Chapter Text
After the first encounter, he was known as Dark Shadow. An assassin with more confirmed kills than any of the other men in the district. Who knew about an influential client before Naosama even did. Every single method he had tried to keep the man away went badly.
He had tried to get the name removed from newspapers and retellings of the events. But they kept resurfacing, each time by a new person on the dark web. A new video of his kills hitting the page just hours after the hit took place.
And Naosama was not going to let another video get out. He didn't even know if this woman was a target. But she was a primary witness against one of the biggest drug heists in Mustafau. And he wasn't taking any risks with her.
"Are you okay, sir?" She asked, reaching across the table to touch his hand. He blinked, refocusing on the situation.
He put his other hand over hers reassuringly, nodding. "I am. And once the trial today passes, we can get you into the safety program." Once she testified, the Dark Shadow wouldn't come after her.
She nodded, a nervous smile on her face. "Thank you for staying with me."
"Of course." He nodded, standing up. "Nothing will happen to you."
Her smile dropped slightly, her hands returning to her lap. The room was carefully chosen, no vents, no window, one door. It was impossible to get into. He paused in front of the door, keeping an eye on her at the table as he tapped on the door.
Sansa tapped back with the opposite code, the coast still clear. "Are you ready to move?" He asked the woman.
She nodded, biting her cheek as she moved to stand up slowly. Naosama caught her quickly as she fell, her shaking legs making her heavy. "I'm sorry." She muttered, holding on tight to his arm.
"It's okay to be scared. Just tell the truth on the stand, okay?" He held her tightly, hoping it was more reassuring than stifling.
She nodded as he paused by the door, taking a deep breath. "You are going to get an officer's uniform. You will break off from the group in the parking lot and will go with my best officers to the trial." He explained, tapping on the door.
It cracked open just slightly, an officer stepping inside and shutting the door. Naosama immediately searched her, taking her gun and handing it to the witness. "What?" She asked, holding it gently.
"It is unloaded. A prop." He explained, stepping back from the officer. "Get changed. Officer Reiga will take your clothes and accompany me to the site." The woman nodded and started to undress.
Naosama looked away out of respect, still staying where he could protect her if something went wrong. To take his eyes off of her at all would be risky. But every other attempt over the past two years had failed with other witnesses. This was one of the last plans they had left. Separation and disguise.
"And this will keep me safe?" She asked, buttoning up the last button.
He turned back to her, tucking her hair into her hat fully. "It should. No one else has this information. I apologise for keeping you in the dark so long." He tucked the last strand in, making sure the hat covered her face.
She nodded, taking a deep breath. "Oh-" she turned around and helped Officer Reiga with her bandana over her hair. "You really do look like me." She commented, growing slightly.
"I have a face changer quirk." Officer Regina said, nodding. "I can change my face to match yours." The woman nodded in disbelief, looking back to Naomasa.
"Are you two ready to move?" He asked. Officer Regina took his arm gently, staying directly next to him as the witness backed up slightly.
He tapped on the door and it opened, his officers ready to meet them. None of them knew the plan. Beside Sansa and Regina, they were clueless. The officers immediately surrounded them, their hands on their holsters. The witness stayed in the group, Sansa directly next to her as they moved.
The transfer into the police vehicle went without an issue, Officer Regina sitting still. He opened the car door and issued out commands, each group breaking off. He said nothing to Sansa, simply giving him a look. He nodded and took the witness and two other men to another car, without a second thought.
Naosama got into the car and started it up, glancing through the mirror at officer Regina. "Just sit still, miss. Once we have you inside, you will be out of danger again." He said gently, Officer Regina nodding. He didn't know if the car was bugged. He couldn't take that chance.
The car ride went smoothly, basic lights and pedestrians. There was nothing out of the ordinary. No chatter on the radios, no villain attacks. It was too quiet. "We're almost there, miss." He said and Officer Reigna nodded. The one thing they couldn't fix. Her quirk didn't change her voice.
