Quirkless Assassin

Three

Hawks froze. Did he figure it out from the nightmare?

"My f-father-" He cut himself to go slap himself. Hawks quickly grabbed his wrist before he could.

"Don't do that."

"Sorry, Takami." He took in a shaky breath. "My father kept calling me that, but I don't know. I don't remember enough." His voice went back to monotone. The voice you'd expect from someone dead. Hawks rubbed the boy's hair.

"Well, Izuku. I think we should go back to sleep." Hawks was going to help.

The morning came quickly. Caedes walked out to the kitchen and prepared a meal. The commission made sure he knew how to cook in case he was to take care of a hero or a handler. He heard Hawks's door open and close. A small yawn rang through the condo.

Hawks noticed that Izuku was still wearing his mask. He hasn't taken it off yet. His curiosity was eating him alive.

"Hey, Izuku. Whachta doin'?" He asked.

"Making breakfast." Caedes answered. "And if you could refrain from calling my Izuku, please do. It's best not to build up a relationship." The dullness of his voice rang in his head. Hawks sat down at the table, resting his head on his hands.

"You haven't taken off your mask yet. Why?" Caedes faltered a bit.

"If you would like me to take it off, I can."

"No, you don't need to. I just wonder why?" The tension in the boy's shoulders eased a tad.

"The commission marks each of their projects. Usually, on the back, neck, leg, or arm." Keigo knew what he was talking about. His was on the back of his neck. His hero name was his mark. "After being diagnosed as quirkless, they punished me by putting on my cheek." His voice was still and monotone. No emotion in his words.

"Oh. Sorry, kid. If it makes you feel better, mine on the back of my neck. He turns his head far enough to see the start of the word. The boy sighed. He pulled down his mask.

Instead of ink like he was expecting, white scar tissue showed. The word 'Caedes' was carved into his skin. Hawks's eyes widened.

"You showed me yours. It's only fair." Izuku turned away from him and continued to cook.

At least they were making progress. If Hawks was going to help him, they'd need a level of trust.

"I can't believe they did that to you." He mumbled. The boy put his smack back on.

The mission came by quickly. They were currently scouting the area that was given to them.

"There." Takami followed the boy's eyes. There was a tall, slim man. He seemed to be waiting. "That's the target. His quirk allows him to control shadows. He has a major advantage against us. If we could suprise him, we'd level the playing fields a tad. He can only make 4 figures at a time. I'm confident I could take at least three at once. If I could find a way to limit his shadows, that would be best. Even if I were to stick to the shadows, that could help. It takes a lot of energy for four. He'll most likely only do two. On to face the two of us. " Hawks was curiously watching the boy. Did he even know he was speaking. His analysis of the quirk is pretty good. Before Keigo could react, the boy slapped himself. "Apologies. I seem to be really off my game as of recent. I'll do better." Hawks looked at him with concern.

"Please don't hit yourself again." The boy nodded.

"Yes, Takami." He looked back at the person. "We should move in." Hawks nodded. "You engage in fight, I'll provide backup. I'll make sure no one gets close by. If the other comes, I'll take care of him." He nodded.

"1...

2...

3..." Hawks jumped down and engaged in a fight. Caedes crept around, making sure no one could interfere. Once making sure no one was in close proximity, he jumped into the fight. Helping Hawks fight of shadows was easier than what he expected. Caedes heard someone behind him. He quickly turned his head. Oh. It was just Eraserhead. He starts to help engage in the fight.

The villain seemed to have enough. Pulling out a small hand gun and aiming at Eraserhead. When the gun goes off, Caedes jumps in front of him. The bullet peirced him right in the stomach. He bit back a scream. He rolled into a standing position. He got back into his fighting stance.

The rest of the fight had no more injuries. As the adrenaline slowed down, the pain became worse. His trembling hand gripped his wound gently. He stood there. No emotion. No movement. His eyes closed and face paling.

"Caedes! Why would you do that?!" He opened his eyes to see the Erasure hero.

"My job is to protect heroes on missions like this." He stated bluntly.

"Your life should come first!" Hawks gripped his shoulder.

"This is why I was made. If I were to let a hero die on my watch, I'd be punished." He started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Eraserhead's capture weapon wrapped around his waist.

"Back to HPSC. It's protocol for injuries."

"No, you're not. You're going to the hospital." He demanded.

"The Commision's protocol says otherwise." He said, trying to unwrap himself.

"You're going to the hospital." Hawks states calmly.

"The Com-"

"That's an order, Izuku." Eraserhead's head snapped in Hawks's direction.

"Yes, sir."