Hell's Empress (books 1-4)

 You'd think being dragged through a field of damp grass would be a rather unsettling thing to wake up to. Well, to this blond in particular, he didn't seem to care at first. His eyes were a little hazy, heartbeat unusually settled, and breaths calm. Even as the drugs wore away slowly, he was mostly just confused. Like, was this a dream or not?

 You dropped the teen's arms to take a breather. Though you were his size and were pretty well exercised, that didn't make carrying the kid any easier! It was now, as he was dropped, that the blond sat up in the tall grass and blinked his eyes wider. As the chilling morning air entered his lungs, steadily drawing out the last of that sleeping gas, his head felt less and less like he was in the middle of a strange dream. You panted not far away, hands on your knees. Dang... Didn't even exit the line of sight by the car and you were already tired! Maybe you should have taken up that Yakuza thug member's offer to help out? You just didn't want to risk him jeopardizing the mission or asking too many unwanted questions. But now...you were here by yourself.

 "Wh..who are you?" A quiet voice called. You spun around glaring at the older teen.

 "Hey, you're supposed to be asleep!"

 "Was I in...a wreck or something?" Ignoring you, the blond rubbed the back of his aching head. His lazy eyes wandered the horizon line until they landed on the recognizable black car parked beside the road. "Huh?"

 Frantically, you grabbed another sleep bomb and threw it on the ground, pressing the instant release button as it hit the ground. "Smoke bomb!" As the gadget hissed, expelling the dark purple mist, you held your breath and stepped back. A gentle yet strong gust of wind fanned all the purple mist away. As it dissipated, you frowned at the standing teen, who covered his nose and mouth with his hands, blood red wings fanning the gas away.

 "Wait a minute... You're trying to kidnap me, aren't you!?!" Realizing what was going on, the teen started to take flight. You raced after him and tackled the teen before he could get off the ground. The two of you wrestled in the grass. Since he was winning, so you had no other choice. You grabbed the blond by the hair and activated AFO, which swiftly drained the boy's quirk into your hand. "WHA-AT?" He noticed his wings shrinking right away, fighting even harder now that he knew your quirk was actually dangerous!

 He was only able to kick you off of him AFTER you'd drained his quirk entirely. You fell into the grass and flopped onto your stomach. Completely hidden by the tall grass, the only indicator of where you were was when two bright white wings tore through the back of your coat. Large and majestic, they fell over you like a blanket.

 "THE HELL?!?" Young Hawks took offense to this. "You stole my quirk!!"

 "Relax, I'll give it back.." You groaned sourly as you pushed yourself up. "That's why I was taking you with me in the first place. I know a guy who can duplicate quirks."

 "Please, can I just have my quirk back?" He stumbled forward, still under the affect of the sleep drug. Tears came into the corners of his eyes, something you were surprised by. "Please, it's my only chance at becoming a hero.." Again, probably just because he was drugged...but still. Dang, this was sad. Considering his tragic past, you understood why his quirk may be such a big deal to him.

 "Hhh, listen. I will give it back to you, alright? No need to worry about that!.. I just need you to come with me."

 "Why..?"

 "Like I just said.! I like your quirk, so I want it too! But I also don't want you to lose yours either!" You were standing fully now, configuring how your wings should fold behind your back. It was an awfully lot more complicated than you expected. Like two newborn arms were suddenly strapped to your back. You stuck out your hand to the kid. "I promise. I won't hurt you. We can get this whole quirk thing sorted out together."

 Hawks glanced back to the car on the side of the road and huffed a fresh breath of cool air. He stepped forward and shook your hand stiffly. "Alright. ...How old are you, anyways?"

 You crossed your arms confidently. "Fourteen~"

------------

 You stood on your toes to lean a little better over the hospital's front desk. You made sure Hawks stood further away in the corner of the waiting room so that he wouldn't overhear the doctor's name.

 "Um, hello? Is Dr. Tsubasa here?"

 "Noo, I'm afraid not.." The woman at the desk sighed sympathetically. "Why? Do you need to see him?"

 "I want to thank him for helping my baby brother!" You thought up a lie and thought it up quick. That made the secretary smile.

 "Awwe, well in that case, you should come back tomorrow. Dr. Tsubasa is spending time with his family right now." Heh! That creep?! By family, I bet he means tinkering on human corpses a little more!

