New Routines, Old Faces
Shiketsu after sunset was as silent as a grave. The occasional security guard flashed his light into classrooms making sure none of the students were being more… bold than necessary when violating the school’s policy against relationships. One rotund security guard twirled his keys in a tight circle as he wondered through the deserted school, snapping his light this way and that.
He was a bored middle aged man with a belly hanging past his belt and a bald head. He’d long since learned the students favorite liaison spots and now, for fear of paper work, avoided looking in those places. Unless there was a clear noise, he could go a whole night without doing any work.
“AUGGGGGGGGGGGGGH!”
A scream shook the guard from his complacency. He broke into a dead run immediately, keys jingling with courage and belly jiggling with justice! He dashed until he was huffing sweating mess. He skid around a corner just as another scream tore through the air. This was no time for complacency, a student was in trouble and Paul was going to be the one to--
He came into view of the door which hid the source of all the screaming. His face, flushed with sweat, fell as he read the door’s label above its frame.
“WEIGHT ROOM”
Paying no heed to the screams and complaints that continued to emanate from the door, Paul turned. The school turned a blind eye to after hours use of the weight room. Some students didn’t have access to an adequate gym and if they wanted to use their free time to better prepare to be heroes, the school allowed it. Of course, the school didn’t accept responsibility for any mishaps the students suffered while ‘trespassing.’ Secondly, and more importantly, Paul knew who the likely occupant of that gym was, and it wasn’t wise to disturb her in the middle of a workout.
Christopher began to thrust his hips.
“Augggggggggggh!”
“Push!”
Hell. Christopher was in Hell. The enormous weight pressing upon his pelvis was going to break him in half.
“Harder!”
Christopher tried to raise his hips. They didn’t move. The weight on his pelvis was hard and unyielding, like a solid stone placed before the rushing water.
“I can’t go any harder!” Christopher whined.
“If you can talk you’ve still got more to give!” Kaylee shouted. “PUSH!”
Christopher clenched his jaw and put all that he had into his hips. The black 8kg free weight he held against his pelvis moved upwards, centimeter by centimeter. Christopher felt his legs buckle as he was halfway up. He wasn’t going to make it, he couldn’t make it. There was no way! Christopher’s teeth clenched and he pushed.
Finally, his back was parallel to his thighs, his hands shook with effort to hold the weight in place.
“1.” Kaylee counted. “Come on Chris! 9 more to go!”
Christopher wanted to cry. But he bit that instinct down, he needed to do this. If only so Kaylee didn’t get the satisfaction of seeing him quit! He let his butt hit the ground again, then, with everything he was he ground his teeth and thrust.
“2!”
1 hour later.
Christopher sat on a wooden bench outside the gym, head down, thoroughly defeated. It hurt to breath, it hurt to even stand. His pelvis throbbed with every thought of that initial exercise. THE WEIGHTED GLUTE BRIDGE WAS OF THE DEVIL! But that hadn’t been the worst of it.
The worst was Kaylee had added the Bent-over row to his routine today. His back! His back felt like a fire had been lit between every vertebrae. He wondered if he’d ever walk again.
“‘It’s only 2.5kg,’ my ass.” Christopher mourned.
A white towel fell on his head.
“If you hurt, just means you did it right.” Kaylee ‘comforted.’
Christopher glared at her. That shit eating grin she’d worn after every one of their sessions was plastered on her face. Christopher, disgusted with his friend/ torturer, returned to studying the ground. Kaylee sipped water from her bottle, letting him stew for a minute.
Christopher let the towel rest on his head a moment, then began the long laborious process of raising his arms up to grip the towel and then, with every movement a fresh agony, wipe away his sweat. By the time he was half done, Christopher had moved on to dreading the long walk back home.
Kaylee fidgeted in her seat. Glancing towards the ground, at Christopher’s bag.
Christopher sighed, “yeah, yeah,” he reached under the bench. He fished his bag out and opened it up to reveal two bentos packed with protein rich food. He tossed one to Kaylee.
Kaylee hungrily ripped the bento open and began to dig in. Christopher looked at the remaining bento, his bento, with disgust. Fried egg rolls, grilled chicken breast, and yellow-fin sushi all wrapped in rolls of seaweed rested on a bed of rice. It was twice the size of the gas station bentos he’d lived on before his dad came to Japan.
Christopher started to hand the bento over to Kaylee. Kaylee shot him a glare. He ceased his attempt. He didn’t want another lecture on muscle recovery. Defeated yet again, Christopher opened the bento, snapped apart his chopsticks, and began to eat.
There was no end to it. After eating ten whole minutes, he still couldn’t see the bottom. Christopher wondered if he might die of overfeeding. Kaylee finished her bento in short order and leaned back satisfied. Christopher kept eating.
“Do you know anything about the villain that attacked Majestic?” Kaylee asked out of the blue.
