A pair of bi-colored eyes and a pair of inky black ones lingered upon each other as the silence in the room was deafening. Mar'Ris sat cross legged on Izuku's bed while he sat on his desk chair only a few feet away. Izuku's throat constricted in on itself after he had heard the news that Mar'Ris had given him. She in turn looked solemn at doing so with her face forming a worried expression with her alien features. She appeared to be looking at his feet rather than his face.
"Is it really that bad?", Izuku finally said after what seemed like hours.
Mar'Ris hesitated to speak at first, "Yes."
Izuku gulped, "What do we need to do?"
Mar'Ris' gaze returned to Izuku's while her hair-tentacles fluttered confidently, "We get as many allies as we can before the parasites strike out in the open."
Izuku gulped before nodding with the same confidence as his patron.
To say that Shigaraki was in a good mood would be an utter lie, in fact he was far from being in a good mood. He was frankly rather pissed off at the current turn of events. He and the Hero Killer played their roles in the raid flawlessly. The Nomu wreaked havoc on Hosu with only the loss of two of them, while Stain killed one hero while severely wounding another. The news should have been talking about the league and its new partnership with Stain, but they weren't.
Ghost had once again stolen the spotlight away from the Shigaraki with his fight against Mirko. Even worse was the fact that All Might and that invisible brat from UA were skyrocketing in popularity for defeating Ghost where others failed or had merely stalemated. It was like rubbing salt on an already fresh wound. Sensei told him to be calm and merely bid his time, using his partnership with Stain to gain more powerful recruits for the league.
But the mere fact that he executed his plans flawlessly, only for that Ganker to come and ruin it was what had him fumming. It made that unbearable itch on his neck even worse as his scratching was now drawing blood to try to ease the irritation. Kurogiri wasn't too happy about the loss of most of his bar's furniture as well.
Stain on the other hand became withdrawn within a few days of the attack, and Shigaraki didn't know why. The man was very vocal about his stupid ideology, and now he hardly said a word. Shigaraki was certain it was due to his side quest to power up that dumb sword, but at this point he was certain it was something else. The puppet leader of the League remembered one of the video games that sensei gave to him in which the world changed due to the actions of the players. This could spell good or bad for the players depending on the state of the game.
And Shigaraki was certain it spelled bad, considering he caught the Hero Killer talking to his sword. Mumbling that the mother and the son had reunited and the old priest was marching to his doom? Also wasn't that old relic called sutta-something or was it something something-bean? Either way, Shigaraki was certain that the old sword wasn't called Monari, and he was also extra certain that saying that name out loud didn't cause his spine to shiver uncontrollably. He was just glad that the Hero Killer was leaving the next morning, and hopefully he will take that cooky shit with him.
It was yet another sleepless night for Tenya Iida, and the heavens reflected the inner turmoil. From his blindness window, the night sky was starless without a moon to lighten the inky sea. Yet, his eyes weren't directed towards the sky, but rather onto the hospital bed that he had been unwillingly confined to. As the young teen had only found consciousness mere hours ago.
Iida was sitting upright in his bed with an agonized scowl carved into his face. With a painful huff, the teen threw the covers covering his legs off, revealing the damage done from Hosu. Anger and shame boiled beneath the skin of the teen as he stared at his legs or rather his lack of legs. Tears soon welted in his eyes the longer Iida stared at the nubs for every hope and dream came burning down to earth.
"Ingenium will be the hero that will defeat you, Stain!"
It was an empty promise that was made in a moment of rage and arrogance by an inexperienced child, and it was doomed to fail as a result. His career as a hero was over before it even began, and so was his promise to Tensei. The hero named Ingenium was gone, and Iida killed him the moment he chased after the Hero Killer.
"You are nothing but a fake and with delusions of grandeur, along with a conviction driven by simple vengeance!"
Tears began to drip from Iida's eyes as the memory left a bad taste in his mouth that was leagues greater than any other shortcoming in his life. He was no hero, he was the fake that Stain claimed he was. No hero would ever do what Iida tried to do.
"If you look up to me Tenya, then I must be a great hero."
He let his brother and hero down, and that hurt more than any of the Hero Killer's wounds. Wouldn't it have been better that he died in Hosu to spare his family the shame of his actions, and let them think he died as a hero trying to save Native from Stain. But he didn't and now they had to bear not only the loss of the Ingenium line, but also deal with the taboo of vigilantism as well. He didn't know when he began to drift off to sleep, he seldom could these days. Maybe his dreams won't plague him this time…
Iida's eyes shot open with guarded surprise while he shot upright into a sitting position. All the while his panicked mind tried to piece together what happened. His thoughts instantly drifted to a villain using his quirk for some nefarious attack on the hospital, but that train of reason gave out immediately once he examined his surroundings.
The legless teen found himself sitting in an endless expanse of a strange dark matter that functioned as a solid while appearing to be liquid. Shining lights and streaks of golden dust reflected brilliantly on the surface of the dark matter. Iida looked at the sky and saw a swirling galaxy of star-like lights and clouds of cosmic dust tying it all into one shape. For a brief moment, Iida was awestruck by the scene before him with all stellar beauty before the teen suddenly realized the scope of the situation he was in.
"This is strange, even for a dream.", Iida mumbled to himself, "But it feels so real at the same time."
Iida immediately began to scan the horizons in all of the surrounding directions, even going as far as twisting his body with arms to get a better look around. Yet, such an effort was in vain as there was simply nothing but a seemingly never ending flats with no visible landmark within sight. There was no telling how far the flats went on, or even if there was an end to them. It was a case of catch 22 where Iida would either starve to death or die of exhaustion.
"But isn't that what you wanted? To rid your family of the shame you brought on them?"
An ugly but not untrue thought, but he had a strange feeling that his mind was subconsciously trying to tell him something. Otherwise, there would've been Stain, Tensei and a lot of blood if this had been a nightmare. In all honesty, this dream felt too odd to even be a dream or rather a dream that he should be having. Iida's dream brain instantly began to ache upon trying to make sense of this situation, but maybe he should play along to see what torure he believed he deserved. Now which direction should he begin to crawl?
Before the teen could make up his mind on which way to go, he suddenly felt uneasy. Immediately Iida began to scan the endless horizons again, not based on any logical reason but on the tiny voice of instinct that helped early man survive a world of danger and monsters. Gray eyes peered across the endless flats until they came across a silhouette standing tall in a previously empty land. Iida froze up immediately upon seeing the newfound obstruction in the endless flats.
The silhouette would best be described as an indistinct blob of ink as any fine details, if there were any, seemed to be obscured by sheer distance between it and blob or what appeared to be a blob at a distance was something that could be described as a thing. Not very detailed but there are few words that Iida could mouth to fit an ample description of it. It would've been something that would've been ignored as some distorted feature in any normal circumstance, but here on the unending flats it stood like a sore thumb.
The crippled teen remained transfixed upon the bloch with squinting eyes that were trying to make out details that could give away its identity. He blinked…
Did it get closer? He blinked again, and the blob vaguely looked larger. Iida blinked again! It was gone?! The hairs on the back of his neck instantly stood up, and a pang of instinctual fear ebbed into the crippled teen. He frantically looked around while his breathing grew labored trying to find where the blob had gone.
