It was not unusual for shouting to be heard from the Midoriya house, nor was it uncommon for there to be sounds of women crying. The scene would play out with routine, a sad and terrible routine. Hisashi would stumble drunk, angry that his dinner was not hot and waiting. Ignoring that he was 3 hours late or more and gave no notice, he was on his way home. Inko, the mother, would try to send her daughter Izumi to bed, hoping to spare the girl, but it rarely, if ever, did. Inko did everything she could to spare her daughter, begging, pleading, and debasing herself all she could think of.
There had been a house phone once, but after Izumi had tried to call the police earlier, it was swiftly removed from the wall by force and used to teach both women a lesson. Once when Inko had dared to reach out for help, she had made the unfortunate error of talking to a police officer who was friends with her husband; he was the pro hero Fire Breath, after all. The worst nights were when he didn't come home alone, sometimes the pro's Umpire: The baseball hero or Speed Freak, would join him, or he would bring home some groupies he had picked up at the bar and force Inko to watch depraved acts. Izumi did her best to block it out, but a pillow over the head only drowned out so much noise.
Back to the routine, Inko tried to distract Hisashi, but on some nights, it was impossible. He would stumble in, demand food, and strike Inko before ordering his daughter to stand before him. The girl would come to do so, head down, already cowed. He would then start asking questions about school, her rankings, and her quirk. When the answers weren't how amazing school was, ranked number 1, or that she still hadn't manifested her quirk yet. The doctors told her it was there, but she hadn't figured it out yet, not that he allowed her to go to quirk counseling or anything, then they would see the bruises.
Izumi already had a nervous stutter from the abuse, and it only would get worse when she was scared, which was all the time. This would infuriate Hisashi to no end; when she would stutter, he would slap her, which only made the stutter worse, rinse and repeat. Inko would try to interfere only to meet with a slap or vicious punch to the gut. The violence would dissolve to him, indistinctly attacking the two girls as they huddled together, trying to cover the other. When it was over, he would stumble away, and they would retreat to Izumi's room, Inko trying to soothe her daughter while ignoring her pain.
It is said that abusers have a way of sensing abuse victims, they can subconsciously recognize the signs, and it pulls them in. School should have been some reprieve, but it was a different type of hell. The devil that tormented her was Katsuki Bakugo; he was the son of her mother's friend, though Hisashi had made sure to cut all forms of communication, and when Izumi would desperately plead with Bakugo to pass a letter on, he would sneer and loudly proclaim that no way in hell would he accept a love letter from her and destroy the plea for help. Izumi would beg him to pass the note on, telling him it wasn't a love letter, but he would ignore it. Her cowering nature just set him off; factor in her lack of a visible or provable quirk, his overfed ego, and his predator nature, and he would bully her relentlessly.
First, it was because when they were little, she proclaimed that she wanted to be a hero even without a quirk; when her quirk wouldn't manifest, she would stubbornly stand before him while he was crushing pebbles and try to stop him. Then she would snivel and cry all the damn time; it just would grate on his nerves. She would have the audacity to try and compete with him in class but try for the top score. The occasional "love letter" as if he would ever consider being with such a piece of trash, this DEKU. Here her father was in the top 30 heroes, a former sidekick of Endeavor, and he had such a useless thing for a daughter. It disgusted Bakugo to no end, and he made sure to let Izumi know day, after day, after day.
Now a rational thought would be to go to the principal or counselor for help; when Izumi did so, it earned her mother a broken arm. When it did seem like someone was going to step in, they suddenly disappeared; the pro hero Strobe listened and assured Izumi that she would help, only to vanish without a trace. Izumi had lost all hope; she was practically quirkless, beaten down; all she could do I dream, but even those were slipping away. The only dream she would hold on to was a day without a beating.
Her tenth birthday was the day everything changed.
The day she had progressed normally, morning beating, verbal abuse, after-school torment, few hours of tenuous peace at home, door opening, her father walking in. Inko had made a small cake for her daughter's birthday; they had enjoyed it immediately upon her arrival home, quickly hiding all evidence. He arrives loudly, calling directly for Izumi; when she comes down, he throws a notebook at her and a dollar store pack of pens, slurring a Happy Birthday. Izumi thanked her father as if he just bestowed upon her the crown jewels. It is an attempt to mitigate the routine.
Everything erupts when his dinner is not presented to him "Hot" enough; Inko isn't even allowed to bow and ask for forgiveness when he proclaims he will do it himself. His quirk roars to life, lighting part of the kitchen on fire; Izumi runs to grab a fire extinguisher, only for a backhand to collide with her chest, sending her sprawling. Inko uses her quirk to pull the device to her and tries desperately to use it.
