Finished - February 16, 2023

Word Count - 1517

Music - Nighthawk - Two Steps from Hell

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A normal neighborhood like any other, sat in the midst of a regular town. A man walked down the sidewalk, his bow and arrows conceived carefully upon his back in an oversized backpack. Snow crunched under his boots as he arrived at his destination.

Entering the warmth of the house, Mureo took off his snow covered boots carefully and entered the living room where his partners awaited his update. Mureo had walked in the side door that led him directly into the kitchen.

Usually K was inside the overly decorated cooking space, making something sugary and equally unhealthy. However, upon Mureo's inspection, she was not there. Though he did find evidence of something in the oven. Apparent from a pile of freshly cleaned baking dishes, drying in the sink rack and the smell of pastry in the air. The pleasant scent floated around him as he walked through the small kitchen and into the living room.

"There you are!" Junichiro's crooked smile turned upwards upon seeing her comrade. She was laying upside down on the back of the couch cushions; a usual position for her. The blood rushing to her head helps her feel something more than the dullness of her existence. "How was it?"

"Cold." Mureo stated plainly, not assumed with her shenanigans.

"No duh." She rolled her eyes, head still inverted.

"Any updates?" Diodo rose from his seat and greeted his friend with a one armed bro-hand shake.

Mureo patted Diodo on the shoulder and sat down on the fluffy chair across from the couch. "Yeah, snagged a few more photos."

The archer slipped his backpack off and rummaged through the contents to find the camera. He handed it to Diodo, who skimmed through the new photos.

"The flowers worked." Mureo added as he watched Diodo smile at the small camera screen.

"They better have worked." Jonichiro had flipped herself upright and grabbed the camera from Diodo's hands. "Those stupid flowers were the best thing we've done in years."

"Patience Jonichiro." Diodo sighed, calming himself from yelling at her. He knew an argument with her only meant chaos and unnecessary fighting.

The girl knew she was pushing his buttons, and she enjoyed it. So, just to be difficult she stuck her tongue out at him, just to piss him off more.

Mureo could sense another quarrel brewing and hurried to change the subject. "It wasn't as much of a reaction, she sniffed the flowers and just kinda sneezed."

"That's it?" Jonichiro flopped back on the couch camera dropping on the coffee table. "Lame."

Diodo clenched his fists in annoyance and carefully retrieved the camera, inspecting it to make sure it was not damaged.

"It wasn't supposed to be a large hit, we used the smallest portion of the fungus." Mureo reminded her.

"Lame ass mushrooms." She folded her arms. "What are they even for again?"

"Phellinus." He answered plainly, relating the facts. "Its a rare fungus that grows on crystals. Breaks them down and eats them, like any regular fungus would eat decaying wood or nutrients."

Jonichiro stopped listening after "rare fungus" and gurgled her throat and rolled her eyes; completely bored of the conversation.

Mureo disregarded her rude behavior and finished answering the question. His OCD brain unsatisfied with only saying half an answer. "Once the fungus enters her system, it will nullify her quirk temporarily."

"Preparation sheperation." Jonichiro pretended to wake herself up once the dull details ended. "Who's idea was this anyway?"

"Actually it was K." Diodo answered, his eyes still lingering on the camera photos.

"K? The old lady?" She almost laughed.

"Believe it or not he's right. K found it and ordered it from Brazil." Mureo backed up the truth.

"That's why we tested it, to make sure she had a reaction before we took real action. Don't want to give away all our secrets before we are ready." Diodo dropped the camera, satisfied with the photos.

"Uuhhhhgg...I am ready!" She smeared at both her partners.

"But we're not, not everything has aligned yet." He tried to reason with her, which never ended well. Jonichiro was incredibly impatient and wanted everything immediately. Plus, her drive was unmatched. She constantly needed action, movement, hyper all the time.

"You might not have time for that anymore." All heads looked up to see K sitting in a chair closest to the kitchen. Her hands busy with two flying knitting needles, a cup of steaming tea and a small plate of scones sitting upon the small side table next to her. A sweet smile spread on her lips as she listened to the gossip she so enjoyed.

"What do you mean K?" Diodo always valued the opinion of his wise elder.

"Well, this girl is attending U.A. correct?" K sipped her tea, one pinky sticking out from the rest.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Jonichiro leaned forwards, her head turned.

"Isn't it obvious?" K sighed. "She is training with Pro Hero's everyday, she must be getting stronger by the minute."

"Doesn't matter, she's got nothing on us. We have years over her, plus, she hasn't even been using her quirk for a year." Jonichiro laughed.

"Do not underestimate her, or the skill of the Pro Hero's." K shook her finger with a smirk. "They can cause more damage than you realize."

This seemed to trigger the young adults, each of them knowing all too well the effects of the Hero Society. Mureo remembered his brother, how he was killed viciously by Endeavor. Burned and rendered unrecognizable at the age of 23. All because he was mistaken for a villain. Presumed a threat because he had exited a run down building, holding a large bag.

His older brother had just bought a new office space and was in the middle of reconstructing the building to start his new business. He was so excited, ready to start a new chapter of his life. But one look of a suspicious man, holding a suspicious bag, in an empty part of town was enough to end all those carefully laid plans.

This was the start of Mureo's hate for Hero's and he only saw more and more similar stories after his eyes were opened. This tierney needed to end.

"You all know how cruel it can be and that girl is in their grasp as we speak. Do you really want to wait until she becomes a full Hero? She already has her provisional license and her quirk is very powerful." K spoke carefully.

"She's right." Mureo admitted.

Diodo did not have a positive reaction to her words, frustrated by the circumstances and memories of past events. "It's not the right time!"

"When will it be the right time!?" Jonichiro rose from her seat, her feet unable to stay still any longer. "There is no such thing as 'the perfect time'. K is right, we have to act now, before she gets any stronger."

"You have been saying that for years." Diodo pulled at his hair and pointed a finger at her.

"And I will say it every day until you can get your head out of your ass and actually do something!" Jonichiro roared back.

Once again, Mureo was forced to separate the two and mediate the situation. He placed his arms in between them and turned to Diodo with a calm voice. "This time, I agree with Jonichiro. If we wait any longer, we might not have another chance."

As much as Diodo hated to admit it, they were right, it was time to act. After years of blackmailing, scaring, tracking and stalking; it was time to finally activate phase three of his grand plan.

Diodo had a master plan all laid out in his head. The same scheme all lined up for a perfect call to action.

Phase one: Scare

Use letters, photographs and threatening messages to scare the victim. Use fear to keep them on edge that they never relax, always on their toes. To be so wrapped up in panic that everything seems scary, even when it's peaceful.

Phase two: Isolate

By using phase one, the victim will have too many walls built around them. They will slowly realize that they are different from everyone else and distance themselves from everyone. To be secluded from society that no one will notice if they disappear.

Phase three: Take

Victim will be taken out of the world, brought into their hands. A person with no hope or want of escape. There will be nothing for them to go back to, just an empty life with no friends or family to miss them. Nothing worth fighting for.

Phase four: Revenge

Use the girl to send a message to the Hero Society, make a show of the victim. Display the Hero's failure and arrogance to the public. Let the people see what the Hero's have let sip through their fingers. Even better now that she was a student of their own prided school.

With the decision made to move forwards, everything sped up. The room fizzed with energy as all their hard work was starting to come together. These three young adults jumped from blackmailers to kidnapers.