Chapter Text
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Chapter One
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There wasn't much time left.
Kazuya would have to make these next shots count if she wanted to leave this shadowy maze of impending failure alive.
Her feet nearly slipped on the cool floor tiles as she slid behind a tall partition connected to the nearest wall. The sound of carefully shuffling feet was quickly growing, much like her anxious heartbeat.
"Come on out, kid~," sang the woman that lurked behind her, masked in total darkness. Kazuya held her gun closer to her chest with trembling, gloved hands and said a quick prayer. "I'll make it quick,” the stalking figure chuckled, followed by the sound of electricity crackling between her fingertips.
"This ends here," Kazuya hissed through her grinding teeth. She had a disadvantage in both height and power. She had no hope of winning in a fight against someone as skilled in combat as Livewire and reinforcements would take too long.
Swallowing her fears, she let the adrenaline pumping through her veins fuel her fighting spirit and jumped out of her hiding spot. Her burst of speed surprised her attacker and forced the woman to spin around. Their eyes met; amber burning into onyx.
With a shrill war cry, she pulled the trigger on her pistol. A scarlet ray of energy shot from the gun’s barrel and hit its target square in the chest, causing her to fall flat on her back. She stilled for a few beats then twitched her fingers in a poor attempt at reaching for her own weapon. Alarmed by the movement, Kazuya stood over her prey and shot her again and again and again .
"Why?" she cried out, sweat-slick hair impairing her vision, "Why would you make me do this, Kagami?!"
"This…" the dark-haired woman on the ground paused to cough weakly, "is the beginning of your villain arc." Her head rolled, tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth with an anticlimactic "blah" . Kazuya fell to her knees and wailed dramatically.
A loud alarm signalled the end of the round as the lights inside the laser tag arena flickered to life. The other players watched the strange display with both confusion and shock as they filed out of the building. Upon seeing their reaction, Kagami laughed so hard that her whole body shook and little sparks flew from her skin like stray lightning. When tears fell from the corners of her dark eyes, her "killer" helped her up.
"You heard me, Zuzu! It's time to start your life of crime that'll lead you into a downward spiral of bad choices while an edgy teenager writes fanfiction about your sad love life," Imai Kagami, the older of the two sisters, quipped with a sigh.
"This is a strange glimpse into that thing you call a brain," giggled Imai Kazuya, the younger and less sporadic of the two.
"At least I'm cool," Kagami nudged her with an elbow. When she only received an eye roll in response, her face fell, "I'm cool, right?"
"If you say so. Now, let's get home before Dad finishes dinner. I'm not missing soba night because you decided to have a mid-life crisis," Kazuya replied smugly. After hanging her vest up, she gave her ray gun to an attendant who hadn’t taken his eyes off Kagami. She shot him a mean glare and pushed her older sister out the door.
Kagami was an accomplished twenty-four-year-old, with her latest endeavour as a pro hero taking her deep into the hive of an underground drug syndicate. After six months undercover, she found the boss and was able to bust the entire ring. The news had a field day, milking her rise in popularity for everything they could get.
“People love to read about the good guys winning,” she had told Kazuya when she was asked why she liked being on the news. It was clear she didn’t mind the press as much as the older heroes did, although that often earned her ridicule from both the public and those she worked with.
Kazuya, on the other hand, was halfway through her last year of Junior High. Her grades were modest, but she could get lazy, which left them lower than what most anticipated. She blamed her genius family for her teacher’s insanely high expectations. Her father was a genius and her sister a highly-favoured hero while she was a B-level student on a good day.
This never bothered her, though. Her mother wasn’t especially talented in any way, so she didn’t mind being mundane, if not slightly disappointing for the sake of keeping her mom sane.
The sisters talked all the way home about various topics: work, school, embarrassing childhood stories, quirk training, yadda yadda. The roads were quiet at this time of night, albeit poorly lit by the dingy street lamps that lined the street. Even as Kagami’s truck pulled into their driveway, Kazuya could barely see her way to the porch.
“Sometimes I wonder if you’re blind,” Kagami failed at trying to hold in her laughter. Kazuya stuck her tongue out to retaliate, but missed a step and nearly tripped in the process.
Thank the Gods for railings, she sighed and prayed that Kagami didn’t see. Luckily, the noirette was too busy unlocking the door to embarrass her sister. She swung it open with such force that it slammed into the wall with a loud Bang! Kazuya held her breath, aware of the impending danger.
“WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT SLAMMING THE DOOR?!!” came the enraged voice of her mother. In a matter of seconds, a shorter woman with midnight black hair pulled into a bun emerged from the living room, phone in hand.
“ Lo siento , Mama ,” Kagami apologised in her first language with an awkward smile. Imai Elena, mother to both girls and official wife of the year in the Imai household, let out a deep sigh and raised her phone to her ear.
“I’ll call you back,” she told whoever was on the other end, then pinched the bridge of her nose, “ Cariño , I’m glad to see you but please don’t break anything,” she huffed as she glared at the hole the doorknob made in the drywall.
Kazuya watched her sister wrap her arms around their mother tightly, “It’s good to be home again. Six months is way too long.”
“You signed up for that hero gig, remember?” Elena huffed. After a second, she sighed and let her frown morph into a warm yet exasperated smile. As the two shared a moment, Kazuya turned her attention to the tall, lanky figure of her father, who had just come up from the basement.
“Dad!” she shouted, jumping into his chest and nearly toppling the both of them.
Imai Taigen was the textbook definition of an overworked father in a challenging career field. His cobalt hair, which only Kazuya inherited, stuck out in nearly every direction, a frizzy halo of auric blue.
“What’s going on, little Spitfire?” he chuckled, spinning around with her in his arms.
“I kicked Kagami’s butt in Laser Tag!” she beamed proudly, holding her gloved hands high up into the sky. Her father’s eyes danced between the two girls, one grinning like the devil and the other shaking her head.
“Well, I guess we’re celebrating both of you tonight. I made enough food to feed an army…or at least satisfy your sister.” His comment earned him a slap on the back of the head.
“Taigen, quit it,” Elena snapped. Her cobalt-haired husband gave her an apologetic smile as they all filed into the kitchen.
Once seated, Kazuya watched her parents bombard Kagami with questions about her work. She enjoyed nights like these simply because the conversations never got dull, even as Kagami shovelled noodles into her mouth. Tales of heroic badassery retold by the noirette made her wonder why people would ever want to be a villain in the first place. She knew that if she ever became a bad guy, she’d be scared of those who were strong like Kagami.
“When did you know you wanted to be a hero? I mean, wouldn’t it have been easier to just work in the lab with Dad?” she asked later on, when they were left alone to do the dishes. Her usual black gloves were traded for latex ones that still prohibited contact but allowed her to work with the water. Her sister took the plate she just washed and dried it with a rag.
A small smile grew on her sun-kissed face, “While getting to be a bio-engineer with the old man would pay a hell of a lot more, I like doing what I do. It makes people feel safe and protected.”
“I think that Black Lightning Hero; Livewire sounds a lot cooler than Super Scientist; Imai Kagami, anyway,” Kazuya scrunched up her face distastefully to emphasise her point. Kagami snorted and put the freshly cleaned plate in the cupboard.
“True.” After sparing a glance at the remaining dishes, she hummed thoughtfully. “Speaking of the lab, Dad wants to show me some of his new projects tonight. Wanna come with?” Kazuya shook her head immediately.
“I won't be able to sleep after! Those things are creepy,” she paled slightly at the thought, not noticing how the man in question had just entered the kitchen.
“They’re not that bad, are they?” Taigen raised a brow inquisitively. Kazuya jumped at his sudden appearance, then simply stared daggers in her father’s direction.
“You’re joking, right?” the youngest sibling scowled.
“They’re nightmare fuel,” deadpanned the other. Taigen’s crestfallen expression aside, the girls didn’t care too much about the light teasing of their father.
“...I thought they looked kinda cute,” he mumbled beneath his breath.
“They are faces that only a mother could love, Dad,” Kagami’s lips gave way to a bored frown.
“Quit bullying your father!” Elena chided from her spot in the living room. Kazuya apologised with a tight but brief hug, then made her great escape from the kitchen. Nearly slipping on the hallway rug, she quickly disappeared into her bedroom.
The faint sounds of her mother ranting in Spanish told her she’d be chided for not completing her chores, but it was the slamming of the door she focused on. Kagami and her father must have left to save themselves.
Shifting her gaze down to her hands, Kazuya pulled off her latex gloves. Her leather ones sat on her dresser. The longer she stared at them, the more that fleeting sense of hope encouraged her to abandon them. As soon as the thought entered her head, she shook it away.
