My Hero Academia: Limitless

[With Kaori]

The fluorescent lights hummed overhead as Kaori adjusted her pencil skirt, the fabric sliding against her thighs. Her heels clicked against the concrete floor of the storage room. She kept her movements deliberate, measured - a dance she'd performed countless times before.

The man tied to the chair breathed heavily through his nose, sweat beading on his forehead. His Detnerat ID badge hung crooked on his wrinkled shirt: Takeshi Yamamoto, Research Division.

"Emma," he wheezed. "Please, I already told you everything I know about the support item shipments-"

Kaori pulled a knife from her thigh holster, letting the blade catch the light. Her current disguise - honey-blonde hair in a tight bun, green contact lenses, and a crisp white blouse - was crafted to project an image of corporate efficiency. But efficiency could have sharp edges.

"Takeshi," she purred, crouching down beside his chair. "We both know that's not true." She rested one hand on his thigh, feeling him tense. "The routing manifests don't match the inventory logs. Someone's been cooking the books."

Her mind flickered briefly to Yoichi - his gentle smile, the way his eyes lit up when he laughed. She pushed the thought away. Focus on the mission. Always the mission.

"I-I'm just an assistant manager," Takeshi stammered. "I don't have access to-"

Kaori pressed the flat of the blade against his knee. "But you do have access to the shipping schedules. And the security rotation patterns. And the offshore account numbers." She leaned closer, letting her breath ghost across his ear. "Your supervisor trusts you, doesn't he?"

"If anyone finds out I talked..." Takeshi's voice cracked.

"Nobody will find out." Kaori traced the knife up his leg, keeping the pressure light. "This stays between us. Emma from HR just had some questions about inventory discrepancies. That's all."

She watched his resolve crumble, piece by piece. The information spilled out - account numbers, security codes, shipping routes. She committed each detail to memory, building a map of Detnerat's less legitimate operations.

When he finished talking, she stood smoothly and tucked the knife away. "Thank you for your cooperation, Takeshi." She pulled a small syringe from her jacket pocket. "This will help you sleep. When you wake up, you'll be back at your desk with a mild hangover. Nothing more."

The sedative worked quickly. As Takeshi's head lolled forward, Kaori allowed herself another moment of weakness. She imagined Yoichi's face if he could see her now - the disappointment in those beautiful eyes. But she'd made her choices. The path back to him, if there was one, wouldn't be easy.

She checked her watch. Twenty minutes to clean up and get to the extraction point.

The leather seat creaked as Kaori slid into the back of Toji's black sedan. She pulled off the blonde wig, letting her natural black hair fall free.

In the driver's seat, Toji's eyes remained fixed on his phone, where horses thundered down a digital track. "You're two minutes late."

Kaori rolled her eyes as Toji tapped his phone screen, muttering under his breath about odds and betting lines. "You're going to lose your shirt one of these days."

"Says the girl who just lifted three grand in bearer bonds." Toji didn't look up from his race. "Besides, I taught you everything you know about separating marks from their money."

"That was work. This is you pissing away paychecks on virtual horses." She kicked off her heels, wiggling her toes. The stockings had been pinching all day. "And don't take credit for my natural talents. Boss is the one who refined them."

"Speaking of the boss..." Toji cursed as his horse finished third. He tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. "You hear he's playing dress-up at the Hero Commission's charity gala tonight? Real black tie affair."

"Shinji always did clean up nice." Kaori started removing her contact lenses, blinking as her natural eye color returned. "Better him than me. I hate those events - too many heroes packed into one room."

"Meanwhile Nagant and Choso are freezing their asses off in Hokkaido." Toji finally put the car in drive, pulling away from the curb. "Some bullshit about weapons shipments."

"Better them than us," Kaori said, then frowned. "What's in Hokkaido?"

"Above our pay grade, apparently." Toji merged onto the highway, weaving through traffic with practiced ease. "Speaking of things above our pay grade - your little boyfriend's been making waves."

Kaori's fingers stilled on her blouse buttons. "What do you mean?"

"Two girls? At the same time?" Toji whistled. "And here I thought I taught you better judgment. The Yaoyorozu heir too - girl's worth more than small countries."

"They're just fighting for second place." The words came out sharper than she intended.

"That right?" Toji's eyes met hers in the rearview mirror. "Because last I checked, you're here and they're there. Math ain't adding up, princess."

"Keep your eyes on the road and out of my love life." Kaori yanked a makeup wipe from her bag, scrubbing harder than necessary at her foundation. "Unless you want to explain to Boss why his car ended up wrapped around a guardrail."

"Hey, I'm just looking out for my favorite student." Toji's tone stayed light, but his grip tightened on the wheel. "Kid's got options now. Heroes, money, legitimate future - whole world at his feet. Meanwhile you're playing Emma from HR and lifting corporate secrets."

"You done?"

"Just getting started. See, way I figure it-"

"No." Kaori's voice could have frozen helium. "You don't get to 'figure' anything. Not about this. Not about him."

Silence filled the car, broken only by the hum of tires on asphalt. Kaori stared out the window, watching the city lights blur past. Her reflection stared back - black hair falling loose around sharp eyes, mouth set in a hard line.

Kaori watched the familiar gates approach through the windshield. Home, such as it was. A place where Emma from HR and all her sisters could hang up their masks for a while.

She touched the rat-like protrusion of her ear, hidden beneath her hair. Some masks weren't so easy to remove.

