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(Note: This is set between I x V: The Sports Festival and I z V: Rage, Apathy and Sheer Delusion)
After the… fiasco that was the training camp and everything that had gone down in Kamino, U.A was trying to get some sense of regularity back. Something that was proving to be difficult thanks to not only the media trying to put their name in the dirt but also the HPSC once again demanding that the Copper-9 drones be handed over to them with the group making no attempt to hide their intentions on dismantling every robot, mass murder be damned.
So when the next internships came round, every single 1-A student was glad for something so… normal.
XXXXX
“I still think I should be staying.” N said as he stood in the maintenance room with, among a handful of others, Nori, V, J, Izuku and Uzi, the latter strapped to a table with her hands notably restrained. “I mean, if that thing is still in there-”
“Then J will be here.” Uzi said. “Yeah, this sucks but bring strapped to a table and having myself being examined a hundred different ways is better than that coming back again.”
“And let’s be honest rust bucket, if it does come back, would you be willing to do what needs to be done?” J said before smiling viciously at N, swapping out a hand for a blade to emphasise her next words. “You know I am.”
“Love you too asshole.” Uzi muttered as she rolled her eyes. “Where are you guys going for your internships anyway?” Noticing the blatant subject change, V jabbed N to make him speak first. Oh, I’m going to Mirko,” The male drone said. “Apparently this is the first time she’s wanted an intern, and she picked me.”
“Probably eager to see just what you guys are capable of.” Nori spoke up, the drone-turned-flesh-blob rolling her single eye. Any further discussion regarding Uzi remaining at U.A for the duration was put aside as those gathered talked about the internships and what they expected to happen.
XXXXX
This was not what V and Izuku expected to happen.
The two of them had both chosen to intern with Ryukyu and while they’d had a good start, things had become awkward when Ryukyu’s other intern, Neijire Hado, asks the two if they were in a relationship.
The rest of the day, following their introductions, had consisted mostly of mundane tasks (something that had V bored out of her mind to the point that she’d started blowing bubbles around the agency) and a handful of training exercises. V, to her credit, had managed to prove just as manoeuvrable in the air as Ryukyu whilst the latter was in her dragon form but the top 10 hero quickly proved to have superior physical strength and enough endurance to power through V’s (non-lethal) attacks, ending the drone’s first training session by slamming her into the ground with enough force to leave V stunned enough to force a reboot.
Towards the end of the day, with training and paperwork done, Neijire offered to take the two ‘rookies’ out on a patrol. Nothing fancy, just a simple walk around a few blocks for a couple of hours before returning to the agency.
Then a young girl ran out of an alleyway.
As Izuku tried to comfort the obviously distressed child, V detected someone approaching from the same direction the girl had come from, someone that anyone with a set of working brain cells could tell reeked of malicious intent. “There you are Eri.” The man said. “Come now, we don’t want to be an inconvenience to the heroes do we?”
V glanced at the child, Eri apparently, in Izuku’s arms and she could see the girl tremble. Izuku could clearly feel the trembling himself before he lifted the girl up and glanced at V. While he said no words, the message was clear.
“Actually sir, I think it would be best if we took this child to a hospital.” Izuku said calmly. “These bandages look old, I think she should be checked for infections.”
“There is no need for that.” The masked man said. “Please hand my daughter over to me.” Those words may have seemed polite but V and Izuku could tell that they were less a request and very much a threat. Even Neijire, for all her bubblyness, looked ready for the situation to take a turn for the worse. As she took a quick scan of the area with her visual sensors, V quickly noticed that she was not the only one looking round, the masked man was also seeing if anyone else was present.
V then realised that while she was looking for anyone who could be put in danger, the man was looking for potential witnesses. A single thought away from going full murder-mode, V heard Izuku speak again. “I’m afraid as a hero, I must insist that the girl get treatment.” Izuku said. Anything else he was going to say was cut off when the masked man started to move towards them, pulling a glove off as he did.
V then acted.
Faster than the man could react, V rushed him, her eyes replaced with a burning yellow X as she grabbed the man’s left arm before whipping her tail round and binding his left leg. Before the man could bring his other arm round, Neijire quickly grabbed hold of the limb and clapped quirk-suppression cuffs onto it, V forcing the man round so Neijire could clap the cuff on his other arm behind him. “Wretches! Vermin!” The man screamed angrily. “You’re all filth to be cleansed!”
