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Kuonji Yusuke parked his van across the street from the bank, moved into the rear, and peered through the periscope at the front door. It was close to closing time, so he needed to make sure he had a good view of the entrance, to figure out when the security guards went in for the night and when the manager came out.
His quirk was special. Kuonji could look at any living creature and get a brief glimpse at their future. As a child, his parents had often used this to their advantage at the race track, making him tell them which horse to bet on. When he got older, he started robbing houses and businesses. All he had to do was look at the owners of the buildings he was going to burgle to find keys, combinations, and to make sure he was in the right place at the right time to avoid the owners or guards.
His quirk had its limitations of course. Non-living objects didn’t have futures, so a good security system could foil his plans. The other limitation…
Kuonji watched the bank manager exit the building through his periscope. A quick glance at him showed the manager coming in the next morning and the combination for the safe as he entered the code to disarm the alarm. The manager handed the keys to the guard; keys the thief had already copied.
Kuonji took a look at the guard, instantly visualizing his patrol route and how much time he’d have to get the cash out of the vault. He grumbled a bit as the vision extended beyond what he needed, showing him the next day when the guard went to the jewelry store to buy an engagement ring, then packing the ring in his luggage. A second look confirmed what he already suspected about the guard: he had a faint red string tied to his thumb which trailed off into the distance.
The other limitation was that if a person was in a relationship with their soulmate, then nothing else mattered to the target. It meant Kuonji had a hard time seeing anything other than the pair's future together. It was better for him if they were far apart. So, Kuonji had picked this bank specifically because he knew that the guard’s girlfriend was in Hawaii this week, and that he was going to go surprise her. It was amazing what one could find out about a person on Bookfaces.
Kuonji sat back, moving away from the periscope and taking a sip of tea. It was perfect. All he needed to do now was wait a few hours until dark, walk in, disarm the alarm, get the cash from the vault, and walk out. He'd already done it to three other banks. One more hit and he could retire to Tahiti.
His daydream of sipping Mai Tais on the beach was interrupted by the sound of an explosion coming from down the street. He put his tea down and panned the periscope around, checking the street for the source of the noise, only to find a wrench in his plan: a pair of heroes, Uravity and Dynamight, had just landed on the sidewalk nearby and were walking towards the bank.
"You really didn't need to do that last explosion to slow us down," Uravity said as she climbed off Dynamight’s back. "I was already slowing us down with gravity manipulation."
Dynamight looked at her over his shoulder. "Ya gotta make an entrance so the extras know you've arrived! You should know that,’’ he said with a confident smirk. “It was the one good thing All Might taught us!"
Uravity hid a giggle behind her hand. "Yes, but we're supposed to be discreet on this mission, remember?"
"Tch," Dynamight scoffed, putting his hands on his hips. "This bank is way outside of the area where the others were hit. The rabbit lady just sent us here to get us out of her hair while they monitor the more likely targets. I doubt we'll see any action."
Kuonji gritted his teeth. Heroes weren’t part of his plan! Oh well, it wouldn't be too bad. Dynamight just confirmed the real heroes were at another bank following a false lead. He could handle a pair of sidekicks. All he needed to do was look at the pair, and add their patrol paths to his plan…
Wait… what was that on Uravity's finger? He leaned forward, squinting at the sight. Oh, crap.
Tied around the pinky finger on her left hand was a red thread. The color was so deep it rivaled the colors of the sunset. It was so bright he could almost see it without his quirk. How did he miss it?
He followed the trail of the thread but didn’t have to look too far. It was wrapped tightly around Dynamight’s thumb.
Kuonji worried his bottom lip with his teeth as he watched the pair walk towards the bank. Okay, take a deep breath. These two were kids, barely out of high school.
After a quick check of Heropedia showed him that both were listed as single, he thought his quirk might still work since they weren't together yet. He looked through the periscope at Dynamight and activated his quirk.
"I'm telling you, Cheeks, we have a real opportunity here!" Bakugo said over the dinner table. "After that last bust, Miruko would be crazy not to promote us to full heroes!"
Uraraka pursed her lips and stirred her drink with her straw. "Are you sure? We've only been sidekicks for six months. I doubt she'd let us go solo so soon."
Bakugo picked up the menu, the word Morimoto's emblazoned across the top. "Who said anything about going solo? We complement each other perfectly. I can't fly as well without you, and my quirk is too destructive in urban areas. If I lead a villain to you, you can help me take them down."