"Look behind you.", warned the ugly voice in his head. Iida gulped down an apple sized knot in his throat as he reluctantly followed the advice of the voice. He was hoping that there was nothing there, but that wish proved to be a disappointment with the "thing" looming over him.
The thing was massive. It was at least equal to or even greater in size to All Might, and resembled the general humanoid shape but with some stark differences. For one was the fact that the body of the thing was covered in a dark bluish skin with lean muscles pressing against it from underneath. Its torso contained all the features of a human female but with way more pronunciation with their size and allurement. Oddly enough, the creature appeared to be wearing what appeared to be a plain white halter dress giving it a more intelligent and civilized aura than a beastial one.
The thing's long arms ended in a pair of webbed hands tipped with a set of knife-like claws, while its legs ended with a set of dinosauroid feet. It's head was shaped like a human's but was devoid of some of the normal features while also possessing altered versions of others. Like a set of black almond shaped eyes, two small slits for a nose, and a small lipless mouth with extending lines along the cheeks. But the most weird feature was the hair made of several thick tentacles along with a crown made of copper wire that held three jagged crystals together along the front.
It looked like a queen of some sci fi-fantasy race from an old video game, but it also strangely felt distinctly human at the same time. The crown and the dress felt out of place on the creature and yet they also fit in perfectly at the same time. While the humanistic features on it felt more like a mimicry on what a human should have, but the aquatic features didn't feel like they should belong either. The creature was simultaneously a familiar sight and alien at the same time, a contradiction in the world of the uncanny.
Almost instantly, the feeling of fear dissipated from IIda and instead was replaced with an indescribable empty feeling. It was as if there was a vast void of nothing inside him. This had gotten beyond weird and now had gone into the realm of absurdity! The teen wanted answers or at least whatever delusions his psyche was at least devising.
"What are you? Where am I?", Iida meekly prodded.
"..."
"Why aren't you answering me?", Iida barked with a waver in his voice.
"..."
Once again, the creature did not say or do anything, just merely stand there with its uncaring visage directed at him. Iida guessed it was expected that the creature couldn't speak, but even if it could, what would it even say? Yet, the thought didn't ease up any of the stress or frustration that was boiling underneath.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME!?", Iida shouted at the creature with all his frustration exposed.
It felt like the creature was mocking him by completely discounting him. Hell, what was he even thinking!? It probably couldn't even understand what he was saying, much less understand what he was going through. He didn't even know why he felt compelled to even talk to something that couldn't even…
"I know how you feel.", the thing said with feminine voice.
Iida's mouth dropped, more out of confusion than shack. "You can actually talk!?"
"Yes.", deadpanned the she-monster.
Iida raised an eyebrow, "Well, since you can, could you tell me…"
"Be silent.", She gently ordered. Iida instantly and unwillingly clamped his mouth shut while his eyes widened in horror. He waited tensely for something awful to happen to him but nothing ever did. All it did was stare at him.
For the briefest of moments, the creature's face furrowed into one of the most heart wrenching expressions Iida had ever seen before returning to its empty expression. The monster then began to close the space between it and the teen with a gait that resembled a bird's strut. Iida was instantly transfixed upon the hulking figure as it walked over to him, while his heart began to beat like a drum as the creature kneeled in front of him. It was still two heads taller than him while doing so. Iida felt extremely uneasy as he could see his reflection in its black eyes, displaying his pathetic state for the first time since waking up from the surgery.
"You are being torn apart by regret.", She replied, "Your spirit is in an endless war between a past full of mistakes and a future full of endless shame. You can never move forward."
"W-Wha-", Iida sputtered out, suddenly surprised he could speak again.
"Heed my words, for they are not the workings of a dream, for they are more real than you can imagine. Listen to them well and take them to their fullest for they are the only hope you have left.", the she-monster said with authority, "Make peace with your past and continue forward with balance, you will be set free from your regret."
Despite being so vague in the wording, somehow that bit of advice seems to make Iida feel lighter. But a lingering distaste still hung over the teen like a miasma of guilt and anger.
"It will be no easy task, but I believe there is something in you worth salvaging despite the grievances you gave to my kin. I can help you take back what was taken from you, namely your legs and quirk.", stated the she-monster, "In return, I only ask that you aid me when I or my kin call upon you? Do you accept my patronage, Iida Tenya?"
Everything about this seemed so crazy, but there was something about it that felt so real. Give his legs back and quirk? That was impossible, even with a host of the strongest healing quirks in the world. Nothing in the world could bring back what he lost, much less what he took from his family.
"You seemed to have doubts about me. Perhaps I should show you what I am capable of.", The mock Queen spoke.
The creature queen reached out and grabbed Iida by his right shoulder, and a painful burning jolted down his body and towards his leg. Iida squeezed his eyes in pain before shooting his hands to grab the stump of his left leg. Yet, instead of feeling a bandaged knub he felt the boney dome of a knee. The navy haired teen instantly shot his gaze towards his legs and rapidly opened his eyes…It was there! His leg was there! His calf engines! Everything was there! He could feel it there! If he could get it back then he could amend his mistakes!
Before he could get further ahead of himself, the she-creature let go of his shoulder and with it so did his leg disappear into oblivion. Iida found himself shouting while frantically scratching at the now empty spot where his leg once was. He remained frozen in place for a second before his anguish caught back up with. He let out a cry before breaking down into a sobbing mess. The she-creature made no move to comfort or ease him, and merely watched him
With tears lingering in his eyes and his hands lingering in the specter of his leg, Iida whispered meekly, "What do I have to do? What do I have to give? Please tell me what I must do to get them back!"
"What was broken can be reforged into something stronger, and I want you to show me you have what it takes to be the hero that Ingenium always was supposed to be. But you must prove to me that you could be a true hero without them. Do this, and I will restore your former self to its lost glory. Do you accept it?", she replied.
"I'll do it.", Iida said without hesitation, "I will prove that I am worthy of your gift and worthy of the name Ingenium."
"Good, now that pact is sealed and begins.", commanded the Sovereign," Then perhaps the Hero Ingenium could be reborn from the fire and ash he perished within. Now leave, and prove your will to your Sovereign and most importantly to your elder hatchmate."
The two stared at each other for only a moment, one with a blank caring and the other with shock. It felt like centuries in Iida's case, and in that instant Iida felt a fire ignite inside him. The Sovereign flashed him the smallest satisfied smile in the world before she slowly and deliberately raised her webbed hand and snapped its clawed fingers. And a sensation akin to falling suddenly emerged within the teen before Iida's vision finally disappeared in a deepening abyss.
The clacking of keys resonated throughout the humble office with an old man typing meticulously. The man was teched into complete and utter focus on his job, until a light rapping could be heard on the door.
"Ah, Kujo! Come in, come in.", said the old man, "It's been a while, but then again you get really engrossed with our patients
A man walked right into the room, and he was the spitting image of an overworked doctor with the bags under the eyes, sagging glasses, and the wrinkled coat. The man simply known as Kujo looked like he had swallowed a whole lemon with his expression. "Despite getting hurt, you somehow didn't have any of your annoying cheer. I figured some time being a patient would have dampened it."
"As serious as ever!", the elderly man said with amusement, "Well since we are on the topic of patients , how are things going with your latest charge? Your last report indicated a successful amputation, but was there something about his mental health that was concerning?"
