MHA: Dark Matter

Looking over the information Nakamura had gathered for me, I couldn't stop thinking about my father's new family. Honestly, I didn't really care about them. And I still didn't. Who were they to me? Strangers. Irrelevant. I didn't even feel that old jealousy, the kind that whispers "he left me for them."

So I didn't care about what my father had said about the elite families either. What difference did it make to me? None. I already knew the world was ruled by power. I didn't give a damn about the American elite families or my father's business dealings. I just confirmed they weren't connected to Japan or any elite families I knew here, and I moved on.

And even if I later found out that Alice Scott and Agnes Scott had died or become villains, I wouldn't have cared. Where's America compared to Japan? A whole other continent. So fine, I'll admit my mistake. Globalization bit me in the ass. At the worst possible time, too.

I'd managed to hide my full power from the I-Island authorities, but that parasite and Agnes saw everything. They experienced my "Form of Noah" firsthand. The good news is that the abilities I showed in that form were completely different from the known abilities of Ticci Micc. The bad news is that I have no idea who they are or what organization they belong to.

That they were part of Wolfram's mercenaries and managed to escape while their boss and comrades got caught? I dismissed that immediately. Why? Because none of the captured villains, Wolfram included, could say anything about them. According to them, that pair wasn't even with them. They didn't know them.

Hell, the authorities only learned that those two parasites were on the island from me and Melissa. No witnesses, no video or photos. The only physical evidence was blood and severed fingers I'd stashed away and brought back to Japan with me. They were like ghosts.

And those damn ghosts knew my official identity. Or they would soon find out. That was a catastrophe. The safety of my loved ones depended on anonymity. Enemies of Ticci Micc couldn't get revenge because they didn't know who he was or where he lived. In the criminal underworld, only Giran knew my official identity, and maybe the hidden leader of the League of Villains. It wasn't in their interest to expose me because of our mutual arrangements. That status quo worked for me.

But after I-Island, Ken Hoshino had gained enemies.

First, because of the power I'd shown.

Second, because of my loose lips.

"Agnes?"

The little girl in white, with those all-too-familiar eyes, slipped from my weakened grip and vanished.

Damn it. Why did I say her name? According to my official biography, I couldn't possibly know her. At the very least, Agnes would be curious about how I knew her. Just perfect, Ken.

I closed my eyes.

I might have to use my contacts and hire more mercenaries to protect Mei and the Yoshioka family. I had the money, but it would mean expanding my shadow business. That could cause problems with the yakuza, especially the Seven Deaths Pledges in Tokyo and the Dragon's Breath in Yokohama. Those damn fossils still haven't accepted that their time has passed.

****I will dispel the lies around me,

And the sky will turn blue.

Eternity soars in flight!

I sing a song to the sky.

(Jackie-O – MHA Opening 3)****

I looked at my phone playing the ringtone. The screen showed the Greedy Leech calling, and I'd set his contact photo to a poster with the slogan "Smoking makes you impotent!"

"What do you want, old man?"

A smoke-roughened voice came through the speaker.

"Heh heh. You haven't changed a bit, Ken-kun."

"Did nostalgia hit you, or are you trying to lower my rates with small talk?"

"Your pettiness and greed have always amused me."

"For senile old men, I can recommend a nice nursing home in Shizuoka prefecture. Maybe you'll get the room next to Endeavor's wife."

"Perfect. I'll finally take a break from my 'arduous and righteous' labors, and I can show her your photos."

"What photos?"

I froze, probably with a stupid look on my face.

"Oh, just a few pictures from your early training sessions with Derek-san, and a couple from our conversations. I especially like the one where you saw the prices for your official documents."

Feeling my face go pale, I spoke in a hard voice.

"You'll delete them."

"How could I? These photos bring back so many fond memories for this old man."

"Just try showing them to anyone. Your death won't be easy."

"In them, you're so young and, in a way, innocent."

"Rrrgh."

A sinister laugh came from the phone, which then shifted to a serious tone.

