Chapter Text
The workday just started when they were called in for a sudden briefing. Kentsu walked down the corridor, a lot of Agency's Heroes in front and behind her. She also heard an energetic voice of Burnin' somewhere behind her. Moving along, she entered the briefing room, already half-packed with the Heroes and sidekicks.
Endeavour was in the front of the room, a large projection of camera footage, photos and maps behind him. Kentsu walked over, taking her place on his right. They shared a nod, before Endeavour turned to the audience, the door closing behind the last sidekick. "Thank you all for coming on such a short notice. This briefing is of dire importance." He took a remote in his hand, clicking a button. A large photo of the graying man with serpentine eyes took up a majority of the screen. "As most of you know, earlier this week Kei Masuda, villain name - Earth Drake, has escaped during his transfer from Taiwan's jail to Tartarus." The Flame Hero clicked the button again, camera footage of several villain attacks playing. "His group, dubbed Serpent Ring, has executed several attacks. While not being disastrous, in the light of Kamino Incident that happened not so long ago, they have invoked panic in the general population."
One of the sidekicks piped up, raising her hand. "Endeavour, sir! I've heard that those attacks were spread out throughout Tokyo and surrounding cities. Will we be working on this case with other Agencies?" Endeavour shook his head. "No. It was decided not to bring others at this stage. They will be informed and ready to assist, but that's it." Sidekick nodded, lowering her hand. Endeavour clicked another button, three maps springing up on the projection.
"As you can see, we were able to discern three areas of their activity. That is what those who are here today will be tasked with. While the rest of the Agency will proceed with their duties, you will concentrate on patrolling these areas, and taking down Serpent Ring. That will be difficult, but I trust in your abilities." There were loud cheers throughout the room, mixed with assurances. Kentsu put her hands up in a calming gesture, the room quieting. Endeavour nodded at her, before turning his attention back to the room.
"However, we can't just take down the group - without arresting Earth Drake, it will just buy us some time." He clicked the button again two windows with grainy footage overtaking the previous projection. First one showed an airport entrance, video clearly being filmed by a hidden camera. The gentlemanly looking older male walked with a small posse. The video paused, zooming in on the man's face. Though slightly blurry, it was undoubtedly Earth Drake. Second footage was filmed in a hotel's main hall, the posse from earlier talking with a receptionist. Earth Drake was near, talking on his phone.
Endeavour cleared the projection again. "First video was taken in the Tokyo airport, two days ago, at eight forty three in the evening. Second one, at Sakurabasa, a popular resort in Okinawa, several hours later. Our informant couldn't stay, in danger of being uncovered. But he did manage to ensure that Earth Drake checked in at the Three Waves Hotel." Another button click, and several photos of the resort were displayed. "Our second objective is to stealthily infiltrate the resort and apprehend him, and any villain present there."
Another Hero spoke up. "Isn't it crowded this time of the year? It's filled to the brim with families and couples, single people and large groups will be out of place there now." Some sidekick teased them about "only knowledgeable about it thanks to their spouse", but unofficial Number One spoke again. "That is correct. That's why we will choose two people who will play the role of a couple, to avoid suspicion. Should they require assistance, a group of heroes will be on standby on the island, an hour from the resort."
Small discussions started around the room, some regarding upcoming raids, some about the issue at hand. Kentsu clapped her hands, the sound bringing everyone's attention to her. "We need to choose a pair of people with the best chemistry to pull off a couple act, and enough power and experience to act accordingly in an unforeseen scenario. So no planning for your holiday, Tatsuraga!" Said sidekick threw his hands up, eliciting laughter from a good chunk of the audience. Endeavour huffed, smirk on his face.
He sobered up quickly, taking the lead again. "Pursuit is right. The best choice would be a young couple or long-time Hero Duo. However strength must be taken into the account - Earth Drake is the formidable foe. Should things go south, the whole resort will be in danger." Discussions picked up again, Kentsu starting to compile a list of possibilities on her phone. Suddenly, a chipper voice of Burnin' rang out. "Hey! If we're talking about the best chemistry and fire power at the same time, shouldn't the Boss Man and Pursuit be the obvious choice?"
The contemplative silence took over the room. Endeavour and Kentsu looked at each other, silent agreement in their eyes. The distressed voice of Tatsuraga said something along the lines of "for fuck's sake - that was fast!", with Burnin's boisterous laughter covering it up soon after.
