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CHAPTER START---
Walking through Minato Tokyo on this early summer morning, is Shino Sosaki, also known as Mandalay, leader of the Wild Wild Pussycats Pro Hero team.
With her brow hair grown slightly longer, now past her shoulder, and wearing a blue pencil skirt and white button-up shirt, she casually holds her purse in one hand while looking at her phone in the other.
"This can't be the place," she mutters while looking around, at all the skyscrapers she could never afford to live in. "Maybe she got the address wrong."
Shino hesitates for a moment, then enters the most famous and expensive building in the area.
The lobby is almost empty, and the sight of the fine art and furniture makes her nervous, not wanted to have to walk out after learning she's in the wrong place.
In the lobby, she sees a doorman and receptionist, as well as some security guards, but they only nod as she walks past them, as if expecting her.
Walking to the elevator at the far end of the hallway she inputs a security code, and to her relief the doors open.
"So this is the right place…which raises even more questions," Shino mutters as she steps into the elevator and pushes the one button, taking her to the penthouse suite on the top floor.
After getting to the top floor, the doors open, and she's instantly greeted by a surprisingly warmly decorated modern hallway leading into a massive living room.
"Ryuko!" Shino yells out as she slowly enters, looking around.
"I'm upstairs!" her friend yells from somewhere above.
Shino relaxes and follows her voice, up some open stairs to the second floor.
The entire walk she's looking around, eyes growing wide many times as she sees some expensive pieces of art on the walls.
"I have so many questions," Shino says as she steps into the open bedroom door. "Oh wow," Shino's mind blanks as she notices the bedroom is bigger than the apartment she had in Tokyo years ago.
"I'm in here!" Ryuko calls out again, pulling Shino's attention to the large double doors, the entrance to her closet.
"I knew you were holding out on us, but damn," Shino says as she steps inside to see Ryuko sitting on the floor trying to sort through piles of clothes, with one small suitcase open in front of her.
"Yeah I know, can you help me sort through this stuff?" Ryuko pleads, giving her best kicked-puppy look to Shino. "I'm only supposed to bring one small suitcase, but I don't know what to pack!"
Shino glares at her for a moment, then sighs and drops her purse, joining her friend on the floor.
"Thanks so much!"
"So, are you going to make me ask?" Shino begins sorting through the clothes with her friend.
"Ask what?"
"Seriously? Your mom calls me begging for us to take you back into the team because apparently I kicked you out, recently at that, and you don't know anything about that?"
Ryuko pauses for a moment, then continues packing, "She wouldn't understand me simply quitting the Pro Hero stuff, it was easier that way."
"By making me look like a jerk?"
"You're team leader, isn't that your job?" Ryuko asks. "Besides, I see her once a decade, she only pretends to care so she can brag about her daughter being a Pro Hero, I don't plan ever to see her again."
"Then you should have just told her the truth and properly cut ties with her, instead of dragging me into it."
Ryuko goes silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts, then looks over at her friend. "It doesn't make sense, but, even if she's just a stranger to me, I know this would disappoint her, and I didn't like that thought."
"Well she is still your mom, regardless of how terrible she was at that," Shino says. "You're just lucky I'm a quick thinker, so I covered for you. But you need to tell her the truth, today, I'm not going to be a part of this anymore."
Ryuko groans, "I will, I was kind of just hoping she'd die before she found out."
Shino gives her a strange look, not expecting her friend to say something so dark.
"Thanks for covering for me," Ryuko says. "And for coming to spend the day with me."
"It's fine, but I hope we aren't spending all day in your closet, even if it is nicer than my entire bedroom."
Ryuko awkwardly laughs, "I don't suppose you're willing to just…ignore all of this?" she gestures to the lavish closet and penthouse.
"Considering we've all been worried that you're barely making rent in Minato Tokyo, yeah, you need to explain," Shino says. "And don't even think about telling me your job as a Quirk Counselor is somehow paying for all of this."
"Is that so hard to believe?" Ryuko asks.