“mrp.” Christopher swallowed, only slightly taken off guard. A fight had happened, of course Kaylee wanted to know about it. “Midas? Yeah. Ability to transmute artificial substances into gold, which he then has complete control over.”
“Is he strong?”
“… not individually. His quirk’s dangerous don’t get it twisted, but there are individually stronger villains than him out there. The thing that makes him scary is the fact that he’s somehow able to keep the Night Parade together.”
“That’s THE villain group right?” Kaylee asked.
“For Kyoto yeah, there are bigger, or at least more infamous, threats than the Night Parade, but they don’t operate in Kyoto. The general, global, perception of the Night Parade is ‘big fish small pond.’”
Kaylee sighed forlorn.
Christopher, not noticing the sigh, studied his bento. He still couldn’t see the bottom. “But I think that ‘big fish small pond’ mentality is going to bite the world in the ass. Kyoto has some of the strongest heroes in the world, let alone Japan. Rosethorn, as just one example, would be immediately S-class if she ever went bad. Majestic was, admittedly, a little overrated, but he was top 10 for a reason and the Night Parade--”
“Took him out.” Kaylee finished, her excitement bubbling to the surface.
Christopher looked at Kaylee. “They’re not a big fish in a small pond. They’re just a big fish.”
Kaylee grinned broadly. “Good.”
Christopher studied Kaylee’s expression. Here he’d been trying to explain that the world at large was sleeping on a major thread. And Kaylee was acting like he’d just described a sumptuous five-course meal which she would soon get to enjoy without leaving the house.
“You’re excited.” Christopher said, stating the uncomfortably obvious.
Kaylee’s grin only widened. “Aren’t you?”
Christopher’s stomach tugged at him. Grateful for the excuse to exit this bizarre conversation, Christopher hunched over his bento and resumed eating. The food went down easier now. Like he… wanted it. Wait, was he actually feeling hungry? His stomach tugging wasn’t just an excuse to not answer that insane question? Kaylee for her part seemed satisfied at the thought of her ‘meal’ to come and pressed no further.
Christopher finished eating in just a few more minutes. Then, in accordance with the school’s buddy system, he and Kaylee made for his house. Christopher walked awkwardly the entire way, almost waddling, wincing every other step some fresh pain in his back. He was more grateful than ever before that his house was only a block away from the school.
“You sure you want me to just port you back to the school after you get me home?”
“Same answer as always Chris, yes.”
“All right, but I’m breaking the rules by not making sure you get home.”
“Break them, maybe it’ll get that stick out of your ass.”
“I don’t have a stick up my ass.”
“Then why are you waddling?”
“Maybe because someone failed to mention what 3 sets of 10 backrows does to a man.”
“What man?”
Christopher snorted. “Fuck you Kaylee.”
“Inigo might get the wrong idea if he hears that.”
“He already has the wrong idea.”
“What? How?”
“He saw me go to the gym with you and then started accosting Hiro about how he raised me and then worrying about my pelvis. Loudly.”
Kaylee shook her head, especially at the ‘pelvis’ part. “Inigo must think I’m a slag if he thinks he can talk about me like that. I’ll have to CORRECT him. Hiro told you this?”
“He did, I didn’t ask why.”
“As much time as he spends with you, you’d think Inigo’d notice you’re not into me, but Nene-senpai.”
Christopher nearly fell over. He caught himself at the last moment. He furtively turned to face Kaylee. She looked back, face struggling to hold back a grin. The grin that screamed ‘yeah I knew.’
“… how?”
“Other than the fact that whenever she comes into a room, you run away red as a tomato?”
Christopher didn’t have a response for that.
“I think Inigo’s the only one in class who doesn’t know.”
“Bull shit!” Christopher countered, resuming his walk. Still only partially recovered from the shock of being called out like this. “I bet my left nut Chihiro doesn’t know.”
“Doesn’t know, doesn’t care, hard to say with her. You can keep your nut either way.”
“You’re so kind.” He rolled his eyes, then stopped. “Wait, does Yui know?”
“Yuuuuuuuuuup.” Kaylee answered, drawing out the middle a little longer than strictly necessary just to emphasize the point.
“Shit, I AM obvious.”
“I’m telling her you said that.”
“It’s a compliment. She TRIES to stay out of other people’s business.”
“True. Anyway, question.”
“Hrm?”
“Why don’t you ask Nene out?”
Christopher glowered at Kaylee. “Did you think maybe I’m scared she’ll say no?”
Kaylee didn’t budge. “No, it’s not fear. I know fear. You’re not scared of Nene.”
Christopher looked away.
“Chris I wouldn’t care if it wasn’t for the lack of fear. THAT gets me curious. If you just give me a hint I’ll drop it.”
