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Our Teacher is a Devil (Youjo Senki x BNHA)

Chapter 19
Chapter 19

Muted sounds assaulted her ears even as she struggled to blink away the glaring light above her eyes. Everything felt sluggish and her body seemed to have been filled with lead judging by how she was only able to move a few fingers at a snail's pace.

"-waking up-!"

"Quick, put her under-"

The tiniest pinprick of pain flared on the skin of her less numb arm and Tanya was forced back into a dreamless slumber. One she would not be released from for the next eighteen hours.

~[#҈#]~​

Administrator Moujin's fingers still hurt from all the reports he was required to type up last night. He looked miserable even with the medical facemask that hid his bitten lips and the sunglasses that concealed his bloodshot eyes from the nurses and visitors of the Musutafu General Hospital. While he would gladly curse the two foolish girls who had illicitly gotten themselves in trouble if he had the energy, his downtrodden and slightly dishevelled appearance made him fit right in with the aura of misery that was prevalent throughout the hospital.

Why did both his subjects have to get critically injured in public of all things? Especially on one of his rare free days, forcing him to abandon halfway through the session with the very enjoyable (and even more expensive) courtesan he rented for the evening. A week's salary down the drain... At least overtime pay would partly recoup that disaster.

He glanced at his watch, impatiently waiting for the stupid doctor to clear that miserable Argent for conversation. Unfortunately he needed that notice on paper for the file, so he couldn't just rush past the security checkpoint and get this over with. Oh, what a mess...

"Mr. Moujin, you can see her now. Please avoid hectic movements, loud noises or topics that could be stressful. The patient needs her rest."

Wordlessly nodding to the man in white who surprised him by appearing from his blind spot, the administrator rose from his uncomfortable plastic seat and flashed his badge to the armoured guards standing watch before the door. Those were from the Police which would make keeping them quiet all the more difficult in case they learned something they shouldn't.

Ugh, furthermore the quota of excusable 'accidents' for this year was already filled over the recommended amount. His life was truly a challenge unlike any other.

A fact which was further compounded by the annoying unresponsiveness of his charge. Instead of her typical greeting, she merely gazed towards the barred window. Honestly, if one punch was enough to turn her into a liability then maybe she wasn't worth the Commission's effort after all.

"Argent, can you hear me? It's me, your administrator! Pay attention, Argent!" he whisper-shouted in the ear of the blankly staring agent.
Moujin dared not to raise his voice any higher to avoid attracting the attention of hospital staff outside.

Slowly her eyes rolled around and fixated him more or less clearly. Good enough.

"Blink twice if you can understand me."

Luckily she was able to do that at least. Hammering every bit of info into her skull like a baby would have been terribly bothersome.

"Yesterday you were ambushed by the known criminal and leader of the League of Villains organisation, Shigaraki. With the help of a specifically developed bio weapon he hoped to take revenge on you. This plan partly succeeded as you were gravely injured and captured. The girl who accompanied you was secretly a villain in disguise who plotted to kill you herself which prompted Shigaraki to murder her as well. However in a fit of heroic passion you found the strength to overcome your captor and save the girl, regardless of her villain status. That is the official version of the story."

Normally he would trust in her intellect to piece the rest together, but today he couldn't leave things up too chance because he was being too subtle. Those above would have his hide if his tool messed up again.

"Do you understand, Argent? I hope I don't have to explain to you why this is a catastrophe. You will deny all connection to Agent Carmilla if asked. If word gets out that you were... frolicking with a girl who is legally dead and who was a member of the League then even we could not shield you from the backlash. Carmilla was unmasked in public, so it's not like she will remain your partner much longer. We will find other uses for her."

Something must have slipped into Argent's windpipe because she loudly gasped. Best to console her with the usual propaganda that she seemed to eat up since childhood.

"The higher-ups approved the nation's best healers to work on you. A few broken bones and ruptured organs shouldn't be a problem for them. The only thing that seems to cause complications is the infection from that sludge... eh, Nomu. Well, anyways, get better soon. The Commission needs you. Don't disappoint us now."

Finishing his motivational speech with a light clap to her bandaged shoulder, he turned and left to finish the rest of his paperwork before he keeled over from exhaustion. If he wasn't on the right side of the law then he would call his employers criminal for how much work they squeezed out of him! Some may even call it slavery!

Moujin nearly wished that he could switch places with Argent. Lying down on a soft mattress sounded like heaven at the moment.

~[#҈#]~​

Nedzu's computer alarmed him that the ambient volume in Ms. Degurechaff's room had risen by four hundred percent, indicating the presence of another person. After the impersonation of his dearest Aizawa, he was not willing to take risks when it came to the care of his employees. Perhaps it was paranoid to hack into the hospital security network, but one could never be too careful when there were villains out there who could teleport or act under the guise of legality.

UA's youngest and newest teacher captured his interest frequently in the last weeks, and due to the number of concerning events which involved her person transpiring in such quick succession, he was under no illusions that Tanya's life would get boring anytime soon. Keeping an eye on her subsequently to the awful attack by the League was only common sense and apparently his quick thinking got rewarded.

The panic button next to every hospital bed was equipped with a microphone to let the patients express their desires or emergency calls to the nurses. Contrary to what an inexperienced mind might believe the receptive membrane inside the device was not turned off when nobody was listening. Instead the signal simply was simply not being transmitted to the offices in the floor below.

Altering the coding in such a way as to intercept the signal was child's play for an intellect of Nedzu's calibre.

So, temporarily putting his organisational business on hold he began to listen to the scratchy audio...

A truly... enlightening monologue graced his sensitive ears and instantly filled his mind with a cascading flood of equally satisfying and dreadful conclusions.

In the end, his suspicions were proven correct. Tanya was being manipulated and exploited by the HPSC for nefarious gains. Furthermore, they had either infiltrated the League or, more unlikely, they were directly working with them. Of course his face recognition software had sifted through the video footage of the attack and identified dozens of possible matches. Most of these were being tossed out due to dissimilar quirks or solid alibis, but with the new information that his mystery shapeshifter was 'legally dead'...

'Toga Himiko' was the name that appeared on his screen. Two clicks of his specially designed computer mouse later and he was confronted with the smiling face of a blonde, fifteen year old schoolgirl on the wanted-poster of the Musutafu Police Department. Her quirk? 'Transform'.

Bingo.

Withholding the girl from her parents was definitely a crime that the HPSC would not be able to cover up. Kidnapping, human trafficking and similar charges could be levelled against them. A wonderful entry in his growing pile of evidence.

Now he needed to secure this witness before the Commission could find a way to make her disappear. If he had to guess then she was being held in police custody at the moment on charges for vigilantism and assault with a deadly weapon. Young Himiko had attempted to carve up Shigaraki after all.

Hmmm...

Nedzu would need to call in a few favours to make this possible, but it was going to be worth it. The shapeshifter served as both leverage against the HPSC and as an emotional motivator for Tanya. He saw the first seconds of the livestream which proved that Argent was close to the girl. In case either the shadowy organisation or Ms. Degurechaff got out of control he could hopefully use Himiko to rein them in.

Only how could he secure the girl of unknown danger level and allegiance?

Well, the plan was risky and would speed the investigation process up by a lot...

Oh, this was an exciting challenge! Yes, he would accept! How satisfyingly nerve-wracking!

By the time he finished his phone calls his tea had regrettably gone cold. The good news was that the Witness Protection Program would indeed be gaining a new member and that the tender for an extra janitor which Power Loader just posted got approved.

Everything was going swimmingly in spite of what the world threw at him. As demanding as it was, keeping these silly humans from annihilating themselves was a fulfilling job.

~[#҈#]~
Fear.

Uncertainty.

Relief?

Many intense feelings jumbled together in Tanya's brain. Her thoughts felt hazy yet clear as polished glass simultaneously. There were so many decisions to make, so many paths for her to walk that it became overwhelming. Her whole life rested at a tipping point of innumerable possibilities and for the first time in a very long time she asked herself:

"What do I do?"

She was supposed to be 'heroic', yet how did one accomplish such a thing? When was it enough? What would she sacrifice? Who could she trust?

Complex problems sometimes required simple solutions. Breaking down a dilemma into its individual components often helped.

Taking care of Himiko was obviously her priority. That was the entire reason for her bargain with Being X to begin with. But could she do that when her life was about to become a lot more complicated?

Simply leaving the HPSC to no longer associate herself with their crimes was not nearly enough to qualify as 'heroic'. Tanya had to dismantle that rotten institution and purge its corruption regardless if it secured the stable status quo of Japan or not. Anything less would be selfish cowardice which was certainly not allowed by her contract. Not to mention that it was necessary to protect her friend from their greedy claws.

However, this was also going to be insanely dangerous. If any of her superiors caught wind of this intent then she would be disposed of immediately. Assassins and other heroes would hunt her down across the globe to silence her.

Most pro heroes dabbled at least a tiny bit in questionably legal affairs such as dragging out fights for the spectacle, using their quirks off duty, patrolling less profitable neighbourhoods ineffectively or using their celebrity status to demand unfair advantages over their fellow citizens.

There was barely any hero whom the Commission could not blackmail into obeying their orders. That was by design. Strict rules all but forced the people to break the law, making digging up dirt on them a straightforward process. In a society which demonized its criminals as 'evil-doers' nobody wanted to be declared a villain. Humans were by nature herd animals, born with an instinctive dislike of standing against the crowd. Attempting a political coup on this scale was impossible without allies, but none who profited from the current system were reliable candidates. They all could be pressured into turning on her or might do so for even pettier reasons.