“Are you okay?” Izuku asked the child in his arms as V dragged the man to the ground, keeping him restrained as Neijire called Ryukyu. Looking up at Izuku, Eri’s eyes watered before she pressed her head against Izuku’s chest and began to sob. Wordlessly, Izuku wrapped his arms around the girl and gave Eri the comfort she so desperately needed…
XXXXX
Izuku and V waited in a side room in the police station. The two of them were with the young girl, Eri, who had been checked over by the station’s medic. The medic had insisted that Eri be taken to the hospital, but the girl had refused to be parted from the Helpful Hero: Emerald nor the Metal Hero: V and so the medic had simply settled for changing Eri’s bandages and giving a visual examination. During the examination, V and Izuku had remained with Eri and were both disturbed by the sheer number of scars that were under the bandages.
While the two were waiting, Eri had fallen asleep, the child looking at her most peaceful the two had seen so far. As Izuku gently stroked Eri’s hair, he looked over to V and saw her pondering as she stared at the ceiling.
“I could kill him.” V said calmly. “It won’t be hard to find which station he was taken to. I can fly there, pull out the guns, job done. Ten minutes. That’s all it’ll take.” Izuku didn’t respond to that, uncertain as to just what answer he would give. He couldn’t approve of V deliberately going to kill someone but at the same time, he was tempted to join her. The injuries that Eri had were far too numerous, along with the obvious trauma she had, not to come from anything other than long-term abuse. The two sat in silence for the next few minutes before V lifted her head to attention. As she got up off her seat, Izuku overheard a couple of raised voices. “What’s going on out there?”
“Don’t know but I’m pretty sure that’s Ryukyu I just heard.” V said as she moved to the door and opened it, the commotion now easier to hear and the Dragoon Hero’s voice now easier to make out. Wordlessly, the two interns cautiously made their way out of the room.
XXXXX A few minutes earlier XXXXX
Everything.
Everything regarding his investigation was under threat. In danger of being ruined because of some two-bit intern and a glorified pencil sharpener. He needed to do damage control both quickly and now, unfortunately the police officer he was speaking to was clearly too incompetent to understand that. “Which part of my statement did you not understand? I want Kai Chisaki released immediately!”
“‘I’m sorry sir but Chisaki is not being held at this station.” The police officer at the desk said, the woman doing her best to remain composed. “And even if he was, he’s a suspect in multiple crimes. You don’t have the authority to-”
“Woman. Do you not know who I am? I have more authority than you will ever have in your life. My investigation will uncover far more than whatever you have Chisaki arrested for, and I promise you, if you continue blocking me, I will make sure the only job you will ever have, is to deliver coffee to people better than you.”
“What are you doing here?” A voice said from nearby, the man trying to threaten the woman at the desk turning to see who had spoken, looking at her with clear disdain.
“I said,” Ryukyu all but growled. “What are you doing here Nighteye?” Sir Nighteye then turned to look at the top-10 hero. “To correct a mistake your interns made Ryukyu.”
“And what mistake would that be, Nighteye?”
“The arrest of Kai Chisaki has compromised my investigation into his activities, the Shie Hassaikai, and any dealings that they are involved in.” Sir Nighteye stated with cold clarity. “I am here to undo that mistake.”
“Absolutely not!” Ryukyu snapped. “That man is a criminal not only suspected of multiple crimes up to and including murder, but he also tried to attack my interns and is believed to have been heavily abusing a child.”
“A child that will be returned to him at once.”
Ryukyu nearly turned to her dragon form right then and there. “Would you care to repeat that Nighteye?”
“If that child was important enough to Chisaki for him to personally chase her down and potentially murder a number of hero students in order to retrieve her, keeping her in police protection will likely hinder my investigation. She should be returned immediately.”
“Is that all you care about? Your investigation?” A voice said from nearby, everyone present looking round to see V and Izuku, the two having entered the room with Eri still asleep in Izuku’s arms. “There is a dangerous man in custody, and you want to turn him loose?” Izuku said, Mirai Sasaki studying him for a second before speaking.