"Useless the both of you, all I demand is subservience from those I provide for, and all I get is an abject failure. Imagine the rise in popularity I will get when tragedy befalls the great Fire Breath."
Inko immediately pleads for their daughter's life, offering the pyre. Izumi tries to run past him into the street only to be snatched by her hair and thrown over the kitchen island like a rag doll. Inko cradles Izumi, using her quirk for all its worth, trying to hurl objects at the man who will try and kill them. Hisashi laughs as he bats away the more prominent things and ignores the smaller ones. Looming over them, Izumi sees the green light building in his throat, a telltale precursor to what is about to erupt.
Quietly, desperately she reaches for her quirk; it's inside her, just under the surface. Maybe it was certain death staring at her right in the face, but it is different this time; the slight tingle is replaced by a roar of an animal screaming to be let loose; as the fire erupts from her father's mouth, she flings her hands forward to oppose death.
The fire never touches them; a shield of faint white has formed in front of the terrified girl, the fire wrapping around them but not touching them. The heat is intense; Hisashi stumbles back in shock; Izumi knows it won't last long. She screams from all the pent-up pain, all the pent-up anger, from a pit of rage held so deep she didn't even know it was there. The shield explodes, destroying the house and extinguishing the fire from sheer force. Hisashi was thrown violently from the house, standing in the rubble with her mother at her feet, struggling to stand stood Izumi. The shield pulled back to her, cracked but holding as she stalked forward. She was unthinking about the commotion or the neighbors pulling out cell phones to record while others phoned the police.
"Useless; why can't you just die so you can be useful to me for once, your retched girl? You don't even have the dignity to be pretty so that I could sell you for something useful like a case of scotch." He rose, launching his fire breath at her; the shield was still intact, holding for the moment as the cracks began to increase and spiderweb. It was all the encouragement that Hisashi needed stalking forward, billowing out more flames, driving his daughter to her knees. Inko leaped wildly at him. He snatched her by the throat out of midair, strangling the life out of her. Izumi pushed the shield forward, trying to shape it into a pillar; she succeeded, it momentarily stopped the onslaught of fire, and her mother was dropped to the ground gasping for air. Izumi struggled to her feet, but Hisashi rushed forward with a heavy fist; the shield shattered as Izumi tumbled away. He was on her instantly, his hands around the poor girl's throat; frantically, she clawed at her throat, her mind going hazy.
A pressure was inside of her; it filled up suddenly, like if it didn't release, she would explode. Without out conscience thought, she focused it on her hand. She weakly punched at the man strangling her, the impact was minuscule, but the force that erupted inside her exploded through her writing, breaking her arm, but Hisashi was launched off of her like he had been hit by All-Might himself. As he tumbled into the street, he did not immediately rise.
Pain exploded everywhere for Izumi, her arm, then her head; the last thing she saw was her mother rushing to her, cradling her in her arms before the world went dark.
Hisashi slowly rose to his feet, his eyes finding Inko cradling Izumi, who had blood pouring from her nose and ears, a broken right arm from the punch she had landed on him. His mind was in terrible pain; the ringing in his ears was drowning almost everything else out; it was a sign of an apparent concussion. He stumbled forward, ready to end this. A mighty roar built in his throat a pink gas filled the area; turning, he saw that whore Midnight. "You bitch" he sputtered out as he fell to the ground.
-Midnight-
She had never liked Fire Breath from when she debuted in what we should call an exciting fashion choice to later in life whenever she had the unfortunate opportunity to cross paths with the man. From the unwanted advances to even more unwanted touches, he was on the list of people she would have to consider saving from a burning building. Now she was in front of his destroyed home, him in handcuffs because she came upon the scene of him about to attack a mother and child. A child who had fought the disgusting pro hero but had passed out due to overusing some unknown quirk and suffered a broken arm. As she contained the scene, the family's neighbor to the east came forward with the battle video and said they had heard and witnessed Fire Breath beating his wife and child. Then another bravely came forward, then another, all with video and the same stories. When the pro's Umpire and Speed Freak, a little girl pulled Midnight down to a knee to whisper how she had often seen those two over at her neighbor's house.
Discretely she called President Mic and Eraser Head requesting immediate backup; when questioned, she responded with code 45. "Questionable backup present, unsafe." The two friends from school reacted immediately with an eta. Midnight had to play the stalling game until others arrived, when she radioed code 54, "Questionable Police present, need outside assistance." More calls ran over secure channels. Soon the local officers were met with Detectives from the hero division as Eraser Head arrived. She pulled her friend to the side and explained what she had learned from the neighbors and that Umpire seemed a little too keen on escorting the mother and daughter to the hospital for her taste and Speed Freak wanting to handle Fire Breath. Midnight she was smoothly stepping in for the scared mother offering to ride with her to the hospital, being a woman. Inko quickly agreed to choose the possible devil she didn't know for the one she did.