The Police perhaps?

No, those were likely to have been infiltrated first next to politicians.

All Might?

He was independent and seemingly untainted by the Commission's influence. Being X only knew how many times her handlers complained about his unwillingness to submit to their authority. Indeed, he was powerful, highly influential and skilled at hero work. Holding his spot as the number one hero for decades was proof of his competency in that field.

Yet, in her humble opinion, he also appeared like an oaf. Anything not directly related to heroism turned to failure in his hands. Subtlety and nuance were lost on him. Such was the problem with experts who specialized too much, neglecting skills with broader applications.
What about... Nedzu?

Unbelievably intelligent, hardworking and meticulous, with a multitude of connections around the world and commanding over a dozen pro heroes in his school... Most importantly, he already stood in direct conflict with the HPSC! The sentient animal had a vested interest in weakening the Commission to stay in control of his school. His autonomy and power threatened their iron grip on Japan's internal politics, dooming both parties to be rivals as long as they did not submit to the other.

If he had not already figured out who was behind the sports festival attack then she could inform him and establish herself as a helpful, sympathetic presence. Yes, that could work...

Planning a revolution against a government built on lies was heroic enough, right? She could be a proper hero while continuing her normal life as a disguise to fool her administrators!

Or was that actually the easy, egocentric, craven way?

So many decisions...

It made her head spin just by thinking about it.

Then her already strained nerves frayed further as her blasted handler showed up, babbling about the usual nonsense of secrecy and-

WHAT?!

What was this scum setting up for Himiko? Tanya wanted to move, to scream, to rage how stupid these idiots were being! How could they forget all the things Himiko had done for them?! Were they going to squander her potential just because they could not be bothered to clean up the mess that they caused in the first place?! These brainless, spineless bureaucrats!

Nonetheless, despite the bottomless disgust burning brightly in her heart she kept quiet and pretended to be calm.
Emotions would not control her in this state.

Not while she was drugged and wounded.

Not while she schemed her revenge.

~[#҈#]~​

Koji wrung his hands in silent distress. The one time he tried to socialize with his classmates and make a light-hearted joke like his parents told him to, had backfired spectacularly. Normally he just stayed silent, preferring to listen to the loud world of humans, but for some inexplicable reason today that changed.

Wanting to lift his somber mood after they received the news that their Ms. Argent would not be returning to teach for the rest of the week he suggested bribing a crow to keep tabs on her in the hospital. To his absolute surprise the others were excited about this idea! With the exception of Iida everybody thought it was a splendid plan to 'make sure that she was well and protected' in the words of Uraraka.

[Koda, come on! It would be just a little effort!] wrote Mina followed by a string of differing emojis which should probably represent a pleading face.
But why did she have to include a heart at the end? Koji involuntarily blushed.

[Yeah and it's completely legal too!] added Kaminari.

Technically he wouldn't be using his quirk in public because he only spoke with the bird in his own garden... And merely asking an animal to fly around somewhere and keep an eye out was also not culpable... No! Why was he even entertaining this ridiculous proposition!

Izuku was quick to join in: [Please Koda. I know it's a lot to ask, but I think we all could sleep better tonight if you checked. It's going to be fine! We already missed our chance with Mr. Aizawa.]

Oh, that was right. They should have visited him! Although Eraserhead was their teacher for only a few days they should have made him feel better. Now Koji felt bad. His furred and feathered friends would be sad if he didn't check up on them regularly... How would Mr. Aizawa feel?
[Oui! This idea is très bien!]

Tentatively his thick fingers reached out to the screen of his extra large smartphone and typed a simple "Ok".
[Most excellent. The shadowy wings of thine herald shall soon reveal the dark truth.]

[No need to be so pessimistic about it, Tokoyami. Geez.] commented Kirishima.

Putting his phone down Koji slowly stepped outside his house and called for anybody who was hungry, a pre-prepared bag of corn and breadcrumbs in his hand. A squirrel lolloped across the lawn and two cats strolled through the small opening under the hedge. All of them approached him fearlessly as they were already used to the strange human who could talk with them.

"Thank you. I only have bread and corn with me though. Sorry about that."

One of the cats immediately turned tail and strutted away; clearly not interested by the 'inferior food' he had to offer. The other one looked curious however.

"Alright, you two. I need you to look for a crow. Would you be willing to help me and bring one here? I promise I'll bring you more yummy stuff later."

In a startlingly human gesture both the squirrel and the feline nodded their tiny heads.

He grinned as he reached out to scratch them.

"Thank you so much. You are the best!"

"Naturally." declared the cat with palpable smugness lacing her voice.

Five minutes later a group of crows landed on his fence, some snapping their beaks hungrily. It took the rest of his treats until the biggest of them consented to carry out the errand. With a majestic beat of his wings 'Stormwind-Sharpclaw' swung himself into the air and disappeared in the urban thicket of Musutafu's skyscrapers.

~[#҈#]~
That evening Tanya von Degurechaff was locked in an epic staring contest with a bird on her windowsill. Neither she nor the avian creature let their opponent escape as they fought to discern the other's intentions. Who was hiding what?

The crow would have loved to pick at the woman's face, expressing his displeasure at being challenged.

Tanya wanted to skewer the animal to eliminate a potential spy. Using the form of a bird to gather intel could be an effective strategy in the right hands.

None of them moved, weighing their options and preparing for the worst.

Until...

"Knock Knock Knock... Routine Check!"

Whatever spell hung over them broke and the aura of tension receded from the combatants.

As the nurse controlled the machinery beside her bed, Tanya simply glared out of the window, sending the silent message: "If I ever see you again, you are going to regret it."

Similarly aggressive, the crow stared at her for another few seconds before croaking something back and vanishing in a flurry of angry black feathers.
 
At least it wasn't a Canadian goose. Fuckers are vicious.

Everyone knows that the real reason All for One never expanded out of Japan was out of fear of the true King of Villainy....

Canuck, the globally feared villain born with a Goose Mutation Quirk, from that never-sufficiently-damned, most wretched hive of scum and villainy... Montreal. :V
 
Tanya: "I am a loyal slave to the government. Murdering innocents is just part of the job the higher-up praise and value me for"
The Government: "You are our best agent. Also, we are going to throw your girlfriend under the bus to save us some PR trouble"
Tanya: "Oh, okay."
The Government: "Glad you understand-"
Tanya: "Guess it's revolution time"
The Government: "wait what-"
 
Tanya: "I am a loyal slave to the government. Murdering innocents is just part of the job the higher-up praise and value me for"
The Government: "You are our best agent. Also, we are going to throw your girlfriend under the bus to save us some PR trouble"
Tanya: "Oh, okay."
The Government: "Glad you understand-"
Tanya: "Guess it's revolution time"
The Government: "wait what-"
Tanya's new theme music, lmao.



Glorious Revolution!
 
Chapter 20
Chapter 20

A few hours later, after she had insisted on using the toilet herself instead of relying on the provided bedpan, Tanya was visited once again by two members of the Musutafu police force. One of them stayed largely silent and near the door which had her on edge that he might be a disguised assassin there to keep her from escaping. She dared not to openly use her quirk, but her muscles were painfully tense as she made sure that he never left her peripheral vision.

The other one possessed a familiar face. He was the same guy who was present during the teacher debriefing about the sports festival attack which marginally served to reassure her of their honest intentions.

They questioned her on the course of her recent incident and took her testimony as evidence. Honestly, the fact that they required her version of the events badly enough to bother her while she was still mildly high from painkillers pointed towards how serious they were taking the League of Villains as a threat. Not that Tanya was complaining about that! On the contrary! Eliminating those murderous fools would save her quite the hassle of tracking them down herself. With some luck All Might would bring them to justice before she was even fully healed.

Alas, some of the detective's questions were of a significantly more uncomfortable nature...

"Who exactly was the girl you were going out with?"

What could she say that was neither incriminating nor painted her as a fool?

"We are friends from work. She helped me with paperwork in the past."

Technically that was true, since Himiko had indeed helped her fill out forms in the past. Only her calculation skills were so abysmal that she never bothered to do it again as Tanya needed to correct most of her work afterwards.

"What was her name again? I can't find it in my notes..." shrugged the investigator with feigned remorse.

It was clearly a manipulation tactic, because he had not even pretended to search his notepad.

"Uhm... Himari... or was it Hina? Ah, just ask the human resources department. They should know. We knew each other not too well, you see... and my memory is a little hazy..."

Let the HPSC sort out this mess! She wanted no part in it.

"Is that so? Okay."

He scribbled something down which took entirely too long to be a simple 'does not remember'. Tanya had the bad feeling that she had just made a mistake.

"Then, were you aware that your co-worker was actually another person entirely whom we presume to be the missing seventeen year old girl
'Himiko Toga'?"

Ugh, damn it! Thankfully her trained mask showed nothing but honest surprise.

"Really? And how should I have known that? My quirk is not suited for spy work like that."

Many modern workers reduced their worth entirely to their quirks which was infuriatingly stupid. One did not need a camouflage quirk to hide or a water quirk to put out some fire, although those helped, but people rarely considered using common sense due to a large portion of society being dependent on their genetic mutations.

Playing dumb here was going to be far from an uncommon response.

