Chapter 21: Targeted
Itsuka eyes blinked open slowly as she awoke, the haze of sleep not completely leaving as she slowly stirred. Her mind registered a couple things first, she wasn't in her bedroom, but as the memories of yesterday came back this realization didn't concern her as much. The second thing he noticed was the bundle of white hair in his vision, blinking the sleep from her eyes, her vision cleared and she was treated to the absolutely adorable sight of Eri cuddling up next to Felicia, the cat stretching out and making herself as tall as possible for the child to pull into an embrace.
Eri herself was sleeping soundly, a little bit of drool coming out the corner of her mouth. Itsuka smiled a tiny bit, like most cats Felicia could be a little shit but she also seemed to tell when someone needed comfort and was coiled up to the little girl purring softly, Kendo smiled to herself at the sound filling room.
The third thing she realized was that Izuku wasn't on the other side of Eri. But her head was turned to the left and she was on her back, not on her chest and to the right like last night. Oh, she must have had to use the restroom. She assumed before adjusting her head into her soft pillow.
Then she noticed the forth thing, she was ….really comfortable, a warmth that wasn't overwhelming to her, but was steady.
And then the fifth thing he noticed that made her heart skip a beat or two was the inhaling of breath she heard that wasn't her own. The sixth and final thing he realized was that she felt a weight on her chest. Her eyes darted down and saw the mess of green hair that sprawled out across her upper chest and her face turned as red as her own hair.
Izuku was sleeping on her boobs.
...…SHIT. She thought as she was awakened fully. Looking over to where Izuku had been sleeping, she saw his pillow was empty and the sheets had been pushed down. Probably from when Eri got up….but to her mortifying realization, she realized that SHE hadn't moved. And waking up with her arms around him could only mean that she was the one who pulled Izuku over in her sleepy state, as though looking for a pillow or blanket, and brought his warmth to her.
And the way his arms were wrapped around her, he had unconsciously accepted the embrace. Her hands which had been laying across his shoulders froze in place, fearful that the slightest tremor would wake him up; she didn't dare move for a few solid minutes. Not until she was certain that he wouldn't wake up from how loud her heart must have been beating in embarrassment, when he continued to sleep, she tilted her head to look down at him properly.
He was sound asleep, and seeing him nestled into her ample chest was more….pleasing than she expected. She couldn't deny it, the feeling of comfort it brought her, like a puzzle piece that could fit if they where pushed together and snapped into place...but they weren't. They were friends…..just friends…..and that thought slightly soured her…..but she pushed that aside for now and gently tightened her hold around him.
….this is fine…..this is actually…..really nice. She thought contently, her one hand ghosting up the back of his shoulders and pausing before the back of his head. She guiltily looked at his hair....she would never tell this to anyone but when she first met Izuku? Her first thought was how soft his fluffy hair must feel.
It was silly. Embarrassing really....but when was the next time she'd get a chance? Ok no, hold on he'd probably let you touch it if you asked but that's just a weird ask. She corrected herself before brushing her fingers against his curly locks. Izuku hummed at the feeling of his hair being played with , and nuzzled into his 'pillow' which made a flush of heat go through her from the sensation.
She made sure the hum building in her throat didn't spill out, but her face did flush a little. And the warm breath he let out into the fabric of her too made her shiver. Oh-oh! Ohhhhh no. This is bad. Kendo realized, comfort was starting to be mixed with desire. She wouldn't act on it of course, Eri was sleeping soundly barely a foot away!
....oh yeah and they were in the dojo.
…..ok actually that wouldn't exactly be an issue for me. Itsuka realized before shaking the thought aside. Looking down at her crush, she sighed as she gently shook him, bringing the intimate moment to an end as Izuku stirred. She watched as he lifted his head, yawning as he rubbed his sleepy eyes and slowly blinked them into focus before confusion took over.
"Itsuka…?" He groaned sleepily, her eyes twinkled in amusement. Silently counting how long it'd take him to notice.
He blinked.
Looked around.
Saw Eri.
Turned back to her.
Looked down.
Then back to her as his face became one of horror while turning beat red.
Eight seconds. She mused to herself as his mouth opened and closed while trapped on the first vowel of her name. "It-It-It-Its-"
She smirked at him, "Sleep well?" She cheekily asked, however that smirk faltered when she….felt something. It took her a second to realize what the firm shape against her leg was before Izuku rolled off her line a stone. Slapping his back down on the mat while staring up at the ceiling so intensely his gaze might burn a hole into it.
Eri stirred at the noise but didn't wake, even when Itsuka's muffled titter filled the silence of the dojo. Sitting upright she turned to him with her face a little flushed, then her eyes darted down to his pelvis and it turned scarlet. O-oh…..that is....that is good to know….for future reference. She thought, tearing her eyes away from his morning problem and tried to focus on what he was saying.
"Badizukuwhatiswribgwithyiuwhywouldyoudothatshesagoodfriejdandyouweredroolingonherboobswhatiswrongwithyou?!?" He rushed out quietly as his hands covered his face in shame.