Eraser Head convinced Speed Freak that it would be best for them to escort Fire Breath to a different hospital so finer doctors could look him over. Speed tried to make futile arguments, but the underground hero quickly shut him down.
The ambulance ride was quiet; when Inko went to talk, Midnight just put her finger up to signal that she was not there. They arrived quickly at the emergency room, and Izumi was rushed into treatment; Midnight escorted the mother to a private room before she turned to the shaking greenette. "Is your husband abusing you?"
Inko knew that tonight Hisashi had intended to kill the two of them, that if she were to return to him, he would follow through. So many times, she had put her trust in other authority figures to be hurt, but it was now or never. Hisashi would recover quicker than Izumi due to his status as a pro hero; at that point, he would be here taking Izumi to god only know where to do who knows what. Inko couldn't abandon her daughter in some attempt to save herself.
"He is abusing me and my daughter," her eyes welled with tears pleading to the heroine to save them. "Please, you have to help us; he will try and take her. Izumi's quirk manifested when he tried to kill us tonight, which is why we are alive." Inko lifted her shirt to show the bruises, burns, cuts, and scars. "We tried to get help, but he is so well connected. Please, Ms. Midnight, if you don't do something, we are as good as dead."
Fire Breath was in the top 30; this would be difficult; she needed help. Midnight thought about leaving the room to call, but she knew the mother was anxious, thinking Midnight might betray them. Others had. Instead, she pulled out her phone and called the most intelligent person and the most excellent doctor she knew.
Nezu's chipper voice answered; Midnight put the phone on speaker so there would be no secrets for Inko. She laid out the situation, the video the neighbors had taken, what they had heard on the video, their statement of abuse, the mother's statement of abuse, and the attempted murder. Inko didn't understand who was on the other side of the phone, but she heard an animalist growl as the person gave orders.
"Sent all the videos to the servers at the school, take as many photos of the wounds on Mrs. Midoriya and her daughter, record her testimony and send it all to the school servers immediately. Snipe and Ectoplasm will interview the neighbors and do the same. When a member of the Hero Commission arrives, and I expect that to be in the next 5-10 minutes, DO NOT go anywhere with them. Mrs. Midoriya, do not exit the room with them. Please do not take anything from them. Please do not allow them into the room with your daughter. Midnight I don't care if you have to gas the hospital. Do not let them into that room. I OMW now with Vlad King."
Inko was wide-eyed as the conversation ended. "Who was that?"
Midnight he looked to Inko. "That was Nezu, the Principal of U.A., and he is pissed. Let me call one more person, and we can take the photos and your testimony."
The second call was short. An older woman's voice sprang to life from the other side, "Nezu just informed me, honey, I am on my way. I called a friend there. She is going to take over the daughter's case. Do what you need to do."
Midnight then had to ask Inko to disrobe so she could photograph the visible wounds, Inko was uncomfortable with it, but if this were finally a chance for her and Izumi to escape, she would have to do it. Sure enough, a duo from the Hero Commission arrived no sooner than they had finished, and they were standing out in front of her daughter's room, waiting to see her. They immediately tried to pull Inko aside to talk with her, but Inko refused. They offered coffee, and Inko said she was too nervous to drink anything. When they offered to wait with her, she politely declined, saying that she would prefer the company of Midnight as the two of them had met a hero gala and had gotten on rather well. When the commission officers said they would wait in the waiting area and left, Midnight looked to the woman whose shoulders visibly sank once they had left.
"That was very impressive, Inko." Midnight said.
"If I don't do all I can, he will finish the job; please, Midnight, don't make me a fool for trusting you," Inko responded, wringing her hands.
"Nemuri," Midnight said. "My name is Nemuri; you should know that since we hit it off at a gala. Inko, I promise you that even if I must gas this hospital, I will save you and Izumi."
"Save her; if it comes down to it, save my daughter."
"If, for some reason, it comes down to that, you saver her cause I am going down swinging to get you two out of this." Midnight extended her hand to the Inko, who slowly took it. They sat silently until the doctor retrieved them to review the child's injuries.
