Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Azula Pov .
"With that, she must have been knocked out... right?" Midoriya asked as he looked at the Hero Killer.
"With your kick and her head bouncing off the ground? She absolutely lost consciousness even with her aura, Her aura must be healing her quickly though, so she may regain consciousness in a few minutes." I said honestly while looking at the Hero Killer. "But I also immobilized all of her muscles. Even if she wakes up, she won't be able to move in any way."
I could see Todoroki and Midoriya sigh in relief, and I did so slightly, too. She was strong, fast, and slippery. She tore through my aura and Todoroki's like it didn't exist—she was practically an accomplished assassin. Even monsters have trouble breaking through Hunters' auras to deal direct damage. She was truly dangerous.
"Well, even so, is there anything we can tie her up with? Let's capture her and hand her over." Todoroki said as she looked around. Midoriya had already approached the Hero Killer and was taking away all her weapons. She had too many knives.
"I'm sorry… I'm a professional, but I was still a burden," the heroine, who had been paralyzed, groaned, the effect seemingly wearing off as she stood up alongside the girl our age, who looked completely distraught. "Are you sure she won't move?" she asked carefully.
"You can trust Azula! Her chi blocking is really effective! She paralyzed our entire class with ease." Midoriya said with a huge smile.
"I don't know if that's a reason to be happy," Todoroki said dryly, and I smiled slightly. It had really been worth it to learn chi blocking from Ty Lee.
TRAITOR! KILL HER!
I grimaced slightly; better stop thinking about her. Ignore the voice in my head.
"Okay, I'll go get something to tie her up. I'll be quick. Scream if she wakes up." The Pro Heroine said before running off to get something to tie her up with. The girl standing next to her shakily approached us while trembling.
"I'm so sorry!" the girl exclaimed, bowing deeply. "I let my hatred blind me and used my brother's name as an excuse! Because of me, you all got caught up in a dangerous situation! I'm so sorry!" the girl cried, and I could see tears falling to the ground. I sighed.
"Don't worry! Sticking your nose where you're not asked is the main quality of a hero!" Midoriya said with a huge smile.
"Hey, Midoriya's right." Todoroki laughed lightly, so faintly it was almost invisible. "We were just doing our job. We may not know what you're going through, but I guess you can only get better from here on out. Set your sights on the woman you want to be," Todoroki said softly.
"I- thank you!" the girl whimpered as she cried. The next few minutes passed in a blur. The heroine, Native, had returned with some rope, which she used to tie up the Hero Killer, and we quickly left the alley.
"What the hell are you doing here, kid!?!?" an old man exclaimed. One moment, he was across the street, and the next, he had his foot planted in Midoriya's face. "I told you to relax, didn't I!?" He looked really annoyed.
" Grandfa - Gran Torino!" Midoriya exclaimed, my eyes widening slightly. He had definitely said grandfather. I looked at the old man once more. He barely reached my waist and was short. But even that didn't diminish his presence. His aura felt firm and strong up close. He wasn't to be underestimated.
"Well, I don't know what happened, but for now, I'm glad you're okay!" the old man grumbled. A group of pro-heroes quickly approached our position.
"We received an order from Ms. Endeavor to come and provide assistance!" exclaimed one of the heroines.
"They're covered in wounds! Call an ambulance!" a second heroine shouted.
"Hey, is that the hero killer?!?!" a third heroine exclaimed. I could see the old man stiffen.
"DUCK DOWN!!" The old man's shout made me react, and I threw myself to the ground. But apparently no one else got the memo, and they froze in place. A monster—no, a winged nomu—fell from the sky, grabbed Midoriya with one of its clawed feet, and took to the skies again.
"Midoriya!" Todoroki exclaimed. I saw out of the corner of my eye just in time to see the Hero Killer break free from her restraints. She licked the blood off one of the heroines' cheeks and the Nomu froze in the sky and began to fall. Is he moving with his muscles locked down?! Impossible?! Even after years of being subjected to it by Ty Lee, I could never move a single finger, no matter how hard I tried!! Damn monster!!!
"The impostors who rule society, the heroes, hunters, and criminals who go about carelessly displaying their 'power.'-" The Hero Killer leaped up and intercepted the Nomu as it fell. She plunged a knife into its exposed brain while grabbing Midoriya with her free arm. "-those are the goals of my cleansing… all of this is for the good of the world!!"
"She saved him!?"
"No, idiot, he's her hostage!"
" Why are you all standing still!? She must have fled in that direction!!" Endeavor appeared from an alley before examining the situation. His gaze immediately fell on the Hero Killer. "That woman, is she really…"
"Endeavor…" the Hero Killer hissed.
"...The Hero Killer!!" Endeavor exclaimed as he prepared to attack.