She rolled her eyes and reached over, poking his shoulder, "Hey, you ok?" She chuckled. He lowered his hands, his green eyes looking up at her awaiting her wraith, only to see her sheepishly smiling down at him. "That um….was kinda my bad….sorry." She apologized. "I think I kinda pulled you over thinking you were a pillow."
"...oh." He squeaked out, his face still red, not finding that thought entirely unappealing.
He glanced over at Itsuka and darted down to her chest, feeling a fresh wave of embarrassment and....something else go through him. Though most of it was embarrassment, he liked her of course…..and he knew she liked him...and... and wasn't his fault…..well ok maybe it wasn't really that embarrassing now that he thought about it.
"Um...for what it's worth…y….your very comfortable too." He replied, trying to make light as Itsuka did.
She felt herself blush but only looked down, "Why thank you, I'm glad my boobs are up to your standards" She teased with a hint of flirtation.
"Erk!" He squeaked out, making her chuckle. "I-I-I don't have standards for that!" He whispered back, glancing at Eri.
"Oh so my boobs aren't good enough for you?" She pouted playfully, crossing her arms over her chest.
"....i feel like there's no answer for that which doesn't get me in trouble." He lamented, dipping his head and making Itsuka smile. If she had tried flirting like this months ago? Izuku probably would have gone into catatonic shock. He'd become comfortable with her, and she had with him as well.
"Smart boy." She chuckled, and he shared it with her. The two sat in silence for a moment before Itsuka glanced outside and noticed the sun was barely out, reaching for her phone she checked the time and sighed before showing it to Izuku, it was just past six in the morning. "Sorry. I get up this early for training." She apologized.
He smiled and shrugged before looking over at Eri, smiling as she still slept soundly. Mr. Yagi told them he knew a pro hero, Recovery Girl, who would be willing to do a medical check up on her after getting in touch and explaining the situation. Izuku knew about her of course, she was part of the U.A. Staff and was the school nurse responsible for the health and welfare of the student body.
And given what this poor girl has gone through? She probably needed it, "I'm sorry for all of this." He apologized back to her, looking back to Itsuka, "I didn't mean to drag you and your family into this I-" he began before she reached over and bopped him on the head with the flat of her fist.
"Hey. None of that. You did the right thing." She corrected him as he rubbed the spot she bonked him with a small smile. She looked over at Eri, "…..I have known her for less than a day, but I would see everyone burn in eternal hell before I let anything happen to her." She decided, making both her and Izuku snort in quiet amusement at both the truth and absurdity in that statement.
The little girl sleepily stirred and slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. For a brief moment both young adults saw an emptiness in them before they widened in realization. Looking around, relief waned over her face and then she saw them, "Hey, honey. Sorry, did we wake you up?" Itsuka asked.
Neither of them expected tears to gather in her eyes, "E-Eri??" Izuku asked with concern.
"Y-your here...it wasn't a dream." She hiccuped as she wiped the tears away. Both the boy and girl felt their chests ache at the simple relief that Eri had from her nightmare being over. Izuku scooted over across the blankets and smiled at her, when he was about to open his mouth to reassure her she surprised him by walking into and embracing him. Her arms wrapped around his chest, and though her frame was so small Izuku felt like he had been hit by a train.
Taken aback only momentarily, his arms wrapped around her comfortingly, "Yeah…..your safe Eri….." he assured her, patting her back gently as Itsuka crawled over and joined him., leaning down and hugging the girl's side. Eri's body relaxed between the two and her tears soon dried.
When she pulled away and looked up at the two of them, "…..I'm hungry." She declared.
Both Izuku and Itsuka chuckled to themselves, Kendo stood up and popped her back, "Well how about I go grab us some milk to start with?" She offered. Izuku got to a knee and began to gather the blankets and pillows while Itsuka walked over behind Eri, reached down to her hands and lifted her up by them with a familial gentleness. Eri let out a gasp as she was easily lifted up from the floor, higher than her feet could reach, before being set down onto them. "Come on sweetie, I got a good selection. Izuku will clean up." She said, sending him a grateful look as she led Eri back upstairs.
Izuku made short work of folding up the blankets and stacking the pillows. When he was sure he was alone, he whispered, "Suit?"
\\Yes Izuku?//
He jumped at the voice in his ear, the picotech could easily form a tiny earpiece that wasn't initially visible to the casual glance. And with him staying here he had decided it was best to leave it in his bag with the costume tuned to its black mode so it just looked like some clothes he picked up. "Is there any news about the guy I fought yesterday? Was he arrested or anything?" He asked, wondering if the fight had drawn the attention of a pro hero.
\\….searching….//
\\There are no news reports or social media posts which indicate such.//
Izuku frowned, he wasn't counting on it but apparently there was already a pro hero investigating this organization. Which meant that as much as he wanted to take that guy down a few pegs? He couldn't just interfere like he had with Kingpin. That was done because no one else was doing anything to stop him, and as much as he knew about how pros operated? Spider-Man couldn't jump web him up and leave him at a police station and expect him to be locked away without any proof.
And with Izuku Midoriya being involved in this as well as Spider-Man? That was too close for both his lives to get. "Ok, thanks suit." He said before walking upstairs after Kendo and Eri.