"So you had no prior knowledge of Himiko Toga acting as your co-worker?"

Steely, brown eyes fixated her mercilessly, scanning her face for the slightest twitch.

Repeatedly dodging the question and remaining vague would only serve to make her more suspicious now, yet her instincts told her that lying again would be equally unwise.

"Detective, I guarantee you that I would not have gone drinking coffee with a person who I wasn't one hundred percent sure of was safe. The HPSC staff gets vetted regularly and never have I heard of an impostor being discovered."

The man in a trench coat hummed noncommittally. A long silence stretched on before he finally nodded and packed his belongings.

"That would be all, Miss Argent. Take care and get better soon."

Suspiciously not long after their departure the nurses brought in a fourth visitor. Wasn't she supposed to be resting? Regardless, Nedzu showing up at her sickbed was not something she had anticipated, although in hindsight it really should have been obvious.

"Miss Degurechaff, I hope I am not arriving at an inopportune moment?"

Forcing herself to be polite, Tanya attempted some small talk. Despite the super-intelligent mammal undoubtedly knowing far more than he let on, she needed to remain in a friendly relationship with him. Allying herself to the sentient animal was risky, but also her best plan at the moment.

"Well, quite the opposite in fact. I am feeling rather bored and I imagine whatever news you are bringing will certainly be... interesting."

"What gave you the idea? Don't you think that visiting my dear employees is not simply basic courtesy?" he grinned.

"You are a busy man, Nedzu. Your time has to be well spent. If the matter could wait any longer then you would have come in a few days. I imagine you are already drowning in paperwork."

"How presumptuous of you, Miss Degurechaff, but not incorrect."

"How can I help you then, Mr. Principal? Is this about my new position at school?"

"In a way, yes. Say... I asked you roughly three weeks ago why we even bother helping out those humans around us who seem to never learn from their mistakes, instead falling back to greed and hatred to solve their problems. 'Animals' you called them even. In the end, I believe you replied rather diplomatically with 'that is the question', no?"

Dread pooled in her stomach.

"Yes?" she asked cautiously.

"Have you come to a definitive answer now? I don't believe for a single second that a woman with your... resolve would not have a concrete goal for her life."

What was that supposed to mean? Was he discussing philosophy to put her off-balance? She needed him on her side, but what answer would he like the most? She could tell him about compassion or bravery... Would that sound heroic enough?

Heroic...

That was what she was obliged to be for the gift of Himiko's continued survival. Would constantly pretending to be something she was not violate this arrangement? Sooner or later she would have to start being honest. Why not begin now to display her trust in Nedzu, which was hopefully going to be reciprocated sometime in the future… Convincing him of her sincerity would ultimately be beneficial for the deepening of their bond.

"I never had a choice."

She turned her gaze to the window, indirectly signalling him that she trusted the white-furred creature to not stab her while she wasn't looking. Also, looking at the bits of swaying greenery in the wind served to calm her nerves.

"I did what I needed to do in order to stay alive. It was either being a hero or living on the streets."

"Was there no remaining family in your homeland that could have taken you in?"

"No. There were... reasons for why I couldn't have left this country anyhow."

"So you say that you are a hero by necessity?"

His voice did not convey any expression of disbelief or disgust; only calm curiosity.

"Originally yes. It was merely another profession created by demand of the populace. Kind of like tax collectors or road inspectors. Only more dangerous and with harder requirements."

Nedzu chuckled softly and she allowed herself a small smile as well.

"What changed?"

"Well... That is something I wanted to talk about with you."

Tanya swallowed as her hands clenched her bed sheets. This was it. Time to see if her gamble would pay off. Normally she would not have taken the risk, but with Administrator Moujin's words fresh in her mind...

"I met someone. For the first time I made a... a real friend. Someone who meant something to me, more than a student or superior. All this time I tried not to care, because it would be used against me, to keep me in line or perform better... Whenever I got close to someone they inevitably got killed."

Unbidden flashes of her soldiers, her 203rd, her brothers and sisters in all but blood assaulted her psyche. The way that some of them had cried out for help while others simply... ceased to be. How they dropped from the sky like tiny, dying stars... Their nightmarish faces had not visited her dreams for years.

"It was only logical that I saw everybody around me as either obstacles or tools, sometimes both. A long, long time ago I would have been satisfied with working a simple, peaceful job in a faceless corporation to earn my keep, so performing as a glorified civil protection officer was no different to
me."

Focusing her attention back on Nedzu's beady, black eyes Tanya searched for any sign of recognition. Maybe it was too arrogant to expect a kindred spirit in the greatest intellect on the planet, but she thought that her experience would be at least somewhat comparable to his.

"That is not to say that I don't enjoy my work. Helping innocent people is always more pleasant than destroying things. I know how important it is for the public to continue believing in their safety; else anarchy would have long consumed the world like it did during the Quirk Wars. Making sure that millions of families can raise their children without fear that their city will be turned to ash next week is wonderful."

"Indeed." nodded the principal, his paws folded neatly in front of him.

"I used to think that progress would reduce poverty and violence with every generation. That free trade and human ingenuity were going to lead us into an age where everybody could find a way to be useful and be provided in turn with all the basic necessities of modern life. Obviously, we now live in the twenty-fourth century, hundreds of years after man has set foot on the moon, split the atom and connected the whole world through the internet... and I am still wrong."

"And why is that, Miss Degurechaff?"

"Quirks. They are the worst thing to ever happen to humanity."

"Oh? Quite the intriguing thesis."

"Yes. They moved the primary worth of the individual to a genetic level. Before the age of quirks most humans could have become athletes or politicians for example. Of course some held certain advantages, but ideally those could be overcome by hard work, determination and a willingness to improve yourself. Man back then was not created equal, but equal enough."

"Are you suggesting that such power is nowadays distributed hereditarily in the sense that birth decides one's standing in society? Those with powerful quirks are likely to sire powerful children who will find it easier to occupy positions of power within society than those born less lucky?"

"That is part of the problem. But I have already slightly strayed from the topic. Aside from causing technology to stagnate and order to decay, they also split the people into those with useful, useless and villainous quirks. Nobody wants to hire a person who can produce deadly poison, but everybody expects the child who can control both fire and ice to become a top hero."

"Discrimination has always existed." Nedzu pointed out.

"However those suffering from it were not innately given the power to turn into terrorists and dangerous criminals. One push too many is all it takes to turn a hapless kid into a serial killer. Quirks are tools, capable of making wonders possible, but also atrocities. This... friend I was talking about... She is a good girl. Sly and talented with a penchant for cute and adorable things. She should have been allowed a carefree childhood, but her quirk..."

"'Transform' I presume? Allows her to take on the appearance of whoever's blood she consumes, yes?"

What?! How did he- Oh, of course. This was Nedzu who she was talking to.

Her shock must have been pretty visible, because the deceptively harmless looking animal chuckled heartily.

"I figured you would want to involve young Himiko. After all, the despair on your face when she was about to be murdered was fairly obvious to spot. The emotional stress was even great enough for an awakening of your own quirk to occur. Under better circumstances I would congratulate you, but I am sure there will be a more optimal time for that."

"Huh?" she blinked dumbly.

In one fell swoop he had taken control of the conversation and twisted it into a direction she had absolutely not anticipated.

"Oh, how rude of me. Have you not noticed? Your quirk has spontaneously evolved! A most rare phenomenon which I have never had the pleasure of directly witnessing."

When did that happen? Tanya tried to think back to the events following her meeting with Being X, but recalled only worry for Himiko and an all encompassing fog of pain and gold.

"From silver to gold... poetic, don't you think? We are going to have to test out the exact changes at school. You have me quite intrigued, I must say. Anyways, let's come back to the fate of your unfortunate friend. I assume that you want me to save her from her former employers?"

Was he attempting to put her off balance by rapidly switching between topics? If so, it was admittedly working.

Nervously she scanned the room for any recording devices, even though she checked for that already hours ago. Focusing back on Nedzu she nodded near imperceptibly as to not spell out those treasonous words burning on her tongue. Plausible deniability was important in case this turned out to be an elaborate trap.

"No need to be so cautious. I ensured that nobody will overhear us here."

That sounded vaguely like a threat. Idly she wondered if this wasn't the real Nedzu...

"The flowers behind my desk on the day of our first conversation were bluebells. I am in fact the real me. And no, I did not just read your mind. I merely avoid spelling out the obvious most of the time, because it frightens others and is generally considered uncomfortable. No one wants to be at a disadvantage or feel powerless, right?"

"Right." Tanya responded drily.

He was a genius after all and those tended to be eccentric.

The principal of UA chuckled once again.

"If you know this much already then you also are probably aware that Himiko needs protection immediately. I fear for her safety now that she was unmasked and I don't know where they brought her. Please, I need your help to secure her before they make her disappear. It is a lot to ask from you, but I would do anything-"

"It is done."

"... You enjoy this, don't you?"

"Mmh? I am afraid I don't follow?"

His grin told her that he knew exactly what she was talking about.

Suppressing a sigh she bowed her head as far as she was able in her injured state and whispered: "Thank you. Please keep her safe."

"No problem, Miss Degurechaff. She is the reason for your newfound heroic passion, no? Protecting those you care for is a fine goal. I have sworn to help all who are part of my school and you, Argent, are not exempt from this."

The burden pressing on her heart suddenly felt a lot lighter.