 "Awh. Okay.." Well this sucked! How come you didn't think about this while developing your master plan??

 You jogged back to the older blond teen and grabbed his wrist to make a quick exit. You had two wings now while his black jacket bore two useless holes in them. Once you exited, you dragged the teen along the sidewalk where you kicked at a rock. "Well this sucks!" Keigo hid his hands in his jacket pockets and followed behind. "The person I wanted to talk to isn't even here!"

 "Heh, looks like you kidnapped me on the wrong day."

 "Shut up."

 "Pfff. Can I have my quirk back? It won't be long before the HPSC finds me anyways~"

 "Grr, no! I need these wings!" They fit your brand perfectly as Death Angel! Stomping ahead of him. "We can just hide somewhere in the meantime, alright?"

 "Guhh! This is not how I expected this day to go.. Sudden illness? Maybe. Villain attack? Probably. But not...this!... Ooo! I have an idea!" The blond skipped around until he was in front of you. He slapped your shoulder and smiled. You glared at him, but he didn't care. "How about we just kill time by doing whatever I had planned?! I won't call for help as long as you pay for everything."

 Pushing the teen aside. "That's a stupid idea.- Unless." Wait, that actually was a pretty good idea. If you just went everywhere Hawks already planned on going, then there was a far smaller chance of being caught, since the last place the HPSC would expect their prized prince to go would be where he already planned on going! You spun around and rubbed your chin. "Alright... Say we go on this outing of yours. ...What did you have planned anyway?"

 Hawks smirked.

-------------

 "Bro chill. I'm not made out of money here!" You knew it was really getting crazy when Hawks started hanging shopping bags on your wings.

 "Hey I'm just impressed you haven't turned any of this stuff down yet! How deep are your pockets??" The older teen smiled cheerfully while hanging a bag containing dinosaur slippers on your right arm. There was no mistaking he was taking advantage of your wallet here, which you didn't really mind much at the moment. You were actually starting to platonically fangirl a little bit, remembering him from ages ago in that show. While a lot younger, he still had those pretty eyes and that playful smirk. His voice was higher pitched and broken up by the occasional voice cracks. He had no facial hair yet, of course, and the magic of his makeupless face revealed to you some acne as well. But overall he was too pretty to believe he lived so poorly once.

 You readjusted some of the bags in your hold. "I've actually been saving up for a while now. But that doesn't mean I'm going to blow it all on you!" Scowling. "So if you want any cash left for the fair and movie, I suggest you don't buy the whole store!"

 "Eeggghhhh... Righty then." Shoulders dropping a bit, the elder's eyes scanned the mall some more with dropped interest. Absently, he reached for his back where his wings were supposed to be. "Oh- mini heart attack there. Nearly forgot!" He laughed. "Say, why do you want my wings so bad anyways? I agree, they are pretty cool, but I mean, why NOW I guess is what I'm getting at?"

 "Simple. You were at your most vulnerable right about now, future hero... And besides, I chose this quirk with the very specific intent to help balance out the other quirks I already have." There were enough strangers walking around for your words to be drowned out for everyone but him.

 "Wait, you have more??" You nodded. "Wow... So I take it your quirk is to steal other quirks then."

 "And give them to other people, yeah."

 "Pretty neat, I gotta admit... Do you usually kidnap people to steal their quirks?" Rubbing the back of his neck.

 "Mm, depends on the person I guess."

 "Pff! You're hardcore!" The hero in training rewarded you with an aggressive elbow jab. "So how many quirks do you have?" Sauntering beside you, the sixteen year old walked with his hands stuffed into his brown pant pockets. You, in comparison were a bit stiffer and on guard, very vigilant of everyone and everything around you.

 Staring dead ahead. "I'd rather not say."

 "Awwh..."

...

 "...Hhh, fine. Seven at the moment."

 "SEVEN?!"

 "Counting yours... Not going to tell you what any of them are, though."

 "Dang, with that many quirks, it makes me wonder why you even need mine!" You didn't respond to this. After all, that would only reveal what you can and can't do. So the two of you patrolled the mall a while longer in silence. "...You're holding your wings wrong, by the way."

 "I'm carrying BAGS in case you didn't notice."

 "Okay okay, but still! You're going to waste a lot of energy holding them out like that. Here." You gasped faintly as the blond one helped you to readjust your wings in a way that didn't strain their newly formed muscles so much. It was really weird having wings all of a sudden. Doubly so whenever someone touched them! But...his helping hands actually, well, helped! Chuckling a little, the teen skipped again to your side. "Not used to people being near ya, eh?"