Uraraka looked at him skeptically. "And you're willing to share the spotlight with me? Mister 'I'm the greatest hero ever'?"
"Uraraka,’’ Bakugo put his menu down, “You're the only one out of our entire class who I think deserves to be ranked as high as me." He held out his hand across the table. "What do you say, wanna be the first female hero to crack the top three?"
Uraraka looked at him, stunned. Her expression quickly changed to a hungry smile. She took his hand in a strong grip. "I'm in. Let's kick some ass."
Kuonji blinked and he was back in the present. Not good. He didn’t see them at the bank at all.
He took a sip of tea, thinking over what he saw. He did get some intel: he now knew Dynamight would try to herd him to Uravity. Maybe he could piece together a plan if he watched them more.
This time he focused on Uravity and activated his quirk again.
"What do you think, Cheeks? Will it work as a headquarters for our agency?"
Uraraka surveyed the office: 110 square meters of empty space. She shrugged. "I dunno, I've never set up a hero agency before."
"Neither have I." He strolled out into the void, gesturing around. "We'll set up a reception desk here, and the sidekicks will sit behind in rows of desks." He jogged to the back of the room, "You and I will have offices back here. We'll be the only full pros for a while, but eventually, we'll fill the space with more heroes."
Uraraka let out a sigh, her hands rubbing her arms as if she were cold. She shuffled the length of the room to join him at the opposite end and stared out of the windows that would be her corner office. It had a good view. "How much is this gonna cost?"
"¥300,000 a month."
She sucked in a breath. "You're sure we can afford all of this? We need to hire workers to build walls, buy office furniture, hire sidekicks…"
"We can get a startup loan,’’ Bakugo explained. “All Might already told me he'd sponsor us for a while. Plus I know something we can do immediately to save about ¥100,000 a month."
"Oh? What’s that?"
He tossed something at her and she caught it in the air. She looked at her hand and saw a set of keys.
"We get rid of one apartment. Move in with me."
Uraraka dropped the keys in shock, looking up at her partner. “What?” She couldn’t be sure, but she thought she saw the tiniest blush bloom on his cheeks.
Bakugo looked away, studying the carpet, suddenly unsure of himself. “We’ve been doing this dance for a couple of years— working together, hanging out, even sleeping together occasionally. We never put a label on it, and once I preferred it that way.” He looked up at her. “It’s not enough anymore. I need you in my life, Ochako.”
Uraraka smiled widely. She bent down to pick up the keys, before running at him, leaping into the air, and grabbing onto his torso with both her arms and legs. Bakugo struggled to keep his balance for a moment as his center of gravity shifted, but managed to keep from falling over. He wrapped his hands around her just in time for her to cover his mouth in a searing kiss, which he enthusiastically returned.
When she finally came up for air, his look of uncertainty had been replaced by his trademark smirk. “Is that a yes?”
Uraraka giggled, tapping him lightly on the head. “Why don’t you put me down, Katsuki, and I’ll show you?”
Kuonji shook his head to clear the vision before it turned R-rated. He needed to avoid getting distracted.
Unfortunately, that vision wasn’t any help. Dynamight had been a source of better information, maybe he should try him once more.
Uraraka—no, she was a Bakugo now too—fussed with the hem of her white kimono while Katsuki fixed his hakama.
“I hope you didn’t get anything on it,’’ she scolded, “This was my grandmother’s wedding kimono. I’d like to be able to pass it down someday.’’
Katsuki smirked at his wife. “If she was anything like her granddaughter, I bet Granny got up to the same thing we just did when she got hitched.”
Ochako scrunched up her nose at him, but her apparent disgust was quickly ruined by the giggle that bubbled up. She chastened him with a tap on the head, but didn’t argue.
“Do you think anybody heard us?”
Katsuki shrugged. “Who cares. They’re all a bunch of extras anyway.”
Ochako shook her head in bemusement. Suddenly they heard a large crash out in the reception hall. Muffled screams drifted through the walls along with the sound of evil laughter.
Katsuki clicked his tongue. “Crash our wedding, huh?” Katsuki turned to his new bride and held out his hand. “Well, shall we welcome our new guest with an ass-kicking?”
Smiling widely, Ochako took his hand. “Sounds good, but I’m a little hampered by this kimono. Shooting Star formation?”
“Perfect,” Katsuki said. Ochako jumped onto his back, activated her quirk, and they disappeared through the door.
Dang, that ended before he could learn what ‘Shooting Star’ meant. That would be good to know how to counter.
