As Hikari held her shaking body together with her arms, the girl forced herself to look down from the pitch darkness in order to hide herself away as always. She didn't want to see it. No, she didn't what to realize that she was alone in her own madness.
The air grew colder and colder as the girl continued to hide away from the world, only knowing the empty walls of Riku's compound and drowning in them as she did every other day.
Yet, that's when she felt someone tap her on her left shoulder, Hikari blinking in confusion before burying her head further into herself. No, she had to be imaging it, there was no one else here. There never was.
That was until she felt it again, a small nudge in her direction as she finally found the courage to push her head upwards to stare, knowing she'd only find that very same darkness as before.
Although, when she finally looked up, Hikari found someone standing in front of her, his very familiar golden gaze staring down with such warmth as he smiled. "Hika-chan."
It took a moment to process as she quickly turned her head all the way around only to find nothing else except the two of them in that wide infinite space. Wait, why was her brother here? He abandoned her, he left her so long ago.
Narrowing her eyes in confusion, Hikari felt herself turn her head to the side in confusion before finding the courage to reply. "Keigo? What are you.."
Keigo seemed to sense her hesitation though, twisting her lips up into a warm inviting smile before lifting an outstretched hand down to her calmly. "You can relax now, you don't have to carry everything alone anymore."
His words crashed into her all at once, Hikari widening her eyes before an unexpected weight seemed to lift off her shoulders. Everything she had ever wanted, everything she had dreamed of, had it finally happened?
Had her brother finally come to save her after so long, had he kept his promise about them staying together? No, it was impossible, Hikari had given up on that dream for so long. Her big brother was dead, he no longer existed.
That's what she always told herself, knowing that the harsh reality always seemed to keep her grounded even with the tiniest bit of hope. She just couldn't take another heartbreak, another betrayal, another lie, for surely it would destroy her in the end.
For as strong as she claimed to be, Hikari knew her weak heart still lingered somewhere in her chest, that she was just as foolish and hopeful as she was six years ago. She couldn't let that happen, not again.
Yet the longer she looked at his outstretched hand, the longer Hikari seemed to cave in on herself, the girl slowly unwrapping her hands from her tightly wound body before allowing air to pool into her lungs.
Could she really relax? After everything, after so much pain and hurt, could she finally have her big brother back? The idea was overwhelming, so much so that tears started to cover her vision a moment later.
She pictured herself back on her first day of training, on the day she called out for her brother and yet was told she was abandoned instead. She could still remember it, the cold cruel look in Riku's eyes when he told her Keigo was never coming back.
Yet, even still her voice began to ring with a newfound hope, the small words just barely audible in the overwhelming darkness. "K-Kei-chan? "Y-You're finally here? You found me..?"
Although unlike back then, Keigo only seemed to smile wider as Hikari's shaking palm touched him in the next moment as a newfound realization seemed to crash into her.
He was here, at last, her brother was here.
Feeling herself start to fall apart at the seams, the tears grew even heavier as Keigo lifted his sister off of the dirty cement floor with that same encouragement she had always longed for. "I'm right here, Hikari. I'm not going anywhere."
Relief turned into an overwhelming calm as Hikari looked down at his hand intertwined with hers before forcing herself to speak. She had to, she was just so happy right now. She had to say something to him.
And so, she opened her mouth, gazing at her brother as her lips started to turn into a warm smile of their own, the tears ever apparent in her eyes. "Keigo..I..."
Yet that's when she saw it, a very familiar glow of blue approaching from behind.
Widening her eyes at the sight, Hikari barely had time to open her mouth in surprise before the blue flames seemed to appear from nowhere, hitting Keigo in the chest as the fire consumed his entire body.
She felt a scream etch in the back of her throat as her brother let out his own ear piercing scream at the sound of being burned alive, his skin melting off in front of her as Hikari's hallowed eyes could only stare. "KEIGO!!"
Hikari tried to force her body to move but the muscles seemed to tense on themselves, only able to watch as her big brother was murdered and burned alive before her very eyes, the fire consuming everything she loved.
Feeling bile make its way into her chest, the girl then looked down at her own shaking hands before letting out a stifled sob. Now it seemed everything was suffocating, caving in on her in a single instant. Her brother, her only family, what had just happened?
That's when she heard it, the singular sound of footsteps growing closer and closer until someone stopped just before her ear, leaning down with a voice that made her entire body flitch. "Oh, Princess, you didn't really think you could lie to me like that? I mean, changing those files, you really think I wouldn't notice?"
Tensing up immediately, Hikari didn't have the strength to turn around as her entire body grew with horror. He knew, Dabi knew that she changed the files, he knew that he lied to keep Keigo alive. He knew she was trying to double cross him.
That's why he did this, for revenge.
Her silence only seemed to bring even more joy to him though, Dabi leaning even closer before his breath coated her ear with sickening delight, knowing he had just ruined everything for her.
"I told you, didn't I? I can take anything I want, anytime I want."
A heavy realization seemed to wash over her then, Hikari feeling herself fall onto her knees as she stared at the burnt and charred remains of her brother before a heavy sob seemed to work its way into her throat.
Her big brother was dead, just when she finally found him again.
Shaking hands quickly found their way to his dead burnt flesh as Hikari felt completely and utterly destroyed as Dabi laughed behind her with sickening joy. "K-Kei..n-no..no no no no no....p-please...d-don't leave me alone again...I'm sorry.."
Just then, a small voice echoed in the back of her mind yet the girl was so destroyed
that she hardly noticed it, shaking her head in denial. "N-No..."
Although once again, the voice appeared again, someone lightly touching her head as they spoke, soft and gentle. "Hikari.."
Hikari only continued to speak her head though, sobbing loudly as she gathered up her dead big brother in her arms. Why did she open her heart up like, why did she lead him to his death? She didn't mean to.
She just wanted to be loved.
"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Shaking her head, someone suddenly seemed to grab onto her shoulders and push her forwards,the force causing the world around her to spin as the voice seemed desperate for something. "HIKARI...open your eyes, kid..wake up..."
And this time, she did, gasping as the horrible scene seemingly melted away.
---------------
The first thing she registered were hands reaching out to her, the words jumbled and messy as they grabbed onto her shoulders while she gasped for newfound air. They sounded calm and warm, yet Hikari was far too out of it to understand the context.
"H-Hey hey hey, it's okay, it's okay, you're safe. Just breathe sis, that's it.."
Although as the hands seemingly touched her skin, the girl immediately flitched, thousands of past memories of Riku and other various missions causing her to swat them away in an instant, like she had touched fire. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"
Then before she could realize it, all of her feathers seemed to sharpen on instinct before detaching from her wings, shooting forward as the stranger's eyes widened. "Ah!"
As the feathers barreled towards him, the stranger just barely got out of the way before the objects struck the wall behind him, leaving holes in the plaster all at once.
Hikari blinked then, her brain finally settling before she gazed at her homemade destruction with confusion. Wasn't she in Riku's compound? Wait, where was Keigo, where was Dabi? What just happened?
Then she looked down only to find her brother pulling himself back up onto the bed with one arm, the man looking exhausted and out of breath as he placed his hands out in defense. "Whoa whoa whoa, don't shoot! It's just me, it's your brother. Ah well, that probably doesn't mean anything but either way, please don't shoot me!!"