The morning sun peeked out over the Sea of Japan as Kotaro stepped out of his car. His shirt black hair was slicked back with a bit of a cowlick sticking out that try as he might, he was never able to get under control. It irritated him because unlike every other aspect of his appearance no matter what he did, even cutting it off, it wouldn't conform to what he wanted. His suit could be neat as can be, his tie the perfect windsor knot, his pants perfectly pressed and belt looped correctly, but nothing could be done about the cowlick.
It was an annoyance.
However where he was, that didn't matter, because it was where annoyances to society where put. Turning away from the sun, he looked over the large black walls of the manmade isle with a spark of appreciation. The fortress he walked towards lived up to it's name in every regard, it was impenetrable from the outside from every attempt at a break in, with only a single road leading over the water to it, the small island reached deep below the surface of the water where most of its inmates were housed.
And while they had no sunlight to see from those cells, wasn't it fitting for a place named Tartarus?
Reaching the front gate, he reached into his pocket and relieved his wallet. Opening it up as he entered the outer ring's checkpoint. He held it up with his Hero Public Safety Commission ID present. The guard on the other side of the glass stall took it, scanned it, and confirmed it before opening the heavy mechanical doors slid open while Kotaro's identification was returned to him.
The doors were slow to open but as soon as he stepped through they slammed shut behind him with surprising speed that would no doubt shock any sort of escapee. Walking through the plain hallways of TV's prison's visitor wing, he arrived at the room where he was scheduled to meet the potential solution to his problem. Standing beside the door was a guard whom wore the prison uniform, consisting of a dark blue matching shirt and pants with a hat covering his lavender hair. "Apt." He greets with a salute.
Kotaro nodded, "Shishikura." He greeted.
The guard glanced at the door, "I'll admit, I wasn't a big fan of this idea. But given the prisoner's circumstances for being here…..I think it's reasonable." He admitted reluctantly, his arms crossing over his chest as he addressed the Vice Deputy of the Hero Public Safety Commission.
Kotaro gave a rare smile, "I'm glad."
Shisikura shifted his posture, glancing at the door, "Keeping this under wraps hasn't been hard, ten years is a long time and our guards rotate regularly. They won't notice their absence, Especially if we get a new arrival like Spider-Man out of this." He said before his expression turned cautious, "The Warden does have some concerns."
Kotaro's rare smile disappeared as quickly as it appeared, "Such as?"
"Publicity for one. When Fisk was brought in, reporters were camped out on the bridge for days to try and get a interview." The guard said, making the HPSC agent scoff dismissively. "Right, but the more concerning part is…..well regardless of what you think of him, decent number of guys in here would want a piece of him if he was suddenly inside. We keep order here as best we can, but there's still the occasional 'accident'."
Kotaro scoffed, officially the position on Vigilantes was that they were to be treated as any other criminal. However in private, Spider-Man was considered to be a high priority target to be dealt with. It wasn't that he was acting with impunity, though that did factor in, it was the fact he was getting away with it. So this had been Kotaro's solution to the problem, get one of their former agents, of which there were numerous ones, to take him in quietly.
If this failed, they had other options that they had hidden away. And what better place to hide one's secrets than in the depths of the underworld?
"Any incidents will be looked at and investigated. As for responsibility…..well this is what you get when you decide to play at being a superhero outside the law." Kotaro said coldly before stepping into the room, the visitor area having a large plate of glass which divided the room into two and prevented any harm coming to either parties. As the door shut behind him the prisoner looked up at him with cold eyes. Kotaro looked back into them with equal measure, "I'm here to give you an opportunity."
Eri watched diligently as Deku maneuvered in the kitchen of the Kendo house with the other lady. Itsuka was sitting beside her while her mom and dad went over paperwork to fill out the forms to place her in Emergency Protective Custody of a Trustworthy Guardian. Which would allow her to stay with them, he also needed to touch base with whatever hero was currently investigating the Shie Hessaikai and see what they knew.
Toshinori had also called ahead and told them that he would be arriving this afternoon with Recovery Girl to give Eri a checkup. Before then however the little girl was in need of some breakfast.
So it had been very fortunate when Inko arrived with a few bags of food and other supplies needed for a little girl. Including a tooth brush, which Itsuka took the opportunity to show her how to properly brush her teeth while the mother and son caught up. "-and you're ok?" She asked worriedly as she poured the pancake batter into the skillet.
Izuku gave her an assuring smile, "I'm fine mom. It was…..nerve wracking but…..I'm ok." He admitted truthfully. His mother's shoulders relaxed and she turned back to the food, but he still saw the worry on her face, his hand reached to her shoulder, making her stop and turn to him. "…..I couldn't just leave her mom."
Inko's worry gave away and was replaced with a prideful smile, "No. You couldn't." She sighed knowingly. She looked over her shoulder at the girl in question, Itsuka was showing her something on her phone, the little girl's eyes were glued to the video she watched. And with a twinge of sadness, Inko realized she probably never even saw a smartphone before. She turned back to her son, "You did the right thing."
He smiled and went back to stirring the bowl he had in his hand before adding it to the dough. A few minutes later, the mother and son returned to the dining room table. Itsuka and Eri looked up as Inko set down a plate of pancakes coated in syrup in front of her. "Eri, these are an old family recipe of mine called wheat cakes. I hope you like them, but if not that's completely fine, me and Izuku can have them." She said gently to the girl.