Better dive in again.
Katsuki gasped as he felt the movement. “Holy crap…”
Ochako looked up at her husband sitting next to her on the couch. He was enraptured with her pregnant belly, a wide smile on his face as their twin children moved within her. “You should feel it on my side. They like to take turns kicking on one side, then the other.” She giggled.
He turned to look at her. Ochako knew her husband loved her, even if he didn’t say it out loud very often. He showed it in other ways: The way he cooked for her. The way he always stuck up for her in the media. The way he held her close at night and stroked her back until she fell asleep.
The look on his face was one she'd never seen before. It was soft, kind, and full of love. It made her tear up a little.
“Hey,” he said, wiping a tear out of the corner of her eye. “I love you, you know? Thank you.”
Ochako nodded. “I love you too.”
No, that was useless too…
Katsuki and Ochako cheered as the twins accepted diplomas from U.A. Injuries sustained over a long career meant that actual hero work was long behind them, but the agency was thriving under their continued management. It would be great to have the kids working there as sidekicks.
Ochako sniffed loudly as her son and then her daughter walked across the stage to accept their diplomas. Katsuki looked over at her and saw her wiping away tears. He smirked, chuckling. “I knew you were gonna cry,” he teased.
She wrinkled her nose at him, punching him lightly on the shoulder. “Oh, shut up. I saw you rubbing your eyes on the drive in today.”
Katsuki scoffed. “I was tired.”
“Bull.”
Katsuki laughed, putting an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Yeah, it is.” He gestured to their kids up on stage. “They’re gonna kick so much ass. I’m insanely proud.”
Ochako nodded. “Think they’ll take over the agency one day?”
He smiled. “I overheard Yuki talking to her brother about ‘when we take over’ the other night.”
“Good. We’ll make sure they’re ready.” Ochako grinned.
Kuonji growled in frustration.
Ochako sat on a park bench, resting her head on her husband’s shoulder. She took one of his scarred and gnarled hands in her own and kissed it as they watched their grandkids play on the playground.
Katsuki gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “We did good, eh?”
“Yeah, we did,” Ochako sighed, content.
Kuonji sighed. It was useless to keep trying. This pair was destined to be together forever, maybe even into the next life.
He gritted his teeth. Did he dare try anyway? He sighed. It had to be today. He’d just be careful to not be seen.
He waited until dark before he moved back into the cabin of his van and observed the front door. No movement. He knew the guard would be on the far side of his patrol in thirty minutes and the heroes hadn’t been on his periscope since before sunset. Maybe they’d moved on?
Quietly, Kuonji exited his van and made his way across the street. He double-checked the rooftops as he walked, but saw no sign of anyone. He smiled to himself. Well, they were just sidekicks after all.
The key he'd copied turned in the lock, and he entered through the door. The alarm was disarmed, so he made his way to the vault unbothered.
Kuonji’s hands were shaking with adrenaline as he worked the combination lock on the vault. It was working! All he had to do was hide in the vault for an hour while the guard made his rounds, and then he’d be home free.
“It’s about time you got here,” a deep voice grumbled as the door opened.
Kuonji’s head snapped towards the sound. His face fell as Dynamight walked out of the vault, hands on his hips. “I couldn’t get any cell service. It was boring as hell in there.”
He turned to run, but was stopped by an arm held out at neck height behind him that threw him to the ground. Instantly, he felt slender hands roll him onto his stomach and put cuffs on his wrists.
“I suggest you stay still,’’ Uravity said, “and wait for the police.”
The flashing lights from the police cars were giving Kuonji a migraine as he waited to be taken away. The heroes had laid the same trap at various banks every night since he started his spree, and tonight they finally got lucky.
After a few moments, the police were ready to take him. Dynamight picked him up roughly by the elbow and led him to the police cruiser, but Kuonji noticed his attention was elsewhere.
“Come on, Cheeks!’’ Dynamight barked. “Let’s celebrate! You and me, we'll go to a fancy restaurant. Miruko said it was her treat."
"Really?" Uravity said excitedly, bouncing a little. "Count me in! What did you have in mind?"
"I hear Morimoto's is good," grumbled Kuonji.
Dynamight shoved him into the back of the car. "You shut up," he said, then turned back to his partner. "I've never eaten there. What do you say?"
The door shut before Kuonji could hear Uravity's response, but he knew she said yes. He saw it in their future.
As the car pulled away, he sighed. "I hate soulmates."