Midnight fought back the tears as the doctor detailed the injuries the young girl had suffered, not only tonight but the history of abuse road mapped upon the young girl's body. The list of burns, scars, cracked ribs, and history of concussions was extensive and heartbreaking. The girl was undernourished, as was Inko. Her arm had been broken from the fight; there was some bleeding in the brain's Parietal lobe due to her quirk usage. There shouldn't be any permanent brain damage, but his kind of repeated brain trauma, on top of years of other head trauma, was perilous and needed to be addressed.
An older woman with a cane entered, introducing herself as Recovery Girl, and immediately grabbed the chart and began to read, her knuckles turning white as she visibly angered. With permission from Inko, she examined the girl.
"I can speed up her healing that would make her sleep for a while; we must get her statement to help get the order of protection for her and you."
Inko nodded, "Then wake her up, please; I understand that time is of the essence."
They placed some smelling salts under the girl's nose, and immediately she tried to bolt upright; Midnight and Inko held her down, calming her, and quickly her mother explained the situation. Izumi could process that they were temporarily safe and that this was their only chance of truly being safe. Midnight recorded her testimony of the abuse and what had happened tonight, particularly the circumstances that led to Izumi awakening her quirk and all she could remember. When asked about the burns, she tried to deflect; Inko took her daughter's hand.
"Honey, this is our chance to end all the abuse; they can and will do things not like that filth-ridden school. Please, baby, don't hold back."
Through tears, Izumi gave details of the daily abuse she would suffer at school, how she had tried to go to the Principal and Counselor for help, and how her father had broken Inko's arm in the attempt. She had, by chance, encountered the heroine Strobe, and she had disappeared. She looked to Midnight and Recovery Girl and began to beg and plead for them to save her; she just wanted a day without being beaten. Give her one day, and she could die happy; she just needed one day. Inko broke hearing these words from her daughter, and soon they were both a crying mess. She was holding each other. Midnight fought back the tears, soon replacing them with furious anger and an almost divine fury; Recovery Girl was all fury. She stepped back and pulled out her phone.
"Toshi, I don't care what you are doing, I don't care where you are; I am calling in some of all the debt you owe me. Get to Musutafu General and get here yesterday." Not waiting for a response, she hung up the phone. Not only has this disgusting excuse for a human being wormed his way into the top 30, but he has also broken his daughter to the point that if she lived one day without being beaten, she would die happy. To hope for simply one day, what has this monster done? If Nezu doesn't handle this, then I will work for sure. The pro heroine thought.
Recovery Girl then gently kissed Izumi on the head, and the girl drifted off to sleep as her body began to heal rapidly, looking to Inko, "Your turn now, deary." Inko just nodded and stepped behind the curtain to be examined. Inko had just finished getting dressed when a knock at the door made her jump; Umpire was there and wanted to "check" on them.
Inko shook in fear, but Midnight touched her shoulder gently. "It's okay, Inko. I will handle this."
Midnight stepped into the hall, "What are you doing here?" spat Umpire.
"I am here to protect Inko and Izumi Midoriya; we have already received their testimony and that of their neighbors. Interestingly, you and Speed Freak came up in all the testimonies we heard tonight." Midnight said as her hand rested on her whip handle. She saw Umpire's hand on his bat.
"I don't know what you are talking about, now get out of my way. I want to check on my friend's wife and daughter."
"They do not wish to be disturbed, so I suggest you leave."
"Little girl, you are playing with something you do not know. Now if you turn and walk away, I will let it slide."
"Now, the day I take threats from a two-bit thug like you is the day I hang up the whip for good, you poor excuse for a piss ant."
"Listen Bitch, either step aside, or the next thing you will be serving is my dick with your body."
"Maybe you don't get it, Umpire; I would rather see the whole race die before I let you anywhere near me. If you want to force this issue, I will show why I am in the top 20, and you can't even sniff 100."
Umpire went to draw his bat when a knife was suddenly at his throat; Midnight's lips curling into a sneer, he felt another blade at his crotch. "Now, if the next thing you do is not to leave here and not come back, you will be singing soprano for the rest of your miserable life. Now node your head like a good bitch if you understand."
Umpire nodded as sweat ran down his face. "Now good bitch, begone."
Umpire fled; Midnight put the hidden blades away once more and calmed herself. It wasn't a side of herself that she released unleashing, but it emerged every once in a while. It was evident that Umpire was involved with the commission, probably as a lackey to Fire Breath. He thought he was the big fish when he was just a tiny fish catching a ride. He only hoped that Eraser Head was having better luck.
-Eraser Head-
"Now it's ok, Speed Freak, just write everything down, and I will make sure the judge knows how much help you were."
"THANK YOU, ERASER HEAD," Speed Freak managed between choked sobs.