Eri however didn't even seem to have that thought cross her mind as she looked at the stack of wheat cakes coated in sweet syrup that Itsuka gave her a taste of earlier with a look of absolute want. A little bit of drool came out the side of her mouth but she didn't care or seem to realize it. As Kendo was passed a plate, the older girl reached over to Eri's place and cut her pieces up for her. Eri used her plastic fork to take one of the pieces and then stuck it in her mouth.
The little girls widened at not only how soft and fluffy the food was, but how sweet it was. Her food pallet had much to be desired but given the good food which Ryuji created? That was going to be a thing of the past soon. She let out a muffled hum of satisfaction, chewing and swallowing the food. Itsuka smiled before trying a bite and then having a similar reaction, "Mmmm! This is great Ms. Midoriya!"
Inko smiled as she grabbed a cup of coffee, "Thank you Itsuka, it was something Hisashi introduced me to. Thought my Izuku likes Katsudon more." She said, her son taking a bite of the food himself and shrugging. He wouldn't deny wheat cakes were good, but Katsudon is where it was at for him.
"Um." A shy voice made the three turn to Eri, she was looking at Inko nervously, "T-thank you….f-for the food M-Miss…..Mi…do…riya." She said, struggling a little with the family name and blushing adorably.
The three others at the table felt the warm hand of cuteness grip their hearts all at once. Oh god she's precious! They collectively thought. Itsuka smiled and patted her head approvingly, the little would have usually flinched at the contact but the familiar and kind touch of the young woman only brought a sense of ease to her, not fear.
"Of course dear, and you can just call me Inko." She told the girl with a smile. Eri nodded dutifully and continued to eat, making the mother soften at the sight.
Itsuka's head turned as she heard her parents walk down the hall, Ryuji holding a manila envelope in his hands as Emi followed in behind him. She saw Inko and smiled, "Aw, breakfast? Inko you shouldn't have."
The green haired woman smiled, "It's no trouble Emi. How was the paperwork?"
"Exhausting." Both husband and wife said as they sat down to their daughter's left. Itsuka smiled and passed a plate to each of them, a reward for the hard work they had to do to ensure Eri's stay here was perfectly legal.
"I'll drop them off on my way into the office tomorrow. For now though, we'll need to wait and see if Eri matches any missing person reports." He explained, glancing over at the girl who was too busy enjoying the food to really pay any mind to the discussion
He looked at Izuku and Inko, "Inko, Izuku, We're counting on you to both keep this private. I know you work with the newspaper Izuku but it's important that you don't divulge anything related to this as it's an ongoing investigation." He said with a firm voice, both mother and son nodded understandably. So Ryuji continued, "Until then she'll be staying here with us. Yagi's medical specialist should be here later and once they checked Eri out, there shouldn't be any legal reason for her not to stay." he explained before taking a bite of the wheatcakes. "Mmmmm!" he hummed approvingly, "Inko, you have to give me the recipe for this!" he exclaimed.
As Inko chuckled and explained the process, Izuku saw Eri had stopped eating and looked nervously up at Ryuji, she had been hesitant when they told her that she would have to be looked at by a doctor. Well to be precise she was about to launch into the same warning she gave Spider-Man when Toshinori explained to her last night that she was a pro hero and a close friend of his, both facts going a long ways to calming her anxieties, but clearly not dissuading them entirely.
"You ok Eri?" he asked, the little girl looked over at him and then looked down shyly, "Nervous about the check up?" he guessed. She wordlessly nodded, and he couldn't help but give her a reassuring smile. Reaching over, he gently touched her shoulder so she would look up at him. "That's ok Eri, but Recovery Girl is one of the best medical rescue heroes around! She won't hurt you, I know it." he assured, a bit of his hero geekiness bleeding through.
The girl hummed, but still looked a tad uneasy, her fork pining at her food. Izuku had a thought come to mind, "How about this, for being so brave, I'll get you something?" He offered.
Eri blinked, "Get me something?" She asked.
Itsuka, who had been watching the interaction out of the corner of her eye, smiled at her. "Is there a toy you would like Eri? Or maybe something to wear?" She asked, they hadn't exposed her to nearly enough to establish what type of things she liked.
However the little girl thought long and hard before speaking. "Um...can I...see Spider-Man? He…he said he would see me again…..and I want to make sure he's ok." She said, a fretful tone in her voice made Izuku's first response to come to mind be a reassuring 'Yes of course!' But managed to stop himself and glance around the table.
Itsuka was a little taken aback, but not entirely surprised as she had asked her some questions about him, which she answered to the best of her ability. Those being if she knew him, if he was nice to her too, and if he talked as much with her as she did when she met him. All of which were answered truthfully and with favor…..but not a whisper of the fact he was technically a criminal.
Itsuka's parents had different reactions, her mom seemed to find the request adorable and was holding a hand to her mouth to hide the smile blooming on her face. Ryuji's was less amused and more sympathetic, either about the fact that the little girl had taken a liking to a vigilante, or the fact that it would be a difficult concept to explain to a little girl no one could say.