 You blushed. "Mno, not really.."

 "Ahah! That checks out I guess... What's your name, by the way?"

 "Classified."

 "Oh come on~ please~? You already know mine is Hawks!" Nice try, Keigo.

 "I'm not going to give you any more information than you need!"

 "Fine then! I'll just make up a name for you. Heard you call me 'the hero prince,' so 'Princess of The Underworld' it is!" Bowing elegantly as he walked. You growled and shoved him into another passerby. After he had apologized and helped the lady pick up her things, Hawks jogged up to you snickering. "Whaaaat? I thought you'd like the name~!"

 "You don't know anything about me."

 "What? So are you actually a princess then?"

 "Noo.."

 "You're not exactly convincing. And being a princess at least explains all that money you've got!"

 "Do you want me to buy all of this crap for you or not?"

 "Oo! That looks like a good place to eat!" The blond tugged your wing toward the restaurant district as you passed by. You had no choice other than to follow. ... Maybe leaving him awake was a bad idea...

================

A bit late (by about a year) and random, but look I found a teen Hawks!

================

---------------

 "Crap, we don't have anywhere to put all this crap." You realized only after the two of you had exited the mall. Hawks beside you rubbed his chin.

 "Eh, leave it."

 "WH?!?!"

 "Better yet, let's pass the things out on our way to the fair!"

 "Dustifigkhibmduguvhhhh, whatever I guess. Don't you at least want to keep some of it?"

 "I'll just keep the things I can fit into one bag." Allowing it, you let the older teen dig through all the bags, keeping a majority of clothes for himself. Among such clothes was a cute Endeavor t-shirt, which you made a point to tease him for.

 On your walk/bus rides to the fair, the two of you passed out whatever was left from your shopping spree to whoever was up for grabbing it, mostly the homeless.

 This part was actually kind of nice... It had been a while since anyone gave you a genuine smile of gratitude. Reminded you to remain a caring, respectable person.

----------

 At last, you reached the fair. It wasn't until you bought two tickets and entered that you realized you hadn't actually been to a fair since your past life! A life you by now could only recall like a series of old dreams. Dang, that was a while ago!

 Hawks smirked at you from beside, watching your silent amusement of the new setting. He elbowed you suddenly. "What? Never been to a fair before?"

 "No, not really.." You admitted. Not in this life, at least. The boy rose a brow. Even HE had managed to go to a fair once before!

 "You serious??"

 "Yeah I... Well, I was kind of trapped in my house for about a decade."

 "...Ah. Tough parents?"

 "Not really... Well, at least not until one of them tried to eat me, that is." You shrugged nonchalantly and strode forward. Left behind, Hawks copied, shrugging and nodding a little...until it hit him how absurd that was.

 "Wait... You're kidding, right?? Hey! Princess!!" He called over the growing sea of people between you, pushing his way through the masses. He at last caught up with you as you stopped before a tossing game. "What do you mean your parents tried to ea-"

 "-Want to play this game first?"

 Hawks blinked, unprepared, and set his attention on the booth beside him. "Uhhh, sure." You handed him the ball you hed already purchased and he tossed it. Oops. Missed. "L-let me try again! I just needed to get a feel for the ball's weight!" Rolling up his sleeves, the teen was real prepared now. You shrugged and paid a few extra cents for another ball. This time, he got the target first try! "Heck yes!!" You clapped slowly.

 "Ayy, congrats, kid! Now, pick out a prize!" The man running the booth smiled, though tired he was. Keigo didn't even need time to think. He pointed out a large, FAT Endeavor plush, which the man happily provided him with.

 "You mind carrying that for a second?" You also handed Hawks the bag of clothes you'd been carrying for him. You paid a little extra for another round, this time for yourself. "Hey, um, sir? Mind if I use my quirk?" The booth master crossed his arms and cocked a brow.

 "I...guess? But it doesn't count unless the ball hits the target." You nodded and set the ball down in the meantime. For now, you wanted to try with your new feathers. You plucked a soft white feather from your wing and turned to Hawks.

 "You're the expert when it comes to this quirk. So, how do I make it float?" Hawks gave you a look.

 "How did you know that was part of it?"