"Ah yes, Iida Tenya, our former hero student turned vigilante.", Kujo said dryly, "His operation was a success, but it seemed that his mental state suffered as much as his physical state. We were debating about putting him on suicide watch at one point, but that was until recently."
"Recently? ", the older man questioned, "What condition was the patient experiencing until recently?"
"To put it bluntly, the boy was suffering depression and what appeared to be a rather bad guilt complex. At least that's what Dr. Akashi from the psych ward said.", Kujo paused to take off his spectacles, "He was rather withdrawn through it all. With no desire to eat, sleep, or even attempt to do some of the physical therapy. The boy seemed to be content with the idea of merely wasting away instead of recovering."
"So what did the ol' Kujo do to get this little guy back on his feet?", the old timer beamed with a grin.
"Nothing.", Kujo nonchalantly, "It was little too soon to prescribe him any medication for such an issue and Dr. Akashi had three patients ahead of him in greater need of her quirk than Mr. Iida. Honestly, I expected the worst possible outcome to happen with this kid, but that makes it all the more surprising when the exact opposite happened."
"A recovery?", the old man filled in.
"More than that, he is going above and beyond to not only recover but he now has a different mindset as well.", Kujo replied grimly, "It is as if he has a completely new look on life, he now views things as a life to be had after his injuries and not as the end of it."
The old man of the hospital paused in thought before returning to his work, "Well, see to it that our patient makes a full recovery. I want to see him out of here in good spirits. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir. ", droned Kujo, "Sir there's something else you need to know. The patients keep getting these weird necklaces or something. We don't know where they are getting them nor who might be giving them out."
"Are they doing any harm to the patients?", the graying man asked.
"No, they just look odd and they are unsettling the doctors with their random appearances. Is there something that needs to be done about them?", asked Kujo.
"No No.", he replied, "They're a good omen, and they help the patients heal the damage from within. Just have a little faith in them, will you Kujo?", the head doctor said while reaching for something underneath his shirt.
Mirai was having a stressful night. The hero was feeling ragged after spending hours dealing with all the paperwork and the fallout of Hosu. It was unfortunate that he couldn't use Foresight on himself to help him avoid such headaches, but quirks couldn't fix everything. The underground hero should count himself lucky that nothing in the future he saw came to fruition. The last thing he wanted was to lose one of his students to a vigilante that seemed to border on the line of a brutalizing animal.
Which brings up the subject of his latest headache: The Ghost of Musustafu. The incident at Hosu had made his job of recruiting the rogue nigh impossible. Injuring 20 heroes and police and crippling the number 6 hero for life are the latest bits of criminal offenses added to his record. A record that was growing with offenses seemingly every other week at this point.
The Hero Safety Commission had remained quiet on the matter, at least publicly. Mirai was certain that the Commission would likely send one of its dogs to go and deal with him, permanently. He didn't trust the Commission, and neither did the Government, and if the supposed rumors were true then the nest of vipers would do something drastic to ensure their power wasn't threatened. Even if they didn't send one of their rumored assassins after him, Mirai was certain that whatever that nest of vipers had planned it wasn't good.
The mainstream media had already called for his arrest after his botched battle with Stain. Now they were out for blood, decrying him as the biggest menace to society since Toxic Chainsaw. Yet, in all their calls for justice and self assured confidence that the Ghost of Musustafu will be brought to justice, there was an underlying element in their narrative. Mirai easily recognised it as fear. They were afraid of Ghost and the destructive power that he was capable of doing with seemingly no one that could stop him.
"No one but All Might and Salacia.", Mirai's thoughts reminded him.
If Hosu taught him anything about Ghost is that the vigilante appeared to hold both Hagakure and Yagi in high regards. Yagi makes sense due to the profound impact he had on the world, and no doubt that Ghost was someone who admired Yagi or at least respected him. What didn't make sense was why Hagakure also seemed to have this effect on Ghost. That's impossible, unless Hagakure is directly connected…
"Niru'ttu ma'ru na ka'lai it uk'iren! / I order you to stop!"
Mirai sat at his desk with a blank expression as his train of thought suddenly vanished. He remained as still as a statue with the ticking from his 10th anniversary All Might Clock being the only source of noise in his office. His jaw went slack as drool began to drip out of the corner of his mouth.
Thump Thump
Mirai moaned in pain as he groggily rubbed his eyes while slouching on his desk. The man soon rested his elbows on his desk while his hand covered his face. A small curse escaped his lips as he struggled to get coherent again.
"Did I black out?", he asked no one in particular, "Maybe I should see a doctor? The stress of this case might be a little too much for me."
"If someone of your experience was able to chase All Might around for as long as you did, then I would imagine I would be no problem by comparison."
Sir Nighteye froze on the spot, not daring to move from his position. There was no one else in the office right now, and he didn't recognize the voice as belonging to one of his team. But if there was an intruder then he would have at least heard them enter his office. It was as if the intruder had just appeared out of thin air. The only people he knew that were capable of such a feat were Kurogiri of the League and…
"Me.", said the Ghost of Musustfu.
Fear and panic surfaced on Mirai as his brain tried to crank out a plan, unless he was imagining things. Yes, maybe he was just imagining things, all the stress was probably just making him hallucinate. He was sure that if he were to take his hands off his face and look…
…
…
…
"If you are done gawking at me, Sir Nighteye, then I would like to have a discussion.", Ghost calmly stated, "And I won't do anything rash if you won't in return. So would you kindly take your finger away from the silent alarm underneath your desk?"
Sir Nighteye hesitantly pulled his hand away from the button, but kept his guard up and eyes trained in on Ghost.
"Thank you for your cooperation.", Ghost taunted, "Though, I can't imagine that this was something you expected."
"No, I cannot say that I have had the luxury of having the subject of my case come in for a casual chat.", Mirai said cooly, "Which begs the question: why are you here?"
Ghost somehow took a somber expression on his hooded face, "Is it too late for me?"
"Excuse me?"
"Is it too late for me to possibly join the ranks of the heroes through whatever rehabilitation program you have?", Ghost answered a bit forcefully.
Sir Nighteye nearly dropped his jaw.
"Look, I am not doing this for myself. Frankly, I think the hero system merely caters to the strong at the expense of the weak! I am more than content of staying a vigilante, but…", Ghost trailed off.
Ghost's hooded head seemed to droop as he paused, clearly searching for the right words.
"There was a boy at Hosu, Tenya Iida.", Ghost said somberly, "He managed to find the Hero Killer by himself, and tried to confront the villain."
Sir Nighteye already knew the details concerning the latest drop out of UA. "What does he have to do with your little visit?".
"I was hunting the Hero Killer as well, so I was surprised to see that he had beaten me to him. So I rushed to him, but as you know, I was caught before I could reach him on time.", Ghost paused, "He had no help, nor was anyone else aware of his situation. No one but me. And I thought, maybe if I wasn't a vigilante, then perhaps things wouldn't have ended as they did."
If Sir Nighteye hadn't been so practiced in maintaining a stoic visage, then he surely would have been shocked. But if he was anything, he was sarcastic. "Finally figuring out that actions have consequences?", he slipped out.