Inko however seemed slightly unnerved, "Oh….er…..honey that's…..well I don't know how Izuku could possibly do that."
Eri tilted her head, "But….he called Deku to help me. Can't he call him?" She asked.
The entire table turned to Izuku who was suddenly, very, VERY glad he had thought this through. When Yagi had come to drop them off here he sat in the flatbed and told the Picotech AI to leave a call on his phone from a blocked number. "Well, he was able to call me Eri, but I can't call him…..it's weird." He said, Ryuji nodding as he recalled the young man showing him his phone and the message left on it.
Inko seemed relived by that fact, "Oh, good. I don't think I want my son to have a vigilante on speed dial."
Izuku balked at her, "Wha-Mom!"
She waved him off, "Oh honey I know you, you'd spend a whole day filling a notebook with questions for him." She said casually, throwing her son under the proverbial bus.
His jaw gripped aghast, and saw Emi and Ryuji snicked to themselves. And looking to Kendo she couldn't stop smirking and didn't meet his eyes. "…..et to Itsuka?" He asked sadly.
"Boy I've seen your room, there's no chance you wouldn't have a shelve of Stephen King sized books written on all might if you had the chance." She replied jokingly.
Izuku pouted at her and then looked to Eri, "Um...I'll...see what I can do." He answered. The girl seemed satisfied and nodded, a slightly determined expression crossing her face as she decided to be brave.
Letting out a breath of relief, Izuku resumed eating his food with the two families sitting together. It had been far too long since it was just him and his mom sitting down to eat breakfast together...and maybe it was because Eri was there and she was so little compared to him and Itsuka. But it felt…..familial.
It felt good.
It had been almost a full day hours since the girl escaped and Kai Chesaki held a quiet rage within as best he could. That wasn't the case when the underlying who was supposed to be watching her came up to try and explain his ineptitude, a swipe of Kai's hand turned him into a bloody smear on the wall. One he didn't bother putting back together with his quirk, he needed to clean himself off still from that piece of filth throwing the dumpster on him.
After that his men reported back from their own searches, and found nothing. After telling them that Spider-Man was the one to take Eri, he had his disciples remain here at the compound for the time being. He had contacts within the police and hospitals who would tell him if Eri showed up within their system. But they were silent, reporting Eri missing would be a stupid move as her condition would immediately make whoever her caretaker was an initiate suspect for child abuse.
The only real lead he had was Spider-Man. And that was infuriating.
Kai was in his lab, his sanctuary, where vials, beakers, Petri dishes, microscopes, and other medical equipment was carefully put in place by himself. And in here, Chesaki was leaning over the table inspecting the vials placed inside a tin box. Eri had been taken before he could get a successful prototype of the drug he wanted, something only he was able to do because that girl was a key ingredient to it.
Or rather, her body was.
With her gone, there was no way they could produce Trigger as potent as they had been able to. And not only that, but the secondary experiments he had been running were now all but dead in the water.
He snapped the tin lid closed, the sound echoing through the lab.
If she had just fucking listened to him, did what he told her, and behaved, this wouldn't have happened! His eyes glared down at the tin box with barely contained anger, if Kingpin was still around the solution would be easy, have his DA run a crusade against the wall crawler, paint him as a kidnapper and put pressure on the public to report any sign of Eri to the police.
That of course ran some risks as well, Kingpin could have discovered what Chesaki was up to but he would have been swayed over by a cut of the profits.
But no. Fisk was gone, and what remained of his organization had gone to ground for the time being. Tapping his gloved hand on the lab table, he tried to ignore the instinct to check his clothes again for any leftover filth that had been tracked in after his scuffle with Spider-Man. He had to incarnate his clothes, and wash himself, scrub himself until his skin itched before he felt clean enough to get to work.
Spider-Man...he was the only one who knew where Eri was.
Sending out the disciples was his first instinct but to where? Them causing a ruckus might draw him out but it could just as easily pull in any other pro hero. And if they were identified as Shie Hassaikai then it'd just bring more attention, which is the last thing they needed right now.
The knock at the door made him whirl around, "What?!" He barked. The door opened, and in stepped one of his most highest ranked subordinates, Shin Nemoto, one of the eight bullets of the Shie Hassaikai. Chesaki's tension lessened only slightly. Nemoto was one of his most trusted men, as well as a very good assistant when it came to experiments. So if anyone in the organization could comprehend the enormity of this it was him.
He glided into the room with soft footsteps, the black cloak he wore around his body matches the bowler hat with the large rim he wore atop his head. His mask covered by a mask simulator to the one Chesaki himself wore but with the addition of covering his face entirely with blacked out goggles that resembled that of a medieval plague doctor. "Whats our count?" He asked.
Kai slid the tin contain over to him, "Twelve samples. If we're careful we can narrow our experiments down so we only need to use these when absolutely necessary." He explained as Nemoto opened the tin to see for himself.
Closing it he let out a sound of irritation, "We'll be slowed down for months. Maybe years."
Chesaki let out a hiss beneath his mask, "We need that girl. Now."
Nemoto nodded, "We need to be smart about this." He said.