 "I've seen you in action enough times." You said flatly, refusing to expand on that. Hawks eventually drew closer and helped explain how his quirk worked in more technical terms. So, it worked very similarly to telekinesis then. Just needed to visualize the feather of your choice moving how you wanted it to, and it would bend to your will. It was a little more complicated than that, especially from the perspective of someone who had only used a telekinesis quirk a few times before when you were really young, but those were the basics. And after a few tries, you were successfully able to aim and shoot a feather of yours out at a target. Hawks slow clapped for you this time.

 "Not too bad, Princess of The Underworld~" You rolled your eyes and shoved the elder away.

 "Shut up unless you want the Yakuza at your heels."

 He wheezed. "Oh so you really are in kahoots with them, ey?"

 "Eh? What about it? They're the only ones who didn't high-tail it out of my life after hearing about my quirk."

 "Wait you're actually in the Yakuza?!" ... "Hm, guess now that I think about it, that makes a lot of sense."

 "Psshh! Tell anyone anything about me and I swear on my dad you'll be dead." The mood very quickly soured as you glared directly at the blond's golden eyes. His eyelids widened, taking this as a real threat for the first time. After an ominously long glaring match, your eyes flicked to the side as you grabbed the ball resting on the counter. You tossed it in the air a couple times, watching it spin. "Besides, not like that narrows down my location any..." You threw the ball, hitting the target perfectly first try. "..Keigo..." You uttered. You spun around and left as the blond gasped quietly. He watched you for a moment as you disappeared into the crowd.

 "Who... who is she?"

 Her forbidden knowledge alone was enough to send shivers down his spine.

-------------

 After a bit of wandering around separately, allowing the two of you some time to think, and more importantly, eat -- you had previously gifted Hawks some change -- you eventually ran into one another at the ferris wheel. The sun was reaching the end of its cycle by now. Already, it had been a fairly eventful day.

 "Hey!" Hawks squeezed past a few strangers and slapped your back. "You want to ride the ferris wheel with me?!" He noticed you just staring up at the mesmerizing thing as it spun around and around. You blinked, at last drawn from your long gaze.

 You squinted. "You actually want to ride with me?"

 "I mean, don't exactly have anyone else to go with! Or are you just afraid of heights~?"

 Your dead inside look switched to a scowl. "You know, I was actually considering joining you until you decided testing me was a good idea.. No. Think I'll stay on the ground."

 The blond's arms dropped and dangled as he pouted. "Aawwhhh, come on! I take back what I said!" He grabbed your wing and tugged on it. When you yanked it free, he drudged your way, head hanging low as he whined lowly. "Being honest, I'm kinda nervous when it comes to heights... Doesn't help that I don't have my quirk anymore." He admitted, face hidden under his low hanging hair. Your eyes wandered around until at last you sighed.

 "Fine then."

 "Yesss! Let's get cotton candy first!"

 The wait in line took a bit longer than you hoped, but the view was incredible once at last the two of you were at the top of the slow spinning ride. You admired the view silently. The way the warm red and gold light set over the city so perfectly, the emerging street lights to greet the night's darkness, and the draft of warm air that for the first time all winter brushed against your face. The elder teen dared not open his mouth to spoil the moment, smiling faintly to see just how at peace you were up here. His right hand tightly clutched the side of the cart you two sat in. He was impressed that you looked more at home up here than he ever was!.. Guess it was about time to start working on this heights problem of his...

 On your second round -- you had three in a row -- Hawks couldn't help himself. "So, uh-um.. You mentioned one of your parents trying to eat you earlier.." He awkwardly combed a hand through his hair. "You were joking, right?" Though he chuckled nervously, his attempt to lighten the mood was only met with a dead stare.

 "...Do I look like the kind of person to make a joke about that?"

 Hawks' face paled, then faded slowly into a greener color. "Man is that rough... Mind if I ask why??"

 You turned away, staring at the sunset as again you were at the top of the ride. You gripped the edge of the cart tightly. "...My dad was once a well known criminal.. He had a quirk much like my own. In his time, he was known as a monster. ... That lable was passed on to me when it was revealed I had the same ability." Keigo's eyes widened slightly. He watched the side of your face closely.

 "...I'm sorry."

 Your face shot upward as you gasped, small tears entering into your eyes.