Turning her head to the side, Hikari glanced at the frightened bird with confusion and unmatched shock, the words tumbling out of her mouth before she could process them. "K-Kei, what are you doing? Why are you here?"
Her brother still didn't make any effort to move though, his head peeking over the top of the bed in case this was a trap. "Is the coast clear? There's no more projectiles, right?"
And the moment the two siblings locked eyes Hikari seemed to be stunned into silence, her heart beating a million miles a minute as she registered this new "alive Keigo" unlike the one from moments before.
After hearing her silence, Hawks finally decided to hoist himself back onto the mattress, realizing that it was safe to do so. "I put ya to bed in my room cause I thought it would be more comfortable and then I heard you screaming in your sleep and came running..then you tried to shishqebap me with your feathers."
To prove the point, the bird then flapped his arms around towards the once very dangerous feathers that were now embedded into the wall behind them, each of them still very much sharpened and ready for attack.
Hikari hardly noticed though, still staring at her brother with uncertainty before lifting her own shaking hands out to grasp his cheek. Was this also some kind of trick? She wasn't sure. "Y-You're alive?"
Hearing her shaky scared tone, Hawks immediately twisted his eyes in confusion before comically patting himself down for the half attempt of a joke to lighten the mood. "Uhh yeah? Last time I checked I think so?"
Yet the moment she heard that, Hikari's chest filled with sudden relief, her entire body caving into her brother as she grasped onto him for dear life.
She didn't care if the action seemed weak or pathetic. He was real, he wasn't dead yet. She still had her big brother. "Thank god."
Hawks was only confused though, his eyes widening at the sudden emotion from his sister before returning the hug as she buried her face into his shoulders. "Whoa, it's okay Hika-chan, I gotchu. Where's this coming from sis?"
Yet that seemed to wake something up in the girl, Hikari opening her eyes with realization before immediately pulling back and lowering her head. Idiot, what are you doing. You know Dabi's gonna kill him. It's only a matter of time. Don't get attached.
Feeling her own voice turn distant, she began to shake her head, still not making eye contact with him as she spoke. "Nothing. Never mind."
Of course Hawks didn't buy that though, reading his little sister's actions as very odd. First she collapsed into his arms and now she was ignoring him? It was almost like she was hiding something from him, and he didn't like it.
So much so that he couldn't help but pry, desperate to find out the reason for her strange actions. "From that reaction you don't seem too surprised about all this. How often has this happened sis, do you always get nightmares like that?"
And although Hikari knew he was right, she hated that he was reading her like a book, the girl immediately turning her head away with a bitter scoff. "Stop analyzing me, you commission dog. I hate it."
Hawks seemed to stop at that, his eyes playing in some sort of realization before immediately withdrawing. Old habits were hard to break weren't they? He was still trying to do the very thing Hikari hated, interrogation, profiling..
Turning his face into one of shame, the bird then raised a nervous hand to his neck before giving a small sheepish smile with guilt. "Sorry, there I go again, bombarding you with mountains of questions.I guess that's a fault of mine. I'll work on it."
And even though it wasn't much, his apology couldn't help but bring relief to the girl, knowing that he was trying not to be a complete asshole now. That was rather new after all, usually Hawks loved to revel in the mystery behind someone's words. He loved to manipulate.
So the fact that he wasn't doing that now, it was rather strange and refreshing. At least he was trying to turn off his commission brain now. "Mmmm. I don't know about that one. I think you'd explode before that happens. You love to pry, that's like your thing."
Puffing his cheeks out in fake hurt, Hawks huffed back. "Hey, come on now, give me some credit. I totally can do it!"
Yet Hikari only chuckled under her breath, immediately rising from her spot on the bed and over to the newly broken wall "Sure you can Kei. The day you stop prying is the day I become a hero."
The insult was not lost on him though, the bird sticking his tongue out in a childish manner at the remark. "Rude."
This only earned him another chuckle, Hikari mirroring the action as she stuck her own tongue out a moment later. "You know it."
Crossing his arms over his chest, Hawks then watched as Hikari lifted a hand towards one of feathers stuck through the wall before carefully wiggling it out with a heavy sigh. "Sorry about your wall, I didn't mean to...you know...shishqebap you...I just can't control them sometimes. Guess that's something I gotta work on also."
The words were strange to him, Hawks immediately turning as he watched his sister carefully unstick the feathers and return them back to her wings. Wait, was what she said true, did this happen often? By her reaction it sure seemed so.
Flashing back to a couple weeks ago, the bird then recalled their fight, the one that had left Hikari's room a disaster when she destroyed all of those frilly lace dresses in a single motion.
Now that he thought about it, that event and this one seemed pretty similar, her not being able to control her quirk as it destroyed everything around her. Back then she was just as emotional as well.
That meant the two had to be correlated, that her haywire feathers were a side effect of her unstable emotions, right? That was the only thing that made sense.
Then before he realized it, words poured out of his mouth far faster than he could stop them. "Why did they just shoot out like that? Was it because of your emotions? Hikari, are you okay?"
Hikari only seemed dumbfounded though, her brow twitching with slight disdain before muttering under her breath. "You're doing it again."
At her words, Hawks immediately began to cringe. Ah crap, there goes the interrogation again, right after he said he'd work on it. He didn't even realize it this time. "Sorry, I'm just worried about ya sis. I wanna help you, that's all."
Just then, Hikari's phone dinged in the sign of a message, the girl pulling out the surface before frowning at the mystery words. "You really wanna help me?"
Nodding back eagerly, her brother replied. "Of course."
Yet that's when she shoved her phone back inside her pocket before running an obviously anxious hand through her hair with a sigh. "Lucky for you, we just got invited back to that mansion for a meeting with the liberation. The fun never stops does it? They just keep being a pain in my ass."
The change of topic was certainly surprising to him. Oh right, they had to deal with that villain group, he had almost forgotten. Lucky them.
Twisting his brow in silent thought, Hawk then forced himself back into serious mode, knowing that the liberation was probably waiting for them to make the first move. "Well, maybe this is a good thing. Now that we are official members we can find out what they are planning and then relay the information to Endeavor."
Yet the moment Endeavor's name filled the air, any moment of relaxation or calm was completely destroyed as Hikari turned around to stare at Hawks like he was crazy. "Excuse me?"
Then she gave a bitter cynical chuckle before turning her head to the side with mocking vigor. "What is this we? I want nothing to do with that fire stained deadbeat. The only reason I'm going is to take them down from the inside. Leave me out of whatever bullshit you've planned. I have no interest."
Flapping his wings in shock, the bird then decided to stand before replying with whining desperation. Now was not the time to choose favorites, they needed Endeavor in this case and she needed to realize that.
"Whaa? Come on Hika-chan. I don't know what kind of vedanta you have with Endeavor but if you got the chance to know him I think you two could.."
The girl immediately cut him off though, crossing her arms over her chest with dark disdain. "I'd rather eat glass."
Knowing he was getting nowhere, Hawks felt himself sigh. Yeah, having Endeavor on their team was crucial but he didn't want to push her into anything that made her uncomfortable again. And her response seemed pretty final, whether he understood it or not.
So because of that, the bird withdrew, not wanting to risk their partnership or newfound relationship. "Alright, point taken. I already told ya, I'm not gonna force you into anything again and I meant that. Look, I'll relay any information to Endeavor and the heros, just be careful on your end too. Re-Destro has it in for you already."