"The point is, Sir Nighteye, I want to become a hero. Not because of a selfish desire to fulfill a lost pipe dream. Not because I think I deserve to be one.", explained Ghost with a growl, "I want to become a hero so I don't take the heroes away from those who need them. How many people at Hosu got hurt because the heroes were too focused on taking me down!"
The vigilante began to steady his breathing, "So, I ask you Sir Nighteye, the lead hero in my case. Is it too late for me? Am I too far gone to become a hero or am I now considered a villain that needs to be apprehended?"
Sir Nighteye looked at the small figure before him and answered as best as he could, "I don't know, Ghost. Your actions at Hosu have made your situation rather precarious. Frankly, your rehabilitation case should've been dropped and your files should have been transferred into the database of dangerous villains."
Ghost didn't look sad or angry, he looked resigned, "I understand."
"But!", Mirai exclaimed, "There are powerful people that want to see you as a hero as well, and I am sure that you will be welcomed in our ranks. Especially given that you are willing to admit that your actions were not in the right. We can probably twist that into something akin to having an epiphany, provided you follow some stipulations."
Ghost seemed to perk up with the assessment, "What needs to be done?"
"Some paperwork concerning you and your situation needs to be processed in the state's bureaucracy, first and foremost. Which will take a long time even with a hero and a high government official hurrying the process.", Sir Nighteye explained, "The fastest we can get you processed would take about a month, and you need to attend a meeting with both Hero and Government representatives to finalize it."
Ghost's invisible eyes seemed to narrow, "Do I get a say in any of it or do I merely sign myself as a dog to the government?"
"Normally you wouldn't, but given your quirk's strength, I'd say that there would be room for negotiation.", Sir Nighteye added, "But that is what the meeting will be for at the month's end."
Ghost didn't look satisfied but seemingly grunted in annoyed acceptance.
"You will also need to lay low for the month and stop all vigilante activity, and if not, try not to break headlines again.", Sir Nighteye said in annoyance, "Does that answer your question?"
The hooded head of the vigilante raised his head slightly, "It does. But I would like to make some requests before I can agree to your terms?"
"You may, but I cannot guarantee that they will be granted.", Nighteye added dryly.
"Very well.", Ghost acknowledged, "First, I would like the meeting to be held on neutral ground for obvious reasons."
"I am sure that something could be worked out.", Mirai was quick to reply.
"Secondly, I would like to request that you keep me up to date with this process. Say, weekly visits like this should suffice?", Ghost added.
"Agreeable, request. I can do that provided that I am notified ahead of time.", Nighteye said in return.
"And lastly, due to my age and current lack of an education. I request that I be allowed to join a hero school as part of the rehabilitation program."
Sir Nighteye suddenly felt his headache get worse.
Spinner was giddy with excitement as he traversed the ruined alleyways of Hosu. His scales itched with an excitement that he hadn't felt since that old western rpg had been re-released for the 100th time. Why was this loner of a lizard-man here in Hosu? Quite simply, he was here to see the sight of Stain's latest purge. He wanted to see the scenes in which the fake heroes had been purged from society. He wanted to see the battlegrounds in which his idol fought the monster in white robes to a standstill, doing what both the number 6 and 2 hero failed to do.
But most of all he wanted to see if he could meet Stain. He held hope that he could, on some off chance, find his idol on the streets of Hosu and get the recognition that he deserved. But if not, at the very least he could 1-up the others on the forum with his visit to the latest site of Stain's crusade. He was going to be swimming in that sweet sweet Karma if anything.
"Ha! Wait till those losers get a load of me now! I'm about to go somewhere where they would piss their pants! I can't wait to see the look on their face when I become the Hero Killer's sidekick! Egg on their face for laughing at me!", Spinner thought to himself.
The lizard man apty and stealthfully ducked underneath the police tape that had sectioned off his destination. Spinner carefully looked around and ensured that an undercover cop or stealthy hero was watching him on the empty street. He crept with baited breath along the shadows of the alleyway before he came to the blood spattered scene of the crime.
For an alleyway that was marred with filth and grime, it was vibrant in a sick sort of way with the blood stains along the ground and walls. But Spinner wasn't interested in the grisly demise of another set of fake heroes. Instead he was interested in the rumored message that Stain had left before going dark. The message had yet to be revealed to the public and had been purposely censored from all journalists. This only made Spinner and the other forum posters even more curious about its contents. Spinner fantasized what the message could be alongside his forum pals on that particular channel. His gut told him it was about Endeavor and the multitude of crimes that number two had committed, but there was only one way to find out.
It took the lizard man a little while to find it, as it was a bit difficult to make it out in the low lighting and the splotches of blood. But after a painstaking job rivaling the translation of hieroglyphics, Spinner found his message.
You are next!
Spinner's smile instantly soured to a frown. Honestly, he may have overhyped himself in expecting the contents to be a bombshell, but this was a tad too disappointing. The human lizard let out a disappointed sigh before pulling out a battered cell phone to snap a few pictures for the forum. Unbeknownst to Spinner was a large ripple in the air that shimmered behind him. It made no sound or sudden actions before a tendril of water snaked from out of nowhere slowly towards the unaware lizard. Spinner didn't have time to yelp as the liquid limbs pulled into the maw of nothing that they emerged from.
...
When Spinner woke up, he saw that he was suspended upside down by his ankles. Not only that, but his arms and hands were also bound. If he had any distress about being tied up as he was he didn't show it, and attempted to try to struggle out of his bindings. But to no avail, Spinner was caught in the spider's web very securely.
His reptilian face contorted as if trying to conjure up ideas on how to escape. He thought of using his knowledge of video games to think of an escape. However, he was almost certain that quick time events don't exactly pop up when in a pickle.
"I don't really see many people dress up like the Hero Killer, and I especially don't see them wandering around at night.", proclaimed a familiar voice.
If it weren't for the fact that Spinner had religiously watched the Hosu video like 500 times, then he wouldn't have recognized the wispy low voice of his idol's arch enemy. He was there caught in the claws of the Ghost of Musustafu. Slowly, Spinner turned his head as far as he could from his bindings towards the source of the voice, and sure enough the notorious vigilante was there staring with his robbed face.
Upon instinct Spinner went gung-ho against the vigilante as any follower of Stain would. He was sure that he would've kicked his ass, if he hadn't been so tightly bound. So instead, he did the next best thing: And insult and talk down the monster that dared to try to stop Stain's crusade. He was certain if he tried hard enough, he would piss off Ghost with his verbal superiority and then Ghost would strike him down. Forever Maytring him as a true disciple of Stain.
Yet, no matter what Spinner said to the vigilante, nothing seemed to make him budge or move a muscle. All the cloaked villain would do was just stand there and watch the thrashing Spinner with an impassive void. By the end of his rant, Spinner was gasping for air while his eyes maintained their steady bulwark on Ghost. It took ten minutes for Spinner to verbally assault the enemy of his idol with every bit of the Hero Killer's preachings. It was all in the name of defending the Hero Killer and his righteous crusade against his enemies.
Yet, Ghost didn't seem to be fazed in the slightest, "Why do you admire the Hero Killer and his work?"
"What?!", Spinner shouted in confusion, "Isn't it obvious why anyone would follow Stain? He said tha…"
"No, I want to hear an answer from you, Shuichi Iguchi, and not from the dogma of the Hero Killer.", Ghost replied ignoring Spinner's shocked gasp, "Why do you choose to follow his tenants?"