 "What useless words those are... They mean nothing to me anymore.." Hawks leaned in a little to get a better look at your turned away face. He was quite honestly shocked by the sudden arrival of your tears. "...That's what my mom said over and over again...as she repeatedly stabbed me half to death." You could hear the elder's breath fall still. You hissed out a forced chuckle. "She got it in her head that the only way to keep me from turning into a monster was to eat me alive. ...I had to kill her in order to save my own life. Didn't mean to, but.. I did." You leaned your arms on the railing and rested your chin on your arms, sighing sadly.

...

 "My...dad.. was a villain too." The kid started. "Not a big one, but, he murdered a guy once for some pocket change and went into hiding, creating me... I grew up mostly just trying to lay low. He'd beat me sometimes, but I never let it get to me. My mom was no help either. Not really the kind of woman to look up to. ...I was cooped up in the old shack of a house for fear of leading the cops to my dad... One day, however," chuckling softly as he looked down at the chonky Endeavor plush sitting beside him. "my dad was arrested by Endeavor. For the first time.. I realized heroes were actually real; not just characters on a screen... One thing led to another, and I ended up getting picked up by the HPSC, where now I train with the goal of becoming a hero someday."

 You found warmth in the smile that followed. It wasn't like his cheeky grin or playful smirk. No, this was genuine. Truly, heroism was a passion of his.

 "...Why are you going through all this effort just to give me my quirk back, anyways?"

 You stared off into the distance as the ferris cart again began its third and final ascent. "Because you're going to be an amazing hero someday." This wasn't even a fluffy phrase to make him feel better. You literally knew this would be the case. "I just know it."

 His eyes were sprinkled with tears. Your eyes were sprinkled with tears. You both smiled a small but precious smile at one another.

 "Thanks..."

 As you were at the top, it was like Hawks was suddenly possessed by the spirit of a young child on Christmas morning. He tugged on your arm and wing. "You wanna be heroes together, right??"

 You bashfully turned away, forcing a chuckle. "Sorry, but I've already been rejected by that community.."

 The elder tilted his head. "How come?"

 "Leeeett's just say I don't exactly have the cleanest record for having the same quirk as my father. Just from stealing quirks already, I've been threatened with jail time n'such. And the heroes I tried to befriend only turned on me later.

 "Ah.." Keigo dropped your wing, understanding but disappointed. "So how did you know about my real name? Anyone else know?"

 "Teh, don't worry. Your secret is safe with me...unless you turn on me too, that is."

 Waving his hands in front of him. "^-^👐 Ahahh, you won't have to worry about that. I'll keep quiet."

 "Good. As for how I know. I just so happen to be really good at finding secrets on my own."

 "Dang, that is good." Good thing you didn't try to use his last name...because you had forgotten it by now. 😅

-------------

 "Sooo, what movie was it you wanted to see again?" Your finger hovered in front of the large tablet where you were to purchase tickets in the theater lobby. Loud crunching noises sounded in your ear as the elder teen stood on his toes, leaning over your shoulder a little to read all the titles while he chomped away at his popcorn.

 "Oo-oo!" He threw his arm out from over your shoulder to point, dropping some popcorn along the way. "Human Earthworm Four! That's the one!" You slapped his arm off of you.

 "Ugh.. Really?? Thought you had a little more refined tastes than this." Actually, now that you thought about it...you weren't all that surprised.

 "Heheh, nah."

 "Guh.." You reluctantly bought two tickets, making what would hopefully be the last purchase of the day... Oh wait, you needed somewhere to sleep. ..You'd just have to save worrying about that for later.

 Hawks walked calmly beside you, though his eyes were a tad wider with anticipation, as this movie was apparently something he had been looking forward to for a while now.

 "Say, have you ever had any friends before? Because you sure don't act like it!"

 "Thanks..."

 "...So is that a yes or a no?" You checked in with the guy snatching everyone's tickets and entered further into the building. You bought no food or drink for yourself. Hawks did though.

 A quiet sigh. "I have had a friend before, okay? Two, technically, but one of them was an adult and I didn't get to see him very much because I was grounded most my life. And the other, well..." Keigo glanced your way while you silenced to think. "He didn't really do anything. I just ran away is all."

 "Well d###!.. Yeah, guess I can't say I've had it any easier. The closest things I can call friends are a couple nice instructors of mine and some people online." The two of you entered the right room and slid into your seats. It was funny. Almost no one else was in there. You avoided conversation. As did your personal freeloader.