"Here you go. Now start writing."
Chapter 2
-The Legend-
For years and even decades to come, Officers would pass on the tale of the interrogation of Speed Freak handled by Eraser Head. The speedster arrived with the underground hero after they escorted Fire Breath to a private hero hospital to receive treatment for the bizarre attack at his home. How he got the speedster to come to a police station is the beginning of the legend. What was said or what was threatened is not known. But it is believed that Eraser Head convinced him to do so through a level of charisma hidden in a capture scarf's depths.
What is not in dispute is that the Speed Freak was confused and incredibly upset upon walking into an interrogation room. He was ready to leave when Eraser Head walked in again, offered him a cold drink, and said that Speed Freak was crucial to getting to the bottom of the attack and that without his testimony, Eraser Head was afraid the villain would walk free. When Eraser Head returned 30 minutes later, he placed a notepad and pen in front of the speedster, much to Speed Freak's confusion.
Now this is where the legend kicks off. Eraser Head leaned down and whispered something, at most 1 or 2, maybe short sentences. Speed Freak's eyes went wide; then he started sobbing, writing, and willingly handing over his phone and password.
When he exited, he handed the phone to a tech that raced off like the devil was chasing them. Detective Tsukauchi stared at Eraser Head, "What did you say?"
"A shot in the dark; I had some suspicions." The Detective's Truth quirk rang: TRUTH.
Eraser Head walked away to get a cup of coffee. Forty-five minutes later, they had a full confession from Speed Freak before the Hero Commission knew where he was.
-The Myth-
All-Might had never moved as fast as he had after Recovery Girls' phone call. The retired Pro heroine was one of All-Might's closest confidants; she had healed him after many major battles or training incidents while he was a student. She had been there to comfort him when his mentor had died; for most of the critical milestones or aftermaths, she was there. Now she had called him and was calling in a favor. Recovery Girl never did that. The tone of her voice left no room for questions, no room for argument. After a quick phone call to Sir Nighteye and Torino about canceling their meeting, the pros protested till he told them the nature of the phone call. Their protests immediately stopped.
All-Might arrived approximately 1 ½ hours after receiving the phone call; as he made his way into Musutafu General, no one dared to stop the #1 hero as he made his way through the hospital, he did stop and offer reassuring words to a few children he saw along the way through. When he entered the hero wing, he immediately saw Midnight, who waved him over, opening a door behind her to admit him.
All-Might braced himself as he was unsure what kind of scene he was walking into; in the bed was a woman and her daughter; both looked battered and bruised; they were wrapped in each other's arms, asleep. Recovery Girl was standing at the foot of the bed like a sentinel. She turned at his entrance, moved from her post, and pulled him into a corner.
"What is so important that you called me here like this, Chiyo?" he whispered.
"First, those two are the wife and daughter of Fire Breath; he almost murdered them tonight. He has abused them for years in ways that make my skin crawl. I called you because of the wife, Inko Midoriya; her maiden name was Inko Shishio, after her adopted family. Before that, her name was Inko Shimura. She is Nana's daughter."
All-Might was stunned; then he went to the medical report on Izumi; he had to restrain himself from snapping the chart in his hands; Chiyo filled in the information on Inko and how their attempts to get help had been thwarted; the involvement of Umpire and Speed Freak, the apparent interference of the Hero Commission, the link to the disappearance of Strobe.
"Toshi, the commission is here; Umpire has been poking around. We are building a strong case against Fire Breath; I don't want them to fall back into his or anyone else's hands. Help them."
"They will be safe, no matter what I promise," he growled.
-Rooftop-
Lady Nagant sat looking through her scope into the hospital room; she had been sent to deal with two high-priority targets. She was told the targets were a mother and child currently in Mustafa General. Lady Nagant had fallen to the point of not asking questions, though it knawed at her soul; she felt she was in too deep. Has she done too much? What if she was doing wrong? The little girl inside that dreamed of being a real hero, of doing good and making the world a better place, was screaming to be heard; no matter how much boos, sex, or other distractions, Lady Nagant couldn't keep her quiet for long.
With a deep breath, she took her position, her quirk activating; she formed the bullet and loaded it into the chamber, the curtains were open, and she had a good view. As her eye lowered to scope, she prepared to do what had become so routine that it was making her sick. As the crosshairs locked on the target, she froze.
Inko? That's Inko. The scope drifted to the bed and the sleeping child, green hair, and freckles. That must be her daughter. Why would they want to shoot her and her daughter? What could they have possibly done? Look at them. Gaunt, battered, bruised, apparent signs of physical abuse, mental trauma. Who did this to you, Inko?