“You are the ones who interfered with my investigation.” The man said without a trace of warmth. “I do not know what Nezu was thinking when he allowed you into U.A but I will be demanding that he have you removed and blacklisted for your actions.” Nighteye’s glare then turned to the child in Izuku’s arms. “And unless you want arresting, you are going to hand that child over immediately.” He said before taking a step towards Izuku.
V quickly stood in front of Izuku and deployed a blade, every police officer in sight reaching for any weapons they had holstered but not yet drawing them as V maintained a defensive position. “Try it. See where that gets you.”
“Do you have any idea who I am, machine?” The office suit-clad hero said, looking out the corner of his eye to see Ryukyu visibly struggling to keep herself from taking action.
“Don’t know, don’t care.” V replied calmly as she kept Izuku behind her.
“He’s Sir Nighteye. All’s Might’s former sidekick and a hero who could make the top one hundred.” Izuku said from behind his fellow 1-A student. Sir Nighteye turned his glare on Izuku and both Izuku and V could tell that the man was looking at Izuku the same way someone would look at a pile of filth.
“A hero who has been criticised more than once for his ‘control freak nature’ as some people have put it and has had his license temporarily suspended in the past for willingly endangering lives. Both of which are among the reasons why he has never made it into the top hundred.”
If Nighteye was looking at Izuku like he was trash before then his stare now was positively murderous. “If you truly know who I am, then you should know I have no issue with ensuring that your hero career is over before it begins if you do not comply and hand that child over. I might not be a top-ranking hero but I promise you, I have enough influence to ruin your life.” Nighteye then cast his glance to V. “And having you dismantled will be easier. Now hand over that-”
Anything else Nighteye was going to say was cut off when Ryukyu grabbed the man and slammed him into the closest wall. “I have had enough of hearing you threaten children Nighteye.” The Dragoon Hero growled as she kept a grip on his wrists. “I don’t know who you think you are, but I am going to be having a talk with the commission about how you act. And I doubt I’m the only one who’s had enough of you.” Ryukyu then released Nighteye who looked round at the other people in the room, all of which (bar Eri) were glaring at him. Wordlessly, the man adjusted his tie and exited the building.
“He’s going to be a problem, isn’t he?” V said as she retracted her blade, her hand quickly taking its place. “Unfortunately,” Ryukyu said. “Your friend was right about Sasaki being a control freak. If something doesn’t fit in with how he thinks a situation should go, he will steamroll over anyone and anything in his way to change that. He might have a high success rate with his investigations, but they often come at the expense of others.”
“Sounds like a real gentleman.” V replied. “Do you think there’s anyone who he won’t cross?”
“Not really.” Ryukyu sighed before putting a hand to her chin and smiling. “But I do have an idea…”
XXXXX
“Well so much for your internship.” Uzi said to Izuku and V in the latter’s dorm room, Eri sat on Izuku’s knee. “Bet it sucks having to come back so soon.” When Ryukyu had recommended that Eri be taken to U.A after her examination, Izuku had wanted to remain with the child, Eri having asked Izuku and V not to leave her. Right now, Eri was playing with V’s tail, V having emptied its contents as well as removing the blade for the young girl’s safety.
“Nezu recognises that these are not normal circumstances.” Izuku said. “I’m just glad he agreed to keeping Nighteye off our backs.”
“Not that he isn’t going to try.” A voice said from the doorway, the teenage boy and two drones turning to see Nori, her blob-like form skittering across the floor before hauling herself atop Uzi’s desk as Yagi Toshinori followed her in. “From what I’ve been told, Nighteye’s ruffled more than a few feathers because of how he treats others.”
Yagi nodded solemnly in response. “I took on Sasaki as a sidekick because I thought he was smart and he had everyone’s best interests at heart, but after my fight with All for One…” Yagi notably darkened as he thought back to times he would rather forget. “…Sasaki showed how controlling he was. Sasaki tried to dictate my decisions and has more than once, declared the knew better than me, as if he had more right to make choices than I did over certain aspects of my life he had no right to.”
“Sasaki has the makings of a good hero; I won’t deny that.” The former number one hero said. “But he is too tunnel-minded for his own good. If something does not go how he expects it to, there’s nothing he won’t do to change that. Sasaki rarely has respect for anyone else and is quick to undermine the authority of others.”
“Ugh, we get it, he’s a dick.” Uzi said before Nori slapped her with one of her claws. “Ow!” The purplette snapped before Nori pointed at Eri who, thankfully, hadn’t been paying attention. “Oh. Right.”