"That's it?", Spinner replied with bravado, "You want to know why I follow the tenants of the Hero Killer Stain?"
Ghost merely nodded silently in reply.
"Easy! I…"
Shuchi paused, unable to say anything. At first he was confused as to why he was unable to give an answer to what should have been an easy question. Yet, he couldn't think of a single answer to why HE started following Stain. He felt as if Stain's ideals were the only thing in his life, but he didn't really know why or rather he didn't want to admit why.
"No answer?", Ghost spoked in resignation, " I cannot say I am surprised, given that you reminded me of what I once was."
Shuchi looked at Ghost with wide eyes, "Like you?"
"Yes, like me." said Ghost as he closed the space until his hooded head was just out of arm's reach, "I was someone who was alone and directionless, who had pipe dreams with no way of achieving them. I was shunned for being different from the others, and it made me cling to the one thing I thought I had a place in."
"H-How?", Shuichi said, shocked that Ghost's story was similar to his own.
Ghost looked at Shuichi with an age-old hurt on his hooded face, "It doesn't matter how I know because what matters is what should I do with you?"
Shuichi gulped as his throat suddenly felt very tight as fear invaded his mind for the first time in this encounter. Ghost's form began to waver as it began to take on a more fearsome image that the media had been portraying him as.
"Normally, I would just beat you up and leave you for the police and let them sort you out.", Ghost stated matter-of-factly, "But I doubt that they will do anything anyways. Given that dressing like a serial killer is not illegal nor is wandering the streets at night."
The vigilante's gaze seemed to bore down on Shuichi as he remained hanging upside down. The lizard man didn't know what to make of that look, but he would best describe it as analytical. He didn't know if that spelled anything good for him.
"Oh, I know what to do with you!", Ghost remarked with a toothy grin, "I'll consider it my revenge against the Hero Killer. Goodbye, Shuichi Iguchi. And may you enjoy the opportunity that I gave you, and know that I will be watching you from here on out."
Despite it sounding like a congratulatory remark, it was more akin to as if Ghost had just given him a death threat. Shuichi felt a chill run along his spine as the maw of Ghost spoke those words. Ghost then let out a deranged laugh as the liquid that had bound Shuichi began to engulf him. In a panic, he tried to struggle against the grip of the liquid but it did not halt the encroaching liquid. Shuichi screamed out but was muffled by the liquid as it devoured his head. Then, all Shuichi could see was an abyss of dark water.
Shuichi coughed out a mouthful of water as he found himself in an unfamiliar part of Hosu. The lizard man looked around before he realized he was soaking wet, and much of his Stain costume appeared to be washed away from the torrent of water that engulfed him. Shuichi began to pat himself down as if he were trying to see if he was still whole.
Shuichi let out a sigh of relief when every part of him appeared to be accounted for, which allowed the lizard man to see where he was at. He appeared to be at the mouth of another indistinct alleyway that dotted Hosu. At first Shuichi was confused why he had been dumped here, but any confusion was replaced with relief given that Ghost hadn't decided to kill him. Martyrdom or not, the idea of death scared Shuichi more than he expected. It brought a tiny sliver of doubt of whether he was an actual follower of Stain, ready to die for a greater cause, or just a loner with nothing else going for him.
The lizard man, who now felt exhausted, picked himself off the ground before beginning his trek back onto the streets towards the shabby hotel he had rented out for this outing. He was disappointed beyond belief for nothing going as he hoped, and wallowed in pity as he dragged his feet as he walked. However, his stroll was interrupted by the furious sound of rapid clicking which followed out by a stream of curses. Shuichi paused in his walking wallowing to look at the source of sounds that had interrupted his sulking.
Across the street was a woman dressed in a rolled-up white button-up shirt and black business skirt with a black blazer tied at her waist. She held out a camera and was trying to clearly take pictures of a wrecked building, but seemed to be doing a poor job of it. The camera would flash and she looked at the back of the camera, which resulted in her letting out a frustrated curse after examining the digital image. Her hair would flash between red and blue with each failed attempt.
Normally Shuichi would just walk past this person, seeing how her problems weren't any of his business. But something deep in his gut told him that he should go up to the woman and see what is wrong. Before he could second guess himself, he now found himself staring at the woman's back.
"Excuse me.", Shuichi said nervously, "Are things alright?"
The woman's gaze shot from her camera and towards Shuichi, her hair turning gray for a brief moment before it turned pink.
"Oh, um…yes…things are…not fine.", the woman gritted out before she slouched with her hair turning light blue, "I am just frustrated with everything."
"What's wrong?", Shuichi said with a reflex.
"I am trying to take some pictures for my job, but I was never really good with a camera.", she said with hair turning from pink to red, "Every photo keeps coming out wrong no matter what I do, and I keep relying on someone else to provide photos for each commision."
"What's so bad about that?"
"Besides, having to get my pay deducted for paying for those photos!", she shouted as her hair turned purple, "Or losing out on prime stories because I can't take a picture that isn't blurry! I actually lost my chance to publish my interview with All Might because every photo I took of him was awful!"
Shuichi jumped back wide eyed while the woman drooped with frown, her hair turning dark blue.
"I am sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. It's just that I have been having a stressful time trying to get these photos for my work.", she deflated.
"If you want, can I give it a go? Maybe I can take some pictures for you?", Shuichi offered while rubbing the back of his head.
The woman's hair turned dark orange before it flared blue, "Sure give it a go, I am sure even a baby could take better pictures than me. Heck, I wouldn't mind if you decided to snag my camera, at least then I would have an excuse for not providing photos."
Without any fanfare, the woman handed Shuichi the camera. The lizard man examined the camera for a moment and was surprised to see that it had the same design as a camera in one of the old video games he played. He subconsciously thought back to those times when he was nothing more than an outcast who passed the time by religiously playing video games. He somehow was able to learn how to drive by playing Car Stealers 15 everyday for a year-and-a-half, so hopefully his binge playing of Hero Snap taught him a thing or two about photography.
…
…
…
The woman was looking at the photographs that Shuichi had taken with a critical eye, her hair []. However, her expression softened before her hair changed to a [] color.
"These…", she began before pausing, "Are great!"
If Shuichi's scales could change color, he would no about be blushing right now. "They can't be that great. I am sure someone else could take better photos."
The woman smiled, "They don't have to be perfect, but they are just what I needed. Thank you!"
Shuichi awkwardly stood there in silence as the woman continued to flick through his photographs. Her hair turned into a light shade of red when she stopped looking through the camera's collage. The lizard man, satisfied that his good deed was done, turned to resume his trek to the hotel.
"Wait! I never got your name!", the woman nearly shouted.
Shuichi turned around and gave a light bow, "Oh, sorry about that. My name is Shuichi Iguchi."
Surprisingly enough she returned the bow, " I am very thankful for your help Shuichi-san. I am Yamashiro Rinree, and I was wondering if you would be interested in being my permanent photographer?"
Shuichi's eyes widened, "You really offering it? Like for reals and no joke?"
"I do.", Yamashiro replied, "I'll have to work some things out with my boss, but I don't think it will be too much of a problem. So are you up for it Shuichi-san?"