"Enough joking for today. The master of Tomura Shigaraki wants to talk to you. Tomorrow at 10 PM, the usual bar. Good luck."

The call ended with a beep. I calmly considered why the unofficial leader of the League of Villains wanted to see me. That vague feeling of impending change was growing stronger, like a storm ready to sweep away the current society or crush anyone in its path. Too many hidden forces were stirring.

My phone vibrated with a new message. I opened it. A photo appeared on the screen. The moment my trainer, the one who'd "chosen the fork," kicked me off the ring during a sparring match. My confused face was especially "well" captured.

"GIIIIIRAaaaaaan!"

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[POV Izuku Midoriya]

"Don't worry. We've completely healed thanks to Recovery Girl and we're ready for the summer training camp."

"Kero."

"I need to better control the power of my darkness. Training will give me that opportunity."

"Too gloomy, Fumikage."

Izuku laughed, feeling relieved that his friends who'd been on I-Island had recovered. He was glad none of his classmates who'd been in the hotels that morning had died. During the explosions, Mina had melted falling debris with her Quirk, protecting Tsuyu and Hagakure as well, while Fumikage and Sato had also managed to save nearby civilians.

"I'm glad we're all alive and healthy. We need to learn from this experience so something like this never happens again. This summer training camp will help us with that and bring us one step closer to becoming true professional heroes."

Iida shouted, striking a determined pose, his glasses gleaming with what looked like... resolve? Izuku shook his head, shaking off the illusion.

"Deku, you never said you had such a strong friend."

The green-haired boy almost jumped at Uraraka's voice beside him. He couldn't help blushing at the memory of meeting her on I-Island.

'Good thing Mineta and Kaminari didn't see that, or they'd kill me out of jealousy. And Yaoyorozu was so soft...'

Feeling his ears burn, Izuku stammered.

"Y-you mean Hoshino?"

"Yeah."

"Who are you talking about?"

Tsuyu asked curiously, approaching. But the boy didn't have time to answer.

"Midoriya has a cool friend who was with us in the central tower on I-Island. He was beating villains so hard, it was like Aizawa-sensei or those monks from old movies!"

Kaminari chimed in, having heard who they were talking about.

"He studies martial arts?"

Ojiro asked, and Midoriya suddenly realized the whole class was listening.

"I'm sure he does, but I didn't get a chance to ask. He's probably at some hero academy. And from what I understand, Jiro knows him from somewhere."

Curious looks from the teenagers focused on the suddenly nervous girl who'd been standing aside with a thoughtful expression. She looked from one person to another, then said.

"He's a stalker."

"EHHHHH?"

Izuku tilted his head in shock, feeling imaginary question marks appear above him. He had never expected such details about his friend.

Embarrassedly twirling one of her earphone jacks around her finger, the girl explained.

"Ken is a fan of my father. For a while, he secretly followed my family."

"So you're on a first-name basis? No honorifics, Jiro?"

Mina hugged the purple-haired girl with a sly grin. She blushed, then jabbed her friend with one of her jacks in irritation.

"He saved my life."

"That's so romantic!"

"By the way, Todoroki, I never understood how you guessed to destroy the power supply system and knew its location. Did Melissa leave you a message?"

Tsuyu asked with her usual expressionless face, completely ignoring the brewing argument between the two girls. The perpetually silent boy with two-toned hair answered in an indifferent tone.

"Hoshino left a note near the server room. It pointed out where the power supply system was."

"I didn't even notice that back then."

Iida said, cupping his chin, impressed. Kaminari slumped his shoulders, and a faint aura of dejection emanated from him.

"I was completely useless, wasn't I?"

"Don't worry, Kaminari. You helped us a lot back then."

Izuku waved his hands frantically, wanting to support his friend.

"So which academy does this Hoshino go to?"

Now the curious looks of the teenagers focused on the green-haired boy.

"Um, he's at our school. In the support course."

"NO WAY?!"

[End POV Izuku Midoriya]

***A/N***

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