Lady Nagant knew this target personally deeply; Inko had been her senpai in school. Her senpai in the photography club and little Lady Nagant had the most profound crush on her senpai. Inko-senpai was excellent; she stood up to people, fought for what she believed in, was passionate about photography, and treated everyone with respect and dignity. Inko-Senpai and Mitsuki-Senpai had taken her under their wings; she was their precious Kohei, the dear underclassman. It was the first time she felt like she had fallen in love; she never told her senpai; she kept it all inside. She would tell herself that when she became a great hero, they would meet again and tell Inko all that was bottled up inside, the torch she carried.
She needed to know. She needed answers. Something crossed her field of vision, All-Might. What is he doing here? I cannot do this. Not to her.
"No shot, sir, All-Might is in the room." She radioed in.
"Clear the area; hold for new orders." That was the only response.
This wasn't how things were supposed to work; she was supposed to be doing good, being a damn hero. Someone that Inko-Senpai could be proud of. Someone that she could be proud of. Sadly, she wasn't that person; she had lost her way; she was lost in the darkness. Was there any way out? I should just go put a bullet into the head of the damn commission. But that won't necessarily solve the problem; if I expose them somehow, it will cause such chaos that I will spend the rest of my life in a cell. It is the least I deserve.
"If you want out, come to dinner at the corner of 86th and 125 East," a voice rang over her headset.
"Who is this?"
"Someone that knows what it is like to be in a cage." The line went dead.
-The Man? Mammal?-
Nezu sat in the back of the limousine, setting down the radio. Vlad King stood outside waiting; Nezu turned his attention back to the person sitting there patiently.
"Thank you for your assistance, Lo-Fi."
"I can tell you the last thing I expected was a phone call from the principal of U.A. I half expected to find the cops waiting for me."
"Why you may be a vigilante and wanted in some questionable robberies; you and I both know that they were just fronts for illegal operations, besides I heard you hung it up and turned over a new paw."
"I did; got a wife and a little girl to look after, went legit. My baby is the most important thing to me now."
"Children have a way of putting life into perspective, don't they."
"That they do, so we have a deal? When my little girl submits to join your school, you will look the other way about her being my daughter."
"I am a mammal of my word, Lo-Fi; what's the little rascals name?"
Lo-Fi lights up, "Mei and that girl are going to change the world or possibly blow it up?"
Nezu smiled and exited the vehicle ordering the driver to drop his guest wherever he needed to go, climbing onto Vlad's shoulder, "Let us go see The Mother; the war is just about to begin."
-The Bastard-
Hisashi awoke in a hospital room; his mind was fuzzy and sore. Slowly the memories put themselves in place; his daughter had manifested a quirk, but she had used it to fight him off when he was trying to kill them. FUCK. He knew he had drunk a lot that night; then those damn twins had offered him something called Stardust; after that, it was very blurry. When he came home and saw them there, he just decided to kill them; I mean, he would do it anyway, so why not now.
But that damn useless daughter of his had decided now, after all these years, this was the night to manifest; had she done so sooner, she may have been worth something. As it was, she was so damn scrawny that he couldn't even really sell her. The problem was that now that his wife and daughter were alive, sure, the neighbors would have seen the fight, but he could spin it.
His wife is having an affair, turns his daughter against him, and they try to kill him. Yeah, that was the ticket. The commission would sweep everything under the rug like always. Now to turn to the tears, play the sympathy ticket, get his hand back on his possessions, and after a short break, a sympathy boost in his rankings, and he would be on the rise again.
He hit the nurse button, doing his best to pull tears from his eyes; like clockwork, the door opened, and the nurse walked in, expressing surprise that he was awake and immediately checking to see if he needed anything.
"Nurse, where is my family? Are they ok?"
"I will have to check on that for you, sir; they were taken to a different hospital. Please try to calm yourself. I will get the doctor for you immediately," she exited the room.
The doctor came in soon after, informing him that his wife and daughter had been taken to Musutafu General Hospital, that his daughter had not regained consciousness, and that his wife was by her bedside. He understood Fire Breaths' desire to be by his family's side, but it would be against medical advice as he still suffered from the lingering effects of the concussion. The doctor leaned in and whispered that he would expedite the paperwork to get him released and arrange transport.
Fire Breath thanked the good doctor; he began processing his scheme when the door closed. He needed to get a hold of the commission soon, but he needed his phone. Where in the hell were Speed Freak and Umpire? Those damn toadies were never around when he needed them. No matter: he could manage this on his own.
