Unknown left, and life moved on.
To those who once knew her, the complicated feelings left in her wake took some time to fade, but time wears away all bumps and edges, and these were no different. Lives returned to normal, people came and went, and once-broken hearts healed, as those of resilient young folk tend to do. But time catches the inattentive off-guard, and soon enough, these young folk weren't so young anymore. Their sparkling eyes of idealistic vigor changed with their growing understanding of their world- the hardships, the difficult truths. They experienced loss, grief, pain; they saw the common horrors of life and the not-so-common ones as well. Yet their change was not into jaded resignation, but rather ignited their resolve to better the world, to fix the cracks their predecessors chose not to see. Though their path was not always simple, though their vigor was not always unwavering- such were the truths of human nature- yet their white-hot determination to see a better future was not so readily torn.
And it was not only in this scarce corner of the world that the warm glow of hopeful change could be found. The years brought progress, sparks flew, bit by bit, a cascade reaction, all around the world as people began to challenge the realities they had set aside for so long. Many turned their renewed efforts towards championing the causes they believed in, be it children growing up to become policy-makers, denouncing unjust laws, or volunteers, young and old, donating their time to the underprivileged and displaced, or the shifting tide of heroes beginning to amend the oft-ignored rifts they had once struck open. The change was no miracle, no one would wake up tomorrow to discover the world a utopia, yet the slow push of a billion small hearts could not be discounted.
It wasn't until years later that one heart among these began making waves in the western half of the world.
A new hero, though at first merely a single face in the endless flow of hopeful young folk trying to change the world, quickly tore head and shoulders above the rest with the appearance of a single headlining news story:
Newcomer Hero Makes Debut Destroying Inter-State Trafficking Ring: 24 Children Saved!
A notorious human trafficking ring had long been suspected of targeting young children as part of their illicit activities, yet ever since their discovery half a decade ago, the combined efforts of the nation's police and heroes alike have proven fruitless in capturing the elusive ringleaders. However, the case was blown wide open when the United Hero's Federation raided the upper harbor- the location of an anticipated major hand-off, resulting in the arrest of half a dozen traffickers and the recovery of 24 missing children. Mere hours later, another raid was carried out on the Entel Shipping corporate building, and the company's CFO was arrested. Although he was long suspected to be the mastermind behind the trafficking ring, there had been a critical lack of evidence until now. The testimonies of the captured traffickers provided the Federation ample leverage against the now-former CFO, enough that it took only a glance at the mountain of evidence for him to cave. Among the information he revealed were hideout locations, identities of high-ranking members, and hidden communication channels used within the ring, all of which were compiled and passed off to a select number of other hero agencies. One by one, the cogs were swiftly dismantled, and by the end of the week, the once-elusive trafficking ring was no more.
Within a day, the story burned its way into every TV, every home, every school across the country. Families gathered as news anchors opened with the breaking story, children huddled around phones replaying the news footage, office workers gossiped by the breakroom TV, and all of a sudden, the nation's attention was on this unfamiliar new hero who had apparently been the keystone in breaking the case. The public shock was further amplified when, in the same story, they learned of the hero's rather unconventional past. Many of those who paid attention to international news had a eureka! moment as they heard the strikingly familiar story, vaguely recalling some incidents they read about from some other country a few years back- Japan, was it? There were yet more surprises to come, however, as the hero- a young, serious-looking girl, judging by the photos- was confirmed to be working under the United Heroes' Federation: one of the most high-profile agencies in the country. They were an exceedingly elusive group with little information on them publicly available, funded entirely by the federal government, and had among the lowest numbers of signed heroes of any agency in the country. Unlike most groups, the Federation was extremely selective about the types of cases they dealt with, almost exclusively addressing those of pressing national interest. Their public presence was limited, but whenever a new case was declassified, it was almost guaranteed to make cross-country headlines the next day. Really, it was no wonder this newcomer was drawing so much attention. The Federation's heroes, though few in number, were all extraordinarily skilled, each and every one of them ranking within the top 50 in the country. It wasn't every day they added a new face to their numbers, much less someone so young.