Shuichi took a minute to ponder his options and weigh the pros and cons. Becoming her photographer would net in some much needed income for the lizard man, on top of the fact that he would be to travel where all the big events are happening. He has a chance at meeting Stain because of this! But with this job, it would mean that he wouldn't have time to devote himself to his Spinner persona. It would mean he wouldn't be the devoted follower of Stain that he proclaimed himself to be…but would that even be a bad thing?
…
…
…
"Yes! I'll do it!", Shuichi replied.
Todoroki sat in silence on the seats situated outside the principal's office looking at his feet as he tried to not think about his current predicament. The teen had his left arm bandaged and in a sling while half his face was also wrapped in white bandages. There was also a scattering of other bandages that covered pieces of his body from his injuries. He didn't know why he was told to meet the principal after school, but his gut told him that he was in trouble.
"It's because you got her killed and hurt all the others, my dear Shouto, like father like son! Even without his fire!", the warped voice of his mother whispered in his ear as a chill crept up his back.
Despite the defeat of Ghost at the words of All Might and Tooru, the nightmarish apparition of his mother still hasn't disappeared from his head. She mostly hid from his sight and he only caught glimpses of her in the periphery of his vision. She was as cold and horrifying as she was in Hosu, and her presence never made him feel safe or at ease. She also constantly haunted his dreams with her cold embrace, causing the teen to develop a pair of bags under his eyes from the insomnia.
It was only when he came back to school and in the presence of Hagakure did the specter of his mother finally seem to back away from him. But the moment the invisible girl finally left to go home, his mother came back in full force to haunt him. Her chilling aura brought back the unease and guilt in him. The younger Todoroki shivered as he tried to ignore the voice, hoping that Principal Nezu would hurry.
Right on que, the door to Principal's Nezu's office was opened by a tall, lengthy skeletal man in a baggy suit.
"The principal will now see you, young man.", said the man with a reassuring smile.
Todoroki got up from his seat and walked past the man and into the office. Insided seated at an old hardwood desk was UA's Principal. The small little mouse-bear with pristine white fur glared at Todoroki with a smile that screamed danger rather than comfort.
"Ah, Hello there, Todoroki-san!", Nezu said cheerfully, "How are you doing today, and would you care for a cup of tea?"
Todoroki would flat out lie to his school's principal if he answered with the generic "fine". Yet, he doubts that the principal will take him seriously if he replied with what was really troubling him. So, he opted to give the small animal incharge of his school an honest, but not entirely truthful response.
"I am doing as well as I am capable of, sir. Oh and no thank you.", He said in his usual monotone.
"Suit yourself!", Nezu said with a chuckle, "Good to see that you are taking things well, given the circumstances.", remarked Nezu, "In fact, I hear that you aren't the only one that has made a recovery."
Todoroki raised his one visible eyebrow, "What do you mean by that sir?"
"I am referring to an old Alumni of this school, who as of late was just sent to the hospital due to a confrontation with a certain vigilante.", Nezu said while sipping his cup of tea.
The chill on Todoroki's skin evolved into a burning cold. His unbandaged eye grew wide as he fought off the urge to shiver, "Is she okay?", he asked with melancholy.
"The exact details of her condition haven't been released to the public, but between you and me. She, against all odds, survived her encounter with Ghost. It is believed that she wouldn't have made it had you not saved her when you did.", Nezu firmly replied.
Todoroki instantly felt relief the moment he heard the news. The cold from his mother's specter dulled in his presence, allowing him to feel some warmth again.
"Now, Todoroki-san. I bet you are wondering why I called you into my office today?", Nezu asked, quickly changing the subject .
"Am I in trouble because of the raid, sir?", he asked truthfully even as the cold grew more bitter.
Oh, dear heavens boy, No!", Nezu said aghast, "You are not in trouble! In fact, I called you here because we are concerned for you."
Todoroki tilted his head in confusion before he fought off the chill that crept up his neck, courtesy of mother.
"Barring Mirko, several police officers and heroes reported something peculiar before Ghost went berserk.", stated Nezu, "It was a conversation you had with the vigilante that caught my attention alongside the reports of Hosu hospital staff hearing you say some interesting things while unconscious."
Shouto froze. His body went into overdrive with his heart racing while his arm and bandaged eye throbbed in pain. He didn't realize it, but his face contorted into a look of absolute horror. He could feel his monstrous mother behind him, wrapping her impossibly cold arms around his neck, threatening to strangle the life out of him.
Nezu had a resigned expression or at least one that could be allowed by his animal features. His black beady eyes spoke of an age-old pain as they stared into the heterochromatic eyes of Todoroki.
"Todoroki-san, do you feel safe at home?", was all Nezu asked.
Todoroki didn't know what broke first, the tears in his unbandaged eye or his stoic visage. All he knew next was the fact that he was kneeling on the floor of Nezu's office, barely able to breathe as his mother's cold grip tightened on him. His wounds from Ghost ached in a dull but sharp pain as years of bottled up misery came pouring out.
Everything became a blur after that. He remembers tearfully telling the principal all of his years being forged into Endeavor's masterpiece with the heartless and meticulous training. He remembers coughing uncontrollably as he told Nezu about the day his mother finally snapped. He remembers collapsing, mumbling that he needed Hagakure, while his mother's shrill voice screamed in his ears. He remembers being ushered into a bed in the schools infirmary by All Might-sensei, even as he kept ranting that he was a monster that only hurts everyone around him.
He remembers fading in and out of consciousness as the temperature seemed plummeted to the unforgiving cold touch of the void of space. He remembers seeing the face of his monstrous mother peer down on him, her black eyes uncaring and a mouth full of teeth etched in a gleeful grin. He shivered uncontrollably as no heat seemed to be able to pierce his body, only the coldest of cold seemed to enter him. However at some point, the cold that had been trapped inside him melted away as a warmth finally entered him when he felt two hands grasping his exposed uninjuried one. He weakly turned his head to see the invisible face of Hagakure staring at him with deep concern.
"Todoroki-san.", she said full of worry, "It's okay, things are going to be okay."
She was not prepared when Todoroki latched onto her and started to bawl his eye out.
Nezu stared outside his office window with his paws resting on his chin while his face was in deep thought. All was silent in the office until the sound of an opening door interrupted his train of thought. The mouse-bear turned to face the fully buffed All Might emerging from the entryway before he gently shut the door behind him. The moment the door clicked, an explosion of steam puffed from All Might before it dispaited, revealing his true skeleton form.
"Young Todoroki seemed to be doing better once Young Hagakure visited him, he was finally actually able to sleep peacefully when I left. Recovery Girl still has him hooked up in case he experiences another episode.", All Might said wearily, "Young Hagakure said that she will be staying at her boyfriend's house here in Musustafu in case she is needed further. "
"Quite the predicament, isn't it?", Nezu said in his same jovial tone, "To think of the lengths that one would go to surpass a rival, regardless of the consequences."
All Might paled, "Wh-What are we going to do, sir?"
Nezu flashed a toothy grin, "Simple, we are going to do our jobs as educators, and do what is best for our students. Todoroki-san needs to be taken out of the care of Endeavor, Number Two or not."
All Might shuddered at the beast standing before him.
"But for now, I will get the paperwork in order while you will go about seeing if there are any relatives that could take Todoroki-san in, or any people from the hero community willing to take him in if he has no relatives that aren't able to."