Chesaki nodded grimly, "We do….Spider-Man knows where she is. We just need him, and then you can get it out of him." He said, looking over at his disciple. Nemoto's quirk, confession, would force him to answer truthfully to whatever question asked. "And after we ask him that, we find out his name, where his family lives, and then we pay them a visit." He said darkly.
"Agreed. But first thing's first. How do we get him?"
Kai sighed to himself, "I have an idea...but it involves someone I despise." He bemoaned.
He knew someone who could get Spider-Man to him…..he used to be one of their own.
Truth be told it was hard to leave the the Kendo house, Especially with how Eri hugged his legs so tightly upon learning he and his mom where leaving the home and weren't going to return later that day. But powering through the sudden bout of emotion such a thing brought him, Izuku managed to pry her off and reassure her that he would be back to visit. He almost broke and decided to hell with his plans when he saw tears bubbling up in her eyes, but Itsuka put her hands on her shoulders and told her that he would be back.
And he would be...but he needed to go.
He told his mom that he was going to work to check and see if they had any assignments for him and while that was true, it was far from the only thing he had planned today. Returning to the alley where he had met Eri and fought with the Yakuza, he was shocked to find no evidence of their fight. The ground that had been manipulated into spikes was once again flat, the cracked wall from the man hitting it was sealed, the only thing he didn't find was the dumpster he threw onto the mask wearing abuser.
After that, swing to Shoowasha Publishing's offices in search of his co-workers. Walking through the bullpen with his camera draped around his neck, he headed for the room where Hado had put up her board for the Kingpin. Turning down the hall to it, he blinked when he saw the door ajar with Hodo inside with a desk set up from the wall and a shelf put up on another with herself busy placing things on it. "Hodo?"
The brown haired woman turned and smiled at him, "Midoriya! Perfect timing." She quickly turned to him as he approached and he barely had time to react before she pushed a cardboard box into him, string, pins, and posted notes. And other miscellaneous used office supplies, he blinked as he recognized them as what was on the kingpin board. "Could you hold this for a sec? I haven't gotten a trash can in here yet." She said as she picked up a stack of papers and put it in the box.
"Um, sure…..what are you doing?" He asked in confusion.
Hodo grinned and gestured around the room, "Why, you're standing in the new associate editor's office!" She said triumphantly.
Izuku's eyes widened and a smile bloomed on his face, "What!? That's great Hodo! I'm so happy for you." He congratulated as she beamed from his praise.
"Thanks. Me and my girl are going out to celebrate tonight." She smiled as Izuku set the box down on her desk. She then blinked upon realizing something, "Erm, not that I'm not happy to see you Midoriya but what brings you here, I got a couple leads for stuff but moving I need photos of yet."
Izuku's happy expression faded and was replaced with a serious expression. "Well...ok, before I say anything, this has to be off the record. It's part of an ongoing investigation." He began, causing Hodo to immediately peek up, she quickly closed the door and nodded for him to continue.
From there he told her the version of events that he had told Itsuka's father and what transpired yesterday…..with a few exceptions due to Eri being in protective custody. He didn't like keeping Hodo in the dark about this but it was most definitely for her own protection, "-and when I met this girl later I got in touch with the police and handed her over."
Hodo was now sitting against her desk while Izuku sat in the only other chair besides the desk's in the office. She was visibly upset by what Izuku had told her, but her shoulders seemed to sag in relief upon hearing that this little girl was no longer in danger. "Jeez and I was worried you being part of the kingpin story was dangerous." She shook her head in disbelief. "...and you're sure that number Spider-Man used doesn't work?" She asked with a twinge of hope for an interview. Izuku shook his head, "Pffft. Figures."
Izuku rolled his eyes with a smirk, "Glad to see you're concerned."
"Hey your in one piece. And from what you said it sounded like you where ready to fistfight this guy." Hodo said defensively.
Ready nothing. I did and I wish I got more in. Izuku thought darkly before blinking in surprise at that. He quickly pulled his mind away from those thoughts, "Anyway, I was wondering if there's any other missing kids reported recently? I was just....what if the Yakuza is taking kids? He asked, voicing the thought that had been on his mind since last night when Ryuji informed him that the Yakuza were involved to begin with.
Hodo gave him a curious glance, staring long and hard at him before answering. "Well, we don't know they're Yakuza, first and foremost. I mean this guy might just be working alone." She said, looking down at her desk where Izuku's sketch of the man he encountered lay. Izuku flinched subtlety at his slip up, of course Hodo wouldn't jump to that conclusion! He only knew that because Ryuji wanted him to know exactly what had happened to him.
"R-right…..sorry I just kind of assumed…." He lamely excused.
Hodo examined him carefully, "Well….if he WAS Yakuza, it's…..complicated." She sighed.
"What? How so?" He asked.
Hodo cupped her chin as she thought of how to answer, "Ok, so you know how the Kingpin was put away for organizing crimes underneath the nose of how heroes operate, right?" She asked. Izuku nodded, he knew how Kingpin's organization was built all too well, "Well you know your history right? Traditionally, the Yakuza were seen as a sort of necessary evil back in the day as they helped provide a sort of stability for the neighborhoods they were located in." Izuku nodded dutifully, he remembered that they briefly covered criminal organizations in history class but their curriculum didn't really focus on it.
