Beautiful Disasters- Hawks x OC

Chapter 45

As soon as Hayato closed the door behind them, the trio's expression became somber.

"You know right? Mineko's alive?" Araya asked.

Mariko nodded, she had accepted the reality and knew something needed to be done. "I want to help," she stated firmly. She started this whole thing three years ago; it was only right that she finish it as well.

The ravenette nodded, he had already known she would want to be involved in the mission. "You're gonna need a military ID then," he said, giving her an ID card and a brand-new set of dog tags.

A feeling of nostalgia washed over her, but not the good kind. She felt no happiness whatsoever as she ran her thumb over the metal. She had gotten out for a reason after all. Truthfully, going in was the last thing she wanted to do. Mariko nodded in thanks as she put the necklace on and tucked the I.D. in her pocket.

"Hayato mentioned that Hawks was spying on the League of Villains," Araya stated.

She raised her eyebrow, "That's true... but I never told him that..."

The blonde shrugged, "I had to conduct my own research. He's your boyfriend after all. Gotta be careful with those," he joked.

Mariko's cheeks turned pink and she scowled at him. "He's not my boyfriend!" she exclaimed.

Araya smirked in amusement. "Whatever he is has your face turning red dear," he told her. "For now though, let's get back to Shimizu, that's the important thing here... Mari, you still need to be briefed. There's a lot more stuff Hayato hasn't told you yet 'cus you didn't have clearance," he explained.

She nodded in understanding, "Tell me everything."

"We found out that while Shimizu was working on manipulating quirks, Baisho had been developing the science to completely remove a quirk's existence," he explained.

"You mean like a rougher version of the whole Overhaul thing?" she asked.

"Actually, the opposite. Overhaul was using a pre-existing quirk to remove other people's. Baisho was actually developing a different thing altogether- a chemical that kills the cells that allow your body to produce your quirk."

"It's like chemotherapy for quirks," Hayato chimed in.

"How far did she get with it?"

"Pretty damn far. She was set back though when we blew up the China base because a lot of her research was stored there too. We never got to analyze it so we didn't know she was with Mineko until recently. She's had around two years to rebuild, but what's more worrisome is the rumors that there's a second base somewhere in Northern Japan, one that's been running nonstop because we never knew about it. It's safe to assume that it's all villains there, so we still don't know much aside from the basic rumor that it exists. But assuming the rumors are true, even if she's in prison now-"

"She probably has other scientists working on this already, so her being locked up won't hinder the progress. Especially if she's still working with Mineko like we think she is."

"Exactly."

"So, we need to find the base and secure all the info and the employees there and kill Mineko if she's there," she's concluded.

"Just like last time," Araya agreed.

Mariko sighed shaking her head, "Just like last time," she echoed softly.

He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault. We had no way to track her. We wouldn't have caught her at all if it weren't for Overhaul," he told her.

The brunette nodded but said nothing. "So, what are we going to do now?" she asked.

"Now we're searching for the second base," Hayato told her. "Rumors are never just rumors in the underground. I'm sure it's out there somewhere. We just haven't found it yet. We need to soon though."

"Actually, I'd liked to talk to your boyfriend about this if he can. I know the HPSC can be a bit strict about these things though," Araya piped.

"Why do you want to talk to Hawks?"

"He's doing stuff for the L.o.V and I have a feeling they're gonna be pretty useful during this mission.

"You want us to work with villains?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Araya stared at her; she noticed the dullness in his eyes that you only get when you've been in the morally gray area for too long.

"We're not heroes Mari. We do whatever we need to get the mission done. You know this better than anyone," he told her.

Mariko sighed, a dark look crossing her features as he reminded her. "I do... but he still doesn't know anything yet. I'd like to explain everything before you request his assistance if that's alright." Now that he was her boss, she had to ask for his permission before she did things regarding the Division.

Araya nodded, "Sure thing. Do it soon though. We're on a time crunch so get it done by the end of the week."

The brunette nodded in understanding, "Thank you sir."

He cringed, "That sounds so gross coming from you don't ever call me that again."

A small laugh bubbled in her chest. "Alright then. Understood," she giggled.