Chapter 7: The Storm's Embrace
"Die!" The stone villain yelled as he swung his fist towards Midoriya, but he was used to dealing with Bakugo, and had watched heroes and villains fight his entire life. He might not have experience, but he had seen enough battles to understand the mechanics.
"No." He replied, dodging the attack and rushing over to the side, his tail whipping the man as he went. He had trained in this form for weeks, he knew how to make use of every part of it, even if he was a larger target, he was also far more flexible and faster than before.
There was another swing at him, but he leaned back to avoid it, quickly snapping back into position and jumping over the follow-up, his tail once more smacking the man, angering him. "Damn, you're a slippery one!" This went on for a few minutes. Izuku not attacking, but instead dodging and evading blows which landing light tail smacks at his elbows and shoulders, testing the joints for any weak-point he could use.
'I need to end this quickly.' He thought to himself, as he couldn't just let this continue. Sooner or later, he'll either get tired, or the other villains would just leave them. with that thought in mind, when he ducked under a backhand, he didn't move back but went forward, pulling his fist back and slamming it into the villain's gut. His attack, which might have been stronger than what he could do in human form, didn't do much against the stone covered muscle as the villain laughed.
"Nice try, kid. You're fast but that's all you got!" He mocked as Midoriya tried to make distance to rethink this, but he was too slow as the villain managed to grab onto his arm and drag him back, his first geared. Izuku didn't have time to think as he just brought up his other hand to block the blow, which landed with far more power then his own, as the stone scales covering his arm cracked while green lava like blood was spilled.
'Finally, landed one.' Seeing the damage on the retreating brat, the villain smirked. But that smirk turned to disbelief as he watched as what should have been a broken arm repaired itself, with the scales stitching together like new while the arm, which was slightly bent snapped back into place. In less than 10 seconds, his blow might as well never happened. 'What the hell? Is he healing?' He hadn't ever fought someone with regenerative abilities, this will be a pain.
Still, he wasn't about to back out from this as he smashed his fists together. If the brat could heal, then he'll just beat him faster! "Looks like you're be an annoying ant to smash into the dirt." Rushing Midoriya again, he launched a fury of blows against him, many of which Midoriya was forced to evade but a few did get through, hitting his arms and chest.
However, Midoriya wasn't idle in this as he too had a new plan in the works, using his tail as a shield, he managed to buy himself a few moments to take in a deep breath before firing off another attack. "Serpent's Fire Scales!" The attack came out like a normal fire ball, pushing the villain back and giving him space before it exploded into 15 smaller fireballs that surrounded the villain. He cursed as he tried to swat them away, and move to avoid them, but he only managed to destroy 2 and avoid 4, the other 9 struck home at different points such as the back of his knees, his elbows, chest, neck head.
Midoriya waited for the smoke to clear from the attack, couching to give himself a little boast should be need to retreat. "Did that do the trick?" There was faint moment in the smoke, but his eyes widened when from it, the villain rushed him, faster than before.
His clothes might have been destroyed, leaving him with just burnt pants, but he was still standing. Izuku tried to jump back but the villain managed to grab him once more. "Not even close, brat!" With a throw, he sent the boy flying into a car, crashing into it with such force that the vehicle was knocked onto its side, with Midoriya in a dent shaped like himself.
While the boy was still seeing stars, the villain reached for another car, grabbing it with both hands and picking it up over his head. "And now, to end this farce!" If he had to do some serious damage, then he'll flatten the kid with a car!
However, he felt a slight pinch on his elbow, where there was no stone. Looking, he saw that the snake that the brat had brought with him had managed to climb onto him and bite him. "Really, this is just sad, what's next, you're gonna send rats after me?" He asked, dropping the car with a crash and grabbing the snake, tightening his grip on the reptile which started to squirm as he felt its fragile bones buckle and crack.
Right as he was about to kill the damned animal and get back to the fight, Midoriya slammed into him like a wrecking ball of smoke and fire, sending him tumbling back some ways, Koharu free from his grasp. The injured snake was now being held in Izuku's arms, as he hissed towards the villain, his flaming eyes burning even brighter than before, conveying a deep protectiveness, and anger. "No one hurts my friends, no one!" He hissed.
"Hey, wait a minute, I recognise that brat! He's the guy that managed to get away from All Might!" One of them finally realized who he was, and with that, others followed as while it might have been months, and more exciting stuff had happened since, the number of villains that could say they managed to escape All Might, even briefly was a short list.
"Oh yeah, he's that Tatooine Arsonist, shit what the hell is he doing here?" Another asked, feeling a tad bit scared as they could all recall the damage the kid left in his wake, rumor was that he torched another dude to ash for shits and giggles.
The villain's leader hated this, he could accept that the fodder around them was getting ready to shit their pants, but he expected better from his crew! "Shut your traps! So, he run from All Might, so what? All that means is that's just a coward." Midoriya didn't hear any of this, his attention remained on Koharu as he inspected her injuries, cooing to calm her while his anger at the monster that would harm his friend was grew.
"I'm sorry for getting you into trouble, Koharu, that was reckless of me." Without hesitation, he spewed out flames from his mouth, engulfing the serpent in emerald flames, shocking the people and villains alike that he would do something like that to his own pet. They had heard that he was a pyromaniac but it was clear the stories didn't do him justice as he was insane. With seemingly no care, he tossed the still burning away, his attention shifting back to the villains who now felt like they should leave the crazy person be.
He doesn't say anything, nor offer them another chance to surrender as he can see that they won't take it, instead he rushed the leader for a change, his speed catching the man off guard as it was faster than before when he was just dodging. But that didn't make him anymore experience in a fight as his punch was horribly telepathed as the villain merely backhanded him. "Is that all you go-!" His gloating was interrupted when Midoriya's tail shot out from behind him, and wrapped around the villain's extended arm, immediately heating up the jagged rock that covered his skin.
Midoriya had known he was at a disadvantage, but used that to his advantage as he knew the villain would underestimate him. When he was struck, he put his plan into motion and capitalizing on the momentum, he threw himself forward and hugged the villain, wrapping himself around and increasing his already high body temperature before he burst into flames. The villain's screams of struggle and pain meaning little to him as he tried in vain to escape, but like a snake, every movement he made only made it all the easier for Izuku to tighten his grip over him.
"Boss!" The rest screamed, seeing their boss started to struggle as he was restrained by this kid that seemed to want to cook him alive.
"Help him!" Another yelled, with the group rushing to help, others preparing their quirks to attack from a distance, but Izuku wouldn't have it. turning to them, he took a deep breathe, creating fire in his chest and letting it build and fester before he unleashed a torrent of emerald flames.
"Boa Flame!" From his mouth, the deluge of flames took shape, becoming a massive emerald snake that shot towards the now terrified villains, trapping them into a vortex of flames where the heat and flames ripped screams from their throats. This wasn't the only thing that happened as the snake, with its prey trapped, exploded. In its wake, it left the entire group of villains seriously burnt and defeated.
