Aero (a BNHA OC story)

Chapter 57

Aizawa rolled his eyes, but the corners of his lips twitched upwards. "Very funny, Ikari. Now, what brings you two troublemakers here?"

Shin leaned against the wall, a playful glint in his eyes. "Just making sure our favourite father figure is still kicking. You know, keeping you on your toes."

"Shin, that was gold," Kenzo snickered at his friend's clever wordplay.

Aizawa let out a groan. "Great. Now I'm gonna have to get used to this."

Kenzo leaned forward, his tone becoming more serious. "Jokes aside, how are you feeling, Aizawa?"

Aizawa shrugged nonchalantly. "I've endured worse."

Kenzo nodded in understanding. "And everyone else? We haven't checked in on them yet."

Aizawa's expression softened, his gaze drifting toward the window. "They'll make it through. Most of them. But we suffered some significant losses."

Kenzo's demeanour grew sombre at the mention of casualties. He hadn't been informed about any fallen heroes yet and—

"We lost Nemuri."

Kenzo's breath hitched, his eyes widening in shock. "What? Ms. Midnight?... No..."

Kenzo's heart sank at the news. "Ms. Midnight..." he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "She was... she was..." He struggled to find the words, the weight of the loss heavy upon him.

Shin, sensing the gravity of the situation despite never having met Nemuri, placed a comforting hand on Kenzo's shoulder. "I'm sorry, man. She must have been an incredible hero."

Kenzo nodded, his throat tight with emotion. "Yeah, she was more than that. She was... she was like family."

Aizawa's gaze softened, understanding the pain etched on Kenzo's face. "I'm sorry you had to hear it like this," he said softly, his voice tinged with regret.

Kenzo took a moment to compose himself, wiping a stray tear from his eye. "Thank you, Aizawa. For telling me." Turning to Shin, he added, "And thank you for being here, Shin. I appreciate it."

Shin nodded solemnly, his own expression reflecting the sombre mood of the room. "Of course, man. We're in this together."

With heavy hearts, the three of them sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts as they mourned the loss of a beloved hero. But amidst the sorrow, there lingered a sense of solidarity, a reminder that even in the darkest of times, they were not alone.

Aizawa broke the heavy silence with a solemn but determined tone. "But not all hope is lost. Since you captured Mortis, Ikari, they've detained her in Tartarus. The Commission is actually considering sending you to talk to her."

Kenzo's eyes widened at the mention of Mortis. "Oh! That reminds me. Shin, I'm starting to believe your theory, it all makes sense."

Aizawa arched a brow in questioning, brushing his black hair out of his face. "Care to explain?"

Kenzo nodded, gesturing to his brunette friend who leaned against the wall. "Well, Shin and I did some digging. Um... well, I stole Giran's laptop. You know, that dealer who runs the fight club I used to work at?"

"You stole a laptop?" Aizawa's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"For a good cause," Kenzo replied with a sheepish smile, "Anyway, Shin managed to hack into it after a few hours, and we found a lot of files."

"Ikari, you do know that technically counts as vigilante work, right?" Aizawa's smirk hinted at amusement.

"Well, technically, it's all for a good cause. We managed to find a file on Hana. Or Mortis. Whatever she goes by. It basically explained her history and how she ended up with the League. In short, we think she's gone mad. Talking to her, it's not like talking to a normal person. Even Shigaraki is more coherent than she is. We think she's gone mad, and the League is using her. Like Dabi said, he was the one that manipulated her into... well, she—"

"Killed Fuyumi... That's actually not a bad theory." By now, Aizawa was leaning forward on his hospital bed, a hand under his chin.

Kenzo nodded, his expression grave and his heart clenching at the thought of his beautiful Fuyumi. "When I was talking to Hana, her mood seemed to flip like a switch. One moment she was calm, and the next, she was filled with rage and aggression. It was like she was a different person altogether."

Aizawa listened intently, absorbing the information. "Interesting."

Kenzo took a deep breath, continuing, "Hana's quirk... it's pheromones. She emits these powerful pheromones that can strongly influence those around her, to the extent of mind control."

Aizawa's eyes widened in surprise, his expression shifting to one of concern. "Mind control... That's dangerous."

Kenzo nodded solemnly. "Exactly. And I think she may have overused her quirk during the incident when I thought she died. I think it drove her into madness."

Shin nodded, his soft brown hair framing his sombre expression. "She's not really in control of her actions."

Kenzo shook his head, a heavy weight settling in his chest. "And that's why I need to talk to her. Maybe both of us should, Shin, help her break free from whatever hold the League has over her."

"I'm down. It would be nice to talk to my sister. It's been a while." Shin smiled softly, pushing himself off the wall.

Aizawa's gaze softened, his voice filled with sympathy. "If anyone can do it, it's you two."

With a determined nod, Kenzo squared his shoulders, his resolve firm. "Then we have to try. For Hana's sake, and for Fuyumi's."

...

(1373 words)