The words couldn't help but make Hikari chuckle though, realizing that her brother had it all wrong. She wasn't the one that would stick out at that meeting. "Stupid bird, you really don't get it do you?"
She confirmed her theory when Hawks blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
Not wanting to ruin the joke, Hikari only continued to chuckle though, the girl throwing on the closest black jacket before picking up the crystal pendant on the table next to her. "Nothing, you'll figure it out eventually."
Just then, her mind couldn't help but flash back to that horrible nightmare just minutes ago, her hand pausing on the pendant for a moment before an unexpected shiver appeared up her spine.
Why was she so bothered by her dream, it didn't make sense. In fact, it was more of a premonition if anything. Dabi was going to kill Hawks, he had said it himself so there was no reason to be so involved in a dead bird.
It would only spell disaster in the end when she had to pick a side.
Yet even still, Hikari's mind still filled with chaos, the girl pressing the pendant into her palm before running one finger over the top. "Hey Kei, promise me you won't meet with Dabi alone anymore."
Widening his eyes at the words, Hawks felt himself turn to find his sister's troubled stance, stepping forwards with concern at how random it was. "Huh? Where's this coming from, I thought you trusted him."
A bit of distaste appeared in her throat at that, the girl shaking her head once before closing the pedant in her palm, scoffing at the very idea. "I've never trusted him, especially not when it comes to you."
That was true, in every sense of the word. As much as she loved him, Hikari didn't trust Dabi, she didn't trust that he wouldn't go behind her back and kill her brother without knowing. He favored murder more then her after all, which meant killing Keigo would be an average Tuesday for him.
And that scared Hikari, knowing how unpredictable he could be, what he could do when she wasn't around. "Just, promise me....please..."
Although Hawks didn't understand, one look at his scared sister was enough to make him comply, the bird closing his eyes before reaching forward and giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Yeah Hika-chan, of course.
Giving herself a weighted sigh, Hikari then nodded to herself before fixing the crystal and chain around her neck in order to calm her nerves.
"Good. you better keep it."
------
When the two arrived at the liberation mansion, Hawks was surprised to see his sister immediately step in front of him as a stranger seemingly slid up to them in the next moment, a skeptical glare on his face. "State your business."
Hikari didn't seem intimidated in the slightest though, the girl turning her head to the side in order to point at his once slippery feet., "Whoa, was that your quirk just now? That was really cool, mr..?"
Realizing she was complimenting him, the man seemed to perk up immediately, his once scowl turning rather goofy as he gave a lame sort of salute in response. "Slidin Go, one of the best heroes in the business I'll have you know. My quirk is pretty amazing now that you mention it. I can even pick up speed. Would you like to see?"
Yet before she could answer, another stranger entered the space, his solid back suit and hair taking up the eternity of his face as he stepped in between the girl and the hero. "Now, let's not keep our new members waiting. They have a lot to catch up on."
Slidin Go only whined though, obviously upset by the interruption. "Aww that's not fair, the lady wanted to see my amazing quirk. I haven't even gotten to the best part."
The other man didn't budge though, his voice just as straightforward as always as he pushed Hawks and Hikari away towards the doors. "Come along, everyone else has already arrived, you can show them another time."
The hero started to whine once more but the black suited man only slammed the door in his face before letting out a dejected sigh and turning back to the two. "That man could blabber on for hours."
Seeing his chance, Hawks then hopped up to the obviously annoyed man before lifting his hand out in a friendly handshake and a grin. "Ah yeah, I know how that is! How ya doin man? The names Hawks."
Hikari only crossed her arms from behind him though, already rolling her eyes at his antics. Idiot. Could you be any more annoying?
The man didn't seem amused either, looking at Hawks' hand for a millisecond before moving past him down the hall instead. "Yes, I know very well how you are, number two hero. I've been asked to escort you to the dining room. Everyone else has already gathered."
Hikari couldn't help but chuckle at that, bumping his shoulder as she passed her brother with a cynical smirk. "Oof, rejected."
Shooting her an annoyed look while the man's back was turned, Hawks then ran up to him before lifting his wings out and trying again. "Aww, that's really sweet of ya. I appreciate it..."
This time, the black haired man did answer, although it was plain. "Skeptic."
But that was enough information to make Hawks beam. Now he was getting somewhere. So this guy's name is Skeptic. He must have been pretty close to Re-Destro then, definitely someone to look out for.
Patting his back in a sloppy manner, Hawks then lifted wings upwards before curving them around Skeptic with a playful wink. "I appreciate it, ole buddy old pal. It's nice to meet ya! Glad to be here!"
Once again though, the villain didn't seem amused, simply stepping away from the clingy bird before speaking honestly. "Re-Destro seems to have such faith in you but I still have my reservations about letting such a well known hero and a no named girl join our cause."
Then before Hawks could reply to defuse the situation, it seemed Hikari beat him to it. Except her approach to the situation was far different.
No, in fact she sounded rather cynical.
"Yeah well, tell your boss that he's an asshole for me."
Almost immediately Skeptic stopped walking, turning to the disrespectful blonde only for her brother's jaw to fall to the floor. What was that idiot doing? Things were going so well.
Lowering his voice, the villain seethed back. "Watch your tongue, girl."
The bird seemed to realize the situation first, his eyes playing with slight anxiety as he tried to slap his wings back onto Skeptic's back in order for him to forget his sister's outburst.
"Hey, let's not get off on the wrong foot here, I think.."
Although once again, Hikari spoke over him immediately, challenge laced in every word. "Yeah that's not really my thing. If you want me to shut up you're gonna have to make me. Although I don't see how an emo goth reject like yourself could even do that.."
Then before the two could even process it, Skeptic threw his hands out as the giant life sized painting next to them seemingly jumped off the wall, turning into a strange humanoid shape as it barreled into Hikari and Hawks.
And the next thing they knew, the two were held captive by realistic lifelike versions of themselves, each holding a knife to their throat in warning. "Let me put it another way, you will respect the boss and his vision while you are here or else I will deal with you personally. Are we clear?"
Widening his eyes at the moment, Hawks immediately put his hands up only to turn to his sister and find a small smile grazing her lips as she was threatened. Why did she look so happy about this? This was her fault.
Not wanting to create even more discourse, the bird felt himself nodd in reply. "Cyrstal."
Yet Hikari still seemed a little more daring, her lips curving up even more as she glanced from Skeptic's quirk to the man a couple feet away. "For now."
That seemed to be enough for the villain as just a few moments later, the figures disappeared, allowing the two to breathe before Skeptic pointed to the door behind him with a frown. "Through there, now go.."
Not wanting his sister to piss this guy off even more, Hawks nodded back a little too enthusiastically before shoving his wings into Hikari to push her forward. "Ah, thank you very much! We really owe you one! Sorry about that, she's just a little nervous for her first big meeting! Okay see ya soon, bye!"
Then the bird shoved open the door to disappear from the villain before Hawks turned his eyes in disdain for her actions as he whispered once the coast was clear. "What is your problem? It's like you wanted him to attack you back there.."
Hikari didn't seem bothered though, her own expression casted down, almost as if she was in deep thought of her own, muttering to herself all at once. "Puppets, huh? Very interesting."