“Can’t risk it,” she sighed, “What would Mom and Dad say?” The only answer she received was the muffled sounds of the city outside her window. She slipped her equipment on, flexed her fingers, and then crawled into her bed.
Kazuya enjoyed the nighttime. The silence of twilight allowed her time to think. Her mind wandered back to her earlier conversation with Kagami. She could help more people in a safer environment by working at her father’s laboratory, but Kazuya had yet to understand why her sister chose to be a hero, despite having the conversation thousands of times. Was the title that important? Maybe it was just because she was popular and liked fame. Not All Might popular, but close enough in her eyes.
If Kazuya could remember correctly, her sister was ranked eleventh this year, right behind that Killer Whale Hero; Gang Orcha. She was never good at paying attention to the Hero Charts. Knowing Kagami’s placement seemed good enough to her.
Her mother once told her that in Tijuana they didn't rely so much on their hero system. Prominent families and their government often took care of problems that arose. She was part of one such family, although they had gotten into some big trouble. That’s how she married Taigen and ended up in Japan: influence.
Thinking about family history was all Kazuya needed to fall asleep. It had been a while since she had a dreamless slumber. She smiled at the thought. Her nightmares had most likely been subsided by Kagami's return home, which meant until her next mission Kazuya would be sleeping like a baby.
I’m glad we’re all together again…
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Kagami arrived at Imai Labs around eleven that night. It was an hour-and-a-half drive to her father’s work, not including the two security checks and the quick hello they threw to the guard at the front door. Kagami had been to the labs a few times and knew the staff fairly well.
“Let’s head up,” Taigen instructed and she nodded. They took the elevator to one of the upper floors in the building, Kazuya eyeing the blinking red dot on the security camera in the corner.
Her father’s facility was one of the leading influencers in biological studies, focusing mainly on quirk-related issues. He worked with the highest-ranked heroes to help them understand the limits of their quirks and then develop technology to modify their strengths or help them overcome a weakness. He provided for hero agencies or stand-alone contractors like Kazuya. In fact, he outfitted her entire costume with secret equipment in case she was in danger. She had yet to use any of them.
It was those big jobs that gave him the extra funding for his bizarre little side projects.
Kagami’s eyes tried to make out the complex layout of the darkened room. Cluttered desks, glass cases along one of the walls, and other science equipment made it seem messy, but she knew her father had some intricate system to organise the chaos.
The contents of the cages weren't visible yet, as the only light in the room was coming from a few samples of a strange glowing liquid stored in large vats in the corner.
They look like lava lamps, she thought with amusement.
“Seriously, Dad, it’s like a scene from a horror movie in here. I see why Zuzu didn’t want to come,” the noirette voiced her contempt and an unsettling cold crept down her back. She waved her arms until the sensory lights illuminated the room.
“Sorry about that, Sweetheart,” Taigen chuckled nervously, pulling on a lab coat and gloves. He handed Kagami a pair and then turned towards one of the smaller cages in the corner. His name tag read: Dr Imai Taigen, CEO.
As he walked through the room, he waved his hand and willed various pieces of metallic equipment to float behind him. Kazuya watched with slight intrigue as he flicked his hand and the pieces flew into the glass enclosures. This was, of course, the work of his Metal Manipulation quirk.
“So, what’s the new project? Living robots? Did you stuff some kids in animatronic suits and now you’re waiting for their souls to seek revenge?” Kagami’s eyes lit up with anticipation. A bead of sheepish sweat fell down her father’s face as he turned to the cages.
“Not quite, and stop playing those horror games. You’ll worry your poor mother to death if she hears you talking like that,” he playfully scolded while placing his thumb in a fingerprint scanner at the end of the lowest row of cages. He input some code that Kagami couldn’t see and then reached into the enclosure.
“Meet experiment M-1-1-K, or as I like to call her, Milk .”
“Milk?” Kagami raised a brow sceptically. Her eyes widened the moment Taigen turned around with a small creature in his hands. She stared at it, trying to process the amalgamation, “Is that a — “
“A gryphon? Exactly!” her father grinned proudly, “She is a bit small, but this is just the prototype.” In his hands was the back half of a white cat seemingly attached to the head, bust, and talons of an eagle. It looked like the knock-off version of the mythical creature Kagami used to read about.
“How did you get all these parts together?” she asked with furrowed brows as she ran her hand along its back softly. It didn't react. Why is it still alive…?