The sight of this stunned those that saw it, as with just a single attack, Midoriya had taken care of the entire group, bar the leader who watched in with fear, a fear that only grew as Izuku turned his gaze back to him, the emerald flames that made up his eyes conveying a deep sense of…joy. "Well, that takes care of that, now I can focus on you." He started feeling the heat penetrate his armour, getting to his skin and hurting him more.
Izuku picked up on this, and seemed to grow more pleased with himself as he leaned in close to whisper into his ear, his hold on the man ever tightening, increasing the pressure and heat flowing into him. "You're feeling it now, aren't you? The heat, the fire? I figured that your quirk boasted your defense, but while rock doesn't normally burn…it can transfer heat."
"Get…off!" He tried to headbutt him, but all he got was a bloody forehead while Izuku's stone mask of a face was left undamaged, or it was and he couldn't tell as his vision started to blur from the tears.
"No. I won't" Izuku wrapped his arms around the man in a perverted variation of a hug from a friend, continued to whisper to him. "Doesn't it feel good, the flames are so inviting, they're so loving, aren't they?" This kid was insane, pure and utterly fucked in the head!
"Please…I…I surrender, let me go!" He started to beg, forget his dreams, forget his pride. If he didn't do something, they wouldn't need to worry about cremating him later.
"Don't fear the flames," His dread grew to new heights as Izuku opened his mouth, letting the man see that within, he no teeth, tongue or any other flesh. Instead, he saw pulsating veins of emerald, along with a building inferno in near the back. "Welcome their embrace." He didn't have time to beg anymore before he was engulfed in the flames, screaming as they ate away at his body as his quirk failed, leaving him with nothing to protect himself from the bright flames that continued to feast on him like ravenous piranhas would on a carcass.
After a few seconds, the flames ceased as Midoriya gently lowered his defeated foe to the ground before turning to the people, the biggest smile he could make with his stone mask of a face on full display as he couldn't help but feel accomplished. These people had helped him, supported him and he had been able to repay that in full. "You'll all safe now-!" He stopped when he saw that no-one was happy, or relieved.
Instead, they were terrified, as if the reaper himself stood before them ready to claim their lives. Most of the police, both those unharmed and those that had been taken out earlier, were up and all aiming their weapons at him, their fear mixed in with rage which left him feeling confused and scared as he remembered seeing those looks before, and how that ended.
"Hands in the air, villain!" One of the yelled at him, when he tried to move forward, arms outreached to explain himself, the cop pointed his gun into the air and fired it, the crack silencing any attempt from him.
"No sudden movements or the next one won't be a warning shot!" He yelled again, with Izuku looking around, his emotions started to flare in him as he looked at people he knew, people he spoke with, that had been so nice to him looking at him like he as much a villain as the ones he just took down, and he didn't like it!
"Surrender, murderer!" Another yelled as he whipped his head to the side to face them.
"Murder? I didn't murder anyo-!" Taking a step forward, the cop, with fear, confusion and rage swirling in his eyes, shot him with the bullet that would have no doubt been enough to injure if not kill most, villains and heroes alike, it just ricocheted off his stone skin, not even have the power needed to dent or chip him. Despite the shot doing nothing to harm him, the fact that he was the one they decided to shoot infuriated him, fueling his flames as his ambient temperature rose.
"Not another step!" He hissed at the cop, a response which made them take steps back as the bystanders fled the scene, not wanting to be anywhere close to the pyromaniac when he exploded. And explode he did as he breathed out a large stream of flames at one side of the police, forcing them to run for cover while the others opened fire, but like with the first one, their bullets only further angered him, leading him to spew flames all over the place.
"I'm not a murderer!" He yelled at them, his words near lost in his voice that sent shivers down their spines, as they could feel the rocks that formed his interior heating and shattering in his words.
"When will the heroes get here?" One asked as they hid behind a wall, the yellow and red flames from earlier slowly being replaced by emerald ones which seemed to burn all that they touched.
"They'll still 20 minutes away!" The second one yelled back, before they both dived for cover as piece of the building, they were closest to crumbled and would have crushed them otherwise. As Izuku advanced, having grown sick and tired of people calling him a villain, he was hit by a powerful blast of water from behind which got a scream from him.
Falling to his knees, seeing through the steam was that being rapidly made from the water trying to douse him, he saw that it was a fire truck. "Stop that, it hurts!" Covering himself with an arm, he built up flames in his mouth before launching a fireball, smaller than his others, towards the truck, forcing the firefighters to all jump for cover.
"Crap!" His fireball didn't so much explode upon contact with the truck, as it did heavily damage it, but this was enough for the water to stop as he willed his heat to rise again. But even as he become an inferno, he couldn't understand it. Why did they do this? Why did they attack him? Why reject him? Didn't he do the right thing, did he not act like a hero and save them?
His anger rising and patience's in short supply, the continued gunfire only set him off as he took another breath, if they wanted to fight, he'll give them a fight!
"Serpent's Fire Scales!" His fireball shot out, exploding into smaller ones that each struck a cop, burning them and sending into their backs or sides where they groaned in pain.
"I'm not bad, you are!" He yelled, seeing red to such an extent that he prepared to just them then there and there, but at the moment, the skies started to fill with dark clouds, faster than anything that could be considered normal as thunder started to rumble through the air.
This flash storm stopped the fight as Izuku looked up the heavens, wondering if this was a sign from on high, and if he should even listen when he had been cursed to live among people that saw him as a inherent threat. Lightning was his answer as out of nowhere, a massive lightning bolt came crashing into the town, destroying an entire building and sending people into a fear fueled frenzy as they all run for their lives. More strikes came, hitting other buildings and vehicles, but he noticed that none of them hit anywhere near him. He doesn't give it any further thought as he runs over to where Koharu had landed, finding the serpent once again healthy as he scooped her up and run off, never seeing the cause of the sudden and violent lightning.
Above it all, Nine watched the entire fight as it went down, and found himself impressed as Midoriya had performed far better then he thought. He also felt an familiar irritation when he saw how despite his efforts, the fools rejected him and had the gall to attack. It didn't do them much good, but he decided then was a good time to offer him an out, so he used his control over the weather to summon a localized storm.
Feeling his body start to fall, he cancelled it and flew off after the boy, coughing into his hand and grimacing when he saw the blood spatter.
Izuku had just arrived at the temple, rushing through its entrance towards his room, having released his transformed form a while back, he was quick to get a change of clothes, even if he still felt betrayed and angry about the earlier events.
"Why can't anyone accept me? I did good, right?" He didn't bother fixing his hair up, his hands too twitchy for that as he looked to Koharu, who had settled into her normal spot around his neck and shoulders. In response, she merely nuzzled his cheek, which helped as he reached for her and gently stroked her head. "Well, you're the only one that thinks that."
Looking out the window, he couldn't help but appreciate the mountain beauty, how peaceful this place…was. He had grown attached, to it and his duties as while he couldn't be a hero, he found something to give him purpose. But…that was all over wasn't it.
Sparring Koharu a sad smile, he spoke up. "It was fun while it lasted…but it's time for me to move on, no way they aren't going to come here, torches and pitchforks in hand." She seemed to share his dejection over this as she had been born in these mountains, would have probably died in them too if not for him. She liked living there too, but she liked being with him more so she got off him and watched him pack stuff.