Not understanding, Hawks chose to ignore the comment before the two siblings looked up at the room of hundred of unknown faces milling about, all of them standing near a rather large table in the center.
Well that was more people than they originally thought. Crap.
Yet throughout the various people, the bird couldn't help but notice the absence of a very familiar stitched villain. In fact, he was nowhere to be seen. How strange. "It doesn't look like Dabi is even here. You think he got the same invite?"
Hawks then watched as Hikari's eyes softened ever so slightly, the way they always did when he brought up Dabi before covering it with a scoff. "Yeah, but he's probably still sulking like a toddler because of last night. Whatever, it's not my problem. He'll get his head out of his own ass sometime."
Her words were surprising to say the least, Hawks knowing how much Dabi meant to her. Was she really okay with just leaving everything alone, even after she loved him? That fight last night was pretty nasty to say the least.
So much so that Hawks couldn't help but speak on it, not caring that his prying was on full display this time. "You sure? You seem bothered by it."
And although Hikari noticed his bad habit right away, this time the girl didn't shut him down, instead only closing her eyes with a defeated sigh before answering honestly. "He'll never say sorry so there is no point in dwelling on it. We both just have to get over it. That's always how it is."
Hawks couldn't help but frown at that though. "That doesn't seem healthy..."
The girl could only chuckle at that, knowing he was right but not speaking on it. Of course it wasn't healthy, but this was Dabi they were talking about. "When is it ever? Whatever, I don't have time for this, I have work to do. Alpha.."
Hearing his voice a moment later, Hawks jumped as Alpha seemingly appeared out of nowhere, his head dipping into a small bow at her words. "Understood."
Hawks then placed a hand to his heart to calm his nerves, giving a nervous chuckle as he turned to the silver haired boy. "You scared me, kid. I didn't even know you were there."
Alpha didn't see the problem though, his voice plain as ever. "Apologies. I was just awaiting orders. Now, if you would excuse me."
Then just like that, Hikari and Alpha moved through the crowds in separate directions as they mingled themselves into the groups of people with fake greetings and giggles. What were those two doing? What was the purpose of this?
Hawks then watched as one of the guests created a small tornado in his palms for Hikari to see, showcasing his quirk as she clapped and pretended like she was interested.
And although it was very clear that Hikari had intentions behind her actions, Hawks couldn't figure them out just yet. In fact, the girl had acted weird the very moment they arrived.
Usually she wouldn't have cared about anyone here, so why now?
And even when the guest started to sit down for the meeting, Hikari still remained standing, instead choosing to move through the people one by one in order to introduce herself with a fake manufactured smile.
Just then, the room grew quiet as a new voice entered the space, Re-Destro appearing from the back as he lifted a glass with great pride at the numbers. "What a wonderful occasion it is, thank you so much for you all being here on this glorious day. I love seeing so many new and inspired faces for our cause."
Clapping his hands together, the villain beamed. "Now, onto business I suppose. We are here to discuss the wonderful plans ahead. But first.."
Then, his gaze seemed to snap to one person in particular, his lips turning up with knowing malice as he spoke to Hikari from across the room. "If you would have a seat so we can begin, Takami."
Feeling her heart completely stop inside her chest, Hikari's eyes widened at the use of her real name before a wave of fear and panic entered all at once.
He did not just call her Takami, not in front of everyone like that.
She had to have imagined it.
Although her fears were multiplied when the entire room began to gasp and gossip to themselves, the feathers in Hikari's pocket picked up the hushed and terrifying words.
"Did he just say, Takami, like the serial murder Takami? But that's impossible."
"He was referring to that girl, wasn't he?"
"Wait, didn't Takami have a daughter? I thought she died though."
"I thought she disappeared when she was seven."
"Could it really be, are they related?"
She knew she had to speak but even still, Hikari found herself still frozen, not knowing how to respond as Re-Destro kindly did so for her, his gaze never leaving hers as he mocked playfully. "Is there a problem, Takami? You said I could use your name once I deserved it, correct? I think we have reached that point. Go on and take a seat."
And as his smile curved even wider, Hikari knew what kind of message he was trying to send. It was very clear, in every possible way.
He was showing her that right now, he was the boss, that he had her wrapped around his little finger and there wasn't anything she could do about it, not without confirming she was Valkyrie anyways. That cocky son of a bitch. You know I can't confirm or deny anything.
As much as she hated it, Hikari knew that if he started throwing her name around to everyone like this then that meant the commission would be able to find her more easily as well. She couldn't have that, not after working so hard to hide for years.
So because of that, she was stuck, and Re-Destro knew it.
Hikari then did the only thing she could do, she complied, wordlessly moving to her seat at the opposite end of her brother as the girl continued to glare at her blackmailer with disdain.
Although as she started to move, everyone seemingly burst to life with even more gossip, every step causing Hikari's heart to squeeze in a horrible and nasty way.
"Oh my god, she answered him. Is it really true then?"
"Why was she hiding her name then, is she not proud to be a Takami?"
"Didn't she have a brother also, I wonder what happened to him?"
Although the moment someone mentioned her brother, Hikari seemed to snap, slamming her fists into the dinning table in front of her in order for the rumors and the accusations to stop before anyone connected anything.
The last thing she wanted was for Keigo to be mixed up in this shit also.
"Would you all just shut up, I can't hear myself think."
Silence appeared then, allowing Re-Destro to finally take hold of the situation, knowing he had gotten under her skin so easily. "She is right, let's all settle down. I know we are excited but the lady is part of our team so we must treat her with respect. You can ask your questions later and I'm sure she'll be happy to answer them."
Clapping his hands, the villain felt himself get back to business, clearly ignoring the glare from Hikari as he spoke carefully. "Now where were we? Ah yes, our glorious plan to bring back order and justice to this new free world. Only you can do it you know, make the change into something beautiful."
Re-Destro then leaned forward in his chair before continuing with ease. "In three weeks time, the mightest and finest soldiers of our cause will create a war never before seen in the time of quirks. No, this war will topple down hero society as we know it so that we can build it back up into the free world we all deserve!"
And although his tone was rather calm, the words couldn't help but stick in Hawks' mind, his eyes widening at very implications all at once.
Did he just say war?
The liberation was planning a literal war against the heros?!
No no no, that couldn't be right. There were just supposed to be a small group to look into and watch over, not a national threat to quirks and heros. This was bad, this was so incredibly bad, more than Hawks had ever thought possible.
Why did no one know about this? The liberation said they would be ready in three weeks which meant Hawks now had three weeks to come up with a plan to take down an entire group of insane crazy villains by himself.
Shit, he was so screwed.
Yet that's when an idea popped into his head. Endeavor was on the outside of all of this. He could put together a defense faster than anyone. Hawks just needed to bring his information to him after the meeting.
Someone needed to know after all, what they were dealing with.
He just barely heard the leader continue, Hawks not registering any of the words as he thought of his own plan while the people around him cheered for the murder of his friends.
"No more will anyone be left behind, no more will quirks rule our society. No more will they determine our worth, instead we will decide who is special and who is not. We will change the world one step at a time, together!"
Then Re-Destro paused for a moment before smiling back with pure joy, lifting his glass at the sound of their cheers. "And to prove our strength to you, I am also happy to announce our very first co-commander to our army, Valkyrie."
Voices started to fill the space immediately, all of them curious, surprised and slightly fearful at the sudden mention of the mysterious villain joining their cause.