"Another arrogant one!!" The Hero Killer's murderous intent reappeared, much stronger than in the alley. I could feel my entire body bristling. I gritted my teeth. "The copy must be rectified. Someone... someone must bathe in its blood!!!" The Hero Killer continued to increase her aura as she began to walk slowly toward Endeavor. "The word 'Hero' must be restored!!"
"COME ON!! TRY IT, YOU FAKERS!! THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN KILL ME IS ALL MIGHT!!!!" Somehow, the Hero Killer's killing intent multiplied again, paralyzing us all completely; even the number 2 heroine took half a step back. She was insidious, violent, full of anger, hatred, and death. I could feel it all gushing out of the Hero Killer without any filter. I bit my lip, and I dug my nails into my palm, and stood my ground.
I wasn't going to let him intimidate me! Not now! Not when my plan was to confront Liu Zhigang head-on!
And for the first time, I breathed deeply. I could feel my lungs expanding, oxygen being pumped into my entire body, and I finally felt it. Total Concentration Breathing. This, this was something else. I felt stronger than ever. But it wasn't time to think about it. I got into position and looked at the Hero Killer and—uh… she's…
"She... lost consciousness..." Endeavor said solemnly, echoing my thoughts. All the air in my lungs was unconsciously expelled as I tried to process what had just happened.
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May 17 - Azula Pov.
"Now that I can reflect more calmly... that was quite impressive..." Midoriya began, "After seeing such an ending... I've come to think of it as a miracle we're still alive." Midoriya said solemnly. He had come to visit us in our room at the hospital where we had all ended up due to our injuries. Since Todoroki, the girl, and I are all women, we were placed in a group room while Midoriya was put in an individual room. But he had escaped using crutches.
I grimaced as I ignored the conversation that began to emerge. I thought about the Hero Killer. She certainly had more experience, not fighting—I'd fought in a war, had my fair share of confrontations. But the Hero Killer had experience killing people, and it was very different from what I was used to.
The only good thing that came out of last night's fight was that I'd finally managed to enter the Total Concentration Breathing state. I hadn't believed that a simple way of breathing could make such a... difference. I felt stronger, faster, my mind was reacting faster too... it was incredible... Izumi was incredible for inventing something like that.
And even better… I could feel it… Most Fire Nation fire Quirks, including those of the royal family, relied on proper breathing. Self-control and breath control were emphasized as a means of directing and containing manifested fire. Breathing exercises were taught to any child who manifested a fire Quirk to prevent them from harming themselves and those around them.
My breathing was always perfect and controlled. The only time my concentration got out of control, erratic and out of sync, was during my final mental breakdown, when I ended up being defeated by a peasant with a water quirk, of all things.
But now, now that I had Full Concentration Breathing, I could see how deficient my previous breathing had been. But most of all, I could feel the fire inside me roaring louder than ever. I was sure my fire had increased several degrees in intensity, strength, and heat. I would have to practice my control from scratch. If I had to compare it, before it was a bonfire, now it was a damned, uncontrolled firestorm. I had to master everything again from the beginning.
But I couldn't help but be elated about it. It was simply incredible. This also meant I could learn to use the breathing styles to their full potential. I couldn't wait to see what would happen when I performed Sun Breathing. I could only hope I could get out of this hospital sooner rather than later.
I blinked and looked around, and they seemed to be chatting. I'd been listening distractedly. But from what I could make out, Midoriya had heard the Heroine Manual's screams while searching for someone during the chaos. Midoriya had offered to help search for her and ended up running into the Hero Killer. I only had one question.
"By the way, what's your name?" I asked the girl. I'm sure Midoriya had yelled it at some point. But at the moment, I had better things to do than memorize the name. The girl had glasses and arrow-shaped eyebrows, which I didn't know if it was a cosmetic decision or if she was born that way. That's how weird quirks were; after all, she also had a damn motor in her legs.
"Ah…" the girl said foolishly, leaning heavily on her hospital bed. "My apologies! I never properly introduced myself! I'm Iida Tenya! It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"There were more important things to deal with than introducing ourselves," Todoroki said with a shrug. "Shouko Todoroki."
"I'm Izuku Midoriya!" Midoriya introduced himself with a smile.
"Azula." I introduced myself simply. "Midoriya said you're from… Shiketsu? I have to admit I don't know what that is, I'm a foreigner." I said simply.
"Oh! That's right! Shiketsu is also a prestigious university!! It's the best university for Heroes and Hunters in western Japan! It's the only one that can compete against UA!" Midoriya said excitedly.
"That's right, just like Mr. Midoriya said! Though I must admit, I did try out for UA and took the entrance exam to follow in my brother's footsteps, but sadly, I didn't make the cut! In my block, there was someone with a powerful insect control quirk who swept through all the targets, and I got 0 points along with the rest of my fellow participants!" Iida said almost bitterly. I froze slightly, and I could see my two classmates freeze as well. In fact, Midoriya seemed to start to sweat.