He had left his shopping behind, but he had enough clothing, supplies and other equipment to last a while. Maybe this time they could head north, maybe Gunma, it was known for its hot springs. Perhaps he should go further, he could always rough it in the Fukushima wilderness. Yeah, that one seemed like the better option, especially as he has no desire to repeat this.
Grabbing both Koharu and the half full bag, he run into the kitchen to collect any food that could last more then a week, finding mainly cans which will have to do as he grabbed several of those and a can opener. Heading to the back, he opened the tool shed and gathered additional tools like a bucket, some fishing equipment and basic tools. With his bag now filled to bursting, he closed the place, checked on the flame one last time where he said a prayer and made his way to the entrance.
Only to see that he wasn't the only one there as standing in the middle of the path, blocking his retreat was a strange man, pale skinned and unfamiliar to him. he immediately realized that whoever this was, wasn't normal as there was no way he didn't see him on the way up, nor could the townsfolk have got here so fast. Was he a hero? That wasn't good.
Shoving the bag behind him, he barred his teeth at the man, ready to fight him off if he had to. "Who are you?!"
If the man was insulted or provoked by his response to his presence, he didn't show it. Rather he just looked him over for a moment before he spoke. "I saw your fight, it was impressive, though the conclusion was regrettable."
There was…something in his voice that told Midoriya that he wasn't lying, but that didn't mean he wasn't an enemy, just that he wasn't one of those that hated him. "You'll be in the minority for having that opinion, are you here to fight too?"
"No." The man shook his head, his wet white hair kept in a fine ponytail while his grey eyes seemed as if they would be expressive, but at present were tightly kept under control, giving away nothing.
"Then I'll be on my way, if you want to say a pray and offer a donation, the shrine is down that way," He pointed down towards the place, gripping his bag tightly as he stepped off the engawa and slipped his feet into a fresh pair of shoes. "As for me, I gotta get out of here."
"That is…a shame," The man replied, still giving away little though he seemed to pause, as if thinking over his with that first statement. "I seem to recall seeing your snake injured and you setting it ablaze, is it another one?" He pointed towards Koharu, who took as much offense at being referred as 'it' as he did.
"She, and no…I just healed her and got her out of the fight." The man's eyes seemed to shrine at that revelation, something hidden there coming to the surface but still under the waters.
"She then, it seems that if a snake can see what I do, then those people were the issues, aren't they?" He asked him, with Izuku started to wonder who the hell this guy was, and why he was even entertaining him.
"She's my friend…and I protect my friends, even if I only have the one." He muttered that last part, though Nine still heard it and could sympathize with that, though at present, he didn't have anyone in his life that he would really do much for.
"An admirable trait, having something or in this, someone you'll willing to fight for." He praised him as Midoriya walked forward, intent on leaving while he still had enough time to cover up his tracks.
"Let me leave now." He expected the man to stop him, but instead he stepped aside, giving him right of way. As he walked, he kept his eye on him, picking up that underneath that coat he wore nothing else, that that there were faint purple cracks-no, scars on his body. Was he like him?
Nine continued to question him, though he made move to stop him. "And why is that? I didn't see you do anything that should warrant such a response, are you perhaps…going in a vacation?" Midoriya couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
"Vacations implies that I can come back, I don't have a choice in this, if I'm not gone soon, I'll have to deal with…I just need to get the hell out of here and put as much distance between me and this entire area as possible." He turned to the man, now wishing to see where this was going.
Nine walked to the side, and took a seat in the snow, his back leaning on one of the statues that lined the walkway. "And why is that?"
"You said you say it, right?" Nine nodded as Midoriya's frown turned just a little venomous, his anger still boiling close to the surface. "That's your answer, I displayed my villainous tendencies, I burnt people, I fought against police."
Nine cocked his head to the sight, his eyes remained expressionless but his tone carried with a spark of sympathy and understanding. "Strange, the way I saw it. You protected the weak, handled a villain and his gang with ease, and were fired upon by law enforcement." That was a lovely way to put it, though he doubted they or anyone else would see it like that. "If anything, its they that should be leaving."
"What are you saying? That I was in the right because it sure doesn't feel like it." He asked him, with Koharu being on edge with this man, there was something about him that reminded her of a fierce storm.
He shook his head. "No, the one what was wrong was the world. How else would you label a world that would brand someone that helped save lives, that defeated villains to be the guilty party." Midoriya, despite the odd and confusing vibes this man was giving off, couldn't disagree with his words as while his mother's rules and all the bad memories were still there, he also could see the hypocrisy and downright idiotic standards laid bare.
"Do you know what that is?" Nine could see that he had his interest, so he continued when Midoriya didn't stop him. "Because those without power fear those of us that do."
"Those with power…" Midoriya turned that statement over in his head, before he realized something as he turned back to the man. "Are you a villain as well?"
Nine didn't react in a way that implied he was surprised, angered or pleased. He didn't react at all as he merely thought about his response before speaking. "…I suppose you could call me that, I certainly fit the description that society has created." He had committed a few crimes, but never actively fought heroes, or engaged in what felt like tiring battles and ego feeding actions.
Midoriya on some level knew that this was a bad idea, that he should just leave now as he already had enough shit because people thought he was a villain, if he was seen with one, he'll never not be hunted. But…deeper than that, he felt like this person was legit, that he could understand that feeling more than any hero.
It was because of that that he didn't wish to refer to him as villain. "And what do you call yourself?"
Nine nodded, happy that Midoriya was started to see things for what they were. "Someone that wishes to change things, that rejects the world as it stands where one's fate is decided from the moment they're born, where the truly gifted are forced to crawl through the mud." Midoriya felt that strike a bell deep in his soul, one that hadn't been rung since All Might looked at him like a ravenous wild dog that needed to be put down.
Nine continued. "I want a world where the truly exceptional can rise, where luck and opinions of fears of the mases don't see people discarded like trash, abused or hunted like dogs."
"Who…" Izuku walked closer to him. "Are you?"
"I am Nine, that is all as I've long forgotten the name I was given at birth." Izuku didn't know what to feel about that, sad that a person could forget such a crucial part of themselves? Worried that he didn't seem to mind? Envious that he didn't have nearly as much baggage as he did?
As if he could read his mind, Nine stood up. "As for why I'm talking to you, it's because I see in you a kindred spirit, someone that hates the current order. Or am I wrong?" Izuku didn't bother denying it, it would have been false.
"People like us, people with power…we're nothing more the lions, trapped in zoos for the amusement of the masses. Our entire world are these cages, and should we ever attempt to escape, then we're the problem and need to be dealt with." Midoriya, upon hearing those words, recalled all the times he used his quirk, all the times he was told he was the problem, all the times he was shunned.
He hated it, he hated every second of it. But perhaps he just never considered what could be done about it, he had the power, why shouldn't he? Why should he defend a world order that would never see him as more than a villain in the making? As a monster that needed to kept in check.
Their conversation was halted when they heard engines in the distance, it seemed that the townsfolk were coming, and from the sound it, it was in force. Nine looked him in the eye, and for the first time since he appeared, Izuku was able to see through his grey eyes, seeing pain, hate, love and hope all blending together, swirling together like the eye of a mighty storm.