“I’ve put chips near the points of connectivity, which regenerate stem cells for both animals. Secondary modules are placed in the brain so it moves as a unit. That plus a little help from metal bone supports helps Milk stay together,” Taigen explained briefly. He gently placed Milk into his daughter’s hands then whirled around to look inside another cage.
“Does it hurt them?” her question came out much softer than she intended. Taigen glanced softly over his shoulder, paying attention to her worried tone.
“No, Sweetie, these animals were already dead. I gathered them after they were beyond repair and my work brought them back, you see,” he smiled reassuringly while pushing back the feathers of the gryphon to reveal no stitches or blood on the points of contact. It was as if they were simply born together.
“They fused on their own?” Kagami raised a brow quizzically. Taigen nodded.
“If I can get the approval from the board, I’ll be able to give enhancements to the quirkless and give broken bodies power over their limbs again! I might even be able to bring back the dead,” he reached into the next cage and pulled out a snake with three heads, ignoring the way Kagami’s eyes widened. “You always wanted a pet snake right? Well, this one can grow back heads even after decapitation!”
“Dad…” Kagami looked into Milk’s dull eyes. There was nothing there. No soul, no life, just husks. Does he not see that?
“I know, I know, more mouths to feed. Maybe I’ll make one with fewer heads...I wonder if they — “
“They’re not alive , Dad. They’re empty .”
Taigen froze. He pursed his lips into a fine line then gingerly put the snake and Milk back into their respective pens. An awkward silence permeated the air as he shuffled about.
“That’s why I want the board to agree to let me follow through with this. If I can get the chance to practice on living creatures, I’ll be able to make a breakthrough. I could help so many people,” his amber eyes glistened with hope and a hint of dejection. Kagami bit her bottom lip in contemplation then took a step towards her father. She wrapped her arms around his torso, her head just barely reaching his chin. The two of them were decently tall, but he still towered over her.
“You’re gonna do great, Dad. Just don’t lose your way and remember your family will be right with you through all of it.” She buried her face in his chest, nearly laughing as she caught a whiff of what Kazuya likes to call “Dad Smell”. Faded hints of whisky and pine.
“Your mother and I got so lucky with you and your sister, you know that,” he relaxed into her grip.
“Speaking of Zuzu, she’s been asking about heroics a lot. She might be joining my side of the family business soon,” Kagami boasted with a cheeky smile, tilting her head up to stare tauntingly at her father. Taigen scoffed.
“She’s only in Junior High, give me time to win her over. For science,” he pouted. His firstborn threw her head back and laughed loudly, releasing him from the hug. “For science,” she snorted, “Now, let’s go home. I need some sleep.”
“Alright, you walking fire hazard.”
“Watch it, old man, or I’ll tell Mom.”
“
Haha.
..Please don’t.”
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Kazuya stared out the classroom window with a vacant expression, watching a leaf caught in a tunnel of wind spiral further and further into the air. Its vibrant green shade drew her wandering mind in like a moth to the flame. The movement reminded her of the butterflies that fluttered by her on the prettier days; elegant dancers of nature.
The lessons were starting to get repetitive on account of the upcoming test, and she had no clue how anyone stayed awake during these reviews. Instead of listening, she thought about what her mother might make for dinner. That woman could make a mean Oyakodon. Maybe quesadillas! Oh, but fish sounded so —
“Imai, are you listening?!” her teacher’s shout brought her crashing back down to Earth.
“No,” the blue-haired pre-teen sighed. Her teacher’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance as an awkward silence filled the room. She could feel her classmates' eyes on her, so she hid behind her hair that fell around her face like a curtain of shame.
“I know it’s boring but try to at least look like you’re paying attention,” the professor lectured before turning to finish writing algebra equations on the board. Just as the chalk touched the cold surface, a loud ring echoed through the room.
Thank God, Kazuya grumbled internally. The end of the day couldn’t come any slower . Her class filed out the door in their little friend groups, none paying her any mind. Once they were all gone and the door traffic cleared, she grabbed her bag and waltzed up to the teacher.
“Don’t worry. None of them pay attention to what you’re teaching, either,” she smiled encouragingly. The brunette choked out a curt laugh.
“I’ve noticed,” a sigh ghosted her lips, “Alright then, Smarty Pants. What do you suggest I do, huh?”
Kazuya shrugged, “I know people like to learn when they get something from it. Put up prizes or something, I guess.” The teacher stared for a moment then penned her suggestion onto a loose sheet of paper.