"Times have changed, thankfully for the better but even if they are a part of the Yakuza, they're smart. They work within the technical confines of the law through third parties they use as fronts." She informed, making Izuku's fists clench at his sides.
"They were hurting a seven year old girl." He said in a stone voice that made Hodo blink, not expecting the anger nor the maturity from the typically shy boy. But then again given what he had told her, she couldn't be surprised by his stance
She gave him a sympathetic look as she allowed his glare of anger to calm, "Assuming it was them? Yeah. But the Kingpin was blatantly breaking the law but was hiding himself from the system. These guys work within the system and use it to their advantage."
It may not have sounded that different but Izuku could understand what she meant. He took a breath and calmed himself, "Right…..sorry I just….I don't know, I guess I'm just mad." He admitted. He couldn't deny that ever since yesterday, he had a ball of anger in him that was directly squarely at the man who hurt Eri.
"Hey, I get it." Hodo assured him, standing up from her desk and patting his shoulder. "It pisses me off too but it sounds like she'll be safe with the police. Be proud of that." She encouraged.
Izuku smiled, "Thanks Hodo."
She bumped his shoulder with her fist, "No problem kid." She said before he rubbed where she slugged him and made his way out of the office. "Look, odds are this creep was one time deal, I hope the cops bust his ass. And if they do? I'll let you get the picture of his perp walk." She grinned.
Putting his hands in his pockets, he frowns in disappointment to himself, he had hoped that there might be some story about the Yakuza that Hodo was already looking into but it seemed like he wasn't that lucky. He was still mad, but he didn't know where the Shie Hassaikai was so he could do something about it.
Instead of moping around and wallowing in his anger towards the Yakuza, Spider-Man decided to do what he liked to do. And help people, "-so if you just keep going straight this way? You'll get to a bridge, and when you cross it? You turn left and keep going until you see a big parking deck ahead, that's for the mall parking." He explained to the tourist who was holding their phone up so it could translate his words into English for them. He was hanging upside down by a webline and pointing down the street he was directing them, the middle aged woman, whose kids were looking up with wonder, read the directions on the phone.
"
This is just what I needed. Getting out and doing some good. He thought happily to himself, his mood much better than before as he swung off his webline and shot out another. It felt good, being Spider-Man and being able to effect change like this. Not like Izuku Midoriya, who apparently wasn't able to help make sure a little girl was safe.
Swinging alongside a building, he frowned beneath his mask, Maybe I'm being too impatient. Hodo's right, I can't just investigate the Yakuza with little to no proof that they're behind it. Ryuji knows it's them but I can't use his word on it because it compromises Eri. He thought, flipping off his webline and perching on the wall of a building. Looking down to the street below, he saw someone was working on their car in a parking lot, slid underneath the undercarriage they were reaching for their toolbox that was just out of reach.
Dropping a webline down it attached to the box handle and he easily lifted it and slid it closer to the owner who grabbed the wrench they were looking for. I mean there's obviously ways I can help without the costume and my powers but- he stopped when he heard a siren. Shooting a web he swung off in the direction of the sound he swing over a building, and shot another web to pull himself over a building just as the police car sped down the road after a truck that was swinging right and left across the lanes, a screeching noise coming from it like some metal animal had its tail run over.
Swinging down to the wife of the truck, he looked inside and saw the driver was spamming the break pedal but to no avail. Spider-Man flipped around to the front of the truck, and sprayed webbing into the wheels, "See this? This is why replacing brake pads is important!" He exclaimed as he used his feet to brace against the ground, providing the extra distribution of inertia to slow the truck down while the webs on the tire caused it to stick in place.
Hopping onto the roof of the truck, he jumped off and pulled himself up with a webline as the police, who had pulled to a stop, got out of their car to inspect the driver. -but there's also things I can do with my powers that I can't as Izuku. He finished his thought.
He had been consumed with bringing the Kingpin's empire down ever since he realized that someone had been exploiting innocent people. And doing so had shown him what he could do with his newfound powers, but with U.A.'s entrance exam approaching, the Shie Hassaikai being investigated by another hero with no room for his job to aid, and Kingpin put away?
All Izuku could think of was...what he couldn't do.
Grabbing a ledge with his outstretched hand, he hoisted himself up to the ledge of the building in a crouch. Is...is that true though? He thought defectively. He knew that his job as a photographer could be of help occasionally and he liked doing it. But…..how could he help people? Not as Spider-Man, but as Izuku? And on that same scale?
He wasn't a genius, like Melissa or Otto, they would be doing work that would help countless people by creating support items for heroes. Hodo had helped show him that he could help people being his normal self without powers but.....it didn't feel like enough. He sighed as he looked out to the city around him, I'm doing so much good as Spider-Man. But...is that enough? He asked himself.
His Spider Sense rang down his spine, before he realized what he was doing he leapt forward off the building as a blur of something heavy slammed into the spot he was perched on, demolishing the section of roof as the hero landed on the building across the way. Turning his head back, his lenses widened upon swing the corner of the building falling down towards the populated streets below!
