."

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"We're getting there. Now, I'll ask you: Would you believe me if I told you that his movement is still around, alive and kicking and just licking their wounds? Just waiting for the day they can strike out against the heroes to make Destro's dream into reality?"

"But Destro's dead," Hikishi says, matter of factly. "And his son very publicly discredited his father's ideals."

"Ah. But you see. What of his grandson? Have you ever heard a word from him?"

Hikishi furrows her brows in though, no doubt trying to remember an instance where the individual in question had come up in recent history. She comes up blank.

"That's what I thought," Izuku says. "Isn't it a treat, knowing about all the dark and twisted things festering, away from the watchful heroes' eyes? Knowing that one day the past will come to bite them back?"

"I'd be lying if I said no," Hikishi concedes. "But in that case, why aren't we working with them? Surely an alliance would benefit us?"

Izuku sighs. "That's what you'd think. But alas, I don't see any sort of working relationship ever sprouting between our organization and theirs. From their perspective, we're pretty much babies after all. Even if we have done what nobody ever could and broke right into the heart of Yuuei. We simply don't have an extensive enough history."

"Plus… I can't quite get behind their tactics and ideals. Too sacrificial, too extremist — too far disjointed and disconnected are their leaders from their followers. It's not the type of ship I want running here."

Izuku lets out a laugh. "Though, that's nothing in comparison to certain other groups. They honestly stand at the tip of the iceberg; there are way worse groups that we could end up mingling with. To give you a taste of what I mean… What do you know about the Creature Rejection Clan?"

Hikishi makes a face upon their mention. "You mean those disgusting quirkist bastards who see people with mutation quirks as the scum of the universe? Fuck those guys!"

"Exactly my point. They aren't exactly people that we want to be hanging around with… Rather, they're people that we should be seeking out in order to destroy them from the ground up, hm?"

"Oh? I like the sound of that."

"I thought you would, seeing your earlier reaction to what Nakajima and I did tonight."

"Heh." Himishi downs another drink all in one go. "Wouldn't happen to have plans on bringing me on one of those field trips, hmm?"

"Not at the moment, no. Though I promise the call if the scenario changes. At the very least, I would accept where all your desires to bash people's heads in would be going."

"Haha!" Hikishi guffaws. "I really do like how you think, Izuku. "Looks like you're going to be a nice enough boss." She points a finger at him. "But don't think that means you're off the hook. I'm still holding my breath."

Izuku smirks underneath his mask. "I would have been disappointed if you weren't."

A/N: Hmm. Not much to say except to expect more of these sorts of scenarios for a bit. Stay tuned…