-The Mother-
Inko awoke to the gentle nudging of Recovery Girl, Izumi was still sound asleep, and her daughter had a peaceful look on her face; Inko had not seen anything like that in a long time. Slowly and expertly, she disentangled herself from her daughter.
"There is someone here to see you; they will help you, deary." Recovery Girl said with a gentle smile, pointing to the door. When Inko opened it, she saw Midnight rise from her chair just outside and offer a gentle smile pointing to a room across the hall. Midnight she then sat back down to resume her watch.
Inko walked to the other room, unsure what to expect; worst case, it was Hisashi or the Commission, but she doubted that Midnight would go through all this trouble to turn her over now. What she saw as a rat/dog/bear thing in a suit sitting in a chair drinking tea beside him was some pro-hero she did not recognize.
"Please come in, Inko. I am afraid I don't have much time. Normally I would love to offer some banter or wit but let must tell you I am the principal of U.A. Nezu, and this is the pro hero Vlad King."
"You're the person that Midnight called."
"Yes, that is correct; now I have some paperwork for you to fill out for the restraint order for you and your daughter against your husband. He has just regained consciousness and will be arriving here soon or attempting to. The commission is trying to move to cover everything up as we speak, but we have a signed confession by Speed Freak, a whole mountain of evidence against your dear husband provided not only by you and your daughter but your neighbors as well."
"Why are you helping us? No offense, sir, why do you care?"
"The truth is that you and your situation will be the first shot I need to go against the Hero Commission. The commission is protecting heroes that have no place to be free, let alone heroes. Your husband and his cronies are a prime example. The system has failed you, your family, and thousands of others and needs to be corrected before it all burns down. If this continues, it will only be a matter of time till the commission has so much power that it controls every hero. We will find ourselves controlled by a totalitarian regime leading to civil war. Japan will crumble, and so will other countries plunging the globe into a quirk war that will take centuries to recover from, if ever."
"How do I know that we will be safe? I want my daughter to be safe?"
"The full might and resources of U.A. will be in your corner, as will several heroes that are loyal to me. I can protect you; you have just met me, but I ask for your trust. Midnight called me to keep you safe; trust her judgment and me."
Inko needed help finding where to turn and nowhere to run; Izumi was in no condition to run; they needed money. Her only hope was to trust those willing to fight for her.
"We will be in your care," Inko said. She saw no other way out; while Nezu's motives weren't pure, he had the only option she could reasonably agree to. The other option would see Izumi dead or worse.
"Excellent, let us get those papers signed."
-What happens when the hero known for his smile is not smiling-
Very few people on the planet have seen All-Might without his trademark smile. The number of people could be counted on both hands and not using all the fingers. That number increased by one this night. As All-Might opened the door to Fire Breath's room, the number one hero's smile faded as soon as the door closed.
Fire Breath was not expecting All-Might to come to see him or the look All-Might had on his face. Any words that Fire Breath was about to say fled his mind. It was taking significant measures of self-control not to void his bowels.
All-Might handed him a folder; slowly, Fire Breath opened it, seeing a restraining order barring him from contacting or coming within 300 yards of Inko and Izumi. Finding his bravery or arrogance would depend on whom you asked.
"What is this?" he asked, venom permeating his voice.
"That is a restraining order; I know you may not be familiar with them. Let me explain; after I am done, I am positive you will fully understand."
Before Fire Breath could respond All-Might's hand was around his throat, and with ease, Fire Breath was lifted off the ground.
"We know everything! I know everything; you will not go near them again; do you understand me? If I even hear you looking in the general direction, maybe the last thing you will hear is the wind as I remove your head from your body. Please feel free to tell anyone you want about what I said. NO ONE will believe you. I am All-Might, and you are a piece of trash. The commission will not save you; there is no one you can hide behind, and there is nowhere you can run where I cannot find you. Many people owe me many favors."
Fire Breath clawed futility at All-Might's hand. "Tell your handlers I am coming for them and the whole commission." With that All-Might dropped him to the floor unceremoniously and headed to the door; as he opened it, his trademark smile returned. "GLAD TO SEE THAT YOU ARE RECOVERING FIRE BREATH; BEST OF LUCK TO YOU."
The door softly closed, but it sounded like an iron door just closed to Fire Breath.
-The Lady-
Wearing a dark non-descript hoodie to hide her trademark hair Lady Nagant walked into an empty dinner; the man behind the counter nodded and jerked his thumb around the corner. As she made her way over, she was not expecting the principal of the U.A. sitting there. She had recommended the building and the surrounding area. There were no pros in the area, and he sat alone. Walking over, she posed as the Principal poured her a cup of tea.
