"Come in." said the calm voice of Nezu behind his office door.
Momo walked into the office and took a seat in one of the chairs.
"Ah, Ms. Yaoyorozu, to what do I owe the pleasure?" asked Nezu, putting down his pen, and clasping his paws together on his desk.
"Well sir, it's about Midoriya Izuku. Tsu, Mina, and I were wondering if you had any information on him." She said, coming straight to the point.
Nezu looked mildly surprised, but answered, "Well, I can't say I know much myself, apart from what my friend Sasakura has said about the child anyways. Is there a problem?" he asked in return, his keen senses picking up on Momo's faint sense of agitation.
"Mina is convinced she has seen him somewhere before, and the rest of us are concerned about his past. While not lying outright, he gave very general answers when we asked him about him. factor in his convenient appearance at the cemetery Ochako goes to, and Tsu is worried there may be ulterior motives, unlikely though they might be." She said.
"Hmmm..." mused Nezu, closing his eyes and thinking for a moment before opening them again.
"Well, I am sure he is no agent of villains or any other organization. From what Sasakura has said to me, he keeps his past to himself and prefers to not dwell on it if at all possible. Though I was informed that he went through the Mufustafu Police Academy before the Three Day War of Liberation. If you would like to know more than that, then I suggest asking Sasakura directly or talking to Detective Naomasa. He was his superior at the time, and if he is in the city, then he would be the ideal party to interview." Said Nezu.
"He was a police officer?" asked Momo, both surprised and interested at how Midoriya wound up in a private bar of all places.
"I believe so, yes. Is there anything else I can do for you?" Asked Nezu brightly.
"Yes, there was another question I wanted to ask you. Are there plans in place to safeguard Eri? If her quirk was able to make the quirk suppression and destruction drugs, then I imagine Zeus would want her back very badly." She asked.
Nezu smiled as he answered, "I am afraid you're a bit late to the punch on that front. Bakugo has already volunteered to go on night patrols of the hospital. I believe he also intends to have Todoroki and Kirishima rotate with him until we can create an appropriate safehouse and assign a permanent guard detail to the child."
Momo felt a bit of tension leave her at the news. If Bakugo and the other two were going to watching her, short of Zeus himself she doubted there was anyone who stood an actual chance. Especially since they would all be using their wargear until Zeus was apprehended.
"That's good to know, but I was also curious as to the child's condition as a whole. Has there been any progress?" She asked.
Nezu gave a small sigh, "She is doing well all things considered. She has already gotten a transplant for one of her kidneys, and there appear to be no adverse effects from it. The biggest problem however lies in her mind. She has a spotty memory at best of her time as a captive, with no clear recollection of the kind of abuse she has likely suffered. Dr. Minoru will be seeing her in the next couple of days, and he will be able to give a much clearer picture of her mental state. Though, one of the pediatricians has brought up the possibility that she may be suffering from dissociative amnesia pertaining to everything in her past up till now." said Nezu sadly.
Momo felt her stomach turn over. Imagining what the girl had probably suffered made her furious. Both at the villains that subjected her to such horrors, but also a mix of anger and guilt towards herself and heroes in general. That they had not been there to save her before she had been abandoned by the villains, that she had to suffer with no one to save her made her want to scream. What made it worse was that it wasn't even a hero that saved her. The Hunter had appeared at the hospital with her, with grievous injuries and bleeding everywhere, he had still managed to save her. It simply made her angrier with herself, and she couldn't even imagine how that thought might infuriate Bakugo or the others.
She had things to do though, so she pushed all that to a corner of her mind. For now, she allowed herself a sense of relief at the news that the child was physically okay.
"Thank you Nezu, that was all that I wanted to ask." She said, giving her principal a small bow and taking her leave.
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Katsuki Bakugo pulled open the door leading to the roof of the building. His dark grey cloak moved silently in the breeze, revealing the hexagonal pieces of the combat suit beneath. He went up to the edge of the building looked out towards the hospital in front of him. From here he could see the window that belonged to Eri, a perfect vantage point he would be sure to see anything amiss. Meanwhile, Kirishima and Todoroki were watching from other roofs looking towards the sides and back of the hospital building.
As he watched and scanned the area he didn't see anything abnormal. The lights of the building shown brightly, and he could see occasional vehicles pulling in and out of the parking lots. The walls surrounding the entire hospital complex were three stories high and massively thick. It had cost a ridiculous sum of money and time to build but had proved necessary during the war. Now the place was one of the most well guarded in the city, staffed with excellent medical personnel. It was where many heroes were taken to get treatments all over the country. Dr. Okimi's quirk was one of the world's strongest healing quirks on the planet, but it wasn't perfect. Her quirk struggled with long-term damage and couldn't help in the treatments of most diseases.