Hikari only seemed dumbfounded though, knowing that she had never agreed to such a thing in the first place. But it wasn't like she could speak out against his words, then she'd look even more suspicious then before.
That asshole, he knew what he was doing, he knew she couldn't deny it.
Confirming that fact, Re-Destro continued his lies a moment later. "Even though they will be absent from the meetings please ensure that their representative here will oversee the training for the time being. And then when everything is complete, Valkyrie will join in the final battle."
Everyone began to cheer and shout at the idea, excitement and gossip filling the space as Hawks turned towards his sister with shock and disbelief only to find her just as annoyed and confused at the leader's words.
Almost like his sister couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Lifting his hand up, Re-Destro then silenced the crowds before changing the subject once again, knowing he had already gotten his point across. "But first, a sort of precaution must be taken in order for everything to remain secret. That's why I ask that every hero here will undergo a twenty four hour surveillance watch, just until our plans are complete. It is only to insure the safety of the cause after all."
Then everyone watched as the man pulled out a small box before revealing dozens of small tiny cameras, each of them the size of a fingernail as he lifted one up for everyone to see. "These cameras will be placed in your hero suits and quirks to make sure our supporters remain our supporters, which shouldn't be a problem since we have already sworn our lives to the liberation."
And that's when Hawks felt like he was going to be sick.
Wait, did he just say twenty four hour surveillance? That meant he couldn't leave and tell Endeavor about the war, not if he wanted to keep his cover.
Not only that, if he was being watched that meant having to pretend to be on the liberations side, to keep up his fake commissioned persona at all times. It meant not calling Hikari his sister, it meant having nothing be secret anymore.
Gulping at the realization, sweat began to pour down his face as he tried to think of a solution to this. Someone needed to know about this, he needed to tell the heroes so they could make a defense. But how?
With those cameras he was now useless to the case and the commission.
Re-Destro then finished warmly a moment later, his arms outstretched with pride "Now while you are awaiting your turn, feel free to mingle with the guests here. You will be welcome to leave as soon as the cameras are attached to all heroes in the room."
The entire room seemed to bustle to life then, everyone standing from their seats as they excitedly talked about the war ahead, leaving Hawks' head spinning and dizzy. Shit shit shit, this was bad, this was really bad. Come on, think of something, quickly..
Just then he saw his sister from across the room before an idea popped into his head.
A rather reckless idea, but it was an idea nonetheless.
Immediately standing from his seat, he vaguely heard the leader call out a random heroes name before quickly using his wings to push her to the side of the room and into the nearest bathroom on their left.
Stumbling at the action, Hikari glared before brushing herself off. "Hey, I told you to stop that."
Yet Hawks was far too distracted to listen, placing his hands on each of her shoulders as all of his fears over the last couple minutes started to pour out. "Hikari, did you hear that? The way he said your real name? Why did you cover for me? Did you really agree to be a commander in his army? Did you hear what they are planning?!"
Blinking in surprise, the girl felt herself grow confused with his quick questions, raising an eye as she watched his breath turn short. "Whoa whoa whoa, slow down birdie. One thing at a time.."
Hawks didn't seem to like that idea though, widening his eyes in disbelief. "Slow down, how can I slow down when there's a war coming in three weeks!?"
He then began to pace around the room, wings flapping wildly as the bird ran a glove through his hair in panic. "Don't you get it?! Shit shit shit, this is bad, this is really bad. What are we going to do? Someone has to warn Endeavor, someone has to tell him about all of this since I can't."
Hikari only watched her brother with half interest though, crossing her arms over her chest as she gave a low chuckle because of his distress. "Sucks for you Kei. I told ya, didn't I? No one trusts heroes around here. I'm not the one that has to watch my back."
Stopping all at once, he recalled Hikari words at his apartment before the pieces started to stick together. She knew he'd be screwed, didn't she? That's why he didn't get it before.
Hikari knew there would be some sort of roadblock for him as a hero here.
After realizing he had been played, Hawks threw his hands in the air, stomping up to his sister with wild eyes. "Why didn't you tell me that before?!"
She only seemed to smirk though, clearly enjoying the stress. "And ruin the surprise?"
Knowing he was getting nowhere with this, Hawks then let out a defeated sigh before reaching forward to grasp her shoulder once more, this time far more gently. Who knows how long he had before those cameras anyways. He had to hurry.
"Hikari, I can't deliver the information to Endeavor, I can't be the informant anymore or else I'll break my cover with those hidden cameras. He's the best chance we have at winning this thing, someone's gotta tell him..."
Soaking in the words all at once, Hikari thought about the meaning all at once. What was this idiot going on about? He's fishing for something, isn't he? But what? Why are you looking at me like that?
Yet before he could even finish the sentence, Hikari's eyes lit up with sudden understanding before immediately slapping his hands off. "Oh hell no.."
Already trying to level the situation, the bird huffed. "You didn't even let me finish."
Hikari had already heard enough though, already knowing what was going to come out of his mouth, and she wasn't having it. "Cause I already know what you're gonna say. You want me to play double agent and feed information to that grade a shit bag in your place. This is your problem, not mine. Leave me the hell out of it and figure it out."
The complete rejection caused the bird to groan immediately. He knew this wasn't going to be easy but Hawks also knew they were out of options right now. He just had to make her see that.
"Hika-chan, please. I know you don't like him but you're the only one standing in between the heroes and the villains right now. If Endeavor doesn't know about this then the heroes won't be able to create a defense."
Although the girl wasn't still amused, instead choosing to cross her arms over her chest before turning around to the exit with a dry chuckle. "Suck for them then, doesn't it?"
As he watched her leave, Hawks began to panic. No, she couldn't just walk away, his sister was the once chance the heroes had right now. "Don't you want to take down the liberation too? I thought you'd be more logical about this considering we both want the same thing!"
Pausing ever so slightly, the girl only shook her head, back still turned away from him in the process. "And I thought you'd be less stupid. Just because I want the same thing doesn't mean I would ever stoop that low."
Yet before her hand could reach the handle of the door once more, Hawks began to think of a new strategy, one that fit her villain persona and would hopefully make her stop. "Okay okay okay, fine. You work on commission right? Then let me hire you. Let me hire you as Valkyrie to get this done. What do you want, money, a favor?"
And this time, Hikari did stop.
Her brother then watched as she slowly turned around before strolling up to the bird ever so slightly until they were only a couple steps away from each other, another dry chuckle escaping her lips.
Then she poked one finger into his chest before speaking, clear and concise. "Nice try Kei, but no amount of money or favors in the entire world is worth the shit you're spewing..."
Sucking in a heavy breath at her serious tone, Hawks felt his tongue run dry, trying to grasp at straws he didn't have. "But what if I..."
Hikari simply cut him off though, her fingers still not moving from his chest as she scoffed and shut him down. "Save it. It's not happening."
Feeling his panic and anxiety start to overtake him, her brother then shook his head at the rejection before slapping her hand away. Why wasn't she understanding?
This wasn't just about liking heroes or not, this was about stopping a literal war!
How could she not care about that!?
"Ugh! This is the fate of the world we are talking about, stop being so difficult!"
Hikari only seemed annoyed by his frantic nature though, slapping him upside the head in response. "Then stop being so stupid."
