One in a Billion

Chapter Nineteen - Friends on the Other Side

This chapter is short, but necessary for the major plot I'm working on.

Hina sat on an old crate, in the alleyway where she first met that villain. She used her selective hearing quirk to communicate with Aizawa, who's in a building not so far from the alleyway. "Okay, I'm pretty sure he saw you so there's a likelihood that he'll get down there any moment. Remember, if at any time you feel like you're in danger, use the code sentence we gave you." She anxiously was looking up and down the alleyway. "Yeah, I got it. I think I hear someone walking down. I'll be safe." She cut off his side of the line so she couldn't hear him but he could hear her.

She calmed herself down as she heard footsteps approaching her. She didn't move as they reached her. They stopped as she saw feet in the corner of her eye. "What are you doing here?" She recognised the voice. "Thought this might be your regular route. The name's Dabi, right?" She stood up and looked up at the man. He wasn't wearing the mask and glasses. She remembered the scars that dominated his face. "Last time we met, you mentioned that we were alike. What did you mean by that?" She asked. He chuckled at the question. "Your dad boasted about you, sure. But he also complained about your inability to listen to him. Your defiance. My dad was like that too. Trained me through all kinds of hell. Left his marks here and there. Physical and mental." He pointed at her head, menacingly but without force.

"Who are you working for? And do they, by any chance, want to kill me?" She asked, leaning on the wall behind her. He stared at her, confused. "Why?" He asked. She smiled at him. "I've heard quite a bit about the League of Villains from some of the pros at UA. They sound like they're fighting a good cause. I'm interested." He leaned down at her, uncertainty on his face. "You following in your old man's footsteps then?" She scoffed at him. "I'm not one for following, so to speak. I make my own path. It just so happens he's in the way of it. So, do you know the leader of the League or should I find someone else?" She asked, trying to level with him. He stood back up and turned his back to her.

He took a few seconds and turned back around. He held his hand out. "Phone." She took her phone out of her pocket but didn't hand it to him. "What do you want with it?" She asked, hesitantly. He sighed, knowing she wouldn't give him such control that easily. "Gimme your number." He pulled out his own phone and unlocked it. He went to his notes and made a new page for her to put her number. She took his phone and slowly typed her number in. He snatched it from her when she finished. "Someone will get in contact with you, can't guarantee it'll be me." He looked back up at her, glaring as if he was trying to read her mind. She stared back, not giving him the slightest hint.

"I'll be off then." He waved her off as he started to make his way down the alleyway. He stopped in his tracks and tilted his head backwards. "You better not be fucking with me now. I don't react well to being betrayed. Especially if they're cute, little brats." With that, he disappeared into the darkness. Hina let out a deep exhale, as if she'd been holding her breath for the entire interaction, and sat back down on the crate. She pulled out the phone in her pocket and saw a text from Aizawa.

Good job, kid. Now we wait.

She smiled as she got up and made her way to the main street. She made her way to a nearby café where she saw Present Mic and Midnight sitting at a table, in their normal clothes. They saw her walking towards them and got up to meet her. "You okay? How did it go?" Midnight asked. Hina smiled. "It went well. I'll be honest, I almost forgot the new number Eraser told me to us." She laughed, nervously. "He has a mean stare. Gave me chills, to be honest." Mic looked at Hina, then at Midnight, worried. He put his hand on Hina's shoulder. "Just to remind you, you can drop out of this at any time. And even if you're there, just say the codeword and we'll get you out as soon as we can." She looked up to him and smiled. "I know. But I feel like I have to do this. I want to see the kind of world my dad was absorbed into. The kind of world he wanted me to be absorbed into." Mic weakly smiled as he moved his hand from her shoulder to her head. "It's ok, kid. C'mon, let's go home."