"Well, I'm off then. You said it yourself, I'm a busy man! Get better soon! I look forward to welcoming you again as a healthy member of my staff!"

Tucking his white paws into the pockets of his immaculate designer suit, Nedzu approached the door without even glancing back. Everything seemed well enough, but there was an uncomfortable feeling gnawing at the back of Tanya's mind...

"Wait! Wasn't there something you wanted to discuss as well?" she called out.

"Oh, I've got all the answers I needed. This was indeed about your continued employment at UA and I am glad to note that you passed my tests with flying colours! I just needed to confirm how attached to the HPSC you still were. Luckily it appears as if you are not unhappy to betray them."

Panic filled her as he casually signed what could very well be her death sentence.

"But I never mentioned-"

"No you didn't. You did not need to. Toodles, as the kids say!" he waved cheekily before he slipped through the door, leaving Tanya to stew in the implications of his ominous words.

Somehow she knew that she had been played from the very beginning.

~[#҈#]~​

Keigo Takami, commonly known as Japan's third highest rated hero 'Hawks', slowly breathed in and out on his way to the little monster that was his childhood acquaintance. Despite having been trained in different facilities for security purposes, he and Tanya had crossed paths often during joint exercises or special missions. Together they kept the streets clean by acting as the Commission's secret strike force. Now though, he dreaded meeting who many considered merely a cute young girl, for he knew better.

In many ways they were similar and had faced the same tribulations. Nonetheless the contrast between him and the cold-eyed, fanatical facsimile of a human could not be starker. Keigo occasionally joked to himself that he was lucky that his parents never loved him. After all, if losing your actual parents changed a person so much, as seen in Tanya's case, then he wanted no part in it. His childhood before the HPSC had been shitty, but he at least did have some childish joy and innocence left when they took him in. Tanya on the other hand was stern and unfeeling from the moment he first met her.

No baby could be born with such a dead expression. He refused to believe that the world could be so cruel. Instead the traumatic loss of her mother and father must have been the reason behind the fact that in his experience, Tanya Degurechaff had never been an actual child.

Only blank darkness lay behind her shining blue orbs.

Neither mirth nor pride ever showed itself; regardless of how thoroughly she defeated him in a spar.

Anger and frustration were equally absent whenever he pinned her to the rough concrete of the training hall.

Although sometimes...

Sometimes Keigo thought that he spotted pity in her gaze.

Shaking away those creepy memories he handed in his hero licence and entry permit at the security checkpoint outside her door and flashed the bored police officers his trademarked grin. Stuffing his hands back into his pockets and whistling a low tune he opened the hospital door and waltzed in as if he had all the confidence in the world.

"Hi, Tanya! Pretty banged up I see."

Cheerful carelessness was one of his greatest weapons. It confused villains, ensured civilians that everything was under control and irritated his
superiors (which was amusing). The facade of slightly oafish jovialness was as much a part of him as his quirk.

"Certainly." drawled the girl-shaped pile of blankets and bandages.

"Been in quite the shuffle, ey?" he tried to rile her up.

Getting a genuine reaction out of her was one of his longest-lasting games.

"I bet it was all over the news. What do you want, Hawks?"

As usual, Tanya did not rise to the bait.

"Nothing major. It's been a few days since you got nearly put through a wall by that Monster Inc reject and M being his caring, fatherly self wanted me to check up on you, eleventh goddess. Or should I say 'Valkyrie' now? Kinda jealous that I don't get cool nicknames like that."

"What?"

Hilarious! Well, not really. But he had been forced to laugh about far more awful stuff in the past.

"Don't you have WLAN here?"

She lightly shook her blonde head in bewilderment.

"Honestly... After turning golden and all that, it was kinda inevitable. Guess who got a new moniker on social media? You lucky pumpkin! Of course we will have to see if it sticks or if everybody forgets about it next week, but still. I'll have to give it to you. Your merch is probably gonna sell better than mine this quarter."

"That is... unsurprising." she admitted quietly.

"Eh, that's how those fanboys are. If I was an adorable little girl like you they would be frothing at the mouth for me too." Keigo smirked.

As his hero name suggested his quirk gave him most biological benefits of a hawk, including sight. Smugly he noted with his enhanced eyes the disdainful twitch of her lip as he called her 'adorable'. Tanya had always attempted to appear like a boring, unremarkable adult.

Promptly she deflected: "And how have you been doing?"

"Pretty alright all things considered. Had to clean up a few thugs who thought that they could take advantage of the tumultuous mood in the city right now. Crazy times where villains can attack heroes in broad daylight and get away with it."

"Yeah. I wonder why the higher-ups allowed that to happen. Doesn't fit their typical agenda."

"Who knows? By the way do you think the League is gonna stay relevant much longer now that they have basically the entire pro scene hunting them down?"

Tanya possessed an uncanny ability to predict future events and strategies on occasion. Then again even a broken clock was right twice per day.

"If Himiko has her way then they won't even exist anymore next month."

Had it not been for his gruelling training he would have almost flinched.

That was the true cause of his wariness around Tanya. She was a proper psychopath and apparently could infect others with her thirst for blood.
When she killed that bio-terrorist over seven years ago there had been no hesitation and no remorse for her actions. She merely cleaned her knife on his shirt and then proceeded to explain why it was necessary to put him down before he released his artificial viruses into the air. Her efforts to console him afterwards were even more terrible.

Of course he understood the requirement to neutralize certain dangers to society, but such an innate talent at killing was simply unnatural. It was deeply twisted. Keigo had gotten his fingers fairly dirty over time, yet it never got really easier to take a life for him. Tanya however...

Sooner or later the tiny blond monster would snap and she was going to carve a bloody path through Japan before he managed to stop her. With her flawless track record and high popularity among their handlers his concerns would be brushed aside as paranoia or worse: defamation. There was nothing he could do until it was too late and that would be his biggest regret.

Judging from how often she beat him in a one on one fight he might not survive when she grew bored by the HPSC and became the greatest villain in modern history.

"Mhm… Be that as it may. Nice chattin' with ya, but my wings are getting cramped. See ya soon and don't torture your kids too much!"

Ignoring her goodbye he fled the hospital.

During his whole flight back home the irrational part of his brain asked itself how difficult it would be for her to gut him. Wasn't he supposed to be the ultimate predator of the air? Hawks definitely needed to keep a closer eye on her in order to avoid a gory nightmare if she ever turned against the Commission!
 
Tanya can be scarily battle competent... its good that Nedzu is there, and she got a good career as a Pro Hero, because a rivalry and fight over influence between her and All For One would be something, for the sheer ruthlessness and brutality she can dish when motivated.
 
. Man back then was not born equal, but were born equal enough."
FTFY; previous word choice implied at the very least, their 'souls' were divinely created (if not an outright statement of support for Creationism)

Sooner or later the tiny blond monster would snap and she was going to carve a bloody path through Japan before he managed to stop her. With her flawless track record and high popularity among their handlers his concerns would be brushed aside as paranoia or worse: defamation. There was nothing he could do until it was too late and that would be his biggest regret.
And now the image of him being a scaredty cat Rerugen is stuck in my head lol
 
FTFY; previous word choice implied at the very least, their 'souls' were divinely created (if not an outright statement of support for Creationism)
It is a figure of speech though; calling back to the founding of the USA. There is no mention of souls. (Even though Tanya knows that souls or comparable concepts exist as evidenced by her 2 previous reincarnations lol)
 
Chapter 21
Chapter 21

Shoto had no idea how the principal had done it, but he still couldn't believe how lucky he was to have not been selected for the internship with his father. Either that was due to random chance, a genuine attempt at diversifying his skill set or pity, but he was thankful for it either way. Six whole days that he would not have to spend with the bastard were a welcome vacation. He even might learn something genuinely new instead of getting beaten into the ground ever since his fourth birthday.

Secretly he also didn't want to see the disgustingly smug look on Enji's face when he used his fire in training for the first time in years. He could not bear it to give that despicable man such a petty victory.

"So kiddo, watcha sulkin' about?"

Well, his current 'teacher' was sadly more than a bit obnoxious in his own way.

"Nothing." Shoto blankly replied.

"Awesome!" grinned the annoying man cheerily as if his answer had been an insightful revelation.

What a weirdo.

"Let's get going! We have a minor fire to put out on the Tereseki street 23! Hop hop! The nice lady from the fire department owes me one, hehe!"

Wordlessly the teen sprinted off towards the address, unheeding when the pro hero hot on his heels cried out 'Unfair!' as he used the ice side of his quirk to slide along the ground quicker. Using his quirk to the fullest extent was how he was going to beat his father. There would be no holding back now or later when he proved to the world what a useless piece of shit his old man really was.

Arriving at the scene he immediately noticed the burning trash-bin (there was a possible joke about his father to be made somewhere, but he couldn't be bothered to think of it right now) and Shoto did what he did best: Encase the entire thing in a block of shining blue ice. All in all it was rather anticlimactic.

Huffing and puffing his mentor caught up with him, astonishingly not that much too late considering he possessed no special ability to run faster.
"Ha! Isn't it great kiddo? Heroing? Come on, smile a little! Show all those pretty girls who just saved their city from a burning pile of garbage!"
Deadpanned, the hero-in-training stared up at the man who was supposed to teach him about being a pro hero. Not a shred of hilarity was to be found on his scarred face.

"You set me up for this." Shoto accused.

