Chapter 47: Midoriya Izuku XLII

A/N: And here goes the encounter with Hawks. It won't be quite like how some of you expected, but nonetheless, here we go…

Hawks, as the vast public knows him at least, is the pinnacle of what a hero should be. Ranking in the top tens barely half a year from his debut — youngest in history to ever do so — would be evidence enough to most.

The fact that he would four years down the line attain the ranking of third overall while, in his own words, "not even trying," would prove the fact even more so.

Where All Might inspires the people through his over-embellished antics and Endeavor radiates an aura of force and authority to quell those that oppose him, Hawks effortlessly endears himself to the masses through his calm and collected demeanor — whether he actually intends to or not.

But Izuku views the Winged Hero from a different perspective.

After all, as far as any normal investigator would find out if they so tried to, Takami Keigo doesn't exist. Nothing on the man can be found on public record, and the man seemingly sprung up from out of nowhere when he first founded his own agency at the age of eighteen.

For six years to this very day, Hawks had steadily gained the hearts and minds of Japan's wide and vast populace, all while displaying training and skills anyone would be hard pressed to receive outside of the likes of Yuuei.

Public records expunged, little to his name, and yet with such popular renown and backing in high places, to most Hawks would be a mystery unable to be unraveled.

But to Izuku, the truth is simple.

After all, as an agent who played a role dictating the covert operations of the Hero Public Safety Commission, Lady Nagant displayed the same intricacies of mind and glaring holes in her records.

It's a subtle thing, but when one looks deeply enough it becomes clear. The HPSC benefits largely from nearly every major action Hawks has ever done. Most operations that involve Hawks are highly covert, if not black-ops in nature. And despite having nothing to his name, Hawks receives funding and the means of authority that would normally be impossible if without a huge entity backing one's actions.

Though, be that as may be, although Hawks is an attack dog (err… bird) of the Commision, Izuku doesn't wish to hurt the man without knowing his full story. Lady Nagant's defection being reason enough why — who knows what the Commission may have done to bring Hawks to their heel?

"Spinner," Izuku says, voice calm but stern.

"Yes sir!" Spinner straightens his back, plants his feet together and adopts a steady salute. "What are your orders, sir!"

Izuku makes a mental remark to remind Spinner not to refer to him as 'sir' later — if there even is a later. There are more important things to worry about at the moment, however.

"Dumpster, three meters behind us. Conceal yourself behind it and take ready position in preparation for aerial assault."

"Of course!" Spinner says, moving without even a hint of hesitation. "Who are we facing up against, if I may ask?"

"Hawks," Izuku says, plainly.

"Ah." Spinner says. He lets out a chuckle. "You know, for a second there I thought that you had said… Ah shit!"

"Cover, Spinner!"

"R-right!" He ducks behind the dumpster, unsheathing his sword as he finds himself in position. He takes a moment to peek out from his hiding place, eyes bulging as he realizes Izuku to be in the same position as before. "Whisper sir! What about you?"

"Hiding would do me no favor. I'm certain that he's already aware of us, however it may be. And as it stands I don't have the proper instruments to defeat him at the moment. An all-out brawl would not be in our favor."

Izuku lets out a sigh. "So I'll try talking to him first. I have no choice but to do so. If not… Well, I still have a few aces up my sleeves…"

"But then why am I—"

"A test for our fair feathered friend," Izuku interrupts. "And we shall see what the results entail in a few moments."

The man-sized projectile blasting through the air begins to slow with its downward descent. A pair of enormous red wings eventually unfurl, allowing for a breakneck end toHawks' flight. With a few more flaps, the man's feet touch the ground a few meters away from Izuku's own position.

Both of the hero's wings fold back into themselves once the wind dies down. One of Hawks' hands tucks itself into the pockets of his costume. The other slowly rises up. What Izuku doesn't expect is rather than some sort of attack, he's met with a rather lackadaisical wave in greeting.

"Yo."

Izuku blinks. You're kidding me. He looks over at Hawks, watching as the hero tucks his other hand into his jacket pocket. One of his wings even stretches back to touch the ground, allowing the Winged Hero to use it as support to hold him up as he leans back into it. Guess the reports really weren't exaggerating on his haltingly casual nature.