"So, Midoriya Izuku, do you intend to keep on running, or do you want to break out of the cage?" Nine asked him, and while Izuku would like to say he weighed the pros and cons, considered his words with a grain of salt considering he was a self-admitted villain, that would be a lie.
His eyes gaining a light to them as if they were fire, he grasped Nine's offered hand. "Let's change the world."
Below them, the mass of cars filled with volunteers, police and some heroes that had managed to get to town all raced up the mountain pass towards the temple, one mission in hand. They had already spotted the abandon cart half way the path, they just needed to corner the bastard before he could escape. Moments later, the sky darkened once more, and just like before, lightning bolts rained down on then, the first crashing just ahead of the lead car, causing its driver to veer to the side and crash into the side of the road, this panicked the other 3 drivers who all turned or slowed down, blocking the road.
Another bolt came down, hitting in the middle of the road, blowing the mother of all pot-holes into it, which a car struck, its depth busting its wheel right off the axel as the car, skid to the side and flipped. Another bolt caused a driver to panic as they tried to avoid it, but instead drove off into a deep ditch. More bolts comes down, some larger then others, others smaller but it didn't matter as it was like the Storm God himself was standing against them as not even the heroes knew what to do. They understood that it must have been a quirk, but from whom, and where?
High above, Izuku watched this, his body being held aloft by Nine, who used his weather manipulation to levitate him as he did himself. He was also using it to send down lightning bolts like they were stones thrown by a petulant child. "You really go control the skies." He spoke in awe of the man, but saw that those purples veins from before had only expanded, covering his entire body as the man looked close to passing out if his body didn't fail on him first.
"I do." He ground out, before Izuku breathed out a small inferno onto him, the man didn't curse or scream, already used to extreme pain but as quickly as it happened, it was over and to his amazement, he felt…fine, better then fine even. Even as he felt his cells start to deteriorate once more from him using his quirk, he looked towards Midoriya. The boy might have thought him godly, but what did that say about the being that healed Gods?
"We should do now, I can heal you but we're just draw attention if we stay." Izuku advised him, Koharu wrapped tightly around him lest she fell, in his hands he carried his bag of supplies as Nina nodded. As liberating as it was to use his quirk without needing to worry as much, they had a schedule to keep. He…They still had 3 others to find.
"Agreed, hold on tight. I've not done this before." Midoriya nodded as Nine willed them to fly off, the storm slowly dissipating to give them ample cover lest someone spot them by looking up.
"Could have fooled me." Midoriya muttered as Nine's control over his quirk was insane. Still, he couldn't help but smile as that little flame in his danced in joy at the prospect of creating a world where he could be himself and set fire to whatever he pleased.
It wasn't till an hour after the freak storm had passed that All Might was on the scene. He had been looking for the boy ever since he first escaped him, and he could have never imagined that he had fled to an old temple which he all but restored.
But as he stood in the main pathway, watching as police combed through the place with a fine-toothed comb to find clues as to where he could have vanished off to, he couldn't help but lament the fact he had been too slow.
His friend and one of the best detectives in Japan, Tsukauchi Naomasa, approached him. "Of all the places he could have been laying low, I wouldn't have picked a temple."
"One that he was working tirelessly to restore, so you see what I mean?" All Might asked him, as he had brought up his attentions to help the boy rather than arrest him multiple times, but the detective had been slow to agree.
"Yeah, no bad apple would go to such extremes if he was just hiding." But now, Tsukauchi felt like he'll need to be a idiot to ignore the evidence, but then there was the issue of what could happen after this. "Which only makes him running all the more concerning as from the reports, he must have had helped." That was the issue of the day. Nothing in his file or family background said anything about weather control, or lightning powers, yet in two separate and physically impossible situations, lightning rained down and provided him with an escape.
"But from who? He didn't have friends, or any known contacts that have quirks that are even related to lightning and storms." All Might asked him, worried that the boy was travelling with less then above board company.
"I'm worried that it was someone that wishes to use him." Tsukauchi feared that this was a classic case of a villain picking up children and forcing or manipulating them into fighting for them. it wasn't common, thank God, but when it did occur, it made handling the situation all the harder as how could anyone treat a child like a villain?
His thoughts were interrupted when a police men walked up to them, saluting his superior and the number one hero respectively. "Sir."
"Have you found anything?" He hoped that they found something, but the officer's head shake didn't inspire much confidence in him.
"Nothing much, just some clothing, personal items, and other things you would expect to find in a dwelling." He sighed at the answer.
"What of the personal items, anything of importance?" All Might asked, but again the man shook his head.
"Afraid not, sir, but the room shows signs that he had been packing before he fled, so I wouldn't be surprised if the stuff he left behind didn't have much value to him." They dismissed the man who went back to searching through the place.
"I'm not sure which is worse, the theory that he had a pre-selected gear to take with him if he was found, or if he merely panicked and grabbed whatever he could carry." One implied a paranoia which was only being fueled by recent events, the other pointed towards a fear fueled flight response which could make him dangerous if cornered as for him, they couldn't be trusted.
"We wouldn't have to have this conversation if they just handled things better." All Might seemed to be thinking the same thing as while neither had been present, they had spoken with the local police and found their response to have been appalling to say the least.
"Toshi,"
"You heard the reports, Tsukauchi. The lad acted heroic and was demonized for it, he's already displaying signs of quirk instability, we don't need him developing feelings of prosecution on top of that." All Might cut him off as he couldn't believe his ears when he heard that the police fired on the boy, that they messed up the situation so much that the kid seemed ready to burn down half the town.
Tsukauchi decided against starting a pointless argument as the two walked into the place, dodging policemen as they worked. "That still leaves the issue of his mother as I don't think she'll be a happy about this."
Reaching the shrine, they found that the fire was still burning, as if its caretaker was still present. "What will become of this place? Will there be someone to take over the boy's duties, or will this place fall back to disrepair?" All Might wasn't a religious man, but he couldn't help but mourn the place now that it's sole caretaker was in the wind.
"I contacted some other temples; they'll be sending people over by tomorrow to watch over the place till something more permanent can be worked up." Tsukauchi replied, as the local temple authority had been surprised when they told them that this place was up and running again.
"Till the, the fire needs to be put out for safety reasons," He nodded to a cop who threw a bucket of water into the fire, extinguishing the flames in a single action. All Might didn't know it, but that fire might as well be their last chance to settle things peacefully. With its death, something else would rise from the ashes.
And in time, the world would know fire.
Chapter 8: Scarlet Hair that Shines like Fire
Hours later, the two runaways rested in a small crack in the snow-covered mountainside, one that couldn't be reached by anyone unless they happened to be able to fly like Nine, or were Mountain Goats at climbing. Within the crack, there was a sizable space, more than big enough for the three of them as they sat by a fire, Midoriya might not need it, but he figured Nine might even if the man hadn't complained like the cold, and if it also didn't, than Koharu could enjoy it as the snake laid by it, napping after a rather chaotic day.