"Yup!" admitted 'Thermostat', the Temperature Hero, without a hint of shame. "Say cheese!"

Promptly a camera flashed.

And Shoto felt the irrational urge to hit something.

One wave of the hero's hand was enough to melt the block of ice into water that consequently seeped away into the drain. Temperature manipulation was handy like that.

"Come on, give those nice lasses an autograph! That's part of the job too, ya' know?"

Gradually he turned his head and found that they had indeed attracted a small group of spectators, most of which indeed appeared to be schoolgirls excitedly whispering to each other while they stared at him. As they noticed his own gaze one of them went red in the face and another yelped so loud that the rats probably heard her in the dumpster down the road.

'How bothersome...'

Adopting his long-practiced media smile, he waved at the girls who promptly squealed in synchronicity.

Hastily he returned to their pre-planned patrol route, eager to avoid such encounters in the future. Of course Shoto knew that a certain amount of media presence was required to be a hero, but that did not mean that he enjoyed the hollow, superficial attention of strangers judging him more for his looks and heritage than who he was as a person.

Suddenly his dark thoughts were interrupted by a buzz in his pocket, which was an unusual occurrence. Only his private messages were set to alert him via vibration and aside from his sister nobody really contacted him that way. Oh, there were certainly many who would try, but his number was a well kept secret.

Shoto left his temporary mentor to escort an old lady over the street while he checked his messages.

Strangely enough they were from Midoriya (or 'Deku' as he called himself).

[Help! Hero Killer]​

Followed by a string of numbers that he assumed were auto-generated coordinates.

Oh...

This was bad if it was what he thought it was.

All Might's secret lovechild had found an infamous villain by sheer stupid coincidence. No, this was too convenient. A trap? An assassination attempt? He would need help for this.

"Thermostat! I have an emergency!"

~[#҈#]~​

"Mmph..." she grunted vaguely.
Himiko was careful to betray none of her emotions to the adorable bear-thing that had introduced himself as Nedzu, principal of UA and – most importantly – her love's employer. He told her that he would rescue her, that she would see her beloved again soon, that this was a chance to break free from the chains of the HPSC and she wanted to believe him. She really did.

But powerful men like him always lied. They hid behind honeyed words which barely concealed their disgust and apathy. How could she possibly trust anybody in this cruel world who was not her saviour?

Although Nedzu certainly was very cute... So that counted in his favour.

"I am glad you like it here..."

"Yeah..." she once again answered without saying anything.

Seeing as the silence between them began to stretch uncomfortably she opted for a simple misdirection.
"Sorry. It's all a lot to take in still. The food here is good."

'Not as good as what Tanya could make' was left unsaid.

"Wonderful. I will share your compliment with Lunch Rush. We are truly blessed to have such talent working at UA."

"Yeah..."

"When this whole affair is over, where would you like to work, Toga-san?"

He said that with such casual cheer as if dealing with the HPSC was just typical Monday business! Well, maybe it was for him... Her beloved had lamented how easily the overgrown rat had outmanoeuvred her.

Only after mulling that over did the actual content of his question catch up with her brain.

"Huh?" Himiko blinked.

"Would you like to get a formal hero licence or go to the theatre perhaps? With your acrobatic skills and useful quirk you would have good chances in both fields, I believe." Nedzu smiled.

"U-uhm..." she stuttered.

Nobody had really asked her that before. Not even her love. Her parents had always chosen for her and later there never seemed as if she would get to decide stuff like that. Subsequently she couldn't recall ever spending much thought on her career choice. Desperately she searched for the first thing that came to mind...

"I'll become Tanya's sidekick! That would be nice."

Going out on patrol with her, stopping crime, making a few gangsters cuter with her knives... Yeah, that sounded like fun.

"How lovely! It's nice to see such a wholesome friendship. When we talked in the hospital, she immediately tried to convince me to take you in before the HPSC could get to you. It was her most pressing concern. She seemed of the opinion that you were no longer safe in their care."

Himiko's nose scrunched up as she failed to fully hide her sneer. Those parasites naturally wanted to get rid of her at the slightest hint of trouble. Pathetic cowards, the lot of them.

"I assume you don't miss them terribly?"

For the first time she allowed her real emotions to leak out. There could be no harm in demonstrating her disgust for the Hero Commission, right?
With venom in her voice she hissed: "Of course not. They can rot in hell for all I care."

"I am sorry that you had to endure what you did, but I promise you that I will do my best to bring them to justice. No one should endure being kidnapped and forced to do things against their will. Especially not from the government that was sworn to protect them."

"Hmph."

She really didn't care that much about politics and the like. Obviously, seeing the bastards responsible for chaining her beloved for years being dragged out of the courtroom in handcuffs would be extremely gratifying, nearly as much as cutting them up would be, but it was not too important. Himiko's focus in life would always lie on spending time with her saviour and having fun.

Shiny, black eyes appeared to vivisect her mentally while the fluffy mammal adjusted the sleeves of his adorable little suit.
"Well, good news is that your partner is going to be returning soon. She is healing quite nicely."

A stone that she didn't know was weighing on her got lifted from Himiko's heart. Tanya was going to be alright.

"Under a disguise you should be able to freely interact out in the open; maybe you even want to participate in her class as a junior instructor. That could be arranged..."

It was obvious that the favour being offered here would cost her something. Nonetheless was the opportunity of interacting with Tanya outside the basement far too tempting to pass up.

"What do I need to do?"

"Oh, just the usual. Obey the school rules and don't compromise your identity while anyone could possibly recognize you, be nice, don't leave UA's premises, try to entertain yourself and eventually – if you want – talk with our school counsellor."

Unbidden, the nasty memories of the 'quirk counsellor' returned who had merely told her to suppress her urges, to abstain and act 'normal'. As if mere words could make anything better, he never bothered to see her needs as real, but only as problems to be solved! Once again she was labelled as the problem child who needed to be fixed with 'therapy'.

Somehow Nedzu read her thoughts, because he reassuringly raised his paws.

"No, no, no, I can assure you that Hound Dog's services are nothing like the quirk counselling you received in the past. We don't want to talk about your quirk, but about what you suffered."

"Why? Why do you care?"

Oops. She hadn't meant to let so much of her anger slip.

If the principal was offended then he did not show it.

"To help you of course. Bottling up all your feelings after certain traumatic events is never the best choice. It does wonders to the psyche to just speak about anything you want without fear of repercussions. I am aware that you trust Ms. Degurechaff more than anyone in this world, but I imagine that there are things you would not want to talk about with her, at least not initially. That is totally normal. Please think about it. His door is always open for people like you who had a difficult upbringing, an unfortunately common occurrence."

"Okay."
"The choice is yours, but I will be offering it to your partner too. You are neither alone nor weak. Anyways, would you like me to secretly contact your parents about your wellbeing?"

Himiko instinctively scowled.

"I assumed so. No need to fear, I was merely confirming a suspicion."

What? How could he know what her parents were like? They had always done their best to appear normal and ordinary, so how could he confirm anything just from her expression? Nedzu was scarier than she originally realized.

"Humans can be unkind creatures. Luckily I am not one, for better or worse..." he smiled widely, exposing a mouth full of very sharp teeth that glinted ominously in the neon light.

She naturally returned it, presenting her own fangs which caused him to chuckle.

"Lastly, if you want to ever return fully to society we will have to address the details of your previous... occupation."

"Mou~... It's not fair to bore a cute girl like that! Talking about all this business stuff makes me soooo tired!" she fake-pouted, attempting to regain control of the situation. Staying passive and silent for long periods of time triggered uncomfortable memories that she couldn't help but want to escape from, despite her training.

"I fear there is no way around it, Toga-san. For you see... As much as I can sympathize with you – and I truly do – I am also devoted to the safety of my wards. The only reason why I allowed you to live here, in the arguably safest place in Japan, is that I know from your previous two unauthorized entries into school premises that you bear no ill will towards my students. I am aware that you were compelled to commit certain unsavoury actions, but that does not mean that I will overlook these misdeeds. No matter how justified, a crime is still a crime."

There he was, calling her a criminal. Ironic. Wasn't abducting an agent of the HPSC also illegal? Not that she was complaining.

Instead she energetically nodded. Those parasites she removed from the streets had mostly been deserving of their fate, but as long as she was in the claws of this scary, white teddy bear she would abide by his silly little rules. It was the smart thing to do. It was what Tanya would have wanted her to do.

"From this moment onward you will never endanger another sentient life if it is not absolutely necessary for the survival of yourself or other innocents. Am I understood?"

"Okidoki, Nedzu! I promise not to stab anyone anytime soon!" she chirped and saluted.

Inwardly she winced. Judging from his unamused expression, that was probably not the right move. Hastily she course-corrected.

"Eh, I meant, indeed I understand. As long as I am not threatened I won't hurt a fly! Honest!"

"Good."

His friendly smile was back again.

"I never doubted you, Toga-san. Though, you said that Argent was your superior, yes?"

Himiko raised a single eyebrow in confusion.

"Yeah?"

"Don't you blame her for what she made you do? She took you in when you ran away, right? So, it stands to reason that all of this would have never happened to you without her interference. The blood on your hands is in a way her fault, one could argue."

Shock.

Then rage.

Blinding, white-hot smoking hatred flooded her entire body. Her fingers curled, her spine went straight as a board and her heightened senses kicked into overdrive as the muscles in her jaw prepared for a strong bite.
This stupid furball dared?!