Christopher sighed mightily. He knew Kaylee, she genuinely wouldn’t care enough to gossip about it. “I don’t like myself when she’s in the room. It’s like I lose 1000 IQ points and become a blithering idiot. So I leave the room until I’m… me again.”
There was silence for just a moment before Kaylee snapped her fingers. “I’m going to invite her to sit in on one of our chess games!”
Christopher looked at her in horror. Kaylee just smiled. Her smile was the same smile a normal student might have when the answer to a seemingly impossible question just dropped into their lap. The question: ‘how do I beat Chris in chess?’ The answer: ‘put Nene in the room.’
Christopher smiled despite himself. It’d work. “You’re evil.”
“I’m whatever I need to be to win.” Kaylee answered proudly.
As she said that they finally reached Christopher’s front door. Christopher offered his shoulder, “same as always?”
Kaylee grabbed his shoulder. “If you would.”
Christopher closed his eyes, Hifumi’s quirk flooded his being and he felt the ground beneath them shift. If he were able to open his eyes right now, he knew he’d see the bench outside the school’s gym, the same place they’d eaten dinner a few minutes prior.
“See you tomorrow.” Christopher said.
“Tomorrow.” Kaylee agreed as she let go of Christopher’s shoulder.
Christopher opened his eyes and he was back in front of his house. Christopher sighed. It’d been a long day. His stomach tugged at him again. “No, you’re not hungry, you’re insane.” The pangs of freshly awakened hunger didn’t stop as Christopher opened the door.
In a halfway house in a rundown part of town.
Taizo Myoga was not a timid man. When he was young, he was often considered the second most dangerous Yakuza in Japan, behind, and at least partially because of, his brother. He’d stared down world-class villains and held the family’s ground. Yet, the man sitting across from him. The man with gray hair and lines across his face that marked him as nearly 60, scared the piss out of him.
The man was named Desolator, he was the most dangerous assassin in the world and second place was a disturbingly long ways down. He was also one of the two senior partners of “the Horrific 5” one of the three most dangerous groups to ever come out of America. They were also the only one of those three groups whose services were for hire.
Desolator cupped his tea with both hands and drank it gratefully. He didn’t speak as he imbibed his tea and, when he finished, sat the cup down with the respect one would show a sacred object.
“I always enjoy visiting Japan.” Desolator began, his pale blue eyes glistening with memory. “Your teas NEVER disappoint.”
“I am honored by your appraisal.” Taizo bowed shallowly, “though forgive me, I was unaware you’d ever been in my country.”
“Yes, several times in my younger years. Missions all I’m afraid.” Desolator smiled. “I was in Kyoto in 21XX, then Hiroshima in 21XX. There’s this sushi restaurant in Hiroshima, Date’s? I hope it’s still around. The sushi was subpar but the green tea was the best I’ve ever tasted.”
Taizo kept a straight face and a smile. He’d been to Date’s himself, and he made every effort to assure Desolator that Date’s was still open and that the green tea there was still the best in Japan. But in his mind… in his mind Taizo was reeling. Desolator had just all but admitted to the assassination of the hero Rising Sun and the villain Fall Down. Two of the strongest quirk-users to ever live.
“I’m sorry to cut the pleasantries short…” Taizo began.
“Business, business.” Desolator nodded. He held the empty cup to his mouth and breathed in the lingering aroma. “I’m all for business. It keeps me drinking tea afterall, even with my advanced age and diminished skills.”
Taizo smiled. “Your skills haven’t diminished so much that you cannot kill a member of the American top 10. Your fight against Miracle was--”
The temperature in the room dropped degrees as Desolator’s smile died. Taizo was about to apologize for whatever offense he’d given before Desolator’s face turned to one of apology and embarrassment.
“Forgive my outburst.” Desolator began. “The fight with Miracle was… costly.”
Taizo bowed, “no, it is my insensitivity that is to be blamed, I beg your forgiveness.” It was true that Miracle had managed to permanently paralyze one member of the 5, who was later captured, and the 5 were forced to abandon a second she’d buried under rubble. Taizo hadn’t thought losing 2 members to the authorities such a high price to pay for taking out the number 10 hero in America. Clearly he’d been mistaken.
Desolator bowed lower. “No forgiveness is required, but if it’ll soothe you conscience. I give it.”
When both men uprighted themselves. The room had noticeably thawed. “As I was saying.” Taizo began, correcting his course with renewed confidence. “We don’t need your team to actively patrol our territory. But we would like you in reserve for two possibilities. The first is if a substaintial villain group were to attack our territory. The second, is if we are to find the location of the Night Parade we’d ask you to-- ‘take care of business.’”
“Of course, sir. I only wish our retainer fee was not so large…”
Taizo waved his hand. “For your reputation alone, your retainer fee is a fair price.”
Desolator bowed in appreciation, those pale blue eyes gleamed with malice. “Rest assured Myoga-dono, you are getting MUCH more than a reputation.”