 But, halfway through the movie, the sheer absurdity of the plot mixed with the commentary the elder beside you made had you laughing for the first time all year! Your laughter was the pathetic, whimpering hissy type that only the occasional deep bellied HAH slipped from. Hawks' was the much more consistent, giggly kind. The movie wasn't even trying to be funny; and that was what unironically made it so laughable!

 Around the end, though, once multidimensional time travel was introduced and the two of you completely lost the plot, the cackling settled down into tired sighs. Only now did the two of you realize just how tired you were.

 Hawks started to doze off beside you, occasionally jerking his head up before it could fall onto your shoulder. Snickering, you reached over with your other arm and shoved his head onto your shoulder so it could rest. "It's alright, man. No homo."

 Cheek squicked, the blond mumbled. "...But you're a girl..."

 You hissed a small laugh. "Same difference." It didn't take very long before the elder's breaths elongated, much calmer as sleep overtook him. You, equally tired, leaned your head against his and dozed off too.

----------

 You were woken by the cooing and awing of staff members. Lifting heavy eyelids, you noticed that the lights were turned on and the screen had switched completely off. You sat up quickly, dropping the other teen's head. He jumped and dropped the empty bowl of popcorn. "Wh?? What's going on?" You elbowed him a few more times to help him sit up.

 "We gotta go, man. Movie's over."

 "Already??"

 "Yeh!" Being the least delirious of you two, you tugged the boy's jacket up until his body followed and led him out of the room.

 "Awh.. I missed the ending."

 "Well, what did you expect?"

---------------

 Sitting outside at a bus stop, Hawks laid on the bench using the fat Endeavor plush as his pillow. You stood up leaning against the beam that propped up the glass covering that shielded the bench from rain. You huffed aloud as you pressed call on your phone and waited for the guy on the other end to answer.

 ""...Uhh, yeah?"" Came Kai's voice.

 "I'm just checking in to make sure you know I'm alright."

 "Mmh.. That th' Yakuza of yours?"

 "Shh!"

 ""What exactly are you doing anyways? Pops is starting to get worried.""

 "I'm in the process of getting a new quirk is all. Some things got delayed, so it might be a little while before I can return."

 ""How long is a 'little while' exactly?""

 "Why? Do you need me?"

. . .

 "..Depends."

 "Hh." You switched the phone over to your other ear. "Just another day. Call me if anything serious happens."

 ""Alright. Take care.""

 "Thanks." You hung up and slid the phone again into your pocket.

 "That your boss or something~?"

 "In a way."

 "How do you make so much money, anyways??" Rolling onto his back. "I mean, didn't you just say you could afford two hotel rooms for us too?!"

 "I earn most of it from winning fights."

 "Epic.. You know you're being a real Sugar Daddy today, right?" He earned a wing slap for that. "Alright, alright, I'll stop. I'm too tired to be trusted with a mouth."

 "Right you are." Weak chuckle. You pulled out your phone and began looking up local hotels. It was kind of pushing the edge of your budget here, but you purchased two small rooms for the night and led the sleepy Hawks to the hotel. Nothing really memorable happened from there. It was nice having a little peace and quiet after being stuck with that blond all day. And as you were struggling to go to sleep with two wings, to your delight you discovered that even mutation quirks can be deactivated and hidden away until later needed. So, you were able to sleep normally that night.

 Niiiiice.

-------------

 Hotels somehow make the sleeping experience so much nicer. You woke up pretty late in the day and readied yourself to leave at once. There really wasn't much to do other than fix your hair and throw your coats back on.

 Hawks' room was just a little down the hall. After retrieving that lad, who had woken up a lot earlier and killed time by watching TV, you brought him again to that hospital from before.

 "Heyy, I recognize you!!" The woman at the front desk smiled as you entered the waiting room. You had instructed the elder teen to wait outside for the time being. You put on a big, bold smile.

 "Yep! Is he here?!"

 "Yep, he should be passing through this area once done with a patient! I'll be sure to flag him down for ya!"

 "Thank you!!" You hopped in place, then scurried off to sit in waiting. After a few minutes, the secretly ancient scientist in disguise shuffled down the hallway.

 "Oh, Dr. Tsubasa! Mind saying hello to this lovely young lady~?" The doctor stopped and turned to where the woman vaguely gestured. He stumbled back a step. First terrified, then amazed.

 "(Y/n)?! By golly, is that you?!"