Bakugo settled down for the first night of likely many until something more concrete could be established. Until then, he, Todoroki, and Kirishima would be pulling night patrols of the hospital area, while sleeping during the day.
During the course of the night, he made periodic check in's with the others and changed roofs a couple of times. It was around 3 in the morning when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He stopped moving and focused intently on the spot he noticed the movement. He didn't see anything though and assumed it to have been a bat flying under a light. He notified the others though and paid extra attention from then on. Another hour later, he noticed movement again, but this time from the window leading into Eri's room. He saw a dark form emerge from the window and like a wraith, it scaled the side of the building, avoiding the lights as he did so.
He felt his adrenaline spike and he hit his radio, "I got movement from the kid's window. Got a figure scaling the side of the building and heading to the roof." Just as he released the button however he saw the faint outline of the figure suddenly leap from the side of the building and start running across thin air towards the walls.
"The fuck?" he thought, before hitting the button again and speaking rapidly into it as he discarded the cloak and jumped off the roof and started blasting himself towards the figure. "Check that, the figure just started running on air. Heading towards the walls and moving to intercept," he said before clicking it off again.
He got acknowledgment from the others and heard Todoroki saying he would check the room before he got close enough to see the figure more clearly.
The figure wasn't running on air, rather he was running across a long wire connected from the wall of the hospital to the walls surrounding the complex. Bakugo guessed that there was another connecting the exterior walls to one of the buildings nearby. When he was still several dozen meters out however, when he saw the figure glance towards him and then double their speed. Running across the wire as if it were a solidly built bridge the figure got to the exterior wall much faster than he was expecting. Abandoning all attempts of stealth, he let loose a chained series of explosions that rocketed him towards the exterior wall. The figure, rather than use the wire Bakugo was sure was there, jumped off the wall entirely. A repel lowering his speed enough to allow him to get to the ground without issue. Then he was off towards the alleyways.
Bakugo blasted after him, getting to the ground mere moments after the figure did. He blasted himself into the alleyway and saw the figure wrapped in grey fabric like a mummy turn down another alley further down. He chased after the figure but had to lower his speed to avoid the detritus of the alleyways and to avoid hitting the walls. As he got farther and farther away from the hospital, he suspected it might be an attempt to lure him away. A quick check-in with Todoroki indicated everything was fine and he was standing guard inside the hospital while Kirishima patrolled outside. The chase went on for several minutes, Bakugo becoming increasingly annoyed at how well the figure was doing in avoiding him. Several times the figure had managed to hide within the alleys and let Bakugo hurtle past before going back the way they had come.
Finally though, after nearly fifteen minutes of the chase, he had cornered the figure in a wide-open area. He came out of the alleyway and skidded across the ground as he arrested his speed. When he had stopped he turned towards the figure and saw them smash open a door into some kind of warehouse. The figure turned back towards Bakugo and he clearly saw a pair of glowing red eyes before they vanished into the darkness of the building.
"The Hunter huh... What was he doing at the hospital, let alone in Eri's room..." he thought. Putting that mystery aside though he ran into the dark warehouse after the Hunter.
The place was stocked full of both empty and full containers, making the place an organized maze, fortunately his special night vision contacts making things easy to see even within the gloom. The only light coming from periodic emergency lights placed through the warehouse. Looking around he didn't see any other doors or exits, so he grabbed the nearest crate and straining, managed to move it in front of the door. Then with the only exit and entrance cut off, he wandered into the maze of containers.
After several fruitless minutes of searching, he finally roared out, "Stop hiding and face me dammit!"
"That eager for another defeat?" came The Hunter's voice. Bakugo strained to pinpoint the location but he couldn't get a good idea where it might have come from. He had responded though, so aimed to keep him talking.
"Please, you only won because I had to hold back to ensure I didn't cause property damage or kill you accidentally," he shouted out, annoyed at the reminder.
"Ironic, coming from a hero. I recall you lot doing as much, if not more damage than the villains during the war at times. You practically butchered the people working for the League at times. Wandering the nation with Stain, I saw first hand just how destructive you heroes can be. Just because I don't kill heroes doesn't mean I don't harbor any animosity for you and your people. I just happen to hate villains far, far, more than I do heroes." Came the icy response.
Bakugo gritted his teeth at the remark. Both himself and many other heroes had at times, been little better than the evil they had fought. It wasn't unheard of for some heroes to turn traitors either.
"I don't blame you or your friends though. You and many of the other young heroes in training were practically drafted into that war didn't have much of a choice but to become monsters. Kill or be killed, that is the prevailing rule of all war after all." echoed the voice again, but Bakugo was still unsure of where it might be coming from.