While their dinner, which happened to be a couple of birds they had found in the crack, slowly roasted over the fire, Midoriya turned his attention to his…friend? Travelling companion? Comrade? He didn't know what to call it at the moment. "Nine, how are you feeling?" He asked the man, choosing to focus on that.
"Better…much better than I've felt in years." Nine replied, his eyes might have reverted to those expression voids they had been, but Midoriya could pick up how he was impressed with his quirk and its healing effects. "You truly have a powerful quirk if it could heal me like that." Nine had never used his quirk for as long as he had today, maybe in small bursts which were spaced out, but thanks to Midoriya's flames, each time he started feeling the effects of his quirk's drawback, he was doused in flames and came out good as new. Because of that, they had managed to fly for 2 straight hours before deciding to stop for the day.
"Try telling that to others, it's not so bad to be set alit, you barely flinched." He muttered as, crossed his arms as he watched the emerald flames dance about.
"Regardless, it would be wise if you advised others about that part before you used your quirk." Nine advised, that as great as the healing was, he could see why people would be dissuaded by the first part. Still, as someone who had grown used to pain thanks to his quirk's near-fatal defect, he hadn't been all too bothered by it, especially since he could see and feel its effects after the fact.
"We'll move on in the morning, we flew for 2 hours, and there is enough distance between us and any heroes looking for us to offer us time to rest." Nine hadn't been followed, but he also knew that the heroes must have suspected that he or someone with powers similar to him was in the area. Still, that shouldn't be enough for them to be clued in where they went, unless they brought in a tracker which he had thought of as they flew and made sure to disperse the winds around them as they went, throwing their scent all over the place.
"And after that?" He looked up to Midoriya's, his emerald eyes glowing under the light of the fire. "How do we change the world?" He took a breath, relaxing against the wall of their little cave.
"Not by ourselves, as strong as we are, we would fail if for other reason than All Might. He is a demi-God among men and has remained unchallenged for years for a reason." He knew that he was powerful, but as much as he hated it, he couldn't see them coming out on top against the top 10 as things were. They had to be smart about it, gain allies and supporters on the side, target the heroes in ways that benefit them and force them to fight on their terms.
"Yeah…All Might," Midoriya didn't think taking on All Might would be all that challenging, but on the other hand, he was also one of the few that knew that he was essentially a crippled old man that could barely work half a normal work shift. A part of him said he should tell Nine this, give up All Might's secret, but another said to keep it to himself, at least for now. "So we're going to find others then?" He asked.
"That is the plan, along with you, I had leads on three others. However, there lies an issue with that." Nine replied as he reached into his pocket and pulled out four newspaper clippings, one of which he could see was about him from months back.
"And the trail gone cold?" He assumed.
Nine shook his head. "In a way, but that is to be expected when looking for those that don't wish to be found, a situation you are well aware of." Midoriya frowned at that, though he supposed that it was accurate. He also made a mental note to better his hiding skills as if Nine found him, what's to say the next time it was a hero?
"No, the issue is that they were last seen in completely different cities." He handed Midoriya two of them, keeping the third and his own to himself.
Reading through them, he noted that they didn't give much information. Was that because they didn't have it? Or was the media actively withholding? However, it only took the pictures that were featured to see what Nine meant. One was blurry, clearly taken from a distance which showcased a woman with long, beautiful hair standing over a wounded and defeated pro. The second was closer but shaky as whoever captured it couldn't keep their hands steady, said picture showcased a man fending off 4 different opponents, using wraps coming off his body to knock them around or grab them.
Where others would have seen nothing more than two villains soon to be caught, he saw two people who looked exhausted, angry at the world, fearful for what tomorrow may bring but also, deep in blurry eyes, he could see an honest desire to escape all that, to change things. It might have been poor footage, but he had looked at himself in the mirror enough times since he found the temple to recognise that look in someone else. But in the moment, he had to focus on the written information given, namely the locations of both incidents.
"This one is from a paper in Chigasaki, and the other is," That was a real long way from there, even if they fly, it'll take them a while and they'll risk being spotted. "Fukuoka? That is quite the distance between them." The second one, which was the wraps guy was far closer, but it was in the opposite direction.
Handing them back to Nine, the man returned the newspaper clippings to his coat's jacket. "At least 800km, but they're my best strongest leads." He had another, but it lacked so many details that going by himself would easily prove fruitless, however, if they both managed to track and convince their targets, then the four of them could pour their efforts into it.
Midoriya could see the issue, as they could travel as a group from one to another, but that would take time, days even depending on how long it'll take to find just one, but there was a solution. "So, should we split for this one? I handle the one and you the other?"
"Would you be capable of that?" If that was anyone else asking, he might have taken offence but Nine's question was as blunt as the rock they stood on.
"…I'm not sure," He was never a social butterfly and could barely make it through a presentation in class. Nine had managed to convince him because he wasn't just sympathetic to him due to his experiences, but also had an energy to him, a charisma that made him want to listen. With the person he was going after, this unnamed woman, he needed to have something similar, and a plan because if she was like him, then she'd either flee from him or fight him off. One was bad, the other was worse as the last thing he wanted to do was fight her, nor did he want her to join them because she felt threatened.
"But if we're going to change anything about this world, I need to be able to convince people to join, right?" Regardless of that, he had to try and if they had to change the world, he couldn't afford to be the same person he used to be. A notion that Nine could see in his eyes which lit up like the flames that cooked their food. Truthfully, he still had his doubts, but part of working with others was trusting them, right?
"True…alright," Nine knew there would be issues, and risks to this but that it also did come with some benefits. "Come morning, I'll drop you off close to Osaka. You can figure out your way to Fukuoka from there, right?" Midoriya did the math in his head. Having never been outside his home prefecture till today, he could only rely on maps and general knowledge but it seemed doable.
"If I have cash then sure, though I'll need a change of clothes…which sucks." He wiggled his arm, sad that he'd have to ditch his clothes. At that moment, Koharu woke up from her nap and said something to him that Nine couldn't hear.
"Yes, I like them, what of it?" Izuku retorted to the snake which seemed to roll its eyes at him before saying something else which Midoriya pouted at. "Well, I can't wear them anymore, they'll be looking for a boy dressed like a shrine maiden." Nine wondered if the snake really could communicate with him, or if he was one of those people that just projected conversations on their pets but seeing how he knew snakes couldn't act like cats and dogs, he would geass it was the former.
"In terms of cash, here." Nine pulled out a ward of bills and threw them at Midoriya who caught it with a suspicious look.
"Do I even want to know?" He asked the man who shrugged his shoulders.
"I think you already do, but it'll be less suspicious than stealing. There should also be enough for the train ticket, as for the return trip, you'll have to figure that part out." Nine replied, all but confirming what Midoriya thought but as much as he disliked it, he wasn't wrong. He had only drawn attention the first time since he had stolen bread. If he had paid for it, the baker would have never looked twice. There was also the possibility that with so much time between his appearance, people wouldn't be likely to recognise him so long as he kept a low profile.
"That's fair, where should we meet up then?" He decided not to think too hard about it, maybe in the future they could take on jobs to earn their cash.
"We'll meet up at Raxulon Park in Secundus ward. I trust you know where it is?" Nine asked him, as he thought about it for a moment before recalling hearing about it once.