Yagi chuckled for a moment at the scene. “Yes, he can be. Recently, he has been demanding that I pass on a certain something to his intern.” Although those in the room, bar Eri, knew what Yagi was talking about, One for All still wasn’t to be discussed lightly. “Despite that not being possible anymore, he refuses to believe that and is insistent that I do as he demands.” Yagi looked up at the ceiling before speaking again. “If Sasaki is investigating the Shie Hassaikai, I fear for what he might try to get that investigation back how he wants it to go.”
XXXXX
Overhaul walked out of the police station a free man.
Well not entirely true. The dead police officers he had passed by on the way out were a testament to that. Had his men not been spying on a certain agency, it was likely Overhaul would still be in a holding cell.
Overhaul couldn’t help but laugh. Sir Nighteye was as predictable as he was moronic.
The fool was so narrow-minded in his work that he hadn’t realised that the head of the very group he was investigating had learnt of that same investigation months ago. Overhaul’s arrest, and Ryukyu’s refusal to hand Eri over to him, had left the man ranting in his agency and his attempts to get his investigation back on track had resulted in Overhaul’s spies discovering where their leader was being held and the Shie Hissaikai had acted almost immediately to free their leader.
Pitiful really. If the ‘hero’ had bothered to do anything beyond the predictable, he might have learnt that the Shie Hassaikai no longer fully operated out of the buildings Nighteye believed them to. It had been a simple matter of having his followers do some minor work in there while all major, vital work was done elsewhere that the former sidekick to All Might had yet to discover.
And it was because of Nighteye that Overhaul knew where Eri was. The same rant that had revealed Overhaul’s location had also revealed that Eri had been relocated to U.A. Flexing a gloved hand, Overhaul began forming a plan to assault the hero school.
Any other time, this would be suicide. But a lot of the staff, and most of the students, were off-site. They wouldn’t be expecting a full, organised assault. Not like that League of Villains rabble from months back.
No. This would be an attack that would leave U.A in tatters and a trail of dead bodies in Overhaul’s wake.
And Eri back in his hands.
XXXXX
The attack had been as unexpected as it was brutal. Not even Nezu thought Overhaul would be so bold as to launch a full head-on assault on U.A, but he had done so anyway. The yakuza leader had gathered every single member of the Shie Hassaikai and had torn his way through U.A’s defensive line with terrifying ease, his Eight Bullets serving as his front line and tearing through the walls as well as the robots that patrolled them.
By the time the teachers and more experienced hero students still on site had assembled, the Shie Hassaikai were too deep in the grounds for the fight to be over quickly.
As his followers engaged the school’s inhabitants, Overhaul used his quirk to break through obstacle after obstacle, several of the U.A’s robots and several walls and barriers left destroyed behind him. By some small miracle, he had yet to meaningfully engage with any of the teachers or students himself, any students that had crossed him had only fought defensively as they fled. Overhaul considered chasing the students to their safe rooms, but Overhaul was aware that the teachers would know why he came here. If they acted like he would suspect, then Eri would be kept in a different location. One that was secure but would be less likely to put several students at risk.
As Overhaul broke his way into a training hall, he considered the idea of killing a few students in order to force U.A’s hand but before he could act on that, he heard something move from above him and threw himself to the side just as something slammed into the ground d where he had been stood a second ago. Looking back, Overhaul saw a black clad woman with silver pigtails…
No. This was another robot, not unlike the one who had taken Eri. Slamming an ungloved hand onto the ground, Overhaul used his quirk to break the training hall floor apart, several chunks of debris sent flying towards the robot who darted out of the way of each projectile even as the ground rippled and cracked under her thanks to Overhaul using his quirk to constantly break down and restructure the floor.
Realising she was unable to go on the offensive like this, J spread her wings and took to the sky, deploying her two machine guns in the process, Overhaul’s eyes going wide before he slammed both hands down, the ground reaching up, around and over him in time to block several bullets. With an audible ‘tch’, J replaced both of her guns with laser blades and swooped down, putting her blades to full power to cut through the varying materials Overhaul had surrounded himself with.
At which point an arm of rock and dirt reached round.