"What could you possibly know about what we've been through!? I had to watch as innocent people, good friends, and strong allies were torn apart by those fucking bastards! People like you should just stay out of our way and try to live a fucking normal life!!" Bakugo practically screamed into the warehouse. He hadn't been this angry since the war, and he hated thinking about the war. Bakugo was practically panting as he simply stood and waited.
Then he heard it, a cold humorless laugh echoing all through the building.
"What do I know? I know what it means to watch as you heroes fail us. To watch as your entire life is shattered before your eyes. Watch as everything around you burns and dies, until only you remain!" Spat The Hunter from within the depths of the warehouse, his own anger obvious as his speech became increasingly heated.
"It's you who doesn't and could never understand. You have friends, brothers and sisters in arms, a family, and a community. I had to watch, helpless, as everything I believed in died. To come to the horrifying truth about the world. There is no hope, only disappointment, and despair. That is why I sought out Stain, the only one who saw the failure of heroes and of their society before the war. I apprenticed myself to him, learned all he knew, and then left when I could learn no more. I came here, the only place in this dying nation where some semblance of heroism may yet live. I have to guard it because I sure as hell can't leave it to you "heroes". I'll crush the evil in this city personally, maim and cripple it until it can no longer function. By my own hands, I will execute Zeus, the last of the League's great powers, and break the last pillar of evil that remains." came the crazed rant from within the warehouse.
As The Hunter ranted, however, Bakugo was able to home in on his location, and when he was done, he blew the empty container between him and The Hunter to pieces. He launched into the smoke and came out the other side, face to face with The Hunter, glowing red eyes blazing with righteous fury.
"Found you, ya bastard," said Bakugo, grinning.
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Todoroki opened the door to Eri's room, Dr. Okimi beside him. He peered inside and to his relief, he saw the small form of Eri sitting up on her bed, looking out of the open window. A small breeze drifted through, causing the curtains to drift lazily. Apart from Eri being awake, the only odd thing was a small round light sitting on the window sill. It glowed faintly, casting a very dim light into the room.
At seeing Eri, Todoroki turned back to Dr. Okimi, "She's inside and awake, but the window is open and some kind of light is on the sill." he said.
Dr. Okimi looked inside and after confirming it for herself, she turned back to Todoroki and said, "Thank you for informing me, but I'll take it from here. You can go back to your patrol."
"I think it would be better if I stayed here, perhaps..." he started to say, but trailed off as Dr. Okimi shot him a look and he promptly shut up. So he simply turned around and left the hospital, informing Kirishima that it was all fine as he did.
Every time he had encountered the doctor, she always made him feel like a freshman at UA again. She had an uncanny ability to just exude authority, but perhaps that was because she ran a hospital. Either way, she had always freaked him out some.
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Dr. Okimi made herself look as casual as possible, before stepping into Eri's room. Closing the door quietly behind her, she walked over to the bed. Eri looked over to her, flinching automatically but relaxed somewhat when she saw who it was. Okimi sat next to Eri and leaned down some to try and get an idea of what she was looking at. She couldn't see anything herself but figured Eri must see something of interest.
"Who was it that came into the room a little bit ago? A friend of yours?" she asked.
Eri's brow furrowed as she thought about the question. It was about thirty seconds later that she finally whispered. "Red Eyes, like me," she said, pointing to her own eyes.
Okimi cursed within her mind, leave it to that wackjob to get her all worked up when she was trying to take a rare nap.
"I see, and why did he come to see you?" was all she said, keeping her voice neutral.
Another long pause, before, "Gave me that." she said, pointing to the light on the sill.
"And why did he give you that?" she asked, gazing at the orb intently.
"Keeps the monsters away, they don't like the light," she said, shrinking a little into her pillow.
"It's a nightlight." She realized, the obvious answer hitting her like a ton of bricks. "She's probably scared of the dark, that's why she looked terrible this morning. It's probably solar-powered, which is why it's on the window sill." she thought.
"So what are you looking at right now?" she asked.
"Those." Said Eri, pointing out the window.
Dr. Okimi looked out the window but couldn't see anything other than buildings. She continued to stare out into the darkness until what Eri was pointing at struck home.
"The stars?" she asked.
Eri didn't say anything, just continued to stare outside.
"The lights in the sky I mean." Okimi clarified.
Eri gave a nod at that, and Okimi realized that Eri probably had no recollection of seeing stars before, given how she barely remembered anything of her past. The realization of the night light and the stars, just reminded Okimi that Eri really was just a small scared child at the end of the day. Something Okimi could relate to all too well.
"You should get to bed Eri, the light will keep the monsters away, and if any show up, I'll make them go away," she said, helping Eri get back into the bed.
She sat at the girl's bedside, and just waited until she was sure the child was asleep.