Only pure fucking willpower stopped her from tearing into him with her bare hands.

"As if I could ever blame her for what those pigs did to us; to her! No number of broken bones or cut throats could ever be enough to repay her for saving me! You don't get to talk about her like that! Tanya-sama is better than any of you filthy paper-pushers! You don't know what it takes to survive out there! She SAVED me! If I had to gut the entire world for her I would do it in an instant and with a smile on my face! Don't you dare try to sully her name!"

Panting, she only now noticed that she had stood up from her seat to tower over the still unperturbed looking principal.

"Fascinating... Forgive me; I was simply speaking hypothetically of course. I do not blame either of you. I must apologize for this terrible misunderstanding. Please think nothing of it."

His bow was deep, but the force of his insult stung unmitigated.

"I am going to leave you to your own then. You know where to find your blood supply if you need any and you can contact me through your armband any time you want. Have a nice day Toga-san! It has been a pleasant conversation."

Moving to the door of the small concrete room Nedzu calmly waved his paw and disappeared into the hallway.

Her faith in her beloved could never be diminished by such a pathetic scheming rodent. Himiko saw right through his game!

Anything else she could endure, humiliation and libel, but nobody attacked her love and got away with it. Especially after she had failed miserably to protect her already...

Too weak.

She was too weak!

Filled with fury at the world and herself she threw herself into her workout routine until she blacked out from exhaustion.

~[#҈#]~​

Izuku was not a religious boy. Nobody he knew had ever visited a church, in fact.

That still did not stop him from sending a quick prayer to god in hopes that he could help his friend. There were many times in his past where he had been sad or hurt or afraid; even for his life, but there was a different kind of horror seeing a person he cared about bleed out next to him.

Fighting with all his might, going beyond Plus Ultra was comparatively simple. No matter how much his muscles hurt while they tore themselves in exertion, it felt good to stand up against evil and prove to himself and indirectly his idol that he was no longer helpless. This was his dream, his reason for enduring years of bullying from Kacchan and it was liberating.

However, this experience was massively soured by two soul-crushing facts:

Firstly, every second he wasted fighting was lowering Iida's chances of survival.

Secondly, this was not a fight he could win.

Armed with a dented steel bar and his dwindling hope, Izuku was under no illusion that he stood any chance against a combatant many times more knowledgeable, more ruthless and more unburdened than he was. An opponent so terrifying that the world had given him the moniker 'Hero Killer'...

The insane vigilante 'Stain'.

"You disappoint me, hero! Is that the end of your resolve?" taunted the ghastly murderer, grinning in an utterly unhinged fashion.

Since the beginning of their confrontation Izuku had recognized that the madman loved to preach his ideology to others and would spend precious time monologuing. Alone he might have been able to escape relatively easily, but due to Iida's wounded state that was not an option.

Consequently he stalled as much as possible without it being obvious.

"Th-that's rich coming from you! You kill kids for fun!"

"It's not for my own pleasure! It is for a better world!"

Lightning quick Stain's wicked looking katana shot forwards, probing Izuku's defences. Because of his friend's warning, he avoided getting cut like the plague. Apparently the Hero Killer's quirk let him paralyze victims whose blood he ingested, explaining his unnaturally large mouth and focus on swordplay.

"And that involves murdering kids?" Izuku shouted back, frantically dodging out of the way of another slash.

"If I must... No right choice is ever easy, but if I can clear the streets from these fakes then it'll be worth it!"
"You're wrong!" he retorted in the absence of a more clever argument.

'Well done, Deku...' he chastised himself. Despite his plan, actually engaging the armed psychopath in front of him in a verbal and physical fight simultaneously was pretty hard.

"What a shame that you cannot see it, young one. There could have been much potential in you..."

Oh, frick! That sounded awfully foreboding…

He could really use some assistance now before the situation got entirely unsalvageable.

Luckily he had just managed to send a message to all of his stored contacts before jumping into the fray, so hopefully one of them would understand his plea for help for what it was and send reinforcements. The emphasis was on hopefully.

"Uh... Heroes don't kill!"

"Yes, but I am no hero. I am the one who cleans society, taking on its sins to stain myself with their corruption!"

Izuku saw the blade coming directly for his throat and made a split-second decision that could potentially end the fight if he survived it. Because Iida lay behind him, he couldn't spin out of the way or else his friend would be exposed to the merciless killer hell-bent on ending him, which left the greenette only to face the blood stained sword head on.

Yeah, the 'plan' was terrible, but he did not have the liberty of coming up with something better on the spot!

Tapping into the near bottomless well that was his power, Izuku channelled as much of One for All's liquid lightning through his flesh, his bones, his very soul as he could grab without literally exploding and delivered a devastating punch to the side of the incoming instrument of death.

Green sparks filled the air as his supercharged knuckles connected with the rusty steel in slow motion, knocking it off course and ripping it out of Stain's unprepared hands.

Instantly time seemed to speed up once more to its normal tempo as the sword shattered against the brick wall of the alleyway, embedding itself in partially and shooting sharp shrapnel everywhere. The villain grunted in pain and surprise as he was hit by the fragments of his weapon while Izuku tried to shield the immobile body of his classmate against the danger.

Groaning, Stain removed a larger piece of steel from his bare shoulder, eying the gaping hole in his arm more with annoyance than pain.
"Very nice! Perhaps I judged you too early, hero! I saw the determination in your eyes... Keep it up and you might become a fine hero one day. Never hesitate to strike back and rob your opponent of their advantage!"

What the heck? One moment the guy wanted to kill him and now he praised him and gave tips. Stain was seriously insane.

"Too bad that this was not my only sword!" laughed the villain and reached for the second sheath on his back.

'Oh no, you don't!' roared Izuku mentally, shattering the pavement underneath his feet as he ploughed into the Hero Killer and swung his unbroken arm into his ribs to stop him from reaching for another weapon.

Nimbly the athletic man avoided most of the blow, although his bones still bent dangerously under the impact. Nonetheless he was forced to abandon the grab for his sword, leaping further down the alley instead.

"Excellent! You are already taking my lessons to heart, I see!"

Slowly but surely, Stain's ramblings were starting to get on his nerves. Time was running out for Iida. Should he risk it and make a run for it with his friend over his shoulder? That would of course only worsen his internal injuries and maybe lead him to-

Izuku cut that thought off.

Desperately he tried to plead reason one last time.

"Leave already! You sent your message. Th-the heroes or the police will no doubt show up at any moment!" he lied. "With all the noise we made it is inevitable. Do you want them to catch you?"

A dark scowl overtook the murderer's twisted features.

"They would be too late for the fake. Cowardice is unbecom-"

"Woooooosh!"

Fire filled the street, cutting them off from each other. Strangely though, Izuku felt pleasantly cool all of a sudden, which, taking into account that he stood only a few steps away from a giant wall of bellowing flames, was pretty weird.

"Halt right there, villain! Surrender!" screamed somebody from above his line of sight, most likely the rooftops.

It was of no concern to him. What mattered was that the heroes had arrived.

"Your perversion of justice ends today!"

Rushing to his classmate's side he attempted to recall everything he read about first aid on the internet.

"Iida stay with me! We're getting you help."

He should have studied regular anatomy more! Was he bleeding so much because Stain hit an internal organ or was the wound more superficial? It was impossible to tell.

"Midoriya, I told you to run away..." whispered the injured boy in a disbelieving tone.

"I wouldn't leave you alone with a villain! We're friends, remember? And you can call me Deku if you want."

The last part slipped from his lips involuntarily.

"Haha. Only if you call me Tenya... I really messed up, didn't I?"

There was more yelling behind him, but Izuku was solely focused on his friend and the hand that he held while pressing it over the wound in his stomach.

"Yeah you did. Miss Degurechaff and Mister Aizawa are going to chew you out so badly when you come back to school."

Where was this confidence coming from? Here he was bantering like this was the school cafeteria!

"Oh, I am sorry for poor Yaoyorozu. She will have to deal with all the class president responsibility alone while I am stuck in detention for the rest of the year. Ha..."

And did Tenya just make a joke!? Honestly? This day was plain crazy.

Abruptly his face shifted back to his usual expression.

"But if I don't make it-"

"Don't say that!" interrupted Izuku, but Tenya continued calmly.

"If I don't, please tell my parents and my brother that I am deeply sorry. I got so angry when Tensei told me how Stain attacked him, how he ruined him and I couldn't... I... I was not myself. I convinced my mentor to visit Hosu for a single day, because I wanted to find him and I did... Look where that got me..."

"Tenya you can tell them that yourself. The ambulance will be here any second! Don't give up!"

"I won't. Thank you for being there for me, Deku. You are an amazing friend."

As the approaching sirens lit up the shadowy alleyway both boys shared a watery smile that would forever burn itself into their memory.


__________________________________



[Thanks to Tatteredking and Pandora (Succy) for the beta read! My Discord: https://discord.gg/cmPAWxcTfh]
 
Last edited:
I gotta know… did my Valkyrie comment have any bearing on the name or was it coincidental?
I had ideas for that name from the beginning. But you contributed to the decision process :)
THERMOSTAT! And his lovely intern Half and Half! ... what is Shoto's Hero name here again?
I couldn't come up with somethung suitably cool and unique, so I left it open for your imagination to fill out.
I m open for suggestions though!
 