"Hyogo, right?" Nine nodded as he rolled onto his side to get so get some rest, leaving Midoriya to watch the food till it was done.
"Correct." The man stated, the conversation ending for the moment. "Then it'll be best if we rest, we have a long day ahead of us."
"Right…"
The following evening, Nine dropped Midoriya off in a deserted park close to the city limits of Osaka. "I'll see you again in 3 days, make sure to watch yourself." He informed him, to which Midoriya nodded.
"You too." With that, the man was off, taking to the skies and using the cover of darkness to help conceal him before he was gone. Looking towards the lights of the city, Midoriya wondered how he'd find his way but put a pin in that.
"Alight, Koharu, ready to get a change of clothes?" He looked towards his friend, who like always, was securely wrapped around his shoulders. He had changed him out a little, ripping off the sleeves and using them as a means to cover his waist, breaking the color patterns a bit, but it was a half measure at best. As much as he didn't like it, he'll need something new.
Beginning his trek, he found that he had some luck on his side as while there were still many people out and about, even with the sun long set, they all stuck to themselves with most barely giving him a passing glance, if anything it was Koharu who was getting more attention while the serpent was mesmerized by all the lights and scents she could pick up, this being her first time in a big city. Midoriya would have found it funny but he was in the same boat as the closest he could compare this to would be when he went to Tokyo once with his mother when he was 7.
However, she wasn't here, and this wasn't a normal trip by any means as the nightlife of the city was booming, with heroes visible as they talked with people or helped with small things, a fun and relaxing sight, made all the more relaxing by the fact that they didn't even notice him in the crowd which was one of the few times that he was so average looking, he didn't stand out unless he tried something. Soon enough, he managed to find his way to a clothing store that was still open, its sign reading 'Dirt cheap Donki Oote'. Its bright lights almost blinded him as he wondered how their electric bill hadn't been enough of a reason to tone it down.
Looking towards Koharu, he saw that she was already facing away from the light, finding it just as bright as he did. "Let's hope we can find a place that doesn't ask too many questions." He said as he approached the door, but as he approached, he paused when he realized something.
"Hide," Koharu turned to him with an inquisitive look as he nodded towards her with a smile. "You draw attention with your beautiful self." She seemed to take some pride in that, as she was quite the specimen but alas, humans tended to freak out when they saw her, so she did as he asked and slithered into his clothing, completely hiding herself before he entered the store.
Inside, he saw it was one of those places that sold more casual streetwear, but most of it was stuff he wouldn't be caught wearing if he had a choice, not helped by the fact it was a store aimed towards college-aged customers if not older as he had never seen anyone in his age group wear stuff like it, or maybe it was just unfashionable, he couldn't tell the difference. Picking up a pair of dark blue pants, he winced as he tried to picture himself in them. 'Good a place as any.' He had to bite the bullet, if he could steal bread to live, then he could wear…whatever this was.
Taking the rest of it, he went into the dressing room and changed out of his clothes before reluctantly putting on his new ones, not helped by the fact Koharu, despite being a snake who understood human society and culture as well as a toddler, still found it funny too. A couple of minutes later, he looked at himself in the mirror and could say that he looked different. His dark blue pants and jacket popped against his light purple shirt and gold chain, but it was more in the 'pop' like what happened with a zit than 'pop' like a firework. He felt himself visibly cringe as he reached for the tinted sunglasses to complete the…look.
Now, with the voice of a snake's laughter in his head, he wondered how the hell people thought this look was good?! He looked like a mid-tier drug dealer, if anything, pros were going to focus more on him because he looked like he had a bag full of pills to sell. But no, because if a store could sell this, it meant that it was popular and he didn't know how he felt about that. Somehow, dressing like a shrine maiden made more sense to him than this, in that he felt free of stress as he always did while at the temple but this was just another mask, another disguise because people just wouldn't understand him and that pissed him off.
"I'll be taking this." He walked up to the counter where the cashier looked at him funny, what? Had he never seen someone buy the clothes while wearing them?
"Oh…okay, just let me scan the tags." Midoriya presented the tags for him to scan.
Once the final tally was done, the cashier turned to him, a customer service-ready smile on his face. "That'll be 9700." Midoriya reached into his new pocket and pulled out the ward of cash that Nine gave all, mainly being 5k notes, with a couple of 10Ks and a few 1Ks. while the cashier looked on in surprise at the fact he just had that kind of money, he gave him one of the two 10K.
"Keep the change," Midoriya informed him as Koharu made herself known by climbing up his leg, scaring the hell out of the cashier while Midoriya didn't even react to the green snake taking her place on his shoulders as he turned and walked towards the exit. "Have a nice day."
A few moments after he left, the cashier finally gathered his wits as he kept on staring at the door, wondering if he had been working too long or perhaps there was a gas leak. "Was…was that a snake?"
If he could prevent Nine from ever seeing him like this, he would as he felt ridiculous. Even if he was blending in better with the crowd, with Koharu only making him look more like a normal oddball, if there was such a thing. "One issue solved, now we just need to get to the train station and check out their schedules, hopefully, we'll be able to get one today." He didn't fancy the idea of finding somewhere to sleep in the city as he might be able to pay for one, but he would rather save the money if he could. Which would mean he'll need to find somewhere clean..ish as to not dirty his new clothes.
As he walked his stomach rumbled, reminding him he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, with Koharu also giving him a look that said he better have a few large mice on him but he only pats her head. "We'll eat later." Trains normally had vending machines, didn't they? He could get them something t eat once they were on their way, dried meat like jerky should do it for the moment. Once they reach their destination, he'll let her run loose for a couple of hours hunting rodents and birds.
"Young man, hold it!" He froze, cursing his big mouth as he slowly turned to see who had called him out, calculating his chances of being able to escape them.
"Y-yes?" To his dismay, it was a pro that had stopped in, he didn't recognise them but that didn't matter. He had been made and he had gone through the trouble of changing clothes! While looking about to see which way would be best to escape to, he tried to buy himself time.
The hero crossed his arms but didn't move to attack, instead, his attention was on his friend. "You can't just walk around with that animal unchecked, it's dangerous."
"Oh…oh!" Never before had Midoriya felt so relieved that he wasn't the centre of attention, of course, Koharu was the reason. "I understand, but she's friendly, I promise." She somehow managed to give him a skeptical look despite the fact she didn't have eyebrows to raise but the hero didn't seem to care.
It seemed that the pro agreed with her on that front. "Doesn't matter, kid. You get her into a cage otherwise you'll get yourself a fine."
"Yes sir," After he assured him that he'd get right on that, with the pro leaving muttering about how kids do crazier stuff by the day, he took a sigh of relief. "Great, what are the odds that a cage big enough for you isn't going to be comfy or easy to carry?" She didn't know what that was but had heard it thrown around back when they lived at the temple and could guess that she wouldn't like it, which she made known to him.
"Figures…" Still, that raised an issue. If that pro stopped them, who's to say that the people running the train didn't do the same? That wasn't something he could just ignore so it was better to get ahead of the issue.