J beat her wings to stop and pull back but while doing so did stop her charge, it left her just close enough for Overhaul to grab one of her legs. Recalling what Izuku had told her about the yakuza boss and how his quirk relied on touch (something this very battle had proven), J narrowed her eyes in knowledge of what she needed to do and brought both laser blades round and sliced.
The murder drone quickly flew out of reach of the rock golem Overhaul had turned himself into, her dismembered leg still in his grip. Her flight was short however as the loss of her limb had thrown off J’s balance and she wound up crashing to the ground. I pulled herself up as the Overhaul-golem approached, the now fully-formed body looming over her. Said body was roundly human, about five metres in height with stumpy legs and arms long enough that they dragged on the ground and at the ‘head’ was a single eye. “Where is Eri?” Overhaul’s voice echoed from within the golem.
“As a couple of acquaintances of mine might say, bite me!” J said defiantly as she aimed both of her guns at him before smiling. “Speaking of which…” Overhaul didn’t even get time to turn round to see what J was referring to before two purple symbols spun through the air and sliced the golem’s arms off. Overhaul turned in time for a pickaxe to become lodged in the golem’s head even as a certain winged maintenance drone brought one of the purple symbols round, Overhaul using his quirk to forcibly eject himself from the golem before it was bisected.
Rolling on the ground, Overhaul got back to his feet and aware he was unlikely to get chance to make a counterattack, ran for the closest exit. As he went to press his hand against the door, intent on collapsing the exit behind him, Overhaul stumbled as the door was opened right before his hand touched it.
“Hey there.” V said with as much malicious intent as she could muster, her tail hooked around the door handle. Before Overhaul could react, a yellow light beam separated his head from his shoulders, V retracting her laser blade a moment later. Just like that the danger of Overhaul had come to an end.
XXXXX
Sir Nighteye strolled into U.A like he owned the place, uncaring of the looks the varying heroes and students were giving him. He was on a mission, one that led him directly to Nezu’s office. Without even waiting, Mirai Sasaki slammed the door to Nezu’s office open where the mammal-of-unknown-origin was talking to, of all things, an unidentifiable blob of flesh. “Sir Nighteye.” Nezu said. “I don’t recall inviting you to meet with me.”
“Irrelevant.” Mirai said with professional coldness. “I am aware of what has happened here and I fully intend to press charges against Izuku Midoriya and to have the machine known as ‘V’ decommissioned.”
“Oh really?” Nezu said in his ‘you have no idea how fucked you are’ tone of voice. “I would suggest you explain why you want to take that line of action Sir Nighteye.”
“Because if they didn’t arrest Overhaul and bring his ward on U.A grounds, this attack would never have happened.” Mirai said bluntly. “Their interference led to the deaths of several police officers when the Shie Hassaikai attacked the station Overhaul was being held at before they attacked this school in their attempt to retrieve their asset, endangering everyone here. All of this could have been avoided if they simply did not interfere. Everything that has happened today is entirely their fault and they should be punished accordingly.”
“So it has nothing to do with the fact that the Shie Hissaikai have been spying on you for months?” Nezu said and before Sir Nighteye could say anything else, Nezu rotated his compute monitor screen around so Mirai Sasaki could see a camera image. “Why are you showing me an image of Nemoto and Setsuno on a rooftop?” The man grumbled.
“Haven’t you realised?” Nezu said. “For a man with excellent investigative skills, I’m surprised you don’t recognise your own neighbourhood.” Looking at the picture again, Nighteye saw buildings that were indeed in the same area as his agency. “The surviving members of the Shie Hassaikai admitted that they learnt you were investigating them months ago. That camera footage is from five weeks ago. A lookout was established to monitor your actions and Overhaul hid his main operations while using locations you knew off as a cover to keep you from discovering said main operations. They’ve been leading you by the nose and you never noticed.”
“Impossible.” Sir Nighteye said. “And you are trying to change the subject.”
“Oh I beg to differ.” Nezu cheerfully retorted. “For while the Shie Hassaikai were spying on you, they overheard your little rant about Overhaul being held at a police station as well as Eri being cared for at U.A. Information you shouldn’t have had access to, and information they were able to use. So you see, if anyone is to blame for those police officer’s deaths as well as the attack on U.A, it’s you Nighteye.”