It seemed this newcomer had quite the legacy to live up to.
And just like a Federation hero, the young lady didn't disappoint. Over the next few years, she made regular appearances across national headlines and news reports each time her missions were declassified. Thanks to the nature of her specialty- human trafficking, most often child trafficking- the young hero quickly garnered a massive following. Apparently, it was difficult to dislike someone who dedicated their career to saving exploited children, especially when that someone was so staunchly devoted to it as well, as was evident in the scarce few statements she had given to reporters in the past. Like most others in her agency, she had a limited public presence, most often choosing to keep out of the spotlight, though this evidently wasn't much of a deterrent to her popularity. She had already reached the top 100 by the time her first hero ranking came along, mere months after her so-called debut, and by the end of her second year, she had broken into the top 25 with relative ease.
It was around the time of that second ranking ceremony that her presence spread across the seas. Just weeks earlier, she had made headlines once again, this time for breaking up an underground organ trade with ties to the global black market. The case was massive, undoubtedly her biggest one yet, reportedly having involved collaborations with a number of international organizations and resulting in the takedown of multiple trafficking operations all across the globe. Though this was by no means a result of her efforts alone, she unequivocally spearheaded the North American arm of the operation and was a critical player in the global network working against these slippery entities. Due to the international interest in the case and thanks to the aforementioned collaboration, her name was one of the handful that were exchanged between countries far and wide in the aftermath of the case, printed in languages she could never hope to understand, spoken by people she could never hope to meet. For a fleeting moment, the case was a global sensation, and particularly so in one little corner of the world; not because of the case itself, but rather because of one name that came drifting along with it.
To most in Japan, the name would, at first, be a foreign one, but some were quick to do their research, and in no time at all, a more familiar one would yet again be broadcasted over every news channel in the country.
Ex-Sacrosanct Member, Unknown, Busts Global Black Market Traffickers!
Former Villain Becomes Fastest Rising Hero in America!
Remember Unknown? What She Looks Like Now Will Shock You!
And indeed, no one was more shocked than one group of attentive citizens upon seeing this lost fragment of their past resurface.
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A phone buzzed from atop a cluttered nightstand, reverberating noisily within the otherwise quiet room. Light footsteps padded over to the side of the bed shortly before the buzzing stopped.
"Mi-"
"Turn on the news right now!"
"What? Why?"
"Just turn on the news! Go go go! I swear, you won't believe who's on TV!"
"Ok, ok, I'm going now. Did something happen? It's nothing bad, is it?"
"It's CRAZY is what it is! You're about to get your socks blown off!"
"Mina?"
"Tsu?"
"Ochako?"
"Tsu! Go turn on your TV right now!"
"What's going on, ribbit?
"You're not going to believe it! I got to work early and there were a bunch of people crowding around the TV in the lobby and they were clearly gossiping about something but I couldn't see what they were looking at so I got closer and-"
"Is... is that...?"
"I know right!"
"I-is that Naoko?!"
"What?!"
"Right?!"
"She's in America?!"
"Isn't that crazy?!"
"She's what?!"
"A-and she's a hero?!"
"I know! Can you believe it?!"
"She's a what?!"
"When- what- when did this happen?!"
"I don't know! Apparently she just did some huge mission or something! It's insane! Look on social media too- she's literally trending all over the world!"
"She's WHAT?!"
"Tsu, turn on your TV!"
_______________________________________________
"Tell me this is a joke."
"It's really her, Horus! I can't believe it! I always knew she was safe somewhere, and she's a hero! Isn't that amazing?"
"Sounds kind of suspect to me."
"Look, it says she's the 24th highest ranked hero in all of America! She's really popular! Whoa, look at all the results that come up when you search her name!"
"That's not her name, Traceback. How can we even be sure that's her?"
"It's her hero name, Horus, and her picture's right there! Are you saying that's not her? Oh, there's so many pictures, look!"