However, Izuku's initial impressions change when he catches a glimpse of the hero's eyes. Just one look, and Izuku can see that the hero's constant lazed expression is but a simple veil. A fire of intelligence and cunning burns through his eyes, calculating and vying for every next step.

They stare at each other in silence for a full minute. It takes the entire span of time for Izuku to realize that Hawks must be expecting a greeting in return. A realization which, in all honesty, Izuku sees as an opportunity of a lifetime.

After all, just a simple glance has given me so much. A whole conversation with Hawks, however? It could be eye-opening. Pivotal to events to come, even. If I play my cards right…

"Hello," Izuku calls out with his quirk. He makes sure that the voice he's emitting sticks to the normal parameters of how a voice would come from his mouth, however. He doesn't want Hawks to feel threatened in any way, not if all he's here for is to talk.

"Heh." Hawks smiles in return. "And here I was starting to believe that you wouldn't be courteous back. Nice to see cordial villains still exist, even if they are few and far between."

Izuku lets out a noncommittal hum. "How'd you find me?"

Hawks shrugs. "My wings are the only things I've inherited from birds of prey, you know."

It takes Izuku mere moments to connect the dots. He had been looking at the answer mere moments ago, after all. "Your eyes."

"Mmmhm."

"I… was not aware of that peculiar feature of yours," Izuku slowly admits.

"Oh, I'm aware. I don't advertise it. In fact, you're now one of the select few who knows about it. I can even say that for those who know, I can count on one hand."

"And you're telling me… why? I could have that tidbit plastered all over the internet. Sure, it's nothing revolutionary. But even the slightest advantage can prove crucial to a scenario."

"You speak the truth. And, of course, you could spread it around. Or you won't. It's a test, really."

"Test?" Izuku questions. "A test for what?"

"Mmm." Hawks shrugs once more. "My curiosity."

Behind his mask, Izuku's eyes narrow in suspicion. "And do tell; why are you here, exactly?"

Hawks retracts his wing from the ground, pushing himself into a standing position. "Can't a man just be curious?"

"And mere curiosity led you to confront me out of the blue?" Izuku lets out an unsteady laugh. "You know what they say curiosity did to the cat. How would you even fare, given you're a mere bird?"

"You truly think that you could best me in a fight as you are now?" Hawks smirks. "My, such big words for such a small fry."

"Hey!" Spinner abruptly retorts from his position. "Whisper is not small fry!"

"Spinner," Izuku says warningly. He turns back to Hawks. "You call me small fry. Despite my resounding effect on the country, you call me, you could say, a mere bug playing in a web full of spiders. Why's that?" He asks, genuinely interested in the man's interpretation.

Hawks removes his hands from his pockets, only to then do some exercises with them to loosen them up. "There's no denying that you've left a lasting impression on the populace and the world at large, sure. But in truth at the moment you haven't actually done anything worthwhile. You're responsible for the arrests of hundreds of individuals, but very few of those are even remotely distinguishable."

"Scythe the Eye-Reaper?" Hawks mentions. "A serial killer, but even a new graduate from Yuuei could have dealt with him. Gavel the Rock? Inexperienced and sloppy. Futashu Uta? A budding serial burglar who stole millions, but never actually harmed a hair on a single civilian."

"So what?" Izuku interrupts. "You're barely scratching the surface of those that I've punished. Are you not trivializing my accomplishments?"

"Nothing of the sort," Hawks waves him off. "But even your peers have more noteworthy feats to their names. Stain? An absolute menace that rends everything in his path. That individual with the warp gate quirk you're allies with? He's been a massive thorn on our side for years. And yet he evades us, even with All Might's help."

"Well that's not fair. Both of them have been around far longer than I have," Izuku argues. "You admit that you can recognize my skill in taking down street-level thugs. But what if my strengths don't lie there? What if my talents are best utilized off the battlefield itself?"

Hawks lets out a laugh at the implications. "Then maybe we're all already doomed and we just don't know it yet."

Izuku scoffs, "Enough. Amused I may be, I'm tired of all this playing around. I'll ask again: why are you here?"

Hawks folds his hands out in front of him. "I just want to talk."