Chapter 22
Chapter 22

To be perfectly honest, Tanya was unsure if she had ever been so bored in her multiple lives. Technically she was allowed to leave the bed, but due to security concerns an actual walk outside the boundary of her walls was impossible. She called bullshit on that as she felt more than prepared enough to protect her life as she had for decades, but Nedzu probably had his reasons for keeping her locked up in this not-quite-prison-cell.

The anxiety of sitting around all day, uselessly twiddling her thumbs forced her to pace restlessly, performing whatever meagre exercises the doctors allowed her. Meanwhile she tried to come up with as many contingency plans as her non-magically enhanced brain allowed, in case the Commission somehow got wind of her recent change of heart which was bound to happen sooner or later. Most of them involved the two hard drives hidden underneath the floorboards of her apartment and in the basement of her previous flat.

Tanya knew that most of her dirty info was easily combatable in court, because she lacked any witnesses who could testify the authenticity of her documents, but the pressure that her blackmail was going to enact on the HPSC would definitively drive them to act rashly. Especially Administrator M who was going to try to neutralize her rashly in a misguided attempt to save his own skin. Fat load of good that would do him, replaceable cog that he was in the government's war machine.

Her gloomy thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her phone on the nightstand. It was her co-conspirator's number.

"Hello, Mr. Principal. How are you and what can I do for you?"

Light chuckling resounded at the other end.

"Despite everything, I am feeling perfect, thank you for asking, Miss Degurechaff. The last few days have been... Well, I can't say more stressful than normal, because since the beginning of this school year such troubles have become an almost everyday occurrence, but it surely was not easy."

She dared not to ask. If he wanted to tell her then he would. Interrupting one's superior while they were about to deliver orders tended to be unwise.

"I imagine that we will have to resolve that particular issue collectively. Anyways, how are you holding up, Miss Degurechaff? The peace and quiet is getting rather dull, I trust?"

Damn, this was apparently serious if he was buttering her up in such a way; reminding her that the keys to her freedom were dangling in his furry paws.

"I am managing. It's been a while since I took a vacation is all." she replied dryly.

"Well, good news! I believe you should be released right about now! Give it the obligatory fifteen minutes until the nurses have checked everything over, but then you should be good to go. Furthermore, I believe there is a wonderful surprise waiting for you back at school. Cementoss will pick you up at the foyer."

A surprise? Why was he so awfully vague about this? She was getting bad vibes from his painfully cheery tone.

"I am afraid I don't follow, Mr. Principal. Could you please clarify?"

"Ah, don't worry! You will find out when you see it! 'Till then, toodles!"

'Oh no. Could this be the end?'

Numbly she prepared herself in the small bathroom mirror and silently signed her discharge papers soon after when the nurse came knocking. Her mind was alert, but at the same time everything appeared dampened by a slight haze. Tanya was not a slave anymore, yet her treasured freedom was still as unreachable to her as the stars. She was a woman caught between the lines, tangled in webs that she could easily cut, only to be faced with the yawning abyss below her feet.

Throughout her lives she had experienced many forms of treachery, but this betrayal at Nedzu's hands stung in a special way. Probably because she had been idiotic enough to believe in him, to actually trust that he would help a troublesome soul like her. Nonetheless, it was shocking.

So she remained quiet as she was led to the hospital entrance where the Cement Hero was already waiting for her. Despite his friendly gestures she knew full well that she was being carted to her execution. Maybe the blocky, grey hero was unaware of her destination or maybe he didn't care. Either way she could not find in herself the energy to hate him.

On and on she mulled over the question in her mind.

Was he really getting rid of her? Disposing of the unpleasant traitor and associate in multiple murder cases to spare himself the hassle? But she had been complicit so far! She was dependent on him! He was the only one who knew about Himiko's current whereabouts. Why would he kick her, his most useful pawn, out of the game before she even had the chance to move!? It was plain madness.

Their car drove through the security check on campus unhindered; demonstrating undeniably that this whole coup was planned in advance. Finally Cementoss pulled up on a building Tanya had never seen before. Yep, there was no denying that things were going south.

Still, she would not go down without a fight.

Logically, she should break out of the trap now before the jaws fully snapped shut, but who could say which crazy defences the wretched rodent had put in place? Snipers on the rooftops, a remote controlled drone full of explosives or simply Eraserhead hiding in a place from where he could deactivate her quirk midflight to send her plummeting to her death!

Hopefully he would confront her himself one last time. Maybe she could prove her worth to him once again, demonstrate why he should keep her around. An intelligent man like him certainly wouldn't squander her potential, right?

Right?

"Go right in, Argent. This is your day."

Geez, he couldn't have made it more obvious if he tried! Weren't these normal heroes supposed to be trained to never kill, let alone deliver another person to the slaughter like cattle? Nedzu's influence could apparently corrupt everyone with enough time.

Steeling her nerves, her quirk kicked into overdrive as she opened the unassuming front door.

Immediately there was an explosion and blinding light dispelled the interior darkness!

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

...

Tanya stood behind her barrier, a silver blade formed around each hand as she blinked owlishly at the confetti that drifted slowly to the ground. On the other side of her barrier, her students blinked equally owlishly back, Ashido and Kirishima standing frozen with blown party poppers in their hands.

"Er, happy birthday, Ms. Degurechaff..." Mina Ashido said awkwardly as the rest of the class stumbled through their own utterances of the age old platitude.

Absentmindedly she remembered that today was indeed her birthday.

Huh. Time flew.

Tanya wanted to say much to that as she deactivated her quirk, from starting a lecture about how heroes are often high strung and thus rarely appreciated surprises, to a reminder that party poppers weren't supposed to be on campus and that they would now have to clean up their mess, less the janitor have more work needlessly thrust upon him.

More than anything she wanted to curse that damn, blasted animal undoubtedly slurping tea in his office and howling with laughter at the needless worry he caused her.

However, instead of all of that she just asked:

"How did you know it was my birthday?"

"Erm, b-because I told them." Midoriya sheepishly answered as he raised a hand, drawing her eyes to his hunched form. "Hawks alluded to as much, anyway, four years ago when he was stopped by some fans. He said he was in a hurry to celebrate one of his kohai's birthdays, and um, a lot of people on the forums recently speculated that he was referring to you, considering you both work directly under the HPSC and have been seen together both professionally and casually on multiple occasions."

Tanya pursed her lips, but eventually replied: "I thought I told you to start standing up straight and to speak with confidence, Midoriya. If you're going to be a hero, people need to feel that you have the situation under control so as to assuage fears. Besides, that was excellent logical deduction and good intel-gathering you just displayed, a skill that will be useful in your career."

She was being petty, but her heart was still racing! Nedzu would pay for this embarrassing misdirection!

Yet she also couldn't help but smile as the absurdity of the situation set in. A birthday party! For her! Such sentimental wastefulness… Getting born was nothing special, at least after the second time. That her students would nonetheless go through all that effort for someone as insignificant as her was – to be perfectly honest – kind of heart-warming.

Collecting her thoughts she directed an approving nod at the gathered crowd, idly noticing the absence of Iida.

"Yes, you guessed correctly. Today is indeed my birthday and although I was frankly expecting nothing, every one of you has gone above and beyond what is expected of students. I am honoured that you would consider me worth the effort."

"Of course we had to!" cheered that over-excitable Ashido girl again.

"Yeah we forgot to visit Mr. Aizawa at the hospital and we thought that we didn't want to miss this opportunity too, you know?" Sero laughed self-consciously.

"It's also kind of a nice housewarming party for this awesome place!" added the floating pile of clothes that was Hagakure.

That reminded her...

"Out of curiosity, where exactly are we then? I do not recognize this building."

"The dorms!"

How enlighteningly specific.

Her blank expression must have been obvious, because Uraraka hesitantly asked: "Nobody told you?"

The fact that a literal child had been informed instead of her stung quite a bit.

"Yes." she replied blandly, successfully masking her annoyance.

"Oh, these are our dorms, mademoiselle! Aren't they magnifique?"

If one could call the sturdy looking, white walls and stainless steel security doors such a thing, then sure. While an interior decorator had been undeniably absent in the construction process, the whole thing appeared rather defensible at first glance. Always a plus in an environment filled with rowdy teenagers.

"Certainly. Is this some new safety measure Nedzu cooked up? Keeping the students under surveillance on campus?"

"There is surveillance?" squeaked Mineta from somewhere at the back of the crowd.

"I believe so. After the repeated attacks on our class we considered it prudent to accept the principal's offer for protection. Most do not wish to put their families at risk and the rest accepted out of solidarity." explained Momo Yaoyorozu in a dignified and concise manner.

Wonderful. Now she was probably going to be responsible for them twenty-four seven.

"And your internships all went well, I presume?" Tanya asked, pointedly staring at Midoriya's bandages.

"Uhhh... Ms. Argent... You see-"

"Shut the hell up, Deku! The candles aren't gonna blow themselves out! I didn't bake this shitty cake so you could fucking talk the entire day!"

"Language!" thundered the heroine, glaring at Bakugou who had interrupted them so rudely.

Slight snickering spread among the students, loosening the tense atmosphere.

With that, she moved past a pair of students and went towards the table in the middle of the room, appreciating the adorable display of amateurish flower bouquets and home-made baked goods prepared for her. It made her heart ache the tiniest bit.

"And what might this be? A chocolate cake?"