Shino gestures to a shelf filled with designer shoes, "I think one of those costs more than I make in a month."
"I…won the lottery?"
Shino gives her a bored look before going back to sorting the clothes. "That wouldn't explain why you didn't tell us, or this…" she holds up some very very scandalous lingerie that was not yet opened.
"Ok, but, promise you won't be mad."
"No, I'm definitely going to be mad," Shino says. "So, is it who I think it is?"
"That depends, what are you thinking?"
"That since you're no longer a Pro Hero on my team, or working under UA, it's really none of my business…"
Ryuko breathes a sigh of relief.
"But, now I'm concerned about you sleeping next to someone who killed half a city on national TV."
"That's not his fault."
"When you're as powerful as he is, everything is your fault," Shino says. "But I'm not blaming him, then I'd be no better than the people who blamed us for not defeating All For One to protect the students."
"Exactly."
"But I am a bit worried about the mean streak he has, but I can look past it since it's only focused on the worst villains."
Ryuko freezes for a moment, and Shino gives her a concerned look.
Then a moment later she starts crying, ugly crying.
"Hey, what's wro—"
Ryuko lunges at her friend, pulling her into a crushing hug and crying into her shoulder.
"Hey! What's wrong? Did he hurt you?!"
"I'm just so happy I can finally talk to someone about this!" Ryuko yells, right in Shino's ear.
"Too loud," Shino says as she holds her friend.
"Sorry, it's just really stressful sometimes keeping this all to myself," Ryuko says.
"Yeah, can I tell the others?"
"Let's not push it," Ryuko says. "He was really mad when Horizon Tower got attacked with me there, he really doesn't want me in any danger, so the fewer people that know, the better."
"Horizon Tower was attacked?" Shino asks as they separate. "How come that wasn't in the news."
"Because I got hurt, and Horizon…he was really angry."
"Oh, I see," Shino nods, not wanting to think about what he did to the villains. "Once you're fine now."
"Yeah, but I can't go to Horizon Tower anymore, so now I'm here," she waves her hands, a broad smile on her face. "He was kind of a jerk about it though."
"What did he do?"
"Well, one second I'm in my apartment, then the next me and all my stuff is warped here, he didn't even ask me if I wanted to move, but he meant well by it, obviously."
"Yeah, clearly," Shino folds a designer dress she'd never be able to afford, and nods thoughtfully. "He really spoils you."
"But I'm cute so it's fine."
"If you say so."
Ryuko lightly shoves her friend, causing them both to giggle.
"So, when did you two get back together anyway?" Shino asks. "I told you to stop what you were doing, so it must have been, what, the UA Culture Festival? That would be the next time you saw each other."
"Uh, actually, we never stopped."
Shino glares at her, serious for a moment. "Oh, so you broke your promise to your team leader, how shameful."
"Oh, we did lots of 'shameful' things during the summer camp, wanna hear about it?" Ryuko gives her a mischievous smirk, causing her friend to blush.
"I'd rather not know about whatever is under that Body Glove, is it like…you know."
"It's amazing," Ryuko smiles at her. "But sharing a bed with a living nuclear reactor is…exhausting."
"Ok, I've heard enough about that. I'm just happy to hear you're happy, right?"
"Better than ever," Ryuko says. "I'm actually packing to go see him next week, shopping in New York will be fun!"
"Now you're just trying to make me jealous. But, aren't you a bit concerned about the whole…you know, Visor, Body Glove, can't be seen in public together, all of that."
Shino feels the mood shift, as if all the air was ripped out of the room.
"It's a lot harder than I thought," Ryuko says, sadly. "But I mean, this is the best way. I don't think Horizon's kids would be seen as anything less than a golden prize for his enemies, and I'd be no different."
"Well, atleast he spares no expense on giving you a nice cage to spend your life in."
"It's not a cage, I can leave whenever I want!"
Shino raises her hands in surrender, "Sorry sorry, alright, relax."