The man's statement registers as 'true' to his quirk. But Izuku can't quite believe it.

Hawks says this, and yet Izuku senses dozens of feathers being telekinetically guided through the air, concealing themselves away from his eyes and planted in positions to be rained down upon him.

"Do you think me stupid?" Izuku yells, bouncing a deep, baritone abound the walls of the alley.

"Now," Hawks begins, unfazed by Izuku's display, "I'd be stupid to think that. I, of course, know that you can track all forty-seven of my currently active feathers with ease. In all honesty, they're mostly for your friend there." He points to the spot Spinner's hidden behind. "I'm not familiar with him after all; no telling how rashly he can act."

"Wait. ME?" Spinner calls out in a panic. "What feathers? Whisper, help me out, man!"

"Just stay calm, Spinner," Izuku soothes. "You have nothing to worry about."

"That's what I like to hear." Hawks claps his hands together. "Nice to see that you're polite and sensible. Not a common feature these days with villains. Just for that, I think it's time I start. You deserve some answers, I personally think."

Izuku nods. "That's nice to hear. I won't keep you then. And neither will my subordinate with any other unneeded exclamations."

Hawks clears his throat. "Well, let's see. I won't lie. I've been looking for you for a while now — since you started your vigilante escapades, to be precise. I'll admit, you're one tough individual to find. It was pure chance that I spotted you tonight."

"I'll be blunt," Hawks continues, "At first I had been searching for you to see if you'd be interested in recruitment. That changed when I learned of what you'd done with the League."

"Then why are you here?" Izuku cuts in.

"Because. Since then you've gone back to your apparent roots, striking fear in the hearts of street level scum." Hawks smirks. "Barring the recent incident on I-Island of course. But even then… your actions befitted more of a hero than a villain. So Whisper, tell me: what gives?"

Izuku narrows his eyes. "You wouldn't understand."

Hawks crosses his arms together in a huff. "Try me."

Izuku opens his mouth to deliver a retort, but stops himself. It is true that most people wouldn't understand, much less anyone masquerading at what they call a 'hero' nowadays.

However, Hawks is different. He isn't a normal hero, he's an individual who's been carefully crafted to unquestionably bend to the whims of the Commission. And Izuku knows what such a process entails; intimately knows what sort of kids are forcefully drafted into such a program.

So maybe…

"You're right," Izuku says after a moment. "You… you actually might." He clears his throat. "But before I… go on, tell me this: Are you here on command of the Commission?"

Hawks blinks. Very slowly. "Excuse me?"

Izuku snorts. "Don't play coy with me now. I'm aware of the intricacies of the Hero Public Safety Commission — the backroom dealings, the covert espionage, the practice of building up child soldiers," — Hawks flinches ever so slightly upon that last remark — "I know it all. That means that I know your position in their ranks. So tell me: are you because of them?"

Hawks licks his lips, eyes glued onto Izuku's unmoving form. After a while, he lets out a sigh. "Quite the mastermind, are you? I'm believing your words from earlier much more now, that's for sure." He shakes his head. "Yes," he answers. "And no."

Hawks cranes his neck. "The Commission asked me to watch for you, tail you. They're the ones who wanted to see if I could recruit you in the first place, and changed their minds after your… other debut."

"And eliminate me if possible, correct?" Izuku asks. "Because I've been causing too much of a stir? Changing things too fast and too drastically in my wake? Upsetting their carefully crafted balance?"

Hawks pauses, bobbing his head from side to side. "I suppose that I could perceive my orders that way, if I were to read between the lines and make a few inferences. I don't quite see the basis for what you are implying, however. Are you not someone striving after his own goals, toppling down all in his way?"

"And there's the clincher. I'm a symbol for change, and your masters can't even fathom allowing such a thing to continue existing, much less to continue growing. You were tasked to eliminate me and you have done so in the past with others, correct?"

Hawks gives a nod in affirmation.

"Then you play the same role as your predecessor."

"Predecessor?" Hawks asks.

"You don't know. Then you are out of the loop," Izuku concludes. "It is only reasonable of them. You are but still a fledgling in their eyes. Lady Nagant served them for two whole decades before she turned, after all. By then, she had seen all there was to know about the utterly despicable backroom politics of the HPSC."

