It's not a cult!
Hizashi still remembers the day they met. It had only been two and a half months after that big war against Japan's best heroes and the league of villains. Some things had cooled down but were far from being normal.
Endeavor was being charged with abuse, child neglect, and the illegal practice of quirk marriage. A lot. There was a lot that the ex-number one hero was facing. Not just him, hawks too. All this stuff was being brought to light while the sky was a dark gray and grew darker as time went by. A storm was threatening to pour and he should probably get inside.
That is…if he wasn't so badly beaten just moments ago.
Criminals of all kinds were also making moves again, getting bolder and highly territorial over such small areas after the war to the point that it was ridiculous. Hisashi was just on a stroll, with no intent to cause mischief today because his special hero wasn't scheduled for petrol when two gang members got the drop on him.
He now sat on the ground leaning against a brick wall, head turned slightly upward to the sky as a slow trail of blood ran down his nose and his right eye began to swell. Above the sky opens up, falling cold and unforgiving on his broken person. Tired, he closed his eyes for a minute to take in his misfortune before opening them again, and immediately spiraling green meets lifeless gray staring at him from underneath a red umbrella.
“You would have a bright smile if it wasn't shrouded by sadness.” The voice told him before his eyes closed again. His last memory being of lightning flashing.
From there it's a blur. One minute he's in a dirty alley getting rained on and the next he's sitting in a Konbini, injuries treated and bandaged, with a steaming bowl of instant noodles in front of him having the oddest conversation.
“Would you be interested in dismantling the Hero Commission and rewriting what it means to be a Hero or Villain?”
“...what?!” he asked around a mouth full of noodles. First, this kid pops into his life and gets him medical attention, and now this?!
The kid even asked him to not speak with anyone else about this and to place his trust in her.
"You may just see me as a child, which is fair, but when I say I'm gonna do something I do it. Action speaks louder than words and I keep receipts just in case. Help me with my goal, prove that heroes and the commission aren't the only ones who can decide the rules, and the life they ripped from you will be given back ten fold."
Back then he one hundred percent thought this kid was insane. Take down the commission? Redefine heroes and villains? Ha! This was laughable…but the more she talked…the more she explained her plan…how this benefited him far more than it did her…how she already had a good portion of this outlandish plan done with positive feedback and backers. Pulse, she's only been in Japan for a month but needed someone who knew the area for better guidance…he agreed.
Now he lived in a comfortable apartment In a safe neighborhood with enough money to eat well, actually pay for quality parts used for his broadcasting equipment, have some left over for the occasional fun night out and not worry about how he was going to survive this month. All of that was because of this the girl who up and adopted him on a whim.
It's been almost four and a half months since then. And Hizashi couldn’t ask for a better niece…even when she dropped him unceremoniously onto the couch instead of manifesting into the living room like normal. He must be in deep trouble if that’s the case or she was upset about something else and he just added to the irritation.
“Have a bad day, little listener?” He asked, taking off his boots before sitting up on the couch to see the other. Bri was in the entryway removing her own shoes and b-lining towards the kitchen.
"You told me you were taking it easy today. Nothing too crazy, two to three radio station hijackings and maybe a walk to the cafe as a treat. You did NOT include playing a game of cat n mouse with an underground hero.” She huffs. Grabbing a can of root beer cream soda she returned to the living room hands on her hips as she looked at him. "I was in the middle of conducting an important interview for the club's newest bartender when you sent out an SOS.”
Ah, dammit. He should have known from the way she was hyper focused this morning that something was going on. "Geez, my bad. It’s been a good while since you’ve inducted anyone into the cult that I thought you were just making the usual rounds." He could feel his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. Interviews for new members were crucial, picked through with a fine tooth comb, and left no room for error. It’s not like he actively went out of his way to find Eraser, it just sorta happened.
"It’s not a cult!” She scoffs before taking a swig from her drink. "Anyway…it was cut short so I could come to get you but they seem promising. He did hesitate when it was revealed that a majority of the workers were ex-criminals.”
Hesitation? That's not right. "Seems like a red flag to me." He blurted out. “Did they get flighty and start looking around as if they were being watched?”
Bri furrows her brow before responding. “Surprisingly no. He seemed more focused, fascinated even, on the fact that I did employ criminals and had no issues adding more. Seeing as he was an ex-villain himself.”
His mouth fell open. "Are you serious?!" His question was met with a nod. The words Villain and Criminal were always used separately because Bri fully believed that there was a difference. A criminal was your average delinquent to petty theft. Someone whose down in their luck, the universe refuses to give them a break, and turned to crime because no one cared to reach a hand out. But a villain…a villain has no regard for anyone unless it solely benefits them. They will render everyone and things around them nothing more than stepping stones in order to sit upon their throne of greed.
"Yeah, he was a pretty famous villain before he came to his senses. Was brainwashed and forced to do as they say kinda situation. But now he's going legit.” Her face lit up in mischievous curiosity. "What do you think?"
"I don't know…" he replied honestly. "If you can trust that he's gone straight, he'd make a great addition like all the rest. If he hasn't changed his ways, well…he'll probably only last three minutes, maybe even less, before the others deal with him.”
She shrugs, downing the rest of her drink. "Well, we won't know until he joins us. We need to take our time and see if he sticks around.”
Well, things were getting interesting. Vigilantes and criminals made up majority of their oddball family, adding an actual villain, ex or not, would really get everyone’s attention. Hizashi was sure some of them already knew. There is no way anyone would let her conduct an interview with a known villain alone. Minami or Sugawara maybe? He has to contact both to get more details.
In the meantime…
“Bri, why don’t you go shower and I’ll start dinner. It’s been a long day and we both could do with some relaxation.” He offered. Patting the other on the head he stands, stretching out sore muscles, and heads for the kitchen to see what he could make. He was feeling pasta. Italian sounds good.
“You’re right. But don’t think I’ve forgotten about you being caught again. You’re still gettin an ear full afterward.”
The blonde chuckles as he hears the shuffling of feet and a door closing in the far distance, likely the bathroom. Honestly, which one of them was the adult in this situation?