This time, Mirai didn’t even try to hide the contempt he was feeling. “Do you know who you are talking to rat? I would suggest you show some more respect.”
Despite Nezu’s expression not changing, had any of U.A’s staff been in the room, they would have felt the murderous intent in the room. “Oh Nighteye.” Nezu said. “I should be asking you that.”
Then Nezu let his cheerful expression slip.
XXXXX Less than 48 hours later XXXXX
Mirai Sasaki huffed as he opened up the door to the hotel room that would serve as his temporary residence, having left Japan the previous day. It would take time for him to set up permanent residence in England, having not been given time to make his impromptu immigration official.
He hadn’t fled Japan out of fear of Nezu and anyone who said differently would be invoking his wrath.
Opening up his suitcase, Mirai huffed over the fact that everything he had done in Japan had gone to waste. Before he could even begin to think about his efforts to make Mirio into All Might’s successor, Nighteye’s phone rang. Upon seeing that the screen showed ‘private’ in place of a number, Nighteye answered the call in curiosity. “Sir Nighteye speaking. Who is this?”
“Foregoing pleasantries as usual I see Mirai.” The voice of the President of the Japanese HPSC said over the phone. “I’ll get straight to the point. How would you like to assist me in a little… endeavour against those who have wronged you?”
Nighteye pondered his options for a moment before responding. “I’m listening.”
XXXXX A FEW WEEKS LATER XXXXX
Mirai couldn’t help but seethe as he watched the news. He had given careful instructions to the HPSC when they had contacted him and what do they do? They fail spectacularly.
Mirai had chosen the heroes to infiltrate specifically because of how useful their quirks were for the mission they had been given, no others were required yet the HPSC President had been insistent on a handful of combat-oriented heroes despite him telling her otherwise and sure enough, they comprised the mission which resulted in the heroes being captured. From there, events spiralled to the point that the HPSC had actually started a war. One that they lost.
The crater that used to be Deika City was testament to that fact.
Turning the television off, Mirai sighed before standing up and making his way to the door. He would need to leave the hotel and go to ground. He suspected that the HPSC would have failed to cover up his involvement with their initial infiltration of U.A and he would need to find a new place to live before anyone could track him down. Preparing to inform the hotel staff of his imminent departure, Mirai opened the door.
“Hi.”
And found a pig-tail-haired robot with a very unwelcome and terrifyingly calm rat on her shoulder waiting for him.
Before Mirai could react fast enough, J’s tail whipped round and slammed into him, the container part striking his shoulder as the barbed tip pierced his suit and the wall behind the hero, pinning him just on the edge of the doorframe. Nighteye tried to pull his arm but the durable material of his suit meant he could never hope to pull with enough force to tear it and pull himself free.
“I honestly wish I could say I’m disappointed.” Nezu spoke up. “I really could, but quite frankly, for all your intelligence and planning, you really are incapable of looking past your own nose aren’t you?” Nighteye was about to respond but J, with the vicious smile that only a Murder Drone could pull off on her face, deployed a gun to keep him from talking. “You groomed Mirio to be the next holder of One for All without considering his thoughts and goals. You continued an investigation that had you failed to realise was compromised because of your single-mindedness. You disrespected practically everyone who ever met you. You threatened my students. And when everything blew up in your face…” Nezu took a moment to compose himself. “You took the first chance you got to try and get revenge. Neither you nor the HPSC President even tried to hide your dealings.”
Nighteye’s went wide. He had given the HPSC advice on how to handle the Copper-9 drones and what information he’d managed to get about them so they would be able to neutralise and transport them without too much trouble. If the WHA had found out his involvement in the actions that had led to the war…
“There are a lot of people out there very upset with you Nighteye.” Nezu said with a smile. “They were willing to let me and J here deal with you ourselves.”
His eyes widening, Nighteye tried once again to free himself only for Nezu to leap off J and grab Nighteye’s head. “Mirai Sasaki. You have no idea what’s about to happen next.”
The sounds of screaming would soon be heard throughout the hotel.
A few hours later, Mirai Sasaki would be found. Tied up and covered in paper cuts, the scent of dried lemon juice could be smelt coming off him as the man was taken away in a police car.
While at the same time, with a couple of full oil cans strapped to the hat she was wearing and a creature of indeterminate species riding on her back via a harness, a pigtailed robot flew back home.
END