"Time is precious, my Lady, so I will not waste yours. I plan to take down the Hero Commission and want your help." He said. "I know what you have done; I know that you are starting to see the Commission for what it is."
"What is it?"
"Power hungry, maniacal, oppressive, and vile."
"What does that make me?"
"Someone who once believed in what a hero was meant to be, someone that understood that sometimes somebody had to do the dirty work. Someone willing to do the dirty work so others could be clean."
"So, you want me to trade their targets for yours?"
"If it comes to that, yes. I am willing to go as far as needed to stop the Hero Commission and I believe you are too. You have lost your way; they took you and twisted your dreams and reality to suit their needs. I will not sit here and say I will never ask you to remove a target, but I will tell you why. I will not force you to take the shot or think less of you should you choose not to. Lady Nagant, I will burn the hero commission to the ground; it will be dirty and dangerous. If the Commission is not stopped, we will destroy our society and lead to an eventual Worldwide War."
"Tell me why the commission sent me after a Mother and Child tonight,"
"Gladly, but we should order something to eat; I, for one, am famished."
-El Bastardo-
Fire Breath stepped out of the hospital into the crisp early morning air; glancing around, he saw the waiting vehicle and made his way over; the driver stepped out and held open the back door. Fire Breath stepped in and was face to face with the undersecretary Hina Hiro, the eternally petite and youthful girl, who sat waiting with a stiff drink in one hand and file in her lap. Hina Hiro was blessed/cursed with one of the most dreamed-about quirks Healing Factor. The problem is that no one ever considers what would happen if that ability awakened when you were four. How many years would you have to live to even look like anything more than a prepubescent child? No one knew that answer except maybe Ms. Hiro, but no one dared to ask her.
"Mrs. Hiro, I wasn't expecting you this evening."
"No, Mr. Midoriya, I wouldn't have been expecting me either. You have managed to light off a shit storm in a single night that I wouldn't have thought possible in 100 years. The commission has for years covered your indiscretions and blatant fuck ups. For the simple reason that the vice president, for some unknown reason, had decided that you were worth it. That situation is like the ocean ever-changing."
"Mrs. Undersecretary, I can assure you that I am worth the time the commission has invested in me, that this little situation is nothing but a momentary hiccup. If the commission would see fit to continue their investment, I am sure they will be happy with the results."
"Mr. Midoriya, let me be clear: we at the commission are extremely disappointed with what has transpired tonight. Not only did you recklessly decide to come home and execute your family in one of the dumbest ways possible, but you also failed to do so and instead had a quirk battle with your daughter, which you lost. During the battle, you stated things that should have never been said out loud, and those comments were recorded and disseminated into the sphere. For all his stupidity, Umpire decided that threatening Midnight outside your family's hospital room was a great decision, and your wife is refusing all contact with commission officers. When a cleaner was dispatched to handle this situation, they informed us that Midnight, All-Might, and Recovery Girl were involved. Would you care to elaborate on the conversation you and All-Might had?"
Fire Breath started to sweat; it took a moment before he could relay his conversation.
Mrs. Hiro finished her drink and put it into the cup holder.
"Ma'am, if you just let me talk to the vice president I am, I can explain everything to him."
"I am afraid that is not an option, Mr. Midoriya. He retired suddenly," she said; Hisashi suddenly was even more aware of his precarious position. "You see, Mr. Midoriya if it were up to me, you would retire as well, but that would raise far too many questions, especially with All-Might seeing you all healthy and suck. Instead, you will be tied to the stake and burned alive. When everything breaks, and it will soon, you will stand there and do everything we tell you to as we attempt to salvage this. You do not speak to anyone without a representative next to you; you will not decide for yourself without a representative to sign off on it."
"What about those useless excuses for a wife and daughter?"
"They are going to walk away for now, you are going to do exactly what All-Might said, or we will hand you over to him if we fill that may placate him for a day or two. When the divorce papers arrive, you will sign them and give them everything as an act of contrition; we will see if you can be rehabilitated; if you can, you get to keep breathing. If you can't, you will join the vice president in retirement. Are we clear, Mr. Midoriya?"
"Yes. Ma'am."
"Good; now you are going to exit his vehicle, walk into the safe house, and await further instructions; now get out of my car."
Hisashi stepped out of the vehicle, unaware that it had been in motion during the conversation, his mind racing and slowly filling with anger and rage. It was all that damn girl's fault; he should be standing in front of cameras receiving sympathy and attention. But now the commission was upset, threatening his position; he knew what he had to do. He had to prove to them that he could salvage the situation. He just had to make sure he killed them this time.