Chapter Text
“This is the main threat to look out for during this mission and your first ever encounter with the Yamaga as interns—if you can even be called that. Normally, we would never think of sending students to the borders of those…those, fiends. Nothing good can come from allowing poorly trained youths—never mind!—It is too dangerous a place for children to roam freely, playing at being adults.”
Someone coughs, a gesture for them to get on with the briefing, with less personal commentary. Especially when said children were standing five feet in front of them with their mentor. The orator seems to get the clue, that they have strayed from the main objective of this briefing, and quickly adjust their speech.
“But, we are short staffed, and even more so when it comes to heroes, pros or not, that can withstand the Yamaga quirk. Which brings us to why we’ve brought the two of you, one intern and…you, here.” They didn’t say ‘first year student’, but it was implied by the tight press of their lips and the disgust on their face.
It was bullshit. Everything about the Commission, and especially everything spewed out by this person, was absolute bullshit. Starting with the most obvious lie of them all: that they chose them for this mission.
That’s how they wanted it to sound, like they had somehow graced them with their benevolence by pulling both her and Kinrei out of the boring old school days and bringing them here, against the wishes and protests of some higher up, because of some ‘potential’ they saw in them.
In truth, it had been Best Jeanist who had handpicked Kaida and Kinrei for this mission, not the Commission. And it wasn’t because of their potential, he had just known Kinrei already and in turn got to know Kaida through him. They would listen, follow orders, and therefore would be safe in that territory.
Which led to the second lie; they weren’t short staffed, no other pro-hero was welcome in Yamaga territory. Ever. The only one allowed, only for this mission, was Best Jeanist, and two students of his choosing. Kaida knew, and Kinrei also knew, because he’d never thought of taking them to that mission through lies.
When he had met resistance, ironically enough by the school being pressured by the Commission, he had gone to the campus in his most professional attire, called their teachers to the school office, and made sure both Kaida and Kinrei met him together. Because he knew, everyone in the school knew, that these two planned on debuting as a team even if Kinrei was a year ahead.
He explained that they would be personally trained by him for this mission, on how they should present themselves to the Yamaga.
They would learn how to speak politely, with authority, so the Yamaga would see that they were heroes, not just trainees. They would learn how to walk and stand and sit in a relaxed manner, so they would not accidentally put the Yamaga on the defensive. And most importantly, they would learn how to defend against their Memory quirk, whether it be by touch or sight or by something else.
They would be taught to escape by any means.
But when the Commision had learned of who had made the request, of Her Plea, as they later codenamed the request submitted to Best Jeanist’s agency, they had done a complete one-eighty.
The Commision had taken several copies of Her Plea, sending them to who knows where, but Best Jeanist refused to let go of the original request when they demanded it. Actually demanded he hand it over for security reasons, but he did not bend.
Accepting that it was a lost battle, they turned their attention to the students, taking it upon themselves to know everything there was to know about them and why they were Best Jeanist’s first and only choice. The second year, they understood, he interned under the pro-hero for about a year, as for the other, she didn’t fit.
They openly discussed reasons why he would choose a first year, argued about it, debated over trying to change Best Jeanist’s mind, but then they saw Kaida, read her school file and the newly made file for Jeanist’s agency, and shut their mouths for days.
“Kaida Ishikawa. Fifteen years old. Quirk: Medusa.” She had heard one suit say to the other, who seemed genuinely interested in her quirk, but then those words were followed by, “Wasting her potential in that school, and with this ridiculous dream of opening a coffee shop, she’s also wasting the school’s time and effort in training her as a hero.”
The other wrote it down, no doubt adding many things to their own file of her. Then he lifted his head, asking, “What about the other, the Kintsugi boy? His Midas Touch seems like a good asset.”
“He isn’t of much interest to us. Useless all around,” Kaida heard that uncaring and dismissive tone and her blood boiled. “The Midas Touch can only be used so much before it would be detected. And he’s too kind, emphatic to anyone and everyone, and has spent too much time with Best Jeanist. He’d be a liability.”
Each one of her tightly wrapped snakes on the top of her head lifted up in a warning hiss. They didn’t hear. Didn’t see. Or maybe they just didn’t care that she’d heard them. But she would never know.
Kinrei had seen her then. Pulled her away and out of their sight, and all but scolded her for eavesdropping on whatever nonsense the adults were talking about that was of no business to them.
He hadn’t heard them, and she didn’t tell him anything.
Kaida took a deep breath, forgetting about the past couple of weeks and focused on the orator that was now pulling up a file on the screen before them. It was short and useless, because, and she was very annoyed at this, there was hardly any useful information.
Name: Yamaga, Aisa
Age: 31
Date of Birth: Unknown
Place of Birth: Unknown
Occupation: Unknown
Quirk: [Classified]
“Don’t,” came Kinrei’s voice beside her, knowing full well that she was about to sass the orator for making a show about this ‘information’.
“How do they know how old they are if they don’t know the date of birth?”
“Guesstimating?”
“How,” she hissed, her hair doing the same.
Her question was answered instantly when the picture of what looked to be a young woman appeared before them, filling the screen with black, yellow, and white. It was cropped and enlarged for everyone in the room to get a better look at a terrifyingly ethereal and beautiful face.
Pale. Very, very pale. More like uncannily pale, marble or pearl, not something that resembled skin. At least not human skin. Her smile was wide. So, so wide that she might have been the inspiration for the slit-mouthed woman legend, if she wasn't so cheerful in the photograph. Her eyes had been cut out from the image, and only two eye-shaped black holes stared back at the room.
“They suck at guessing,” she whispered to Kinrei. “She looks my age.”
“Old photo? Only one available,” he whispered, probably guessing correctly, because even Best Jeanist looked taken aback on what he was seeing. “We’re heading back to his agency. Whatever they aren’t telling us, he will.”
“Like why he chose us children.”
“She doesn’t hurt children,” Kinrei whispered back. “Adults aren’t so lucky. That’s all I know.”
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Mission: Personal guard of Yamaga, Aisa in her seaside manor at the edge of Yamaga territory for the duration of 24 hours. Keep everyone within a 100 ft radius out of the manor at any and all cost. Specifics will be discussed at arrival.