"Sorry," Midoriya said nervously. "She's our classmate." He added. I wanted to hit my face with the palm of my hand. Fortunately, Iida simply shook his head with a slight smile.
"I knew it. I saw you and her during the sports festival, already… I'm not upset about it. I may not be going to UA like my brother, but maybe it's better that way… I need to follow my own path and not just follow my brother's." Iida said with a smile. Midoriya and Todoroki smiled slightly at him.
"We should exchange numbers!" Midoriya said happily as he took out his scroll. Midoriya and Todoroki exchanged numbers with Iida while I stood back. Just in time for the door to open.
"Well, the wounded are awake and all together," Gran Torino said as he walked through the door. "You have a visitor... the Hosu District Police Chief, Mrs. Tsuragamae." It was a dog, or at least it had a dog's head. Once again, Quirks were weird.
I listened distractedly to what they had to say, in a few words. We won't face any punishment, but we can't tell anyone about our confrontation with the Hero Killer. The others quickly agreed and were thanking him.
"Excuse me… but could I tell someone?" I interrupted. Everyone looked at me. "I really don't want to keep anything from my fiancé, partly because it's not right—"I have my standards in a relationship"—and secondly, Izumi has a terrible knack for knowing things he shouldn't." I grimaced. It was annoying.
"Wait! You and Izumi are engaged?!" Izuku squealed before bursting into smiles. "Congratulations Azula!" he exclaimed happily.
"That was pretty fast, but I'm certainly happy for you," Todoroki said as I nodded.
"Congratulations, miss, but back to the topic, do you really think he'll find out?" Tsuragamae asked. I raised an eyebrow at him, pulled out my scroll, and immediately called Izumi. The call connected immediately, and her face appeared for everyone in the room to see. She seemed to be in a very dark place.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" I asked softly. Izumi snorted.
"You know I rise like the sun. By the way, good morning, baby." Izumi purred, and I blushed slightly.
"We're not alone." I said dryly. Izumi blinked before narrowing his eyes.
"Are you in the hospital? Are you okay?" Izumi asked seriously. I nodded.
"Nothing important, just a scratch. I was in Hosu last night." I said simply, that stopped Izumi, and I could practically see his mind racing.
"Damn, Hosu," Izumi muttered to himself, frowning. "You were with Endeavor and Todoroki, right? Did you fight the Hero Killer? Was Midoriya there too? Are you REALLY okay?" Izumi asked seriously. I could see the eyebrows of the people present raise slightly. I ignored them and nodded.
"Yeah, I was with Endeavor when everything happened. Todoroki and I got an emergency message from Midoriya. We found him fighting the Hero Killer and stepped in to help. And I'm fine, really, just a stab wound to the shoulder, nothing serious." I shrugged. Really. My aura would heal him in less than a week.
"...fine," Izumi said with a frown before relaxing his expression. "By the way, have the police chief dog and Gran Torino visited you yet?!" Izumi asked excitedly, which made the others freeze once again.
"Yes, they did," I said with an amused smile.
"Uh... lucky me. I wanted to meet Gran Torino." Izumi said dreamily before looking at me. "By the way, Tsuragamae... is he a dog or a bitch?" Izumi asked seriously. I paused for a few seconds before bursting out laughing. "Hey, that's a serious question!" Izumi replied while pouting.
" She's a woman," I said while laughing. Izumi rolled his eyes before freezing.
" Shh …quiet. They're going to catch me!" Izumi hissed, muttering to himself.
"MIYAMURAAAAA!!!!!!!" I opened my eyes at the scream that came through the call. We could hear a lot of footsteps and noises coming from near Izumi, and it seemed like he was moving away while Izumi smiled widely.
"Izumi... what the hell did you do to that poor hunter? Again?" I couldn't help but ask. Izumi smiled at me mysteriously.
"I have to go; her closet isn't much of a hiding place," Izumi said, laughing.
"Why are you in an clos— " The call was cut off, and I stared stupidly at the scroll. A few moments later, I received a message from Izumi, and I opened it. The image was projected for everyone to see. I couldn't help but smack my face with the palm of my hand.
In the image, you could see the S-rank hunter, Tawata, if I wasn't mistaken. Sleeping peacefully in her bed. The odd thing was that Izumi was lying next to her in his rather messy nightclothes, and most importantly, a damn collar and leash around his neck again, which Tawata was holding while she slept.
"...and that's my fiancé," I said dryly. Gran Torino started laughing out loud while clutching his stomach. Midoriya gasped in horror, and the others didn't know how to react. I looked at the message once more and wanted to sigh. Of course, he'd posted it on social media.
If I didn't love him enough, I wouldn't know what I was doing dating a crazy, chaos-loving freak.
I sighed and froze… yeah… let's ignore that thought too. Too tired for that… ignoring my thoughts was something I was really good at lately.
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