***********
"I will be gone for a week." He spoke casually while taking off his shoes. Fuyumi didn't look surprised, used to such trips for a long time. "When?" She asked stepping away from the picture she just straightened. Her father deposited his shoes neatly, before moving down the corridor. "Day after tomorrow." He said passing her .She hummed to indicate that she heard him. The Todoroki man passed her, Fuyumi wistfully looking at her father's retreating back.
Suddenly, she perked up, a smile breaking out on her face. She didn't have a chance to get together with Shouto and Natsu for a couple of months now! But soon she'll get a chance to! She hummed happily on her way to the kitchen, eagerly awaiting a fun week that awaited her family.
*******
"I'll be gone for a week." Kentsu said, bowing her head slightly. Inko wasn't surprised - such trips were extremely rare, but they did happen. She sighed fondly, taking Kentsu's hand in hers. "That's alright. I'm more than happy to look after Niklas. With Izuku in the dorms - it is honestly nice to have someone else in the house. Besides, Niklas is such a sweetheart - I doubt he can inconvenience anyone, even if he tried." Kentsu nodded, thankful to all the gods that she had a friend like Inko.
"I leave the day after tomorrow. The exact time will be known then, and I will inform you instantly." Kentsu spoke, while Inko simply nodded to her words. Inko giggled, looking at Kentsu. "Remember I said that you need a breather? Think you'll be able this trip into one?" Kentsu blew out the air explosively, muttering a "not likely". Inko just laughed fondly.
********
Kentsu was sitting at her desk, just finished with her phone call. She tried to book the top-floor suite first, probing for info. She was correct in doing so - receptionist hurriedly apologised to her, nervously explaining that it was booked for another two weeks. Pursuit assured them that it was quite alright, asking for a room for two next.
The receptionist spent some time doing so, no doubt because of the hotel being filled to the brim. But now, fifteen minutes later, Kentsu was done - the room for two and plane tickets booked for tomorrow evening. Now she had time to carefully go over the legend given to her. Except there was an obstacle in her way of doing so.
"-just saying it sucks! I understand that your task isn't easy, but fuck… I have three patrol routes to cover now! I will be dead on my feet at the end of the week!" Young brunette was play whining, his Hero costume covered by the jacket. Burnin' was snickering, hands on her waist. "Oh, but Heat Serpent, wasn't it you who was claiming to become the most effective Hero here?" He blushed, but spoke unwaveringly. "Yeah, I said that. RIGHT AFTER graduation! It was euphoria talking. Two months passed - I'm a different man! And I don't want to die!" Burnin' laughed again, clearly entertained by male's delivery.
Kentsu cleared her throat, young Heroes turning to her. "You wanted something, Serpent, Burnin'?" Burnin' shook her head, motioning at the other. Heat Serpent rolled his eyes at her. "Stop bullying me. Miss Pursuit, I was told that you have a list of patrols of most people in the Agency. Can you send me the patrol routes of Burnin', Arrowhead and Silver Flare? I want to try and connect them." Kentsu nodded, starting to type away immediately.
The pair left, exasperated comments and snickering fading, as they moved further. Kentsu quickly finished the request, opening the file with her legend. {Chiharu Tanaka, wife of Shun Tanaka. They just married, this trip being the start of the honeymoon. Hmm. Pregnant - third trimester. Black hair, casual fashion.} She carefully read the rest, remembering little details. She stood up, walking towards Endeavour's office. They still needed to go over details of their legends.
********
The gray-haired elder sat in the large room leisurely, drinking his wine, while reading a novel. In the armchair to his right was a young man in silver colored shirt, his black hair done in a high ponytail. Suddenly, the door into the room burst open, a thin man heaving from running. "Young Boss! You've told us to report anything troublesome, so I-"
The young man smiled, raising his hand placatingly. "Catch your breath. We aren't in a hurry, are we?" Thin man shook his head. A few moments passed before he spoke again. "Someone tried to book this suite. The thing is - they quickly relented. As if just trying their luck." Young brunette raised an eyebrow. "Hm. You sound a tad paranoid there, Mauda. Did you check them?"