 "You two know each other?"

 "Mhm! Mhm!" You nodded frantically while smiling, still needing to put on an act for the woman. "I wanted to thank you for helping my baby brother!"

 "Your wh-?!" He paused, readjusting his glasses as he took a moment to process. He knew you had no younger siblings. On top of that, he knew he did no such thing to help any of them! But, the simple fact that you were here told him a lot. Why, you must be here to see him about something. Perhaps even something quirk related. "Ah, yes. Before I forget! Would you mind stepping into my office? I have some medicine for your brother that I just haven't been able to send to your parents yet."

 "Yes sir!" You skipped happily after the evil, wretched doctor you would have killed by now if not for his usefulness! Garaki sweat a little bit, both understanding your hatred toward your father right now as well as your terrifying abilities. Nevertheless, he hoped that you were here for another reason than to simply kill him. His thumb hovered over the emergency distress signal in his hand. You noticed it as you two were walking alone down the hall. "Please don't call my dad.." Voice dropping to how it usually was. "I'm not here to hurt you, I promise." The man's shoulders slacked a little. He liked hearing that.

 "O-of course. Now, right this way." He led you into his office. The meeting was brief. Didn't take long to explain to him your situation. The doctor said he was willing to go through with it. However, the process was a bit longer than you hoped. Even making copying this quirk a top priority, it would still take Garaki just under two weeks.

...

 Hhhhhh.

----------

 "Hey.." You approached the wingless future hero sitting outside on a bench under the shade of a tree. His head perked up, smiling and ready to see you. "You're free to take down this guy when you become a hero, by the way." Chuckling, you pointed over your shoulder.

 "Which one?"

 "You're smart enough to figure that out on your own... For the sake of your reputation, though, I would recommend you just say you were asleep this whole time. Maybe find another way to catch the crook hiding in those walls."

 "Teheh.. I take it you don't really like the guy you'll be handing me over to."

 "H### no! That man's a monster! Works directly under my dad! Only reason I'm not taking him out myself is because I need him for this to work."

 "Wait, so, your dad is still alive?? And he has a quirk like yours??" You nodded. Elbows leaning on his knees, the elder smile-sighed. "Dang.. Haven't even heard about a guy like that until now. Why haven't you gotten revenge or something on him yet?"

 "Working on that right now.. which is why I need your quirk.." You stretched your hand out to him. "I told him you've been unconscious this whole time. ..Please... I know this is hard, but you're just going to have to trust me. You'll have your original quick back and everything... I promise."

 "..."

 Keigo sighed, then grabbed your hand. You pulled him to his feet. Then, you offered him one of the Sleep Bombs. "Just breathe this in."

 "...Okay." You held your breath as he pressed the button, inhaled the mist and fell limp. You caught him and slung one of his arms around your shoulder and headed for the back door. Hidden excitement rose in you again. So gosh darn close. Then...your mission would be complete.

---------------

 Keigo woke up with dew on his face. His whole body was cold and wet. Blades of grass tickled his exposed skin. He wore the same outfit as before, just without the coat he so desperately needed.

 "Uugh..?" He groaned, sat up, and rubbed his aching head. His body was on the fence between numb and filled with tingles. He gasped, eyes widening a little as he reached again for his back. The moment his fingers ran into the base of his wing, his lips broke apart into a smile. He almost couldn't believe it.

 Though he was now cold and alone, that girl has kept her promise after all.

 ...How ironic... The Princess of The Underworld was nicer than most of the people in his life.

 "Hawks!!!" Three recognizable black vehicles screeched to a halt beside the road, officers spilling forth from them to surround the sitting boy. He rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms high above his head. "Where have you been!?!"

 "Dunno... just woke up.." The teen yawned. "Where am I?" The sounds of vehicles rushing past on the highway answered that easily enough. Probably not far from where he was taken in the first place. Three men in black suits dragged the youngster to his feet, immediately examining things like his blood pressure and heartbeat.

 "You have been missing for two weeks!! What happened?!" The boy's eyes dropped to the grass. Probably had enough information on him to get several people arrested.

 But... Princess was nice enough to keep her end of the bargain, so...

 "...I don't know. I just got tired and fell asleep in the car on the way to the main building." Even if evidence was later found of him being awake that day, he would just say he didn't remember it... No point in betraying a friend anyways.

 Even if she was the Princess of The Underworld.