“Thanks, kid,” she nodded appreciatively, “By the way, I hear your sister’s in town. Tell her I said hello.” Kazuya flashed her a wide grin of acceptance then turned and rushed out the door. She couldn’t take too long, people were waiting for her, after all.
When she finally made it out of Nabu Junior High, she couldn’t help but walk with a pep in her step. The weather was nice; the Spring season meant that the cherry trees outside the school were in full bloom. Not many kids were hanging around after class so it was a good day, to say the least.
Her amber eyes scanned the courtyard while she waited for Kagami’s truck to arrive. Nightly patrols kept her in Shizuoka, meaning she would be there to pick up her sister after school until her routes changed.
“Toshi!” Kazuya called when she caught sight of her friend. Shinso Hitoshi crept up beside her from God-knows-where with his indigo hair and slumped stance.
She couldn’t remember exactly when she and Shinso had become friends. It’s one of those things that just sort of happened. With him around, nobody dared to bully her. Kids can be mean but they won’t say a thing when your best friend can make them walk face-first into an oncoming train. Not that he would, but she had thought about asking him a few times.
“What took you so long?” Shinso asked with his hands shoved in his pockets.
“A quick talk with the teacher. Seriously, how do they expect us to pay attention to these reviews without falling asleep?” she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.
“Did you tell her how to run her classroom, again?” Shinso asked with a look that said he already knew the answer.
“Dad says if I don’t like how something’s run, I should change it myself,” Kazuya puffed her chest proudly. The unamused look on her friend’s face would have made her laugh, but she hid it with an awkward cough.
“Your dad sure has a way of getting into your head, huh?” he asked with furrowed brows. Kazuya shoved him lightly with her shoulder, slightly annoyed by the strange tone behind his words.
“He’s not the one with the scary brainwashing quirk,” she quipped with a lighthearted laugh, not noticing the way Shinso visibly tensed.
"Ah, 'Toshi, I didn't — "
"Don’t worry about it," he shrugged her gloved hand off of his shoulder. Kazuya's jaw clenched with suppressed concern. He wasn’t usually this sensitive…
The giggling.
A group of girls not too far away were staring directly at Shinso, giggling behind their hands.
Without a word, Kazuya marched straight up to the main girl of the group — a complete diva named Maeda Asuka. They stared at one another for a beat.
“Yes?” Maeda batted her eyelashes with feigned innocence.
“What’ve you got against ‘Toshi?” Kazuya asked calmly, not yet ready to go off on her classmate.
“I’m just trying to stop him from hurting anyone…or hurting themselves, I guess,” the silver-haired girl scoffed, a snicker twisting her glossy lips.
“He’s not hurting anyone,” Kazuya’s eyes narrowed as she scanned the group of bullies, “I might, though.”
“You most certainly will not.”
The girls turned to face the owner of the chastising voice. Kagami stood a few feet away, placed purposefully in front of Shinso.
"Are you two fighting again?" the pro hero called, shades covering her smokey eyes. With the arrival of a popular and powerful hero, a majority of Maeda’s lackeys backed away.
Right, this wasn’t the first time Kazuya stood up to this tyrant of a child.
“I’m just trying to save the world from another wannabe hero-turned-villain. I’m sure you understand,” Maeda shrugged, hands resting on her hips. Noticing Shinso flinching out of the corner of her eyes, Kagami sighed deeply through her nostrils.
“Zuzu, get in the car. Hitoshi stay here.”
Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, Kazuya opened her mouth to retort but froze when Kagami lifted her shades. Two dark pools of midnight-coated ocean silently told her to not ask questions. She huffed and turned to walk towards Kagami’s truck, parked a few yards away.
Kazuya silently slipped into the passenger's seat, eyes trained on her sister, her best friend, and the brat. Maeda threw a few blunt words and pointed looks at Kagami, to which the young hero responded with a smile. She bent down to the girl’s height and gave her a light tap on the forehead. A spark of blue static shocked Maeda’s forehead and made her jump with a yelp. Finished dealing punishment, Kagami turned to Hitoshi and said something Kazuya couldn’t make out.
As soon as Hitoshi and Kagami re-entered the truck, she flipped her shades down and put the vehicle into drive. Kazuya gazed at her expectantly, waiting for her to say something — anything.
"You owe me," the noirette scoffed as they rolled away from the school. Kazuya hid her smile beneath her sleeve as she looked out the window at the passing trees.