Aiming both his hands down towards where the rubble was falling, she sprayed a wide stream of webbing across, cross-crossing his hands to weave a large net that would catch the debris. He heard screaming as people who had stopped to look up at the noise saw the oncoming rainfall of concrete, brick, and mortar.
He felt the weight pull him, but he steadied himself against the wall, sticking to it as he grabbed both lines with one arm, which caused him to pitch forward, and used his now free hand to shoot out supporting lines to the now large collection of webbing that was thick enough to capture the collateral damage. "Oh thank god that-" he said before his spider sense earned him again and he flipped backwards, up the side of the building into a crouch as a green shape smashed into where he had been.
"Finally. Do you know how long it's taken me to find you?" The shape spoke, his voice showing relief as he shocked Izuku by standing up against the wall just was easily as he could. The man, whose voice being masculine was the only indication of it being a man. Stood up on a pair of legs that had three toes on them, two pointing forward and latching onto the wall, and one on the heel doing the same covered in green shells.
His legs were covered with the same organic material with the gaps being dark black. His torso held the same casing that covered his chest like the musculature of a man, but only the front. He was hunched over slightly which allowed Spider-Man to see the hump that went down his spine and extended out to a long at ten foot tail that coiled around in the air with a sharp looking stinger on the end that ended in a knife-like tip.
His arms were covered with the shells as well, but at his forearms, retractable pincers pulsed at the ready to go over his hands and snap whatever they caught in two. But it was his face, that Izuku noted, which stood out the most.covered with the same exoskeleton material the raft of his body had, it looked more terrifying with the bright yellow eyes with tiny pupils, his mouth was exposed in a grinning sneer.
He looked crazed.
Izuku was taken aback by it, "I-er-if-if you had trouble finding me….you must be colorblind!" He attempted to joke but only coming out like….well, it was Izuku saying it and not Spider-Man.
The man's head reared back in laughter, "HAHAHAHA! That's it? Oh man, and here I thought that this would be a chore!" he mused as he leaned forward, Spider-Man's sixth sense barely registered as his eyes saw the blur of the tail heading for his heart within a fraction of a second, just long enough for him to duck back flat against the wall to dodge! The tail sunk into the wall and as Spider-Man rose on the side of it, his assailant pulled himself forward by the limb and slammed his shoulder into him, knocking him sprawling onto his back.
The villain's fist reared back, and as he did the pincer on his forearm extended out, before driving it down. Spider-Man's hands shot up and caught ether side of the claw and braced! Izuku gritted his teeth as he was pushed back into the wall, the man's strength equaling, possibly exceeding his own! The man's tail drew back as a sadistic grin crossed his face, the tip of his tail pointed down at the vigilante's head, "I'm supposed to bring you back alive, but you don't need to be in one piece." he relished as he slowly lowered his tipped tail towards his face, directly onto his lens.
The tip pressed into the hard plastic material, Izuku struggled against the strength of the villain, his arms shaking as he slowly pushed back against the arm, but the pressure of tip began to crack to lens.
His foot shot out into the man's knee, the buckled with a yelp and Spider-Man rolled over to the side, before turning back and throwing his fist out into the man's jaw!
The left cross would have had the force to cave in a wall but sent the villain tumbling back down the side of the building. Izuku reached up to his face, his one eye now exposed to the air and wide with fear and adrenaline. He watched as the man, the Scorpion man he supposed, stopped himself by slamming his clawed hand into the wall, he looked up with a bloody lip, and licked the crimson fluid off, "Did your mother ever warn you not to play with your tail?! You could poke your eye out with it!" he called down.
Great, he's strong as me, fast as me, and as though as me...well I've faced worse odds before. I can still- he thought before his Spider Sense buzzed in the back of his head as forewarning, "Oh what now!?" he hissed before-
CRACK!!!!
The echoing sound came at the same time as something embedded into the wall beside his head. Below him, Scorpion's head snapped back to the direction the sound came from, but neither he nor the vigilante could see the shooter. Out of the corner of his eye, Spider-Man saw the projectile that had embedded into the wall wasn't….exactly a bullet...at least not in the traditional sense, it was a cylinder that ended in a point but most bullets crushed upon impact…..not this. And then his Sixth Sense rang again.
Three miles away, from a rooftop and perched beneath a large billboard in the shadows, the shooter was looking at the magnified scene in front of her with a displeased expression. She wore a dark high collared sleeveless jumpsuit with padding on their chest, with both matching belt and knee guards. Their boots were white, one of them propped up on one of the struts which she helped used to steady her aim.
They carried no weapon, because they WERE the weapon.
"You in the red and blue. Don't move."They said into the transmitter that relayed what was said to their prior shot. "Stay right where you are. That villain will be taken care of, but you're in my sights too. Move, and the next shot goes through your leg." they said into the earpiece that they had, a mic going along their jaw to the corner of their mouth to speak without the need to take their focus away.
And then they reached up with their empty hand.
And pulled at her pink and purple hair.
And shaped it into a bullet before feeding it into her rifle by the palm of her right hand, the barrel sticking out of her right elbow as she locked her sights onto the Vigilante Spider-Man.
Lady Nagant had him in her sights.