"Y-yes, Sensei!" Ochaco stuttered. "Um, red wine chocolate cake to be exact!" She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "W-well, Rikido gave me the recipe... And Yaomomo brought the wine, hehe."

Another smile tugged at the teacher's lips. Her students were feeling especially risky today. Alcohol on school grounds could be risking an expulsion. Just for a cake? How ridiculous.

"Good. I hope you won't mind if I indulge in two slices today. I am famished for something other than standard hospital food. You will have to divide the rest amongst yourself equally."

Wound up shouts of approval and hunger broke out as Tanya cleanly split the baked goods into the appropriate number of servings with her energy fields to be handed out at class 1-A that was busy regaling the events of the past week to one another.

"Regardless," she spoke over the mild chaos "while I appreciate the gesture, this is still school property. Ashido, Kirishima, make sure you clean up that confetti afterwards."

"Yes, Miss Argent!"

~[#҈#]~​

Listening in to the conversations of her students and basking in the carefree mood, Tanya found herself enjoying the presence of other people quite a bit. She rationalized it as the innate desire of humans for companionship, but deep down she was fully aware that seeing all the naive innocence of her students reminded her of happier times as well, ones untainted by war or crime. Nostalgia was truly a powerful drug.
If only Himiko was here to share this moment with her then it could have been even better...

Bzzzt-bzzt!

Angry buzzing from her phone disrupted her daydreams. Shaking her head, Tanya silently chastised herself for drifting off like that. As she checked her screen she was greeted by a new message from Nedzu.

Joy…

A small part of her wanted to throw the damn thing through the nearest window as petty payback for getting tricked by his vague orders earlier, yet her calm and collected nature won out.

There was no reason to act irrational. As long as she could not confirm that the hyper-intelligent animal had actually been toying with her previously, holding such a grudge was entirely unfounded. Even if it was his fault, she needed to suck it up and accept the power play of her boss lest she alienate her greatest ally.

Excusing herself after reminding the children to behave responsibly, Tanya followed the red arrow on her navigation app to wherever 'Storage 89-20' was. The route took her through multiple winding corridors down to the basement of the side wing. Countless nondescript doors lined the walls, giving the whole dimly lit area a surreal feeling like these corridors could stretch on forever. At some point she realized that this underground labyrinth had to be significantly bigger than any building above ground, likely connecting the entire campus.

Finally though, she arrived at the properly designated location.

What should she do?

That was until Tanya sensed someone speedily approaching her from behind, causing her to spin around in preparation only to be tackled to the floor by a familiar blonde bundle of manic energy.

"I missed you!" squealed Himiko as she buried her face in her chest.

Tanya wanted to laugh, but the air was literally being squeezed out of her lungs, so she had to contend herself with affectionately rubbing her friend's back.

"Can't... breathe..." she managed to rasp out which thankfully lessened the crushing force on her ribcage slightly.

"I missed you so much! This Nedzu guy took me with him and suddenly I'm in a basement and he tells me you are coming and..."

Her partner began to rhythmically press her fingers into her skin, using Morse code to transcribe the simple words: "WATCHED – FLEE?"

Of course they had often trained in nonverbal communication, both officially for the HPSC and for their own benefit, but utilizing skin contact for complex silent massages was a novel system. Tanya was proud of how crafty her kohai had become on her own. Himiko was no genius, but she kept her cunning as sharp as her blade collection.

Haltingly she typed back: "NOT YET – TRUST FOR NOW"

Meanwhile, out loud she said: "You are safe here. They wanted to get rid of you, but the HPSC won't find you here. The principal is an odd individual, but I believe he has a good heart. He will help us, if only to bring the Commission down. As long as I am with you he won't dare to lay a finger on you."

Himiko pulled back from her hug to stare her intensely into the eyes, searching for her true thoughts on the matter. Tanya just smiled comfortingly.

"Honestly, as warm as your embrace is, Himiko, this hallway is not a very stimulating place to hold a conversation. Why don't you show me your room, hmm?"

Instantly, an invisible flip switched in the vampiric girl's mind and she started to drag her off towards the grey door on their left.

"Come Senpai! I made something! For your birthday!"

Everybody in the world except herself seemed to have remembered this blasted day!

Inside, though spartanly equipped in the way of actual furniture, the room already had acquired that certain Himiko touch. A framed portrait of them
both together hung above her bed and deceptively childish paintings covered most surfaces at eye height. Flowers, stars, animals, blood droplets and Tanya's face were lovingly depicted in random patterns. Multiple sharp objects lay at handy positions and judging from the marks on the training dummy in the corner, her friend was taking her training more seriously than ever.

The desk was littered with knickknacks and loose papers, now pushed to the side to make space for the glossy, red cake in its centre.

"They have giant kitchens here! Like, big enough to feed an army! It's kinda hard to find what you need, but I managed! Senpai, look! I baked you a cake all on my own! Isn't it pretty?"

Hopefully she was not expected to eat the whole thing or she might burst. Well, before that she would probably die of sugar overdose if this conformed to Himiko's usual preference for cooking.

"Yes, it looks very beautiful. What flavour is it?"

"Red velvet!" the younger girl exclaimed excitedly.

Tanya smirked. "Of course it is."

Himiko abashedly averted her eyes, shuffling her feet.

"Will you try it?"

"How could I not? Thank you for your gift. It was very thoughtful of you to think of me, despite your own situation."

She really meant it. Most would have picked something simple like flowers or wine as presents, but to undergo hours of effort to create something with one's hands held a lot more meaning. Despite the grief she brought onto her friend, she did not choose to abandon her.

The taste was buttery and rich, melting on her tongue with just enough sweetness to not be overpowering and making her yearn for more. After a week of mostly physical inactivity, gorging herself on fat and sugar was definitely not the smartest choice, but she would be damned if she made her kohai sad by ignoring the product of their affection.

"Wow, this is amazing, Himiko. Your skills are improving every day." she remarked offhandedly.

A high-pitched cry of elation and two strong arms wrapping around her waist was all the conformation she needed to know that her compliment had been received well. Honestly, her partner was a bit more touch-starved than expected, but Tanya absolutely didn't mind the feeling of the younger girl's softness protectively curling around her. In a way, every hot little breath which caused her skin to unwillingly erupt in goosebumps was a living reminder that she had chosen wisely.

They were safe.

Her life still held such joy.

Despite everything that was taken from her, she felt richer than ever.

As she savoured another bite from her second excellent cake of the day, in the embrace of the one person she was happily willing to guard with
her life, Tanya was actively thankful to be alive.

~[#҈#]~​

"Argent!" called out a voice to her on her way back to the dorms.

"Eraserhead." she relied neutrally, but in a polite tone, walking slower so that the older hero could catch up.

"I wanted to talk to you, but I wanted to wait until after the 'party'."

So he was watching? Impressive, if not a smidgeon creepy. His stealth must have been perfect.

"Very considerate. What in particular?"

"Two things. You know how the new lesson plan works, right?"

'Arghhhhhh! Curse this overstuffed teddy bear!"

Pursing her lips she replied:"Vaguely. I received the abridged version yesterday."

Tanya gave the man high credit for sparing her some humiliating comment like: 'Why would the principal not inform you in detail even though this is your fucking job?'

Instead he stoically explained to her the extra six hours per week added to the curriculum for self-defence and 'advanced field training' that were designed to make use of the increased free time of their students. A sensible idea in her opinion, because the less time these kids had to come up
with mischief, the better. Furthermore, it would most likely increase their chances of survival dramatically.

Taught by mainly herself, but a differing rotation of other UA heroes as well, this year's 1-A and 1-B were certainly going to perform significantly better than the previous year in the final physical exams. Provided that those were not adjusted of course.

"Thank you for bringing me up to speed. I am grateful for you going over the finer details with me again."
Aizawa seemed like an alright guy and so she strived to keep their relationship distant and professional.

"No problem. The other thing is... Tenya Iida's brother was critically injured by the Hero Killer last week."

Stain, an infamous serial killer responsible for a dozen murders of small-time heroes. The Commission had deemed him a useful pest, effective at scaring the lower ranks into submission. Naturally he would have been removed by either the big heroes which would strengthen their image or by more covert means, but his confidence seemed to be growing if he dared to hunt a popular figure like Ingenium. Subsequently his days were numbered as his very existence was now threatening the stable and undefeatable image of Japan's heroes that the HPSC arduously maintained.

"My condolences. Is that why he was missing today?"

"Partially. Somehow he got it in head that it was duty to avenge his brother and-"

Tanya stopped dead in her tracks.

"Don't tell me..."

"He is alive and they are optimistic that he will make a full recovery. The question remains what we should do with him. I am technically still 1-A's homeroom teacher, which grants me full autonomy over who gets expelled or not, but from what I have seen of your work here... Argent, you are rather effective and have shown a unique perspective fitting for UA's extraordinary students, so I would like to hear your opinion on the matter before coming to a decision."

She blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Man, this day really was a rollercoaster of emotions, wasn't it?
 
Getting back in the swing of things is going to be fun for Tanya, even better when she has a close friend desperate to be noticed! Still, she is very jumpy at the moment so if something else happens in the sort term I worry for what little sanity she has left.
 
"Shut the hell up, Deku! The candles aren't gonna blow themselves out! I didn't bake this shitty cake so you could fucking talk the entire day!"
I didn't expect the tsundere to bake the cake, it proves how much he cares!

A very heartwarming and lovely chapter, it was such a treat to read. Thank you!
 

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