"Hey! Get that out of my face!"
"Oh, I have to call Amnestica! She's not going to believe this!"
_______________________________________________
"Aizawa!" the door flung open as an out-of-breath All Might stumbled into the staff room, frantic and clearly disheveled, quickly drawing more than the intended pair of eyes.
"All Might? What are you-"
"Have you seen this?!"
"...oh, the news about Unknown? Yes, I have."
"And?!"
"And what?"
"I always knew she was a good kid!" Principal Nezu announced brightly, popping up to stand on the frazzled man's shoulders, "How wonderful to see an old student doing well!"
"I guess so."
"Why are you so calm?! Did you know about this already?!"
"I only learned about it this morning-"
"Since when was she in America?! And to sign with an agency like that?! And when did she become a hero?!"
"Now, now, All Might, maybe we should calm down a little."
"Did you know about this, principal?!"
"Nope! But it's pretty neat, right?"
"What in the world is happening?!"
_______________________________________________
Indeed, time had been good to our heroine. Emerged from the rubble of a twisted childhood, from the seemingly inevitable grasp of a doomed path, and against all odds, pulling away to build a greater future- she now lived the sort of life she once could have only dreamed of. Now, with her head raised high, the world at her feet, her past seemed but a stepping stone in the face of her present. Now she was no longer small, no longer chained to anyone, no longer scrambling to stay alive; now she defended those who were once like her- those children who were still small, still chained, still scrambling, still waiting for time to be good to them. The Federation named her Doublecross: a bitter-sweet reminder of her murky past, but the citizens called her The Children's Hero: a shining beacon of her love for those whose past was not yet past. She was still here; she lived. The odds were never quite with her, but then again, she never much cared for the will of some abstract universe, and in that, she has changed very little.
And so the ever-rolling years continued to be kind to the young hero. Her work continued, evildoers were captured, innocents were saved, and her popularity, in parallel, only continued to climb. Now, she lived how she chose, did with her power what she thought right, and every breath she took truly belonged to her: something she now understood ought to be an entitlement, not a privilege.
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"And there you have it: the latest case file declassified by the United Hero's Federation! It seems they've been on a hot streak with their recent counters against the cyber-attacks from those foreign interest groups, all led by the Cypher Hero: Rifthound. Fans are excited to see him back on the scene, and now we know he's been hard at work during this past year of radio silence. That's the thing about the Federation- the way they operate is different from most other agencies, and we usually don't get to know what's happening until after it's already over and done with. It can make you feel a little late to the game, but their cases are just too interesting not to pay attention to! In case you missed our coverage of Rifthound's latest mission, tune in at 11 for a deep dive into the shocking history behind the case! But that's not all we have for you today, because we've received more exciting news from the Federation! There seems to be a bit of commotion in the projected rankings this year; recent polls show an extremely close race between Apollyon and Doublecross- two of the Federation's top performers. Apollyon has been with the agency for eight years now and has ranked 16th for the past two; Doublecross has been with the agency for four years now and placed 18th last year: 6 up from the year before. Will Apollyon's seniority help him defend his spot? Or will Doublecross' sky-high momentum overcome it? This year's Continental Hero Ranking Awards is only weeks away, so be sure to keep your eye on the polls until then! Although, speaking of the Awards, Doublecross herself will actually not be attending the ceremony this year. The Federation announced that she received an invitation from the Hero's Gala: a prestigious event in Japan held in celebration of their heroes and hero industry. Apparently, it's rare for this particular event to reach out to foreign heroes, but it does make sense considering Doublecross was born in Japan and has quite a bit of history there. It must be exciting to have an opportunity like this! The Federation has confirmed she'll be attending, and although fans are saddened that she won't be able to make it to the Awards this year, they're still cheering her on and waiting in anticipation for the live broadcast of the Gala! Stay tuned for more up-to-the-minute news on the Continental Hero Ranking Awards, lineup projections, and everything you need to know about our favorites this year- coming to you right after the break."