"You betting on the next race?" she asked as they pulled into the garage.

"Planning to. Got a hot tip on-"

"Put it on Red Dawn in the fourth. Trust me." She gathered her things, not meeting his eyes. "Consider it payment for the ride. And the unsolicited advice."

"Red Dawn?" Toji was already reaching for his phone. "Since when do you follow-"

"Since I lifted the race fixing schedules along with those bearer bonds." She stepped out of the car, heels dangling from one finger. "Turns out Detnerat's tentacles reach into some interesting places."

Toji's laugh followed her toward the elevator. "Now that's my girl."

"Your girl needs a shower and twelve hours of sleep." The elevator doors slid open. "Don't lose all your money at once."

As the doors closed, she heard him mutter: "Can't lose what you ain't got."

Kaori leaned against the elevator wall, letting out a long breath. The elevator chimed softly as it reached her floor. Kaori dragged herself down the empty hallway, her bare feet silent against the polished concrete. Her heels swung from one finger, stockings stuffed unceremoniously in her purse. The clock on her phone read 1:04 AM.

She shouldn't call. It was late, and calling would only make things harder. Distance was supposed to be distance.

"Fuck it," she muttered, thumbing through her contacts. Her finger hovered over Yoichi's name before pressing the call button. The ring tone echoed in the empty hallway.

"Hello?" The voice that answered was distinctly female, distinctly tired, and distinctly not Yoichi.

Kaori's heart skipped. "Katsumi?"

"Yeah?" A yawn crackled through the speaker. "Yoichi's in the shower."

"At one in the morning?"

"We just finished training." Another yawn. "My idea. Needed to work off some... energy."

Kaori couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up. "He's good, isn't he?"

"Fucking incredible." Katsumi's voice held equal parts exhaustion and satisfaction. "But don't tell him I said that. His ego's big enough."

"Your secret's safe with me." Kaori leaned against her door, fishing for her keys. "How's he doing?"

"Besides wearing me out?" Sheets rustled in the background. "He misses you. A lot. He looks like a lost puppy sometimes."

The keys slipped in Kaori's fingers, clattering against the floor. "Oh?"

"Don't play dumb. It doesn't suit you." Katsumi's tone sharpened slightly. "Whatever family shit you're dealing with, it's eating at him."

Kaori bent to retrieve her keys, throat tight. "It's complicated."

"No shit. Everything about that idiot is complicated." Water stopped running in the background. "But he's our idiot."

"Our idiot," Kaori repeated softly. "How's the harem life treating you?"

"Don't even start." Katsumi groaned. "Yaomomo is starting to make moves on him. Wonder how she'll do it?"

"Maybe with a gold plated bento."

"Rich people are weird." Katsumi paused. "You coming back soon?"

The question hung in the air. Kaori stared at her apartment door, at the perfectly normal nameplate reading "Shogi." One of dozens of perfectly normal names she'd worn.

"I don't know," she said finally.

"Figure it out." Katsumi's voice held no judgment, just tired honesty. "He's got enough people half-in-half-out of his life already."

Footsteps approached on the other end of the line. Katsumi's voice grew distant: "Phone for you, pretty boy."

"Who is-" Yoichi's voice cut off. "Kaori?"

"Hey stranger." She forced lightness into her tone. "Heard you've been busy."

"You have no idea." The smile in his voice made her chest ache. "How's the family situation?"

Family situation. Right. That's what she'd told them.

"Complicated as ever." She unlocked her door, stepping into darkness. "You know how it is."

"I really don't." His laugh held an edge. "But I'd like to."

"Yoichi..."

"I know, I know. When you're ready." He sighed. "Just... you're okay, right?"

Kaori kicked her door shut, sliding down to sit against it. Her skirt rode up, designer fabric bunching against cheap industrial carpet. "Define okay."

"Kaori."

"I'm safe," she said. "Handling things. Missing you."

"Come back then." Simple words, impossible request. "Whatever it is, we can figure it out. Me, you, Katsumi - hell, bring the whole complicated family situation. We'll make it work."

Kaori closed her eyes, picturing it. Family dinner with Eclipse. Toji betting on horse races in the living room. Shinji discussing philosophy over wagyu beef.

A laugh bubbled up, edged with hysteria. "Pretty sure your other girlfriends wouldn't appreciate my family dynamics."

"Fuck 'em." Katsumi's voice came distantly through the speaker. "We can take 'em."

"You're on speaker?" Kaori asked.

"Sorry." Yoichi didn't sound sorry at all. "Katsumi insisted. Something about not trusting me alone with pretty voices on the phone."

"Smart girl."

"Damn right I am," Katsumi called out.

"Look," Yoichi said, "whatever's going on, just... stay in touch? Please?"

Kaori stared at her empty apartment. The moonlight through her window cast strange shadows on walls bare of everything but mission plans and surveillance photos. A life built on quicksand.

"I'll try," she said. "It's late. You two should sleep."

"Bold of you to assume sleeping is next on the agenda," Katsumi said.

"Behave yourselves."

"Never." Yoichi's grin was audible. "Night, Kaori. Call again soon?"

"Yeah." She swallowed hard. "Soon."

The line went dead. Kaori sat in the darkness, phone pressed to her chest, breathing in the silence.

"Fuck my life," Kaori muttered, hauling herself up. She needed a shower, sleep, and several better life choices.

At least she'd helped Toji win some money on Red Dawn. It was something.