He pulled up to the large building, clicking his keys out of the ignition. "Take the left." He ordered the officer beside him. He nodded, opening the door and stepping out. Naosama followed, shutting it behind him gently.
He pulled open the back door, reaching a hand down for Officer Regina as his other officer stood on the opposite side. Immediately, his officers already circled around, the witness following along. Sans pushed her towards the center, all moving around Officer Regina as they made their way to the steps. Each step felt like it took years, Naosama helping Officer Regina out while keeping one eye on the witness.
He saw the shift in her face before he even registered what was happening. The widening of her eyes, the way her mouth fell open. The hat flew that from her head, her hair flying across her face. Deep crimson covered his officers as she fell. As Naosama's one hope for getting the drug operation under wraps hit the stairs.
The crunch was sickening, everyone pausing in their movement. "Find them!" Naosama shouted, knocking everyone out of their shocked faces. Officer Regina's face shifted back and all the other officers looked confused, holding up their guns and running to the nearby building.
Damn it. He didn't bother speaking yo the witness, her body already still. He shut her eyes, standing up slowly as he looked to the sky. He didn't need his gun. They wouldn't find Dark Shadow. He wouldn't be shot. Because it was all a game to him.
The single black feather that floated down to Naosama's hand was the single trophy. Another loss for him.
--
Naosama slapped the feather onto the table, his hands shaking as he crushed the edges. "This has to stop. Our case has been set back by months because we allowed her to get shot."
"What else can we do?" Sansa asked, rubbing at his eyes. His bell dinged loudly as he shook his head, looking up. "This was one of the last plans. We didn't tell anyone about it. And we kept things encoded for this entire case."
Naosama slapped his hand on the table, before walking away. "I don't care. Somehow he knew about the plan. He knew who to look out for." He paced the floor as he spoke, rubbing at his eyes.
"There's nothing more we can do. We've tried every alternative, and he's managed to push every case back by months. He's dangerous and needs to be caught."
"Goddammit." Naosama said, pulling at his hair. "We need to make finding him our top priority. We need to call the heroes onto the case."
Sansa groaned, leaning back in his chair. "Do we really? I know that Dark Shadow-"
"Don't call him that." Naosama interrupted. "We can't give him a name to hide behind."
"The assassin." Sansa corrected himself. "He's a thorn in our sides. But to call in the heroes would look bad on us. Especially since this is not the first witness he has shot out from under us."
"You think I don't know that!" Naosama yelled. "I am the one getting the full force of the commission's wrath. And I am the one who will have to face the public when we go public with the news."
"Okay. Okay." Sansa raised his hands in acceptance. "Who do you want me to bring in?"
Naosama shook his head, clicking his tongue. "U.A. staff. Eraserhead. Midnight. And-" he took a deep breath, Sansa's gaze hardening slightly. "Nezu."
"No." Sansa said quickly. "We do not need that rat. We can figure this out with just eraserhead and Midnight."
"U.A. is the one who gave us the hits on almost every case. They need to be brought in."
"Don't you find that strange? That UA is the one supplying these tips? Should we be looking into the students and the connections instead of bringing the heroes in?"
Naosama shook his head, continuing his pacing. "No. The hero schools always give us tips. Cases they don't want. Things that will damage their reputation. Anonymous tips from anyone."
"Still." Sansa countered. "To bring in that rat. We should not stoop to that level."
Naosama held a hand up, shaking his head. "The decision is made. I am calling them in tonight. While I understand your thoughts, Nezu is our smartest asset, one we do not use often."
Sansa stood up, understanding that Naosama wasn't going to budge on this. The heroes took much of their work and all of their credit. They did the cases and dealt with far more than the heroes ever would. But to society, the heroes were the ones on top, the ones most powerful.
And Naosama needed three of them for one assasian.