Hawks cocks his head to the side. "But… Nagant was imprisoned for killing a fellow hero, wasn't she?"

"Was she?" Izuku chuckles. "I'll leave that to you to figure out."

Hawks narrows his eyes. "You know… the wealth of information that you've revealed to me tonight is rather concerning. What's to say that I won't wake up tomorrow to find everything you've said plastered all over the news?"

"Wasn't that what your test from earlier was for?" Izuku asks.

"My enhanced eyesight and all of… this are two vastly differing topics and you know it."

Izuku shrugs. "I've known about all of this for years. Why would I suddenly go spilling the beans now?"

Hawks hums. "And your friend?" He gestures towards the still present Spinner.

"Gag order. I guarantee that he won't tell a soul. I'll see to it."

"Hmph." Hawks smiles. He sets one of his wings back on the ground, using it once more as a support as he leans back into it. "Alright."

Izuku quirks an eyebrow. "Al— alright?"

"Alright," Hawks nods. "I'll take you for your word."

Izuku blinks, stunned. Never would he have thought Hawks to be a man so easily convinced. He had expected the need to go into vast rants and justifications for Hawks to even glimpse a bit of Izuku's intentions.

So why…

Izuku's eyes widen in realization.

"Wordplay."

Hawks raises an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

"You said 'mostly' a while ago when you referenced your feathers. Which means that they were for Spinner, but also out with a purpose in mind for me. And this entire talk, you've been relaxed; calm. Despite the fact that I can call for reinforcements on a whim, or potentially have a plot to see to your defeat. But that's just it; you know that I won't because of your feathers. You're using them to sense the vibrations in the air just as I do, aren't you? Sensing to see if I'm lying?"

Hawks lets out a dark chuckle. "Seems you're really as smart as they say." He sighs. "Though, I can't say that my feathers are quite as precise as what you can do."

Hawks takes a breath, crossing his arms. "What are your goals, Whisper?"

Izuku hums. "In short? A just and kind world, where equality and inclusiveness reigns and animosity is thrown out. A world where people don't suffer for the characteristics they are born with, where people aren't discriminated against because of some slight inconsistency that sets them apart from the norm. My methods may be harsh, but that's what I want. Plain and simple"

Izuku cranes his neck towards the hero opposite of him. "And you, Hawks? What drives you? What gets you up in the morning?"

Hawks clicks his tongue. "Can't say that I have something nearly as detailed as yours. All I strive for is a world where heroes can live in boredom. When downtime becomes the norm, rather than the exception."

Izuku finds a smile steadily growing under his mask. "Seems that our goals align then."

"Do they now?"

"You tell me, Hawks." The amusement is clear in Izuku's voice. "Don't they?"

Hawks kicks himself up from his leaning stance. "That's a good question, Whisper… I'll… have to get back to you on that."

"Oh? Implying that we'll be talking again?"

"I guarantee it." Hawks unfurls his wings. The surrounding feathers hidden in the alley fly back towards Hawks, reforming his wings back to their full size. "Well. I should be going. My handlers might get too suspicious if I lounge around and hold them up for any longer."

"Actually letting me go then?"

"I will be obligated to arrest you next time we meet."

Izuku nods. "Nice to know."

Hawks nods back. "See ya." His wings spread out, as he looks up to the sky. One one powerful flap of his wings, he launches up into the air and out above the clouds.

Izuku simply watches the hero's departure, listening in through his quirk until Hawks is out of range. He gives himself a satisfied nod and lets out a pleasurable sigh. He then turns around to face Spinner, who's already sheathed his sword and left his previous hiding spot, eyes also following the steadily shrinking blur in the distance.

"Holy shit," Spinner whispers. His head jerks over to Izuku. "Whisper, what was that? You just talk no jutsu'd us out from certain death!" He falls down to his knees, prostrating himself. "All of my doubts have been vanquished! I'm ready to serve however please you until my services are retained back to Stain! Please, use me as you wish!"

Izuku lets out a sigh, this one though devoid of his previous satisfaction. "Yeah yeah. Come on, let's get ourselves back to base."

A/N: Training Camp approaches. Although not the next chapter… Soon. Very soon.