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The knife sped past Bakugo's shoulder and deflected off of the metal crate behind him, clanging to the ground to join other similar knives. So far, Bakugo had managed to avoid getting hit by any of the knives, but The Hunter had landed several solid blows in the process. He already felt the future bruises, and while he had managed to hit The Hunter with a few of his own blasts, the bastard seemed to just shrug them off. Between the body armor and his general durability, he was definitely not an opponent to take lightly.
Dodging a slice from The Hunters wakizashi, he moved in and threw a series of explosive jabs. The explosions detonating as the punches got close and sending several smaller explosions around his fist, effectively doubling his reach. It was a technique he had developed when watching a boxing match with Kirishima, and he had started trying to learn how he could combine it with his quirk. It made for a powerful and potentially lethal combination if so chose.
He had abandoned trying not to hurt him too badly and stopped worrying as much about property damage. As the result, the small area that they started in had turned into half the entire warehouse being blown to pieces. Going easy on his opponent was out of the question, but even so, he was hard-pressed. Just to be on the safe side, he tried to send a call general support, only to hit hear static.
"How the fuck am I being jammed?!" he thought angrily.
He didn't have time to dwell on the development though as he dodged another combination of attacks from the wakizashi. So he didn't notice the elbow until it had made contact with his face. He jerked backward and fell as he did so, tucking into a roll and popping back up. The bridge of his nose hurt, along with his forehead but judging at how there was blood pouring out his nose, he guessed it wasn't broken. The Hunter seemed to thrive in these close-quarter fights, almost becoming faster and stronger as the fight wore on. The guy was a natural at this sort of combat, and every time he had tried to make distance The Hunter made sure to keep things close.
With a few paces between him and The Hunter, Bakugo shot a massive explosive wave in front of him. Blowing several more crates apart and sending The Hunter flying backward. With distance finally made, he switched gears and tried to gun him down with AP Machine-Gun. The rapid-fire attack blew the other wall apart but The Hunter had actually managed to roll with the explosion backward, getting his feet under him allowed him to push off the floor and dive to the side to avoid the follow-up.
The Hunter reached down to his waist and withdrew some kind of object and then made a beeline straight at Bakugo, slipping the object over his knuckles. Bakugo, however, had already anticipated the potential dodge and had taken aim with his left hand as a finger gun, using his extended right arm as a brace he used a more niche technique.
His Explosive Snipe was derived from his AP-Shot, an extremely long distance, extremely fast condensed explosion. The shot hit The Hunter square in the chest, and while it wasn't a large explosion, it was by far one his more powerful. The body armor was blown into pieces and he was sent flying backward once more, rolling uncontrollably across the floor until he smacked into the opposite wall with a satisfying crack of wall.
A mere second after he released the shot, however, he thought he heard a second explosion, then he felt something hit him in the side. A second later a massive electrical shot coursed through him and all he could do was spams on the floor as the incredible pain coursed through him.
The pain eventually faded and he slowly got his feet, unsteady but slowly regaining function once more he looked across the warehouse and saw The Hunter also standing up. He reached down and pulled a black metal clamp-like object from his side. The pins had embedded themselves into his side and he felt the blood ooze out of the wounds. He gave it a cursory look and saw the battery pack, now clearly empty of its charge.
"Finally used one of those gadgets you stole huh? Was wondering what you might have up your sleeve." Called out Bakugo, tossing the weapon aside.
The Hunter didn't say anything but got back into a combat stance. At the very least Bakugo gave him credit for being tenacious, even with a serious burn and likely cracked ribs, he still looked raring to go. Bakugo got into his own stance, and as they took the first steps towards each other, the roof exploded above their heads.
The two of them on opposite sides of the warehouse dove backward to avoid the collapse and looked on in surprise as a massive figure stood up from where they had landed. Then there was a burst of chill wind and the dust surrounding them was blown away to reveal a man who was at least six and a half feet tall, maybe even taller. The lighting made an accurate measurement difficult. The man was also quite old, with long dark grey hair and a massive beard he looked like some kind of bear in human form.
The bear looked at them both, a clear frown on his face and he gave a heaving sigh.
"Neither of you has the child do you?" Said the man, scratching his face as annoyance clearly played across his face.
"Those useless idiots, but I suppose it's a fair assumption to make. Zeus really needs to work on getting some decent help though." Mused the figure to himself idly.
"Well, either way, you're on the list. So apologies, it's nothing personal, but I don't get much of a choice in the matter." Continued the figure, turning and looking at Bakugo.
Bakugo felt every hair stand on end, a sensation he hadn't felt in a couple of years. Not since he had blown Muscular into bloody fragments at the final battle of the war. That fight had been his second most lethal encounter, second only to the time he had fought Shigaraki.
Only a single thought ran through his mind before everything went straight to hell.
"Shit," he muttered.