Despite the veil of darkness that had illuminated the room, Rumi couldn't sleep. As hard as she tried to shut her eyes and drown out the small specs of light from her medical machines, she just couldn't. But one could guess that it was only natural that she faced another sleepless night given the news she had been delivered by the doctors.
The bones in her legs and arms had been crushed, causing a massive amount of cuts and muscle tearing within her limbs. All of her ribs had been broken, and it was only by sheer luck that none of them punctured any organs. However, her worst injury by far was her broken spine. It had been broken in her lower back with two vertebrae cracked and one shattered in two. It was an injury that no healing quirk could ever fix, and as a result, she would never walk again.
Mirko died that night in Hosu with her failed attempt at toppling the Eldritch Villain, and all that was left of her was Rumi Usagiyama. A cripple that had no hope of ever having a normal life,who was nothing more than a shadow of what Mirko once stood for. She always imagined that her career would end in a blaze of glory, in which she would die fighting with no regrets. But the fight that crippled her was not that fight. In a cruel twist of fate, a rabbit like her had come into conflict with Ghost and arrogantly believed she was more than capable of defeating him. But the vigilante was no mere punk, but instead he was an apex predator who easily overwhelmed her and all the others with little effort. She paid the price for underestimating him.
Rumi squeezed her eyes shut as tears leaked from them, glad no one could see her in weakness. If she could move, she no doubt would begin to thrash and scream out! However, she couldn't. All she could do was sob quietly to herself while she was frozen in her casts and bandages as she mourned the loss of Mirko.
…
…
…
A bright shadow appeared in the periphery of her vision in the dark hospital room. At first she thought it was a nurse that had come in to check on her, but she didn't hear a door open or see the light from the hallway. It was as if the bright shadow had just appeared in the room. Rumi's head twisted to face the bright shadow, and squeezed her teary eyes towards the shadow.
It took a moment for the hero to recognize the shadow lingering in the room. It was short but its aura sent every hair on her body standing up in fear. It's bulky white body was dirty with ribbon-like tendrils on its form. While white head of the shadow had a face that was a black abyss that faintly held a mouth of shark-like teeth. The shadow was something that haunted her dreams in which it looked impassively at her as it squeezed the life out of her.
The Ghost of Musustafu.
Primal fear screamed from within as her animal instincts became instantly on edge. She vainly tried to move herself away from the figure, but her broken body wouldn't allow her to do so. Her breathing was pitched and fast and pained as her broken ribs struggled to expand. Panic thoughts filled her mind while her voice was lost in terror of seeing the figure. Her eyes widened unnaturally as her orange eyes teared up.
Ghost remained still as a statue, before he closed the meager distance in the blink of an eye. He was on top of her while she laid in the bed. He was looming over her as if he were an adult and she a child. In a swift motion, His sleeved arm grasped her chin and forced her face to look into the abyss he called a face. Rumi's ears drooped while her heart threatened to explode out of her chest.
The black maw of ghost leaned uncomfortably close to hers, "Mirko, you survived our battle?".
Rumi would've said something snarky had she not been too terrified to find her voice. The scent of iron and sea salt filled her nostrils, making her shudder unconsciously. Her broken bones ached with a throbbing pain as Ghost pressed his body against hers, not caring if the weight would damage her further.
"You are of sterner stuff than most, if you were able to survive the power of my strength.", Ghost buzzed, "I bet you want to know why I am here? You think I have come to finish you off?"
Ghost pulled her up by her chin to level her face with his blue clawed hand. Pain reverberated in her ribs as Ghost had forcibly moved her broken body to better face his black abyss. Tears welted from her eyes from the nerve frying pain as she tried to bite down on the agony in the face of her nightmare.
Ghost tilted his head in perplexity, "Don't be afraid. I am not here to hurt you, rather I came here to make amends to you. The brutality of our fight was the result of that boy, Todoroki, bringing me into a blind rage. And I lost…control…to say the least, but I suppose that feels hollow given your prognosis."
Those words made her heart stop for a moment before she vainly tried to shrink in on herself. Amends? Yeah right, more like to gloat over her while she was so vulnerable! The mere fact that he could get so close to her without any retaliation just pissed her off! In fact, She was also so pissed with herself for aching so weak in front of the villain, but at this point her rabbit instincts were probably the only thing keeping her his free hand, he began to gently stroke the top of her head. It did nothing to ease her nerves or hide the fear in her face.
"I just wanted you to know that I am sincere when I say this: I am sorry and it was not personal.", Ghost cooed, "Yet, you are a woman of action and such words mean nothing if one doesn't back it up with their own strength. So let me show you how sincere I really am."
Ghost then did the most unexpected thing Rumi ever could have guessed. He kissed her. Not a small light peck or simple contact on her lips. No, it was something akin to a french kiss. With his tongue, which was larger and longer than expected, he fully explored her mouth.
Rumi's eyes widened in surprise at Ghost's kiss. While her rabbit ears instantly straightened up and a deep red crimson color painted her face. A flurry of emotions and thoughts incoherently crossed her mind all at once. Surprised was the first of her emotions as she couldn't make sense of why the vigilante was kissing her, it left her befuddled and confused. Anger was next as she thought of it as one of Ghost's domineering gloating. She instantly thought of chomping down hard on his tongue, hoping she could bite off!
But her anger was brief as it was replaced by...Pleasure. A feeling of relief washed over Rumi the longer Ghost kissed her as if his saliva was like an addictive drug. Panic initially rushed to her as she venomously tried to deny the fact she was enjoying the kiss. However, such thoughts soon became overwhelmed by the growing euphoric feeling that swept aside all logic. Rumi fought back against it, but she eventually gave in to the feeling. She in turn returned the kiss to her visitor with her tongue eagerly snaking around his own tongue. The euphoric feeling only grew stronger as a result causing her blush to deepen and her heart to race faster than was humanly possible. A pleasant rosey warmth emerged in her burning bosom the more and more she got lost in the hypnotic entanglement!
Unexpectedly, Ghost broke away from her mouth and Rumi vainly tried to follow his movement to keep their mouths connected. A trail of saliva still lingered between their mouths before being broken when Rumi let her head fall on the pillow. She was a blushing mess with her ears drooping slightly. Her breathing was labored, and her body was shaking as she began to calm down from the sensational feeling. Rumi looked at Ghost with half-closed eyes as she suddenly felt sleepy.
In her eyes, Ghost no longer appeared to be a threatening, nightmarish figure. Rather, he looked more human and his presence no longer brought the fear of God in her. She felt strangely calm and safe in his presence now. His face was no longer a black abyss, but a light veil of shadow that obscured enough of his face to hide his identity. What little of his face that she could see was a mouth full of sharp teeth etched into an assuring smile with a set of cheeks with cute little freckles. Wait, why did she think they were cute?
"You will experience a lot of pain in the next few days, but you will come out stronger than ever should you weather its effects.", Ghost stated assuredly, his voice partially feminine, "Consider that the end of our grievances. Now go, and be a Hero that everyone could admire."
The rabbit hero took in everyone of Ghost's words, and doing so seemed to make her sleepier and sleepier. But she fought off unconsciousness enough to speak some words to her visitor.
"Thank you, Ghost-sama.", she weakly replied with affection. Wait, why was she thanking him? Why was she calling him Sama?!