The hit only seemed to make him even more pissed though, pushing her hands away from him once more as his wings extended outwards in a hushed whispered shout. "I'm not the stupid one here! You are!"
Taking a step forward, Hikari then frowned at his attitude before slapping him back across the chest with a huff. "Oh really? Guess you haven't looked in the mirror lately then!"
Hawks gasped at the hit before returning the same, lightly hitting her in the shoulder in order to slap some sense into her. "You're impossible! Can't you see, I'm trying to help both of us!"
Yet that only made her even more pissed, returning the action to his chest as she whispered even louder in his direction. "Get your hands off of me, it's not happening!"
The hero only groaned though, grabbing onto his sister's wrists in order to stop the attacks. "I will when you stop trying to slap me!"
Pulling backwards immediately, the girl then stumbled backwards to free herself as she glared. "You started it!!"
Hawks only gasped at that, his wings outwards in surprise. "I did not!"
Hikari then crossed her arms over her chest before leaning forward with mocking annoyance. "Did too!"
And although they two didn't realize it at the time, their clique and childish sibling fight only seemed to escalate even further, their tempers and frutations slowly about to reach a breaking point.
Because even though they were grown adults, the two were still siblings after all.
Lifting his arms outwards in desperation, the bird continued his pleading once more. "Hey, come Hikari stop being a child and listen to me!"
Hikari responded with the same attack as well, lifting her arms outwards from a couple steps away before sticking her tongue outwards as a nonverbal "fuck you"
"A child? How about this, is this childish enough for you?!"
Her brother was only offended by the attack though, stomping closer to her. "What? Don't stick your tongue out at me!"
Yet she only continued to do so, sticking her tongue out even further in order to piss her brother off even more. "What are ya gonna do about it, huh? Huh?!"
Having had enough of everything, Hawks then reached forward, grabbing onto her jacket in order to shake her around enough to finally understand what he was trying to say. "Hikari..would you just..."
The girl only frowned though, pushing her hands to grasp Hawks' own hero jacket as she shook him in the same manner, also completely over everything he was saying. "No, I'm not doing it...you idiot..!!"
Suddenly, the new voice seemed to cut them off, the two siblings freezing as they turned towards the new presence all at once. "Am I interrupting something?"
Gulping all at once, the two then notice Skeptic standing by the entrance of the bathroom, his eyes narrowed with curiosity under his hair at the two birds that were holding each other by their jackets.
Well shit, this looked bad, didn't it?
Quickly trying to cover up their mistake, Hawks immediately let go before dusting off Hikari's shoulder with a fake chuckle. "Ah, nope! I was just chatting with my new friend here!"
Hikari then frowned before barreling her fist into his stomach as Hawks crumbled to the ground in a hard groan. "Get away from me, hero. I already said we aren't friends."
Gritting his teeth in pain, Hawks then let out a small chuckle, lifting a hand up with a shaky thumbs up. "Good one, new friend."
Skeptic watched the interaction with interest for a few more moments before finally taking their words as truth and gesturing his hand to the door. "Yes well, it's your turn Hawks. Please follow me so we can begin."
Giving a sigh of relief, Hawks then lifted his wings with fake excitement before turning to Hikari in order to give her a hidden knowing look. "Ah, right! Wouldn't miss it for the world! I guess I'll see you later?"
Hikari knew exactly what that look meant immediately, choosing not to acknowledge it and instead remaining silent as she watched her brother leave with a heavy dejected sigh.
She didn't know what Hawks were expecting, she was a villain.
She didn't do the hero thing.
Leaving the bathroom a moment later, another voice seemed to stop her in her tracks, Re-Destro standing a couple feet away as he lifted the glass in his hand to his lips. "I wanted to ask you, what did you think about my announcements? I think Valkyrie will make a fine commander, don't you?"
Hikari rolled her eyes at the question before finally turning to look at him and his condescending little face with a glare. "Why are you asking me, it doesn't involve me."
Re-Destro only chuckled though, clearly not believing her words. "Of course not. I suppose I was just asking your opinion, considering they are the individual that took over your dear father's gang."
The girl couldn't help rolling her eyes once again at the statement, knowing he was mocking her again. He totally suspected she was Valkyrie, that's why he was trying to trip her up so much and piss her off.
This little shit, he was just waiting for her to crack.
Seeing her frown only brought amusement to him though, pushing his glass upwards towards the people milling around. "Why the long face? This is a celebration. Relax a little. I'm sure the liberation will be eager to learn about the lost Takami daughter after all."
Hikari then felt a wave of annoyance enter her throat, closing her eyes for a moment before finally turning in his direction with a low dark tone. "Look buddy, I'm sure you thought that little announcement of yours was hysterical, but let me tell you right now that you better watch your back."
Re-Destro only seemed to find her threat cute though. "Oh, do I? No, I think I'm quite comfortable in my current position. In fact, I believe it is the opposite of what you said my dear.."
Raising an eye, Hikari paused. "And why is that?
Giving a low chuckle, Re-Destro then lowered his eyes before going in for the kill all at once. "Because for some reason or another, you've kept your name a secret. It would be rather unfortunate if it started to spread around, the confirmation of a Takami could create quite a stir."
And that was the moment Hikari realized just how screwed she was.
He was blackmailing her to keep her identity a secret. That's why he mocked her during that meeting, why he said her real name so easily in front of everyone, why he purposely tried to make her uncomfortable.
And usually she wouldn't care but if he started to gossip then that meant the commission would know she was alive, they would come find her and involve her brother, they would ruin everything if she wasn't careful enough.
So yeah, basically she was screwed.
Widening her eyes as each realization came to light, Re-Destro only relieved in her lost stare, lowering his voice to pretend to be sympathetic. "Don't look at me like that, dear. It's only a precaution. As long as you stay loyal to the liberation then that name will never reach outside these walls. I think that's a pretty reasonable understanding, don't you?"
Hikari felt herself grit her teeth in response, balling her fists as her crystal pendant across her throat started to shake with untapped fury. "You son of a bitch.."
Just then, one of his comrades began to wave him over as Re-Destro returned the action and finally stepped away from Hikari with a twisted smile. "Goodbye Takami, I expect great things from my new birdie."
And once he was gone, Hikari felt herself force out a heavy breath, running her fingers through her hair with a shaking touch.
The blackmail made her feel sick, Hikari's stomach twisting in an unnatural way at the trap she had put herself in. She felt chained and confined, like a caged bird. Maybe not physically but certainly emotionally.
And that's the same exact thing Riku tried to do.
Even his words were the same as Riku's, the memory haunting her immediately with familiar distaste. "Now, hurry on little birdie. I expect great things, Takami."
Oh hell no, that was not going to happen, not again. Re-Destro maybe wanted to relive history but Hikari refused. She refused to be blackmailed, she refused to just let him win and comply.
She refused to be held captive by another Riku.
But that also meant trying to come up with a plan in three weeks.
Just then, her brother's voice popped into her head, causing the girl to close her eyes in a heavy groan. Oh no no no, come on there's gotta be something else. Anything but that.
Although the more she thought about it, all the color started to drain from her face.
Fuck, Kei was right. there is no other option, is there?
Groaning to herself, Hikari then spoke, regretting her every word. "Alpha."
As usual, the silver haired boy seemed to appear from nowhere, causing Hikari to rub her temples on an incoming headache. "Find Endeavor's location."