"Maybe a travel bag, I can poke holes in it so that you don't get too uncomfortable, and then all you need to do is pretend like you're not there." Koharu didn't like that option either, but if it meant they could find this woman faster, then she could bear with it, but she had her demands as she would be damned if he put her in a cold box. If he tried that, she'd bite him.
Midoriya looked offended by that. "Yes, I'll keep it warm, who do you take me for?" Most that saw them didn't give them any attention, assuming that he was speaking with his animal via a quirk of some kind, which was good for him as it meant less attention as they decided to look for a store that sold bags and other luggage. They managed to find one a couple of streets down which seemed like it was closing for the night as he rushed up and opened the door.
The clerk sighed, no doubt just wanting their shift to end but knowing that they had to keep to business hours else they'd have to deal with another Karen. So the 20-something plastered a big smile on her face and turned to see who was dumb enough to shop for bags at this hour. "Welcome to…"
She was so grateful she wasn't her co-worker who would have said that all out loud as here before she was some drug dealer and his pet snake! Oh God, was he to mug them? What if she offended him? Dammit, they couldn't get robbed a second time, it had only been 2 weeks since the last time.
"Evening, I wanted to know how much it would cost for a medium-sized travel bag, something a little bigger than a school bag." She blinked when she heard them speak…was…was this a kid? Rubbing her eyes, she paid closer attention and picked up the signs of baby fat, the couple pimples and his relatively small frame. What the hell?
Shaking herself back to reality, she pointed towards the requested items. "That would be around 2800 to 4100 depending on the brand or size, they're in aisle 4."
"Thank you!" The boy smiled at her, making it as clear as day that he was not a criminal, nor would they get robbed tonight and rather, it was just a weird kid who decided his pet snake didn't need a cage for the night.
Picking out the largest of the bags, Midoriya happily paid the lady and wished her a good evening before leaving. Finding an alley was easy enough so he had the privacy to gut the bag to make more room, rip a few holes and use what he removed from the lining to make a relatively comfy bottom. With that done, Koharu had been willing to give it a try and found it adequate.
Now with his 'bag' in hand, he didn't have much issue finding the train station, all he had to do was ask for directions before he found himself standing outside of it, the rumble of trains coming in and leaving sounding every few minutes. "Now, we're here. Let's hope the money we have left will be enough, it'll be awkward to have to try and walk the entire way." He said to his friend, but most thought he was just speaking to himself as he made his way up the stairs, finding that there wasn't much of a line to the till, so he hadn't had to wait long before he was next.
"When will the next train to Fukuoka depart?" He asked, the man just raised an eyebrow at that, wondering why the kid didn't just look it up or find one of the timetable sheets they hung around, but decided it wasn't worth the hassle to ask and merely looked up the information on his terminal.
"In the next five minutes, are you looking to purchase a ticket?" He replied, with Midoriya nodding his head.
"Yes please, the cheapest one you have." The man looked through the available seats, as most were taken even at this hour but there were still a few cheaper places left.
"That'll be 12,000 Yen." Midoriya pulled out his ward again and counted the amount before happily slapping it down onto the counter.
"Here!" The receptionist didn't share his enthusiasm as he just took his money and ran him up before handing him a small slip with his train's details on it.
"Here's your ticket, don't lose it." They told him as Midoriya nodded.
"Thank you." With that done, he looked over the ticket and towards the signs that dotted the place to figure out his way to where he needed to go. Koharu was silent, keeping herself hidden in his bag as he moved through the crowds with him making it halfway to it when the overhead speakers caught his attention.
"In Shin-Osaka Station, Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen 2, bound for Hakata Station, Fukuoka is now boarding at platform 3. The doors will close shortly, Please make your way to platform 3 if you are boarding the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen 2, bound for Hakata Station, Fukuoka. Thank you." Cursing under his breath, he rushed to make it, managing to get to the train in question as the last of the passengers boarded. Taking a breath of relief, he looked for his assigned seat before plopping down, happy that he managed to clear Osaka without issues.
Looking at the helpful overhead map that highlighted their route, he saw that they'd pass through a couple of other cities on the way, such as Okayama and Kitakyushu. He also saw that they'll be expected to arrive at 22:00. "We're going to be travelling for 2 and half hours, please bear with it till we get there." He patted his bag, wishing he could take her out but he would have to settle for this.
"Don't worry, kid. The trip isn't so bad once you get used to it." Someone sitting close to him spoke up, fortunately not noticing the snake in his bag.
"I can only hope."
Midoriya was woken up from his daze when he heard the announcement over the intercom of the train. "Now arriving at Hakata Station, Fukuoka. Please mind the doors and other passengers when disembarking. Please be sure to check all luggage and personal belongings before department. Please ensure that all waste is properly disposed of or kept till such a time when a trash bin can be found. Thank you." Looking around, he saw that there were several new faces when they had left Osaka, also there were seats that were now vacant, no doubt having gotten off at one of the other stops.
Smiling and thanking Kagutsuchi for his uneventful trip, he got up to stretch his legs. "We're finally here…" He said, seeing the station coming up in the distance as he tapped his bag. "Are you awake in there? We're getting off soon." He got a mumbled, sleepy reply from Koharu as she asked if she could get out of the damn bag and find a corner to relieve herself.
"Yeah, just a little longer." He told her, which proved to be true as in just a couple minutes, the train came to a stop and the doors opened, allowing them to leave. Midoriya found a corner which didn't have cameras watching it, which made sense as there wasn't anything of value close by and the only vent was floor level and far too small for even a medium-sized dog, but more than large enough for Koharu as he placed the bag close to it and acted as natural as he could, squatting like a slav while she told him he looked more like a criminal as she slithered out of the bag and down the vent, returning a few minutes later.
That done, he grabbed the bag and they made their way out of the station into the busy streets of Fukuoka, despite the late hour, the place was bustling with activity while traffic raced about, and waves of people went about their evenings. Some on their way home from work, others going to work, or groups out for a night on the town. "Well then, let's head over to where she was last seen and see if we can't track here."
Koharu hissed something at him. "Yes, I know it's been days since, but your tongue is our best bet, hopefully, it'll be a talking issue, but a fighting one." Part of the reason he had asked for this was because as a snake, Koharu would have a much easier time tracking this woman if they could find something that belonged to her, and if the newspapers were right, her quirk was her hair, and he was betting that the police hadn't been able to find all of them, nor would see the need to as it was just hair.
The two were silent for a bit as he moved, following directions from people towards the part of town where she had been seen. As he walked, he noted that he was living behind the glamour and lights and entering a poorer part of the place, one with smaller stores and buildings, and an increased presence from pros which only made him worry about the biggest one of them all, who for all he knew was flying overhead like a crimson bird of prey. "It's still surprising though, that she's gone this long without being caught when this is Hawk's district." Koharu made a confused sound, oh yeah, he hadn't talked about heroes so much with her, had he?
"He's the number 3 hero, he started his agency at 18 and reached the top ten in the second half of that same year. He's the youngest person ever to break into the top ten." Midoriya was aware enough to recall that not too long ago, he looked up to the man like he did all heroes. Hawks as the picture of natural talent and well-horned skills. Granted, no one knew that much about him, such as where he went to school or what his real name was, but his work spoke for itself as breaking the top 50 before even making it to the top 20 before he was 20 was insane. The last record holder is the now villain, Lady Nagant who broke the top 50 when she was 18 and managed to make it to the top 20 by the age of 20.