---
"Why did you call us here?" Eraserhead asked, his voice showing his exhaustion.
Naosama sighed, shaking his head. "I apologise for the late notice. And for calling you in at all. I know you three have plenty on your plates." He paced the room as he talked, trying to keep his composure.
"I should be grading my students tests right now." Midnight cut in, before pausing and grinning. "Though I always have time for a handsome man like you, Detective."
Naosama glared at the woman who shrugged and sat back. Heroes were his least favorite people to work with. "This is about the assassination of your witness, is it not?" Nezu asked, crossing his hands.
Eraserhead groomed, nodding. "Course you would call us to come clean up your mess. I thought you had almost caught the assassin."
"Assassin?" Midnight asked. "How come I am the last to hear about an assassin?"
"You're not." Naosama said before anyone else could. "Plently more don't know of him and the hope is they will never know of him. We have tried to keep it under wraps for fear of safety and widespread panic."
"Look detective." Eraserhead said, pushing his hair out of his face. "I've worked with you for years. And I know you wouldn't be asking if you weren't desperate. None of us are about to tell you no. So what do you need from us?"
"Actually my dear student." Nezu said. "I am going to have to decline the offer to help in this case."
"Excuse me?" Naosama asked, trying to hide the way his voice increased.
Nezu shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal, hopping down from his higher chair. "I afraid I am busy after the sports festival this weekend. And I do not have the time to put towards a case when you are more than capable of handiling it on your own."
"Nezu." Naosama tried not to sound like he was pleading, but the rat simply waved a hand and walked from the room. He collpased into his chair, grabbing at his hair. "I am sorry. I know you have far better things to do. But he has me at my wits end and I don't know where else to turn." He hated the desperation in his voice, the way the words stung his throat. He really had no where else to go.
"I'll help." Eraserhead said softly and Naosama met his tired eyes. "I know you enough to know it is important."
Midnight sighed, leaning her cheek on her hand as she looked between them. "I can help out. It's part of my job to keep these streets safe enough for people to step forward. But who exactly is this big, mystery assassin?"
"Dark Shadow." Eraserhead said before Naosama could speak. "He's the terror of the underground hitman ring."
---
"Fumi!" Izuku whined trying to grab his headphones from him. Fumikage danced out of his reach, passing the pair off to his quirk. "That's not fair!" He yelled, jumping as Kuragari floated above him, dangling the pair of headphone directly over Izuku's head.
Fumikage shrugged, smiling at his flustered friend. "You have not been getting your proper rest again. I will be confiscating these headphones until you get the desired eight hours of sleep for a teenager your age."
"You are the same age as me!" Izuku yelled, crossing his arms as he gave up. "I don't see you getting much sleep!"
"I'm nocturnal."
"No you aren't!" Izuku yelled, looking up at his headphones. "Plus you could still sleep during the day!" Fumikage shrugged, Kuragari putting his headphones up on a nail in the wall. "Fumi!" Izuku yelled.
"Even if the condition was not that you slept, we need to collect more food. We are running low on anything that can provide substance." Fumikage said, shrugging on his coat.
Izuku pouted, his gaze still locked firmly on his headphones as his mouth moved slowly. "Do not even consider trying to get it down. I will stop you before you get close enough to touch them."
Izuku flipped him off, groaning and grabbing his own hoodie. "I'm going to get them back." He stated, grabbing the fabric bags they kept stuffed in the bottom of the suitcase. "Just a matter of when."
Fumikage's beak clacked in a silent laugh as he shook his head. His quirk retreated into his cape, invisible to anyone walking by. "The old grocer out on the second avenue still suspects us of being the ones to trash the store instead of the villains. I do not suppose he will be all too friendly towards us."
Izuku laughed, shouldering Fumikage as he cracked open the only working window in the rundown apartment. It wasn't much, but it kept them safe from the cold and the drifters. "There's a corner store I've been wanting to check out anyways."