Alpha then began to pull out his phone, only to pause a moment later and show the girl all at once. "Already found, boss. He's all over the news right now, fighting an unnamed villain with a metal type quirk in Musutafu."
Narrowing her eyes, Hikari frowned at the news articles before recognizing the unnamed villain's quirk immediately as one of her past victims of Valkyrie. Ah, this should be easy.
Groaning once more, she then threw Alpha's phone back to him.
She couldn't believe she was doing this.
"Stay here. I have to go do something unpleasant."
--------------------
Using his quirk, Endeavor burst a hole through the nearest wall as the iron villain simply dodged out of the way with a condescending chuckle. "Is that all you got, number one? I'm not impressed."
The hero growled at the very idea, already prepping another fist, the entire surface filled with blazing flames. "You're gonna regret that, villain."
It had been a couple minutes since the hero had cornered the villain after an attempted attack on his life, Endeavor purposely trying to contain the man inside to eliminate any injuries to civilians or buildings. No, he had to take care of this here.
Feeling the blood start to pour down his face in a single line, Endeavor then huffed out a breath from his exhausted lungs only to pause when the small sound of clapping was overheard from just a few feet away, followed by a new voice.
"Oof you're not looking so good, number two."
The hero couldn't help but glare at the insult, turning to find a hooded figure with a black jacket just a couple feet away, sitting comfortably on a stack of wooden shipping boxes and watching the two.
Wait, they weren't there before. What was this, another trick?
Wiping a bit of blood from his face with his sleeve, Endeavor huffed back towards the new stranger, wanting to correct them for being wrong. "It's number one."
The girl only laughed though, kicking her legs upwards and crossing them over each other, almost like she was mocking him. "Really? Cause all I ever see when I look at you is a big pile of shit."
Irritation started to creep into his throat at that, pausing ever so slightly when he heard his opponent from the opposite side of the room speak towards the stranger with confusion. "Who are you?"
This caused Endeavor to stop. "She's not one of yours?"
He then confirmed that fact when the villain pointed towards the new audience member with dark intent. "Hey, I already called dibs on him. Killing the great Endeavor is my reward. Stay out of it before you regret it."
Wait, was that really true, this guy really didn't know her? Then why was she here? Something was weird about this and Endeavor didn't like it.
Yet once again, the girl only seemed amused, the words hitting a sense of deja vu and recalling a certain stitched man saying the same. "Ah, where have I heard that one before? Looks like you're on quite a few hit lists. That's rough, isn't it?"
Lifting her hands upwards, she then waved her hand away like nothing. "Besides, I have no desire in stopping you. In fact, if you do kill him then that will make my job far easier in the long run. Don't mind me, I'm just here to watch that's all."
Endeavor couldn't help but feel slightly offended by the comment. She was just going to sit there while he got the shit beat out of him, was that why she was here? That didn't make sense. Usually villains wanted to kill him themselves, so why was this girl just watching?
It kinda seemed like she was taking enjoyment in it for some sick reason.
Already having enough of the commentary, the villain then turned his hands into pure iron before setting his sights back on the hero in front of him. "I'll deal with her in a second. But first, say your last words, Endeavor!!"
Racing forward in attack, Endeavor narrowed his eyes before his entire fist lit up with bright burning flames, throwing heavy inferno in his direction.
Yet as soon as the flames disappeared he heard the sounds of boo-ing from the girl that was strangely watching him. "A traditional flash fire? Boringgg. Come on old man, I hope you can do better than that."
Endeavor felt his eyebrow tick in annoyance at that. Why was she heckling him?
Then she cupped her hands around her hidden lips before shouting back to the villain all at once. "Hey buddy, go for a side attack before he can power up!"
Not understanding, the iron villain then followed her lead, throwing an iron plate in front of Endeavor as he threw a large flame to stop them only for two more large iron blocks to appear from his left and throw him off his feet.
Clapping wildly, the girl cheered in response, watching as Endeavor crawled back to his feet with a painful groan. "Now that's what I'm talking about! Break a few bones while you're at it!"
The hero then turned to the mystery girl before spitting out a chunk of blood and shouting with fury. "Who's side are you on?!"
She only smiled under her hood though. "Not the side you'd think."
Leaning backwards, the girl then called back to the villain once more, whining throughout the space. "Ughhh, this is taking too long. I'm gonna be here all day at this rate. Hurry it up, would you? Let's see some real hits before I show you how it's done."
And that seemed to be the breaking point for him, the villain twisting his lips down before he aimed his iron fists in her direction. "I've had enough of your mouth, girlie. Come down here before I make you.
She only seemed to snort through, lifting her hands up in mocking defense before the hooded figure descended from her box in order to stand in between Endeavor and the villain. "Oof, I would stand down if I were you. Really bad decision to point that at me."
The villain knew he had the upper hand though, not dropping his guard in the slightest. "And why is that? I don't even know who you are."
Yet that's when she laughed under her breath before the girl lifted up her hands and removed her hood, her blonde hair falling across her shoulders in a single motion. "Does this change anything?"
Then all at once, the villain's face began to drop, recognizing her face immediately. "Holy shit, that's impossible.."
Even Endeavor was surprised at the reveal. Wait, wasn't that Hawks' sidekick, the psychotic one that tried to poison him? Why was she here? Did Hawks send her?
Taking a shaky step backwards, Hikari's amber eyes stared into the villain's soul, following him ever so slowly as he realized the mistake he made. "Aww where'd all your big scary words go, Iron Claw, or should I say, Takashi Rito. Aren't you gonna show me who's boss?"
Takashi only seemed horrified though, hearing his real name poured from her lips with such dark amusement as he stuttered back brokenly. "W-Why are you here? I did everything you said. I haven't broken the rules. P-Please spare me, I didn't know what I was saying before. I didn't know, I swear.."
Hikari only smiled though. "Oh Takashi, poor little Takashi. You have been quite good lately, haven't you? Far better than when we first met. Lucky for you, you're not the reason I'm here today.."
Yet as soon as she said that, another one of the villain's henchmen ran up behind her in a surprise attack, causing their leader to immediately widen his eyes in fear. "No, wait. Stand down!"
Realizing it was too late, the boss then watched as one of his henchmen lifted up his hands for a punch only for Hikari to turn around instantly and kick her leg to block the hit gracefully, causing the man to falter.
Then she quickly grabbed onto the back of his head before slamming it mercilessly into the hard pavement, causing a loud sickening crack to appear and the man to grow unconscious.
Gasping at the scene, Takashi quickly bowed his head in apology. "I am so sorry. I didn't order them to do that, I swear. They acted on their own."
Even Endeavor couldn't help but pause. The way she took care of that villain was so brutal and cruel, without a second thought. Where did Hawks even pick this girl up?
Hikari only looked down at the unconscious man with disdain before waving her hand towards the villain, a frown etched on her face. "Scram, I have some unfinished business with Endeavor."
Immediately nodding his head, the villain quickly bowed again before lifting his hands out in peace, already trying to leave the station as fast as possible.
Valkyrie had spared him after all, that wasn't something to take lightly.
Running away from the scene, Endeavor and Hikari barely heard his last jumble of words before disappearing through the back."Y-Yes, yes of course. He's all yours. Do what you like, just spare me!"
And once it was just the two of them, the hero couldn't help but speak, wondering what the hell he just saw. "What was that?"