Koharu didn't see what was so impressive about that, as heroes fought villains but her young friend Izuku handled those other humans with ease. Midoriya picked up on this and decided to put it into terms she'd better understand. "He also has massive red wings, when he took the hero name of Hawks, it wasn't for show so he is not someone you or I want to mess with." She hissed that he should have led with that, and if she was riding him, he bet she would have bit him to add to it.
Sparring a look towards the skies, he couldn't see anything but he didn't lower his guard as she asked him about this Hawk's hunting habits and territory. "I'm not sure, he tends to work at his own insane speed, he's been spotted in the early morning and late evening, man moves as fast as a bullet train in everything he does." Most pros did something like that, changing their patrol schedules with little warning to ensure that villains didn't try to plan their crimes when they would normally be resting or at home.
However, when he thought about it, he supposed that as a villain himself, he would be part of that group who now had to always worry about stuff like that. Koharu on the other hand saw it was annoying and wondered why the hell humans couldn't just stick to a habit like everything else, even if they weren't the only prey this Hawks could target in a city so big, made all the better by the fact his stupid disguise ensured they hadn't been made, or at least had reason to suspect they had.
Thinking of ways to get her back to yet another comment about his looks, he replied. "Yeah, we do have that going for us. Let's just hope he's being kept busy with other issues as All Might was one thing, I just ran from him without a fight. Getting into a battle with the number 3 would be a worst-case scenario."
Hasaki Kiruka felt cold, but for the life of her, didn't have the motivation to do something about it. She had her blanket, that would do even if it was a thin summer sheet. She didn't use the bed, the thing had been broken for years and the mattress was as comfortable as a bag of rocks but she had the corner, it was clean, at least compared to the rest of the room but it was hers. Maybe she should clean the place but then…would it mean anything? It would still be a dump; it would still be ruin…it would still be all she had.
No, no…not all, she reached for her bright scarlet locks, hair that she did all she could and more to care for, keeping it as beautiful and healthy as the hair that any random model would have. It was part of her, it was the only thing that helped to connect her to her hair stylist of a father though a part of her wondered why she even bothered. Her father cared more for her lavish hair growing up than he did her, not even her mother mattered enough to him for him to notice when she left him over it. All he ever loved was hair, which made him one of the best hair stylists, but also an absent father and distant husband.
It was part of the reason that she could never make friends because other parents didn't trust her father would be capable of watching over them, which brought her a dulled sense of amusement as she recalled how bad her dad was at most things that didn't involve hair dressing, his total lack of interest in anything else-from romance, to chores, to spending time with her. It didn't help things that she was his daughter, the weird girl who knew nothing but hair care. When her quirk came in, she thought she could bond with the other girls and boys in the playground, that she too could play heroes with them.
How wrong she was, it was just one look at her shape taking shape, becoming jagged spikes and blades for them to run away, screaming she was there to hurt them, that she was a monster. She never understood it, she hadn't done anything with her hair, and she had never been mean or violent before…just…distant, but it would seem that was enough for them and her friendless status remained. Her mother was never an option, she was too busy handling everything in their house that her father had no interest or skills in, and after she turned 7 and she left them, it fell to her to handle them. But she managed…she always managed. Training herself with her quirk, she got to the point where she could sit in a single spot and let her beautiful hair do it all in a room, this skill at such a young age should have won her son friends, some praise.
But all it did was lead to further isolation, as they saw her as the hair-obsessed beast, the girl who never went to play, who didn't speak with other students, the one who spent all her free time with her weird dad even as his business started losing clients as not even his skills could save him from the fate that any business with terrible costumer service faced. A part of her raged at that hypocrisy of it, that people hated and feared her for being hair-obsessed when that was her only escape when they thought she was a shady loner when they were the ones that made it clear they didn't want her around, calling her a shut-in when she was the one that had to take care of the house, clean the place, prepare meals on top of school work.
She remembered those days, when groceries became less common, as she struggled to stretch supplies as her father's business fell apart, as he fell apart and with fewer customers, his obsession reached new heights. He had always been firm when it came to advising clients on hair care and never let it be secret what he felt when one didn't follow that, but he got to the point when he would get into shouting matches over it, scaring off more clients and feeding the cycle till the day came, close to her 10th birthday when he had to close down the saloon, after weeks without a single client and bills racking up.
She hadn't cared all that much by that point, for as painful as it was, she had lost her father a while before this if she ever had one to begin with. She had suggested he get a new job and take on hairdressing as a hobby once they had become financially secure. And all he did was look at her with a blank face as his scarlet beard stretched out and grabbed himself a bottle from the fridge, the 10-year-old her resenting that when they could barely afford to keep the lights on, he found money for such vices.
Like her mother, she got sick of him and packed up and left. She told him she would be staying at a friend's till he got his act together, but all he cared to ask was if she would be taking her favorite comb with her, not asking who her friend was, or when she made one since she often told him over dinner she didn't have friends, he didn't even ask why she chose to leave in the middle of the night.
No, because all he cared for was stupid hair and 9 years since she walked out of that house, she would say he hadn't changed if she cared enough to search him up.
But…for all the anger she held towards him, for not loving her, for not caring for her. Towards her hair for all the pain it caused her, she could never bring herself to forget him or cut it. Because…it was her only connection to him, when she cared for it, she remembered her father's gentle hands as he expertly combed it, humming a song whose words she had long forgotten. Told her that she didn't need to listen to others, that they were fools for even believing her and her lavish, bright scarlet hair was anything less than perfect.
Perhaps that was part of the reason why she did all she could to maintain it. But time was running out for her. It had been weeks since she lost her 7th job in 4 years, jobs that were hard enough to find when she didn't even have a complete middle school education and had to study on her own time using the public library and the internet. The reason why she lost her job? The same as the other 6, she used her quirk to aid in her work, and it didn't matter to her supervisor if it saved time, she was breaking the law, not helped by the fact she spent a lot of her time making sure her hair was healthy and strong.
With that loss of her meagre pay cheque, she found herself desperate, angry…and tired. Tired of life's mission to screw with her. Tired of people judging her. Tired of people looking at her like she was a beast. Tired of a world where just being herself self was enough to be hated. Her thoughts were interrupted by her stomach grumbling for what felt like the 10th time today.
Food…she would probably get some soon, the canned stuff she had stocked up was getting smaller by the day, but…did she have the money for it? She was pretty sure she still had a couple of bills left, didn't she? But when she last went out, some stupid pro thought she was a druggie and tried to 'help' her, even when she told him she didn't need it. He had tried to take her to the cops by force…she made him pay for that. Now she just didn't know what to do as she got up from her spot, hugging her blanket close to her as she went to the run-down kitchen of the old house she was squatting in to grab a can of beans, a strand of hair straightening into a blade to cut it open while she used another to grab a spoon.
She'll figure things out once she is fed, she'll make it through this.
She always did.