He jumped onto the fire escape, holding a hand out to Fumikage. He took it gently, stepping out as well and locking the eindow behind them. "Why have you been looking at new grocers when our current one was still accepting to us?" He asked, taking the lead down the ruined stairs. Some would cave in under their weight, but they had spent time memorizing each one over the years.
"No reason." He hummed, jumping down onto the ground floor.
Fumikage shook his head, his beak clanking softly. "Do not cause another scene, Izuku. We are running short on our options for getting reliable food."
Izuku giggled, skipping ahead of him and joining the busy street. Drifters and homeless people took up a good majority of the sidewalk, business men taking up the other section. It was a good spot, just far enough downtown that no one would really notice the way their hair was a bit greasy. Their clothes just slightly too small in areas.
They did their best to keep clean, but the only times they had were when gyms had free sponsor days. Or the homeless shelter. But they didn't risk that after the cops had been called for truancy issues the last time. Plus, they found ways around it. Fumikage had gotten a special powder for feather type quirks and Izuku had managed to secure a dry conditioner. They still towelled off every day with water brought up from a nearby faucet.
Slowly, the streets became cleaner and the homeless drifted to the background. People passed by, laughing and figjting, living their lives. "Why do you think I'm going to be the one to make a scene?" Izuku asked, as he skipped down the sidewalk. He paused and waited for Fumikage to catch before running ahead again.
It was more of a safety mechanism, but Fumikage was fairly sure he was enjoying himself. He was a very expressive boy, but it still made Fumikage glad to see him around people like him. People who could laugh and smile easily.
People who didn't look like him. He pretended to ignore it for Izuku's benifit, but he could feel all the stares. He hated their outings because of the hate. He kept walking as a mom pulled her child away from his path, whispering something. An old man looked at him with pure disgust.
He was used to it. "Careful. He is an animal." Someone whispered and he looked away. It still hurt. "Its just instincts."
Izuku grabbed his hand, shocking him out of his daze. "Look!" He pointed excitedly at a hero shop, new All Might merch shown in the window.
Fumikage clicked his beak, shaking his head slowly. "What happened to only buying the essentials so that we are sufficently prepared for the week ahead?"
"It's right there!" Izuku pointed to the grocery shop next door. "We can hit up the hero store after!"
Fumikage laughed slightly, his partner leading him into the grocery store. The cashier didn't look up as the bell chimed, too used to being in a better part of town. Fumikage grabbed a basket, following Izuku down the aisles as he grabbed the basics.
Bread. Cans of food. Bottled water. Some junk food. Instant ramen. Izuku was the one in charge of the financial aspect of their living, so Fumikage did not stress too much when he tossed sodas and candies in. He did however raise an eyebrow when Izuku gingerly set a large chocolate cake on top before moving on, humming.
"Izuku?" He questioned, gazing down at it as he balanced the too full basket.
Izuku grinned, looking over his shoulder. He didn't say anything though, moving up to the front counter. Fumikage chuckled slightly, placing the basket onto the counter. He didn't bother looking at the woman's expression as he fished the cash out of his cape and set it on the table.
"Where'd you get the money?" The woman asked harshly.
Fumikage sighed, looking up at her with narrowed eyes. "I worked for it. Now can I get my food or not?"
She looked over to Izuku, who rocked back on his heels, looking up at her. His lips were drawn tight, no longer smiling. His eyebrows were dropped, the expression terrifying even too Fumikage. "Alright!" The woman said, putting her hands up as she shrugged. "Long as yall aint bringing no villains here."
Izuku grinned again, bagging the items as the woman scanned them and collected payment. Fumikage grabbed the rest of the bags as Izuku took the cake, pushing open the door with his shoulder.
"We deserve a treat after out last case." He finally explained, walking beside Fumikage.
Fumikage huffed a bit in response, getting an excited grin from Izuku. He turned into the hero store and Fumikage smiled slightly, following his bright partner.