"Sorry, sometimes this can be really stressful, but he's pretty awesome," Ryuko says. "Just I can never tell him that…he's insufferable when he gets a compliment."
"I just remember him always being a jerk," Shino says as she walks over to the couch in the closet and lays down. "Pretty sure he hates me anyway."
"He doesn't hate you, he's just disgusted by everything you stand for, that's not the same thing."
"You weren't this mean before him," Shino mutters.
"Are you going to blame him every time I do something you don't like?"
"Naturally," Shino says as she looks at some of the heels Ryuko was packing, and starts trying them on. "You could have told us earlier, you do know that, right?"
"I only told you now because of my mom, I don't think he would have liked this if it happened earlier."
"Not about that," Shino says as she tries walking around in her new shoes. "I'm keeping these, but I was talking about the fact that you wanted to quit the Pro Hero stuff and have a family, we would have understood."
"We're a mountain rescue team, without my Quirk, you'd drop so low in the rankings, that's also a reason I didn't want to quit. And because you're my friends."
"I figured as much," Shino says as she tries on a few coats, deciding which would look best for her to wear every day. "But it would be pretty fun to have a few kids I can spoil, hopefully, they aren't as bratty as Kota was at the start."
"But he's a lot better now."
"Thanks to Midoriya, but if your kids take after their daddy…ugh—" Shino winces as a shoe hits her in the head. "Ouch! What the hell!"
"You know what!"
"Sorry sorry, damn, I was making a joke, I'm sure they'll be great," Shino says before she gets to the dresses and finds what would look good with her hair.
"Are you planning to take my clothes?"
"If it fits me, it's our clothes, you should know this by now."
"This is us being roommates all over again," Ryuko smiles, remembering how fun their early Pro Hero days were.
"Great, this will work," Shino says as she finishes up her outfit, now wearing entirely different clothes and a new purse. "Now, you're taking me on a shopping trip, lets go?"
"But, I'm not even close to finishing this?" Ryuko gestures to the pile of clothes.
"We've got a week to deal with that, since I've decided that this place is too big for you to fully enjoy alone, so I'll be staying for a few days."
"Really?" Ryuko says excitedly.
"Yeah, besides, Horizon destroyed my Pro Hero Team by seducing my best friend away from me, so the least he can give me is a week of shopping."
"That's not exactly what happened."
"Blah blah, I'm just counting the days until you get pregnant so I can raid this place and get a whole new wardrobe, now let's go…"
A few minutes later, after Ryuko got hurriedly dressed, both women were sitting in her kitchen eating ice cream, waiting for the car they hired to arrive.
"I'm just saying, he could have got you a car," Shino says.
"I can walk to work from here, plus, I already gave him an earful for giving me this place, so he knew better than to give me any more unnecessary things."
"He's lucky you aren't one of those women who just want a man's money."
"That's why I'm here," Ryuko says as she continues eating her ice cream.
A moment later Shino's phone rings, with the Hero Network Alert sound.
Ryuko instinctively reaches for her phone, only to stop as she remembers she's not part of the Hero Network anymore, having officially retired months ago.
Shino takes out her phone and winces at the screen, then glances nervously between Ryuko and the phone before trying to put it away.
"Show me," Ryuko demands.
"It's nothing, don't worry."
"Then show me."
"You aren't a Pro Hero any—"
"Show me, if it made you that worried about me seeing it, then I want to see."
"I hope this doesn't ruin our week," Shino slides the phone over, and Ryuko carefully scans the screen, expression unreadable.
On the screen is a man, his entire body seemingly charred black, with a handprint melted onto his face.
The skin on his mouth is missing, torn away as he stands there, speaking as the missing skin and flesh of his mouth and lips bleed into the earth.
At the top of the article simply says, 'Horizon's battle at Central Park'.
Ryuko slides the phone back to Shino, and returns to eating her ice cream, seemingly unbothered.
"Uh, he looked pretty hurt, are you alright?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"If you're worried, you can call him—"
"No need, it's Horizon, he'll be fine…"
END CHAPTER---