"Yes! Shun and Chiharu Tanaka, newlyweds. He is a former police officer who owns a store, she an office worker." Young man stood up, and walked towards him slowly with a contemplative quirk to his brow. "I see. I would tell you off for empty worrying, but… When are they arriving?" Mauda scratched his cheek. "Tomorrow at seven in the evening, Young Boss." The brunette mulled something over. "When they will arrive, send one man to keep an eye on them. I won't waste resources on empty cause. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Mauda. Better send one man than get blindsided." He shoo-ed the other off, turning to the older man in the room.
He was no longer reading, watching the other with a slight smirk. "Something amusing, Master?" The older man shook his head, going back to reading. "Not at all. Just enjoyed seeing my apprentice dealing with a situation." The younger huffed dismissively. "I don't underestimate small details. Using one log to feed the fire is easier than re-igniting it." Older male sighed wistfully. "Too true, my apprentice."
********
Kentsu sighed heavily. This damn thing gave her flashbacks of when she was pregnant with Niklas. Well, no, it was better, because it was mostly just weight, but anyway… "Are you okay, Chiharu?" She turned to her left, looking in En - no, Shun's green eyes. His glasses were a bit askew, short brown hair in disarray from sleeping. His freckles were pronounced even in the dim light of the plane. Okay, Support really nailed his disguise, if Kentsu didn't know to look , she wouldn't know she was staring at the soon-to-be Number 1 in Japan.
She nodded, giving him a small smile. "Yes, everything is alright, Shun. Just a bit restless, that's all." He hummed, looking around. "We'll land in ten minutes. Soon we'll be there." She nodded, closing her eyes. They didn't know whether or not there were villains on the plane with them, so they donned their disguises before boarding the plane. It was better safe than sorry, after all.
Soon, they landed and exited the plane. Everything was going without a hitch, so far. A few procedures later, they exited the building of the airport. Then the first weird thing happened. There was a cab driver with the board (with their family name on it) in his hands. Enji narrowed his eyes slightly. He turned to her, silent question in his eyes. Kentsu made a negative hand movement, her eyes roaming over the sea of people. "The kanji is wrong. It's not for us, most likely. But let's check." They moved away slowly, Kentsu sitting on a bench, as if to catch her breath.
Soon, another couple went up to the driver, and they were off. Enji huffed. Kentsu sighed. "We are being too paranoid. We have to act naturally, or we'll get the opposite effect." Todoroki nodded silently. Then he turned, offering her a hand. "Should we go, dear?" Kentsu almost gaped at the smooth transition between demeanours. Though, she wasn't much better. "Of course, Shun."
They caught a cab, depositing their luggage in the trunk. They didn't have much - one big and one small bag each. The ride took them several minutes. During that time, Enji looked out the window. The boardwalks and roads were filled with couples and families, walking around or lounging on the grass. The beaches were crowded as well, and he suddenly appreciated the fact that Three Waves Hotel had a private beach.
Soon, it was in their view. Big building standing near the mountain, red sun reflecting off its glass-covered exterior. The cab stopped near the entrance, Enji quickly exiting to round the car. He opened the door, offering a hand to his "wife". She gratefully took it, letting him pull her to her feet. He took out their things from the trunk, following after her into the building, arms full of their bags. He discreetly scanned the surroundings. He noticed nothing of interest, catching up to Kentsu in the doors.
Once inside, they made their way to the reception. Kentsu greeted the girl there pleasantly. "Shun and Chiharu Tanaka. I booked the room yesterday." The receptionist quickly typed away at her laptop, her brows scrunching slightly at the end. She smiled at Kentsu apologetically. "Missus Tanaka, there was a bit of a mix-up. Don't worry, you still have a room, it's just….closer to the top floor." Kentsu smiled in encouragement. "That's alright! It's still a room for two, I hope? Wouldn't want my husband to sleep in the corridor." The receptionist laughed, slightly relieved, before passing her the keys. "I'm still sorry. It is our last unoccupied room, so I hope it will be to your liking." Enji mentioned that apologies were unnecessary. The hero duo rode the elevator to the fifth floor. "Her wording was off, as if being closer to the top is worse. Seems that even personnel might know something." Kentsu noted while exiting the elevator. The disguised redhead nodded, looking around to check in which direction they should go. "We might as well check if anyone will slip up tomorrow." They went to the right, quickly locating their room - 634.
They entered. And...there was the first problem. It was a room for two alright. With one standard bed. "Shit." Kentsu summarised efficiently.