Hikari only frowned though, her mood dropping immediately as soon as she realized they were alone. "Still wanna call me incompetent, Endeavor? I just saved your ass."
Endeavor didn't seem to feel the same though, recalling the situation quite differently. "Saved my ass? You were the one helping the villain beat me up!"
Cracking a dark smile at his anger, HIkari gave a nostalgic sigh in memory of the good times. "Oh yeah, that was fun. Seeing you all fucked up like this, gotta say it's like Christmas."
The hero could only stare at her dumbfounded though. She was different then any sidekick he'd ever met before. How did Hawks deal with her half the time, she was certifiably insane. "What is wrong with you?"
Hikari only shrugged though, kicking the unconscious body next to her for effect before getting down to business. "Lots of things really, but I don't have the time or energy to get into that. Right now, we have to talk."
Yet after her display, the hero was less than eager to hear anymore of her crazy insults. "I have nothing to say to you."
Hikari only frowned though, nodding her head in fake approval and ignoring his words. "Great, too bad I don't give a shit. Now listen.."
Although once again, the man only cut her off, his own questions and selfish desires taking the place of hers. "What are you even doing here? Ruining my capture like that, how dare you."
Realizing he was not listening to a word she was saying, Hikari felt her necklace tick with futy before giving a weighted and heavy sigh in order not to snap. "You're making it really hard for me not to punch you in the face right now, you know that?"
Once again, Endeavor hardly seemed to care, wanting anything but to speak with the women that tried to poison him just days prior. "Where's Hawks? I want to speak to him about your unruly behavior."
And all at once, Hikari's patience snapped into nothing, turning with outstretched hands in pure anger."Hey shit stain! That's kinda the problem, and what I've been trying to tell you, if you would just shut your big fat mouth for five seconds."
The hero only seemed to hear the insult part of her sentence though, already turning around to leave with a huff. "That's it, I'll go find him myself."
Watching him go, Hikari felt her blood boil immediately, closing her eyes before speaking out to him for the first time without any type of sarcasm or insult.
"Hawks has been compromised."
Freezing at her words, Endeavor seemed to finally process them, taking in her genuine honesty before turning back around to the girl. "What did you just say?"
Hikari only sighed though, lifting her arms out in explanation. "He can't contact you because he's being watched, that's why I'm doing all of this bullshit in the first place. Why do you think I'm here? The last thing I would ever wanna do is talk to you."
And that seemed to make some sort of sense to Endeavor, knowing how much hatred she had towards him. She had a point, if Hawks didn't send her then there was no reason for her to be here.
Was what she said really true, was Hawks really compromised?
Hikari then lowered her voice to turn serious, locking eyes with the man she hated with her entire heart. "Listen to me cause I'm only gonna say this once. The liberation plans to start a war against the heros in three weeks, a war that will tear down society and build it back up in their own twisted and fucked up way."
That certainly caused the hero to pause, a warning bell of horror going off in his mind. "Did you just say a war?"
Nodding her head, the girl continued plainly. "Hawks can't be a double agent because he has cameras on his wings watching his every move. That's why I'm here to tell you that you heroes better pull your shit together, cause it's about to get ugly real fast."
Finally staying silent for the first time since their conversation, Endeavor truly let everything sink in all at once. The liberation was planning a war? Why was this the first time he was hearing about it? Was that why Hawks was compromised?"
Realizing how screwed they actually were, Endeavor lowered his eyes down to the ground in silent thought. "Three weeks, that's practically nothing to create a team."
Hikari could only roll her eyes though, knowing he was saying the obvious. "That's right dipshit, that's why someone has to give you information on the inside while you pull everything together from the outside, and since Hawks are unavailable it looks like I'm the unlucky loser."
Cringing to herself, the girl then closed her eyes as if it physically pained her to say her next words. "Whether we like it or not, we need each other for this."
And although Endeavor hated Hikari just as much as she hated him, the girl had a point. They had no chance of winning this in such a short time without each other. He needed the information and she needed the manpower.
Which meant they really were out of options, and Endeavor was going to have to become partners with Hawks' psychotic sidekick. Great, just great.
Sighing to himself in defeat, Endeavor then moved his gaze back to Hikari before commanding loudly. "First we have to find out the members.."
Yet that's when Hikari pulled a small stack of files from inside her jacket before throwing it on the floor a moment later, her voice plain and simple. "Done."
Endeavor couldn't help but eye the files with curiosity. "What's that?"
The girl only shrugged though, kicking the stack closer with her foot. "It's all the members of the liberation and their quirks. I've been talking and harassing them all day to find out what kinds of power we are dealing with.
Then before he could respond, Hikari reached into her jacket pocket once more before pulling out another small stack of papers, throwing on top of the other ones. "Before you ask, I also lined them up to a list of heroes Hawks gave me a couple days prior, matching each compatible hero to members of the liberation to create a defence..."
Endeavor couldn't help but stare at the files with disbelief. Her research was so thorough, down to the very last detail. Perhaps he did underestimate her skills after all. Clearly the girl was talented when she wanted to be. "You..how did you.."
Hikari only lowered her eyes though, pointing to her research with a frown. She didn't plan to give him all of this, it was only supposed to be for her originally. Too bad it couldn't have stayed that easy.
Now she had to work with Endeavor and have Dabi out for her head.
Such is life though, isn't it?
"Doesn't matter. You have the pieces, now do something with it."
Then the girl took a threatening step closer, hopping over the files before stopping a few feet away from the hero with a glare. "I'll return once a week to give you what I've gathered, but that's it. You don't talk to me, you don't look at me, and you certainly don't try to wrap me into your hero shit. You get the file, and that's it, understand?"
Her words seemed final, causing Endeavor to raise an eye in question. "How will you even know where I am?"
Yet Hikari only cracked a smile in response, already knowing that wouldn't be a problem. "Don't worry about that, I'll find you."
Just then, a loud sound started to approach, Hikari's feathers sensing other various heroes shouting for Endeavor. Ah, must be a backup. Took them long enough.
Realizing her time was up, Hikari then turned to Endeavor one last time before giving him a middle finger in order to piss him off a tiny bit more. "Time to show what you got, number two. I'll be in touch, unfortunately."
Then all at once, Endeavor watched as something flew out of Hikari's pocket before zooming upwards and bursting the light above them, causing the entire area to plunge into darkness.
The shouting returned a moment later, dozens of flashlights and quirks illuminating the space before Endeavor realized that Hawks' sidekick was gone completely, only leaving the files in her place.
Walking over to the stack of papers, the hero carefully picked them up before recalling her strange behavior and attacks. The way she acted, it was strange, far stranger than any hero he had ever seen before. Even the villains seemed afraid of her.
In fact, it was almost like she wasn't a hero at all.
And whether Endeavor liked it or not, the two of them were now partners.
They were the only things standing in the way of an all out war.
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Oooof, Hikari and Endeavor forced bonding? Oops, looks like they gotta work together. Dabi's gonna love that one. Also I don't know if you noticed but Hikari is getting a little bit softer, especially towards her brother. She even agreed to help him out.
I decided to move some plot things around in order to have the story make more sense. We will still have the Touya death anniversary stuff, I just wanted to make this it's own thing since it's so important.
Next Chapter: Hikari and Endeavor are forced to work together.