However, such questions wouldn't be answered as she fell into unconsciousness. She heard Ghost one last time before descending into darkness.
"Why did it HAVE to be saliva, Mar'Ris!?", Ghost angrily balked.
"Thank you for calling me doctor. I came as soon as I could.", replied the red winged young man.
"It's no problem Mr. Hawks. I was expecting you to come a lot later given Endevor is still out of commission.", a balding man in a white coat returned.
Hawks for once didn't have the calm easy going vibe he was known for, instead he had a rare face of concern, "Yeah, but enough of that. You said there was something wrong with Mirko."
The doctor looked at a loss of words before speaking, "Yes! As you know, Miss Usagiyama's injuries were rather severe. Despite our best efforts, it was unlikely that she would recover enough to return to Hero work."
Hawks nodded. He was there to hear the doctor's assessment of his friend a day after her ill fated battle with Ghost. Bones nearly crushed into dust with lots of internal bleeding. If not for the miracle of the quirks in the field of medicine, Mirko would've died against the villain.
"Is she okay, doctor?", Hawks asked.
"Quite so!", the doctor replied, "But that's why I called you."
Hawks titled his head and crossed his arms, "What do you mean? Isn't getting better a good thing?"
The doctor gave the hawks an unreadable expression, "Let me show you."
The doctor led Hawks to the recovery ward section of the hospital, passing the numerous people that now filled this section of Hosu General Hospital. Each of the patients glared at Hawks with wide eyes as he and the doctor passed by. This continued until the Doctor led the hero to a set of double doors with a label that said: Weight Room.
After passing through the double doors, Hawks froze at the scene before him. Mirko was there in the gym, dressed in a loose set of hospital gown. And she was lifting weights with a smug smile on her face while the other patiences watched her in awe and amazement. It was as if she had not been so severely injured only a week-and-half ago.
"But, that's…", Hawks began.
"Impossible.", the doctor finished.
"W-What happened, doctor?", Hawks said as he continued to stare at the rabbit heroine.
"We don't know.", the doctor said honestly, "A few days after her surgeries, she broke down into one of the worst fevers I have ever seen. We first thought it was an infection and administered antibiotics, but they didn't seem to have any effect in easing the fever. It only got worse and worse as the days progressed, Mr. Hawks."
The doctor paused before speaking again.
"I cannot overstate how bad Miss Usagiyama got, Mr. Hawks. She was burning as hot as Endeavor and screamed out delusions and nonsense as we tried to help her.", the doctor added with a nervous tick, "On the last day of the fever, she went unconscious and her bodily functions slowed to the point of nearly stopping. We were convinced that Miss Usagiyama was going to succumb to the fever after that, but against all our predictions, the fever appeared to have broken during the night."
The doctor looked at Hawks with a combination of horror and befuddlement.
"We did an examination of Miss Usagiyama when she awoke and we deemed she was well enough to leave bed. And we were shocked to see that her broken limbs and internal injuries had been healed! Not only that, but any scars or remnants from past injuries and ailments were also gone! It was like she never had any of them to begin with! "
Hawk's jaw dropped. That made no sense! No one in the history of ever made a recovery from injuries like she had in that short amount of time, and much less in an unorthodox way! No! This was not at all possible even if quirks were at play in this situation.
"Doctor, do you think this was the result of a quirk?", asked Hawks.
The doctor looked at the number three hero with a haunted expression, "If it is, then it is on a scale I have never before seen. I shudder to think what aborant power would be able to do this if it wasn't a quirk."
While the doctor and the Hero had their conversation, Rumi beamed a smile to her fellow patients as she lifted a 200lb barbell with one arm high above her head. They clapped at the extraordinary feat of strength of the rabbit heroine and cheered her on to continue. None of them noticed a small pendant bouncing on her chest as she continued to show off her newfound strength. It was a small figurine roughly the size of a key, carved from what appeared to be ivory or bone. It depicted a strange cross between a fish and woman, but it somehow emitted an alien aura to its design. The idol of the fish-lady was also lovingly wrapped in a piece of white fabric that had looked like it had been torn off of a larger piece of fabric.
In between breaks, Rumi would unconsciously grab the figure with one of hands and twirl it between her fingers. A crimson blush would appear on her dark skin and a bright smile would form on her face as she did so. No one would have guessed that her recovery was the result of an angel that visited her in the night. No one, but her.
Wakkanai, Japan
The old haggard fisherman looked at the woman standing before him with a furrowed look on his face, and then to the bag full wads of cash she had offered him. It was more money than he had ever hoped to make while fishing these waters, and in fact it was enough for him to retire for three life times. It was honestly too much for something as simple as a trip to the Kurils. But that was what had made the whole ordeal unsettling for the old fisherman.
This woman, dressed like she belonged in some salary office, just came up to him asking for a ride to the Kuril Islands like it was a ferry ride. Never mind the storms that could just appear or the possibility of being caught by the Russians. Dangers like those aside, there was also something that the fisherman had seen in this woman one too many times. It was a small glint that sparked briefly in the green irises of this woman, and he had seen in the eyes of many other sailors before they jumped off the boat and into the black waters. The madness of the sea.
"Is that amount significant for a one-way-trip? Or do you require more?", the woman asked with a glinting smile.
"Unless, my hearing is going bad or you just misspoken, but did you say one-way?", the fisherman asked, confused.
"No, you hear me correctly. The trip is one way and I don't have delusions on what I expect to happen. But unlike the other unfortunate souls that ventured there, I have faith that my lady will protect me."
"A religious fanatic, great!"
He immediately wanted to tell the woman that he couldn't do it and go find some other boat to ferry her. But the temptation of having so much money was just something that he just couldn't let go.
"No, that's enough. We leave first thing in the morning.", the old fisherman, "Be ready by then."
The blue skinned woman let her grin turn to a toothy smirk, "It's no problem, afterall I can wait. Besides, my Lady is busy with the others right now, and I am sure she can wait..."
Chinese-Mongolian Border
"Name, age, and quirk..", said a man with a pristine uniform with a bored tone.
"Sonam Gyatso, age 81, and my quirk is translating. It allows me to read and speak any language, both dead and living languages.", an old man dressed in traditional Buddhist robes said with a jovial tone.
The official raised an eyebrow at the man, but said nothing as he looked through the paperwork provided by the man. Passports from Mongolia, the Russian Republic, The United States, the European Union, India, and Japan. Citizenship from all of those named countries as well as several bachelor degrees and three master's degrees in language. No criminal record to speak of.
"Reason for crossing the border?", droned the official.
"Just passing through, my true destination is in Japan.", replied the man, "I am going on holiday to do some exotic fishing."
The official looked at the old man with a rare look of inquisitiveness. He thought about probing him for further information, but decided against it. He doesn't get paid enough to listen to the whole life story of every sorry-ass traveler that tries to get past this gate.
"If he really is going where he says he is, then the border guard in Japan can deal with the paperwork.", he thought offhandedly.
Without a second thought, the official stamped on his passports and other documents before slipping them back to the old man. He then pressed a button causing the gate to lift up allowing access to the old man.
"Your entry has been approved. Stay out of trouble while in China.", warned the Official, "Next!"
With that the old man shuffled past the gate with a grin on his face, while another person took his place at the official's booth.